Eshuo belonged to the Plain White Banner, and who led the Plain White Banner? Dorgon.
Da Yuer's gaze gradually sharpened as she stared intently at Sonin. "Lord So, can I trust you?"
Sonin replied cautiously, "Your Highness… I do not fully understand the entanglements involved. But Tung Tulai is a fierce and capable general. If he were to lose his life or be demoted due to the conflicts between His Majesty and Rui Qinwang, it would be a great loss for the Qing Dynasty."
Da Yuer's tone turned cold. "Lord So, that's quite an interesting statement. Do you not wish to remain loyal to His Majesty?"
Sonin, ever composed and steady, responded with conviction. "Your Highness, I am loyal to His Majesty—and even more loyal to the Great Qing. I look forward to the day when the Great Qing rules all of China. I wish for His Majesty to become the true master of the world."
Da Yuer sighed softly. She had always been curious about why Tung Tulai, a Han bannerman of the Plain Blue Banner, would get involved in this matter. Now, she finally understood.
Dorgon had been watching the palace closely all along. Whether it was to counter Hong Taiji or… for her sake, at least the outcome had been favourable.
Calming her thoughts, Da Yuer spoke with composure. "As you wish, Lord So. The Empress and I decided from the very beginning that we saw and heard nothing."
Sony was momentarily stunned but quickly bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Da Yuer's expression grew serious. "However, how this matter ultimately unfolds is beyond our control, and I believe even you cannot predict it. You wish to protect Tung Tulai, and His Majesty may indeed be unwilling to discard such talent. But, Lord So, I hope that you can also protect yourself."
Sonin expressed his gratitude sincerely. "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."
But Da Yuer shook her head slightly. "Lord So, you are my teacher. How dare I speak of guiding you? Women should not interfere in state affairs—I understand this well. But, Lord So, you are allowed to discuss matters of the court with me only because His Majesty permits it. Countless eyes watch your every movement in and out of this study. I hope you understand, Lord So—in this world, there is nothing that His Majesty cannot know. There are only things that His Majesty chooses not to know."
When Sony was first summoned by the emperor to teach a woman about warfare, he had found it somewhat amusing. Back then, he had thought that Consort Yu was merely listening to stories or tales of battle for amusement. But he had not expected that the cannon fire and bloodshed would carve such deep trenches in her heart.
"Rest assured, Your Highness, I will take care of myself. I only ask that Your Highness remembers nothing before His Majesty. Then, I will have no worries." Sonin cupped his hands in salute, his tone resolute. "with Your Highness's permission, I'll take my leave."
Da Yuer nodded, watching him leave the study. Her mind wandered, imagining the scene when Hong Taiji returned.
Calculating the days, her sister was due to give birth soon. By then, with a new-born and a victorious campaign, Hong Taiji's mood would not be as sharp and harsh.
Sonin, Tung Tulai, and Eshuo were of similar age, and though they belonged to different banners, they addressed one another as brothers. Their willingness to support and remain loyal to the Great Qing was a blessing for both the emperor and the empire. Yet true blood brothers… were always thinking about taking each other's heads.
Under the shadow of imperial power, not even a biological son could be trusted. Hooge had managed to distance himself cleanly this time by being thousands of miles away, leaving Yoto to risk his life for him. And the women had barely escaped disaster—but what about next time?
The thought of Xuanwu Gate haunted Da Yuer. Anytime she recalled that bloody coup, her heart clenched in fear. She admired Li Shimin's courage and decisiveness—that was the determination a man needed if he desired the throne. Hooge's petty schemes were not even worth mentioning.
But what about Dorgon? If given the chance, would Dorgon rebel? Would he, like Li Shimin, stake everything on a desperate gamble?
Outside the study, Sumala had just returned from Guanju Palace. Seeing her mistress lost in thought through the window, she could guess that Lord So must have said something of great importance.
Sumala sighed softly. Times had changed. The days of carefree joy had grown fewer and fewer. Worry had etched itself deeper into Princess's brow.
