Chapter 161 Bitter Candy
Yin'e led Xiao Linzi through the Longfu Gate, which is sandwiched between Yikun Palace and Yongshou Palace, into the Western Six Palaces, and headed straight for Yongshou Palace without stopping.
The young palace maid guarding the back gate of Yongshou Palace saw Yin'e and stood up in surprise and joy to greet him: "Your Highness, you're back?"
After the initial surprise, the clever palace maid's expression suddenly changed slightly. She glanced at Yin'e hesitantly, then pursed her lips. She dared not offer any advice, but instead lowered her head, her face revealing anxiety and worry.
Yin'e still remembered the young palace maid named Baozhu. She had been assigned to Yongshou Palace two years prior, along with three other maids. These four maids, arriving at Yongshou Palace in the same batch, had their names changed by the Consort: Baozhu, Baoping, Zhenyu, and Zhenyao.
Before they moved to the Prince's Residence, because the Ninth Prince was a frequent visitor to Yongshou Palace, he would often come out of the main gate of Yikun Palace and go directly into Yongshou Palace through the back gate to find Yin'e. With these comings and goings, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince often saw Baozhu and became quite familiar with her.
He tilted his little face up and nodded to Baozhu, who was hurrying to greet him. As he stepped over the threshold of the back door, Yin'e reassured her, "Sister Baozhu, it was Father Khan who allowed me to come back."
He didn't skip class this time, nor did he sneak back. Regardless of why Kangxi was being so accommodating today, he agreed to let Yin'e return to Yongshou Palace to see the Consort.
Baozhu's worry turned to joy, and she smiled as she watched Yin'e walk towards the front courtyard: "Your Highness will be very happy to see you back, Your Highness."
Yin'e twitched the corner of his mouth, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Baozhu's words.
At other times, he believed that the Imperial Concubine would be happy to see him, but today that might not be the case.
Before they had even crossed the small garden behind Yongshou Palace, Luyi hurried over. Her pretty face showed not only joy but also barely concealed worry; her slender, willow-leaf eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and even Yin'e's arrival did not ease them.
Seeing the expression on Lüyi's face, Yin'e knew he had guessed correctly: "Aunt Lüyi." After greeting her, Yin'e frowned and his tone became serious, "Where is Mother?"
Luyi paused for a moment, then finally relented under Yin'e's fixed gaze, shaking her head and smiling bitterly, "Her Majesty is in the small Buddhist hall. She went in this morning and hasn't come out since. She hasn't eaten or drunk anything all day, and she won't let us go in to disturb her."
Luyi was the personal maid brought into the palace by the Imperial Concubine. She had made up her mind to never marry and to stay with the Imperial Concubine for the rest of her life. She had already informed the Imperial Concubine that she would comb her hair and become a nun in a few years, staying in Yongshou Palace as a nanny.
Since Consort Gui entered the palace in the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Luyi and Lanzhi have been by her side for ten years. They are her right-hand women and know the details of Consort Gui's daily life best. They know that every February 26th for the past ten years, Consort Gui would miss Empress Xiaozhao.
After Yin'e was born, he would whine and pester the Consort, and his coquettishness would distract her. This prevented the Consort from having time to kneel in the small Buddhist hall all day to pray for Empress Xiaozhao, so that she wouldn't be so heartbroken as to damage her health, like she would fall ill at the end of February in previous years.
Last year, Yin'e moved from Yongshou Palace to the Prince's Residence. This year marks the anniversary of Empress Xiaozhao's death. Without Yin'e's witty banter, Lanzhi and Luyi were unable to persuade the Consort at all and could only anxiously wait outside the small Buddhist hall.
His face grew increasingly grim, and Yin'e quickened his pace, running towards the small Buddhist hall as he instructed Luyi, "Aunt Luyi, have the kitchen prepare easily digestible meals and nourishing soups. I'm going to the small Buddhist hall to persuade Mother."
