17. Qing Dynasty Transmigration (17)

Due to her young age, Consort Yehenara was allowed to bring a wet nurse into the palace to care for her while she awaited her menarche. Once the time came, the news would be reported to the Empress, who would then instruct the Department of Ceremonies to prepare the green head card.

Unlike a palace consort like Wen Yao, who could frequently attend to the emperor and even stay overnight, consorts waiting for their menarche only needed to pay their respects to the Empress on the day they entered the palace by kowtowing, after which they would remain secluded within the palace. The emperor would not visit them, nor would they be required to pay formal greetings until the green head card was issued.

By rights, since neither Wen Yao nor the Empress had yet seen Yehenara, implying she had not yet begun attending the emperor’s bedchamber, she should still be considered as waiting within the palace.

But if that were truly the case, it would look terribly awkward.

At any rate, Wen Yao felt as if the harem was like an elementary school, full of little children.

Wen Yao resided in the Eastern Six Palaces, while Changchun Palace was in the Western Six Palaces. Since Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace lay between them, she naturally could not hear the commotion from the west side. Moreover, Yehenara had paid her respects to the Empress at noon, so Wen Yao had not even seen her.

Morning and evening greetings were observed as usual.

After the morning salutations, around five in the afternoon, Wen Yao donned her cloak and began the evening greeting ritual.

It was still the grand main hall of Kunning Palace, still the same two familiar faces. Wen Yao maintained her delicate, helpless demeanor, while the Empress smiled with dignified grace. Yet, for some reason, Wen Yao could detect a hint of weariness behind the Empress’s composed smile.

Come on, Your Majesty! There are only two consorts, how can you already be so tired?

“I heard that the consort from Changchun Palace entered the palace today. I thought perhaps I might see her during the greeting,” Wen Yao said softly with a faint smile, her manner reminiscent of a certain delicate and beautiful noblewoman from a drama.

“Consort Yehenara is still waiting within the palace; it will be some time before she can be seen,” Lady Hesheri explained with a smile, then her expression grew concerned. “It’s nearly April now, and Consort Tong still wears a padded jacket. She must be very sensitive to the cold; it pains me to see. I heard from His Majesty that you’ve been taking medicine—are you feeling better?”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My constitution has long been frail. The emperor had the imperial physicians examine my pulse and prescribed medicine some time ago. I am much improved now.”

Hearing the subtle probing in the Empress’s words, Wen Yao did not hesitate to offer reassurances.

Lady Hesheri visibly relaxed.

With such a fragile body, even if favored, pregnancy would be difficult to achieve. And even if conception occurred, how healthy could the offspring be, born to such a weak mother?

For a woman, giving birth was akin to passing through the gates of the underworld. Consort Tong now seemed to have one foot already beyond those gates, let alone childbirth itself.

“Since His Majesty has arranged a small kitchen for you, I suppose it is because he fears you might not enjoy the usual palace cuisine. Yesterday, the emperor told me that henceforth, all the rations from Chengqian Palace would be sent directly to your palace, no longer needing to pass through the imperial kitchen. As for the portions you receive from the inner imperial kitchen, those will be His Majesty’s share,” the Empress said.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yao immediately expressed her gratitude with joy.

In other words, besides her own consort’s share, she could also enjoy some of the emperor’s portion.

The same old story, repeated daily.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Empress served tea.

Returning from Kunning Palace to Chengqian Palace, Wen Yao felt somewhat unwell.

She felt weak and sore all over, limbs heavy and limp, despite having done no exercise. She simply could not muster the energy to move. Once back, she leaned against the couch in her study, unwilling to budge.

“Master, what is wrong?” Song Qin quickly noticed something was amiss and hurriedly asked Dong Rui, “Did anything happen at Kunning Palace that caused distress?”

“No, Auntie,” came the reply.

Dong Rui paused in thought a moment before quickly responding, “When Master left Yongxiang Gate, she was fine. She even told me that tomorrow we would have hotpot. His Majesty and the Empress have graciously permitted our Chengqian Palace to collect meals from the inner imperial kitchen, Master was very pleased and asked me to inquire with Eunuch Zhao about which chef in the kitchen had the best skills.”

The inner imperial kitchen was staffed not only by eunuchs but also by master chefs recruited from across the empire. These chefs rarely worked in the small kitchens, so to enjoy their meals required the emperor’s special favor to receive food directly from the imperial kitchen. Consorts of the Eastern and Western Six Palaces seldom had such privilege, usually only getting scraps when dining with the emperor.

Hence Wen Yao’s delight.

But now, she could not feel happy.

Although she had taken the restorative medicine, why did she still feel unwell? Could it be that the wretched crow had given her counterfeit pills?

Wen Yao furrowed her brows tightly, almost tempted to summon the sleeping crow to confront it.

If the pills were indeed substandard, her plan for longevity might collapse prematurely. The more she thought about it, the more vexed she became. She couldn’t help but toss the book aside, smashing a small ornament on the table.

Hearing the disturbance, Dong Rui and Auntie Song exchanged a glance and immediately stopped speaking, turning to enter the room.

“I will fetch the imperial physician,” Dong Rui said.

Upon entering, she saw Wen Yao frowning, looking uncomfortable, her lips paler than usual.

