You intend to raise him yourself? The Grand Empress Dowager hesitated. You have never raised a child on your own before. Besides, state affairs in the outer court are heavy and demanding, and I fear you will simply not have the time.
Kangxi shook his head. But at present, there is no suitable person in the inner palace to take charge of raising him. Baocheng is the son born of the official spouse, and it would be inappropriate to place him under the care of anyone else.
There was more he did not say aloud: if anyone ever intended to harm the child, he would be too far away to act if the boy was not kept near him. It would be far easier to keep watch and protect him properly if he was raised here in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
After giving the matter some thought, the Grand Empress Dowager realized that there truly was no suitable candidate available. She could only sigh and say, If this is what you have decided, then you should know that the Empress had already selected wet nurses and matrons to care for Baocheng before she passed away. You may take all of them with you today as well. This is also a good time, as the child is still too young to recognize faces or form attachments.
And so little Baocheng was carried away to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Yiqing did not even have the chance to catch a glimpse of her younger brother before he was taken from her sight.
Baocheng’s departure did not bring any major changes to Yiqing’s daily life. Everyone in the palace had been walking on eggshells these days, terrified of doing anything that might displease the Emperor. In recent times, Kangxi had been as volatile and unpredictable as a barrel of gunpowder, and this was especially true for Consort Zhaojia.
Consort Zhaojia came from a family of no particular distinction. Born into a household of bondservants, she had been selected to serve in the palace as a maid, and later became an imperial consort solely because of her great beauty. Due to her humble background, she had always behaved with the utmost caution and discretion, never daring to cause conflict or quarrel with anyone.
Several months earlier, when it was confirmed that she was pregnant, Consort Zhaojia had allowed herself to believe that she had finally gained something to rely on within the palace. Whether the child turned out to be a prince or a princess, she had thought, it would give her some hope for the future.
But everything changed completely after the Empress’s death.
Following the passing of the Empress, all consorts were required to attend the mourning rites and weep before her memorial tablet. Ordinarily, pregnant women who were close to their due date, such as Consort Zhaojia, would have been exempted from this duty. However, overwhelmed by grief, Kangxi had completely forgotten about this custom. None of the other senior figures in the palace had thought of it either, and as Consort Zhaojia was naturally timid and hesitant by nature, she had simply followed the rest of the consorts and gone along as required.
After kneeling for a whole day, she began to feel unwell, yet she forced herself to endure for another two days. On the third day, she went into premature labor and gave birth to a baby girl.
Ordinarily, while the rewards for the birth of a princess were not as generous as those given for a prince, they were still substantial. All the proper ceremonies, including the bathing ritual held three days after birth and the celebration marking the first month, would be carried out as required, for every child born to the Emperor was treated with due respect.
But this child had been born exactly three days after the Empress’s death, and at such a time, no one in the imperial household paid any attention to this tiny infant girl.
The Palace of Compassion and Tranquility sent representatives to check on the mother and child, and upon confirming that both were safe and well, they left the customary gifts and issued instructions stating that Consort Zhaojia would not be required to attend the mourning rites for the next few days. From the Palace of Heavenly Purity, however, messengers were only sent to ask a brief question regarding their condition, and the gifts sent were merely those issued by the Imperial Household Department in accordance with the standard regulations for the Second Princess.
As for the bathing ceremony and the first-month celebration, no one even mentioned them.
Consort Zhaojia had not yet completed her month of confinement after childbirth. As she held her daughter in her arms, her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Her chambers were furnished simply and without extravagance. Since she received no financial support from her family, and consorts of her rank received only a fixed monthly allowance—one that was among the lowest in the imperial household—she could not afford finer furnishings or decorations.
It has already been nearly a month since she was born, Consort Zhaojia said, her voice heavy with sorrow, yet the Emperor has still not granted her an official name.
The Eldest Princess had been adopted, so she was not counted in this comparison. But the Second Princess had been given her formal name just three days after her birth. As for her own daughter, while everyone referred to her as the Third Princess, she was receiving none of the treatment and respect due to being a princess of the imperial family.
