The air in Longevity Palace pressed down the moment one entered, the empress dowager's presence encompassing all else. Her majestic crown glistened, precious metals woven between ebony hair in a tall, intimidating display of status. She wore a high-necked, maroon dress with dark gold phoenix embroidery, and was clad in only imperial jade jewellery, the rarest type of jade reserved for royalty.
But the most oppressive thing about Empress Dowager Qiu was not the grandeur of her palace, nor external materials which served to enhance what was already there. No... it was her formidable aura, unique to the woman who had been both the mother of the nation and was now the mother of the current emperor.
She bowed to no one.
And she acted like it.
"We greet Your Highness the Empress Dowager! Long Live Your Highness the Empress Dowager!"
The empress led the consorts into a reverent chorus of greetings, and Empress Dowager Qiu waved a well-maintained hand in dismissal.
"You may rise."
Atop her throne, she bestowed the empress a seat on her left, while the lower-ranking consorts could only remain standing.
She addressed the new consorts first. "Now that you are part of the imperial family, always prioritise virtuosity so as to bring harmony to the rear palace and soothe His Majesty's worries. And of course, to bear an imperial heir and contribute to the prosperity of our Li Empire. I have high hopes for you all, who were specially selected from the best young ladies our nation has to offer. Do not let me down."
"We heed Your Highness's teachings!"
The new consorts hastily bowed again. Those who had caught the main point of the empress dowager's speech looked enlightened: favour was only the initial goal; not the most important one. What truly guaranteed glory in the rear palace was a child of their own.
All of a sudden, their jealousy switched from Bai Nan Feng to the senior consorts, specifically those who already had children. They were the true victors, not some inexperienced Noble Lady who, in retrospect, only gained superficial advantage from being chosen first anyway.
Without their needle-like scrutiny, Bai Nan Feng let out a subtle breath. As much as she liked basking in attention, this was a little different...
She couldn't pin down the reason, but there was no time for that now, because Noble Consort Meng had cued her.
"I barely had time to look at the new consorts at Phoenix Palace earlier. Now that I do, doesn't Noble Lady Bai resemble Wise Consort Tang?" she mused. "Don't you agree, everyone?"
"Indeed," Virtuous Consort Liu chuckled. "Both are cold beauties hard to come by. No wonder His Majesty selected Noble Lady Bai."
Bai Nan Feng instinctively looked at the woman two seats from the empress.
The first thing she noticed was Wise Consort Tang's perfect posture—straight, yet naturally so. She didn't look like she had spent years practicing how to sit and tilt her head to present her best angle. It came to her as easily as breathing, exuding smoothness with motion and serenity in stillness.
Her light blue dress accentuated her deity-like presence, and Bai Nan Feng sensed a cold, uncomfortable similarity from her. As much as she hated to admit it, Wise Consort Tang was like the orchid flower of the Four Gentlemen: elegant and refined, above even a glance at the one they compared her to.
Her fists closed lightly. Was she, the most talented lady in Kunning, beneath the Wise Consort's standards?
Before she could dwell on the comparison, Empress Dowager Qiu called her out.
"Surface beauty is incomparable to internal character. Does Noble Lady Bai, wish for my misfortune?!"
Bai Nan Feng's breath hitched, but she recovered quickly.
Thud!
"Your Highness, I have no idea what you are talking about," she said, kneeling straightly.
"Oh?" Empress Dowager Qiu dragged a criticising gaze from her head to toe. "Then what is the meaning of wearing mourning white on this auspicious day? I am well and alive, and so are your sisters in the rear palace!"
She was the only consort dressed in pure white today, and preferring refined ivory and subtle jade to glamorous jewels and gold. Unfortunately, she hadn't known the empress dowager disliked this style.
"It is precisely because today is a meaningful day that I am dressed plainly to pray for Your Highness's blessings," she replied.
"Are you implying that the empress dowager is only worthy of frugal blessings?"
"The Tao scriptures promote frugality as it reflects sincerity. I am merely respecting our predecessors' wisdom."
Bai Nan Feng's eyes may be lowered, but her stance was not. She knew that the steadier she appeared, the more the empress dowager would seem like the lesser person—which she was.
The tension reached a boiling point.
Breaths were held; eyes were unblinking. Even the empress kept quiet, too wary to play the peacemaker.
