[The Grand View Garden Chronicle of the Imperial Harem] Chapter 89: Qin Keqing Dies in the Fragrant Pavilion, Jia Yuanchun Returns to the Grand View Garden in Fear

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Chapter 89: Qin Keqing Dies in the Fragrant Pavilion, Jia Yuanchun Returns to the Grand View Garden in Fear
. Meanwhile, Hongzhou and Ping'er were talking and pausing when his eyes gradually became misty and his breathing heavy… In a daze, he
saw Qin Keqing, the Consort Qing, standing like a peach blossom outside the Gu'en Hall, adorned in pink and jade, gracefully pushing open the door and bowing
lightly like a candle being lit, saying only, "Qing'er greets her mistress." Hongzhou, already depressed about this matter, couldn't help but feel cold and
heartbroken, and couldn't help but spit out, "You shameless woman, how dare you come to see me?"
Keqing only wept sadly, saying… "Qing'er had no face to see her master. It's just that in the past, her master bestowed upon her the title
'Qing,' and people say, 'In the realm of love, in the sea of love, in the illusion of love, where love meets, lust is inevitable .' At the time
, she thought it was just a fleeting pleasure, but now she knows that the path of lust, though fraught with danger and sorrow, inevitably leads to depravity.
Even a word of regret is useless… Today, she comes to see her master only to have a few words from her heart to say. Having said all that, Qing'er
will depart."
Hongzhou was even more furious, saying, "I am of noble birth, a golden branch and jade leaf, and I rescued you from this hellhole, aiding…" "You
deserve to live in heaven, what disgrace have you suffered? ... You are so lustful, daring to have an affair with a thieving actor,
to have illicit relations with him... You even dare to talk about 'heart-to-heart talks'? What heart-to-heart talks can I have with you? What
can you say in your defense?"
But Ke Qing wept and said, "I will not defend myself. I confess that I did have
feelings for that Liu Lang, and I envied his intimate moments with the You family's young lady. The so-called 'mutual affection, stolen fragrance,' but to my master,
I am merely a sex slave, summoned and dismissed at will." He, however, was captivated by her like a celestial being; he
had indeed seduced Qing'er, and Qing'er, shameless and immoral, had indeed accepted his love poems without reporting it… In truth, Qing'er
had already fallen in love, and there was no way to deny it; whatever the master did was justified. But as the saying goes, "A dying man's
words are good, a dying bird's song is mournful," and now Qing'er had given up on life, only coming to tell the master: Qing'er schemed against
Yingchun, made excuses for Third Sister, and secretly harmed the girls in the garden—all of that was true. And to that Liu Lang, it was also true that Qing'er had lustful thoughts,
repeatedly summoning him to the garden… Listening to the opera was also for the sake of "lustful thoughts." However, although Qing'er was moved,
she never actually had an affair with that Liu Lang…at least she never let him touch her body…Since entering the garden, apart from following
her master's orders for lesbian pleasures, Qing'er has only offered her body to her master alone…In this respect, Qing'er is innocent
.”
She was about to continue when Hongzhou, who was also somewhat puzzled, but was currently furious, and scolded, “What
do you mean by ‘intentions and actions’…Even if you didn’t have an affair with that scoundrel, having such thoughts in your heart, isn’t that a crime?! Tolerating You Sanjie
and…” "Thieves coming and going, isn't that a crime?! They should be punished just the same! It'll set a good example for the garden! Truly, only women and
petty men are difficult to deal with. What have I done to offend you that you dare to act so recklessly? Now that you have no
shame, I will send you to Lekesh to be repeatedly raped to death by his soldiers. I
will only be able to vent my anger when your body is rotten from being raped."
Qin Shi was not afraid, but kowtowed and continued to cry, "My lord, you have said this... At this moment, I have no
words to defend myself. I can only say that it is my nature, born with... " " This is the evil spirit and vengeful spirit that has come. I have come specifically to thank my master.
Since my master has allowed me to commit suicide, he has spared me some dignity. It also fulfills my master's promise to set an example for the girls in the garden."
Hongzhou sneered and asked, "Don't dream... You have committed such a heinous crime, how can I allow you to commit suicide? You must
be punished for your incestuous relationship so that the others in the garden can see what is right... Hmm... When did I allow you to commit suicide
?"
