Concubine of the Eastern Palace (Qing Dynasty Time Travel)

Liang Jiugong, leading a procession of eunuchs carrying various gifts, arrived at the Crown Prince’s residence in the Eastern Palace at the Rehe Imperial Summer Resort to deliver the imperial edict. The news immediately spread like wildfire, and the entire palace became as lively as a boiling pot of oil.

Soon, the other princes’ courtyards learned of the news. Yinzhong regretted becoming closer to Yinzhi, but now it was too late to pull back. He sat in his room, frowning, with a table full of food in front of him, but he was so troubled that he couldn’t even eat, thinking about how to win favor in front of the Crown Prince.

Yinzhen and Yinqi acted indifferent in front of them, but inside, they were far from pleased. The Crown Prince was about to go south to Jiangnan—he couldn’t possibly go alone, could he? He would need some brothers to support him, right?

This was a major event!

If it hadn’t been for Noble Concubine Yi not being around, Yinqi would have already been kicked by his own mother into the Eastern Palace, begging to go with him!

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the eldest prince, it was eerily quiet. The servants moved around cautiously, barely making a sound. They were tiptoeing through their tasks, speaking in hushed tones, and had even removed the last autumn cicadas from the trees, fearful of encountering the eldest prince, who was easily displeased.

Yinzhi was furious. He now knew why he had been punished with kneeling—he had been summoned back only after the Crown Princess went to the “Yunbo Zhishuang Zhai” and delivered the imperial command. He had been forced to kneel for two hours and, upon returning, heard about the edict. His face darkened as he went back to his room, closed the door, and angrily smashed a cup and a vase. He was so irritated that he couldn’t even stand the sight of the dogs outside. As for the servants, he immediately punished four or five of them with a beating, causing the younger girls to retreat into the big princess’s room, too scared to come out. They had no choice but to comfort each other, especially since their mother hadn’t come, and Wu Gege had nearly been beaten to death—her lower body was covered in blood, a mass of torn flesh, and she was still hanging onto life in bed.

Seeing their father in such a rage, the girls were too afraid to face him.

Who could have imagined that a simple dispute between children would cause such a commotion? While such dramas were not uncommon in the palace, with the advancing age of the four imperial concubines, very few people played such ruthless games anymore.

Especially in the Yuqing Palace, where the Crown Prince, without a mother or consort backing him, had always been at a disadvantage in these matters. He was usually the one being schemed against, never the one to scheme. But as fate would have it, today the tables had turned. The palace now clearly understood that the Crown Princess was beginning to extend her influence into the harem.

When Yinreng received the imperial edict, he wasn’t as overjoyed as others might have expected. He remembered the conversation he had had with A Wan in the persimmon grove, when he had just expressed his wish to take her on a southern tour. Shortly after, his father had issued the edict for him to go on the imperial southern tour, a chilling thought occurred to him.

A Wan would never betray him. But who had been lurking nearby, eavesdropping on their conversation?

He also thought that perhaps the rising tensions between Ge’er Dan, the eldest prince, and the Prince of Yuchen had made his father wary, but how was it so coincidental? Ever since learning that A Wan and He Baozhong had been reported by the palace servants of the Yuqing Palace, he couldn’t shake off his suspicions. He felt that there must be several pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows, silently gathering information, waiting for the right moment to strike a fatal blow.

Aside from the unjust death of He Baozhong, it seemed that there was no one trustworthy around him anymore. This line of thought wasn’t healthy; he couldn’t continue thinking like this, or he’d become like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, unable to live normally.

Yinreng stood in his room and spent the entire day writing large characters to calm his mind and quiet his paranoid thoughts.

Then he recalled the dream where A Wan defended him against the accusations of spying on the emperor’s tent and hitting officials—these had already been hinted at in his fourth dream. This time, the dream had resolved his confusion, but the reasons behind it left him with a painful ache in his heart.

