Chapter Twenty

The news of Princess Xinyue spread throughout the palace, but no punishment was reported. The concubines had a new topic of conversation. They wondered why she had been let off so easily. They guessed that it was because the New Year was still in effect and they couldn't punish her. They thought that there would be further developments after the New Year.

As for what happened in Cining Palace, after the Empress pleaded for Consort Ling, the Empress Dowager didn't want to pursue the matter. She wanted to use Consort Ling to balance the Qianlong Emperor's harem, so the Empress Dowager blamed all the mistakes on Xinyue.

"Your Majesty, Lady Tatara has awakened."

"Xuan, I must ask what exactly happened!" The Empress Dowager looked at Xinyue. "Consort Ling, take Xinyue back first. I'll trust you one more time. I hope you can show me a proper and well-mannered princess, not one who kneels and kowtows to servants." The Empress Dowager patted the hand of the Empress sitting beside her. "Empress, in a month, accompany me to see if Princess Xinyue has changed."

Consort Ling had intended to pass the buck, but the Empress Dowager thwarted her plans. Although she hadn't managed to avoid the trouble, she hadn't escaped punishment either, which relieved Consort Ling. As she thanked the Empress Dowager and walked towards Yanxi Palace with Xinyue, she was still thinking about how the Empress had spoken up for her. The more Consort Ling thought about it, the stranger it seemed, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

In the Cining Palace, Emperor Qianlong sat in the center with the Empress Dowager, while the Empress sat on a soft couch to the side, watching him and the old lady.

As soon as she woke up, Old Lady Tatara decided that she would tell the truth, even if it cost her the entire Tatara family their lives. She knelt on the ground and recounted her son's words, adding that when the princess was outside Nudahai's tent, she saw more than just Nudahai. Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager turned green with anger. Emperor Qianlong, recalling Xinyue Dakeshan's questioning of Nudahai, stared wide-eyed. The Empress, however, merely listened with surprise, saying only symbolically, "Madam Tatara, insulting the princess is a serious crime."

He kowtowed to the old lady, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress, if this servant has uttered a single lie, may my entire family be sent to guard Ningguta and never be allowed to return to the capital."

The entire Tatara family is loyal. General Tatara died on the battlefield, and the current Nudahai is also constantly fighting on the battlefield. I heard that his son has also joined the army. This family is full of loyal martyrs. Qianlong really didn't know what to say. He looked at the Empress Dowager and gave the Empress a wink.

"Your Majesty, this matter must be investigated thoroughly. It's not that I'm biased towards the Ta La family, it's just that Princess Xin Yue's behavior is really..." The Empress made a gesture as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

The Empress Dowager's lips trembled as she recalled how Xinyue had kowtowed to Madam Tatara just moments before. "Madam Tatara, please return home for now! I will naturally investigate this matter thoroughly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" The old lady kowtowed to Emperor Qianlong and the Empress again before leaving. Only after leaving the Cining Palace did she realize that she was covered in sweat.

~~~~

Back in Yanxi Palace, still bewildered, Consort Ling saw her cousin still kneeling on the ground and immediately scolded the palace servants before helping her to her feet. Lady Fu, dizzy from kneeling, vaguely heard Consort Ling whispering instructions; whether she remembered them or not is unknown, but she didn't forget to ask for a job for her son. Seeing the time, the two didn't discuss further, and Lady Fu left some silver for Consort Ling before leaving the palace.

The Empress, who had just returned from Cining Palace, heard the maid's report but merely smiled and dismissed her. Upon reaching the side hall, she saw four older princesses playing with Twelve and Seventh Sister. Looking at He Wan's increasingly plump figure, the Empress remembered that He Wan was already married and it wasn't right for her to remain in the palace. However, the old nanny was good at first, but she feared that her appetite would gradually increase. After much thought, the Empress actually came up with a plan: to have her maids monitor the assigned nanny. Back in the capital, the maids reported every three days. But then she reconsidered. If the maids and the nanny teamed up, wouldn't He Wan still suffer? The Empress, after much deliberation, hoped that this ancestral system could be abolished.

In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was discussing the matter of Xinyue with Emperor Qianlong. The Empress Dowager intended to confine Xinyue to the Buddhist hall after the New Year, while Qianlong's intention was to have him killed directly. The Empress Dowager, considering that Prince Duan's death was not a pleasant one, essentially acquiesced.

~~~~

Emperor Qianlong spent three consecutive nights sleeping in Yanxi Palace, which infuriated many of the concubines in the harem. Consort Jia and Consort Chun were furious. Consort Yun, who hadn't seen the Emperor for several days, fainted upon hearing the news. Emperor Qianlong, who hadn't yet officially started court, immediately rushed from Yanxi Palace to Changping Palace upon hearing the news.

After hearing from Rong Momo that Consort Yun had fainted, the Empress immediately led the Fourth and Fifth Princesses to Changyuan Palace. Upon arriving at Changyuan Palace, seeing Emperor Qianlong fussing over Consort Yun, the Empress felt a pang of sadness. She thought to herself that she was also pregnant and had never seen the Emperor treat her like this before. The Empress sighed inwardly and put on an anxious expression, "Your Majesty, may you be well. What did the imperial physician say?"

Emperor Qianlong turned to look at the Empress, then at the Fourth and Fifth Princesses. He nodded inwardly with admiration, noting that the Empress's etiquette was first-rate. "She's still being treated. How could she faint so suddenly?"

