Wen Shan figured that since Yinzhen had a bit of a chill, which was basically a cold, she might as well make him a modern “folk remedy”—canned yellow peaches.
She had preserved these peaches a while ago, and now was the perfect time to open and eat them.
Lunch at Xianfu Palace was prepared in its own small kitchen. Unlike the monotonous, standard dishes from the Imperial Kitchen, there were many dishes Yinzhen had never even seen before.
Although they didn’t look as exquisitely plated as the food from the Imperial Kitchen, their aroma was incomparably more fragrant.
As it was Yinzhen’s first day at Xianfu Palace, Wen Shan had personally cooked a few of her specialty dishes. For the two of them, she made three dishes and a soup, and steamed a basket of Fresh Meat Buns.
“This is the Yellow Peach Honey Soup that Consort Xuan made herself. It’s the best thing for a chill. You should try it,” Wen Shan said, placing the tureen of canned yellow peaches in front of Yinzhen.
The term “canned food” didn’t exist yet, so she had adapted and given it a new name.
Yinzhen nodded, thanked her earnestly, and picked up a small silver spoon to scoop up a piece of yellow peach.
Being so young, Yinzhen had not yet had his head shaved. The black hair on his forehead, just dried, was soft and fluffy. Over his sleepwear, he wore a brown, rabbit-fur, front-opening vest, which made him look utterly docile.
The more Wen Shan looked at him, the more adorable she found him. The current Yinzhen showed no trace of the future cold-faced emperor. His little face still had some baby fat, and his eyes were as dark as grapes. It was just that his disposition was indeed a bit rigid. Though only three, his conduct was so rule-bound that he lacked the innocent liveliness a child his age should have.
Even the Crown Prince, Yin Reng, who was four years his senior and had been meticulously taught by Kangxi, and whose knowledge of rules and academics was second to none among the princes, would still throw a childish tantrum from time to time.
There weren’t many yellow peaches in the silver tureen. Yinzhen finished them all in no time, even secretly licking his lips at the end. The sight made Wen Shan’s heart bloom with joy. Children of this age were truly the most likable—sensible, yet still exquisitely cute in appearance.
It seemed Yinzhen had a sweet tooth; he had left nothing of the Fried Milk or the canned yellow peaches.
Wen Shan silently made a mental note of Yinzhen’s preferences, mulling over making him some more desserts when she had the time.
For lunch, Wen Shan had made home-style dishes: Stir-fried Vegetable Hearts, Twice-cooked Pork, Scallion Oil Hand-shredded Chicken, and Sour Soup Fish Slices.
After the dishes were served, the palace maids and eunuchs withdrew. Usually, when Wen Shan cooked, she would make extra, and the palace staff would also get a portion from the small kitchen. Wen Shan enjoyed cooking and sharing her culinary skills with the staff of Xianfu Palace. After all, who didn’t like to be praised? It gave her a great sense of satisfaction.
Of course, it was also a way to pass the boring time in the palace.
Yinzhen was very proper when he ate. Seeing the palace staff all withdraw, he became a little flustered. He hesitated for a long time before asking cautiously, “Does Consort Xuan not have the palace staff serve the food?”
In the Qing court, masters were usually attended by palace maids and eunuchs who would serve them food. But Wen Shan really couldn’t get used to having someone stand beside her and help her with her food while she was eating. So, at Xianfu Palace, she usually let Zhen Zhu and the others go eat by themselves while she ate slowly and leisurely on her own.
There were plenty of masters in the palace with eccentric habits. By comparison, Zhen Zhu and the others didn’t find it strange that their mistress preferred to dine alone, so they obediently followed Wen Shan’s arrangement.
“…Consort Xuan prefers to eat by herself. Having palace staff around feels restrictive,” Wen Shan said with a smile, casually finding an excuse.
Fortunately, Yinzhen didn’t press the matter. He just nodded and then sat properly, waiting for Wen Shan to move her chopsticks first.
Wen Shan picked up a piece of chicken for him. Only after thanking her did Yinzhen begin to eat.
So many rules for such a small child, Wen Shan sighed silently in her heart again.
At first, Yinzhen was a little unaccustomed to serving himself. After Wen Shan served him a few portions, his eating pace gradually quickened.
Consort Xuan served him a dish. He tasted it… delicious!
After clearing his bowl, his eyes were drawn to the plate of crisp and tender Stir-fried Vegetable Hearts. He then took the first step and served himself a portion.
Wen Shan noticed that Yinzhen’s eating speed was getting faster and faster, and like a little hamster, he was growing more and more content, slowly starting to serve himself the dishes he liked.
The two of them ate for nearly an hour. It had been a long time since Yinzhen had eaten so heartily, and his face became rosy. Wen Shan took him to wash up, then led him to the side hall that had been prepared for him earlier for his afternoon nap.
