Hong Taiji held Hairanju's hand in his, warming it gently. "Tomorrow, move into the side palace—it's warmer there."
Hairanju didn't respond, her gaze lingering in the direction Yuer had gone.
Hong Taiji reassured her, "She'll be upset for a few days, but she'll come around. I'll speak with her and make things clear. Since I've decided to bring you back, I've thought it all through. She's had this temperament since she was young—I know."
"I'll follow your lead," Hairanju replied, finally looking away. "I've also made up my mind by choosing to come back to you."
"This time, no one's forcing you?" Hong Taiji asked.
"No one." Hairanju looked at him steadily. She couldn't quite recall when her heart had let go of her late husband—whether it was pure survival instinct or this man's presence that ignited hope within her, piece by piece.
She hadn't realized her heart could be so unwavering, to love a man, regardless of whether he was the one her sister cherished most.
"Go to the kitchen and check on her. Don't let her cause too much of a stir," Hong Taiji said. "Say whatever you need to; I won't interfere in what's between the two of you. But know that I'll address things with Yuer myself. Understand?"
"I understand," Hairanju nodded. "What's between you and Yuer, I won't involve myself in. Yuer will always be my sister, and you…" She trailed off.
Hong Taiji gave a small smile. "And me?"
Tears glistened in Hairanju's eyes, but her smile held no trace of sadness. "From this moment on, I'm your woman."
Every scene from this moment was carefully relayed to Jeje. She fell silent for a moment, then murmured to Adai, "Waiting for them at breakfast was the right choice. I understand now. There may not be many more chances."
Just then, Niman appeared at the door, bowing respectfully. "Great Consort, the Great Khan invites you to Fenghuang Tower."
Jeje composed herself, washed her hands, dusted off the scent of the meal, and walked with Adai to the Fenghuang Tower.
It was silent and serene within. Passing through the hall where Hong Taiji handled state affairs and rooms filled with stacks of official documents, she continued on to the sleeping quarters. It struck her that she couldn't even recall when she'd last come this far.
"Why, now that you have someone good, you don't even want to come to my quarters anymore?" Jeje said as she entered, handing her husband a bowl of ginseng tea sent by a palace maid.
Hong Taiji, reclining with his eyes closed in repose, opened them slightly and replied with a relaxed tone, "The children are with you, and it's freezing outside. If we need to talk, should we chase them out?"
Jeje responded, "It seems a father's heart aches for his children even more than this mother's does."
Hong Taiji looked at her and took a sip of the tea, its distinctive aroma refreshing his senses. Putting the bowl down, he spoke slowly, "You and I have always understood each other without words, but I still owe you an explanation."
Jeje smiled gently, "I'm listening."
Hong Taiji continued, "I want to keep Hairanju because I like her. This has nothing to do with Khorchin, nothing to do with anyone else. By the time I realized my feelings, it struck me that she was Yuer's sister, your niece, and a princess of Khorchin."
Jeje asked, "What is it that you like about her?"
Hong Taiji shook his head, "I can't really say. I've lived over forty years, and it's the first time I've felt this way. Jeje, am I growing muddled in my old age?"
Jeje's heart ached, but she managed a faint smile. "How could you be muddled? You're simply gaining clarity with age. It's Yuer who should not be this clever; only then might her heart feel lighter."
Hong Taiji sighed, "I promised Hairanju I would give Yuer an explanation, yet I haven't decided how to tell her."
Jeje added another piece of charcoal to her hand warmer, then placed it warmly in his hands. As their gazes met, twenty years seemed to fade away, and they saw the same person in each other's eyes as they always had.
Jeje had once told Adai that because she wasn't married, not knowing love was sad; in truth, she felt equally lost in that regard.
"I'll look after whomever is by your side," Jeje said calmly. "But I have one request."
Hong Taiji nodded, holding her hands with the hand warmer.
Jeje continued, "For Yuer's sake, I could certainly force Hairanju to leave. But I can't change your feelings. So I told her that if she's given you her heart, she should stay without regret and honour this fate between you. But to you, I say this: you may love Hairanju, you may grow indifferent to Yuer—but never let her be wronged or humiliated. Never let her be trampled underfoot."
"That's too harsh," Hong Taiji replied. "How could I ever stop caring about her?"
Jeje withdrew her hand and sat up straight. "I'm just saying. Who knows what the future holds? I never thought we'd see this day either, so I'm putting it out there now. Just keep it in mind."
