The Golden Hairpin

Penglai Pavilion, the Great Daming Palace

The Penglai Pavilion has three-storeys and the top level was where the empress lived.

Huang Zixia together with Wang Ruo, Senior Maid Suqi and several maidservants of the Wang’s family followed the endless stream of palace servants, walked up the white jade staircase and then passed through nine big doors inside the pavilion.

Inside the waiting hall, it was built and decorated with twelve huge panel screens. The agarwood panel screens were erected majestically from the ceiling extended down touching the floor, and it was carved with twelve flower gods, in the far distance of the Kunlun Mountain, there was a Heavenly Empress surrounded with blooming flowers and mystical clouds. Huang Zixia followed behind Wang Ruo and they stopped in front of the wooden panel screen; they lowered their heads and stood there meekly; and there wasn’t a single sound in the hall.

Empress Wang (source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1054264594002269089/)

She stood there and contemplated about what Wang Ruo had just said in her dream. Madam Feng.., it has to be Madam Feng Yi; she also mentioned about the red blood. What does it mean?

When she was in the middle of thoughts; in front of her eyes, and suddenly there was a piece of long scarlet silk brocade skirt, dragged across the thick Persian carpet, and the people around her bowed and paid their salutation one after another, not even dared to lift their heads.

She knew that must be the empress who came, so she quickly bowed and in her sight of view, she could only see the beautiful embroidery of Yunxia pattern on the empress’s dress.

The empress was surrounded with many palace maids who attended to her; Empress Wang walked behind the screen, sat on a long chair carved out of dark agarwood which decorated with colourful gemstones. She held up a blue and gold designed porcelain teacup, pondered for a long time before she spoke. Her voice was as clear as a flowing spring and she talked with great composure, “Ah Ruo, you don’t seem to be in a good mood recently and it’s only seven days left before the wedding. Why aren’t you like any other bride who was looking forward for the big day?”

Wang Ruo sat beside the empress on the long chair, in a gloomy expression, and she said, “Replying to Your Majesty, it was nothing really; it was I who had been thinking too much recently and I felt sorry that I have troubled Your Majesty worrying about me.”

Empress Wang gazed at her for a long time; and held on her hand without saying a word. Huang Zixia slightly raised her head and glanced at the empress. Just like any other royalty, the empress was cold and distance in the appearance, but Huang Zixia could see tenderness and kindness in that pair of eyes; she was liked an elderly in the family.

Even though these two cousin sisters were not alike, and they were also ten years of age apart, but their relationship were really good.

“The capital is so big, it’s full of unscrupulous people, and there are so many of them that it doesn’t worth of your time, why do you bother to think about it?” Empress Wang softly held Wang Ruo’s right hand with her both hand, so gentle like she’s holding a baby bird in her palms. Huang Zixia caught a glimpsed of that scene but for some reason she has an indescribable feeling in her heart. Not long after that, the empress raised her voice and asked, “Who are the people sent by Prince of Kui to look after the prince consort?”

Hearing that, Huang Zixia raised a brow; she and senior maid Suqi immediately replied, “It was us, this humble servant.”

The empress looked at them, and then stared at Huang Zixia for a moment before she said, “The prince consort is still young, and you need to take extra care of her when she married into the prince’s manor in the future.”

“Yes.” They responded.

Wang Ruo quickly came to aid and said, “Chonggu and senior maid Suqi had done a good job in taking care of me, and also thanks to them for being around by my side.”

“Alright then, if there’s anything that you don’t like, you can come and tell me,” Empress Wang said, and then she stood up with still holding on Wang Ruo’s hand and said, “You are getting married soon in seven days and I have prepared something for you. Come with me to the inner hall and have a look.”

Huang Zixia and the rest of the maidservants were waiting outside, the inner hall was deep and wide, and their voices were inaudible. After a while, several female officials who accompanied the Empress Wang earlier came out, and invited everyone to have lunch in the dining area at the front hall.

The meals served to them were different from those commoners had outside of the palace; they were extremely finely prepared but it tasted bland. Huang Zixia put down her chopsticks after a few bites. The servant girl beside her, Xianyun, quickly nudged her with her elbow and asked, “Shall we go to the entrance of the hall to have a look at the outside scenery? People said that from standing here you could see the entire Taiye Lake, and it has a splendid view that many people never had a chance to see it in their lifetime.”

