Chapter 85

Immediately afterwards, the Third and Fourth Prince's wives also sent good news.

When Kangxi saw this, he was overjoyed. In addition, the birth of the seventeenth prince by Consort Chen in the harem was proof that his body was still very healthy. How could he not be happy?

Overjoyed, he wanted to bestow titles and honors upon his concubines.

Of the four consorts, Consort De is gone, so someone has to be chosen to replace her. But then she frowns, thinking about how short-lived all the women in the harem are.

He needs to choose someone who looks healthy and will live a long life.

What if something goes wrong and it's gone? That would just be adding to our troubles.

Although the imperial family may disregard these matters of face, it is still necessary to show the many Han Chinese students of the Qing Dynasty that the imperial family's lack of discipline and loss of face is detrimental to the stability of the Qing Dynasty's rule.

Emperor Kangxi had to admit that many Han officials were more capable than Manchu officials, and he promoted more Han officials to higher positions.

These are all things to consider, but the ranks within the harem...

Just as news of his impending grand consort appointments spread, Emperor Kangxi considered reneging on his promise, but as emperor, his word was law.

Okay, I'll take my time looking.

But when Kangxi announced the grand conferment of titles upon the empresses, many of the concubines who had children were eager to participate. They wondered if they, who had given birth to sons for the emperor, would still be relegated to the position of concubine.

Therefore, Jialuo recently discovered that... the women in the harem are making frequent moves.

Consorts Huiyi, Rong, and the other two knew they couldn't possibly outrank the Tong family's daughter. Furthermore, given the current 'competition' among the princes, and the Emperor's emphasis on balance, how could he possibly elevate their status suddenly?

Only the lower-ranking nobles and concubines constantly flattered and fawned over the emperor. There was still one concubine left; which concubine wouldn't want to be promoted?

The ranks of Noble Lady and Consort are like an insurmountable hurdle; who wouldn't want to climb up? In any case, the chances of becoming a Consort are slim, but… perhaps the rank of Consort is something to look forward to?

Both the Third and Fourth Prince's wives were filled with joy and treated their unborn children with utmost care.

The Fifth and Seventh Prince's wives were filled with envy, while the Eighth Prince's wife harbored resentment. Why could those two wretches get pregnant, but she couldn't?

She once again stirred up trouble for the Eighth Prince, wanting Yinzhi to accompany her to the temple to pray.

The Ninth Prince's wife had only been married into the family for a short time, and Yinzhen was on official business in Tianjin Bay, so there was no way to rush things.

As September approached and the tenth prince's wedding day drew near, Yinti was the first to return to the capital.

In fact, as early as July, when he learned of this news, Yinti couldn't wait to return to the capital. However, his father asked him to train the navy, but he didn't achieve any results. He could only anxiously wait for the tenth prince's wedding day.

The tenth brother's wedding is in October, but that's okay. As the eldest brother, he naturally has to help his younger brother with all the preparations for the wedding.

Yin'e has never been married and doesn't know, but his experienced elder brother will definitely help the Tenth Prince!

Then, after rushing back to the capital, he went straight to the Prince Zhi's residence. He looked at his wife with joy, seeing her belly that wasn't showing much yet, and grinned happily, "Wife, we're going to have a son."

For Yinti, his son was a demon, a demon that was forever imprinted on his heart and could never be removed.

The First Princess did not dampen Yinti's spirits; instead, she wore a gentle smile, seemingly both expectant and worried.

Yinti didn't notice this, and was full of anticipation that his wife would give birth to a big, fat son next year.

"You've lost weight and gotten tanned..." Only now did the First Consort notice Yinti's body and face. Although a man's appearance is not important, he's gotten too tanned.

Being by the water in the middle of summer, how could you not get tanned? Even your body turned bronze.

"So what if I'm dark-skinned? I'm not some pretty boy who makes a living off my looks." Yinqi waved his hand dismissively, not caring at all. He still had to go to the Qianqing Palace and Yanxi Palace to pay his respects to his father and mother.

