Chapter 11 Consort Hui and the Fifth Prince
Knowing that the Emperor would stay in Kunning Palace for the first three days to save face for the Empress, the concubines did not plan to cause any trouble at this time.
After having dinner with Emperor Kangxi, the Empress, holding a cup of hot tea, brought up the matter of the Fifth Prince.
"The two little princesses in the palace and Prince Zhaoxiang are all well. However, the Fifth Prince is almost old enough to enter the Imperial Study. Does Your Majesty have any plans?"
She was the Empress, in charge of all affairs of the six palaces, and the education of the princes was always a major royal matter.
If the matter of enrolling in school were to be brought up by the Emperor himself, it would make her appear as someone who was not doing her job properly in managing the harem.
By bringing it up now, we can avoid giving others ammunition to criticize us later.
The Fifth Prince's birthday is February 14th, which is still about half a year away.
However, as the eldest prince of this generation, he needs to prepare in advance for selecting teachers for his studies and choosing companions for his studies.
After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Kangxi said, “The matter of the Fifth Prince’s enrollment should indeed be planned in advance. Tomorrow, let the Imperial Astronomical Bureau choose an auspicious day to bring him back to the palace.”
He himself also wanted to meet this healthy and lively older brother.
When it came to his arrangements after returning to the palace, Kangxi's tone became more deliberate.
"Now that Consort Hui has been promoted to the rank of Consort, the Fifth Prince should stay in Yanxi Palace after returning to the palace, so that he can be closer to Consort Hui. After he turns six, he can move to the Princes' quarters in the East Third Palace, which is closer to the Imperial Study, making it more convenient for him to go to school every day."
It was an ancestral rule that princes entered the Imperial Study at the age of six, a rule established based on various considerations.
On the one hand, it was to prevent interference in politics by maternal relatives. If a prince lived with his birth mother, it would be very easy for his family to form a political alliance with him.
On the other hand, the royal family believed that mothers would spoil their children, and that the influence of women in the inner palace would easily make princes pampered, weak, and dependent.
When Kangxi ascended the throne at the age of eight, he had rarely seen his birth mother before that. After ascending the throne, he was able to see her more often by paying his respects to the Empress Dowager every day.
Unfortunately, her birth mother was sickly and passed away after serving as Empress Dowager for a year.
This was a regret in Kangxi's heart, and therefore he felt a sense of compensation towards the Tong family.
Now that the Empress has brought it up, Consort Hui is also entitled to raise the child by her side. Mother and child have hardly seen each other, so six months is not a problem.
The Empress nodded. "Your Majesty's consideration is very thorough. Consort Hui is gentle and composed. It would be good for the Fifth Prince to learn palace etiquette by her side."
Emperor Kangxi nodded slightly upon hearing this.
He was satisfied with the empress.
She has managed the harem flawlessly over the years, and she herself is of good character and a virtuous helpmate.
In particular, the fact that she came from the powerful Niohuru clan, representing the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, made him feel very at ease and reassured in his political affairs. Her very existence was an affirmation and trust in the power she represented.
Emperor Kangxi was not yet a fully-fledged emperor. Although his feelings for the Empress were more politically motivated, he still trusted her.
He would only discuss these matters concerning the harem with her.
"As for the other concubines, you can arrange them as you see fit," Kangxi said confidently. "You are the Empress, so naturally I trust you."
A faint smile appeared on the Empress's face.
There was no rebuttal to this.
It's better to trust the Empress's power than the Emperor's.
The stability of the imperial harem was never maintained by trust, but by rules, power, and tacit checks and balances.
As dusk fell, palace maids entered to help the Emperor and Empress change their clothes.
The Empress lowered her eyes as she watched the palace maid remove her dark blue everyday clothes and change her into a plain nightgown.
The fabric clung to my skin, with a slightly cool touch.
She recalled Kangxi's earlier words of 'trust' and also thought of Consort Tong.
If that concubine, who always hoped to outdo her cousin because of their friendship, heard the Emperor's words, she would probably start to entertain some unrealistic fantasies again.
But so what?
As long as she remains Empress, and as long as the Niohuru clan's power remains, Consort Tong can only remain in a dream of imperial favor, unable to stir up any trouble.
Besides, Consort Tong doesn't seem to be a very intelligent person.
Can one really expect the emperor's true affection?
Maybe in the next life.
"Your Majesty must be tired today, please rest early."
Upon hearing Kangxi's words, the Empress snapped out of her wandering thoughts.
He nodded silently.
The palace servants inside the hall gradually withdrew, leaving only two palace maids on night duty waiting outside the hall.
-
The next day, when paying their respects, the Empress looked around at the concubines, her tone gentle yet dignified.
"I have some good news to announce today. Yesterday, His Majesty instructed the Imperial Observatory to choose an auspicious day. The Fifth Prince will be brought back to the palace soon to prepare for his entry into the Imperial Study."
These words struck Yun Yun's heart like a thunderbolt, catching her completely off guard.
Baoqing is coming back!
She was in a daze.
A surge of joy suddenly welled up inside me.
She was happy when she was promoted, but it was nothing compared to the intensity of this moment.
The child she had never met, yet who had been on the original owner's mind for five years—her obsession.
Finally, it's time to return to the palace!
Yun Yun's eyes welled up with tears, and her fingertips trembled slightly. It wasn't until the Empress's voice rang out again that she was pulled back from her daze.
