Chapter 53: The Full-Moon Banquet

Consort Xuan’s refusal didn’t bother Noble Consort Tong in the slightest. Just as Wan Anran had said, the last time when the Third-Day Bath Ceremony was canceled due to Twelfth Prince’s frailty had left a deep sense of regret in Noble Consort Tong. To make up for it, and to dispel ill fortune, she had firmly decided to organize an extravagant full-moon banquet.

Kangxi didn’t want it to be a grand affair.

But under Noble Consort Tong’s tearful pleading and hesitant, sorrowful speech, he ultimately gave in and allowed her to handle the matter. Of course, Kangxi still gave detailed instructions: “The Twelfth Prince is delicate in health. Consort, you must be extra cautious, understand?”

“I care for A’mu as if he were my own son. How could I not be careful? Please rest assured, Your Majesty,” Noble Consort Tong replied cheerfully.

With the Emperor’s approval, there was even less reason for the Empress of the Niohuru clan to oppose it. She even sent a scroll over to Chengqian Palace, instructing that if Noble Consort Tong wished to invite any consorts’ Madams or noble family members, she could send the invitations herself.

Of course, from Xianfu Palace, the Empress also had someone inquire after Wan Anran’s wishes. Wan Anran politely declined the Empress’s goodwill. Firstly, she wasn’t yet prepared to face her predecessor’s family. Secondly, just as she had told Consort Xuan earlier, she felt that a modest celebration was sufficient for the full-moon banquet. Inviting her predecessor’s relatives into the palace could wait until the hundred-day celebration.

As for Noble Consort Tong, she certainly wouldn’t refuse.

She sent someone to Kunning Palace to express her thanks, and then sent out a stack of invitations in one go.

Nanny Xia, however, frowned.

She said in a low voice, “Mistress, inviting consorts’ family Madams into the palace is a right reserved for the Mistress Empress herself. How can the Noble Consort issue invitations at will? What if the Consort—”

The Empress chuckled.

She said with a smile, “It’s only for a day. Let her be.”

November 30th.

Noble family Madams of the imperial clan and the Tongjia family arrived at the palace together to attend the full-moon banquet. The banquet was festive and grand. Noble Consort Tong clearly intended to use the occasion to sweep away the gloom that had hovered over Chengqian Palace for the past year.

Of course, amidst the liveliness, many guests were also confused.

After all, it was no secret that the Eleventh and Twelfth Princes were born on the same day. Members of the royal clan knew very well that the Eleventh Prince was in far better health than the Twelfth.

So why was the full-moon banquet being held only for the Twelfth Prince, with no sign of the Eleventh Prince? Had something happened to him? Was he ill? Or perhaps his birth mother was not favored, and thus no grand banquet was arranged? Or… could it be that Noble Consort Tong didn’t like the Eleventh Prince stealing the Twelfth Prince’s limelight? The guests had countless speculations in their minds and were essentially waiting to watch the drama unfold.

Only Noble Consort Tong’s mother, Madam Heshieri, had different thoughts. She had originally assumed that such an elaborate event was for both young princes. Now that it was clearly only for one, what kind of arrangement was this?

Madam Heshieri’s heart sank.

She pulled Zhao Momo aside and whispered, “Where are Noble Lady Wan and the Eleventh Prince? Why didn’t the Consort host the full-moon banquet for both of them together?”

Zhao Momo looked awkward.

She answered respectfully, “Madam, Her Ladyship already extended the offer. It’s just… Consort Xuan declined her goodwill.”

Madam Heshieri pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. “…”

What goodwill? Most likely her precious daughter had said something tactless again and offended the other side.

Very familiar with her daughter’s temperament, Madam Heshieri’s temples throbbed. But with the banquet already underway, what could she do? She gave Zhao Momo a sharp look and said sternly, “Make sure the gifts I brought are sent over to Noble Lady Wan, understand?”

Zhao Momo quickly agreed.

Looking at her daughter surrounded by several consorts’ Madams, her face full of joy, Madam Heshieri pressed her lips together. In the end, she suppressed her worries and put on a smiling face to help entertain the guests.

It wasn’t until the sound of the forbidden whip announcing the Emperor’s arrival rang out that Madam Heshieri’s worry finally began to ease. When the Emperor bestowed a small golden bow and began chatting amiably with the Consort, her heart completely settled.

