Chapter Forty-Four
After Heya's marriage, Herui also moved back to Yongshou Palace. Something seemed to be missing in the palace, and Herui felt listless. Seeing Consort Ling's extremely aggrieved expression every day, Herui felt no schadenfreude whatsoever. Listening to the Fifth Prince ramble on in the Study, Herui had an urge to sew his mouth shut. Herui was quite puzzled. He was supposed to be a rather indifferent person; he had been here for several years without feeling any homesickness. Why then did he feel reluctant to leave Ziwei? Could it be because he and Ziwei were twins?
The day for Heya's return to her parents' home was fast approaching, and He Rui was already waiting in the courtyard of Yongshou Palace. Baozhu looked at her mistress's anxious appearance and found it quite strange. She felt that her mistress didn't have that particularly deep sisterly affection for Heya.
"Baozhu, find out where Heya is." He Rui also felt rather strange. She flicked her handkerchief and headed towards her room. The Gulun Princess's homecoming ceremony was quite elaborate; it would probably take some time for her to reach Yongshou Palace. Thinking about it, He Rui felt rather ridiculous. "Go and call Baozhu back to me," He Rui said to the maid beside her, making sure Baozhu didn't offend anyone. After giving the order, He Rui turned and entered the side hall of the main room. The Seventh Princess and the Thirteenth Prince were playing on the kang (heated brick bed), while the Fifteenth Prince was fast asleep. The Tenth and Twelfth Princes were currently having lessons in the Imperial Study. He Rui poked the Fifteenth Prince's cheek. Legend has it that the Fifteenth Prince wasn't named Yongyan, but Yongjing. His name was given by the Emperor when he was a month old. Looking at Yongjing, He Rui wondered if Yongyan would really be born from Consort Ling's womb?
Consort Ling has recently fallen out of favor. The Emperor seems to dislike her. Is there any chance she'll regain his favor? Listening to the palace gossip, it seems Consort Ling's chances of seeing the Emperor are now even lower than those of a lowly concubine. It's truly pathetic. At this moment, He Rui feels a pang of pity for Consort Ling. In this rigidly hierarchical feudal society, rising from a palace maid to her current status is undeniable; Consort Ling is a capable woman. If she hadn't set her sights on He Ya, perhaps Consort Ling wouldn't be in this situation. Thinking of Consort Ling, He Rui suddenly recalls a saying—"Why should women make things difficult for other women?" Unfortunately, this isn't a Mary Sue story, and even Ziwei (a character in a popular Chinese novel) shouldn't be like that. She shouldn't make things difficult for others, but she also shouldn't tolerate being mistreated. What others give her, she should give back, whether it's good or bad.
Princess Guren Heya's return to her parents' home is a major event. On the day of Princess Heya's wedding, Consort Ling, who had been under house arrest, kept a low profile and, apart from regular greetings, hadn't left Yanxi Palace. Today, taking advantage of the princess's return, Consort Ling left Yanxi Palace again, finding an excuse to visit Chang'an Palace. Consort Ling wanted to curry favor with Consort Yu, but had previously failed to do so. This was partly because she was currently favored by the Emperor, and partly because, compared to Consort Yu, she seemed insignificant and feared the Emperor would forget she even existed. Consort Ling went to Chang'an Palace with many ulterior motives. Chang'an Palace had been reserved for a long time after the departure of Imperial Noble Consort Huixian. Consort Yu had moved in there upon entering the palace and was using Imperial Noble Consort Huixian's things. Consort Ling had always wanted to make provocative remarks but hadn't had a good opportunity; today was the perfect day. Chang'an Palace was a taboo subject for Empress Xiaoxian, and she didn't believe that Empress Nara wouldn't be. Moreover, if one were to speak highly of Empress Xiaoxian and Imperial Noble Consort Huixian in the Chang'an Palace, and the Emperor happened to overhear, one could catch his eye again.
Consort Ling's calculations were quite shrewd, but she forgot to consider that Consort Yu had a trusted servant, Granny Xia, who had experienced much in the palace. Granny Xia harbored no goodwill towards Consort Ling. Back then, while the relationship between Imperial Noble Consort Huixian and the Empress appeared peaceful on the surface, their rivalry for the Emperor's favor was far from over. Emperor Xiaoxian, relying on the Empress Dowager's affection, had frequently tried to undermine Consort Huixian. Granny Xia would never believe that Consort Huixian's death was unrelated to Empress Xiaoxian.
Upon hearing the servant enter and inquire about Consort Ling's request for an audience, Granny Xia raised an eyebrow, immediately wondering what Consort Ling's motives were. "Go and report back that Her Majesty is reciting scriptures and must not be interrupted. Please ask Consort Ling to sit in another palace. Once Her Majesty has finished reciting the scriptures, we will send someone to invite Consort Ling."
While playing with the little princess, Ninth Princess Yu Guifei didn't even raise an eyebrow before handing the princess over to the wet nurse. She then walked from the side hall to the small Buddhist shrine.
Outside the long hall, Consort Ling twisted her handkerchief, disbelieving the servants who came out to speak. Given Consort Yu's status, even in anger, she couldn't barge in. Twisting her handkerchief, Consort Ling's eyes darted around, seemingly pondering some idea.
~~~
"Returning to one's parents' home on the ninth day" was a Qing Dynasty tradition after a princess's marriage. Princess Guren Heya first paid her respects to the Emperor, then went to the Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, and then headed towards the Yongshou Palace with many gifts. Outside the Yongshou Palace, the Empress, accompanied by several princes and princesses, came out to greet her after hearing from a servant that Heya had already come out of the Cining Palace.
