Dan Qing wasn’t stupid, of course, and she could easily sense that something was off about White Snow’s “jailbreak,” so when the Grand Empress Dowager punished the young eunuch, she chose to keep quiet and didn’t plead for mercy on his behalf.
Just as she had done when Kangxi punished the servants at Yikun Palace earlier, though it had shocked her, she hadn’t said much about it either.
In this deep palace full of unfathomable hearts, her grasp of things was still too shallow to fully read people’s intentions, so for now she had to abide by the rules rather than let some misguided compassion get the better of her.
Those who were punished had all done something wrong to begin with, whatever hardship might lie behind it, they should bear the consequences of the causes they themselves had sown, rather than count on a little princess who could barely protect herself to come to their rescue.
Yinreng, worrying that Dan Qing might be frightened, volunteered to stay overnight at Cining Palace, playing with her right up until she began yawning before finally having He Miao take her off to bed.
“Grandmother Su, has that young eunuch confessed yet?”
Once Dan Qing had been coaxed off to sleep, Yinreng asked directly.
The Crown Prince, personally raised and educated by the Emperor of the Great Qing, was no longer a child who understood nothing, it was only that, like the Grand Empress Dowager, he didn’t want to frighten Dan Qing.
Sumalagu didn’t hide it from him. “Reporting to the Crown Prince, the man has already been sent to the Office of Punishments, but there’s no result yet.”
The Grand Empress Dowager waved Yinreng over to sit beside her, holding him close. “Don’t get involved in this matter, let your Han Ama handle it himself.”
Yinreng’s brow furrowed, as if he’d guessed something, and he bit his lip, but in the end only nodded without saying anything.
Once he too had gone off to settle in for the night, Sumalagu asked again, “Does the old ancestress have a clear idea of things?”
The Grand Empress Dowager glanced sideways at her. “Don’t you have a clear idea yourself?”
Mistress and servant exchanged a knowing look, but neither one spoke it aloud.
This Fourth Princess had offended no one and provoked no one, who in the palace would want to harm her?
It was nothing more than the matter of her being raised in Cining Palace from now on, whose path this blocked was plain enough to anyone with sense.
…
The next morning, Dan Qing woke up feeling refreshed, dressed in new light pink clothes the sewing workshop had rushed to finish overnight, wearing a hair comb decorated with colorful gem-studded hydrangea blossoms that Sumalagu had sent her, along with a round fluffy hydrangea flower ornament pinned in her hair, looking as adorable as a little flower spirit freshly taken form.
The Grand Empress Dowager, who rose early, had already finished breakfast by the time Dan Qing came to pay her respects, and had food brought over for her as well.
“My little Garu really is lovely,”
The Grand Empress Dowager pinched Dan Qing’s rosy little cheek. “Looking at how lively you are, you must be fully recovered. Once you’ve eaten, we’ll have the imperial physician check your pulse, if all’s well, you won’t need to drink medicine anymore.”
Dan Qing nodded with great force, to show her protest against that pitch-black bitter medicine soup.
Falling ill wasn’t scary, drinking the medicine was the real killer.
Even with the soul of an adult inside her, and having braced herself thoroughly beforehand, she’d still been thoroughly defeated by that bowl of bitter medicine the day before, and in the end it was only thanks to Yinreng contributing his secretly stashed sweet wine, letting her take a sip of medicine, then rinse her mouth with the sweet wine, that she’d managed to force down that small half bowl of medicine.
Even so, she’d had no appetite at all by dinnertime, and hadn’t eaten much of anything.
So now, having just woken up, she was famished, her little stomach growling.
The Grand Empress Dowager had never liked waste, so breakfast at Cining Palace was simple as well, a bowl of plain congee, four small side dishes, and a plate of beef-filled buns, which was the Grand Empress Dowager’s favorite.
Mindful of Dan Qing’s taste, the Grand Empress Dowager had specially ordered sweetened congee for her, but Dan Qing still found the meat buns more filling.
Being small, with small hands, she couldn’t hold her chopsticks steady, and Sumalagu had meant to feed her, but instead watched as she simply dropped her chopsticks, cradled a large bun in both hands, and dove right in to gnaw at it.
