Boundless grasses over the plain
Come and go with every season;
Wildfire never quite consumes them -
They are tall once more in the spring wind.
Sweet they press on the old high- road
And reach the crumbling city-gate...
O Prince of Friends, you are gone again...
I hear them sighing after you.
Grasses by Bai Juyi
During the middle of winter of 1736, Yongshou Palace was in a panic as its mistress went into labour in the beginning of her eighth month. Meiying cried out in pain as her contractions hit her, holding her Elder Sister's hand in her right to anchor herself to the present. Ruyi had already sent Yonghuang and Jingyi to Zhongcui Palace to stay with Concubine Chun and Second Attendant Wan as she didn't want them to see their mother like this. Hailan was also periodically by her, wiping her brow, bringing water, and keeping the Emperor and Empress Dowager informed about the progress as everything continued.
In the early morning of the next day at the hour of the Tiger, the Fourth Prince was born screaming his heart out. A little while later, the Fourth Princess was also born. She was screaming as well but was quieter than her twin brother and smaller. As the midwives dealt with the afterbirth and cleaning up the palace mistress, Physician Qi and his new apprentice Physician Jiang, a friend of Suoxin, checked over the health of the new imperial heirs before they were announced to the Emperor and his mother. Once that was done, they handed the new babies to the new momos, Momo Xie and Momo Ji, to feed. Once that was done, Consort Xian and First Attendant Hai brought them back to their mother.
Now newly cleaned and placed in a plain light blue bianpao, Meiying smiled from her bed when she saw her new children brought inside and lightly scoot over and turned onto her side to face them as the larger, eldest twin in a bright red and gold blanket was placed next to her, while the smaller, younger twin in a dark purple and silver blanket was placed next to them. Looking over their faces, she immediately fell in love with her new children and couldn't wait for Yonghuang and Jingyi to meet them. Brushing her fingers over their cheeks, careful of her longer nails, she watched as Ruyi and Hailan left to inform the emperor of the birth of her dragon/phoenix twins.
Hurrying into the room, she saw the beaming smile the Emperor gave her as he came toward her to sit next to their new children. Empress Dowager followed more sedately behind with Ruyi and Hailan after her. Hongli, as she always associated this side of him with - the gentle, not worried about etiquette side - brushed his hand over their son first, then his daughter.
"Little Prince was so strong in nursing," Momo Xie boasted with pride. "He drank with the strength of his life. He will surely be so strong."
"Little Princess was so gentle. She had some difficulty latching, but was able to drink her fill once she was able to," Momo Ji smiled softly to the young princess as she was held by her father.
Though he wished for a son to help continue the line, many cannot deny the love and protectiveness he felt toward his daughters. Rue the day anyone would disrespect them and think they could get away with it without consequence. He would burn the world to the ground to make sure they are treated like the princesses they are.
"To have twins is a blessing. And look how handsome and beautiful they look? It's making your long labor worthwhile," Ruyi smiled in joy. "Don't you agree, Empress Dowager?"
"Yes, and I hope they live long, blessed lives from now on," the older woman smiled at her youngest granddaughter, as she looked a lot like her daughter Hengti when she was born.
"These are my first children on ascension. My first dragon/phoenix twins," the Emperor smiled. "Meiying, let's call our Prince, Yongshun (永舜) (shùn for 'legendary ruler'), and our Princess, Jingchun (璟淳) (chún for 'genuine, pure, honest').
"Yongshun and Jingchun are great names," Meiying smiled in contentment, but also silently worried about her newborn son. Having such a name came with its own expectations.
"Let's keep Yongshun and Jingchun raised by your side like Yonghuang and Jingyi. Especially with their health, I would feel assured if they were close to you," the Emperor told her as he held her hand in his. "I will have Physician Qi on standby for your use in case anything happens."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she whispered, grateful that he wasn't sending her newborn children to Xiefeng Hall. She knew how lucky she was to not be separated from her sons, as the Empress' own son, Yonglian, was there, as well as Lüyun's son, Yongzhang.
"Recuperate well, I'll visit again later," Hongli told her gently before standing up. "Momo Xie, Momo Ji, I leave my children in your hands."
