by Poon, Alice;
Hong Taiji had specifically chosen the name Guansui for Harjol’s Palace. The name came from the first poem in the Chinese Book of Poetry, in which swans were used as a symbol to eulogize the life bond of a love couple.
As if empowered by the magic of love, the Emperor won three major battles in a row against the Chakhar Mongols and brought the whole of Inner Mongolia under his control. Bumbutai had never seen him happier.
Neither did he show any qualms about flaunting his happy life with his beloved Consort. Harjol was always seated right beside him in all Court banquets, large or small. He never took any Consort but her with him on his hunting trips. His chief eunuch delivered the Emperor’s bed partner summoning tag to no one but Harjol. All the eunuchs and maids-in-waiting had special orders to take extra care to serve the favorite Consort well. There was to be no limit to her household expenses. Her clothes were made of the most luxurious fabrics, the food she was served the finest possible, and the flowers for her Palace the most beautiful and freshest.
Bumbutai couldn’t help but wonder if the Emperor’s showy doting on her sister didn’t partly stem from a vindictive desire to sting her. Much as she welcomed the idea of being left alone to live peacefully, she nevertheless had to face the dismal prospect of unending solitude. She had no idea, then, of the depth of his wrath.
As for Harjol, she initially still showed some courtesy towards her younger sister. But as she started to master the art of wrapping the Emperor round her little finger, she became more distant and even insolent towards Bumbutai.
Yongfu Palace was the smallest of all Inner Palaces and the farthest from the Emperor’s Residence. The exterior garden walls were of modest purple-painted terra cotta and the roof tiles were a demure dark blue. The front porch was of plain oak wood, coated with lacquer. The interior had three modestly furnished but airy main chambers: one lounge with latticed windows on opposite sides, one antechamber and one bed chamber at the back. There were annexed rooms in the backyard that served as the maids’ quarters. Bumbutai loved the understated elegance of her Palace. What pleased her most was the large garden fronting the lounge. It had a small pond in one corner near the front porch, filled with white lotuses. Two weeping willows stood guard on either side of the pond. The lounge looked out on a large flower bed, where she could tend to her favorite lavender lilies.
To her, a large open space where she could keep in close touch with the sky was much more important than an embellished interior. She thought the name of the Palace, “Eternal Comfort,” was very pleasing too, because it did bring her a little peace of mind. Still, the Emperor’s stark coldness towards her was like an angry undercurrent that wouldn’t leave her at ease. She was twenty-three years old and had to taste what living widowhood was like.
One hot summer day, when she was watering her favorite lilies, a maid from Empress Jere’s Palace came and announced that her presence was required at once at the Imperial Clan court. She hastily tidied herself up and hurried over with Siu Fa tagging along.
Once inside, she was astounded to find that a trial was in progress. She saw two chained prisoners kneeling on the floor: a low-ranked young Concubine and a young cavalryman. Empress Jere was presiding at the interrogation and all Consorts and Concubines were present as observers, except for Consort Chen, her sister. The pair were accused of adultery. They both looked distraught and deeply frightened.
In a rigid and hard voice Empress Jere said: “Your shameful deed has besmirched the Emperor’s honor and the honor of the clan. I cannot allow this kind of despicable conduct to ever happen again in the Inner Palaces. For this reason, all other sister Consorts and Concubines have been invited here to observe the punishment. I now sentence you both to a beating of sixty strokes each with a large stick. Then you, sister, will be banished to life confinement in the retreat house, and you, young man, will be exiled for life outside the borders.”
Bumbutai couldn’t remember having ever before heard Jere speaking in such a harsh tone. On hearing the sentence, the accused Concubine fainted and slumped to the floor. The cavalryman leaned over to prop her up. He then pleaded in a plaintive voice with the Empress to let him take all the hundred and twenty strokes, sparing the Concubine. After mulling for a while, the Empress granted his plea. Then she ordered two eunuchs to execute the beating at once.
All the Consorts and Concubines cringed in trepidation when they saw the man being pinned down on a bench and hard blows landing on his buttocks and legs. He gave out hair-raising screams as blood seeped through his pants. The guilty Concubine promptly passed out again.
