Chapter Ten
Life in the palace is actually quite dull and tedious, which is probably why these women invented palace intrigue! The bored Fourth Princess sat in a chair, lost in thought. Watching the Fifth Princess busy making little clothes for the Seventh Princess, the Fourth Princess sighed again, longing for life outside the palace. She sighed again, wondering how Ziwei had adapted so well to palace life. Thinking about it, the Fourth Princess felt relieved. Ziwei had been confined to the inner palace since birth, only venturing out of the capital once, and even then encountering thieves and swindlers. Thinking of this, the Fourth Princess wanted to chuckle to herself; she hadn't expected Ziwei to meet Xiao Yanzi under such circumstances.
"May the Fourth Princess and the Fifth Princess be blessed!" A palace maid walked in with small steps.
The Fourth Princess looked up at the palace maid, "Get up!" The palace maid wasn't from Kunning Palace, so she must have been quite something to get in.
"Princess, Consort Jia invites you two to stroll in the Imperial Garden," the palace maid said, her head slightly bowed.
The Fourth Princess raised an eyebrow. Consort Jia? The Fourth Princess recalled Consort Jia's background. These days, they hadn't just learned the rules; they knew a thing or two about the women in the palace above the rank of Consort. This Consort Jia entered the palace during the Yongzheng era, serving the prince. In the thirteenth year of Yongzheng's reign, when Qianlong ascended the throne, she was bestowed the title of Noble Lady. In the second year of Qianlong's reign, she was promoted to Consort Jia; in the sixth year, to Imperial Concubine Jia; and in the fourteenth year, to Imperial Noble Consort Jia. On the fourteenth day of the first month of the fourth year, she gave birth to the fourth prince, Yongcheng; on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the eleventh year, to the eighth prince, Yongxuan; on the ninth day of the seventh month of the thirteenth year, to the ninth prince; and on the seventh day of the second month of the seventeenth year, to the eleventh prince, Yongxing. The Fourth Princess had always assumed Consort Jia was very favored, at least seemingly more so than the Empress. Consort Jia and the Empress both entered the palace from their residences, so the Empress should know whether she was pregnant or not. She invited them to the Imperial Garden—should they go or not?
Fifth Princess always followed Fourth Princess's lead. Seeing Fourth Princess remain silent, Fifth Princess continued making small clothes with her head down. Although the Empress didn't seem as approachable as her mother, her elder sister had previously said that a seemingly serious person wasn't necessarily a bad one. Moreover, she had already witnessed the sheer number of women in the harem on their first day of learning etiquette and paying their respects. Upon returning, she heard her sister say that these women were all the Emperor's concubines, and if her mother entered the palace, she would be one of them. These women would use any means necessary to win the Emperor's attention; perhaps they too would become tools for others. Hearing her sister's words, she was truly frightened. Hearing her sister recount the lies her mother had told to secure their status, she knew that the older women in the palace might know. Now that the Emperor favored them greatly, those older women naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to win them over. Although she didn't quite understand why those people were trying to win them over, she knew that listening to her sister was the right thing to do.
The palace maid stood there, unsure whether to advance or retreat, and the two princesses remained silent, beginning to feel uneasy.
"Greetings, Princesses! This servant is acting on the Empress's orders to invite you to come over!" Another palace maid walked in. Looking at the maids in the room, she immediately recognized them as those from Consort Jia's side. How did they get into Kunning Palace? Then she looked at the Fourth and Fifth Princesses. One was looking out the window, and the other was making a small dress. The small dress was obviously made for the Seventh Princess. Although there were people who specialized in making clothes, the Fifth Princess's skills were in no way inferior to those people.
"Chunjin, what does the Empress Dowager want us to do?" Fourth Princess turned her gaze over, only then remembering that there was a palace maid present. "Chunjin, do you know that palace maid? Go with her to give a message and thank Mother for her kindness! The weather is too hot, and my sister and I are too delicate to stand the heat."
"Your Highness, this is good news. Miss Baozhu and Miss Jinsuo have finished learning etiquette from their nanny and are now being questioned by Her Majesty the Empress! This servant will go to the Imperial Garden now. Should we call the imperial physician over to check on Your Highness's health?" Chunjin was a sensible person. Although she hadn't been in the palace with the Empress for long, she had already become a trusted confidante. Hearing the Fourth Princess's words, she was very satisfied with her. No one wants to support someone who betrays their own family.
"Go and take care of your business first. You will tell the Empress Dowager about the matter of summoning the imperial physician. Go now!" Fourth Princess stood up. Although Baozhu could be a bit eccentric at times, she was generally loyal. Now that she had learned the rules, she would keep her by her side.
Watching the two palace maids leave, Fifth Princess put down the nearly finished little garment and asked, "Sister, is it alright if we don't go?"
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Consort Jia might be plotting against us. Ziwei, we can’t trust anyone in this palace except for Father Emperor and Mother Emperor.”
Fifth Princess nodded obediently, "Let's go pick up Jin Suo and Bao Zhu!"
~~~
Chunjin, returning from a trip to the Imperial Garden, reported to the Empress that someone in Kunning Palace seemed to have carelessly allowed outsiders in. The Empress nodded; even if everything was perfectly secure, it wouldn't be good. The Emperor's recent habit of sleeping in her palace had already displeased the Empress Dowager. Although she was straightforward, she wasn't stupid; it was best to maintain a tight security internally while allowing a more relaxed exterior in Kunning Palace. "What did the Fourth and Fifth Princesses say?"
