The girl appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with her hair styled in twin buns. Her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, and her cherry-like lips were small and round, naturally tinged with a rosy hue, giving her a rather charming appearance. The light green silk dress she wore might have made others look sallow if not careful, but on this girl, with her fair and delicate complexion, it only enhanced her jade-like radiance. She looked as fresh and lovely as newly sprouted willow buds on a spring branch.
"Did you steal the crisp seal pastries?" Zhenzhen asked.
The girl hesitated for a moment, realizing it would be difficult to deny, and finally nodded.
Zhenzhen reached out to help her up and guided her to sit at the table, placing the remaining crisp seal pastries in front of her. "Go ahead and eat."
The girl looked at Zhenzhen in surprise, and seeing her gentle expression with no hint of reproach, she relaxed and happily picked up the pastries, eating two in a row.
Seeing her eat like a greedy little cat, Zhenzhen couldn’t help but chuckle. "It’s not such a precious food. If you wanted to eat it, you could have just asked for it properly. Why sneak around to take it?"
"Because Aunt doesn’t let me eat sweet pastries like these," the girl replied between bites, still enjoying her treat.
"Is your aunt worried you’ll ruin your teeth?" Zhenzhen asked again.
The girl shook her head. "Mainly, she’s afraid I’ll get fat... I’m from the Chrysanthemum Division, so I can’t gain weight."
"Chrysanthemum Division? Is that for growing chrysanthemums?" Zhenzhen examined her closely, thinking her delicate skin and tender appearance were hardly suited for physical labor. Moreover, her silk dress was different from the usual attire of palace attendants—made of fine silk with layers of sheer gauze, elegant and flowing—nothing like what a gardener would wear.
"You’re new here, aren’t you?" the girl quickly deduced Zhenzhen’s situation but patiently explained, "The Chrysanthemum Division refers to the Immortal Music Academy, where there are many singers, dancers, and musicians responsible for providing music for the inner court. My aunt is a pipa player, and I can play the pipa too, but I mainly study dance, so I can’t get fat."
No sooner had she said "can’t get fat" than she picked up another crisp seal pastry and popped it into her mouth, chewing happily.
Zhenzhen pretended to take the pastries back. "Then I shouldn’t harm you. I can’t let you eat these anymore."
The girl swiftly snatched the plate of pastries and held it close to her chest. "Don’t worry, sister. I have a way to avoid gaining weight."
When Zhenzhen asked her what this clever method was, the girl refused to say. Zhenzhen smiled and didn’t press further. Instead, she fetched more snacks and fruits, placing them in front of the girl for her to enjoy as she pleased. Watching her with a smile, Zhenzhen changed the subject. "I know about the Immortal Music Academy, but why is it also called the Chrysanthemum Division? Does it have something to do with chrysanthemums?"
The girl replied, "It has nothing to do with chrysanthemums, but it’s related to someone whose name contains the character for 'chrysanthemum.'"
"This person must be a famous performer from your Immortal Music Academy, right?" Zhenzhen said with a smile.
The girl looked surprised. "How did you know?"
Zhenzhen replied, "I guessed. For someone to have the academy renamed after them, they must be extraordinary, likely the most skilled performer in the Immortal Music Academy.""You're so clever, sister," the little girl praised, then explained, "Many years ago, there was a great beauty in our Immortal Music Academy who excelled in both singing and dancing, and could also play instruments like the pipa and konghou. The late emperor appointed her as 'Director of Immortal Music Affairs,' leading the Immortal Music Academy. Her name contained the character 'Ju' (chrysanthemum), so people in the palace called her 'Ju Bu Tou' (Chrysanthemum Department Head). Because of her, the late emperor sometimes referred to the Immortal Music Academy as the 'Ju Bu' (Chrysanthemum Department), and everyone followed his lead. Over time, 'Ju Bu' became an alternative name for the Immortal Music Academy, and even the current Emperor likes to call it that." She paused, then deliberately reminded Zhenzhen, "But, sister, you mustn't call the Immortal Music Academy that in front of the Empress Dowager or anyone from Cifu Palace—that would be taboo."
Zhenzhen asked, "Does the Empress Dowager dislike Ju Bu Tou?"
"Not just dislike..." The little girl trailed off, suddenly alert. "Oh dear, I can't say, I can't say. Aunt forbade me from mentioning Ju Bu Tou to others..."