As Bumbutai watched the cruel beating, a chill passed down her spine. A gruesome picture rose in her head. She saw a crippled Dorgon staggering towards her, his leggings drenched in blood. The blood kept squirting from his mangled legs. Her whole body shivered violently like willow branches caught in a wild gust. Later she would learn that the Empress was already showing leniency. The usual punishment involved one hundred strokes each, which could mean a maimed lower body or even death. In the present case, the poor cavalryman could well be crippled for life even if he could survive the hundred and twenty strokes.
That night, Bumbutai tossed and turned in her bed and couldn’t sleep a wink. Anxiety roiled inside her. The grisly image of a maimed Dorgon kept churning in her brain. At last she could no longer bear being alone. She got out of bed and fumbled her way to Sumalagu’s bed chamber in the backyard to wake her.
“Suma, Suma, please wake up. I need to talk to you,” she pleaded between sobs.
“What is it, my mistress? What has happened?” Sumalagu bounced up from her sleeping position, much alarmed.
“I couldn’t sleep. I kept having these monstrous thoughts about Dorgon and me.”
“You must try to calm yourself. I will fetch you a cup of ginseng tea. But you must return to your own bed chamber, because it’s much warmer than here. I’ll sleep on the floor right beside your bed if you like.”
The maid quickly threw on her day garment and accompanied the stricken mistress back to her own chamber. Once back there, Bumbutai broke down in a deluge of tears in her maid’s embrace.
“I fear for myself and for Dorgon….. But today’s event was just so grotesque. It doesn’t bode well. The Concubine was so young. She must have been very lonely and in need of a man’s love. That poor girl, I pity her so much. It’s not her fault really.” Big drops of tears continued to roll down her chin.
“I know, I know, my precious,” the maid whispered soothingly. “It’s the fault of the stupid rules of the Inner Palaces. The Emperor can have countless women, but they all have to share that one man, and infidelity on their part is punishable by death or near death. But you have done nothing, nothing at all, that has broken those rules. You mustn’t let your silly thoughts run wild.”
“But sometimes I do feel unbearably lonely. In times like those, I would fantasize being in Dorgon’s company …” She blushed and could not go on.
“I know how you feel about Beile Dorgon, my good mistress. It’s too bad that the Emperor knows it too.” She released a deep sigh, wanting to say something and then stopped. After a pause, she continued:
“I heard from the Empress’s maid that the Empress was under special orders from the Emperor to conduct today’s interrogation in full presence of his harem…. He had made particular mention of your name.”
This shocking revelation twisted Bumbutai’s guts. So it was a deliberate warning from him. She had thus far known him to be a possessive person, but going so far as to terrorize her over a letter written before her marriage was beyond comprehension. She was not aware that he had spied on her intimate rendezvous with Dorgon in the Library Hall garden.
“You must be very careful not to give him any more reason to suspect your conduct,” Sumalagu gave her a comforting brush on the back.
“If he wants to trick me, there are a million ways he can do that, no
matter how much care I take,” Bumbutai shot back. “I am nothing more than a bird trapped in a gilded cage.” Her eyes reflected a glint of bitterness and rebellion.
“He is only a lion with a wounded heart seeking some kind of outlet for his hurt pride,” Sumalagu replied, trying to deflect her mistress’s concerns. “Sooner or later he’ll come to terms with the fact that love cannot be forced.”
“I hope so. I’ve been trying so hard to give him whatever I can give. How can he be so cruel? I’m sure Harjol is giving him the happiness he was seeking. Isn’t that enough?”
“This phase will soon blow over, especially now that he is the Emperor with supreme authority.”
“I do hope you’re right, Suma.”
Back in the first year of his reign, Hong Taiji had tried and failed to conquer the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. After he was anointed the first Manchu Emperor, he purposely sent an expedition of delegates to Seoul to seek their recognition of his new Imperial reign. But with the back-up of the Ming Imperial Army, King Injo of the Joseon Kingdom showed disdain for the Manchu Emperor and impudently tried to ambush the delegates. This incensed Hong Taiji.
