Chapter 33: Awakening

Kunning Palace.

The Emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager were all gathered together.

Madam Zhou knelt on the ground with tears streaming down her face, recounting the Empress’s recent changes in detail. Her voice was choked with sobs; the regret and remorse in her heart could not be fully expressed. She wept so bitterly she nearly fainted on the spot.

Faced with such a loyal servant, no matter how angry Kangxi was, he had no reason to lash out at her. Moreover, Madam Zhou had been the first to discover the Empress’s condition. After waving his hand for the palace attendants to help her to the outer room to rest, he turned his furious gaze on the assembled imperial physicians.

As for the two imperial physicians who had previously diagnosed the Empress with a mere chill? They had long since been removed from the group and were immediately thrown into prison for harsh interrogation.

The Grand Empress Dowager ignored the Emperor’s suspicions.

She stepped into the inner chamber. The Empress was leaning weakly against the edge of the bed, her face pale. Upon seeing the Grand Empress Dowager arrive, she hurriedly tried to rise to offer her respects. “This consort…”

“You’re already sick, why bother with so many formalities?”

The Grand Empress Dowager gently pushed the Empress back down. “I’ve already given the order that all palace affairs are to be handled by Imperial Consort Tong and the others. You, just focus on recovering your health—understood?”

The Empress opened her mouth.

Before she could speak, the Grand Empress Dowager continued her lecture. “I know you’re diligent and meticulous, always worrying about everything. But have you thought about it? When all the other consorts are idle, they tend to stir up trouble. You should have picked a few assistants to share the burden! Now, while you’re properly resting, I’ll take this opportunity to see who among them is truly capable.”
And maybe this way she wouldn’t have to see them flaunting themselves in garish outfits every day, dazzling her eyes to the point of pain.

The Empress pressed her lips together.

The Grand Empress Dowager didn’t give her a chance to argue, settling the matter then and there. At last, she narrowed her eyes and looked at the Empress. “What does the Empress think of this?”

“This consort thanks the Grand Empress Dowager for her kindness.” What else could she say?

The Grand Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction.

She had intended to nag a little more, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a small figure behind the beaded curtain. “You… hmm? Isn’t that the Eldest Princess?”

The Emperor was the Grand Empress Dowager’s grandson.

Changning was also her grandson, so to her, the Eldest Princess wasn’t all that different. She beckoned the girl over with a gentle wave.

The Eldest Princess obediently came forward.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at the Empress, the rims of her red eyes filled with anxiety and fear.

“What grievance has our Eldest Princess suffered? Why are you crying like a little teardrop doll?” The Grand Empress Dowager lovingly stroked her hair. “Your Royal Mother is fine. She just needs some rest to recover.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“Is it really not because I broke something?” The Eldest Princess’s eyes turned red again, and fresh tears spilled out like golden beads.

The Empress was stunned.

She put on a stern face. “Who dared speak nonsense in front of the Princess?”

A nursemaid behind them immediately dropped to her knees.

The Empress motioned for the Princess to sit beside her, her tone uncharacteristically gentle. “It has nothing to do with you. Your Royal Mother just hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

“Really?”

“Really, really! Drinking some sweet fermented rice wine every day helps with digestion, warms the middle, dispels cold, and refreshes the mind. What the Princess gave her Royal Mother was a good thing!” the Empress said softly.

The Eldest Princess burst into a smile through her tears.

Watching the tender exchange between mother and daughter, the Grand Empress Dowager’s opinion of the Empress rose even further. Seeing that fatigue was clearly written on the Empress’s face, she reached out to take the Princess’s hand. “While the Empress is ill, would the Eldest Princess stay with Nurse Uku Ma?”

The Princess nodded obediently, though she glanced reluctantly at the Empress. “Royal Mother, you must listen to the imperial physicians and Madam Zhou and take good care of yourself.”

“Royal Mother understands.”

“Don’t worry, child. I’ll have people watch over the Empress to ensure she gets proper rest!” the Grand Empress Dowager said firmly. She wasn’t lying—she left behind two of her most trusted matrons to care for the Empress until she recovered.

---

What went on inside Kunning Palace was impossible for outsiders to find out.

But even without details, one could guess from the expressions of the imperial physicians. Seeing the dark circles under their eyes growing heavier, and hearing the endless bustle throughout the night, the consorts and even the palace servants vaguely understood something.

The Empress’s condition was likely not good.

Especially two days later, when a whisper spread—
The Empress had fallen into a coma.

Xianfu Palace was silent.

Wan Anran stared blankly out the window—though flowers bloomed, grass grew lush, and butterflies and swallows flitted through the courtyard, she felt icy chills rising wave after wave, colder than the depths of winter.

“My Lady…” Haitao whispered with concern.

“Haitao, prepare brush and paper,” Wan Anran said without turning her head. She couldn’t enter Kunning Palace, and besides, she wasn’t a physician—what use would it be for her to go? The only thing she could do now was to copy scriptures and pray for the Empress’s safety.

