Chapter 7: Concubine Wuya is Rising

Chapter 7: Concubine Wuya's Star is Rising

Fang Yu saw a table full of breakfast dishes, a dazzling array with everything you could want—egg white shrimp, sweet and sour fish rolls, braised deer tendon, and over twenty other dishes laid out on the table. She thought to herself, "The imperial family is truly extravagant."

She noticed that the Emperor indeed took no more than three bites of each dish, adhering to the 'three bites rule.' She, on the other hand, was different, eating only what she liked. Even so, she only had one stomach, and being naturally slim with a small appetite, she didn’t eat much, but still ended up feeling full.

Originally, she could have taken the sedan chair from the Office of Imperial Affairs back to Yonghe Palace, but she chose to walk instead, just to walk off the meal. Feeling it was still early, she strolled with Pan Liu to the Imperial Garden for a casual walk.

The morning Imperial Garden was cool and refreshing, filled with the scent of flowers. It was September, and the garden was bursting with colorful blooms, lush and vibrant. She walked up to an osmanthus tree, lifted her head to smell the flowers.

"Isn’t this Sister Wuya?"

A woman’s voice came from behind. Fang Yu turned around to see an unfamiliar face. She didn’t know who the other person was, as she mostly interacted with lower-ranking Answering Attendants in the palace. She first bowed to the woman in greeting.

The woman was only seventeen or eighteen, with striking, bold features, a rare beauty. She wore a lotus-patterned unlined garment made of solid gauze in lotus root color, her hair styled in a small double-bun adorned with silver-gilt hairpins inlaid with jewels, and glossy jade bracelets on both wrists. Her attire had a noble air, and she was followed by three bondservants.

"Sister, didn’t you serve the Emperor last night? Are you just coming from the Palace of Heavenly Purity?"

"I just came from the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Might I ask which sister you are?"

"I am Noble Lady Guo."

Fang Yu understood—this was the woman who would later become one of the Four Consorts alongside her. At this moment, Noble Lady Guo looked at her with a mix of arrogance and dissatisfaction.

"Sister Wuya, you are now the most favored person in the rear palace. How is it that you don’t even have a decent piece of jewelry? It looks so poor."

Fang Yu had only been summoned three times—how could she be the most favored? She thought she might have misread the situation, but it turned out Noble Lady Guo truly disliked her. Instead of taking offense at the sarcasm, she smiled and said, "Noble Lady Guo, I truly don’t have any decent jewelry. I see the jade bracelets on your wrists are quite beautiful. How about you gift me one?"

"Why should I gift it to you?"

Fang Yu curled her lips and continued, "So that wasn’t your intention. I thought you saw that I lacked decent jewelry and were generous enough to want to gift me a piece. I must have misunderstood."

Guoluo Nuomin, faced with her bondservants, found herself in a dilemma—whether to give the bracelet or not. If she refused, it would make her seem stingy. Seeing Wuya Shi smiling at her, she had no choice but to take off the jade bracelet from her left wrist. Lifting her chin slightly in anger and arrogance, she said, "Take it. I’ll consider it like giving to a beggar."

Fang Yu got a free bracelet. No matter what Noble Lady Guo said, it was better to take it than not. She directly put it on her wrist and praised, "Thank you, sister. This bracelet is truly beautiful. You are so generous. How could I, your humble sister, deserve such a lovely bracelet? Sister, shall we continue strolling in the Imperial Garden?"

Guoluo Nuomin, having lost a fine bracelet, was in no mood to continue walking in the garden. She didn’t even want to see Wuya Shi’s face and quickly made an excuse to leave.

Fang Yu watched them leave and couldn’t help but chuckle, her mood greatly improved. She continued her stroll in the Imperial Garden. Her wrist was too thin for the bracelet, which seemed too large, so she simply tucked it into her pocket for safekeeping.

...

Meanwhile, Kangxi returned to the study of the Palace of Heavenly Purity after hearing reports from officials of various ministries and offices. The rebellion of the Three Feudatories meant new memorials arrived daily from the feudal regions.

He knew the matter was serious and could not be suppressed or resolved in a day or two. The power and military strength of the feudal lords were immeasurable. They had established themselves as local rulers and even begun recruiting soldiers and buying horses, posing a threat to the Qing Dynasty’s regime.

