After turning six, the Eleventh Prince Yin Cheng had moved to the easternmost section of the Eastern Five Houses, known as the Northern Five Houses.
Once through the Gate of Divine Might, by rule, everyone would normally have to get out of the carriage and walk the rest of the way themselves. But the Eleventh Prince was an exception, he had the emperor’s permission to ride a two-man palanquin within the palace grounds.
“I’m feeling all right today, no need for this, I’ll walk on my own.” Yin Cheng waved off the attendant waiting nearby with the palanquin.
The towering palace walls always left a strong impression on first-time visitors. Zhao Xiaojin craned her neck upward, until it started to ache, all the while turning in place, taking in the endless stretch of red walls that seemed to have no end in sight.
So this was the Forbidden City. It really was enormous.
She’d heard there were over eight thousand rooms inside, just how many people would it take to fill a place like that?
“Secondary consort, we should get going.” Yin Cheng stood in place, unlike back at the pox-avoidance quarters, where he’d simply walk right up to her to talk, this time there were several steps of distance between them, and he didn’t bother closing it, just called out instead.
Zhao Xiaojin knew “secondary consort” referred to her, the little monk had called her that several times by now. Back when they’d exchanged names, she’d learned he was called “Yin Cheng,” and he’d learned she was called “Xiaojin,” but somehow, whenever they actually addressed each other, neither of them used the other’s given name much.
When talking face-to-face, calling someone by name felt redundant, after all.
But in her heart, Zhao Xiaojin still preferred being called “the little monk.”
“Coming.” She pulled her gaze back down from the walls and walked toward the little monk. Wang Xiaohai was standing right beside him, so she took up position on his other side instead.
Zhao Xiaojin moved to stand beside Yin Cheng on her own, waiting for him to lead the way.
On the road here, she’d been quite anxious. But now that she’d actually stepped inside the Forbidden City, having seen just a small sliver of it, that anxiety had already melted away on its own.
Zhao Xiaojin’s perspective shifted, coming to the Forbidden City while it still had its rightful inhabitants meant that everything around her was genuinely real, existing in the present. Completely different from hearing stories or looking at photographs. Thinking of it that way, she realized she was actually rather lucky.
Yin Cheng surely had no idea what was going through his secondary consort’s mind right now.
He glanced at where she’d chosen to stand but said nothing about it. Before setting off, he simply looked around once, then started walking.
To reach the Northern Five Houses, they’d go through Shunzhen Gate, past the Imperial Garden, then around Zhongcui Palace and straight to the end. Yin Cheng didn’t walk the whole way without stopping, he paused to rest every so often.
His secondary consort was clearly fascinated by the gates and pavilions they passed along the way, her eyes never staying still the entire walk. He didn’t bother explaining any of it in detail, at her current level, his secondary consort wouldn’t fully understand a more thorough explanation anyway.
These past few days, she’d only just managed to pick up some of the more commonly used phrases, no point overloading her with more.
Passing by Wanchun Pavilion, Yin Cheng went in for a cup of tea. By the time he came out, his secondary consort had already finished looking over Qianqiu Pavilion across the way. By the look of it, she’d covered quite a bit of ground.
Through the East Gate of the Qiong Garden, then the Left Changkang Gate, and they arrived outside Zhongcui Palace.
Consort Rong of Zhongcui Palace, it seemed, hadn’t gone to Changchun Garden this time, the reason for that wasn’t something he, as an imperial son, needed to look into. His mother had only mentioned it in passing, without anything requiring particular attention.
To begin with, the Eastern and Western Six Palaces sat close by the Eastern and Western Five Houses, where the imperial princes lived, and several of the princes there were already adults. Everyone was careful to avoid any impropriety, and wouldn’t approach each other without good reason.
Yin Cheng, though not yet of that age himself, was no longer young either. Boys of eleven or twelve, if in good health, would already have maids taken into their households by now.
The group of three soon passed Zhongcui Palace and reached the gate of Qianying Gate. Past this gate, continuing east to the very end, lay the Northern Five Houses.
But before they’d even passed through the gate, voices drifted over from the other side.
“…Primary Consort, please slow down, slow down.”
