Chapter 46: Retreating to the Summer Palace

Chapter 46: Escaping the Heat at the Traveling Palace

On June 5th of the 23rd year of the Kangxi era, it was the first day of school for Yin Zhen and the others. Before dawn, Fang Yu had already risen, overseeing two maids as they dressed Yin Zhu.

"Mama, I don’t want to go to school."

As the maid wiped his face, Yin Zhu turned toward her and pleaded. At four years old, he had grown quite a bit and was already very talkative. Sometimes Fang Yu even found he talked too much. But then again, four was the age to start school, and she didn’t expect him to become a great scholar anyway.

"It’s alright. If you’re tired or sleepy, you can rest your head on the desk. Didn’t you say you wanted to play with your Fourth Brother? If you go to school, you’ll see him every day."

"Alright then."

Fang Yu gently patted his little face and had breakfast served. While Yin Zhu was eating, she called over Little Zheng and Little An, the eunuchs assigned to attend to him. Both were sixteen years old. She asked if they had everything prepared.

"Your Highness, everything is ready."

"Are the snacks that the Sixth Prince likes packed? What about the goat's milk?"

"Your Highness, everything is prepared and kept warm. We won’t let the young prince go hungry, rest assured."

Seeing there was nothing else to arrange, Fang Yu watched as Yin Zhu finished his meal and then saw him out of Jingren Palace. She thought to herself that when a child goes to school, the child has to wake up early, and so does the mother. Fortunately, it was only the first day; she probably wouldn’t get up this early to see him off tomorrow.

After sending the child off, Fang Yu went back to catch more sleep.

Two hours later, while she was having her meal, Consort Duan came to visit. The Seventh Prince, Yin You, was also starting school at the study chamber today.

Consort Duan said with a smile, "Now that the children are in school, we mothers who usually worry about them suddenly find ourselves with free time. I didn’t know what to do next, so I thought I’d come over and chat with you."

The Seventh Prince, Yin You, had given Consort Duan plenty to worry about. The child was born missing two toes, and later his feet didn’t develop fully. Now he walked with a slight limp, and it was uncertain whether it would improve as he grew older.

But having the Seventh Prince had made Consort Duan’s life in the palace much more fulfilling. Having a child meant worrying about many things—food, clothing, shelter, transportation—and children were prone to falling ill.

"Sister, don’t even mention it. I don’t know what to do either. They won’t be back until at least 3 in the afternoon. We’ll be free the entire day."

The princes’ school hours were from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., so they had to prepare food for them in advance to ensure they wouldn’t go hungry during the day.

"Sister, let’s take a walk in the Imperial Garden later."

Fang Yu nodded.

In early June, the Imperial Garden was pleasantly warm, neither too hot nor too cold, filled with the fragrance of flowers. The pond in the garden was blooming with lotuses, and the golden carp swam happily.

Fang Yu and Consort Duan stood by the pond, scattering fish food. Perhaps because someone fed the fish every day, they were already full and showed little interest in the food.

"These fish are being lazy too," Consort Duan said with a laugh.

"Greetings to Consort De, greetings to Consort Duan. May Your Highnesses have good fortune."

Fang Yu and Consort Duan turned around and exchanged a glance, both somewhat unfamiliar with the person before them. The young woman appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a delicate and pretty appearance, dressed in a blue-purple Manchu gown. She didn’t seem to be one of the palace concubines, and they hadn’t seen her before.

"I am Hesheli Ruixuan."

Fang Yu and Consort Duan suddenly realized—it was Little Hesheli Shi. When Little Hesheli Shi first entered the palace, she was only five years old and had been living in the Gege Quarters. They hadn’t expected her to have grown up so much, now graceful and elegant.

There was another Hesheli Answering Attendant in the palace, a clanswoman of the deceased Empress Renxiao, but she wasn’t particularly favored. A clanswoman was different from a true younger sister—this was Empress Renxiao’s actual younger sister.

Everyone in the palace knew that Little Hesheli Shi had been sent to the palace to become a concubine, but she was too young at the time and had been raised in the Gege Quarters.

Now, it seemed Little Hesheli Shi had unknowingly reached the age to attend to the emperor.

"So it’s you, sister. It’s been so long—you’ve grown so graceful," Consort Duan said, stepping forward to take Little Hesheli Shi’s hand and help her up.

"I did not dare to avoid paying respects upon seeing Your Highnesses."

