The Shengjing Palace was not large, and any piece of news could spread throughout the palace within hours. However, as Zarut had said, Jeje had been protecting Da Yuer too well. Anything she didn't want her niece to know, Da Yuer could remain oblivious to forever.
This particular matter—the rumours and gossip circulating outside—had never reached Da Yuer's ears. Now, for it to be suddenly exposed, with someone bluntly accusing her own sister of sneaking off to meet her husband in the middle of the night, Da Yuer was stunned.
"The woman in the other side palace said so," Da Yuer replied as she sat up, looking at her sister with tearful eyes, feeling wronged.
Hairanju's heart pounded, her mind a complete mess. "Do you believe her? What would I be doing at the Fenghuang Tower? Of course, I haven't been there."
"Really?" Da Yuer leaned in closer, gazing at her sister's beautiful face. "Sister, she's just trying to stir things up between us, right?"
The words had already been spoken, and there was no taking them back. Hairanju hadn't fully decided whether to deny or explain, but she had blurted something out without thinking. Now, if she changed her story, it would only confuse and bewilder her sister even more.
"Don't pay attention to someone like her," Hairanju said, forcing herself to keep the lie going. "Yuer, do you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you." Da Yuer nestled into her sister's embrace. "I don't even know what's wrong with me…"
"Yuer?"
"Sister, you know why I was sent here, don't you?" Da Yuer smiled bitterly. "I'm sure back then, my brother was furious that Father married you off so early. You're the most beautiful woman of our Khorchin tribe, and the most beautiful woman should marry the greatest hero—she should marry Hong Taiji. But since you were already married, they had no choice but to send me."
Hairanju remained silent, but she could feel the deep sadness emanating from her younger sister.
"My brother told me I had to give Hong Taiji a son. He said the only thing I needed to do in Shengjing was to give Hong Taiji a son. After Hong Taiji became the Great Khan, my brother even travelled all the way to Shengjing to ask me, in front of our aunt, if I was serving the Great Khan properly at night—he reminded me not to forget my duty. Da Yuer laughed, but it was a hollow, bitter laugh. "How absurd. Sister, I gave birth to three daughters in a row."
"At least you fell in love with the Great Khan, and he likes you too. That's not so bad, is it?" Hairanju tried her best to comfort her sister with those words.
"Do you know, Sister? After every time I spend the night with the Great Khan, I always put my feet up on the stack of blankets. Look at where I sleep—there are so many blankets and pillows. Aunt said that doing this would help me conceive," Da Yuer said, tears welling up in her eyes as she pulled a blanket toward her and spoke painfully. "But Hong Taiji would get angry. Every time he saw me do that, he would lose his temper. Before I gave birth to Azhe, on one particularly cold night, he was so furious he slammed the door and left."
Hairanju was stunned. Da Yuer had never written anything like this in her letters.
Da Yuer continued, "I worked so hard to become the woman he liked—to act cute, to throw tantrums. At first, I thought it would feel fake, awkward even, but I found it comforting. All of a sudden, I was no longer just a tool for having children; I truly became his woman."
Hairanju nodded. "Da Yuer, the Great Khan likes you very much."
Da Yuer stared intently at her sister's beautiful face, and in that moment, her heart hardened like stone again. "Sister, promise me—you must never become Hong Taiji's woman."
Hairanju froze. Not becoming Hong Taiji's woman had always been her wish, something she repeatedly told their aunt. But is it when her sisiter asked for promise, she couldn't respond?
"Mother, Mother!"
At that moment, Atu came running in, crying. She was rambling about a fight involving her sister. Da Yuer, forgetting everything else, rushed out to find Yatu.
When she found her daughter, Yatu was being pinned to the ground, with the Fourth Prince, Yebusu—who was two years older—sitting on top of her, pulling her hair and hitting her face. The servants following Yebusu just stood there, none daring to step in.
Da Yuer snatched Yatu into her arms, glaring furiously at Yebusu, whom she had pushed to the ground. She was so angry she wanted to strangle the boy, but he was, after all, Hong Taiji's son.
Yatu was crying inconsolably, and no matter how much Da Yuer tried to soothe her, she wouldn't stop. The commotion attracted Jeje's attention, and even Hong Taiji was alerted.
Hong Taiji had always doted on his daughters, and upon hearing that Yebusu had laid hands on his younger sister, he immediately took a whip from Hooge, who had just returned from the frontlines, and personally gave his son a beating.
Yanja, Yebusu's mother, was terrified. After Hong Taiji left, she looked at her son's nearly beaten-raw backside, covering her mouth in fear, not daring to cry out loud. The other concubines watched from the doorway but didn't dare say a word.
Back in the side palace, Yatu curled up in her mother's arms, sobbing and too frightened to sleep. Sumala came back with news: the Fourth Prince had been severely punished by the Great Khan with a riding crop.
Dayu'er patted her daughter gently, her voice cold. "Don't bother. That woman is a mess herself. What kind of decent son could she raise?"
Sumala suggested, "Miss, perhaps we should find out why the fight started, just to ensure we're not at fault."
Dayu'er scoffed. "What's there to find out? If the Great Khan wanted to argue fairness, would he have beaten Yebusu? He's a boy, the older brother no less. At their age, what kind of deep hatred could they have? Even if Yatu was in the wrong, he shouldn't have beaten his sister like that. If Yebusu is this cruel now, who knows what he'll become when he's older?"
