Concubine of the Eastern Palace (Qing Dynasty Time Travel)

Cheng Wanyun excitedly followed Xiao Zhu to see the chicks.

Their chicken coop was just outside on the first floor, a large rectangular cage woven from bamboo. The children took great care of the mother hens, even lining the cage with dry hay. Xiao Zhu squatted down, carefully pulling out a fluffy, round, light yellow chick from the mother’s rear.

“This was made by my father. He used to go up the mountain to chop bamboo and weave it. He was so skilled. The chairs and tables at home were also made by him. He would chop down trees from the mountain and bring them back to make them,” The Eldest Brother Da Zhu said, standing at the door with Cheng Wanyun. His eyes gleamed as he talked about his father, who had passed away early.

Cheng Wanyun had initially planned to join Xiao Zhu in catching the chicks, but Da Zhu stopped her, saying the chicken coop was dirty and that the ground was covered with chicken droppings, which would soil her shoes. They usually waited until the chicken droppings had piled up enough to shovel them out and take them to the fields for fertilization.

She looked down at her shoes, then at Da Zhu and Xiao Zhu, both of whom were barefoot. Despite their feet being red and purple from the cold, they seemed completely unbothered.

“Is it cold? Would you like me to buy shoes for you?” Cheng Wanyun crouched down and asked.

The Eldest Brother Da Zhu shook his head, glanced around, and lowered his voice. “They’ll be taken away by others. I don’t want them.”

Cheng Wanyun fell silent. Xiao Zhu wrapped the newly hatched chick in his clothes and brought it over, clearly delighted that Cheng Wanyun wanted to see his chick. He bounced over joyfully, so Cheng Wanyun led them back to the fire pit to sit down. There were about four or five chicks, and Xiao Zhu placed four of them on the ground. They tottered around, chirping in high-pitched voices.

He held onto one chick and, with a proud expression, came over to Cheng Wanyun. “Second Madam, you can touch it. This one is the most well-behaved.”

Cheng Wanyun gently extended a finger and stroked the soft, cotton-like chick. It really was well-behaved, rubbing its little head against her hand, not squawking or struggling when held.

The basket of snails had already been taken into the kitchen by Bitao to soak and expel sand, and breakfast had already been prepared by De Zhu and Bitao, who had gotten up early. Since yesterday’s meal had been rather heavy, today they made a big pot of fish congee, fried peanuts, stir-fried radish and eggs, corn cakes, and steamed sweet potatoes.

When the porridge and dishes were brought out, The Eldest Brother Da Zhu was stunned. This was congee? There was such a thick, sticky congee that it could hold chopsticks upright, and the rice was wrapped in fish and river shrimp, topped with pepper, sesame oil, and chopped scallions, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

Xiao Zhu, not paying attention, let his saliva drip uncontrollably onto the chick’s head, leaving the poor chick soaked and making it chirp twice, its fluffy head now drenched like a drowned chicken.

The congee had been cooked with fish bones to make a broth, then rice was added and boiled until the fish bone flavor had fully soaked into the rice. Only after that were fish fillets added, gently cooked by the boiling congee, so they remained tender and retained the fresh flavor of the fish.

There were still two bass left from yesterday’s purchase, so they were all cleaned and added to the congee.

When Cheng Wanyun saw that breakfast was ready, she instructed E Chu and the others, along with Xiao Zhu’s family, to eat first. She and Bitao took the porridge upstairs to call the Crown Prince.

Bitao had kept a small clay pot aside while cooking the porridge, so the one for Cheng Wanyun and the Crown Prince was separately stewed. The large pot downstairs was for the guards, the personal soldiers, and Xiao Zhu’s family to eat. E Chu, having spent the night with the children, had developed some affection for them and had even sent someone to bring back Xiao Zhu’s blind mother from the fishing boat early in the morning. She was reluctant to come out, so she was settled in the familiar weaving room, where they had made sure to lay down a mattress, start a fire, and even brought her a full bowl of porridge.

The Crown Prince had stayed up late the previous night writing memorials, and Cheng Wanyun didn’t know how late he went to bed. She watched his shadow, and before she realized it, she fell asleep. She slept soundly, without any dreams, and when she woke up, it was already bright outside.