Qin sighed gracefully, as if she had not heard the question, and said only, "It is just that my master and I had
a karmic entanglement in a previous life..." Though I am lewd and lustful, my heart now belongs only to my master
. I have no regrets in serving him with my body. This parting is our last; I offer my master this advice: After spring's end, all flowers fade; each
must find its own way…”
Hongzhou felt a growing unease, a deep-seated doubt and sorrow. He frowned, about to ask a question, when a
cold sweat broke out, and he slowly awoke. It was all a dream. Beside him lay a warm, fragrant body, her breath sweet and delicate, her breasts soft and warm. Ping'er
was still asleep… But from the study doorway, a sharp, incessant murmur of conversation could be heard. Hongzhou called for Yuanyang
, Jinchuan, and the others to come in and ask what was causing the commotion.
Jin Chuan and Yuan Yang entered and bowed, exchanging bewildered glances before hesitatingly saying, "Master, you decreed
that Consort Qing 'follow your will'... News has just come from Tianxiang Tower that Consort Qing heard your
instructions from the eunuch this afternoon, and upon hearing them, she only smiled bitterly, saying, 'I know Master's meaning. Though her words are harsh, she is actually kind-hearted and will
allow me to do as I please. But I have no face to live in this world anymore, and our fate is over. Suicide by a sex slave is a grave sin, but
since Master has said I can do as I please, I consider it an act of kindness.'... After saying this, she burned incense and hanged herself in the tower
... Now that the commotion has erupted, the eunuchs and palace servants are dealing with it. Baozhu, Ruizhu, and others are all threatening suicide, and Consort Feng
is suppressing them. Please give your instructions, Master..."
Upon hearing this, Hong Zhou suddenly sat up, feeling as if a knife had been plunged into his heart, and with a "whoosh," he
spat out a mouthful of blood. The maids Yuanyang, Jinchuan, Yuchuan, and Ruiguan rushed to serve him,
massaging his back and shoulders, and comforting him with tears. Ping'er, also startled awake, didn't even dare to put on her clothes, kneeling naked
and diligently serving Hongzhou. The group wanted to fetch the doctor to return and attend to the prince, but Hongzhou sighed and waved
his hand, saying, "No need to rush, it's irrelevant. This is a case of sudden internal heat causing blood to flow abnormally..."
He paused for a long time, looking at the panicked and bewildered crowd, before forcing a smile and feigning anger, saying, "
Feng'er and the others must be waiting for news outside. Let them go, don't disturb me. Yuanyang, go and tell them it's
irrelevant, that Qin... as a sex slave of the Prince's Mansion, has an affair with an actress, defiled the palace, is ungrateful
, betrayed her master for pleasure, and even..." She trampled on palace maids, harmed her sisters, plotted schemes, and poisoned the hearts of three generations of women… If we were to seriously consider her
crimes, there would only be one charge: “extermination of nine generations
of her family and nine generations of her lovers”… However, firstly, she is related to you all, and those nine generations are the women in the garden; secondly, I am weary of such punishments and do not like to resort to torture alone; thirdly, she
served me quite well in bed, and in this respect, few in the garden can compare to her… Therefore, I bestow upon her two
words, “as you wish,” which can also be considered a death sentence… Since she has committed suicide by hanging, summon the Imperial Household Department and discuss the matter with Feng Yatou.
Alright, that's fine. Just handle it properly, and it'll be more respectable... Jin Chuan'er, you've always been good with words. Go and talk to
Baozhu and Ruizhu in her room. I only allowed them, the concubines, to "do as you please," but I didn't allow their servants to cause trouble.
No suicides, no noise. Since Consort Qing is gone... let them be placed according to Feng'er's instructions
... Rui Guan, find a few palace maids to inform everyone in each room. The female servants in the garden don't need to panic. I'm tired and have no
way to deal with any further involvement. I'm just feeling unwell and need to rest for a few days... Ping'er, since you're here, you should go
and talk to... You Erjie and Tan Chun... "Let a few of you mediate and offer some words of comfort, telling them not to overthink things.
The matter of Qingya has nothing to do with them… Yuchuan, go and order the Tianxiang Tower sealed off. Then, send word to the eunuchs inside
: unless ordered by the King, no one is allowed to enter except the maids and servants who were originally serving there. All the items inside
should remain there… You may all go…"
Hongzhou spoke with a pale face. Although his words were calm, the women were all intelligent and could easily sense
the sorrow and grief in his voice… However, since he had already clearly assigned the tasks, they had no choice but to
bow and withdraw, each going about their own business. Hongzhou sighed deeply and turned to go into the house alone…
…
For ten days or so, Hongzhou stayed in the Gu'en Palace, feeling depressed. During the day, he spent his time reading and writing letters,
rarely eating or drinking, and at night he slept haphazardly. Only his four personal servants attended to him…
He didn't even call the female servants from the various rooms in the garden for his pleasure. Yuanyang, Ruiguan, Jinchuan, and Yuchuan knew that their master was displeased,
so they naturally worked even harder, each doing their best; they were considerate, gentle, obedient, and had clear voices. They not only provided a variety of services but
also used various methods to flirt with him, just to please him and make him want to have sex with them. However, they saw that although their master occasionally
couldn't resist his nature and would embrace the four servants, fondling and groping them, he still frowned,
sighed deeply, and clearly did not like it.
