Chapter 136: The Emperor Truly Feels Utterly Frustrated

They arrived at the adjacent side hall, the gallery for Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, which had only officially opened to the public the year before last. It housed over six thousand exquisite pieces, each a masterpiece selected from among hundreds.

Zhuang Chen was dazzled. From massive 3.9-meter-tall Zitan wood cabinets carved with dragons to fishbowl stands the size of A4 paper, every piece held a royal story, and some might even bear the fingerprints of emperors.

Every piece of furniture was made of either yellow pear wood or Zitan. Even the decorative landscapes in the wood-framed fishbowls used genuine pearls instead of sand or stones, exuding an air of immense luxury.

Three full rows of shelves stretched out behind a massive glass partition, displaying tables, chairs, long tables, desks, stools, and ottomans—a complete collection of Chinese-style furniture.

They approached a Zitan screen carved with cloud and dragon motifs, designed in a three-panel configuration. The center of the screen featured a Zitan-carved cloud background with dragons chasing pearls, framed by double-hooked swastika fretwork. Each dragon sported the trendy "slicked-back" hairstyle popular during the Qianlong era.

There was a large Zitan chair inlaid with jade; the front of its backrest featured a cloud motif background, inlaid with a coiled dragon in celadon jade, surrounded by flaming pearls and five bats.

Flanking the throne were two Zitan incense stands, each adorned with a carved cinnabar lion. Hanging from the pillars were cinnabar-lacquered couplets inscribed with poetic verses about rain-drenched bamboo and flowers blooming on the steps.

Zhou Hui led Zhuang Chen to a display case and explained, "This is a deer-antler chair alongside two gold-lacquered dragon-patterned folding chairs. These three chairs are displayed together, representing the three generations of the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors."

"The deer-antler chair is of an extremely high status. Its back is made from a complete set of deer antlers, engraved with an imperial poem by Qianlong. The Forbidden City currently only possesses four such chairs, two of which were made from deer hunted by Kangxi himself."

"They were not meant for daily use; Qianlong commissioned them primarily to commemorate his grandfather. He himself wrote: 'I dare not sit, but forever revere.' It also served as a reminder to his descendants not to forget that they were a people born on horseback, and never to neglect their archery skills."

"The other dragon-patterned folding chair was Kangxi’s favorite. Every time he visited the Chengde Mountain Resort, this massive folding chair had to be brought along. It was never absent whenever he received Mongolian princes or high officials."

"Because the folding chair evolved from the 'Hu chair' (folding stool), which changed the habit of sitting on the floor, it became a symbol of status. In a feudal society with strict hierarchies, not just anyone could sit in one—which is where the expression 'taking the first chair' comes from."

Zhuang Chen leaned in to observe closely. The thick, smooth patina on the armrests and even the minute scratches served as evidence that they had been handled by the emperors themselves.

Any single piece here was worth tens of millions, and the sheer opulence made him feel lightheaded, so he hurried away. Heading east, he heard there was a gallery dedicated to imperial tableware.

Good heavens—hot pots, bowls, stew pots, kettles, platters, cups, water vessels, saucers, wine glasses, knives, forks, chopsticks, tea trays, food boxes...

They were crafted from gold, silver, jade, crystal, porcelain, enamel, jadeite, and agate. The origins were just as varied: some from the Imperial Workshops, some from private silver shops, and others sent as tribute from various provinces.

The tableware used varied depending on its function, the status of the user, and the occasion. The emperor used various dishes for daily meals. In winter, hot pots and warming bowls were added, and grand imperial banquets mostly featured jade platters and bowls.

Longevity banquets featured specially made copper-bodied, gold-plated, cloisonné-enameled "Longevity" tableware. Empresses, concubines, and consorts used tableware corresponding to their respective ranks.

For instance, the Empress and Empress Dowager used yellow-glazed wares; Noble Consorts used yellow-ground green-dragon wares; Consorts used blue-ground yellow-dragon wares; Noble Ladies used green-ground purple-dragon wares; and lower-ranking attendants used multicolored red-dragon wares.

Before them sat a complete set called "Wild Intentions," which was essentially a hot pot set. It included hot pots, platters, saucers, fruit boxes, bowls, tiered boxes, square plates, and ladles.

Everything was pure gold—bright, gleaming, intricately chiseled, and exquisitely crafted. It was said to have been mortgaged by Puyi to the Salt Industry Bank and returned to the Forbidden City in 1951.

