Eunuch Shim said, waving for a eunuch to bring up a box. “And the cat will be your companion.”
I opened the box and saw a beautiful white creature. “What is its name?” I asked.
“Snow,” Shim replied. “It’s a she, of course.”
I gently picked up the cat. It had a pair of lovely tiger’s eyes. It looked frightened. “Snow, welcome!”
Second, Chief Eunuch Shim notified me of my yearly allowance. “It will be five bars of gold, one thousand taels of silver, thirty bolts of satin, silk and cotton cloth, fifteen sheets of buffalo, sheep, snake and rabbit skin, and one hundred silver buttons. It sounds like a lot, but you will run short by the end of the year, because you are responsible for paying the salaries of your six eunuchs, six ladies in waiting, four maids and three chefs. The maids attend to your personal needs, while the eunuchs clean, garden and deliver messages. The eunuchs are also responsible for tending your sleep. For the first year they will take turns, withfive sleeping outside your bedchamber and one inside. You will not get to pick the eunuch who will sleep in your room until the Grand Empress thinks you are ready.”
The servants stared blankly at me. I had no idea what was on their minds.
“I have assigned you the best servants.” Chief Eunuch Shim smiled a crooked smile. “The ones who snore I have given to Lady Mei, and the ones who are lazy I have given to Lady Hui. I have assigned the wicked ones to Lady Yun and …” He glanced at me and paused, as if expecting me to say something.
It was the court’s unspoken tradition to reward a eunuch for such a display of loyalty. This of course I knew, but my mistrust of Shim prevented me from seizing the opportunity. I wondered what he would say about me in front of Nuharoo and Ladies Yun, Li, Soo, Mei and Hui. I was sure he had enough tricks in his bag to fool everybody.
“May I know the treatment of His Majesty’s other wives?” I asked. “Where will they be living?”
“Well, Empress Nuharoo will spend the remainder of this week with Emperor Hsien Feng in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. She will then move to the Palace of Reception of Heaven to live. Lady Yun has been given the Palace of Universal Inheritance, Lady Li the Palace of Eternal Peace, Lady Mei the Palace of Great Mercy and Lady Hui the Palace of Prolonging Happiness.”
“What about Soo?”
“Lady Soo has been sent back to her parents in the south. Her health needs to be attended to. The Palace of Pleasant Sunshine is reserved for her when she returns.”
“Why are the other ladies’ palaces all located on the east side of the Forbidden City? Who else besides me lives on the west side?”
“You are the only one who lives on the west side, Lady Yehonala.”
“May I know why?”
Chief Eunuch Shim lowered his voice to a whisper. “My lady, you may get yourself in trouble by asking too many questions. However, I am willing to risk losing my tongue to satisfy you. But first I need your total trust. May I have your word?”
I hesitated and then nodded.
Shim leaned toward me and placed his mouth near my earlobe. “It could be either Emperor Hsien Feng’s or the Grand Empress’s idea to place you where you are. You see, if it was the Grand Empress’s idea … Forgive me, I am nervous about telling you this … Her Majesty has ahabit of placing her favorites near her on the east side. It is for her convenience, so that she may summon them whenever she needs a companion.”
“Are you saying that she disfavors me and doesn’t want me near?”
“I didn’t say that. You made the deduction yourself.”
“Is it not true?”
“I won’t answer that.”
“What about Emperor Hsien Feng? What if it was his idea?”
“If the idea came from His Majesty, it is a sign that he adores you—therefore he wants you as far away from his mother as possible. In other words, he makes it inconvenient for the Grand Empress to spy on him if he decides to visit
I opened the box and saw a beautiful white creature. “What is its name?” I asked.
“Snow,” Shim replied. “It’s a she, of course.”
I gently picked up the cat. It had a pair of lovely tiger’s eyes. It looked frightened. “Snow, welcome!”
Second, Chief Eunuch Shim notified me of my yearly allowance. “It will be five bars of gold, one thousand taels of silver, thirty bolts of satin, silk and cotton cloth, fifteen sheets of buffalo, sheep, snake and rabbit skin, and one hundred silver buttons. It sounds like a lot, but you will run short by the end of the year, because you are responsible for paying the salaries of your six eunuchs, six ladies in waiting, four maids and three chefs. The maids attend to your personal needs, while the eunuchs clean, garden and deliver messages. The eunuchs are also responsible for tending your sleep. For the first year they will take turns, withfive sleeping outside your bedchamber and one inside. You will not get to pick the eunuch who will sleep in your room until the Grand Empress thinks you are ready.”
The servants stared blankly at me. I had no idea what was on their minds.
“I have assigned you the best servants.” Chief Eunuch Shim smiled a crooked smile. “The ones who snore I have given to Lady Mei, and the ones who are lazy I have given to Lady Hui. I have assigned the wicked ones to Lady Yun and …” He glanced at me and paused, as if expecting me to say something.
It was the court’s unspoken tradition to reward a eunuch for such a display of loyalty. This of course I knew, but my mistrust of Shim prevented me from seizing the opportunity. I wondered what he would say about me in front of Nuharoo and Ladies Yun, Li, Soo, Mei and Hui. I was sure he had enough tricks in his bag to fool everybody.
“May I know the treatment of His Majesty’s other wives?” I asked. “Where will they be living?”
“Well, Empress Nuharoo will spend the remainder of this week with Emperor Hsien Feng in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. She will then move to the Palace of Reception of Heaven to live. Lady Yun has been given the Palace of Universal Inheritance, Lady Li the Palace of Eternal Peace, Lady Mei the Palace of Great Mercy and Lady Hui the Palace of Prolonging Happiness.”
“What about Soo?”
“Lady Soo has been sent back to her parents in the south. Her health needs to be attended to. The Palace of Pleasant Sunshine is reserved for her when she returns.”
“Why are the other ladies’ palaces all located on the east side of the Forbidden City? Who else besides me lives on the west side?”
“You are the only one who lives on the west side, Lady Yehonala.”
“May I know why?”
Chief Eunuch Shim lowered his voice to a whisper. “My lady, you may get yourself in trouble by asking too many questions. However, I am willing to risk losing my tongue to satisfy you. But first I need your total trust. May I have your word?”
I hesitated and then nodded.
Shim leaned toward me and placed his mouth near my earlobe. “It could be either Emperor Hsien Feng’s or the Grand Empress’s idea to place you where you are. You see, if it was the Grand Empress’s idea … Forgive me, I am nervous about telling you this … Her Majesty has ahabit of placing her favorites near her on the east side. It is for her convenience, so that she may summon them whenever she needs a companion.”
“Are you saying that she disfavors me and doesn’t want me near?”
“I didn’t say that. You made the deduction yourself.”
“Is it not true?”
“I won’t answer that.”
“What about Emperor Hsien Feng? What if it was his idea?”
“If the idea came from His Majesty, it is a sign that he adores you—therefore he wants you as far away from his mother as possible. In other words, he makes it inconvenient for the Grand Empress to spy on him if he decides to visit
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