Walking onto the corridor on the second floor, she casually glanced around and saw the distant mountains in a shade of deep blue, with the river’s waves mirroring the sky. The clouds seemed to have been blown down from the heavens. In such a beautiful place, no wonder even the Crown Prince slept so soundly.

When Cheng Wanyun opened the door, she was surprised to find that the Crown Prince was still fast asleep. The firepot at his feet had gone out. He seemed cold, as both blankets were wrapped around him, looking like a large, cozy pupa with only half his face exposed. He looked peaceful as he slept.

Seeing him so deeply asleep, she pulled her head back from the doorframe, turned to Bitao, and whispered, “Let the Crown Prince’s porridge stay warm. He hardly ever gets to sleep in, so let’s not disturb him. Since we don’t need to leave in a hurry today, let’s go downstairs first.”

Bitao nodded and, hearing that the Crown Prince was still asleep, quietly tiptoed downstairs holding the pot of porridge.

Cheng Wanyun went downstairs and had a bowl of porridge. Afterward, she returned upstairs and sat in the chair where she had watched the stars with the Crown Prince the previous night. She quietly gazed at the mountains and the lake, watching the small fishing boats drifting on the river, feeling a rare sense of tranquility.

From downstairs, she could hear Xiao Zhu’s laughter. It turned out that Huai Jing and E Chu were teaching Da Zhu and Xiao Zhu how to practice martial arts. After demonstrating, they began sparring, exchanging moves back and forth, fighting from inside the house to outside. The little boys, who idolized skilled martial artists, were excitedly jumping and shouting on the side, with the surrounding guards also cheering them on.

Cheng Wanyun smiled as she watched. When the sparring unexpectedly turned into wrestling, she couldn’t help but stand up, lean over the railing, and shout down, “Huai Jing! Show your real skills and defeat him!”

At the sound of the amused woman’s voice from above, E Chu immediately stood up straighter, and sure enough, as soon as he heard it, Huai Jing seemed to gain a surge of energy, lifting E Chu off the ground with his shoulder. De Zhu, unwilling to lose to such a young opponent, quickly regained his footing, and after several intense exchanges, he finally managed to pin Huai Jing to the ground.

A round of applause erupted from the onlookers. E Chu panted heavily as he got up and pulled Huai Jing to his feet. The boy, not angry about losing, laughed and said, “E Chu, you have great skill! I surrender.”

“Younger generations are formidable!” E Chu wiped his sweat and silently thought to himself. If he had lost to Huai Jing, it wouldn’t have mattered much to him, but losing in front of the Crown Prince would have been embarrassing.

After E Chu went downstairs to change clothes, Huai Jing clapped his clothes and looked up, winking at Cheng Wanyun.

Cheng Wanyun gave him a thumbs-up.

When they left, the Crown Prince didn’t bring any eunuchs with him. Instead, he chose E Chu as the leader by his side. Aside from needing to leave loyal people behind to protect the children in the palace, there was also an intention to promote E Chu. Cheng Wanyun had deliberately spoken out earlier, not to encourage Huai Jing’s competitive spirit, but to make sure he knew the boundaries and didn’t win in a way that would embarrass E Chu.

E Chu had been with the Crown Prince for many years, often handling matters for him outside, so it was completely normal that his martial arts skills weren’t as refined as Huai Jing’s, who practiced every day in the training camp. It was like comparing a student in a sports academy with a worker who only occasionally exercised after graduating years ago.

Fortunately, Huai Jing had spent more than half a year in the palace and had gained some insight. He was no longer the same as when he was at home.

This child has grown up.

Downstairs, The Eldest Brother Da Zhu admired Cheng Huai Jing greatly. In his eyes, Cheng Huai Jing was only in his teens, just a little older than him, yet he was already able to spar with influential figures. So, Da Zhu wanted to get closer to him and found a way to invite him to catch freshwater prawns.

The freshwater prawn is also known as the “grass lobster,” a local freshwater shrimp in our country, and is a relative of the small crayfish served at seafood stalls in later years. The native prawns are larger than the imported ones, with more meat. They come in brown, gray-blue, and olive green. Cheng Wanyun had once fished them in Shexian for Yuanbao, and the thought of it made her want to join in!

A spicy little crayfish dinner would be great tonight! Maybe stir-fry some snails too. The key is, she hadn’t played by the water in a long time.

