Chapter Seventeen: The Grand Wedding

On the thirteenth day of the second month, more than three hundred palace maids advanced to the sixth round of selection for concubines. The palace assigned special attendants to observe them for a month, judging their temperament and speech, to determine if they were gentle, composed, wise, and virtuous. Based on these assessments, two hundred and fifty more were eliminated.

By the thirteenth day of the third month, Zhu Youjiao had fifty candidates remaining. This marked the start of the seventh round, the final selection of three. At this stage, Consort Liu personally took charge, summoning each of the fifty candidates one by one. She conversed with them, inquiring about their family backgrounds, hobbies, and interests, and had them display their talents, mainly in calligraphy, arithmetic, poetry, and painting. The process was long. Lady Ke asked Zhu Youjiao if he wished to take a look now that only fifty candidates remained, each of them a rare beauty. Zhu Youjiao, his heart stirred—not by lust, but by an appreciation for beauty—decided to disguise himself and visit these fifty ladies after court on the fourteenth.

However, on the morning of the fourteenth, urgent news from Liaodong dashed all thoughts of beauty from his mind: Nurhaci was attacking Shenyang. Zhu Youjiao lost all interest in meeting the candidates, instructing Lady Ke to pay close attention and ensure Zhang Yan was not eliminated, and anxiously awaited further news from Liaodong.

After a lengthy period of conversation and talent displays, Consort Liu finally selected three gentlewomen on the first day of the fourth month: Miss Zhang from Xiangfu County in Henan, Miss Wang from Daxing County in Shuntian Prefecture, and Miss Duan from the Yinyang Guard in Nanjing.

Lady Ke reported that throughout the process, neither she nor Attendant Li expressed any preference to Consort Liu; all choices were entirely Consort Liu’s own. This made Zhu Youjiao feel a renewed sense of pride in his own judgment and luck. But thoughts of Liaodong soon sobered him, for Shenyang had fallen.

On the second day of the fourth month, Consort Liu reported the final results to the emperor. The last step was for the emperor himself to choose the empress. Zhu Youjiao considered and decided to summon the three finalists on the third day.

He had originally planned to share a light-hearted moment with Zhang Yan, to tease this precious pearl a little, but the affairs of Liaodong left him somewhat dispirited. Yet, when he saw the three gentlewomen the next day, he was nonetheless struck by their beauty.

It had been over a year since he last saw Zhang Yan. The young lady had grown taller; before, he thought her beautiful in a general sense, but now, upon closer inspection, she was truly elegant and graceful, her face serene as a bodhisattva, eyes like autumn waters, lips like crimson cherries, nose noble and refined, her teeth white and delicate. Zhu Youjiao found his heart fluttering.

Ignoring her surprised expression, he turned to Miss Duan, who was also exceedingly beautiful, possessing even a trace of heroic spirit. As for Miss Wang, she was the very image of a gentle and sweet beauty. Zhu Youjiao mused that though these three women were of such different styles, each was stunning in her own way—nature’s handiwork was indeed wondrous.

After the three ladies withdrew, he pretended indecision and asked Attendant Zhao, “Which of these do you think is most suitable to be empress?”

“Your Majesty, I believe Miss Zhang is poised and dignified, exuding an air of grace and nobility, well-suited to be empress.”

“Very well, issue the decree: confer the title of Empress upon Miss Zhang, Pure Consort upon Miss Duan, and Virtuous Consort upon Miss Wang. The others are to receive rewards and be sent back to their home counties.”

“Your Majesty, you must not send them all away! All fifty should remain as your concubines,” Attendant Zhao quickly protested.

“But when the late emperor selected a crown princess, didn’t he send the others back as well?” When his father had chosen his own princess as crown prince, three finalists were selected. His father chose Miss Guo, and the other two were rewarded and returned to their homes—he’d heard this from the elder ladies of the palace.

“That was for the crown princess. This is Your Majesty’s first selection of consorts; you should choose more, for the sake of the imperial lineage. Common folk also believe that many children bring more blessings.”

Zhu Youjiao felt he hadn’t come to the Ming dynasty to become a mere stud, so he thought three women were sufficient. Yet, Consort Liu, Attendant Zhao, Attendant Li, and Lady Ke all disagreed. With both sides at an impasse, Attendant Zhao suggested consulting with the outer court. Zhu Youjiao knew well what that would mean and finally compromised: aside from the three gentlewomen, the others would temporarily serve as palace maids, to be granted titles later.

Thus, the emperor decreed: Miss Zhang of Xiangfu County, Kaifeng Prefecture, would be Empress; her father, Zhang Guoji, was appointed Minister of Ceremonies, and her brother, Zhang Cheng, became a commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At last, the emperor’s grand wedding was at hand. After the proper rituals—presenting betrothal gifts, exchanging names, seeking auspicious omens, public announcements, and setting the date—the second day of the fifth month arrived, the day of the final, formal welcome of the bride. Despite its name, the emperor himself would not personally fetch his bride; instead, a high official blessed with both sons and daughters would be given this rare honor. Zhu Youjiao chose Xu Guangqi, who was so moved he was brought to tears.

That afternoon, accompanied by the bridal procession, Xu Guangqi arrived at the bride’s family residence—not the humble alleyway of old, but the grand mansion on Chessboard Street, bestowed by imperial favor. Upon entering, the imperial guards carried the empress’s ceremonial palanquin and the dragon pavilion to the front courtyard, where eunuchs took over and brought them to the embroidered tower at the rear, placing them according to the directions set by the Astronomical Bureau. The bride donned the empress’s ceremonial robes, put on the phoenix coronet and crimson scarf, received the empress’s golden book and seal, and returned to the tower to await the auspicious hour.

At the appointed time, the bride boarded her palanquin, and the grand procession entered the city, passing through Chengtian Gate (later known as Tiananmen), through the main archway of Meridian Gate, and into the Forbidden City, arriving at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The bride was led to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, where Zhu Youjiao, wrapped up tightly like a rice dumpling, performed the ceremonial gestures with all the gravity of a puppet, heart pounding in anticipation, until the master of ceremonies finally announced it was time to enter the bridal chamber, and he could at last breathe a sigh of relief.

The doors of the bridal chamber were adorned with large red characters for double happiness and festive couplets; the bed was draped with a canopy embroidered with a hundred children, covered by a quilt of the same motif, and above the bed hung red curtains sewn with dragons, phoenixes, and the symbols of joy. Upon entering, the couple first offered sacrifices to heaven, earth, and their ancestors, then performed the ritual of sharing the wedding cup.

Zhang Yan poured a cup of wine and handed it to Zhu Youjiao; he took a sip and passed it back, and she drank the rest. Then Zhu Youjiao poured a cup, handed it to Zhang Yan, who took a sip and returned it; he finished it in one draught.

The wine only fanned the flames within Zhu Youjiao. At this point, the eunuchs led him out to the side chamber, where he finally shed his ceremonial robes and changed into regular attire. He requested a bath, and, feeling refreshed, returned to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

Zhang Yan had also changed into everyday dress, a goose-yellow jacket and skirt that set off her figure to perfection. Zhu Youjiao eagerly said, “Empress, let us retire for the night.” The palace maids shooed out the eunuchs, then stood aside, only to be told, “You may leave as well.” One maid knelt and replied, “Your Majesty, we are here to serve the emperor and empress.” This was palace custom, though Zhu Youjiao was unaware of it. Waving his hand, he said, “You don’t need to serve us. Leave the things and go.”