Zhuyi received the items delivered by Shiliu and, as per protocol, inspected them first. Finding nothing amiss, she then presented them to the Empress.
With a smile, she said, "These toys from Yanqing Residence are meant for the Eldest Princess. They look quite novel, and I believe Her Highness will enjoy them."
Since the birth of the Eldest Princess, the Empress had entrusted Zhuyi with overseeing her care, which was why Shiliu had handed the gifts to her. Zhuyi usually served more in the side halls and was unaware of the recent shifts in the Empress's demeanor.
As she enthusiastically described the items sent by Concubine Qi, Lanyi, who was attending to Shumo nearby, couldn't intervene in time.
The Empress glanced at the snow shovel and said indifferently, "Put them away. Many in the palace have fallen ill recently, so take extra care to keep the Eldest Princess warm and ensure she doesn't catch a chill. We’ll take her to the gardens when the weather warms up."
Zhuyi was taken aback. Even if the Empress was worried about the Eldest Princess playing in the snow, why not even mention the new toys from Concubine Qi?
She glanced sideways and noticed Lanyi subtly shaking her head at her, realizing something had happened that she wasn’t privy to.
Without another word, she replied, "This servant will put them away immediately."
Zhuyi sighed inwardly. That very morning, the Eldest Princess had asked about Concubine Qi.
Though the Empress had ordered extra precautions for the Eldest Princess's warmth, young children were naturally frail, and the princess still fell ill, developing a high fever at night. Fortunately, the imperial physicians arrived promptly. Over the following days, her low-grade fever persisted, and the Empress, consumed with worry, stayed by her daughter’s side, neglecting all other matters.
Not long after, news came from Chengqian Palace that the Eldest Prince had also taken ill.
With the young masters of the palace all sick, the Imperial Hospital burned candles through the night.
Amidst this, few noticed that the Emperor had entrusted Consort Ning with overseeing the Laba Festival customs.
During this time, something occurred that sent chills down Qi Daiyu’s spine.
Consort Ma of Yonghe Palace had passed away.
Consort Ma had been gravely ill, barely sustained by medicine. But with the imperial physicians’ attention entirely devoted to the two young royals, others were inevitably neglected. Unfavored and with inattentive attendants, Consort Ma died in the night and wasn’t discovered until mid-morning the next day.
When the news reached the Emperor, he had little recollection of Consort Ma and showed no particular grief. He ordered her to be buried according to the rites of a consort, with the proceedings hastened to avoid overshadowing the illnesses of the Eldest Princess and Prince.
Upon hearing the news, the Empress merely punished Consort Ma’s attendants—fifty lashes each before expelling them from the palace.
As the funeral was only for a consort, those like Qi Daiyu weren’t required to attend. In the entire rear palace, only Consort Cao, of the same rank, paid her respects. And just like that, all traces of Consort Ma vanished from the palace.
Perhaps only the imperial records would someday note that during the Yanli era, there had been a Consort Ma in the palace.
Remembering the woman she had once laughed with during the hunting excursion, Qi Daiyu felt her hands and feet turn cold.
How could it be that the death of one of the Emperor’s consorts stirred not a single ripple? Even her funeral was rushed to avoid inconveniencing the Eldest Princess and Prince.
The palace was truly a heartless place.
This realization left Qi Daiyu too unsettled to even continue her usual pastimes. She dared not step outside, fearing she might carelessly lose her life.
By the time the Laba Festival arrived, all consorts were required to pay respects to the Empress Dowager at Cining Palace.
The Emperor and Empress first went to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices to their ancestors and the five household deities, while the consorts, led by the Empress Dowager, proceeded to Wanfu Pavilion for prayers.
The Laba porridge, prepared with seven treasures and five flavors, had already been placed in the pavilion, where monks from Huangjue Temple chanted blessings over it.
Truthfully, neither the Empress Dowager nor the Emperor held much faith in religion, but since the people believed, the imperial family had to feign devotion for the sake of public sentiment.
The large pot of Laba porridge before them, if taken to the common folk, would incite a frenzy—everyone believed that consuming this porridge, blessed by eminent monks from the palace, would ensure a year free from illness and misfortune.
This porridge wasn’t solely for the rear palace. Most of it would be divided and bestowed by the Emperor, Empress Dowager, or Empress upon ministers, nobles, and imperial relatives—a mark of imperial favor that brought boundless honor to the recipients.
Only the remainder was reserved for the rear palace.
After the prayers, the group returned to Cining Palace, where the Emperor and Empress had also arrived.
Consort Ning had servants bring out the portions of Laba porridge.
"This year’s porridge is still primarily made with white rice," she explained. "I added red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, and such. The most notable difference from previous years is the inclusion of dried tofu."
Laba porridge didn’t vary much in ingredients, but dried tofu, a delicacy from Huizhou, was an inspired addition by Consort Ning.
The Empress Dowager smiled approvingly. "This old one’s palate has grown fond of strong flavors. The savory-sweetness of the dried tofu suits me well."
With the Empress Dowager’s approval, the Emperor and Empress naturally praised it as well. The Emperor lauded Consort Ning, who blushed faintly.
After the meal, the Emperor and Empress sat on either side of the Empress Dowager, chatting and laughing like a harmonious family of three.
The other consorts, however, could only force smiles—even Concubine Shu was relegated to the background.
The Emperor didn’t linger long, excusing himself to attend to state affairs.
"How is the Eldest Princess faring?" the Empress Dowager asked, concerned for her granddaughter.
The Empress replied, "She’s much better. This morning, she even insisted on coming to kowtow to her Imperial Grandmother." Just then, a servant announced the Eldest Princess’s arrival.
