Chapter 7: Kangxi's Tenth Prince's Lazy Father
In Beijing, the New Year celebrations last until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
However, after the grand palace banquet and family banquet on New Year's Day, the festivities in the palace temporarily come to an end. The festivities will resume on the Lantern Festival, when Emperor Kangxi will hold a grand banquet for his officials, princes, relatives, and nobles in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, officially announcing the end of the New Year.
Between New Year's Day and the Lantern Festival, the palace was filled with peace and tranquility amidst the festive atmosphere of the new year. From the Emperor and Empress Dowager down to the palace maids and eunuchs, everyone enjoyed a rare moment of peace and tranquility during the joyous New Year celebrations.
However, in Yongshou Palace, the Consort had been quite worried these past few days. She was often lost in thought, and her beautiful brows were shrouded in a melancholy that was hard to dispel.
Since New Year's Day, the Imperial Concubine remembered the Qing Palace rules that after a prince's full moon, he would leave his birth mother and be raised by a foster mother. He would be cared for by a wet nurse and looked after by a nanny. He could only see his birth mother on special holidays. She was very worried that after the New Year, Yin'e would be moved out of Yongshou Palace.
Yin'e was already a month old, almost three months old. According to palace rules, he should have moved out of Yongshou Palace from the palace where his birth mother lived and chosen a foster mother to raise him.
This is a matter for the inner palace and should rightfully be handled by Consort Tong.
However, after the eighth princess died before she was a month old in the intercalary sixth month last year, Consort Tong fell ill and has been bedridden for several months. Her health is poor and she has no energy to manage the affairs of the harem. She can only share the palace affairs with the four consorts, namely Consort, Consort Huirong, and Consort Yide.
Consort Yi gave birth to Prince Yintang last August, and Consort Gui gave birth to Yin'e in October. Due to their own selfish motives, the two of them, along with Consort De, tacitly skipped the matter of moving the princes to different palaces after their one-month celebration. Consort De's eldest son, Yinzhen, was already the adopted son of Consort Tong, but her second son, Yinzuo, was still being raised in Yonghe Palace. If the rules were followed, Yinzuo would inevitably be sent away as well.
The three Consorts—Noble Consort, Consort Yi, and Consort De—had reached a tacit understanding, and Consorts Hui and Rong also remained silent, not revealing the matter.
The four consorts had no real power in the palace; they only temporarily assisted the Imperial Noble Consort when she was seriously ill. Since they had no power and did not have to bear many responsibilities, why should they cause trouble by bringing this matter to light? It was better to avoid trouble and leave it to the Imperial Noble Consort to handle personally after she recovered.
Thus, not only did Yin'e remain in Yongshou Palace to be raised by the Consort, but Yin Tang, who was born last August, was also not moved out of Yikun Palace and was still cared for by his birth mother, Consort Yi.
After Emperor Kangxi returned to the capital in December to visit Consort Tong, he was already in good health. Consort Tong, who had been bedridden for several months due to excessive worry, recovered well and began to take charge of palace affairs.
With the New Year approaching, the most urgent task for Consort Tong after regaining control of the palace was to prepare for the New Year's banquet. All the matters that had piled up during her illness had to be postponed.
However, the Imperial Noble Consort also knew that after the Lantern Festival and the end of the New Year, the Imperial Noble Consort Tong would be responsible for the education of the princes. This was not because the Imperial Noble Consort was intentionally targeting or trying to sow discord between mother and son, but because this was always the rule in the Qing Palace. Matters concerning the princes' success could never be taken lightly.
However, what the Imperial Noble Consort did not know was that not long after she recovered from her illness, someone reported the issue of raising the two princes, Yin Tang and Yin E, but the Imperial Noble Consort was very troubled and did not know how to deal with it.
According to the rules of the Qing court, princes were generally raised by people of higher status than their birth mothers, and it was rare to choose an adoptive mother of equal status. The son's status depended on his mother's, and choosing an adoptive mother for a prince was originally intended to improve the prince's birth.
The problem lies here: Consort Yi, the birth mother of Yinzhen, was already a consort, not to mention Yin'e's birth mother. Consort Niohuru entered the palace in the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign with the treatment of a consort, and was promoted to Noble Consort the following year, receiving a formal investiture, with a rank second only to Imperial Noble Consort Tong.
Yin Tang was somewhat better off, but it was really difficult to find a foster mother for Yin E.
In the palace, those with higher status than the Imperial Noble Consort were none other than the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and Imperial Noble Consort Tong, but they were indeed too busy to raise the newborn prince.
The Empress Dowager is already quite old, and although she should be enjoying her grandchildren, she simply doesn't have the energy to raise a young child. Moreover, given her high status, her promotion of the Consort's son would threaten the Crown Prince's position, and the Empress Dowager, who has always doted on the Crown Prince, would never raise Yin'e.
The Empress Dowager is the Emperor's legal mother. She has already raised Consort Yi's eldest son, Yinqi, and Consort De's ninth daughter, who was just born last year. She has no more energy left.
Consort Tong held the position of secondary empress, acting as empress. In addition to raising Consort De's eldest son, Yinzhen, she was also responsible for educating the other princes.
