Before the words had even faded away, Kangxi walked in from outside.
Empress Heseri immediately rose to perform the required greeting, but Kangxi waved his hand casually to signal that she need not stand on ceremony, and then he bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager.
“Look at little Yiqing, she’s even become shy,” the Empress Dowager said with a smile. “We only laughed at her a little just now, and the child has actually taken offense.”
Yiqing scoffed inwardly, thinking that they had laughed far more than just a little. It was only because she still could not make clear sounds that she was unable to speak up and protest to her Imperial Grandmother.
By now, Yiqing could understand most of what her grandmothers and her mother were saying, and she had also gradually realized that the people around her often spoke in different languages or dialects. But it did not matter anymore, as she could grasp the general meaning of almost everything that was said.
Unfortunately, for some reason—perhaps because her vocal cords had not yet fully developed—she was still unable to form proper words. Even though she understood exactly what she wanted to say, she could not express it. When she tried her hardest to speak, all she could manage were simple sounds like “ah” and “oh.”
This left Yiqing feeling somewhat discouraged. She truly longed to be able to speak. The inability to communicate was simply too frustrating; whenever she wanted something, she had no choice but to cry loudly and hope that others would guess what she needed. In her previous life, Yiqing had never been a child who cried easily, and whenever she felt the urge to cry, she always had to talk herself into it mentally first.
Kangxi walked to the center of the room and lifted Yiqing into his arms, smiling as he spoke. “You are such a little thing, yet you already know how to be unhappy.”
Yiqing wriggled and twisted in his embrace until she found a comfortable position and then stopped moving. She knew there was no way she could resist when her Imperial Father wanted to hold her, but she had already learned how to adjust herself so that she would not feel uncomfortable.
At the same time, she grumbled silently in her heart, *I may be young, but I am certainly not stupid. Why should I not be allowed to feel unhappy? Even Baoqing, who still spends most of his time only eating and sleeping, knows when he is upset. If I ever take his toys away, he will remain in a bad mood for quite a while.*
After sitting down with Yiqing in his arms, the Empress Dowager ordered the attendants to bring Baoqing in as well.
Baoqing was now three months old. He had lost that red, wrinkled appearance he had when he was first born, and had gradually grown fair-skinned and adorable. This change meant that Yiqing no longer felt such a strong aversion toward her little brother. She had previously kept her distance simply because she thought he was far too ugly, but now that he had become cute and pleasant to look at, she was happy to accept him.
Baoqing had just woken up and was babbling happily. When he was carried over to be shown to his Imperial Father, he showed no sign of shyness, and instead began making soft, gurgling sounds directly toward Yiqing, who was still held in Kangxi’s arms.
The Empress Dowager loved to bring the two children together. Even though she had realized they could not sleep or live in the same quarters, she still enjoyed placing them side by side to play whenever they were awake during the day.
Baoqing was very fond of his older sister. As soon as he saw Yiqing, he would immediately try to move closer to her. Even when Yiqing sometimes acted as though she found him annoying, Baoqing did not mind in the slightest and continued to cling to her affectionately.
Seeing that the little boy was staring intently at Yiqing, Kangxi laughed softly and placed Yiqing down on the floor. The entire hall was covered with soft carpets, so there was no risk of the child hurting herself while crawling around.
The wet nurse understood what was intended and placed Baoqing gently beside Yiqing. The Empress Dowager watched the two siblings playing together with a warm, happy smile on her face.
As far as Yiqing was concerned, it felt as though she was simply being made to entertain this little troublemaker.
She picked up a rattle, shook it a few times, and then placed it right in front of Baoqing. The little boy instinctively reached out to grab it, but Yiqing quickly pulled her hand back at the last moment, teasing him playfully.
Baoqing had not yet learned how to crawl, so as long as Yiqing moved just a short distance away, he was completely helpless to do anything about it.
Watching the toy he desired moving further and further out of his reach, tears slowly began to well up in Baoqing’s eyes. He did not understand why he could not have the things he wanted, and he simply felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
“Waaaaah—”
The sound of his crying startled Yiqing, who had been crawling away from him. She quickly turned her head to look back, and sure enough, she saw that the little boy had begun to wail. Helplessly, she crawled back to him and placed the rattle firmly into his hands.
The moment he had the toy in his grasp, Baoqing stopped crying immediately and began playing with it with great delight and happiness.
