Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 170: Friends

   As the years passed, Yongrong’s appearance grew more and more like his mother, Noble Consort Chun—delicate and refined, like the small bridges and flowing streams of Jiangnan. Though beautiful, he was excessively frail, so much so that when his brothers hung him from a tree, he had no strength to resist.

“Who gave you the nerve to badmouth me behind my back?” Yongcheng said, then lashed him with the horsewhip—again and again. Seeing Yongrong’s cries grow louder, he ordered the companions beside him: “Stuff his mouth!”

The two study companions had no choice but to step forward and gag Yongrong. One of them hesitated for a moment and said, “Fourth Prince, perhaps we shouldn’t make this too big. If anyone finds out…”

Yongcheng cut him off impatiently: “His mother, Noble Consort Chun, is a convicted criminal! Imperial Father doesn’t even glance at him—what are you afraid of!”

With that, the whip fell like rain. He paid no heed to the fact that the same blood ran in their veins; he beat the other boy as though he were no more than livestock.

No matter how unfavored Yongrong was, he was still a prince who had grown up pampered and sheltered. How could he endure such treatment? After one more lash, he fainted.

“You can’t bully people like this, you know!”

Yongcheng was just about to order the companions to fetch water and splash the boy awake when a voice suddenly rang out from behind, startling him badly. When he turned and saw who it was, his face changed color.

It was Concubine Rong!

Yongcheng felt a surge of annoyance—why did it have to be this woman who saw? Afraid she would report him to Hongli, he quickly set down the whip and forced a smile: “Concubine Rong, I was just joking around with Sixth Brother.”

Chenbi walked toward him, her waist chain and ankle bells chiming softly with each step. “You two are blood brothers—you should love and care for each other. You can’t do this. Hurry and let him down!”

The two companions looked toward Yongcheng. He barked: “Didn’t you hear what Concubine Rong said? Let him go!”

Only then did the two of them hurriedly and clumsily set Yongrong down. Yongcheng had no desire to linger any longer. Everyone in the palace knew how favored Concubine Rong was—Hongli could hardly bear to be apart from her for a moment. If he stayed any longer, Hongli might very well show up right behind him. So he said:

“Concubine Rong, Your Ladyship, today was merely some playful sparring between us brothers. There’s no need to take it to heart. Since everything is fine now, I won’t disturb your enjoyment of the scenery any further. I’ll take my leave.”

He turned to go, but he had only taken a few steps when something shot toward him from behind like a snake, wrapping tightly around his ankle. Yongcheng let out a miserable scream. In the next instant, he was flipped upside down and hoisted into the air, dangling from a tree.

Staring at the culprit, Yongcheng cried out in shock:

“You—what are you doing?!”

Chenbi dusted off her hands:

“I’m used to lassoing lambs back home, so I always carry a rope snare with me. I never thought I’d actually get to use it one day!”

Yongcheng: “Let me down! Let me down right now! Concubine Rong, I am the Empress’s son! How dare you treat me this way—release me at once!”

The innocent expression on Chenbi’s face instantly darkened:

“Shut your mouth!”

Yongcheng froze.

Chenbi, who always wore an innocent, pure expression as radiant and beautiful as a celestial maiden, now looked faintly sinister:

“You’re already sixteen. In our tribe, boys your age have long since gone to the battlefield, wielding weapons and fighting enemies to the death. Yet here you are, acting like a spoiled child—only knowing how to bully your own brothers—and still putting on an act in front of me! If His Majesty finds out what you did today, do you know what will happen?”

Yongcheng tried to muster his courage:

“I—I am the Empress’s…”

Chenbi scoffed with a sneer:

“Even someone like me, who has only recently entered the palace, knows that the Empress now has the Twelfth Prince and Thirteenth Prince. A foster son like you has long been useless. Yet you’re still daydreaming!”

Yongcheng: “You’re lying! You’re trying to drive a wedge between me and my mother!”

Chenbi: “Dear sweet Fourth Prince, how is it that you’ve only grown taller and not smarter? Your kind, benevolent Royal Mother would love nothing more than for you to keep making mistakes—the more mistakes, the better! With the Eldest Prince out of favor, and you constantly getting into trouble, the throne will eventually fall to her own flesh-and-blood son!”