When Kangxi first saw Yinti, he was indeed startled by his bronze-colored...almost black skin. This color...

However, after learning that Yinti's training of the navy was going quite smoothly, he asked a few questions and then told him to leave quickly.

Not to mention Consort Hui.

Upon arriving at Yanxi Palace, Consort Hui was practically weeping over her son, repeatedly lamenting, "My son has suffered so much." Yinti, at a loss, said, "Mother, I'm going to lead troops, not to enjoy a life of luxury."

Although Yinti came back to help Yin'e prepare for the wedding, ... he did not appear at the Prince's residence until the Tenth Prince's wife, Borjigit, displayed her dowry.

The three little cubs, triplets, and chubby one are still the most popular, becoming the "rolling bed mascot".

The three chubby little boys were pinched and patted on the head again, especially the eldest princess, who wished she could take them all home to share in the good fortune, as she had heard that this would bring them a son.

"Mother, Mother!" Hongyang cried out immediately as his cheeks were pinched, wanting to find his mother. There were bad people trying to kidnap Hongyang and his younger brother.

As she spoke, she took quick steps and ran towards Jialuo, hugging Jialuo's leg while warily watching the Grand Princess who was patting her head.

Hongxuan and Hongtun were no exception. The Fifth and Seventh Prince's wives both hoped to have a son, including the Ninth Prince's wife. Now that the Ninth Prince had returned, she also hoped to conceive a child soon.

However, these aunties seemed too enthusiastic, which scared the almost two-year-old baby.

"Alright, alright, don't scare our Hongyang and the others." Jialuo noticed their enthusiasm, but no matter what, she couldn't keep touching her chubby little baby's face, could she? It's so delicate and easily hurt.

The other wives grinned and pretended they hadn't done anything, then launched into another round of praise, even more so than the leader of the praise club.

"I know, I know, oh dear, I hope this one in my belly will be like Hong..." The Third Princess touched her belly, her face filled with affection.

However, the mention of Hongqing still brings a pang of pain to my heart.

Therefore, she stopped harming the women in the backyard and prayed for the child in her womb.

Fourth Princess Consort Guarjia looked at the three chubby babies, a sight she had never seen in her previous life.

It would be a lie to say I'm not envious or jealous. With four legitimate sons in a row, her position as Crown Princess is secure.

She knew the future crown prince was destined to be deposed, but the crown princess was now living a life of great power and influence, fawned over by many. And what about herself?

She finally conceived a son, but that vile woman, Consort De, Uya, ruined it. She hated her to death.

I'm newly pregnant now and don't know yet if the baby in my belly is a boy...

Although she envied the three chubby little boys, she didn't ask for a small piece of clothing to put under her pillow, for fear of being tainted by the bad luck of Yuqing Palace.

Jialuo didn't stay here to join them in the wedding night festivities; instead, she took her three children and returned to Yuqing Palace.

When Yinreng returned, Jialuo finally asked about their voyages to the West. "I remember the monsoon cycle seems to be different in January and July."

Yinreng had never noticed this before. After listening to Jialuo's words, he pondered for a moment, "The ship is almost finished, and the training of the navy has begun to eliminate pirates. We are preparing to set sail next summer."

Training a navy is not simply about wielding a long spear and hacking at scarecrows; it's about real, hard-fought battles with real weapons.

Summer? July?

The winds blow from the northwest in January and from the southeast in July. If a ship were to set sail, wouldn't it be sailing against the wind in July? Ideally, it would depart in January and return in July…

However, if they go out by boat, they might not return for six months.

“Your Highness, I remember that the wind blows from the north in winter…” Jialu reminded Yinreng, but she didn’t know how she knew how the monsoon circulation and the direction of the winds in Europe and America were.

[Was my hint pretty subtle? Hopefully it didn't give me away.]

“The Crown Princess is right; many court officials have overlooked this point.” Yinreng thought that setting off in the summer would be more comfortable due to the temperature.

