Huangming

Chapter 153 The Golden Box Reflects the Image, Her Beautiful Face Deceives

Qianqing Palace.

Inside the East Warm Pavilion.

Zhu Youxiao reviewed memorials as usual.

Wei Chao bowed, holding a beautifully framed scroll in both hands, his face full of fawning smiles, and stepped forward to say, "Your Majesty, these are portraits of the eight ladies who passed the second round of selection. This servant specially ordered the painter to use mica powder, a new tribute from Suzhou and Hangzhou, to mix the colors, and even the lotus patterns on their clothes are drawn with gold thread."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao put down his brush, and his interest was piqued.

"Who is there?"

"Your Majesty, please look!"

Wei Chao opened the first scroll. The woman in the scroll had a graceful figure, a kind face like Guanyin, and eyes as bright as autumn water.

She wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with gold thread outlining lotus scrolls subtly visible on the hem, further enhancing her elegant and refined气质 (qi zhi - inherent quality/temperament). A white jade hairpin was inserted diagonally in her hair, her black hair as dark as clouds, making her skin appear even whiter than snow.

Zhu Youxiao's gaze narrowed slightly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the memorial, as if captivated by the spirit of the person in the painting.

Seeing the emperor's expression, Wei Chao quickly stepped closer and whispered, "This is Zhang from Xiangfu County, Henan Province. Her given name is Yan. Her father, Zhang Guoji, was originally a student, but was later selected to study at the Imperial Academy in Beijing as a local scholar and became a student there."

Is this the Empress Zhang from the original history?

Just by looking at this portrait, you can tell she is an absolute beauty.

Who chose her?

Wei Chao immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it was Liu Kejing, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who selected them in Kaifeng, the seat of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission."

Liu Kejing.
This guy seems to be quite close to the Donglin Party members.

Last year, when the inner court was being cleaned up, this guy ran off to Henan Prefecture to select candidates, thus escaping a disaster.

Zhu Youxiao's eyes flickered.

It's unclear whether Zhang Yan is on his side or behind those upright individuals.
"Let's look at the next few."

Upon hearing this, Wei Chao dared not delay and immediately opened another scroll.

The woman in the painting is petite and delicate, less than five feet tall, yet possesses a unique and lively charm. Her phoenix eyes are slightly upturned, seemingly filled with spring water, and her every glance carries a touch of playfulness. Her cherry-red lips are naturally upturned, as if holding a sweet smile.

When Wei Chao saw the emperor's gaze linger on him, he immediately bowed and said, "This is Duan Fu, courtesy name Xiurong, from Yingtian Prefecture in Southern Zhili. His father is Duan Huangyi, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He is skilled at playing the pipa."

Zhu Youxiao nodded, and Wei Chao dared not delay, continuing to open the scroll behind.

Li, whose courtesy name was Shuzhen, was from Xin'an County, Baoding Prefecture. Her father was Li Yuchun.

Her skin was slightly dark but her eyes were bright. She was skilled in needlework and knowledgeable in mathematics.

Wang, courtesy name Wanbai, was a native of Yanzhou Prefecture, Shandong Province.
Yu, whose courtesy name was Peizhen, was a woman from a respectable family in Southern Zhili, and was exceptionally beautiful.
After reviewing the eight ladies who had entered the palace, Zhu Youxiao asked, "Of these eight, are three to be chosen as imperial concubines?"

Wei Chao nodded, then shook his head, and said, "Your Majesty, one will be the Empress, two will be Consorts, and the rest may be summoned as concubines if Your Majesty likes them."

Zhu Youxiao's expression shifted slightly as he asked, "How much longer will the talent show take?"

Wei Chao answered honestly, saying, "Your Majesty, the eight candidates will need to be observed in the palace for another month in order to further examine their temperament and determine whether they are virtuous, generous, dignified, and intelligent."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao remarked that the selection of concubines in the palace was indeed a complex matter.

Where are they now?