At first, Fengjie, Baochai, Xiangyun, Yingchun, Xing Xiuyan, Li Wan, and Xiren were willing to follow orders and not disturb him.
However, after a few days, they all felt it was impolite and came to visit him. Hongzhou, however, was reluctant to see them often, only saying a few
words before sending them away... On that one day, even Miaoyu from Longcui Nunnery, who rarely came to visit, finally saw him.
Miaoyu played a piece called "Huixin Jieyulin" to cheer Hongzhou up, and Hongzhou finally showed a slight smile. He then invited Miaoyu into
his arms for a tender moment... However, he still did not ask her to stay overnight, but let Miaoyu leave on her own.
It is worth mentioning that after such a great change in the garden, and with Hongzhou staying indoors, everyone was inevitably anxious and uneasy...
It was alright for others, but only Fengjie, after Qin Keqing's death, all the affairs of the garden were placed on her shoulders.
She could not slack off and became even more involved in managing things, wielding her authority. She might need to discuss things with Xiangyun, Baochai, and others;
Xiangyun had been unwell for days, only feeling sleepy, and besides, she was still young and carefree, not interested in worldly affairs; Baochai,
apart from watching over some calligraphy, paintings, and books as instructed by Hongzhou, also shook her head and said she knew nothing when asked, hiding her wisdom and feigning ignorance, but often
went to see Xiangyun and joke around with her; Fengjie rarely asked her many questions. Those who used to be close to Keqing,
such as Tanchun and You Erjie, had all retreated to a distance. Seeing that the affairs in the garden were increasing day by day, Fengjie always felt overwhelmed,
so she often consulted Li Wan, and also invited Yingchun and Xiren to come and learn how to manage things. On this day,
the Prince's Mansion sent over the "New Year's Gift List from the Fengtian Plain Red Banner Jade Manor", and she talked with Li Wan, Yingchun, Xiren, and several others
in the Zhuijin Tower to discuss the arrangements and management for the New Year.
Originally, according to the rules, the Grand View Garden was now Hongzhou's temporary palace, and the Imperial Household Department had a "New Year's Gift"
to bestow, which was actually only two hundred taels of gold, merely for the sake of royal prestige. How could that possibly cover the current
expenses of the garden? However, since Hongzhou spent most of his time in the garden, the steward of the Prince's Mansion, after much deliberation, decided to have the
"New Year's tribute" from the princes' estates in Chengde and Fengtian delivered to the garden
by the estate managers, supposedly for the "young ladies in the garden to play with during the New Year." However, since the garden was mostly inhabited by women, it was inconvenient for the estate managers, who were of commoner descent,
to inspect and prepare the gifts before distributing them to the various households in the garden. Hongzhou had long since stopped interfering in these matters,
but Fengjie, calculating the situation, knew there was much to hide. If she and Ping'er handled it privately, it would inevitably provoke complaints from the petty people in the garden.
Therefore, she specially found two easy-going people to help: one was to have Li Wan collect the tributes from the estate owners under the banner, and the other was
a few girls in Yihong Courtyard, led by Xiren, who had already been granted the title of Miss and was known for her tact and discretion,
so she was in charge of collecting the annual tributes from the officials born into the Prince's family. Now,
another tribute list had been submitted from that estate, naturally delivered by Li Wan. Fengjie, Yingchun, Xiren, and the others pondered the list:
but The sign above read: "Wu Jinxiao, the head of the estate, humbly wishes His Highness and His Highness's wife a long and peaceful life, and the steward
, young ladies, and uncles of the household a long and peaceful life. May you have great joy and happiness in the New Year, be honored and safe, live a long and healthy life, and have all
your wishes fulfilled." Yingchun, after reading it, couldn't help but laugh and said, "The estate owners are quite
clever." Li Wan also quickly laughed and said, "Don't worry about the wording, just take it as auspicious."
