The third princess, nicknamed Yue’er, was seven years old this year. She was smart, lively, and lovely. Not only did she have seven to eight points that looked like the empress dowager, her character was also similar to the empress dowager’s. Whenever the empress dowager saw her, she would think of her daughter, who had died at a young age. If that daughter had grown up, she would have been like the third princess.
Therefore, among the princes and princesses, the empress dowager loved the third princess the most. With this, along with the third princess’s wisdom, the empress dowager had always had a couple ideas, but she regretted that the third princess was not a man. If only the third princess were a prince, what worries would she have?
No matter how hard and cold the empress dowager was, she couldn’t help herself from speaking soft words in front of the third princess, and within a few moments, the third princess had coaxed her into smiling.
With a little carelessness, she let the third princess coax many good things away from her. Although she was in the palace, she had also brought all the things she used around her, and the warehouse had three rooms full. The empress dowager simply asked the momo to take the third princess to choose by herself—one reason was to please the third princess, and the other reason was to educate her.
The empress smiled with joy. “Mother empress spoils Yue’er.”
The empress dowager glanced at her, but did not answer. If the empress hadn’t smiled, this would have been more convincing.
When the empress saw this, she hurriedly stopped smiling and knelt beside the empress dowager, pulling her skirt corners. “Mother empress, auntie, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me—don’t be angry with me anymore.”
The empress dowager snorted softly. “How dare I blame Your Majesty the Empress. How majestic Your Majesty the Empress is!”
When the empress heard this, she knew that the empress dowager’s attitude had softened; she should strike while the iron was hot. And she was already busy expressing regret and guilt. When it came to emotion, she also shed a few tears.
The empress dowager didn’t care at all. She knew that the empress was her niece and her daughter-in-law. This all was because she had been left out in the cold some time ago, so she had this mood; it wouldn’t last long.
“I won’t say anymore. Aijia only asks you: which one do you think is more noble, the empress or the empress dowager? If the one who succeeds the throne in the future is not your son, then even if you can become the empress dowager, when the time comes for the two empress dowagers to have to pay respects to each other, who do you think would be more noble?”
[If the next crown prince is not the empress’s biological son, then the prince’s biological mother will also become the empress dowager. Hence, there would be two empress dowagers—the prince’s biological mother, and the former empress.]
This series of questions was given to the empress.
She was already an empress; becoming an empress dowager would have to wait after the death of the emperor. She had never thought of such a disrespectful thing.
The emperor was the empress dowager’s own son. How could the empress dowager talk so calmly about the emperor’s death!
The empress dowager’s heart was so cruel!
The empress suddenly remembered her mother’s former advice: the empress dowager had a deep mind, and she should not disobey the empress dowager. But she just didn’t care—ever since she had first known the empress dowager, the empress dowager had been a kind-looking, amiable elder.
This was the first time the empress had experienced the empress dowager’s coldness.
The empress couldn’t help but wince.
When the empress dowager saw this, she thought that the empress had understood her good intentions. “Since you already understand, then think about it. Even if it’s not for yourself, think about Yue’er. No matter how much you and I love Yue’er, it can’t compare. In the end, she will not be as confident as when she has an emperor for a brother! Do you understand?”
The empress didn’t speak. After a long time, she whispered, “But auntie, the emperor is your own son. How could you expect him to die?” The final three words were especially small.
The empress dowager almost died of anger. She clutched her chest and gasped for breath. Finally, she calmed down and exclaimed, “Rotten wood cannot be carved!”
[An useless person cannot be made good]
After hearing that, Consort Dowager Hui couldn’t stop laughing, shouting that her stomach hurt.
Fang-momo rubbed her belly while helplessly shaking her head. Still this temperament, huh.
Li Huairou also wondered, “Why did the empress dowager choose her in the first place? Were there no other suitable candidates from the Gu family?”
Consort Dowager Hui smiled. “She was clever, but that cleverness led her to make a mistake. At that time, the emperor intended to choose a concubine for several older princes. The princes and their biological mothers were racking their brains for ways to befriend the powerful ministers and increase their number of bargaining chips. To show that she was not greedy for power and influence, the empress dowager wanted to turn the blade on herself, so she deliberately chose a niece on her mother’s side—one with mediocre qualifications. In fact, the first emperor had already intended to establish the present emperor as the crown prince, so the empress dowager’s move was really unnecessary.”
“Then, the empress dowager lost more than she gained?” Li Huairou was delighted.
Consort Dowager Hui smiled. “Who said so? Let me tell you one more thing: the first emperor did not actually think that the empress dowager was noble. He thought the empress dowager wanted to help her mother’s family!”
“The empress dowager must regret it now!” Li Huairou took a fragrant pear casually, without peeling it, and directly gnawed at it.
“At present, she’s riding a tiger and finds it hard to dismount. The Gu family has a queen. She said that, in the Gu house, there is no woman of the right age to enter the palace. Therefore, she definitely does not want to let women from other houses enter the palace to threaten the empress’s position. The empress was unwilling to adopt other princes, and the empress dowager was also worried about parenting, so she had a headache now.” Consort Dowager Hui talked until she was thirsty. When she saw Li Huairou gnawing at pears, it made the pears look very sweet, making her feel greedy.
[Gotten into a position from which there is no retreating]
Fang-momo quickly picked the pears up, peeled them, cut them into pieces, inserted a stick into each piece, and Consort Dowager Hui started to eat them.
Seeing that they were about to leave for the capital, Li Huairou took a moment to see Li Huailan.
