I want to be your love for ever and ever,
Without break or decay.
When the hills are all flat,
The rivers are all dry.
When it thunders in winter,
When it snows in summer
When heaven and earth mingle,
Not till then will I part from you.
God! 《上邪》 (Han Dynasty)
Five years later in 1735 on the thirteenth day of the ninth lunar month, many things had changed. Meiying gave birth ten months after her entrance to the manor, a young prince named Yonghuang. Hongli was ecstatic at his first male child since the First Princess passed away a few years ago, much to the grief of both Madam Fuca and him. The First Prince was a bright and happy child, adored by the servants in the Manor. Elder sisters Qingying, Hailan, Suyun, and Wanyin often would visit him and bring presents, to the child's delight. The others, however, especially Princess Consort and Concubine Yue, were very upset. But a couple of years later, Second Prince Yonglian was born to Fuca Langhua, an answer to her prayers after hoping for a son. A year after that came Second Princess, Jingyi to Concubine Mei and Third Princess, Jingse to Madam Fuca. Recently, Su Lüyun gave birth to the Third Prince, Yongzhang, and was still recovering from the trauma.
Meiying came to love the Fourth Prince in her own way over the months she was pregnant with Yonghuang. He was very attentive and caring, keeping her company when she couldn't get out of bed when she was faint. They talked about many different matters: politics (which was unheard of for a man, especially a prince to do with women), literature, books, art, and music. He was amused at her love for The Art of War by Sun Tzu, but admitted even life itself was a battlefield for many people.
Today, the concubines were doing the morning courtesy of greeting Madam Fuca in the main hall, familiar to all those that married into the manor. This was where they entered to give their respects to their husband and his wife.
"Greetings to Madam." Everyone curtsied to the main wife in front of their seats to show obedience to the hierarchy.
"Everyone sit," Langhua commanded gently, forgoing the pleasantries.
"Thank you, Madam," They curtsied again before taking a seat. To one side sat Qingying, with Meiying next to her, and Su Luyun and Hailan further down the line. On the other side sat Gao Xiyue, Jin Yuyan, Huang Qixing, and Chen Wanyin.
"Decree to promote Sister Xiyue to Second Madam came out," Madam Fuca announced.
"Congratulations, Madam Yue," the other concubines said together as the new Second Madam sat proudly in her chair, a smirk plastered on her face.
Though Ming Yue was a little bitter, since she gave the Fourth Prince two children in the five years she had entered the manor, Xiyue only got it because of her father. Dressed in a sedate blue floral changyi dress with a blue, purple, and pink majia vest, she kept a blank face at the smugness coming from Madam Yue.
"Back when you and Qingying married into this manor at the same time, I gifted you each a golden lotus jade bracelet," Langhua smiled at the two women, ignoring how the two of them looked at one another. "It was my hope that you could be close sisters without regarding to your status. Now you've become a Second Madam too, and I'm so happy."
"Thank you, Madam," Xiyue smiled at her close friend as she admired the bracelet she was wearing. "The bracelet you gifted me, Madam Qing and I myself both wear it daily. It is all thanks to Madam's teaching that I have this day today."
"Your father has been unwavering in his devotion to His Majesty," Langhua insisted. "Lately with His Majesty's health unwell and the Prince helping with state governing, your father has been of great assistance. His Majesty wanting to reward you is only natural." Xiyue beamed in joy as Madam Fuca turned her attention to the newest mother, "Lüyun, you've just given birth to Yongzhang, so you must be diligent in looking after your health."
"Thank you, Madam, for your care," Lüyun bowed her head towards the main wife.
"Talking about it, Qingying, Xiyue, and I married in around the same time. It's been quite some time since Yuyan came from House of Yu. Even Qiying, Hailan and Wanyin have served the Prince for long. And our youngest sister, Meiying, has also served for some time," she glanced at each woman individually as she said their names. "When will you all have children, so you can help the Prince spread abundance to his branch?"
"Yes." All the concubines agreed.
"We do not possess the fortune you and sister Meiying have, Madam, to have both a daughter and a son," Xiyue mostly praised her friend while pointedly not looking at her fellow concubine.
Langhua glanced down bashfully, "No need to rush. Take it slow, and you will all have too. It's getting late. You should all return now."
The concubines stood as one and turned to face Madam Fuca, curtseying slightly, "We take our leave of Madam."
From behind them, a eunuch burst into the room, barely waiting for the maids to pull the screen from the entrance. He fell to his knees in front of them, breathing heavily from the exertion, "Madam! Second Madams! Concubines! Bad news!"
"Speak clearly. What happened?" Langhua asked, concerned.
"His Majesty," He choked on his words, "His Majesty has passed away."
The Madam stood hurriedly as shock went through the occupants in the room, Xiyue falling back into her seat in grief.
