TPNCQ CHAPTER 10
In the eye of the Storm
By the time the Ploughing Ceremony was completed, it was already the 13th of February.
In the evening, upon returning to the palace, Qianlong learned that Xiu Guiren was pregnant. He also heard about the incident that occurred in Chunxi Palace. To show his appreciation and to soothe her, he sent additional gifts to Xiu Guiren.
The Empress also sent her chief palace maid, Saoqin, with two bolts of brocade and some pearls and jade, along with words of comfort, instructing Xiu Guiren to take good care of her pregnancy.
Given the stance of the Emperor and Empress, the other consorts also felt compelled to send gifts. Xian Gufei sent her presents and even personally called for an imperial physician to check on Xiu Guiren. Su Limo also had two bolts of silk delivered.
Jia Fei never expected that Xiu Guiren would be blessed with a child; otherwise, she would not have acted in a way that backfired on her.
Luckily, Xiu Guiren’s pregnancy was unharmed, and it seemed the Emperor did not blame her. Otherwise, she could not imagine what her fate would be. In both emotion and reason, she had no choice but to personally deliver some valuable items to Xiu Guiren as an apology and a gesture of goodwill.
The gifts themselves were a minor issue; the real headache for Jia Fei was that the gender of the Empress’s child was still unknown, and now there was another pregnant Guiren.
It was truly infuriating.
However, now she was in the eye of the storm, and she had to restrain her ambitions and wait for a better opportunity.
The next afternoon, after reviewing the memorials, Qianlong visited Xiu Guiren in Yanxi Palace and spent an hour there. He then went to see Ling Pin, had some snacks, and chatted for a while.
Ling Pin presented him with a newly embroidered pair of mandarin duck sleeping robes, and that night, the Emperor stayed in Yanxi Palace.
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On February 15th, after breakfast, Su Limo personally packed two kinds of snacks, a pot of sour radish and wild duck soup, and a newly made cloth tiger. Accompanied by Shuangjiang and Dongxue, she headed to the residence of the princes.
On the first and fifteenth of each month, the concubines could visit the princes for an hour. Last month, Su Limo was still in her confinement period, so Qianlong had allowed the Third and Sixth Princes to visit Yongshou Palace to see her. Now that Su Limo’s health had improved, she was determined to visit the princes herself.
T/N: I'm confused about why the palace became Yongshou Palace. In previous chapters, it was called Jingren Palace, where the female lead resides.
With extra money for tips and rewards, the wet nurses and nannies were more diligent in their care. The Third Prince, Yongzhang, had gained some weight, and the Sixth Prince, Yongrong, had also grown taller.
The three of them sat around a round table, with Yongzhang enjoying his favorite sour radish and wild duck soup, and Yongrong savoring his beloved snacks.
Su Limo broke the snacks into small pieces to feed Yongrong, while Yongzhang, despite trying to act mature, could not resist the delicious food and took a few sips of the soup, a smile gradually spreading across his face.
After a while, Su Limo noticed a small figure peeking around the door. Judging by his age, she guessed it was the Fifth Prince, Yongqi. She smiled and beckoned him over, "Yongqi, come and have some snacks."
The Fifth Prince hesitated for a moment but then walked over, politely greeted her, and sat down. "Greetings, Chun Niangniang."
"Fifth Brother, eat. Fifth Brother, eat," said the Sixth Prince, handing a piece of osmanthus sugar cake to Yongqi with his chubby little hand.
Yongqi accepted the snack and ate it heartily. After finishing, he took two more pieces.
"What kind of snacks does Yongqi like to eat? I’ll bring some for you next time," Su Limo asked with a smile.
Seeing Yongqi ponder but unable to answer, Su Limo sighed inwardly, realizing that Fifth Prince must had followed the palace rules every day and Yu Fei probably didn’t indulge him much in terms of food.