Yin Cheng recalled that before he’d left the palace, the Primary Consort of the Eldest Prince had already been several months pregnant with this child. By now, she must be nearly due, why was she still out walking around?
If they happened to cross paths, he’d best keep his distance.
He tugged at his secondary consort, signaling her to stay close. As for Wang Xiaohai, there was no need to remind him.
Sure enough, no sooner had they stepped over the threshold of Qianying Gate than the Primary Consort was right there.
“Primary Consort, Eleventh Brother pays his respects.” Yin Cheng stepped back and bowed.
“Oh, it’s Eleventh Brother. You’re back in the palace.” The Primary Consort, dressed in pale everyday robes, spoke with a labored, breathless quality, clearly straining with each word.
Her belly was already quite large, with a nursemaid supporting her on either side.
“Yes, with Father’s permission, I’ve returned.” Yin Cheng replied. “Primary Consort, you look about ready to give birth, is there some urgent matter that brings you out at a time like this?”
“Nothing urgent, really. Before the birth, I just had a sudden whim to come walk beneath Qianying Gate, to pray for a smooth delivery.” The Primary Consort smiled, resting a hand on her belly, clearly hoping this child would be a little prince.
“Then Eleventh Brother wishes the Primary Consort every safety and smooth fortune.” So that was it, no telling whose foolish idea that had been.
On the surface, though, Yin Cheng offered his blessing with genuine sincerity.
“Thank you, Eleventh Brother. You should hurry back, with no one living there for so many days, there’s bound to be plenty of cleaning to keep you busy.”
“Yes, I’ll take my leave now. Please take care, Primary Consort.”
Yin Cheng led his group onward to the east, leaving the Primary Consort and her party standing beneath Qianying Gate, watching them go.
“That little girl walking behind Eleventh Brother, that must be the one Consort Yi found to counter his bad luck through marriage.” The Primary Consort asked, though the answer was already obvious enough.
“Eleventh Brother really has been blessed by heaven this time. May the heavens watch over my little prince’s safe arrival too, just the same.”
While the Primary Consort continued her prayers there, the group ahead had already reached the end of the path and passed safely through the gate of the Five Houses.
Since none of the princes in the palace had yet moved out to establish their own households, the original arrangement of one house per prince had become insufficient as the younger princes grew older. So the youngest, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes, ended up living together with the older Eleventh and Twelfth Princes.
As for the even younger princes, they were still far from turning six, so there was no rush on that front yet.
Yin Cheng shared the Northern Five Houses with the Thirteenth Prince, Yin Xiang, he lived in the front section, while Yin Xiang stayed in the back.
The moment he returned, the attendants of the house all came out to greet him. Two errand eunuchs, two errand maids, plus two more sent over by his mother, that made up the household staff in the front courtyard.
Yin Cheng, naturally, lived in the main hall. After greeting everyone, he headed straight there.
As he walked, Zhao Xiaojin followed, and Wang Xiaohai followed too. Behind them, two more attendants hesitated, wanting to follow along but dawdling instead. By the time they’d worked up the nerve, the main hall’s doors had already swung shut.
“Xiaohai, go get things sorted.” Although he hadn’t been living there, the house’s attendants had kept things running, so there was no shortage of everyday necessities.
It was just that his secondary consort, being newly arrived, would need a full set of her own belongings. What she’d been using back at the pox-avoidance quarters was still being held at the Gate of Divine Might, and wouldn’t be sent over until it had been inspected.
“Tired? If so, rest first.” Wang Xiaohai went off to busy himself in the inner rooms, while Yin Cheng and Zhao Xiaojin sat down facing each other.
Zhao Xiaojin shook her head. She probably should have felt tired, after all that walking. But right now, all she wanted was to write down everything she’d seen along the way, there was no time to rest.
“Since you’re not tired, then, let’s go over some names.” Even if there wouldn’t be many chances to meet again in the future, the Primary Consort was still someone worth knowing.
Yin Cheng began explaining who the Primary Consort was.
“The Primary Consort is the Eldest Prince’s official, formally recognized wife.” He’d barely gotten started.
“Then is the secondary consort also the Eleventh Prince’s formally recognized wife?” Zhao Xiaojin, going by the sound of the term, asked while she was at it about the title “secondary consort” the little monk kept calling her.
