The wind grew stronger, carrying a few scattered snowflakes. The snowflakes landed on their faces, melting slowly, each drop seeping into their hearts with a chilling touch.
Qiqige let go of her hand. "Yuer, are you really okay?"
Da Yuer's gaze was hollow. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
Qiqige shook her head. "How can you be fine? Your sister Hairanju has become the side consort of the Great Khan, and here you are, out of the palace. Unless something huge has happened, it's clear—you left because you couldn't stay there any longer."
Da Yuer gave a wistful smile. "Why is everyone so clever? Is it that I'm the only fool in this world?"
"Yuer..."
"Qiqige, do you remember?" Da Yuer whispered, her eyes now devoid of the last trace of light. "I once said, all I needed to do was to obey. I was so foolish. Why didn't I listen?"
The biting wind howled around them, the frail figures of the two women seeming like they could be carried away by the storm. A servant from the stables approached cautiously, bowing slightly. "Consort Yu, Fourteenth Consort, the wind is growing fiercer, and it looks like snow is coming. It's too dangerous to continue riding, especially with the young princess here. Please, it would be best to return to the city now."
Qiqige nodded, turning to Yuer. "Let's get you and Yatu back to the palace."
Yet, they never made it to the palace. Midway, a blizzard erupted, thick snowflakes descending like goose feathers, blanketing the land. Shengjing finally embraced the heart of winter. This snowfall would envelop the city in a sea of white until the spring thaw.
Fourteenth Beile's residence remained quiet. Qiqige, despite her strict adherence to rules, had earned the genuine respect of the household.
Even the two concubines were deferential and loyal. As the heavy snow continued, they anxiously awaited Qiqige's return. "We were just discussing whether to send someone out to find you," one of the concubines said as Qiqige finally returned. "With snow like this, we feared you might be stranded."
Their eyes fell on Da Yuer with her daughter, who had accompanied Qiqige once again, and wisely, they began to withdraw. But Qiqige stopped them. "Take Yatu with you. She'll enjoy some company."
Yatu eagerly went along, her small hands clasped by the two gentle concubines. She babbled about the enormous wind and snow outside, already planning to build the biggest snowman in all of Shengjing once the storm subsided.
Qiqige noticed Da Yuer standing still, her gaze lost. She approached softly, "Don't worry. They'll take good care of Yatu. Now that you're here, you should rest. But you can't keep coming here so often."
Da Yuer's response was distant. "Yatu is easy to raise. She'll be fine with anyone."
Qiqige sighed. "It's cold. Let's get inside."
Walking inside, Da Yuer knew well enough. Though this was Qiqige's home, her husband was Dorgon. Hong Taiji was wary of Dorgon and would not tolerate her frequent visits.
But perhaps now, all his attention was on her elder sister. He wouldn't notice or care about her whereabouts.
The wind and snow intensified, the sound of the storm making hearts tremble. Maids brought in steaming milk tea, and Qiqige handed a cup to Da Yuer. Yet, as soon as she sat down by the window, Da Yuer seemed entranced, watching the snow slowly cover the glazed tiles and red walls.
"Your tea's getting cold," Qiqige sighed. "Yuer, doesn't your leg fall asleep sitting like that?"
Da Yuer blinked, as if startled from a trance. She turned, realizing too late that she had forgotten the cup in her hands. It slipped from her grasp, spilling the warm tea all over her lap.
Qiqige sighed and called the maids to help clean up. Da Yuer sat there, surrounded by the maids, allowing them to serve her in a daze.
The spilled milk tea had soaked into her clothes, sticky and carrying a faint odor. Seeing this, Qiqige said, "Get her a change of clothes from mine. It must be uncomfortable having that stickiness on your skin."
While the maids used warm water to help Consort Yu clean up, Qiqige searched for some scented balm on her dressing table. It was a balm from the Ming Dynasty palace—how Dorgon managed to acquire such things was beyond her.
As she rummaged, she stumbled upon a box of dried flower petals, which reminded her of the bath she prepared for Hairanju that day, and the night when Hong Taiji came. He left in a huff—what exactly did he and Hairanju talk about?
She momentarily lost interest in finding the balm; after all, in her current state, who cared about smelling nice?
Once Da Yuer had been properly attended to and the maids had left, she curled up on the bed, hugging her knees. Her dim eyes showed no emotion.
She neither cried nor made a fuss; she just sat there, lifeless. All day long, the only time Qiqige saw a glimpse of her former self was when she talked to her daughter, Yatu.
