Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 27: The Tribute

   The chief eunuch Li Yu entered briskly, a snow-white whisk tucked under his arm, followed by a line of eunuchs carrying red sandalwood boxes.

“Long live Her Majesty the Empress!” Li Yu smiled like a Maitreya Buddha. “By His Majesty’s command, this servant has come to deliver this year’s birthday tribute.”

The Empress rose to greet him: “His Majesty is too kind. This concubine expresses her gratitude.”

“Your Majesty, please do not be hasty. In addition to the usual gold, silver, and silks, His Majesty has specially prepared a gift just for you.” With that, Li Yu clapped his hands, and two handsome young eunuchs carried in an exquisitely crafted dressing case.

The timing was perfect: the hour of zi (midnight), the very moment Empress Fucha had been born.

At the top of the dressing case, a small black compartment suddenly sprang open, and out popped a vivid emerald-green cuckoo bird. At first glance it looked utterly lifelike; only upon closer inspection did one realize it was carved from a single piece of imperial jadeite, with two black agate stones set as eyes that sparkled with spirit—exquisite and adorable. The moment it “saw” Empress Fucha, it spread its green feathers and let out a clear “cuckoo, cuckoo” call.

The Empress immediately showed delight: “Is this a clock?”

“To give Your Majesty a surprise, His Majesty instructed the Clock Workshop long ago to create it. They labored over it for a very long time and produced a birthday clock. But His Majesty said that we Chinese do not customarily give clocks as birthday gifts, so he specially ordered them to modify it. Look—” Li Yu opened the dressing case. Inside lay an array of various jewels, most of them emerald and agate pieces that perfectly complemented the cuckoo bird’s calls. Smiling, he continued, “This is a dressing case, but the little compartment on top can tell time accurately!”

Its value was secondary; what was truly precious was the thought and care the Emperor had poured into it.

Every consort present was filled with envy. Noble Consort Hui in particular dug her long artificial nails so deeply into the flesh of the maid beside her that, though it hurt, the other girl clenched her teeth and dared not make a sound.

“How thoughtful of the Emperor to go to such lengths for this palace,” the Empress finally said, displaying the first smile she had worn at the birthday banquet.

Those around her immediately crowded forward with flattering words. The Empress raised a hand, and the voices instantly fell silent. Turning to Li Yu, she said, “Eunuch Li, kindly inform His Majesty that this palace will come in person shortly to express gratitude.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.” Li Yu replied respectfully. As he turned to leave, his footsteps paused for a moment.

Wei Yingluo stood off to one side of the path, calmly holding her tray high as if nothing were amiss. By chance—or perhaps design—the tray perfectly concealed her face.

Though he found the woman vaguely familiar, this was, after all, the Empress’s birthday banquet. Li Yu could hardly order her to raise her head at such a moment; it would only invite needless speculation from others. With the Empress’s instruction weighing on him, he withdrew his gaze and continued on his way.

After he left, everyone’s attention and discussion remained fixed on the cuckoo bird. It was only after a long while that Empress Fucha remembered there was still a palace maid who had come to present a gift. She turned, her expression gentle and kind, and asked, “What has the embroidery workshop sent?”

Wei Yingluo slowly unfolded the yellow silk cloth draped over the tray, revealing the neatly folded phoenix robe beneath.

A wave of gasps rose from all sides—not in admiration of the phoenix robe’s beauty, but…

…in astonishment at its crudeness.

“How dare you!!” Before Empress Fucha could even speak, her senior palace maid, Ming Yu, was already shouting furiously. “You actually dare present such a thing to the Empress!!”

The embroidery on the phoenix robe was extraordinary: the phoenix spread its wings as if about to take flight. In terms of craftsmanship, it was hardly inferior to the earlier ingeniously carved cuckoo bird.

The difference lay in this: the cuckoo had been carved from precious emerald, whereas the phoenix robe on the tray was woven from the fur of some unknown animal.