Yongcheng was stunned:

“No… that’s impossible… impossible…”

Chenbi circled around him. With every sentence, she gave him a push, making him sway dizzily:

“Look at that pitiful, abandoned-puppy expression on your face. Tsk, how sad. Didn’t your Royal Mother always tell you: ‘It doesn’t matter if our Yongcheng doesn’t like to study—Manchus rule the world through riding and archery!’ ‘It doesn’t matter if your study companions don’t obey—Mother will find you clever, quick-witted ones!’ ‘It doesn’t matter if your teachers dislike you—they’re the ones without insight!’ She gave you whatever you wanted, never blamed you, always cared for you, always protected you in every way. Fool—she dotes on you to death. She spoils you until you become a complete idiot!”

Yongcheng was deeply shaken. Tears streamed down his face as he listened:

“No… it’s not like that… you’re lying to me… Royal Mother isn’t that kind of person…”

Chenbi: “The Sixth Prince has no birth mother—truly pitiful. But you? You have a venomous-hearted foster mother sitting in a high position. Your situation is a hundred times, a thousand times worse than his—and yet you still don’t know how to restrain yourself!”

Yongcheng struggled while shouting:

“I’m going to ask Royal Mother!”

Chenbi giggled:

“Go ahead! If you dare breathe even half a sentence of what I said today to her, that Royal Mother of yours will make sure you ‘die of illness’ without anyone ever suspecting a thing. Understand?”

Yongcheng was so terrified he couldn’t speak.

Chenbi gently stroked his cheek:

“Go straight back to the Prince Residence and bury yourself away. If you ever dare bully the weak again, next time I’ll pierce a hole through your tongue and hang you up by it. Got it?”

Yongcheng trembled as he nodded.

“So cute. Good boy.” Chenbi praised him, then released the rope. Yongcheng fell to the ground with a heavy thud, dazed and disoriented. He didn’t dare utter a single complaint. After one frightened glance at her, he fled as if he had seen a ghost.

Chenbi no longer bothered with him. She returned to the still-unconscious Yongrong, gazing at him tenderly for a long moment before gently shaking him awake.

The instant Yongrong woke, he curled up like a small animal caught in a trap—panicked, clutching himself tightly, his wide, terrified eyes darting everywhere.

“Don’t be afraid,” Chenbi said softly. “I’ve already chased your Fourth Brother away.”

Only then did Yongrong realize she was beside him. When he heard her words, his delicate, scholarly face immediately flushed bright red. He stammered:

“Concubine Rong, Your Ladyship… I’m sorry… I caused trouble for you.”

“Sixth Brother, you didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no need to apologize.” Chenbi sat beside him. A gentle breeze lifted her long hair, and the tiny bells tied in it chimed softly like a song. “Wolves chasing sheep is a common sight on the grassland—no one finds it strange. But the children of the grassland never bully one another because of differences in strength. They rely on each other and stand together against enemies. So Yongrong, you are not at fault.”

No one had ever spoken such words to him before. Yongrong felt both moved and ashamed. He lowered his head to look at himself—if he had merely fainted, that would have been one thing, but he had actually been so frightened by Yongcheng that he wet his pants. Why did it have to happen now, of all times, and right in front of her?

Chenbi seemed not to notice the damp patch on his trousers at all. She simply smiled and said, “What happened today—I’ll keep it a secret for you. But in return, you have to promise me one thing, all right?”

Yongrong lifted his head and looked at Chenbi. In that moment, he felt he would agree to anything she asked.

Chenbi continued: “I know that the Manchu princes study in the morning and practice riding and archery in the afternoon. You must promise me that you will train hard at your martial skills, become strong as soon as possible. If he gives you one punch, you give him two in return.”

Yongrong was stunned. “But he’ll bring people to beat me together.”

Chenbi replied calmly: “No matter how many people come at you, you only hit him—one person. Hit him until he’s afraid of you.”

Yongrong was dumbfounded.

“The Fourth Brother bullies you because the difference in strength between you is too great. But once you grow strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with him—no, once you become even stronger than he is—you’ll be able to conquer your own fear. Don’t be afraid.” Suddenly Chenbi gave him a mischievous wink. “Besides, if you really can’t win the fight, the worst you can do is show your wounds to your Imperial Father. No matter how much he dislikes you, he won’t tolerate brothers harming each other.”

