Chapter 7: The Imperial Banquet

Ever since she became pregnant, Lady Song had lost her appetite. After the third month, the constant acid reflux and vomiting set in. A beauty who had once been pleasantly plump withered away like a punctured balloon in just a few days, listless and unable to muster any energy.

Dujuan brought in a food box and arranged the meal on the desk—there were over a dozen dishes in total.

Lady Song was startled. This far exceeded the portion allotted to her as a Gege. She immediately asked, "Why did the main kitchen send so much food?"

Dujuan replied, "The first four or five dishes are our standard portion. The rest were specially added by the Primary Wife’s courtyard. Hearing that you haven't been able to eat lately, the Primary Wife was concerned for the child in your womb, so she took it upon herself to transfer half of her own portion to you."

During her pregnancy, Lady Song was prone to overthinking. Coupled with the complications that had arisen from the task she had entrusted to Xique, she couldn't help but feel a mix of defensiveness and insecurity. She sneered repeatedly, "The Primary Wife is always so good at playing the virtuous one. I wouldn't starve to death without eating these things. Isn't she just sending food over now to buy herself a good reputation? When word gets out, it will be framed as me, Song Wanru, being arrogant due to favor, making it seem as if she is the one being suppressed by me."

The more she thought about it, the more her heart raced. She felt that although the Primary Wife usually kept quiet, her heart was truly malicious.

Last year, the scandal in the Fifth Prince's courtyard had become known throughout the palace. It was said that he favored his Gege, Lady Liujia, to such an extent that the Fifth Primary Wife had no standing, driving her to run to the Yikun Palace in tears.

Later, that Gege was severely reprimanded by Consort Yi. Everyone thought it was over, but somehow the news reached the Emperor’s ears. As a result, not only the Fifth Prince but even Consort Yi herself were given a harsh lecture, with the Emperor scolding the Fifth Prince for favoring a concubine over his wife.

With that precedent, the concubines in the other Princes' courtyards who had been acting arrogant all kept their heads down. Now, to prevent such things from happening, those of them who were Geges walked on eggshells, terrified that the same might befall them. Being scolded wasn't the main issue; it was fatal if they ended up causing their Prince to be cast aside.

Seeing her so agitated, Dujuan didn't know what to say. She didn't think the Primary Wife had any ill intentions, but ever since the death of the Eldest Gege, Lady Song had held a deep grudge against her, and anything Dujuan said now felt like salt in the wound.

Yet, the tragedy of the Eldest Gege could not be blamed entirely on the Primary Wife.

Lady Song hadn't even known she was pregnant when she was carrying the Eldest Gege; she had offended the Primary Wife and was punished with kneeling. When the bleeding started, everyone in the courtyard was terrified. In the following months, the main courtyard had continuously sent medicinal herbs to restore her vitality, and the imperial physicians were summoned frequently. Yet, the Eldest Gege was born with a weak constitution and passed away before she was even a month old. That was how the feud between Lady Song and the Primary Wife had begun.

To Dujuan, it was a tangled, messy knot that could neither be cut nor sorted out.

But for Lady Song, it was a debt of blood—the murder of her daughter.

Thinking of this, she stroked her belly. This pregnancy was also difficult, and the cravings were similar to the last one; she feared it was another girl. Perhaps the Eldest Gege had come back to find her.

At this thought, Lady Song forced herself to pick up her chopsticks and eat a few bites. The Primary Wife might have a thousand faults, but she was a woman of good breeding; she would never resort to tampering with food.

Regret suddenly washed over her for using underhanded methods to harm the Eldest Prince. She hadn't known she was pregnant at the time, but now she worried that if she brought bad karma upon the child in her womb because of her actions, she, as a mother, would be ruining her child’s life.

Anxious and uneasy, she called out to Dujuan, "Prepare some paper and ink for me. I want to transcribe scriptures for the Eldest Gege."

In Lady Song's courtyard, there was a statue of Guanyin, enshrined after the Eldest Gege passed away. As she transcribed the scriptures, she thought not only of the Eldest Gege but also included the Eldest Prince, hoping the Goddess of Mercy would protect him as he grew up.

If there truly were karmic retributions, she was willing to bear them all herself—they must not fall upon the child in her womb.

***

Deep winter was the time when breath turned to frost. Snow had fallen all night, bowing the branches of the pines and cypresses, and the eunuchs in the courtyard were hunched over, sweeping away the snow.

Inside Lady Li’s room, the charcoal fire burned brightly. Yu Yan huddled inside, unwilling to even wear a padded jacket; she felt no cold in just a thin mantle. She was currently fond of teasing Hongfen.

In her life before transmigrating, Yu Yan’s original family was quite dysfunctional. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and after they both quickly remarried, they treated their daughter like a hot potato. In the end, it was her grandmother who took pity on her and brought her home.

But "taking care of her" meant only ensuring she had enough to eat so she wouldn't starve. Her parents sent a small amount of money each month, fulfilling their duty until she turned eighteen, at which point they intended to wash their hands of her.

Thinking of this, Yu Yan felt a sense of relief. She had transmigrated inexplicably just after turning eighteen. Although it was a feudal society, the parents here treated her well. She had no desire to return; living here as a child was quite nice.

