Three months later, Concubine Magiya gave birth to a child—a little girl. It was said that the baby was perfectly healthy and weighed a full eight catties, and the birth process had been long and difficult, putting the mother through great pain and hardship.
Concubine Magiya was still confined to her chambers for her postnatal recovery, and as she looked at her robust and healthy daughter, her heart was filled with a mixture of joy and sorrow.
She rejoiced, of course, that her daughter was strong and thriving, and that with proper care and attention, she would most likely grow up safely and well. At the same time, she could not help but feel a deep sense of grief. Her two previous children had been small and frail from the moment they were born, as tiny and delicate as newborn kittens, and far less healthy than the little girl lying before her now—and neither of them had survived past early childhood.
She could not help but wonder: if those two children had been as strong and healthy as this one, might they still be alive today?
Liuzhi, who was serving her, saw the faint trace of sadness mixed in her mistress’s smile and understood exactly what was going through her mind. Concubine Magiya had entered the imperial household some six or seven years ago, and throughout that time, she had always been held in high regard and favor. Although the formal ranks and positions of the imperial consorts had not yet been fully confirmed, everyone had a clear idea of how things would be arranged in the future, and it was widely accepted that her mistress would certainly be granted the title of Mistress of Ceremonies at the very least.
If her two sons had survived, it was even possible that she might have been elevated to the rank of Consort in the early days of her marriage. But fate had decided otherwise; both boys had been born with weak constitutions, and both had passed away when they were only two or three years old.
Liuzhi remembered how her mistress had wept with inconsolable grief when each of those children had died, and her heart was filled with happiness that this time, she had given birth to a healthy daughter.
“This little princess is truly beautiful,” Liuzhi said with a smile. “Her eyes and brows look just like you, and her nose seems to take after the Emperor.”
The Emperor had come to visit two days earlier and had shown great affection for the child. These days, any child who appeared healthy and strong won his favor immediately. Originally, there had been talk that if the baby had seemed weak or frail, she would be sent away from the palace to be raised by a trusted family outside the imperial household. But now that she had proven to be so robust, there was no need for such arrangements.
During her period of confinement, Concubine Magiya was required to rest and recover fully, and it was only during these quiet moments that she was able to hold her daughter and play with her. She lay half-reclined against the bed, propped up by two or three soft pillows, and looked down at her daughter, who was wrapped in layers of orange silk embroidered with patterns symbolizing reunion and harmony. A gentle, tender smile spread across her face.
Concubine Magiya was a woman of extraordinary beauty and grace, whose appearance could only be described as breathtakingly lovely. Even now, as she recovered from childbirth and her features showed faint traces of weariness and exhaustion, she carried a delicate, fragile charm that only added to her appeal. As she lowered her eyes to gaze at her daughter, her face softening with maternal love and affection, Xiyan and Liuzhi, who stood watching beside her, were completely captivated by the sight.
It was no wonder that her mistress had retained the Emperor’s favor and affection for so many years. How many women in the entire world could possess such beauty and charm?
“The Emperor clearly adores his daughter,” Xiyan said, choosing her words carefully to please her mistress. “We all saw the joy on his face when he heard that you had given birth to a little princess. Besides, the Eldest Princess whom he loves and dotes on so much is only an adopted child. She can never compare to our own princess.”
“You must not speak of things this way,” Concubine Magiya replied, her eyes still fixed on her daughter. “When you raise a child from infancy to adulthood, does it truly matter whether they are related by blood or not? Besides, the Eldest Princess is the daughter of Prince Gong, and to the Emperor, she is no different from his own child. Furthermore, men do not carry their children for nine months and give birth to them, so they have no natural or instinctive bond with their children from the very beginning.”
In the end, all love and affection between parents and children grows from the time spent together and the care given to one another.
Concubine Magiya did not speak these final thoughts aloud. Her mind was already turning to the future of her own daughter. Raising a daughter brought both advantages and challenges. On one hand, she could keep her daughter close by her side until the day she married. On the other hand, imperial princesses were almost always married off to noble families in Mongolia, and once they left the capital, it was often uncertain whether they would ever be able to return and see their families again.