"By the Emperor's grace, after the Fifth Prince returns to the palace, he will stay in Yanxi Palace before entering the Imperial Study. The Imperial Household Department has prepared the Fifth Prince's allowance and will send it over soon. If Yanxi Palace is lacking anything, please just send someone to tell us. Everything is for the Fifth Prince's benefit."
These words made the already envious concubines even more envious.
The return of the Fifth Prince to the palace was big news for them, but it didn't have any other implications.
But living in Yanxi Palace is a big deal.
For example, envy.
The Ninth Prince of Consort Nara was raised in Zhaoxiang's residence, and she could only see him a few times a year.
For example, jealousy.
The Fifth Prince lives in Yanxi Palace, and since the Emperor currently only has this one grown-up prince, he will surely visit him frequently.
He went to Consort Hui's place more often, and came to their place less often.
Even so, in order to save face, they still had to offer their congratulations.
Consort Rong's smile was genuine. "Congratulations, Consort Hui! I heard that the Fifth Prince is recovering well outside the palace. Your Yanxi Palace is going to be very lively from now on."
The return of the Fifth Prince to the palace was a reassurance for her.
With the Fifth Prince as a precedent, the Emperor might allow the Tenth Prince to stay in Zhongcui Palace for half a year when he returns to the palace.
Yunyun tried hard to control the corners of her mouth from turning up too obviously, but she couldn't suppress the joy in her voice when she opened her mouth, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty the Empress and Your Majesty. I will take good care of the Fifth Prince and not let Your Majesty and Your Majesty worry."
During her months in the palace, she also learned to speak politely.
Fuling stood behind her mistress, her heart overflowing with joy.
After his master fell seriously ill, the smiles on his face became increasingly rare.
Hopefully, the Fifth Prince can truly make the master happy.
Knowing that their minds were not on this matter, the Empress did not linger. She only said some polite words to them before dismissing them.
Yanxi Palace.
News doesn't spread quickly in the inner palace, and Lingzhi obviously doesn't know about this good news yet.
Fu Ling, unusually uncharacteristically lacking her usual composure, couldn't suppress the smile on her face. "Guess what good news I have today?"
Lingzhi was making chirping sounds, teasing the parrot named Yingge.
Turning around at the sound, she was still holding half a handful of millet in her hand, blinking in confusion: "Good news? Could it be that the imperial kitchen has added new dishes for the master? Or has a reward been bestowed?"
In her opinion, her master's promotion was the best news, but Fuling seemed even happier than when her master was promoted.
Fuling deliberately kept Lingzhi in suspense, walked up to her, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "It's the Fifth Prince—the Emperor is going to bring the Fifth Prince back to the palace, and he's even asking him to stay in our Yanxi Palace before entering the Imperial Study!"
"Really!"
Lingzhi dropped the millet in her hand onto the ground with a clatter, her eyes wide with disbelief.
She looked at Yun Jun.
Yun Jun nodded with a smile.
"Really!" Lingzhi ignored the parrot and started pacing around the room. "Great! Great! My brother is coming back! Does he like sweet or savory food? Does a five or six-year-old like to play with wooden ponies? And his clothes, we need to choose soft silk, so they don't rub against his skin..."
She moved left and right, as if the floor was biting her.
Even the parrots on the shelf were startled by her movements and started flapping their wings and squawking.
Fuling stood aside watching her and smiled. Lingzhi was too embarrassed to go up and grab her. "Sister Fuling, you should also think about it. We must make sure that the prince lives happily in Yanxi Palace."
The two huddled together.
They discussed and planned out the things to be prepared, from food and snacks to toys and clothes. They even carefully considered which side hall to prepare for the prince and what kind of curtains to use.
While Fuling and Lingzhi led the palace maids and eunuchs to tidy up the side hall and prepare to take inventory of the storeroom, Yunyun got up alone and walked towards the small Buddhist hall.
The Buddhist hall was quiet, with only the candlelight on the offering table flickering gently.
The offerings of fruit were still fresh, and the palace maids changed them every day.
Yunyun knelt on the prayer mat and lit an incense stick.
“Baoqing is coming back,” Yunyun murmured softly, gazing at the Buddha statue on the altar.
She didn't adapt to life in the palace as well as she had imagined.
She didn't have much of a romantic view of the emperor, nor did she have much reverence for imperial power, so she didn't crave the emperor's favor like the other concubines.
Regardless of what this favor brings.
Position.
Offspring.
She already has everything.
She knew the general history of the Qing Dynasty, knew that if she didn't make any mistakes, she would become Consort Hui, knew that the Crown Prince would be deposed, knew that the First Prince would be imprisoned, and knew that the Fourth Prince would ascend the throne.
In her view, her future was a straight line.
The other concubines would have expectations due to the uncertainty of the future.
But she doesn't.
She comforted herself by enjoying the decades that Kangxi was alive.
However, life in the harem was extremely impoverished; unable to go out, they were confined to a square, narrow space.
So boring.
The palace was severely lacking in entertainment facilities; there were no cell phones, no games, no online novels, and certainly no storybooks.
Her only joy was looking forward to her daily meals; eating was her happiest time.
But things are different now. Baoqing is coming back, the child that the original owner had been thinking about for five years.
I hope it's as Consort Rong said.
Yanxi Palace was able to become lively.
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