Seeing how quickly he could change his mood, Yiqing could not help but wonder briefly if he was only pretending to cry to get what he wanted. But she quickly dismissed the thought. He was still just a tiny baby; surely he could not be acting on purpose. If a child this young was already capable of putting on such an act, he would certainly grow up to be a master of performance, able to become a top-tier actor without ever needing any formal training.
This entire interaction between the two siblings was witnessed by Kangxi, and the worried expression he had worn, brought on by concerns regarding state affairs, slowly began to fade away.
In the imperial court, the warlords Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Zhixin held immense power and controlled the regions of Guizhou, Fujian, and Guangdong. Kangxi knew that if he did not act soon to curb their influence and allowed them to grow even stronger, they would eventually pose a serious threat to the stability of the dynasty. Yet if he chose to revoke their feudal privileges now, he was not entirely confident that he would be able to achieve complete victory.
There were times when he found himself wondering whether ascending to the throne at such a young age had truly been a blessing or a burden. The country was beset by troubles both within its borders and from outside enemies. In his early years, he had had to endure the arrogance and defiance of powerful officials such as Oboi, but now that he had successfully brought men like Oboi under his control, he found himself faced with the difficult problem of dealing with these three powerful warlords. Yet whenever he looked upon these young children, all his worries and troubles could be set aside, even if only for a short while.
Yiqing felt that she had done more than enough exercise for the day, having crawled for nearly an hour. In her previous life, she had heard that crawling was an extremely important form of physical activity during infancy and early childhood, and that it had a significant impact on the body’s development and growth in later years.
Although she had no way of verifying whether this was entirely true, she believed that following such advice could certainly do no harm. Yiqing crawled every day with great dedication and enthusiasm, for having been given a second chance at life, she was determined to live a long and healthy life, hoping to reach the age of one hundred.
In this era, where medical knowledge and facilities were still very limited and basic, living a long life required careful attention and effort. Keeping the body strong and healthy, as well as maintaining good daily habits and routines, were both equally essential. Right now, she was still too young to do anything other than crawl, but as she grew older, she hoped that she might have the opportunity to learn martial arts.
The Qing Dynasty was known as a period that valued martial skills and physical strength, so she believed there should be no obstacles preventing her from pursuing this interest. Whether she learned different styles of fist fighting or sword techniques, the most important thing was that such practices would help strengthen her body and improve her health.
For the time being, however, Yiqing had no way of explaining these thoughts and wishes to the adults around her. Since she could not yet speak, the earliest she could possibly express her desire to learn martial arts would be when she reached the age of five or six.
“The child that Concubine Magiya is carrying is due to be born sometime within the next two or three months, is it not?” the Grand Empress Dowager asked, turning her gaze toward Empress Heseri. “What plans does His Majesty have regarding this child?”
Kangxi had originally intended to send Baoqing to be raised outside the imperial palace. There were precedents in history where princes and princesses who failed to thrive within the palace walls grew up healthy and strong when raised in other households. However, Concubine Nara had refused to accept this decision under any circumstances, and had even gone so far as to plead her case personally at Cining Palace. As a result, Kangxi had abandoned his original plan. He also wanted to see for himself whether Yiqing—who was believed to have a birth chart perfectly compatible with his own and was considered a bringer of good fortune—would indeed bring positive change and protection.
Now, seeing how healthy and well Baoqing was growing up under the care of the people at Cining Palace, Kangxi found himself feeling somewhat uncertain and hesitant about what he should do next.
“As for this child,” Kangxi said slowly, speaking with hesitation, “we shall wait and see how things are once he or she is born.”
If the child appeared weak or frail, he would send him or her outside the palace in the hope that the change of environment would help improve his or her health. If the child was strong and healthy, however, he would choose to raise him or her within the palace.
“As long as Your Majesty has already given this matter careful thought and has made your decision, that is all that matters,” the Grand Empress Dowager said.
Empress Heseri lowered her eyes slightly. When it came to matters regarding children and heirs, she had always felt a deep sense of inadequacy and pressure. So many children had been born within the inner palace over the years, yet not a single one had survived past infancy, and this situation had left her in a difficult and awkward position.
