Chapter 13: Celebrating the New Year

Chapter 13: Celebrating the New Year

As New Year's Eve drew nearer, the festive atmosphere within the palace grew increasingly vibrant.

Three days prior, the Internal Affairs Office had distributed New Year’s rewards. Yesterday, it was the Grand Empress Dowager who bestowed her gifts. Today, it was Noble Lady Dong who came to present her rewards—two bolts of ornamental zhuanghua satin, two bolts of Sichuan brocade, and two gold butterfly hairpins inlaid with pearls and gemstones. She held Fang Yu’s hand and chatted warmly for quite some time.

Fang Yu’s room was, in truth, rather small, consisting of only a single chamber without any additional storage space. The gifts she had received over the past few days were piled up in one corner, visibly crowding the room. A small space filled with many possessions was not necessarily a good thing, but there was nothing to be done—after all, she was merely an Answering Attendant.

As the New Year approached, mistresses were also expected to reward their servants. Fang Yu gave Pan Liu twenty ounces of silver and instructed her to distribute two ounces to each of the servants who supplied their meals. Xiao Shunzi, who had often helped them out, received an extra five ounces.

Counting the days, Fang Yu realized she had not been chosen to serve for over twenty days. Since being punished by the Grand Empress Dowager in early December to learn court etiquette, the Emperor had not summoned her to serve him. In the blink of an eye, another month had passed without such an occasion.

She was not worried about falling out of favor, especially since she had just received generous rewards.

On New Year’s Eve itself, Fang Yu accompanied Noble Lady Dong and others to the Qianqing Palace for the family banquet.

The front courtyard of Qianqing Palace was adorned with vibrant potted plants, each basin bursting with flowers in full bloom, none showing any sign of wilting—a rare sight in the harsh winter. New couplets, written in the Emperor’s own hand on vermilion paper with golden characters, hung at the entrance of the great hall.

Inside, the floor was heated, and red carpets covered the golden bricks. A row of red lanterns hung from the beams, adding to the festive atmosphere with their brilliant decorations.

Fang Yu sat beside Ying Shan, who whispered in her ear that Common Consort Zhang was pregnant. Common Consort Zhang had served the Emperor several times the previous month and was considered favored. She was a Han Army Banner candidate who had entered the palace through the selection process three years prior but had not been promoted in rank since.

Common Consort Zhang resided in the Yanxi Palace alongside Ying Shan.

There were, in fact, several common consorts in the palace without formal rank. Some were palace maids who had been favored by the Emperor only once, but not all came from humble backgrounds. For instance, Tong Jia Shi, who had entered the palace two months earlier, was also a common consort and had yet to be promoted. Common Consort Zhang came from a much better family background than those like Fang Yu, who were of Bondservant origin. As a proper Eight Banners candidate, now pregnant with the imperial heir, she was undoubtedly several degrees more esteemed than mere Answering Attendants.

Fang Yu had met Common Consort Zhang twice—a gentle, soft-spoken woman—but they were not well acquainted and had little interaction.

She replied softly, "Then congratulations to her. How far along is she?"

"I heard it’s not yet three months; she likely conceived last month."

As Ying Shan was about to say more, the announcement of a eunuch echoed through the hall.

"Consort Wan has arrived."

They rose to pay their respects. Once seated again, Ying Shan asked when Fang Yu might expect news of her own pregnancy. Fang Yu pretended to be shy, saying, "How could I possibly have a say in such matters? Children come when fate allows. Perhaps my time has not yet come."

When the Empress Dowager, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Emperor arrived, their conversation ceased. Fang Yu looked up and saw the Emperor personally holding a child not yet a year old, seated at the forefront. That child must be the young prince, Yin Reng.

The Emperor allowing the not-yet-one-year-old Yin Reng to sit with him, though he had not yet been named Crown Prince, indicated that such an appointment was not far off. The young prince Yin Ti did not receive such treatment.

Once the New Year’s Eve family banquet was declared open, palace maids and eunuchs filed in, presenting hot dishes to their masters.

