Chương 5: Chapter 3 (R)

The echo of my internal scream seems to reverberate through the majesty of the hall, though in reality I remain as silent as ever, my eyes wide open and fixed on the imperial figure who dominates the room. The Emperor, my supposed father, radiates an undeniable authority, his presence as formidable as the throne he occupies.

On either side of the throne stand two people: to his right, a figure who is clearly a eunuch dressed in the most luxurious garments I have seen, regarding us with an unusual gravity; to his left, a tall, lean man clad in armor, sporting a thick mustache that can barely conceal a half-smile as his gaze alternates between the Emperor and me.

Fearfully, I look around searching for some clue as to what this ceremony might be about, but apart from a strange altar, a great many phoenix and lotus decorations, and some chests off to one side, I can't make out anything else. My mother, still kneeling, raises her head and addresses the Emperor in a clear, firm voice "Son of Heaven, I present before you my daughter in her first month of life, as our traditions and your will dictate, so that you may grant her a name."

The moment I hear my mother's words, everything that is happening suddenly makes sense, and I understand that we are celebrating my Man Yue ritual. The Man Yue ceremony, traditionally held to commemorate the first month of a baby's life, takes on an entirely new dimension given my unusual position and my family's status. The excessive preparations, the honor escort, and now the audience before the Emperor, my father, it all makes sense in the context of this tradition deeply rooted in Chinese culture.

And the political importance of our family has simply magnified the celebration even further. The scale of this event is so far removed from the few celebrations of this kind I had seen in my world that it simply never crossed my mind. I see the Emperor nod, and the eunuch at his right steps forward and begins speaking in a clear voice that resonates throughout the hall "Let Wen be her name and let her surname share in the glory of the Sun family. May her wisdom live up to her name and to that of her ancestors."

Next, from one side of the hall approaches what appears to be a Taoist priest, dressed in ceremonial robes and carrying a pair of small golden plates with objects resting upon them: a small jade seal and a delicate bird feather. These objects, I realize, must be important. The seal, judging by its shape, resembles the seals used in ancient China, and as for the feather, I assume it must hold some kind of symbolic meaning.

The supposed priest approaches the altar at the foot of the steps and places the plates upon it, after which he withdraws walking backward, so as not to turn his back to the Emperor. The eunuch, after waiting for the man to retreat, continues speaking "These objects are the Imperial Seal, which represents the power of the Empire, and a feather of Tianyu Feng, the guardian beast of our lands. May both bestow their blessing upon Sun Wen."

After these words, and without anyone telling her to, as though everything has been rehearsed, RuNu Lianhua rises and carefully advances to the altar without looking at any point toward the upper part of the hall where the Emperor sits, placing me on a silk cushion that rests upon the altar, right in the center, with the seal on one side and the feather on the other. After setting me on the altar, she withdraws walking backward, never turning her back to the Emperor, and kneels again behind my mother as before.

Once on the cushion, I look with curiosity at both the jade seal and the feather, sensing something strange about them but without knowing exactly what it is. While I examine the objects, the eunuch continues speaking "May the Imperial Seal imbue Sun Wen with the glory of her ancestors. May the feather of Tianyu Feng shield her from all evils. May the Heavens grant her their blessing and a long life." With a sweeping gesture of his arm he indicates the direction of the chests as he continues.

I look that way as best I can, though there is little I can see from my current position.

"The Emperor, in his infinite generosity, bestows these treasures upon Sun Wen as a birth gift, so that she may grow as a daughter worthy of the Sun family", he goes on without missing a beat. As I listen to the entire speech, it increasingly strikes me as a formal ceremony with pre-established phrases. If I have siblings, which I don't doubt, I'm sure the same ritual has been performed and the same words spoken for each one of them.

The only odd thing is that throughout he refers to me as a member of the Sun family but doesn't call me a princess, daughter of the Emperor, or anything similar, which strikes me as strange in so formal a ceremony in a throne room. The eunuch continues with ceremonial phrases, and honestly, I'm starting to grow tired of the ceremony. I don't know how they expect a normal baby to endure all this without crying, and I'm tempted to do so just to see how they react.

But looking toward the man I still assume is my father, I see he's staring straight at me, and when he notices me looking at him, his stony face seems to sketch a faint smile, so I decide not to ruin the ritual. With a stony expression, as though the ceremony bores him, the eunuch carries on with his script "The consort Fei Xiang may retrieve her daughter and present her to the Emperor." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Looking toward my mother, I see her rise and approach the altar. She takes me in her arms and slowly ascends the steps leading to the Emperor's throne. As she climbs I grow increasingly nervous. I know I have no reason to be, after everything that has been said and done, but a small fear lingers that due to the problem with my legs, the Emperor might decide to do something drastic and eliminate what he could see as a stain on the imperial family.

