Empress Orchid

by Anchee Min

  After a long while Nuharoo turned toward me and smiled again. She had an almost childlike smile, innocent and free of worry. I was sure she had never suffered. She must have had servants in her house to fan her to sleep on hot summer nights. Her gestures suggested that she was trained in manners. Had she attended schools for the rich? What did she read? Did she like opera? If she did, she must have a hero or heroine that she admired. Suppose we loved the same operas, and suppose we were both lucky enough to be chosen …

  “What do you think about your chance of being chosen?” I asked Nuharoo after she revealed to me that her father was Emperor Hsien Feng’s distant uncle.

  “I don’t think about it much,” she said quietly. Her lips opened like the petals of a flower. “I do whatever my family asks of me.”

  “So your parents know how to read wood grains.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “One’s future.”

  Nuharoo turned away from me and smiled gently into the distance. “Yehonala, how do you see our chances?”

  “You are born of an Imperial relative and you are beautiful,” I said. “I am not sure about my chance. My father was a taotai before he died. If my family hadn’t been heavily in debt, and if I had not been forced to marry my retarded cousin Ping, I wouldn’t have …” I had to stop, because my tears were welling up.

  Nuharoo put a hand into her pocket and took out a lace handkerchief. “I am sorry.” She passed the handkerchief to me. “Your story sounds terrible.”

  I didn’t want to ruin her handkerchief, so I wiped my tears with the back of my hands.

  “Tell me more,” she said.

  I shook my head. “My story of misery would be bad for your health.”

  “I don’t mind. I want to hear it. This is the first time I have stepped out of my house. I have never traveled like you.”

  “Travel? It was not at all a pleasant experience.” As I continued speaking, my mind flooded with memories of my father. The decaying smell of the coffin and the flies that followed it. To remove myself from the sadness I switched subjects.

  “Did you go to school when you grew up, Nuharoo?”

  “I had private tutors,” she answered. “Three of them. Each taught me a different subject.”

  “What was your favorite subject?”

  “History.”

  “History! I thought that was only for boys.” I remembered hiding a book from my father, The Record of the Three Kingdoms.

  “It was not general history as you are imagining.” Nuharoo smiled as she explained. “It was the history of the Imperial household. It was about the lives of empresses and concubines. My classes focused on those of the greatest virtue.” After a pause, she added, “I was expected to model myself after Empress Hsiao Ch’in. My parents have told me since I was a young girl that I would one day join the ladies whose portraits are hung in the Imperial gallery.”

  No wonder she looked like she belonged to this place. “I am sure you will impress,” I said. “I am afraid that I am the least educated in this aspect of life. I don’t even know how the ranks work for the Imperial ladies, although I know plenty about the eunuchs.”

  “It will be my pleasure to share my knowledge with you.” Her eyes glowed.

  Someone yelled, “On your knees!”

  A group of eunuchs rushed in and lined up in front of us. We dropped to our knees.

  Chief Eunuch Shim appeared through the arched door. He struck a pose, lifting the side of his robe with his right hand. He made a single step and came into full view.

  From my knees I saw Chief Eunuch Shim’s blue boat-shaped boots. He held the silence. I felt his power and authority. Strangely, I admired his manner.

  “His Majesty Emperor Hsien Feng and Her Majesty the Grand Empress Lady Jin summon …” Pitching his voice, Chief Eunuch Shim sang out several names. “… and Nuharoo and Yehonala!”

  Four

  I HEARD THE SOUND of my dangling headwear and earrings. The girls in front of me swayed gracefully in their magnificent silk robes and high platform shoes. The eunuchs walked back and forth around the seven of us, constantly responding to the hand signals of Chief Eunuch Shim.

  We passed through countless courtyards and arched doors. Finally we arrived in the entry hall of the Palace of Peace and Longevity. My inner shirt was soaked with sweat. I was afraid I would humiliate myself. I glanced at Nuharoo. She was as calm as a moon in a pond. A lovely smile hung between her cheeks. Her makeup was still immaculate.

