Inside the Northern Five Houses, Zhao Xiaojin was drawing a light bulb from memory, though her mind kept wandering. It was because the little monk sitting beside her had been acting strange all day, glancing over at her far too many times.
Was it because she’d changed her look and he wasn’t used to it yet, or because of that flower he’d given her earlier?
Yin Cheng propped his head up with one hand, the book spread open in front of him nothing more than a prop, entirely useless, nowhere near as worth looking at as his secondary consort beside him.
With the flower in her hair, she truly lived up to that old saying about a person outshining even the flowers themselves [1]a beauty even lovelier than the blossoms she wears (rén bǐ huā jiāo, 人比花嬌) Type(Idiom), a classical Chinese compliment meaning the woman herself is more captivating than the flower … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3176121_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3176121_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. The flower was lovely, but she was even lovelier.
“Argh, I’ve ruined it again.” Distracted, Zhao Xiaojin’s drawing of the light bulb had turned out warped and lopsided.
“No matter, take a fresh sheet.” Yin Cheng moved even faster than Ajiu, the moment she picked up the ruined drawing to set it aside, he’d already handed her a freshly cut sheet of paper.
“I don’t feel like drawing anymore, I need a break.” Constantly losing focus like this wasn’t going to produce anything good. “I’ll go check on the potato sprouts again.” Zhao Xiaojin needed a change of scenery, somewhere quiet.
Tap, tap, tap, the sound of her raised-sole shoes clicked steadily against the floor, and though it grew fainter, it was still clear enough to tell she was somewhere nearby. Yin Cheng realized this was yet another advantage of his secondary consort’s new shoes.
After a few days of listening to it, he’d already grown familiar with the sound. Whenever he heard it, he always knew exactly where his secondary consort was.
Except, strangely, based on her walking pace, she shouldn’t have reached the end room yet, so why had the sound suddenly stopped? Yin Cheng looked over and could just make out his secondary consort standing at the doorway.
“Ajiu, is that Alin? He’s running so fast.” Zhao Xiaojin had stopped because she’d spotted Alin, one of the Five Houses’ eunuchs, hurrying inside in a panic.
“Forgive me, secondary consort.” Alin, passing by Zhao Xiaojin, only offered that quick apology before rushing straight in to find the little monk.
“…Eleventh Prince, somehow the Primary Consort at the First House has gone into premature labor with bleeding.” Inside, Alin spoke quickly and urgently. “…And the Fourth Consort at the Second House has also started bleeding. The servants at both houses couldn’t find any physician from the Imperial Academy of Medicine, so they’ve come here to beg for help.”
“Did they not go to Zhongcui Palace to find Consort Rong?” Yin Cheng frowned. What a coincidence, for this to happen at the same time.
“Reporting to the Eleventh Prince, they say they did go, but she hasn’t come back yet.” Alin didn’t have the full picture of the situation either.
“Le’a, you run over to the First House. Wang Xiaohai, you go to the Second House. The two of you find out exactly what’s going on first.” Several women in the palace were pregnant around this time, the Imperial Academy of Medicine should have physicians specializing in exactly this kind of situation prepared and ready. How could not a single physician be found anywhere?
Besides, with Consort Rong of Zhongcui Palace right there, surely any such matter should have gone to her to take charge, why had it ended up here instead?
Yin Cheng walked outside. “Stay here. Ajiu, keep the secondary consort company.” He’d go take a look at the front himself.
“Be careful.” Zhao Xiaojin still didn’t fully understand what was happening, from Alin’s words, she’d only caught a few phrases like “labor pains” and “premature.”
When her mother had been pregnant with her little brother, she’d occasionally mentioned things like this, but only ever in passing. What it actually meant, Zhao Xiaojin had had to look up online herself. Later, scrolling through videos, similar content kept getting recommended to her, some news reports, some clips from TV dramas. In the news, everyone’s situation seemed different, but in the dramas, it was almost always some emergency, and often deliberately staged, sometimes to frame someone else.
“I know.” Yin Cheng headed out, taking Alin with him.
Zhao Xiaojin no longer had any interest in checking on her potato sprouts. With Ajiu’s explanation, she learned that the pregnant woman she’d briefly met once before had run into trouble, and so had the other one living next door.
