Qiqing Garden, Cuihan Hall
“Fuling, go and see where Mother and Second Sister have reached?”
The slender beauty on the bed waved her hand weakly, every movement laden with exhaustion. Her lotus-like face, resting sideways on a jade pillow, was currently tinged with a sickly pallor.
Sitting on a low stool not far away, the Madam of Nanning immediately stopped her. “Imperial Consort Zhaoyuan is truly impatient. How could Fuling possibly know where Mother and Second Sister are? Even if she did find out, they would likely arrive right on her heels anyway.”
“Eldest Sister, I haven’t seen Second Sister for a long time…”
Yu Yihe, holding Ningning’s hand, heard these words just as she followed Madam Yu through the door. The corners of her lips curled slightly, but the smile quickly faded, leaving only a sense of mockery. If the woman truly missed her, why had she forced her to retreat to a temple during the imperial family’s visit home three years ago?
In this dynasty, the inner court granted a special privilege: consorts of the fourth rank and above could summon their relatives for an audience every season, while those below the fourth rank had two opportunities a year, provided they sought permission from the Empress. Why then, over the dozens of opportunities in these past three years, had she never received a single summons?
Leading Ningning, she quietly followed Madam Yu in performing their salutations. Looking up, she realized there were many people in the room. The gazes of those present fell upon her, their expressions unreadable.
First, there was her youngest sister, the slender and noble Consort Zhaoyuan on the bed. Next was her eldest sister, the Madam of Nanning, who held a young girl in a red robe in her arms.
Noticing Yu Yihe’s gaze, the Madam of Nanning stroked her daughter’s hair and introduced her. “Second Sister, this is my youngest daughter, Yao Yao. She was born in the latter half of the fourth year of Jinghe.”
Having said that, she stared at this second sister whom she hadn’t seen in three or four years. She felt a bit surprised—how did she look even younger than she had four years ago?
Yu Yihe led Ningning over. Before she could speak, Ningning curiously leaned closer to Yao Yao. She had never seen a little girl around her own age before. Soon, her attention was drawn to the gold necklace with pendant ornaments around Yao Yao’s neck. She couldn’t help but praise it:
“What is that around your neck, little sister? It’s as beautiful as the sun.”
Hearing this, the little girl in the Madam of Nanning’s arms immediately pouted and burst into tears. “I won’t give it to you! I won’t! You’re not allowed to steal my necklace!”
The crying startled Ningning, who immediately took a step back and explained urgently, “Little sister, don’t cry. I wasn’t going to steal it. Mother said not to take other people’s things. The silver ring Mother gave me is enough.”
Only then did everyone notice that the two children, though of similar age, were dressed in worlds apart.
One wore dark reddish-brown silk embroidered with exquisite patterns, with a gold necklace with pendant ornaments hanging from her neck—an image of boundless wealth. The other wore dark blue fine cotton cloth, with only a row of white cherries embroidered at the collar and a thin silver ring on her wrist—excessively plain.
It wasn’t just the children; the clothing of their mothers was also vastly different. The fabric Yu Yihe wore was not even as precious as that of the maid, Huixiang.
The Madam of Nanning busied herself coaxing her daughter. “No, the older sister wasn’t going to take your necklace… Don’t cry, don’t cry…”
Madam Yu also focused on soothing her granddaughter. “Yao Yao, be good… Ningning wasn’t going to take yours…”
Halfway through her sentence, she remembered that Ningning was also her granddaughter. She turned around hurriedly only to find that Ningning had already buried herself in her mother’s arms without a word. The solitary mother and daughter stood alone, and the clear, cold gaze of Yu Yihe’s apricot eyes made Madam Yu’s heart skip a beat.
The atmosphere in the room turned awkward. Fortunately, Consort Zhaoyuan regained her composure and quickly ordered a maid to open her jewelry box. “Huixiang, go and fetch that pair of gold bracelets bestowed by His Majesty.”
Huixiang hesitated. “Imperial Consort…”
After receiving a glare from Consort Zhaoyuan, she took a pair of gold bracelets from a box on the dressing table. Looking at their size and thickness, they were clearly intended for a young child.
Everyone realized these were likely gifts from the Emperor for the unborn child Consort Zhaoyuan had been carrying.
Yu Yihe didn’t particularly care for the gold bracelets, but how could Consort Zhaoyuan allow herself to lose face? Seeing her sister and niece in such a shabby state, she couldn’t possibly sit idly by. She directly ordered Huixiang to slide them onto Ningning’s wrists.
But when Yao Yao saw the gold bracelets, she began clamoring for them as well. The Countess and Madam Yu tried to reason with her for a few moments, but she only cried louder.
Seeing this, Yu Yihe lowered her head and patted her daughter’s back with a calm smile. She said softly, “Since they are both the Imperial Consort’s nieces, it wouldn’t be right to show favoritism. Why not give one to Yao Yao?”
No one saw the faint irony and disappointment deep within her eyes.
Her words were gentle and her conduct was proper, which Consort Zhaoyuan found very agreeable. She nodded with a smile. “Very well. I shall give… Ningning something else another day.”
She paused in the middle, clearly unfamiliar with her niece’s name.
Even so, Yao Yao continued to cry, demanding the one on Ningning’s hand, which made Consort Zhaoyuan frown.
