Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 80: Illness and Power

Just as the sky began to lighten, the Cleansing Division was already bustling. Palace maids yawned as they washed up and prepared to start work.

The door suddenly creaked open. A figure staggered inside and nearly fell.

“Ming Yu?” Wei Yingluo paused in the middle of combing her hair and looked at her in surprise. “Why are you here?”

As the senior palace maid of Changchun Palace, Ming Yu had always been extremely meticulous about her appearance. Yet now her hair was disheveled, her clothes in disarray, and—if one looked closely—one could see a large reddish-brown stain on her skirt that looked very much like dried blood.

“Yingluo, come with me!” Ming Yu grabbed Wei Yingluo and pulled her outside. When they reached a secluded spot with no one around, Ming Yu turned back, licked her parched lips, and said to Wei Yingluo:

“Last night the Empress Dowager held a Chongyang banquet at Yujing Pavilion. For some reason a huge swarm of bats appeared. The crowd fell into chaos, and… the Empress unfortunately fell down the steps…”

“What did you say?” Wei Yingluo’s face changed dramatically. She seized Ming Yu’s arm with force. “The Empress fell from the plank road? She—how is she now?”

“The entire Imperial Medical Bureau is treating her at Changchun Palace, but Her Ladyship is still unconscious…” As Ming Yu spoke, she suddenly burst into tears with a wail. “It wasn’t on purpose! There were too many people at the time—someone pushed me from behind, and I let go of Her Ladyship’s hand!”

Wei Yingluo lowered her gaze. An extremely dark light flowed in her eyes.

“…Who was it?” She slowly raised her head and asked, enunciating each word clearly. “Who was the first person to discover that the Empress had fallen from the plank road?”

Ming Yu was still crying in a daze, completely lost.

“Think quickly!” Wei Yingluo shouted.

She had practically yelled the words right into Ming Yu’s ear. Only then did Ming Yu snap back to her senses. Reflexively, she answered, “It was Noble Consort Hui. She was the first to cry out and say that the Empress had fallen from the plank road.”

Wei Yingluo’s expression grew even darker. “…I knew it was her.”

“You suspect Noble Consort Hui?” Ming Yu shook her head. “No, that’s impossible. At the time, Noble Consort was holding onto the Empress—her own arm was dislocated! Everyone saw it! If she had intended to harm Her Ladyship, why would she try to save her?”

“Did she succeed in saving her?” Wei Yingluo cut in.

Ming Yu was stunned.

“Since she didn’t succeed, everything she did was most likely just for show—to cover her tracks,” Wei Yingluo said. Then she lowered her eyes again, lost in some unknown thoughts.

“Never mind all that for now. Come with me to Changchun Palace—hurry!” Ming Yu suddenly grabbed Wei Yingluo’s hand. With both guilt and helplessness in her voice, she said, “The Empress… needs you!”

They had only taken a few steps when a thick, strong arm blocked their path.

“She’s not going anywhere.” Momo Liu stood in front of them, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “She belongs to the Yong Alley, not Changchun Palace. Erqing, if you want to take her away, do you have an official transfer order?”

“This…” Erqing was speechless.

“If there is no transfer order, then please don’t make things difficult for this old woman.” Momo Liu scoffed with icy disdain. “Wei Yingluo, get over here and get to work!”

That day, she assigned the most grueling task to Wei Yingluo.

Torrential rain poured down. Everyone else had gone back inside, but Wei Yingluo remained crouched in the downpour, pulling weeds—from morning till evening, from one end of the garden to the other. By the time dusk approached, the weeds on the ground still weren’t finished. Wei Yingluo, however, was already dizzy and unsteady. Her vision suddenly went black, and she collapsed forward onto the ground.

“Yingluo!”

In her dreams, someone kept calling her name. Who was it?

Wei Yingluo slowly opened her eyes. A hand gradually came into view. It was not the pampered, delicate hand of the Empress, nor the sword-callused hand of Fuheng, but a hand roughened by years of hard, bitter labor—covered in old scars and thick calluses.

“You’re awake?” That hand placed a damp towel on her forehead.

“…Yuan Chunwang?” Wei Yingluo coughed a few times and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. “Where is this?”