The three of them hurriedly unfolded the list and saw that it read: "Thirty large deer, fifty roe deer,
fifty sika deer, twenty Siamese pigs, twenty stewed pigs, twenty dragon pigs, twenty wild boars, twenty domestic cured pigs,
and twenty wild sheep ." Twenty blue sheep, twenty domestic mutton soup sheep, twenty domestic roasted sheep, two sturgeon,
two hundred catties of various kinds of fish, two hundred each of live chickens, ducks, and geese, two hundred each of roasted chickens, ducks, and geese, two hundred pairs each of pheasants and rabbits,
twenty pairs of bear paws, twenty catties of deer tendons, fifty catties of sea cucumber, fifty pieces of deer tongue, fifty pieces of ox tongue, twenty catties of dried razor clams,
two bags each of hazelnuts, pine nuts, peaches, and apricot kernels, fifty pairs of large prawns, two hundred catties of dried shrimp
, one thousand catties of top-grade silver frost charcoal, two thousand catties of medium-grade silver frost charcoal, thirty thousand catties of firewood and charcoal, two shi of imperial red rice, fifty hu of green glutinous rice, fifty hu of white glutinous rice, fifty hu of
powdered rice, and fifty hu each of various kinds of millet. "A bushel of rice, 1,000 shi of regular rice, a cartload of various dried vegetables, and grains and livestock sold outside,
totaling 2,500 taels of silver. Gifts for the young ladies and servants from the outer gate: two pairs of live deer,
four pairs of live white rabbits, four pairs of black rabbits, two pairs of live pheasants, and two pairs of Western ducks."
Yingchun, just beginning to learn these matters, naturally didn't understand much, but Li Wan and Xiren, having managed affairs before, couldn't help but
sigh, "The wealth of the Prince's mansion, the favor of the master… it's truly astonishing. Look at this, this is already the third
estate this year. Judging from the tone of the Prince's mansion, there are seventeen or eighteen more to be sent to the garden; the Prince's mansion also has ten..."
"Five or six places; just this one list... In the past, our household was only this much... How could we possibly afford so
much?"
Fengjie laughed, "This is nothing. What you're talking about is just the tribute from the estate.
The real 'New Year's gifts' sent to the prince's mansion and garden by those sycophantic, corrupt officials are truly
astounding... That so-called Prefect of Chang'an, a nobody,
sent New Year's gifts to the garden because the master put him in charge of the river timber. Xiren even said that the gift list only had fourteen characters, and it wasn't forty or
fifty cartloads of ostentatious gifts. It was just a small box, which is quite peculiar. I don't understand either, so I asked Xiren to ask Bao'er
, but she just sighed. " "She sighed briefly... saying the gift was too heavy and that I should report back to my master before making arrangements."
Li Wan asked curiously, "What is it? Why are all these people sending things to the garden?"
Xi Ren smiled and said, "It's just fourteen characters, something... um... a replica of a Chai kiln brush washer, to wish my master a peaceful and
prosperous New Year..."
Ying Chun, having read books and ancient texts, was taken aback and said, "Chai kiln is the foremost kiln of the Song Dynasty. The ancients described it
as blue as the sky, bright as a mirror, thin as paper, and resonant as a chime, moist and delicate with fine lines... However, because of its limited production and
the turmoil of wars throughout history, and the unknown kiln, only a few pieces exist today, all within the palace." "In the past, our household had never even seen one like
it... In terms of value, it's worth far more than ten thousand taels of gold... But since it's a 'fake'... I wonder if it's even worth
anything..."
Sister Feng chuckled coquettishly, "You silly girl, these are all disgusting tricks played by those outsiders
... How could a fake dare to present it to the master? Of course it's real... but they insist on writing the word 'fake' on it,
as if they're some kind of refined person, presenting it to the master would make the master seem elegant; if something goes wrong, they can say: it's just
a fake, something to play with... Even the emperor himself couldn't convict him of being a corrupt official..." …
Yingchun smiled upon hearing this, and couldn't help but retort, “To dare send up such a valuable item, one must be
a corrupt official. They've gone to such lengths. But our master has never been particularly fond of collectibles; we might not even like it.”
Fengjie nodded, “That's true. Our master has seen it all… I felt this gift was too extravagant the other day, so I went to
report it to our master, but I didn't even get to see him… That hussy Jin Chuan came to report, and our master only said three words,
‘I know’… I made a wasted trip.”
Li Wan also laughed, “Our master is a refined and elegant person; this Chai kiln brush washer is indeed quite rare…”
…But the master doesn't seem to care for it.”
