Spring in the Hall of Paintings

In the third month of spring, it was the time for the selection of young women from prominent families, and the Tong family, which belonged to the Zhen Lan Banner, was busy. The head of the Tong family, Rongda, also held the hereditary position of assistant leader of the Zhen Lan Banner. Every time the selection occurred, he would be swamped with work—compiling a list of eligible young women from his banner, submitting the list first to the prince of the Zhen Lan Banner, and then reporting it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If any of the young women had reported illness or had a family mourning, he would personally inspect them, afraid that they might harbor ulterior motives.

Since Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne, the power of the banner princes had been steadily diminishing. Most of their duties had become ceremonial. Kangxi had assigned adult princes to manage the banner affairs, under the guise of relieving the banner princes of their burdens and giving the princes experience. In reality, it was a means of stripping their power. The banner princes were well aware of this, and the more astute ones chose to live a life of leisure, tending to flowers and birds, so as not to give Kangxi any excuse to strip them of their titles, which would bring disgrace to their descendants. Understanding this, Emperor Kangxi was generous with their stipends, and both sides were content with the arrangement.

On the day of the selection, the banner women were first sent to the Tong residence, where rows of identical blue-and-white patterned horse-drawn carriages awaited at the gates. Lanterns hung in front of the carriages with inscriptions stating the names and official titles of the young women’s fathers.

The selection was considered a major event, highly anticipated, because if a family’s daughter was favored by a noble in the palace, she could rise to prominence and bring honor to her family. With this in mind, the young women, all dressed in matching blue cloth qipao and adorned with floral headpieces, subtly showed signs of nervousness. Their delicate figures carried the hopes of their fathers and brothers, and they all secretly observed each other to see who might be their greatest rival.

“Sixth Sister, I think Third Sister’s initial selection will definitely be approved. Among all these young women, none can compare to her in terms of appearance and demeanor.”

Yun Wei, who had been roused early by Yun Lan to watch the excitement, was now hiding behind a rockery in the courtyard with Yun Lan. Yun Lan, curious as ever, peeked out, for it was impossible not to be intrigued by the selection process, especially for a modern-day woman like Yun Lan. Yun Wei glanced at the Zhen Lan Banner’s young women and nodded in agreement with Yun Lan’s words.

Rongda was currently addressing the young women, reminding them of the things they should pay attention to, warning them not to engage in disgraceful behavior that might tarnish the reputation of the Zhen Lan Banner, and wishing them success in the selection and bringing honor to their families.

“I wonder if any of them will become palace maids?”

“Fourth Sister, you’re mistaken. How could the young women be palace maids? Although the Zhen Lan Banner is one of the lower five banners, not as noble as the upper three, they would never let a young woman become a palace maid. Besides, the Zhen Lan Banner was once one of the upper three banners, but the Prince Rui forcibly demoted them to the lower five and raised his own banner, the Zhen Bai Banner.”

Seeing Yun Wei’s indignation, Yun Lan chuckled and pinched her little face. “I know, Sixth Sister. Don’t be upset, I was just saying it casually.”

Yun Wei turned her head away, and Yun Lan secretly sighed. Even someone as spirited as Yun Wei cared so much about such intangible titles. What difference did it make between the upper three banners and the lower five? This deeply ingrained concept was something Yun Lan could never understand. After all, they were all part of the Eight Banners. Perhaps one day, she would come to understand.

Yun Lan had actually asked this question earlier, not to discuss the affairs of the banners, but because she had been thinking about the modern “qingchuan” novels (novels where modern people travel back to the Qing Dynasty). In these stories, no matter how noble the birth of the women, they all ended up as palace maids, didn’t they? Whether they served by Kangxi’s side, or by the side of Concubine De, Concubine Yi, or Concubine Liang, where they served always hinted at which male character was the main one. Among the princes, Yun Lan was only interested in the victorious Emperor Yongzheng, the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen.

Palace maids were selected annually from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with girls chosen from the banner families to serve in the palace. They were also considered “showing women”, but the paths they took were different from the ones for the women selected every three years. These women weren’t meant to become concubines or consorts in the palace, nor were they married off to royal princes or nobles. It was inconceivable for them to become palace maids.

Over the years, Yun Lan had only heard of two women who were promoted from palace maids to concubines. One was the beautiful and elegant Concubine Liang, who gave birth to the Eighth Prince. Yun Lan had visited the palace several times but never met Concubine Liang, though she was very curious about the woman who was the subject of many legends. She wanted to know what she really looked like. The other was Concubine De, who gave birth to the Fourth Prince and was said to have risen from a palace maid to a concubine.

“Master, Master, the Eighth Prince has arrived.”

A servant hurriedly entered, announcing that Emperor Kangxi had ordered the Eighth Prince to be stationed under the Zhen Lan Banner for experience, and as such, the Eighth Prince, Yinti, had the authority to inquire about the selection. Rongda did not dare to neglect the matter, knowing that the Eighth Prince, always gentle and courteous, would not leave any room for these young women to make mistakes. Some of them might even rise to become favored concubines of Emperor Kangxi in the future.