“Momo Liu thought you were sick and had you moved to the storeroom… Here, come drink your medicine.” Yuan Chunwang half-supported her up. Although Wei Yingluo wanted to refuse, she had no strength left in her body. She could only slump against him like mud, letting him hold the medicine bowl to her lips and feed her. He even used his sleeve to wipe away the medicinal liquid that overflowed from the corner of her mouth.

Halfway through wiping, Yuan Chunwang suddenly lifted her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

“If we hadn’t already formed an alliance, who would bother with you?” Yuan Chunwang looked down at her and said calmly, “You’ve accepted my care, yet you still call me Yuan Chunwang?”

Wei Yingluo was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected him to take their pact so seriously. In truth, ever since he had said “I’ll also be your lover,” she hadn’t taken his words to heart at all—she had simply assumed he was teasing her for his own amusement…

“Change the way you address me.” Slightly rough fingers brushed against her chin as Yuan Chunwang said, “Make me happy for once. After all, I’ve already taken care of you for a whole day and night… Besides me, no one else has come to see you. You only have me now.”

Wei Yingluo was not the only one lying sick in bed.

“Noble Consort Hui.” The Empress Dowager sat beside the bed. “How is your arm recovering?”

One arm was wrapped in white cloth. Noble Consort Hui, her face pale, smiled at the Empress Dowager. “I trouble the Empress Dowager to concern herself. This consort’s arm is already much better. It’s just a pity that this consort was useless and couldn’t save the Empress.”

The Empress Dowager shook her head. “How could this be blamed on you? I know you already did your very best.”

If her arm hadn’t been injured, the Empress Dowager might still have harbored some suspicion. But the imperial physicians had already examined it—Noble Consort Hui’s arm had genuinely been dislocated, and she had suffered considerably during the bone-setting process.

Noble Consort Hui sighed. “These past few days, not only has the Empress Dowager been worried—the Emperor has hardly shown any joy either. In a little while it will be the Empress Dowager’s birthday. This consort truly wishes to make proper preparations and arrange everything well.”

The Empress Dowager laughed softly. “There are still six months until my birthday—you’re worrying far too early. Besides, with Changchun Palace now shrouded in gloom and misery, how could I possibly have the heart for celebration?”

Noble Consort Hui quickly replied, “Precisely because of this, this consort specially invited a troupe skilled in rare folk performances to entertain the Empress Dowager and the Emperor—to bring some liveliness and dispel the stifling air in the palace, so that no one has to remain frowning and anxious all day…”

Before she could finish, a palace maid entered from outside and curtsied to the Empress Dowager. “Empress Dowager, Consort Xian has arrived.”

“Oh?” A trace of delight passed through the Empress Dowager’s eyes. “Invite her in.”

Noble Consort Hui did not miss that flicker of pleasure. Her brows immediately furrowed as a sense of vigilance rose in her heart.

The door opened and Consort Xian entered. She was neither gaudy nor seductive; her demeanor was dignified and restrained. Apart from not being as beautiful as the Empress, she resembled the Empress in almost every other way.

“This consort respectfully greets the Empress Dowager and wishes Her health and peace.” Consort Xian curtsied to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded. “You’ve come at just the right time. I’ve already reviewed the account books yesterday. Regarding the matter of opening the moat—are you confident?”

Noble Consort Hui was startled upon hearing this. “Opening the moat? What does that mean?”

Consort Xian explained, “Since the sixteenth year of Kangxi’s reign, lotus roots and water caltrops have been extensively planted in the palace moat. The imperial kitchens use only a quarter of the harvest; the rest is all wasted. This consort proposed to the Empress Dowager that all the harvested lotus roots and water caltrops be sold, and that fish and waterfowl be raised in the moat as well. The proceeds would be recorded in the accounts.”

The more reasonably and logically she spoke, the greater Noble Consort Hui’s wariness grew. Yet on the surface she smiled as if casually asking, “How much silver could that possibly bring in to be worth so much trouble?”

Consort Xian replied gravely, “A white fox-fur coat is not made from the skin of a single fox—it is gathered bit by bit, like collecting scraps to make a robe or piling sand to form a tower. The simplest method would be to lease out the lotus fields. This consort has calculated that it would bring in 125 taels and 9 mace of rent silver per year. It is still an income.”