She knew the mistress was frail, but since coming to her side, she had rarely seen her suffer an episode. Usually, she looked merely delicate, but now the sudden sight alarmed her.

“Hurry,” Song Qin said anxiously, reaching out to feel Wen Yao’s forehead. A thin sheen of sweat had already appeared, and her voice trembled slightly. “Master, where do you feel unwell? Wait here; the imperial physician will be here soon.”

Wen Yao shook her head. “I don’t know, I just feel discomfort all over.”

“Is there chest pain?”

“I don’t know where exactly it hurts, it just aches everywhere,” Wen Yao answered weakly, curling up with her back to the wall, finding even the sunlight filtering through the window annoyingly harsh.

Song Qin noticed this too and rose to fetch a folding fan to shield the light.

Behind Qianqing Palace, beside Jiaotai Hall, was the imperial pharmacy, staffed daily by two physicians on duty, primarily responsible for emergency medical treatment of the emperor and the palaces of the harem. After all, the consorts would eventually bear princes and princesses, and children’s sudden illnesses could not wait for physicians from the imperial hospital, which was too far and would delay treatment.

Dong Rui left Chengqian Palace and hurried directly to the imperial pharmacy.

Though anxious, she kept her composure and walked swiftly rather than running, yet even so, the two imperial physicians were startled when they saw her approaching.

Upon hearing that Consort Tong from Chengqian Palace was unwell, they quickly grabbed their medical kits and followed her back to Chengqian Palace.

A palace eunuch watching the imperial pharmacy noticed the physicians’ hurried departure and immediately ran ahead to find Deputy Chief Eunuch Li, whispering, “Eunuch Li, just now Consort Tong from Chengqian Palace sent someone here for the physicians.”

Those close to the emperor knew how much he cared for Consort Tong. Upon hearing this, Li Jinchao’s heart sank.

He dismissed the eunuch and entered the main hall.

Meanwhile, Dong Rui led the two physicians swiftly back to Chengqian Palace.

The doctors also hurried on, but since the distance was short, their racing hearts did not disrupt their pulse diagnosis. After a brief moment to calm themselves in the courtyard, they were led into the study.

Wen Yao lay with her body twisted, her complexion even paler than before.

The two physicians knelt quickly to pay respects.

“Rise,” Wen Yao said faintly, raising a hand weakly.

Auntie Song stood beside her, voice urgent, “Physicians, please examine my mistress quickly. She has been uncomfortable all over since earlier.”

Such vague symptoms were the physicians’ first concern.

However, Consort Tong was well known in the imperial hospital. Before entering the palace, the emperor had already summoned imperial physicians to examine her pulse and prescribe medicine, even dispatching two physicians daily to the Tong mansion to monitor her condition. Naturally, the physicians did not dare delay; she was as fragile as a paper lantern.

The two physicians took turns checking her pulse, discussed her symptoms, then asked Wen Yao to specify where she felt discomfort.

While they were speaking, Emperor Xuanye arrived.

He strode into the main hall hastily, reached the study doorway, and without waiting for the maid to lift the curtain, pulled it aside and entered abruptly. “Cousin, how are you? Where do you feel unwell?”

Before Wen Yao could answer, he turned his fiery gaze to the two physicians. “What is Consort Tong’s condition?”

The two physicians exchanged glances, having heard the emperor’s opening address as “cousin.”

“Your Majesty, Consort Tong’s symptoms appear to be those of impending menarche,” Chief Physician Zhang replied. “However, Consort Tong is congenitally weak with internal organ deficiencies. Though she has been well cared for recently, it is normal for young women at their first menstruation to have a stronger reaction.”

Hearing phrases like “menarche” and “first menstruation,” the emperor initially did not fully understand. Seeing his puzzled expression, Auntie Song bent down and whispered an explanation into his ear.

Emperor Xuanye’s face flushed immediately.

‘Menarche has arrived’ meant she was now able to attend the emperor’s bedchamber.

But, he was not ready yet...

Fortunately, as emperor, he maintained his composure. Though his cheeks were rosy, his back was straight and his expression serious. He listened carefully as Auntie Song questioned the physicians, and Dong Rui looked as if she wanted to take notes.

Although they had all experienced menstruation, Wen Yao’s frail body required especially careful preparation of nourishing broths and medicinal tonics.

Dong Rui and Auntie Song escorted the physicians to the outer chamber to write the prescriptions, leaving only Emperor Xuanye and Wen Yao in the study.

Upon hearing she was about to begin menstruation, Wen Yao was somewhat startled.

Her brief fourteen years of life had been marked by poor nutrition and delayed menarche. Later, as a centuries-old ghost, she had no such concerns. Now that she had returned to life, the onset of menstruation was finally approaching.

She truly had no experience.

“Cousin, wait a moment. Once the medicine is prepared and taken, you will no longer feel uncomfortable,” Emperor Xuanye said, grasping Wen Yao’s hand with concern.

Youth’s ardor was boundless.

Wen Yao felt the emperor’s hand, though small, warm.

She immediately turned over, back facing him, and with one hand took hold of his, placing it on her lower back.

“Your Majesty, please warm this spot for me. It aches terribly.”