May her previous warning have done some good.

May the Niohuru Empress survive this.

Wan Anran picked up the wolf-hair brush.

If her earlier copying had been to fulfill her studies, now she was completely focused, holding her breath as she poured all her prayers into the text.

Haitao ground ink quietly at her side.

Zisu and Jubai stood nearby, not daring to breathe loudly. Their only hope was that the Empress would awaken soon, so their quarters could return to the joy of earlier days.

News reached the front hall.

Consort Xuan had a complicated expression but said nothing. She lowered her eyes, fingering her prayer beads and murmuring quietly.

Where there was sorrow, there was also joy.

At Chengqian Palace, though there was no wild celebration, the joy on the faces of several palace maids was hard to conceal.

With the late Empress Renxiao in the past and the Niohuru Empress now ill—
Would Imperial Consort Tong be next?

The palace maids’ minds were drifting, and there were plenty in the rear court gossiping about it, some even harboring the wish that the Empress would die soon so their mistress could ascend.

If word of that got out, it would be disastrous.

Ever since the incident with Wan Changzai, both the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor had clearly shown some change in attitude toward their mistress. Aunt Zhao’s face darkened instantly when she learned of the gossip. She ordered the maids responsible to be arrested and scolded them fiercely in the rear courtyard.

Her scolding was mixed with the soft sobbing of the palace maids.

Lady Uya lazily pushed open her window and glanced out, then lowered her eyes with a cold smile.

The Empress surely wouldn’t live much longer, but Imperial Consort Tong wasn’t going to become Empress either! She gently stroked her abdomen—though it wasn’t yet showing, she hadn’t had her monthly cycle in two months. She was most certainly pregnant.

When the Emperor’s longevity celebration arrived…

Lady Uya’s lips curved slightly. She closed the window in good spirits, unwilling to waste another glance on the mess outside.

In the front hall, Imperial Consort Tong coughed twice.

Every year during spring and autumn, her chronic illness flared up and was hard to cure. Now her energy was waning, and faced with a mountain of palace affairs, she ordered someone to summon Consorts An, Jing, Duan, and Rong.

“My Lady, are you planning to distribute the palace affairs?” The palace maid looked shocked. The Empress had always tightly held control over such matters, and now this pile of work, not even warmed by her hands, was about to be handed off again. The maid couldn’t help but feel sorry.

“Foolish,” Imperial Consort Tong gave her a sideways glance. “I’m not as stupid as the Empress, wasting my health and time on these matters and ending up in the Grand Empress Dowager’s eyes as someone obsessed with palace power.”

Especially now, with the Empress in a coma.

What if this was a test from the Grand Empress Dowager and His Majesty? While silencing the palace maids’ discussion, Consort Tong also felt a surge of emotion in her heart, her eyes filled with longing as she looked in the direction of Kunning Palace.

What if…

---

The inner palace was like a deep pool of still water.

On the surface, it appeared calm and undisturbed, but beneath it surged countless hidden currents. As the Empress remained unconscious for longer and longer, subtle signs of unrest inevitably began to emerge.

For instance, even Xianfu Palace had been affected.

With the arrival of spring, from imperial consorts to palace maids, even the junior eunuchs had to change into new clothes and use fresh charcoal. Yet the new fabric for garments had still not been delivered to Xianfu Palace, the allotted pearls were noticeably smaller, the seasonal fruits were often bruised or cracked, and even the rice and flour were of mixed quality.

“If you ask me, it’s clearly Consort Tong making trouble because she doesn’t like us!” Haitao looked at the messy pile of goods on the ground and grumbled angrily.

Zisu pinched Haitao.

Consort Tong was the Emperor’s cousin and had never suffered the slightest grievance since entering the palace. For someone of their mistress’s rank to oppose her, what good could come of it? It was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot… More importantly—

A hint of worry flashed in Zisu’s eyes.

Everyone in the palace was whispering that the Empress might not recover… She avoided thinking about that and quickly changed the subject: “Mistress, what should we do?”

“Let’s first ask how things are on the sides of Consort Xuan, Sister Nara, and Xu Changzai.” Wan Anran looked at the chaotic pile before her, unable to conceal her anger but also filled with questions. She had just taken over, and already things were falling apart. Weren’t Consort Tong and the Four Consorts afraid that if this became known, it would blow up in their faces?

“Yes,” Zisu replied and quickly withdrew.

Before long, Nanny Xia came with a summons for Wan Anran to go to the main hall.

One glance was enough to see it—there were discrepancies not only in her and Noble Lady Nara’s supplies, but even Consort Xuan’s allotment had been tampered with.

A flash of displeasure crossed Consort Xuan’s face.

Fortunately, the consorts in Xianfu Palace had a good relationship with each other, or if word got out, others might think she was mistreating her fellow consorts! Don’t think that was impossible. Consort Xuan swept a glance at Xu Changzai and frowned slightly.

