Chapter 30 Consort Hui Changes Her Teeth

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell onto the desk. Master Manwen held a wolf-hair brush in his hand and noticed that young Master Yunrui below was unusually quiet.

He taught these students for almost three months and gained a basic understanding of their personalities. For example, he caught Yunrui dozing off in class, drawing on rice paper, eating in class, and making different mistakes every day.

The sun was shining so warmly today that I felt sleepy. Based on his past mistakes, Yunrui should be taking a nap.

Master Manwen would occasionally glance at Yunrui, ready to walk over and tap the table as soon as he started nodding.

A stick of incense.

Two incense sticks.

That's incredible.

Young Master Yunrui didn't get distracted at all, and he wrote each stroke carefully without scribbling. Could it be that under his guidance, Yunrui finally realized the importance of studying and reformed his ways?

Although he knew it was unlikely, it didn't stop Master Manwen from being pleased with Yunrui's good behavior today.

Although Yunrui touched the pencil case more often today, he didn't think it was a big deal; it was just his childish nature.

Before get out of class ended, the Manchu teacher praised Yunrui's Manchu writing for the day, saying, "Your writing is quite good today, keep it up."

Yunrui smiled broadly and unabashedly, clearly pleased with Master Manwen's praise.

The next class is martial arts class. They all have to go to the training ground. The three larger boys need to practice archery, so they need to go to the archery pavilion in advance to prepare.

Only Baoqing and Yunrui remained in the study.

Yunrui carefully opened the stationery box.

The little green grasshopper lay quietly on the leaf, its wings folded, without making a sound.

Yunrui pinched the little grasshopper out and placed it in his palm, a hint of smugness in his eyes. "I knew Master wouldn't notice."

Baoqing was on tenterhooks during class, worried that the crickets would be discovered.

It turns out this really is a mute katydid!

He poked the little cricket's head in surprise and suggested, "None of us have ever raised a cricket before. When you go back, remember to ask someone how to raise one, and tell me if you need anything."

Yunrui nodded, still thinking about his good brother. "I caught this one on a leaf. When I get back, I'll look carefully in my yard and catch one for you too. Then we can have a cricket fight."

What's so fun about a cricket?

If you're going to raise them, raise a pair. It'll be so much fun watching them fight and play.

The next morning.

Upon entering the study, Baoqing noticed a small scratch on Yunrui's left cheek. His fair complexion made the red mark very noticeable.

"Did you get hurt while catching the cricket?"

He knew how efficient Yunrui was; he figured she'd be back and searching the yard for grasshoppers.

When doing bad things, Yunrui is as tough as ten oxen.

Baoqing took out a plain handkerchief and gently wiped his face.

Yunrui didn't care about the minor injury and waved his hand dismissively.

He wouldn't have even noticed the scratch if his mother hadn't gotten water on it while washing his face.

Hmph, it doesn't hurt as much as when his father slaps his hand.

It's not worth mentioning.

Before Eunuch Zhao arrived, Yunrui quickly grabbed a cricket and stuffed it into Baoqing Stationery Box, whispering, "This one is a little bigger than mine, and it's also a mute cricket; it didn't chirp all night."

Baoqing was almost in tears.

Sure enough, Yunrui was his best friend.

Then the two sworn brothers, along with their little cricket, were caught red-handed.

Emperor Kangxi has been troubled by the matter of the Ninth Prince these past few days.

The Imperial Concubine's suggestion is good; a foster mother will always be more devoted than a palace maid.

The Ninth Prince's birth mother was just a concubine, and he was raised in Zhaoxiang Residence, which the emperor did not visit often. The people in the Imperial Household Department were all shrewd old hands. Although they were not outwardly obedient but inwardly disobedient because of Kangxi's orders, it was normal for them not to be so dedicated and to occasionally fool around.

When Kangxi was young, he was not favored by his father, and his birth mother, Consort Tong, was from the Han Banner Army and was not considered noble. He himself had experienced the sycophancy and contempt of his subordinates.

However, finding the right person is a difficult task.

The current situation in the harem is just right, achieving a balance.

If the Ninth Prince were to be raised according to custom, it would be inappropriate since she already had one prince. If the Ninth Prince were to be raised, the only two princes in the palace would be under her name.

If it were given to a Noble Consort according to her rank...

Uya agreed that regardless of the gender of the child, Kangxi intended for the Consort to raise it.

Firstly, Wuya was originally a member of Chengqian Palace.

Secondly, he was not unaware of the Consort's subsequent reaction, so he considered the child as compensation for the Consort.

