“Miss Achu.” A clear yet resonant voice came from beside her. Achu turned and saw a young man carrying a medicine chest. She asked in surprise, “Imperial Physician Jiang, what are you doing here?”
The speaker was an imperial physician from the Imperial Academy of Medicine. Technically, he could be considered her junior fellow disciple, but the two were not close. They had only met a few times, and those occasions had been many years ago, when they had seen Master off. Achu’s impression of him was quite favorable—not only because of his excellent medical skills, but also because Aunt Fang had approved of his character.
Jiang Yubin appeared calm, but no one knew that the moment he saw the young woman, his heart began pounding wildly. His entire body tensed like a stone. Though the weather was not hot, a thin sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. He was so nervous that he had no idea what he was saying. When Achu bid him farewell, he was still staring blankly at her retreating figure. He watched for a long, long while, until her graceful silhouette vanished around the corner.
When Jiang Yubin first met Achu, he had only just entered the palace. Following his family’s teachings, he remained highly vigilant toward everything within the palace. There was deception and intrigue everywhere in the imperial palace, and the slightest carelessness could lead to utter ruin. Jiang Yubin did not dare gamble with his family’s lives. Every word and action of his was proper and restrained, and he never crossed the line.
At the time, he was merely an obscure young apprentice. Because he worked diligently, however, he caught the eye of a highly respected elderly imperial physician in the Imperial Academy of Medicine. Jiang Yubin formally became the old physician’s disciple and followed him in learning the art of healing and saving lives.
It was not until the old physician retired and returned to his hometown that Jiang Yubin learned he had a senior apprentice sister whose medical skill was extraordinary. She was the old physician’s most beloved and most accomplished disciple. After that unintentional glimpse of her, Jiang Yubin, whose heart and mind had been firmly claimed, began striving even harder.
He did not ask that Achu marry him. He only wished to gain enough strength to protect her from harm—especially after learning that Achu did not want to leave the palace and wished to accompany Aunt Fang in the depths of the palace for the rest of her life. Jiang Yubin’s desire to become stronger grew all the more urgent.
Fortunately, hard work had not failed him. Jiang Yubin rubbed the brown medicine chest in his hands. If he wanted to rise above the ordinary in the palace, currying favor with those in power was indispensable. The information revealed by the drunken young guard was enough to make the risk worth taking. He was waiting—waiting for the Noble Lady in the Cold Palace to rise again. Offering timely help in someone’s hour of need was always more appropriate, and far more precious, than adding flowers to brocade.
Achu naturally knew nothing of Jiang Yubin’s thoughts. Though the old physician had indeed entrusted his nominal junior fellow disciple with taking good care of her before he left, Achu had not taken the polite remark seriously. Besides, she was shy around strangers. Even her spoiled little temper only showed itself before people close to her. With an unrelated man like Jiang Yubin, whom she had met only a few times, she felt it best to maintain the proper distance.
By the third month, the weather gradually warmed. Like spring wind bringing gentle rain, the change came overnight. The willow trees became lush and verdant, while the peach blossoms burst into fiery bloom, as though they were a painting nourished by rain and dew. They added brilliant color to the spring gardens of the palace. Perhaps the season truly was auspicious, for the Empress, who had been bedridden with a lingering illness, gradually recovered.
Once a person’s body regained its strength, she naturally had the energy to attend to other matters as well. When the Empress saw the evidence presented by Noble Consort Hui, she flew into a rage. Not long after the Second Prince’s death, burned paper offerings had been discovered near the Cold Palace—and the person living in the Cold Palace was the Ulanara clan woman who had long been the Empress’s greatest enemy.
The old hatred and the new were enough to convince the Empress that the Second Prince’s death had been caused by Ruyi’s curse. Otherwise, why would reed catkins have blown into Yonglian’s room for no reason? She let out a cold laugh, her expression terrifying.
“She brought this upon herself, and now she has even cursed Yonglian. Even after being sent to the Cold Palace, she still refuses to behave. She used such despicable means to harm my child. Don’t worry—I will not let my child have died for nothing!”
Though Noble Consort Hui heard her speak slowly, every word seemed to have been ground out with difficulty through clenched teeth, filled with deep hatred. She knew that the Empress’s hatred had reached its limit. Her fury and resentment burned like a raging fire that could not be extinguished.
“Empress, do you mean…” Noble Consort Hui ventured cautiously.
“She is in the Cold Palace now, while we remain outside. We have more than enough ways to deal with her.” The Empress closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, struggling to suppress the anger burning within her and maintain her composure. “The food is still being sent in for her to eat, isn’t it?”
