As soon as Bai Qingyan arrived at Dong Shi’s sleeping quarters, she heard her aunts’ cheerful and hearty laughter from inside, and Bai Qingyan’s mood lifted as well.
Upon hearing the eunuch outside announcing that Bai Qingyan had arrived, Fifth Madam Qi Shi turned her head to look at Bai Qingyan, smiling as she beckoned to her: “A’Bao, come quickly and look! These two little ones are eating their hands here, paying no attention to anyone else, and eating with such concentration. Come and see!”
Bai Qingyan passed through the hanging curtains and pearl screens, walked around the folding screen, and saw her aunts, Little Eight, and Wang Ge’er sitting on soft cushions laid on the floor. The bottom was covered with an ivory mat, with blankets spread on top.
Two little infants wearing hundred-family clothes that Fourth Aunt had personally made were surrounded in the middle, sitting back-to-back, eating with their hands, truly looking as if they were eating with great seriousness.
Standing in a circle around them were palace maids and nannies, along with wet nurses for the four children, all smiling so broadly their mouths couldn’t close.
Dong Shi used the golden bell in her hand to tease the two children, coaxing them in a low voice: “Xile, Kangle, grandmother has been shaking the bell for so long, won’t you two look at grandmother?”
But the two children only focused on eating with their hands, ignoring everyone, causing the aunts to burst into another round of laughter.
Little Eight pouted: “Little nephew and little niece are no fun, they won’t play with Little Eight!”
“Xile and Kangle are still small; they can’t play with Little Eight yet. Wait another year or so… when Xile and Kangle can walk, they’ll chase after Little Eight to play!” Second Madam Liu Shi laughed as she patted the head of Wang Ge’er, who was only focused on gnawing pastries in her arms. “But fortunately, now Wang Ge’er can accompany Little Eight to play!”
Little Eight looked at little Wang Ge’er, whose mouth was full of pastry crumbs. Just as he was about to reach out to touch little Kangle, Little Eight quickly crawled over and slapped away little Wang Ge’er’s hand. Somewhat disgusted that her little nephew had saliva on his hands, she put on the airs of an adult, sternly lecturing little Wang Ge’er who was looking up at her: “Wang Ge’er, you mustn’t touch little brother and sister, they’re still small, and your hands have saliva…”
“Oh my! Our Little Eight already knows how to protect the younger nephews and nieces!” Third Madam Li Shi covered her mouth with a handkerchief, laughing directly.
Bai Wanqing said with a serious face: “Kangle and Xile were born prematurely by the eldest sister; they need careful protection. The nannies have all told me this!”
Liu Shi laughed aloud, taking a warm towel from a nanny’s hands to wipe little Wang Ge’er’s hands: “Our Little Eight already has the manner of a little adult! Truly worthy of being the little eighth aunt to Wang Ge’er, Kangle, and Xile.”
Seeing this scene, Bai Qingyan’s eyes were full of smiles. It reminded her of when she and her siblings were young. When they were little and didn’t understand things, it was just like this… the older ones bullying the younger ones, finding the younger ones annoying, but… they could bully their brothers and sisters however they wanted, yet once outside, they wouldn’t allow others to bully or look down on them. If others dared to bully or look down on their younger siblings, they would fight back!
Nanny Tong smiled as she came forward to serve Bai Qingyan, helping her remove her shoes and supporting her as she sat down next to Dong Shi. She reached out to pat Little Eight’s small head as she sat beside Fifth Madam Qi Shi, then pinched Wang Ge’er’s little face. Looking back to see Kangle and Xile eating their hands with such relish, the smile in her eyes deepened even more.
During these days, thanks to the hard work and careful care of Imperial Physician Huang, her mother, all the aunts, and the nannies, her daughter Kangle’s health was improving day by day. Although she still couldn’t compare to her brother Xile, at least she could nurse without vomiting and wasn’t as listless as before, unwilling to move her hands and feet.
Looking at Xile and Kangle, Bai Qingyan thought about writing a letter to Xiao Rongyan when she returned, drawing this scene for him to see as well.
“Little Eight, have you finished writing all the characters that your eldest sister assigned you this morning?” Bai Qingyan asked her sister with a smile.
The tasks Bai Qingyan assigned to Little Eight weren’t many, all characters with extremely simple strokes, just five sheets would be enough.
“All finished!” Bai Wanqing showed Bai Qingyan a big smile, “I even wrote two extra sheets!”
The nanny serving beside Bai Wanqing, hearing this, also smiled and said: “That’s right, Eighth Miss wrote two extra sheets today, saying that next time when His Majesty checks her schoolwork, she’ll be able to write even better!”
“Oh my… this temperament, hasn’t she taken after A’Bao!” Second Madam Liu Shi couldn’t help but laugh, “I remember when A’Bao was little, she was just like this. If you asked her to do three parts, she could do six or seven parts. Our Little Eight will be another little A’Bao when she grows up!”
Nanny Qin brought a bowl of cheese soup in a small silver cup to Bai Qingyan’s side: “First Miss, please have some!”
Bai Qingyan smiled as she took the silver cup, patting Bai Wanqing’s small head and saying with a smile: “When our Little Eight grows up, she’ll be even more capable than eldest sister!”
Hearing this, Bai Wanqing’s pair of bright black eyes sparkled as she looked at Bai Qingyan, nodding vigorously and secretly deciding to write three extra sheets tomorrow!
“I heard the royal clan is causing trouble again? And it even resulted in a death?” Dong Shi turned to look at Bai Qingyan.
“I’ve also heard about this matter. This royal clan is truly outrageous. If they’re not severely punished, it will be hard to appease public anger!” When Fifth Madam Qi Shi heard about this incident, she was quite angry. While gently fanning Kangle and Xile with a round fan, she said, “Since they’ve already been freed from slave status, they’re commoners. Yet this royal clan descendant still dares to forcibly occupy a good family’s woman and beat her husband to death. Do they still think this is Shouyang, pulling out the banner of imperial relatives… are these things that humans can do?”
“Now that we’re implementing new laws in our Great Zhou, if this matter isn’t handled properly and it escalates… the common people will only say that the imperial family protects their relatives.” Dong Shi spoke gently to Bai Qingyan, “It must be handled appropriately.”
Bai Qingyan nodded.
The occurrence of this incident reminded Bai Qingyan of the few sentences about abolishing the lowly people system that Empress Ji had left in her bamboo slips.
In the bamboo slips left by Empress Ji, it was recorded that she had changed Yan State from a slave system to a lowly people, which was merely a transition in historical development. To truly achieve equality for all, after Yan State unified the world, further reforms would be needed to abolish the lowly people system and advance to a system where everyone was truly equal.
What Empress Ji left in her bamboo slips were just fragments, but they inspired Bai Qingyan.
Bai Qingyan felt that this incident served as a reminder to her that it was time to abolish the lowly people.
Currently, the servants and slaves of Great Zhou were divided into two types: one with good household registration, and one with low household registration… Although lowly household registration servants had monthly wages compared to the original slaves and had the opportunity to buy their freedom if they saved enough silver or received their master’s grace, while they hadn’t yet bought their freedom, their masters could beat and sell them at will. Even if a master beat them to death, it was considered their destined fate, with no one able to pursue the matter. Moreover, children born to lowly household registration servants were house-born children, with little real difference from the original slaves.
If lowly household registration servants encountered good masters, that was fine, but if they encountered cruel ones, their fate could be imagined.