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Translation: marchmallow
It had been long since a prince was born in the palace. By all means, this was a happy occasion.
The Jianping Emperor was so pleased that he hosted a banquet in the palace on the sixteenth prince’s full moon, and at that time issued an imperial edict to confer Consort Li the title of imperial noble consort.
This imperial edict shocked countless people.
One must know that Noble Consort Hu had been a noble consort for so many years, but she had always been just that and was never elevated to imperial noble consort. This Consort Li was the last of the four consorts, yet she managed to leap to that seat.
The imperial noble consort position was like the empress’s deputy, and she could be buried alongside the emperor after death. Furthermore, although the empress was named the main wife, the imperial noble consort’s treatment was only half a point short of the empress’s. Empress Chen was still alive, so the conferment of an imperial noble consort was tantamount to hitting Empress Chen’s face.
However, since the imperial edict had been issued, others couldn’t offer an opinion.
Thus, after the sixteenth prince’s full moon banquet, the palace bustled with excitement once more, this time for Imperial Noble Consort Li’s conferment ceremony.
His Majesty had just given the First Prince a good face, yet he instantly turned his head and granted Consort Li that title. Those familiar with the Jianping Emperor’s methods feared that something about it was rather queer. Even Prince Wei and Feng Sheng couldn’t help but formulate such a conjecture. Feng Sheng was ignorant of the actual truth until she visited the palace.
As it turned out, Consort Li’s delivery hadn’t gone smoothly that day. She had dystocia. She wasn’t young, so her endurance couldn’t rival a young person’s. She had consumed medicinal soup and withstood acupuncture, but they had all been useless. Just as she was about to lose all her strength, the Jianping Emperor had charged into the delivery room.
This matter, Feng Sheng found out because of their identities. She and Prince Wei sat idly in the side hall, while in the main hall, each of the ladyships in the palace all sat in wait. When she heard a palace maid speak, it was then that she learned that His Majesty had done such a thing.
The matter of being elevated to imperial noble consort was said to have been promised that very moment. The specifics of how the Jianping Emperor told Consort Li and what he had promised, no one else knew. However, as Feng Sheng glanced at the space between Consort Li’s brows, she could detect a hint of bashfulness and elation underneath it. Perhaps what he had promised wasn’t simply a brief sentence, there might have been something else.
Word had it that the validity of a man’s promise was like a mother pig climbing a tree. Looking at it this way, Feng Sheng deduced that the Jianping Emperor regarded Consort Li as more than just an ordinary imperial concubine. It was very likely that the two had something between them.
What could it be?
Maybe it was an extraordinarily different type of ‘like’.
‘Because I like you, I want to keep you by my side. I want you by my side even in death.’
At that time, in order to deal with the Crown Prince, Feng Sheng had dredged up information about the Jianping Emperor through limited sources. He could be regarded as a wise monarch. Before he sat on the throne, he was the crown prince. Although his brothers inevitably had to engage in both open rivalry and veiled strife, he eventually triumphed in ascending the throne without a hitch.
One must know that this wasn’t at all easy. Since ancient times, many who had been the crown prince ultimately ended up weaving wedding dresses for others. For a crown prince to become an emperor was as rare as a phoenix feather and a unicorn horn. He had to be deeply versed in a monarch’s schemes and methods of maintaining equilibrium. The Jianping Emperor reflected this in several various cases, from the deposition of the crown prince up until the present. As for the imperial harem, she had never heard of him favoring only one imperial concubine.
Such a man, would he make an exception simply because he liked a woman?
Presumably he would. Feng Sheng instantly thought of Prince Wei.
However, she told Prince Wei none of her suppositions and only relayed to him what Consort Li had told her.
Seeing his sword-like brows furrowed, knowing that the matter might be weighing on his mind, she kindly reminded him not to overanalyze and to assess it from a slightly simpler standpoint. He shouldn’t always deduce that matters were done in the light of crafty plots and intrigue and so on.
Detecting a trace of mischief in her words, Prince Wei cast her a profound look.
She could no longer stand it, so she hinted at him again, “The position of an imperial noble consort is quite significant, and it was granted to Consort Mother. Doesn’t it illustrate how important Consort Mother is to Imperial Father?”
He glanced at her and uttered no response.
“Whether or not you believe me is all up to you. Anyway, I don’t think it’s as complicated as you think. I presume it’s merely a case of a man liking a woman.”
