Chapter Sixteen

Hejing's entry into the palace was a major event. Even if the Empress Dowager doted on her granddaughter, she still had to ensure that her granddaughter paid her respects to the Emperor and Empress; that was the rule. The Fourth and Fifth Princesses held Hejing's hands tightly, eagerly telling her about their new younger sister, Lanxin. Hejing listened to the interesting stories along the way, and the unease she felt upon first entering the palace was gone.

There was no interception by servants as expected, nor was there the anticipated anger from Hejing. In every novel, Hejing was always very close to Consort Ling. The Fourth Princess felt uneasy. Could Hejing have some ulterior motive? What motive could Hejing possibly have? Granny Xia had her own motives. If Hejing also had his own motives, then this palace… A gust of wind blew by, and the Fourth Princess couldn't help but shiver. Although she knew there were many wronged souls in the palace, she had never imagined that she would be involved in matters of wronged souls.

"What's wrong with my little sister?" He Jing noticed that something was wrong with the Fourth Princess and asked.

"It's nothing, just a gust of wind." The Fourth Princess quickly composed herself and followed Hejing towards Kunning Palace. Everyone in this palace wore a mask of hypocrisy, beneath which lay different thoughts: vying for favor, climbing the ranks, fighting for the throne. While it's not fair to say that someone died unjustly every day in this centuries-old palace, who could say that the women here hadn't shed blood for power? Even palace maids would betray their friends to become the Empress's favorite. Friends here… truly embody a very modern saying—friends are for betraying.

Upon entering Kunning Palace, both the Emperor and Empress were present. He Jing had heard before entering the palace that the Empress was pregnant. Seeing the harmonious relationship between the Empress and her father, He Jing felt a pang of sadness. If his own mother hadn't been there... He Jing dared not think further. He took a deep breath and greeted the Emperor and Empress with a smile.

The Fourth Princess and the Fifth Princess followed He Jing to pay their respects. After standing up, the Fourth Princess stood quietly to one side.

"Your Majesty, look at Si'er today, he's actually standing quietly. I'm not seeing things, this is the real Si'er!"

“Empress Mother, it’s Fifth Sister. My sister must have felt ashamed after seeing Sister Hejing, thinking that she was being disrespectful as an older sister.”

"No, Your Majesty, it's just that Wu'er wants to get married and keeps asking Sister Hejing what a consort is."

"No, no, Wu'er only asked once."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." The Empress soothed her two daughters. Although she sensed that her fourth daughter had something on her mind, now was not the time to ask. "Is Hejing settling in well in Mongolia?"

"Your Majesty, everything is fine there," Hejing replied politely to the Empress's question.

The Emperor didn't linger. Listening to the Empress and Hejing chat about everyday matters, the Emperor nodded, quite satisfied. Although the Empress wasn't as virtuous as Empress Xiaoxian, she was still a source of comfort. With a sense of peace, the Emperor went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to handle state affairs.

After the Emperor left, Hejing dismissed the wet nurse. Seeing that Hejing seemed to have something to say to the Empress, the Fourth Princess led two other princesses and servants out, leaving the main hall to the Empress and Hejing. What Hejing said to the Empress remains unknown, not even to Rong Mama. Rong Mama watched over the servants from outside.

"What's wrong with you today, sister? You seem like you've lost your soul?" Fifth Princess asked, looking at her sister with a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly realized that marrying far away to Mongolia might not be such a bad thing." Far from the intrigues of the palace, far from the power struggles and succession disputes in the capital, who can say that He Jing's chosen path isn't happy? It's just that He Jing can't see through it all. She has too many thoughts, too many things to think about, too many things she can't let go of. And... who can easily let go? She can't either. She has parents, a home, ideals and ambitions for the future, grand but unrealistic dreams. She misses all of that. She's been here for almost a year, but she's never truly considered herself one of them. She still longs to go back.

"Why are you suddenly saying these things, sister? Does that mean you want to get married?"

"Get lost, you brat! How dare you make fun of your older sister! You deserve a beating!" Fourth Princess started chasing Fifth Princess with her little fists. Lan Xin stood by, watching the two of them laugh and cheer. "Oh, so you two are in cahoots." Fourth Princess turned around and attacked Lan Xin, this time not with her fists, but with tickling instead.

