The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

When Rongyin and Yingluo returned to Changchun Palace, the Emperor was already sitting there, enjoying the snow scene with Bai Ruiji.

During the day, he overheard Rongyin's conversation with the eldest prince in the Xiefang Palace, which touched upon his birth mother's hidden pain. He also felt that Rongyin was both clever and had a loving mother's heart, so he suddenly wanted to have dinner with Rongyin and the children. In the afternoon, he had another sudden urge, feeling that everyone was inevitably restrained in the Yangxin Palace, and that it was in the Changchun Palace that they could have the joy of ordinary family life. So he ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare food and send it to the Changchun Palace that evening.

Without announcing his arrival, he and Jinzhong went straight to Changchun Palace.

Upon arriving at Changchun Palace, Bai Ruiji, the palace maids and eunuchs, and the three children, after being informed, gathered at the entrance to pay their respects to the Emperor. The Emperor entered the courtyard and, seeing the three children's rosy cheeks and noticing a snowman in the yard, knew they were playing in the snow.

However, Rongyin and the two head maids were nowhere to be seen. When asked, Zhao Yitai, who was left in the palace, said that the Empress had not returned all afternoon. At this time, Yonghuang timidly mentioned that "a maid fell down in the flower room, and the Empress told me to bring my second brother back first." The Emperor then guessed that something unexpected had happened, which forced the Empress to go and deal with it first.

In the dead of winter, he was unwilling to move around, so he instructed, "I will just sit in Changchun Palace for a while. Since the Empress has something to attend to, you don't need to go and inform her."

Bai Ruiji and Zhao Yitai were about to welcome the emperor into the inner palace when the emperor said, "I find the snowman the children have built quite interesting. How about this, let the children go inside and warm up first, while I stay in the main hall, enjoy the snow scene in the courtyard, and wait for the empress."

Zhao Yitai quickly had four charcoal braziers lit, then went to find some fine tea leaves and brewed a cup of fragrant tea to serve. He then ordered Chen Fu to bring over a tea stove and an incense burner with animal heads, and lit an incense cake. Bai Ruiji sat beside him.

The emperor sniffed it and said, "This fragrance... is it ambergris, a tribute from Siam? It also seems to have a hint of jasmine."

Zhao Yitai replied, "Your Majesty, this is ambergris supplied to Her Majesty the Empress by the Imperial Household Department. Her Majesty the Empress then ordered people to grind and mix gardenia, jasmine, and other flowers to make incense cakes."

The emperor said, "This fragrance is indeed delicate and lingering; the empress is truly ingenious."

He asked Bai Ruiji to bring out the pipa and play a tune, then gave her some pointers. Bai Ruiji smiled and said, "'The brocade curtains are just warm, the incense burner smokes continuously, we sit facing each other and tune the sheng.' Your Majesty truly has refined tastes."

The Emperor laughed and said, "Ruiji's speech is now eloquent; she has truly made great progress."

Bai Ruiji's tone carried a hint of coquettishness: "It's all because the Emperor punished me by confining me to my quarters to copy scriptures. I was so bored while I was stuck in Changchun Palace that I borrowed a collection of poems from the Empress to pass the time."

The emperor feigned anger and said, "Are you blaming me for punishing you too severely?"

Bai Ruiji said, "Your Majesty is fair in rewarding and punishing, and is kind and magnanimous. I know I have made a mistake and am willing to accept the punishment. Besides, if Your Majesty had not punished me, I would not have been able to take this opportunity to learn some Buddhist scriptures, poetry and songs. The Empress also said that my handwriting is better than before. If I have made any progress, it is all thanks to Your Majesty's teachings."

The Emperor chuckled and said, "Consort Xian is a concubine, and she and I are childhood sweethearts. Although you offended her against your will, I cannot disregard her feelings. Very well, now that your zither skills have improved, you have also become more refined, which pleases me greatly."

There is a folk custom of a "hundred-day wedding." Now that the late Emperor has passed away for over a hundred days, I will have the Imperial Household Department draft a title for you tomorrow, bestowing upon you the title of "Consort." Once your confinement is lifted, you will reside in Yonghe Palace. From today onward, you no longer need to refer to yourself as a slave.

Bai Ruiji knelt down in delight: "This servant... no, this concubine thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

A short while later, a eunuch arrived outside the Changchun Palace. Seeing the Emperor sitting in the main hall, he hurriedly entered and kowtowed. The Emperor asked, "What business do you have with the Empress?"

The eunuch said, "Her Majesty the Empress instructed that Laba porridge be distributed to the palace servants on the Laba Festival. Preparations have been completed, and the Construction Department has also prepared firewood and charcoal. Therefore, we have come to ask Her Majesty for instructions."

The emperor said, "The empress's consideration for the palace servants' hard work demonstrates the boundless grace of the imperial family, which is excellent. Since everything is prepared, let's proceed directly." The eunuch accepted the order and left.

The two waited for a while before Rongyin and Yingluo returned.

Bai Ruiji bowed to the Empress and then took her leave.

Seeing Rongyin's surprised expression, and then her immediate bow, the emperor joked, "I suddenly felt like having dinner here, but it's just bad timing."

Rongyin said, "Your Majesty, I was unaware of Your Majesty's arrival and was negligent in my preparations. Please forgive me."

The emperor gestured for her to follow him into the inner palace, saying, "It's alright, I've already instructed the imperial kitchen to send the meals to Changchun Palace later."

Jinzhong then presented the meal, which consisted of nothing more than fatty chicken and roasted duck, bird's nest and mushrooms, beef and mutton soup, and the emperor's favorite bamboo-rolled steamed buns.

The emperor told the empress, princes, and princesses not to stand on ceremony and to sit as they would in an ordinary household.