“Truly the old ancestress’s own great-granddaughter, even her tastes are just like yours,”
Sumalagu laughed until her eyes crinkled shut. “Even the way she eats is just alike!”
The Grand Empress Dowager chided, “Nonsense, when have I ever eaten so daintily? When I was young, I could down a fist-sized bun in one bite!”
In the midst of her eating, Dan Qing shot the Grand Empress Dowager a look of admiration, which made the Grand Empress Dowager laugh as well.
With two large meat buns in her belly, Dan Qing let out a satisfied burp, and obediently held out her two greasy little hands for He Miao to wipe clean.
“After the imperial physician has seen you, go back to Yikun Palace and pack up your things, and let your mother know as well, so she doesn’t worry too much,”
The Grand Empress Dowager instructed. “While you’re at it, bring some things along for Consort Yi and your mother from me.”
Dan Qing also felt she ought to go explain things to Noble Lady Guo in person.
After all, this was still this body’s own birth mother, no matter what, that bond couldn’t be severed, and she truly did hope Noble Lady Guo would be safe and well.
When the imperial physician checked Dan Qing’s pulse, he didn’t say much more, only mentioning something about eating in moderation and being careful of indigestion, which Dan Qing simply pretended not to understand.
In the months she’d been here, she’d more or less come to understand one of this era’s principles for raising children—
That a small illness called for one skipped meal, a serious illness for three, and in general, it was always better to go a little hungry than to overeat.
She understood this was probably wisdom the ancients had accumulated under limited medical conditions, but Dan Qing still believed that eating well, dressing warmly, and sleeping soundly were the best way to build a strong body.
She was still a child, after all, a child who needed proper nutrition to grow tall, and she had no intention of going hungry.
The Grand Empress Dowager, as always, only chose to believe half of whatever the imperial physician said, and after telling Dan Qing to come back early to have roast lamb for lunch, watched her happily head out the door.
Two days later, when Dan Qing returned once more to Yikun Palace, she now had not only He Miao as her personal maid, but also four more palace maids and four eunuchs following her, the whole procession quite grand, giving her a genuine air of princely dignity at last.
Entering Yikun Palace, she naturally went first to the main hall to pay her respects to Consort Yi.
Consort Yi was still reclining on the couch as always, and looking at Dan Qing, now dressed in brand-new finery and looking full of spirit, her expression grew rather complicated.
That day, it had been Consort Yi herself who had deliberately let Dan Qing out to find Kangxi, but she’d never expected that Kangxi would indeed be lured over, only for Dan Qing to be the one carried away.
What followed was the Grand Empress Dowager’s mix of open rewards and hidden punishments, and then Kangxi’s order to have the entire staff of Yikun Palace punished, and now, seeing Dan Qing return with this whole crowd of maids and eunuchs in tow, Consort Yi couldn’t help but feel a stirring of regret.
She had already given up one son of her own to the Empress Dowager, and now even the Fourth Princess was about to be taken from her too, did the Borjigin clan want to raise children only by picking Yikun Palace clean every single time?!
As for the child in her own belly now, the midwife had quietly told her it was a prince, she was happy about this, but also feared it would be hard to keep by her own side, and had thought that at least she’d still have the Fourth Princess to keep her company, but now even that was lost.
She should have known better than to be in such a hurry, why had she insisted on luring Kangxi over in the first place!
Now it was too late for regrets.
“Dan Qing, ah, from now on you must listen well to the Grand Empress Dowager, you understand?”
Consort Yi’s tears had already begun falling, and she took Dan Qing’s hand reluctantly. “Whenever you have time, remember to come back and see Auntie, Auntie truly can’t bear to part with you—”
“My mistress, the Grand Empress Dowager is fond of the Fourth Princess, this is a blessing for our Fourth Princess and for the Gorolo family.”
Liu Ya, sensing something was wrong, hurried forward to stop Consort Yi from continuing. “The Fourth Princess is also going in your stead to show filial devotion to the Grand Empress Dowager. You’re pregnant, my mistress, you mustn’t cry.”
