Chapter 40 Consort Hui's Lantern Festival
The New Year is always exceptionally busy.
A northerly wind blew all night, and a light drizzle started in the morning, which gradually stopped after noon.
It was freezing cold, but we had no choice but to go out—it was the Lantern Festival, and the Emperor was holding a banquet in the Imperial Garden to celebrate with his concubines.
Yunyun took the belt adorned with pearls from the palace maid and tied it on Baoqing herself. "It's rare to have a day to relax. Your mother won't restrict you. Go and have fun. Just remember not to be late for the Lantern Festival banquet."
Baoqing held up his hands as his mother dressed him with layers of decorations, and moved slightly upon hearing this.
His attire today was extremely festive. He wore a red velvet crown on his head, his hair was tied with bright red silk, and he wore an apricot-yellow silk robe with colorful clouds, bats, eight treasures, and golden dragon patterns. Over this robe, he wore a bright red sable overcoat, with golden satin ribbons hanging on both sides. His body was also adorned with necklaces, purses, longevity locks, and other items, hanging all over his body.
“Your subject understands,” Baoqing said, though he felt his attire was somewhat exaggerated, he stood firmly in place. “When the time comes, Xiaodezi will remind your subject.”
Taking advantage of their rare break, Baoqing and Baocheng made plans to go to Chengqian Palace together—no, to see their younger brother.
Yunyun knew about this, bent down and patted Baoqing's head, and instructed him, "Be polite when you see the Imperial Concubine. Also, this is your first visit, so your mother has prepared a gift for you. Remember to have Xiaodezi take it."
It's never wrong to be overly polite.
Baoqing was already a grown-up studying in the Imperial Study, and he no longer had Granny Sun accompanying him when he went out. Xiao Dezi became the first person by his side.
Yunyun would always inform Xiaodezi of any arrangements she made, so that he could remind Baoqing when the time came.
"I understand, Mother," Baoqing said, hugging the warm arm warmer and bidding farewell to Yunyun. "Don't worry, Mother, I will be at the Imperial Garden before the banquet."
It had just rained, and the ground was a bit slippery.
Groups of two or three palace maids and eunuchs walked along the palace path, their faces showing more or less some joy.
Hanging lanterns in the palace during the Lantern Festival is a tradition, as is guessing lantern riddles, an activity that everyone in the palace can participate in.
There were rewards for guessing the riddles correctly. Some were silver coins, while others were pastries and palace silks. The ladies might not care about such rewards, but it was still a good gain for them.
As soon as Baoqing arrived at Jinghe Gate, he saw the small figure of the Crown Prince.
Of course, he was always followed by a group of servants.
The crown prince was also dressed up in a particularly festive manner today, his whole body covered in red.
Upon seeing Baoqing, the Crown Prince was overjoyed. "Fifth Brother, I brought you a lantern."
Baoqing then noticed that the Crown Prince was holding two small rabbit-shaped palace lanterns.
It's obvious at a glance that the Imperial Household Department specially made it to amuse children.
The Crown Prince handed one to Baoqing, saying, "When we go to the Imperial Garden together, bring the lantern with us. Father Emperor said there are many lanterns in the Imperial Garden, but ours is the most unique."
Who doesn't like something unique?
Even the rabbits on these two lanterns are different; Baoqing's lantern is shaped like a squatting rabbit.
“Okay, let’s guess the riddles together,” Baoqing said, turning the rabbit lantern with a reserved smile. “There are some prizes inside that I asked my mother to put in. Let’s see if we can be lucky enough to find them.”
The Lantern Festival banquet was organized by Consort Tong, while Yunyun and Consort Rong were in charge of the riddles and prizes, respectively.
Both children were filled with anticipation for what was to come.
Of course, the first thing to do was to visit his eleventh brother at Chengqian Palace.
The crown prince was very experienced in this matter, and he patted his chest to assure him, "My little brother is very fun. He has recently started to understand speech, and he can pick things up and call me 'brother'."
Complaining to the Empress Dowager was very effective. Although Emperor Kangxi still restrained him, the Crown Prince could still visit her once or twice a month.
Every time brings a different surprise.
Jinghe Gate is not far from Chengqian Palace, separated only by a palace road, a distance of just a few steps.
To ensure the two children could have fun, Yunyun sent a formal invitation to Consort Tong in advance, indicating when they would arrive.
Consort Tong found it amusing and treated them in the manner befitting an adult.
First, they were invited to wait in a side hall, served tea and snacks, and then chatted with them for a while, talking about the same old things.
Baoqing had Xiaodezi bring out the gift, and said in a serious tone, "Mother Tong, I apologize for disturbing you with this first visit. This is a gift for my eleventh brother. Please accept it."
They were taken to the side hall where the Eleventh Prince was, and were instructed to be well taken care of. After returning to the main hall, Consort Tong was overjoyed.
Consort Hui is truly a remarkable person.
After being bound by palace rules for so long, this occasional visit feels like children playing house, and it's quite fun.
The eleventh prince already had a formal name, Yinzhen.
He understands when called Eleventh Prince, and he knows it's him when called Yinzhen.
Consort Tong was very wealthy and had the side hall's warm pavilion covered with carpets and all sharp objects removed so that the Eleventh Prince could crawl around safely inside.
"Eleventh Prince, come here," the Crown Prince and Baoqing took off their shoes and socks and sat cross-legged on one end of the carpet, while the Eleventh Prince was placed on the other end by the nanny.
The prince held a familiar rattle drum in his hand, tempting his younger brother, "Come here, come here and I'll give it to you."
