The Lonely City Closed - Chapter 53
The Emperor did not force Zhongzhen to call Consort Zhang again; he remained silent, though his expression was still gentle.
Knowing better than to be tactful, Miss Gao pulled her two daughters, who had been playing cat's cradle with Qiu He, aside and whispered some instructions in their ears. The two girls then stepped forward to greet Consort Zhang, saying, "May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings."
Seeing this, Consort Zhang's initially stiff expression softened slightly, and she smiled faintly, uttering a single word: "Good girl."
Then, she slowly rose, bowed to the Empress, and said, "Your Majesty, my mother's birthday is in ten days. I plan to go to Xiangguo Temple tomorrow to offer incense and pray for her well-being. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission."
The Empress said gently, “It is perfectly appropriate for the Consort to be filial to her mother. I will have the Imperial Carriage Master prepare a carriage for you later, and you can set off first thing tomorrow morning.”
"Thank you, Empress," Consort Zhang said, but her gaze toward the Empress was cold, revealing no trace of gratitude.
After that, she made another request: "The umbrellas, fans, and ornaments in my carriage are all old, especially the first-rank blue umbrella, which is the darkest and oldest. If I use it again tomorrow, I am afraid it will attract stares from passersby and damage the imperial dignity. Therefore, I would like to borrow the red umbrella from the Empress's carriage. I hope the Empress will grant my request."
There are established regulations regarding the carriages and ceremonial regalia of imperial concubines; only the Empress is permitted to use a red umbrella. Consort Zhang's request is an impolite and presumptuous overreach. Moreover, this is not a new issue. She had previously requested permission from the Emperor to use a red umbrella, and the Emperor ordered his ministers to discuss the matter. Almost everyone opposed it, and in the end, she was only allowed to use a first-rank blue umbrella. Even though a decision had already been reached, she brought it up again at this time, which seemed like a blatant provocation against the Empress.
"A red umbrella?" The Empress pondered, glanced at the Emperor, and asked, "What does Your Majesty think?"
Before the Emperor could speak, Consort Zhang answered on his behalf: "Your Majesty asked me yesterday, and he told me to ask the Empress. He said that if the Empress gives permission, that would be fine."
The Empress then looked at the Emperor, and seeing no denial from him, she made her decision. She summoned Zhang Weiji and instructed him, "Go and tell the Minister of the Imperial Carriage that tomorrow Lady Zhang's carriage will be accompanied by a red umbrella."
Zhang Weiji looked troubled: "Your Majesty..."
The Queen smiled and nodded at him, as if to encourage him.
The rest of the palace staff watched silently, none daring to utter a word. Unexpectedly, it was Zhongzhen who finally voiced his objection.
“Old man,” he asked the emperor, “is the red umbrella available to anyone?”
The Emperor did not answer immediately, so Zhongzhen continued, "Last time, when I accompanied the Empress to Jinming Pond, I saw that the red umbrella on her carriage was very beautiful, so I asked my aunt why we didn't use an umbrella of that color as well. As a result, she scolded me and said that only the Empress could use a red umbrella... Was my aunt wrong?"
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the Emperor's reply. In the midst of this silence, the princess secretly winked at Zhongzhen and smiled approvingly.
“She’s not wrong.” The Emperor finally spoke up, turning to Consort Zhang and saying, “The state’s cultural relics and ceremonial rules are orderly. If you openly carry a red umbrella when you go out, you will not be tolerated by the officials of the outer court and will only cause gossip. You should thank the Empress for her kindness, but you will still use a blue umbrella when you go out tomorrow.”
The Empress's close attendants, from Zhang Weiji down, all bowed and thanked the Emperor upon hearing this, saying, "Your Majesty is wise." The princess, seeing Consort Zhang's expression, almost burst out laughing. I promptly offered her a freshly prepared cup of tea. She accepted it, covering her face with her sleeve as if to drink, but her trembling shoulders betrayed her emotions, finally igniting Consort Zhang's anger.
"Your Majesty," Consort Zhang raised her voice slightly, questioning the Emperor in front of everyone, "Why do you repeatedly allow people to humiliate me? Now, from your daughters, grandsons, and concubines to the lowest eunuchs in the palace, everyone can make fun of me. I have become the biggest laughing stock in this palace!"
The Emperor did not respond to her question, but simply said, "You haven't been feeling well lately. Are you a little tired? Go back and rest early."
Consort Zhang shook her head, refusing to concede to his offer. Her chest heaved noticeably, as if she were suppressing her anger, but to little avail. Tears welled in her eyes, and she continued bluntly, "The so-called favor bestowed upon one person by three thousand concubines is nothing but a joke. What have I gained over the past ten years? Nothing but the jealousy of three thousand concubines and the repeated accusations of the court officials. You have imprisoned me in this imperial city, making it a golden house and a jade cage, allowing only the present wealth and comfort to me and my family, but what I truly desire, you have never given me..."
The Emperor did not respond, but asked Zhang Maoze beside him, "Who is the imperial physician who has recently examined the Consort?"
Mr. Zhang gave the name of the imperial physician, and the emperor said, "Dismiss him, and send someone more skilled."
