When Danqing realized she had slipped out of Yikun Palace without any hindrance and encountered no obstacles along the way, she understood it was Consort Yi’s intention.
In truth, Consort Yi had always been highly favored since entering the palace. Even though she was pregnant and unable to attend to the emperor at night, Emperor Kangxi should have visited occasionally to show concern. However, in the several months Danqing had been here, she had never once seen her legendary father, the emperor.
It wasn’t because Consort Yi had suddenly fallen out of favor, but because there were simply too many pregnant women in the Forbidden City at the moment.
Aside from the two in Yikun Palace, Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia, Noble Consort Niohuru, and Consort De Wuya were also expecting.
The others were one thing, but this was Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia’s first pregnancy in seven years of palace life, and her condition was unstable. Emperor Kangxi practically wished to stay by her side day and night—how could he spare any attention for others?
With Consort Yi’s perceptiveness, she naturally wouldn’t insist on competing with Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia at such a time. However, she was already seven months pregnant, and it was time to prepare for childbirth. If Emperor Kangxi showed no concern, those below might become negligent.
Consort Yi naturally wouldn’t say these things directly to Danqing, but Noble Lady Guo was less restrained. She often complained in Danqing’s ear about how the midwives assigned by the Imperial Household Department were unsatisfactory. Thus, Danqing could roughly grasp Consort Yi’s intention of deliberately letting her out to find Emperor Kangxi.
She was a princess, Emperor Kangxi’s youngest daughter at present. No matter what she did, Emperor Kangxi wouldn’t take it too seriously.
Her real mission was to make her presence known before Emperor Kangxi, reminding him that there were two pregnant women in Yikun Palace about to give birth.
This actually suited Danqing’s own intentions.
Emperor Kangxi had too many children, and she was merely the daughter of a noble lady. To live well, relying solely on Consort Yi’s favor wasn’t enough—she needed to leave a deep impression on her biological father.
Yes, not necessarily a good impression, but a very memorable one, different from all the other princesses.
Because there were too many virtuous, beautiful, gentle, and kind women in the palace. According to the palace maids, her three elder sisters were all such good girls. If she followed their example, she would simply blend into the crowd, never catching Emperor Kangxi’s eye.
So, she decided to take a gamble.
After all, she was just a little girl. Even if she acted a bit out of line, it probably wouldn’t cause any major trouble.
After leaving Yikun Palace, Danqing toddled southward on her short legs toward the Imperial Garden.
Although Emperor Kangxi should have been in Qianqing Palace, the area around it was heavily guarded. Given her current status, it was impossible for her to “accidentally” encounter him there.
Since forming the idea to see Emperor Kangxi, she had spent days researching and learned that he recently visited Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia’s Jingren Palace every afternoon for a nap before returning to Qianqing Palace to review memorials. Thus, she believed the best place for an “accidental” encounter was the corridor between Jingren Palace and Qianqing Palace.
When the Imperial Carriage passed through, all the servants in the corridor would kneel and make way. At that moment, if she made some commotion, she was sure to attract Emperor Kangxi’s attention.
The plan was sound, but she had overestimated her short legs.
On previous visits to the Imperial Garden with Consort Yi, palace attendants had always carried her, so she hardly needed to walk a few steps herself. Now, relying entirely on her own two legs, she suddenly remembered just how vast the Forbidden City was—
But just walking from Yikun Palace to the Imperial Garden had already exhausted her to the point where she wanted to sit down and pant.
She had been careless, but since she was already out, wouldn’t it be a pity to give up halfway?
Danqing crouched on the ground and began looking around.
She spotted a figure hiding not far behind her, knowing it was likely someone Consort Yi had sent to secretly follow her, so she waved her hand. Yet, the person ducked completely out of sight in an instant.
Danqing was so annoyed she wanted to roll her eyes.
Why would Consort Yi send such a stubborn person to follow her?
She was clearly struggling to walk, and he still hid!
Danqing pouted and simply plopped down on the ground.
Forget about princess etiquette—she needed a good rest now. At the very least, she had to regain enough strength to walk back to Yikun Palace!