Rongda urged, “Alright, you all get in the carriages.”

The young women bid farewell to their families and boarded the carriages, walking the path that, with the fervent hopes of their fathers and brothers, might lead them to wealth and glory.

Rongda, the head of the Tong family, carried the selection roster in his hand and quickly walked to the gate of the residence. He bowed deeply to the young man sitting on horseback. “This servant respectfully greets the Eighth Prince.”

“Please rise.” The young man’s voice was pleasant, with a gentle smile on his lips. “Master Tong, you’ve worked hard.”

“It is nothing compared to Your Highness’s hard work. Serving the Emperor is my duty,” Rongda said, carefully avoiding mentioning the Eighth Prince by name. The reason was simple: the elderly matriarch had given strict instructions not to associate with the princes. Only the third son of the Tong family, Rongzhi, was skilled in courtly matters and served as a personal guard to the Emperor, which made him more likely to have closer interactions with the princes. However, the eldest son, Rongda, and the second son, Rongxuan, did not engage deeply with the princes, even the Eighth Prince, their superior.

The Eighth Prince, Yinti, smiled and said softly, “I still need to visit the next assistant leader’s residence.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Rongda bowed again and mounted his horse, following the Eighth Prince. As they left, Yinti casually glanced at the Tong family’s plaque. Unexpectedly, he saw a young woman in a red dress peeking from behind the gate, watching him. His smile deepened—she was Yun Lan, the one praised by the Emperor.

“So, the Eighth Prince is like this? I didn’t realize he was so graceful,” Yun Lan thought to herself.

Yun Lan pouted. The Eighth Prince, Yinti, was wearing the imperial prince’s dragon robe, and Yun Lan couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of fate. She had seen many adult princes, but this was the first time she had seen the Eighth Prince, Yinti. No wonder she couldn’t resist hiding behind the gate to take a quick glance. Yinti was a lifetime rival to Yinzhen, the Emperor Yongzheng.

“Hey, where is Sixth Sister?” Yun Lan snapped back to reality and suddenly remembered Yun Wei. After looking around and not finding her, she realized that Yun Wei had run off when she heard the Eighth Prince was at the gate. But now she was alone.

“Sixth Miss stood outside for a while and then went back,” a servant replied, lowering his head.

Yun Lan, being the most dazzling and beautiful young woman in the Tong family, was easily recognized by everyone.

Meanwhile, Yun Wei returned to the study, picked up an unfinished book, and wondered why Yun Lan was captivated by the Eighth Prince. Wasn’t Fourth Sister, Yun Lan, only interested in the Fourth Prince? She stopped herself from thinking too much. Someone as wise as Yun Lan would never get caught up between two princes, because the result could only be one: either being rejected by both proud princes or being given a death sentence by Emperor Kangxi in the name of “execution for disobedience.”

If the selection was like an examination, Yun Xin had performed very well, passing the initial selection and the second round smoothly, but in the end, her status as a concubine’s daughter led to her being disqualified. Still, in terms of appearance, talent, and demeanor, there was nothing to criticize. After Yun Xin returned to her family, many suitors from prestigious families came to propose marriage to her. Even ministers and their wives, who were not in charge of matchmaking, had their eyes on her, as she was highly sought after.

Yun Xin was recorded as a daughter of the main wife, Jueluo, and was considered half of a legitimate daughter. Her status as a concubine’s daughter had led to her disqualification, but ultimately it was due to the Tong family’s position not being high enough.

Mrs Jueluo took the matter of finding a suitor very seriously and carefully selected from several families. After much deliberation, she chose the youngest son of the Shumu Lu family, a prominent family from the Eight Banners. The Shumu Lu family was noble, and their family had a long tradition of studying the classics. All their officials were known for being upright. The head of the family served as an official in the supervisory court, a position neither too high nor too low. Though he was an official who dealt with speeches, his reputation was good, and his youngest son was polite, gentle, and had no bad habits. He enjoyed riding and was determined to become a general. His mother had tried to persuade him to give up his ambition for a military career, but to no avail. Eventually, his grandmother, who doted on him, convinced the family to propose to the Tong family, hoping to use the marriage alliance to help her grandson, Qi Feng, who had become a junior officer at the Fengtai military camp.

Mrs Jueluo understood the Shumu Lu family’s intentions, and such things were common in ancient times, so she wasn’t bothered by it. After consulting with Rongxuan, the master of the second branch, who had met Qi Feng before, he nodded and said, “That young man is not bad. Yun Xin would be a good match for him.”

Mrs Jueluo understood Rongxuan’s character, and since he had said it, she would look out for her future son-in-law, Qi Feng, which would help smooth his career path. In turn, Yun Xin would be able to hold her head high in her new family. Therefore, Jueluo began making arrangements, consulting the matchmaker to match their horoscopes, and set a tentative wedding date, starting preparations for Yun Xin’s dowry.

Yun Xin was grateful for Mrs Jueluo’s thoughtful intentions and became even more filial to her. The mother and daughter of the main branch were harmonious and close, while the third branch was embroiled in a conflict due to Yun Jing’s marriage.