As the highest-ranking person in the room, every move Consort Zhaoyuan made was watched. The Madam of Nanning caught the look and immediately stood up with a forced smile, carrying her wailing daughter out.
“Yao Yao has always been spoiled by me. I’ll take her out now so she doesn’t trouble the Imperial Consort.”
As the crying faded, a maid brought over round stools and invited the two to sit. Only then did Consort Zhaoyuan fix her beautiful eyes on Yu Yihe, carefully observing the second sister she hadn’t seen in years.
As she looked, the thought she had previously deemed absurd began to seem more feasible.
Her twenty-five-year-old sister had not only lost none of her beauty with age, but she also possessed a temperament vastly different from the other consorts in the palace. Among the palace women, there were those who were noble, those who were elegant, those who were scholarly, and those who were charmingly cute, but none had a temperament like her second sister’s.
Her oval face was soft and rounded, her willow eyebrows curved harmoniously, and her gentle apricot eyes were downcast. Her jawline wasn’t excessively sharp; her cheeks had a bit of fullness, making her face look like the tip of a peach—healthy and blessed. Standing there, she was quiet and reserved, with a slight sense of unaffected simplicity. This didn’t make her seem foolish; rather, it made one feel she had washed away all affectation, appearing gentle and approachable.
Looking at her made one feel at ease… and also made one feel safe.
Gazing at this beautiful face, Consort Zhaoyuan shifted her gaze to the little girl in her sister’s arms and beckoned to her.
Yu Yihe had no choice but to nudge Ningning, letting her move closer to the bed.
Looking at the bright-eyed, spirited, and beautiful little girl before her, Consort Zhaoyuan took her small hand, a hint of genuine sorrow entering her eyes.
“What a beautiful child… If only my child…”
She couldn’t help but begin to fantasize again. Even if it had been a princess, she would have been the Emperor’s eldest daughter. By now, she should have been promoted to the rank of Zhaoyi, a rank of the primary third rank, rather than being a Consort Zhaoyuan of the secondary third rank after being plotted against and suffering a miscarriage.
The most hateful thing was…
Consort Zhaoyuan bit her lip. Hearing Yu Yihe’s comfort from the side made her bite her lip until it turned white.
“The Imperial Consort is still young. There will be other children in the future.”
“It will be difficult. I miscarried at four months. The imperial physician said the damage was immense, and it will hinder my future prospects for children.”
The imperial physicians in the palace usually spoke delicately; saying it would “hinder prospects” was roughly equivalent to saying it would be “extremely difficult.” Before she could say much more, Consort Zhaoyuan’s tears fell again. Madam Yu stepped forward to comfort her, and as mother and daughter embraced, it was a truly touching scene.
Yu Yihe was startled; Madam Yu had never mentioned that Consort Zhaoyuan would have difficulty having children, but the shock lasted only a moment.
She silently pulled her daughter back, but she couldn’t help but recall that three years ago, when she was sent back by the Wei family clutching her few-months-old infant, her mother had never wept or worried for her like this.
Once her emotions had stabilized slightly, Consort Zhaoyuan wiped her tears and said to Yu Yihe, “What’s done is done. I don’t want so many people to be sad for me. It’s June, and Qiqing Garden is full of beautiful scenery. Second Sister, take your niece for a stroll.”
Yu Yihe did not decline. She didn’t care to watch this display of motherly and daughterly affection. She simply nodded, took Ningning’s hand, and followed Huixiang out.
As she stepped out of Cuihan Hall, Yu Yihe faintly caught a few words: “Is it feasible?” and “widow.” Huixiang glanced at her, but Yu Yihe didn’t stop her pace. Acting as if she had heard nothing, she focused on admiring the scenery in the garden.
When they arrived, Madam Yu’s pace had been too hurried, and she had only caught glimpses. Now, she could finally look around with a calm mind.
The sight was truly praiseworthy. It was truly a garden built during the reign of the previous Emperor—every step revealed a new vista, and beauty was everywhere. Ningning also finally relaxed, her steps becoming jaunty. “Mother, it’s so beautiful here~”
“Then Ningning should look her fill.”
Yu Yihe squeezed her daughter’s small hand, her tone filled with immense affection. Looking at her daughter, her heart grew softer and also felt a faint, growing ache.
Huixiang stood to the side. Hearing this, a flash of arrogant pity crossed her eyes.
Sigh, this is just fate. Even if they are born from the same mother, everything changes in just a few years. The Second Miss can still enjoy some of the Yu family’s favor, but the next generation will likely only be able to come to the door to beg for scraps.
Yu Yihe didn’t notice the maid’s look, but the ache and anxiety in her heart intensified. Whether as a descendant of the Wei family or the Yu family, Ningning should have been raised in a place of wealth and glory from childhood, rather than spending her life in coarse cloth and plain clothes like this.
At this thought, Yu Yihe’s interest in the scenery faded, and her mind began to wander. It took a small eunuch running over in a hurry to startle her back to her senses.
The eunuch whispered something in Huixiang’s ear. Afterward, the mother and daughter were left to wander the garden on their own.
Huixiang instructed the two of them to wait in place for fifteen minutes. Yu Yihe agreed, but she didn’t intend to just stand under the sun. She led her daughter across the clear stream, intending to head to the rockery in the middle of the stream to escape the heat. To her surprise, as they rounded a large boulder, she saw that someone was already there.