Consort

The Hidden Talent

"Announcing the arrival of Imperial Consort Hua!"

Consort Ma hurried to the entrance of her lodgings as the Imperial Consort stepped through the doors. 

"Meimei welcomes Jiejie to my humble abode!" Imperial Consort Hua had recently been released from the depths of the Inner Palace where she had been held for high treason. "Meimei did not believe that Jiejie was guilty of attempted regicide, and Meimei is glad that Jiejie has been cleared of the crime."

"Hush, Meimei. Words in the Palace must be spoken carefully, for they may fall on twisted ears." Imperial Consort Hua smiled elegantly as she placed a  finger on Consort Ma's lips. "I am glad to find Meimei here happy and well."

Consort Ma giggled with girlish joy as she lead her beloved sister to the sitting room. "Meimei is only glad to see Jiejie look so well taken care of. Jiejie is probably one of the few people in the Palace who genuinely cares for Meimei."

As she sat down at the table, the Imperial Consort studied the vase of carefully-arranged peonies on the table. "Meimei, I see that your skill with flowers is as good as ever. Under your careful hands, these peonies have become a work of art, rather than mere decoration."

Consort Ma gazed proudly at her handiwork, but her smile was soon replaced by a sigh and a frown. "Jiejie, Meimei thanks you for your praise. Alas, unlike these peonies, Meimei can only be content staying as a decorative item. Unlike Jiejie, Meimei does not have the luxury of receiving the attention of His Majesty, and thus have to console myself with only the knowledge of myself being one of the names that His Majesty will eventually forget. Meimei is just like a common garden flower, that decorates the place for a short moment, before becoming withered from people's memories."

"Meimei, being a name that His Majesty will eventually forget is sometimes better than being a name that His Majesty never knew."

"Sometimes?"

"Meimei, by entering the Palace as one of His Majesty's many wives, we have allowed ourselves to be exposed to the danger of Palace politics. It is our price to pay to be able to know His Majesty more closely, even if for a fleeting moment." At this, Consort Ma observed a steely glint in the usually gentle eyes of the Imperial Consort, and she felt her breath hitch.

"Meimei now understands why Jiejie is able to command the attention of His Majesty so well. Jiejie has a type of gentle strength that Meimei cannot hope to have."

The Imperial Consort pat Consort Ma gently on her head before tilting the latter's chin up. 

"Meimei, raise your head. When in the Palace, do not let others see one's head drop. As the wife of His Majesty, one must present oneself as befitting of the position."

"Yes, Jiejie." Consort Ma straightened her back and watched the Imperial Consort, trying to mimic all of her graceful movements.

"Meimei must not belittle herself," the Imperial Consort continued. "Meimei has her own type of strength that can be used to obtain the attention of His Majesty." Seeing Consort Ma's confused look, the Imperial Consort gave a tinkling laugh. 

"Why, isn't your strength right here, for all who visit to see?" The Imperial Consort waved her hand at the vase of peonies on the table. "Meimei possesses an unrivalled talent with flowers, and should Meimei choose, this talent can help Meimei to fulfil her wishes."

At the look of understanding on Consort Ma's face, the Imperial Consort gave another smile. "I trust that Meimei understands what I am trying to say. I am getting tired, and will take my leave now."

"Yes! Meimei will see Jiejie off!"

SPRING

"Announcing the arrival of His Majesty!"

Consort Ma almost tripped in her haste to receive the Emperor. 

Slowly, elegantly, just like Jiejie. I can do this.

"Consort Ma receives Your Imperial Majesty."

"Good afternoon, Consort Ma. We have come here because We have heard that your garden is the most beautiful in the Palace. We would love to have tea with you here."

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Author's note:

Hello, and thank you for reading this story! As you can see, inspiration takes a long time to strike me, but I hope that the story was worth it! I prefer writing short stories because my writing just can't flow when I write longer ones, so all stories will be one shot and probably cover different characters. A special mention to users flamehazer and terra1243 for their encouragement!

As you can see, I've decided to use a more 'advanced' version of formality here. As mentioned in the previous chapter, consorts and concubines refer to each other as sisters ('Jiejie' for older sister, and 'meimei' for younger), and in this story you'll see these addresses in action! Most of them are not blood related though. Also, I've written it such that the Emperor addresses himself with the Royal 'We'. Hopefully the story isn't too complicated!

Also, most people refer to themselves and others in third person, usually by their titles. Most people use different titles for themselves depending on whether the person they are addressing are of a higher or lower station than themselves. However, this is very difficult to convey in English since we don't have such a wide range of vocabulary for titles, so you will see that I am quite liberal with my word use. 

How many of you are glad that the Imperial Consort is free now? :) Aren't you glad that Consort Ma is finally visited by the Emperor? As one of his many wives, being visited by the Emperor is one of the highest honours one can receive. While the ancient system sounds very patriarchal, it makes for many good romance stories, as can be attested by the huge number of imperial drama serials that are being released in China.

Disclaimer: I do not claim that my information is 100% correct, as portrayals in media (where I draw my inspiration and knowledge from), may have been dramatised for greater impact.