Chapter Forty-Eight
Consort Ling, who had just participated in the imperial concubine selection, was once again ordered by the Emperor to reflect on her actions behind closed doors. After several attempts to send gifts to the newly appointed chief eunuch were unsuccessful, Consort Ling sensed something was wrong. She obediently secluded herself to reflect on her actions, spending her days chanting scriptures in the small Buddhist hall.
The imperial concubine selection concluded in October. The Emperor appointed a consort for the Third Prince and secondary consorts for the Fifth and Sixth Princes. The Sixth Prince also acquired two concubines as his second wives. The Fifth and Sixth Princes were granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank and allowed to establish their own residences outside the palace. Because the Fifth Prince was away at Mount Wutai praying for blessings, his family's household was moved to the Southern Third Palace first, and would be moved out of the palace after the Fifth Prince returned to the capital.
The changes in the inner palace were of no concern to He Rui. Because of a remark from the Empress Dowager, He Rui began busily preparing for her wedding. Emperor Qianlong had already set the wedding date for May of the twenty-third year. During this time, He Rui would learn household management from the Empress and also study embroidery. Although there were skilled embroiderers in the palace, there were some things that even a princess had to embroider herself. He Rui deeply regretted not having He Ya embroider more pieces when they were doing it. Putting down the brush and picking up the needle, He Rui felt utterly overwhelmed.
Prince Consort Harichagai had been promoted from Commander of the Imperial Guards to Grand Minister of the Imperial Guards. He Rui didn't know what that rank meant, only that it was a dangerous position. She sighed, lamenting her misfortune in marrying a bodyguard who could die at any moment. Compared to He Ya, He Rui had met Harichagai a few times before the marriage, though they had only exchanged glances from afar.
At the end of the twenty-first year, Emperor Qianlong moved his harem to the Yuanmingyuan Garden, and Harichagai was ordered to arrange the guards for the garden. On the day of their departure, He Rui was talking to the Sixth Princess as they boarded their carriage. Baozhu, who was beside He Rui, noticed one of the guards protecting the princess's carriage—Harichagai. Baozhu had seen her future husband a few times before and remembered his appearance; upon seeing him again, she immediately reminded her master. He Rui looked up, following Baozhu's gaze, and inwardly wept. She had seen Harichagai from afar at the hunting grounds and hadn't noticed the many pockmarks on his face. Had she been too far away to see clearly? Now, she didn't even have a chance to regret it; how could she have felt such attraction? Was she actually a vain person, someone who only cared about appearances?
He Rui was getting into the carriage, feeling dejected. Bao Zhu tugged at her sleeve, "Master, look to the right, the Prince Consort is looking at you!" Bao Zhu said anxiously. He Rui blinked. Right? Wasn't Bao Zhu looking to the left? Looking to the right again, He Rui's lips twitched. She was sure of it; she was a vain person, only concerned with appearances. Looking to the left again, how could she have mistaken him for someone else? Arranged marriages are a killer!
As she sat in the carriage, Sixth Princess covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed, "Fourth Sister's face is as red as this ceiling."
"You little brat, how dare you tease this old lady! Just wait and see how this old lady deals with you!" He Rui pounced over, tickling the sixth princess with both hands.
"Good sister, I know I was wrong." Sixth Princess was startled and quickly dodged He Rui's tickling.
"Your Highnesses, we're about to leave the palace," the old woman outside the carriage reminded the two masters inside.
Holding a handkerchief, He Rui wiped his mouth and asked, "Little sister, have you been understanding everything you've been learning in the Imperial Study lately?"
The Sixth Princess was taken aback by He Rui's sudden seriousness and couldn't help but chuckle. After being glared at by He Rui, she instructed the palace maid beside her to straighten her posture. "Replying to my sister, I have listened to and read everything my master said." The Sixth Princess replied earnestly to her sister.
"Sixth Sister, to know is to know, and to not know is to not know," the Seventh Princess said suddenly, sitting next to He Rui.
The Sixth Princess was caught off guard by the Seventh Princess's sudden revelation and didn't react for a moment. "Oh, Seventh Sister is actually making fun of me."
"They've left the palace." Hearing the sounds of kneeling and bowing outside, He Rui took out her embroidery pattern and sighed inwardly. It was really not easy being a woman in ancient times. She had already pricked her hand several times while embroidering something.
~~~
Upon arriving at the Yuanmingyuan Garden, He Rui had his own courtyard, so his belongings were moved there. The Seventh Princess was the Emperor's most beloved daughter after the Fourth and Fifth Princesses; she was sweet-talking and often pleased the Emperor. The Seventh Princess insisted on living with He Rui in the Bamboo Courtyard, and Qianlong immediately agreed. He Rui was also happy to have someone to accompany her. After being carried to the Bamboo Courtyard, the Seventh Princess ran around in the bamboo grove before He Rui called her inside. It was now the dead of winter, and very cold.
