Palace Eaves

Dorgon's response to Qiqige's heartfelt question was the soft sound of his snoring. She raised her head, realizing that he had fallen asleep.

"You said you hadn't had much to drink, but here you are, drunk." She gently touched his cheek and sighed, then nestled her face against his chest. "Dorgon, if I asked you to stay home for two months—just two months—so we could have a child, would you agree?"

Though Dorgon's eyes were closed, he wasn't truly asleep. The moment the conversation turned to Da Yuer, he instinctively wanted to avoid it. But when Qiqige switched the topic back to herself, expressing her longing for a child, he felt a sense of confusion. Children? The thought hadn't really crossed his mind. His life had been consumed by ambition, a constant drive to make himself stronger, and he only knew how to push forward relentlessly. The idea of fatherhood seemed distant and unreal to him.

Qiqige, nestled in his arms, slowly closed her eyes, content with his presence.

If Dorgon had been fully awake, perhaps he would have thought about what she had said. But since he had drifted into sleep, she accepted that there was no rush to resolve the matter of having a child—some things couldn't be forced.

The next morning, Dorgon awoke to find Qiqige already gone from the room. When he saw her again, she had everything prepared for the day. Today was the anniversary of his mother's death, a day the two of them always observed together.

Before they left, Hong Taiji sent some items to Dorgon, asking him to offer them during the memorial. Every year, Hong Taiji made such gestures, but he never attended the memorial in person. According to Ajige and Dodo, this was because Hong Taiji was haunted by guilt, and they believed he had lost his courage.

Just the night before, when Dorgon escorted his twelfth brother home, Ajige had been loudly complaining about how Hong Taiji had buried their mother beside their father. Ajige raged, "If I were him, I'd never back down. That wretched man… Mother, I swear, I will avenge you."

After the memorial, Dorgon headed to the palace to meet with Hong Taiji, while Qiqige made her way to Qingning Palace. Upon noticing that Hairanju wasn't present and after discreetly avoiding Jeje, she softly asked Da Yuer, "Is Aunt upset with Hairanju?"

Da Yuer shrugged it off. "It's nothing. If the Great Khan isn't upset, Aunt won't be either."

Qiqige observed Da Yuer carefully, suspecting that she was still unaware of what had transpired. And Qiqige had no intention of being the one to tell her. She knew that whoever spoke up would only cause trouble. Yet, within the palace, there were always those who enjoyed stirring up gossip. Hairanju's outburst the previous day had been overheard by several guards, and the rumours had already started to spread. The only one left in the dark was Da Yuer.

As the sun set that evening, Hong Taiji's secondary consort, Yanja, arrived with her son, Yebusu, to pay respects to Jeje. When she saw Da Yuer playing in the courtyard with her two daughters, she approached to chat. Although Yanja had borne a son, her lowly birth and status could not compare to Da Yuer's, despite being older. Thus, she was always polite in Da Yuer's presence.

Da Yuer, with her usual warmth, addressed her as "sister" and casually asked who was currently teaching Yebusu archery and horsemanship. Yanja lowered her voice and said, "I heard something yesterday at the imperial mausoleum. Your sister, Princess Hairanju, apparently asked the Great Khan to kill someone."

"My sister?" Da Yuer looked at Yanja in surprise. "Where did you hear that?"

With a conspiratorial tone, Yanja whispered, "Many people know by now. Your sister asked the Great Khan to kill Wukeshan Taiji. What could have happened between them, for a brother and sister to harbour such hatred?"

Da Yuer was stunned. Her sister? Wanting to kill their brother?

Such a serious matter, and yet Hong Taiji hadn't mentioned a word. Did Aunt know? What about her sister?

Without a word, Da Yuer turned and started walking away, determined to confront her sister and get to the bottom of it. Her daughters, Atu and Yatu, called after her, trying to catch up, but she quickly stopped them.

Yanja, sensing the tension, followed after her, nervously saying, "Please, if the Great Consort asks about this, don't say it was me who told you."

But Da Yuer wasn't listening. All that occupied her mind was finding out if this shocking rumour was true. She needed to confront her sister and understand what had really happened.