Although Huang Zixia is now a eunuch, she had a lot of correspondence with the Wang’s family lately, and had slowly become acquainted with Xianyun. Xianyun is a chatterbox and makes a lot of noise. The people who had known her didn’t like to get close to her; hence, she hasn’t had a choice but drag Huang Zixia away.

Besides, Huang Zixia, herself also didn’t feel like eating that tasteless meal anymore, so she and Xianyun walked out to the door, stood by the railing outside the hall, and looked into the north.

The weather was clear today, the water in the Taiye Lake glitters under the bright sun and the island stood in the center of the lake were like a Penglai fairy island with shimmering water waves.

“It’s so beautiful; no wonder everyone said that the imperial palace is the most beautiful place in the world.” Xianyun spread her arms wide, as if she wanted to embrace the whole beautiful scenery into her arms.

Huang Zixia looked down at the thousand architectures below, and said, “Yes, it’s really beautiful. Just too bad that it appeared in such a formidable and dignified form, and even it looked surreal in a human world; however it’s a place that lacks the human touch.”

Penglai Pavilion (source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1196337399189250/)

They were looking at the scenery when Yanling, the palace female official of the empress, came over and informed, “The empress has asked the servants to prepare the small room beside the inner hall because the prince consort needs to take a rest first. If you want to look at the scenery around the palace, you may go the Taiye Lake nearby and enjoy yourself there, but don’t go too far.”

When Xianyun heard that she could go down to the lake to play, she was more than delightful and immediately asked, “Really? That’s great!”

Yanling then turned around and called an older palace maid named Yaoyue, and ordered her to take them to the Taiye Lake for a walk. Soon afterwards, Huang Zixia and Xianyun followed Yaoyue to the lake; they boarded and sailed on the Tangmu boat to sightseeing the palace until they heard someone shouted from the lake nearby, “Dowager Consort Zhao is here, clear out the way and the people at the front move aside now!”

They looked up and saw a royal long boat sailing toward them, and an elderly man wore a senior eunuch attires stood at the head of the boat, arrogantly shouting at them.

They hurriedly disembarked the Tangmu boat, and stood obediently by the pier waiting for Dowager Consort Zhao’s long boat nosed up to the dock.

When the long boat came in the dock and tied up at a wharf, several eunuchs and palace maids disembarked first, and then followed by a girl with a round face and almond eyes right behind them. When Huang Zixia saw her, she was a little surprised, it was Princess Qi Le. Huang Zixia remembered the hearsay in the capital; Princess Qi Le was obsequious to Dowager Consort Zhao by helping to copy the Buddhist scriptures every day, in hoping that Dowager Consort Zhao would betroth her to Prince of Kui. But recently, she had fallen ill because of the prince consort selection matters, and unexpectedly she came to the palace again and accompanied Dowager Consort Zhao today.

The senior eunuch helped Dowager Consort Zhao to get off the boat and they walked out from the cabin. Dowager Consort Zhao was a gentle and charming person; when she smiles, there were fine crow’s feet visible in the corners of her eyes. Although she looked a bit tired, but she always kept a smile on her face.

She entered the palace at the age of thirteen, gave birth at the age of fifteen, became a dowager consort at the age of twenty, she even had her own palace inside the Great Daming Palace, and she had been living in a much better life compared to the other consorts and concubines who resided at Taiji Palace and Xingqing Palace after the death of the predecessor emperor.

Huang Zixia and Xianyun hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects. After Dowager Consort Zhao got to know that they were the Prince Kui’s people; she smilingly looked at Huang Zixia and Xianyun, asked their names, and then gazed on Huang Zixia from top to toe before she asked, “Are you the little eunuch named Yang Chonggu, who solved the ‘four direction case’ in the capital?”

“Yes, it was this servant.” Huang Zixia lowered her head and said.

“Hmm, not bad, you are indeed good-looking. Prince Kui never gets wrong in choosing his people,” she said, and then she asked, “Were you here today with Prince Consort of Kui? Since I’m already here right now, might as well I’ll go inside and see her. After all, that young lady of the Wang’s family; eventually, will become part of the royal family too.”