"Your Majesty!" She exclaimed, as tears filled the concubine's eyes.
Meiying couldn't believe that the Emperor was gone. She was just speaking with him the other day about the finances of the treasury, and how the war with Dzungar was draining them.
"What about His Highness?" Qingying asked, concerned for the man she loves.
"As soon as His Highness heard of the news, he entered the palace," the eunuch cried.
All the concubines turned to face Langhua, who still stood shocked at the news.
The funeral rites for the Yongzheng Emperor commenced not long after his death. Hongli ascended to the throne and led them in mourning his father.
"Kneel," A eunuch commanded the gathering masses, as they kneeled on the ground. "First bow."
Everyone bowed forward, leaning their heads near the ground as they showed their respect for the past emperor. Leaning back up, they waited for the next command.
"Second bow."
Bowing once again, Meiying glanced over to her two children as tears were in their eyes all day. Yonghuang and Jingyi were despondent at the death of their grandfather, as they were very close with him like their mother was. Leaning back up, a tear fell from her eye.
"Third bow."
Bowing for the third time, everyone leaned down before coming back up.
"Rise."
Everyone rose to their feet before they once again kneeled and did the three bows twice more. When they were finished, they stayed kneeling down on the ground as they waited for the eunuch to say the next words.
"Lament."
Everyone started crying as one after he finished speaking at the loss of the emperor. Noble Consort Xi, a formidable opponent in the Game of the Forbidden City, was crying silently as she wiped her tears away. Meiying was numb, not knowing how to feel but the tears came anyway trailing down her cheeks. She sat behind Qingying in front of Lüyun in the second row of mourners, near the late emperor's concubines. She wanted so badly to go over to her children and comfort them, but she couldn't and had to leave them alone to grieve until the daily mourning period was over.
After a meeting with ministers, Hongli was going over paperwork when Qingying and Meiying walked in with Suoxin right behind them carrying a food container while Suyuan waited outside. He was on a stair ladder looking at books on the shelves of the library in his office. They both kneel behind him, with their eyes directed at the ground.
"Your wives greet you, Your Majesty," they chorused together.
"You're both here," he stated as he stepped down off the ladder and they rose from the ground.
"I saw at the funeral these last couple of days how dried Your Majesty's lips and spirit looked." Suoxin started opening up her container as Older Sister continued, "And your eyes were red-tinted, so I made Your Majesty a bowl of almond soup." Qingying took the bowl and held it out to the new Emperor. "To moisten up your lungs."
"And I've prepared some lychee stuffed with curried crab meat to give you energy for the day ahead. And some mangoes to help keep your health," Meiying said as Suoxin placed her dishes on his desk. "We are all depending on you, Your Majesty. Your health is important to us."
He takes the bowl with a small smile. Looking at Qingying and Meiying, he said, "Come here, both of you."
The two women followed him over to his desk, watching as he sat down, leaving space enough on each side of him. "Sit," he ordered them.
"Your Majesty," Older Sister looked unsure, knowing the decorum in the palace, while Meiying sat down to his left, gently holding onto his arm that had the soup.
Hongli reached over for her hand as he said, "I said to sit, so sit." He pulled her down to his right, making her sit. He quietly picked up his bowl of soup and ate a spoonful, closing his eyes in bliss. "Delicious." He turned serious as he glanced between the two women that he adored in his life. "Last time the three of us chatted so quietly was still at the manor. Now, it seems everything's changed."
"Yes," Qingying commented as she looked forward, lost in thought. "Back then, how could we have known the late Emperor would pass away. Your Majesty is now carrying a thousand weights upon your shoulders."
"Don't overexert yourself, Your Majesty. Come to Older Sister and I if you need a break from all of this. You deserve to grieve too," Meiying told him, grabbing his hand after he put the soup down. Both the women leaned against him.
"Royal Father's funeral and the court affairs are all alright." He assured them, knowing they were worried about him. "It's just that there is a difficult situation before me and I'm not sure what to do."
"What is it?" Older Sister asked.
"In court, someone suggested that I should release your aunt from Jingren Palace, and entitle her as Imperial Mother, Empress Dowager," he said talking to both of them since the two of them were cousins as Meiying's mother is from the Ula-Nara clan as the younger sibling of Na'erbu and Yixiu. At the mention of their aunt, they looked down sadly. Noticing this, the Emperor said, "It's been so many years, and you both must wish for your aunt's release."
"Naturally we do wish for our aunt to be released from her imprisonment," Qingying told him and continued, "so she can live her late life in peace, and we'll be able to look after her."
"However, we know it was the late Emperor who ordered for her confinement." Meiying continued, both the women on the same page as they understood the predicament their husband was going through. "Nomination for Imperial Mother and Empress Dowager is a state affair, so we as your wives… It is not proper that we say anything."