The Empress Dowager eagerly sent Nanny Zhao to fetch her.
The Eldest Princess came running in, her voice bright as she greeted, "Yong’an pays respects to Imperial Grandmother!"
"Oh, my precious! Come, let Grandmother hold you!" The Empress Dowager embraced the princess, fussing over whether she was cold or hungry.
The Eldest Princess answered each question dutifully.
Nanny Zhao chuckled nearby. "Though Her Highness is young, her legs are strong—this old servant could hardly keep up!"
The others joined in praising the Eldest Princess, who flushed pink with shyness and buried her face in the Empress Dowager’s embrace, eliciting another round of laughter.
Amid the crowd, the Eldest Princess spotted Qi Daiyu and grinned, revealing her tiny teeth. Qi Daiyu responded with a playful blink.
Soon after, the Second Princess arrived.
Though the Empress Dowager didn’t dote on the Second Princess as much, she still greeted her kindly. Noticing the child’s cold hands, she said, "Take the children to the warm chamber and let them play there."
The warm chamber was just beside the main hall, close enough for easy supervision.
Turning to Concubine Shu, the Empress Dowager inquired, "And how is the Eldest Prince?"
Concubine Shu’s under-eye circles were dark, dulling her usual beauty. "The fever finally broke the day before yesterday, but I was still so worried that I didn’t bring the Eldest Prince today. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." By custom, on the Laba Festival, the younger generation was expected to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand. "Health comes first. You did the right thing." After all, this was her first grandson, and she cherished him dearly.
After a few more words, the Empress Dowager suddenly said, "Zhaorong is in the side chamber. Why not invite her in to chat? You’ll all be seeing each other often from now on anyway."
The expressions of the concubines shifted subtly. If given the choice, none of them would want to interact with this Zhaorong.
However, since Zhaorong had been residing in the Cining Palace, they rarely had the chance to meet her. Getting a glimpse of this future imperial consort today wouldn’t be a wasted trip.
The Empress smiled and said, "Then let’s have Zhaorong come in at once. Your Majesty should have reminded me earlier—we could have shared the Laba porridge with her just now."
The Empress’s use of the term "cousin" made the concubines’ expressions grow even more colorful.
Qi Daiyu noticed Concubine Miao across from her frown visibly.
Cousins, childhood sweethearts—this Zhaorong was naturally closer to the Emperor than anyone else.
The door curtain lifted, and in walked a young woman dressed in a plain standing-collar outer robe with a gold-trimmed plum-patterned bijia over it, paired with a misty purple horse-face skirt. Her beauty was striking.
"Zhaorong pays her respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress."
"Greetings to all the ladies."
The concubines in the hall scrutinized Zhaorong, and Qi Daiyu observed her as well.
The palace was full of beauties, and while Zhaorong was lovely, she didn’t quite reach the level of Concubine Shu. If anything, her most distinctive feature was her tiny, palm-sized face. Her delicate features matched her slender frame, giving her an impeccable head-to-body ratio.
How is her face so small? That was likely the shared thought among the concubines at that moment.
Zhaorong remained unruffled under their gazes. She lifted her chin slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips as her eyes briefly swept over Concubine Shu.
So this is the famously favored Concubine Shu? Beautiful, yes, but dull. I could surpass her.
Thinking of her mother’s instructions before entering the palace, Zhaorong felt a surge of irritation. Even though her sister had been mistreated by the Yuan Family to the point of miscarriage, her mother still insisted she befriend Concubine Shu. Was she supposed to rely on Concubine Shu’s influence to compete for favor? Zhaorong believed she could win the Emperor’s affection on her own merits.
A flicker of regret crossed her eyes. What a shame the Emperor has already left—I didn’t even get to see him.
The Empress, seated at the head of the room, took in everything with a single glance and immediately ruled Zhaorong out as a potential ally.
Arrogant and transparent—I already have a Concubine Miao for that.
Just then, a scream erupted from the side chamber. "The Eldest Princess!"
The Empress’s expression changed instantly. She stood and hurried toward the chamber, with the Empress Dowager and the other concubines following in confusion.
Inside, chaos reigned. Servants parted to reveal the Eldest Princess lying on the divan, her face flushed, eyes rolled back, lips tinged purple, limbs convulsing violently.
The servants knelt in terror, while the Second Princess burst into frightened sobs. Consort An quickly pulled the child aside and covered her mouth. "Hush, don’t cry."
At the sight of the Eldest Princess’s state, the Empress’s legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed into Mei Yi’s arms. "Lingyi!"
She lunged forward, demanding answers from the attendants Zhuyi and the wet nurse. "What happened?!"
The wet nurse kowtowed repeatedly. "This servant doesn’t know! The Eldest Princess was fine just a moment ago, then suddenly collapsed—"
The Empress Dowager clutched her chest. "Quick, summon the imperial physicians!"
As the Eldest Princess’s convulsions worsened, her limbs stiffening and foam forming at her mouth, Qi Daiyu’s heart clenched. These symptoms…
Without thinking, she stepped forward and pressed a hand to the child’s forehead.
So hot!
"What are you doing?" the Empress snapped, trying to push her away.
Qi Daiyu spoke rapidly. "Your Majesty, the Eldest Princess is likely suffering from febrile seizures—also called acute convulsions. She needs immediate treatment. The physicians won’t arrive in time—we can’t delay! Your Majesty, please trust me!"
Febrile seizures were common in young children. Back in her district, they’d had professional doctors teach emergency response methods, and Qi Daiyu had been a top student. More importantly, she had hands-on experience.
But back then, she could act without hesitation. Now, she needed the Empress’s permission.
Would the Empress agree?