After planning for so long and mustering the courage to venture out, she had failed before even starting. Danqing couldn’t help but feel disheartened.
Sitting there catching her breath, she saw no one approaching and looked up at the sky.
She had often heard that the square patch of sky within the palace walls felt oppressive, but in this pre-industrial era, the sky appeared much bluer than in later times.
Danqing loved gazing at the blue sky.
In the past, whenever she had a break, she would head to the suburbs or even remote mountain villages for a few days, just to enjoy the blue sky, white clouds, and the night sky free of light pollution, filled only with stars and the moon.
Staring at the azure sky for too long could make her dizzy, but Danqing hadn’t had her fill yet, so she simply lay down, facing the sky directly.
When her view contained nothing else but the vast expanse of sky, she felt completely relaxed.
No need to pretend to be a child, no need to guess others’ intentions—she emptied her mind entirely, and even her breathing grew longer and calmer.
…
Kangxi did not go to Chengqian Palace for his midday rest today.
Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia’s condition was worsening. The imperial physicians had exhausted all means to barely stop her bleeding, but she had to remain bedridden for rest.
Even so, the child could not be carried to full term. The physicians said it could be preserved for at most another month or so, and would inevitably be born prematurely, with a high likelihood of being weak and frail.
The physicians’ words were cautious, but Kangxi understood their meaning: even if the child were barely carried to term and born, it would not live long or grow strong.
Moreover, forcibly preserving the pregnancy would greatly harm the mother’s health. For the sake of the future, the best course was to induce labor early, prioritizing Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia’s safety and leaving the child’s fate to heaven.
Kangxi understood the reasoning, but facing his cousin, who was determined to have the child, he found it impossible to ask her to give up.
Well, without trying once, she would never accept it. Better to let her take the risk.
In low spirits, Kangxi wandered aimlessly.
Attendants cleared the path ahead to ensure no one disturbed his peace.
The chief eunuch, Liang Jiugong, carefully guided the way, making sure the distracted Kangxi did not stumble on uneven ground. As they rounded an ancient pine tree, he suddenly spotted a white object lying in the middle of the path not far ahead.
At first glance, he thought it was the Grand Empress Dowager’s large dog that had escaped, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a child.
Liang Jiugong’s startled reaction caught Kangxi’s attention. Regaining his focus, Kangxi looked ahead, slightly shocked, then kicked Liang Jiugong and scolded, “What are you standing there for? Go and check immediately!”
Liang Jiugong finally snapped out of it and hurried forward, just in time to see the little girl lying on the ground yawn out of boredom.
"Oh, my little ancestor, why are you lying here all by yourself?"
There were only four princesses in the palace, and the first three were already grown. One this small could only be the Fourth Princess from Yikun Palace.
"Did you fall? May this servant help you up?"
This was a genuine golden branch and jade leaf—Liang Jiugong dared not touch her without permission and asked gently instead.
Danqing had waited quite a while for someone who could carry her back, so she immediately nodded, stretched out her arms toward Liang Jiugong, and said sweetly, "Can you take me back to Yikun Palace?"
By now, Kangxi had probably already returned to Qianqing Palace. Going there would be futile, so it was better to head back first and make plans later.
Liang Jiugong gently helped Danqing up from the ground, letting her lean on his shoulder as he brushed off the grass blades clinging to the hem of her robe.
Danqing looked back and only then noticed a man in a dragon robe walking toward them.
Wait, a dragon robe?
It was Kangxi!
Danqing’s eyes widened in delight. Was this the legendary transmigration buff she’d heard about?
Her plan to intercept Kangxi had failed, but here he was, delivering himself right to her doorstep!
"Emperor Kangxi!"
Danqing waved vigorously, feeling her fighting spirit reignited.
Kangxi looked at the little girl, who barely reached his knees, her hair a fluffy ball like a freshly steamed dumpling, and couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile.
This was his Fourth Princess, wasn’t it?
It had been a long time since he’d seen her. She had truly grown taller, and her temperament seemed much brighter too—daring to call out to him loudly without fear.