"There’s no need for such formality. Consort De and I are not ones to stand on ceremony. You’ve really changed so much—I still remember how cute you were as a child, and now you’ve grown into such a beauty."

"My appearance is far inferior to Your Highnesses’."

Consort Duan chuckled lightly, saying that they were already past their prime, unlike her who was in the prime of her youth.

"Your Highnesses are beautiful—how could you be old and fading?"

Seeing that they were about to continue complimenting each other, Fang Yu interrupted, "It’s a pleasure to meet you today, sister. If you have free time, why not join us in feeding the fish?"

"Alright."

Fang Yu handed some fish food to Little Hesheli Shi.

The three of them stood by the pond feeding the fish together.

Consort Duan asked if Little Hesheli Shi still lived in the Gege Quarters. She nodded and said she was used to living there.

Fang Yu thought to herself that once Little Hesheli Shi began attending to the emperor, she probably wouldn’t live in the Gege Quarters anymore. The Hesheli clan surely wouldn’t let her remain just a "Gege" in the palace. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent her to the palace not long after Empress Renxiao’s death, likely hoping she would gain favor and bear royal children.

After spending some time in the Imperial Garden, they went their separate ways. On the way back, Fang Yu asked if Little Hesheli Shi resembled Empress Renxiao.

The emperor still visited Jingling for a day or two every year on the anniversary of Empress Renxiao’s death to pay his respects. Moreover, he had made her son the crown prince and raised him personally. It was clear he still held feelings for her—she was likely his eternal white moonlight.

"There is some resemblance, but Empress Renxiao was more dignified and virtuous."

After returning to Jingren Palace, Fang Yu put Little Hesheli Shi out of her mind. When Yin Zhu returned from school, she asked him how his first day went. Yin Zhu only said there were many people, and when asked what he had learned, he couldn’t say.

"Did you see your Fourth Brother? How was he?"

"Fourth Brother wouldn’t talk to me during class. He said he needed to listen to the teacher."

Fang Yu tapped Yin Zhu’s forehead. This child wanted to chat during class, but it was understandable—a four-year-old like Yin Zhu couldn’t sit still for long.

"Your Fourth Brother needs to focus on class. Let him concentrate, and you can talk to others."

Yin Zhu nodded, though he didn’t seem to fully understand.

After questioning Yin Zhu, Fang Yu also asked Little Zheng and the others. From them, she learned that Yin Zhu had adapted well on his first day—he didn’t cry or fuss but kept trying to talk to others, especially the Seventh Prince.

Since she and Consort Duan often interacted, Yin Zhu was naturally much closer to the Seventh Prince than to Yin Zhen. Little Zheng mentioned that Yin Zhen was much more focused in class and didn’t get distracted much, though he did talk to Yin Zhu during breaks.

Fang Yu felt relieved.

That evening, Fang Yu's plaque was drawn.

At night, the emperor clung to her, nipping and biting, which annoyed her somewhat.

"Your Majesty, could you please not leave so many marks on me? Are you a dog or something?"

"You really... If anyone else dared speak to me like that, they’d have lost their head long ago."

"But it’s true."

Kangxi bit her again. Her skin was thin and easily marked, even without much force. The older he got, the more he enjoyed these kinds of games—it gave him a sense of accomplishment, especially when he managed to make her blush and angry.

This time he released inside. Over the past couple of years, she had always said she was afraid of having another child, and since Yinzhu was still young, he had rarely done so.

Afterward, he told her that in a half-month, they would go to the summer palace to retreat from the summer heat.

"Retreat from the heat? Can I go too?"

Kangxi embraced her, laughing, "Of course you can go. My telling you means I intend to bring you along."

"What about Yinzhu and the others?"

"They'll come too."

Fang Yu was puzzled, "But aren't they supposed to be attending classes at the Shangshufang? Can they still have lessons at the summer palace?"

Kangxi tweaked her cheek. "We'll just have the teachers accompany us. Those teachers are selected from among the ministers anyway, mostly civil officials from the Hanlin Academy. I also plan to choose a few military officers recently to teach the children horseback riding and archery."

"I think the one who most needs to go to school is you. You're not even as quick-witted as the Crown Prince."

Fang Yu swatted him. She wasn't that stupid. But the Crown Prince was ten years old this year, and everyone in the palace praised him for his intelligence. Whether he was truly clever or if it was just flattery, she couldn't tell. She had interacted with the Crown Prince many times and didn't see any extraordinary brilliance—just that he seemed precocious and a bit spoiled.

