18 The Qing Dynasty Time Travel (18)
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Xuan Ye kicked off his boots and, with a swift motion, climbed onto the couch, wrapping his arms around Wen Yao from behind. Though small in stature, his presence was intense. After a while, Wen Yao felt a comforting warmth spread across her entire back, and her initially curled-up body gradually relaxed.
Aunt Songqin brought over a hot compress and gently placed it on Wen Yao’s lower abdomen.
“If you feel unwell, just close your eyes and rest for a bit. I’ll be right here with you,” he said.
Wen Yao nodded obediently and closed her eyes. Seeing her so compliant, Xuan Ye, who had been busy all day, also closed his eyes, burying his face in the nape of her neck as he began to doze off. Aunt Songqin, worried they might catch a chill, carefully covered them with a blanket.
They slept until dusk.
When Wen Yao woke, the sharp bitterness of medicine lingered on her nose. She half-opened her eyes to glance around, still drowsy and wanting to sleep more, but a gentle hand pressed against her forehead, pulling her eyelids open.
“No more sleeping. Get up and take your medicine to wake up properly. If you fall asleep during the night, it will be even harder to bear tomorrow.”
Wen Yao was speechless. What a troublesome child!
She tried to speak but her throat was hoarse. “Your Majesty?”
“Mm.”
Xuan Ye withdrew his hand, then grasped her shoulders to help her sit up. Taking the damp cloth from Dong Rui’s hands, he wiped her face, fully dispelling her sleepiness. Seeing Wen Yao blink and gradually regain alertness, he smiled warmly.
“Do you feel better?”
She moved her shoulders and furrowed her brow. “Still sore, but better than before I slept.”
After a nap, the restless irritation inside her had faded, leaving only the simple discomfort of her body.
Aunt Songqin entered with a tray holding a small white jade bowl filled with dark medicine.
“Mistress, time for your medicine.”
Wen Yao reached out her hand. Aunt Songqin hurriedly handed her the bowl. Wen Yao scooped a spoonful, sipped it at just the right warm temperature, then set the spoon aside and drank the medicine in one go, expression calm.
Xuan Ye’s brow twitched.
He himself dreaded bitter medicine and usually took great care of his health to avoid illness. Seeing his cousin drink the bitter medicine so calmly, even salivating at the taste, made his prepared candied fruits on the small table beside them useless.
“Is it not bitter?” he asked, unable to hold back.
“It is,” Wen Yao smiled and placed the jade bowl back on the tray. “I’m used to it.”
Hearing this, Xuan Ye suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
If she could get used to bitter medicine, it meant she had taken it often.
About half an hour after taking the medicine, Wen Yao felt lighter. She threw off the blanket and got down from the couch. Dong Rui quickly stepped forward to tidy her clothes and hair, while Xuan Ye sat at the desk, holding a book and talking to her.
“I’ll be sleeping tonight in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. If you feel uncomfortable during the night, call Aunt Songqin to apply the compress. If it’s really bad, have a palace maid warm your bed early. Don’t sleep in a cold quilt.”
It was a palace rule that the emperor must keep his distance when the empress was menstruating, as it was considered inauspicious.
Xuan Ye scoffed at this notion. Women must menstruate to conceive, which was directly linked to continuing the family line. How could that be unlucky?
But there was no choice. He was still young and had yet to officially rule; the Empress Dowager watched closely, so he dared not be too bold. He had to stay in the Palace of Celestial Harmony until the period ended before returning to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Wen Yao did not sleep well that night. The next morning, she discovered her undergarments stained.
Aunt Songqin had already prepared menstrual belts. Wen Yao used one after waking, ate her morning meal, and then lay down in the warm chamber, fearing a chill might harm her body.
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Facing this for the first time in hundreds of years, Wen Yao felt both discomfort and curiosity.
“Dong Rui, go to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and inform Her Majesty the Empress that I’m unwell and cannot get up today. I will pay my respects after a few days.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Remember to make it sound serious.”
Dong Rui was doubtful but said nothing and faithfully relayed the message with added emphasis.
When the Empress heard that Wen Yao had begun her period, she was initially startled. The day before, she had thought that Consort Tong, being older than the emperor, would have her period before the others, but unexpectedly, Wen Yao’s came first. However, after hearing Dong Rui’s further explanation, she relaxed somewhat.
If she could not even get out of bed due to her period, her health must be very poor.
Her face showed concern. “Consort Tong’s body is fragile already, and the pain from her period must be severe. It pains me to hear it, Man’ao.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Go to the storeroom and bring out an old ginseng root.”
“Yes.”
Man’ao quickly went to the storeroom and soon returned carrying a wooden box. At the Empress’s signal, she handed it to Dong Rui.
“Since Consort Tong is unwell, she need not pay court these days. She should rest well. This ginseng is old and the best for replenishing energy and blood. Tell your mistress to take good care of herself.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Dong Rui bowed and left the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.
Once outside the Yongxiang Gate, Nurse Bu exhaled deeply.
“I’ve long heard that Consort Tong’s health was poor. I thought it was just frailty, but seeing her now, it seems much worse.”
There was a vast difference between “not well” and “very ill.”
“Yes, to have to request leave because of her period like this — I fear it will not be the last time,” the Empress sighed. “But for me, it’s not all bad. These days, the emperor treats her quite differently. Just yesterday, as soon as the imperial physician declared her condition, the emperor hurried to see her. If she bears a child, he will surely cherish it deeply. Better this way; it makes me breathe easier.”
