Chapter 2 Crossing Over

In his previous life, Yongcong was named Ye Cong. He grew up in an orphanage and developed an easygoing nature. During his senior year of high school, he crammed at the last minute and managed to get into a decent university. Though it wasn’t prestigious, Ye Cong was quite satisfied.  

During his graduation trip, Ye Cong went backpacking in Yunnan when he encountered an old fortune-teller.  

The old man wore a cloth headscarf and a black robe, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom. He stopped Ye Cong at the foot of the mountain and said, “Young friend, as the saying goes, a chance encounter is fate. Since we are fated, why not let this old man divine your fortune?”  

Ye Cong asked, “Does it cost money?”  

The old man: “…No.”  

Intrigued, Ye Cong said, “Go ahead then.”  

The old man nodded solemnly, then stared at him for a long while—so long that Ye Cong’s hair stood on end—before finally speaking. “Past life, present life… the day of return will come.”  

Ye Cong didn’t understand. “What does that mean?”  

The old man sighed. “Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed, but since we are fated… young friend, you are the reincarnation of Aixinjueluo Yongcong…”  

Ye Cong had majored in Chinese literature in college and had some basic knowledge of history.  

Back then, dramas like *[XX Legend]* and *[XX Strategy]* were all the rage. His roommate, in an effort to impress a girl, had even subscribed to watch Qing palace dramas, claiming it was to “better understand her heart” and “have common topics.”  

Finding it amusing, Ye Cong had joined in watching.  

…  

Reincarnation?  

He gave the old man a skeptical look. “Yongcong? Qianlong’s second legitimate son? The one who died of smallpox at two years old?”  

The old man stroked his beard and slowly nodded.  

Wasn’t this just cursing him?  

Nonsense!  

Ye Cong immediately concluded that this was a fraud pretending to be mystical. But since the fortune-telling was free, he politely smiled and walked past the old man without another thought.  

As for the so-called reincarnation, he didn’t take it seriously at all.  

He climbed to the summit of the famous mountain and marveled at the vast sea of clouds stretching before him. The mountaintop was crowded, and when someone slipped and fell, chaos suddenly erupted. Standing at the outermost edge, Ye Cong lost his balance and stumbled toward the cliff.  

He wasn’t too worried—after all, there were guardrails for safety. But as luck would have it, in a twist of eerie coincidence, the railing right in front of him suddenly snapped.  

An iron railing. Snapped.  

No amount of curses could describe Ye Cong’s disbelief as he plummeted off the cliff, face-to-face with the sea of clouds.  

When he opened his eyes again, he had become Aixinjueluo Yongcong—a newborn baby.  

Yongcong had been sleeping deeply when the scent of milk roused him from hunger. Opening his eyes, his entire body stiffened. Now that he was just born, he had to nurse…!  

Seeing that the Seventh Prince hadn’t opened his mouth for a while, the wet nurse Xu grew anxious. It was feeding time—why wasn’t the prince willing? Wasn’t he hungry?  

“Seventh Prince, be good, you must be hungry…” Xu said quickly in Mandarin, sounding worried.  

Yongcong remained stiff for a long moment, but eventually, his hunger won out. He leaned forward, mentally reassuring himself that he had already nursed once unconsciously—there was nothing to panic about…  

Xu let out a sigh of relief, then gently rocked the swaddling clothes and began humming a lullaby.  

Before Yongcong could figure out why he understood their language, he drifted back into a hazy sleep.

The Empress held the sleeping Yongcong for a long while before finally being persuaded by her maids to lie down, while Yongcong was handed over to Yu Momo. When she awoke, the sky was still pitch black with faint traces of light—dawn must be approaching.  

A messenger reported that Qianlong had left with Hejing and would visit the Palace of Eternal Spring after court.  

Originally, Hejing had wanted to enter the birthing chamber, but Yu Momo dissuaded her. The Third Princess was set to marry next year, and if the Empress knew, she would not have approved.  

The Empress swallowed a mouthful of rice porridge and smiled helplessly. “She’s already a bride-to-be, yet still so impulsive.”  

Then she asked Yu Momo, “Is Yongcong full?”  

Yu Momo replied that the Seventh Prince’s belly was round and he was sleeping soundly.  

The Empress’s gaze softened.  

Yu Momo pushed the cradle to the bedside, and the Empress leaned over slowly, staring unblinkingly at the peacefully sleeping infant.  

Yu Momo hesitated, somewhat puzzled.  

It was understandable that Her Majesty, having waited fifteen years for a child, would dote on the Seventh Prince. But why did she look at him as if… he were a long-lost treasure rediscovered?  

This expression—she hadn’t seen it in many years. Seven years ago, when the Second Prince was gravely ill, the Empress had refused to eat or sleep, tending to him day and night. On the day his condition improved, she had worn the same look.  

Unable to make sense of it, Yu Momo set the thought aside and said, “Now that the news of Your Majesty giving birth to a prince has spread, some will surely stir up trouble.”  

Trouble?  

The Palace of Eternal Spring was impenetrable, as secure as an iron fortress, and she had eyes in every palace.  

This time, no one would lay a finger on Yongcong.  