Seeing Yingluo and a young palace maid setting the table, he asked, "Why is there only one head palace maid serving us today?"

Rongyin said, "I asked Mingyu to look after some things, so I haven't returned. It was my fault for not being more considerate."

The emperor waved his hand and said, "It was my sudden arrival that is the empress's fault. It's alright, just treat this as a regular family meal today, there's no need for so many people to serve you."

After dinner, the Emperor had the palace servants take the child away and asked the Empress, "After I came to Changchun Palace today, Yonghuang told me that something happened in the flower room today?"

When the emperor asked about it, the empress immediately composed herself and said, "This is exactly what I was about to report to Your Majesty."

Then she recounted what she had seen and heard that afternoon, including the fact that Hailan's corporal punishment had been too harsh, resulting in serious injuries to her head maid, Ye Xin.

Upon hearing that it was Consort Hai of Yanxi Palace again, the Emperor felt a surge of annoyance, thinking of the disastrous Silver Rabbit Hairpin case.

But remembering that he wanted to cultivate the Empress as an asset, he patiently asked, "Is this the same matter that the Empress entrusted to Mingyu?"

Rongyin explained, "Yes. The imperial physician said that Ye Xin's illness is critical. I was worried that if someone were to die, there would be no time to deal with it. I was also thinking of having the eunuchs from the Accounting Department inquire again after Ye Xin's injuries improved, so I asked Mingyu to go to the flower room to keep an eye on her and report the news to the Accounting Department in a timely manner."

The emperor's smile didn't reach his eyes: "Empress, I entrust all matters, big and small, in the harem to you. Just handle them with confidence."

He thought to himself that the Empress, having just been granted power, certainly needed a whetstone for training and a stepping stone to establish her authority. He didn't particularly like Hailan, who was timid and quiet, and had repeatedly caused trouble, but he didn't mind her serving as this whetstone and stepping stone. Besides, if the palace maid's affairs weren't handled properly, it might lead to another incident like Xiangyun's. But Hailan was, after all, on good terms with Ruyi…

Thinking of Ruyi, the Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "You are in the central palace, so you must proceed with caution and not hastily. Yanxi Palace has been involved in trouble time and time again, which is not what I want to see. If the entire Yanxi Palace is implicated for the sake of a mere palace maid, it will inevitably make people suspect that the Empress is making a mountain out of a molehill, which is not good for the Empress either."

Therefore, although I have entrusted the matter to the Empress, I still wish to hear her views on this matter and how she intends to handle it.

Yingluo gave Rongyin a wink, and Rongyin understood, saying, "I have already investigated and only need the Imperial Household Department to submit a report. Yingluo, come and tell His Majesty."

Yingluo said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report. The Empress once told me that when I was still a young lady, I heard the old lady teach me that if a servant makes a mistake and needs to be punished, the law of the state must be followed first, and then the family law. Just because the family law is strict does not mean that one should be hasty in dealing with the servants, arbitrarily humiliating or killing them."

The Emperor was the ruler of the Qing Dynasty. The palace maids and eunuchs in the harem were first and foremost the Emperor's servants, and only then the servants of the various palace ladies. This was especially true for the palace maids who came from the Eight Banners, who were very particular about their status and reputation. Therefore, the punishment of palace servants had to adhere to this principle.

Consort Hai's punishment of Ye Xin was a spur-of-the-moment act of severe reprimand. While it didn't amount to killing, Imperial Physician Bao stated that Ye Xin's knee injury, caused by neglect and lack of treatment, had developed into a carbuncle, allowing pathogenic factors to invade. Even if she survived this ordeal, she might be permanently disabled, or at best, suffer from a chronic condition. This punishment violated palace regulations, and the consequences were so severe that it was difficult to convince the public.

Rongyin continued, "Furthermore, the palace concubines' treatment of servants is too harsh and goes against the Emperor's benevolence. If this gets out, won't it damage the Emperor's reputation?"

There is one more thing to say, which I dare not conceal before Your Majesty, so I will speak it out. The concubines in the palace are always served by palace maids and eunuchs for everything from drinking and eating to walking and sitting. Palace maids and eunuchs are also human beings, and they will also harbor resentment when they are punished without cause or when minor offenses are punished severely. If all of you ladies were like Consort Hai, I am truly worried that a disaster like the one that happened to Yang Zhen, who was ashamed of his soup, would occur in the palace.

This precedent will have endless consequences, so the six palaces must take this as a warning and not encourage the practice of arbitrarily beating or even abusing palace maids.

Consort Hai is one of the Emperor's concubines, and while she should be punished, her dignity must be considered. Therefore, I propose that once the Imperial Household Department submits its report, if the case is verified and there is no doubt, Consort Hai should be suspended from her salary for one year and sent to Anhua Palace for six months to chant scriptures and pray for blessings to cultivate her character. Furthermore, her birthday gifts next year should be cancelled. If Your Majesty wishes to impose further punishment, I will consider the matter further.”

The emperor, who had been indifferent at first, seemed to be deep in thought after listening to Rongyin and Yingluo's words. After a long while, he said, "The empress is right."

There is only one point: although Consort Xian, as the head of Yanxi Palace, has somewhat neglected her duties, since this matter was caused by Consort Hai herself, let her take responsibility for her own actions and not implicate Consort Xian. The Empress's handling of the matter has been very good, and I do not wish to punish Consort Hai further.

"Make amends to Ye Xin properly, and transfer her to a quiet, secluded place to work. Keep a close eye on her, making sure she doesn't gossip or commit suicide."

Rongyin felt a chill in her heart, but still said on the surface, "Your Majesty's teachings will be obeyed."