In April of the third year of Emperor Yuanli’s reign, the renovations of the Fourth Prince’s and Fifth Prince’s manors were largely complete.
At the beginning of the year, Emperor Yuanli had ordered the Ministry of Works to begin the reconstruction, as these were to be the residences for the Fourth and Fifth Princes.
Following the small selection in early March, the Fourth and Fifth Princes were each assigned two consorts. This made their current residence in the Princes’ Quarters somewhat cramped.
Fortunately, Emperor Yuanli did not have many sons—only four at present. The Third Prince was the eldest; he had married long ago and moved out to his own manor. Due to his unruly nature and lack of political awareness, the Emperor held him in low regard.
The Fourth and Fifth Princes were younger sons born in the same year. Previously, the two young princes had lived together in the Princes’ Quarters, but now that they were to start their own families, separate manors were being built for them.
The youngest, the Sixth Prince, was born to the late Imperial Noble Consort. Being of delicate health, he was kept by Emperor Yuanli’s side to be raised.
The moving date was set for a fortuitous day: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
The Princes’ Quarters were truly small. The Fifth Prince’s two consorts spent their days vying for his favor, and their neighbor, the Fourth Prince’s consort Fucha Rongyu, could hear them perfectly clearly. Having nothing much to do, she simply brewed some tea and sat in the courtyard to eavesdrop.
“You certainly lead a leisurely life.” Entering from outside, the Fourth Prince, as expected, found his Consort Fucha smiling as she listened to something, cradling a freshly brewed cup of peach blossom tea. Beside her sat a plate of peach blossom cakes, more than half-eaten.
Seeing the Fourth Prince enter, Rongyu stood up to greet him. “Your Highness, look at what you’re saying. With the commotion next door, it would be hard for me not to hear it.”
The Fourth Prince did not mind Rongyu’s relaxed attitude. He walked straight to her rattan chair and sat down, gesturing for Muxi to brew another cup of peach blossom tea.
“Your Highness, you always snatch my seat the moment you return,” Rongyu grumbled with playful intimacy as she sat in another rattan chair.
Originally, there had been only one rattan chair in the courtyard, but after seeing how comfortably Rongyu lived, the Fourth Prince had unceremoniously commandeered it. He hadn’t forbidden her from sitting in it, but whenever he was there, she had nowhere to sit. Thus, she simply had another one made.
Muxi quickly brewed the tea, presented it respectfully to the Fourth Prince, and stepped aside. The Fourth Prince took a sip, then reached for a peach blossom cake from the stone table, quickly finishing off the rest of the plate.
“These peach blossom cakes are not bad,” the Fourth Prince said, not stingy with his praise after finishing.
“I put a great deal of effort into making those,” Rongyu replied. The Fourth Prince was no longer surprised by her occasional culinary creations.
Recalling the first time he had tasted the milk cakes Rongyu brought him, he hadn’t thought much of it. After all, which master in the palace would do their own cooking? They only had to speak, and their subordinates would arrange everything. It wasn’t until he saw Rongyu’s skillful movements with his own eyes that he believed it.
“Imperial Father said we are to leave the palace on the fifth of next month. I went with Fifth Brother to see the manors today; they are nearly ready. You should start packing your things so there aren’t any mishaps when the time comes.”
Rongyu’s eyes lit up at his words. She had been looking forward to moving for a long time.
Although the Princes’ Quarters had a prestigious name, the interior and exterior were too cramped. As a mere consort, she didn’t even have a proper courtyard of her own. Once they moved out, she would surely have one.
Perhaps because her eyes were so bright, the Fourth Prince found her truly adorable. He couldn’t resist pinching her cheek and laughing. “What, are you unhappy living here in the Princes’ Quarters? I see you enjoying yourself every day, eating, drinking, and eavesdropping on the neighbors.”
Rongyu didn’t mind having her cheek pinched. She reached out to take the Fourth Prince’s other hand, squeezing his fingers as she spoke. “Your Highness, don’t just tease me. Aren’t you also looking forward to that day? I’ve wanted a courtyard of my own for so long. Besides, listening to Consort Zhang and Consort Ma argue next door was interesting at first, but it became tedious after a while. Moving will finally give me some peace and quiet.”
Consort Zhang and Consort Ma were the guiding palace maids assigned to the Fifth Prince during the March selection. Consort Ma, boasting of her distant connection to the late Emperor’s dowager consort, looked down on Consort Zhang. However, Consort Zhang was exceptionally beautiful and deeply favored by the Fifth Prince. The two were constantly jealous, even fighting over whose meal the kitchen should deliver first.
