Chapter 14 – Snow Sculptures

Wan Anran woke up early the next morning.

After paying her respects to Consort Xuan, she headed to the study and diligently copied ten sheets of calligraphy. Then, under Wan Fu’s envious gaze, she left happily and made her way to the backyard.

Because Wan Changzai had instructed the palace maids the day before, the snow in the backyard hadn’t been cleared. By now, it had accumulated to knee height. There was more than enough to make not only large snowmen but even small igloos!

Wan Anran started by making a snowman.

She put a melon cap on its head, used black yarn braided into little pigtails hanging from the back, black charcoal pieces for the eyes, and a carrot for the long nose. Finally, she draped an old piece of dark-colored felt over the back like a cloak and stuck tree branches on either side for arms. A cute little snowman was complete!

Wan Anran was very pleased. “Isn’t it adorable?”

Haitao nodded repeatedly. “So cute! My lady, you did such a wonderful job!”

Despite the compliments, Haitao secretly wiped the corners of her eyes.

It was clear the young mistress had made the snowman look like a boy—no doubt she was missing His Majesty but couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.

Wan Anran rubbed her nose.

Hands on her hips, she admired her creation for a moment before deciding to make another. This time, the snowman wore a traditional headdress, had a scarf made from scraps of cloth, and Wan Anran even contributed the pair of rabbit fur gloves she had made previously, placing them on the branch arms as tiny hands.

She moved the two snowmen under the plum tree, then went inside to check the angle. From the window beside the couch, you could see the two snowmen and the plum blossoms blooming proudly amidst the snow—it was a breathtaking scene.

The remaining snow shouldn’t go to waste either.

Wan Anran decided to sculpt some small animals to place around for decoration—like turtles and rabbits, maybe kittens and puppies too.

But these were much harder to make than snowmen.

She struggled for quite a while without success. Standing nearby, Ju Bai hesitated for a moment before stepping forward respectfully. “My lady, perhaps I could try?”

And Ju Bai really could.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she sculpted a little rabbit in just a few quick moves. Despite being the same white snow, in Wan Anran’s hands it was rebellious and unruly, but in Ju Bai’s hands, it was perfectly obedient.

Wan Anran gasped softly in amazement.

Her swift and skillful technique left Haitao and Zisu staring with mouths agape. They watched as Ju Bai made a chick, a kitten, a puppy, and even an owl—each vivid and lifelike, and unbearably cute.

Wan Anran was grinning from ear to ear.

She held up the kitten-shaped snow sculpture, eyes shining. “Ju Bai, you’re amazing! How did you learn to do this?”

Ju Bai’s face flushed bright red.

She stammered with embarrassment. “My lady… my family was poor. My younger siblings didn’t have toys, so in winter, we made do by playing with snow sculptures.”

Wan Anran murmured, “Well, I wouldn’t call this ‘making do’ at all. Say, Ju Bai, can you make bigger ones too?”

Large snow sculptures would be even more impressive!

Ju Bai nodded solemnly. “I can. I’ve even sculpted slides and lion dances out of snow before.”

Wan Anran’s eyes lit up.

Just the thought made her excited, though unfortunately, the snow in Xianfu Palace wasn’t quite enough for large-scale sculptures. Holding back her regret, she asked Ju Bai to make more cute little animals instead.

Squirrels, red-crowned cranes, sika deer, peacocks, eagles… Wan Anran spoke enthusiastically while Ju Bai sculpted swiftly. In the end, they turned the entire backyard into a snow sculpture zoo.

Xu Changzai coldly observed the scene outside.

Having recently suffered blows from both the Emperor and Empress, her passionate ambitions had cooled somewhat. She was increasingly convinced that Wan Changzai was her lifelong rival. If she wanted to be favored by Consort Xuan, she had to win her over first.

After much thought, Xu Changzai decided to copy Buddhist scriptures.

The Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Consort Xuan were all devout Buddhists—maybe this would earn her favor? With her plan set, she signaled the maids to shut the windows and focused intently on copying.

Outside, the sound of laughter rang out clearly.

Not only Wan Anran and the palace maids but also the Ninth Prince joined in after finishing his recitations. Holding a squirrel snow sculpture, he looked at the puppy one; holding the puppy, he eyed the tiger—he was the definition of someone who always wanted what he didn’t have.

