The imperial study fell into silence.
Liang Jiugong glanced at the Director of the Imperial Observatory, feeling a faint sense of shared suffering, yet a hidden delight also rose in his heart—a mix of emotions too complex to put into words.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, the Director stiffly raised his head and spoke hoarsely, "His Majesty’s imperial majesty is awe-inspiring, and the Imperial Noble Consort is noble and radiant. The deep affection between the two of you is the envy of all."
Liang Jiugong suddenly felt a pang of sympathy. Poor man—he must have scraped together every drop of literary talent he had ever possessed.
Heaven is merciful to all living beings. By sheer luck, the Director’s phrase "deep affection between the two of you" pleased the emperor. Kangxi uttered three "good"s in succession. After examining the red paper for a moment, he made a decisive declaration: "The coronation ceremony for the empress shall be held on the fifth day of the first lunar month."
The Director’s heart remained suspended, barely escaping disaster but not daring to relax. He forced a smile and continued to listen attentively.
Would His Majesty ask him why the fifth day of the first month was auspicious? Why it was chosen as the lucky day? Whether the fates of His Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort would change? Whether the chosen hour might clash with others?
He bowed his head even more respectfully. After a long silence, no one spoke.
Such a large man standing there could hardly be ignored. Kangxi frowned at him. "Why are you still here? Go to the ministry and discuss matters with the Board of Rites at once. What are you dawdling for?"
It was almost as if he had called the man tactless.
The Director: "..."
He hastily bowed and retreated as if fleeing from a ghost. Once outside the palace gates, he exhaled deeply, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and slumped against the wall.
These days, did one need to be a literary genius to serve as the Director of the Imperial Observatory? Was reading the stars and divining fortunes not enough? One had to be at least a top scholar in the imperial examinations, capable of composing lines like "Clouds yearn for her robes, flowers long for her countenance"—verses so exquisite that even the Hanlin Academy would be hard-pressed to match them.
Next time, he’d gladly forgo the honor of an audience with the emperor and let the deputy take his place. That would shut those envious colleagues up.
Was it his fault he was talented? Was it his fault his divinations were the most accurate?
Heaven was unfair. Why must the most capable man in the Imperial Observatory suffer a shortened lifespan?
A wave of bitterness washed over him as the Director trudged away, his steps heavy.
As early as the third month of the year, the Sixth Princess, Wu Linzhu, had begun to speak.
At first, she uttered single words, then haltingly called for "Ama," "E’niang," "Gege," and "Mama." Now, she spoke fluently, already displaying signs of remarkable intelligence.
Beyond her adorable, jade-like appearance and extraordinary cleverness, those who served her noticed another trait—the princess had quite the appetite.
This "appetite" was literal. Wu Linzhu loved to eat. When it came time to introduce solid foods, ordinary portions of rice porridge could no longer satisfy her. Once, in a moment of distraction, her wet nurse fed her a large bowl. When she came to her senses, she anxiously felt the princess’s belly—only to find it perfectly flat, neither distended nor rounded.
The wet nurse was terrified. Where had all that porridge gone? The princess showed no signs of discomfort from overeating—what was happening?
Yunxiu was equally alarmed and immediately summoned the imperial physician. After a thorough examination, the physician found nothing amiss. "Your Highness need not worry. The princess is perfectly healthy. This old servant has seen such rare constitutions before—those who can eat much without suffering ill effects and never gain weight."
This tendency had been evident early on. From birth, Wu Linzhu’s face had been a perfect oval, remaining so to this day—far more refined than the chubby cheeks of her elder brothers in their infancy. Without plumpness to obscure her features, her budding beauty became even more apparent, resembling Yunxiu by half.
Though relieved, the Imperial Noble Consort grew concerned. Only the imperial family could afford to raise such a golden child. At this rate, the hundreds of thousands of taels in Wu Linzhu’s personal treasury might not even cover her meals.
Kangxi laughed at her worries. "With all the wealth under heaven at my disposal, how could I ever shortchange my precious pearl?"
He added, "You once said she’d grow up to be a little tyrant like Yintang. But to me, Wu Linzhu doesn’t resemble him at all—she’s the image of Yinqi."
And wasn’t that true? Gentle, well-behaved—what did it matter if she had a hearty appetite?
Thus, the emperor doted on the Sixth Princess even more lavishly, indulging her every whim—if she asked for the stars, he wouldn’t give her the moon.
After her first birthday, every subsequent year brought stacks of silver notes as gifts, temporarily entrusted to Yunxiu for safekeeping. Before long, Wu Linzhu became the wealthiest figure in the Forbidden City—even richer than her second brother, the Crown Prince—much to Yintang’s envy, which haunted his dreams.
As Wu Linzhu grew, the supplies for the Yikun Palace kitchen increased exponentially.
The visiting consorts were no fools. Noble Consort Wen never failed to bring along a food box filled with exquisite, generously portioned pastries whenever she chatted with Yunxiu. Consort Cheng went a step further, alternating between presenting recipes for delicacies and full-course meals. Consort Jing scoured the palace for master chefs to serve her elder sister. Over time, the dishes from Yikun Palace’s kitchen surpassed even those of the imperial kitchens in flavor.
By the time Wu Linzhu neared her second birthday, her eyes—black as obsidian—had taken on a more defined shape. Large and double-lidded, they were neither the slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes of Yunxiu nor perfectly round like apricot kernels. Instead, they bore some resemblance to Kangxi’s phoenix eyes, though only in form.
As Nanny Dong, who had served in the palace for decades, remarked, "Those eyes—I feel as though I’ve seen them somewhere before."
The Empress Dowager, now residing in Cining Palace, also adored Wu Linzhu, often holding her for long stretches. Yet the more she looked at those eyes, the more familiar they seemed.