After entering the room, the Seventh Princess sat down by the fireplace. "Fourth Sister, what are you embroidering?"
Reluctantly, He Rui answered the question, "It's a pair of lovebirds."
"Is Fourth Sister leaving the palace like Fifth Sister?" Seventh Princess looked a little lonely, wondering if anyone would play with her anymore. "Fifth Sister doesn't come back to see me often after she leaves the palace."
"Silly girl, doesn't Qi'er still have the Sixth and Ninth Princesses to keep her company?" Children in large families are all lonely, especially those in the palace. The infighting among the palaces leaves the children without any playmates.
The seventh princess lowered her head. She wasn't familiar with her sixth sister, and her ninth sister was too young.
He patted Qi Gege's head, unsure how to comfort the child. "Qi'er, what story do you want to hear today?"
"Fourth Sister can tell me anything." A child's sadness comes and goes quickly; once a story is told, the dejected expression disappears immediately.
“A long time ago…” He Rui began to make up a story to coax the Seventh Princess.
Outside the Bamboo Courtyard, Harichagai, accompanied by his guards, patrolled the Yuanmingyuan Garden. He lingered a while longer at the entrance to the Bamboo Courtyard before departing.
Life at the Yuanmingyuan was just like in the palace. Every day, princes and princesses would go to a special place to study and receive instruction from their tutors. He Rui, who was about to be married, was no exception, attending classes for half a day each day, and then learning household management from the Empress in the afternoon. In December, the princes and princesses stopped their classes. The eleventh and twelfth princes continued their martial arts training with their instructors. The thirteenth prince, being too young, played with the seventh princess in the bamboo courtyard. Sometimes, the thirteenth prince would run to Harichagai, using his princely authority to warn him not to bully his fourth sister.
He Ya and E Yue arrived at the Yuanmingyuan in mid-December. He Ya, now a married woman, had a happy smile on her face, while E Yue was summoned by the Emperor for questioning. After bowing to the Emperor, He Ya stopped at the Bamboo Courtyard. He Rui watched He Ya admiring the bamboo in the courtyard and jokingly scolded her to come in quickly. "You silly girl, you're already a married woman and you still don't cherish your body."
"I was just waiting for my sister to come out and invite me!" In the six months since He Ya got married, she has matured a lot compared to when she was in the palace.
"Is life after the wedding going well?" He Rui asked. "Has anyone in Xilin Jue Luo's family bullied you?"
"Sister, really, are you that worried? Who would dare to bully this great-aunt?" He Ya said with great authority, and the Xilin Jue Luo family indeed respected this princess very much.
"Don't always put on airs and put the prince consort down. It's the two of you who will be living this life. When something happens, don't always listen to those palace maids around you stirring things up."
"Sister's words sound so unpleasant. After you leave the palace, we sisters will have many more days to get together." He Ya interrupted He Rui, finding her tone particularly uncomfortable. He Rui didn't say anything more, and the two sisters chatted about trivial matters in the palace.
~~~
The Emperor summoned E Yue for questioning, inquiring about Yongqi's prayers at Mount Wutai. E Yue had prepared a memorial before arriving at the Yuanmingyuan and presented it to the Emperor. Qianlong carefully read the memorial. Initially, the Fifth Prince (Yongqi) had been earnest in his prayers, but gradually, although he still knelt before the Buddha for several hours each day, his devotion had diminished considerably. Recently, he had even been behaving recklessly at Mount Wutai. Enraged, Qianlong threw the memorial out and paced back and forth in the room. E Yue stood calmly to one side, inwardly gloating.
Emperors are naturally suspicious. After walking around a few times, Qianlong paid attention to E Yue's expression. Seeing that E Yue's expression remained calm, Qianlong frowned, wondering if it was fake.
Although E Yue was young, his family were all officials, so how could he not know the emperor's suspicious nature? E Yue stood there silently, letting the emperor look at him.
After staring at E Yue for a long time without seeing anything unusual, Qianlong's thoughts wandered elsewhere. Just as Qianlong was thinking this, he heard the servants outside talking to Li Yu. Li Yu hurriedly ran over and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Heya has fainted."
"What? What did you say?" Before Qianlong could react, E Yue rushed forward. Qianlong didn't mind E Yue's rudeness and hurriedly asked, "Li Yu, what exactly happened?"
"Your Majesty..."