She cared not for the emperor’s affections but only hoped Wen Yao’s health would improve so she could bear more princes — for the family’s sake and to secure her own position.
Moreover…
It was better that the emperor’s heart was with this frail woman than with any other consort.
With this hidden sentiment, the Empress inquired of the imperial physician about Wen Yao’s pulse for three consecutive days and ordered the Imperial Household Department to send extra charcoal to the Palace of Celestial Harmony. The Empress Dowager was very pleased.
When the emperor went to pay respects, she said, “The Hesheri lady is good. Do not neglect her for the sake of Sonia. After all, you are husband and wife; a husband should care for his wife.”
“I understand, Imperial Nanny,” replied the emperor.
“I heard from Auntie that you haven’t been eating well these days. Is your health off? Or is the kitchen not serving you properly?”
Most cooks in the Cining Palace kitchen were Mongolian, specializing in Mongolian dishes, especially roast meat. But the Empress Dowager was elderly, and too much meat strained her stomach. The emperor wanted her to eat lighter fare, but she preferred stronger flavors, finding the plain soups bland.
Hearing that the Empress Dowager wasn’t satisfied, the emperor worried about her stomach.
“It’s nothing serious, just the weather getting hotter, so my appetite isn’t great.”
It was a seasonal matter, no remedy.
He could only persuade her to eat more light and refreshing foods. Roast meat was delicious but too drying and prone to cause internal heat. Winter vegetable supplies were scarce, which frustrated the emperor; the Imperial Household Department was so anxious over this issue they nearly lost their voices.
“The tea house in the Palace of Heavenly Purity has developed many fruit syrups. Since fruit spoils easily, the syrup is stored in the icehouse to keep longer. I’ll have them send more soon.”
“Why are you drinking fruit syrup now?” The Empress Dowager was surprised. Since his enthronement, the emperor had pretended to be mature and avoided childlike tastes like fruit syrup.
The emperor scratched his head and smiled.
“It’s because of my cousin. She said since I’m young, drinking strong tea can affect my sleep and stunt my growth.”
Mentioning Wen Yao, the Empress Dowager’s smile faded slightly but quickly returned to composure.
“That girl, though often ill, is a good healer. If she says strong tea is bad, then believe her. She’s always been devoted to you.”
The emperor nodded eagerly.
“My cousin has always treated me very well.”
“Since her health is poor, don’t bother her too much. Have the imperial physician monitor her pulse frequently. The Cining Palace storeroom has plenty of excellent medicine; I’ll have Sumala deliver some to the Palace of Celestial Harmony later.”
Then she changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, Wanyan should enter the palace around mid-May, right?”
“Yes. I’ve already ordered repairs to the Palace of Blissful Fortune.”
Hearing this was yet another Western Six Palace, the Empress Dowager pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to say more but held back.
After dining with the Empress Dowager, the emperor couldn’t sit still, so he went to the Palace of Celestial Harmony.
Wen Yao’s period lasted only three days.
She felt a bit uneasy, but Aunt Songqin said it was normal for the first time. Still, she summoned the imperial physician to check her pulse and prescribed tonic medicine for qi and blood, which Wen Yao took morning and evening. The palace was filled with the scent of medicine.
When Xuan Ye arrived, he saw her gulping down medicine and quickly offered a candied fruit, popping it into her mouth.
The surrounding palace attendants all knelt.
“Rise,” Kangxi waved casually.
Looking down, he saw his cousin’s eyes red and watery.
He bent over anxiously. “What’s wrong?”
“Your Majesty’s grip is so strong, and the candied fruit is so hard, it hurt my tooth,” Wen Yao turned her head and spat the fruit onto a cloth, then opened her mouth to show him.
Xuan Ye saw blood around her front tooth.
He quickly called for water so she could rinse, and gently comforted her, clearly realizing he had been too rough.
Fortunately, the wound was minor and soon stopped bleeding.
“I really don’t fear bitterness, Your Majesty. No need to worry.”
“It’s my fault.”
Xuan Ye admitted his mistake quickly. Wen Yao didn’t argue and changed the subject, asking about the repair of the Palace of Blissful Fortune in the Western Six Palaces.
“So after Wanyan Consort arrives, only Consort Shumul remains?”
Those from the lower five banners didn’t have separate palaces and were mostly assigned to side halls in the Western Six Palaces.
“Yes, they’re also repairing the Palace of Stored Elegance.”
“Sigh, all the palaces are in the Western Six Palaces. There’s not a single person who can move about in the Eastern Six Palaces,” Wen Yao sighed. The only person she could interact with there was the Empress, who, though kind to her, always maintained a formal distance.
“Imperial Nanny said to select a few from the tea house to enter the harem and arrange for two to come here and pay you respects.”
Wen Yao said nothing, only nodded.
The Wanyan and Shumul clans, like the Yehe Nara, held the status of noble ladies. They do not appear in later historical records, likely having disappeared before the first official enfeoffment of the imperial harem.
Later, lingering in the Palace of Celestial Harmony until the early morning, Xuan Ye finally returned hesitantly to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
That night, he hardly slept well.
He kept dreaming of his cousin leaning against the soft couch, a candied fruit in her mouth, eyes red and tearful, gazing at him with a look so entangled and yearning it made him itch all over, his legs going weak.
He spent the night in such a dream.
The next morning, just as he pulled back the quilt, the attendant knelt and announced, “Your Majesty, great joy.”
He looked down.
Oh, his trousers were stained.
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