Chapter 20: The Fifth Lady

Chapter 20: The Fifth Lady

When Yinqi came over in the evening, there was an obvious unease on his face. The two of them ate their most silent meal since their marriage.

An Qing’s silence stemmed from her belief that she had the upper hand; she thought it best not to gloat.

After all, in her view, Yinqi had just dealt with his beloved concubine fairly and painfully. His mood must be terrible, yet he still had to come comfort her, the victim. It must be difficult for him.

Tsk~ Although she couldn’t console him, she could at least refrain from adding to his troubles.

However, An Qing’s unusual behavior made Yinqi interpret it differently. He thought she was dissatisfied with how Liu Jiashi was handled.

Yinqi sighed silently. Indeed, he had wronged An Qing. He had spared Liu Jiashi some dignity for Hongsheng's sake.

After Nurse Zhao insisted she was solely responsible, Yinqi didn't insist on further interrogation. Instead, he confined Liu Jiashi to her quarters under the pretext of poor supervision and mismanagement.

He couldn’t let Hongsheng have a mother with a tainted reputation.

After dinner, Perilla and the others came in to serve the two masters as they washed up, then tactfully withdrew.

Yinqi sat at the desk reading, while An Qing lay on the couch, idly flipping through a storybook.

This book was something Little Xizi had found for her, claiming it was popular in the palace and many nobles enjoyed it.

But to An Qing, it seemed quite ordinary. It told the tale of a young lady from a wealthy family who went out of town to pray and encountered a heavy rainstorm. She took shelter in an old temple where she met a scholar heading to the capital for exams.

The plot was too cliché—predictably, the lady and the scholar fell in love at first sight, but her family strongly opposed the match due to the scholar’s humble background. Eventually, the scholar passed the imperial exams with flying colors, proving himself to her family and winning her heart.

Moreover, the scholar would likely be either the top scorer or one of the top three, never the second place. An Qing could guess the ending from the beginning, typical of most storybooks of this era.

The more she read, the more bored she became. Besides, she wasn’t used to reading at night; candlelight hurt her eyes. On any other day, she’d prefer lying in bed counting sheep to fall asleep rather than staying up like this.

But... she glanced secretly at Yinqi. Fine, she’d endure a bit longer.

Sigh, their relationship now felt like that of colleagues who had only recently started working together. Initially, things were fine, but then a conflict of interest arose, making everything awkward.

It was uncomfortable.

Yinqi wasn’t feeling much better. He hadn’t turned a page in his book for a long time, his thoughts often drifting to An Qing nearby.

After a while, he suddenly got up and walked toward her.

An Qing, who wasn’t focused, immediately turned when she sensed movement. Seeing Yinqi standing right in front of her, she was taken aback.

"Is... is there something?" she stammered.

Yinqi nodded instinctively. After a moment of hesitation, he seemed to make a decision and said, "I’m sorry for upsetting you."

An Qing exclaimed, "Ah," confused by his sudden apology.

And why was he apologizing? Wasn’t he the one who should be upset?

"I’m not upset," she said sincerely, looking at him. Then, realizing what might have prompted his words, she quickly explained, "I have no objections to how Liu Jiashi was handled. Thank you for dealing with it fairly."

In fact, the outcome exceeded her expectations. She never anticipated Yinqi would take Hongsheng away from Liu Jiashi’s courtyard.

To put it bluntly, Liu Jiashi hadn’t attempted anything lethal. With Nurse Zhao taking full responsibility, she could only be blamed for poor supervision.

That charge could be minor or severe. If Yinqi truly wanted to protect her, he could blame the servant’s insubordination and Liu Jiashi’s weakness. She might even be seen as a victim.

The only concrete evidence against her was the ledger.

Regardless of whether An Qing admitted it, the ledger issue could be minor or major. Liu Jiashi had already lost her management rights, so the punishment would be limited to making her return the embezzled funds.

So, An Qing’s initial goal wasn’t about punishing Liu Jiashi; it was about Yinqi’s attitude.

By taking Hongsheng away, Yinqi sent a clear message to the household and gave Liu Jiashi a stern warning.

"Then why haven’t you spoken much tonight?" Yinqi asked, seeing she seemed sincere.

An Qing blinked innocently. "I thought you were in a bad mood."

Yinqi was taken aback, not expecting this reason.

So, both of them assumed the other was in a bad mood, leading to their silence?

Though amusing, it made sense.

He nodded slightly, then asked, "Did you initially plan not to tell me about the ledger?"

The ledger had been in her possession for days, and the markings indicated it wasn’t written recently.

An Qing smiled, not denying it. "I thought these small matters shouldn’t trouble you. Since Liu Jiashi hasn’t been managing for long and nothing irreparable has happened, I planned to find a reason later to compensate the servants and the two Princesses for what they lost."

As for where the compensation would come from, she wouldn’t bear the cost. Liu Jiashi would have to pay.

After all, the ledger existed, and she couldn’t deny it.