"I thought of how Royal Father once said when he was alive, that we would never see the Empress in Jingren Palace in this life or the afterlife." Hongli contemplated the situation as he continued, "So it is quite the emotional agony for me. But then I thought if I could release your aunt and restore her dignity, you would both have someone you can lean on and your life could be more smooth."
Leaning off of him, Older Sister told him, "Your Majesty, We are very grateful you are mindful of us and our aunt. But you needn't worry too much, Your Majesty. There will be a way to resolve this matter somehow."
"If it's hard, Your Majesty needn't compromise too much," Mingyue told him, leaning away from him as well. "We'll still have each other to rely on."
Glancing between both women, he sighed, "I understand."
The two women leaned back against him again, taking and giving comfort from the most important man in their eyes.
During the next period of mourning, while the Emperor, the ministers and the late emperor's concubines paid their respects to the late Emperor, the current Emperor's mother, wife and concubines were nowhere to be seen. The harem was currently surrounding the Empress Dowager in a room not far from the mourning, as food was brought in.
"Royal Mother, the dishes today were all contributed by us. May Royal Mother try them," Langhua said to the Empress Dowager.
"Empress Dowager, are you going to drink the soup first?" The Empress Dowager's eunuch Cheng Han asked his master. At her nod, he gestured for Qingying to pour the soup into a bowl, "Empress Dowager, this is a ham and chicken soup made by Mistress Qing."
When Older Sister turned towards the Empress Dowager with the soup in hand, Meiying beside her, the older woman said, "Using a ham to pair with a nice chicken soup, the voice of the guest overwhelms that of the host."
The concubines looked at one another at the slight the Empress Dowager made towards Mistress Qing. Older Sister kept her cool as she stated, "I only wanted to use the fresh flavor to open up the Empress Dowager's appetite. Never thought that it instead disturbed the Empress Dowager. It's my fault."
"If two things are going to be cooked together, it should be clear which is the main attraction, which is just a side. If both are strong, it will destroy the taste." Empress Dowager told her, to her embarrassment.
"I admit my mistake."
"Looks like these two things can't be merged," Mistress Yue said to herself. She then turned towards the mother of the Emperor, "Empress Dowager, I'll just cook you a clear chicken soup next time."
Not in the mood for her flattery, Empress Dowager waved her hand, "Call someone to remove all these dishes! I don't have the appetite."
"Royal Mother, you are grieving for the former Emperor, hence, not feeling well to begin with. If you still not take any food, you will not be able to take it." Empress said worriedly, as Meiying noticed Older Sister's hands starting to hurt from the heat of the bowl in her hands. "It's better that you take in a bit of food."
"It's not easy for Empress Dowager to finally decide to have dinner, yet her appetite got destroyed by Sister Qingying," Xiyue said arrogantly as she stared imperiously at her love rival. "This afternoon, there are even several hours of mourning ceremony. Sister Qingying, do you want the Empress Dowager to endure that starving?"
Kneeling down, Qingying held up the bowl to Empress Dowager, "I committed a mistake and am willing to receive punishment. Hope Empress Dowager will consider your precious health and take in some food."
The Empress Dowager was silent as she didn't look at the kneeling woman, wanting to punish her as a way to vent her frustration with the talk of the possibility of Jingren Palace Empress being released. What better way than to hurt one of her nieces? Older Sister kept changing her fingers as the hot bowl burned the tips, causing discomfort.
Not able to take it, Meiying went around the table next to the Empress and took off the top of the congee dish. Grabbing a bowl, she used the spoon to pour a helping into the container. Turning around as she took the attention off of Older Sister, she said, "Empress Dowager, the citizens treat food as their heaven, rice as the master of all food. It is because rice is the most nourishing food. When the past Emperor was still alive, he loved eating congee the most. Have some too."
Looking at her coldly, Empress Dowager considered her words, and mentioning the late Emperor obviously had an effect on her. "Fine." She took the bowl from Meiying, not able to disagree with her words, but decided to warn her. "In terms of food, how great of a principle can there be? It's just judging the hour and sizing up the situation. Stop presuming to be clever."
Meiying curtsied; glad she was able to take the Empress Dowager's anger off of Older Sister. "I understand."
Glancing to the kneeling woman beside her, Empress Dowager finally relented, "You may rise."
Immediately rising, Qingying said, "Thank you, Empress Dowager." She handed the bowl to Suoxin and discreetly flexed her aching fingers.
Walking into Older Sister's quarters with Suyuan behind her, Meiying overheard as A'Ruo complained about the Empress Dowager's treatment of her mistress. She had brought over aloe vera ointment to help with the burns.
"It has become red from the heat. Empress Dowager was too heartless. It was just one bowl of soup." A'Ruo turned her frustration on Suoxin as she glared, "How did you serve your mistress?"