Yinzhen had taken medicine for his chill earlier and was now starting to feel drowsy. Wen Shan tucked him in, and he fell asleep in no time.
Zhen Zhu entered quietly, holding the ointment left by the imperial physician. Wen Shan took it and gently applied it to Yinzhen’s still slightly red and swollen forehead.
The ointment was very cool. The moment it was applied, Yinzhen’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed. Wen Shan took some more ointment and applied another layer to his forehead, chuckling softly, “So young, yet you love to frown so much.”
Zhen Zhu stood by, also smiling. It seemed having a child in their Xianfu Palace wasn’t so bad after all.
…
Yonghe Palace
At this moment, Consort De was also accompanying the one-year-old Sixth Prince, Yinzhuo, for his afternoon nap.
Yinzhuo was being raised with great care by Consort De. He was fair and chubby like a little lucky doll. Even Kangxi was very fond of this particularly charming little son and would come to see him every other day.
Consort De gently rocked the cradle, humming a tune to lull her son to sleep. Even in his sleep, Yinzhuo had a sweet smile on his face, his little fist resting beside his mouth as he slept soundly.
Consort De’s personal palace maid, Xiayun, lifted the curtain and entered, leaning in to whisper in Consort De’s ear, “Your Highness, the Emperor has just issued a decree. Consort Xuan will be looking after the Fourth Prince until Consort Tong Jia gives birth. The Fourth Prince is already at Xianfu Palace.”
Consort De’s hand, which was rocking the cradle, paused. She lowered her eyes and remained silent for a moment before saying, “So be it. No matter who raises him, he is no longer considered my son.”
Yinzhuo, in the cradle now, was the child who truly belonged to her, her future support.
Xiayun tried to console her, “Your Highness, please don’t say that. At the very least, the Fourth Prince is still your son on the imperial register. Before, Consort Tong Jia wouldn’t let us see the Fourth Prince. Now that he’s at Xianfu Palace, Consort Xuan is an easy-going person. If we visit Xianfu Palace more often, perhaps the mother-son bond between you and the Fourth Prince will be rekindled.”
“Consort Tong Jia or Consort Xuan, what’s the difference? They are both noblewomen from Manchu and Mongol clans.”
She was merely from a bondservant family of the Imperial Household Department, which was why her son could be taken away so casually by these consorts from prominent families, like an insignificant toy.
“Enough. Yinzhuo will want his Eight Treasure Soup when he wakes from his nap. Go to the small kitchen and see if it’s ready,” Consort De said, unwilling to speak further of the elder son who was taken from her at birth. Her heart was now entirely devoted to her younger son.
Helpless, Xiayun could only obey and withdraw.
Yinzhen slept for a full hour. When he woke up, his forehead and knees felt cool and very comfortable. He vaguely remembered Consort Xuan gently applying medicine for him while he was half-asleep. His consciousness had been hazy, but he remembered that Consort Xuan’s hands were very soft and her movements gentle.
Very much like… the mother he had imagined.
Yinzhen lay there with his eyes open for a while before sitting up. The palace maid by the bed heard the movement and deftly drew back the bed curtains, helping him dress and wash his face.
After tidying up, Yinzhen felt a bit at a loss. Previously at Chengqian Palace, he was supposed to start reviewing his lessons after his afternoon nap. Before the evening meal, his noble mother would check his schoolwork. But ever since his noble mother became pregnant and her spirits were low, she had rarely paid attention to his studies.
It was his first day at Xianfu Palace. It seemed he should go pay his respects to Consort Xuan and await her arrangements.
With this in mind, he went to the main hall. There were no attendants at the entrance. Yinzhen hesitated for a moment before walking in. Just as he entered, he heard a burst of laughter.
“Your Highness, look at what I’ve drawn. How is it?”
“Sister Zhen Zhu, your skills still need improvement. Your Highness, look at my butterfly kite. Isn’t it lifelike?”
Wen Shan was sitting cross-legged on the couch, draped in a rose-colored ruyi outer robe, holding a half-painted kite. Zhen Zhu and her other personal maids were sitting on footstools and chairs, each holding a design and vying to show off their treasures to Wen Shan. Bao Quan was beside them, weaving a kite frame from rattan strips.
Outside, it was a world of ice and snow, but inside the room, there was a scene of joyful harmony.
To pass the time, Wen Shan, besides cooking, would pull her palace staff into doing small crafts. Things like paper cuttings and Palace lanterns were all made by themselves. While doing crafts and listening to Zhen Zhu and the others vividly recount the gossip from various palaces, the days passed quite leisurely.
“Yinzhen, when did you wake up? Come in, quickly!” Wen Shan turned her head and saw Yinzhen standing by the door. She quickly put down the kite in her hand and beckoned him over.
The palace attendants all stood up to salute.
In that instant, Yinzhen felt a sense of defeat, as if he were the one who shouldn’t have appeared. With his arrival, the joyful harmony from just a moment ago seemed to have vanished.