After Princess Guren Heya alighted from her sedan chair, she saw the Empress waiting outside, a sweet smile playing on her lips as she greeted her. The Empress greeted Heya, saying, "Let me see you."
"Your Majesty, let's go inside and talk. We're still standing at the palace gate!" He Rui said with a smile, reminding the Empress.
"Your Majesty has been wondering how many days are left until the princess's return home since the day after her wedding," Rong Momo teased the Empress.
The Empress glared at Rong Momo with a smile, then pulled He Ya towards Yongshou Palace.
Upon entering the main hall, the Empress immediately inquired about Heya's life at the Princess's residence, asking if she had any difficulties adjusting or if she had been bullied. She also gave Rong Mama a look, signaling her to ask the maids and nannies who had accompanied her. Heya quickly answered the Empress's questions, her face beaming with a sweet smile and a blush, clinging tightly to the Empress's hand.
Seeing Heya's demeanor, the Empress immediately understood that Heya's life was going well. Patting Heya's hand, the Empress patiently explained the principles of household management. Although she had reiterated these principles several times before Heya's marriage, the Empress still spoke with concern. After chatting with Heya for a while, the Empress finally instructed her servants to summon Consort Yu and Consort Chun.
Consort Yu arrived first, and upon entering, she watched as He Ya greeted the Empress. Since taking in the Ninth Princess, Consort Yu felt increasingly guilty towards He Rui and He Ya. She knew that He Rui and He Ya were kind to everyone under the Empress's jurisdiction, but sometimes she couldn't suppress her guilt and thought how wonderful it would be if the two could return to her side. However, she quickly suppressed this thought and transferred this guilt to the Ninth Princess, treating her exceptionally well.
He Rui found Consort Yu's sudden expression strange, but he still led several princes and princesses to pay their respects to her. He Ya felt awkward under Consort Yu's gaze, her feelings towards her complex. She had only given birth to her, but had never taught her how to be a person, living only in her own world. He Ya harbored resentment towards her mother, yet remained grateful; life was a gift.
Consort Yu could talk a lot with the Emperor, but she didn't interact much with others. Even now, she had many questions she wanted to ask and wanted to know, but she didn't know how to bring them up. The Empress started by asking again about He Ya's life after her marriage. Of course, she was asking Consort Yu.
After Consort Chun arrived, she asked some trivial questions. Then, Consort Yu and Consort Chun bestowed many gifts upon her before leaving Yongshou Palace.
After the two imperial concubines withdrew, the Empress asked Heya if she was tired. Knowing proper etiquette, Heya shook her head, "I will rest after I see my concubines."
"I'm afraid you can't rest now. His Majesty has already granted permission for the Prince Consort to have lunch at Jianfu Palace. The Empress Dowager and the Prince will also be there. If you're tired, you can rest now and then you can see the other concubines when you have lunch." The Empress gave the order, seeing that Heya looked a little tired.
He Ya hesitated, wondering if this would cause gossip.
"Anyone who dares to gossip will be skinned alive by me."
He accompanied He Ya to her room before her marriage, but didn't speak to her at all. He looked at He Ya seriously and asked, "Did you bully that E Yue?"
"He wouldn't dare!" He Ya snorted, raising her voice. "Don't worry, sister. The nannies in the princess's residence are all personally selected by the Empress Dowager. This servant was carefully chosen by Fifth Imperial Uncle and the Nara family."
"You can't just report the good news and not the bad."
"Don't worry, sister. I'm not one to be bullied."
"Where's Jin Suo? Why didn't she come into the palace with us?" He Rui had noticed Jin Suo from the beginning. He Rui had never liked Jin Suo's foxy face. Considering that Jin Suo was very loyal to He Ya, he didn't leave her in the palace.
"Sister, really. What can Jin Suo do? She's just a servant. Does she still think she's a child like before she entered the palace? She doesn't know her place. It's a good thing that Jin Suo was assigned to a guard by E Yue's side. I'll have to talk to the Empress Dowager later and have her slave status removed." He Ya looked at her sister. She wasn't particularly close to her sister before, and after arriving in the capital, she felt that her sister's thoughts weren't necessarily all right. But after entering the palace and learning more, she realized how shameful their status was, and gradually she became very dependent on her sister.
"Look, don't remove it yet. Let other servants think they all hope to be freed from slavery, and they'll only fawn over their masters instead of doing their jobs properly."
He Ya thought for a moment and then nodded. "Sister says so."
The two sisters chatted about some trivial matters, when a servant outside whispered, "Your Majesty, the Empress invites Princess Heya to Jianfu Palace for lunch."
~~~
Jianfu Palace was bustling with activity. He Rui, accompanied by several princesses, sat in Jingyi Pavilion, opting not to have lunch in the main hall. The unmarried princesses were avoiding any appearance of impropriety. Unbeknownst to He Rui, He Ya was having lunch outside, appearing somewhat aloof.
He Ya suppressed her anger. "Fifth Prince, who does he think he is? He let Madam Hu sit on the chairman's seat and even made some veiled criticisms. Does he think I'm easy to bully?"
Now, Lady Hu has lost her former glory, yet she doesn't know how to be modest. How could a mere princess appear when the princess returns home? She should be sitting on the throne like a proper princess, telling the princess how handsome her husband is, and saying things that have no substance. How could He Ya not be angry?
Consort Yi had thought long and hard about having Lady Hu attend this family banquet. She had hoped that Lady Hu's previous relationship with the princess would help her build a good relationship with the Fifth Prince. However, she did not expect that Lady Hu would not only ruin the matter, but also cause the princess to hold a grudge against her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