Upon reaching the top of the staircase, my mother kneels before the Emperor and raises me above her head. I look at the Emperor, and now that I'm much closer and my vision is better than on that first day, I see he is quite handsome, with a long, well-groomed beard. While I study him, he rises. As he does, the eunuch and the armored man kneel, and from the sound that swells across the hall, I imagine everyone else present kneels as well.

My father, after regarding me briefly, and without showing the smile I caught earlier when he looked at me while I was on the altar, takes me in both hands and lifts me before the court as he speaks in a deep voice "We recognize you as an imperial daughter and bestow upon you the title of Zhāohuán, the Emperor's favored daughter." As he pronounces these words, I notice the eunuch at my father's right give a start, the corner of one eye twitching, as though what has just been said was not part of the planned ritual.

I also begin hearing hushed whispers across the hall, as if no one had expected such a declaration from the Emperor. After speaking those words, and ignoring all the whispers around him, I see him look at my mother and continue.

"Fei Xiang, from this day forth we bestow upon you the title of Guifei Xiang. As befits your new rank, you are assigned the Pavilion of the Scent of Clouds in the inner palace as your residence", my father goes on. I see the eunuch make a move as though to stand while the whispers around the hall grow louder, but my father makes a gesture with one arm while holding me with the other, and the eunuch kneels again as the whispers stop dead.

"We have spoken and our will shall be obeyed", he pronounces in a tone that promises serious trouble for anyone who disagrees. Taking me again in both hands, he places me back in my mother's arms. She draws me to her chest, and through her arms I can feel that she is trembling. When I look at her face I see beads of sweat on her forehead and a nervousness I have never seen in her before, except for that first night when they told her about the problem with my legs.

My father sits back down, and with that everyone rises again, including my mother. I see him make a gesture toward the eunuch, who, now that I pay attention, is looking at us with an expression of open hostility, as though the disruption of the ritual were our fault. Out of curiosity I glance at the armored man and see he is making an effort to remain composed, and from the way he watches the scene, I believe those efforts are to keep from bursting out laughing.

While I look at the armored man, the eunuch appears to collect himself and, despite continuing to look at us as though we'd killed his dog or something, carries on with the ceremony. But from his tone it sounds as though he is no longer following the established script but rather has to think his words through before saying them.

"Guifei Xiang may withdraw with Zhāohuán Wen", he says at last. My mother, still shaken by the turn of events, turns carefully, as though unaccustomed to having her back to the Emperor, and begins her descent. As she comes down I notice her composure returning, her dignified bearing reasserting itself as though she were now an empress descending the steps. And she may not be far wrong: if I remember the old imperial ranks correctly, her new title would place her just one step below the Emperor's official wife.

Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase she walks to where she stood at the beginning and hands me to RuNu Lianhua, whose face I can see is one of total astonishment, and who takes me as though she were holding some kind of treasure rather than a baby. After handing me over, my mother kneels once more as she did at the start of the ceremony. The eunuch speaks again, clearly wishing the ceremony to end as quickly as possible "The traditional banquet will now be held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

The moment he finishes speaking, my father stands abruptly, forcing everyone to kneel again. Surveying the entire hall, he turns and exits through a set of curtains behind the throne platform, accompanied by the armored man, while the eunuch, who looks like someone who wanted to say more but was cut short, spins around and hurries after them. Once the Emperor has departed, all those present, now speaking in low voices since the Emperor's presence no longer prevents them from talking, rise to their feet.

My mother and RuNu Lianhua also stand, and approaching us, my mother instructs RuNu Lianhua to take me back to our chambers so I can rest, as she must attend the banquet. My mother strokes my head in farewell, and I watch her walk toward a side door of the hall. As she heads for the door I see many people approaching her with the intention of speaking, but I can't see what happens because at that moment RuNu Lianhua decides to leave the hall.

As we exit, I'm surprised to find that apart from the women's escort that came with us, half a dozen soldiers are waiting, men this time, wearing the same armor as the guards at the palace gates. One of them approaches and tells RuNu Lianhua he has orders to accompany us to the outer palace, which I assume is the compound we came from. Both the new soldiers and six of the female guards who came with us surround us and quickly guide us back along the route we took to get here.

Upon reaching the gates of the courtyard where the house we reside in stands, the male guards remain outside and we enter accompanied by the female guards, who hurry RuNu Lianhua inside our chambers as though they feared something might happen. As we make our way back, I reflect on the end of the ceremony. It's clear that what my father did was unplanned and caught everyone off guard. Whether what he has done is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.

I suppose it will all depend on his reasons for doing it. Upon arriving at the now-familiar room where my crib stands, RuNu Lianhua sets me down in it, tucks me in, and then leaves. I realize that from the moment we left the hall she has not spoken a single word to me or called me Gongzhu Wen as she usually does.

With a sigh, and as sleep overtakes me, my small body exhausted from all the commotion, I pray that RuNu Lianhua will be back to normal tomorrow, since I had grown accustomed to her and would miss her conversations with me, even though I never once replied.