As for the other concubines, their status was not legitimate, and none of them were favored by Emperor Kangxi.

After much deliberation, Emperor Kangxi could not find a suitable candidate and decided to put the matter aside for the time being. Then he remembered Baoqing, who was studying in the Imperial Study, and conducted a temporary inspection.

Heaven knows what Emperor Kangxi felt when he discovered a cricket in Baoqing's stationery box.

Anyway, Baoqing is now living in fear, his mind filled with the thought that everything is over.

Looking at the two children kneeling in the hall, their faces full of honesty and obedience, Kangxi once again felt the helplessness of being a father.

Taking a deep breath, Kangxi suppressed his anger and tried his best to keep his tone calm, "Tell me, where did these two crickets come from?"

He worried that some ill-intentioned eunuchs, in their eagerness to curry favor with the prince, might corrupt Baoqing instead.

The two children looked at each other.

Bao Qing's voice was low, his eyes darting around, "I caught it on the leaves of a flowerpot under the eaves."

Yunrui was moved.

Good brother.

"Both of them?" Kangxi asked doubtfully.

Was it really not someone who deliberately captured him to curry favor with the prince?

Bao Qing nodded firmly, "Both of them."

“Alright,” Kangxi said calmly to Liang Jiugong beside him, “Bring the measuring tape.”

Thinking he was about to be beaten, Baoqing clenched his fists tightly.

These two crickets were originally raised by him and Yunrui together, so he might as well accept being beaten.

They were prepared to be beaten, but who knew that Kangxi's next words would be like this.

“The royal family has no rule against corporal punishment of princes. Now that the Fifth Prince has made a mistake, Yunrui did not stop him but hit his palm ten times with a soft ruler.”

Bao Qing looked up in shock, "Father Emperor!"

Even when he was in the Imperial Study, his master would not beat him. If he was punished, his attendant Haha Zhuzi would take the punishment for him. However, Bao Qing was a good student in every sense of the word, so they were rarely punished.

I never expected to get caught so badly for being naughty.

As long as no one was deliberately leading the prince astray, Kangxi didn't really care which child caught the cricket. In any case, when he saw it, both of them had one in their pencil cases.

And their little tricks.

Instead of paying attention in class, they play with crickets during class.

Disobedient students should be punished.

After dealing with the Haha beads, Kangxi then lectured Baoqing, his tone becoming more stern, "Baoqing, haven't I taught you to respect your teachers?"

Bao Qing's eyes were already slightly red, and tears were welling up. "I have taught you."

"Then why were you playing with a cricket in class? Was it because you didn't like the Manchu teacher's lessons? Or do you think studying isn't important?"

The three questions in a row revealed Kangxi's anger.

He captured Baoqing while he was taking Manchu lessons.

When Emperor Kangxi suddenly entered, the Manchu teacher was startled, thinking that something he had done wrong in his lesson and had offended the emperor. It turned out that the two children were playing with crickets during class.

I wonder what Master Manwen was feeling at that time.

I thought Yunrui had reformed, but it turns out she's found someone even more fun.

Baoqing shook his head. This was the first time he had faced his father's wrath directly. He was a little scared, and he also felt guilty for causing Yunrui to be beaten. Tears streamed down his face. "The Manchu teacher taught very well. Yes, it was your son... who was playful."

As he spoke, Bao Qing lowered his head and suddenly felt a pain in his mouth.

He instinctively opened his mouth, and with a smack, a tooth streaked with blood fell onto the smooth floor of the Qianqing Palace.

Bao Qing was stunned.

Before Liang Jiugong could even pick up the tooth, Yunrui, who had witnessed Baoqing spitting out blood, panicked.

Ignoring the fact that he had just been slapped on the hand and his fear of the Emperor, Yunrui burst into tears and immediately accused Kangxi of "making Baoqing vomit blood!"

Baoqing felt a pain in her mouth and subconsciously licked it with her tongue, only to find that she was missing a tooth.

He looked at the ground again.

Feeling wronged, flustered, and scared, she burst into tears.

He has no teeth!

This series of events happened in a short period of time, and both children cried their hearts out, especially Baoqing, who was visibly heartbroken.

Emperor Kangxi sighed helplessly, "Summon the imperial physician."

He knew that Baoqing had lost her baby teeth.

With this commotion, Kangxi no longer had the heart to argue with them about the crickets. At least Baoqing was crying so hard that he wouldn't listen to his teachings for the time being.

When Kangxi brought the two children back to the Qianqing Palace, he dismissed all the servants in the palace except for Liang Jiugong. At this moment, he summoned the imperial physician. Kangxi did not want the imperial physician to see Baoqing being forced to kneel as punishment and to prevent the news from getting out.