He would have two more children in the future, a pair of son and daughter. A Wan had written “congenital deficiencies, stillborn,” and this was likely referring to the two dragon and phoenix twins, which should have been a great blessing, but because of the comet passing during their birth, it added an ominous sign.

Not to mention, he would have no fatherly connection to these children, not even for a single day.

Yinreng felt a vague suspicion rising within him, though the dream hadn’t explicitly stated it, these two might be his and A Wan’s children. Otherwise, why had A Wan, who had previously been holding back her tears, started crying when she wrote “stillborn”?

Thinking of all this, the calmness he had hoped for while writing wasn’t achieved, and his heart grew even more disordered. His handwriting became messy and irregular. Yinreng lifted the paper, irritably crumpled it into a ball, and threw it to the ground. When he looked up, he realized the floor was covered with such crumpled balls of paper.

He Baozhong stood to the side, pressed against the wall, not daring to move. Despite his large frame, he tried to shrink himself into the wall to avoid being seen. Yinreng was speechless and snapped, “Come here! Are you trying to embed yourself into the wall?”

“How could I, master? I was afraid of stepping on the paper with your writing,” He Baozhong said with a forced smile.

Seeing him now, Yinreng couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. He was Liang Jiugong’s adopted disciple. Eunuchs, with no family ties, usually treated their disciples like their own children. Especially since Liang Jiugong had lost his entire family in a disaster before cutting off his family ties to enter the palace, with no relatives left outside. Yet, He Baozhong had been placed under Yinreng’s care but was now meeting such a tragic end.

Sometimes, Yinreng would rebelliously think that although he was raised by Emperor Kangxi, it might be more accurate to say that he was raised by Liang Jiugong. During the years he was born, the Three Feudatories Rebellion was at its peak, and the Emperor didn’t have the time to care for a young child. Fearing that someone might harm him, he could only have his most trusted eunuch, the head eunuch, carry him and watch over him every day.

Over the years, countless people had tried to win over Liang Jiugong, but he never accepted any offers. In his heart, perhaps the only person Liang Jiugong truly served, aside from Emperor Kangxi, was the crown prince. After all, look at how many times Liang Jiugong risked his own life to speak well of him in front of the emperor and subtly hinted at things before the emperor summoned him—one could tell how deeply loyal he was.

But how could Emperor Kangxi listen to a servant’s advice?

“Bring a brazier over here and burn all this paper on the floor.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The plump eunuch scurried away.

Yinreng watched He Baozhong’s cheerful, waddling figure as he left. He couldn’t help but wonder if later, Liang Jiugong would get caught up in the consequences of his actions and if anyone would be left to care for him in his old age…

He sighed and set down his brush, planning to go check if A Wan had woken up. Only when he saw her could his heart settle. Yinreng walked through the corridor, where a young eunuch was diligently wiping the dust off the pillars. As soon as he saw Yinreng, he hurriedly dropped to the ground in a deep bow. Yinreng ignored them and walked past, heading straight into A Wan’s room.

These eunuchs were from the palace, but he didn’t know who they worked for. Yinreng never paid them any mind.

When he entered A Wan’s room, he was surprised to find her sitting by the window, writing with great concentration.

Well, this was a rare sight! Yinreng’s curiosity was piqued, but he didn’t enter. Instead, he stood at the door, and when Bitao saw him, her eyes widened in shock, and she immediately began to kneel. He quickly pressed his finger to his lips and hissed.

Bitao swallowed her greeting, silently kneeling on the floor.

She thought to herself: The crown prince still enjoys teasing our mistress like this.

Yinreng quietly approached the window and stood there, hands behind his back, peeking inside.

Outside A Wan’s window was a row of green bamboo, much of which had withered in the winter, leaving only a few remaining leaves that still held onto a rare bit of green. He saw A Wan sitting among the greenery, her head slightly bowed, revealing a fair portion of her delicate neck.