As the Crown Prince, he was surrounded by people who flattered and fawned over him. No one dared to speak ill of him. Over time, it would be hard for him not to become arrogant. Aside from the Emperor, no one could keep him in check. He all but ruled the palace, and the Emperor himself indulged him somewhat.

The two exchanged a few more words before falling asleep.

This was Fang Yu's first time leaving the palace since entering. It was her first time going to the summer palace to retreat from the heat, and she didn't know what to prepare.

The Emperor had told her in advance, and since no one else in the palace had received the news yet, she had no one to ask.

Fortunately, a few days later, the Empress made an announcement stating that in ten days, the Emperor would go to the summer palace to retreat from the heat. The list of those accompanying him would be decided by her and the Emperor together, meaning not all lesser consorts and ladies would be going.

Fang Yu heard that many people had gone to the Kunning Palace these past two days to curry favor with the Empress, all hoping to be included in the retinue. It was a rare opportunity to leave the palace.

Previously, due to the *Revolt of the Three Feudatories*, the Emperor dared not leave the palace casually for fear of assassination attempts. Now that the Qing Dynasty was peaceful and the realm was at peace, the Emperor felt it was safe to travel.

The list of those accompanying him was soon released. Consorts and above could all go. Noble Lady Bu, Noble Lady Qin, Constant Attendant Zhang, and other ladies who had children were also on the list. Additionally, Answering Attendant Yin and Secondary Consort Wei were included. To her surprise, the younger Lady Hesheli was also on the list for this trip.

Consort Yi was also on the list, but she had just given birth to a young prince the previous year. The prince was being raised by her and was only one year old, too young to travel, so she begged off from attending this time.

The Grand Empress Dowager's health had worsened, making travel unsuitable for her. The Empress Dowager also stayed in the palace to keep her company.

Fang Yu began packing her things to bring to the summer palace. Yinzhu was only four years old, so he needed a lot of items.

The packing took five days and was only finished shortly before departure. Yinzhu was allocated six servants to attend to him. She only brought Pan Liu and Hong Ye with her, leaving Xiao Fangzi to guard the Jingren Palace.

On the morning of June 20th, a great procession set out from the palace.

Fang Yu and Yinzhu rode in a large carriage. She had three carriages assigned to her, with the latter two carrying their belongings—all sorts of items filled the two carriages.

This was Yinzhu's first time leaving the palace, and both mother and son were excited, constantly pulling open the window to look outside.

Yinzhu kept asking her what things were, and Fang Yu heard "Mother, what is that?" ringing in her ears. Eventually, she couldn't help but clap a hand over the little one's mouth.

"Mother..."

"You talk too much."

"Mother, I feel queasy."

Fang Yu hurriedly fetched a small spittoon. The carriage was bumpy, and she had anticipated that Yinzhu might get travel-sick. She told him to vomit into it, and after he finished, she gave him a pickled sour plum to suck on.

Later, Yinzhu finally wore himself out and fell asleep. Fang Yu couldn't help but wonder about Yinzhen, who was also leaving the palace for the first time. She didn't know how he was doing or if he was travel-sick. Although she knew someone was surely looking after him, she still worried, especially since Yinzhen was only six years old.

Fortunately, the summer palace wasn't far from the capital. After two days on the road, they arrived. The summer palace didn't have as many structures as the Forbidden City, so all the lesser consorts and ladies lived in one palace, each in their own room.

Only the Empress wasn't staying with them. Fang Yu thought that if the Empress had stayed with them, she could have seen more of Yinzhen.

Yinzhu had vomited three times on the road and was severely travel-sick. Originally, the princes were supposed to start classes on the third day at the summer palace, as the Emperor was quite strict about their studies. But Fang Yu didn't let Yinzhu go, allowing him to rest for a few days instead. She just sent Little Zheng to inform the teacher.

During the day, Yinzhu couldn't keep still for long and was eager to go out and play. Fang Yu took him for a walk nearby.

The summer palace was surrounded by mountains and forests, quiet and cool—truly a great place to retreat from the heat.

"Mother, chase me!"

Fang Yu pretended to chase Yinzhu, who ran ahead on his short little legs, giggling with delight.

Fang Yu didn't know her way around either, as it was her first time there. But since no one stopped them, she didn't think much of it—until they unexpectedly came upon the Emperor and his group.

