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looked unsure. He hesitated, frowning with his eyebrows. He shifted the
ruyi
from one handto the other, and then, with flushed cheeks, he turned to his mother.
    She gave him an encouraging nod. The Emperor began to circle us like a bee dancing around flowers.
    Suddenly the youngest girl in our line broke out with a muted cry. She looked to be no more than thirteen years old.
    Emperor Hsien Feng walked up to her.
    The girl choked and then began to weep.
    Like an adult giving a crying child a piece of candy, Emperor Hsien Feng put the
ruyi
in her hand.
    Gripping it, the girl dropped to her knees and said, “Thank you.”
    Chief Eunuch Shim pronounced, “Soo Woozawa, daughter of Yee-mee-chi Woozawa, is selected as the Imperial consort of the fifth rank. Her title is Lady of Absolute Purity!”
    From that moment, things began to flow. The Emperor took little time to bestow the rest of the
ruyi.
    When it was my turn, Emperor Hsien Feng walked up to me and placed a
ruyi
in my palm.
    Like a rooster Shim sang, “Yehonala, daughter of Hui Cheng Yehonala, is selected as the Imperial consort of the fourth rank. Her title is Lady of the Greatest Virtue.”
    I looked at my
ruyi.
It was made of white jade. Instead of looking like mushrooms, the heads were carved floating clouds interconnected with a divining rod. I remembered my father once telling me that in Imperial symbolism the floating clouds and the rod represented the constellation of the dragon.
    The next
ruyi
went to the girls named Yun and Li. They were pronounced Imperial consorts of the second and third rank and both titled Lady of Superiority. Their
ruyi
had the shape of a
lingzhi
mushroom, the fungus known for its healing power. The heads were decorated with bats, symbols of blessing and prosperity.
    After Yun and Li were Mei and Hui. They ranked sixth and seventh, Ladies of Grand Harmony. I had difficulty remembering who was who, because Mei and Hui looked alike and dressed like twins. The heads of their
ruyi
carried a stone chime, the symbol of celebration.
    Nuharoo was last. She was pronounced Empress and was given the finest
ruyi.
The scepter was made of gold inlaid with chunks of jewels and jade. The ornamented stem was carved with symbols of the harvest: grains and fruit-bearing branches, peaches, apples and grapes. The three heads were gold pomegranates, signifying numerous offspring and immortality. Nuharoo’s eyes glowed and she bowed deeply.
    Led by Nuharoo, the seven of us got up and then went down on our knees, over and over. We kowtowed to Emperor Hsien Feng and the Grand Empress. We sang our drill in one voice: “I wish Your Majesties ten thousand years of life. May your luck be as full as the East China Sea and your health as green as the Southern Mountains!”

Five
    AFTER SUNSET I was brought back to my family on a palanquin escorted by a group of eunuchs. I was wrapped in a golden dress like an expensive gift. The head eunuch told my mother that until the day of the Imperial wedding ceremony I was to stay home.
    Also coming home with me were gifts from the Emperor to my father, mother, sister and brother. My father was given a set of eight feather fasteners for a mandarin’s court hat. Each hollow porcelain cylinder was used to fasten a peacock feather, with a ring on top of the tube to connect it to the hat. The gift would pass to my brother.
    My mother was given a special lacquered
ruyi
carved with auspicious designs. The top showed the three star gods, who granted blessings, wealth and longevity. The center showed a bat carrying a stone chime and double fish, signifying abundance. On the bottom were roses and chrysanthemums representing prosperity.
    Rong received a gorgeously carved sandalwood good-luck box, which held a set of green jade carvings. Kuei Hsiang was granted a set of enameled belt hooks with dragon heads ornamenting the tops. On the hooks he could hang his mirror, pouch, seal, a weapon or a money purse.
    According to the court