Cheng Wanyun was so focused on writing that she didn’t notice anyone standing outside. Midway through, she even bit the end of her brush, lost in thought as she tried to recall something, her face scrunched up in concentration.

Yinreng couldn’t help but smile at her adorable troubled expression as she wrote a few characters, then paused again, struggling to remember what came next. After a moment, she dipped her brush back in ink and continued. Her little distressed look was endearing.

“What are you writing?” He couldn’t resist speaking up.

Cheng Wanyun was startled by the sudden voice, jumping in surprise. She nearly dropped the brush, splattering ink all over the floor. Still dazed, she turned to look outside the window, only to scowl in anger, “Second Master!”

“Seeing you work so hard, I didn’t want to disturb you. I really didn’t mean to tease you!” Yinreng laughed and quickly entered the room, going to comfort her. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder as he peered down at the desk. “Let me see, what great work are you writing so seriously?”

“You always like to tease me!” Cheng Wanyun mumbled in his arms. “It’s not some great work, it’s written for you!”

Yinreng had already read the words on the paper. He remained silent for a long time, staring at the writing. A deep, almost tear-jerking emotion suddenly surged inside him, making it hard for him to breathe for a moment.

At the very top, centered in large characters, it read “The Crown Prince’s Health Food Recipe Guide,” and below that, in smaller letters, it said, “Year 34 of Kangxi, September.”

The paper was in the grid pattern that A Wan liked, with a detailed list of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a full month. Each meal was different, with no repeats. At the bottom, there was an explanation for the food choices:

“1. General principle: A variety of foods, balanced nutrition, and a mix of coarse and fine ingredients.”

“2. Three-meal characteristics: Breakfast should focus on nutrition, with ample staples. The Crown Prince wakes up early, and mornings are his busiest time, so the dishes should be varied and rich, with at least one from meat, eggs, dairy, or beans; lunch should be simple and balanced. The Crown Prince does not take an additional meal at noon and often needs to continue working, so it should be convenient yet nutritious, with plenty of vegetables and meat; for dinner, the Crown Prince sleeps early, and indigestion can affect his sleep, so meals should be light and easy to digest…”

Yinreng tightened his arms around her. “How… suddenly remembered to write this?”

His voice was hoarse.

“You said your stomach wasn’t good, so I thought I’d make you some nutritious meals or medicinal dishes to help with your digestion…” Cheng Wanyun noticed that the Crown Prince seemed a little off. She turned to look at him, only to find sadness in his eyes. Her heart sank, and she quietly asked, “Second Master, what’s wrong?”

Cheng Wanyun’s emotional radar went off. His expression didn’t seem moved; it looked more like he was sad…

“It’s nothing.” Yinreng buried his head in her neck. “It’s an old problem of mine. Don’t trouble yourself over it.”

He didn’t want her to do these things for him anymore. He had seen an entire box of them in his dreams.

“But how can that be?” Cheng Wanyun deliberately laughed lightly. “Aren’t you always so particular about health? With your usual routine, and with this, you’ll live to a hundred without a doubt!”

Yinreng remained silent for a while, before hoarsely saying, “But I don’t want to live to a hundred.”

If you’re not here, what’s the point of living a hundred years alone within these high walls?

“Your Highness… what do you want then?” Cheng Wanyun misunderstood, her eyes wide. She whispered, “Medicinal meals have limited effects, but I can’t make you live another five hundred years or something like that.”

I want you to live a hundred years. Yinreng thought in his heart, mimicking A Wan’s tone. He lowered his eyes and reached up to stroke her head. “What kind of nonsense is this? You can’t make pills, and you’re talking about borrowing another five hundred years for me? Wouldn’t that make me a monster?”

Yinreng was amused by her, yet he still felt sorrow in his heart, so the smile he showed was more miserable than crying.

“I mean, living to a hundred is too long. I don’t dare to hope for that.”