A long while later, he said, “Consort Mother has been with Imperial Father for almost thirty years.”
Consort Li’s life in those days were all but pleasant. If it was truly because he liked her, why had he turned a blind eye all those years despite being aware of her plight? This ‘like’, it manifested rather a little too late.
“Then, who knows? Perhaps it’s just a gust of wind, coming and going as it pleases.” Feng Sheng spread out her hands.
Prince Wei pulled her closer and embraced her, his eyes deep and serene. “So, has your wind come yet?”
“What? What wind?”
“Fang Feng Sheng, don’t play dumb!”
“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about, ah. Does Your Highness find it too warm because there isn’t enough wind? I’ll go put up the window……”
Prince Wei pressed her down on the chaise longue and refused to let her go.
“You, don’t evade the subject!”
In a panic, Feng Sheng hugged his neck and kissed him.
Ai, peaceful at last.
*
No matter where the wind blew, after the matter had passed, the central palace’s ties and the imperial noble consort’s ties were bound to clash against each other.
They were destined to be an irreconcilable contradiction, especially factoring in the origin between the two. From Empress Chen and the Chen family’s perspective, what Imperial Noble Consort Li had done was sheer betrayal. She was a slave, yet she was now threatening her master’s position.
In the end, Prince Wei was a man. Visiting the imperial harem so often would be unbecoming of him, so he entrusted Feng Sheng this task. She would drop by the palace every two days.
As time passed, the sixteenth prince grew up in a flurry.
Feng Sheng was extremely fond of the sixteenth prince. He had white and tender skin and large eyes, and his appearance while sucking his small hands melted people’s hearts.
Ever since she frequented the Xianfu Palace, she couldn’t help but hug and carry this tiny little brother.
She was initially awkward when it came to holding the baby and always feared she might accidentally drop him. Now, however, she would assist in changing the sixteenth prince’s diapers whenever possible.
“Since you like him so much, you and Yue’er should work harder to have one.”
Feng Sheng had just handed the sixteenth prince to the wet nurse. When she heard Imperial Noble Consort Li suggest this, her face reddened in an instant.
“Consort Mother, I……”
Feng Sheng had been married to Prince Wei for over a year, and the number of times she slept with Prince Wei was not at all low. It was more accurate to say that they did it too often. It stood to reason that, with this frequency, she should have conceived long ago. When they had just married, Feng Sheng was a little uncomfortable brooding over the prospect of pregnancy. Later, she mulled over how Prince Wei still didn’t have an heir despite his age. She shouldn’t be so selfish, let nature take its course, and just bear a child if it came.
However, there hadn’t been any movement. Prince Wei never mentioned it, and Feng Sheng also couldn’t say anything, but she didn’t feel any less apprehensive in her heart. Of course, it wasn’t that Prince Wei had a problem. Feng Sheng feared that it was her who had a problem. She surmised that there still hadn’t been any movement because she had disregarded her health so blatantly in those few years and afflicted her body as a result.
Imperial Noble Consort Li patted her hand and consoled, “Alright, I know you and Yue’er are perfectly aware in your hearts. I won’t urge you.”
Feng Sheng gazed at her, her heart swelling with gratitude.
Had it been any other mother-in-law, perhaps she wouldn’t have shown such an attitude. For Imperial Noble Consort Li to be like this was already considered quite a blessing.
Despite this, Feng Sheng still harbored some anxiety in her heart as she journeyed back. It seemed that she truly needed to find someone to examine her this time.
*
Whenever Feng Sheng had a headache or a fever, she would call an imperial physician from the palace, but this time, Feng Sheng didn’t think it was apt to do so.
The palace was too complicated, and the Imperial Hospital was divided into factions. Prince Wei would call Imperial Physician Wang every time because he was assured about him, but if she were to summon Imperial Physician Wang, it would be impossible to conceal this matter, and Prince Wei would definitely find out.
Feng Sheng didn’t want Prince Wei to know. Although she did care a little, she didn’t want to come off as though she was desperate for a child.
But if she didn’t want Prince Wei to know, she could only use very few people. Uncle Yu and Dao Qi were in Jiangnan, but she also had Zhi Chun and Zhi Qiu by her side. It seemed that she could only try and scour for medical clinics outside. If one could open a medical clinic within the capital, it signified that one’s medical skills wasn’t so bad.