What a coincidence, that two pregnant women would run into problems at the very same time?
Everyone assumed there had to be more to it. In fact, though, it was simply that the Primary Consort, having overheard a messenger eunuch mention that the Eldest Prince, only recently back in the capital, would soon be leaving again to accompany the emperor, wouldn’t get to witness the young prince’s birth after all, and out of sheer frustration, she’d gone into premature labor.
The servants at the First House had seen the blood, and a young inexperienced maid’s scream had startled the Fourth Consort next door, who happened to be taking a walk in the courtyard just on the other side of the wall.
That was really all there was to it, but with everyone in such a panic, no one had time to sort out the details just then, making sure the Primary Consort and Fourth Consort came through safely was the priority.
Since Zhongcui Palace and the Eastern Five Houses were separated by only Qianying Gate, by the time Consort Rong arrived, the servants dispatched from both households were still combing the entire palace, unable to track down any physician at all.
“The Consort Chen at Yonghe Palace is around the same term as the Fourth Consort, go check whether all the physicians happen to be gathered there right now.” With that, Consort Rong headed straight for the First House.
“It’s all right, let’s head back.” Standing at the door, Yin Cheng saw from a distance that Consort Rong had already stepped in, and decided against pushing forward himself. Once Wang Xiaohai and Le’a came back, he’d shut the door and go back to whatever else needed doing.
For a while, it seemed as though whatever was happening outside had nothing to do with the Northern Five Houses at all.
Wang Xiaohai, having already returned some time ago and finished reporting what he’d learned, turned to head back out to check whether today’s meal for his young master was ready. But no sooner had he stepped out than he heard someone banging loudly on the front gate.
What on earth was going on today?
Alin, once again serving as gatekeeper, came rushing back in, this time with several other people trailing behind him.
“What’s the rush, don’t you know the Eleventh Prince’s back is still sore from earlier?” Wang Xiaohai stopped Alin. “Catch your breath before you say anything.”
“Eunuch Wang, these are people from the First House and Second House. And behind them is a nursemaid from Consort Rong’s household. They, they want the secondary consort. They want the secondary consort to come.”
Just as Alin finished speaking, Yin Cheng’s voice rang out from inside.
“Wang Xiaohai, what’s all the commotion out there?”
“Reporting to Young Master, people have come from Consort Rong, the Primary Consort, and the Fourth Consort, they say they want the secondary consort to come.”
“Want me to come?” Zhao Xiaojin didn’t understand. What did they need her for?
“Ridiculous! The secondary consort isn’t some medicine, seeing her face isn’t going to fix anything, whatever’s gone wrong.” Yin Cheng was furious. Even Consort Rong was getting involved in this now?
But he couldn’t say that out loud, the difference in rank between them was too great.
Still, in the end, he brought people along and went.
For one, the several servants outside were already kneeling at the door, kowtowing. And for another, both Ajiu and the newly-arrived Le’a ultimately nodded in agreement, and came along as well.
“Once we get there, what am I supposed to do?” This was Zhao Xiaojin’s first time appearing in front of others while wearing her raised-sole shoes. Although the little monk was there holding her steady, and Ajiu beside her too, so she wasn’t worried about falling, she still felt uneasy inside.
“You don’t need to do anything, and you don’t need to say anything either.” His words came out sharper than he intended. He knew perfectly well this was just some game a few people in the palace liked to play, and yet here he was, walking right into the trap anyway.
Palace protocol, filial duty, brotherly ties, all of it bound together to force him to bring his secondary consort out to make an appearance.
All those days he’d lain sick in bed, no one had ever come to visit him. And now, the moment word got out that his secondary consort’s marriage had brought him back to health, suddenly everyone, useful or not, was scrambling to get close.
Seeing the little monk press his lips tight, clearly angry, Zhao Xiaojin decided it was best to keep quiet.
“Your Ladyship, the Eleventh Prince has arrived with his secondary consort.” Inside the First House, Consort Rong sat listening to the Primary Consort still crying out foolish things like “save the baby, save the baby” from within.
The physician was already inside, the Primary Consort’s bleeding had been stopped, but the pulse reading for the child still wasn’t quite right.
“Let her in.” According to the nursemaid who’d seen her once before, the secondary consort was quite a striking little beauty.
