Chapter 5: The Virtuous Consort

Yinzhen was a responsible father. Since he currently had no official duties and had not yet established his own residence, he took on all the responsibilities of Yuyan’s early education himself, even drafting a detailed plan for it.

He was not ambitious; every day he only taught Yuyan to recite a few lines from the Thousand Character Classic, moving on to the next sentence only after she had mastered the previous ones thoroughly.

Yuyan found pretending to be a child quite exhausting—she had to carefully manage how much intelligence she displayed while making sure that her "cheap father" felt a sense of accomplishment teaching her.

Heavens above! It was truly a difficult task for her!

She huffed and played with the jade-carved puppy that Su Peisheng had found for her. The craftsmanship within the palace was simply exquisite; the little dog she held felt warm to the touch, likely carved from warm jade.

Indeed, the extravagance of the palace was beyond imagination—there was nothing they couldn’t achieve.

When Yinyi entered, he saw this very scene: a girl in a red jacket sprawled crookedly on the kang, playing with the jade puppy, her legs dangling outside as if she might fall at any moment. Meanwhile, his good Fourth Brother sat upright at the desk, immersed in his writing, completely unaware of the situation beside him.

Yuyan, feeling utterly helpless, found herself slowly sliding off the kang. Lacking the strength to support herself, she had no choice but to call for help.

Since Yinzhen disliked being disturbed while working, the room held only the two of them. With no alternative, she shouted, “Father!”

Immediately, she was caught in a strong arm filled with the faint scent of pine.

The young man holding her wore a moon-white robe. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes curved slightly as he smiled at Yinzhen and said to Yinzhen’s father, “If I really let my niece fall to the ground, Fourth Brother, wouldn’t you be heartbroken?”

Yinzhen’s father had just been startled himself. Seeing Yuyan safe in his brother’s arms finally put his mind at ease. Still, he was somewhat frightened and quickly called for attendants, fearing he might accidentally neglect the child again and not even notice if something happened.

“Fourth Brother? Which uncle is this?” Yuyan widened her eyes, trying to figure it out. Rumor had it that the thirteenth prince was Yinzhen’s closest companion, but this didn’t look like him. Yinzhen himself was only in his early twenties, and the thirteenth prince should still be a middle schooler.

Yinzhen took Yuyan from Yinyi’s arms and said, “This little girl is very mischievous. If she falls, it’s her own fault.”

After all, what girl could sit properly all the time? She twisted and bent, nearly tumbling off.

Despite his words, he ordered Su Peisheng to lay a thick coral-patterned golden silk rug under the kang to prevent Yuyan from falling again.

“Eighth Brother, why did you come by suddenly today?”

After sipping his tea, Yinyi exhaled a breath of mist, smiling gently. “Fourth Brother, have you forgotten? Just yesterday, Consort Han asked me to seek your advice on improving my handwriting. Today, I finished early and had nothing to do, so I came to find you.”

Yinyi excelled at academics and archery, leading among the princes in the study hall, except for his handwriting, which was terrible. Whenever the Kangxi Emperor saw it, he would jump in anger. People said handwriting reflects a person’s character; this eighth son, though handsome, wrote like a crawling insect, leaving everyone speechless.

Thus, he was specially instructed to learn calligraphy from Yinzhen, whose writing was second only to the Crown Prince’s—bold, vigorous, and elegant, refreshing to the eye.

Hearing this, Yinzhen pulled out a stack of copybooks from his right side. The top one was Yan Zhenqing’s “Duobao Pagoda Stele.” He handed it to Yinyi and said, “Your wrist lacks strength. If you sincerely want to improve, suspend your wrist and practice with water on the wall at home. One hour a day is enough.”

When he was young, his own handwriting was mediocre; this method was taught by the Crown Prince.

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Curious, Yuyan lay on the kang watching Yinyi. This was the eighth prince? Weren’t the fourth and eighth princes supposed to be mortal enemies? Yet these two seemed quite friendly. Was it genuine or just superficial brotherhood?

“Why do you keep staring at me, little niece?”

Even Yinyi, thick-skinned as he was, felt uncomfortable being stared at so intently and turned with a smile to ask Yuyan.

Yinzhen also looked at her.

She blinked and flashed Yinyi a big smile, waving her chubby little hands coquettishly. “Pretty! Hug me!”

Yinzhen’s face instantly darkened.

So young, and already judging by appearance—what if she grows up to be vain?

The old father did not admit the pang of jealousy in his heart. He scooped Yuyan up and handed her to Su Peisheng, scolding, “Second Princess has finished her studies for today. Take her to Lady Li’s quarters and let her relax.”

Yinyi watched his pouting little niece and couldn’t help but smile. If he ever had a daughter, she would probably be as adorable as his niece.

When Yuyan was sent back to Lady Li’s, Hongxu had just woken up. He was now four months old, his baby fat filling out his head so it didn’t look so large anymore. His small hands waved vigorously like lotus joints as he lay on the kang, struggling to roll over.

