With so many beauties coming for the selection this time, it was nearly dusk and the moon began to creep up, when the turn came for me and Meizhuang to enter the hall. Most of the beauties had finished their rounds and returned home, with only a dozen still waiting in the room. The inner hall was lit up, with hundreds of candles, each as big as an arm, filled with crumbs of agilawood, glittering with scent of freshness, all the way up from the emperor's throne down to the gate of the hall, where Meizhuang and I, together with other four girls, looked over our dressings again, and then entered the hall. Following the eunuch's chanting instructions, we kneeled down, saluted, rose up, and then stood aside, waiting for the eunuch of etiquette to call us out by our names one after another. Moment later, there came a sharp sound of voice from an old eunuch, chanting:
"Fangchun Ye, aged 18, daughter of Jian Ye, Minister of Salt Regulation Department in Jiangsu Province."
"Miaoqing Sun, aged 17, sister of Changhe Sun, Minister of Textile Manufacturing Department in Suzhou city."
"Xiaotang Fu, aged 13, daughter of Shuping Fu, Mayor of Xuangcheng city."
My head lowered and my eyes stared at the ground, which was composed by numerous huge bluestone bricks, seamlessly connected with one another, as clear as a mirror in the middle with patterns of lucky cloud drawn around the sides. I had a peep over the other girls, who were already trembling out of fear; and then over the emperor and the empress on the thrones. The hall of Yunyi was commodious, whose walls, ridge beams, and pillars were all in decoration of varieties of glamorous clouds but not patterns commonly seen in the palace, like those of the Chinese dragon and phoenix. Sitting right on the golden throne of Nine dragons was Xuanling, the 4th emperor of our Great Zhou Dynasty, who was wearing a crown, from which 12 streamers made of white jade beads were hanging down,right in position to veil his face, making it impossible to tell his expressions. His body was leaning slightly, indicating his tiredness due to the whole day's work of choosing the beauties, whose salutes had been responded by a mere nod from him without any further inquiries at all. Poor girls they were that they had been nervous for a whole day, and skipped luncheon in order to maintain their makeup, but finally ended up in vain, with their name cards turned down so easily. On the right of the emperor was sitting the empress, who was dressed in a phoenix gown and wearing a jeweled crown, looking rather solemn. The empress herself had a very dignified and amialbe appearance, who, though, showed evident sign of fatigue, managed well enough to sit in a gracious posture, with her imposing deportment undeminished at all.
"Meizhuang Shen, aged 16, daughter of Zishan Shen, Chief Commander of the army in Jizhou."
Upon the calling, Meizhuang stepped forward swiftly, made a courtsey in a gracious way, and said lightly: "Here salutes Meizhuang Shen to your majesties. May you longevity and lasting happiness!"
The emperor, intrigued, sat upright and asked in a curious way: "Have you taken up any education?" The emperor's voice echoed in the spacious hall, sounding unreal, as if in a dreamland.
Meizhuang replied gently: "Untalented I am so I haven't been educated much that I only learned some from 'the Female Precepts' and 'the Sermons for Female'."
The emperor approved: "Good. These two books are all about moralities for women."
The empress added: "While women are often trained in sewing, it is rather amazing that you have been educated this much."
Meizhuang daren't expose any sign of delight after hearing these remarks, so she simply smiled: "Most grateful for your majesties' compliment."
The empress then ordered joyfully to the eunuch of etiquette: "Hurry you up and keep down the name in store."
Meizhuang stepped backward to me, smiled and at last had a deep sigh of relief.
Actually, I was never worried about whether she could be admitted or not, since she had both beauty and good manners.
Then the eunuch of etiquette called by my name: "Huan Zhen, aged 15, daughter of Yuandao Zhen, Deputy Minister of Personnel." I moved forward a step or two in a light pace, with my head lowered, and then replied: "Here salutes Huan Zhen to your majesties. May you longevity and lasting happiness."
The emperor asked in curiosity: "Huan? Which character is it?"
With my head lowered, I responded instantly: "My given name Huan, means gentle and graceful in a feminine way, as poet Shen Cai put in his poem:
'girls in the palace of Chu State,
all featuring slim waists,
gentle and graceful in a feminine way.'"
Hardly had I made the response when I began to regret it badly, for I had just quoted something from a book, enough to exemplify my intelligence and talents, which must have caught the emperor's attention, whereas I had never wanted it in the first place at all!
And as it was, the emperor did applaud and praised: "Excellent in the knowledge of literature. It seems you have been well educated! But I wonder whether you match that character or not. Now show me your face."
