"Courtier Yang, what is the meaning of this disrespect?!"
Empress Dowager Qiu glared at the third courtier in the line-up. Unlike the others, she donned no fanciful, frilly dresses or noticeable anxiety. During their entrance, her silent, light-hearted steps and gently-swaying ponytail were a tranquil existence amongst the jangling of accessories around her. Though respectfully lowered, her bright, curious eyes had been an eyesore.
For the most noble woman in Li Empire, this blithe appearance and attitude were most vexing.
"Is the final selection such a trivial matter for you to dress so carelessly before the imperial family?" she boomed.
Zi Hua dropped to her knees, hitting the jade tiles with a 'thud' that made everyone else shudder. "Answering the empress dowager, I have no intention of treating the selection arbitrarily. It's just..." she hesitated, but pushed on, keeping her head bowed but stance firm, "where I'm from, this kind of attire is considered formal and very presentable."
"And where is your hometown to normalise such insolence?"
"Xiping, Your Highness."
Surprisingly, the emperor didn't passively observe like before.
"With the constant border conflict between Xiping and the Lawless Plains, soldiers and their families, regardless of rank, have sacrificed luxurious lifestyles," he stated. "Courtier Yang displays the humility and conservativeness befitting of a model Xiping citizen. Your father would be proud."
Empress Dowager Qiu's nose flared. With the empire's defenders brought up, further retaliation would be intolerance—a poisonous trait for a monarch to display.
On the other hand, Zi Hua shifted in the emperor's direction slightly, her voice raising with gratitude, "I thank Your Majesty's understanding!"
Although she could only see the emperor's yellow dragon robe hem and gold-stitched shoes, her favourability towards him rose. His unexpected assistance portrayed reasonableness, and the same couldn't really be said for the hostile empress dowager.
"Mm. You may rise now."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Watching the emperor's unusual interference, Empress Zhao tamped down a flicker of shock. Knowing his plans for Courtier Yang to pass was one thing, but witnessing his behaviour was another. She then glanced at the empress dowager, whose glare was fixated on Courtier Yang, and pressed her lips together in thought.
'Perhaps this girl can be the breaking point... It won't hurt to try.'
"Courtier Yang," she started, "are you skilled in any of the Four Arts?"
A sheepish smile crossed Zi Hua's face. "Answering Your Highness the Empress, I prefer outdoor activities such as riding and archery. I've never been an artistic or very studious child."
Empress Zhao forced a smile. "How... interesting."
"Unladylike, rather," Empress Dowager Qiu harrumphed.
"Oh, quite the contrary, Your Highness," Zi Hua beamed. "Many ladies in my hometown enjoy riding—we often host spring scouting and fall hunting events. It's very popular! In fact, one year..."
As her deviating anecdote unfolded, Empress Zhao occasionally reacted whereas Empress Dowager Qiu looked like she'd vented her frustrations on cotton fluff. Even the servants and courtiers present were involuntarily invested in the tale of a couple who had found love during a dramatic rescue sequence at a hunting event gone awry.
At one point, the emperor laughed, a rare, lenient sound which reminded Zi Hua she had talked too much. She flushed with embarrassment and hastily wrapped up the narrative, which amused him more.
He prompted the empress dowager meaningfully: "Imperial Mother, her interests are truly unique compared to the young ladies of Kunning."
Empress Dowager Qiu reluctantly inclined her head. "Indeed, Courtier Yang's personality will certainly liven things up in the rear palace."
"I second Imperial Mother's judgement," Empress Zhao added. "A breath of fresh air is just what we need here."
With a regal and faintly satisfied nod, the emperor sealed Zi Hua's fate: "Eldest legitimate daughter of Fifth-Rank Deputy General Yang, Yang Zi Hua—you pass."
Zi Hua's smile faltered, but only for half a second.
Hopes, dreams, past, and present—everything fell away when the judgement dropped.
She knelt habitually and pressed her forehead to the cold floor. "Yang Zi Hua thank Your Majesty the Emperor, and Your Highnesses the Empress Dowager and Empress, from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of all my ancestors for this noble blessing. I hereby swear to never bring shame to the imperial family's name, and to serve wholeheartedly as an imperial consort."
As the rehearsed, flowery words left her lips, Zi Hua couldn't ignore the sudden, gaping ache in her chest, as though she had lost something important forever.
No—because she had lost something important forever.
Her freedom.
***
"...and this is where I'll leave you," said the eunuch leading Zi Hua to a waiting area. "Congratulations once more on passing the consort selection, Young Lady Yang."
"Thank you," she said stiffly.
When Zi Hua turned around, the mild chatter in the room halted. A breath later, hushed whispers and pointed fingers ensued. As opposed to the derision of the morning, the courtiers who had passed the selection now eyed her with varying degrees of wariness.
She recognised a few faces: Meng Fan, Song Chang Ge, Luo Yin, and Dan Shu. The rest, though beautiful in their own ways, weren't any she'd had the chance to observe up close, let alone trade names with.
Well, it didn't matter since they would see a lot more of each other in the future.
Ignoring the naked gazes, Zi Hua made eye contact with Dan Shu, but this time, she didn't approach the taller girl. She simply walked over to an unoccupied corner and leaned against the wall, half-shutting her eyelids in mock-fatigue.
Sure enough, no one paid her any attention after that.
The other courtiers didn't interact much, either—where false pleasantries were once exchanged, only subtle glowers and perfunctory nods remained. Mutual mistrust permeated the air, even more stifling than perfume, and only thickened with each new addition who crossed the threshold.
Another shichen passed, and the last courtier entered, her presence heralding a sense of finality.
The accompanying eunuch announced in a shrill voice: "Yu hour of the Sixth Year of Tian, spring: the first consort selection of Emperor Tian's reign has officially ended—!"
Just like that, fourteen young ladies bound their fates to the imperial palace... and the man who ruled it all.