Cheng Wanyun was stunned again: There are actually people who think life is too long! And this was just a blessing, but the Crown Prince was taking it so seriously!

Yinreng didn’t want to continue discussing this. He suddenly noticed how quiet it was around them. There were no sounds of the children playing, so he changed the topic and asked, “Where are the children? Haven’t they gotten up yet?”

“They were taken by Harinauhai early this morning to hunt rabbits! They went to the Lion Garden outside the palace. The animals are all kept in the garden. I told them not to go out hunting.” Cheng Wanyun covered her mouth and smiled. “I told Qingxing and Tianjin to go along, and with their attendants, there’s a big group following them, so I’m sure there’s no trouble.”

Yinreng nodded, then turned to He Baozhong and said, “Have E Chu lead the guards to go with them.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “Tell Cheng Huai Jing from the Shanpu Camp to go as well.”

He Baozhong immediately went to pass on the message.

It was then that Cheng Wanyun remembered: Oh right! She has a guard brother! How could she have forgotten?

But even if she remembered, she still couldn’t order the Shanpu Camp; these things were indeed better handled by the Crown Prince.

“You still think of everything so thoroughly.” Cheng Wanyun turned back, hugging the Crown Prince’s waist, and carefully touched it, only to be startled: What was going on? After all the hard work feeding her Crown Prince and taking care of him, why had the little bit of waist fat she had helped him gain disappeared again? He hadn’t been busy with anything these past few days; why had he lost weight?

She couldn’t believe it, pinching it with her fingers, but all she could grasp was a thin layer of skin, and underneath, it was just bone!

Honestly, people with a naturally slim physique find it way too hard to put on weight!

When she entered the palace, the Crown Prince was fifteen—tall and skinny—but now, at twenty, he had grown seven to eight inches (about 20 cm). His weight, however, had remained the same, maybe gaining just seven or eight pounds, but because he grew taller, he looked even slimmer! Cheng Wanyun even suspected that the added weight was due to his bones getting heavier after growing taller.

Unlike her, after giving birth, E Linzhu and Hongxi gained fifteen pounds, and it took them two or three years to get back to normal!

Yinreng helplessly looked down at her, who was unconcerned with anyone else, freely touching him, pinching and prodding as if she wanted to untie his belt and lift it up to examine him further.

He glanced at the sun outside, noting that it was still a bit early—doing that sort of thing in the morning didn’t seem appropriate, right?

Wasn’t that what they did yesterday?

Yinreng was pondering how to refuse A Wan without hurting her feelings, while two little voices in his mind began bickering. One said, A Wan is craving your body, so what’s wrong with giving it to her? The other retorted, having such rumors spread about A Wan isn’t good! The first voice argued that if A Wan gets too frustrated, it’ll be bad for her health! The second voice shot back, what harm is there in a woman being frustrated?

Before they could even finish their argument, Yinreng heard Cheng Wanyun, with a serious expression, point a finger at his chest and say, “From now on, you need to listen to me, eat properly, and on time! Got it?”

Yinreng snapped back to attention. “Hmm?”

It turned out it wasn’t about ‘that’ matter. Yinreng silently dismissed the two little figures in his mind that had been fighting and noticed that A Wan had added beef, chicken, milk, and eggs to the meal plan.

“…” Yinreng suddenly had the feeling that the future days might be hard to bear.

With A Wan by his side, there were so many new things every day that his appetite had improved compared to before, but he wasn’t someone who ate anything. There were things he could eat, like fried fries or little snacks, but A Wan had told him not to eat too many of those because fats were bad for his body, and it had been a long time since he had them.

The banquet wouldn’t start until evening, so there was nothing to do during the day. The two of them spent their time in the room, passing the hours. Cheng Wanyun insisted on checking his tongue, pretending to be serious, and even made him open his mouth so she could look at it. After a long pause, she finally said, “Second Master, your teeth are in good shape, no cavities.”