"Understood," he replied, pulling her hand back and holding it firmly. "Jeje, I owe you."
She shook her head. "I understand everything, and so do you. Just take care of yourself in battle; I'll take care of the household."
Hong Taiji lay back with one hand on his forehead. "Jeje, I'm starting to feel my age. Time spares no one."
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Hairanju was mixing the filling with Baoqing at this end, while Da Yuer helped Yatu and the others knead the dough at the other end. The children, more interested in playing than cooking, tossed flour around, exclaiming, "It's snowing, it's snowing!"
Da Yuer tried to stop them twice, but they didn't listen. Finally, she raised her voice, startling Yatu, who burst into tears and ran to Hairanju, clinging to her aunt's leg, sobbing.
Hairanju's hands were covered in oil, making it hard to pick up the child. She looked up to see Da Yuer approaching and quickly said, "Yatu, be good. Apologize to your mother. We shouldn't waste food."
Yatu, peeked at her angry mother nervously. She had made mistakes before and knew how scary her mother can be when angry. She hid further behind her aunt, dare not to come out.
Da Yuer walked in front of Hairanju, the sisters' eyes met. Da Yuer's gaze was hollow so she couldn't see what was in Hairanju's eyes either.
Da Yuer crouched down and gently pulled her daughter forward, she touched a bit of flour to Yatu's nose and spoke kindly. "I won't punish you, Yatu, but I want you to understand that many of our people in Jin still go hungry, and soldiers at the front eat cold rations while sleeping in the open. You can be mischievous, but you mustn't waste food. Promise to teach your sister the same, all right?"
Sniffling, Yatu nodded and buried herself in her mother's shoulder, whispering her apology.
Da Yuer picked up her daughter and turned to leave, giving her message not to Hairanju, but to Sumala. "I'll take Yatu to wash up. When it's ready, please bring some over."
Sumala agreed, and once her mistress left, so did the wet nurses and nannies who'd come with the young princess, and the two princesses of the Great Consort also left. The kitchen suddenly felt much quieter, and Sumala stood awkwardly by the door, uncertainly watching Hairanju.
Gathering herself, Hairanju instructed, "Sumala, let's move quickly. The children must be hungry."
"Yes..." Sumala hurried to help make buns, exchanging a glance with Baoqing, both of them equally at a loss.
In the side palace, after Da Yuer had cleaned up Yatu, she took some sachima to coax her daughter into eating, trying to explain some principles to them. Yatu was somewhat receptive, but Atu was still too young to understand. After a while, the sisters got distracted by other things and forgot all about it, happily playing together.
Da Yuer sat cross-legged in the corner of the warm kang, watching the children frolic, as little Azhe slowly crawled towards her, sweetly settling in her lap.
"Aren't you going to play with your sisters?" Da Yuer pinched her daughter's chubby cheeks, beckoning Yatu to take her little sister. Yatu replied, "Azhe loves to grab things now and doesn't know how to talk; she doesn't listen, so it's not fun."
The age difference between Azhe and Yatu was the same as that between Da Yuer and Hairanju. When Da Yuer was at the crawling stage, her sister was about as big as Yatu.
Although she couldn't remember those days, she recalled that in everything she remembered, her sister had never failed to indulge her.
Da Yuer turned Azhe around in her arms, patting her bottom and said, "Go find your sister, go bother her; she's not letting our Azhe play!"
Yatu pouted and ran over, patting her little sister's head and giving her a kiss on the cheek: "Azhe, you be good; sister will play with you."
After saying that, she clumsily picked up her sister, but her strength couldn't carry her far before she tumbled onto the kang, making little Azhe giggle.
Da Yuer sniffled and suddenly realized she was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't even know when the tears had started. Not wanting to scare the children, she quickly turned her head and wiped her face clean.
As the door curtain lifted, the aroma of meat wafted in, and Sumala smiled, saying, "Little princesses, it's time to eat buns..."
The children rushed forward, and the wet nurses hurried to serve them, fearing they might choke. Atu took a bite, thought of her mother, and brought her bun to Da Yuer, sweetly saying, "Mother, you eat too."
The scent filled Da Yuer's nostrils and surged to her head, causing her to suddenly feel nauseous. She turned and leaned against the edge of the kang, gagging.
Everyone panicked and rushed over to help her. Sumala anxiously asked, "Miss, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Da Yuer was in a daze; the flavour was indeed something her sister had prepared, something she used to love eating, but now she couldn't even stand the smell.