“Ahem…” That was an entirely different matter altogether.
Yin Cheng found himself at a loss for how to explain.
He’d been calling her “secondary consort, secondary consort” all this time, and she’d simply answered to it, turned out his secondary consort didn’t actually know what “secondary consort” meant. His own fault, really, he’d explained everything else to her, except this one thing.
But how was he supposed to put it, that a perfectly ordinary little girl, just by stepping outside her own front door, had turned into a concubine of such low standing she couldn’t even be entered into the imperial genealogy?
Yin Cheng had originally figured that, being secondary consort now, once she was older and had borne him a child, petitioning for the higher title of side consort shouldn’t be too difficult, given the circumstances of this whole affair. But that was a matter for the future, nowhere in sight yet.
Zhao Xiaojin was still waiting for an explanation, and seeing the little monk suddenly go quiet, assumed it was simply something too complicated for her to understand.
“Never mind, once I’ve learned some more, you can explain it to me then.” She didn’t notice at all that the tone she’d just used sounded almost exactly like the person in front of her.
Yin Cheng did notice, she’d been picking up his manner of speech along with the language itself, which wasn’t a bad thing at all.
He smiled, and let the matter drop, left vague for now. Until he could think of a better way to explain it, best not to bring it up again.
“You already know Wang Xiaohai. The two young eunuchs you just met are Xiaomu and Xiaolin, and the maids are called Acai and Axia, they handle general chores. If you need anything, just call for Xiaohai.” Yin Cheng slowly went through the household staff, but then realized he’d forgotten two more.
“And what about the two older girls?” There were clearly six people, so why had he only mentioned four?
Was this child determined to make trouble today of all days? Everything had been going fine before.
“Those two are only staying temporarily, you don’t need to concern yourself with them.” Yin Cheng was hungry, wanting to eat. “I’m starving, shall we order some food?”
“Sure. When will I get to see my potato sprouts again?” Otherwise, after eating, she figured she’d just go write in her journal.
Finally, a question he could actually answer.
“Once we’ve eaten, it should be about time.” You should go tend to your sprouts, he thought.
The Five Houses had their own small kitchen, when the master was in residence, the main kitchens would provide food according to schedule, either fully prepared, or ingredients could be requisitioned to cook oneself. Since the Eleventh Prince had always preferred plain food, the Five Houses had long since taken to requisitioning ingredients and cooking their own meals.
Preparing the meal would take a little time, so Yin Cheng excused himself, saying he was tired, and went to lie down for a bit.
Zhao Xiaojin sat down at the writing desk. The desk here was much more spacious than the one at the pox-avoidance quarters, plenty of room for two people to sit at once.
She took a sheet of paper, picked up the smallest brush, and began seriously writing her observation journal.
Day One at the Forbidden City. Cloudy, light breeze.
This is my first time coming to the Forbidden City. While I was still in the carriage, I saw the walls of the Forbidden City across the moat. By the time I actually got out of the carriage, I was already inside it. It was such a strange feeling.
The walls of the Forbidden City are red, the ground is white, and everything is enormous.
I walked through gate after gate, the gates here are taller and bigger than any I’ve ever seen, all connected to the walls.
The gardens here are different from parks back home, just trees, rockeries, and pretty pavilions, no ponds, no animals. But the bricks paved on the ground are interesting, the little monk said there are stories on them. Next time I have a chance, I’ll go look again.
Later I ran into a pregnant woman, her face was so pale, and she was thin everywhere except her belly, which stuck out round. Not like Mom when she was pregnant with my little brother, when her whole body puffed up like a balloon. But her voice was soft when she spoke, she seemed like a gentle auntie.
I finally arrived at where the little monk lives, he lives all by himself in so many rooms! No wonder the Forbidden City needs over eight thousand rooms, turns out not everyone gets just one room each.
There are more new people I don’t recognize yet, no idea if they’ll be easy to get along with.
Zhao Xiaojin had gotten this far when she looked up to dip her brush in ink again.
Right in front of her, the little monk had been standing there for who knew how long. His expression was blank, staring straight at her without a word.
Zhao Xiaojin instinctively sensed something was wrong, her hand had already crumpled the paper on the desk into a ball.