TPNCQ Chapter 1.1
Chapter- This
seems to be a good start 1.1
In the
tenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, on the twenty-third day of the
twelfth lunar month, a rare snowfall graced the land, promising abundance for
the year ahead.
Su Li Mo lay on her bed, her gaze drifting aimlessly as she stared at the freshly arranged red plum blossoms on the table.
Within the cozy confines of the room, warmed by two or three charcoal braziers, the snow-kissed blossoms exuded a delicate fragrance, blending seamlessly with the comforting embrace of the room's warmth.
This marked the third day since she had crossed over.
The original occupant of her body was
the Pure Noble Consort Aka Noble Consort Chun of Emperor Qianlong, who had
given birth just twenty-two days ago and had yet to complete her postpartum
confinement.
Though she held the position of a Pure
Noble Consort Aka Noble Consort Chun, she did not enjoy much of Emperor
Qianlong's Favor. With no notable family background to boast of, her status
relied solely on her ties to the inner palace. Yet, she possessed a gentle and
obedient demeanor, which endeared her to those around her. Later, she gave
birth to the third prince, Yongzhang, and the sixth prince, Yongrong, displaying
remarkable resilience. It wasn't until the first month of the tenth year of
Qianlong's reign that she finally gained the title of a Noble Consort through
her perseverance.
After all, in the imperial harem,
having more sons meant more blessings.
Later on, Emperor Qianlong, on a rare
occasion, favored her and she unexpectedly became pregnant once again.
However, this time, her ambitious
belly caused some trouble.
During childbirth, she suffered severe
bleeding. Though she barely managed to cling to life, she struggled with
breathing complications, ultimately succumbing. Two days ago, she was replaced
with another soul.
Before crossing over, Su Li Mo was
just an ordinary nine-to-fiver, going to work, killing time, binge-watching
dramas, playing video games, and occasionally indulging in a smoke. Life was
simple and carefree.
To her surprise, she woke up to find
herself in this strange place after a simple snooze.
Had she known it would end up like
this, she wouldn't have stayed up late binge-watching dramas until four in the
morning that night...
If only she had taken better care of
herself, gone to bed early, woken up early, and brewed some wolfberries in her
thermos...
Hmm...
She wanted
to cry, but no tears came.
Since fate had granted her a second
chance at life, she was determined to take better care of herself this time
around.
Over the course of three days, various concubines came to visit, offering their well wishes and congratulations on the birth of my daughter. They brought an array of medicinal herbs such as ginseng and deer antler, along with embroidered silk belly bands and a variety of gifts, enough to fill two lengthy tables.
Fortunately, as the esteemed Noble Consort, she was spared from the strict formalities during her postpartum confinement period. Most of the time, it was others who paid their respects to her, while she reclined comfortably on soft cushions, graciously accepting their gestures.
However, over these three days, she managed to gather a lot of information from their conversations.
Nowadays, within the harem, there were
only two individuals ranked above her who were still alive: one was Empress
Fucha, and the other was the Noble Consort Xian who had
risen from the position of a lowly concubine from the Qianfu Palace.
The Fucha shi, who bore the eldest prince Yonghuang and the short-lived second princess, passed away in the thirteenth year of Emperor Yongzheng's reign, a decade ago, at the tender age of twenty-seven. She was posthumously bestowed with the title of Imperial Nobel Consort Zhemin. She passed away in Bao Qin Wang Place, without enjoying any honor and respect during her lifetime. It wasn't until the tenth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, during the grand ceremony for the imperial harem, that she was posthumously elevated, perhaps out of consideration for the dignity of the eldest prince Yonghuang. Such a high position, yet such a tragic fate!
Another prominent figure, hailing from a prestigious family background and often a leading character in Qing dynasty dramas, was the Noble Consort Gao, deeply favored by Emperor Qianlong as his "kindred spirit”. However, she too passed away a few months ago, at the age of twenty-nine, and was posthumously honored as the Imperial Noble Consort Huixian. Such a high position, yet such a tragic fate!
Below her in rank, there were also two
individuals who had borne imperial sons and were still alive.
One of them is the well-known Consort
Yu, mother of the widely known Fifth Prince Yongqi, who resides in the Yonghe
Palace, formerly of the Yuhuayuan Residence. From what I recall, she seemed to
have lived to be about seventy or eighty years old and even had her name
card turned over by Emperor Qianlong. She appeared to be quite the
health enthusiast, judging by her longevity.
The other is the Imperial Noble Consort
Shujia, Jin shi, who in history, bore four imperial princes. She lived to the
age of 42 before passing away.
Of course, she's still living quite
well these days. She gave birth to the Fourth Prince Yongcheng and resides in
the Chunxi Palace as Consort Jia.
I heard she's pregnant again barely
three months into her pregnancy.
However, she seems a bit upset because
she coincidentally got pregnant at the same time as Empress Fucha.
In July of this year, Empress Fucha
was found to be pregnant while traveling with the Mongolian entourage. All in
all, she's now about six months into her pregnancy.
The eldest legitimate son, the Second
Prince, passed away prematurely, so the Emperor and Empress are placing high
hopes on this pregnancy, eagerly anticipating the birth of another legitimate
son.
Hence, in the palace, all eyes are
fixed on Empress Fucha, as Emperor Qianlong's attention constantly focused on
her. This situation is enough to upset Consort Jia.
Having watched numerous Qing Dynasty
dramas, Su Li Mo, who had some understanding of this period of history, knew
well that this pregnancy did yield a legitimate son, the Seventh Prince
Yongcong. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the child, as he did not
survive beyond infancy.
However, how many of Emperor
Qianlong's seventeen sons and ten daughters managed to survive into adulthood? You
could count them on one hand, and still have fingers left over.
As for the myriad of concubines, noble
ladies, and attendants, it was a vast crowd, and she couldn't keep track of
them all. Yet, she did manage to remember two or three who were strikingly
young and beautiful, their allure setting them apart from the others.
Now, with Empress Fucha already six
months into her pregnancy and Consort Jia barely reaching the three-month mark,
the palace was abuzz with joy. Two esteemed masters of the palace, both
carrying royal heirs, filled the palace with a sense of celebration from top to
bottom.
Moreover, with the New Year
approaching soon, the palace was bustling with numerous tasks, so everyone's
attention wasn't really focused on her, who had narrowly escaped death after
giving birth to a daughter.
It's actually a good thing.