Fengjie laughed, “That's exactly what you mean, sister. It's hard to guess what our master is thinking… This brush washer
is an antique, valuable, and ‘elegant,’ yet the master doesn't care. But the other day, that guy named Lekesh
sent some paints, and the master took notice…”
Yingchun was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, “Paints? For painting?”
Fengjie shook her head, “No, not at all. That Lekesh got them from who-knows-where—they were paint pastes,
twelve colors in total, fragrant, beautiful, and smelling wonderful. They could be used for painting, but the gift list mentioned
recipes… for cooking…”
The others were curious and asked for details. Fengjie laughed, “It's quite something how those people came up with it. Apparently, those
paint pastes were made according to a rare formula, but the base ingredients were just some rare, edible…” …yet,
it is remarkably good at dyeing… carmine red, ginger orange, caramel ochre, beet green, lemon yellow, sesame ink, pine nut smoke,
mulberry blue, cherry pink, pearl white, tea green, malt gold, twelve colors in total. The recipes are also interesting. For example,
glutinous rice is naturally white, but when steaming rice cakes for the New Year, if you use that 'tea green' dye paste, just a little bit
mixed into the glutinous rice will make the whole thing tea-colored, with a hint of Longjing tea fragrance—it smells and tastes amazing
… Furthermore, have you ever seen pink crab meat, tender yellow cabbage pots in winter,
or bright orange tofu pudding… This is called 'one thing, one dye, two colors'!"
Everyone couldn't help but admire, "How did they come up with this… making the food so elegant.
Pearls are one thing, but ginger and caramel aren't worth much… it's quite interesting." Sister Feng sneered:
"It can also be used for painting... but using it for painting out of thin air would be a waste. As for its value... you wouldn't understand.
This stuff is actually quite precious. It needs to have the original fragrance and be able to dye and paint. It's not something that's easy to come by.
Such a small dish can sell for a hundred taels of silver. Twelve colors, three jars of each... you can calculate
how much silver that is?"
As she said this, she seemed to remember something and said to Xiren, "Others are fine, but
Lord Feng from the Imperial Household Department often comes and has connections with our garden. He's also one of the master's favorite servants. If he comes to
offer New Year's gifts, you must treat him well. When you have time, you should also tell the master that he has come with good intentions..." Xiren
hurriedly replied, "Yes."
The group chatted and laughed for a while longer when a maidservant came in to report, "Your Highness, Miss,
it's the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department at the gate..." Fengjie quickly invited them in, but the maidservant replied, "They
wouldn't come in. They left two women from the palace at the Quesi Gate...and then they left... We went to report
to the mistress, but Sister Yuanyang said that the mistress is tired and resting today, and left a message saying she won't see anyone or
attend to anything. It's not appropriate to go in and report..." Before they could even begin to argue, Sister Yuanyang said, "They only said that it's up to you, Consort Feng, to handle this."
The four women, including Consort Feng, exchanged glances. They had already heard the news from Ping'er that Hongzhou had ordered the Imperial Household Department to
"bring Yuanchun and Baoqin into the garden to serve her." They had already cleaned Liaofeng Pavilion to welcome Yuanchun...
Even though Consort Feng and the other young ladies of the inner chambers knew that Yuanchun, despite her crime, was still considered a concubine of the Imperial Household Department, it was somewhat inappropriate for Hongzhou to summon her in this way to serve as a slave and to have
his way with her. No wonder the Imperial Household Department was merely following orders and couldn't even meet her in person. Fengjie thought for a moment
before smiling and saying, "It must be the eldest young lady. No matter what... it's all the master's order; we just need to obey
... I think, although the master hasn't bestowed upon... the eldest young lady a title or rank, she is, after all, a former concubine of the inner palace
, a mistress. We should all go and greet her..." Li Wan and Yingchun both agreed. In no
time, the maids had searched all the women in the garden, including Baochai, Xiangyun, Miaoyu, Daiyu, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xiu...
Yan and others rushed over, and Li Wan, along with Baoqin, Li Qi, Li Wen, Xichun, and Qiaojie, and Xiren, with Qingwen and
Sheyue, also arrived one by one... Following Fengjie, they went to the Quesi Gate to welcome Yuanchun in.