Since the Emperor had shown up, this matter must have had his approval too, right? The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. She even looked upon the Twelfth Prince with more kindness.

Although he didn’t come from her daughter’s womb, raising him from infancy meant he would surely grow up to be a strong ally of their own family!

Full of confidence, Madam Heshieri continued helping her daughter greet the guests, so busy that she didn’t notice the displeasure in the Emperor’s eyes.

Kangxi was not pleased.

The full-moon banquet at Chengqian Palace had gone completely over the top!

It was true that the Empress had permitted the Noble Consort to invite relatives from the imperial clan—but look at the turnout: the Madams of Prince Yu, Prince Gong, Prince An, and Prince Kang were all present… not one of the high-ranking families was absent.

Judging from the awkward smiles on everyone’s faces, it was clear that they had all come thinking the celebration was for both the Eleventh and Twelfth Princes.

Kangxi’s initial joy vanished, and dissatisfaction with Noble Consort Tong resurfaced. The Twelfth Prince was frail and should be carefully nurtured. Such noisy festivities might startle the child.

More importantly, Kangxi regretted bringing the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess.

Having met his chubby Eleventh Brother, the Crown Prince had high expectations for his unseen Twelfth Brother. Upon entering the hall, the first thing he did was rush to the cradle, eager to see his new brother: the Twelfth Prince, swaddled in cloth, had a disproportionately large head and small body, sallow skin, and was sniffling constantly. Compared to the Eleventh Prince, the difference was like night and day.

With just one look, all of the Crown Prince’s hopes shattered like porcelain crashing to the floor.

He was completely deflated.

He lost interest, and the Eldest Princess was even more indifferent. As her gaze swept across the hall full of palace maids, she inadvertently locked eyes with one of them.

The Eldest Princess’s face paled.

She reached out and tightly clutched the Crown Prince’s robe, lowering her gaze to her feet, her body going stiff and rigid.

The Crown Prince was puzzled. “Big Sister?”

The Eldest Princess’s uncharacteristic silence made him immediately sense something was wrong. Putting on a cheerful face, he pulled her along and ran outside. “Father, it’s really boring in here. We’re going outside to play!”

Noble Consort Tong frowned.

The Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess really weren’t giving her any face. She pursed her lips and looked aggrievedly at the Emperor, but Kangxi didn’t notice his cousin’s resentment in the slightest. He simply smiled and said, “It’s snowing outside. Be careful, the ground is slippery.”

Noble Consort Tong was fuming.

Though she was displeased, she still managed a smile. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ve already had the snow cleared thoroughly outside.”

No sooner had she spoken than a sudden commotion broke out outside.

Kangxi’s brow twitched, and he quickly stepped out, only to see that it was Madam Heshieri’s younger daughter, the little Tongjia girl, who had fallen. She held her mouth as she sat on the ground, having knocked out a tooth, and after a couple of hiccups, burst into loud wails.

And this was after all the talk of not falling?

Faced with the Emperor’s gaze and seeing her little sister crying and bleeding right in Chengqian Palace, Noble Consort Tong was on the verge of exploding.

The Crown Prince and Eldest Princess, oblivious to what had happened behind them, had already run far from Chengqian Palace. Once they were far away, the Eldest Princess finally began to calm down. She stopped in her tracks and gently tugged at the Crown Prince’s robe.

“Thank you, Baocheng,” she whispered.

The Crown Prince waved his hand. “It’s nothing.”

He wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue. “Anyway, I’m tired of staying in Chengqian Palace. Twelfth Brother is ugly, not as good-looking as Eleventh Brother!”

The Eldest Princess had a faint smile at the corners of her lips.

She nodded. “Why don’t we go to Xianfu Palace and visit Eleventh Brother? Royal Mother went there too.”

The Crown Prince nodded. “Let’s go!”

He didn’t ask whom the Eldest Princess had seen just now or why she had looked so flustered and unsettled. Instead, he simply grinned and began hopping his way toward Xianfu Palace.

Compared to the bustle of Chengqian Palace, Xianfu Palace was much quieter. But quiet didn’t mean dull—once the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess, who were well-acquainted with the place, stepped into the inner courtyard, they saw it was already filled with laughter and song, lively and noisy.

The Empress was leisurely leaning against the corridor.

She held a cup of warm spiced wine, sipping it slowly, occasionally looking up with a smile at the people playing around in the courtyard.

Even the rarely seen Consort Yi was there.

