"A Choosing!" Yang Min cried, before glancing across to Song Jie, who was already thinking furiously. A Choosing hadn't happened in her entire lifetime at the Houses - why now?
There would be a head count, a name list, she and Yang Min would have to be present. They couldn't leave until it was finished.
"It might...make things easier," murmured Yang Min slowly as Song Jie looked at her questioningly. "Because I mean," Yang Min continued, "if the guards are expecting a girl to be leaving, as I'm sure they will have been notified about the Choosing, then seeing a couple more walk out might just confuse them."
Song Jie chewed on her lip, Yang Min had a fair point, she just hoped that it would work.
The girls soon rearranged themselves into a long line that snaked around the room, they all knelt upright with their hands placed formally on their knees. Several were fidgeting, or shaking, as there was a constant noise of jangling hair pins and jewellery. Finally, the roses were swung back and everyone turned to face the figures that had just walked in - two large men.
Song Jie knew what men looked like from the books in the Houses, but seeing them in real life was another thing. The first had sharp grey eyes with a trimmed beard, his wisps of black hair were swept back beneath a small funny blue hat decorated with patterns of dragons. He was thin for a man and yet rather tall and wore dazzling robes of blue which trailed down past his feet. He carried a faded rolled up scroll and quill. The second man was larger in girth and wore brown robes which were thicker than any Song Jie had ever seen.
Does he not get hot?
Song Jie wondered to herself as she noticed there was animal fur lining his collar. He too wore a strange brown hat over his fair hair. He carried nothing and looked round the room with an expression that Song Jie could not read.
Behind them was a young woman dressed in simple clothes with thin lips and dull eyes, Song Jie guessed she was Auntie's replacement for Father's travelling companion. Auntie herself bustled in after them, she now carried her stick and tapped the girls nearest to her on the shoulder to sit up straight.
The thin blue-robed man spoke first, unused to men's voices - Song Jie flinched. It was oddly pitched and sounded scratchy and alien.
"My dear daughters, it has been too long since my last visit, and longer still since I have had the pleasure of gazing upon your beauty. I am proud of how you have grown, how wonderfully you play your instruments and how dutifully you study, I have consulted with the Emperor himself," at this point he paused for effect and looked around the room, all of the girls wore the same wide-eyed expression.
"And he dictated the time is ripe for one of you to be chosen to join him in the palace. I cannot begin to explain what an honour this would be and how great your lives would become, so I shall say little of it and instead I will perform my task as accurately and succinctly as possible. I shall inspect you one by one and then the Choosing shall ensue."
He unfurled the dusty scroll and read off the first name. Father’s friend did not move but stood silently, staring ahead as if uninterested. The young woman at once walked to every girl that was called and made them stand up, she took them into the side room for a few minutes then returned and either nodded at Father or whispered something in his ear. He would then go up to the girl and introduce himself as her father and perhaps ask her a few questions. Song Jie's was the sixteenth name to be called, she rose up and let herself be led out by the woman.
"Raise your dress."
"Sorry sister?"
"Your robes, raise them to your knees." Song Jie did so unsurely as the woman knelt down and inspected Song Jie's legs, she paused at her left ankle, "What's this?" She held Song Jie's foot so the strange birthmark Song Jie had had since a baby was visible.
"It is a blemish." replied Song Jie solemnly, hoping she would be dismissed quickly so she could return to planning what she and Yang Min should do.
"It doesn't look like a birthmark, more like a tattoo," the woman said with a curious expression.
"A what?"
"Never mind, it is impossible. Do you have any health problems?"
"Plenty, I have nightmares, I never sleep, I cough all the time..." Song Jie began to exaggerate in a dramatic tone of voice.
"That's enough."
Song Jie walked back into the Main Hall and stood waiting to be discussed, the woman leaned over to Father and whispered something to him. He looked up at Song Jie and came over to her.
"Song Jie,"
"Honoured Father," Song Jie kapped, which was a cross between a bow and a curtsey, and the required response. It resembled an elegant dance position with the head facing down, the right arm out and the right knee bent.