Indeed, Consort Yi had a gentle nature, well-suited to raising children.
"Danqing, why did you run here all by yourself?"
Kangxi walked closer, bent down, and stroked his daughter’s fluffy hair, asking with a smile.
Danqing thought for a moment and decided to speak with the blunt honesty of a child: "I came to find you, Emperor Kangxi!"
Kangxi was taken aback. His first thought was that Consort Yi was using the princess to vie for favor.
He felt a flicker of displeasure but only furrowed his brows slightly, calculating in his mind that Consort Yi and Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia were due around the same time. Perhaps she had grown anxious since he hadn’t visited her lately.
"Danqing, did Consort Yi send you here? Then go back and tell her that Emperor Kangxi will visit her in a couple of days, alright?"
His daughter was still young, so Kangxi naturally wouldn’t blame her for such matters and coaxed her gently instead.
To his surprise, Danqing shook her head, then nodded.
"Consort Yi didn’t send me, but I can pass along your message,"
Danqing felt she shouldn’t betray her backer, so she explained on Consort Yi’s behalf before stating her purpose, "Emperor Kangxi, I came to find you because I have something to ask—"
The little girl’s soft, trailing tone deepened Kangxi’s smile. He simply let her wrap her arms around his neck, picked her up, and began walking toward Yikun Palace.
Well, why wait for another day when today had presented the opportunity? Since Consort Yi hadn’t sent her, he’d been overthinking it. He might as well visit her now.
As he walked, he continued speaking to Danqing: "What did you want to ask Emperor Kangxi?"
Danqing smiled with an "innocent" expression: "Emperor Kangxi, when I grow up, are you going to throw me onto the grasslands to feed the wolves?"
Kangxi stumbled mid-step. If Liang Jiugong hadn’t been alert and steadied him, he might have dropped the little girl in his arms.
"What feeding wolves? Who told you that?"
Kangxi could hardly believe his ears.
His daughter was only four years old, just four!
Who in their right mind would dare say such a thing to her?
Truly unforgivable!
Danqing clung tightly to Kangxi to steady herself, then blinked her eyes in confusion. "Mother said it. She said all princesses have to go feed wolves on the grasslands when they grow up. Emperor Kangxi, is feeding wolves fun?"
Sorry, dear mother, you'll have to bear this blame—after all, you really did say it yourself, and so many palace maids heard it.
Anyway, you're almost due to give birth, so Kangxi can't do much to you.
"Noble Lady Guo—"
Kangxi gritted his teeth, but he couldn't speak ill of her biological mother in front of his daughter, so he suppressed his anger and coaxed, "She was just teasing you. Feeding wolves isn't fun at all."
His daughter was too young to understand, but how could he not grasp what Noble Lady Guo meant?
Manchu-Mongol marriages were an old tradition. Since he didn't want Mongol consorts, he couldn't avoid marrying princesses off to the grasslands. The little girl in his arms would also have to marry into the grasslands when she grew up.
But this was a political marriage—how could it be called "feeding wolves"?
His daughter, even if married far away, would never be bullied!
"Really not fun at all?"
Danqing sounded disappointed. "I wanted to grow up quickly and go feed wolves soon."
The little girl's innocent, naive words made Kangxi chuckle despite himself. "Do you even know what feeding wolves means, that you want to go so soon?"
Danqing replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I know. It's just like feeding the cat Consort Yi keeps. I give it food and water, play with it, and it'll grow close to me and listen to me."
Kangxi came to a complete stop, looking at his daughter with astonishment in his eyes.
Though it was childish talk, upon careful thought, wasn't that exactly the principle?
"And what if it eats and drinks what you give but still refuses to grow close to you or listen to you?"
Kangxi asked again.
Danqing waved her little fist, plump as a steamed bun. "Then I won't give it any more food or water. When it gets hungry, it'll naturally come obediently to ask me for some."
Kangxi: …
So, had he wronged Noble Lady Guo?
This wasn't about sending his daughter to feed wolves—it was about teaching her to tame them!