Everyone looked up and saw a woman in a yellow robe sitting inside the Quesi Gate, wearing a blue lotus tassel with pearls
hanging down her forehead, her hair styled in an elegant updo, adorned with a Guanyin weeping and Buddhist inscription hairpin, two small glass cloud-shaped earrings
, a gold and silver necklace with auspicious symbols, a warm-flowered fish-patterned silk sash, and a pair of plain embroidered shoes with crescent moon and broken branches
; her eyebrows were delicate and charming, her eyes bright as two stars, her nose like a sharp cloud on a jade path, her face like a smooth, warm jade egg;
her lips were like snow, touched only with a touch of rouge, her gaze captivating, yet revealing not a trace of frivolity. Though dressed simply and lightly
, her face etched with sorrow, her dignified bearing and noble air were still undeniable. Her physique and gait possessed an air of imperial grace and
respect. Her petite figure, though delicate, exuded a unique charm, appearing even taller than the others… This was none other than Jia Yuanchun
, the eldest daughter of the younger generation of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, who had been away from the palace for many years, and who had once been a royal concubine.
Yuanchun was twenty-five years old, in the prime of her youth, and had been a concubine in the palace
for nine years. She entered the palace at sixteen, during the first selection of concubines after Yongzheng's ascension to the throne. At that time, all the other women in the palace
were still young, but regardless of age or seniority, everyone regarded her as gentle and virtuous, exceptionally beautiful and talented, well-educated and reasonable, and graceful
—the most beautiful woman in both the Ning and Rong mansions. The old man was still somewhat reluctant
to part with her, but Jia She and Jia Zhen, whose families had long been on good terms with Prince Lian, now had Prince Yong ascend the throne and had to curry favor with both sides, resorting to any means necessary
to recommend Yuan Chun to the palace. Once inside the Forbidden City, she indeed possessed unparalleled beauty and deeply won the Emperor's heart. Even the
notoriously cold-faced Yongzheng Emperor, who rewarded her with her chastity and indulged in her pleasures, readily approved. Within just a few years, though she had no
children, she rose from the rank of Lady-in-Waiting to the ranks of Attendant, Noble Lady, and Consort. Three years ago, she was further appointed Minister of the Phoenix Palace and
given the title of "Virtuous Consort." Ultimately, although Yuan-chun possessed elegant beauty and a graceful figure, making her arguably the most beautiful woman in the harem,
Emperor Yongzheng was inherently cold-hearted, cruel, and ruthless, with little desire for worldly pleasures. He had his way with her for several years, and
committed several acts of adultery. With each new imperial concubine selection, new, beautiful women naturally entered the palace. Although her rank rose, his
affection for this "daughter of the Eighth Prince's faction" gradually faded. Later, after the Eighth Prince's faction was purged and
Prince Lian was imprisoned, the Jia family, in its period of decline, neglected the palace and treated the beautiful woman with disdain. When the Jia family fell from grace,
their first charge was that they suspected Yuan-chun of "colluding with outsiders, leaking palace secrets, and slandering the Emperor," resulting in her being stripped of her title
, reduced to a palace slave, and sent to the Cold Palace.
Such tales of rising to power and falling into ruin are commonplace in the Forbidden City. Seeing this once-virtuous concubine
lose favor, the other concubines who had once been overshadowed by her were secretly delighted. Among the palace eunuchs and maids,
not one was immune to snobbery; they subjected her to insults, mistreatment, withholding of her allowances, cold ridicule, and even physical abuse
… Her personal maid, Baoqin, who had never had the opportunity to be with the emperor, was merely an unknown palace servant and
was even reassigned to serve elsewhere. If we consider the prevailing customs of the Yongzheng era, those palace women who were stripped of their titles and not kept under house arrest for years would only
face three fates. The lightest fate was being sent to the Xin Zhe Ku (
a place for women to serve in the imperial household) as lifelong slaves, losing all status but at least preserving their lives. The next worst fate was if the emperor remembered them and ordered them to commit suicide, considered a peaceful end. The most severe fate was if their maternal families discovered
more reasons for their crimes, enraging the emperor, who intended to humiliate and torment them. In that case, they would be sent to remote military garrisons in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia,
and the Tianshan Mountains as camp prostitutes. Although according to the rules, concubines were not subjected to "parasitic punishment," and camp prostitutes were not
subject to such punishment, it was not necessarily a matter of repeated rape to death. In reality, being far away and subjected to the ravages of soldiers day and night, almost everyone would die
. Moreover, such punishment, without imperial decree, meant certain death. These were once delicate, precious
young women, born of noble birth, favored by the imperial court. But in this desolate place, they became the lowest of the low, mere objects of lust, objects of pleasure for everyone to ravage and defile. It
was more unbearable than death itself. Some endured months of this, driven mad and insane by the abuse before finally dying—a truly tragic fate. But Yuan Chun, from
childhood, had studied poetry and literature, known propriety and obedience, and possessed dignified virtue. She had already utterly given up on life, enduring this in the cold palace
, hoping that one day Yongzheng would issue an edict granting her death.
