Chapter 369: The Chengqian Palace

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth month of the tenth year of Chongzhen, the Kunning Palace in the Forbidden City was filled with a joyful atmosphere; maids bustled in and out under the direction of female officials, preparing for the banquet that would begin at noon.

Zhu Youjian, dressed in casual clothes, was amusing Shuige'er in the bedchamber, while the Empress, in resplendent attire, sat to one side watching the father and son with a smile.

Today was Shuige'er's hundred-day birthday. Zhu Youjian had ordered that a fine banquet be held to celebrate, and had specially decreed that the household retainers Earl's family be summoned into the palace to attend the feast, also wishing to take advantage of the New Year season to let their family reunite.

While the Empress felt grateful for her husband's thoughtfulness and consideration, she also suggested to Zhu Youjian that Noble Consort Tian's and Noble Consort Yuan's fathers, brothers, and families might also be brought into the palace—first, for family reunions, and second, because the children the two had borne were now old enough to meet strangers and absorb some human vitality; this would also avoid any suspicion of favoritism.

Zhu Youjian mulled it over and realized she had a point. Originally he had planned to hold separate hundred-day banquets for the other two palaces, but now it seemed better to simply summon everyone in at once for a lively gathering. After further thought, he decided he might as well invite Gong Yonggu and the others over early to celebrate the New Year ahead of time, since there was nothing major happening anyway.

At this time, all the various government offices in the capital had already sealed their seals and closed for the holiday on the day of the Little New Year.

From the mansions of the nobility down to the households of common folk, nearly every family was busy purchasing New Year goods, cleaning their homes, and acquiring new clothes.

The several great markets of the capital's four quarters, as well as the various shops along the streets, were all doing booming business, with a dazzling array of goods selling briskly.

Men and women, old and young, in every street and alley wore joyful expressions—especially the common people, whose smiles radiated contentment with their present circumstances and hope for the future. Laughter and cheerful voices filled every corner of the capital.

"Imperial Father, Imperial Father, when will you take me out of the palace to play again? Huh? Shuige'er is awake!? I want to hold Shuige'er too! Give him to me! Give him to me!"

With a burst of cheerful shouting, Kunxing ran in from outside the hall, grinning. The moment she saw Shuige'er in Zhu Youjian's arms, she cried out happily and pounced over.

"Kunxing! How old are you now, and still so lacking in manners?! Where has everything you've learned gone?!"

The Empress furrowed her brow and scolded Kunxing.

Kunxing had turned seven this year. Since last year, the Empress had arranged for the palace's female officials to take turns teaching her various forms of etiquette, hoping to rein in her lively and restless nature—but the results had run contrary to her wishes.

Kunxing, already thoroughly spoiled by Zhu Youjian, had long since gone wild and simply could not endure all those layers of tedious formalities. After attending only two etiquette lessons, she had begun feigning illness.

After being mercilessly exposed by the Empress and given a few swats for good measure, Kunxing pretended to be obedient and well-behaved—but once she was certain the Empress had gone to Noble Consort Yuan's quarters, the clever little imp found an excuse to slip out of the inner palace and ran straight to the Qianqing Palace in front to lodge a complaint with Zhu Youjian.

Upon learning the full story, Zhu Youjian found it both exasperating and amusing. After promising the weeping, swollen-eyed Kunxing that he would take her out of the palace to play, he found time to communicate with the Empress, and after much persuasion managed to have most of Kunxing's etiquette lessons cut—which in the end earned him a round of complaints from the Empress.

"Slow down, slow down! Don't snatch, don't snatch! Shuige'er is still young and can't withstand any bumps! Kunxing, your strength is still small—if you can't hold him steady and knock Shuige'er, that would be terrible!"

Zhu Youjian hastily stood up with Shuige'er in his arms to dodge the pouncing Kunxing, explaining to her as he did so.

"Kunxing is very strong! Last time Prince Ding wanted to snatch my puppet, and I pushed him right over with one shove! Imperial Father, Kunxing loves Shuige'er so much! But every time I come, Mother won't let Kunxing hold him. Imperial Father, won't you let Kunxing hold him just once?!"

Seeing Kunxing looking up at him with her little face and pleading eyes, Zhu Youjian had no choice but to sit back down on the brocade couch. He carefully placed Shuige'er—who was watching him with clear black-and-white eyes—into Kunxing's outstretched arms, while his own large hands secretly hovered beneath to protect the child.

Kunxing, however, was not as reckless as Zhu Youjian had imagined. Instead, imitating the manner of adults, she naturally lifted Shuige'er from his swaddling clothes, then gazed at his tender little face with eyes full of affection, murmuring: "Shuige'er, grow up quickly. In the future, your imperial elder sister will take you out of the palace to eat lots of delicious food and buy you lots of dolls—your imperial elder sister has lots of silver, you know!"

