Concubine of the Eastern Palace (Qing Dynasty Time Travel)

Taking advantage of the darkness, the two sneaked into the palace kitchen.

The kitchen of the temporary palace was smaller and sparsely staffed. A young eunuch watching the stove sat on the ground, dozing off with a pair of fire tongs in his arms, nodding like a pecking chicken. Several others sprawled across the long table, snoring deeply in their sleep.

Inside was a small partitioned room where Eunuch Zheng usually slept. He had just finished his late-night snack and was picking his teeth when he saw two sneaky figures slipping inside.

Feeling embarrassed, Bitao, who was more reserved, didn’t enter but instead stomped her feet anxiously outside the kitchen while waiting.

“Grandpa Zheng~” Tianjin peeked in from the door, smiling like a blooming flower. “Still awake?”

“What is it now? Did the Lady have any orders?” Eunuch Zheng shivered at the overly sweet tone and sat up, tossing his white braid behind him. “Spit it out, and stop smiling like that—it’s unsettling.”

“You’re as sharp as ever! It’s indeed about the Lady.” Tianjin grinned, cautiously entering the room. He didn’t dare mention that it was his own mess, merely claiming it concerned Cheng Gege. “Do you happen to have a way to get a lactating ewe?”

Eunuch Zheng squinted at him.

This young fox trying to fool an old one? Still too green. Zheng saw through him immediately. If Cheng Gege had indeed given the order, Tianjin wouldn’t need to grovel like this. Clearly, the boy had made a mistake and was now scrambling to fix it.

“There are ewes, but what’s this for? Does Cheng Gege want sheep’s milk?” Zheng feigned ignorance. “Didn’t she say she dislikes it because of the smell?”

“Well, here’s the thing,” Tianjin said, eagerly packing Zheng’s pipe. “Some stray dog had pups outside the Lady’s quarters. Odd, right? But after giving birth, the mother disappeared, and we haven’t seen her all day. The Lady is kind-hearted and asked us to find a way to save the pups. So here I am asking for your help!”

“Ewes are no problem…” Zheng puffed on his pipe without exposing the lie. Since his current comfortable status relied heavily on Cheng Gege’s favor, helping Tianjin was only advantageous. He pondered briefly before saying, “Bring the pups over. The sheep are tethered in the warm pen out back. It’ll be convenient for them to nurse there.”

Tianjin was overjoyed. “Thank you so much! I’ll fetch them right away. I’ll visit three times a day to check on things and make sure we don’t trouble you! If the Lady inquires about the pups, I’ll be sure to praise your kindness!”

That was precisely what Zheng wanted to hear. He nodded and dismissed him.

Outside, Bitao was anxiously peeking in. At first, she thought Tianjin planned to brazenly ask Zheng to cook the dogs for a stew, making her both nervous and confused.

But after being teased mercilessly, she learned it was about borrowing a ewe.

Seeing Tianjin’s cheerful expression as he exited, she finally sighed in relief.

That night, the two carefully transported the pups to the sheep pen, slipped a few silver pieces to the elderly eunuch in charge, and together tied the ewe’s legs securely. They gently placed the hungry pups near her belly. Instinctively knowing how to survive, they latched onto the teats, tails wagging as they nursed vigorously.

Bitao wiped the sweat from her brow and nudged the equally exhausted Tianjin, who was slumped on the ground. “Crisis averted! Tomorrow, will you report to the Lady, or should I? She’ll definitely ask about the pups if they aren’t there in the morning.”

“I’ll do it.” Tianjin slapped his face to perk himself up. “I also need to mention Eunuch Zheng’s help.”

Bitao nodded and, feeling guilty, promised to make two pairs of shoes as an apology. After all, if not for her rashness, the mother dog might not have abandoned her pups.

The next day, Cheng Wanyun woke up after a good night’s sleep and, as expected, asked about the dogs. Tianjin carefully explained, “There are many people coming and going here. The mother dog may have been startled and hasn’t come back. I took the liberty of asking Eunuch Zheng, and he helped us move the pups to the sheep pen, where they are currently drinking sheep’s milk.”

Cheng Wanyun felt a bit guilty about the mother dog, thinking that she must have frightened it by watching for too long. Some dogs, after all, are very cautious and refuse to approach humans.