Right after that, she smiled broadly and walked away, heading to Penglai Pavilion with a group of palace servants followed behind her. Huang Zixia stood aside and let them passed first, and when she was about to follow, there was a slight tugged on her sleeves by someone. A young woman beside her smiled and said in a low voice, “Eunuch Yang, we meet again.”

Huang Zixia turned her head to look, and it turned out to be a young woman with a pipa embrace in her arms; she has a clear and round face, a very beautiful woman.

Huang Zixia instantly recognized her as Jin Nu, the pipa player of the courtesan house and she was with Prince of Zhao, Li Rui the other day, and Huang Zixia immediately nodded to her. Seeing Huang Zixia response, Jin Nu shyly covered her mouth and smiled, and then she said softly, “Dowager Consort Zhao wants to listen to the pipa music today; hence, Prince of Zhao had asked me to come over.”

Dowager Consort Zhao is the biological mother of Prince of Zhao, Li Rui and Huang Zixia already knew about it. They were talking while walking together and after a while they had entered the gate of Penglai Pavilion. At the entrance, Empress Wang had personally come out to greet Dowager Consort Zhao.

Standing at the bottom of the staircase, Huang Zixia saw Empress Wang came walking down the steps with Wang Ruo right behind her, followed by many eunuchs and palace maids at the back.

Empress Wang was at the top looking down at Huang Zixia and the thousand others below. The Penglai Pavilion was next to the Taiye Lake, and when the wind blew in from the lake and it lifted up the hem of the empress’s skirt, the seven layers of gauze dress flew like a crimson peony blooming in the blowing wind, half covering her peerless grace, the sight was ethereal and gorgeous; she’s almost turned into a fairy and flew away.

Among all the beautiful clothes and flower-like faces, only Empress Wang’s face was the brightest as a moon, as if it can illuminate the spring days. Even Wang Ruo who stood right behind and was much younger than her, can’t take away the slightest brilliance from her.

Huang Zixia had totally forgotten about the palace etiquette but gazed in awe for a long time, unable to look away. In that moment of time, she just felt herself so low like a speck of dust, and ashamed of being standing in front of the empress.

She heard Jin Nu beside her almost squealed with delight but she forced it back into her stomach and only breathe out an expression of admiration “ah…”

Empress Wang glanced over them casually, and then right away to receive her guest, “Dowager Consort Zhao, you have arrived, and it’s my duty to be here to welcome you.”

“Sigh, there’s no need to use such grand etiquette to greet me. Now you are the first lady of the palace, and I was just an old woman; who rely on you to give me my salary and silk during the festivals.” Dowager Consort Zhao spoke smilingly with a joke as she held the empress’s hand and they walked into the hall.

Dowager Consort Zhao and Empress Wang were talking and laughing, while Huang Zixia and the group of palace officials and maidservants followed behind them. On the third level of the pavilion, behind the crimson door of mother of pearls, dowager consort and empress sat on the master seats. The dowager consort was assessing on Wang Ruo; she asked her a few questions and in between they had some casual conversation; the hall never short of laughter from time to time. Princess Qi Le stood beside the dowager consort and listened to the conversation. In the beginning she was still fine but later on her facial colour slowly changed to black, she neither joined them in conversation nor walked away but just planted her feet there motionless like a mannequin.

There were sorrows and joys in the hall, however the people who were waiting outside had no idea what’s happening inside the hall. Huang Zixia and the others weren’t the palace officials or maidservants; therefore, all of them have to wait outside.

Huang Zixia looked at Jin Nu who was standing beside her; she saw her forehead was covered with beads of sweat and it smeared the thick makeup powder on her face, she asked quietly, “What’s the matter?”

“I… feel very hot,” she said and her throat was a little hoarse.

Hearing that, Huang Zixia looked up at the bright spring sun at this hour, and then felt the breeze blowing in from the lake; it didn’t seem very hot to her. And then she took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. When Jin Nu extended her hand to take it, her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Jin Nu wiped off the cold sweat on her face. Seeing Huang Zixia was looking at her in a strange expression, she forced herself to smile and said, “It’s nothing…maybe it’s my old illness relapsed. I…have a strange disease that happens from time to time. When I go back later and take a rest, I should be fine.”