"The Fourth Princess said that she was too delicate to withstand the heat."
The Empress was quite satisfied. The two girls had just taken Jin Suo and Bao Zhu away. The two maids were well-trained and observant, and the two maids were quite clever, knowing what to say and what not to say. What did Consort Jia invite the two princesses for? Was she trying to win them over? Thinking of the speed at which Consort Jia had given birth in recent years, the Empress frowned.
"Your Highness, the Fourth Princess just said something that this old servant thinks..."
"What did Fourth Princess say, Rong Mama? You are an old servant of mine. Do you think I don't trust you? Why are you speaking so hesitantly?"
"Your Majesty, I just followed the Fourth Princess and the Fifth Princess back to their room. The Fifth Princess was embroidering on the clothes she was making for the Seventh Princess. The Fifth Princess said..."
~
"Sister, if you embroider a whole flower on such a small dress, you can only embroider one flower. It doesn't look good that way."
“Since embroidering just one flower doesn’t look good, why don’t you embroider some smaller pieces instead of the whole flower?”
"But I can only embroider whole flowers!"
~
What does "嬷嬷" mean?
“Since the Empress Dowager doesn’t want Your Majesty to have exclusive favor, why doesn’t Your Majesty share the Emperor’s favor with more people? Your Majesty can choose some of the Emperor’s favorites, and the Emperor will certainly not forget Your Majesty’s kindness! Besides, with the Fourth and Fifth Princesses in the palace, will the Emperor visit less often? Your Majesty, think about Consort Ling…” After saying this, Rong Mama took a half step back and said nothing more.
The Empress was not one to use tricks to win favor, but when even a lowly palace maid could rise to the rank of Consort, the Empress became uneasy. Consort Ling did not have children yet, but if she did... "Granny, the Fourth and Fifth Princesses miss Lady Irgen Gioro. When the Emperor came, he reminded me to invite Lady Irgen Gioro to the palace to visit the Fourth and Fifth Princesses."
"Yes, sir!"
~~~~~
"Fifth Prince, where are you going? Look at your face, it's covered in sweat!" Consort Ling greeted the Fifth Prince on his way to Zhongcui Palace, holding a handkerchief as if to wipe the sweat from his face.
Yongqi took a half step back. The twelve-year-old Yongqi was not stupid. His manners and upbringing made him keep his distance from Consort Ling. "Mother, your son is here to pay his respects to you."
Consort Ling lowered her hand naturally, which had been frozen in mid-air, and said nothing more. There was plenty of time in the future, and besides... the Fifth Prince's mother was still alive. "Then go quickly! So that your sister won't worry."
After bowing politely, Yongqi quickly walked towards Zhongcui Palace.
Consort Ling watched the Fifth Prince's figure, a smile playing on her lips. If she were to lose her mother... She turned and led her maids toward Yanxi Palace.
"Your Highness, Consort Jia invited the Fourth and Fifth Princesses to stroll in the Imperial Garden, but they declined," Dongxue reported the latest gossip from the palace.
"This Consort Jia tried to flatter but missed the mark!" Consort Ling said, covering her mouth with her handkerchief and laughing. "Is Kunning Palace still unable to find anyone?" Her own father works in the Imperial Household Department, yet they can't even get a single person in.
"Your Majesty, the people in Kunning Palace were selected by the Empress's family with the Emperor's permission."
Consort Ling narrowed her eyes. "I'm tired."
Consort Ling was unaware that as she sent people to other palaces, her own palace would naturally also have people from other palaces. Less than an hour after Consort Ling said that Consort Jia's flattery had missed its mark, Consort Jia had already heard about it. Consort Chun's lips curled into a smile; didn't Consort Jia think she was very good at dealing with Consort Ling? When the Empress heard this, she simply sipped her tea with a nonchalant air.
The Emperor's trip to Kunning Palace that evening went smoothly. Looking at the little clothes that Fifth Princess had made for Seventh Princess, the Emperor praised Fifth Princess highly. He was impressed by how much the Empress had done for her two daughters to gain their heartfelt acceptance. He then praised the Empress again.
After reuniting with her daughter, the Empress suggested inviting Lady Irgen Gioro to the palace to see the two princesses, as they had been separated for so long and the two princesses must miss Lady Irgen Gioro very much.
Emperor Qianlong was immediately moved. Although the Empress was straightforward, she would never harm anyone. He thought about how she had dutifully performed her duties both at her residence and in the palace over the years. As he thought about this, Qianlong also thought of Huixian and Xiaoxian. He sighed and decided to go to Changsi Palace for a while.
The Empress could tell from the Emperor's expression that Qianlong was thinking of Huixian and Xiaoxian again. She was secretly angry, but then she thought, what's the point of arguing with the dead? "Your Majesty, let Hejing return to the capital for the New Year! Hejing has not returned to the capital since she married and went to Mongolia. I don't know if she can adapt to life on the grasslands."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianlong immediately nodded in approval. He thought the Empress's thoughts were very thoughtful, and his evaluation of her rose another notch.
"Your Majesty, I know that my words are not pleasant to hear, and I know that I have a straightforward temper and may often say things that offend people without realizing it."
"I think the Empress's temperament is quite good. I would be even happier if she didn't often whisper unpleasant truths in my ear." After saying this, Qianlong laughed twice. "However, sometimes when I think back to the Empress's words of advice, I also think they make a lot of sense. But the Empress should also consider my feelings."
The Empress was taken aback when she heard the Emperor's words. In all these years, when had she ever heard the Emperor speak so softly? His sudden words really frightened her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