"It is I who carelessly hurt myself when serving Empress Dowager. It's not Suoxin's fault," Qingying told her oldest friend, reprimanding her gently.
Meiying showed herself as she decided to warn the young maid, "You should be careful in what you say, A'Ruo. Older Sister won't be able to protect you if the wrong person heard you complaining about the Empress Dowager." She turned her attention to Qingying, curtseying to her, "Sister, I brought some aloe vera to help with the burns, please use it." She had Suyuan hand it to Suoxin, who immediately got to work getting it prepared.
"It's still Suoxin's fault for not protecting her mistress well." Taking the ointment from her, A'Ruo ordered, "You, go outside and reflect."
"Yes," Suoxin said softly as she took the tea with her and left the room.
"A'Ruo, you need to understand that in her mind, you are the senior maidservant." Older Sister started to lecture her dowry servant, "You should be a bit tactful when you talk, as Mingyue said. Stop ordering her by pointing at her chin."
"I just feel that Suoxin isn't a maid that was married with you from our manor. She's not that close to us," A'Ruo said petulantly.
"You and Suoxin are serving me. If you two can't harmoniously get along here in the palace, how are we going to live our days?" Qingying told her before continuing, "You should change your attitude."
"But I just have this kind of straightforward personality. Empress Dowager was such a bully today. But, His Majesty really dotes on you." A'Ruo smiled at her mistress, mischief in her eyes. "Didn't he immediately ask Eunuch Li to deliver some burn medicine for you? In my opinion, once we enter the palace or if old Mistress gets to come out, His Majesty surely will confer you a title as noble consort of imperial noble consort. By then, Empress Dowager won't dare to bully you anymore."
"We both just told you to be more tactful when speaking, but you instead are becoming more unruly." Older Sister continued as she asked, "Is Empress Dowager a person that you can just discuss so casually? Like Meiying said, if others hear it, even if you have ten lives, it won't help."
"I just feel sorry for you." When Qingying kept staring at her, A'Ruo immediately apologized, "Yes…I admit my mistake. I won't dare do it again."
"Sister, does it still hurt?" Meiying asked, seeing her Older Sister flinch at the pain.
"It does," Qingying answered and watched as A'Ruo blew on her fingers to cool them. Her maidservant continued to apply the medicine on her fingers, giving it some relief.
As Qingying visited their aunt in Jingren Palace, Meiying decided to rest in her room, having been feeling dizzy and faint over the last several days. She wasn't particularly worried, but felt that she should take it easy just in case. Yonghuang and Jingyi noticed something was wrong with their mother and were worried. They went to their Royal Father, expressing their concerns and he ordered an Imperial Physician to check on her.
With the Imperial Physician following the Emperor and his eldest children to his second favorite's lodgings, they open the door to see Suyuan closing the curtains leading to her mistress' bedchamber. Seeing the Emperor and her mistress' children, she kneeled on the ground in greeting.
"Your Majesty," Suyuan said respectfully as he waved her to stand.
"What's wrong with Meiying?" Hongli asked, knowing this wasn't like his wife.
"Mistress has been feeling dizzy and faint for the past few days, so she decided to lay down and rest. She just fell asleep."
"Imperial Physician Qi, I want you to examine her to see what is wrong," the Emperor ordered the doctor.
"Of course, Your Majesty," The doctor jumped to do what was ordered. First he checked her temperature, then her pulse. Finding her pulse was irregular in a familiar way, he quietly left the room, leaving the young woman none the wiser. Meeting back up with the Emperor and his children, the young male looked upon the doctor.
"How is she?" Hongli asked.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty," Imperial Physician Qi kneeled down as he continued, "Mistress Ming has the blessed pulse, it's about two months now."
Shock crossed the Emperor's features as he stared at the curtains hiding Meiying from him. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure, Your Majesty. The time of conception would have been before the late Emperor passed."
"Royal Father, Mother having baby?" Jingyi asked, the two year old asked as she tugged on her father's pant leg.
Picking her up, Hongli smiled lovingly at his eldest princess, "She is, you're going to have another younger sibling. Boy or girl, as long as they're healthy either is fine by me." Noticing his daughter rubbing her eyes, he gestured his older son over to him, "Yonghuang, go ahead and take your sister to the Momo."
"Yes, Royal Father," Yonghuang bowed to him before grabbing his sister's hand and leading her to their quarters where their Momos lived. He had Momo Li, who was indifferent to him, while she had Momo Yi, a kind woman who looked out for both children.
"Suyuan, you and Imperial Physician Qi must take care of your mistress. Let her rest, I'll visit her later after you give her the news. No mention of this to anyone, I need to find the appropriate time to announce this." The Emperor ordered as he left, leaving the two behind. A whirlwind of change was coming, with the coming birth of a royal child. But will it be a prince or a princess?