Noble Consort Hui said coldly, “Consort Xian has only just taken charge of affairs and already wants to change long-standing palace customs. Isn’t that inappropriate?”

Faced with her sharp retort, Consort Xian remained calm and continued smiling. “Not all old customs are good. For example, in the past the Imperial Household Department managed twenty-six pawnshops. This year the Emperor closed fifteen of them and lent the money to merchants instead—the interest far exceeds the profits from pawnshops. There are also things old customs cannot manage. During Kangxi’s time the Imperial Household Department’s official estates totaled only 570,000 mu; now they have doubled. If we rigidly follow old customs everywhere, how can everything possibly be handled properly?”

Noble Consort Hui wanted to argue back, but this had never been her strong suit.

Seeing her rack her brains for a response, Consort Xian smiled inwardly and continued unhurriedly, “Sorting out finances is not merely about how much silver is earned—it is about showing the entire palace that Great Qing is completely different from the extravagant Ming palace. Food, clothing, and daily expenses have already been reduced to one-tenth or one-twentieth of what they once were. Even in opening new sources of revenue and cutting waste, everything is being carried out thoroughly. When this is done from the top down and everyone follows suit, that is truly a good thing.”

The more the Empress Dowager listened, the more satisfied she became. She smiled and nodded. “In the past when the Empress managed affairs, she focused mostly on cutting expenses, which caused quite a bit of discontent in the palace. Since Consort Xian took over palace management, everything has been handled appropriately and with exceptional care. Everyone in the rear palace respects and admires you. We shall proceed according to your plan.”

Consort Xian replied respectfully, “With the Empress Dowager’s trust, this consort will certainly do her utmost. Recently, regions such as Zhili and Tianjin have suffered from floods, and many displaced refugees have poured into the capital. This consort requests permission to set up congee sheds outside Di’anmen Gate. This would accomplish two things: first, provide relief to the disaster victims; second, offer prayers and blessings for the Empress.”

Noble Consort Hui, though unable to come up with any practical ways to economize or increase revenue, was exceptionally skilled at tripping others up. Before Consort Xian could finish speaking, she interjected coolly, “Opening congee stalls to relieve disaster victims is indeed a good deed. However, both grain and silver are problems. It will inevitably require dipping into the Inner Affairs Department treasury. That would make life in the palace even harder. Everyone’s morale is already low— isn’t Consort Xian just making things difficult for people?”

“Rest assured, Noble Consort,” Consort Xian replied with a smile. “According to precedent, we can mobilize donations from the capital’s merchants and gentry. If the Empress Dowager issues an edict establishing the ‘Joy in Charity Precedent,’ the entire city will surely respond enthusiastically. There will be no need to touch the Inner Affairs Department treasury, and the problem can be resolved.”

“Consort Xian truly thinks of everything,” the Empress Dowager said approvingly. “It not only accumulates blessings for the Empress but also comforts the disaster victims—a perfect two-fold benefit. Go ahead and handle it with full confidence. I will give you my complete support!” She beckoned Consort Xian closer, patting her hand affectionately. “Consort Xian, you usually keep such a low profile, yet when it really matters, while all the other consorts are thrown into chaos—even the Empress herself lost her composure—you were the first to react, steadying the entire situation. And now you’ve arranged everything so methodically and thoroughly…”

At this point, the Empress Dowager shook her head slightly and continued, “When the Empress recommended two people to me that day, to be honest, Consort Chun is far inferior to you. The moment she saw those bats, she was so frightened she nearly lost her soul. But you—you are even more decisive and resolute than most men. I feel far more at ease entrusting everything to you. Do not disappoint me!”

Her words carried an unspoken implication: she was subtly sidelining Consort Chun and preparing to hand the full authority over the rear palace to Consort Xian alone.

Consort Xian’s eyes flickered for a moment. On her face, however, she showed only fearful reverence. “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. This humble consort will certainly do her utmost.”

The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction, then couldn’t help but sigh. “Such a fine Double Ninth Festival—how did it turn out like this!”

Consort Xian glanced at her, then slowly lowered her gaze.

STORY OF YANXI PALACE CHAPTERS HOME