“Your Ladyship, the Eleventh Prince wishes to come along as well.”
With Consort Rong’s permission from inside, Yin Cheng entered first, his secondary consort following behind.
“Eleventh Cheng pays respects to Consort Rong, may Your Ladyship be well.” He bowed, then looked back at his secondary consort.
“Paying respects to Your Ladyship, may Your Ladyship be well.” Zhao Xiaojin understood what the little monk meant, and dropped into a proper curtsy, imitating him.
“Rise. Since you’re both here, go stand inside for a bit, to put the Primary Consort’s mind at ease.” Consort Rong gestured for Yin Cheng to sit in a designated spot. “No need to be cross with me over this, this wasn’t my idea, mind you.” She made a clear point of distancing herself from it.
“I wouldn’t dare, Your Ladyship.” Yin Cheng saw his secondary consort standing at the edge of the folding screen, more than half her body visible now, and his mood improved somewhat.
“Hmph, suit yourself.” Consort Rong said nothing more.
Behind the screen, the Primary Consort’s shouting had already grown much weaker. Although the bleeding had stopped, she was still terribly worried about the little prince soon to arrive. Thinking about it, she blamed herself for being so useless, simply hearing that the Eldest Prince would leave before even getting to see the child for the first time had left her breathless with distress, causing the baby such suffering.
“My lady, Primary Consort, the Eleventh Prince’s secondary consort has arrived.” Someone spoke near her ear.
Who, who had come?
The Primary Consort shifted her gaze away from her belly, had the Eldest Prince arrived? Hazily, she made out a vague shape in red, but couldn’t quite tell who it was.
“Oh no, my lady’s fainted.”
“It’s fine, the Primary Consort just had the bleeding stopped, falling asleep now is actually good for the pregnancy.” The physician slowly withdrew a needle. “There are only a few days left before the birth, until then, the Primary Consort mustn’t be allowed to tire herself out.” Excessive worry would do nothing good for the delivery.
So then, what exactly had she come here for?
Zhao Xiaojin was quickly ushered back out, and then saw the little monk was ready to leave as well. She glanced once more at the consort still seated there, gave a quick curtsy, and followed him out.
“That’s it, then? It’s over?” Hadn’t they said the Primary Consort wanted to see her? Was that all it took? Zhao Xiaojin still hadn’t quite figured out who had actually wanted to see her in the first place.
“Now let’s go show your face next door too.” As he spoke, they’d already arrived at the Second House.
The Fourth Consort’s condition had improved considerably, she’d already fallen asleep. Even so, Zhao Xiaojin, following the wishes of the people around her, still went and stood briefly in her room before coming back out.
From start to finish, she hadn’t gotten a clear look at anything, neither the Primary Consort nor the Fourth Consort, both surrounded the whole time by attendants, she hadn’t even seen either woman’s face.
“What was even the point of all that?” Back at the Five Houses, Zhao Xiaojin changed out of her shoes, the round trip had been fairly tiring.
“There was no point. They’re just used to making a fuss. Whether it does any good or not is beside the question, but they’ll never let the chance pass by regardless.” It was simply because they lived so close by, once the older princes established their own households and moved out in a couple of years, no one would be able to bother them like this anymore.
“You’re making it sound like they’re just being unreasonable.” Zhao Xiaojin had met the Primary Consort before, and she’d seemed gentle enough.
“Don’t waste your thoughts on people who have nothing to do with us. Are you hungry? Let’s eat.” Yin Cheng felt his secondary consort’s word choice, “unreasonable”, fit the situation quite well.
And really, wasn’t it exactly that? Giving birth to her own child, and dragging someone else into it, as if involving another person could somehow guarantee a son. Before the baby was even born, who could possibly promise it would be a boy at all?
His secondary consort wasn’t some fertility goddess, one appearance from her wasn’t going to deliver a son straight to their door.
Their real goal, in the end, was simply to reassure themselves that everything would be fine, and, if pressed further, to hope some of his secondary consort’s good fortune might rub off on them, blessing them with a legitimate eldest son. One woman had given birth to four daughters in a row, the other hadn’t conceived in years, praying for a son had already become something of an obsession for both of them.
Zhao Xiaojin didn’t dwell on the day’s events at all. To her, it had just been some baffling little errand, dinner mattered far more.
References[+]