The husband and wife sat facing each other. In accordance with court etiquette, Empress Hešeri was supposed to stand by and serve Kangxi his meal before she could eat herself. But they had been married while still young and had supported each other through all these years, so such formalities were set aside between them.
Liang Jiagong ordered the attendants to serve the dishes quickly, while the serving eunuchs arranged the food on the table for the Emperor and Empress.
Both Kangxi and Empress Hešeri were quite hungry, and they ate in silence before taking a sip of tea. Before either of them could speak, someone came in to make a report.
“Your Majesty, there is someone from the Palace of Compassion and Peace asking to see you.”
A brief look of embarrassment crossed Kangxi’s face. He had brought Yiqing over from the Palace of Compassion and Peace only yesterday, and now she had fallen ill. He could well imagine that the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager had already received the news and had sent someone to bring the child back.
Kangxi guessed correctly. The Empress Dowager had learned of the matter as soon as she woke that morning. When she heard that Yiqing was unwell, she had quietly felt some resentment toward Kangxi in her heart—it was obvious that he knew nothing about caring for children, yet he had insisted on taking her away, and now she had fallen ill after barely a day in his care.
The Grand Empress Dowager had sent Su Ma La Gu along with attendants to bring Yiqing back so she could recover properly. When children fell ill, they needed the most careful and attentive care, for their lives were still so fragile. Without proper attention, even a minor ailment could prove fatal.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty and Your Imperial Highness.”
Su Ma La Gu, who was deeply respected by everyone in the palace, was an elderly woman whose hair had long since turned white. She moved with a brisk, determined energy. She had come to the imperial household with the Grand Empress Dowager when she first married into the family from the grasslands, and in the long years since, she had witnessed and taken part in many important events. She had even helped establish the regulations for official court attire in the early days of the Qing Dynasty, and was held in the highest regard by both the Empress Dowager and Kangxi.
“Please rise. Have you come to convey a message from the Grand Empress Dowager?” Kangxi asked.
Su Ma La Gu’s expression was filled with concern. “The Grand Empress Dowager sent me to see how the princess is doing. We have heard that she is unwell, and she wishes for the child to be brought back to the Palace of Compassion and Peace to recover.”
“Yiqing is indeed unwell,” Kangxi said, clearing his throat and speaking with some awkwardness. “She has just taken her medicine and fallen asleep, and she already seems to be doing much better. It would be best if she remains here to rest and recover.”
“We have attendants in the Palace of Compassion and Peace who are used to caring for her, and they will look after her with the utmost attention,” Su Ma La Gu replied.
“She should still stay here in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. For one thing, Prince Baoqing is also staying there, and if Yiqing were to return, he might catch her illness as well. It would be most unfortunate if both children fell sick at the same time. Furthermore, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager are both advanced in years, and if they were to take on the responsibility of caring for her, they would be far more likely to become unwell themselves.”
Kangxi’s reasoning was sound and reasonable, leaving Su Ma La Gu with no immediate response or counterargument.
“He speaks the truth,” Empress Hešeri added. “Perhaps it would be best for her to stay here for the time being, and I will remain here to look after her. Why not come with me to see how she is doing?”
Su Ma La Gu followed her to the side hall to see Yiqing. The child was lying peacefully in her bed, fast asleep. Her small cheeks were flushed, and her skin still felt warm to the touch, but from the calm expression on her face, it was clear that she was no longer in any great discomfort or pain.
Seeing that the princess was in stable condition, Su Ma La Gu’s worry began to fade. She had watched over the child in the past few months and had grown deeply fond of her. In recent years, the Grand Empress Dowager had rarely asked her to undertake such errands, and she now had her own personal attendants and was provided with the same provisions and allowances as imperial consorts.
But her concern for the child had led her to volunteer for this task personally.
After looking at Yiqing once more and gently touching her forehead, she realized that the Emperor and Empress were determined not to let the child leave, and their reasons were both sensible and valid. She had no choice but to return to the Palace of Compassion and Peace and report back to the Grand Empress Dowager.
When Yiqing woke from her sleep, it was already late afternoon. The first thing she saw was Empress Hešeri’s face, which bore a look of quiet worry. Seeing that she was awake, the Empress stepped forward with a gentle smile to check on her condition.
Yiqing was now feeling so hungry that her stomach felt completely empty. She had not eaten a single thing all day, and had only taken two bowls of bitter medicine. Her mouth still felt filled with the bitter taste, and she was desperate for something to eat to fill her stomach.
Even the milk and goat’s milk that usually seemed so bland and tasteless now felt like treats that made her mouth water at the very thought, and even the soft vegetable porridge she was usually fed now seemed like something to look forward to with great anticipation.
But as she waited and waited, no one brought anything for her to eat. After a long while, she pouted her lips and spoke in a voice filled with grievance, “Hungry!”
She needed food. Even if there was no braised pork knuckle, stewed mutton, or steamed fish—dishes that always made her mouth water—she should at least be allowed to drink her milk and eat some vegetables to fill her stomach.
Yiqing had always assumed that whenever she said she was hungry, her mother would immediately order milk to be brought to her, along with a small bowl of soft-cooked vegetables. While these could not be seasoned with salt, they still had a natural sweetness that always left her feeling satisfied and happy.
But to her surprise, after hearing her words, Empress Hešeri looked at her with great tenderness and concern, yet what she said was quite different from what she had expected. “Be good, Yiqing. Now that you are unwell, you need to rest your stomach and go without food for two meals. Once you have taken your medicine later and sleep through the night, you will be able to eat tomorrow morning.”
These words struck Yiqing like a bolt of lightning. What? She was already hungry, and yet she would have to go without food for an entire day before she could eat anything at all?
Yiqing began to wonder if the fever had made her confused and delirious. She looked around the room, and all the furnishings and decorations were clearly of great value—there was no doubt that she had indeed traveled through time to the imperial palace. But from what her mother had just said, she might as well have ended up in a household too poor to afford enough food, where even sick children were not given enough to eat.
In truth, this was a common practice in the imperial household when raising children. They firmly believed that to keep a child healthy and safe, it was necessary to keep them slightly hungry and lightly clothed at all times. Children were never allowed to eat too much or stay too warm, and when they fell ill, they were made to fast for a period of time ranging from one or two days to even three days, in addition to taking their medicine.
As Yiqing listened to her stomach rumbling constantly, the discomfort in her body combined with the pangs of hunger filled her with a deep sense of injustice and misery, and she began to cry loudly. “Waaaaah—I’m hungry—Waaaaah—Milk—”
The sound of her crying was so loud that even Kangxi, who was reviewing documents in his study, heard it clearly. He looked up in surprise, put down his writing brush, and hurried straight to the side hall.
“What is the matter?”
When Kangxi entered the room, he saw Empress Hešeri and the two nurses trying their best to soothe and calm Yiqing. But no matter what they said or what toys they used to distract her, Yiqing continued to cry without stopping, repeating over and over that she was hungry.
When someone is ill, they should be given good food and nourishment to help them recover—how could anyone possibly think it right to let a sick child go hungry?
Watching the large tears roll down the child’s cheeks as if they were of no value at all, Kangxi and Empress Hešeri felt their hearts ache with pity and distress. They had never seen her cry like this before. Usually, she was so clever and sensible, always speaking clearly and never making a fuss without reason.
Empress Hešeri was already beginning to relent. She glanced quietly at Kangxi, then spoke with determination. “Perhaps… Perhaps we should give her something to eat after all.”