Sumala did not know when Princess would be able to smile from her heart again. She still remembered the excitement that had lit up Da Yuer's eyes before Hong Taiji's coronation. Even now, Sumala could not figure out what had made her so happy back then—or why that joy had vanished so suddenly.
Princess had closed her heart. Even Sumala could only press her ear to the door and steal a glimpse from the outside.
Da Yuer looked up and saw Sumala outside. She gestured for her to enter and asked softly, "Did you hear anything that day?" Sumala shook her head, but Da Yuer did not stop there. "No matter who asks you in the future, you must say you know nothing. Understand?"
Sumala nodded but hesitated. "What about Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince? Though they didn't hear anything that day, what if they speak nonsense in front of His Majesty?"
Da Yuer's expression was calm but resolute. "It doesn't matter. We just need to know nothing. As for what His Majesty can uncover, or what he chooses to know…that is his concern."
Sumala thought for a moment and softly said: "Princess, why not speak directly to the Emperor? Tell him everything and let him decide. Right and wrong are not your concern."
Da Yuer shook her head:
"Sumala, in this matter, he is the Emperor, not my husband. He knew Yoto and Hooge were taking action, yet he did not warn my aunt in advance, even involving my sister. Does he not fear that something might happen to her? Yes, he is confident that we will never be harmed. That is his confidence as a ruler. Since he sees himself as the Emperor, not our husband, I must also understand the weight of this situation. One wrong word from me could affect the futures and lives of many people. Do you understand?"
Sumala didn't quite understand, but whatever Princess said, she would follow.
Da Yuer stood up and said:
"These days, don't let the girls bother Sister. She's about to give birth. If anything goes wrong, me and my children won't be able to bear the consequences."
Her words were cold, but Sumala knew Princess was always very cautious. The Emperor loved the elder princess, but neglected her, and there was a deep emotional conflict. Princess had endured it. But if one day the Emperor's love for the elder princess led him to blame her, Princess would never endure it anymore.
What would happen then? Sumala dared not imagine.
As days passed, the Emperor was approaching Shengjing. In the middle of the night, possibly because she had been talking about the Emperor with her aunt all day, Hairanju dreamed of her husband.
On the vast grassland, Hong Taiji was riding a horse towards her. She excitedly shouted: "Your Majesty..." Suddenly, she felt warmth underneath her and immediately woke up, knowing from experience that her water had broken.
"Baoqing, Baoqing..."
In Yongfu Palace, Da Yuer was sound asleep, holding Aje. The palace maid on night duty came to wake her up and said, "Her Highness Chen Fei's water has broken." Da Yuer immediately turned over, instructed the wet nurse to look after the child, quickly dressed, and rushed to her sister's side.
The lights in the inner palace lit up, and everyone in Qingning Palace woke up. Even Shu Fei, who had always been treated kindly by Hairanju, ran over, hoping to help.
Jeje came out of Qingning Palace, stood under the eaves, looked at the moon, and calculated the time. She ordered someone to summon Niman from Fenghuang Tower and told him: "Immediately send people out of the city to deliver the message to the Emperor."
Coincidentally, Hong Taiji was restless that night, seemingly knowing that Hairanju was about to give birth. He had been wanting to rush back to Shengjing to accompany her day and night. Though the main army was resting in the camp the night before, he took a group of personal guards and headed straight for Shengjing.
When leaving the camp, he encountered Dorgon, who was on night patrol. He casually handed the army over to Dorgon and told him to bring everyone back.
At that time, Dorgon watched Hong Taiji leave. His personal guard whispered: "Your Majesty must be worried about Her Highness Chen Fei. If she gives birth to a little prince, he will undoubtedly become the crown prince."
Dorgon coldly replied: "That is Hong Taiji's family matter. If we ever need to discuss family matters with him, our soldiers must be strong, and our horses must be sturdy. Don't worry about anything else."
Thus, on his journey, Hong Taiji encountered the message sent to him. His anxiety was justified; Hairanju was indeed about to give birth.