"Let's go, we'll talk as we walk." Qianlong was anxious and strode out first. E'yue dragged Li Yu out, and Li Yu didn't dare to utter a sound. He followed quickly, afraid of hurting her. Baozhu was already waiting outside. When she saw the emperor come out, before she could even kneel, the emperor called her to come along and asked how she had returned.
"Your Majesty, Consort Heya was speaking with Consort Herui, and in the middle of their conversation, Consort Herui asked..."
"What do you want to ask?"
"Master He Rui asked Master He Ya if there was any news about her pregnancy." Bao Zhu swallowed hard. "Then Master He Ya fainted."
"Has the imperial physician been summoned yet?"
"It's already been announced."
When Emperor Qianlong arrived at the Bamboo Courtyard with his entourage, the Empress, Consort Chun, Consort Yu, and Lan Xin were all sitting in the main room, while He Rui was kneeling in the courtyard. Qianlong looked at He Rui with heartache and said, "What are you kneeling here for? Get up."
"Father, He Rui is guilty." He Rui felt extremely distressed; how could he have fainted?
"I told you to get up, so get up. What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and help your master up. Let the imperial physician examine you, lest you catch a cold."
The Empress and Consort Chun, sitting in the main room, could both tell who the Emperor's most favored princess was. Haricha, who had been guarding the bamboo courtyard, had wanted to go in and help He Rui up earlier, but in this cold weather, with snow falling just a few days ago, kneeling for so long was unbearable. Now that the Emperor had ordered the princess to rise, Haricha led her to a secluded spot.
He Rui was helped up, and the imperial physician came out. "Your Majesty, the princess is pregnant. Perhaps the princess's period was irregular before, and the imperial physician who took her pulse did not pay attention, which is why he missed the auspicious time to inform Your Majesty and the Empress." Upon hearing the imperial physician's words, He Rui relaxed and fainted.
Chaos erupted again in the bamboo courtyard. The imperial physician quickly examined He Rui's pulse and diagnosed him with fright and exposure to cold.
Author's Note: Here's the beginning of my new story...
Looking into the distance, I'm not sure if it will be posted...
In the year XXXX, in a hospital in a small town in a coastal state of the United States, the sound of a baby crying came from the delivery room. Outside the delivery room, a man holding a tennis racket rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
The little boy who had been sitting in the chair stood up. "Dad," he grinned at the man, "guess if it's a sister or a brother?"
The man smiled the same way he did the little boy. "Little sister."
"Tch!" The little boy whistled and turned his head away.
The delivery room door opened, and a nurse came out. "Congratulations, it's a very beautiful baby girl."
The man chuckled foolishly and scratched his head. Long Ya turned her head away, her smile truly idiotic.
~~~
"Nanjiro, let's name the baby!" Rinko held her newborn daughter; the little one was so adorable. The previously arrogant little boy was now standing to the side, watching Rinko's little sister. "Ryuga, would you like to hold your little sister?"
"Is it okay?" The little boy awkwardly pressed down his hat.
“Of course.” Rinko carefully handed her daughter to Ryoga. The baby made a “woo-woo” sound in Ryoga’s arms, but it wasn’t crying, which surprised Ryoga.
“Mariko, our daughter will be named Mariko.”
~~~~
Several years later
"Mariko, where's your wallet!" Ryoga glared angrily at her innocent-looking sister. How many times had this happened already?
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Mariko whispered, fiddling with her fingers. Her wallet had just been in her purse; how could it be gone? Mariko tried hard to remember. She had bought breakfast and her favorite chicken burger at the burger shop. After leaving, she walked along the street and encountered a street musician playing the violin. She sat on the ground and listened for a long time, and even threw… "Ah! I… I threw it into the violinist's hat." Mariko immediately looked at her brother with teary eyes, "Waaaaaah, brother, I really didn't mean to! I just threw some change. I… waaaaaah, I'm so sorry, brother! waaaaah…"
…Ryoma was speechless, his face filled with grief and indignation. He shouldn't have brought her out to wander. How could he have agreed in the first place? Ryoma regretted it deeply, gritting his teeth as he made his decision. "Mariko, don't cry, I'm not blaming Mariko! I'm just afraid Mariko will be bullied by bad people." Suppressing his grief and indignation, Ryoma comforted his sister.
"Brother, are you really not blaming me?" Mariko looked at Ryoga with tears still in her eyes.
"It's not my fault." Suppressing the urge to strangle her sister, Long Ya coaxed her with a gentle smile, while inwardly cursing her father half to death.
“I knew my brother loved me the most,” Mariko’s tears came quickly but also went quickly. She immediately lowered her head and started eating her beloved hamburger.
"Mariko, how about we go to Japan after the match tomorrow?"
“Okay.” Mariko, who was eating, didn’t notice the calculating look on Ryoga’s face.
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