Everyone knew Xu Changzai wanted to move to Yongshou Palace.

Consort An had teased her several times over it. Seeing her gloating now, Consort Xuan didn’t even lift her eyelids. “I think tomorrow is an auspicious day. Xu Changzai, you should move to Yongshou Palace then.”

Xu Changzai was overjoyed.

She had waited for this day who knows how long. Beaming with happiness, she went back to prepare, completely unaware of the loathing that flickered in Consort Xuan’s eyes.

As for the missing supplies?

She would report to Consort An, who was in charge of distributions—Consort An would surely speak up for her!

Wan Anran watched Xu Changzai’s departing figure.

She withdrew her gaze and asked in disbelief, “Does Xu Changzai really think Consort An will take her side?”

Consort An was indeed in charge of the allotments.

But for her to have caused such a mess—did Xu Changzai really think she’d get to enjoy a few peaceful days?

“Perhaps that’s what Xu Changzai believes,” Consort Xuan sneered, lifting a teacup and gently blowing on it. She didn’t believe for a second that Yongshou Palace would be more tranquil than her own Xianfu Palace. There were already four or five Changzai in the courtyard alone, not to mention that Consort An lived there together with Consort Xi—two mistresses and a crowd of peers. Hmm…

“Maybe Xu Changzai just likes a lively environment?” Consort Xuan mused. That seemed the only way to explain her thinking.

Leaving the foolish Xu Changzai aside, Consort Xuan turned her gaze to Wan Anran and Noble Lady Nara. “I’ve sent people to check, and it’s not just our palace—several others have similar issues. But right now, His Majesty is entirely preoccupied with the Empress. If we make a fuss over rations now, we’ll lose all justification. We must endure a bit longer. Once Her Majesty recovers, we can settle this matter.”

Wan Anran and Noble Lady Nara nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t just Consort Xuan who thought this way—the other consorts did too. But no good news came, only bad ones, one after another.

The Empress still hadn’t woken.

The Emperor flew into a rage in Kunning Palace.

Though it was spring, it felt colder than winter.

Wan Anran put down the wolf-hair brush on its stand, shook out her sore wrist, and stared at the full page of copied sutras with a heavy heart.

Haitao, watching her mistress’s gloomy expression, grew anxious.

Ever since news of the Empress’s illness had spread, her mistress had been distracted and listless. Once word came that the Empress was gravely ill, she had lost all appetite, now tirelessly copying sutras by day and tossing and turning at night.

Haitao racked her brain for ways to divert her mistress’s attention.

She said gently, “Mistress, the kitchen sent over some fresh silver carp today. Shall we make a fish soup for you to try?”

Wan Anran shook her head.

She had no appetite lately and only wanted two light vegetable dishes.

“Mistress… you must take care of your health.”

“…I know. Don’t worry, Haitao,” Wan Anran replied softly. But whenever she thought about the Empress’s condition, she simply couldn’t find peace.

Wan Anran stood for a moment, then sat back down.

She decided that today she would finish copying the entire sutra and offer it all before the Buddha. After these days of practice, her brush calligraphy—once her greatest headache—had become smooth and skillful. She held her breath and concentrated, copying for another half-hour, until the last of the sutras was complete.

Wan Anran, accompanied by Haitao, entered the Buddha hall.

Haitao placed the ebony tray on the incense table. Mistress and maid worked together to unroll the scrolls one by one, laying them reverently before the altar. Then they stood before the Bodhisattva, palms together, and murmured silent prayers.

Wan Anran stepped out of the hall.

Just as she reached the doorway, a figure came racing toward her—Ju Bai, breathless and shouting: “Mistress! Mistress! Her Majesty the Empress is awake! She’s awake!”

Wan Anran’s eyes widened slightly.

She took a step forward, her voice trembling. “The Empress… is really awake?”

“She is! Truly, absolutely awake!”

Ju Bai’s face flushed with excitement as she stammered, “Word just came from Kunning Palace! The Empress woke up! And—and they say with just a few more days of rest, Her Majesty will fully recover—she’s really going to be completely well again!”

Ju Bai’s crisp voice was like a thunderclap in Wan Anran’s ears. Her mind roared with the impact—she was momentarily speechless.

All this time, Wan Anran had eaten poorly and slept restlessly, constantly worrying: Could the story change? Was the Empress doomed to die? Was Wan Fu fated never to grow up? The joy she’d felt these days had been like a mirror full of cracks—one light tap, and it might all shatter to nothing.

But now—

Her heart landed solidly back in her chest.

The Empress’s awakening seemed to tell her that everything had already started to change without her realizing it. Wan Anran’s lips curled into a smile, all the gloom of recent days vanishing in an instant. She told Haitao to bring out the apricot blossom wine they had been saving and raised her cup high.

“Tonight, we won’t stop drinking till we’re drunk!”