Chapter Twenty-One

Everyone living in the imperial harem has their own agenda, including the princesses awaiting marriage, Qing'er being one of them. Qing'er entered the palace at the age of seven and has served the Empress Dowager ever since. Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now at fourteen, Qing'er has become the focus of discussion among the noblewomen, including Fu Lun's wife. Fu Lun's wife now practically treats the Emperor's harem as her own backyard, entering the palace every few days to ask Consort Ling to speak favorably of her eldest son, Fu Erkang, and to establish a marriage alliance with the Empress Dowager. Of course, the matter of her family being elevated to a higher banner status would be a given, as the Empress Dowager would speak on her behalf. Consort Ling always gives vague answers, neither agreeing nor refusing to help. Consort Ling was well aware of her family's financial situation. Although her father held a position in the Imperial Household Department, it was a sinecure with little real power, and the allowance he provided for her each year was limited. The Fu family, however, was different; the money she gave as tips came from them. When she had previously helped Fu Erkang secure a job, the Emperor had already warned her not to interfere in previous matters, saying that the Empress never made such requests, and had reprimanded her. Now, if she brought up Fu Erkang's affairs again, Consort Ling feared she would displease the Emperor.

After seeing her cousin off, Consort Ling hesitated for a moment, then asked Dongxue to find some trinkets that her cousin had sent and give them to Qing'er. "Just say that they were chosen by Fu Erkang, the eldest son of the Fu family."

Dongxue took the things and went out. Consort Ling then summoned Lamei, "Find a clever one to follow Xinyue, so that Xinyue will offend the Fifth Prince."

Wax Plum said "Yes" and followed them out.

Consort Ling intended to win over the Fifth Prince. When Xinyue offended him, Consort Ling feigned concern and sent Fu'ertai to be the Fifth Prince's study companion. As for Qing'er, it would be far better if Qing'er herself asked the Empress Dowager than if Consort Ling asked directly. Consort Ling's calculations were incredibly shrewd. She knew perfectly well the benefits Qing'er could bring her if she married into the family, and her mind raced with thoughts of how to secure a settlement.

In Cining Palace, Granny Gui watched Qing'er talking to a maid from Yanxi Palace in the courtyard. Qing'er hesitated for a moment before accepting the gift, then turned and walked back to her room, her face flushed. Granny Gui frowned and immediately reported to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager simply closed her eyes, saying, "Qing'er is already fourteen. When the Emperor comes tomorrow, I will arrange a marriage for her."

~~~

With the Empress Dowager's concubine about to marry, arrangements for her rank and title were naturally being made. The Ministry of Rites wanted to use this opportunity to curry favor with the Emperor. They were worried about their wives constantly causing trouble, their daughters suffering mistreatment at their husbands' homes, being unable to consummate their marriages, and the prospect of their husbands taking concubines before the wedding was even over. The officials in the Ministry of Rites had already incurred much criticism from other ministers of the fourth rank and above; they were helpless! It was an ancestral rule for princesses to marry with their nannies, and the husbands, under the Emperor's authority, naturally dared not take concubines. However, the Emperor's decree was an act of favor, but their daughters did not possess the same noble status as the Emperor's princesses, so naturally, their husbands' families would take concubines, causing discontent among the ministers. The Ministry of Rites hoped that by arranging the marriage of the Empress Dowager's concubine, they could gain good fortune and persuade the Emperor to rescind his decree.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites tried to flatter him, but were stopped by Prince He, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department. Although Qing'er was raised by the Empress Dowager, she was the daughter of a Prince and could only be a "Doroggege" (a low-ranking concubine). What title did a Doroggege need? Did she deserve a princess's residence? Prince He's words were naturally at the Empress Dowager's suggestion. Upon hearing this, the officials from the Ministry of Rites immediately submitted a memorial to the Emperor, as such an important matter could not be allowed to go wrong.

Looking at the memorial from the Ministry of Rites, Emperor Qianlong wanted to please his mother, the Empress Dowager. The Qing Dynasty was also short of a Heshuo Gege (a high-ranking imperial concubine), so he decided to proceed according to the regulations for a Heshuo Gege. As for the title... Qianlong decided to let the Empress Dowager decide.

The Empress showed no reaction whatsoever to Qing'er's marriage. She knew Qing'er very well; she wouldn't consider anyone close to Consort Ling. Emperor Qianlong was quite pleased with the Empress's lack of ambition. When assigning a job to Fu'erkang, he also arranged a position as a guard captain for the Empress's nephew. One was a guard, the other a captain; neither was foolish enough to discern who was more favored and who should be distanced. The Empress's reaction was to reprimand Lady Nara in the Kunning Palace for using connections, arguing that the Nara family's merits should have been earned on the battlefield, not through favors. She then first expressed gratitude to the Emperor, followed by an apology. Somehow, the Emperor learned of the reprimand. Qianlong, exasperated by the Empress's personality, hastily ordered another Nara nephew who hadn't yet entered the palace to accompany his eldest son to the military camp. He also angrily reprimanded Consort Ling for using her favor to secure official positions for her relatives.

After reprimanding Consort Ling, Emperor Qianlong recalled the removal of Consort Yun's green nameplate. He pondered for a moment, then went to Consort Jia's palace and scolded her. Consort Jia immediately retorted that she had never removed Consort Yun's green nameplate. Qianlong was somewhat skeptical, but then went to see the Empress, whose reaction surprised him.

"Your Majesty, when I saw that Consort Yun's green nameplate was not there, I thought it was because Your Majesty had issued an edict to show consideration for Consort Yun's pregnancy and the inconvenience it caused."

Emperor Qianlong, seeing that the Empress's appearance did not seem to be faking it, said, "Empress, I know you are pregnant, but you must take better care of the affairs of the inner palace."

Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately ordered Rong Momo to summon the people from the Imperial Household Department, as she needed to get to the Emperor's attention and find out the truth.

The person from the Imperial Household Department answered readily, saying that it was the master of Yanxi Palace who ordered the removal.

Having just vented his anger at Yanxi Palace, Emperor Qianlong went there again, unleashed another tirade, and left without giving Consort Ling a chance to explain. He then spent several days in Chang'an Palace afterward.

At first, the Fourth Princess was interested in watching the power struggles within the harem, but now she has lost all interest. She finds it fascinating to watch the Twelfth Prince grow up every day. He can now speak, and speaks fluently. The Twelfth Prince has an exceptional memory; he can recite some of the poems and books the Fourth Princess has read, though not all of them, which excites her greatly, prompting her to exclaim, "Genius!"

The Empress was puzzled by the word "genius" and summoned the Fifth Princess to ask her for details. The Fifth Princess repeated the Fourth Princess's explanation to the Empress. The Empress's gaze towards the Twelfth Prince changed, and then she called the Fourth Princess to her side. "Fourth Princess, I don't care whether the Twelfth Prince is a genius or not. I just want to avoid his sharp edge before he comes of age."

The Fourth Princess understood the Empress's meaning and nodded to her. No matter the pretext, the palace intrigues ultimately boil down to one thing: power. The Fourth Princess meticulously instructed the Twelfth Prince, and this initial instruction laid the foundation for a different kind of life for her.