She spotted Yinzhen right away, standing behind the Emperor.

"We pay our respects to Consort De. We wish you good fortune."

The princes, aside from the Crown Prince, bowed to her. Fang Yu smiled at them and asked what they were doing, her gaze drifting toward the Emperor.

Kangxi had been quizzing the princes on their studies today. Thinking the weather was nice and he had some rare free time, he brought them along, intending to teach them archery himself.

He glanced at Yinzhu. Yinzhu hadn't gone to class today, claiming he was unwell. But Kangxi could see Yinzhu was fine—likely, Uya Shi was coddling the boy again. She was the one who insisted the child go to school, and now she was the one letting him skip.

In front of so many people, Kangxi didn't reprimand Uya Shi. Instead, he answered her, "I plan to take them to the archery range to teach them shooting. Bring Yinzhu along."

Fang Yu nodded.

The archery range wasn't far—just a large open space with more than a dozen targets set up ahead.

Fang Yu had already brought Yinzhu over to Yinzhen's side and patted Yinzhen's head.

Yinzhen smiled up at her, and her heart softened. She asked him how he had been sleeping the past couple of days.

"Consort De, I've been sleeping well. How about Sixth Brother? Is he sleeping well?"

"He's fine too."

The Emperor began demonstrating. Yinzhen watched his father's movements intently, looking eager to learn. Fang Yu's gaze also fell on the Emperor—it was rare to see him teaching the children patiently and unhurriedly.

The Emperor drew his bow and shot two arrows. Both hit the target, though not in the bullseye. Still, Liang Jiugong led the others in applauding and praising the Emperor's archery skills, praising him lavishly.

"Give each of them a bow."

The servants had already prepared bows and arrows. Considering the princes were still young, the children's bows were different from the adults'—much lighter.

Fang Yu also asked for one. Yinzhen was already earnestly drawing his bow. She had never properly learned archery herself, so she couldn't teach him, only watch as he figured it out on his own.

As for Yinzhu, it was even harder for him. He was slight of build, and even with a child's bow, drawing it was difficult. When he couldn't pull it back, he looked at her anxiously.

"Mother, help me."

"Come, Mother will hold it for you."

Fang Yu crouched down to teach Yinzhu, helping him support the bow. "Use a little force—yes, just like that. See, you shot it! Yinzhu, you're amazing."

Yin Zhen looked down at his Sixth Prince. In truth, the arrow barely shot out at all—it fell to the ground almost immediately after being released. Despite such clumsiness, Consort De still praised the Sixth Prince, calling him impressive. Consort De had always been gentle and treated the Sixth Prince exceptionally well.

Yin Zhen himself shot two arrows that flew about a meter away. When Consort De noticed, she also praised him, saying he was impressive. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Yin Zhen silently shot a few more arrows and glanced at the others. He noticed that his elder brothers were able to hit the targets, which made him focus more intently and pull the bowstring with greater effort.

Kangxi made his rounds and came to Yin Zhen’s side, guiding him directly.

Yin Zhen suddenly grew nervous, his body stiffening. The more he wanted to perform well in front of his Emperor Father, the worse he seemed to do. He had never been skilled at archery and, in his panic, became as clumsy as his Sixth Prince, unable even to draw the bow steadily, his hands trembling.

"Use more strength, hold it firmly, keep your shoulders level—this way, you can exert more force."

Yin Zhen followed his Emperor Father’s instructions but still failed to hit the target. After teaching him a few times, the emperor let him practice on his own and soon moved on to instruct the Sixth Prince.

Fang Yu wasn’t skilled either and asked the emperor to teach her as well. She was using a child’s bow. As an adult, she had more strength than the children, and several times her arrows flew quite far, though she couldn’t aim accurately.

"Clumsy."

"You’re the clumsy one. I simply haven’t learned yet."

Kangxi went directly behind Wuya Shi, encircling her to teach her, explaining the basics of archery.

Fang Yu only felt her ears itch; he was too close, his breath brushing against her face, making it hard for her to concentrate.

"Your Majesty, I understand now. You… please don’t stand so close to me. It wouldn’t look proper if others saw."

Kangxi shot her a rare exasperated look and said impatiently, "I’m instructing you. What are you thinking about?"

"Hush, Your Majesty, don’t speak so loudly."