Noble Consort Hui replied, “How could she swallow spoiled, rotten food? A little money can smooth things over. But after accumulating over time, even our funds are running low.”
“Very good.” The Empress lightly twisted her handkerchief to suppress the cough rising in her throat. Her face flushed, and after a moment, she rubbed her temples wearily. But the moment she thought of Ruyi in the Cold Palace, the hatred in her heart forced her to rally her spirits.
The struggle over the position of primary wife had been an inescapable shadow hanging over Fuca Langhua. With everyone watching, Hongli had handed the jade ruyi in his hand to Qingying, announcing his choice for primary wife, while she, a member of the Fuca clan, had been nothing more than a secondary wife.
Although the late Emperor had vetoed that decision, on the night of their wedding, Hongli had used ill health as an excuse and deliberately reserved his first night for Qingying, who entered the residence afterward. Even in the face of such humiliations, Fuca Langhua had endured them outwardly with virtue and magnanimity. But the Ulanara clan woman should never—ever—have touched her child. She had originally intended to leave her alive in the Cold Palace, where she could struggle on for the remainder of her life. It seemed there was no longer any need for that.
Having conceived the intention to kill, the Empress hinted that Noble Consort Hui and A’Ruo, who had come to Changchun Palace to pay her respects, should make their move against the Cold Palace.
For such a thing, it was better to use someone else’s hand to kill. Fuca Langhua had no intention of acting personally.
Strife continued without end in the inner palace. As the Empress’s illness improved, the feeling that a storm was brewing grew ever stronger.
Not long afterward, dozens of venomous snakes inexplicably appeared in the Cold Palace in the middle of the night. But since no one was injured, the matter eventually came to nothing. Perhaps the excessive yin energy of the Cold Palace had invited disaster. On the day of the Ghost Festival, the Empress Dowager was even attacked there. Fortunately, the guards arrived in time to protect her. Aside from being frightened, the Empress Dowager suffered no serious harm.
After the Empress Dowager left, Suoxin gazed at the glaring bloodstains by the doorway, her face covered in tears. She said gratefully, “Thank goodness Your Highness didn’t use those paper offerings and spirit money of unknown origin. Otherwise, we would be the ones severely punished today.”
Ruyi’s face was pale as well, but her gaze gradually hardened. She did not want to die in the Cold Palace without ever knowing why. The only thing she could do now was clear her name and get out as soon as possible. For some inexplicable reason, she suddenly thought of the young girl she had met in the Cold Palace that day. Ruyi had a vague feeling that if she did not find a way to leave soon, she would never get out.
The thick layer of ink-black clouds still lingered at the edge of the sky. Only a few dazed crows flapped their wings, cawing as they disappeared into the depths of the night.
This period of peaceful silence lasted until the end of summer in the fifth year of Qianlong’s reign. It was the Double Ninth Festival, and ever since ascending the throne, the Emperor had treated the Empress Dowager with great affection and filial devotion. Moreover, the Empress Dowager managed the affairs of the inner palace, so the Double Ninth Festival that year was especially lively.
The Emperor sat upon the dragon throne, savoring the faint tipsiness of the wine in his cup. A slight smile touched the corners of his lips, but inwardly he felt quite bored. Whether it was singing and dancing or any of the other activities, everything was repeated year after year and month after month. It had all grown increasingly tedious.
The Empress Dowager seemed to notice the Emperor’s distraction and raised a subject. “Emperor, the new woman from the Lu clan whom I bestowed upon you last year still holds the same rank. Is she not to your liking?”
He was not without annoyance at the way his Empress Mother constantly planted her trusted aides at his side. But throughout the Manchu court and realm, who did not know that the Empress Dowager had contributed half the credit for his ascension to the throne? The single word filial piety was enough to weigh him down completely. Thus, he did not reject the women his Empress Mother sent him—but as for granting them great favor, that was out of the question. No one wanted the person sharing his pillow to be someone else’s pawn. The Emperor valued his life dearly.
Therefore, he merely smiled without giving a definite answer. “Empress Mother, I appreciate your affection. Your son understands.”
The Empress Dowager took a sip of wine and lowered her eyelids. Then she smiled amiably. “Emperor, autumn has already arrived. To continue performing Peach Blossoms in Spring, a song suited to the season of spring peach blossoms, would be rather inappropriate. Let us change to another performance. I have someone new to recommend to you.”
