The room was silent. After a long while, a trembling official finally said, “Did I just hear that wrong?”
With a whoosh, the Chief Minister shot to his feet and smacked one of his subordinates on the head. “What are you standing around for? Hurry and get things ready! If any of you disgrace yourselves in front of the Princess tomorrow, I’ll personally beat you to death!”
The next day, a group of officials from Jiannan Province knocked nervously on the gate of the Princess’s residence and handed over their calling cards with both hands.
“We are envoys from Jiannan, under orders from the Regional Governor, here in Chang’an to offer our birthday congratulations to His Majesty. This is our calling card from yesterday.”
“You are the envoys from Jiannan?” The gatekeeper gave them a quick look before stepping aside to make way. “This way, please. The Princess is already in the main hall.”
Led by a group of graceful palace maids in plain clothing, the Chief Minister and his men made their way to the main hall. The palace maids opened the doors, performed a respectful curtsy, and withdrew silently.
The Chief Minister stepped into the hall and, upon lifting his eyes, saw a silhouette behind a curtain of beaded pearls. He immediately bowed deeply.
“Greetings, Your Highness, Princess Qianning.”
“No need for excessive formalities.” A voice as delicate as shattered pearls and jade rang out from behind the glass-beaded curtain. “This hall is already aware of your situation. The letter mentioned a ‘Thousand-Miles Rivers and Mountains’ screen. Have you brought it with you?”
“Of course.” The Chief Minister quickly responded and turned to instruct his men, “Bring the screen forward.”
The ten massive screen panels had been securely locked in wooden crates and transported all the way from Shu to Chang’an. As instructed earlier, the men carried the long boxes into the hall and skillfully assembled the screen.
As each panel was erected one after another, the palace maids gasped.
“It’s double-sided? How did they even embroider this? Both sides look exactly the same!”
Hearing the murmurs of awe, the Chief Minister couldn’t hide his pride. “Your Highness, this embroidery is called double-sided embroidery. It took several embroidery masters from Chengdu Prefecture two months to complete. There are ten panels in total, each representing a region of the empire. The landscapes shown on the screens were personally painted by Jiannan officials, and the inscriptions were written by various regional governors themselves. Your Highness, look at this one—this is Jiannan Province, and the inscription was penned by the Governor of Chengdu Prefecture.”
Before she realized it, Rong Ke had already risen to her feet. Trailing her long gown, she walked over to the screen and, following the Chief Secretary’s guidance, admired several of the panels. Finally, she nodded with a smile.
“The Governor and all you worthy officials have truly put great thought into this.”
“Not at all. It is our duty as subjects to ease His Majesty’s burdens.”
Rong Ke exchanged a few more polite remarks with the Chief Secretary before ordering her attendants to escort the honored guests out. Once the Jiannan envoys had left, the remaining palace maids gathered around her, curiously examining the screen.
“Your Highness, look! The layers of color on this flower are so rich, and both sides are embroidered identically—there aren’t even any visible stitches!”
“They managed to embroider all ten imperial regions onto silk—who could have come up with such an idea?”
The palace maids continued to exclaim in admiration. Rong Ke slowly walked past all ten screen panels and murmured thoughtfully, “So this is what the world looks like.”
Rong Ke had moved to Chang’an with her family at the age of four and entered the imperial palace, rarely even venturing outside the city in the years since—let alone traveling to other parts of the realm. It wasn’t just her; even princes and royal dukes often remained stationed in Chang’an their entire lives, never seeing the rest of the empire. Still, Chang’an was the magnificent capital everyone longed to visit. Even people from the Western Regions and overseas risked their lives just to catch a glimpse of it. To spend one’s life in Chang’an was, in truth, something that inspired great envy.
But for Rong Ke, who was raised in the palace and had never left the city of Chang’an, it was a great regret. The female officials and attendants could see her longing for the outside world, so they accompanied her as she looked through the screens one by one.
“Your Highness, look, this is Jiangnan Province. No wonder poets and scholars love to write about Jiangnan—so this is how beautiful it is.”
“Oh right, where is Jiangnan?”
“Wow, it’s that far away?”
Surrounded by her attendants, Rong Ke slowly walked to a screen with a darker color palette. “This is… Hebei Province?”
One of the maids glanced at the inscription on the screen and nodded, “Yes, Hebei Province.”
Rong Ke didn’t respond, her eyes quietly fixed on the figures within the screen.