After making up her mind, Feng Sheng began to arrange it.
First, under the guise of shopping with Zhi Qiu, they jaunted outside and made inquiries about which clinics had doctors proficient in treating married women. Because of this matter, Zhi Qiu and Zhi Chun were quite scared and uneasy. In fact, the two girls had long been feeling anxious about this matter, but they dared not raise it to Feng Sheng. Now that Feng Sheng took the initiative to mention it, their hearts were heavy, always fearing that there was truly something wrong with Feng Sheng.
But now, it was too early to tell if such was the case. Zhi Qiu did as Feng Sheng instructed, and she planned to look for an opportunity to go out. This matter was put on hold for the time being.
Zhi Qiu journeyed out several times in a row. Staying out late or going out too often were both highly discouraged, so it took her almost half a month to succeed in inquiring about all the medical clinics in the capital while also surveying some of them on the spot.
When she turned her head to talk to Feng Sheng about it, Feng Sheng had already forgotten this matter.
As soon as she heard that Zhi Qiu had made inquiries, Feng Sheng thought that such a time was bound to arrive, so she and Zhi Qiu decided to make a trip outside the manor the next day.
Having settled this, Feng Sheng remembered that she hadn’t seen Zhi Chun for a while, so she asked Zhi Qiu about Zhi Chun’s whereabouts.
Zhi Qiu subconsciously replied, “Zhi Chun still hasn’t returned?”
After uttering those words, she realized that she had said something amiss. She hurriedly glossed over it and said, “Sister Zhi Chun noticed how frequently I was running outside and feared that I was working hard by myself. She helped me enquire those two times. I thought she had gone back.”
Feng Sheng brushed the matter aside, and after chatting with Zhi Qiu for a while, she let her retreat to rest.
There were now six splendid maids around Feng Sheng. In addition to Zhi Chun and Zhi Qiu, there were also Dong Mei and the others. Zhi Qiu no longer needed to worry about whether or not someone was waiting on Feng Sheng, so she returned to her room.
Not to mention, she was exhausted.
She slipped off her clothes and lay on the bed. When she was about to fall asleep, someone pushed the door in.
It was Zhi Chun.
Zhi Qiu opened her eyes, looked at her, and said, “Sister Zhi Chun, Princess Consort asked about what you’ve been up to, so I did what you asked and covered for you.”
“Right, I’ve never told you. I hung out with that tang sister1 of mine. Didn’t you also meet her the last time?”
Unlike Zhi Qiu, Zhi Chun had a father and a mother, and her family was all born in the Fang family. Furthermore, almost all of her family were working for the Fang family, which wasn’t limited to just Feng Sheng’s family, so Zhi Chun was acquainted with a lot more people than Zhi Qiu.
Previously, a girl with a Shaoxing accent had indeed approached Zhi Chun and claimed to be her relative. Both Zhi Qiu and Zhi Chun were not very familiar with the capital, so whenever their relatives paid a visit, Feng Sheng was supportive of them. Before, when Zhi Chun had gone out to meet her relatives, Feng Sheng had no qualms about it. This time, for some reason, Zhi Chun kept begging Zhi Qiu to cover for her and to find her an excuse to go out.
Was it because she went out too often?
Zhi Qiu mused over it well and teased Zhi Chun with a smirk, “You, tell me honestly. Is that tang sister of yours helping another person talk to you in their stead? These days, I see you running out so often. I don’t think it’s as simple as meeting your tang sister.”
“What are you talking about?! See if I don’t hit your mouth.” Zhi Chun’s face turned red, unwilling to let Zhi Qiu go.
Zhi Qiu smiled and evaded, but considering Zhi Chun’s reaction, her guess seemed to be true. In her heart, she felt that it was a blessing. After all, Zhi Chun was no longer young.
“You’re also really good at keeping secrets. Princess Consort asked you several times before, but your mouth was tightly sealed and you never responded. Now, you seemed to have found one yourself.”
Zhi Chun’s face stiffened a bit and she riled, “I told you it’s not like that, so don’t think nonsense.”
Zhi Qiu only laughed. The meaning behind that laugh was obvious to those who heard.
*
One day, Prince Wei said he had to go out. He left the prince manor one moment, and Feng Sheng departed the prince manor in a carriage the next.