Hearing this, Consort Zhang sneered, "I'm not sick! In the more than twenty years since I entered the palace, I've never been as lucid as I am today... You tolerate the censors' criticisms of me, to the point that even the lowest-ranking officials dare to point their fingers at me and call me the corrupt Consort Yang! And those ministers who have shown me even the slightest kindness, you banish them from the capital. Jia Changchao, Xia Song, Wang Zhi, Wang Gongchen, even Wen Yanbo... You show particular concern for the officials and eunuchs of the Empress's faction, recalling those who were previously sent away one by one. Now, Deng Baoji has returned, but what about Yang Huaimin? Why haven't you summoned him back to the palace?"
She paused, first glancing at Zhang Maoze, then at Dong Qiuhe who hadn't uttered a word, and suddenly said something extremely rude: "You really give the Empress face, even accepting two of her confidants with a smile, one accompanying you to court, and the other to your bedchamber..."
Qiuhe's face was pale, and she unconsciously tightened the silk rope that had been idly wrapped around the fingers of her left hand.
The emperor, having reached his limit, suddenly changed color and shouted, "Guards!"
Ren Shouzhong immediately stepped forward to await orders. The Empress seemed to understand the Emperor's meaning, pressed down on the back of his hand, and shook her head.
The Emperor paused, then his expression softened. "Please, Consort, return to your chambers to rest," he commanded Ren Shouzhong in a calm tone.
Ren Shouzhong agreed and stepped forward to help Consort Zhang, but she suddenly broke free, pointed at the Empress, stared at the Emperor, and cried out in tears: "This battle has lasted for more than ten years, and I have finally lost to her... You let your adopted son marry her adopted daughter, and the eldest grandson born will only recognize her as his grandmother. One day, if that child who just humiliated me sits on the throne in the Zichen Palace, how will he treat me then?"
Seeing the Emperor frown and remain silent, she pointed at the Empress: "You always say she is kind and dignified, and has repeatedly yielded to me, asking me to thank her. But have you ever considered that Empress Lü, when Liu Bang was alive, also presented a kind and dignified demeanor to Consort Qi? Yet, once her son ascended the throne, she tortured Consort Qi into a human pig!"
At this moment, the princess stood up, took a few steps forward, and said to Consort Zhang, "Lady Zhang, I also want to ask you, have you ever thought about why only Consort Qi ended up as a human pig when Liu Bang had more than just Consort Qi?"
“What could she have done wrong?” Consort Zhang said. “It’s just that she is the most favored, which has aroused Empress Lü’s jealousy.”
The princess shook her head and said, "If she hadn't been so favored and usurped the throne, repeatedly urging Liu Bang to depose the empress and crown prince and install her own son as heir, how could Empress Lü have been so enraged? The path is clear, and even a recluse can find peace. If you haven't done anything wrong, what retribution are you afraid of?"
Consort Zhang glared at her angrily: "Princess, you are also born of a concubine, while your mother and I are just ordinary people. Why do you always side with the Empress and belittle me at every turn?"
The princess replied, "I look down on you not because of your status as a concubine... Your narrow-mindedness cannot bear your ever-growing desires, so you are laughable in every way."
“Desire…” Consort Zhang repeated the word, then asked the princess, “Does the princess not have desires? What’s wrong with trying to get what you want?”
The question saddened the princess for a moment, but she quickly raised her eyes and answered clearly: "I also have things I want, but they don't involve power or the state. They are just the simplest wishes of an ordinary woman. You, on the other hand, are only a Consort, yet you have gone to great lengths to seek benefits and rewards for yourself and your family. For many years, you have also been trying to cultivate your own faction and plot to depose the emperor. If you become the Empress in the future, you will surely use all the resources of the world to satisfy your own desires. This is why I despise you, why the ministers rebuke you, and why my father respects the Empress and restrains you."
These words left Consort Zhang stunned for a long time. Then, she smiled faintly and said, "What a princess with such low aspirations! But I might as well tell you now that you will find that one day your simplest wish as an ordinary woman will not be tolerated by the world. With your temperament, you will also end up being rebuked by the court officials and suppressed by the emperor and empress."
Having said that, she proudly raised her head, turned and left, but turned back as she was about to leave the palace, giving the princess a strange smile.
“You can take this as my curse,” she said.
That night, news came from Ninghua Palace that Consort Zhang had suddenly fallen ill. The Emperor rushed to visit her, and Mr. Zhang also went several times with different imperial physicians. Everyone entering and leaving Ninghua Palace had a solemn expression, and the faint cries of the Consort could be heard coming from within. Everyone in the palace realized that the situation was serious, so Consort Miao ordered Zhang Chengzhao to take two eunuchs to keep watch and investigate throughout the night.
The next morning, Zhang Chengzhao returned and reported, "Just now, Prefect Ren came out of Ninghua Palace to announce that Consort Zhang has passed away."
Most people in the palace believed that Consort Zhang committed suicide. Some said she took poison, others said she swallowed gold, which wouldn't kill her immediately, hence the prolonged crying and commotion. A few speculated that the Empress was behind it, but I see no reason why the Empress would have wanted to harm Consort Zhang under these circumstances.
When I later met Mr. Zhang, I couldn't resist asking him, like all curious palace servants, about the cause of Consort Zhang's death.
He gave me a simple yet profound answer: "Despair."
The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) The Pearl Pavilion is deserted, the summer day is long. 44. Posthumous Reign