In the end, even Consort Xuan was drawn over.

She had never seen such delicate and adorable snow sculptures before and nodded approvingly. “This craftsmanship is truly excellent.”

After all, Consort Xuan was only fifteen or sixteen years old.

Seeing such cute things, she couldn’t take her eyes off them, and even felt a bit boastful. She had the palace maids arrange all the snow sculptures in a row along the palace wall at Xianfu Palace’s entrance. Of course, Ju Bai’s works alone weren’t enough. From Consort Xuan to the Ninth Prince, from Noble Lady Nara to Wan Anran, even all the palace maids sat enthusiastically under the corridor, rolling snowballs.

Wan Anran, confident in her snowman-making experience, was full of fighting spirit.

But it was easier said than done. If she pressed too hard, the snowball crumbled; too soft, and it wouldn’t hold its shape. The rabbit she made had one long ear and one short, the bear looked like a cat, the cat looked like a dog… her designs were tragically unrecognizable.

And yet Wan Anran was still very proud.

If she were to score herself, it would definitely be a perfect 10!

Chin raised and chest puffed, she placed her “masterpieces” right beside Ju Bai’s. If her earlier ones were childishly charming, these now bordered on eerie and creepy. Palace maids passing by grew nervous, secretly wondering what kind of strange rituals Xianfu Palace was up to.

Consort Xuan held her forehead: “…………”

Nanny Xia couldn’t help but advise, “My lady, perhaps we should move Wan Changzai’s sculptures inside?”

Better to be embarrassed inside Xianfu Palace than in public, right?

Consort Xuan waved her hand. “Let them be. The more you look at them, the cuter they get.” They had that “so ugly it’s cute” vibe.

But Wan Anran knew nothing of the outside drama.

After decorating the whole courtyard with the remaining snow sculptures, and feeling accomplished, she stretched with satisfaction, deciding it was time to reward herself!

On a freezing snowy day, what better reward than hotpot?

Wan Anran quickly made a decision.
“Haitao, for tonight’s dinner, let’s have one clear broth hotpot and one spicy hotpot. We’ll need sliced lamb and chicken, some meatballs too. As for vegetables, just bring whatever is available. Oh, and make sure to get duck blood and enoki mushrooms if they have them!”

Haitao jotted everything down one by one.

Smiling, she replied in affirmation. But Zisu reminded her, “My Lady, the clear broth and other ingredients aren’t an issue, but I’m afraid the spicy broth isn’t available in the small kitchen. You’ll have to get it from the Imperial Kitchen, and that’ll cost some silver.”

Haitao patted her chest. “Leave that to me.”

Zisu was a little puzzled but silently nodded. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Wan Changzai give another instruction:
“By the way, since Juba taught me how to make snow sculptures today, she deserves a reward. Juba, you can choose a dish you like too.”

Juba happily replied with a cheerful “yes.”

No one serving in the palace was foolish. With a smile, she began chatting with Haitao and Zisu about what extra dishes to add. Their chirping and laughter made Wan Anran unconsciously curl her lips into a smile.

She hadn’t felt anything while playing earlier, but now her whole body ached terribly. Nestled in the soft couch, Wan Anran casually picked up a book to read. It was from the stack the Empress had given her. Perhaps by mistake, one of them turned out to be a miscellaneous fiction book. Wan Anran found it quite intriguing and decided to read two or three pages every day to pass the time.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to read more, but the lack of punctuation in the text made it truly exhausting to read. If it were her own book, she’d have made notes, but this belonged to the Empress… Wan Anran cradled her face in frustration, eventually deciding to take it slow.

After all, she still had a long time ahead of her in the palace.

One day, she would finish this book.

Hotpot was something noble ladies in the palace often ate, so it didn’t take long for all the ingredients Wan Anran requested to be delivered. The small round table was packed to the brim. Gazing at the scenery outside the window, Wan Anran leisurely and contentedly enjoyed her meal.

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Wan Anran was relaxed, but things weren’t the same elsewhere.

For example, Emperor Kangxi was in a foul mood. Continuous heavy snowfall had caused snow disasters. Requests for disaster relief were pouring in from Hebei and other regions, which only added to the already strained finances of the court.

The imperial treasury was nearly empty!

