the journeyer return,
This stone would utter speech.
The Grand Empress raised her right arm and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She turned toward Emperor Hsien Feng. “What do you think, my child?” she asked. “Isn’t that a moving piece?”
Emperor Hsien Feng nodded obediently. He reached out and his fingers played with the bamboo chips in the silver plate.
“Tell me, my son, do I have to wear out this seat to get you to make up your mind?” the mother asked.
Without answering, Emperor Hsien Feng picked up the chip with Nuharoo’s name on it and dropped it in the gold plate.
At that sound, the eunuchs and the court ladies drew in their breath in unison. They threw themselves at the feet of His Majesty and cheered, “Congratulations!”
“The first wife of His Majesty is selected!” Chief Eunuch Shim hailed toward the outer wall.
“Thank you.” Nuharoo kowtowed with her forehead lightly touching the ground. She took time to complete her bows. After the third, she rose and then threw herself down on her knees again. The rest of us went down on our knees with her. In a perfectly trained voice, Nuharoosaid, “I wish Your Majesties ten thousand years of life. Your luck shall be as full as the East China Sea and your health shall be as green as the Southern Mountains!”
The eunuchs bowed to Nuharoo and then escorted her out of the hall.
The room returned to its former quietness.
We stayed on our knees and I kept my chin low. Nobody spoke or moved.
Unable to tell what was going on, I decided to peek again.
My breath stopped the moment my eyes met the Grand Empress’s. My knees jerked and I hit the ground with my forehead.
“Somebody is trying to hurry up.” Emperor Hsien Feng spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.
The Grand Empress made no response.
“Mother, I heard thunder,” His Majesty said. “The cotton plants in the countryside will soon be drowned in rain. What can I do with all the bad news?”
“First things first, my son.”
The Emperor sighed.
I had an urge to look at His Majesty again. But I remembered Big Sister Fann’s warning that the Grand Empress disdained girls who were too eager to catch the Emperor’s attention. Once the Grand Empress had ordered one of the Imperial concubines beaten to death because she seemed to be flirting with the Emperor.
“Come closer, girls. All of you,” the old lady said. “Take a good look, my son.”
“No fried cicadas for dinner,” Emperor Hsien Feng uttered, as if he were the only one in the room.
“I said
closer!
” the Grand Empress yelled at us.
I stepped forward together with the other five.
“Introduce yourselves,” Her Majesty ordered.
One after another we pronounced our names, followed by the phrase “I wish Your Majesties ten thousand years of life.”
My intuition told me that Emperor Hsien Feng was looking in my direction. I was excited and hoped that I could sustain his attention, but knew I could not afford to displease the Grand Empress. I kept my eyes on my toes. I sensed some movement from the Emperor and stole a glance while the Grand Empress was asking Chief Eunuch Shim why all the girls appeared slow and had no spirit. “Have you scraped them off the streets?”
Shim tried to explain, but the Grand Empress stopped him. “I don’t care how you produce. I judge only by the goods you deliver, and I am not pleased. I’ll die drowning in the spit of the Imperial ancestors!”
“Your Majesty.” The eunuch got down on his knees. “Did I not say that a good chime also needs a heavy beater to make it sound right? It all depends on how you tune the girls, a task at which we all know you excel.”
“Death to your tongue, Shim!” The old lady burst into laughter.
The Emperor flipped the chips back and forth on the silver plate as if annoyed.
“You look exhausted, my son,” the Grand Empress said.
“I am, Mother. Don’t count on me to come tomorrow, because I won’t.”
“Then you must decide
This stone would utter speech.
The Grand Empress raised her right arm and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She turned toward Emperor Hsien Feng. “What do you think, my child?” she asked. “Isn’t that a moving piece?”
Emperor Hsien Feng nodded obediently. He reached out and his fingers played with the bamboo chips in the silver plate.
“Tell me, my son, do I have to wear out this seat to get you to make up your mind?” the mother asked.
Without answering, Emperor Hsien Feng picked up the chip with Nuharoo’s name on it and dropped it in the gold plate.
At that sound, the eunuchs and the court ladies drew in their breath in unison. They threw themselves at the feet of His Majesty and cheered, “Congratulations!”
“The first wife of His Majesty is selected!” Chief Eunuch Shim hailed toward the outer wall.
“Thank you.” Nuharoo kowtowed with her forehead lightly touching the ground. She took time to complete her bows. After the third, she rose and then threw herself down on her knees again. The rest of us went down on our knees with her. In a perfectly trained voice, Nuharoosaid, “I wish Your Majesties ten thousand years of life. Your luck shall be as full as the East China Sea and your health shall be as green as the Southern Mountains!”
The eunuchs bowed to Nuharoo and then escorted her out of the hall.
The room returned to its former quietness.
We stayed on our knees and I kept my chin low. Nobody spoke or moved.
Unable to tell what was going on, I decided to peek again.
My breath stopped the moment my eyes met the Grand Empress’s. My knees jerked and I hit the ground with my forehead.
“Somebody is trying to hurry up.” Emperor Hsien Feng spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.
The Grand Empress made no response.
“Mother, I heard thunder,” His Majesty said. “The cotton plants in the countryside will soon be drowned in rain. What can I do with all the bad news?”
“First things first, my son.”
The Emperor sighed.
I had an urge to look at His Majesty again. But I remembered Big Sister Fann’s warning that the Grand Empress disdained girls who were too eager to catch the Emperor’s attention. Once the Grand Empress had ordered one of the Imperial concubines beaten to death because she seemed to be flirting with the Emperor.
“Come closer, girls. All of you,” the old lady said. “Take a good look, my son.”
“No fried cicadas for dinner,” Emperor Hsien Feng uttered, as if he were the only one in the room.
“I said
closer!
” the Grand Empress yelled at us.
I stepped forward together with the other five.
“Introduce yourselves,” Her Majesty ordered.
One after another we pronounced our names, followed by the phrase “I wish Your Majesties ten thousand years of life.”
My intuition told me that Emperor Hsien Feng was looking in my direction. I was excited and hoped that I could sustain his attention, but knew I could not afford to displease the Grand Empress. I kept my eyes on my toes. I sensed some movement from the Emperor and stole a glance while the Grand Empress was asking Chief Eunuch Shim why all the girls appeared slow and had no spirit. “Have you scraped them off the streets?”
Shim tried to explain, but the Grand Empress stopped him. “I don’t care how you produce. I judge only by the goods you deliver, and I am not pleased. I’ll die drowning in the spit of the Imperial ancestors!”
“Your Majesty.” The eunuch got down on his knees. “Did I not say that a good chime also needs a heavy beater to make it sound right? It all depends on how you tune the girls, a task at which we all know you excel.”
“Death to your tongue, Shim!” The old lady burst into laughter.
The Emperor flipped the chips back and forth on the silver plate as if annoyed.
“You look exhausted, my son,” the Grand Empress said.
“I am, Mother. Don’t count on me to come tomorrow, because I won’t.”
“Then you must decide
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