As a result, not long after leaving the palace, the carriage broke down and needed to be repaired. Li Huairou got out of the carriage, planning to go around and buy something along the way.
As a result, she ran into Prince Qi in disguise.
Prince Qi smiled as soon as he saw her. “It’s you! We meet again—what a coincidence!”
Li Huairou looked back, and then she pointed to herself. “Your Highness is talking to this slave?”
Prince Qi smiled. “You don’t remember me? We have met more than once.”
The alarm bells in Li Huairou’s heart started ringing. What is Prince Qi planning to do? Or is something going to happen in the palace? “Ah? Really? This slave does not remember.”
Prince Qi didn’t care. “How old are you this year? Which palace do you work in? Your master treats you very well—she was willing to let you out? Do you want to buy things or do you want to wander around? I’m familiar here. Otherwise, I could show you around?”
“No need, this slave have something to do and won’t disturb Your Highness. Your Highness, feel free,” Li Huairou said with a straight face. It happened that the carriage had currently been repaired, and Li Huairou immediately got into it.
“Your Highness, do you want to follow up and have a look?”
“No need. Too much deliberate movement will startle the snake.” Prince Qi indeed found Li Huairou useful, but not at the moment. Instead, she would be useful in the future, at the most critical part of his plan! Success or failure depended on this, and it must be foolproof. This little palace lady was not important; the key was Consort Dowager Hui behind her. He wasn’t thinking that Consort Dowager Hui would help him—he only needed Consort Dowager Hui to help him hide from the empress dowager.
[To act rashly and alert the enemy]
In the palace, only Consort Dowager Hui had this ability.
It’s just that the name Li Huairou always feels a bit familiar, as if I’ve heard it somewhere.
Prince Qi thought about it.
Li Huairou arrived at the Shi family house and heard the children’s cries as soon as she entered the door. She hurriedly got out of the carriage. “What’s the matter?”
“Huairou is here?” Li Huailan heard Li Huairou’s voice and hurried out.
“Why are Minghua and Canhua crying?” Li Huairou put her things down and leaned over the nanny to take a look.
“Pay no attention to them. What thunder and rain! These two little magic stars will howl if they don’t see me for even a moment. I just went to have breakfast, and then they started howling.” Li Huailan groaned, “Why are you here? Are you going back?”
“Yeah, we set off on the first day of August and rushed back to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival! I wanted to see you before I left.” Li Huairou squeezed her nephew’s fat little face—chubby and good to the touch.
“Why did you bring so many things when you came?!” Li Huailan said helplessly, looking at both the big and small bags Li Huairou had brought.
“It’s not for you. They’re all for Minghua and Canhua.” Li Huairou leaned forward to another nephew and continued to squeeze his face until she successfully made the two nephews cry.
The old aunt came out from the kitchen and said quickly, “As their aunt, you can’t pinch their faces. The children will drool.”
Li Huairou laughed, “I think their little faces are fat and tender, and it feels good to pinch.”
The old aunt smiled. “I told you—it’s not just the face. The butt is fat too. It’s so soft and tender, I have to squeeze it every time I change a diaper.”
Li Huailan laughed next to her. It was more than just pinching; if she didn’t stop her, the old aunt would want to kiss it! Wasn’t it too dirty?
“Aunt Zhou, please take the brothers to the side room to coax them to sleep; it’s time for them to take a nap. Huairou, let’s sit down and talk.” Li Huailan knew that her sister was going back to the capital. Thinking about it, she didn’t know when she could see her again, and suddenly there were endless encouragements to be made.
“Are these days okay? I made a dress for you, and I also made some needlework for the consort dowager and momo. Bring it back later! Once you leave, I don’t know when I will see you again…”As she spoke, Li Huailan lowered her head and wiped away her tears.
“Jie, take good care of yourself and my nephews. You just need to make clothes for brother-in-law. Don’t worry about me,” Li Huairou hurriedly urged.
“Your brother-in-law has them.” Li Huailan raised her head and wiped her tears. “I also prepared some things for you—everything from food to entertainment. I packed them up, so remember to bring them back later. Remember your sister’s advice: follow the consort dowager and don’t get involved in all trouble in the palace.”
“Don’t worry, I understand. You take good care of yourself, and I’ll come to see you if I have the opportunity. I’ll come again next year. Maybe I can catch up with Minghua and Canhua one-year-old catch!” Li Huairou said with a smile.
[Zhua Zhou (抓周) literally mean pick / anniversary meaning one-year-old catch. Chinese ritual held at a child’s first birthday party. The parents put various objects that symbolize career choice or personality traits. The child’s choice is use to forecast its future]
Li Huailan knew that there were so many imperial summer palaces, and Nanshan Palace was just one of them. But it couldn’t be helped. Even if Huairou left the palace in the future, the two sisters may not be able to stay with each other forever.
Speaking of this, Li Huailan was a little worried again. “Huairou, have you thought about the future?”
“The future? It’s still early. Why are you thinking so far ahead?” Li Huairou could tell the consort dowager that she didn’t want to marry without reservation, but she couldn’t tell Li Huailan. In any case, there were not many opportunities to meet in the future; there was no need to let her know about this, which would only add to the trouble.
Li Huailan thought of an idea and said excitedly, “You are not young anymore. It’s better to plan early. Your brother-in-law knows a lot of people; if you’re willing, I’ll have him help you keep an eye out. When you come of age, I’ll ask the consort dowager to release you from the palace. It’d be great to be together, in one place! Don’t you think so?”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it!” Li Huairou fibbed. “I still want to stay with the consort dowager for a few more years.”
Li Huailan kept this matter in her mind.