"What instrument do you play Song Jie?"
"The sanxian, Honoured Father."
"Do you play it well?"
"Very poorly, Honoured Father."
He leaned in closer to her, "Such modesty from such beauty." He smiled, an expression which Song Jie noticed did not particularly suit him. He turned as if to go, but then said quickly, "Honey is to a bee as what is to a girl?"
"Music," Song Jie answered without thinking.
Father smiled again and then went to read another name off his scroll. When the inspection was over the girls were told to go out into the garden whilst discussions took place. Song Jie found Yang Min immediately, "Did you get your legs inspected?"
"My arms instead!” Yang Min exclaimed, “She pulled my sleeve completely back, lucky I chose not to hide things in there this morning, that would have looked strange, half a pound of honey sweets falling at her feet."
Song Jie found herself smiling, "Did Father talk to you?"
"Yes, he asked me if I wrote poetry. Also a strange question about if honey is to a bee as 'what' is to a girl?"
"And what did you say?" Song Jie asked
"Laughter,” Yang Min replied with a shrug, “because we make it, we feed on it, other people enjoy it, and if they take it away from us we have lost something precious,”
The girls had barely finished talking when there was a call from inside. As they queued to go back in Song Jie noticed she couldn't see the fish in the pond, she wondered if they were all hiding from the sun. She turned to take one final look at the blossoms and yet for a split second, Song Jie thought they too were not there, but she blinked and again the trees were laden with them.
Inside, the men were standing by the door, Auntie and the woman were positioned in the centre of the room waiting. As every girl entered she kapped to the men and bade farewell to Father, as was polite. They then assembled in a perfect circle around the women. When Auntie was sure all were present her eyes darted around until they seemed to find Song Jie's and lock on to them.
"Song Jie, go and get your outside shoes." she snapped.
There were gasps, or at least there must have been, though Song Jie could not hear them, she instead heard only her own stomach, doing back flips within her body. She looked up again at Auntie who was already deep in conversation with the woman.
"Song Jie did you hear Auntie?" it was Han Luli, she was staring at Song Jie harder than ever, scrutinizing her as if she were wondering why she herself had not been chosen. Song Jie was pushed back out of the circle past the white face of Yang Min who merely stared aghast after her. She was ushered past the two men, Father smiling strangely at her and the other still staring straight ahead, cold and unmoved.
Song Jie padded softly through the cloisters, acutely aware of the alternating warmth and cool of the shade and light as she passed through them. She wasn't even sure if she had pulled the roses back to get there or if she had walked straight through them, perhaps she was covered in scratches she couldn't even feel. Song Jie reached her room and went over to the bed, sitting down she stared at the window, a small bird was sat chirping on the sill, obviously the garden had forgiven her.
"Song Jie, hurry up," came a harsh voice down the corridor, it was Auntie, "or else there will be no time for goodbyes."
Song Jie reached out and picked up her travelling pouch, she quickly replaced the outside shoes with the slippers on her feet, though there was little difference, then filled the pouch with a few more objects, she had no need to make the bag less visible now. She just grabbed at what was near her, a fan, some pearls and a red brooch. She then picked up Yang Min's as well and managed to lift herself up off the bed and walk back down the corridor.
"There you are." snapped Auntie, whose face then relaxed into a more sympathetic stare, "You may bid farewell to your friends, they are gathered still the Hall. Yang Min has been allowed to retire to her room, you may go there first." Auntie looked curiously at the bag slung around Song Jie's chest and the other in her hands, but said nothing. Song Jie walked up to her friend's door and gave a soft tap, the door flew open but Yang Min was not standing there, instead she was rushing about frantically,
"Song Jie close the door!" Yang Min barked.
Song Jie did so then walked over and sat down on her friend's bed, all beds seemed very inviting at that point. "What should we do?" She eventually managed to croak the words out. Yang Min turned to face Song Jie then noticed the bag, snatching it from her she began to pile things in, "You, do nothing, apart from make sure to cause some distraction when you get in the carriage."
