Chapter 4
This was Tong Jiahe’s first time meeting Hui Pin, whom the Noble Consort remembered from her memories. Though thirty years old, Hui Pin’s delicate maintenance rendered her appearance beautiful, her eyebrows and eyes slightly drooping, giving her a kind and sincere aura.
Hui Pin was the mother of the Crown Prince and also raised the Eighth Prince. She might be an agreeable companion but certainly was no simple character. It never hurt to be a bit more guarded. Originally lounging lazily against the large pillow, Tong Jiahe straightened up.
Upon entering, Hui Pin immediately sensed the chill in the palace chamber. Everyone in the palace knew that Noble Consort Tong disliked heat, so ice was used abundantly in summer.
Inside Chengqian Palace, several buckets of ice were placed as if inexhaustible. Judging by the consort’s complexion, she did not appear as gravely ill as rumors suggested. Hui Pin’s emotions became complicated.
After greeting and sitting down, a palace maid came forward with tea. Hui Pin’s senior maid, Caizhu, reached out to take the cup on her behalf but was stopped by a glance from Hui Pin.
Even if the maid serving her was the lowest-ranking attendant of the Noble Consort, this task must be left to her. As a concubine, Hui Pin dared not let her senior maid act presumptuously in Chengqian Palace.
Outsiders saw the concubines’ positions as infinitely glorious, but the older ones knew well that imperial favor was not as valuable as good family background.
Consorts born to Manchu noble clans were often granted high ranks from the start. Those like Hui Pin, born of the bondservant class, had to endure long struggles and secure offspring to gain even modest respect.
She had fought tooth and nail to obtain her rank as a concubine, whereas the Noble Consort, by virtue of her noble birth and being the emperor’s direct cousin, had risen to her rank at a young age.
Despite her swirling thoughts, Hui Pin smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the Noble Consort.
Though she envied the Noble Consort’s background and status, Hui Pin never forgot the purpose of her visit to Chengqian Palace.
She first inquired about the Noble Consort’s health as was customary, then presented two Buddhist sutras she had personally transcribed, explaining they had been offered before the Buddha for three days and could help calm the mind.
Tong Jiahe smiled warmly and appreciatively. “You are considerate.”
If the emperor had not come to Chengqian Palace today, these sutras, having been offered at the altar for three days and handwritten by Hui Pin herself, would likely have been sent elsewhere, certainly not to Chengqian Palace.
Lowering her eyes, Tong Jiahe gained a deeper understanding of why concubines in the harem vied so fiercely for favor.
Hui Pin’s eyes flicked cleverly as she said with a smile, “Noble Consort, you may not know, but a couple of days ago when I went to Cining Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, I met the Fourth Prince. He seems to have grown taller and leaner, his face more slender and handsome.”
A child just over two years old could hardly be said to have suddenly grown taller—this was a subtle hint to the Noble Consort that the Fourth Prince had grown thin.
Everyone in the harem knew the Empress Dowager did not favor the Noble Consort, who was also unable to see or touch the Fourth Prince, leaving her helpless in Chengqian Palace.
Fully aware of the Noble Consort’s recent poor health, Hui Pin’s words were deliberately cutting. If she were truly the Noble Consort, she would have been burning with worry and anger.
Hearing this, Tong Jiahe raised an eyebrow. “The Fourth Prince is only two years old, not yet at an age to have grown suddenly taller. You, as a mother, still raising the Eighth Prince by Wei’s side, how could you have such poor eyesight? It’s one thing to say so before me, but don’t spout nonsense openly in front of others.”
Hui Pin was stunned. The Noble Consort was always graceful in speech and conduct; she had never spoken so bluntly to wound others.
As soon as the Noble Consort finished speaking, Pu Yu seized the moment to serve Hui Pin a pot of chrysanthemum and vitex tea, known for clearing the liver and brightening the eyes.
Hui Pin looked at the full pot of tea, her face burning with embarrassment—both the Noble Consort and her maid were openly mocking her poor eyesight!
