Chapter Eight
Hearing Qianlong's erratic words, Xia Qiangwei's lips twitched. She turned her head away and rolled her eyes when no one was looking. Qianlong hadn't even bothered to investigate before accepting it; he was truly... too arrogant. But thinking about it, Qianlong even recognized Xiao Yanzi; it really does fit the advertising slogan—"Anything is possible!"
Hongzhou, who had been watching Xia Qiangwei closely, saw the eye roll and chuckled inwardly. It seemed that the emperor's recognition of his daughter was not accepted by her.
Once she regained her senses, Xia Ziwei tactfully picked up the painting and walked over to Xia Qiangwei. Xia Qiangwei was quite surprised that Xia Ziwei hadn't rushed over to acknowledge her father. "Baozhu, take the painting to that gentleman for a look."
Emperor Qianlong was heartbroken at not receiving the expected response! His own daughter didn't acknowledge him and still called him "Master." Didn't she know what "Father Emperor" represented? It was the highest and most supreme position in the entire Qing Dynasty. Qianlong had someone take the scroll brought by Xia Qiangwei's maid. After opening it, Qianlong confirmed that it was an authentic work he had painted years ago, and he was once again lost in memories.
Xia Qiangwei glanced at Qianlong's expression and curled her lip. The Qianlong Emperor really had a high opinion of himself; who knew what kind of forceful policy he might implement to force them into the palace? However… she had to secure her legal status before entering the palace; she couldn't let the impulsive Qianlong lead her astray.
Hongzhou looked at Xia Qiangwei with great interest. His elder brother's daughter was no ordinary woman. If she were a boy, it would be a blessing for the Qing Dynasty. It was a pity that she was born a girl.
Xia Ziwei kept staring at Qianlong. Was this her father? Was he really her father? But why didn't he come to see them, and why did they have to go through all this trouble to find him? Why was he staring at the painting instead of looking at them? Was he really her father?
Unbeknownst to Emperor Qianlong, during the period he was lost in his memories, his two daughters harbored a complex mix of emotions—one calculating, the other heartbroken. When he finally snapped out of his reverie, Qianlong looked forward to seeing his two daughters again.
“Sir, you said you are our father!” Xia Qiangwei spoke up. Since you won’t check, I’ll remind you.
"I am your Emperor Father, and you are princesses, my daughters, the noble princesses of the Great Qing Dynasty."
Xia Qiangwei inwardly curled her lip in disdain, "You're the Emperor? Do you have any proof? There are plenty of people impersonating royalty these days. If you say you're the Emperor, then show us some evidence. And you say you're our Father, do you have any proof? Why haven't you visited us even once in the past ten years? What is our status? You say we're princesses! But in our eyes, we're just the lowest of illegitimate daughters. Even if we were princesses, we wouldn't have any official title!"
Regardless of his elder brother's reaction, Hongzhou inwardly applauded, while at the same time feeling regretful once again that she was a woman.
Upon hearing this, Qianlong was first furious—who dared to impersonate him?—then felt guilty, wondering how much suffering they had endured over the years. Finally, he had a headache. It must be said that Xia Qiangwei's words instantly sobered him up considerably. He needed to investigate Xia Yuhe's identity, and the identities of the two sisters—not because he didn't believe them, but because of ancestral laws. Looking at Xia Qiangwei's expression, it seemed they wouldn't acknowledge him as their father unless he gave them a clear identity. After much deliberation, he realized now was not the time to acknowledge his daughters or concubines. Qianlong sighed and led Hongzhou away.
~~~~~
"Sister, is he... really our father?" Xia Ziwei asked cautiously. She longed to have a father, but... the man who claimed to be their father had left her with a slight sense of disappointment.
Xia Qiangwei neither nodded nor shook her head, but instead asked Xia Ziwei, "Ziwei, do you think so?"
Xia Ziwei looked at Xia Qiangwei, "I think he is, but why am I a little disappointed?"
Xia Ziwei's words startled Xia Qiangwei. Shouldn't Xia Ziwei have been quite an admirer of Emperor Qianlong? Was it her upbringing that had an effect? Xia Qiangwei cautiously asked, "Why are you disappointed?"
“He was just looking at the painting. Shouldn’t a father be excited and happy to see his long-lost daughter? Shouldn’t he pick us up?” Xia Ziwei thought back to how she used to see the servants and children in her family interact. Why was their father different from others? Was it because he was called Ama (阿玛) and not Dad (父)? But isn’t Ama (阿玛) the same as “father” (爹) in Manchu? Xia Ziwei couldn’t understand. Or was it that their father didn’t like them?
Xia Qiangwei looked at Xia Ziwei, forgetting that Ziwei was at an age where she craved affection. Seeing her "father" so cold, how could she possibly like him? She wondered what Qianlong would do with the three of them.
~~~~
Once outside, Emperor Qianlong instructed the guards of the Imperial Guard to secretly protect the masters inside the Xia residence. After giving these instructions, he stood at the gate and peered inside. Xia Yuhe's background was too humble; his mother, the Empress Dowager, would certainly not like her. And what about her two daughters—how should they be dealt with for being illegitimate? Qianlong recalled Xia Yuhe's beauty when he first met her, and a surge of emotion welled up within him.