"Yes, Your Majesty," both of the older women bowed in respect.
Standing up, the Emperor gave his new children one last caress of their heads before leaving with the Empress Dowager. Exhausted from their night with Meiying, Ruyi and Hailan also excused themselves so they could get some sleep. Leaving Meiying with Suyuan, the two momoes, and the twins, the exhausted young woman decided to speak one last time before she rested to begin her hundred-day confinement.
"Momo Xie, Momo Ji," she spoke with authority. "I only have two conditions to continue working for me: be completely honest with me and be loyal to me. If you have other masters and seek to harm my children, there is nowhere in this world that I will not be able to find you or any of your friends or loved ones. I will annihilate anyone who harms my children. Is that understood?" At their frightened nods, she concluded, "If you have any questions about the care of the children, and you may have to watch my two eldest at times, talk to Momo Yi. She can also tell you what happened to Momo Li, who thought she could get away with abusing my son. You're dismissed. Suyuan, can you escort them to their rooms?"
"Yes, mistress," Suyuan curtseyed before waiting for the older women to gather the now-sleepy twins to put them to bed and escorted them to the side hall with better heat insulation to help keep out the cold. Before her attendant came back, the young mistress of Yongshou Palace was already sleeping as exhaustion overtook her.
The confinement period was both boring and tiring as time seemed to either move slowly or too fast to keep up with. Though she treasured this time with her children, she also lessened the amount of people around them, worried for their somewhat weaker health since they were born early, especially her daughter. So for nearly a third of the year, she didn't see many people other than the Emperor, Empress Dowager, or Ruyi. Hailan had to cease her visits since she didn't want to bring any sicknesses Noble Consort Hui constantly gets around the children, but she constantly sent letters. Lüyun and Wanyin also sent letters and gifts for the children, with the concubine excited about a playmate for her son close in age.
During this time, she found out the Empress decided to be stricter about the spending of the harem, even reducing the servants for the children in Xiefeng Hall, which to her was too much. Children at this age are so susceptible to illnesses and the dark machinations of the harem that reducing servants opens them up to something bad happening to them. She thought she would want to protect her only son while he was away from her.
She also found out that the Six Palaces were gifted handwritten plaques written by the Emperor after Noble Consort Hui almost threw a fit with him over Ruyi getting one. She looked at the sign given to her, and knew his intentions with each one he gifted.
孟母三迁
(mèng mǔ sān qiān)
'A wise mother works to find a healthy educational environment for her children.'
The Emperor wanted her to make sure she taught her children well, and not stress them out with the succession. She already did this so she doesn't worry about that too much. She wants her children to grow up as happily as they can in the Palace and focus on their studies. She won't raise them to fight their siblings for a chance to be on the throne.
Then a shocking announcement came, the Emperor took a new woman into the harem during the mourning period for the late Emperor. Bai Ruiji, or now known as Second Attendant Mei, had already caused the ire of Noble Consort Hui causing her to get slapped in the gardens with Ruyi as witness. Then there was the charcoal stealing event in Xianfu Palace, supposedly by Hailan, which caused the Noble Consort to be excused from serving the Emperor for three months and to lose her First Attendant to Yanxi Palace.
Despite worrying about Hailan and Ruyi, especially after they were exposed to the freezing air for a long time, Meiying couldn't help but laugh at the Noble Consort's misfortune. Not only is she not to serve His Majesty, but she no longer has Hailan to bully anymore. But she had a feeling that her animosity was going to be aimed at their new younger sister, Second Attendant Mei. And once she was out of confinement, her as well.
Though the good news was that she was being promoted to Noble Consort and would have her conferment ceremony once she was out of confinement and after the Hundred Days Banquet (百日宴) is held to celebrate the babies reaching 100 days old. She would soon be the fourth most powerful member of the harem, which will provide more protection for her and her children. But will also provide more enemies.
Hearing Ruyi being favored once more by His Majesty after having dirty water splashed on her by others, made her content. She had no reservations that the first one in the Emperor's heart was Elder Sister. And she had no problem with this. As long as her children were healthy and happy, nothing else mattered.