“I distinctly remember sending peacock threads to the embroidery workshop. What exactly is this?” Ming Yu strode forward, snatched up the phoenix robe, and examined it. Her face grimed further with anger. “This isn’t gold thread, nor even silver thread. Very well—the embroidery workshop has openly embezzled the peacock threads and then dared to palm off this shoddy, slipshod substitute?”

Wei Yingluo swiftly knelt. “This servant does not dare.”

“You don’t dare? You’ve already done it—what is there left that you don’t dare?” Ming Yu was about to hurl the phoenix robe into the girl’s face when a calm voice came from behind: “Wait.”

Empress Fucha beckoned. Ming Yu handed the garment over. The Empress lowered her head to examine it closely for a moment; even she could not help but frown. Raising her eyes to Wei Yingluo, she asked, “If not mistaken, this is thread twisted from deer-tail down.”

“Your Ladyship is truly wise.” Wei Yingluo made no attempt to conceal it; she openly admitted the fact with composure.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

It really was the lowest-grade embroidery thread—deer-tail fur. Even slightly higher-ranking palace maids would never use such material for clothing. Had the people in the embroidery workshop eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to be this daring? Or had someone instructed them to use this to humiliate the Empress?

In an instant, numerous gazes—some overt, some surreptitious—flicked toward Noble Consort Hui.

Even Empress Fucha harbored similar suspicions. Her expression gradually cooled as she asked, “Why did the embroidery workshop choose to use such thread?”

Was the Empress only fit for such thread? Or had there been an error with the materials sent from above? In the eyes of those present, either answer constituted a humiliation for the Empress. The former needed no explanation; the latter would mean that the Empress was utterly unable to control the rear palace—anyone could swap out materials at will and, on such an important occasion as a birthday banquet, deliberately humiliate her with a deer-tail phoenix robe.

Whatever happened after the banquet, however the Empress chose to handle the matter, one thing was certain: this little palace maid… was as good as dead!

Under the crowd’s deathly stares, Wei Yingluo took a deep breath. Still maintaining the posture of holding the tray aloft, she spoke clearly and distinctly:

“This servant has heard that Her Ladyship the Empress has always practiced frugality, and has remarked that gold and silver threads are extravagant and wasteful. Moreover, before our Great Qing ancestors entered the Pass, all clothing and adornments were made exclusively with deer-tail down thread. On this occasion, this servant has presumed to abandon gold and silver threads and return to the old ways. In doing so, we both obey Her Ladyship’s principle of strict economy and serve as a reminder to all present to remember the hardships our ancestors endured in founding the imperial enterprise.”

“This…” Ming Yu had already prepared to call for someone to deal with Wei Yingluo, but upon hearing this unexpected speech from her, she was suddenly rendered speechless. She tried for a long time to find fault in the girl’s words but couldn’t pick out a single flaw, so she could only cast a pleading glance toward Empress Fucha.

How would Empress Fucha deal with Wei Yingluo?

Wei Yingluo had already guessed it with near certainty.

Earlier, she had refused to come in and present the gift because the Empress had been in a foul mood at the time due to the fertility-Guanyin statue sent by Noble Consort Hui.

Even a kind person who fasts year-round might, when in a bad temper, stretch out a foot to kick the household dog at their side.

So she had waited and delayed, dragging things out left and right, until finally the Emperor’s gift arrived.

That little emerald-green cuckoo bird sang brightly enough to dispel the gloom in the Empress’s heart.

Even a person with a fiery temper will speak more gently when in a good mood—and might even kindly toss a bun or two to a beggar by the roadside.

“Man proposes, Heaven disposes,” Wei Yingluo thought to herself. “Heaven above… please do not disappoint those with sincere hearts.”

Heaven, naturally, would not disappoint someone with a sincere heart.

“…You little girl, your mind is quite ingenious.” Kneeling on the ground, she could only hear Empress Fucha’s voice drifting down from above her head, carrying a tone of relaxation and delight. “Nowadays, extravagance and waste are on the rise in the palace. If everyone could remember the hardships our ancestors endured to build this dynasty, we ought to abandon luxury and live simply and plainly. Someone, come—bestow upon her the twenty-eighth chapter: offering an apology.”

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