Yinreng helplessly pulled her into his arms and gave her a playful squeeze. “Are you messing with me?”

She clearly couldn’t even check properly, yet she wanted him to open his mouth!

Cheng Wanyun just buried her face in his chest, laughing nonstop. Who would’ve guessed that Yinreng, obediently opening his mouth, actually let her hold his chin and examine him carefully for quite some time. When he closed his mouth and rubbed his cheek, it was clear that his jaw was sore.

Later, she curled up in his arms, and the two of them shared a cup of yogurt. It was the homemade yogurt that Cheng Wanyun had prepared, much thicker than the kind usually served in the palace, with bits of dried fruit, chopped nuts, and a bit of honey stirred in. It was tangy, sweet, and nutty, with a satisfying crunch.

It was much better than eating plain yogurt!

Yinreng wasn’t particularly fond of yogurt; he thought it was too sticky and left a coating in his mouth. But seeing Cheng Wanyun with a ring of white yogurt around her lips, her eyes sparkling as she ate, almost swallowing her tongue along with the yogurt, he couldn’t help but feel intrigued. She eagerly scooped him a spoonful, insisting he try it. So, he reluctantly took a bite.

It tasted better than the usual yogurt, but it was still just yogurt.

Then Cheng Wanyun handed him a second spoonful.

Yinreng had no choice but to eat another bite, especially since she had made sure to add extra nuts. He chewed slowly, savoring the nutty flavor, and they continued eating together, taking turns with each spoonful.

It wasn’t yet noon when the Crown Princess suddenly asked for someone to come and call for the Crown Prince. Yinreng didn’t want to turn her down, so he stood up and went. Cheng Wanyun lowered her head and obediently watched as the Crown Prince walked to the door with the attendant, but her ears were sharp, and she could vaguely hear the attendant telling the Crown Prince that the Crown Princess had something about silver to discuss with him.

No money for the Crown Prince? That couldn’t be!

Cheng Wanyun was startled. How could the Eastern Palace be out of money?

But then she remembered how, when the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, he was criticized as the “house-plundering emperor.” For thirteen years, he stayed in the Forbidden City, never daring to go anywhere, not even holding the hot river inspections, let alone the Southern tours. Was it because he didn’t want to do those things? No, it was mainly because Emperor Kangxi had left him with an empty treasury. He had no money! Emperor Kangxi’s economics was really poor.

Did this issue really show up now?

This time, Cheng Wanyun really guessed correctly. Her mind’s wavelength surprisingly synced with the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess had been busy until the second watch of the night before returning. After returning, she went over the list and reviewed the banquet schedule, working until after the third watch before finally resting. Then, before dawn, she was up again, out the door to continue her work.

Now, she wasn’t back because the banquet was all set, but because she had noticed something particularly alarming in the evasive and hesitant expressions of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Ma Qi, and the head of the Imperial Household, Shang Zhi!

Yinreng, entering with the attendant, had just stepped over the threshold when the Crown Princess suddenly bowed to him crisply and said sternly, “Your Highness, I fear the treasury is empty.”

When has the treasury ever had silver? Yinreng had known about this when Chief Steward Ling was in charge of the Imperial Household.

“What happened? How could Ma Qi and Shang Zhi give you that kind of attitude over such an important banquet?” Yinreng didn’t believe the treasury had no silver at all. With taxes and tributes from the vassal states coming in every year, there was no way it would be depleted before the end of the year. He suspected Ma Qi might be up to something, as the old man was notoriously stingy.

When they were repairing the Hall, he and the Fourth Prince had sat with Ma Qi for what seemed like ages, drinking two whole pots of tea, just to coax a bit of silver out of him, which the Fourth Prince then used to buy wood from Imperial Concubine Rong’s family.