Above was a sky filled with turbulent clouds, making one feel tense just looking at it. On the distant horizon, a black cavalry force seemed to be descending from the heavens. Even though it was merely a painting set before her, it felt as if time and space parted slightly, allowing the faint sound of ironclad soldiers shouting and clashing to echo through.
“I remember the Battle of Youzhou back then—wasn’t it my grandfather who personally led the army?”
Hearing Rong Ke’s voice, the palace maids stopped their chatter and cautiously called out, “Princess…”
Rong Ke tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and forced back her tears. A moment later, she opened her eyes again—her expression now completely calm.
She had grown up with the late emperor, who had personally taught her how to write, so their bond as grandfather and granddaughter was very close. Seeing her reaction, the other palace maids finally realized: the figure embroidered on the screen was likely the late emperor himself. No wonder it stirred her grief.
“My grandfather spent his life on the battlefield. Before he ascended the throne, he spent most of his years in the army. I remember when I was little, it was always just my mother and me at home. Every now and then, we would hear servants report that Grandfather and Father had won another battle, or taken another city. I used to think Grandfather was invincible. I never imagined he could be wounded—or that the injuries from his youth would take his life so early.”
“Your Highness…”
“I’m fine,” Rong Ke stopped the maid’s movement and took a deep breath. “But I never expected that in someone else’s eyes, Grandfather would be seen like this. Just a routine siege battle, barely worth mentioning in the record of his campaigns—I can hardly even remember it. Yet from his brush, I now have a chance to see the heroic figure my grandfather once was.”
“Your Highness, the late emperor was wise and valiant, a hero of countless victories. The people of the realm will always remember him.”
Here, emperors do not grow old. He will always be the vigorous Prince of Qin, heroic and full of spirit. Rong Ke smiled faintly, pointed at the screen, and said with a hint of amusement to the attendants, “He hasn’t even been in office long, yet he’s already mastered all the tricks of the bureaucracy. He’s really made something of himself.”
The screens were a gift from Jiannan, yet this one depicted the Battle of Youzhou. Rong Ke thought for a moment and easily guessed who the artist must have been.
The palace attendants didn’t understand what she meant, but seeing the princess smile, they eagerly tried to lighten the mood.
“Your Highness, who are you talking about?”
Rong Ke shook her head and didn’t say more. Just then, another maid smacked her forehead and exclaimed, “I almost forgot! There was also a small box delivered yesterday along with the screens. I was worried it might not be safe, so I didn’t bring it into the palace.
“Oh, he even sent a box along with it?” Rong Ke said. “Bring it here.”
“Yes.” The palace maid answered softly and immediately turned to retrieve the wooden box that had been withheld the previous day. Rong Ke stood before the grand screen for another moment, then said, “Bring ink and brush.”
Each of the ten screens depicted one of the ten regions of the empire—from the northern deserts to the southern ridges, the scenery of the whole realm was captured here. But there were two regions no one dared to paint.
One was Guannei Province, represented by the capital city, Chang’an. The other was Taiyuan Prefecture in Hedong Province.
Chang’an was the imperial capital; no official dared casually add their words to its screen. As for Taiyuan, it was the land of the dynasty’s founding—everyone knew the founding emperor had raised his army there, swiftly capturing Chang’an and establishing the Xuan dynasty. Naturally, no one had touched the screen representing Taiyuan.
Rong Ke picked up the brush. Without drafting or hesitation, she wrote a poem directly in the blank space above the painting.
“My seal.”
The palace maid standing nearby stepped forward. Another lifted the lid of a box and presented Rong Ke’s seal with both hands.
Rong Ke took the seal and stamped the characters “Qián Níng” (乾宁) in seal script on the screen.
“Your handwriting is beautiful, Princess,” the maids beside her praised with smiles.
“Enough, all of you flatter too much,” Rong Ke laughed and scolded playfully, then added, “Put this screen away carefully. Not a single bump or scratch. We’ll present it to Father on the day of the Thousand Autumn Banquet.”
The attendants responded and rushed to carry the screen away. This kind of labor was never something Rong Ke had to concern herself with. She adjusted her sleeves and walked back into the inner hall.
Xia Lan, who had been waiting nearby, saw Rong Ke coming and quickly followed with the box in her hands. “Your Highness, this is the item that Magistrate Xiao sent along.”
Rong Ke sat down in the inner hall and said, “Open it and let’s see.”
Xia Lan handed the wooden box to a young maid behind her. Then she stood aside and lifted the lid herself, turning the box for Rong Ke to see.
When she saw what was inside, Rong Ke raised her eyebrows. The other maids leaned over to look as well, exclaiming in surprise, “Is this a birthday gift for Her Highness?”
