Hundred Flowers Pavilion

"Young Miss, do you get it now?" Qiu Ci asked patiently.

Head aching, and hands and legs heavy, I shook my head hopelessly. "No."

"Let's try again. What tea is this?" Qiu Le asked, pointing to the teacup.

I sipped the tea.

"Erm... Mao Feng Tea from Huang Shan (黄山毛峰茶 Huáng Shān Máo Fēng Chá)?" I asked.

"No, that's Yin Zhen Tea from Jun Shan (君山银针 Jūn Shān Yín Zhēn Chá)" Qiu Le said, disappointed.

I sighed. My taste buds had long gone numb by now.

"Qiu Ci, Qiu Le, can I just go to sleep? I don't understand why I have to go to the tea ceremony. I haven't gone for years and no one has objected." I said..

After the meeting with Eunuch Song Chu and Lu Qing Yu, I had been captured by Qiu Ci and Qiu Le. According to them, since the tea contrast ceremony was tomorrow and I wasn't familiar with the teas, I should at least try to go through some of the more famous teas so that I wouldn't be completely lost tomorrow. We had been sitting here for the better part of 2 hours, with little to show for it.

Qiu Ci frowned.

"Young Miss, you know why you have to go. The harem is a vicious place. Since Noble Concubine Jun has personally invited you, at least show up to give her some face. Moreover, although you've made a name for yourself, the older members of the aristocracy still believe in a married woman's virtue and its better to concede once in awhile. We even cleared your schedule for the next few days so you could attend the palace events, remember?"

"Exactly. But maybe we should let Young Miss go to sleep. It's getting late, and staying up too late is bad for her health too." Qiu Le said.

Qiu Ci took a moment to consider it.

"Then, Young Miss, I've compiled some notes on the various teas. At least look at it before going to bed, alright?" Qiu Ci pushed a stack of paper to me.

I was only all too happy to agree with anything so that I could go to sleep.

In a pavilion shaped like a 5 petal flower half erected on land and half erected over the water supported by stone pillars driven into the lake bottom was a tea ceremony set-up with 9 seats. Its roof was canary yellow, and rather than being walled with bricks, it was walled by bamboo pillars with elaborate windows on all sides that told the stories of famous lakeside poems.

The side facing the water was bordered by railings and fitted with cushioned seats to provide viewers with a vantage point of the small lake, and it had no walls. It was called the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and the crown jewel of the pavilion was precisely the flooring which was built by artisans typically used for patterned footpaths.

On a bed of lime mortar and a special putty of lime, wheat flour and tung oil was a mural of pebbles of various natural colours - green, yellow, red, grey and so on arranged in an elaborate pattern. Each group of pebbles was designed like a minature flower, and there were exactly 100 in total.

Viewing from the top, it was a large chrysanthemum flower, Noble Concubine Ju's favourite flower and her namesake. After the pebbles were arranged, a special solution was spread over the top, ensuring the floor of the pavilion was smooth and polished.

"This pavilion is His Highness's wedding gift to me." Noble Concubine Ju casually mentioned as we took our seats. Our seats faced inward in a circle, and Noble Concubine Ju had the head seat. I was seated on her left, and Noble Concubine Shao on her right.

"How romantic and thoughtful!" "His Highness surely has you in his heart." "It's such a remarkable feat to construct this pavilion." Since the opportunity was presented to them, the other concubines didn't pass up the chance to compliment her.

Noble Concubine Ju smiled bashfully, obviously happy to hear their sweet words.

After everybody had settled down, Noble Concubine Ju called for order.

"Sisters, thank you for joining me at our annual tea ceremony to begin the New Year. As you know, the harem's annual tea ceremony is a way to usher in prosperity and well wishes as well as to facilitate bonding time. In anticipation for today, I've prepared some exquisite teas from the outer regions for us to taste. Let us begin!"

After her small speech, tea maidens from the palace entered the pavilion to prepare tea.

Since Noble Concubine Ju was the host, the tea maids utilised a special method of tea preparation from her ancestral hometown, An Shan.

10 tea sets were brought in and placed on the low table in the middle of the pavilion. A large vessel of freshly boiled water was brought in by a team of maids, who held the handles with layers of cloth to dampen the heat.

Using a scoop, water was distributed evenly into 9 tea cups, soaking the tea leaves present. After about 30 seconds, the water was abruptly spilled. Then, the tea leaves were filtered through a bronze tea funnel to get rid of the impurities.

The tray was wiped with a cloth, and hot water was again poured from the vessel. The tea cup lids were used to stir the tea leaves a little. Lastly, the tea was poured into the tea funnel again before being ready to drink.

The tea cups were set atop every table and the maids retreated together with the equipment.

"Sisters, instead of using "four kinds and ten cups", today to stir it up, let's use "ten kinds and ten cups". What do you say?" Noble Concubine Ju asked.

The tea contrast ceremony was typically done using a standardised procedure called "four kinds and ten cups", which meant participants would taste three cups each of three different teas and a single cup of a fourth variety. They would guess what kind of tea it was and which region it originated from, and prizes would be won.

I had little to no knowledge about Huaxia tea, which was why Qiu Ci and Qiu Le had made me learn the types of tea last night. At the end, I was at least able to guess half of them. However... ten kinds of tea? Wasn't that too extreme?

"Sounds great, Elder Sister Ju." Concubine Rong said.

"Yes, we can definitely rise to the challenge. Tea ceremony is a skill all noble ladies learn, isn't that right?" Concubine You said.

The rest of the harem murmured their agreement.

"What about you, Sister Ling?" Noble Concubine Ju asked.

Faced with her sudden question, I was thrust into the spotlight. I smiled as warmly as I could manage. "I agree too." I said.

"Great! Now for the prizes. All the sisters should volunteer at least one of their items, and those who guess a cup of tea right are allowed to retrieve one item from the pile. Is that fair?" Noble Concubine Ju asked.

"That's only right." Concubine Yao said.

"Since I'm the host, I'll go first. I will donate..." Noble Concubine Ju looked around her body for something to use.

In the end, she slid off a quartz and ruby bracelet, placing it on a prepared tray in the middle. "I'll donate this!" she said.

Gasps were heard all around.

"Sister Ju, isn't that your new bracelet? I heard the quartz is imported from one of the vassal states! It must be priceless." Noble Concubine Shao asked upon seeing the glimmering bracelet.

Noble Concubine Ju smiled. "It is, and I should set an example for sisters. Those who are more confident may leave more items at the pile."

"What happens if after the tea ceremony, there are still items left?" Concubine Lay asked.

"We can guess poems or decide on something to do later, and the winner shall get the rest." Noble Concubine Ju said.

We went a round, with each concubine taking off a personal item and placing it into the tray when it was their turn. Notably, Concubine Rong and Noble Concubine Shao both placed 2 items into the pile, saying they felt confident.

Lastly, it was my turn.

"Sister Ling, what will you place?" Noble Concubine Ju asked.