Zhuang Chen couldn't help but lean in to examine them. A round saucer, wide-mouthed with a circular foot, had a concave center to hold a single-handled cup, all engraved with coiled dragon motifs surrounded by the "Eight Treasures," small floral patterns, and diamond-shaped designs.

The single-handled cup was round, with a flared rim and circular foot. The exterior was engraved with the Eight Treasures—the wheel, conch, umbrella, canopy, lotus, jar, fish, and knot—with small floral and diamond patterns near the rim.

Even a tiny spoon was engraved with a frontal coiled dragon, its mane bristling, body coiled, two front claws raised by its head, surrounded by auspicious clouds, floral patterns, and diamond motifs.

There were two-pronged silver-gilt forks with jadeite handles, gold spoons with celadon jade handles, agate spoons with gold-inlaid turquoise handles, chopsticks made of celadon jade inlaid with red gold and ebony, Zitan chopsticks with gold and jade inlays, and fruit forks with gold-inlaid Zitan handles and jade tops.

There was even a gold-chiseled "Double Happiness and Longevity" tea bowl; a small bowl engraved with the entire Diamond Sutra, with characters so small they were invisible without a magnifying glass!

Seeing Zhuang Chen’s shell-shocked expression, Zhou Hui smiled and said, "The emperor didn't have a fixed place for daily meals; he mostly ate in the side rooms of his sleeping quarters or his offices. No one was allowed to walk on either side of the meal; the servants had to enter through the central south gate because the emperor had to face east while eating."

"The eunuchs of the imperial kitchen were responsible for setting the table and laying the tablecloth. Once the time for the meal arrived, the guards notified the Imperial Kitchen to deliver the food, a process known as 'transmitting the meal.'"

"The eunuchs would enter in a line, carrying red-lacquered boxes, and quickly set the various dishes, rice, and soups on the table according to established positions. Unnecessary personnel would then withdraw, leaving only the meal-serving eunuchs."

"Surrounded by eunuchs, the emperor would take his seat. Four eunuchs stood with their hands at their sides behind him, while a senior meal-serving eunuch stood by to serve the food. The dining table was usually made of three tables joined together in a north-south orientation, with the middle table reserved for the emperor's meal, mainly featuring seasonal fresh vegetables and fruits."

"A side table was also set up for imperial rewards. If the emperor found a particular dish delicious, he would say 'Reward,' and that dish would be moved to the side table, later placed in a heated food box and rushed to the residence of the official or the palace of the concubine being honored."

"Before serving, the meal-serving eunuch would place a 'poison-testing plate' on each dish to check for color changes, ensuring the food was neither poisoned nor spoiled. The plate was a small silver strip, half an inch wide and three inches long."

"After testing, the eunuch would personally taste every dish—a practice called 'tasting the meal.' Only after verification would the emperor signal the eunuch to scoop his preferred dishes into his bowl."

"Unfortunately, no matter how delicious a dish was, the emperor was forbidden from taking more than three bites. This was a family rule passed down from the ancestors: 'Do not eat more than three spoonfuls of any dish.' The emperor's preferences—what he loved or hated—must absolutely never be known to outsiders!"

"Firstly, it was to prevent anyone from tampering with the food to poison the emperor; secondly, it was to prevent others from exploiting the emperor's tastes to commit fraud. The four eunuchs behind him were specifically there to enforce this rule; even the emperor had to follow the customs set by his ancestors."

"If the emperor looked at a dish, the eunuch would quickly move it closer to him and scoop it into his bowl. If the emperor said, 'This dish is good,' or nodded in approval, they would scoop it for him one more time, then move the dish away—they could never scoop it a third time."

"If he tried to take a third bite, the head eunuch would immediately shout, 'Remove!' The other eunuchs would clear the dish away, and it would certainly not appear on the menu for the next ten days or half a month. The rule was: 'Transmit the meal, do not promote the meal.' The emperor's dining habits had to remain unpredictable; one could never be allowed to grasp a pattern."

"Even in the 'Meal Logs' of the Qing palace, the internal records of what dishes the emperor enjoyed were never written down. The emperor himself would never say what he liked or what he wanted to eat."

"The meal-serving eunuchs and palace staff were strictly forbidden from discussing it—it was a major taboo in the palace. Anyone who casually discussed or leaked information about the emperor's meals would be punished, ranging from a severe flogging to execution."