Today she had not come to Chengqian Palace for idle chit-chat with the Noble Consort. Pretending to cough lightly, Hui Pin took a small sip of the tea before setting the cup down.
Among the few concubines in the palace, their ranks were either due to powerful family backing or fruitful motherhood. Rong Pin bore a princess and a prince, De Pin had two princes, Yi Pin gave birth to a prince and enjoyed great favor. These women all came from bondservant origins with similar backgrounds; without offspring, their ranks would not have been possible.
The Eighth Prince by Wei was still being raised in her own palace. The Noble Consort had no children. Whether it was the Fourth or Eighth Prince, raising either was a matter of concern.
If the Noble Consort indeed failed to reclaim the Fourth Prince and turned her attention to the Eighth Prince, whose birth mother held a low rank, Hui Pin would lose one of her own princes.
Hui Pin hurriedly explained, “Noble Consort, the Fourth Prince is still young and close to you. When I went to Cining Palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, I saw the Fourth Prince and could not bear to see him suffer the pain of separation from his mother.”
Not only were her words artful, but her worried expression was convincing. Without the memories of her former self, Tong Jiahe might have suspected Hui Pin was as intimate with the Noble Consort as if they shared a pair of trousers.
Tong Jiahe paused before saying, “I understand your intentions. The Eighth Prince is still young and needs constant care. You should return quickly to look after him.”
That was a polite way of dismissing her.
As the mother of the Crown Prince, Hui Pin had considerable standing in the palace. Sitting on the cold bench at the Noble Consort’s residence today, simmering with anger but unable to express it, she wisely rose to take her leave.
Upon stepping outside, she gazed at the Chengqian Palace plaque, her heart both anxious and angry. A woman of noble birth like the Noble Consort did not know when to be soft or firm, only clinging stubbornly to her pride and waiting for others to yield.
In any case, she had delivered her message. The Lady of Chuxiu Palace had long had her eyes on the Fourth Prince, sending him numerous gifts and visiting Cining Palace frequently. Once the Empress Dowager’s decree arrived, even the emperor could not change it.
By then, the Noble Consort might realize too late that the Fourth Prince had already been taken away by his Mongol mother!
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Cining Palace.
The Fourth Prince was held in the arms of his wet nurse, while the Lady of Chuxiu Palace smiled, coaxing him to play.
At the head seat, the Empress Dowager and the Empress watched them with smiling eyes. The Lady of Chuxiu Palace, Borjigit by name, hailed from the Mongolian grasslands, the same region as the two elder ladies, and shared a closer bond with them.
She had entered the palace the same year as Hui Fei and, after Hui Fei’s death, was the only Mongol consort in the palace, receiving favor from both Cining and Ciren Palaces.
Backed by powerful support, the Lady of Chuxiu lived comfortably in the palace, her only regret the lack of an heir. Seeing the Fourth Prince being raised by the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace, she began to covet the opportunity to raise him herself.
“Fourth Prince, would you like to be held by Aunt Ying?” Borjigit extended her hand toward the child, hoping he would come closer.
Her name bore the character “Ying,” a title favored by the Empress Dowager as her future honorific.
The Fourth Prince blinked curiously at the unfamiliar woman who had only held him a few times.
She was not as pretty as Consort Tong and had a darker complexion. He instinctively compared every older woman he saw to his own wet nurse.
He couldn’t help but pout; it had been several days since he last saw his wet nurse. He missed her.
Borjigit’s expression softened, her eyes smiling as she looked at the Fourth Prince, but her tone was a bit urgent. “Fourth Prince, come here quickly.”
Suddenly frightened, the Fourth Prince shrank into the wet nurse’s arms, clutching her sleeve tightly as if afraid she would give him away.
The wet nurse immediately embraced him, soothing him patiently with her head bowed.
Borjigit kept her arms outstretched, waiting for a long time, but the Fourth Prince did not release the wet nurse’s hand. Growing anxious, she shot a sharp glance at the wet nurse.