The Emperor raised his cup. “I shall leave it to Empress Mother.”
The Empress Dowager smiled and clapped her hands. A woman appeared, gracefully lifting her slender figure as she approached to the accompaniment of strings and bamboo instruments. A light breeze passed over her clothes and sash, making them flutter gently like slender threads dancing in the wind. When she turned, a cool breeze brushed past her unnoticed, and every movement revealed an ethereal beauty.
Beneath the tranquil moonlight, she stood at an angle and softly recited:
“Thin mist, thick clouds, sorrowing through the endless day;
Incense from the golden beast burns away.
The Double Ninth Festival has come again.
Jade pillow, gauze bedchamber—
At midnight, the chill first seeps through.
Beyond the eastern hedge, after dusk,
A hidden fragrance fills my sleeves.
Do not say the soul is not consumed with longing;
The west wind lifts the curtain,
And she is thinner than the yellow flowers.”
Consort Chun’s eyes were full of admiration. “His Majesty loves poetry most of all. This girl is certainly no ordinary young woman.”
“What is so extraordinary about her?” Consort Jia said sourly. “The tune is no tune, the melody is no melody. What on earth is she singing? I find nothing to admire.”
Noble Consort Hui gave a soft snort at Consort Jia’s lack of understanding. “That is Li Qingzhao’s ‘Drunken Flower Shade.’”
The Emperor smiled in satisfaction. “Walking with light steps upon rippling waves, singing poetry as she moves—fresh, elegant, and truly original.”
The Empress Dowager smiled faintly and called out, “The song and dance are over. Why don’t you come closer?”
The woman walked forward at an unhurried pace and gave a gentle curtsy. “Greetings to the Empress Dowager, His Majesty, and the Empress.” She slowly lifted her head. She was indeed a rare beauty.
The Emperor turned his head slightly and said with a smile, “The person Empress Mother chose is indeed graceful and lovely, and her thoughts are uncommon as well. This ‘Drunken Flower Shade,’ in which Li Qingzhao yearns for her beloved during the Double Ninth Festival, suits the atmosphere of today’s celebration perfectly.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes held a smile as she said slowly, “Whether it is appropriate or not is not for me to decide. Only you, Emperor, can say.”
Then she continued in a solemn voice, “This girl is the daughter of the palace assistant Yongshou. She comes from the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, and her family background is quite distinguished.”
The Emperor nodded and instructed gently, “Come forward.”
He asked indifferently, “The singing and dancing tonight were excellent. Why did you recite poetry instead?”
The woman lowered her face, without the slightest trace of fear in her expression. Her voice was calm and firm. “Your subject does not care for overly boisterous song and dance. Instead, I feel that the poems and songs left behind by the ancients possess a more enduring meaning and are worth savoring carefully. I once heard that His Majesty received deep literary influence from the Sacred Ancestor and is skilled at chanting poetry. I thought that perhaps Your Majesty would understand the feeling of finding a kindred spirit.”
The Emperor raised his brows and asked with interest, “What is your name?”
The woman lowered her eyes and answered softly, “Yihuan.” She paused. “It means that the heart is filled with joy.”
The Emperor’s gaze was as gentle as a spring breeze. “In ancient times, when a man and woman delighted in each other, a woman’s term of address for her lover was huan. Your name is full of feeling.”
Yihuan’s cool face flushed with embarrassment. She answered in a low voice, “Yes, Your Majesty’s learning is truly broad. In my life, I have loved the ci poem ‘Meeting Joy’ more than any other. I am especially fond of it.”
“Then you and I are meeting in joy.” The Emperor’s laughter was clear and bright. He continued, “What is your surname?”
At that moment, Noble Consort Hui could not resist curling her lips in mockery. “With a name like that, I presume she must have come from a Han Banner surname.”
Consort Jia covered her mouth and laughed. “Noble Consort Hui certainly knows best what it means to come from the Han Banner.”
Noble Consort Hui’s expression turned cold. She turned her face away and no longer paid her any attention.
Noble Consort Hui had originally been born into the bondservant ranks of the Han Banner. During the days of the former residence, her status had placed her a rank below the secondary wife Qingying in every respect, and she had harbored deep resentment. Later, because her father had rendered meritorious service at court, her entire family was transferred into the banner and given the surname Gaojia. She had leaped into the ranks of the legitimate Manchu nobility, finally breaking free of the shackles of her status and holding her head high. Now that Consort Jia had brought up the old matter again and embarrassed her in front of everyone, it would have been strange if Noble Consort Hui had shown her a pleasant expression.