"Your Majesty, pregnant women are always delicate. This is Consort Yun's first pregnancy, and I was careless. I should have had the imperial physician check her pulse daily." The Empress readily took the blame. Hearing the Empress's words, the Fourth Princess looked at her with new respect; the Empress was becoming increasingly capable. The Fifth Princess, however, felt a pang of sadness; she felt her Empress Mother was being wronged.

Emperor Qianlong looked at the Empress and suddenly realized that his mother's choice of Nara as Empress was absolutely correct. Her straightforward personality was perhaps her strength; although her bluntness could sometimes be unpleasant to hear, it was never malicious, and she didn't resort to underhanded tactics. To put it bluntly, she was a bit naive. However, this very personality could make her vulnerable to manipulation. Qianlong sighed. "If I hadn't noticed Nara's good qualities, would she have been used by scheming concubines to do something drastic?" he thought. "Empress," he said, "from now on, whatever happens, I will allow you to explain yourself first and not listen to others."

The Empress was taken aback by Qianlong's sudden remark and forgot to react. Qianlong found the Empress's stunned expression amusing.

The Fourth Princess sighed inwardly, wondering if Qianlong was back to normal or if he was having a seizure. The Fifth Princess was genuinely happy for the Empress, but she couldn't show it, since her own mother was lying inside, even though she had a gut feeling that her mother was alright.

Soon, the imperial physician rushed off to report to the Emperor that Consort Yun's health was... well, let's just say it was a long story. After a lengthy explanation, the Fourth Princess understood. That long conversation could be summed up in four words—"overthinking." The Fourth and Fifth Princesses carefully helped the Empress to sit down, then went inside to check on Consort Yun with worried expressions. Although everyone outside said Consort Yun was their adoptive mother, Qianlong knew she was their birth mother. Qianlong still considered himself a very filial son, so the Fourth Princess was just going through the motions, lest she be accused of being unfilial and verbally abused to death.

That night, Emperor Qianlong slept in the Chang'an Palace, while the Empress returned to Kunning Palace with two princesses. The next day, Qianlong issued two imperial edicts, one to the Empress and the other to Consort Yun. The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement to the one for the Empress; she knew the Empress's temperament well, and the Emperor's action was also granting the principal wife a certain degree of power. As for the one for Consort Yun—or rather, Consort Yun—the Empress Dowager, though somewhat displeased, didn't want Consort Ling to become too powerful, so she dismissed it without a second thought. Qing'er gave the Empress Dowager a light back massage, but inwardly wondered if Consort Ling was heartbroken; she hadn't heard the Emperor bestow anything upon Consort Ling in a long time.

The Empress Dowager squinted at Qing'er's absent-minded appearance. This girl has grown up, and so has her thoughts. After all, she is not her own blood relative, and her heart is with outsiders.

While not everything in Yanxi Palace was completely broken, some porcelain pieces were indeed shattered. Consort Ling, having climbed to her current position, was no fool. If she were to smash a large amount of things, the Emperor might perceive her as arrogant and extravagant, and she certainly wouldn't want to ruin her image in his eyes.

~~~

The Fourth and Fifth Princesses have been very busy lately, one taking care of the prince and the other taking care of the Seventh Princess. He Wan and Lan Xin found it amusing to watch them like this. He Wan was quite comfortable in Kunning Palace, but she often stared blankly at the Empress's belly. The Empress knew that He Wan, now a married woman, longed to act like a mother.

After some thought, the Empress assigned Zhao, who had served her for many years, to be He Wan's wet nurse. Secretly, the Empress gave He Wan all of Zhao's wealth and told her that if Zhao showed any intention of disrespecting her mistress, this would be a way to restrain her. He Wan gratefully bowed deeply to the Empress. After bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, she returned to her princess residence.

Zhao, the old nanny who followed He Wan, was truly honest. Hearing of Princess He Wan's plight, she felt great sympathy. Although Zhao hadn't served the Empress as long as Rong Momo, her personality truly reflected her master. Upon arriving at the princess's residence, Zhao's first act was to expel all the concubines. That very evening, before He Wan could even speak, Zhao had already summoned the prince consort. In front of the princess, she told him that except for the days when the princess was unwell and they couldn't consummate their marriage, he shouldn't make things difficult for servants and should simply come to the princess's residence voluntarily. Zhao added that if they were to keep concubines, it would have to wait until the princess gave birth to a legitimate son. He Wan blushed deeply at Zhao's words, but inwardly she was delighted. The prince consort had feelings for Hewan. He couldn't get close to her before because of the nanny by the princess's side. Now, listening to what Zhao the nanny said, the prince consort was very grateful and immediately sent someone to deliver a generous gift. However, Zhao the nanny didn't even look at it. "This servant was ordered by Her Majesty to serve the princess. This servant will be in the princess's residence for a long time. Don't make things difficult for this servant."

Zhao Mama's words quickly reached Prince He's residence. Prince He had heard about his daughter's situation before and wanted to intervene, but he lacked a pretext. He was quite happy when the Emperor announced the abolition of the system, but the pedantic old men in the Ministry of Rites kept nagging, and it never happened. Prince He was furious at home, but helpless. When the Emperor issued that decree, Prince He was the first to applaud, thinking, "So you opposed it? Now you'll get your revenge!" When they heard that He Jing had returned to the Princess's residence, Prince He and his wife were worried. Only a few days later, when they heard the report from the people who had gone to inquire about the Princess that she was well, and hearing Zhao Mama's words, Prince He finally felt relieved.