I knew I could hardly skip all this, and, regretting having showed off too much just now, had to raise my head, wishing that the emperor, after meeting so many beauties from all around the country, would have little interest in me, who was so plainly dressed up.
The empress continued: "Step forward." By the meantime, she motioned with a peep to the eunuch standing nearby, who instantly got her intention by pouring a cup of tea onto the ground before me. I had no idea why, so, pretending nothing had happened, I stepped forward, passing across the water on the ground in a steady pace.
The empress smiled: "Demure enough."
Then the emperor lifted the 12 streamers before his eyes a little bit, stupefied for a moment, and then complimented: "Gently shaped, handsomely faced, and lightly paced. Indeed, you deserve that character."
The empress added: "And her dressing up gives a unique feeling of freshness, too. What a match she is to Shen, with one stunningly gorgeous while the other reservedly freshening up."
I lowered my head immediately and, feeling hot on my face and knowing I must be terribly flushing, slienced myself stonedeadly. What was in sight was none other than the glitering candle light, with constant scent lingering around.
The emperor, nodding in delight, odered to the eunuch of etiquette: "Take down her name."
The empress turned to the emperor, smiling: "The girls chosen today are all outstanding, among whom there are those knowledgable in literature, and those gentle and in good manners, adding to the harmony in the palace." The emperor smiled yet with no answering back.
I felt a stun in my heart. So the man sitting so nobly on the throne was to be my husband, upon whom I shall depend for my entire life? I saluted again and then retreated back into the line. Meizhuang were smiling brilliantly to me and I did back to her, but at this moment I felt at a loss what to deal with the unexpected result of being chosen. Having finished our rounds, we, upon the instructions of the eunuch of etiquette, kowtowed to their majesties and then followed out of the hall in sequence. The moment we were out, a noise came from behind, which turned out to be Fangchun Ye, the girl in our line just now, who already fainted out, looking rather pale and sweating on her forehead. It must have been her failing to be chosen that made her extremely sad and therefore passed out. I sighed: "Those who wished to stay ended up in vain, while I the other way round." By this time, Ye was already carried away by the eunuchs and maids serving by the door of the hall.
Meizhuang, helping me with the hibiscus that was slipping off my bun, said softly to me: "There's no need sighing, Huan. It is one's fortune to be chosen into the palace. Besides, we've both been chosen this time, which means we can be of great help to each other when we live in the palace in the future. And the eunuchs are already on the way to inform our families of the good news, I'm sure your father will be happy for you."
I kept twisting the corner of the sleeves with my fingers, remaining silent for a while, and then murmured: "Sister Mei, I really didn't mean it." She took hold of my sleeve and said gently: "I understand. But as I told you, your intelligence and beauty can't be easily veiled." She paused for a while and then, looking rather severe, continued: "Besiedes, considering our advantages, are you really willing to condescend yourself to an anverage man?"
As Meizhuang was consoling me, there came an elderly maid carrying a lantern to escort us leaving the palace, who bid us a curtsey and smiled heavily: "Congratualtions to you, my ladies!" Meizhuang and I responded back with a reserve smile, tipped her some silver, and slowly made our way to the Gate of Yuxiang, hand in hand with each other.
There were only a few carriages waiting by the gate, whose glass lanterns were swaying in the wind. Waiting inside the carriage were my closest maids, Liuzhu and Huanbi, who, having caught sight of me from afar, jumped off the carriage instantly, carrying our cloaks and headed to greet me. Huanbi, assisting me by holding up my arm, concerned softly: "You must by tired, my lady," while Liuzhu was helping me putting on the brocade cloak. Meizhuang, too, was assisted onto her carriage by her own maids, rolled up the curtain of her carriage, which by then had drawn near to mine, and said to me with care: "Huan, take care of your self. within days, I believe, some mothers will be sent to our homes to teach us etiquettes. And we can't see each other until the very day when we are formally admitted into the palace upon the imperial edict."
I nodded my head, and then got onto the carriage with the help of Liuzhu and Huanbi. The palace maids serving outside our carriages were all standing deferentially with their hands laid by their sides, bidding us farewell in a respectfull manner: "Good day, my ladies."
I rolled up the curtain and looked back intensely, catching in sight the dusk sky, half of which was inked dark while the other half decorated in golden clouds, as if a piece of colourful brocade were woven in the sky, under which the Forbidden City left me an impression of rather intimidating grandeur.