After the New Year, Yin'e was a year older and had grown taller, but compared to the tall and slender Lüyi, he was still short-legged. She didn't even need to run; she could catch up with Yin'e by walking briskly. "The small kitchen always keeps nourishing soup and lunch warm on the stove. If Your Highness needs them, they can be sent over anytime."
He gave a hasty reply and rushed to the small Buddhist hall. He only hurriedly greeted Lan Zhi, who was guarding outside the hall, before pushing open the door and barging in. The Imperial Concubine had ordered that no one else was allowed to enter the small Buddhist hall, but Yin E didn't care about that.
The small Buddhist shrine was dimly lit and silent, a deep and quiet atmosphere pervading the space. Even the air felt cool and deep, with only a faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the room, creating a serene and tranquil ambiance.
Because the windows were tightly closed, even though it was late February and spring had returned to the earth, the temperature inside the small Buddhist hall was very low, so much so that Yin'e, who rushed into the hall, shivered.
The thought that the Imperial Concubine had spent most of the day in such a small Buddhist hall made Yin'e's heart leap into his throat. Without thinking twice, he started running through the small Buddhist hall, his heavy, hurried footsteps echoing as he passed through two doors and arrived at the innermost room.
Pushing open the last door, in the dimly lit room, by the light of two dim candles on the altar in front of the Buddha, Yin'e saw the Imperial Concubine dressed in plain clothes kneeling quietly before the Buddha, her hands clasped together and her eyes closed in prayer.
"Mother!" Unaffected by the quiet and solemn atmosphere in the room, Yin'e shouted, breaking the silence. He quickly walked to the Imperial Concubine's side and knelt down. "Mother, your son has returned to see you. It's me who's back. Open your eyes and look at me!"
Yin'e's voice rang close to her ear. The Consort, who was slightly moving her lips and praying with her eyes closed, was startled and finally came to her senses. As if waking from a dream, she stopped praying and opened her eyes to look in the direction from which the voice came.
"Yin'e?" The Imperial Concubine was stunned as she looked at Yin'e kneeling beside her. Before she could figure out why Yin'e was here, she subconsciously raised her hand to wipe the fine sweat from Yin'e's forehead.
The windows of the small Buddhist hall were tightly closed, preventing the sunlight from shining in. There was no charcoal fire burning inside, only incense sticks burning in the incense burner. The temperature was much lower than outside. The Imperial Concubine had been kneeling in front of the Buddha for most of the day, and her hands were already icy cold. When she touched Yin'e's forehead, which was sweating from running, the coldness made him shiver physiologically.
The Imperial Concubine didn't feel cold when she was alone in the small Buddhist hall, kneeling before the Buddha, but when her hands touched Yin'e's, a pang of heartache flashed in her eyes.
Seeing this, Yin'e quickly seized the opportunity and clung to the Consort, pleading, "Mother, it's so cold here, shall we go outside?"
Seeing that the Imperial Concubine did not reply immediately, Yin'e pouted and made a pitiful expression. He leaned against the Imperial Concubine and twisted his body, acting coquettishly as before: "Mother, I haven't had lunch yet. I ran all the way from the Imperial Study, I'm hungry~ Please let me have lunch!"
The Imperial Concubine always doted on Yin'e and couldn't resist his coquettishness or his persistent pestering. She could only helplessly reply, "Alright, alright, Mother will go out with you now and instruct the kitchen to send over lunch."
After Yin'e made his unconditional concession, the Consort finally reacted. She raised her right hand, which was not covered by a nail guard, to support Yin'e's arm and asked with a mixture of doubt and worry, "Yin'e, why did you go back to Yongshou Palace? Did you sneak back again this time?"
Upon seeing Yin'e, the Imperial Concubine was naturally overjoyed, but she couldn't help but worry about him.
Last year on the winter solstice, Yin'e skipped class and sneaked back to Yongshou Palace to eat dumplings with the Imperial Concubine. Emperor Kangxi, considering it was Yin'e's first offense, let him off lightly. This time, Yin'e not only knowingly broke the rules, but it was also his second time violating them. The Imperial Concubine worried that Emperor Kangxi would no longer show leniency and would severely punish Yin'e.