Since the Fourth Prince left Chengqian Palace, this wet nurse had never left his side, reportedly even sleeping at the foot of his bed. Despite Borjigit’s efforts over the past few days, the Fourth Prince remained distant from her, partly owing to the wet nurse’s firm hold.
Even without the master present, the wet nurse protected the Fourth Prince this well. Consort Tong had indeed found a loyal guardian.
Borjigit’s anger simmered but she dared not show it before the Empress Dowager. She reluctantly withdrew her hands.
The Empress Dowager observed everything clearly. Consort Tong, being of the emperor’s maternal family, held a sufficiently noble status and enjoyed favor. She was expected to bear offspring in the future.
From the late emperor’s reign to now, the Qing dynasty had not seen any blood from the Borjigit clan for two generations. The Empress Dowager privately hoped the Fourth Prince would be entrusted to the Mongol consort for raising.
These past days, the Lady of Chuxiu Palace had tried to get close to the Fourth Prince without success. She glanced at the Empress Dowager with some concern, but the old lady’s gaze had already shifted away.
“The Fourth Prince is still young and shy. Perhaps after a few more visits, he will warm up to you,” the Empress said gently.
As soon as she finished, the Empress Dowager lifted her eyes and cast a faint glance at Borjigit.
The emperor had no feelings for the Lady of Chuxiu Palace. She entered the palace in the eighth year of Kangxi’s reign without even a primary rank and was still called by her secondary titles, “Lady of Chuxiu Palace” or “Mongol Consort.”
Though old, the Empress Dowager was far from confused. All consorts desired either favor or offspring—or both.
The consorts from the Khorchin grasslands had neither favor nor children, and many came seeking the Empress Dowager’s blessing, though granting their wishes was not easy. To be promoted, consorts needed either favor and offspring or seniority and noble lineage.
In Kangxi’s sixteenth year, during the first grand promotion of six palaces, the Lady of Chuxiu Palace did not receive a concubine rank. After the pacification of the Three Feudatories, the emperor would not again bypass the Mongols to grant consort titles. Borjigit was certain to receive a palace mistress rank.
But this could not be said openly. If she were clever, Borjigit would understand the benefits of her early palace service and would not so hastily try to win over the Fourth Prince.
Hearing the Empress’s words, Borjigit smiled broadly and promised to come more often to serve the Empress Dowager.
Fearing the atmosphere might turn cold, the Empress chatted with Borjigit to amuse the Empress Dowager.
Before long, it was nearly time for the midday meal. Borjigit rose first to pay her respects and take her leave, while the Empress remained seated.
The Empress Dowager rarely allowed others to dine with her. If company was invited, it was only the emperor or the Empress, and Borjigit knew she had no such standing.
“I have been busy all day and am weary,” the Empress Dowager said in Mongolian after Borjigit left.
The Empress exchanged a hesitant glance with the Empress Dowager. Only they and their close attendants remained, and these words were clearly meant for her.
Usually, the Empress Dowager would voluntarily invite her to dine together. Today, had she done something to displease the old lady?
Their eyes met and held for a moment before the Empress finally bowed her head and withdrew.
The Empress and Borjigit exited Cining Palace one after the other. Naturally, Borjigit gave way to the Empress’s procession.
The Empress passed by Borjigit without pause or word and returned silently to Ciren Palace, where she would join the Fifth Prince for lunch.
Borjigit knew the Empress spent her days either with the Empress Dowager or the Fifth Prince. The Fifth Prince, raised in the Empress’s palace since infancy and nearly two years old, spoke only Mongolian. His attendants could only speak Mongolian with him.
The Empress was content to raise her son this way, and even the emperor could not object.
The emperor had been raised by the Empress Dowager himself, so his feelings for Mongolia were unique.
Thinking of this, Borjigit smiled proudly. There was already one prince close to the Mongols; gaining another would not be a problem. This was her confidence in wanting to raise the Fourth Prince.