Unexpectedly, after Prince Hongzhou, the son of Emperor Yongzheng, took charge of the Inner Palace, he showed her considerable favor.
Firstly, he sent Baoqin back to serve her; secondly, he instructed the eunuchs not to mistreat her, and provided her with all her necessities. Later, he even sent
a personal servant, Yuchuan, to the palace to have a heart-to-heart talk with her, inquire about her well-being, and offer her some comfort.
She was a clever woman and had heard of Hongzhou's reputation as a "licentious prince." She naturally thought of her former relatives
, the Jia family sisters who were now sex slaves in the prince's household, serving him with pleasure. Hongzhou, out of affection for them,
had bestowed this unexpected favor. Although she thought that under Hongzhou's control, her cousins and sisters-in-law might inevitably be raped and humiliated
, reduced to sex slaves; and that she herself was, to some extent, Hongzhou's "aunt," which made her feel somewhat incestuous; however, considering this
life-or-death situation, she was already unexpectedly delighted.
To her surprise, yesterday, the head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, Tong Keshuang, actually came to see her in person. His words were ambiguous, and he didn't give any
clear answer. He only said, "I've been ordered to take Your Highness out of the palace and serve you elsewhere... This servant is just a lowly servant
. Your Highness should be sensible, know when to advance and retreat, and serve me well. In the future, you can hope for peace and wealth..."
She was always clever and quick-witted, so how could she not understand the difference between "being ordered" and "being ordered"? Although she had been
deposed, without the Emperor Yongzheng's decree, the only one who could "dispose" of her was Prince Hongzhou. Judging from
Tong Keshuang's thieving eyes and lewd words, it seemed as if Hongzhou wanted her to serve him for pleasure...
In fact, she had already secretly considered this outcome. However, although
it was not uncommon for the Manchus to occasionally bestow palace maids, even those of low rank , upon their sons for their pleasure, this woman, having served Yongzheng for many years and once
being a prominent imperial concubine, enjoying immense favor and grace, and being Hongzhou's former "aunt" and
"mother," inevitably harbored a sense of loyalty. Now, she was to be intimate with Yongzheng's son,
using her beautiful, favored body, fragrant soul, and precious chastity to please this former "son of a prince
," to be subjected to his debauchery, rape, humiliation, and torture, all without Yongzheng's decree… The thought filled her with shame, indignation, and despair.
However, without imperial orders, palace maids were forbidden from committing suicide, leaving her unable even to die, with no way out, and completely at Hongzhou's mercy.
Cloth. Baoqin could only plead with her, "Your Majesty, go first, there's always a glimmer of hope..." She had no other choice
but to follow the eunuch, ride in a small carriage, and finally leave the Forbidden City, the sacred
city of the imperial palace, and be sent to the Grand View Garden. She had thought that regardless of life or death, she would surely spend her life in the Forbidden City, but who knew that life was so unpredictable
, and she was back in the Jia family mansion. Only the old gardens and pavilions remained, the sisters and aunts were gone, but now it was
a prince's palace, where servants indulged in debauchery; titles, rules, and principles were all meaningless, as if from another world.
At the gate of Quesi, the eunuch had vanished without a trace… Yuan Chun and Bao Qin were still lost in thought when
a commotion erupted inside. Feng Jie, dressed in a deep purple palace gown, led a group of sisters to greet her.
At that moment, she didn't know how to address them, nor whether she was happy or sad; she simply bowed, held hands, and exchanged greetings, her emotions a mixture of joy and sorrow
… After greeting Bao Chai, Li Wan, and the others, she saw Ying Chun, Tan Chun, and Xi Chun coming forward, weeping
and wringing handkerchiefs. The four sisters, having experienced the decline of wealth and status, the separation and reunion, and the near-death experiences, were now reunited. How could they
not have a good cry?
After a long while, Fengjie finally arrived, still unsure whether Hongzhou would bestow a title upon Yuanchun, nor how to address
this former "Imperial Consort," so she simply addressed her as "Sister." She advised, "Sister, please don't cry ...