Soon Yuandan (Lunar New Year) came around and she called Ruyi over to take Yonghuang and Jingyi to the celebration at Cining Palace for the Empress Dowager. She then instructed Suyuan to deliver her gift to the Empress Dowager, her rendition of the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, a fifteen-hundred-page sutra, that she did by hand starting when she arrived to the manor after she married His Majesty almost six years ago. She would periodically work on it in her free time between her duties to her children and the harem. She finally finished it right before she went into labor, and she hoped she liked it.
After the greetings of the Royal couple, the consorts, and the children to the Empress Dowager, the older woman allowed everyone to rise with a smile. She loved being with her son and her grandchildren, though she did miss her daughters: Hengchuo, who was married to Mongolia, and Hengti, who was being raised elsewhere. As everyone took their seats, she called the children up to her.
Four-year-old Yonghuang took the newly three-year-old Jingyi's hand to help her up, while three-year-old Yonglian helped two-year-old Jingse, who darted to her mother instead. The momo carrying Yongzhang came up and handed the young prince to the Empress Dowager. Jingyi and Yonglian started playing with their younger brother, making him laugh while Yonghuang was content to watch. Jingse looked almost bored with the whole thing.
"His Majesty already has four sons and three princesses. They are all precious people," Empress Dowager praised. Smiling at the children playing, she almost didn't hear Noble Consort Hui speak.
"His Majesty dotes on the princesses, especially the Third Princess," the arrogant consort smirked. "That's why when he was enthroned, he gave her the title of Gurun Princess, while the other princesses are Heshuo Princesses."
"Tradition has it that princesses will only have a title when they marry out from the family," the Empress recited, like she was reading from a book. "His Majesty is very fond of his daughters. I feel that it's a bit too much."
"The Empress was not lucky during the birth of the First Princess," the Emperor said, sadly remembering the day he lost his first child. "Then Consort Zhen gave birth to Second Princess and Fourth Princess. I have three daughters. There is no harm in doting on them."
"A daughter attracts love and pampering," Empress Dowager agreed with her son's sentiment. She turned to the only legitimate princess and urged, "Jingse, come here. Come to your Royal Grandmother."
The Empress tried pushing her daughter to her grandmother, but the spoiled girl didn't want to. She didn't want to be anywhere near her concubine-birthed siblings as she thought herself superior. Seeing the reluctance in her body language, her father and grandmother joined her mother in urging her. But she was stubborn and prideful, even at two-years-old.
Chuckling nervously, the Empress gave a strained smile, "Jingse is rather reserved. She has been over-pampered too. Jingse, go to Royal Grandmother now. Go now."
"Forget it. After all, she's the legitimate princess of a royal family and rather reserved," the older woman smiled, then turned to Yonghuang who was standing back and letting his younger siblings play. "Yonghuang, why aren't you approaching your Royal Grandmother?"
"Royal Grandmother, I have a cold," the four-year-old told her, rubbing his nose. "I haven't been able to see Mother lately because of it and I dare not approach you."
"Look at Yongzhang, he's well fed," Empress Dowager smiled at the young Third Prince. "Yonglian, has grown taller too. Why is Yonghuang still so skinny?"
Momo Yi spoke up, surprising the Empress and her attendants as Momo Li was his nursemaid the last they checked, "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, during Consort Zhen's pregnancy, Momo Li decided to mistreat the First Prince because he was of concubine birth. I tried to protect him as well as the Second Princess, but I couldn't be in two places at once. Luckily, once she found out about the abuse, Consort Zhen had her beaten to death swiftly as a warning to the other servants."
"She dared!" The Emperor raised his voice, causing everyone to kneel and ask him to soothe his anger.
"He's the eldest son of the Emperor," Empress Dowager glared. "She should have served him better!"
"Yonghuang," the Emperor called over his son. When the four-year-old was standing in front of him, he rubbed his head, worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, Royal Father," his son told him. "Mother has the Imperial Physicians monitoring me and helping me get healthier again."
"Good, you have a very diligent mother to watch over you," his father smiled at him.