After reading the memorials, he felt extremely agitated. Remembering that he hadn’t paid his respects to the Grand Empress Dowager for several days, he went to her quarters to inquire after her health and seek her advice on handling the rebellion of the Three Feudatories. The Grand Empress Dowager was a wise and far-sighted person. Before he had assumed personal rule, she had taught him hands-on and assisted him. Perhaps she would have a good solution.

Kangxi arrived at the main hall of Cining Palace to pay his respects to the Grand Empress Dowager.

The Grand Empress Dowager motioned for Kangxi to rise. In terms of filial piety, the Emperor had done very well, paying respects to her every few days and rarely defying her. After the Emperor assumed personal rule, she gradually stepped back, allowing him to make his own decisions on many matters. She knew that the Emperor had been controlled by others in his youth, and now that he had grown up, he certainly did not want to be controlled again, even by her, the Grand Empress Dowager.

"Grand Empress Dowager, have you been eating well these past few days?"

"Everything is fine on my end. It’s the Emperor who looks thinner."

Kangxi took the opportunity to express his worries about the rebellion of the feudal lords. "Grand Empress Dowager, what do you think the Qing Dynasty should do?"

The Grand Empress Dowager had long been aware of the rebellion of the feudal lords, which already threatened the safety of the Qing Dynasty.

"Emperor, since our Manchu people entered the Central Plains, whether it was during Taizong’s reign or the previous Emperor’s, the strategy has always been to win over the Han people. The Han are the majority, so we must win them over. What you must do now, Emperor, is still to win over the Han people. If the Emperor wins the people’s hearts, those rebellious feudal lords will be seen as traitors. The inheritance of the throne is vital to the fate of our Qing Dynasty. The Han emphasize establishing the eldest son of the primary wife as the heir. Emperor, you should establish the child of Hesheli Shi as the Crown Prince. After you establish the Crown Prince, the Hesheli clan will serve the Qing Dynasty, and other families will also remain loyal, working together to help the Emperor suppress the feudal rebellion."

In the past, the previous Emperor had not appointed an heir in advance. When the previous Emperor fell seriously ill, the court was in turmoil for a time. Appointing an heir early would not only stabilize people’s hearts but also let the rebels know that the Qing Dynasty had a successor. If anything were to happen to the Emperor, the Qing Dynasty would not fall.

The Grand Empress Dowager knew the Emperor’s affection for the Empress. The two had been together for ten years. That child was the Empress’s posthumous son. Love for the person extends even to the crows on her roof—this child was dearer to the Emperor's heart compared to his other children. As the son of the Empress, it was only right and proper for him to be established as the Crown Prince. The Emperor had few heirs. Aside from the prince born from the Empress, only one other prince and one princess had survived so far; the others had died young.

Kangxi pondered the Grand Empress Dowager’s words carefully. Her words made sense. Although the child was only three months old, he was the son of him and the Empress. He should become the Crown Prince—the legitimate son of the primary wife. The child of him and the Empress was naturally of utmost nobility.

"Emperor, go back and think it over carefully. Discuss it with Gabula and Suo Etu."

"Yes, Grand Empress Dowager. Your grandson understands."

Kangxi left Cining Palace and returned by sedan chair to the study of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. As he sat down, he seemed to remember something and instructed Liang Jiugong, "Go to the Imperial Household Department. Have them send some things to Wuya Shi. Say it is my reward to her."

Kangxi knew that Wuya Shi came from a bondservant background, with an undistinguished family status. The few times he had seen her, she was dressed very plainly. This morning, he noticed she wore only a simple silver hairpin and her clothes were made of ordinary material—likely, she had no valuable jewelry or fine fabrics.

He quite liked Wuya Shi’s temperament and decided to elevate her status.

Liang Jiugong acknowledged the order, thinking to himself that Concubine Wuya was really about to rise. But the Emperor hadn’t specified what to reward her with, so as a bondservant, he had to interpret the Emperor’s intentions. Giving too much wouldn’t do, nor would giving too little.

He couldn’t help but sigh to himself as he left the Palace of Heavenly Purity.