Hongzhou, seeing Qianlong staring blankly, prepared to slip away, but before he could, Qianlong spoke, "Hongzhou, find a suitable identity for Xia Yuhe under the banner, register her in the Imperial Clan Court. You'll be on duty there tomorrow!" Hongzhou stared blankly at Qianlong; he was actually cleaning up the Emperor's mess, and doing it cleanly! Poor thing. "Brother, what about the identities of the two sisters…"
"Xia Yuhe's daughter is naturally my princess. Let's say she is... the Empress's princess who was sent out of the palace by someone's dirty trick."
Hongzhou swallowed hard. "Is it the current Empress?"
Emperor Qianlong glanced at Hongzhou, pondered for a moment, and nodded, "Nara's daughter."
~~~
Imperial Palace; Kunning Palace
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Nara, who had recently given birth to the Fifth Princess, greeted Emperor Qianlong. At this time, Nara was still considered to be favored by the Emperor, and her expression remained serious. She had given birth to the Twelfth Prince in seventeen years and the Fifth Princess in eighteen. Nara was a renowned beauty in Manchuria; if she hadn't been so straightforward, she wouldn't have only recently gained favor.
"Jingxian, I have something to tell you." Emperor Qianlong looked at the Empress with a stern face.
Nara was stunned for a moment, then immediately ordered everyone to leave.
Emperor Qianlong recounted the events in their entirety, speaking frankly and directly. The Empress's face shifted and changed colors like a palette of hues. Qianlong knew the Empress's temperament well; her temper was always written on her face. Seeing her changing expressions, Qianlong felt a pang of guilt.
"Your Majesty is saying these things..." After absorbing Qianlong's words, Empress Nara tried her best not to raise her voice, but the expression on her face already showed Qianlong that she was very angry.
"I want you to acknowledge these two princesses. Tell them you gave birth to them more than ten years ago, and then they were murdered by the servants..." Empress Nara understood Qianlong's words. She had unexpectedly gained two daughters. Empress Nara didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, but she still accepted it. "Your Majesty, have the identities of those... princesses been investigated?"
"The matter has been investigated, but the sisters seem unwilling to acknowledge me!" Qianlong felt somewhat uncomfortable recalling the elder sister's question in the twins.
Empress Dowager Nara wasn't stupid; how could she not see the guilt Emperor Qianlong felt towards the two sisters he had never met? "How should we bring this up with the Empress Dowager? And they're only twelve years old now; have they learned the rules of the palace?"
"Jingxian will teach you the rules and etiquette slowly after you enter the palace."
“Since she’s a princess, she should be listed in the family line. Five years, six years, and there’s no record of my pregnancy. The Imperial Clan Court can easily find out the problem with a simple check…”
"I have already ordered Hongzhou to go to the Imperial Clan Court to carry out his duties, so Jingxian can rest assured."
"But Empress Dowager..." At that time, she was a concubine. How could the Empress Dowager not know whether she had children or not?
"I will speak to the Empress Dowager. Jingxian, you don't need to feel sorry for the people in the palace. Let them all leave! Let the Nara family find some more suitable people to bring in." Qianlong decided to give the Empress a sweet treat.
"yes!"
~~~
The Xia sisters had no idea what was going on in the palace. Xia Qiangwei had been racking her brains trying to escape these past few days, but Xia Yuhe kept her there, listening to Xia Yuhe's account of her encounter with the celestial being. Xia Qiangwei wanted to cry. She had finally entrusted Xia Yuhe to Granny Xia for proper training, but before she could even escape, disaster struck the Xia family again. Xia Yuhe had disappeared! And Granny Xia had vanished as well.
Before Xia Qiangwei could even report to the authorities, she received an imperial decree. She and Ziwei were now the daughters of Consort Xian, the Empress. Because someone was jealous of Consort Xian's favor, the two princesses were sent out of the palace, but were fortunately rescued by the Irgen Gioro clan. Xia Qiangwei's lips twitched as she read the elaborate imperial decree. Good heavens, this arrangement of their lineage was truly remarkable; Consort Xian was the Empress! At worst, they would become Heshuo Princesses.
"Fourth Princess, Fifth Princess! Come with me to the palace to meet the Emperor!"
Xia Ziwei pulled Xia Qiangwei along. "Mother has disappeared. Should we go to the palace now?"
"Your Excellency, please allow us to pack our things." Xia Qiangwei pulled Xia Ziwei along as they accepted the imperial decree and ran towards the backyard.
Baozhu and Jinsuo cleverly handed over the silver and ran off with the two young ladies. Little did they know, all the servants in the Xia household had vanished. Meanwhile, in Jinan, the Xia family's house had been set on fire and burned all night.
~~
"Sister, we've entered the palace! What will Mother do now?"
"Ziwei, remember, after entering the palace, the Empress will be our mother. Mother... she has Granny Xia to take care of her, she'll be fine. Didn't you hear the imperial decree saying that Mother has become a member of the Irgen Gioro clan?"
Will we ever see Mother again?
"Yes," Xia Qiangwei answered readily, but her confidence was wavering. No one knew what the palace was like, or what would happen after entering it. She couldn't predict, but she knew their fates were already tied to the Empress's. "Ziwei, the palace is not like home."
"Sister, I know, I'll be careful. You'll protect me, right?"
Looking at Xia Ziwei's trusting eyes, Xia Qiangwei wanted to shake her head, but she was already tied to the boat and couldn't get off.
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