scarlet heart | exo

Reconciliation

"And I hope that by becoming a Royal Concubine, I will be able to serve the Emperor and you, the Empress, to the best of my abilities—"

Another model answer, thought Xuefeng. She feigned a smile, patiently waiting for the girl to say her piece. "So, tell me, what books have you read?"

The fifteen-year-old girl blinked. "T-The Virtues of Womanhood?"

Xuefeng felt a pang of sympathy for her. In the past few days, she had seen too many women like this girl— brought up in families that held old Confucian beliefs in high regard, believing that women ought to concern themselves only with 'womanly' duties like artistic pursuits and household responsibilities, rather than intellectual pursuits which were reserved for the men. Thus, they confined her literature to books on womanhood, and perhaps the occasional novel.

She made small talk with the girl for a few more minutes, not wanting to destroy the girl's confidence. This girl was lovely— she carried herself with poise, spoke calmly and was polite to a fault. But she was not the kind of person the Xuefeng was looking for to fill Zitao's harem.

Xuefeng was looking for educated, intelligent individuals who could be a source of strength for Zitao. People who were knowledgeable in at least some politics and political literature, and could carry a conversation with him that was more-than-superficial.

She thought that she could easily find such people from the big, influential families who would likely have the resources to educate their daughters. But it seemed like she was wrong. She had almost eliminated all of the selected hundred from the thousands. Many were not learned enough, and those few who were... Well, let's just say they were exact copies of Concubine Nian. Snobbish, and with a strong sense of self-entitlement. They would probably drive Zitao nuts before they could even provide a shred of usefulness.

The back of Xuefeng's head clenched and she rubbed her temples. Her maid, Qiaoying, immediately rushed foward and kneaded Xuefeng's shoulders. "Your Majesty, you seem tired."

The girl recognised this as her signal to take her leave. "I shall not disturb you then, Your Majesty. It has been a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Xuefeng replied with a courteous smile.

As the girl walked out of earshot, Qiaoying asked, "Your Majesty, should I call for the Imperial Physician? I can't help but be concerned— you had a slight fever last night as well..."

Xuefeng shook her head. She had an inkling of what might be happening to her, but she wanted to get the concubines' selection over before thinking about it.

"No need. I'll manage. Send the next girl in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the umpteenth time, trying hard to mask the fatigue and boredom in her voice, she deadpanned, "What books have you read?"

"I've read The Doctrine of the Middle Way and The Great Learning by Confucius, as well as Mencius. I'm currently reading Lao Tzu."

"Oh?"

Xuefeng looked up. The girl in front of her was rather plain. She had not the fanciful dressings of most girls from wealthy families, and could almost be mistaken for a common girl off the streets, if not for how she looked steadily into Xuefeng's eyes, for a few seconds, then lowered her gaze politely. Her lips were curled in a small smile that was confident, but not arrogant.

"What do you think of Mencius' philosophies in the context of governance, and the Emperor's recent fight against corruption?"

"The basis of Mencius' philosophy is that 'all people are good, but society turns them bad'. I agree. I don't think that many people enter public service with a view to corruption, but it is the temptation from seeing people around them profiting off corruption that drives them to become corrupt as well. It is a few black sheep that drag everyone down together with them. Thus, I think we should crack down heavily on corruption, to catch all those black sheep; but be lenient towards those who show signs of repentance. As the saying goes, 'there is nothing better than changing after making a mistake'.（知错能改，善莫大焉）Our country needs all the talent it can get, and if we take too hard a stance on those who have the propensity to change their ways, we would lose many great minds."