The Empress’s expression remained unchanged as she said calmly, “The harem has been stagnant for too long. It’s time to shake things up.”  

The joyous news of the Empress giving birth to the Seventh Prince spread throughout the court and the inner palace. The Emperor was overjoyed, bestowing the name Yongcong upon the child within half an hour of his birth.  

The imperial consorts had received word of the Empress’s labor early on, but before they could make a move, Qianlong ordered them to remain in their palaces and pray for the Empress instead.  

At Jingren Palace, Noble Consort Su reclined on her couch and asked Furong, “Have the gifts for the Seventh Prince been prepared? The tiger-head hat I knitted the other day must be inspected again—make sure nothing unclean has been mixed in.”  

Furong smiled and replied, “Your Highness, we’ve checked it thoroughly.”  

Noble Consort Su nodded lightly and sighed. “The Seventh Prince was born on Buddha’s Birthday, accompanied by the auspicious omen of Sweet Dew. He will surely be as cherished as Hejing and Prince Duan, if not more so.”  

Furong lowered her head. Noble Consort Su toyed with the jade bracelet on her wrist and continued, “Yongrong longs for His Majesty’s favor every day. If he learns how much importance the Emperor places on his younger brother, who knows how jealous he’ll be.”  

The four-year-old Sixth Prince was still fast asleep. Furong glanced toward the side chamber and said softly, “Your Highness, the Empress’s legitimate son is always different.”  

Noble Consort Su was lost in thought for a long moment before smiling faintly. “Yes… always different.”  

In the tenth year of Qianlong’s reign, when she had given birth to the Fourth Princess and suffered severe blood loss, it was the Empress who had sent wild ginseng to save her life. If not for Her Majesty, she would never have lived long enough to be elevated to Noble Consort.  

His Majesty had told her that it was the Empress who had proposed her promotion—the Empress had said that Noble Consort Su, having borne two sons and a daughter, had contributed greatly to the imperial lineage and that the rank of Consort was beneath her.

“Your Grace has treated me with kindness and righteousness. How could I be such an ungrateful villain?” Imperial Concubine Chun said slowly. “His Majesty dotes on his legitimate son—it’s only natural. Once Your Grace has recovered from childbirth, I shall bring Yongrong and the Fourth Princess to pay respects…”

Imperial Concubine Jia Jin Jia glanced at the night outside the window, stroking her slightly rounded belly. “The Seventh Prince certainly knows how to pick auspicious days. The Buddha’s birthday—even the Empress Dowager would be delighted, let alone His Majesty.”

Jin Momo noticed her stiff posture and knew Her Grace was displeased. She gently advised, “Would Your Grace care to rest awhile? You’re carrying a young prince—your health is paramount.”

“A young prince…” Imperial Concubine Jia lowered her eyes, her voice tinged with resentment. “My child is merely four or five months younger than Yongcong, yet at that time, was there any place in His Majesty’s heart for us mother and son?”

This pregnancy had come at an inopportune time, coinciding with the Empress’s.

“One named Lian, the other Cong—His Majesty might as well announce his intentions to the world!” Imperial Concubine Jia sneered. “In the future, Prince Duan will be Crown Prince, the Seventh Prince a virtuous ruler—the two brothers inheriting the ancestral temple. What room would there be for others?”

Jin Momo, who had nursed Imperial Concubine Jia and served her for thirty years, paled. “Your Grace! You mustn’t speak so recklessly. If these words reached the wrong ears, what would become of you? Even if not for the Fourth Prince’s sake, think of the one in your womb!”

Realizing her indiscretion, Imperial Concubine Jia’s expression darkened. “This concubine has forgotten herself.”

The Empress had been First Wife in the Residence Before Ascension for nearly a decade and had ruled the harem as the nation’s mother for over ten years. In her frustration, Imperial Concubine Jia had momentarily forgotten her place.

If such words were overheard…

“Children are fragile. Accidents happen,” Imperial Concubine Jia finally murmured, unable to swallow her bitterness.

In Yikun Palace, Imperial Concubine Xian Ulanara smiled bitterly. “Fifteen years without conceiving, yet she’s borne another prince.”Rong Momo tenderly brought a cup of tea. After hearing the news of the queen’s delivery, the master had been sitting still since getting up, and Rong Momo knew her heart ached and shared her sorrow.”

“They say I occupy this position of Imperial Concubine solely through the legacy of Empress Xiao Xian, childless as I am.” Imperial Concubine Xian’s beauty differed from the Empress’s—strikingly bold, still captivating at nearly thirty.

Imperial Concubine Xian was a grandniece of Empress Xiao Xian. In the ninth year of Yongzheng’s reign, as the dying Empress pleaded with the Emperor for a marriage arrangement, he consented. The following year, Ulanara became Prince Bao Hongli’s secondary wife.

Though newest to the household, her status surpassed Imperial Concubines Su and Jin Jia’s. When the Emperor ascended the throne, she was made Imperial Concubine Xian, ranking only below the First Wife and senior secondary wife—drawing much envy.

Now in the eleventh year of Qianlong’s reign, she remained barren!

She touched her abdomen, smiling wryly. “Momo, tell me—when will I have a child of my own?”