Dan Qing could feel Consort Yi’s hand trembling slightly as it gripped hers, and knew this distress was genuine, not an act. Her own heart softened in response.
Whether or not Consort Yi had ever once thought to use her to compete for favor, she had still treated her extremely well.
These past few months, Consort Yi had called her over to keep her company every single day, giving her plenty of food and things to use, it was only out of consideration for Noble Lady Guo that she’d kept a certain distance, never letting them grow truly close.
“Don’t cry, Auntie, or little brother will be unhappy,”
Dan Qing returned to her usual childish manner in front of Consort Yi, reaching up to wipe away her tears. “Dan Qing will come back often to see you.”
Consort Yi’s emotions came quickly, but settled just as fast, with tears still in her eyes, she stroked Dan Qing’s cheek, then took a deep breath to collect herself, and put on a smile again.
“Good, then it’s settled between us, whoever goes back on it is a little dog,”
Consort Yi deliberately made a funny face, making Dan Qing giggle, then said, “Now go see your mother, I heard she didn’t sleep well all night after hearing you were sick yesterday.”
Dan Qing obediently agreed, though she didn’t believe it in the slightest.
If Noble Lady Guo were really the kind of mother who would worry about her like that, then she wouldn’t have needed to go out on her own and take that gamble in the first place.
If Noble Lady Guo really hadn’t slept well all night, it was probably because she hadn’t gotten some item she wanted for the birth, and had been too angry to sleep.
Sure enough, before she’d even walked into the rear hall, she could already hear Noble Lady Guo throwing a tantrum inside.
“We’re both about to give birth, why does she get to use the side chamber in the front courtyard as her birthing room, while I have to give birth in the eastern lean-to? That place is small and damp, is that any place to spend confinement?”
“Then where does Mother want to give birth?”
Dan Qing had those following her wait outside and walked in herself. “Consort Yi holds the rank of Consort, and Mother is only a Noble Lady, surely you don’t intend to compete with her over this?”
Noble Lady Guo really hadn’t slept well, dark circles ringing her eyes, and she snapped at Dan Qing irritably, “I know she’s of higher rank, so why do you still call me Mother, go be her daughter instead!”
Dan Qing clenched her fists, telling herself to stay calm.
If she truly had a choice, she wouldn’t want to be forced into being this woman’s daughter and drawing her disdain either, but unfortunately, neither of them had ever had a choice in the matter.
If Noble Lady Guo weren’t her birth mother, why would she even bother coming back to endure this kind of treatment!
“Just tell me plainly where Mother wants to give birth, as long as it’s reasonable, I’ll go and request it for you.”
Dan Qing said patiently.
Noble Lady Guo’s eyes shifted, and her urgency suddenly eased, her tone softening. “There’s no need for you to go request it on my behalf, I’m not the type who doesn’t understand propriety. It’s only that the eastern lean-to has never been lived in, and the windows are sealed shut, it really is cold and damp, not suitable for giving birth. I was thinking of using the western lean-to instead, it’s part of the rear hall too, after all, so it shouldn’t be overstepping any bounds.”
Dan Qing clenched her jaw and stared at Noble Lady Guo, suddenly understanding why she was making this fuss today.
So it wasn’t that Noble Lady Guo was jealous and trying to compete with Consort Yi at all, she had her eye on Dan Qing’s own room, and meant to have her cleared out entirely!
“Mother should know, if I still have a place of my own in Yikun Palace, then I can come back often to stay and keep you company, but if you won’t even leave me a single room, then I won’t have any reason to come back anymore in the future.”
Dan Qing’s eyes reddened, and she forced herself not to let the tears fall.
In fact, Noble Lady Guo did have other options, the eastern lean-to wasn’t nearly as unlivable as she’d claimed.
Dan Qing herself had been born there, and the reason the windows were sealed was only because she’d feared catching a chill during her own confinement.
What’s more, even without using the eastern lean-to, the rear hall had a side chamber too, set off with a folding screen, it could just as easily serve as a birthing room.
And yet, of all places, Noble Lady Guo insisted on that one small room of hers.
This wasn’t about being picky over the birthing room at all, this was about wanting her gone as quickly as possible, never to come back again!