She had a snowball in each hand and was darting nimbly about the courtyard, launching sudden surprise attacks at Consort Xuan.

Consort Xuan was so angry she could hardly control her expression.

Who’s afraid of whom? Born of Mongol heritage and confident in her strength—surely the strongest among the palace consorts—she hurled her snowballs with great momentum, chasing Consort Yi until her expression changed with panic and she fled with her hands over her head.

Wan Anran was laughing so hard she almost fell over, but was caught by Consort Yi to be used as a human shield. Two snowballs landed squarely on her forehead, and she stood dazed and confused.

Noble Lady Nara was torn between laughing and crying.

She wanted to go forward and stop them, but was pulled into the fray as well, turning what had been a one-on-one into a two-on-two battle.

Even Guo Changzai, who was pregnant, got pulled in by Consort Yi. She looked completely lost as she glanced over at the calm and composed Empress and cautiously asked, “Your Majesty the Empress… is this really okay?”

“They don’t mind. What are you afraid of?”

“…Right.” Since she didn’t feel capable of controlling the situation, Guo Changzai quietly picked up a snack and took a bite: Mmm, delicious.

By the time Crown Prince Baocheng and the Eldest Princess walked in, all they saw were snowballs flying through the air. This was way more fun than Chengqian Palace. The two of them cheered and rushed straight into the battlefield.

2:2:2

Who would be the final victor?

Unfortunately, before they could determine the winner, Nanny Xia walked out from inside and said, “Mistresses, the auspicious hour is near.”

Everyone quickly stopped what they were doing.

They chatted and smiled as they stepped into the house. Inside, it was warm and cozy. In the cradle, little Yinzhèn was waving his tiny hands and feet, looking around at both familiar and unfamiliar faces.

Consort Xuan… still only Consort Xuan.

Consort Yi… still just Consort Yi.

And this one in bright yellow palace robes… Looking at her facial features, which resembled those of Noble Consort Wenxi by about seventy to eighty percent, the words “Empress Xiaozhao” surfaced in Yinzhèn’s mind.

His eyes widened in shock.

Logically, Empress Xiaozhao should have died before he was even born. For several years afterward, it had been his foster mother, Noble Consort Tong, who managed the palace affairs…

The Empress lowered her head to look at Yinzhèn.

She removed the nail guards from her fingers and carefully picked up the Eleventh Prince, cradling him in her arms. “Little Peach is growing so well.”

“And he doesn’t cry or fuss. So obedient.”

“Truly clever and well-behaved.”

The Empress smiled gently. From the nanny’s hands, she took a silver pendant that had long been prepared and hung it around the little prince’s neck. Then she handed him over to Nanny Zhao.

The young eunuchs who would perform the tonsure were already in position.

They moved quickly and efficiently. In no time, they had shaved a “longevity peach” shape onto the little prince’s head. The shorn strands were tied with red string and hung in a prominent place in the main hall, symbolizing a wish for the child to grow up healthy and strong.

Once the smooth and graceful hair-cutting ceremony concluded, Consort Yi eagerly scooted over. “May I, ahem, may I also hold him?”

And just like that, her true intentions were exposed.

I knew she wasn’t acting friendly for no reason—clearly she wanted to share in my little Peach’s good luck!

Consort Yi grinned ingratiatingly.

This uncharacteristically fawning behavior made Consort Xuan roll her eyes. With a cold snort, she reluctantly handed little Peach over. “Here. Take him.”

Consort Yi was as shameless as ever.

As long as she got to hold the little prince, she didn’t care about anything else! Looking at the soft, adorable Little Peach, she was overjoyed, her smile stretching from ear to ear. She rubbed and cuddled him, then rubbed some more, reluctant to pull her face away even after a long while.

Yinzhèn: …

So Consort Yi used to be like this? Just when Yinzhèn thought his ordeal was finally over, her voice rang out again. She called over Guo Changzai to come and touch him.

Guo Changzai: “…Huh?”

Consort Yi had a serious look on her face. “Huh what? Sister, come quickly and touch him. I heard that if you touch a healthy child, the baby in your belly will surely be born just as healthy as the Eleventh Prince!”

Guo Changzai felt her nose tingle with emotion.

Looking at her sister’s eager eyes, she softly responded, “Mm.” But just as she was about to reach out and touch him, a commotion erupted outside. A palace maid rushed in, flustered.

“Mistress, something has happened!”