Yihuan calmly gave her name. “Yehenara.”
The Emperor froze for a moment, while the Empress gave an ambiguous smile. “Yehenara?”
Consort Jia, eager to stir up trouble, rolled her eyes and cried out. Covering her mouth with her sleeve, she asked in astonishment, “What? Yehenara? Is that the Yehenara clan that was destroyed by the Jianzhou Jurchens? Your Majesty, although I was born into the Yushi Clan, I have also heard the history of how the Yehe tribe was destroyed by our Taizu, Nurhaci. Before the Yehenara leader Jintaiji died, he was said to have made a grief-stricken oath that even if only one woman of the Yehenara clan remained, she would still destroy the Aisin Gioro clan. I wonder whether that is true?”
Seeing the unease appear on Yihuan’s face, Noble Consort Hui picked up a handkerchief and said mildly, “Consort Jia is indeed well informed.”
The Empress Dowager merely smiled, unconcerned. “They are only rumors from the past, yet you listen to them as though they were important. The Yehe tribe was destroyed by our Jianzhou Jurchens and has submitted for many years now. Yihuan’s father is doing perfectly well as an imperial palace assistant. I refuse to believe that a young girl could turn into a demon. Emperor, what do you say?”
The Emperor smiled and extended a hand, his voice gentle. “I remember that the Taizu’s Empress Xiaocigao also came from the Yehenara clan. She gave birth to Taizong for the Taizu and accumulated immeasurable merit.”
He had already been taken by Yihuan’s beauty, so he smoothly went along with the suggestion. Although it irritated him that she was someone sent by the Empress Dowager, it did not matter. He was only taken with her beauty. To dote without loving—that was what he did best.
The Empress Dowager raised her brows slightly, knowing that Yihuan’s entry into the palace was assured. She turned to Yihuan with an amiable expression. “Yihuan, why have you not thanked His Majesty?”
Yihuan gracefully knelt and bowed her head in sincere gratitude. “This subject thanks His Majesty for his praise.”
The Emperor smiled and took her hand. “Your words please me greatly. I shall grant you the title Shu and assign you to the Palace of Accumulated Elegance. From now on, you will be Noble Lady Shu.”
The Empress smiled and rose first, raising her cup. “Since His Majesty ascended the throne, most of the women in his harem began their advancement as Ladies or Palace Women. Now Yehenara has leaped straight to Noble Lady, which clearly shows His Majesty’s favor. I raise this cup to His Majesty and congratulate him on gaining another beauty!”
At these words, the consorts below grew even more resentful, but they could only echo her: “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor drained his cup in one go, then ordered Yihuan to attend him at close quarters.
Yehenara’s expression was cold and indifferent toward everyone around her. Only when she faced the Emperor did she gaze at him with tenderness, like brilliant sunlight melting ice and snow. It was plain to see that she had fallen deeply in love.
Noble Consort Hui glanced over, then curled her lip in disdain. Fallen deeply in love after seeing him only once? This woman was truly scheming. Moxin, who was serving at her side, saw that her mistress made no attempt to conceal her expression and sighed inwardly. After all these years in the palace, Her Highness was still so easy to read.
“Your Highness, don’t forget the important matter.” Seeing that Her Highness was lost in her own thoughts and had failed to notice the signal from the Empress, Moxin bent down and reminded her in a low voice.
Noble Consort Hui dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her handkerchief, then smiled coquettishly at the Emperor. “The newcomers have sung and danced today, and we have had quite enough excitement on the ground. My father found a box of fireworks outside the palace. Why don’t we enjoy some excitement in the sky as well?”
The Emperor nodded in agreement.
The next moment, a streak of white light tore across the pitch-black sky with a piercing shriek. Multicolored flowers bloomed in midair, illuminating the entire night sky as they constantly shifted shape and danced across the heavens. Golden sparks scattered in every direction like raindrops. The music played by the musicians in the distance, the accompaniment of the songstresses, and the maids’ cheers pushed the night’s revelry to its climax.
Beneath that splendid scene of flowers bursting in profusion, murderous danger resurfaced.
Achu gazed into the distance. She seemed to hear faint cries of terror far away. She timidly clutched Wei Yingwan’s arm and whispered, “Yingwan, did you hear that? Could there be a ghost? At this hour of the night…”
Wei Yingwan had heard it too. She tightened her grip on Achu’s arm and trembled. “Achu, I… We should hurry back.”
“Ahhhhhhh! It’s a female ghost! It definitely is!”