TPNCQ CHAPTER 24
Luxurious and extravagant
Chief Imperial Physician Song Ren had no choice but to step forward to reply, carefully choosing his words. "The weather has been rainy and changeable for several days. The Seventh Prince must have caught a cold. He has a runny nose and a cough. I, along with several other imperial physicians, have examined him and prescribed a medicine. Just boil the medicine and have the wet nurse drink it so that it can be passed to the Seventh Prince through her milk. I believe he will recover in a few days."
Upon hearing this, Empress Fucha finally felt relieved. However, before she could catch her breath, the imperial physician's next words made her anxious again.
"However, the Seventh Prince was born prematurely and is naturally weaker than ordinary infants. He must be taken good care of and must not catch another cold." Chief Imperial Physician Song Ren carefully weighed his words, trying to convey the meaning without scaring the Empress.
Hearing about the premature birth and the weak constitution, Empress Fucha felt a darkness descend upon her. She managed to steady herself by holding the hand of Saoqin.
She had been so unwell during her pregnancy with Yongcong, and her condition had worsened in the later stages of her pregnancy. It was all her fault for not taking good care of herself and causing the Seventh Prince to be born prematurely. As his mother, her heart ached.
During this time, the Qianlong Emperor and the Empress Dowager also visited the Seventh Prince several times.
For many days afterward, Empress Fucha, apart from returning to the Changchun Palace at night, spent almost all her time in the Prince's Mansion, taking care of the Seventh Prince. The servants were even more attentive, not daring to make any mistakes.
The Seventh Prince, Yongcong, gradually recovered, and Empress Fucha finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Empress Fucha had not yet completed her one month confinement period and was already weak since giving birth. She had been physically exhausted from taking care of the Seventh Prince day and night. Now that the crisis was over, she collapsed from exhaustion and fainted in the Prince's Mansion. She was carried back to the Changchun Palace.
Although she was back in the Changchun Palace, thinking about the Seventh Prince made Empress Fucha restless. She couldn't sleep at night and found it difficult to eat during the day. She was constantly worried about whether the Seventh Prince was eating well, sleeping soundly, if the windows were closed tightly on windy days, and if he would kick the quilt because it was too warm on sunny days. She secretly shed countless tears.
Seeing that Empress Fucha's whole mind was on the Prince's Mansion and that she was restless even while recuperating in the Changchun Palace, Saqin suggested, "Niangniang, why don't you talk to the Emperor and bring the Seventh Prince back to the Changchun Palace to raise?"
"As the Empress, I am the role model of the harem, how can I break the ancestral rules? Moreover, there was a lot of controversy among the officials about whether the Seventh Prince should be raised in the Prince's Mansion. I didn't want the Emperor to be in a difficult position, so I had to send the Seventh Prince to the Prince's Mansion. Now, after only ten days, I want to bring him back. I don't know what kind of storm will be stirred up in the court." Empress Fucha said, tears streaming down her face. "The Seventh Prince was born from me. I am more worried than anyone else. I wish I could suffer for him."
"Niangniang..." Saqin knew that there was no point in persuading her further, so she took out a handkerchief to wipe away Empress Fucha's tears. "You can't keep crying. Your eyes will be ruined if you cry too much during confinement."
The Seventh Prince, Yongcong, gradually recovered from illness. Under the care of more than a dozen wet nurses and maids, he began to eat and sleep well. Once Empress Fucha's health improved, she went to the Prince's Mansion every day to care for the Seventh Prince along with the servants. However, she had not recovered well from her confinement due to overwork and excessive crying, and she eventually developed a postpartum illness.
Her eyes watered easily with the sight of wind, and whenever the weather changed or it rained continuously, her whole body ached. Keeping warm was not enough; she had to use a warm furnace to apply heat to the sore areas to relieve the pain. But compared to the mental anguish she suffered, these physical ailments were nothing.