In Guanju Palace, Hairanju's face was pale, covered in cold sweat. The increasingly frequent contractions tormented her frail body. In the pain, memories of the past flickered before her eyes. She had once been happy, once had children around her. But as each child left, and her husband also departed, her life and soul had been wandering in this cold world.
Her older brother had "taken" the child from her womb, taking away her last hope. In the dark, painful life, Hong Taiji appeared before her like a god and sunlight.
In the Imperial Mausoleum hall, Hong Taiji told her that death wouldn't unite her with her late husband and child. In that moment, Hairanju truly let go of everything from her past.
She still remembered her late husband and mourned her children. Life had not changed. The dead had not given her any protection. Instead, they became the reason everyone bullied her, pushing her into the fire pit again and again.
If she did not want to die, if she wanted to live well, she had to rely on herself.
She fell in love with Hong Taiji, and she was fortunate. This man also held her close in his heart. Hairanju opened her eyes, tightly gripping Yuer's hand. Only her younger sister was the source of her lifelong guilt.
"Sister, if it hurts, just scream. Even though it wastes energy, you can't keep it in." Da Yuer smiled, heartbroken. "I scream every time. I don't care what the midwife says."
Hairanju was too weak to laugh, speaking with effort: "Stop teasing me, I can't even smile..."
Outside, the sky was gradually brightening. Hairanju's contractions became more frequent. The midwife waited for her cervix to dilate. Another hour more was the limit. If Her Highness Chen Fei couldn't fully dilate, they would have to intervene, as they couldn't let the baby suffocate in her womb.
Jeje heard that the birth was not progressing smoothly and became extremely anxious: "She's not a first-time mother, how can she not give birth?"
The court physicians could only say that Her Highness Chen Fei was weak, and they all became flustered. Now, everyone knows how important Her Highness Chen Fei was in the Emperor's heart? If anything happened to the mother and child, none of them would survive.
At this moment, Hairanju was in excruciating pain, almost fainting. Suddenly, she felt a tremor in her heart as if someone was approaching. She opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on the direction of the door. Sure enough, the door curtain was abruptly lifted, and the person she had been thinking of appeared there.
Hong Taiji hurriedly rushed to the bedside, his eyes only on Hairanju. Seeing her weak, her face as pale as paper, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart with pain.
"Lan'er, I'm back," Hong Taiji kissed her forehead, holding her hand tightly. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"Your Majesty..." Hairanju weakly smiled but gently pushed him away. "Your Majesty, please leave. It's almost over... almost... Ah..."
The intense pain forced Hairanju to scream, and Hong Taiji trembled, but Jeje quickly came over and pulled him away. "Your Majesty, please step out, don't scare Hairanju."
Da Yuer, holding a basin of hot water, stood silently on the side, watching the man in front of her. She had never seen this expression in Hong Taiji's eyes before. It reminded her of what Qiqige had once described, the look in Hong Taiji's eyes that Qiqige had always longed to see in Dorgon's eyes.
Was it really like this? Was this the look that Qiqige had seen back then?
"Ah..." Hairanju screamed in pain, which startled Yuer and snapped her back to reality. She quickly set the hot water down and grabbed her sister's hand. Hairanju painfully looked at her, her lips moving, but she couldn't form words.
"The head is out, Your Highness, please push harder..." The midwife said in a hurry.
Outside the door of Guanju Palace, Hong Taiji stood like a statue, frozen in place. Hairanju's cries of pain twisted his insides.
Finally, the loud cry of the baby broke the silence, and Hong Taiji was jolted to life. His heart skipped a beat, and joy and relief spread across his weathered face, as if he had been brought back to life.
"Jeje, she gave birth? Did you hear that?" Hong Taiji's face flushed bright red with excitement, his joy resembling that of a man experiencing fatherhood for the very first time.
"Yes, she gave birth, she gave birth..."
Hong Taiji pulled a palace maid over urgently and commanding, "Quickly, go inside and ask how Her Highness Chen Fei is doing."
However, Sumala had already come out and knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Hong Taiji. "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Her Highness Chen Fei has given birth to a little prince. Both mother and child are safe."
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