To others, it seemed as if they were exchanging whispers. At least, that’s what the empress thought when she arrived. The two were standing very close, and the emperor’s gaze toward Consort De was full of tenderness.

Consort De was a vixen, always seducing the emperor without restraint, even in public.

The empress stepped forward to greet the emperor, forcibly interrupting them.

"Your Majesty."

"What brings you here, Empress?"

"I was feeling stifled indoors and came out for a walk. I didn’t expect to encounter Your Majesty. Are you teaching them archery?"

"Yes."

The empress glanced at Yin Zhen and saw that one of his arrows had missed the target. She frowned subconsciously, then looked toward the crown prince’s side. The crown prince had already hit the target several times, even striking the bullseye.

The emperor went over to teach Yin You.

Fang Yu noticed that the empress and her group had gathered around Yin Zhen, separating her from him. She said nothing, silently continuing to shoot arrows while also teaching Yin Zhu.

After shooting a few arrows, Yin Zhu grew bored. With his strength, it was difficult to keep pulling the bow. He ran off to play elsewhere, and she instructed Little Zheng and the others to follow him.

With several people following Yin Zhu, she didn’t go along, choosing instead to stay and keep Yin Zhen company. She quietly drew her bow, practicing for a while. She was almost getting the hang of it, beginning to grasp the technique.

The emperor watched as the princes and her practiced for a while. The eldest prince and the crown prince, after all, were not beginners—one was twelve, the other ten. They were stronger than the other princes and could steadily hit the target five or six times out of ten shots, with one or two arrows striking the bullseye.

They received not only praise from the servants but also commendation from the emperor.

After half an hour, the group finished practicing. Just as Fang Yu wanted to say a few words to Yin Zhen, the empress had already taken him away.

She had no choice but to bid farewell to the emperor and go search for Yin Zhu, who had run off somewhere to play.

…

Niuhulu Yuwan had been frowning the entire time. After returning to their palace, she couldn’t help but look at Yin Zhen and said sternly, "Yin Zhen, you didn’t receive any praise from your Emperor Father today. Your crown prince brother was praised by him. Why weren’t you?"

"Empress Mother, I don’t know how to shoot arrows, and the crown prince brother is stronger than me."

"That’s just an excuse. If you don’t know how, you should learn properly. From now on, you will practice archery for half an hour every day. Your Emperor Father values a man’s ability to ride horses and shoot arrows highly. Men of the Great Qing must be skilled in horseback riding and archery. You cannot fall behind others. Do you understand?"

Yin Zhen nodded in agreement. Deep down, he felt a pang of injustice. It was his first time learning, unlike the crown prince brother who already knew how. That his Emperor Father didn’t praise him was bad enough, but even his Empress Mother was dissatisfied with his performance.

"Yin Zhen, you must not disappoint your Empress Mother. You are your Empress Mother’s hope. Do you understand?"

Yin Zhen didn’t fully grasp his Empress Mother’s meaning. He only knew that his poor performance had disappointed her. He stepped forward and tugged at her sleeve. "Empress Mother, please don’t be angry. I will study hard next time. I will listen to Empress Mother and practice diligently."

Only then did Niuhulu Yuwan stroke his head and say, "Everything I do is for your benefit. Your Empress Mother would never harm you."

"I know. Empress Mother treats me the best."

Niuhulu Yuwan hugged Yin Zhen tightly. "As long as you understand. Your Consort De cares only for your Sixth Brother. She treats the Sixth Prince better than she treats you. Only your Empress Mother is the one who cares for you the most."

Yin Zhen couldn’t help but think of Consort De. During the archery practice, the Sixth Prince had only shot a few arrows before running off somewhere, and Consort De had allowed him to go play elsewhere. She made no demands of the Sixth Prince and spoke to him very gently.

He hadn’t been raised by Consort De, so she preferred the Sixth Prince, who received more affection than he did.

"Alright, it’s almost dark. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner."

Yin Zhen murmured in agreement and was then taken by the nursemaid to wash his hands and face.

In the following days, he still didn’t see the Sixth Prince in class. The Sixth Prince never came to lessons. Truth be told, Yin Zhen didn’t want to attend classes either, but his Empress Mother wouldn’t let him skip. After finishing his lessons, he would return to his Empress Mother’s side and practice archery for a while.

After several days, he began to feel pain in his shoulders, felt weak, and it hurt to write. But he didn’t want to disappoint his Empress Mother, so he dared not tell her and bore the pain in silence.