Winter is also a good time to fish for shrimp because, due to the cold weather, shrimp usually hide under the water plants and are reluctant to move. Sometimes, you can catch a good number just by scooping with a net beneath the plants and stones. The most important thing is that the water temperature is lower, which makes the shrimp taste better—firmer and more chewy.

Cheng Wanyun’s mouth was watering. She quickly shouted downstairs, “I want to go too!”

“Go where?” a voice, still tinged with sleep, came from behind her.

She turned around and saw the Crown Prince, who had been woken up by the noise outside. He had put on his robe and come out.

“Your Highness, did I wake you?” Cheng Wanyun’s face flushed slightly as she walked over to tie his robe for him and gently pushed him back into the room. “You came out without your socks on! It’s so cold, sit down, sit down. Let me have Bitao bring some wash water.”

As she spoke, she opened the makeup box, took out a comb, and went around to the Crown Prince’s back to untangle his hair, then combed it and braided it.

“I was already awake,” Yinreng, the Crown Prince, would never blame others for such small matters. He came out because he wanted to be more comfortable. After she finished braiding his hair, he pulled her onto his lap and pinched her cheek, smiling. “I just heard something about fishing for shrimp. Did I hear that right? You’re an adult now, and yet you’re shouting that you want to go too! You’re really regressing!”

Cheng Wanyun sat on the Crown Prince’s lap without any embarrassment, even proudly lifting her chin. “Just wait and see! I’m excellent at fishing for shrimp! Huai Jing’s mischievousness? I taught him that!”

Yinreng laughed. “Alright then, just don’t go into the water. The river’s just thawed and it’s painfully cold. Don’t catch a cold.”

Hearing the Crown Prince say this, it seemed like he wasn’t going with them, and Cheng Wanyun couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What about you?”

“You all go have fun, I’ll just walk around, talk to the common people, and have some tea.”

Ah, the Crown Prince was going to visit the countryside to understand the people’s situation. Cheng Wanyun nodded in agreement, but just then, the Crown Prince added, “Don’t play for too long. We need to head back to Tongzhou in the afternoon. We’ll pack up and head straight to Tianjin by boat.”

Cheng Wanyun was stunned for a moment. “Why the hurry?”

Yinreng remained silent for a while, then rubbed her head and said, “Fourth Brother and the others should have already arrived in Tianjin. We shouldn’t be too late. These officials need to meet with us as well. Also… I received a letter from Fourth Brother last night saying that pirates have appeared in Beitang, so he wants to go ahead and check things out.”

Pirates! Cheng Wanyun was startled, and quickly nodded. “I’ll have Bitao pack things up right away.” She paused for a moment and then quietly added, “In that case, I won’t go shrimp fishing anymore.”

Yinreng shook his head and smiled slightly. “There’s no need to cancel your plans. We’re here to handle important matters, but we also want to experience the lives of common people. Go ahead and fish. Pirates are like the wind—they come and go. The naval commander isn’t idle; you don’t need to worry about it too much. Besides, E Chu and the others have to arrange for boats, and we have to leave this afternoon, so it’s quite urgent. Just go and enjoy yourself.”

Cheng Wanyun thought about it and realized that such big matters were beyond her control. She decided to just do what she wanted.

However, as she followed The Eldest Brother Da Zhu and the others, carrying nets and bamboo poles to fish for shrimp, her thoughts kept drifting back to Beitang. That place was famous, and when she had traveled there before, the taxi driver had spoken at length about its history, as though he were a master storyteller.

Beitang, now known in later years as Sanhe Island or Battery Island, is located where the Chaobai River, Yongding New River, and Ji Canal converge into the sea. It was named after the two coastal defense batteries built by Qi Jiguang to protect against pirate invasions. During the Qing Dynasty, these batteries were reinforced and eventually transformed into a fort, known as the Beitang Battery.

This area had long been a hotspot for pirates, both during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Cheng Wanyun’s reaction to the name was also because the British and French armies had landed there, opening the gates of Tianjin and driving straight into the capital.

She sighed. By the time she reached the river, she had lost her interest in shrimp fishing and sat by the riverbank, lost in thought.

In the Kangxi era, Battery Island couldn’t even be called an island yet; it was just a fortified battery guarding the mouth of the Ji Canal. The Qing court hadn’t paid much attention to this place because the empire was still strong at the time, and there was little concern about the Western powers. But if you looked at the world as a whole, it was clear that the world was slowly changing. Cheng Wanyun had always tried not to think about such things, but sometimes when she did, it sent chills down her spine.