*
After careful selection, the Qianlong Emperor finally chose a grand scholar as the head tutor, along with two Han Chinese tutors, two Manchu-Mongol tutors, and two archery instructors, for a total of seven tutors who would take turns teaching. A good day was chosen, the third day of the fifth month, for the Third Prince, Yongzhang, and the Fourth Prince, Yongcheng, to start attending the Study Hall.
Upon receiving the news, Su Limo and Jia Fei began preparing the necessary items for them in advance.
Although there had been a tutor in the Prince's Mansion who taught them reading and writing every day, and some of the serving maids could also read and write, these were just basic skills, like kindergarten. It was only when they reached the appropriate age and went to the Study Hall that they would officially begin their studies in literature and martial arts.
For the princes, going to the Study Hall was a very solemn and important event, and even more so for the palace concubines.
Jia Fei had people find many good things, such as high-quality Duan inkstones that were as smooth as jade, delicate, and solid, and expensive peach blossom paper that cost one tael of silver for only thirty sheets. The ink was of the highest quality, supplied to the imperial court, with a thick texture and a subtle luster. Even the paperweight was made of mutton fat white jade, warm to the touch, and extremely valuable.
Still not satisfied, she sent people to find Xuancheng purple hair, selecting one hair from among ten thousand, to make a pen with just the right balance of softness and hardness, with a sharp, round, and straight tip.
The Imperial Household Department also eagerly tried to curry favor and increased the original allocation by more than double. They specially sent three or four extra sets of riding clothes, and several sets of bows and arrows were prepared for them to choose the most suitable ones.
For a time, the Chunxi Palace was bustling with activity. A lot of gold and silver was spent, and many people who were eager to curry favor also sent many good things.
When this news reached the Jingren Palace, Su Limo was sitting with Shuangjiang, Dongxue, Bailu, and two other young maids, sewing clothes and shoes for the Third Prince, Yongzhang.
As the weather gradually became warmer, they would practice in the martial arts field every day, so their outer clothes had to be durable, and their inner clothes had to be comfortable and breathable. Su Limo specially searched for some in the warehouse and, if there was not enough, she used her own silver to have the Imperial Household Department make them according to her requirements.
In addition to the silver used for the wet nurses and maids, she also allocated an extra six taels from her monthly allowance specifically for Yongzhang's daily meals, with the best snacks and soups provided.
As an eight-year-old boy, Yongzhang was at the stage of rapid growth and development. Moreover, after reviewing the daily schedule, Su Limo realized that it was packed. There were three languages alone: Manchu, Mongolian, and Han Chinese..... There were cultural classes in the morning and riding, archery, and physical education in the afternoon. If he didn't eat well and sleep well, how could he keep up day after day?
As for pens, ink, paper, and other stationery, the Imperial Household Department had prepared everything, and the standard items were of good quality. They wouldn't dare to use inferior products to deceive the prince, so Su Limo didn't plan to spend an extra penny on these.
She didn't care much about these ostentatious things, and in fact, the princes didn't care much either. They were all just brushes, inkstones, and white paper used for copying assignments. It would be better to find two good calligraphy copybooks for the princes to practice, as good handwriting was very important in ancient times.
As the weather got hotter and mosquitoes increased, Su Limo had Shuangjiang and the others sew two sachets for the Third Prince. There was no need for elaborate embroidery; simple and practical would suffice. Money should be spent wisely.
One sachet was filled with insect-repellent incense, and the other was filled with incense to refresh the mind, preventing him from falling asleep in class and getting caught.
On the third day of the fifth month, the two princes, along with their attendants, arrived at the Study Hall at the beginning of the Yin hour (around 3 am) for early morning reading. Classes started at the Mao hour (5-7 am) and ended at the beginning of the Mozheng hour (1:30 pm). After school, they went to the martial arts field to practice archery.
Jia Fei was as anxious as a mother sending her child to first grade on their first day. She kept sending eunuchs to inquire about the situation. When she heard that the Fourth Prince, Yongcheng, was very serious, she felt slightly relieved. She then asked about the Third Prince, Yongzhang, and the eunuch answered truthfully.