Because of this issue, Yinreng became busy again, especially trying to persuade his father, the Emperor.

Emperor Kangxi didn't make decisions on a whim; he would discuss them with his court officials, especially important matters like setting sail.

Recently, there has been much debate in the imperial court about this matter, with the departure date changed from July to January.

The distance isn't too far now, and everyone is choosing who will go. First, they need to choose someone trustworthy from among the imperial relatives, and Kangxi is also preparing to send a trusted confidant.

When Yinzhen and Yin'e heard that their father was choosing a leader, they rushed to the Qianqing Palace and volunteered to go.

When Kangxi saw his two sons kneeling before him, saying they wanted to lead an expedition to the Western Ocean, he immediately slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage and refused, saying, "I will not allow it."

The Western lands are far away... oh no, they're separated by a vast ocean. Who knows what kind of accidents might happen at sea?

"Father Emperor? Why won't you allow me to go? Our ships are definitely more powerful than Zheng He's of the previous dynasty." Having studied history, they naturally knew that Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean promoted national prestige.

As princes, wouldn't it be even more impressive for them to promote the power and prestige of the Qing Dynasty?

"Stop...stop your nonsense." Kangxi, who was about to say "bullshit," immediately swallowed back his words. "Can you compare to Zheng He?"

Zheng He was a eunuch, and you are a prince.

Do you know how many of those who went on voyages to the Western Ocean in the previous dynasty died?

How could Emperor Kangxi possibly sacrifice his own son?

"Father, how am I being presumptuous? I'm just trying to ease your worries." Yin'e didn't realize that Kangxi was troubled at the moment. He thought that as a prince, he was a good-for-nothing if he didn't do anything earth-shattering and just lived a mediocre life.

"Then let's go provide disaster relief." Kangxi said coldly. Winter has arrived, and many places have suffered from snow disasters. Let Yinzhen and Yin'e go alone.

Yintang and Yin'e were quite dissatisfied with the new jobs they were assigned, believing that their father had done it on purpose.

"Father..." Yin'e wanted to say something in rebuttal, but Yin'tang had already pulled Yin'e back.

"Yes, Father Emperor, I obey your decree." Yin Tang interrupted Yin E and respectfully accepted the order.

Yin'e was unhappy and didn't understand why his ninth brother had suddenly given up.

However, given Yin'e's level of trust in Yin Tang, he did not immediately refute his Ninth Brother, but instead left with him, feeling aggrieved.

How could Kangxi not know that Yinzhi and Yin'e were unhappy? But he didn't think they would dare to disobey the imperial decree. Moreover, Yinzhi and Yin'e had gone to disaster relief with the Crown Prince before, so they were capable of taking on the main responsibility.

After telling his younger brother to "be patient," Yinzhen seemed genuinely focused on disaster relief.

As for Yinti, he was forced by Kangxi to train the navy and go to war. He was really useless. He spent all his time hanging around his wife. What kind of behavior was that?

Yinti was displeased. "What's wrong with me accompanying my wife during childbirth? This is my first legitimate son!!"

Unfortunately, this small wish was not taken seriously by Emperor Kangxi, who thought he was being pretentious. He wondered if so many imperial physicians, maids, and servants couldn't take care of a pregnant woman.

Yinti was furious, but he had no choice but to earn more military merits so that his son could at least be given a princely position. Hehe, if only his father could make him a prince with an iron-capped hat.

Yuqing Palace.

After finishing his business, Yinreng finally had some free time. Thinking that his Crown Princess had been staying in Yuqing Palace, he took the initiative to invite her, "Jialuo, would you like to go out for a walk?"

"Want to go out? Sure, sure!" Jialuo nodded repeatedly. It had been a long time since she had gone out. Was this a date just the two of them?

"I'll have someone send the three children to the Qianqing Palace in a little while." Jialuo didn't plan to take the three chubby babies, all under two years old, with her. Looking at the man in front of her, she still liked him very much after all these years. She reached out and took Yinreng's hand.

(End of this chapter)