The Crown Princess told the attendants to leave and shut the door before speaking again. “It’s not that Ma Qi isn’t giving, this banquet won’t cost that much, but I’ve noticed that both Ma Qi and Shang Zhi look as though they’re ready to hang themselves. They often stand under the eaves and whisper behind my back. I dare not ask too many questions, but I’m worried. You’re planning the Southern Tour next year—how can you go without any silver?”

When the Crown Princess mentioned Ma Qi and Shang Zhi worrying about the lack of silver, Yinreng immediately thought about it too.

Emperor Kangxi had issued an order for him to go on the Southern Tour, but he didn’t specify how to do it or how much silver would be provided. Was he expected to go out with nothing? Although officials would be waiting to assist along the way, there was no way he could cover the expenses out of his own pocket, right? Even if he did, he couldn’t possibly afford to support the hundreds or thousands of guards, attendants, and horses!

Had Emperor Kangxi intended to show him favor, or was this a test?

But where could he get so much silver?

Yinreng had never looked forward to this trip. He wasn’t even sure if he could take A Wan with him. He would have to figure out how to arrange funds for the journey, the horses, and everything else on his own. Thinking about it now, it seemed like a losing proposition.

“This can’t work,” Yinreng said, his face darkening as he pondered, “It’s turning into a hot potato.”

“Although His Majesty wants to help the Eastern Palace, it’s not good for us to make a move now. You don’t know, Shang Zhi recently married a woman from the Tongjia family. This Tongjia woman has a brother who was placed in the Imperial Household to serve the princes. Now, he’s under the control of the Eighth Prince,” the Crown Princess suddenly shared new information.

Yinreng understood immediately: Shang Zhi couldn’t be trusted anymore.

He nodded. The Crown Princess then smiled and said, “I’m glad you understand. Although the decree has been issued, we still need to plan ahead.”

“I understand. I’ll figure something out. It’s a rare opportunity to go on a Southern Tour, but the issue with the silver needs to be addressed. Could it be that the Southern Tour is just a formality, and the real purpose is to replenish the treasury?” Yinreng thought to himself.

The Crown Princess was relieved after delivering this news, and then remembered the evening’s events. “I still have to go out and keep an eye on some things. I leave everything at home to you and Side Concubine Cheng. The banquet won’t start until around the You hour (Between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM), so you should arrive about two quarters earlier, just like His Majesty. Don’t arrive too early and wait at Yanbo Zhishuang Zhai.”

Yinreng met her gaze.

The Crown Princess said, “Earlier, a few of the sweepers came out of Yanbo Zhishuang Zhai carrying two broken teacups.”

Understood, so it’s time to stay out of the Emperor’s sight.

The Crown Princess smiled again. “I’ve asked the other princes to arrive half an hour earlier to greet His Majesty.”

Greeting His Majesty early? Is this just a way to get scolded?

A little mischievous, but not impossible. Yinreng cleared his throat lightly. “…Later, call the Fourth and Fifth Brothers to come see me. Tell them I need to speak with them.”

Ah, Fourth and Fifth Princes are the Crown Prince’s people, they can’t be used as pawns.

The Crown Princess understood, gave a polite bow, and excused herself, as she had many other matters to attend to.

After leaving the Crown Princess, Yinreng returned to A Wan’s side.

When he left, Cheng Huai Jing had already returned with several of the children, happily riding horses. It was their first time hunting on their own, and they had quite a successful haul! The horses were laden with a full string of game. E Linzhu and Hongxuan had mostly rabbits and wild ducks, while Harinauhai had a richer catch—foxes, deer, rabbits, and minks.

Hongxi had been practicing horseback riding. While his older siblings hunted ahead, he squatted on the grass with a stick, poking at a rabbit’s den, and actually caught a nest of baby rabbits, their eyes still closed!

The Crown Prince sat under the sweet osmanthus tree in front of A Wan’s room, pondering how to get himself out of this hot situation, while Cheng Wanyun led the children, discussing how to make a nice cage for the baby rabbits.

He suddenly had a flash of insight. Of course, “a cunning rabbit has three burrows!”