Rong Ke’s birthday was in September. Though it couldn’t be celebrated extravagantly, gifts had been arriving under the guise of birthday congratulations for half a month already. Xia Lan was used to it by now, but she hadn’t expected that even a regional official, stationed far outside the capital, would go out of his way to send a gift through someone else.
Xia Lan sighed sincerely, “He’s quite thoughtful—even while posted away, he still remembered Your Highness’s birthday.”
She took the items out one by one, handing them to Rong Ke for inspection. “Look, Your Highness, these jade carvings are quite delightful. This pair is rabbits, and this pair is sheep. Hm? What’s this one?”
She held a pair of black-and-white jade figurines. The jade was unusual—white with many black impurities. Yet, thanks to the artisan’s extraordinary skill, the markings had been carved into a striking animal with distinct black and white zones. The animal sat in a clumsy, endearing pose. Its eyes featured outward-facing rims with two obsidian beads inlaid as pupils, and its fuzzy ears stood upright. Just looking at it made one reluctant to put it down.
Rong Ke was also captivated. She took the carving and examined it for quite a while before saying, “This might be a mo (tapir-like beast).”
“It looks so adorable!”
“This is a war beast, you know. It’s mentioned in the Annals of the Five Emperors,” Rong Ke corrected, but even she couldn’t help adding, “A mighty iron-eating war beast—how did it end up looking like this?”
The palace maids were completely enamored with the finely crafted jade carvings. One of them said, “Your Highness, this County Magistrate Xiao is quite thoughtful. Even though he’s stationed far away, he still arranged for someone to deliver you a birthday gift. Judging from the craftsmanship of these jade pieces, they seem to be from Nanzhao.”
Because the character for “jade” appeared in Rong Ke’s name, she received countless jade gifts every year for her birthday—rewards from the palace, gifts from other princes and princesses—but this was the first time she had seen such adorable Nanzhao-style jade carvings. Rong Ke was very fond of these palm-sized figures, but in order to maintain her regal bearing, she waved her hand and said, “Put them away.”
Xia Lan carefully packed away the pairs of jade carvings to take back to the palace later. After securing the jade, she continued to take items from the wooden box. With a small exclamation, she pulled out a round fan and said, “Your Highness, there was a fan hidden beneath the false bottom. Oh—it’s double-sided embroidery! The same stitching technique as that screen!”
Rong Ke took the fan from Xia Lan, turned it around to inspect it, and nodded. “Indeed, the embroidery is exquisite. Even the embroiderers in the palace can only manage single-sided work. This kind of stitching, which takes both sides into account, is truly rare.”
The round fan was made with semi-transparent silk, upon which clever patterns of flowers and birds were embroidered on both sides. The box also held other fans embroidered with landscapes, misty scenes, and more. Xia Lan took out each fan and handed them to Rong Ke and the other palace maids to pass around. Everyone marveled at them.
“These round fans are so delicate and light. The translucent fabric and intricate embroidery—perfect for Your Highness!”
But Rong Ke smiled. “If I really kept all these fans, this gentleman would surely complain.”
“Ah? But weren’t they a birthday gift for Your Highness?”
“How could I, alone, use so many round fans?” Rong Ke shook her head and smiled. “These were specially prepared for me to gift to my aunts.”
Trends across the empire began in Chang’an, and trends in Chang’an began in the imperial court. If a consort or princess stood out at a banquet, similar clothing or accessories would soon become wildly popular throughout the city. If these exquisite and novel double-sided embroidered fans appeared in a princess’s hand and caught attention, they would instantly spark a craze. At that point, merchants would scramble to find ways to procure these fans.
“Well then, if I’m helping, I might as well go all the way. Since the embroidery is indeed impressive, I’ll just present the flower in Buddha’s name (metaphor for doing a favor with borrowed means) .” Rong Ke placed the double-sided fan back in the box, then stood and said to everyone, “Let’s go. Back to the palace. After Father’s grand birthday banquet, I’ll use these fans to earn some favor.”
By the end of August, the emperor’s birthday was celebrated on a grand scale. Chang’an partied for three straight days. The palace was decorated with lanterns and streamers, bustling with joy.
The banquet overflowed with talent and high officials. Not only were all the fifth-rank and above officials from the capital in attendance, but representatives from various provinces had also gathered. When the emperor appeared with the empress and princesses, everyone stood and cheered, “Long live the Emperor!”