Nothing could be seen on the first day, but she was still worried. When she learned that the things the Third Prince, Yongzhang, was using were extremely simple, she sneered, "Chun Gufei is just so petty. She's afraid her son will starve, and she doesn't care about the things what should be cared. She only knows how to indulge in food and drink. That's all she's good for. Tell the kitchen that from now on, if the Third Prince wants to eat or drink anything, as long as they pay and let them choose the best to serve him."
"Niangniang is wise. If this continues, he will become a good-for-nothing. What achievements can he have?" the head maid, Lamei, flattered.
*
The lessons at the Study Hall were very tedious every day, and they had to delve deeply into three languages: Manchu, Mongolian, and Han Chinese. The princes had to leave the Prince's Mansion at 3 am every morning to go to the Study Hall. Fortunately, it was not the cold winter, so getting up was not difficult. Therefore, the princes gradually got used to it after a few days and were able to report on time every morning.
However, as the weather got hotter and the cultural classes became more boring, their minds would inevitably feel groggy in the morning.
Fortunately, Su Limo had sewn a sachet for the Third Prince, Yongzhang, and when he felt sleepy, he would take it out and smell it to refresh his mind.
One day after court, the Qianlong Emperor came to check on the princes' studies. He had only been standing outside the window for a short while when he saw the Fourth Prince, Yongcheng, yawn twice and his eyes were about to close. The teacher who taught Mongolian walked over and raised his voice to recite a few sentences, which startled the Fourth Prince, who quickly sat up straight.
"It's natural for the princes to feel sleepy in spring. They've just started attending the Study Hall and probably haven't gotten used to it yet," said Eunuch Li Yu in a low voice.
"Have the tutors think of ways to prevent them from developing lazy and extravagant habits," the Qianlong Emperor said displeasedly, turning and leaving the Study Hall.
Recently, Jia Fei had made a big fuss about preparing study supplies for the Fourth Prince, Yongcheng, It was a hot topic and everyone knew about it. A rough calculation showed that she had spent quite a lot of silver. Jia Fei always loved luxury, and Yongcheng was her first child, so naturally she favored him. However, this was a bit too extravagant.
Any eunuch who could serve as the head eunuch by the emperor's side was a shrewd person. Understanding the emperor's thoughts, he privately sought out the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department after leaving the Prince's Mansion and gave him a warning, "Don't just try to please the niangniang. Can you bear the consequences of angering the emperor?"
The chief steward of the Imperial Household Department broke out in a cold sweat, "Thank you for your advice, Eunuch Li."
*
Su Limo next saw the princes on the fifteenth day of the fifth month.
Empress Fucha was unwell and had exempted herself from meeting the other consorts. Xian Gufei, who was assisting in managing the harem, led everyone to the Cining Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was afraid of the heat, so the main hall was already cooled with ice, making it much more comfortable than the other palaces.
After the meeting, Su Limo instructed Shuangjiang to spend some silver to get a small pot of ice from the Imperial Household Department. She personally made a bowl of black glutinous rice ice cream, packed it up and had Dong Xue deliver it to the Cining Palace as a gift for the Empress Dowager. She also made four bowls of black sesame paste with tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) and personally took them to the Prince's Mansion for the Fifth Prince, Yongqi, and the Sixth Prince, Yongrong.
Since the Third and Fourth Princes had started attending the Study Hall every day, the Prince's Mansion had become much quieter.
The Fifth Prince, Yongqi, who was over five years old, had also started following his tutor to study and practice calligraphy every day.
The Sixth Prince, Yongrong, was only a little over two years old, and he had just learned to speak clearly. Most of the time, he was played with by his wet nurse and maids. There were no playmates of his own age in the Prince's Mansion, and seeing that his younger brother, born to the Empress, was still in swaddling clothes and only knew how to sleep, and that there were so many people in the main hall that he couldn't even enter, he felt a bit bored.