  We were led to a side room and given a few moments to freshen our appearance. Inside the hall His Majesty and Her Majesty were said to be sitting. When Shim went in and announced our arrival, the air around the girls intensified. Our small movements made our jewelry clatter like poorly made wind chimes. I felt a slight dizziness.

  I heard Chief Eunuch Shim’s voice, but was too nervous to figure out what he was announcing. His syllables sounded distorted, like those of an opera singer playing a ghost, speaking in a stylized tone.

  A girl next to me suddenly dropped. Her knees had given in. Before I was able to assist her, the eunuchs came and removed her.

  Buzzing noises filled my ears. I took several deep breaths so I wouldn’t lose control like the other girl. My limbs were stiff and I didn’t know where to place my hands. The more I thought about calming my-self, the worse my composure became. My body began to tremble. To distract myself, I stared at the art works around the doorframe. Calligraphy written in gold on a black wooden board featured four giant characters: cloud, absorption, star and glory.

  The girl who had collapsed returned. She looked as pale as a cut-paper doll.

  “His Majesty and Her Majesty!” Chief Eunuch Shim announced as he entered. “Good luck, girls!”

  With Nuharoo leading and me as the tail, the seven of us were guided through a wall formed by the eunuchs.

  Emperor Hsien Feng and the Grand Empress Lady Jin sat on a kang, a bed-sized chair covered with bright yellow silk. Her Majesty was on the right side and His Majesty on the left. The rectangular room was spacious with a high ceiling. There were two potted orange coral trees on each side of the room against the walls. The trees looked too perfect to be real. The court ladies and the eunuchs stood against the walls with their hands folded before them. Four eunuchs, each holding a long-handled peacock-feather fan, stood behind the chair. Behind them was a huge tapestry with a rainbow-colored Chinese character—shou, longevity. Looking closer, I noticed that the character was made up of hundreds of embroidered butterflies. Next to the tapestry was an ancient fungus, as tall as a man, in a golden pan. Opposite the fungus was a painting entitled The Immortal Land of the Queen Mother of the Middle Kingdom. It had a Taoist goddess riding a crane in the sky, looking down at a magical landscape of pavilions, streams, animals and trees, under which children played. In front of the painting was a carved red sandalwood container. It had a riotous mass of double gourds, blossoms and leaves carved in high relief. Years later I would learn that the container was used to hold tribute gifts to the Emperor.

  The seven of us performed the kowtow ceremony and stayed on our knees. It seemed as if I had just stepped onto a stage. Although I kept my head down, I could see the beautiful vases, the magnificently carved legs of water basins, the floor lanterns with tail lace touching the ground and large good-luck locks draped with silk around the corners of the walls.

  I ventured a glance at the Son of Heaven.

  Emperor Hsien Feng looked younger than I had imagined. He seemed to be in his early twenties and had a fine complexion. His large eyes tilted upward at the corners. His expression was gentle and con-cerned, but without curiosity. He had a typical Manchu nose, straight and long, and firm lips. His cheeks were feverishly red. He did not smile when he saw us enter.

  It felt like I was dreaming. The Son of Heaven was dressed in a fulllength golden robe. Sewn into the fabric were dragons, clouds, waves, the sun, the moon and numerous stars. A yellow silk belt rounded his waist. Hanging from this b
elt were green jade, pearls, precious stones and a little embroidered bag. His sleeves were the shape of a horse’s hoof.

  The boots His Majesty wore were the most magnificent I had ever seen. Made of tiger skin and dyed tea-leaf green, they were inlaid with tiny gold good-luck animals: bats, four-legged dragons and chee-lin—a mixed lion and deer, the symbol of magic.

  Emperor Hsien Feng did not appear to be interested in meeting us. He shifted in his seat as if bored. He leaned to the left and then to the right. He glanced repeatedly at two plates placed between him and his mother. One was made of silver and the other gold. On the silver plate were bamboo chips that bore our names.

