Chapter 94 Teaching Seventeen

Leaving aside the matters in the backyard, ever since Prince Yong of the previous dynasty successfully cultivated high-yield potatoes, the subsequent promotion of these potatoes has been a clearly significant achievement, and everyone wants a piece of the pie.

So, the various factions fought amongst themselves, and under Kangxi's arrangement, they all managed to get involved. Since it concerned the fate of the nation, Kangxi had already given prior warnings; of course, even if Kangxi hadn't said anything, no one would have been foolish enough to manipulate things.

The people involved were from various factions, but fortunately, they shared the same goal, and no one dared to hold them back, so the promotion work proceeded relatively smoothly. However, the more people participated at the same time, the more unstable Prince Yong's original dominant position became.

Gradually, Prince Yong withdrew from the promotional activities. Apart from Tongjia Yuexing'a, who was specially appointed by the Emperor, almost no one associated with Prince Yong remained in the group.

Prince Yong was not angry. Once the matter of planting grain was handed over, he truly became a carefree idler, with a tranquil and carefree life reminiscent of "picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and leisurely gazing at the southern mountains."

Whether Yinzhen genuinely disregarded fame and fortune and voluntarily withdrew from the promotion team, or whether others united to exclude him, Kangxi tacitly approved of the event.

Perhaps this was to prevent Yinzhen from becoming too powerful and overshadowing the emperor. But this did not mean that Kangxi was willing to watch Yinzhen remain idle.

One day, Emperor Kangxi suddenly summoned Yinzhen.

Yinzhen, dressed in ordinary clothes, hurriedly followed the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree to the Qianqing Palace.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace."

"Get up."

At this moment, inside the Qianqing Palace, besides Emperor Kangxi, there was also the seventeenth prince, Yinli.

"Seventeen greets Fourth Brother."

"Seventeenth brother."

Yinzhen nodded to Yinli, who greeted him obediently, without any desire to find out why he was there.

Kangxi glanced at his fourth son, whose expression remained as stern as ever, and then at his youngest son, whose eyes clearly held a deep affection for his son. He couldn't help but sigh.

He didn't expect that Seventeen would actually like this cold-faced Fourth Brother, even though the two of them hadn't had much contact.

Recalling his initial idea to have the fourth brother mentor the seventeenth, and the seventeenth's surprised and delighted reaction when he asked him about it—

"Seventeenth, how about I have your fourth brother teach you?"

"Really? Seventeen is willing."

"So happy? Fourth Brother has always been strict, aren't you afraid?"

"Don't worry, Fourth Brother... He's always been good to me. Seventeen is willing to learn from you."

Yinli's words still echoed in Kangxi's mind, and he understood that Yinli must have received favors from Yinzhen before the Seventeenth Prince gained favor. Indeed, according to Kangxi's understanding, Yinzhen treated his brothers regardless of their status and position, and had a compassionate and loving heart.

Kangxi's gaze softened even more now. As he grew older, he placed even greater importance on brotherly affection and respect, and Yinzhen's behavior was excellent. His resolve to have Yinzhen tutor the Seventeenth Prince strengthened.

"Fourth brother, I called you here today to have you mentor Seventeenth. Are you willing?"

Yinzhen raised his eyes, looking somewhat surprised. "Father, I am of limited talent and learning. How can I compare to a Grand Secretary?"

"It's alright. Ma Qi is ultimately focused on political affairs and can't tutor Seventeen for long. I see you've been having quite a bit of free time lately, so why don't you teach your Seventeenth brother? Seventeen is quite willing, isn't he?"

“Yes, Seventeen is willing.” Yinli stood aside, gazing expectantly at Yinzhen.

Since Kangxi had already put it this way, Yinzhen naturally couldn't refuse, and immediately replied, "In that case, I accept the order and will certainly teach my seventeenth brother well."

"Very well, from today onwards, I grant you the right to freely enter and leave the palace. I entrust the Seventeenth to you and hope that you will nurture another pillar of the state like yourself."

With a wave of his hand, Emperor Kangxi granted Yinzhen even the freedom to enter and leave the palace, which seemed to indicate that he had great trust in Yinzhen's character and abilities.

"Yes, thank you, Father Emperor. Your son will do his utmost."

"Alright, Seventeenth Prince has been staring longingly for so long. Let your fourth brother take you down for a walk." Kangxi glanced at his delighted youngest son beside him and casually gave the order.