She covered her mouth with both hands, but her eyes darted around, fixed on Zhenzhen, as if eagerly awaiting further questions.
Suppressing a smile, Zhenzhen said calmly, "Alright, then let's not talk about it. Are you finished eating? Hurry back to practice your dance."
The little girl lowered her hands, incredulous. "Don't you want to know?"
Zhenzhen replied, "No."
The little girl asked in surprise, "Aren't you curious?"
Zhenzhen smiled, gently patting the little girl's still-chubby cheek. "Since you said it's taboo, keep the story in your heart. If it gets out and the Empress Dowager finds out you've been discussing it privately, she might make things difficult for you."
The little girl stared blankly at Zhenzhen for a moment, then suddenly her eyes reddened. "Sister, you're truly kind, treating me to snacks and always thinking of me." She immediately jumped up, ran to the door, peeked outside, then quickly closed it. Returning to her seat, she took Zhenzhen's hand and said, "Sister, you're a Palace Food Attendant. One day, you might be assigned to work in Cifu Palace. Even if you aren't, you'll inevitably encounter the Empress Dowager at palace banquets. So, I should tell you about Ju Bu Tou first, so you don't end up unknowingly breaking a taboo like Consort Liu did."
Seeing that the little girl was determined to speak, and feeling genuinely curious herself, Zhenzhen nodded. They sat facing each other as the little girl recounted the palace's past.
"I was born several years after Ju Bu Tou left the palace, so I never saw her. But Aunt told me she was a beauty rarely seen in a thousand years. Her neck was as long and graceful as a swan's, her figure slender and delicate. When she danced, she seemed boneless, her waist as supple as a willow branch, and her hands and feet rippled like water. As for her appearance... it wasn't particularly dazzlingly beautiful. Aunt thought it should be called 'elegant and refined.' At first glance, she wasn't radiantly gorgeous, but she was pure and ethereal. All the male musicians adored her. If she gave someone a cold, indifferent glance, that person would feel as if touched by moonlight, their heart stirring in an indescribable way, sometimes even moved to tears."
Zhenzhen imagined Ju Bu Tou's grace based on the little girl's description. "She sounds like a cold beauty."
"Yes, she had a cool temperament and rarely smiled," the little girl said. "Sometimes, for the sake of the dance, she would smile brightly while performing, but as soon as the dance ended, she would instantly withdraw her smile and return to her cold, indifferent expression. Aunt said she had a 'world-weary face.'"At this point, the little girl raised her chin, lowered her lashes slightly, suppressed the upward curve at the corner of her mouth, and tried her best to put on an expression of utter despair. She glanced indifferently at Zhenzhen and asked, "Like this, is it world-weary enough?"
"Not enough," Zhenzhen answered truthfully, reaching out to wipe the pastry crumbs from the corner of the little girl's mouth. "At least clean your little mouth before putting on your world-weary face."
The little girl couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Zhenzhen laughed with her, and after a moment, asked again, "Since she's treated like the moon surrounded by stars in the Immortal Music Academy, why is Madam Ju still unhappy? Why is she so world-weary?"
The little girl said, "Probably because she's an orphan. Even after becoming the head of the Immortal Music Academy, she must have endured many hardships unknown to others. Later, the late Emperor showed her special favor, which made her even more aloof. She couldn't be bothered to engage in superficial pleasantries with others, and whenever she was displeased, she would treat people coldly—even toward the late Emperor, it was the same."
Zhenzhen asked, "Did the late Emperor like her?"
The little girl laughed. "Of course. Whenever there was a banquet, he would always have her lead the dance, and he loved watching her perform the 'Liangzhou' dance. When she danced, the hall would be filled with fragrant mist, colorful silks floating, and flowers falling like rain. The late Emperor often said that even the graceful flying immortals and goddesses in murals were no more than this. The late Emperor, as if treating her like a consort, granted her an independent courtyard to live in and bestowed upon her the title of 'Madam,' so people in the palace also called her 'Madam Ju.'"
"Did she become the late Emperor's consort, then?" Zhenzhen asked again, vaguely recalling that palace attendants had mentioned an emperor in Bianjing who once favored a performer from the Immortal Music Academy, and that dancing girl eventually rose to become a Noble Consort.