The Eldest Brother Da Zhu and Cheng Huai Jing had already caught some shrimp, and they excitedly held them up from a distance to show her. “Big sister! These shrimp are huge!”

Cheng Wanyun smiled at them.

But in her heart, she was trying to convince herself: she knew she should be concerned about the country and the people, but such matters couldn’t be solved by just one generation. Kangxi was one of the more enlightened emperors; he wasn’t opposed to Western culture. During the Shunzhi reign, due to Taiwan still being under foreign control, and the ongoing anti-Qing and pro-Ming uprisings, Shunzhi had implemented a strict maritime ban, effectively shutting down sea trade.

However, after reclaiming Taiwan in the 22nd year of Kangxi’s reign, Kangxi heard that people along the coastal regions of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang were suffering greatly, so he reopened the ports. The lemons, pineapples, and mangoes Cheng Wanyun had eaten came only after the ban was lifted.

Kangxi also placed great importance on mathematics. The Thirteenth Prince had even been ordered by Kangxi to study hard because of his poor math skills.

Moreover, there were once missionaries in the palace who introduced chocolate and wine! When Cheng Wanyun saw them for the first time, she nearly dropped her jaw in surprise.

After the Kangxi era, the maritime ban became stricter and stricter, and by the Daoguang era, when the British forces bombarded Zhenjiang, they cut off control of the Grand Canal, severing the largest artery of the entire country. Daoguang had no choice but to fully reopen maritime trade, but it was already too late.

Cheng Wanyun watched Cheng Huai Jing and Da Zhu. They had already caught a basket full of shrimp. The two of them, shivering from the cold, came running to show her their catch. She snapped out of her thoughts, smiling as she rubbed their heads one by one. “You two are so capable!”

She used the moment to bury all the sadness in her heart, telling herself to stop thinking about it, to stop. Such deep sorrow couldn’t be handled by just herself.

She simply thought that Hongxi seemed quite interested in physical phenomena, so maybe she could teach him more about them… perhaps even come up with some “Hongxi’s Three Laws” or something.

Cheng Wanyun’s “couch potato” mode kicked in again, and she started to entertain herself in her mind.

She realized that every time she felt pain from traveling to the Qing Dynasty and thinking about the inevitable course of history, her body would trigger a self-protection mechanism to prevent her from falling into depression.

Turning her frustration into appetite, Huai Jing and Da Zhu each carried a basket of shrimp and followed her. Cheng Wanyun called Bitao, the Shi brothers, and the other bodyguards to come and wash the shrimp, occasionally hearing yelps as someone got pinched by the shrimp.

When Yinreng returned, he could smell the rich, spicy aroma even before he reached the door. Many villagers had gathered at the entrance, gossiping that the Eldest Brother Da Zhu’s family must have struck it rich!

“Every day they’re eating white flour, white rice, and meat! These shrimp may be ordinary, but the oil, salt, soy sauce, and spices that go with them are expensive! One young man once sneaked around the back of Da Zhu’s house and climbed a tree to peek into the kitchen. When they were frying shrimp, they poured in a whole ladle of oil! It sizzled and poured down, and when they were done, they used ginger, garlic, and green onions to stir-fry in hot oil and poured it over the shrimp. He almost had a heart attack!”

“His mother is in charge of the household, and the oil, sugar, and salt are all locked in the cupboard. Every meal, even with a dozen people, they only use enough salt to fit on a fingernail, let alone oil. Most of the time, they don’t even want to use it! No one in the village has an iron wok because they can’t afford to cook stir-fries! It wastes too much firewood!”

“Yet The Eldest Brother Da Zhu’s family now has a big iron pot, two clay pots, two large earthenware jars, and even a three-tiered steamer! Eggs, oil, and rice are stacked like small mountains!”

After climbing down from the tree, the young man spread the news throughout the village. Everyone wanted to come and see for themselves, but there were about twenty of the prince’s bodyguards stationed around the house, so no one dared get too close. Instead, they all gathered at the door, craning their necks to watch.

Feeling uncomfortable with so many people watching, Cheng Wanyun decided to take the pot of spicy crawfish she had made with the Prince upstairs to the main hall to eat. The others, less self-conscious, continued to loudly suck on the snails and crawfish, pouring the red oil over their rice to eat.

