Chapter 39 Birthday

birthday

“That was certainly quite a spectacle,” Kangxi said.

Birthday celebrations held in the palace are always quite lively.

A high-ranking concubine's birthday celebration could be held as a family banquet if she wished.

Changchun Garden was bustling with activity early in the morning. Summer birthdays are usually decorated with fresh flowers, and Changchun Garden may not have much else, but flowers and plants are everywhere.

At the behest of their supervisor, the palace maids and eunuchs entered the various flowerbeds and picked branches to select flowers.

Summer wouldn't be complete without lotus flowers. The eunuchs who usually picked flowers would row small boats and slip among the lotus leaves. As the branches and leaves swayed, they would cut the stems with small knives, leaving large patches of fresh, tender, and green lotus leaves, and clusters of half-open lotus flowers on the small boats.

The palace maids and eunuchs who had picked flowers smelled of fragrance, but were also quite disheveled. After quickly tidying themselves up, they carried the flowers to the palace in the middle of the lake.

Vases of all sizes and heights were filled with clear water, and flowers of various colors, along with green leaves and dry branches, formed a picturesque scene in a corner of the hall.

Chen Guanxue started picking out clothes early in the morning.

She didn't like wearing palace attire, but today she wanted to wear something she liked, and something festive, so she chose a pink one with peony patterns.

The embroidered peonies on it, though out of season, do not matter; they are beautiful nonetheless.

She only wore a few white jade hairpins in her hair, but she did choose a flamboyant pink and white rose.

This was a gift from overseas, and it has been kept in the garden ever since. It only bloomed a few flowers this year.

Chen Guanxue looked at the palm-sized flower, its petals light and wide, similar to peonies. Since there were no peonies at the moment, she used this as a substitute.

After adorning her hair with flowers, Chen Guanxue turned her head slightly and, using the mirror held by Runxi, saw that the few small jade beads behind her head were just right, and nodded in satisfaction.

Emperor Kangxi was drinking tea to the side when he saw that she was all dressed up before he came over.

"She is more beautiful than the flowers." He praised her generously. "With such a beautiful face, even the most beautiful flowers are just an accompaniment. It's just that the flowers are blooming at the perfect time."

The flower hairpin was cleverly positioned right next to her left ear, with the edges of the petals touching her skin. Amidst her jet-black hair, it was both dazzling and couldn't steal the spotlight from her exquisite features.

"It's a pity this is a family banquet; these flowers aren't available outside the palace. Otherwise, they would be incredibly expensive in the capital," Chen Guanxue said with a smile.

Wearing flowers in one's hair is never a niche activity; many people, both inside and outside the palace, adorn their hair with flowers. When flowers are out of season, only silk flowers can be used.

Emperor Kangxi nodded.

Indeed, if those outside the palace knew about it and rushed to imitate it, the price of this flower would surely rise.

"Which painter was it that His Majesty sent for the portrait today?" Chen Guanxue asked.

Kangxi was used to her occasionally having a painter paint her portrait, so he was not surprised. "I called the missionary von Derrick. A foreigner would paint today's banquet better."

Traditional painting, whether it is freehand or line drawing, still lacks the impact of Western painting.

Today is both lively and festive, so foreign artists are more suitable.

Chen Guanxue nodded, "Later, His Majesty will ask which foreign painter has the most exquisite painting skills."

"What's wrong?" Kangxi asked in confusion. It was one thing to summon painters to paint on ordinary days, but why were they starting to pick and choose?

Chen Guanxue applied lip rouge to her lips, instantly making her face much more radiant.

"Draw one for me and Fu Shou." Chen Guanxue wiped the lipstick from her fingertips. "Draw one for each of your future birthdays."

Emperor Kangxi thought about it and did not object. "That's good. When Fushou grows up, he can see what he looked like when he was a child."

Chen Guanxue thought about how Fushou had grown up, and looking at herself being held in his arms, she didn't know what expression she had.

As he was thinking about it, he blurted it out, which piqued Kangxi's curiosity.

As they were talking, Fu Shou was brought over and dressed in pink, looking as pretty as a little princess.