"I miss Mother." Yin'e did not mention that the anniversary of Empress Xiaozhao's death had saddened the Consort. He simply gave an excuse to lightly move on from the first question, and then comforted the Consort about the second question, saying, "Mother, don't worry. I went to ask Father Khan, and he agreed to let me return to Yongshou Palace to visit you."
The imperial concubine breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly: "I see, that's good then."
Yin'e, however, did not want to continue talking with the Imperial Concubine in the small Buddhist hall. He reached out and took the Imperial Concubine's arm, feigning childishness as he pleaded, "Mother, let's go out. I'm really hungry, so hungry, my stomach is about to burst. I'm craving the dishes from the Yongshou Palace's small kitchen; I'm going to have a big meal today!"
By this time, even the slow-witted Consort Gui realized why Yin'e had suddenly returned today.
The Imperial Concubine was fully aware of Yin'e's thoughts, but she didn't say anything. She simply stood up and took Yin'e away from the small Buddhist hall—the temperature inside was too low. Regardless of whether Yin'e was telling the truth about being hungry, the Imperial Concubine couldn't bear to see him suffer.
Having knelt for so long, the concubine's lower body was stiff, and when she stood up, she stumbled and almost collapsed to the ground.
Fortunately, Yin'e had been working very hard in his riding and archery lessons and wrestling lessons at the Imperial Study for the past six months, and his body was not only stronger than before, but he was also much stronger. Although Yin'e was not tall, he was still able to steadily support the Consort and lift her up.
"Mother, your son is very strong now and can support you. You can rely on me." Yin'e said softly, helping the Consort move step by step towards the small Buddhist hall.
The imperial concubine, tears welling in her eyes, softly murmured an "Mmm."
She raised her hand, which wasn't being supported by Yin'e, slightly, wanting to touch Yin'e's head, but then worried that her hand was too cold and would chill him, so she lowered it. Just then, Yin'e tilted his body and stretched his head over, burying his head in her palm and rubbing it against hers, like a little animal infinitely fond of her.
Stepping out of the small Buddhist hall, the sunlight, though not the warm glow of March, was still bright and gentle, bathing the Imperial Concubine in a soft, golden light that dispelled the chill from her body.
Having spent so long indoors in the dim light, the sudden arrival outdoors made the Imperial Concubine feel slightly dizzy. But the warm sunshine made her feel warmer than ever before, and in a daze, some of the emotions weighing on her heart dissipated, making her feel much lighter.
Lan Zhi stepped forward to support the Imperial Concubine, who leaned against Lan Zhi and slightly raised her hand, which was being supported by Yin E, to grasp Yin E's hand.
Her delicate and beautiful pale face was flushed slightly by the midday sun. With a slight upturn of her lips, the Imperial Concubine smiled gently and said softly, "Come, let your mother hold your hand."
Don't rush, don't rush to grow up, it's not time for him to shoulder everything yet.
She's still there.
They returned together to the living room of the main hall of Yongshou Palace. Luyi immediately brought up the food that was warming on the stove. The Consort also had an extra bowl of nourishing soup compared to Yin'e.
She gently stirred the herbal soup with a spoon, and after the temperature had dropped slightly, the Imperial Concubine picked up the bowl and drank the tonic in one gulp. Her health had been somewhat compromised during the birth of Yin'e, and although she had been taking health-preserving supplements over the years, she had long been accustomed to the taste of herbal soups.
Just as the bitterness in her mouth burst forth, a small dish of maltose was pushed in front of her.
The Imperial Concubine looked up and saw Yin'e staring at her with his round, almond-shaped eyes.
Consort Gui's heart softened, and she picked up a piece of maltose and pressed it under her tongue. The sweet honey flavor immediately dispelled the bitterness of the medicine, just as the birth of Yin'e dispelled all the bitterness she had experienced since entering the palace.
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