Fortunately, Tianjin had handled the situation well, so she rewarded him, and also gave Eunuch Zheng a reward.

However, she still wanted to see the dogs. Tianjin brought the pups in a basket for her to look at. The little pups, having just finished drinking, still had milk stains around their mouths. They were piled up together, sleeping in a heap. The one she liked the most, “Four Eyes,” was the most dominant, lying on top of its siblings, sprawled out in every direction.

The Crown Prince had been called by Emperor Kangxi to oversee the preparations for the hunting grounds and was absent that day. So, Cheng Wanyun boldly brought the pups into the room. While Four Eyes was still asleep, she quietly pinched its little paw.

So soft… and it has pink paw pads! Pink paws!

Cheng Wanyun spent a good half hour watching the puppies sleep, feeling very satisfied. She then had Qingxing go to the Fourth and Fifth Prince’s quarters to ask if Liu Gege or Song Gege would like a pup.

Liu Gege could barely contain her excitement and immediately came over with her maid, Hu, to pick a pup. In the end, she chose an all-white long-haired one and clapped her hands, saying, “I’ll take this one. It looks a bit like the little Haba dog I had before.”

It turned out that after entering the palace, Liu Gege had also raised a small dog for company, but it had fallen ill and passed away recently. She had been planning to get another one.

Song Gege didn’t come herself, but in the evening, she sent a maid to report that she had asked Fourth Prince for permission to keep a dog. With his approval, she said it didn’t matter which pup she got, and she left it to chance.

Cheng Wanyun thought the black-and-white spotted pup was also special, so she decided to give it to Song Gege.

Thus, three of the pups found new homes, but the remaining yellow-haired one was still without a taker. She asked Tianjin to find it a good owner within the palace, since there were plenty of places that needed dogs, both at the palace and around the hunting grounds. The pups all had large frames and would grow into beautiful dogs, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one.

Finally, she wrapped a large purse of money and asked Tianjin to give it to the eunuch in charge of the sheep pen. Once the hunting was over, they would return to the capital, but since the pups hadn’t been weaned yet, they couldn’t travel along and would need someone to take care of them.

Tianjin bowed and took the purse with both hands. As he walked, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself. With the Crown Prince’s name attached to these dogs, they wouldn’t be ordinary dogs anymore. Who would dare to neglect them? Without needing to make arrangements, they would likely raise a few sheep specifically for feeding the dogs.

The Lady was just too kind-hearted.

But he still went to deliver the purse, and the eunuch in charge of the sheep pen was so overjoyed that he almost felt young again. He swore on his life that as long as he was around, the dogs would be well cared for. Tianjin took advantage of the moment to ask him to clear a special spot in the pen for the puppies, surrounding it with a few bricks to prevent the pups from getting covered in sheep dung, which would make them smell terrible. After all, Cheng Gege would likely want to hold the dogs often, and it wouldn’t do to have to clean them each time. This would be better for the pups as well.

Inside the room, Cheng Wanyun had settled the dogs before she could focus on anything else.

After a whole day of relaxation yesterday, today she planned to stay inside and sew the insoles for the Crown Prince’s hunting shoes. She also intended to prepare some delicious food. The beef jerky she had previously made for the Crown Prince as a snack had already been eaten, and she hadn’t had the time to make any new ones.

She was busy all day, and it wasn’t until the lights were lit at the palace that the Crown Prince finally returned from the hunting grounds.

The area of the Mulan Hunting Grounds was vast, surrounded by the Great Xing’an Mountains, Mongolia, and the Yan Mountains, rich in resources and full of wildlife. The land stretched from the northeastern part of the Wengniute Mongol Banner all the way to the southeastern part of the Karachin, the west of the Chakhar, and then to Rehe. The area was reportedly over a thousand miles wide. Therefore, since the 16th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, the hunting grounds had been established, and the management of the hunting grounds was entrusted to the Mongol nobility, such as the Wengniute and Alu Khorchin banners.

Early in the morning, Yinreng rode to the hunting grounds to work alongside the Mongol banners in overseeing the setup of the hunting area. He had done this before when accompanying Kangxi on hunting trips, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to him.

The first task was to “set up the hunting grounds.”