Now in the early winter of the tenth year of his reign, he appointed Dorgon as the commanding general, and together they led an army of 120,000 into Korea. King Injo and his royal family tried to escape to Ganghwa Island as Korean kings traditionally did when attacked by an enemy. The King’s attempted escape was foiled by the Manchu army although other members of the royal family managed to flee to the island while King Injo took refuge at the Namhan Mountain Fortress. Hong Taiji used his familiar siege tactics and soon those inside the Fortress ran out of food and ammunition. Meanwhile, Dorgon descended upon Ganghwa Island to capture King Injo’s family and consorts. Ming China made a token effort, sending a miniscule rescue force, which, by a streak of bad luck, was wiped out by a storm at sea. In the end, King Injo had no option but to surrender.
On a platform that was specifically built for the surrender ritual, Hong Taiji forced King Injo to repeat the humiliating act of kneeling and bowing to him many times.
Back at Mukden, Hong Taiji rewarded Dorgon handsomely for the military success over Korea. He gave him one-tenth of the loot, reserving the other nine-tenths for distribution among the Eight Manchu Banner Chiefs and the Eight Mongolian Banner Chiefs.
On the night of his return, the Emperor signaled to his chief eunuch that he desired Consort Chen, that is, Harjol. The favorite Consort had been expecting the call and had been soaking in a bath filled with fragrant rose petals, knowing that the Emperor loved this fragrance on her body.
When the chief eunuch came for her, she gave him a bar of gold, together with a small packet containing some horny goat weed in powder form. He took them with a smile and said he would return as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Harjol’s maids dressed her in a white robe made of sheer material imported from Europe and applied the finest make-up to her face. They adorned her hair with her white jade-tasseled hairpins and put on her white jade earrings.
That night, the lanterns inside the Emperor’s bed chamber remained lit until very late. Two months later, Harjol’s Palace was abuzz with excitement. The Emperor was informed that his favorite Consort was with child.
Nine
Hong Taiji had by this time already had seven sons born to him. But none of them had won his heart. The intensity of his love for Harjol could be easily read from his reaction to the news of her first pregnancy. It was both a Chinese and Jurchen custom never to celebrate an early pregnancy. The belief was that it was a boasting of good luck which would arouse jealousy in the gods and hence jinx the birth or the infancy. But the Emperor decided to ignore that custom, partly because he was too enamored with Harjol not to do something to reward her, and partly because he felt that he, as the supreme ruler of three races, should not deign to submit to such superstition.
He thus ordered a grand celebration to be held at the Guansui Palace. On top of that, he showered Harjol with luxurious gifts ranging from mink fur capes and jewelry set in precious gems, to expensive silks, perfumes, flowers and delicacy dishes. He also assigned two maids to give the Consort daily massages and to attend to her slightest whim. No other Consort or Concubine from his harem had ever been pampered this way.
For Bumbutai, this news was good news too, as it seemed that Sumalagu’s prediction was coming true. The bad phase was finally over and Hong Taiji’s frostiness towards her was starting to melt somewhat. She wrote to her parents with the joyous news and prayed hard to Eternal Blue Sky to let Harjol carry a son in her womb. At the same time, in the deep recesses of her heart, she was yearning for the day that Dorgon and she could be joined in union too, although something told her she had nothing to look forward to except a fanciful dream.
Leaving the celebration feast at Guansui Palace, Bumbutai made her way back to her own Palace. While passing through an orchid garden, she saw Dorgon moving towards her. She wanted to dodge away to avoid him but it was too late. He stopped by her side, quickly shoved a piece of paper into her hand, then disappeared from her sight. She kept walking until she was inside the garden walls of her own Palace. Her heart still beating fast from the encounter, she sat down on a porcelain stool underneath the drooping willow branches and opened the handwritten note:
“Meet me tomorrow night in your garden at the first Palace gong beat.”