The Master has already ordered the preparation of Liaofeng Pavilion. Although it can't compare to the Forbidden City, it's a clean and bright place,
a quiet courtyard with six or seven rooms and a two-story building. This was specifically requested by the Master. You and Baoqin can go
there to rest later. If you need anything, just tell the maids and eunuchs, and I'll send it over immediately..." She took two steps closer,
repeating... Choosing her words carefully, she said, "Sister...Madam...is also in the garden now. Sister is a noble and virtuous
person, but I must say, this garden is...Master...Fifth Master's palace. Everything must be done
according to Master's wishes, and there are many rules, some of which are quite strange. I can't explain everything today; I'll find time to
tell you later...There's only one rule: the hierarchy set by Master is absolute, and past titles cannot be discussed. Master has decreed that
Madam is now just a servant among servants, without even a rank...If I come to greet you today, according to the rules,
I can only kneel. " "In fact, Madam is my own aunt, and also someone from the past... I thought that the bond between mother and daughter shouldn't be
about this, and I was afraid that Madam would be sad, so I specifically told Madam not to see her yet, but to wait a little while... After the master has rested and
there is an imperial decree, my sister and Madam can have tea and talk together... Is that alright?"
Yuan Chun had only asked about it when Yu Chuan came to the palace that day, and only then did she learn about the rules that Hong Zhou had set for his licentious behavior in the Grand View Garden.
She was always clever, how could she not understand Feng Jie's meaning? Now, meeting with Madam Wang, without even a proper title
, she didn't know how Hong Zhou would deal with her. A pang of bitterness shot through her heart, and her face flushed. She could only composed herself and
say, "I will leave everything to Consort Feng's arrangements... How could I dare to ask for anything now..."
She looked around. This magnificent, cloud-shrouded, exquisitely crafted,
resplendent villa, adorned with fragrant orchids and osmanthus, rare and exotic plants, pavilions and halls—it was the
very villa the Jia family had built for her imperial visit during her most prosperous days, a celestial paradise... Every blade of grass, every spring, every stone, every
building, every path—all were for her "occasional enjoyment." Years ago, she had lamented
its "excessive extravagance." Who would have thought that her own sisters, aunts, sisters-in-law, and nephews' wives were all confined to this brothel for the prince's
pleasure, while she, a royal concubine, had no official title and was secretly brought to the garden, where she
knew not what humiliation and torture awaited her… It was clear that all the wealth and power in the world were merely matters for the royal family; once
their power waned, they would simply return to the royal family…
She felt a deep sorrow and grief, but knew it was not the time to show it. Seeing Feng Jie taking her hand
to escort her to Liaofeng Pavilion, followed by a group of sisters, she had no choice but to turn around and say to the crowd
, "Sisters are all one…" "They sincerely welcome me, afraid I'll be heartbroken... but I can't accept it... In the end, my humble origins
and the punishment I suffer are all my fault... Now, according to the hierarchy of the master, I am no longer the virtuous concubine of the past, but
merely... I... I don't even know what I am, nor do I know how the master will deal with me. My sisters are too respectful
... I can't bear it..."
Everyone was stunned, only Yingchun was most concerned about this matter, already understanding Yuanchun's implication, and was
about to say a few words of comfort, but before she could, Yuchuan came running down the path, first bowing to Fengjie
, then kneeling before each of the women, before managing a weak smile. She said, "Fengfei, ladies, young ladies, young misses... the mistress
has sent me with a message: I'm not feeling well today, so please have Feng'er take care of Yuanchun... young miss
, please rest... the mistress will come to see me again in a couple of days when she has some free time..."
Everyone sighed. This mistress's temperament was unpredictable. Logically speaking, since she had so eagerly brought Yuanchun into the garden, if she was going to
ravage her and take her as a sex slave, she should have given her a title according to the garden's rules... even if she was like Lady Wang, intentionally
to abuse and play with her, she should have at least stated that she was "a lowly slave with no title." She didn't say a word. After all, this was
once the most honored person in the Ning and Rong mansions. How were they supposed to get along with her?
To know how the others were dealt with, and how Yuan Chun responded, please wait for the next document to unfold.
Truly:
The sky is high, the prison vast;
wealth and splendor ultimately bring desolation
; pure as ice, yet filthy in mud; ink
spilled in the Jade Pool,
staining her dignity; dense clouds, heavy rain
; Wushan remains, but the mortal world is vast and boundless;
shameful and sorrowful, how timid she is;
the divine consort, helpless, can only obey the King of Chu.
(To be continued)

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[The Grand View Garden Chronicle of the Imperial Harem] Chapter 89: Qin Keqing Dies in the Fragrant Pavilion, Jia Yuanchun Returns to the Grand View Garden in Fear

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