The New Year of the 45th year of Kangxi's reign finally arrived. For some reason, Princess Wenyi did not stay in the palace to celebrate the New Year, but returned home early. It was said that the Dzungar Khan's men had come to fetch her. Princess Wenyi, along with her two children, once again bid farewell to her homeland, her mother who had given her birth, and her father, the Emperor.
Since Lanqin had no reason to meet this Princess Heshuo, she didn't pay special attention to it, and the Fourth Prince didn't mention it either. So, after Princess Heshuo left, Lanqin heard some things about Princess Heshuo from the Fourth Prince.
The Qing Dynasty and the Dzungar Khanate were about to go to war again. Princess Wenyi had originally intended to stay, but Emperor Kangxi refused. Not only that, he also bestowed upon her the title of Heshuo Princess, merely to deceive others. The Heshuo Princess was heartbroken, torn between her husband's family on one side and her own family on the other. As a woman, she could only suffer in the middle.
Alas, the princesses of the Qing Dynasty were truly pitiful. Most of them died young, and those who survived were probably abused beyond recognition.
After the last Golden Festival, Lanqin developed a fear of going to the palace for the New Year, to the point that she actually fell ill from the fear. It was actually just a slight chill and a mild cough. So, it was only natural for the Fourth Prince to report Lanqin's illness to the palace, thus sparing her and her two children from the two southern courtyards from going to the palace for the New Year.
Is this what they call turning misfortune into blessing?
From the first day of the lunar month until the fifteenth, the Prince and his wife were required to enter the palace every day. Therefore, during this period, Lanqin stayed at the mansion to oversee things. She didn't need to do anything; the head nanny handled the specific matters. However, if there were any issues in the inner quarters, people would still consult Lanqin.
During the Lunar New Year, the Fourth Prince and his wife went to the palace, leaving only a few princesses and Lanqin in the mansion. She didn't want to hold a New Year's feast like Li Shi had done before, which only caused her a lot of trouble. Lanqin simply instructed the kitchen to double the usual allowance for each princess, change the dishes to those for the New Year, and deliver all the necessary New Year's items to each person.
She herself sat comfortably in her room with her son and daughter, enjoying the New Year's Eve dinner and watching fireworks, though it was a pity there was no Spring Festival Gala to watch. However, Lanqin ingeniously hired a shadow puppet troupe specifically for the two little ones, instead of asking anyone else for fear of causing trouble. Nevertheless, Madam Song and Madam Geng still came; the eldest princess had gone to the palace with the Fujin (principal wife), leaving Lanqin, as her mother, with no connection to the palace.
Lanqin, Madam Song, and Madam Geng sat around the main couch, on which lay a table laden with various trendy pastries, melon seeds, nuts, candied fruit, and fresh fruit. The room was warm and cozy, with colorful paper-cut window decorations pasted on every window. The festive atmosphere reminded Lanqin of the Spring Festivals she had spent at her grandmother's house in the countryside in the 21st century. Back then, the whole family would gather around to eat dumplings; now, they didn't have to make them themselves—everything was ready-made—which made the atmosphere less intimate. The two younger children, Xichen and Wuxiha, were being led around the room by the maids. Xichen had just turned one year old, and Wuxiha was only six months old, both showing great interest in walking.
"Consort, the shadow puppet show is here. Set it up at the doorway." Cui Niang had also changed into a new outfit, and her headdress was more elaborate than that of the other maids.
"Let's set it up, Sister Song, Sister Geng. Let's look at the Monkey King first; the children probably only understand this one," Lanqin said to them.
"We just came here to join in the fun. Whatever you're looking at, we'll just watch it too," Song said with a smile.
Lanqin smiled and nodded, then had the maids bring the two children up. Lanqin also granted permission for those outside to come inside to watch the play. So almost everyone in the South Courtyard went into the main house, leaving only Granny Wang and Master Niu guarding the door outside, though they were also just watching from outside.
The shadow puppet show began. A white, screen-like object was placed at the doorway, blocking the entrance.
After a burst of gongs and drums, a little monkey flew up on auspicious, colorful clouds, and then a Taoist-looking immortal appeared before them. The little monkey and the immortal began to talk.
The two little ones seemed to understand, one sitting in Lanqin's lap, the other held in Song's arms, watching the shadow puppet show and making babbling sounds. Not only them, but everyone in the room was engrossed, except for Lanqin, who would occasionally drift off. She had seen countless plays about Sun Wukong—on TV, in theaters, on her computer—almost every kind. She never imagined she would one day travel to the Qing Dynasty three hundred years ago and watch a shadow puppet version of the Monkey King.
It's a common feeling of trepidation near home and longing for family as the festival approaches. Lanqin has already spent her second New Year at the Fourth Prince's residence, and she still thinks of her mother in another dimension from time to time. Lanqin looks at the back of little Wuxiha's head in her arms, his soft little hair tied into two pigtails. She herself was once her mother's precious darling. After becoming a mother herself, Lanqin understands even more how good Lin's mother was to her, and even more so, how good Anjia was to her. Therefore, Lanqin specifically mentioned to the Fourth Prince that she planned to take Wuxiha and Xichen back to the Ling residence on the second day of the New Year. It had been a long time since she had been back; only when Wuxiha was born had Anjia come to visit.
The Monkey King's play reached the point where he went to the Dragon Palace to ask for a weapon and unexpectedly obtained the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff that stabilizes the sea). Lan Qin watched and smiled, thinking to herself: I also accidentally transmigrated here and gained the favor of the Fourth Prince. Now I am just an ordinary concubine in the inner palace, no longer that old single woman in her thirties.
“Sister, look at that Monkey King, he’s acting so vividly. I remember watching this shadow puppet show with my father and mother at home before I entered the manor. Sigh.” Song’s eyes welled up with tears.
Looking at Madam Geng again, her eyes were also glistening with tears, probably because she was thinking of her family.
"I originally invited my two older sisters over to have some fun, but I didn't expect it to remind you of your family. This is Lanqin's fault," Lanqin quickly said.
"I just realized it's been so many years since I went back to visit. Sigh, it has nothing to do with my sister," Geng said.
"Yes, thinking about it now, although life is luxurious, it's truly like entering a deep sea once you enter a noble family. If it were an ordinary woman, during this festival, she would definitely be welcoming guests and enjoying the company of her parents," Madam Song sighed.
Lanqin sighed inwardly: because of the Fourth Prince's favor, she was able to leave the manor at will, but they were confined to the inner courtyard all day long, unable to go anywhere.
"Sisters, please don't be so sentimental. Perhaps we'll have a chance to meet again in the future." Lanqin recalled that after Song entered the palace, she seemed to have been granted the title of Consort Song, and Geng became Consort Geng because she gave birth to the Fifth Prince.
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