The perimeter had to be enclosed with willow branches to separate the inside from the outside. The outer area was to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering, while the interior was divided into smaller enclosures based on terrain and dense vegetation, each dedicated to hunting different types of game. A flat high hill was selected as the central point to set up Emperor Kangxi’s yellow canopy tent, and the soldiers for defense, protection, and surveillance were arranged around it.

Once these arrangements were made, he would accompany Kangxi to stay at the hunting grounds starting tomorrow. The next day, they would receive the arrival of the Tiger Gun Camp, sent by the General of Heilongjiang. These soldiers were equipped with firearms and were under the command of the emperor’s escort for the hunt. The activities would include a banquet for the 42 Mongol banners and a review of the Eight Banners soldiers, along with various hunting activities. The entire event would take around 20 days, and only then could he return to Rehe. So, even though it was getting late, he had to hurry back.

Before leaving, he wanted to make sure that everything was taken care of around Cheng Wanyun so that he could feel at ease.

The two of them had spent the day thinking of each other. When Yinreng entered the room, he saw that Cheng Wanyun had already finished sewing five or six pairs of insoles. These insoles were different from the ones he usually used. The surface was made of fine white cotton cloth, with a thin layer of cotton inside, and they were stitched in a grid pattern.

He touched them—they were very soft.

Cheng Wanyun put down her needle and thread and said, “These will absorb sweat and prevent your feet from getting sore. You’ll see when you try them.”

Besides the insoles, there was another bundle on the table. Inside, there was a jar of chrysanthemum and cassia seed tea that Cheng Wanyun had prepared in advance to prevent the Crown Prince from getting too hot from eating grilled beef and lamb while hunting. The Crown Prince had a problem with his eyes hurting when he got too hot, and the cassia seed was just the remedy for that.

In addition to the tea, there were her usual snacks—daily nuts, jerky, dried fruits and vegetables, and bread crumbs. In the northern regions, fresh fruits and vegetables were hard to come by, so Cheng Wanyun had packed a large bag of them from the palace to supplement his vitamin intake. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

Cheng Wanyun was like a modern parent preparing a snack pack for their child’s school trip, and she even sewed a pouch with a tiger head design to hold these “Wang Wang gift packs.”

Yinreng stared at the items for a long while before it dawned on him that these things couldn’t have been prepared at the hunting grounds. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Wow, you actually brought so many snacks without telling me! Didn’t I tell you not to eat so many?”

Cheng Wanyun: Uh-oh, I’ve been caught!

She instinctively shrank back, feeling guilty: “Your Highness, please let me explain. There aren’t these things outside, and if I suddenly want to eat them, I won’t be able to find any. Besides, these are the child’s favorites, and I can’t do anything about it. But don’t worry, I eat them at set times and in moderate amounts. I don’t overeat, just indulging my cravings a little.”

Yinreng clearly didn’t believe her. He remembered how, last summer, due to the heat, she only ate ice bowls and fruits for all three meals, nearly causing an upset stomach. He hadn’t forgotten that!

So he said sternly, “Eat less of these and more proper meals. As for the rest of these snacks, I’ll take them all with me.”

Cheng Wanyun’s face fell.

If it weren’t for her concern for him, she wouldn’t have exposed herself. Truly, kindness is often mistaken for something else, like a dog biting Lu Dongbin not recognizing good intentions, or a farmer foolishly trusting a snake—it felt like unnecessary effort, like fanning oneself in the middle of winter, or making eye gestures to a blind person…

Though Yinreng had said this, when he saw her sitting there in silence, pouting so much it seemed like she could hang an oil bottle on it, he couldn’t bear it. He returned some of the snacks to her, then tried to ease the situation, saying, “Ahem… I was thinking that it’s not right for me to enjoy all these treats myself while the Emperor and my brothers don’t have any. I was thinking of bringing more to share with them, how about that?”

Cheng Wanyun finally looked up and silently helped him divide the snacks into five portions.

She wasn’t stingy—if the Crown Prince needed them, she would give them without hesitation. But the reason she had been collecting them was to control her diet, and she didn’t like it. She knew these things were beneficial for her.

After hearing about Wang Gege’s experience, she was, of course, cautious not to overeat. But she also knew that in the future, people would take supplements like folic acid and calcium tablets. Without these, she had to find ways to get the necessary nutrients from her food.

