Palace Eaves

This time, when Da Yuer went to Hetu Ala, Hong Taiji had sent a large escort, making the journey quite a spectacle. However, once they arrived, the escort returned to Shengjing, leaving Da Yuer with only a small company on her way back. They travelled slowly, stopping often.

Today, it was already noon before the group resumed their journey. Growing frustrated, Da Yuer turned to Qiqige and asked, "Why do I feel like you don't actually want to go back? At this pace, are we going to arrive next year?"

Qiqige chuckled, turning to look outside the carriage. "I'm afraid we'll get back too soon."

Da Yuer understood the bitterness behind her words. If Dorgon's concubines couldn't bear children, Qiqige would feel sorrow for him. But if they did, it would mean that all these years, it was Qiqige who hadn't been able to give him an heir.

Despite everything, she still thought of Dorgon, using this "running away" as a chance to make space for him at home.

Less than two hours after they resumed, little Azhe started to cry uncontrollably. They had to stop the carriage so Da Yuer could calm her down outside.

Meanwhile, Qiqige sat in the carriage with Yatu and Atu, feeling the cold seep in as they waited. Suddenly, Yatu said, "Auntie, do you smell that? It smells so good…"

Qiqige sniffed the air—it smelled like someone nearby was cooking something delicious. Remembering that once she returned to Shengjing, she'd have to hold herself to proper etiquette in both food and behaviour, she felt reluctant to leave this moment behind. Smiling, she asked the children, "Shall we go take a look?"

Yatu hesitated, "Mother told us to stay put."

Qiqige laughed. "Auntie's here with you."

By the time Da Yuer had managed to soothe Azhe and returned to the carriage, she found that Qiqige and the children had wandered off. The few guards left behind looked nervous as Da Yuer asked, "Where did they go?"

They followed the tracks in the snow to find Qiqige sitting with Yatu and Atu in the yard of a farmhouse. An elderly woman was handing them freshly roasted sweet potatoes, which they ate with delight. Seeing Da Yuer arrive, Qiqige beamed and waved her over. "Come on! They're so sweet and will warm you right up!"

But at that very moment, Hong Taiji's company was racing down the road. He was in such a hurry that he didn't notice Da Yuer's carriage parked on the roadside, its passengers absent and only two guards standing by. Rushing past, the two groups brushed by each other without realizing it.

Hong Taiji rode a long distance before he stopped to drink water, only to notice something familiar on the snowy ground by the roadside.

He ordered someone to pick it up, and upon closer inspection, he suddenly remembered the carriage that had flashed past earlier.

Gripping the item tightly, Hong Taiji turned his horse around and sped off in pursuit, startling the guards who hurried to catch up. They had assumed the Great Khan was going to fetch Consort Yu, but now it seemed he might have changed his mind halfway.

Meanwhile, after finally getting on the road again, Da Yuer's group was halted when little Azhe started crying once more.

The baby, unable to speak yet, could only express her distress with soft whimpers. At first, Da Yuer worried her daughter might be unwell, but then she realized Azhe seemed to be searching for something.

Yatu and Atu offered their toys to soothe their sister, but Azhe refused them all. "Could we have left something important behind in the city?" Qiqige wondered aloud.

The nursemaid carefully searched through their things, then said cautiously, "It seems the little princess's favourite piece of jade, the one she likes to bite on, is missing…"

Da Yuer looked at her, puzzled. "Which jade?"

The nursemaid replied, "It's the one she pulled from the Great Khan's waist the other day."

Qiqige glanced at Da Yuer with a knowing look, and Da Yuer offered an awkward smile. "He's given me so many things; how could I remember each one?"

Just then, Atu, hiding behind his sister, whispered, "Mother, I dropped the jade outside the carriage earlier…"

It was, after all, just a piece of jade, so they couldn't go back to retrieve it. Qiqige handed her own jade pendant to Azhe to play with, and the journey continued.

But they hadn't gone far when the sound of pounding hooves came up fast behind them. Suddenly, a group of ten or so riders surrounded their convoy.

Alarmed, Qiqige whispered, "Are we under attack?"

Peeking out of the carriage, she saw Hong Taiji himself, seated on his horse. In shock, she blurted, "Great Khan?!"

Da Yuer, holding her children close in case of danger, froze upon hearing Qiqige's exclamation.

Outside, one of the men called out, "Side Consort, the Great Khan has come."

No one could have expected this turn of events. Da Yuer had never hoped Hong Taiji would come to meet her personally, and Hong Taiji had never thought Da Yuer would be returning home of her own accord.

Qiqige and Sumala stood with the others at a distance, quietly watching this long-awaited reunion. Little Atu tugged on Qiqige's sleeve, saying softly, "Auntie, I want Daddy to hold me."

Understanding more, Yatu gently held her sister's hand and said, "Daddy and Mommy are talking."

Qiqige smiled, coaxing the children, "He'll come to hold you soon."

Meanwhile, Hong Taiji stood before Da Yuer, reaching out to adjust her cloak. With a hint of teasing in his tone, he asked, "So, you felt stifled and came out for a change of scenery? You seem pretty carefree."

Da Yuer shook her head, "I wanted to go home."