The Revolt of the Three Feudatories hadn’t yet been resolved. The Ministry of War was already spending heavily on military rations and soldier salaries, and now there was disaster relief to consider as well. The Minister of Revenue stared at the remaining numbers in the ledgers and was so worried he hadn’t slept for nights. His face now looked deathly pale.

Kangxi made a firm decision.

He would use the New Year to promote a spirit of frugality.

The unlucky one? The Niohuru Empress.

Everything had already been planned out in advance, and yet the Emperor suddenly came up with a new idea and new plan…

Niohuru Empress: … heh.

What else could she do? She was basically shoved into the task and had to get started immediately! It was too late to revise the grand New Year banquet, but the later tea gatherings and Lantern Festival could still be adjusted. After a brief moment of contemplation, the Empress quickly summoned her attendants and began issuing new orders.

As for Kangxi, after making his declaration, he felt a bit guilty. Seeing the faint fury behind the Empress’s composed expression, he decided to go out for a walk in the Imperial Garden to clear his mind.

But he hadn’t even reached the garden when he heard bursts of laughter.

He paused, a trace of irritation flickering across his features. Ever since the plum blossoms began to bloom, every time he passed through the Imperial Garden, he’d inevitably run into one or two (or three or four) consorts. Some were picking plum blossoms, others sniffing and reciting poems, some frolicking in the snow, and still others dancing amidst the snowflakes.

When he had free time, Kangxi didn’t mind using them to entertain himself.

But when he was busy… Kangxi glanced around, then turned to leave.
“The palace halls happen to be short on plum branches for decoration. Who were the ones picking plum blossoms and reciting poems just now? Have them go arrange the flowers! As for those playing in the snow, the Imperial Garden is in need of snow clearing. They can go do that and return only after it’s done. As for the one dancing in the snow… Liang Jiugong, have someone keep watch. She’s not allowed to leave until she’s danced for a full hour!”

Liang Jiugong answered seriously with a bow.

What bad luck for these ladies to run into the Emperor when he was in a foul mood? They could only accept their misfortune. With a calm expression, Liang Jiugong gave a few instructions to the junior eunuchs and had them carry out the orders immediately.

Kangxi and his retinue walked off into the distance.

Behind them, faint sounds of protest and commotion could be heard, but Kangxi ignored them completely. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled along the path, hesitating between heading to Chengqian Palace or Yikun Palace. Thinking about how he hadn’t visited Yikun Palace last time, he turned and walked in that direction.

As he neared the place, a glance from the corner of his eye caught sight of a row of small snow sculptures at the corner of a wall… They were actually quite cute? Just as that thought crossed his mind, the bizarre, misshapen ones at the back made his eyelids twitch.

Kangxi’s curiosity was piqued.

He followed the trail of strange snow sculptures all the way around. Though he wasn’t sure who had made them, whoever had the nerve to boldly display them right outside their palace gates… Hmm… it was probably Wan Fu.

Wan Fu: “Achoo!”

Kangxi shook his head. “Indulging in frivolous play and neglecting studies! If that boy can’t recite his lessons when I test him next time, I’ll tan his hide myself!”

Wan Fu: “Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!!!”

Noble Lady Nara looked at him with concern, placing a hand on his forehead.
“Wan Fu, have you been playing in the snow too long? Come now, let’s get you inside to warm up and drink some ginger soup!”

Kangxi stood outside the gates of Xianfu Palace.

Originally, he intended to go in and ask a few questions, but he suddenly recalled how Consort Yi’s eyebrows and eyes always carried a soft, misty sorrow. His footsteps halted, and instead he turned toward Yikun Palace.

Just thinking of Consort Yi put him in a good mood.

He signaled to the eunuchs not to announce his arrival and walked in with light steps, eager to hear what his beloved was saying.

But before he could approach the main hall, he heard Consort Yi’s mocking voice. She had just returned from a stroll, having observed the situation at Xianfu Palace. With three parts mockery, three parts sarcasm, and four parts schadenfreude, she said:

“Does Xianfu Palace really think such ugly things could catch the Emperor’s attention? Really? Really? If you ask me, His Majesty would not only avoid that place but also scold them thoroughly! Tsk, who’d be attracted to something that ugly? That would be truly strange!”

Kangxi – a man who was indeed attracted to something that ugly –: ………