Today was the bathing day for the consorts of the Six Palaces.
After seeing off Cheng Yu and Ruo Xin, Zhao Hua performed a simple cleansing ritual before returning to her room and leaning against the warm seat.
Taking advantage of the bright sunshine after the rain, she took out the nearly completed silk purse to continue embroidering it.
This silk purse was intended as a gift for Xiao Jingheng,
so every material used was exceptionally precious.
The choice of materials needs no explanation, but more remarkably, each stitch in the embroidery of this silk purse was made with thread soaked in fragrant medicine personally prepared by Zhang Imperial Physician.
Carrying a purse made with these, worn close to the body daily, would bring numerous benefits.
As Zhao Hua was about to finish the embroidery, she heard a knock at the door.
She set aside the silk purse, massaged her aching knuckles, and casually said:
"Come in."
The one who entered with a bow was Xiao Fuzi. He said:
"Reporting to Her Majesty the Empress, Consort Yun's seventh-month memorial was held properly. As for the late Concubine Li, given her low rank and her mother's family being of no great prominence in the previous dynasty, the ceremony was kept simple."
Zhao Hua nodded faintly in acknowledgment, then smiled and said to Xiao Fuzi: "Congratulations to you, as Guo Imperial Physician has taken leave due to illness, and your brother has gained the Emperor's favor and been promoted to become the new Judge."
Xiao Fuzi respectfully replied: "Your Majesty's kindness towards this servant and his brother will never be forgotten."
Seeing him about to kneel, Zhao Hua hurriedly said:
"You and your brother have served me sincerely, and I have treated you both with equal sincerity. If such a small matter still warrants your kneeling and thanks, then you are being too distant with me."
Thus, Xiao Fuzi straightened his back and stood up, his comical appearance barely suppressing Zhao Hua's laughter.
Suddenly remembering something, she stopped laughing and asked: "I heard that the Emperor did not permit Concubine Li to be buried in the Concubine Mausoleum. Where was she buried?"
Xiao Fuzi replied: "The Emperor ordered that she be buried together with the former Noble Consort Li... that is, her elder sister Li Qiao'er."
"Li Qiao'er..."
Hearing this name again, Zhao Hua's mind flashed with many old memories, and she could not help but feel pensive:
"It has been a long time since I last heard this name. I still remember when I first entered the palace, she arrogantly told me to rely on her, that if she gained favor, she would look after me to some degree."
Speaking of this, she could not help but laugh bitterly, "Looking back now, those events from the past seem to have occurred so long ago."
"Your Majesty has been in the palace for nearly seven years."
"Seven years. Yes, seven years, and most of the people I knew when I first entered the palace are no longer here, are they?"
Zhao Hua watched the withered yellow leaves mercilessly swept up by the autumn wind outside the window,
watching them spin, dance, and swirl in the air before eventually plunging into the mud, unable to even return to their roots.
"Li Ruo, Li Qiao'er, Xiao YuYun, Dai Chunying, Zhao Junruo, Dong Zhuolan, Shang Yang, Wang Xihua, and... the Empress Dowager.
They have all departed, harming me and I harming them, struggling intensely, until at last I have attained my wish and sit upon this Phoenix throne. Yet I cannot feel any happiness."
Zhao Hua listed all these names one by one,
the names of these women confined within the palace walls, given only a title and rank that did not belong to them, their true names long forgotten,
and felt an inexplicable unease in her heart.
Seeing Zhao Hua's melancholy, Xiao Fuzi quickly advised:
"Those who commit many evil deeds rarely meet a good end. Your Majesty need not grieve for evil people, for aside from the Empress Dowager, which of these deceased consorts did not scheme against you?"
"The Empress Dowager..." Zhao Hua pondered for a moment, then said: "Among these people, aside from the Empress Dowager, the eldest was likely Shang Yang, right? Yet even she did not live to see her thirtieth year. Heh..."
She shook her head and scoffed, her voice suddenly lowering but filled with biting sarcasm,
"Indeed, everyone says the Forbidden City's feng shui nourishes people, that the eligible daughters of official and noble families would do anything to enter the palace.
This feng shui does indeed nourish people, but as Consort Yun said before her death, perhaps in the eyes of some, women are not even regarded as human beings? Nothing more than ornaments, playthings, tools for procreation and relieving desires."
Seeing Zhao Hua's words becoming increasingly inappropriate and bold, Xiao Fuzi hurriedly interjected:
"What others think of them is unimportant. I only know that Your Majesty is the mother of all under Heaven, most cherished by the Emperor."
Zhao Hua smiled wryly, "Yes, the Emperor treats me well, and I too wish to present him with personal items, to demonstrate the deep affection between Emperor and Empress."
With that, she picked up the silk purse from the side table, deftly embroidered the last two stitches, snipped off the thread end, and handed it to Xiao Fuzi.
"Take a look at this purse, isn't it exquisite?"
Xiao Fuzi said: "Your Majesty's handiwork is skillful. The two golden dragons embroidered on it look powerful and magnificent. The Emperor will surely love it."
As the words left his mouth, a calm male voice suddenly sounded from outside the door:
"What will We surely love?"