Nanny Qian, who attended the Empress Dowager, shared the same sense of recognition. Beside her, Sumalagu—who had grown much quieter since the Grand Empress Dowager’s passing—stared fixedly at the porcelain-doll-like Wu Linzhu, her body trembling faintly.
"The Sixth Princess’s eyes are exactly like the Grand Empress Dowager’s," she murmured, her eyes moist. "In her youth, Her Grace loved nothing more than to be praised for her eyes..."
Her words struck like a thunderclap. The Empress Dowager stood frozen, lost in thought.
From then on, Cining Palace doted on Wu Linzhu even more fiercely than Qianqing Palace. Sumalagu’s face brightened with smiles, and she often personally visited Yikun Palace to escort the princess to the Empress Dowager’s quarters.
It almost made Yunxiu feel a twinge of guilt—as though she were the stepmother in comparison.
Today was a significant occasion. The emperor had completed the mourning period, purified himself with incense and bathing, and paid respects to the ancestors before proceeding to Cining Palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.
After inquiring about her daily life and health, Kangxi paused and said quietly, "Imperial Mother, I intend to confer upon Wu Linzhu the title of Gulun Princess. Yierha, as the Imperial Noble Consort’s foster daughter, shall temporarily hold the Heshuo rank. When she marries, I will elevate her to Gulun. What do you think?"
Whether imperial princesses or daughters of the imperial clan, all received their titles before marriage. Yierha, in her teens, could certainly be granted a princess’s title without issue. But Wu Linzhu was only two years old—ordinarily, this would defy convention.
Kangxi had made up his mind days ago. Consulting the Empress Dowager now was merely a formality, a chance to hear her counsel. Should she object, he was prepared with arguments to persuade her. Then, when ministers inevitably voiced opposition, he could invoke her authority to silence them.
No sooner had these words been spoken than the Empress Dowager, looking more delighted than anyone, beamed with joy and repeatedly exclaimed, "Excellent!" She then urged, "Let the Emperor decide. The Ministry of Rites must prepare fitting titles for my dear granddaughter—nothing perfunctory!"
Kangxi: "..."
This reaction was entirely unexpected. He straightened slightly in his seat and mused, "Wu Linzhu shall be titled Princess Huihe, and Yierha shall be Princess Kejing—both names carry auspicious meanings."
After explaining the significance of the titles in detail to the Empress Dowager, she repeated them with delight, "Huihe, Kejing... My little Huihe!"
Beside her, Sumalagu seemed more spirited than usual. With a smile, she curtsied and said, "Your Majesty is wise. The coronation ceremony for the Empress must not be far off now."
During the late Grand Empress Dowager's time, nothing was kept from Sumalagu, and she was well aware of her mistress's wishes. Seeing Wu Linzhu now was like seeing her young mistress, who had once roamed the grasslands with her. Lately, her heart had lightened, and the melancholy of old age had faded. A few days prior, she had quietly informed the Empress Dowager of the Grand Empress Dowager's wish for the Imperial Noble Consort to become Empress.
Kangxi gave a slight nod, and the Empress Dowager's joy grew even brighter. "This is splendid. Soon, Yunxiu will call me 'Imperial Mother.'"
Her most beloved Wu Linzhu would now be a legitimate princess, and Yinqi, whom she had raised herself, would be a legitimate prince—a double blessing that had the Empress Dowager grinning from ear to ear. When Wu Linzhu next visited Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager gazed at her with tender affection, and her words inadvertently revealed hints of the news.
At the dining table in the palace sat the soon-to-be-promoted Imperial Noble Consort and the soon-to-be-titled Sixth Princess.
The little girl blinked up at her and asked softly but clearly, "Mother, what is an Empress?"
Recently, Kangxi had summoned both the Imperial Astronomers and the Minister of Rites, stirring up quite a commotion. How could Yunxiu not know? Yet, since he seemed intent on keeping it from her, she pretended ignorance, letting him orchestrate his grand plans with enthusiasm.
With this in mind, Yunxiu gently stroked Wu Linzhu's soft, fine hair, her eyes tender. "An Empress is the one who walks beside your Imperial Father in life and shares his resting place in death."
Wu Linzhu nodded vaguely, while Yunxiu smiled, her thoughts drifting far away.
At first, she had aspired to be an Imperial Noble Dowager Consort, then later, a Grand Imperial Noble Dowager Consort. But now, it seemed she would never become one.
The burial together she had yearned for in her past life had become reality, as if in a dream.
But he was not the same man, and she was no longer that Noble Consort Yi.
Life was long, and having someone to share it with was no small joy.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month in the thirty-second year of Kangxi's reign, the coronation ceremony commenced as scheduled.
The skies were clear, the palace gates thrown wide open, and red and blue silk balls hung everywhere. A crimson carpet stretched from the Golden Water Bridge to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, seeming endless.
Outside the hall, civil and military officials stood in rows. Even now, Tuyue felt as if he were walking in a dream. Ma Qi greeted him with a smile and a bow, "Imperial Uncle."
As ceremonial music played, Kangxi took Yunxiu's hand and led her slowly up the imperial steps.
The Empress, resplendent in a bright yellow court robe, wore a coronet adorned with gleaming pearls the size of pigeon eggs. When the Emperor and Empress reached the front of the hall, the assembled officials knelt in unison, their voices rising to the heavens: "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"
The vista before them was vast, as if the entire realm lay at their feet.
Yunxiu felt Kangxi's grip tighten around her hand.
At the midday banquet, the princes and princesses paid their respects to Yunxiu in turn, led by the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince lifted the hem of his robe and knelt with a smile. "This son greets Imperial Mother."