Shuige'er blinked his big eyes and curiously examined Kunxing. Suddenly he reached out a small hand, grabbed hold of her hair, and yanked it hard toward himself, opening his little mouth in a gurgling laugh. Kunxing, unable to bear the pain, burst out with a "Wah!" and began to cry—but her arms holding Shuige'er did not loosen.

Zhu Youjian hastily grabbed a cloth doll from the brocade couch and dangled it before Shuige'er's eyes. Shuige'er's eyes lit up, and he immediately released his grip on Kunxing's hair and snatched the doll instead.

The wet nurse standing nearby quickly stepped forward and took Shuige'er from her. The Empress sat there smiling but said nothing.

Zhu Youjian stood up and gently patted Kunxing's little head, laughing: "Don't cry, don't cry! Next time you mustn't dare hold Shuige'er again—a baby this age wants to grab hold of whatever he sees. Your imperial father and your mother have both been grabbed by Shuige'er before! Hahaha! I never thought our Kunxing would suffer such a loss today as well! Come, come, come—your imperial father will take you to the Chengqian Palace for a stroll!"

Kunxing wiped her tears with one hand while grasping Zhu Youjian's large hand with the other, walking out of the hall with him. Even as she walked, she kept turning her head back to look at Shuige'er in the wet nurse's arms, with an expression of reluctant attachment.

The Chengqian Palace was located to the east of the Kunning Palace. Although the two palaces were not far apart, compared to the solemn and austere Kunning Palace, the courtyard of the Chengqian Palace offered a completely different scene.

With the substantial increase in privy purse income, Zhu Youjian naturally would not shortchange his own family. The expenses of each palace rose accordingly—from the various noble consorts down to the female officials and maids, everyone's treatment had greatly improved. This could be considered a form of compensation for the years of straitened circumstances each palace had endured.

The multi-talented Noble Consort Tian did not squander money recklessly just because she now had plenty of silver. Preferring a natural, unadorned look, she did not spend her money on large quantities of jewelry and cosmetics, but instead ingeniously undertook a large-scale renovation of the Chengqian Palace.

Under her personally designed drawings and direction, the Chengqian Palace was rebuilt using the model of Yangzhou gardens as a reference, and was essentially completed in the first half of the tenth year of Chongzhen.

Standing within the completely transformed Chengqian Palace, one felt as if transported into the bustling splendor of misty, rainy Jiangnan.

The rockeries, ponds, flowers, and trees in the courtyard were arranged with exquisite artistry. The winding, meandering corridors sheltered one from wind, snow, and blazing sun, and the originally tall enclosing walls had been replaced with wooden fences, completely eliminating that former sense of oppression.

Zhu Youjian had initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward Noble Consort Tian's undertaking, but as the outline of the renovated Chengqian Palace took shape, he could not help but raise his thumb in admiration of Noble Consort Tian's talent.

By the time the Chengqian Palace's renovation was fully completed, everyone from Zhu Youjian to the Empress, Noble Consort Yuan, and even Empress Dowager Yi'an was full of praise for Noble Consort Tian's ingenious mind. The Chengqian Palace subsequently became the place the noble consorts of the inner palace most loved to visit.

Strictly speaking, the noble consorts were not people who had never seen the world, but the grand and magnificent scenery of the Western Park grew wearisome after being viewed for so long. In contrast, the tranquil and exquisite beauty of the Chengqian Palace, like a maiden of Jiangnan, never grew tiresome no matter how often one beheld it.

Even more crucial was the fact that the Chengqian Palace was simply too close to the Kunning Palace and the Yikun Palace.

After finishing their evening meals, the noble consorts of the palace would take the opportunity of an after-dinner stroll to come over for a turn around the grounds, then gather together to chat about household matters. As time went on, the atmosphere throughout the entire inner palace became even more harmonious and peaceful.

"Xiuying, won't you listen to your father's advice? In this palace, apart from the Empress, all the other consorts rely on their beauty to serve the emperor. You are now approaching thirty—the fading of youth and beauty is unavoidable. The only way to secure your position now is to think of other means! Your elder brother exhausted his efforts to find such a beauty. If she can be sent into the palace, the emperor will surely be overjoyed, and then your position in the palace will be even more secure. If you can take the opportunity to make some requests, would the emperor refuse?"

Tian Hongyu, with his thick eyebrows, large eyes, and handsome features, sat on the brocade couch, earnestly advising Noble Consort Tian, who was amusing an infant nearby.