Wei Chao was taken aback for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "Your Majesty, the selection of concubines is not yet complete, and it is not appropriate to summon them to serve you in bed."

Zhu Youxiao's face darkened, and he said irritably, "You servant, do you think I'm a lustful devil?"

Wei Chao was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and said, "This servant knows his crime, this servant deserves to die ten thousand times. They are all in Chuxiu Palace now."

Isn't Chuxiu Palace located just west of Qianqing Palace?

It's only a few hundred meters away from here.

"Keep a close eye on these two men."

Zhu Youxiao drew two names.

One is Zhang Yan, and the other is Yu Shi.

It's simple to paint Zhang Yan. Among the eight ladies, she can barely be considered to come from a scholarly family. Compared to her, the others are far inferior.

Being an empress is not a role a woman from a military household can fulfill.

As for painting Yu Shi, that's even simpler.

Of the eight people, she was the most beautiful.

Everyone has a love for beauty, and Zhu Youxiao was no exception.

Wei Chao breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that the emperor was not angry.

Having received the instructions, he immediately nodded and said, "This servant understands."

Hundreds of meters apart.

Inside the west wing of Chuxiu Palace, eight ladies were seated in the side rooms on both sides in order.

Each room contains only a lacquered elmwood canopy bed, a plain satin curtain, and a blue-and-white porcelain basin.

Under the corridor stood eunuchs wearing ebony plaques. Whenever a lady entered or left, two matrons carrying palace lanterns would accompany her. This was an ancestral rule to prevent spying.

Zhang Yan lived alone in the first room on the east side, and was putting her own copy of "Biographies of Exemplary Women" into a gilded box.

Suddenly, the female official clapped her hands three times outside the window. The ladies immediately stopped eating, straightened their clothes, and came out of their rooms to await instructions. The female official from the Bureau of Ceremonies, holding the "Admonitions for Women," slowly walked into the main hall of the Chuxiu Palace.

The eight ladies had already taken their places in order, with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, waiting quietly for instructions.

"Now that you have entered the palace, you must carefully observe the precepts for women in your boudoirs."

The female official spoke in a cold voice, her gaze sweeping over everyone, and said, "From today onwards, everyone must copy the 'Admonitions for Women' three times. We will test your memorization three days later. If there are any mistakes or omissions, you will be punished according to the palace rules."

All eight women curtsied. As they curtsied, the narrow blue trim on the collar of their plain white undergarments swayed slightly with their movements. This was the Suzhou embroidery pattern of intertwined branches that was only allowed to be used by those who passed the initial selection.

After announcing the task, the female official handed over bamboo paper and other items to the eight ladies and then quietly observed their reactions.

Zhang Yan took the bamboo paper, her fingertips lightly tracing the still-wet ink on the words, her expression calm.

She had studied poetry and literature since childhood, and such admonitions were already deeply ingrained in her mind, but she still dared not be negligent. Returning to her desk, she picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and copied it word by word.

Duan glanced furtively at Li beside her and saw her writing with great speed, so she bit her lip.

She was always lively and couldn't stand such tedious things, so she had to force herself to stay alert and try her best to memorize.

As Yu lowered her eyes to copy, her long eyelashes cast faint shadows in the candlelight.

Although she was exceptionally beautiful, she was not illiterate; however, her mind was restless, and she would occasionally look up at the outside of the palace, as if she were pondering something.

The female official of the Shangyi Bureau had already made a mental note of everyone's reactions, and then slowly withdrew, leaving only eight ladies to copy or memorize "The Precepts for Women".

After the female official left, Chuxiu Palace fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, Duan quietly tugged at Wang's sleeve and whispered, "They're finally gone. These days have been truly difficult."

These young women were mostly fourteen or fifteen years old, a time when they were innocent and carefree.

Wang covered her mouth and chuckled. Just as she was about to reply, Zhang Yan gently reminded her, "Sisters, although the Shangyi Bureau has completed its examinations, the selection of concubines is still undecided. There are many eyes and ears in the palace, so we must be careful with our words and actions."