Huang Zixia nodded, looking up at the blue sky above her head.

Jin Nu endured and held it in for a long time, and she asked quietly, “The person in the red dress must be….the Empress Wang?”

Huang Zixia nodded.

“Then…the one behind her…is Prince Consort of Kui?”

Huang Zixia nodded again and she stared intensely on her face, trying to see if she could decipher anything from her face.

On Jin Nu’s face, there was a momentarily of dazed and confused in her expression; she was silent for a long time before she murmured softly, “That’s not possible…., if this was how it turned out to be, why the one to become the Prince Consort of Kui is her?”

Huang Zixia’s intuition told her that there must be a deep meaning behind her words, but Jin Nu was just a pipa player of the Jiaofang courtesan house and had just arrived in the capital recently, how could she possibly know the situation?

She was about to ask her, when Yan Ling, the lady-in-waiting for the empress, came out and asked, “Who is Jin Nu?”

“It’s me…” Jin Nu hurriedly responded with her pipa in her arms.

“Dowager Consort Zhao summoned for you,” Yan Ling said, then she glanced at Huang Zixia and asked her, “Why are you standing here? Go inside and serve the prince consort.”

Huang Zixia quickly obeyed, but Jin Nu hesitated for a moment before she pulled Huang Zixia’s hand and grasped at it firmly. Huang Zixia could feel that her hand was in cold sweat and weak.

She knew that Jin Nu was unable to hold the pipa, so she helped her to carry it, took her hand and walked into the hall.

After Jin Nu saluted, Huang Zixia placed the pipa in her arms and handed her the jade plectrum before she turned around and walked towards Wang Ruo.

The very first view that fell into her sight was Wang Ruo paled face; it was so white like she had just seen a ghost. She kept her head down and stared at the ground, as if she was afraid to show her face to the people in front of her, including the pipa player Jin Nu.

Huang Zixia sighed softly in her heart, she pretended that she had seen nothing and then stood behind her.

At the guest seats, Princess Qi Le sat beside them and Huang Zixia could clearly feel the thick gloomy aura around her pervaded the air; and Huang Zixia involuntarily turned her head to take a look, only to see Princess Qi Le’s resentful eyes glared at Wang Ruo. If her gazed was a sharp blade, Wang Ruo already been dead many times and her body cut into thousand pieces.

Princess Qi Le knew that Huang Zixia was looking at her; she’s not only did not look away but shot a glare at her. That pair of direct provocative and hatred eyes made Huang Zixia felt a little respect for her; with that, she had no choice but to look away.

Dowager Consort Zhao smilingly said to Empress Wang, “This is the pipa player from the academy that had recently arrives the capital, and she was second to none in this kingdom. Prince Zhao loved her musical play the most and he said that in the future she would become the country greatest pipa player.”

“Oh, is it? You were already the country greatest player at such a young age; you must have an astonishing skill then?” Empress Wang smiled and casually cast a look at Jin Nu who was sitting below the platform.

As soon as the empress’s crystal clear voice entered to Jin Nu’s ears, she hugged the pipa tightly, bowed and lowered her head slightly, she said, “Jin Nu wouldn’t dare, I’m still insufficient in term of experience and no matter how good I am; my skills still way behind my master. Hence, the country greatest player should be my master.”

Empress Wang seemed to be interested in her now, and she glanced at her a few times, but didn’t ask any questions. However for Dowager Consort Zhao, she raised a brow and smilingly asked, “Who was that great master of yours?”

“My honoured master is now resided in Yunshao Garden of Yangzhou, and her name is Mei Wanzhi. Does Your Highness have ever heard of her name? And furthermore, I am her one and only disciple.”

Mei Wanzhi…, Huang Zixia had never heard of this name, but when the four words ‘Yunshao Garden of Yangzhou’ was mentioned; she felt a slight tugged in her heart. It didn’t cross her mind that this Jin Nu was also from Yunshao Garden, was that just a coincidence?

All the people in the hall didn’t respond to the girl, only Dowager Consort Zhao seemed to like her very much, she smiled broadly and said, “That must be because of your extraordinary talent, that’s why your master favoured in you.”