To be honest, Zhen Zhu and the others were indeed a little afraid of this Fourth Prince, who was so serious at such a young age. He was even more intimidating than Consort Xuan. One could only say that, as befitting a descendant of the dragon, he naturally possessed an imperial air.
Yinzhen walked in sullenly and paid his respects. Wen Shan smiled and lifted him onto the couch, touching his forehead. It was no longer so hot, and she felt relieved.
“Did you sleep well? If there’s anything not to your liking, just tell me.”
Wen Shan handed him a piece of Chestnut Cake. Yinzhen took it and ate it in small bites. This Chestnut Cake had just been sent over by Consort Yi. Her son, the Fifth Prince Yinqi, had been taken to Cining Palace to be raised by the Empress Dowager since birth. Wen Shan often visited Cining Palace and was favored by both the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, so Consort Yi, concerned about her son, often came to visit her.
“What is Consort Xuan doing?” Yinzhen asked, his gaze occasionally drifting to the table as he ate the Chestnut Cake.
“Making kites,” Wen Shan said with a smile. “Spring is almost here. It’ll be time for kite flying.”
“Does Yinzhen want to paint a kite with Consort Xuan?”
Yinzhen was a little surprised. “May I?”
“Of course.”
Wen Shan prepared a brush and materials for him. Yinzhen hesitated for a moment before taking them, then said shyly a moment later, “…How do you do this?”
Seeing Yinzhen like this, Zhen Zhu and the others also breathed a sigh of relief. Fei Cui, being bolder, sidled up and said, “Fourth Prince, you just hold it like this and paint whatever you like.”
Bao Quan also said with a smile from the side, “When you’re done painting, just give it to me. I guarantee I’ll make you a kite that’s both beautiful and sturdy. It’ll fly the highest then.”
The relaxed atmosphere from before seemed to have returned.
Yinzhen hummed in agreement, a smile he couldn’t quite suppress tugging at his lips, and began to earnestly learn how to paint a kite.
The group was busy all afternoon until Yinzhen finally painted a kite he was satisfied with.
When Bao Quan was making the kite, he even ran over to watch, and Bao Quan patiently taught the little master how to weave a kite.
“Consort Xuan, look at the Eagle Kite I made!”
Yinzhen, holding the kite he had personally designed and helped weave, ran excitedly to show it to Wen Shan, who had just entered the room.
Wen Shan was in a good mood today. After working on the kite for a while, she had gone to the small kitchen again to personally cook the evening meal. Yinzhen had never done anything like this since he was little. Consort Tong Jia believed such things were frivolous and detrimental to one’s ambition, and apart from reading and practicing calligraphy, she hardly let him touch anything else. The palace staff certainly didn’t dare to play with him. So, upon his first exposure, he had been engrossed in making kites all afternoon.
“It’s beautiful. Did Yinzhen make it himself?” Wen Shan immediately encouraged him.
Yinzhen nodded proudly, treasuring the kite immensely.
“When the weather gets better, Consort Xuan will take you to fly kites,” Wen Shan said. “You can fly this one then.”
Yinzhen obediently nodded. “Okay.”
For the evening meal, Yinzhen once again ate his fill. Wen Shan played with him for a while to help him digest before taking him to bed.
Only then did she let Zhen Zhu and Hupo help her take down her hair and remove her makeup.
“The Emperor is staying at Consort Tong Jia’s place tonight,” Zhen Zhu said as she removed her hairpins, giving her the daily report on whose nameplate Kangxi had chosen today.
Although Wen Shan couldn’t care less about this.
As long as he didn’t choose hers, she didn’t care who he chose.
With Yinzhen taken away and the Consort pregnant and unwell, it showed Kangxi had some conscience to go and keep her company today.
Wen Shan listened with half an ear and didn’t take it to heart. Instead, another matter came to mind.
“Tomorrow, I have to take Yinzhen to pay respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, then make a trip to Chengqian Palace. By rights, we should also go to Yonghe Palace.”
Yinzhen’s birth mother was Consort De, and his adoptive mother was Consort Tong Jia.
According to filial piety, Yinzhen was supposed to pay his respects to both Consort Tong Jia and Consort De every day. However, Consort Tong Jia disliked Yinzhen having too much contact with Consort De. Using her poor health and the need for Yinzhen to fulfill his filial duties as an excuse, she had asked Kangxi to exempt Yinzhen from going to Yonghe Palace to pay his respects.
What filial duty could a three-year-old child perform? Everyone knew in their hearts that this was just a pretext. Kangxi naturally understood as well, but seeing his cousin’s hardship during her pregnancy, and given his deeper affection for the Consort compared to Consort De, who was also of a lower rank, he feigned ignorance and agreed.
But now that Yinzhen was being raised by her, by rights, he should go to Yonghe Palace.