"Ah-ah."

Hongfen wiggled his little bottom, creeping toward Yu Yan. He was at the age where he was learning to crawl, but perhaps due to his naturally weak constitution, his movements were clumsy, and his thin little arms and legs were heartbreaking to see.

Yu Yan, with a bit of mischief, patted Hongfen’s only slightly chubby bottom, causing him to wail.

Lady Li was both amused and annoyed, poking her daughter’s head. "Why must you always provoke your brother?"

"Let him move around!" Yu Yan said with righteous confidence.

Lady Li scooped up the red-faced, crying Hongfen, feeling too much tenderness to stay angry at her daughter. She sighed helplessly, "Your brother’s health is very poor; it’s already good that he is like this."

Yu Yan had never raised a child, but through the chaotic information on the internet, she knew that the weaker a child was, the more they should move within their capabilities. Hongfen was still small, so she could only tease him into crawling more. When he was a little older, she could take him running around.

"Ah-ah."

Hongfen had just been coaxed into silence, tears still hanging on his lashes, when he turned his head toward Yu Yan and reached out his hands.

Lady Li laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, you forget the pain as soon as you stop crying; you're already trying to provoke your sister again."

Despite her words, Lady Li felt a warmth in her heart. Siblings were, after all, connected by blood. She only had these two children now, and each was the apple of her eye; naturally, she hoped they would be close.

Yu Yan had never experienced this feeling before. She climbed onto the kang excitedly, leaned toward Hongfen, and said in a milky voice, "Call me, Sister!"

Nanny Chen beamed. "The Second Prince is only seven months old; how could he know how to speak? After the New Year, when spring arrives, the Second Gege will hear him call her sister."

Yu Yan turned to look out the window at the clusters of kerria flowers, nearly buried by the snow. When spring warmed the earth and the kerria bloomed, her little brother would be able to call her sister.

***

What did it feel like to be a big sister?

Yu Yan was curious. Back in the modern world, her divorced parents had each given birth to a younger brother and sister, but Yu Yan had never met them. Presumably, they wouldn't have any impression or affection for her, their "cheap" sister.

Hongfen was different; they were siblings born of the same mother.

"The New Year is approaching, so we should tidy up the courtyard and give the maids and eunuchs some extra money for the holiday," Lady Li instructed Yuetao.

The New Year was the most important event of the year. Because there were rumors in the palace that the Emperor intended to grant titles to the older princes after the New Year, this year's celebrations were particularly grand.

Early in the morning, the rough-work eunuchs in the Fourth Prince’s rear courtyard were busy, sweeping floors and hanging couplets. The palace maids were not idle either. Although Lady Li and the others were not qualified to attend the palace banquet, the Primary Wife and the three children in the rear courtyard were required to go, so all the clothes and hand warmers had to be prepared.

Yu Yan was awakened by a chorus of crying. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog, and held out her hands to let Yuetao and the others dress her.

"The Eldest Prince was caught in a draft when he arrived earlier, so he likely has a stomach upset and can't stop crying," Nanny Chen said as she put on her fleece hat and scarf. Finally, she handed her a scented sachet before carrying her out.

Since her eldest brother was born, Yu Yan hadn't seen much of him. Because they weren't born of the same mother like Hongfen, she hadn't paid much attention to him. But hearing the miserable crying of the young child outside, she couldn't help but poke her little head out.

Both little princes were held by their respective wet nurses. The Primary Wife was waiting for her in the room to the west of Yu Yan’s, and a bowl of millet and pumpkin porridge was set on the table.

Yu Yan trotted over to the Primary Wife, feeling a bit confused. It was expected that there would be food at the palace banquet, so why had the Primary Wife prepared an extra portion for her?

"Eat quickly, Erlinzhu. You likely won't be able to eat much at the banquet," the Primary Wife said with a gentle smile.

Though called a family banquet, the food at the palace was essentially boiled dishes cooked by Manchu chefs. Furthermore, the rituals were so extensive that by the time they could actually eat, the food would likely be cold. Not only was the flavor bland, but it would be hard on a child's stomach.

Yu Yan didn't fully understand the reason, but she obediently drank the pumpkin porridge, spoonful by spoonful.

The banquet was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, some distance from the Southern Three Halls where they usually lived. Yu Yan started off walking with her short legs, but her pace was far too slow, and with the biting wind whistling, the Primary Wife quickly ordered Nanny Chen to pick her up and carry her until they reached the entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

In front of the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the Emperor's imperial banquet table. The princes and their families were seated on both sides. Sitting slightly below the Emperor was the Crown Prince.

When Yu Yan and the others entered, the Eldest Prince, the Crown Prince, and the Emperor had not yet arrived. The Fourth Prince was up front talking with the Third Prince. The Primary Wife took her seat with the two little princes and didn't forget to whisper to Nanny Chen, "Don't feed Erlinzhu the food from the palace banquet. If there are any pastries, break them into small pieces and feed her those instead."

Gold-thread charcoal burned in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, sparks popping high into the air. Everyone sat in quiet anticipation, waiting for the arrival of the master of the house.