~~~

Every day, Qing'er felt a strange joy looking at the things Dongxue sent, but then she would start having insomnia. She felt uneasy and anxious, but mostly it was a feeling that was hard to describe. If Qing'er looked at the little trinkets in her hands for too long, her face would turn red, her heart would race, and she would toss and turn, unable to sleep. Tonight was no exception. Instead of going to bed under the covers as usual, Qing'er put on a coat and went outside. She went out of the Cining Gate and strolled into the garden of the Cining Palace, still carrying her little trinkets.

Fu Erkang was on the night shift today. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he decided to take a good stroll and familiarize himself with the area. As he walked, he entered the Cining Palace Garden. Fu Erkang was heading towards the Imperial Garden, and he felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Of course, Fu Erkang knew that the Emperor's harem was not a place he could enter; how could he not be nervous on his first visit? Fu Erkang walked and looked around the garden, wondering if he would encounter any palace maids. At fifteen years old, Fu Erkang was somewhat curious about matters between men and women, especially since his mother had mentioned before entering the palace that she would find him a concubine in a few days. Although Fu Erkang outwardly refused with stern words, he knew in his heart that his mother would definitely find one.

As Qing'er walked, she heard a rustling sound and stopped. She assumed it was some servant who couldn't sleep and was wandering around. But thinking it wouldn't be right to run into him, she turned back. As soon as she turned around, Qing'er was terrified. The person in the sound was clearly a healthy man, about to pounce on her. Qing'er was so frightened that she forgot to scream.

"I am Fu Erkang, a bodyguard of the Emperor. I wonder what you were doing in the Imperial Garden at night?" Fu Erkang clasped his hands in a gesture commonly used in the martial arts world, thinking himself a gentleman.

Hearing that it was Fu Erkang, Qing'er's heart raced and her face flushed. However, since there were no lanterns or anything like that in the night, the two could only observe each other by the moonlight. Qing'er whispered her name and then lowered her head.

Upon hearing that it was Qing'er, and seeing her shyly bowing her head, Fu Erkang's heart surged with excitement. Qing'er, could it be the Qing'er his mother spoke of, the one by the Empress Dowager's side? Could she be the one he was to marry? Could she be the Qing'er who could bring his family the honor of being elevated to a higher social class?

Qing'er wrapped her handkerchief around her hand, wondering why he didn't say a word.

"clear……"

"Just call me Qing'er."

"Qing'er".

Snowflakes drifted down on a March night. Qing'er and Fu'erkang stood in the Cining Garden, sometimes exchanging a word, sometimes falling silent. Unbeknownst to them, several servants had visited the garden.

~~~

Consort Ling was recently quite depressed. The news of her being reprimanded by the Emperor had spread throughout the palace, making her a laughingstock. She had hoped to use the removal of Consort Yun's green headband as an opportunity to curry favor with the Emperor and demonstrate her willingness to offer herself to Consort Yun. Unexpectedly, the Emperor didn't react at the time, and it wasn't until two months later that he investigated, giving her no chance to retract her statement. Consort Ling, wringing her handkerchief, was going to meet Consort Yun when, before she could even call for anyone, Dongxue rushed in.

"Your Majesty, the princess sent a message saying that she and Guard Fu were enjoying the night view in the Cining Garden last night. She is afraid of being discovered by the Empress Dowager and would like to ask Your Majesty for help."

"What!" Consort Ling was stunned. Enjoying the night view in the Cining Garden? Fu Erkang, do you want your head? She herself is already in a precarious position, yet she's being given such a task. But regardless... Consort Ling's mind raced, and she whispered a few words in Dongxue's ear. Dongxue's eyes widened, then closed again. Although she felt sorry for the princess, she also knew that her fortune was in Consort Ling's hands. "This servant will go and do it right away!"

In a single day, news of Qing'er enjoying the snow with the guards spread throughout the palace.