Yiqing listened closely to the conversation, her ears pricked up in curiosity. *Another child? Is that really what they mean? Does that mean another little brother or sister is going to be born soon?*
She hoped that this new child would not be as noisy and troublesome as the one sitting right in front of her, and that he or she would be much more quiet and well-behaved. Also, she hoped that this new child would not be as simple-minded and foolish as Baoqing, and that he or she would be intelligent enough not to be tricked or distracted by something as trivial as a single toy.
Baoqing had no idea that his older sister was already criticizing him in her heart. He simply smiled happily and innocently up at Yiqing, opening his small mouth that had not yet begun to grow any teeth.
Kangxi did not stay long at Cining Palace and soon returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Empress Heseri remained behind to keep the two elders company and only took her leave when night fell.
Life at Cining Palace was happy and carefree—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the life of an infant was always filled with simple pleasures. Every day, she would wake up, eat her meals, and then crawl happily all around the halls and rooms of the palace. As soon as she grew tired, she would fall asleep easily. There were even times when Yiqing would simply collapse right onto the soft carpets and drift off to sleep immediately, knowing full well that the wet nurses would carry her safely back to her bed.
The wet nurses were also very fond of this eldest princess. She had a gentle and pleasant nature, rarely cried or made a fuss, and was exceptionally easy to look after and care for. They had never attended to a young master or mistress who was as well-behaved and undemanding as she was.
As the days passed and the Empress Dowager watched the child grow and develop, she found herself becoming more and more attached to her.
In truth, the Empress Dowager had never given birth to children of her own. Whether she looked upon the princes and princesses born to the emperor’s consorts or the children brought into the palace by other imperial relatives, her feelings had always remained the same. She had never been particularly fond of children, as they tended to cry and make noise constantly. Yet she did not dislike them either, as she understood that such behavior was simply natural and normal for young children.
Before Yiqing came into her care, she had never personally raised or looked after a child. Previously, all of Kangxi’s children had been raised and cared for in the separate palaces of their own mothers. At this time, the official ranks and titles of all the consorts had not yet been formally established, and aside from the Empress herself, all other women in the imperial household were referred to simply as secondary consorts or noble ladies.
Kangxi was currently too occupied with matters of state to have time to address the formal ranking of these women or establish clear rules and traditions regarding the upbringing of children.
The decision to bring both Yiqing and Baoqing to live and be raised at Cining Palace had been made by the Grand Empress Dowager. At the time, the Empress Dowager had felt indifferent to the matter, believing that it made little difference one way or the other. After all, Cining Palace was a large and spacious residence, with plenty of attendants and staff to look after everything, and bringing these two small children here would not mean that she personally had to take on the responsibility of caring for them.
But as time went by, the Empress Dowager gradually began to understand and experience the joy and fulfillment that came with raising a child. Watching the little girl grow and develop—from the time when she could only lie still and be carried, to the time when she learned how to crawl, and now when she could even pull herself up and stand unassisted for short periods of time—filled her heart with a deep sense of accomplishment and pride that she had never felt before.
Before Yiqing was brought to Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager would never have imagined that she would one day choose to take the initiative to hold this child in her arms. Yet now, every time she saw Yiqing, she would immediately pick her up, holding her close and checking carefully to see if she had gained any weight or grown even just a little bit taller over the past day or two.
“Little Yiqing,” the Empress Dowager said, holding the child close to her chest and smiling happily as she taught her how to speak. “Say ‘Grandmother.’”
“Ah—” Yiqing opened her mouth wide, trying her best to imitate the sound. “Ah-wah—”
She was also eager to learn how to speak as soon as possible. The feeling of being unable to express herself and having to rely on crying to make others understand her needs was truly unbearable and frustrating.
“Good girl, let us try once more. Say ‘Grandmother,’” the Empress Dowager encouraged her with great patience and kindness.
The Grand Empress Dowager sat nearby, reading a book, and looked over at the two of them with a warm smile. She was happy to see that her great-niece had found something meaningful to occupy her time, as life in Cining Palace could otherwise be quite monotonous and quiet. However, she also knew that Yiqing was still quite young and would likely not be able to speak clear words for at least another two or three months.
“Gra—nd—mo—ther—” This time, Yiqing finally managed to produce sounds that were different from the simple “ah” or “wah” she had made before.
The sound was so clear and distinct that the Empress Dowager almost thought she had imagined it. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise, and she immediately turned to look at the Grand Empress Dowager, unable to contain her excitement. “Imperial Mother, did you hear that? Did the child just call out to me?”