But now, it was easier. This afternoon, Nurse Feng from the front courtyard came and said Liu Jiashi had returned the embezzled funds, which An Qing would use to compensate those affected.

Perilla estimated the amount to be more than enough.

Yinqi understood everything. He recalled An Qing’s earlier words, "Liu Jiashi is someone you hold dear, and she bore your eldest son. I never intended to cause her trouble."

He then remembered the rumors in the palace when he requested Liu Jiashi’s promotion to concubine. An Qing must have heard them, which is why she said that.

Seeing his hesitant expression, An Qing couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong?"

A hint of guilt flashed across Yinqi’s face. "Shortly after our arranged marriage, I hurried to request Liu Jiashi’s promotion to concubine. I didn’t want Hongsheng to be separated from his mother at such a young age. I didn’t mean to offend you."

An Qing was taken aback. She had thought about the concept of a mother gaining status through her son, but she hadn't considered it to this extent.

However, she quickly understood.

Yinqi had grown up under the care of the Empress Dowager. Although she doted on him, no child could be without thoughts of their birth mother. This must have been a significant regret deep in his heart.

Therefore, after his own son was born, he immediately wanted to keep the child with his birth mother, as a form of compensation for his own childhood.

Yinqi sighed and murmured, "But I never expected her character to be so despicable. The child cannot stay with her any longer; otherwise, he will surely be led astray."

After saying this, he seemed to think of something and looked at An Qing, "I've sent Hongsheng to the front yard for now. By the rules, the child should be raised in your courtyard, but seeing how weak he is, I thought it best to..."

An Qing's alarm bells went off. What did he mean by that?

Was he going to raise the child for a while before handing him over to her?

No way! She didn't want to raise a child.

But she couldn't say that outright. As a Fu Jin, one of her duties was to raise the children, not just her own, but all of Yinqi's children.

"Your consideration is wise," An Qing said sincerely, looking at him. "You've seen it yourself, I am indeed useless, unable even to manage my own servants. If anything were to happen to the little prince under my care, I would be utterly responsible."

She then lowered her head in shame, showing a deeply remorseful expression.

Seeing her so self-reproachful, Yinqi comforted her, "Don't worry about today's incident. It was all due to those disloyal servants, not you."

An Qing couldn't really feel too guilty and quickly took the opportunity to move on.

However, she didn't want to linger on the topic of the child, so she changed the subject, "What about the rumors in the palace?"

Yinqi waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, Mother has already handled it. You can plant whatever you like in your courtyard now; no one will dare to say anything."

With his mother bringing in the Emperor, who would dare to challenge her?

Hearing that Concubine Yi had helped, An Qing was surprised.

So after she left Yikun Palace this morning, Concubine Yi had already sent someone to handle the matter?

Oh, what good fortune to have such a kind and beautiful mother-in-law!

An Qing was so excited she almost jumped up.

Even until bedtime, her mind was filled with only one thought: tomorrow morning, she would choose a proper gift from the storeroom and personally thank her beautiful mother-in-law at Yikun Palace.

However, plans often don't keep pace with changes. The next day, just after breakfast, before she could even open the storeroom, someone from Ningshou Palace arrived, saying the Empress Dowager wanted to see her.

An Qing guessed it might be related to yesterday's incident. Liu Jiashi was chosen by the Empress Dowager for Yinqi, and he must have informed her about the punishment.

But why today... Could it be to admonish her?

The more An Qing thought about it, the more likely it seemed. In a sense, Liu Jiashi was also the Empress Dowager's person. With the incident, she might feel disgraced and blame An Qing.

If that were the case, she would have to accept it, as the word 'filial piety' left no room for argument.

With a nervous heart, An Qing arrived at Ningshou Palace. To her surprise, the Empress Dowager showed no signs of displeasure. She treated An Qing as warmly as before, chatting amiably and offering her some snacks from Ningshou Palace.

"These red bean pastries are made by the palace maids here. They taste quite good; try them."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

An Qing picked up a piece of red bean pastry and took a small bite, wondering if this wasn't meant to be a reprimand.

Just as she was confused, the Empress Dowager finally sipped her tea and got to the point.

"I heard you enjoy planting flowers. Coincidentally, Fengcheng Garden sent a few pots of orchids recently. They look nice; take two pots back to grow."

An Qing was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding.

Why was she suddenly being given flowers?

But she wasn't foolish. After considering the events, she quickly understood the Empress Dowager's intention.

Yesterday, the entire palace was filled with rumors about her planting flowers herself, calling it crude. Today, the Empress Dowager gave her two pots of flowers, clearly supporting her actions and warning others not to criticize.

She had misjudged the Empress Dowager, thinking she would make things difficult for her. An Qing felt embarrassed.

Of course, she knew the Empress Dowager's support was due to Yinqi, to maintain his dignity.

She had no such face in the Empress Dowager's eyes.

Indeed, people in later generations always remarked that Yinqi had a wonderful grandmother. Whenever there was something good, Emperor Kangxi would never leave out his fifth son, all because of the Empress Dowager's influence.