After getting ready, Chen Guanxue went with Kangxi to the palace in the middle of the lake. Before the banquet was about to begin, they sat together and reminisced.

It's no wonder that there are kinship ties among the major Manchu clans.

Chen Guanxue glanced around and noticed that several of the concubines and members of the imperial family in the palace looked familiar, even though she didn't usually recognize them.

Sitting at the head of the table with Emperor Kangxi, the palace maids brought out the dishes one after another.

After sharing a cup of wine with Emperor Kangxi, the banquet became more relaxed. Since it was a family banquet, the court musicians in the palace performed lively and festive tunes.

Chen Guanxue hadn't gotten tired of the singing and dancing, so she became more serious.

Seeing the people below chatting and laughing, he turned to Runxi and said, "Go back and ask the Music Bureau what songs and dances they have, and have someone send the booklet over for us to look at."

When Kangxi heard her say this, he said, "There are countless songs and dances. If you like today's songs and dances, you can watch them for several months every time the child summons you."

He wasn't particularly fond of pleasure, and he knew what he needed to know: the Music Bureau not only had newly choreographed songs and dances, but also those left over from the past.

However, many of the tracks were scrapped.

The reason, of course, is the conflict between the Ming and Qing dynasties.

“How can I watch it every day?” Chen Guanxue replied.

Emperor Kangxi remained silent, only smiling.

The Music Bureau has been dormant for many years. To truly win her favor, it would probably require a lot of effort. It remains to be seen whether she will become obsessed.

Countless monarchs have been able to indulge in songs and dances, let alone her, who naturally enjoyed them.

Unable to decipher Kangxi's expression, Chen Guanxue continued to admire the scene.

Towards the end of the banquet, when everyone had eaten their fill, they moved from the main hall to a side hall to watch a performance.

Chen Guanxue was neither particularly interested in nor disliked traditional Chinese opera.

As someone celebrating their birthday, Chen Guanxue can request a performance.

Among a host of festive songs, Chen Guanxue requested "Havoc in Heaven".

The title "Havoc in Heaven" isn't great, but the content is excellent.

It's generally enjoyed by elderly people who have lived a long life.

The sounds of gongs, drums, zithers, and erhu began, but because of the distance, it didn't feel noisy.

The handsome Monkey King, wielding his golden cudgel, stole peaches from the Heavenly Peach Garden and ate elixirs of immortality, causing a great commotion among the immortals. He even used his hair to create smaller monkeys, which jumped and leaped about, creating quite a scene.

Chen Guanxue is not exactly an old man, but he enjoys such lively scenes and watches with great interest.

She watched the play, her expression changing from joy to anger as she watched the Monkey King.

Kangxi looked at her and was delighted by the lively expression on her face.

When the scene ended, Chen Guanxue turned around and saw his absorbed expression. She smiled and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Beautiful," Kangxi replied with two words, then turned and said, "Reward it."

"Those who play the monkeys, be rewarded with ten taels of gold." Kangxi's words were considered a generous reward.

The following songs were not as lively, but rather festive and harmonious.

Sitting here for half a day, it's not boring, but it's not particularly fun either.

Calculating the time, they moved to the lakeside behind the main hall and began to have dinner.

It was time for a proper dinner. The sky was already getting dark, and many lanterns were hung from the trees under the eaves, illuminating the area.

"Consort Tong has made excellent arrangements for today; it hasn't been this lively in many years," said Borjigit.

Consort Li Jia, who was in the same palace as her, nodded, "It's also because Consort Chen likes this kind of liveliness."

They were both relatively unknown figures in the palace. One was a concubine from Mongolia, and the other was a palace maid who had served Emperor Kangxi in his early years. Their lives in the palace were predictable.

She rarely went out, and although she enjoyed being in a lively atmosphere, she only made a fuss within her own palace.

One was from Mongolia, and the other had gained fame early in life. No one mistreated them, and after they came to terms with it, they lived a very happy life.

"I heard we can watch fireworks later."

"Wow!" Consort Li Jia exclaimed.

Fireworks are mostly seen during the Lunar New Year; if you don't see them during the New Year, you're truly lucky.

As they spoke, a tremendous sound rang out, and colorful orbs of light exploded in the night sky.