It really seemed like she was out to shop. Feng Sheng entered a clothing store, a jewelry store, and a snack store. Amidst her jaunt, she grew tired. She stopped in front of a tea house and said she would drink some tea before strolling around again.
She took Zhi Qiu with her into the teahouse, and after a while, went out through the back door. Next to which was a medical clinic with a doctor hailed as one of those divine physicians who specialized in treating young children and married women.
They trod in the clinic, sat outside for a while, and were called in.
The doctor was an old man with white hair and beard. When Feng Sheng trudged in, he gestured to her to sit by the table.
Zhi Qiu mechanically fished out a kerchief from her bosom and placed it on Feng Sheng’s wrist. The doctor said nothing. He simply looked down and felt her pulse.
During this period, even Feng Sheng couldn’t help shifting her eyes on the doctor’s face. Firstly, patients often had this habit, and secondly, the doctor took too long to feel her pulse, which felt rather ominous.
“This old one presumes that Madam strayed here out of convenience, aware that there might be a problem, so this old one will not hide it.”
“Please speak.”
“If this old one is not mistaken, Madam wants to bear a child and thus came here, however, you’ve been married for many years and there hasn’t been news yet?”
Feng Sheng pursed her lips and nodded her head absently. “Not exactly years. Just over a year.”
The doctor nodded. “Madam has a great attitude. Generally, few people have the courage to face their own problems like this and are still able to respond in time.”
The implication was quite heavy. What courage? What problem?
Zhi Qiu couldn’t stand it anymore and impatiently spat out, “Just speak. Don’t keep us guessing. Just say it.”
She was so rude that Feng Sheng quickly interrupted her. “Doctor, please don’t take offense. This girl is just worried about me. If you have anything to say, please say it. You’ve already said that I have courage, so there is no need to lay the groundwork.”
“Madam was ill in the earlier years, and this illness almost exhausted your mental and physical strength. Although it was cured later on, in the end, the deficiency couldn’t be supplemented. You never took it seriously and didn’t properly convalesce. If this old one isn’t mistaken, you caught another illness after that, and that one almost swiped away your life. Judging from your current pulse, your condition is stable. It seems that you have been recuperating well this time, just that your body is too deficient. If you properly take good care of yourself, your predestined lifespan will be unimpeded, but in terms of heirs……”
He paused, and then said, “Just don’t do what he wants.”2
Author’s Note:
Don’t worry, I won’t bully the female lead. Hahahaha
Translator’s Note:
This is the imperial harem system of the Qing Dynasty that the novel follows:
- Empress (皇后; huáng hòu)
- Imperial Noble Consort (皇贵妃; huáng guì fēi)
- 2x – Noble Consorts (贵妃; guì fēi)
- 4x – Consorts (妃; fēi)
- 6x – Imperial Concubines (嫔; pín)
- No limit – Noble Lady (贵人; guì rén, literally “precious person”)
- No limit – First-Class Female Attendant (常在; cháng zài, literally “often present”)
- No limit – Second-Class Female Attendant (答应; dā yìng, literally “promise”)
- No limit – Chosen Maid (官女子; guān nǘ zǐ), typically granted to female servants whom the emperor has taken to a liking and to accompany him without any official recognition while still doing regular servant work. This rank was not part of the official concubine ranking.
Consorts that attained the rank of Imperial Concubine (嫔) and above would be honored with a residence in the main section (and hence manager) of a palace in the Forbidden City, and be able to self-title themselves as ‘本宫 (ben gong)’ (literally, “This Palace”) when addressing those below them. When being addressed by lower ranked concubines, they would have to be addressed as ‘娘娘 (niang niang)’. All people were expected to use deprecating self-titles when addressing higher ranks, and concubines were no different. They either used ‘嫔妾 (pin qie)’ or ‘臣妾 (chen qie)’. If the Emperor of a consort has died, they were self-titled as ‘哀家 (ai jia)’ (literally, “Grieving House”).
1 The term here is 堂姐, tang jie, meaning older female cousin, whereas 堂 tang refers to relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family.
2 I think he’s trying to say ‘don’t think too much about it’ (presumably because it’s detrimental to her health, and if she wants to live, she shouldn’t think about it anymore). Hence, the ‘don’t do what he wants’ as in don’t have kids even if that’s what her husband wants.