Unable to find a suitable candidate and unable to handle the matter, Consort Tong could only report it to Emperor Kangxi for a decision.
Perhaps he was too busy during the New Year, perhaps Kangxi also felt that it was difficult to choose a foster mother, or perhaps he had more sons and was no longer paying attention to them. Kangxi did not arrange foster mothers for Yintang and Yin'e, nor did he move them to the West Third Palace. Instead, he ordered that Consort Yi raise Yintang and Consort Gui raise Yin'e, and that they be handed over to their birth mothers for care.
Kangxi's arrangement undoubtedly broke the tradition of princes not being raised by their birth mothers. And in truth, it was Yin'e who implicated Yin'tang in this matter.
Yin Tang was only the son of four concubines, so it wouldn't have been a big deal for him to choose an adoptive mother to improve his social standing. This was the case for both Yin Zhen and Yin Qi.
However, Yin'e was the son of a concubine, and his aunt was the Empress Dowager. Considering the Crown Prince, Emperor Kangxi was wary of Yin'e's background and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, did not want to provide him with any further assistance.
The Imperial Concubine was very happy to receive the Emperor's decree to raise her son herself.
Although Yin'e lived in Yongshou Palace after his birth, the Imperial Concubine was always worried that the Imperial Concubine Tong would move Yin'e to the West Third Palace and choose a foster mother for him.
However, the situation is different now. Since the Emperor has issued an edict, Yin'e will not move out before he enters the Imperial Study. He will live in Yongshou Palace until he is at least six years old.
Regardless of the Emperor's reasons for not choosing a foster mother for Yin'e, this development is much better than the Consort had originally anticipated.
Yin'e is the son of the Imperial Concubine, whose noble birth is second only to the Crown Prince. If a foster mother of even higher status were to be found for him, the Crown Prince and Suo'etu would be truly uneasy and would regard the three-month-old Yin'e as a thorn in their side. The Imperial Concubine did not want her son to incur the Crown Prince's hostility at such a young age.
Perhaps to appease Consort Niohuru, just a few days after receiving the imperial edict that she would personally raise Yin'e, Emperor Kangxi personally visited Yongshou Palace.
On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Yin'e turned three months old.
The head eunuch of Yongshou Palace hurriedly entered the main hall and reported the Emperor's arrival to Consort Niohuru. The Consort was startled and quickly got up to go with Lanzhi to greet the Emperor.
The Emperor's arrival was sudden; by the time the Consort heard the report, Kangxi had already entered Yongshou Palace.
Although the Imperial Concubine reacted quickly, she received the news too late. Before she could even come out of the hall to greet him, Emperor Kangxi had already entered the main hall with Liang Jiugong and his entourage, striding towards her with an imposing gait.
Her steps quickened a third, and the Imperial Concubine stepped forward to curtsy to Emperor Kangxi. He smiled and helped her up, then took her hand and led her back to the warm inner room.
In the first month of the lunar calendar, the weather was freezing cold and snow was falling heavily. Although Emperor Kangxi arrived in his imperial carriage, he still wore a sable hat and a thick, soft fur coat. Because of the journey from the entrance of Yongshou Palace to the main hall after dismounting from the imperial carriage, a few snowflakes that were about to melt clung to the soft, dense fur of his hat and coat.
This outfit was certainly warm in the snow outside, but it got a bit hot inside the room where silver charcoal burned day and night.
Without relying on anyone else, the Imperial Concubine removed her armor and personally helped Kangxi take off his fur hat and change his clothes. She then helped him sit down comfortably in the spacious room and personally served him hot tea that Lanzhi had just brewed.
Picking up the beautifully shaped, elegantly patterned white porcelain teacup, Emperor Kangxi lifted the lid and gently inhaled the rich aroma of the tea. He then admired for a while the tea leaves, curled like snails and emerald green, rising and falling in the clear blue water.
After taking a sip of tea and savoring it, Kangxi's already smiling eyes became even more peaceful, his expression visibly relaxed, and a hint of contentment appeared in the corners of his eyes and brows.
"Excellent tea," Kangxi praised, his eyes revealing genuine delight.
"I'm glad Your Majesty likes it." The Consort's eyes were clear and her smile was gentle. Her voice was as soft and melodious as a babbling brook. "This is Biluochun tea that I stored up last early spring. I thought Your Majesty would like to drink it, so I specially kept it until now."
With a slight smile, the Imperial Concubine said, "It is indeed old tea, and the flavor may be a bit weak. When the Biluochun tea is presented as tribute after spring, His Majesty can savor it properly in his leisure time."
Savoring Biluochun tea, Emperor Kangxi's mood grew increasingly cheerful.
Upon entering Yongshou Palace, Kangxi felt comfortable everywhere and pleased with everything, making him increasingly relaxed and cheerful.
Whether it was the poetically styled teacups or the fragrant, emerald-green Biluochun tea, everything suited Emperor Kangxi's taste perfectly. Biluochun, in particular, was his favorite tea.
While sipping tea, the emperor and empress exchanged a few casual words, and then Kangxi said with a smile, "Where is Yin'e? I'll go see him."
A note from the author:
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Password: Biluochun tea was only presented as tribute in the 38th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, but here we're just setting it up as being presented as tribute ahead of time, um... a parallel world.
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