Zhang Yan was about the same age as them, but she was already tall and slender, standing out like a crane among chickens among the beauties.

She continued to persuade him: "You and I have stood out from five thousand people, passed through many palace gates for selection and tests of etiquette, and countless eyes are watching us make mistakes—now that we have reached this final step, we should be even more vigilant and not let those who are waiting to laugh at us get the upper hand!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions tightened, and they all straightened their sleeves and sat up straight.

They recalled the hardships they had endured along the way:

Last winter, they, along with 5,000 girls aged fourteen to sixteen, were summoned to the capital.

On the day they left home, their parents accepted the meager betrothal gifts from the imperial court. Their rough palms gripped their daughters' slender wrists, their eyes brimming with tears, yet they forced smiles as they saw them off.

On the training grounds of their respective prefectures, they stood in rows of one hundred, arranged according to their age.

The eunuch in charge held a ruler, his hawk-like eyes scanning the crowd.

Those who were too tall were removed from the list, and those who were too short were sent back; those whose shoulders were not straight enough or whose waists were not flexible enough were all ruthlessly removed from the queue.

This single hurdle alone sent a thousand women home dejectedly.

The remaining 4,000 people lined up again to face even more rigorous scrutiny.

The older women wore silver nail guards, from their hair to their fingertips, all of which were meticulously applied.

Those whose earlobes are not round and pearly enough will be removed; those whose neck lines are slightly stiff will be removed; those whose voices are as soft as a mosquito's buzz when recounting their family history will be removed; and those whose expressions are bewildered when responding will be removed by another two thousand.

After arriving in the capital, they took off their shoes and socks and walked barefoot on the white marble steps of the Princes' Residence.

The chill of early winter seeped straight up through the soles of their feet, but they didn't even dare to shiver. If they lost their footing even slightly, they would be immediately disqualified.

Finally, a thousand women were led into a dark room.

There were no windows there, only a few dim palace lanterns.

They have to undergo the most unspeakable examinations, with even their most private skin being repeatedly scrutinized.

Three hundred people survived this dignified torture, unaware that an even crueler ordeal was yet to come.

The three hundred who advanced were imprisoned in the inner palace for thirty days.

The female officials were like shadows, omnipresent: those who smiled and showed their teeth were punished; those who walked too fast were reprimanded; even those who turned over too heavily at night would be recorded.

When the final round of selection was over, only eight of them remained.

Calluses formed on his fingertips, bruises appeared on his knees from kneeling, and he suffered sleepless nights due to fear. Only after enduring these many hardships did he earn a place in Chuxiu Palace.

How could they not cherish this opportunity to leap over the dragon gate?
Everyone immediately began to diligently copy and recite the "Admonitions for Women".

Only Yu leaned against the window, her fingertips lightly stroking her cheek, her brows furrowed and she sighed.

Duan, with her sharp eyes, leaned closer and asked, "Why does Sister Yu look so worried?"

Madam Yu bit her lip. She was closest to Madam Duan, and though she was flustered, she still whispered, "I've had a rash on my face these past two days. I've been covering it with makeup, but if it spreads..."

As she spoke, the woman sighed again.

Upon hearing this, Madam Li took out a small celadon box from her sleeve and handed it over: "This is a hibiscus ointment that I brought from home. It is most effective in clearing heat and reducing swelling."

Madam Yu accepted it and forced a smile, saying, "Thank you, Sister Li."

But Yu's face was still full of worry: if her appearance was damaged, how could she face the emperor's gaze?
Could it be that after going through so many hardships, all that's left is to return home?

ps:
The selection of officials in the first year of the Tianqi reign (1621) is based on information from "The Veritable Records of Emperor Xizong of Ming", "Zaolin Zazu", "Jingong Yilu", and "Zhuozhong Zhi".

Some information is conflicting; the Ming Dynasty Veritable Records shall prevail, as there have been alterations.

I'm getting a headache from researching so much, please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)