"The maids said Yatu has fallen asleep," Qiqige said, sitting beside her and pressing a hand warmer into her hands. "Once she wakes up, you should head back. Even if the snowstorm doesn't stop, you can't stay here. You are, after all, the Great Khan's woman."
Da Yuer lifted her head, suddenly recalling how Hong Taiji used to say with joy, "Yuer, you are Hong Taiji's woman, my woman."
She had once thought that it was his way of reminding her to forget about Khorchin and their expectations of her bearing a son. She believed it was Hong Taiji's way of cherishing and caring for her. But now, she realized it meant something different.
She was his woman, but the unspoken truth was that Hong Taiji was not truly her man.
"Qiqige, before my sister entered the city, why did she fall into the river?" Da Yuer finally spoke, but her question put Qiqige in a difficult spot.
Qiqige prided herself on knowing everything, but could she speak on this matter? After all, it involved Hong Taiji's private affairs. If she spoke too much, it might provoke his anger and bring trouble to Dorgon as well.
"Yuer, if you have questions, ask Aunt. She knows everything," Qiqige suggested, showing her loyalty to her husband. "Or, at the very least, ask your sister Hairanju. You are sisters after all. Do you really want to live the rest of your lives estranged like this? How unbearable would that be?"
"How could I ask?" Da Yuer gave a bitter smile. "Should I directly ask her when she got together with my man, or ask Hong Taiji when he started fancying my sister?"
Qiqige pressed her lips together before asking, "Yuer, be honest with me. Did you never think this could happen?"
Da Yuer lowered her head, her dry, cracked lips barely moving. "I thought about it, but I believed it was just my wild imagination."
"I knew it. You can't be that naive," Qiqige sighed, rubbing Da Yuer's arm gently. "Since you had some inkling, you should try to let it go. What else can you do? The Great Khan has so many women around him. If you keep fighting with your sister, no one will sympathize with you. They'll just think you're being overly sensitive."
Da Yuer's heart ached so intensely it felt like a knife was twisting inside her. The pain surged to her throat, and with a violent cough, she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Qiqige was terrified and immediately called for a doctor. Da Yuer herself was startled. After a long ordeal, the doctor assured them it wasn't a serious condition, but warned that coughing up blood wasn't trivial and she needed to take good care of herself.
"I'll take you back to the palace, Yuer. I can't bear the responsibility if something happens to you," Qiqige said, leaning over the bed, holding Da Yuer's hand. "Dear Yuer, if only you could let go, everything would be better, wouldn't it?"
Da Yuer sat there, dazed, and asked fearfully, "Am I going to die?"
Qiqige couldn't help but laugh through her worry. "No, you won't die. But if you keep brooding like this, you might really fall ill, and only then would it become dangerous. But please don't die, Yuer. If you do, with Dorgon away fighting, I won't even have anyone to talk to."
Da Yuer gave a bleak smile and slowly sat up. Qiqige helped her lean against herself, gently stroking her back. "Yuer, you need to take care of yourself. If something happens to you, what will happen to Yatu? And Azhe is still so young."
The mention of her children seemed to bring Da Yuer back to her senses, though only just. She grabbed Qiqige's hand and said, "Don't tell anyone about what happened earlier. I don't want Aunt to worry, and I don't want people to think I'm being overly dramatic."
Qiqige nodded. "I won't tell, but you need to take care of yourself. Another episode like this could be disastrous. This is the first time I've ever seen someone cough up blood."
Da Yuer said with a faint smile, "I'm tough. I've had three children without even having back pain. Aunt can't sit for too long now, though."
Qiqige chuckled, "Aunt is much older than you. You're just lucky because you're still young."
Da Yuer was taken aback. She lowered her gaze and softly said, "The first time I saw him, I was thirteen. I cried and hid behind my aunt, not daring to look at him."
"You mean the Great Khan?"
"Qiqige, do you think I'll always look like that in his eyes, like a little child?"
At that moment, the concubine from the side courtyard came over and said at the door, "Consort, Yatu has woken up."
Qiqige instructed them to wrap the child up warmly, then turned back to Da Yuer and said, "You should go back. Don't blame me for being heartless; I really can't keep you here."
In the palace, Hairanju stood under the eaves. The sky was overcast, and the snow in the palace garden was piling up thicker and thicker. Baoqing brought a large cloak for her to wear. Nearby, from the side palace, Sumala came out with Princess Atu.
The child, not understanding adult matters, ran over to Hairanju for a hug, pouting and saying, "Mother is playing with big sister, but not taking Atu."
Hairanju looked at Sumala and asked, "Yuer hasn't returned yet?"
Sumala nodded awkwardly, "No, she hasn't come back."