The Longevity banquet was halfway through, and when the music and dance performances paused, each region began presenting their main act, offering words of praise and blessings to the emperor without repeating each other. The emperor, dressed in ceremonial robes, sat high at the head seat with the same dignified bearing he had when he was crown prince. Upon seeing the gifts from each region, he simply nodded and smiled faintly, showing little emotional fluctuation beyond that.
The new emperor was completely different from the late emperor, who had been proud, restless, and always eager to join the dances himself. Though the current emperor certainly had the air of a ruler, his calm demeanor made the officials below feel uneasy and uncertain.
The officials of Jiannan Province, under immense pressure, presented a ten-panel screen painting of the vast rivers and mountains of the empire.
As soon as the screen was unveiled, the ministers in the hall were astonished:
“This is—”
“Your Majesty, these are the vast rivers and mountains of Daxuan. We respectfully offer this image in celebration of Your Majesty’s long life.”
The emperor was visibly taken aback upon seeing the screen. For once, genuine appreciation showed on his face as he examined the ten large folding panels in detail.
As a sovereign, the emperor clearly preferred this kind of tribute that honored the realm and empire over straightforward flattery. It was much more pleasing to the ear. When his gaze fell upon one specific panel, his expression paused.
Pointing to that particular screen, he asked, “Could this be—?”
“Indeed,” Rong Ke replied, picking up the explanation, “this was drawn by someone who personally witnessed Grandfather leading the campaign against Youzhou. The figure at the front is Grandfather himself.”
The emperor let out a long sigh.
“It’s been so long already… I remember I was held back in Guanzhong during that campaign and couldn’t follow my father into battle. I never thought I’d see the scene with my own eyes one day.”
“Your Majesty?” one of the ministers asked carefully.
The emperor had been deeply close with the former emperor, and now, seeing an image of his father again stirred a flood of emotion. He stood up and walked over to the screen, examining each panel closely.
“This is Longyou Province this is Huainan… this is Taiyuan Prefecture… Oh? The calligraphy—did you write it?”
Rong Ke rose and answered, “Yes, I did.” Then, she subtly signaled someone nearby, who brought over a prepared brush and ink for the emperor.
“Father, look—this is Chang’an at the center. It’s still missing an inscription.”
“You…” The emperor shook his head with a helpless smile, but did not refuse. He took the brush and wrote a line of poetry, then stamped it with his personal imperial seal.
The prime ministers also stepped down from their seats to join the emperor in viewing the screen. When they saw the emperor personally inscribe it, they all praised in unison,
“Your Majesty is wise and brilliant.”
Other officials came forward to admire the work as well. The emperor lingered in front of the Youzhou panel, eyes fixed on the figure of the Prince of Qin from years past. No one dared disturb the moment. At last, the emperor sighed deeply and said,
“Fate is ever-changing… You have all put great thought into this. Take it away now.”
The officials of Jiannan Province were overjoyed, and the others continued offering their congratulations. The palace attendants quickly stepped forward and carefully moved the screen away.
After the longevity banquet ended, this double-sided embroidered screen quickly became famous. All the noble households in Chang’an knew that the Jiannan officials had presented a finely embroidered landscape screen to the emperor—and that the emperor himself had praised it personally.
Within a few days, at various flower-viewing and lake-touring banquets, the round fans held by several princesses began drawing a great deal of attention. Keen-eyed onlookers recognized that the embroidery on those fans was exactly the same as the screen offered to the emperor.
Although the princesses were still in mourning, it was clearly unrealistic to prohibit them from attending any banquets for three full years. So long as their outings weren’t too ostentatious, neither the emperor nor the censors would interfere. The fans featured exquisite double-sided embroidery, with landscape and misty rain motifs rendered in soft, elegant tones—perfect for women observing a mourning period. And with the emperor just having received an embroidered screen in this style, the princesses appearing with matching fans immediately became a mark of great prestige. Even more impressively, each fan was one of a kind in all of Chang’an.
By gifting these fans to her aunts, Rong Ke not only fostered goodwill but also discreetly helped Xiao Jingduo. The princesses were happy to try something new, and both sides struck a deal with ease. After the princesses made a public appearance with the double-sided embroidered fans, many noble families began inquiring about them in the eastern and western markets. Merchants, sensing an opportunity, immediately began investigating where such embroidery could be purchased.
Double-sided embroidery came from Jiannan, so if anyone wanted to buy it, they would have to buy it from there. Before long, caravans began setting out one after another, heading to Jiannan to procure the goods.
T/N: I’m back! My exams are finished, and I can start updating more regularly 🙂
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