The Eldest Brother Da Zhu quietly saved some of the crawfish from his bowl, and he only ate half of the white steamed bun that was also given to him. E Chu noticed and furrowed his brow, asking, “Why aren’t you eating?”

After hesitating for a long while, Da Zhu replied, “I wanted to save it for the village chief’s family. If it weren’t for him looking after our family, we wouldn’t have so much good food to eat.”

“Go ahead and eat. There’s more in the kitchen. I’ll send someone to deliver it,” E Chu said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He immediately pulled out some of his own money, called over a bodyguard, and sent the money and food to the village chief’s house.

Upstairs, Cheng Wanyun was carefully teaching the Prince how to peel the shrimp. She pinched the shrimp’s head and body, applying pressure on both sides as a demonstration. “Press down from the head to the tail like this, then twist and pull the head, and look—the meat comes right out!”

Yinreng, while learning, curiously asked, “Did you eat this often at home? Looking at such a big shrimp, there’s actually not much to eat.”

Cheng Wanyun thought of how, in her previous life, she once ate three pounds of crawfish by herself. Her shrimp-peeling skills were now ingrained in her, and she chuckled. “The meat is little, but it’s the flavor that matters.”

Seeing the Prince enjoying peeling the shrimp, Cheng Wanyun thought to herself that perhaps he had never peeled shrimp himself before. This must be a new experience for him. After a few quiet thoughts, she asked, “Did you see anything interesting while you were out?”

Yinreng stopped peeling the shrimp and paused for a moment before replying, “The village has no strong men. All the work in the fields is done by children and women. Some of the children, like Xiao Zhu, are already working in the fields.”

Cheng Wanyun immediately asked, “Where are the men?”

Yinreng thought of the coolies hauling boats at the Tongzhou dock late at night and sighed, “Most of them are out on corvee labor.” The burden of corvee labor for transporting goods had exceeded his expectations.

Yinreng then recalled the dream he had the previous night.

It was the seventh dream.

He had lied to Wanyun in the morning, saying that he had received a message from the Fourth Prince. In reality, he had a very brief dream.

But the dream had nothing to do with him or Wanyun. Perhaps it could be said that it involved someone he had never met. In the dream, while reviewing memorials for Emperor Kangxi, he had seen this person’s name in a memorial from the Governor of Zhili, along with the actions they had taken.

In the dream, he sat beside the Emperor, sorting through the memorials from various provinces. The scent of ambergris wafted from the incense burner, and the hall was silent, except for the sound of the brush scratching the paper.

It was still spring of the 35th year of Kangxi’s reign in the dream, but he didn’t go on the southern tour; instead, he remained in the palace. Kangxi appeared solemn and focused on his work, not even sparing a glance at him.

The atmosphere in the dream was heavy, and his hand slowed as he flipped through the memorials. Soon, Liang Jiugong came in to kneel and report that the concubine from Yikun Palace, Chen, was pregnant, and the Imperial Physician had said that she was already nearly three months along.

Kangxi was very pleased upon hearing the news. He put down his pen, stood up, and said to the Crown Prince, “I will go to Yikun Palace for a visit. Once you’re done with your work, you may return as well.”

In the dream, the Crown Prince quickly stood up, saying “Yes,” and then courteously escorted the Emperor out before returning to continue reviewing the memorials.

Yinreng remembered that when he had left for the southern tour, he had not heard such joyous news from the palace. Looking again at the date on the memorial Kangxi had been reviewing, he realized that it was already April in the dream.

This memorial was from the Governor of Zhili, reporting to the Emperor about the events in mid-February: “The sea bandits attacked the northern Tongzhou fortifications at Beitang, and the soldiers stationed at the northern fort, led by Gu Minrui, fought bravely but were killed. His sons and nephews died while trying to reclaim the fort, and his wife and daughters, unwilling to suffer disgrace, hanged themselves. Only his grandson survived, rescued by nearby villagers.”

Kangxi’s note read: “A family of loyal and brave individuals, both admirable and lamentable! You must provide more support for their surviving grandson.” Then, the Emperor mentioned the need to strengthen and repair the fortifications.

In just a few short sentences, the memorial captured the tragic fate of a loyal official and his family.

Tianjin was so close, and the date in mid-February was also approaching. Yinreng thought to himself that he had to save them.