But how could she explain this to the Crown Prince? If she mentioned protein, calcium carbonate, fiber, and vitamins, he wouldn’t understand and might even think she was possessed.

Yinreng accepted the gift and then began taking care of her matters. He called over the servants attending to her, scolding them harshly, and then left half of his prayer beads at the palace and took the other half with him. He also left behind a skilled physician specializing in gynecology to stay at the palace, ready to serve her at any time.

Once the outside matters were settled, Yinreng dismissed everyone and handed Cheng Wanyun a royal order: “If there’s an urgent matter, send E Chu with the order token to the hunting grounds.”

The token was made entirely of gold, with a four-clawed dragon soaring among the clouds carved on the front. The back was inscribed in both Manchu and Han characters with “Royal Prince’s Order,” symbolizing the second highest authority after the Emperor. It was heavy, almost weighing down her hand.

Cheng Wanyun stared at it for a moment and shook her head. “Your Highness, I… I can’t take this. I don’t need it.”

But Yinreng was insistent, placing it firmly in her palm and wrapping his hand around hers to hold the token: “I hope you never have to use it. For now, consider it a talisman to protect you.”

The meaning of his words seemed to imply that he wasn’t planning to take it back.

Cheng Wanyun held the precious token, not knowing whether to sit or stand, like a hamster with its cheeks full of food, looking around for a place to hide the token.

Yinreng leaned against the doorframe, smiling gently, watching her dart around the room. She first tried to hide it at the bottom of the wardrobe, then thought it was not right and took it out, trying to tuck it in the hidden drawer of the bed, but she seemed to think that wasn’t good either, so she took it out again and stuffed it into her inner clothing.

Finally, with the token hidden close to her body, feeling the coolness of the gold, Cheng Wanyun felt reassured. She didn’t feel it was safe to leave it in the room at the Rehe Palace—it wasn’t that she was afraid someone would take it, but rather that if it was too well hidden, she might forget to take it when she left.

“I’ll keep it with me,” she decided quietly, resolving to sew a hidden pocket into every piece of inner clothing from now on.

She touched the token through her clothes again and had an idea, blurted out, “Your Highness, is this token made of pure gold?”

Yinreng was caught off guard by her question. “…It should be?”

Cheng Wanyun’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately felt the weight of it, calculating its value using gold prices from the future, and suddenly felt like she had just won the lottery. She was really tempted to take it out and bite it once he left. If it was pure gold, wouldn’t it be even more valuable? Such a large piece of gold, solid gold!

She was lost in thought, and the token gave her a greater sense of security.

Although she didn’t say anything, Yinreng could still read the greedy look in her eyes and helplessly shook his head—what did it matter whether the token was made of gold, silver, or copper? Wasn’t the real significance of this token in what it represented? It was made of wood, and the four words “Royal Prince’s Order” carved into it might be worth more than gold itself.

Yinreng silently reflected on whether he had been neglecting her. He had given her many gifts, many of which were worth far more than gold, yet she didn’t seem particularly happy to receive them. Could it be that she had a special liking for gold?

He made a mental note of her little preference: she liked gold.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” The person who had just refused to accept it was now smiling contentedly, her eyes squinting in happiness.

Yinreng found her so adorably foolish that he was inexplicably moved, and he gently pulled her over and kissed her. “Then I’m leaving.”

He had come back specifically to see her again. After nightfall, there was still a lot to do, and he would likely be busy until dawn. Yinreng had already planned to wake up his three younger brothers to serve as reinforcements, and as for the eldest, he had long been forgotten.

Cheng Wanyun nodded vigorously, “Stay safe! Have a smooth journey! Bring back lots of good things!”

Yinreng was amused by her encouragement. “Alright, I’ll make sure to bring back more pelts to make clothes for you!”

He had already been called several times from outside by He Baozhong. With a firm resolve, Yinreng turned and left, not looking back.

Cheng Wanyun stood at the door, watching him leave in a hurry, a sense of longing rising in her heart.

The scenery at the Rehe Palace was beautiful, and since most of the court had moved to the hunting grounds with Emperor Kangxi, there were few people left at the palace. Cheng Wanyun wasn’t worried about bumping into anyone, so she spent several days strolling through the nearby gardens. But after a while, she realized they were all much the same.