It was a daily spectacle of noise, forming a sharp contrast to the Fourth Prince’s side of the wall.
The Fourth Prince had also been assigned two consorts. Rongyu was from the Manchu Fucha clan. Her father was Bakdun, the Junior Deputy Supervisor of the Household Administration, and her mother was Bakdun’s primary wife. In addition to Rongyu, her mother had also given birth to a son and another daughter.
Rongyu was the eldest daughter of the Fucha household and Bakdun’s first child. She had been pampered since childhood; setting aside the concubine-born children, even the eldest legitimate son, Jing’e, could not compare.
The Fourth Prince’s other guiding palace maid was surnamed Gao. Consort Gao and the Fourth Prince were childhood sweethearts. Her mother had been a servant to the current Empress and had returned to the Empress’s side as a manager momo after marriage.
Back when Emperor Yuanli was still a Prince, Consort Gao’s mother had held considerable influence, and Consort Gao herself was very well-liked by the Empress.
Because Consort Gao’s mother had recently passed away, her period of mourning would not end until August. She shouldn’t have participated in the small selection, but the Empress was very fond of her and, after consulting the Fourth Prince, designated her as a Consort. She was set to enter the manor directly in September.
Therefore, the Fourth Prince’s inner court currently consisted only of Rongyu.
A man’s feelings for his first woman are almost always unique. Furthermore, Rongyu was young—strictly speaking, nine months older than the Fourth Prince—and possessed the charming vivacity of her age. Combined with her genuine beauty and the natural aristocratic air of her heritage, she carried the spirited aura of a Manchu lady. Most special were her eyes; the bright way she looked at him always made the Fourth Prince’s heart stir.
Having lived together for nearly two months, their affection had deepened considerably.
The Fourth Prince’s feelings for Rongyu were currently at their peak. In his eyes, her bold speech was a form of flirtation, showing she wasn’t distant with him, and he was happy to indulge her. “I’ve seen the manors. The residences Imperial Father gave me and Fifth Brother are quite large. There are two big courtyards in the rear with lovely views. I’ll leave those for you and Qingwen to live in.”
The “big courtyards” the Fourth Prince mentioned were separate from the main courtyard and the east and west wings, which were reserved for the Princess Consort and Side Consorts.
Currently, the Fourth Prince was an unranked prince and did not have a quota for Side Consorts. Once he was titled a Commandery Prince or a Prince of the First Rank, he could appoint Side Consorts. As for whether there would be a spot for her then, that would have to wait.
Rongyu beamed, covering her chest with both hands as flattering words poured from her mouth. “With those words from Your Highness, I am truly, truly, truly moved! How can there be a man as wonderful as Your Highness? My heart is completely filled by you.”
“It’s a good thing you aren’t a man. Otherwise, how many ladies would be charmed away by that mouth of yours?”
“Then it is lucky I am not a man, for otherwise I couldn’t have followed Your Highness. I wouldn’t know how to live my days then.” Knowing the Fourth Prince was in a good mood, Rongyu doubled down. Her own mood was already excellent because of the move, and she let the sweet words flow freely.
Inside the Princes’ Quarters, the Fourth Prince’s laughter wasn’t loud, but it reached the ears of the Fifth Prince next door. It was truly frustrating. His Fourth Brother’s life was so comfortable, while his own courtyard was filled with the wailing and complaints of two women. It was truly… annoying!
Time flew by, and soon it was the fifth day of the fifth month.
Being older than the Fifth Prince, the Fourth Prince led his household and luggage out of the palace first.
A prince’s women were not typically allowed to wander the palace, so this was the first time Rongyu had stepped outside the Princes’ Quarters since entering. The distance wasn’t far, but when they reached the palace gates, Rongyu stopped and looked back. Muxi, standing beside her, asked curiously, “Consort, what are you looking at?”
“I am just seeing what this palace looks like. Once I step out of these gates today, it won’t be easy to return.”
“Consort, please set your mind at ease. By following the Fourth Prince, your best days are yet to come.” The one speaking was Muyun, her voice kept so low that even Muxi, standing right next to her, couldn’t hear.
Muxi and Muyun were palace maids assigned by the Internal Affairs Bureau when she entered the palace in March. Bakdun had thoroughly investigated their backgrounds before sending them to her, so their loyalty was beyond doubt.
Muyun’s identity was even more special. She had grown up with Rongyu and was actually a daughter of the Fucha clan, though her bloodline was distantly related to Rongyu’s branch.
“Let’s go. We’re going home.” Rongyu said no more, but a fire burned in her heart. In this vast imperial palace, who could say that there wouldn’t be a place for the eldest legitimate daughter of the Fucha clan in the future?