Hairanju sat nearby, holding Azhe, gently wiping the baby's drool. She glanced at Yatu, who was finally sleeping soundly, and Da Yuer's words struck a painful chord in her heart.
Would Yebusu grow up to be like Wukeshan, capable of murdering his own sister's unborn child?
It seemed to her that Hong Taiji was indeed a remarkable man—his sense of right and wrong was so clear-cut, so just.
Hairanju's heart trembled as she remembered Da Yuer asking her to promise never to become Hong Taiji's woman. Should she still bring it up? Should she remind her sister?
Yet, Da Yuer seemed to have completely forgotten about it. She spent the entire day comforting Yatu, never leaving her side, and only relaxed once her daughter was happy again.
When Hailanzhu talked to Da Yuer again, it was as though Da Yuer had competely forgotten about their conversation that morning.
As for the children's fight, since Hong Taiji had already intervened, Jeje didn't bother getting involved. She only called the Fifth Prince, Sose, to Qingning Palace to privately counsel him.
Sose's mother, the side consort from the Yehe Nara clan, had passed away shortly after his birth, and many thought that the Great Consort would raise him herself. However, she only assigned wet nurses and nannies to care for him, occasionally checking in, without any intention of adopting him as her own.
Everyone understood that the Khorchin were still waiting for one of their women to bear a son. The Great Consort couldn't, so they turned to Consort Yu. When Consort Yu couldn't either, they would simply send more women.
Now, after the Great Consort and Consort Yu had both given birth to two daughters, Hairanju had arrived.
After another tumultuous day, the palace finally settled into quiet by nightfall.
Hairanju returned to her own chambers. As she passed by Yanja's window, she noticed a light still burning inside. Yanja was awkwardly applying medicine to her son's wounds, while Yebusu had a cloth stuffed in his mouth to stifle his cries.
Faintly visible were the bruises on the child's body. Hong Taiji had indeed been too harsh. Hairanju sighed softly and turned around, only to find the tall man standing behind her, silently watching her with a relaxed expression.
"Great Khan..."
Hairanju curtsied, instinctively stepping back. Hong Taiji said nothing and walked straight into Yanja's room.
Inside, the sound of a woman sobbing could be heard. Hairanju followed the sound with her eyes and saw Yanja kneeling by the bed, covering her face and crying.
But Hong Taiji ignored her. He first looked at his son's wounds, then sat down and spoke earnestly, "No matter what Yatu did wrong today, Yebusu shouldn't have beaten his sister like this. He even scratched Yatu's face—what have you been teaching him? Remember, I'll say this only once: I want my sons to cherish their sisters, to protect them as they grow up. When they marry, their husbands must know that they have brothers who will back them up. If they can't even do this small thing—protect their own sisters—how can they help me conquer the world? They'll be nothing more than weak bullies in their own family. If he dares lay a hand on his sisters again, I'll cripple his arm."
Yanja trembled all over, repeatedly promising that she would discipline her son. Outside, Hairanju listened with her heart surging with emotion. If, twenty years ago, her father had taught Wukeshan in this way, her unborn child might have come into the world safely.
The more she thought about it, the more sorrow she felt. In the end, her fate had been too bitter.
As she took a few steps away, she heard the sound of boots on the ground. Hong Taiji had come out. Hairanju glanced back, and their eyes met.
The moonlight was hazy, and both figures were blurred. Hairanju bowed respectfully, and when she raised her head again, Hong Taiji was already gone.
She stood dazed under the eaves until Baoqing came to call her, snapping her back to reality.
Baoqing smiled and said, "Princess Lan, our palace is always lively. The Great Consort used to say that the palace is filled with endless petty matters. They say the Ming palace is over ten times bigger than ours. If we go there one day, will the petty matters multiply by ten as well?"
Hairanju didn't really take in what Baoqing was saying. She simply replied softly, "Yes, Yuer also said the Ming palace is very, very large."
Baoqing chuckled, "When the Great Khan leads his army into the Ming territory and we move to the Ming palace, you'll surely visit again. I'll still be here to serve you."
Hairanju nodded, "I'll definitely visit again."
But now, where should she go?
A few days later, Hong Taiji arranged for Jeje and her group to go on a trip to Hetu Ala, with the added responsibility of paying respects to their ancestors on his behalf. Hetu Ala was the birthplace of the Jin dynasty, where Nurhaci had built his palace before moving the capital to Shengjing. Only a few elders remained there to guard the ancestral site.
When Qiqige heard that the Great Consort and Yuer were going on a trip, in the past she would have undoubtedly joined them. But now that Dorgon was home, she couldn't bear to leave him, so she only visited the palace to say goodbye and asked Yuer to bring her back some treats.
Qiqige had also heard about the fight between the Fourth Prince and Yatu a few days ago. Seeing the scabbed-over scratch marks on Yatu's cheek, she felt distressed and hugged Yatu, saying, "Let your Fourteenth Uncle teach you wrestling, then we'll see who dares bully you."
Yatu took her words seriously and, turning to Da Yuer, said, "Mother, I don't want to go to Hetu Ala. I want to go to Fourteenth Uncle's house and learn wrestling with him!"