“Ah ah ah ah.”

His baby babble was incomprehensible to all but himself, and he cried in frustration, making Lady Li laugh.

“How did Erlin Zhu’s studies go today?” Lady Li beamed. “Tomorrow is the Golden Festival. When you see your grandmother, be sure to show her affection.”

Having one more person to care for her could only be beneficial.

Thanks to Aunt Chen’s tireless efforts, Yuyan had only recently grasped the meaning of the “Golden Festival.”

The Golden Festival was somewhat like a modern National Day. It commemorated the day Emperor Huang Taiji renamed the Jurchens as Manchus and declared himself emperor—a kind of birthday. Every year on this day, grand ceremonies were held in the palace.

Though Lady Li was a secondary consort, ranked just below a princess, she was not listed in the Imperial Jade Register, so she was not permitted to participate in the ancestral rites of the Golden Festival. Instead, she and Princess Song and Princess Wu would set up two tables in the back garden as a formality.

The eldest son of the primary consort and Lady Li’s second son were both only a few months old. Since the Golden Festival involved outdoor ceremonies, and such young children were prone to colds that could be fatal, only the primary consort and Second Princess Erlin Zhu actually went to Yonghe Palace.

On a dark October morning, Yuyan was sleepily lifted from her bed by Aunt Chen. She sat in front of the mirror, watching Yue Tao dress her in three layers inside and three layers outside, making her look like a walking red packet.

She awkwardly stretched her limbs, feeling tightly bound.

“Princess, don’t move,” Aunt Chen gently reassured her. “Just for today, wear more layers. Though we don’t have to kowtow at Taihe Hall, the palace corridors have no heating, and you could catch a chill if you wear too little.”

Reluctantly, Yuyan settled down. Yue Tao placed a small mink hat on her head, instantly covering her freshly shaved scalp. Now, even walking through the palace corridors wouldn’t expose her to the wind.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, children of both sexes had their heads shaved early on before their hair grew out. Yuyan was only three years old, far too young to grow her hair out. The little pigtails she had just started to grow were shaved clean off, bringing tears to her eyes. Even Yinzhen, who loved tugging her pigtails, felt regretful.

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Once nearly ready, Aunt Chen slipped a fragrant warming pill into Yuyan’s hand, whispering, “Princess, keep this hidden.”

Yuyan was amazed to feel the warmth radiating from it—not hot enough to burn her delicate skin, just perfectly soothing. She marveled at the wisdom of the ancients.

She arrived at Yonghe Palace with the primary consort. According to protocol, the Virtuous Consort and the primary consort first paid respects at Kunning Palace, so when Aunt Chen carried Yuyan into the East Warm Chamber’s side room, she was the only proper guest in the spacious room.

With nothing to do, she sat on the Arhat couch, admiring the warmth and grandeur of the chamber.

The room was not large but exuded elegance everywhere. Crystal curtains imported from the West hung on both sides. The rising sunlight filtered through the leaded glass windows, casting a faint glow on the cloisonné porcelain candlesticks on the desk, as if they were lit. On the desk stood a jade vase with twisting branches, holding fresh tea plum blossoms—vivid red—complementing the incense burner emitting wisps of smoke, adorned with red jewels.

Yuyan thought her grandmother must be dearly favored.

Lost in thought on the kang, suddenly the crystal curtains were swept aside with a rustle. An energetic boy of eight or nine burst in, followed by a group of palace maids and nannies.

“Hm? Whose child is this?”

The boy had a sturdy, robust face. Seeing Yuyan sitting quietly piqued his interest. He scrambled onto the kang, while the nanny quickly caught his cloak and ordered a palace maid to fetch fresh clothes.

Aunt Chen was silently furious. The Fourteenth Prince’s arrival brought cold air; if her little mistress was frail, she might get sick.

“Yours!” Yuyan grinned, guessing who the child was. She climbed beside him and grabbed his braid, refusing to let go.

It was him! Although brothers, he ended up aiding his elder brother’s enemy. Better to discipline the younger sibling early, before it’s too late.

“Hey!” Yinzhen cried out in pain, but dared not retaliate against such a little girl. “Let go, let go!”

Aunt Chen and the others tried to pry them apart, but both were young masters, and they feared hurting either. They anxiously circled with no solution.

“Erlin Zhu, let go.”

A familiar voice came. Yinzhen immediately saw a savior and shouted to the lady behind him, “Fourth Sister-in-law, save me!”

Yuyan reluctantly released his braid and blinked at the primary consort. Her face was pale, likely from standing outside Kunning Palace in the cold wind too long. The heavy ceremonial garments weighed on her, making her look worn.

“Have you been naughty again? Otherwise, why would Erlin Zhu suddenly grab you?”

A gentle laugh drifted from outside the crystal curtains. The Virtuous Consort had changed out of her heavy robes, now wearing only a jade-green jacket over her clothing. Her long face and peach blossom eyes were delicate and graceful, making it impossible to guess her age at a glance.