Fang Yu noticed that when the young prince Yin Reng began to cry in the Emperor’s arms, he was quickly taken away by his nanny. Everyone then enjoyed their meal cheerfully.

An hour later, the satiated crowd moved to the courtyard of Qianqing Palace to watch the fireworks. The first firework, symbolizing universal celebration, was lit jointly by the Emperor and Consort Wan. As it soared into the sky, the Emperor held Consort Wan’s hand—an gesture she clearly had not anticipated, her eyes filled with surprise.

The fireworks display was magnificent, golden lights continuously sparkling in the night sky, creating a scene of both excitement and joy. Fang Yu, standing at the back of the crowd, watched with great delight.

After the family banquet concluded, Fang Yu returned to the Yonghe Palace by the end of the Xu hour (around 9 PM) and was attended to by Pan Liu as she retired for the night.

Early the next morning, Fang Yu was awakened by Pan Liu. It was the first day of the New Year, and they had to go pay their respects to the Grand Empress Dowager. Once again, they accompanied Noble Lady Dong and the others.

On the way to Cining Palace, the sounds of firecrackers and whip-snapping filled the air, especially the latter—eunuchs rhythmically cracking specially made whips in deserted areas, creating a deafening crack even louder than the firecrackers.

The consorts and concubines knelt in Cining Palace to wish the Grand Empress Dowager a long life, shouting, "Long live the Grand Empress Dowager!" In return, the Grand Empress Dowager gave them each an auspicious red envelope containing a silver coin, symbolizing New Year’s blessings. They then joined her in eating vegetarian dumplings; finding one with a kumquat inside foretold a year of continuous good luck.

Fang Yu bit into a dumpling with a kumquat filling. Seated above, the Grand Empress Dowager rarely smiled kindly and said, "It seems this will be a year of good fortune for Answering Attendant Wuyan."

Fang Yu promptly knelt and said, "This is only due to basking in the Grand Empress Dowager’s grace and receiving her benevolent protection. This servant is fortunate indeed. This servant only wishes the Grand Empress Dowager a long life, the Emperor endless blessings, and the Qing Dynasty peace and prosperity, with peace across the land and prosperity."

The Grand Empress Dowager chuckled cheerfully, "Excellent, excellent. Rise quickly. You are thoughtful."

Fang Yu thought to herself how fortunate she had memorized a few auspicious phrases days earlier.

From Cining Palace, Noble Lady Dong walked alongside her, linking arms, and said with a smile, "The Grand Empress Dowager is very fond of you, sister. You are truly blessed—not only favored by the Emperor but also by the Grand Empress Dowager."

"Both the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor are compassionate and benevolent, caring for the world and its people. They favor not only me but also you, sister."

"You are right, sister. Why not come to my quarters today? I would like to chat and spend some time with you."

Unable to refuse Noble Lady Dong’s overture—as the head of this palace wing, as long as she resided in Yonghe Palace, she could not afford to antagonize her—Fang Yu nodded in agreement.

Noble Lady Dong resided in the main hall of Yonghe Palace’s front courtyard, which had five rooms and was much more spacious and well-lit than Fang Yu’s single room. The eastern and western side halls of the front courtyard were also under Noble Lady Dong’s control, providing not only storage space but also separate quarters for servants.

Fang Yu thought to herself that one day she, too, would live in such spacious accommodations—she could not remain confined to a small room forever. What she needed now was a promotion in rank, even if only from Answering Attendant to Constant Attendant. As a Constant Attendant, she could have an additional attendant, move to a slightly larger room, and receive a higher monthly allowance and supplies. She could not end up like Common Consort Zhang, who had not been promoted in three years.

She spent a short while at Noble Lady Dong’s quarters, engaging in light conversation before taking her leave.

From the first to the tenth day of the New Year, opera companies performed daily at the three-story theater behind the Imperial Garden. Fang Yu went to watch the operas every day. It was a rare occasion for the women of the rear palace to gather together in harmony, enjoying the performances—one of the few pleasures palace life offered.