Thinking of this, Concubine Magiya looked at her daughter with even greater tenderness and concern in her eyes. She could not change the customs and traditions of the imperial household, nor could she ensure that her daughter would one day marry someone who lived close by. But what she could do was make sure that during the ten or more years before her wedding day, her daughter would live a life filled with happiness, comfort, and love.
As soon as her period of confinement was over, Concubine Magiya brought her daughter to pay her respects to the Empress and the Empress Dowager.
“I have heard that the Emperor has named this child Yartan?” the Empress Dowager asked as she held the newborn Second Princess in her arms, gently stroking the baby’s soft cheeks.
Yartan no longer had the red, wrinkled appearance of a newborn. In the space of just one month, she had grown into a fair, plump, and adorable little girl. As she lay in the Empress Dowager’s arms, she stared wide-eyed at the older woman’s hands, occasionally making soft babbling sounds of curiosity and contentment.
Yiqing, who was being held by Nurse Zhang, looked on with great curiosity at the little girl in the Empress Dowager’s arms.
Was this the younger sister everyone had been speaking of?
The Empress Dowager was not particularly fond of receiving formal visits and greetings from the Manchu imperial consorts. She could only understand a little of what they said, and the sound of their speech always felt strange and uncomfortable to her ears. But since Concubine Magiya had come bringing her child with her, she could not very well refuse to receive them.
Concubine Magiya stood there with a gentle smile on her face, which grew even brighter and warmer whenever she looked at her daughter. “Yes, that is right. The Emperor granted her name just a few days ago.”
The name Yartan meant “pine and cypress” in Chinese—trees known for their strength and evergreen nature. Even from the sound of the name alone, it was clear what hopes and expectations the Emperor held for this child. He wished for her to be as strong and resilient as these trees, able to remain green, vigorous, and upright even through the harshest winter cold.
Perhaps because there were no other children around to play with, Concubine Magiya enjoyed coming to the Palace of Compassion and Peace to pay her respects. On some days, she would meet Concubine Nara there as well. Ever since Prince Baoqing had been brought to live in the palace, Concubine Nara had become a regular visitor.
As they spent more and more time there, both Concubine Magiya and Concubine Nara greatly improved their ability to speak the Mongolian language. They had already known a few words and phrases before, but now they were able to communicate freely and easily with the Empress Dowager without any difficulties or misunderstandings.
The Empress Dowager sat smiling as she placed the three children side by side and watched them play together, while the two consorts looked on, their expressions softening with love and joy.
After several such visits, Yiqing grew familiar with her new younger sister.
Yiqing loved this little sister dearly, even more than she loved Baoqing.
This was not because of any particular reason or preference, but simply because her sister was quiet and well-behaved. When they were placed together to play, along with Baoqing, she would happily occupy herself with her own small toys. She was nothing at all like Baoqing, who was never satisfied even when he had a toy in his hands and would constantly try to take whatever Yiqing was playing with, and even attempt to snatch toys away from his little sister as well.
Seeing this, Yiqing—who was several months older than Baoqing—took it upon herself to act as a just and fair authority figure. She allowed Baoqing to keep only one toy for himself and placed all the others into Yartan’s hands.
Yartan, who had suddenly found herself holding several toys at once, looked up at her older sister with a slightly confused expression and rewarded her with a sweet, innocent smile.
Her younger sister was truly beautiful.
Yiqing thought that her sister was so incredibly cute and charming that her heart melted with affection every time she looked at her. And the girl’s mother was also a woman of remarkable beauty, whose very presence brought joy and happiness to everyone around her.
Even at such a young age, it was clear that the little girl would one day grow into a great beauty, just like her mother.
“Wah~”
Yartan behaved perfectly as she held out one of her toys toward Yiqing, babbling softly as she did so.
Meanwhile, Baoqing, who had been completely ignored, seemed to feel somewhat aggrieved and dissatisfied. He scrambled forward clumsily, waving his small arms and kicking his legs, until he crawled right between the two girls and settled himself firmly in that spot.
“Wah… Jie-jie…”
Concubine Nara, who was watching the children play, froze in surprise. “Did Baoqing just call her sister?”
The children lived in the Palace of Compassion and Peace, where they were surrounded by the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager. Yet instead of learning to address either of these respected elders first, Baoqing had spoken the word for sister before anything else.