Zhiling, her personal maid, opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end remained silent. Two days earlier, she had advised her mistress to go and speak frankly with the Grand Empress Dowager, pointing out that for the sake of the unborn child, the Empress Dowager would certainly have excused her from attending the mourning rites. But her mistress had been too afraid and hesitant to do so, and as a result, the Third Princess had been born on such an inauspicious date—the third day following the anniversary of the Empress’s death. In the years to come, no one in the palace would dare to offer congratulations or celebrate on the child’s birthday.
Perhaps, once you have finished your month of confinement and are well enough to move about, you could bring the little princess to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility to pay your respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, Zhiling suggested. These two noble ladies are certain to take pity on the child, and they might even speak a word to the Emperor on your behalf.
Tears finally spilled from Consort Zhaojia’s eyes and fell onto the baby’s soft cheek. She bit her lip to hold back her sobs and nodded slowly in agreement.
In the past, she had never dared to visit either the Emperor or the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. She was naturally timid and feared dealing with people of such high status and authority. But her timidity had already caused her daughter to be born at such an ill-fated time. Could she really allow her fear and hesitation to prevent her child from receiving even a proper name?
Very few people in the palace would ever address a child by name if one had not been formally granted. If she did not take the initiative to approach the Grand Empress Dowager, it was possible that her daughter might reach the age of six or seven without ever having an official name.
It was only after she had recovered from her confinement and spent several days gathering her courage and preparing herself mentally that Consort Zhaojia finally brought her daughter to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
The swaddling clothes wrapped around the Third Princess were made of the finest silk fabric available in Consort Zhaojia’s quarters, specially selected by her from the storage chambers. This exquisite brocade had been given to her by the Emperor when she was first elevated to the rank of consort. While she had received many gifts since then, none had been of such fine quality. She had dressed her daughter in the best clothes she had, hoping that the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager would look kindly upon the child and feel affection and sympathy for her.
Consort Zhaojia requests an audience? The Empress Dowager sounded somewhat surprised, for this consort had almost never come to visit her palace in the past. Show her in.
Yiqing was lying on the carpet, playing with a set of tangram puzzles that had recently been crafted and delivered by the Imperial Household Department. Each piece was carved with different patterns, and when arranged and combined in various ways, they could be put together to form entirely new images and scenes.
Your humble servant pays her respects to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, said Consort Zhaojia as she entered the chamber with her daughter in her arms and bowed respectfully.
Rise, the Empress Dowager said, her gaze falling upon the swaddled infant. Is this the Third Princess?
Consort Zhaojia handed her daughter over to the waiting wet nurse, who then carried the child forward and presented her to the Empress Dowager.
Although the child was only one month old, she was healthy and well cared for, with chubby pink cheeks and a naturally cheerful expression. When the Empress Dowager took her in her arms, she showed no fear of strangers. Instead, she broke into a bright smile and waved her small hands happily in the air.
She is such a beautiful and healthy child, the Empress Dowager said with a smile.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager was clearly fond of the baby, Consort Zhaojia gave a shy smile and began speaking with her. She had never been able to speak the Mongolian language before, but following the advice of her personal maid Zhiling, she had spent the past few days studying and practicing it diligently. As a result, her speech was somewhat awkward and hesitant as she spoke.
The Empress Dowager could tell immediately that she had come to ask for something, so she listened patiently and allowed her to speak freely.
Before long, Consort Zhaojia revealed the true purpose of her visit. It is just that… the Third Princess was born more than a month ago, and… she has not yet been given a formal name.
Understanding dawned in the Empress Dowager’s eyes. I shall mention this matter to the Emperor the next time he comes to pay his respects.
These words filled Consort Zhaojia with deep gratitude. She quickly rose from her seat and knelt down before the Empress Dowager. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness and favor.
At the very least, this would remind the Emperor that he had another daughter who had come into the world.
Yiqing sat nearby, listening to their conversation, and felt a heavy ache in her heart. It seemed that even asking for nothing more than a simple name for one’s own daughter required such careful planning, humble pleading, and the favor of others.
When Kangxi arrived in the evening to pay his respects, the Empress Dowager brought up the matter casually, as if speaking of it only in passing.
Let her be called Erhe Anju, Kangxi said after remaining silent for a long moment. This is a child who was brought safely into the world.
In his heart, he also hoped that in her next life, his beloved wife would also be born safely and live a life free from harm and suffering, just as this little girl had been.