  The Grand Empress Lady Jin was a plump woman with a face like a dried-up squash. Although she was only in her early fifties, wrinkles hung from her forehead to her neck. As Big Sister Fann had told me, she was the favorite concubine of Tao Kuang, the Emperor before His Majesty. Lady Jin was said to have been the most beautiful woman in China. Where had her beauty gone? Her eyelids drooped and her crooked mouth was pulled toward the right side of her face. The rouge dot on her lip was painted so large that it looked like a giant red button.

  The robe Her Majesty wore was made of radiant yellow satin decorated with a cornucopia of natural and mythological symbols. Sewn onto the dress were egg-sized diamonds, jade and precious stones. Flowers, rubies and jewels dangled from her head and covered half her face. Her gold and silver necklaces must have been heavy, for Her Majesty seemed to lean forward under their weight. Bracelets were stacked from her wrists to her elbows, locking both of her forearms in place.

  The Grand Empress spoke after a long and silent observation. Her wrinkles danced and her shoulders went back as if she was tied to a post. “Nuharoo,” she said, “you have come highly recommended. I understand that you have completed your study in the history of the Imperial household. Is it true?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Nuharoo answered humbly. “I studied for several years under tutors introduced by my granduncle Duke Chai.”

  “I know Duke Chai, a very accomplished man.” The Grand Empress nodded. “He is an expert on Buddhism and poetry.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Who are your favorite poets, Nuharoo?”

  “They are Li Po, Tu Fu and Po Chuyi.”

  “Of the late Tang and early Sung dynasties?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “They are my favorites too. Do you know the name of the poet who wrote ‘Awaiting Husband Stone’?”

  “It is Wang Chien, Your Majesty.”

  “Would you recite the poem for me?”

  Nuharoo rose and began:

  Where she awaits her husband,

  On and on the river flows.

  Never looking back,

  Transformed into a stone.

  Day by day upon the peak,

  Wind and rain revolve.

  Should the journeyer return,

  This stone would utter speech.

  The Grand Empress raised her right arm and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She turned toward Emperor Hsien Feng. “What do you think, my child?” she asked. “Isn’t that a moving piece?”

  Emperor Hsien Feng nodded obediently. He reached out and his fingers played with the bamboo chips in the silver plate.

  “Tell me, my son, do I have to wear out this seat to get you to make up your mind?” the mother asked.

  Without answering, Emperor Hsien Feng picked up the chip with Nuharoo’s name on it and dropped it in the gold plate.

  At that sound, the eunuchs and the court ladies drew in their breath in unison. They threw themselves at the feet of His Majesty and cheered, “Congratulations!”

  “The first wife of His Majesty is selected!” Chief Eunuch Shim hailed toward the outer wall.

  “Thank you.” Nuharoo kowtowed with her forehead lightly touching the ground. She took time to complete her bows. After the third, she rose and then threw herself down on her knees again. The rest of us went down on our knees with her. In a perfectly trained voice, Nuharoo said, “I wish Your Majesties ten thousand years of life. Your luck shall be as full as the East China Sea and your health shall be as green as the Southern Mountains!”

  The eunuchs bowed to Nuharoo and then escorted her out of the hall.

  The room returned to its former quietness.

  We stayed on our knees and I kept my chin low. Nobody spoke or moved.

  Unable to tell what was going on, I decided to peek again.

  My breath stopped the moment my eyes met the Grand Empress’s. My knees jerked and I hit the ground with my forehead.

  “Somebody is trying to hurry up.” Emperor Hsien Feng spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.

  The Grand Empress made no response.

  “Mother, I heard thunder,” His Majesty said. “The cotton plants in the countryside will soon be drowned in rain. What can I do with all the bad news?”

  “First things first, my son.”

  The Emperor sighed.

  I had an urge to look at His Majesty again. But I remembered Big Sister Fann’s warning that the Grand Empress disdained girls who were too eager to catch the Emperor’s attention. Once the Grand Empress had ordered one of the Imperial concubines beaten to death because she seemed to be flirting with the Emperor.

