Chapter 150 Animal Bonds

The white elephant appearing in their dream—what it signifies, is something the most distinguished grandfather and grandson in the world are well aware of. But because of an unspeakable secret, they tacitly avoid discussing it.

Regardless of Bao Cheng's background, in Kangxi's heart, Bao Cheng was his only and most important son.

Therefore, when the master who was chanting sutras and praying for Bao Cheng met Bao Cheng and said that he had a connection with Buddhism and was a born Buddhist, Kangxi was furious and expelled all the monks from the palace, forbidding anyone from mentioning any word related to "Buddha" in front of Bao Cheng.

Fearing the loss of his son, Emperor Kangxi directly named him Crown Prince at his son's first birthday banquet.

Stabilizing the court, consolidating imperial power, and gaining the support of the Hesheli clan were all pretexts for external affairs. Kangxi simply wanted to give the most prestigious position in the world to his son, to be supported by the people, and to keep his son in power.

He didn't want Bao Cheng to be some kind of "Buddha's son"; he just wanted Bao Cheng to be a dragon prince with a smooth life, and the next emperor.

Others might not understand, but Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang clearly understood Kangxi's thoughts.

At this point, she stopped arguing about what was inappropriate; her thoughts aligned with Kangxi's. She preferred to send more people to protect Baocheng rather than let the Buddhists take away her great-grandson after taking away her son.

But even if it's not said, Bao Cheng's extraordinary qualities cannot be concealed.

Crows are sacred birds in Manchu beliefs. At Bao Cheng's first birthday banquet, after Emperor Kangxi announced that Bao Cheng had been promoted to Crown Prince, crows, which are usually not popular, appeared in flocks, circling and cawing in the sky, as if celebrating for him.

And as everyone stared in disbelief, the lead crow, exceptionally agile, landed beside Bao Cheng. Under Kangxi's wary gaze, it gently nuzzled his fingers before landing on his shoulder. The bird tilted its head, emitting a clear chirp, and its face showed a human-like affection and fondness.

Now, no one can say that this was all pre-arranged.

Therefore, not only did the Han officials who advocated the primogeniture system have no objection to the establishment of a crown prince, but the Manchu officials who were originally dissatisfied also had no objection when they saw the divine bird submit.

Of course, the extraordinary abilities of the young prince Bao Cheng were gradually discovered by everyone.

Intelligent and well-behaved, he was doted on by the emperor at a young age, yet he showed no arrogance and possessed a compassionate heart. Almost everyone who met him, whether court officials or palace servants, liked him.

Furthermore, everyone knows that the little prince is especially popular with small animals.

The palace cats and dogs all loved to follow the young prince. But the one leading the pack was always the crow that landed at his first birthday banquet. It seemed to have completely attached itself to the young prince, never leaving his side ever since it landed on his shoulder.

Therefore, if they were lucky, ministers entering the palace would often see the little prince, with a cinnabar dot between his eyebrows and exquisite features, walking slowly ahead of them, with the mythical bird crow sometimes flying beside him and sometimes landing on his shoulder, followed by a group of furry cats and dogs.

The divine bird was just too temperamental. When cats and dogs tried to get close to the prince and pounce on him, the bird would swat them away with one wing, leaving them to stand obediently in the line, which was quite amusing.

For a long time, ministers would flock to the Qianqing Palace whenever they had a spare moment, eager to witness this delightful spectacle. Eventually, their jealous father, Emperor Kangxi, sent them away, strictly forbidding them from entering the palace unless absolutely necessary, and most importantly, forbidding them from coveting his son!

"Wow—wow—"

The crow, named "Xiao Wu" by Bao Cheng, puffed out its chest and landed on Kangxi's imperial table, cawing incessantly as if it were filing a complaint.

Those around him were clearly used to it, and no one showed any surprise. Kangxi put down the memorial in his hand, as if he understood its meaning, and asked, "What is it now?"

"Caw caw—Chirp—"

Listening to the little guy's increasingly off-key shouts, Kangxi sighed helplessly. He had heard crows cawing, cawing, and squawking before, but when did crows start chirping? It was too crisp, how could it be giving away its secrets everywhere?

Yes, Emperor Kangxi realized very early on that this crow was not the same as the other crow.

Kangxi would not let his guard down even if a creature approached Baocheng, not even a divine bird.

And this little creature was truly unable to hide its true nature. Besides being extremely intelligent, it would occasionally reveal its golden, mystical feathers and emit a completely different, heavenly cry. Coupled with the scene in the animal park where its cry made all the beasts submit, Kangxi quickly guessed where it came from.

It should be the Garuda, a bird with a body of pure gold, from Buddhism.

The appearance of this strange creature initially alarmed Emperor Kangxi, who worried it might take Bao Cheng away. However, after confirming that it had no such intention and was simply devoted to following Bao Cheng, Kangxi felt a great deal of relief.

Whatever the reason, having such a magical creature by Bao Cheng's side added an extra layer of security to his life. Otherwise, even with someone accompanying him, Kangxi would not have felt comfortable letting Bao Cheng leave the Qianqing Palace.

This golden-winged bird couldn't quite pass for a crow, so he had to help him cover it up. Besides, it was also extremely jealous, like a child. It would get upset if Bao Cheng was close to other animals and would come to complain to him.

The first time Kangxi saw it fly back alone, he was startled, thinking that something had happened to Bao Cheng. He rushed over, only to find a kitten lying in front of Bao Cheng, acting cute.

Kangxi felt somewhat helpless, as if he had raised two sons.

Hearing Xiao Wu chattering away again, Kangxi couldn't help but wonder, was it a kitten or a puppy this time? It turned out that all the cats and dogs that followed Bao Cheng had been tamed by Xiao Wu, so where did this new one come from?

Just then, the eunuch from the rare animal park rushed over to report.

"Your Majesty, the newly arrived green peacock in the animal park has somehow flown out and blocked the Crown Prince's path."

"What? How do you do things?"

Kangxi abruptly stood up, fearing Bao Cheng might be injured, and was about to rush over when he heard the eunuch below awkwardly say, "The peacock is blocking the Crown Prince... it's displaying its tail feathers..."

At this moment, Xiao Wu chirped twice, as if to say, "That's right, that's the guy. Go and chase it away!"

When Kangxi arrived, led by Xiao Wu, he saw a beautiful green peacock spreading its tail feathers and circling around Bao Cheng, perfectly demonstrating both the literal meaning and the deeper significance of the phrase "peacock spreading its tail feathers".

Soon, the news spread throughout the palace that the Crown Prince had acquired a new favorite, a green peacock named "Xiao Liu".

Later, when they saw the animal caravan behind the prince again, the cats and dogs were relegated to the back of the line, while the green peacock, with its chest puffed out and head held high, occupied the first spot behind the prince, where it would occasionally quarrel with the divine bird flying in mid-air.