"What?"
"A distraction, pretend you've forgotten your favourite pin or something."
Song Jie eyed her friend who was putting a small green parcel in her bag wrapped with blue ribbon.
"You're still going?" Song Jie asked, bewildered but feeling a new pang of hope in her chest.
"You didn't expect me to?"
"What will I do Yang Min? This wasn't the plan, It doesn't feel right, being chosen."
"You will sit tight, it's perfect, now instead of trying to conceal your departure, you're actually expected to leave, and no one will notice my absence, the assumption will be made that I'm grief-stricken somewhere," Yang Min let out a shrill laugh.
"But we can't go together!" Song Jie protested weakly.
"We can and we shall," Yang Min replied firmly, her strong, stubborn eyes meeting Song Jie’s.
"You can't slip in the carriage with me! How will you hide?" Song Jie felt panic rising in her throat. She wanted so badly for this to be possible.
"Father and that man with the fur, even the woman, they must all have supplies, stored somewhere, that means there's space hidden in the carriage,” Yang Min replied quickly, but Song Jie could tell her friend’s mind was working even quicker than that.
"We don't know that though,” Song Jie frowned, “but if it's true and you hide, what should we do when we get to the palace?"
"Does it matter?” Yang Min snapped frustratedly. “You can ask the Emperor to take me too, you'll be Royal Courtesan after all. What harm would it do him having two flowers instead of one? I might be a welcome surprise!"
"Thank you," murmured Song Jie, "thank you for always being by my side."
"I don't fit anywhere else but your shadow Song Jie," Yang Min shrugged as if it was any other day.
The girls finished talking when there was a rapping on the door, it was Auntie again. Song Jie left the room.
"Yang Min is not coming to see you off?" Auntie asked, unusually quiet and reserved in her demeanour.
"She is lying down, may I say goodbye to the other girls?" Song Jie enquired, taking Auntie’s lack of response for a ‘yes’.
Finally, after many tearful goodbyes, Song Jie stepped through the main doors. She wasn't sure as to what the tears had all been for; her departure, disappointment at having to remain, relief at not having to leave or just for the general uneasiness of change. Father and the large man walked on in front whilst Song Jie walked with Auntie and the young woman, Auntie was giving her advice for the road. Song Jie looked over to the grates and saw the sun reflect off the satin of a teal green dress amongst the jasmine. She suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"
"What is it?" cried Auntie.
Song Jie turned to her, "I've forgotten my pin, may I be allowed to go in and get it?"
The two men looked round, "What is going on?" asked Father.
"It is the girl's pin Zheng Li,” Auntie called out. “She's left it behind, could she run in and retrieve it?"
"A pin?" asked Father, smiling. Auntie rolled her eyes and replied, "The girls became very attached to such things, it was not three months ago when Song Jie dreamt she'd lost that pin, she went sleepwalking in the garden, started crying out by the rose bushes, gave us all quite a fright."
Father laughed in his high pitched voice but the other man eyed Song Jie suspiciously. "Go on then." said Father indulgently and Song Jie ran inside and hid behind the great wooden doors. She stood stock still, counting three minutes whilst holding her pouch tightly. After the time was up she withdrew the red pin from the bag and ran out smiling waving it in the air.
"I found it!" She looked around to glimpse Yang Min again but she was nowhere to be seen. Song Jie was helped into the carriage and seated next to the sour-faced woman and opposite the uncomfortable gaze of Father. His companion, however, stared steadfastly out the window and remained that way for quite some time.
An unknown force started the horses and the carriage rocked forwards. Song Jie turned to see Auntie stare after her with a curious expression.
Maybe I should have hugged her goodbye? Song Jie wondered absently, but quickly she became too immersed in looking out the window. She was leaving the Concubine Houses for the first time. Song Jie watched the tall walls approaching with anticipation, coated in waterfalls of flowers, she heard the sound of large gates swinging open and they passed through the archway.
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