Hong Taiji smiled and said, "You still remember home? Didn't we agree that you'd send a message to Shengjing when you wanted to come back, so I could come to pick you up? But instead, you set off on your own with so few people. The road to Fushun is buried in snow—how were you planning to get through?"

Da Yuer kept her head down, "But… you came to pick me up, didn't you?"

Hong Taiji gently tapped her forehead and teased, "Talking back to me, are you?"

The tap brought a dull ache, which stirred up all the pent-up sadness in her heart. Looking up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, she asked in a trembling voice, "Do you still want me?"

Hong Taiji looked at her tenderly and said, "When did I ever not want you?"

"Then why did you want my sister?" Da Yuer's voice softened, but she surprised herself with the directness of her question.

Hong Taiji said nothing for a moment, gently wiping away her tears.

"That night you went to bring my sister back," Da Yuer continued, her voice breaking, "it wasn't because I asked you to, was it?" Now that the words were out, she could no longer keep her heart locked away. She painfully asked, "When did you start caring about her? Was it because… I wasn't good enough?"

Hong Taiji shook his head, saying, "Yuer, do you really want to hear the answer to every question? Are you sure you want to know?"

She looked up at him through her tear-filled eyes, realizing that deep down, she already knew the answer. Did she really need him to confirm it with words?

Was there truly a reason for her to return—to him, to her sister, or perhaps to her aunt?

"I missed you," Da Yuer choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I missed you even more than when you were away at war."

Hong Taiji's expression softened into a gentle smile. "I knew you missed me. That's why I came to bring you home."

He gathered her into his arms, wrapping her tightly in his own cloak. As he held her close, his hand gently rubbed her back under the thick fabric, his voice warm and soothing. "I was wrong. I hurt you, and I'm sorry."

As she heard the familiar heartbeat of Hong Taiji again, Da Yuer closed her eyes in peaceful calm.

Qiqige criticized her for being weak, saying that if she wanted to run away from home, staying away for just half a month didn't count for much, and if she wanted Hong Taiji to realize how much she cared, then running back to him was meaningless.

But Da Yuer understood that Qiqige was deliberately provoking her, seeing right through her: her heart truly couldn't leave Hong Taiji.

There were so many women around him, and one of them was even pregnant, so why couldn't she get over her older sister? Yet, Da Yuer told Qiqige, "I'm afraid I'll never get over it in this lifetime."

"Come back home with me," Hong Taiji said. "Don't run off again. If you want to go out sometime, when I have some free time, I'll take you on a trip."

"I don't know how to face my sister and my aunt when we return," Da Yuer replied. She stopped worrying about titles, realizing that her aunt would always be her aunt, and her sister would always be her sister. "I can't just laugh and talk with them. I can't be as magnanimous as you and my aunt want me to be. You'll get upset soon, and you'll hate me."

Hong Taiji said, "On my way here, I already figured out everything you were going to say, and you haven't missed a word."

Da Yuer raised her head, not fully believing him.

But Hong Taiji's hand gently pressed against her chest under her cloak, saying, "I understand what's in your heart. Yuer, I don't care what Jeje says, but I won't force you and Hairanju to act like before. I told you from the beginning to live according to your own heart."

Da Yuer looked directly at him and said, "I'll hate my sister for the rest of my life."

Hong Taiji smiled, asking, "Then why are you still letting Dorgon investigate Hairanju's past?"

"You know about that?"

"What else would I do, let you turn the world upside down?"

"Wukeshan is so cruel, he's worse than an animal." Da Yuer immediately became angry. "Just thinking that he came from the same womb as me makes me disgusted for our late mother. Next time I see him, I'll slap him hard. I'll never let Yatu call him 'uncle' again; he doesn't deserve it."

Hong Taiji smiled faintly, watching her fiery temper. He asked, "Aren't you angry at your sister?"

Da Yuer quickly closed her mouth. One careless word, and she had revealed everything.

Hong Taiji said gently, "Yuer, it's my fault. I made you sad. Your sister also wronged you, and she made you sad as well. But now, what can I say except that I'm sorry?"

Da Yuer felt deeply wronged. "You know I would never let you send my sister away again... but I'll never forgive you both for the rest of my life."

Hong Taiji picked Da Yuer up and placed her on the saddle, then mounted his horse, holding her in his arms. He slowly led the horse over to where Qiqige and the children were: "You take your time in the carriage. We'll go ahead."

Qiqige quickly responded, "Yes, Great Khan, don't worry, I'll take good care of the children."

Hong Taiji suddenly remembered something and pulled out the warm jade pendant from his chest. He handed it to the wet nurse holding Azhe: "Take good care of this, don't lose it again."

With that, the horse's hooves kicked up snow, and Hong Taiji galloped off with Da Yuer.

"Consort, I'm really worried," Sumala said anxiously, "Miss is so stubborn, and she might make the Great Khan angry again."

Qiqige smiled, "That won't happen. I didn't expect the Great Khan would come to pick her up, but now that he has, all the grievances have disappeared. He's the person she cares about the most. Your Mistress isn't stupid; she understands everything in her heart."

Sumala said, "Even if things are fine now, what about when we get back? The palace is so small—she'll see them every day."

Qiqige picked up Atu and shrugged nonchalantly, "She must have thought it through before returning. Don't worry about it."