"Three of my grandchildren are sick. I'm worried," Empress Dowager announced. "An adequate amount of descendants is an image of prosperity and thriving. It's the new year now. The new year comes with new weather changes. Everyone is pretty like a flower. You must step up on providing more sons." She turned to her son, "Your Majesty, am I right?"
"You are right," he bowed his head.
"The eldest son and the eldest daughter are precious. And Consort Zhen has given birth to dragon/phoenix twins as the first children after His Majesty's enthronement, they are even more precious," she could see some of the envious stares some of the concubines had at what she said. "Enough, let's end it here. I would like to speak to the Emperor and Empress separately."
"Royal Grandmother, before we leave, Mother has a gift for you. She had been working on this since before I was born. Suyuan," Yonghuang called forward. Consort Zhen's head maid came forward with a thick book and kneeled down in front of her.
Seeing the title, Empress Dowager was shocked, so she asked, "This is…?"
"The Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, Empress Dowager," Suyuan answered her, "a fifteen-hundred-page sutra, she did by hand. She knows how devoted to Buddha you are and wanted to make this as a gift showing her devotion as well. She used inexpensive materials, but made it sturdy enough to survive time and wear. She hopes you like it."
"Tell your mistress it looks beautifully done, and I will read it soon," the older woman smiled warmly at the young maid.
"On behalf of my mistress, thank you, Empress Dowager," Suyuan bowed before standing back up and going back to the side.
Once that was done, the consorts and children paid their respects before leaving the room. Suyuan held Yonghuang's hand while he held Jingyi's hand with her nursemaid behind her. Once they made it back to their palace, they went to their rooms to play before it was time for him to study, leaving them in Momo Yi's capable hands.
As the last week of her confinement comes to an end, Meiying was looking forward to finally leaving her palace. Her twins are already two months old and very healthy, according to Imperial Physician Qi. Jingchun luckily caught up with her older twin and they are now about the same size, about 10.2 jin. Sitting outside on the sofa in the warm spring air in her light green Shafu with dark green and gold embroidery, her hair in a liangbatou, she quietly drank her tea while her twins slept in their cradles next to her. Yonghuang was currently with his father practicing his writing in Yangxin Hall while Jingyi slept on the sofa with her head in her mother's lap. Suyuan, Jiefan, and Aihan each held fans and lightly waved them in their direction to give a bit of a breeze.
"Suyuan, when Yonghuang gets back, make some of his and Jingyi's favorite snacks. Then make sure Momo Yi gives him a break and allows him to sleep for a bit. He got up early today so he could practice his writing for His Majesty," Meiying smiled gently at the thought of her eldest son. She wondered what type of man Yongshun would be as he grew older.
"Yes, mistress," the Gugu of Yongshou Palace smiled.
Around the hour of the horse, Yonghuang came back hand-in-hand with Momo Yi with a smile on his face. Gently shaking Jingyi to wake up, her eldest daughter stretched like a cat before rubbing her eyes. Seeing her older brother, her eyes lit up as she bounced off the sofa to run into his arms. As the twins were still out, she motioned for Momoes Xie and Ji to take them back to their room to continue sleeping. As her son came toward her with his sister still clinging to him, she knelt down to hug him.
"My little prince," she smiled gently. "How was your time with your Royal Father?"
"He praised my writing skills and said the tutor was impressed with my abilities so far. Later next year, I'll be going to Qianqing Palace to begin learning more," Yonghuang beamed in pride. "Then Royal Mother came in with Second Brother. He wants to learn calligraphy too, but his hands are still too small. So, Royal Father said I can help him learn how to hold the brush first before he starts writing. That way his wrist won't hurt as much."
"Good," Meiying smiled. "Continue being a good brother and son. And focus on your studies. Do not worry about anything else."
"Yes, Mother," her son agreed.
"Mother, when can I learn to write too?" Jingyi asked innocently.
"When you are Yonghuang's age too," she told her daughter. "Now, I've had Suyuan make you both your favorite snacks. Go enjoy them. Then Yonghuang, you will go take a nap before continuing your studies later. Jingyi will help me choose the colors for your clothes this summer."
"Yes, Mother," both of her children smiled in glee at the thought of food.