“Yes, that’s true. I was only five years old back then when my hometown was hit by a flood. My parents took me and ran away to the outskirts of Yangzhou. In Yangzhou, we were almost dying from hunger, and my parents gave up on me by selling me to the human-trafficker…” Jin Nu hugged her pipa tightly and she sighed softly before saying, “At that time, my master’s carriage happened to pass by and she raised the curtain when she saw me on the street. She immediately called out to the chauffeur to stop the carriage; she came down and took my hands, looked at it closely. And not even once she looked at my face, she immediately ordered the assistance to pay the money and bought me. I remembered that my master once told me, “Jin Nu, your hands, it’s a gift from the heaven, you are born into this world; it’s solely for this reason.”

After hearing that, everyone’s eyes naturally fell on her hands. It’s a pair of milky-white and well-proportioned hands, with extremely long fingers, which it looked a little bigger in a woman’s hand, but Jin Nu smiled and she positioned the pear-shaped pipa horizontal in her arms, gently pressed the fret board on the crooked neck with her left hand, and gently strumming with the jade plectrum in her right hand.

(source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1054264594002415070/)

In this moment, her hands had stopped trembling and her cheeks were slightly flushed in red. The speed get faster and faster as she moved the fingers and plucked the strings, made it impossible to see her hands clearly, and the pipa melody had wafted out, like big pearls and small pearls fallen on a platter of jade. And those pearls, some were distinct, some were round, some were light, some were transparent, and some were soft. Thousands of sensations surged in an instant and the beautiful melody echoed from the high platform and throughout the hall.

At the end of the song, everyone was immersed in it for a long time, completely lost oneself in the music, and even Wang Ruo took a long time to let out a sigh of relief.

Dowager Consort Zhao looked at Empress Wang in a satisfied smile and asked, “How is it?”

Huang Zixia just realized, in all the people inside the hall; Empress Wang was the only person whose expression was unresponsive and when Dowager Consort Zhao asked her question, she just answered nonchalantly, “Well, it’s actually not bad.”

Huang Zixia remembered people said that the emperor loved extravagant banquets, while the empress was quiet and indifferent; and she also had no interest in singing, dancing and banquets. It seemed that the saying was true after all.

Jin Nu gently put down the pipa, stood up and bowed, and then she said, “My master once said before that my pipa will only have endless glory and it wouldn’t have loneliness. It seemed that this would be the drawback of my skills in this lifetime.”

Empress Wang said in response, “You are still young and beautiful, and some more you are here now in the capital and living in a prosperous life, it’s a good thing for you that you did not understand.”

Dowager Consort Zhao nodded with a smile, “What the empress said is true. You have yet experienced great sorrow or suffering; therefore, how would you understand loneliness? So it’s better for you, this little girl not to know at all in this lifetime!”

Jin Nu bowed and was about to step back when Dowager Consort Zhao suddenly said, “It’s still early today, why don’t you tell me more about your master. Is she still in Yangzhou now? She has such a good skill and when will she come to the palace to play a song for me?”

Jin Nu faintly smiled and said, “My master has already passed away.”

Dowager Consort Zhao knitted her brows, “That’s such a pity. I like the pipa the most, and I have called the descendants of the Cao’s family to enter the palace before, but unfortunately the Cao’s family was no longer has anyone to inherit the talents. From what I heard from you, your master must have an amazing skill.”

“Yes indeed. She was a great pipa player and her talent was unmatched by anyone in the world. If Your Highness is willing to listen, I will tell you the story about my master in the past.”

After hearing their words, Empress Wang showed an impatient expression on her face, she turned her head and asked Wang Ruo in a low voice, “How are you doing? Do you want to take a rest?”

Wang Ruo shook her head and said, “I’ve nothing to do in the room anyway except lying down on bed, why don’t I listen to them first.”

Princess Qi Le beside her sneered with contempt, “Yeah exactly, you, prince consort better stay in here a place where many people presence, in case of …”

Even though she didn’t said it out, but everyone clearly knew what she meant, even Dowager Consort Zhao glared at her, and luckily she didn’t say a word after that.