Under Baoqing's astonished gaze, the Eleventh Prince, supporting himself on the leg of a chair beside him, stood up shakily and took two steps.
Then he collapsed again with a thud.
"Can the eleventh prince walk yet?" Baoqing looked at the eleventh prince's short stature and his hands and feet that looked like lotus roots, and was very doubtful.
The prince continued to tempt him, shaking the rattle drum, "The nanny said he can walk now, but he's just lazy and doesn't like to walk by himself."
After all, wherever you go, a nanny will carry you, which saves a lot of time and effort compared to walking yourself.
In the palace, many princesses and princes, pampered by their nannies, still had shoes that rarely got dusty even at two years old.
Bao Qing seemed to understand, but not quite.
Then, watching the eleventh prince crawl quickly using both hands and feet, he reached out to grab the rattle drum in the crown prince's hand.
Baoqing:?
Why is he able to climb so fast?
With his younger brother right in front of him, Baoqing reached out and flipped him over, wanting to study why his limbs were so flexible.
The eleventh prince was already dressed in thick clothes, and now he was lying on his back like a turtle, making some movements in the air before pouting.
The prince quickly stuffed the rattle into his hand.
The eleventh prince laughed again, shaking his limbs while holding the rattle drum, not caring that he was still being used as a toy by his two older brothers.
Before they knew it, they had spent the whole afternoon playing in the warm room. Baoqing exclaimed that her younger brother was truly a magical creature.
The Crown Prince had originally suggested returning to the Qianqing Palace, where he had a few other animal-shaped lamps, but Baoqing quickly shook his head and waved his hands.
His father was in the Qianqing Palace, and he didn't want to be asked about his studies by his father on his rare day off; that would be too cruel for him.
-
It had rained lightly in the morning, and the Imperial Garden looked as if it had been washed clean, bright and clear.
Fortunately, the afternoon was a fine day, which did not prevent the palace maids and eunuchs from hanging various lanterns and the character "福" (fortune) along the main path of the Imperial Garden.
Yunyun helped Fuling to her seat.
Consort Yi was nine months pregnant and nearing her due date. Her maids were constantly on edge, fearing something might happen to their mistress.
Consort De was promoted in rank and was now seated in her own separate seat.
It's unclear what Consort Tong was thinking when she arranged the seating, placing Consort Yi and Consort De together. Both of them were pregnant and their maids were unusually vigilant, which seemed out of place at the banquet.
Emperor Kangxi sat in the very center of the seat, with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager sitting to his left and right, respectively, slightly behind him.
Yunyun squinted at it; the bright yellow embroidery thread shone dazzlingly in the candlelight, and she silently lowered her head again.
"Mother, this is delicious," Baoqing appeared beside her at some point, holding a bowl of crystal glutinous rice balls on his feet.
These crystal glutinous rice balls are also a specialty of the Lantern Festival. The dough is made from lotus root starch, and the filling contains rose petals, pine nuts, and honey. They are made with chicken broth, resulting in a soft and glutinous texture with the aroma of flowers and nuts.
Yunyun took a bite following Baoqing's hand.
Baoqing scooped up another one with a porcelain spoon and fed it to her.
Seeing Baoqing's sincere eyes, Yunyun ate another one.
Seeing that Baoqing wanted to continue, Yunyun gently pressed down his hand, "Baoqing, eat too."
Even the most delicious glutinous rice balls are enough after eating just a few.
-
The plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. It is said that beauties are like flowers. After the Lantern Festival, Yanxi Palace also has an extra delicate flower.
The emperor saw her while admiring plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden. It is said that it was evening at the time. The woman had lowered her eyes and slender shoulders and waist, and looked like a fairy transformed from plum blossoms. He served her in bed that very night.
The next day, he brought all his belongings and was arranged to come to Yanxi Palace.
"This servant, Wei, greets Consort Hui. May Consort Hui enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
This newly promoted concubine is still performing the etiquette of a palace maid when meeting a concubine, and it seems that she has not yet recovered from the change in status.
No need for formalities.
Yun Jun sat upright on the heated kang, holding a hand warmer, lazily sizing up her new subordinate.
Their attire was very simple. The two girls wore a plain silver hairpin in their hair, and the pearls on their earrings were only the size of rice grains. Their wrists were bare, without even a bracelet.
She's not even as good as a second-class palace maid in Yanxi Palace.
Seeing that she was trembling slightly, Yun Jun softened her voice as much as possible, "From now on, you will all be the Emperor's concubines, so you don't need to refer to yourselves as servants anymore. Since you have been assigned to Yanxi Palace, just live well. I am not someone who cannot tolerate others."
It must be said that Consort Wei was indeed beautiful, with a cool and delicate appearance, like a goddess or fairy, a beauty different from that of Consort Yi.
Although Consort Wei's clothes were old, they were transformed into a sense of history by her beautiful appearance.
Seeing that she looked very uncomfortable, Yunyun gave her two flat leaf-shaped gilded bracelets as a greeting gift and told her to go and settle in first. "You've just arrived, so if you need anything, just have a maid tell me."
The background of this Consort Wei has been found out; she was a palace maid from the Xin Zhe Ku (a department for palace women).
Wait, Xin Zhe Ku?
Yunyun suddenly realized that she was beautiful during the Kangxi era, worked in Yanxi Palace, and came from the Xin Zhe Ku (a type of imperial household service). Could she be Consort Liang, the future mother of the Eighth Prince?
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Author's Note: I'm a little excited, so I'm writing this chapter.
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