"How about Chun Niangniang bring you two different kinds of snacks next time? And we can keep it our little secret," she suggested with a smile. Thinking of him as the endearing "wage" (frog brother) from a certain drama, Su Limo felt a strange sense of affection for the young prince, even though he wasn’t her own child.
Hearing this, Yongqi’s eyes lit up at the promise of secrecy. "Won't you tell even my mother?" he asked softly.
"Not even your mother," Su Limo confirmed.
Hearing this, Yongqi stood up and ran off. At the door, he turned back and said, "Thank you, Chun Niangniang."
After the snacks, Su Limo watched the nurse play with the cloth tiger with Yongrong for a while. When it was time to leave, the Sixth Prince, though not even two years old, didn’t cry or fuss. He giggled and waved as she left, seeing her off to the door.
On the way back to the palace, Su Limo chatted with Shuangjiang and Dongxue. She learned that the First Prince, Yonghuang, had already been granted his own residence outside the palace in October of the previous year.
According to the rules, a prince could move out once he came of age. It was said that Eldest Prince, Yonghuang received a grant of 100,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Household Department when he moved out.
Su Limo did some quick calculations and realized that she would have to be a Noble Consort for 134 years to earn that much money!
134 years, which was over 1,600 months…
From this perspective, once the Third Prince and Sixth Prince get married and came of age, they too would be eligible to receive a substantial sum of money to establish their household. As long as they weren’t wastrels, but rather adhere to their duties, avoid harbouring unrealistic ambitions, and were content with living as idle princes, they could enjoy a life of wealth and comfort.
With a solid financial foundation, all they needed to do was take care of themselves, stay healthy, and live a long, happy life.
Striving for power and competing for the throne was something to avoid—it was a death sentence.
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For several days, after finishing his court duties, Qianlong either spent time with his Bai Yueguang, The Empress in Changchun Palace or visited Xiu Guiren in Yanxi Palace.
Xiu Guiren was particularly demanding during the early stages of her pregnancy. She suffered from a poor appetite and frequent nausea. One day she called for the imperial physician, the next she was anxious and wanted a midwife to be brought to the palace. If it weren’t for the rule that concubines could only have family accompany them in the eighth month of pregnancy, she would have insisted on bringing her mother from far away.
She could not rest for a moment and her constant demands gave Qianlong a headache. After one night of staying with her, he didn’t stay again. Instead, he would have a brief chat and drink tea with her before spending the night in the main hall with Ling Pin.
Because of Xiu Guiren’s pregnancy, Ling Pin became the sole recipient of the Emperor’s favor for a time, making her the most prominent figure in the harem.
Where there is joy, there is also sorrow. Jia Fei, having been neglected by Qianlong due to the incident with the Hundred Blessings Quilt, felt increasingly upset. She had sent people to invite the Emperor, only to be politely refused each time. If he had scolded her directly, she might have felt better, but this cold treatment, like being cut with a blunt knife, was unbearable.
She knew that Ling Pin, whom she had always seen as an enemy, was most adept at pillow talk. The Emperor was not just her man but also Ling Pin’s. It seemed likely that Xiu Guiren was being used by Ling Pin to secure her position. Now pregnant with the Emperor’s child, she was practically revered. If she bore a prince, Yanxi Palace would surely rise in prominence.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, thought Jia Fei. She suspected that the Empress also viewed Yanxi Palace with disfavor. For two consecutive days, she visited Changchun Palace to see the Empress whenever Qianlong was at Yanxi Palace.
Empress Fucha is now more than seven months pregnant. Due to having given birth to three children in her early years, he health has suffered, and it took seven years before she finally conceived this pregnancy. Being already very cautions, she had been experiencing restless sleep at night during the late stages of her pregnancy and needs to catch up on sleep during day. Being disturbed by Jia Fei for two consecutive days had left her exhausted.
Thus, when Jia Fei came to Changchun Palace again, she was stopped by Saoqin, the chief palace maid, and was refused entry twice.
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wage: 蛙哥 (wāgē) - "Frog Brother" a common nickname for a male character in Chinese dramas.