The little girl replied, "No. The late Emperor liked her and often visited her. The two would burn incense, prepare tea, and study calligraphy together, but he never stayed overnight at her residence or summoned her for intimate company."
Zhenzhen pressed further, "Could it be that Madam Ju didn't like the late Emperor?"
The little girl also seemed somewhat puzzled. "It doesn't seem that way either. I've overheard my aunt and the sisters from the Immortal Music Academy discussing privately that Madam Ju once observed the late Emperor's preferences very carefully. Seeing that he enjoyed preparing tea, she quietly learned water painting; noticing that he wrote beautiful calligraphy, she practiced writing day and night whenever she had free time... But unlike other palace attendants, who tried their best to imitate the late Emperor's regular, running, and cursive scripts because he excelled in them, Madam Ju devoted herself to studying the 'Slender Gold' script, which the late Emperor didn't particularly like."
Zhenzhen thought for a moment and said, "She knew it would be difficult to surpass what the late Emperor excelled at, so she took a different path to practice. Once she achieved mastery, it would instead draw the late Emperor's attention more effectively."
The little girl clapped her hands and laughed. "So that's how it was. I never thought of that before."
Suddenly remembering that her mother also knew how to write the Slender Gold script, Zhenzhen asked the little girl, "Have you ever heard of a palace attendant named Wu Qiuniang? She also knows the Slender Gold script."
The little girl shook her head blankly. "Wu Qiuniang? I don't know, I've never heard of her. I haven't heard of many palace attendants who know the Slender Gold script, and none of them have the surname Wu."
Zhenzhen sighed in disappointment. "Then continue telling me about Madam Ju.""Where was I?" The young girl touched her forehead, then remembered and smiled. "Right, I was talking about whether Madam Ju liked the late emperor. I think she did, because my aunt and the others all said that Madam Ju had been quietly waiting for the late emperor to take her as a concubine back then. But the late emperor never gave any indication, so Madam Ju would occasionally throw little tantrums. Once, she snapped at the late emperor a few times, and he stormed off in anger, refusing to summon her for a whole month after that. Since the late emperor ignored her, she simply went on a hunger strike, refusing to eat or drink, and took to her bed. One day, it happened to be the birthday of the Empress—who is now the Empress Dowager—and at the banquet, the late emperor noticed that the lead dancer wasn’t Madam Ju. Upon asking, he learned that Madam Ju was critically ill. As a result, the late emperor didn’t even wait for the banquet to end before going to Madam Ju’s pavilion to visit her. He had his own Director of Palace Catering prepare her meals and even personally brought her medicine. Madam Ju complained that the medicine was bitter, and to coax her, the late emperor actually took a sip himself before feeding it to her..."
Zhenzhen, imagining the scene, felt a bit puzzled. "How did he feed her?"
The young girl met her gaze, and her face suddenly flushed. "How would I know how he fed her..."
Zhenzhen also felt a little embarrassed and averted her eyes, smiling as she urged the girl to continue.
"After this spread, the Empress, of course, was unhappy and made things difficult for Madam Ju, both openly and secretly. Madam Ju, who had a proud temperament, requested to leave the palace. The late emperor agreed, granting her a garden estate outside the palace for her to live in alone, though he would occasionally visit her..."
Just as she was saying this, a woman’s voice suddenly called from outside the door: "Xiangli'er, Xiangli'er..."
The young girl’s expression changed, and she jumped up in alarm. "My aunt is looking for me. I have to go. I’ll tell you more next time."
She skipped to the door but suddenly turned back to ask Zhenzhen, "Sister, what’s your name?"
Zhenzhen replied, "My surname is Wu, and my name is Zhenzhen."
The young girl nodded. "Sister Wu, your name is really lovely." Then she introduced herself, "My childhood name is Xiangli'er, and my formal name is Jiang Zhixi... the Jiang, Zhi, and Xi from the line, 'With fragrant herbs I decked my robe, and autumn orchids I wore as a pendant.'"
Seeing Zhenzhen looking rather confused, she laughed and said, "Don’t know what it means, right? Actually, I’m not too sure either... This name, they say, was given by the late emperor."
With that, she opened the door, called out "Aunt!" with a smile, and ran toward the woman who was searching for her.
(To be continued)
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