Yongrong’s face turned even redder. He nodded repeatedly, then ran off. After going quite a distance, he still turned back and called: “Thank you!”

Chenbi watched him leave with a smile, then prepared to turn and go herself.

Wei Yingluo stepped out from her hiding place. Behind her, Ming Yu stood gaping in astonishment.

“Oh dear, I accidentally revealed my true nature!” Concubine Rong grinned playfully, then sighed. “Will you tell the Emperor?”

Wei Yingluo: “Tell him what?”

Chenbi blinked. “Tell him that I’m a two-faced person who can change faces?”

Wei Yingluo laughed.

She had come at Yongqi’s request to help Yongrong. How could she have known she would witness such a wonderful scene?

Chenbi sighed again, came over, and took Wei Yingluo’s hand. “I want to beg you not to do it. He might very well send me back to the tribe. Although my brother has become the leader, he’s an arrogant and conceited fellow—he would definitely mock me as a ‘returned gift.’ My days would become unbearable! Will you tell him?”

Wei Yingluo looked down at their joined hands. “What do you think?”

Chenbi hung her head dejectedly. Then suddenly she threw it back, lay down on the grass in a fit of self-abandonment, and said: “I don’t like the Forbidden City—not one bit. If you want to tell the Emperor, go ahead. Let him send me back soon so I can still make it to the grand tribal celebration.”

Wei Yingluo: “What is your celebration like?”

Chenbi sat bolt upright from the grass, suddenly full of childlike excitement: “We roast whole sheep in front of the tents—crispy and charred on the outside, the fragrance drifting for miles! The children run around happily, just as excited as when you people celebrate the New Year! Travelers passing by often stop; the bolder ones even try to buy some roast mutton! And then I shout at them—’No sale! No matter how much silver you offer, we won’t sell!’”

At this point she burst into proud, hearty laughter. Her carefree, unselfconscious manner left Wei Yingluo both surprised and… a little envious.

Chenbi went on: “When they’re drooling with hunger, I give them a whole roasted sheep leg. Watching their stunned, dumbfounded faces—I can laugh about it for a whole year! How could guests from far away go home empty-handed? We have plenty of meat, specially prepared for them!”

Wei Yingluo: “The Forbidden City’s celebrations also have roast mutton.”

“Not the same—not the same at all!” The pride slowly faded from Chenbi’s face. She spoke with a touch of melancholy: “Just like the sunsets in the Forbidden City—beautiful, yes, but they don’t taste the same—”

Wei Yingluo looked at her the way one might look at a gust of wind locked inside a cage.

“Consort Ling, you’re not like those other consorts either,” Chenbi suddenly said, lifting her head to gaze at her. “I like you.”

Wei Yingluo was momentarily stunned, caught off guard by how abruptly the topic had shifted, but she soon laughed softly. “You and I are both His Majesty’s consorts. We’re hardly in a position to simply admire each other.”

Chenbi looked puzzled. “Why not? My father has many wives, and they all get along peacefully.”

Wei Yingluo echoed, “Peacefully?”

Chenbi nodded. “Yes! Father treats everyone equally. The gold bracelets he bought for my mother, he bought one for every concubine too! He takes turns spending the night in their tents, never favoring one over the others. All the concubines have very good relationships with each other!”

Wei Yingluo listened without comment. Whether it was truly good or not, outsiders could never tell. On the surface, the consorts of the rear palace could appear harmonious and joyful, but behind closed doors it was an entirely different story.

Chenbi continued, “Since I came to the Forbidden City, no one likes me except His Majesty. I’m just an outsider here. But now I’ve met you—and they don’t like you either, do they?”

Before Wei Yingluo could answer, Chenbi took hold of her hand. “You keep my secret for me, and I’ll be your friend—okay?”

Wei Yingluo replied, “I don’t need friends.”

But Chenbi laughed, a smile that was both mischievous and strangely perceptive. She reached up and pinched Wei Yingluo’s cheek, her voice sweet and childlike: “Your face is clearly written all over with ‘I’m very lonely, I need Chenbi to be my friend.’”

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