"I was wrong, please forgive me, sister!" Lan Xin pleaded with a laugh, and the three of them burst into laughter.

~~~~

At the end of the eighteenth year of Qianlong's reign, the Empress voluntarily delegated power to Consort Jia and Consort Chun, but kept the Phoenix Seal in her hands. The Emperor greatly praised the Empress's actions, and then went to Chang'an to enjoy himself with Consort Yun.

Seeing Consort Jia and Consort Chun wielding power, Consort Ling felt envious and resentful, yet powerless to do anything about it. Knowing that Hejing had returned, Consort Ling always tried to find an opportunity to speak with him, but she could never find one. It wasn't that Hejing refused to see her, but rather…

"Your Majesty, Princess Xinyue is requesting an audience again."

"I won't see her. Can't she understand human language? How many times have I told her to memorize all the palace rules and learn all the palace etiquette before she comes?"

“Your Highness, the Noble and Kind Consort Ling, you should understand my heart. I just want to see Keshan, even if it's just from afar. I promise I won't go any closer, I…” The sound of Princess Xinyue crying came from outside the hall again, “Your Highness, the Noble Consort Ling, you can't be so cruel! Your kindness shows you understand my feelings. I'm so afraid of Keshan…”

Only now did Consort Ling realize the enormity of the trouble she had incurred. She had sworn to the Emperor that she would present him with a well-mannered and respectful princess. Now, she wanted to tear the mouth of that self-proclaimed noble and benevolent princess apart. Last time, when she called her "noble and benevolent," Consort Ling, in a moment of joy, took Xinyue to see Keshan. Who would have thought that this Princess Xinyue, upon seeing Prince Keshan, would ask if he had seen Nudahai? Hearing Keshan's denial, Princess Xinyue actually slapped him, berating him for being ungrateful. Although she didn't understand the affairs of the court, she knew that it wasn't Nudahai who had saved her, but the Emperor. Consort Ling was alarmed, but quickly ordered her men to pull Princess Xinyue away, lest she cause any trouble. After returning to the palace for a few days, the Emperor did not come to cause trouble, and Consort Ling breathed a sigh of relief, but she was also somewhat unwilling. She knew that the Emperor had been favoring Consort Yun recently, but the Emperor had never gone to Yanxi Palace for such a long time. Thinking of this, Consort Ling felt that the Emperor must have known, which was why he let her go.

"Have the nanny drag her back to me. She is not allowed to come out without my permission." Consort Ling was already angry when she heard Xinyue's voice coming from outside, and now she was even angrier.

~~~

The Empress was well aware of what had happened at Yanxi Palace. Since Hejing's return, she had released the people from Yanxi. Thinking about Hejing's words, the Empress was somewhat alarmed. Why would Hejing suspect Consort Ling? The Empress thought about the small clothes Consort Ling had sent to Twelfth Prince. She hadn't told anyone about these clothes, not because she was afraid others wouldn't believe her, but because she wanted to wait and see Consort Ling's reaction.

With many things to do before the New Year, the Empress didn't pay much attention to what was happening in Consort Ling's palace. Currently, with Xinyue holding things back inside, Consort Yun acting as a buffer outside, and two other Noble Consorts keeping things under control, the Empress felt her strategy was working smoothly and was just waiting to see how Consort Ling would retaliate. Pressing her phoenix seal on a list, the Empress decided to give Noble Consort Jia some sweetener. "Sister, yesterday I heard from the servants that Keshan was beaten. Is that true?"

"I don't know, sister!" Consort Jia was taken aback. She really didn't know about this. Although Keshan was not a prince, he was raised in the palace and naturally needed more care. How could he have been beaten? "Please enlighten me, elder sister."

"The young prince is pitiful, having such a sister. I heard it was Xinyue who hit him. Xinyue is being cared for by Consort Ling, and since I'm not feeling well, I didn't have Consort Ling bring her out to pay my respects. Sister, you know that I have the twelfth prince, the fourth, fifth, seventh, and Lan'er here, and she's pregnant. I really don't have the energy to visit Xinyue. Sister, please go in my place. I remember Consort Ling saying she'd raise a proper princess. While you're at it, go check on Keshan's injuries, lest the Emperor asks and you don't know. This matter needs to be clarified—was it a servant deceiving his master, or is it the orphan of Prince Duan's bad behavior?" The Empress spoke calmly, and Consort Jia listened attentively, a smile playing on her lips.

"Sister, I'll definitely ask you this clearly. Should we report this matter to the Emperor, elder sister?"

"If you're going to make the decision, then so be it. I'm entrusting the management of the harem to you and Chun-mei, because I trust you completely."

Consort Jia left in a good mood, while the Empress smiled and prepared to watch the show.

"Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, look at the little dress I made for my little sister! The flowers on it were embroidered by Lan-mei, and the thread was chosen by my older sister. All I know is how to choose thread!" Fifth Princess ran in from outside, holding a little dress in her hand. Girls always used these things to pass the time when they had nothing to do.

“Empress Dowager, look! Fifth Sister’s embroidery skills are getting better and better, Lan’er’s flowers are embroidered well, and Fourth Sister’s choice of thread is also very beautiful.”

"Empress Mother doesn't even say that my sister is lazy. She used to be able to embroider many patterns, but after learning to read account books, she forgot all of them." Wu'er's voice was filled with a smug coquettish tone.

"Fifth child is the best. Your mother will talk to Fourth child about it later. Fourth child won't get any of today's snacks. You and Lan'er can share them!"

"This... Empress Dowager, actually my sister also put a lot of effort into choosing the right dress." Fifth Princess said shyly, which amused the masters and servants in the room, bringing smiles to their faces.

The Fourth Princess was poking the Twelfth Prince's little face in the side hall. This Twelfth Prince was the one who eventually became the Emperor in many fanfictions, so she had to take advantage of the moment to play with him properly. If he really became the Emperor in the future, she could tell others that she had pinched the Emperor's face. The Twelfth Prince waved his little hands, trying to shake off the devilish hand that was pinching his face, but unfortunately, the little boy was no match for this big devilish hand.

"Fourth sister, fifth sister went to ask the Empress Dowager for a reward." Lan Xin entered the side hall and sat down next to the Seventh Princess, teasing her.

"I think she went to complain because she saw me being too idle!" Fourth Princess knew exactly what her younger sister was thinking.

Lan Xin looked at the Fourth Princess and said, "People say that twins can know each other's thoughts, and it seems that this is absolutely true." Lan Xin covered her smile with her handkerchief and said, "Fifth Sister's thoughts can't be hidden from you at all."