Consort Shu

Chap 5: Paying Respects

5. Paying Respect

　　Empress Xiao was a typical Empress, dignified, elegant, and generous. She exudes both amiability and majesty, qualities that make her an excellent wife for the emperor. At least in the eyes of Shen Moyun, the emperor should be quite satisfied with Empress Xiao; otherwise, he wouldn't have said those words to her yesterday, affirming the empress's unshakable status in the palace.

Therefore, after arriving at the Zhaoming Palace, Shen Moyun paid her respects to the empress in a proper manner and then stood to the side, waiting for the empress to speak.

Empress Xiao took a sip of tea and gently wiped her mouth with a handkerchief before speaking, "Consort Shu, there's no need for excessive formality. His Majesty has already mentioned that you're new here and might not be accustomed to the routines. That's why bengong exempted you from paying respect  these past few days, but bengong didn't expect you to be the first one to come and pay respects to me today."
(Literally This Palace, it's how the empress and imperial consorts who live in their own palaces refer to themselves. Do tell me in the comments if I should translate this term or just leave it in pinyin)

Shen Moyun lowered her head and replied, "His Majesty and Her Majesty relieved me from paying respects, it is to show understanding. However, I can't be so ignorant as to ignore the palace etiquette. As a newcomer, if I ever behave inappropriately or impolitely in the future, I will rely on Your Majesty to guide me."

Empress Xiao smiled faintly, nodded in approval, and praised, "Indeed, a daughter worthy of being raised by a scholarly family. Your etiquette is admirable." However, she didn't acknowledge Shen Moyun's implication that she would need guidance.

　　Shen Moyun bowed and said, "I am not worthy of your praise, Your Majesty."

At that moment, a palace maid came to report that Noble Consort Liu, Moral Consort Zhang, Virtuous Consort Gao, Zhu Xiuyi, Jiang Chongyi, Xiao Jieyu, and Jiang Cairen had arrived to pay their respects to the Empress.
(Xiuyi - Lady of Refined Deportment,
Chongyi - Lady of Satisfying Deportment; These 2 are mid-low rank imperial concubines}
Jieyu - Lady of Handsome Fairness; a 4th or 5th rank concubine but earlier SM mentioned her to be a 3rd rank concubine)
Cairen - Talented Lady; a 7th rank concubine but later the author mentioned her to be a 5th rank concubine)

Empress Xiao nodded and said, "Let them in." She turned her gaze to Shen Moyun, her smile remaining unchanged, "This will give Consort Shu a chance to see your future sisters, so you won't have any trouble recognizing them in the future and making any embarrassing mistakes."

As they spoke, a group of beautiful women each with unique characteristics entered the room. Leading them was a glamorous lady in a peach colored palace dress, radiating splendor that outshone the other two concubines who followed behind her. Shen Moyun could only feel that her eyes were not enough to see. The harem was filled with women of various charms and characteristics, each displaying their unique allure, whether it was sensuality, innocence, or grace. Even though she was a woman herself, Shen Moyun couldn't help but find them pleasing to the eyes. However, for the Empress, this must be an entirely different sight.

In the imperial harem, there were certain rules. Any concubine ranked third or above can be called "niangniang" and was required to pay respects to the Empress early in the morning. For concubines ranked sixth or above, they could also pay their respects to the Empress, but they didn't have the privilege to be called "niangniang." As for the Selected Ladies and Female Attendants, they could only have the opportunity to pay their respects to the Empress if they received imperial favor. Therefore, for lower ranking concubines, if the Emperor didn't visit them, they were essentially confined to their own small courtyard in the imperial harem until their death. They wouldn't be able to attend imperial banquets or receive royal gifts, and their interactions with the Empress would be minimal. If they didn't have a good background, it would be fortunate if the servants didn't throw stones at them while they were down.