In short, the days when the Crown Prince wasn’t around were somewhat dull. The place was too far from where she lived, and she didn’t dare go out alone. When the Crown Prince was by her side, she felt as bold as a bear, but whenever he was away, she turned into a turtle withdrawing its head and preferred staying inside whenever possible.

Fortunately, she had the puppies to keep her company. The puppies, only a few days old, changed every day. The one she had her eye on turned out to be the most capable. It was the first to open its eyes and the first to start crawling. Even though it was still young and its teeth hadn’t fully grown, it could already recognize people. Because Cheng Wanyun often petted it, it seemed to recognize her scent. It would gently lick her with its little pink tongue whenever she reached out to touch it, but it would ignore the green apricot, which it rarely paid attention to.

However, the Crown Prince seemed to be worried that she might be bored, so every couple of days, he would have someone send something back. Sometimes it was a letter, sometimes a painting. She would respond by writing about what she had been doing each day.

The Crown Prince wrote that on the first day of the hunting trip, he caught two foxes, but unfortunately, they had mixed fur. Otherwise, he could have had a scarf made for her. He also praised her skills, saying that the insoles she made were very useful. He was very grateful for them, as his brothers had blisters on their feet, but he hadn’t had any trouble because of the insoles.

The “Wang Wang gift pack” was also very popular, and even Emperor Kangxi praised it. He hadn’t dared eat any, but his younger brothers had found it and shared it, which made him feel heartbroken.

He also mentioned that the Eldest Brother had gone to wrestle with a Mongolian prince. Unfortunately, his pants were accidentally pulled off, but in a fit of anger, he managed to use tremendous strength to flip his opponent and win the match.

Cheng Wanyun laughed out loud when she read the letter. The Crown Prince was too mischievous. He had written that “everyone who watched the match was deeply impressed, clapping and cheering,” and that “the eldest brother won the match, but remained calm and collected, calmly picking up his pants before leaving.”

She could already picture it in her mind, and it made her laugh even harder.

The Crown Prince’s letters became a great source of amusement for her. Later, they held a horse-racing event, and the Crown Prince, with his sharp eyes, was able to correctly guess the winning horse every time, earning a lot of prizes. He sent all the gold items back, adding a note: “This is gold, pure gold, that you like, A Wan.”

Cheng Wanyun: “…”

She really wished he hadn’t said that! But she still happily kept the gold.

The twenty days passed quickly, and when the Crown Prince returned, they were ready to set off back to the capital. The journey was leisurely, stopping at various palaces along the way, and it took them over half a month to finally enter the capital.

By then, it was getting close to the New Year.

The festive atmosphere in the palace was starting to fill the air. Cheng Wanyun returned to her backroom, where she had lived for two years, and sat on the warm kang, looking at the familiar furnishings and smelling the familiar scents. She was surprised to feel a sense of relaxation, as though she was finally home.

At first, she had thought that after being away for two months, she would feel out of place returning to the palace, but she didn’t need any adjustment period at all. Under the supervision of the official maid, she petted the cat, which had grown much fatter after not seeing it for a while, went out to feed the fish, lifted the moss to check on the turtle that had already started hibernating, and sat inside while the little eunuch added gold to the grapes and buried the vines in the soil to survive the winter.

She suddenly let out a long sigh.

It was truly unbelievable. Without realizing it, she seemed to have already gotten used to life in the palace.

After the New Year, two things happened related to Yuqing Palace, both concerning the Ling family.

The first thing was that the head of the Internal Affairs Bureau, originally Ling Pu, was suddenly replaced by Shang Zhijie. It was said that Ling, the head of the bureau, had accidentally fallen off his horse and broken his leg, so he was at home recuperating.

The second thing was that Lin Mama sought the Crown Prince’s favor to leave the palace and go home to take care of her husband. Moreover, her son, Lin Shijin’s wife, had just given birth to a son, so she wanted to retire and enjoy the life of a grandmother. As a result, Lin Mama’s position as the “executive director of Chunben Hall” was removed. Now, external matters concerning Chunben Hall were handled by E Chu, while internal matters, including daily living affairs, were jointly managed by He Baozhong and the head of the tea room, Hua La.