Upon closer inspection, Baoqing was kneeling on the ground, crying bitterly, wiping away tears with both hands.

Kangxi had no choice but to gently hook Baoqing's collar and lift him up, then lead him to a side hall to sit down.

Yunrui followed Baoqing, crying.

Kangxi pinched Baoqing's chin and looked at him. He noticed that Baoqing had lost his lower front tooth. He figured that Baoqing should have lost his tooth by the time he was six.

"Why are you crying?" Kangxi tossed a handkerchief to Baoqing, his tone softening. "Losing your baby teeth means you're growing up."

The Emperor was the pillar that stabilized the Qing Dynasty.

Upon hearing Kangxi's words, Baoqing wiped away his tears with a handkerchief, choking back sobs, "Really, really? Wasn't it said that I was about to die?"

In Baoqing's mind, vomiting blood meant he was going to die.

Not to mention that he not only vomited blood, but also spat out his teeth.

They're definitely doomed.

Emperor Kangxi said helplessly, "Who told you that losing your baby teeth would kill you?"

Baoqing wiped away his tears, a little embarrassed, "It was my own idea."

“No, new teeth will grow in a few days,” Kangxi said, having a lot of experience with this.

“But, but without teeth, my speech will be slurred,” Baoqing said, still feeling a bit aggrieved. He could feel the difference from before as soon as he opened his mouth to speak.

This is also why Baoqing has never seen anyone else get their teeth replaced.

Yunrui is about the same age as him and hasn't started changing his teeth yet. The other boys with the baby teeth have already changed to permanent teeth and won't mention changing their teeth to him, let alone have a lisp.

Baoqing felt a little embarrassed.

Emperor Kangxi patted his head and comforted him, "Everyone loses their baby teeth. Once they grow in, the air won't leak out anymore."

Emperor Kangxi chose to tolerate his son's innocent and childlike remarks.

Before long, the imperial physician arrived carrying his medicine chest.

Physician Li examined Baoqing's gums and then carefully inspected them before respectfully replying, "Prince, this is normal tooth replacement and there's nothing to worry about. Just be careful not to eat too many sweets in the future, and rinse your mouth after meals."

With the imperial physician's words as corroborating evidence, Baoqing was completely relieved.

Once Baoqing had recovered his composure, Kangxi resumed dealing with the cricket matter.

-

Yunyun also had a small number of people in the Imperial Study, who were specially arranged to be there to protect the Qing dynasty.

He wasn't in any important position; he was just an ordinary floor-sweeping eunuch outside the Imperial Study.

However, halfway through the lesson, the Emperor took away the Fifth Prince and a servant girl named Haha Zhuzi, which was witnessed by everyone in the Imperial Study.

No one paid much attention to the little eunuch who was sweeping the floor. As for the original sweeping job, he gave some money to his colleague to do it.

The little eunuch, his heart pounding like a rabbit, quietly went to Yanxi Palace. "Eunuch Fu," he said, "the Fifth Prince and a servant boy have somehow angered the Emperor and have been taken to Qianqing Palace."

Xiao Fuzi, also known as Eunuch Fu, was startled upon hearing this, for the Fifth Prince was the master's lifeblood.

"Thank you for making this trip. Here's some money for your tea. Keep an eye on things in the future, and you'll get your share."

As he spoke, Xiao Fuzi slipped a purse into his hand, which probably contained about two taels of silver.

The young eunuch beamed with joy. Just one trip like this and he'd earned a month's salary. No wonder everyone wanted to curry favor with a concubine.

Yunyun is taking a midday nap here and won't be disturbed unless someone asks for it, but the Fifth Prince's matter is no ordinary affair.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing faint noises coming from outside, Yun Jun propped herself up and sat up.

She knew that Poria cocos wouldn't make a sound unless it was something urgent.

“It’s about the Fifth Prince,” Fuling explained quickly while preparing her clothes. “Xiao Fuzi came to deliver a message that the Imperial Study has sent word that the Fifth Prince and a servant boy have somehow angered the Emperor and have been taken to the Qianqing Palace.”

The Imperial Study was close to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, making it convenient for Emperor Kangxi to check on the princes' studies at any time.

The people there are clean; they were either arranged by Emperor Kangxi or by the Imperial Household Department. Apart from Yunyun, none of the concubines have planted anyone there yet.

After all, the prince's birth mother cared about him, so it was understandable that she would arrange for one or two people to do so, even if it was discovered.

But what's the point of having people planted in the Imperial Study if you don't have any princes?