"Hahahaha!" Empress Dowager Qiu suddenly burst into laughter.
The startled consorts buried their heads even lower. Empress Zhao sighed. "Imperial Mother?" she hesitantly questioned.
Empress Dowager Qiu smiled, a chilling quirk of her lips, sharp in its false pleasantry.
"Empress," she started. "You have lectured the new consorts well, for Noble Lady Bai to be so thoughtful of my wellbeing."
"I believe Grand Chancellor Bai is more creditable in regards to educating Noble Lady Bai," Empress Zhao deflected. "One short morning is insufficient to correct past habits."
Empress Dowager Qiu's smirk warmed, but was no less terrifying. "You have a point. But was Noble Lady Bai only taught the method of showing sincerity through external attire?"
At this point, everyone could tell the empress dowager was picking on Bai Nan Feng.
'Why?' they all thought.
The junior consorts searched for answers on Qiu Rong's face; the senior ones attributed it to Bai Nan Feng's resemblance with Wise Consort Tang, and they would not be wrong to assume so, given their history. However...
Empress Zhao's mind spun. Empress Dowager Qiu was mercurial, yes—but not capricious. Behind each benevolent smile or unreasonable outburst lay a hidden motive, often associated with her maternal family...
'Could it be...?'
The imperial court was abuzz with the Imperial Exam standardisation bill proposed by Grand Chancellor Bai recently, and Duke Qiu, the empress dowager's brother, was its foremost opposer.
According to her mother's latest letter, the Zhao Duchy was also against this bill; a standardised rating scale would alter the very foundation of the Imperial Exam and upend everything the traditionalist faction stood for.
'The bill cannot pass.'
Having solved the little mystery, Empress Zhao was more than willing to play along.
She sat back languidly. "What would convince you of her sincerity, Imperial Mother?"
"Hmm..." Empress Dowager Qiu looked at Bai Nan Feng and commented off-handedly, "Noble Lady Bai, I heard that you are the most talented lady in Kunning, having mastered all the Four Arts. Among them, your calligraphy is said to be worth a hundred taels of gold."
After being neglected for so long, Bai Nan Feng's spine straightened at the attention.
"That is what the masses say, Your Highness. But to me, calligraphy is not to be objectified and have its value weighed in earthly currencies—it is a pure art form to be cultivated!" she said proudly.
The hall fell silent at her pretentious declaration.
Bai Nan Feng was the epitome of a righteous scholar, just like her willful Grand Chancellor of a grandfather. But the rear palace was a place that chewed on hard bones and spat them out for fun. She was not the first to flaunt lofty ideals, and she certainly wouldn't be the last to swallow them.
"I suppose Noble Lady Bai would not mind using that 'pure art' of yours to copy a volume of Buddhism scripture on my behalf."
Bai Nan Feng's mask cracked. Empress Dowager Qiu's smile widened.
"After all, what greater form of sincerity, than personally creating works of art for another?" she finished.
Her words were like a bait, and the other consorts rushed to shove it down Bai Nan Feng's throat, emboldened by the assent given by the empress dowager herself.
"That's right." Noble Consort Meng nodded. "Surely sacred text is worthy of being written in Noble Lady Bai's renowned calligraphy?"
"I've always dreamt of glimpsing Her Highness the Empress Dowager's precious scripture collection, just once. Who knew Sister Bai would beat me to it?" Lady Talent Ma exclaimed.
"That's because Noble Lady Bai is the 'Top Talent of Kunning'!" Concubine Lin said, rubbing her stomach. "Her Highness doesn't simply bestow this honour to anyone."
"Ah, if only I had honed my calligraphy skills..."
"Noble Lady Bai, you mustn't take Her Highness's favour for granted!"
Empress Zhao and Virtuous Consort Liu didn't speak up, but the patronising glimmer in their eyes was unmistakable. Wise Consort Tang was apathetic as always.
One by one, they pushed Bai Nan Feng to her knees atop the pedestal she had once been worshipped upon.
"Well?" Empress Dowager Qiu boomed.
Her defeat was inevitable. Her trophy became her chains.
That stubborn spine... bent to reality.
She gritted her teeth and glared directly at the empress dowager.
"I... accept Your Highness's request."
But the spirit within?
It burned with icy fury.