It should be noted that the Ling family’s position next to the Crown Prince was as close as the Cao family’s to Emperor Kangxi—it was extremely close.

But the Ling family had collapsed in such a strange and sudden manner.

To outsiders, this was a huge blow to Yuqing Palace. All the other palaces were eager to seize the opportunity, inserting their own people into the Internal Affairs Bureau, and suddenly, many more eyes were turned toward the Eastern Palace.

However, these two matters had little to do with Cheng Wanyun. She didn’t care at all about the outside world, and the Crown Prince had never mentioned these things to her. She was in a good mood, so she forgot about the gossip. What she was more concerned with now was—finally, the cat-and-dog room had trained the four-eyed dog and brought it over!

The cat-and-dog room had trained the four-eyed dog well before bringing it over. Actually, before the New Year, the Crown Prince had specifically sent someone to bring the litter of puppies back to the capital, and they had been raised and trained in the cat-and-dog room. Once they had learned the rules and been properly socialized, they were finally presented to Cheng Wanyun.

At this point, the dog was already a big, fat pup almost four months old. Its teeth had all grown in, and it could eat a lot of meat. Its body had grown large, and it already looked like it would be an impressive dog when fully grown.

But the cat-and-dog room had trained it very well. It never bared its teeth at people. When Cheng Wanyun raised her hand, it immediately knew to stand, and when she lowered her hand, it would sit down. It wasn’t possessive over its food either; Mi Mi would often go over and lick its meat bones, and the dog wouldn’t get angry. It would even move slightly aside so that Mi Mi could stick her head in.

Despite the Crown Prince’s ineffective opposition, Cheng Wanyun insisted on naming it Wang Cai. With Mi Mi and Wang Cai together, the theme was consistent. The names the Crown Prince had chosen, like “Thunder,” “Xiao Tian,” and “Golden Foot,” were too nice-sounding; Mi Mi would feel inferior.

Having a second pet also required consideration for the first one’s feelings.

The Crown Prince was left speechless by her illogical reasoning and dared not argue further. He reluctantly placed his hand on her large, rounded belly, silently feeling the baby move. Sometimes, when the child inside kicked hard, they could even see the shape of the kick through her skin, which would startle both Cheng Wanyun and the Crown Prince, who were startled as parents.

Cheng Wanyun was already over nine months pregnant. According to the official maid, the baby would likely be born in a few days.

The Crown Prince had already chosen a wet nurse and midwives for her. There were two wet nurses and two midwives, all chosen from the Hesheri family. But the Crown Prince, always cautious, had also arranged for the midwives’ sons and daughters to be brought together and watched over, ensuring that they would only be allowed to leave once she had safely given birth.

The delivery room was also prepared. The Crown Prince had ordered a scholar from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau to come to the back room to check the orientation. After careful consideration, it was decided that the auspicious position was the north side of the ear room on the east. An auspicious pit was dug in the north, and with the singing of joyful songs by the official maid, chopsticks, red silk, gold, silver, and eight precious items were placed inside, all to ensure a safe delivery.

The bed stove in the delivery room was kept warm every day, and the tea room’s boiler was kept running 24 hours a day, with hot water available at all times. Since eunuchs were not allowed into the delivery room during labor, additional staff were assigned to assist. The Crown Prince ordered the Internal Affairs Bureau to send a team of twenty women, including special midwives, fire attendants, and water attendants, for him to choose from. In the end, fearing too many people would bring confusion, he selected only two from each group, leaving a total of six to serve.

These individuals were assigned to guard outside her room throughout the night, and He Baozhong had arranged for two imperial doctors to be on standby, ready to assist when the time came.

All of these arrangements were personally made by the Crown Prince, and no one, including Side Concubine Li, Tang Gege, or even Ling Mama, was allowed to intervene. It could be said that everything was arranged with the utmost caution.

Cheng Wanyun, too, was affected by this atmosphere and began to feel a little nervous.

On the night of the ninth day of the first month, as the snow began to fall, Cheng Wanyun suddenly felt a wetness between her legs. She immediately woke up, not daring to sit up, but managed to prop herself up with one arm. She pulled back the curtain and called out, “Qingxing, quickly call the mama, I think… I think I’m going into labor…”