Is he plotting to murder the prince?

Besides, the Imperial Study is not located in the inner palace, and it is quite difficult to arrange manpower. This time, it was only because Yunyun already had a prince who was in charge of some palace affairs that she was able to be assigned there.

Yunyun couldn't sleep anymore, so she got up and had Fuling change her clothes.

Fortunately, she only took off her hair accessories during her lunch break, and it wouldn't take long to get dressed again.

The Qianqing Palace was a core area where imperial concubines were not allowed to enter without imperial decree. If an imperial concubine went to the Qianqing Palace without being summoned by the emperor, it would be considered a serious breach of etiquette.

Therefore, Yunyun is now waiting for Kangxi to summon her.

If something serious were to happen involving a prince, the emperor would certainly send someone to summon her, the prince's birth mother.

If no one was sent to summon him, it at least means it's not a big deal and Yun Jun doesn't need to worry about it.

She silently guessed to herself.

Could it be that Baoqing did something during class that Kangxi caught him red-handed?

Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for her to take the prince away during class.

Emperor Kangxi placed great importance on the education of his princes.

Thinking it over, Yunyun summoned Xiaofuzi again, "Tell the Imperial Study to keep an eye on things. If Baoqing hasn't returned to the Imperial Study by dinner time, send someone to inform me."

Yunyun waited anxiously for news, while Baoqing continued to receive Kangxi's education at the Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, Kangxi's tone was truly calm. After pointing out Baoqing's mistake and emphasizing etiquette and rules, he concluded, "Do you know you were wrong?"

Baoqing and Yunrui did not kneel down again, but stood in front of Kangxi, bowed their heads, and said in unison, "We know we were wrong."

Regardless, being captured by Kangxi this time and bursting into tears left a deep impression on them.

He'll probably stay in the Imperial Study for quite some time.

"If you know you're wrong, you should accept the punishment." Emperor Kangxi did not advocate corporal punishment, especially for young princes. He preferred to admonish them so that they would know their mistakes and not repeat them.

But that doesn't mean we should just let it go so easily.

"You two, stand facing the wall for fifteen minutes as punishment."

There was a grandfather clock in the side hall. Calculating the time, they could make it to their martial arts class in a quarter of an hour.

After standing there for a while, Baoqing, with his back to Kangxi, couldn't help but ask, "Father, what should we do with our crickets?"

That was something Yunrui had gone through a lot of trouble to catch, and Baoqing liked it very much herself.

Emperor Kangxi was reviewing memorials and didn't even look up. "I've confiscated them."

“But Father Emperor,” Baoqing hesitated, “those two crickets are both mute, so they’re useless to you.”

I hope that Father Emperor will return it to him out of consideration for Guoguo's disability.

"Are they mute?" Kangxi put down his vermilion brush and had Liang Jiugong bring over the two crickets.

Unable to see Kangxi's movements, Baoqing continued, "Yes, we've been catching them all day, and they haven't made a single sound; they're all silent crickets."

Emperor Kangxi examined the two animals they had captured.

There was a warm room in the palace for raising crickets. Every New Year's Eve banquet, Emperor Kangxi would order people to put crickets and other chirping insects in the lanterns and share the joy of insect chirping with his officials.

Therefore, he also knows about crickets.

“It’s spring now, and these two crickets are still young. Their wings haven’t even fully grown, let alone chirping. If you keep raising crickets in the summer, your teacher will probably report you to me before I even find out,” Kangxi thought for a moment and understood the source of the misunderstanding. He didn’t mind using this to encourage the children. “If you finish studying the Doctrine of the Mean this month and pass my test, I will allow you to see these two crickets once a month.”

Of course, it's impossible to return them and let them continue raising them.

Using a cricket to control a child.

Baoqing readily agreed, "Father, it's a deal."

As a top student, Baoqing has this confidence.

But Yunrui looked distressed; he hadn't even fully memorized "The Great Learning," and his understanding of "The Doctrine of the Mean" was even more superficial.

I couldn't help but think.

Actually, he didn't really want to see his cricket either.

Can Baoqing see both crickets together and then come back to tell him?

If he really wants to keep one, he can continue to hunt one in his yard.

Unfortunately, when Emperor Kangxi met with his ministers, he mentioned to Yunrui's father that Yunrui could no longer go out to catch grasshoppers in the courtyard. When Yunrui returned home, he was only allowed to be a grasshopper by himself. Apart from going to the Imperial Study to study, he was not allowed to go anywhere else but to stay obediently in his room.

Judging by his appearance, his father can remember this for a month.