She paced too and fro in her scented garden for a long time, thinking about the note. She was yearning to see him, but she knew she should not. It would be too dangerous. What should she do? Should she send Sumalagu to take a note of refusal to him?
Under the rules of the Inner Palaces, no male except for the eunuchs was allowed to remain inside the Imperial Palace Complex after nightfall, when the brass-studded Main Gates would be slammed shut and an Imperial sentry would stand guard until the next morning. The first gong beat signified the first security call announcing the impending closure of the Main Gates. There would be a lapse of an hour between the first and second, and between the second and last gong beat. At the last gong beat the Inner Court would be off limits.
Dorgon lived in a large mansion just a short walk from the Palace Complex. If she agreed to the meeting, it would mean that he could spend a little less than two hours with her at the most and then he would have to make for the Main Gates, allowing time to walk from her Palace, which was located not far from the Gates.
Hong Taiji would definitely not be visiting her at night time, and it was also out of the question that she would be summoned to his bed chamber, now that Consort Chen enjoyed sole custody of him in her Palace. It was three days before Chinese New Year, and many workmen and tradesmen would be busy with their work inside the Complex until the time of the Main Gates’ closing. The eunuchs and maids from other Palaces would be occupied with festive preparations inside their households and would not come near the Yongfu Palace. That would mean the chance of Dorgon being seen on his entry and exit was quite remote, if he were sensible enough to disguise himself as an ordinary workman. After thinking it through carefully, Bumbutai decided that their meeting should be quite safe.
The next evening, Bumbutai asked Siu Mui to serve her an early meal, saying she would like to retire to bed early as she had a headache. After the meal, she relieved the two young maids of their duties and sent them to their own quarters. When she was alone with Sumalagu, she told her that Dorgon was coming to see her and asked her to keep watch at the garden gate when the two of them had gone indoors.
At the appointed time, Dorgon slipped unnoticed into the garden, dressed in workmen’s clothing, with dirt smeared on the face. Bumbutai took his hand and led him inside her lounge. Having seated him on the lacquered red wood couch by the window, she served him hot jasmine tea. A shaft of moonlight peered through the window to spread a silvery sheen on the lounge floor, imbuing the room with moody calmness.
“You’ve lost weight, my love,�
� he said, touching her face gently as she sat down beside him. On hearing such intimate words, all her pent-up emotions were unleashed like a violent tempest, and she burst into tears.
“He was so mean to threaten me with that most wicked drama, all because of jealousy over the letter I had written to you.” Her tears, once unleashed, could not be stemmed.
“I know, I understand. Hush, hush, my sweet love. I heard about the Clan court case. He is such a sick man.” He instinctively put his arms around her and wiped away her tears with his fingers. “It’s not just the letter,” he added. “He actually saw us cuddling in the Library Hall garden that day. Later he got everything out of Sumalagu. Somehow the information got out, and I heard it from Wukeshan when we were out on a campaign a couple of years ago.”
She nodded. “Oh, so now I can see why he acts so spitefully towards me.” She dried her tears on her sleeve, recalling the fury in his eyes on the night she had been deflowered. In the dark recess of her mind loomed a secret that she would guard with her own life. Not even Dorgon could be let in on it. Having regained her composure, she continued:
“I did all I could to keep him satisfied before Harjol came, but there was just no way to please him. It’s only since he found out that Harjol was pregnant that he began to thaw a bit towards me.”
“Bumbutai, do you remember what you said to me before? Our time will come. I believed you then and I still do. So please don’t give up hope.”
“Yes, I will hang on for your sake, my love. He was mad at me because he couldn’t have my heart. Now that he has found his own true love, he will spare me, I hope.”
“How I wish I could protect you from him! It breaks my heart to see you suffer like this.”
“I’ve always known that a great part of my destiny would involve duty. But I didn’r realize it would be so hard to give up love for duty. It’s impossible for me to get you out of my mind.”
“The more I know you, the more I love and respect you, sweet Bumbutai. You’ve been such a great spiritual prop to me. I can’t go on without you,” he lifted her moistened face and kissed her hard on the lips.