  “Come closer, girls. All of you,” the old lady said. “Take a good look, my son.”

  “No fried cicadas for dinner,” Emperor Hsien Feng uttered, as if he were the only one in the room.

  “I said closer!” the Grand Empress yelled at us.

  I stepped forward together with the other five.

  “Introduce yourselves,” Her Majesty ordered.

  One after another we pronounced our names, followed by the phrase “I wish Your Majesties ten thousand years of life.”

  My intuition told me that Emperor Hsien Feng was looking in my direction. I was excited and hoped that I could sustain his attention, but knew I could not afford to displease the Grand Empress. I kept my eyes on my toes. I sensed some movement from the Emperor and stole a glance while the Grand Empress was asking Chief Eunuch Shim why all the girls appeared slow and had no spirit. “Have you scraped them off the streets?”

  Shim tried to explain, but the Grand Empress stopped him. “I don’t care how you produce. I judge only by the goods you deliver, and I am not pleased. I’ll die drowning in the spit of the Imperial ancestors!”

  “Your Majesty.” The eunuch got down on his knees. “Did I not say that a good chime also needs a heavy beater to make it sound right? It all depends on how you tune the girls, a task at which we all know you excel.”

  “Death to your tongue, Shim!” The old lady burst into laughter.

  The Emperor flipped the chips back and forth on the silver plate as if annoyed.

  “You look exhausted, my son,” the Grand Empress said.

  “I am, Mother. Don’t count on me to come tomorrow, because I won’t.”

  “Then you must decide today. Concentrate and look harder.”

  “But I have been, haven’t I?”

  “Then why can’t you make up your mind? Perform your duty, my son. Before you are the best maidens the kingdom can bestow on her Emperor!”

  “I know.”

  “It is your big day, Hsien Feng.”

  “Every day is a big day. Every day a long metal stick is driven into my skull.”

  The Grand Empress sighed. Her anger was about to spill over. She breathed deeply to control herself. “You liked Nuharoo, didn’t you?” she asked.

  “How would I know?” The Son of Heaven rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “My head is full of holes.”

  The mother bit her lips.

  His Majesty ran his fingers through the remaining bamboo chips, making a loud noise.

  “My bones are screaming to have me lay them down.” The Grand Empress stretched in her seat. “I have been up since two o’clock this morning, and it is for nothing!”

  Shim shuffled up to her on his
knees. His arms were up in the air, holding a tray with a wet towel, a powder box, a brush and a green bottle.

  The Grand Empress took the towel and wiped her hands and then picked up the brush to touch up her face with the powder. After that she picked up the green bottle and sprayed a mist onto her caked face.

  A heavy scent filled the room.

  I took the opportunity and raised my eyes. His Majesty was looking at me. He squashed his nose and mouth together as if trying to get me to laugh. I didn’t know how to react.

  The mocking continued. He seemed to be more interested in getting me to break the rules.

  My father’s teaching came to my mind: “Young people see an opportunity where older people might consider it a danger.”

  The Son of Heaven smiled at me. I smiled back.

  “This summer is going to be nice and breezy.” Emperor Hsien Feng played with the chips.

  The Grand Empress turned her head toward us and frowned.

  My thoughts went to the girl who had been beaten to death, and my back was instantly wet with sweat.

  The Emperor raised his right hand and pointed a finger at me. “This one,” he said.

  “Yehonala?” Chief Eunuch Shim asked.

  I felt the heat of the Grand Empress’s stare.

  I lowered my eyes and endured a long, unbearable silence.

  “I have done what is required, Mother,” the Emperor spoke.

  The Grand Empress offered no comment.

  “Shim, did you hear me?” Emperor Hsien Feng turned to the eunuch.

  “Yes, I did, Your Majesty, I heard you perfectly.” Eunuch Chief Shim smiled humbly, but his intention was to give the Grand Empress the opportunity to say the final word.