Now, experiencing it firsthand, An Qing truly felt the weight of this favor.

While Concubine Yi dealt with the rumors by leveraging Emperor Kangxi's authority, the Empress Dowager was straightforward—her rules were the rules.

An Qing was now completely reassured and chatted with the Empress Dowager for a while. Then, the Empress Dowager said she was tired and asked Wu Lan to take An Qing to the flower house to pick the flowers.

The flower house was behind the main hall, circling around the east warm pavilion and walking along a pebble path.

Since the Empress Dowager liked tending to the flowers herself, the flower house was meticulously built and beautifully maintained.

"The orchids are at the far end of the flower house. Follow me, Fifth Fu Jin," Wu Lan said.

An Qing smiled and replied, "Thank you, Auntie."

The flower house didn't seem very large, but it housed many varieties of flowers. She saw roses, hibiscus, begonias, and honeysuckle. Even a few unopened night-blooming cereus were growing in copper pots in the corner.

Apart from these seasonal flowers, An Qing also noticed that there was a greenhouse next to the flower house, which was presumably used for cultivating out-of-season flowers during winter.

An Qing followed Wu Lan for a while and finally stopped in front of a flower stand.

"Fu Jin, these are the orchids Empress Dowager mentioned. Please choose two pots," said Wu Lan, pointing to the side.

An Qing looked over and indeed saw several pots of thriving Cymbidiums placed there. It was currently the flowering season for Cymbidiums, and all the pots had bloomed with vibrant flowers, emitting a unique fragrance of orchids when approached closely.

"In that case, I won't be polite, Wu Lan."

Wu Lan smiled kindly, "Fu Jin, please don't hesitate. Empress Dowager genuinely wants to show affection to her juniors. If you're too polite, she would be unhappy."

Though Wu Lan said this, An Qing wasn't one to be unreasonable. She chose two pots conventionally, not picking the best-blooming ones nor the worst-looking ones.

Wu Lan observed this and couldn't help but flash a look of approval.

After selecting the flowers, everyone prepared to leave. However, An Qing's gaze suddenly fell on the peony section nearby.

That peony...

Seeing An Qing pause, Wu Lan turned around and followed her gaze, asking, "Fu Jin, is there something wrong?"

An Qing snapped back to reality and quickly smiled, "No, nothing. Let's go out, Wu Lan."

Wu Lan personally escorted An Qing out of Ningshou Palace before returning to Empress Dowager's side.

Empress Dowager glanced at her, "She's gone?"

Wu Lan smiled, "Rest assured, I personally escorted Fu Jin out, and many people witnessed it."

Empress Dowager lightly hummed in acknowledgment and didn't say anything else.

Noticing that Empress Dowager's tea had cooled, Wu Lan brewed a fresh pot, and the two chatted idly.

"Just now, I almost couldn't hold back seeing Fu Jin's expression. She must have thought you were going to take Liu Jiashi's side."

Recalling An Qing's timid expression, Wu Lan couldn't help but laugh.

A hint of amusement flashed in Empress Dowager's eyes as she lightly hummed, "I'm not senile yet; I know who's close and who's distant."

Although she had chosen Liu Jiashi for the Fifth Prince, it was merely because she found her attractive; there was no other intention.

She didn't even meddle in Kangxi's harem, so why would she interfere in the Fifth Prince's household?

Moreover, An Qing was her maternal family's junior, far more significant than any Liu Jiashi.

Wu Lan understood Empress Dowager and smiled, "But from this incident, we can see that the Fifth Prince treats Fu Jin well. They will surely live harmoniously in the future."

Empress Dowager sipped her tea, "I hope so."

The Fifth Prince was someone she truly cared for, and she hoped he and his Fu Jin could live happily together, united as one.

Additionally, she had a personal wish. Having spent most of her life in the palace, from the Grand Empress Dowager to herself and then to Xianfu Palace's concubines, spanning three dynasties, the only woman from Horqin known to have found happiness in the imperial harem was Empress Dowager Xiaozhuangwen, Haizhuyu, whom she had never met.

Over the years, countless women from Horqin had come and gone through the Forbidden City, entering full of vitality but losing their luster soon after.

Empress Dowager sincerely hoped to witness a woman from Horqin find happiness within the Forbidden City in her lifetime.

Having served her for many years, Wu Lan could read Empress Dowager's thoughts and shifted the topic to prevent her from dwelling on negative emotions.

"While in the flower house, Fu Jin lingered for a long time in front of the peony sent by the Emperor. She seemed to appreciate its rarity. I believe Fu Jin genuinely loves and understands flowers."

Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised, "Really?"

In Mongolia, where nomadism predominates, people generally aren't skilled in such matters. She herself only developed an interest in flowers after coming to the palace.

The palace was lonely, and movement was restricted, so finding a pastime to pass the time in a confined courtyard was essential.

She assumed An Qing was similar.

"Well, since it still has some aesthetic value, you should personally deliver the Emperor's peony to the Fifth Prince's household."