"Thank you, Father Emperor." Having been favored by Emperor Kangxi for several years, Yinli was not too reserved. After thanking Emperor Kangxi with a sweet smile, he ran to Yinzhen's side and carefully pulled on his sleeve.

"Your subject takes his leave."

Seeing Yinli eagerly leave with the fourth prince, Kangxi shook his head with a smile, "That rascal..."

Kangxi then suppressed his smile, sighed, and said that he had brought the fourth prince to instruct the seventeenth prince in order to solidify his identity as a royalist and hoped that others would understand his meaning.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, can you take me to your residence? Seventeen has never been to Fourth Brother's residence before."

Stepping out of the palace gates, Yinli became noticeably bolder, tugging at Yinzhen's sleeve and looking at him with longing.

"Want to leave the palace?" Yinzhen smiled, his expression not changing much. In fact, he was also a little curious as to why this little brat had such a high level of affection for him.

"No," Yinli pursed his lips shyly, then mustered his courage and said, "Seventeenth just wants to go to Fourth Brother's residence. I heard that Thirteenth and Fourteenth Brothers both have their own courtyards in Fourth Brother's residence, and I... I want to too..."

As Yinli spoke, he felt his face getting hotter and hotter, and his ears turned red. He gradually became too embarrassed to continue.

"Go if you want to. Since Father has entrusted you to me, you should see the outside world. Go back and ask your fourth sister-in-law to prepare a courtyard for you."

"Hmm." Yinli smiled shyly, trying hard to control his excitement, and followed Yinzhen step by step as they walked out.

In truth, children raised in the palace are rarely innocent, and Yinli was exceptionally sensitive. Whether he was out of favor or suddenly favored by his father, the Emperor, he sensed that no one around him was truly kind to him, not even his own father.

Only the fourth brother, only the fourth brother whom he accidentally bumped into at the New Year's banquet, moved him deeply with that moment of pure curiosity and concern, and he could not forget it for a long time.

Especially since he had vaguely learned before that Consort Wuya treated Fourth Brother badly, but he wholeheartedly protected Fourteenth Brother. At that time, Yinli felt envious and wanted a brother like Fourth Brother.

It wasn't until he saw his fourth brother hand red envelopes to his thirteenth and fourteenth brothers, and until he actually managed to get in touch with his fourth brother, that his envy turned into jealousy. He longed for his fourth brother to be his older brother.

Even though he was favored by his father, the Emperor, and even though his life had undergone earth-shattering changes, Yinli's admiration and longing for his fourth brother deepened as he listened to his brother's various beneficial measures for the country and its people.

Now that his father, the Emperor, had given him this opportunity, he would seize it firmly and strive to become his fourth brother's favorite younger brother. Yinli looked at his fourth brother beside him, a bright smile on his face, and secretly made up his mind.

...

News spread fastest in the palace, and the news that the Seventeenth Prince had been handed over to Prince Yong for instruction by Emperor Kangxi quickly swept through the entire capital.

"What does Your Majesty mean by this? Is he trying to promote the Seventeenth Prince?"

Among the Crown Prince's faction, the only one who can now appear before the Crown Prince at any time and discuss matters with him is his wet nurse, Ling Pu, the head of the Imperial Household Department. So, upon learning of this matter, he rushed over to discuss it with the Crown Prince, fearing that the Emperor might indeed intend to place his young son on the throne.

"Seventeenth? What is he?" Yinreng sneered. He had never taken the so-called Seventeenth Prince Party seriously. The people in the court were blind and incompetent. They saw that the Seventeenth Prince was backed by a Grand Secretary and wanted to curry favor with him, but they never considered that these people were all given to them by their father, the Emperor.

They weren't truly loyal to the Seventeenth Prince; they were clearly acting on the Emperor's orders. The so-called Seventeenth Prince Party was merely a means for the Emperor to maintain balance in the court; the Seventeenth Prince was nothing more than a puppet.

Even if there's no seventeen, there will be eighteen, nineteen, and twenty. Anyway, the old man doesn't have much else, but he has a lot of sons.

Lingpu was puzzled, his background ultimately limiting his perspective. Seeing that the Crown Prince didn't seem to care, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

Seeing Lingpu's bewildered expression, Yinreng became somewhat irritated. After all, Lingpu was not as good as Suo'etu, but at least he was loyal.

With a long sigh, Yinreng explained sarcastically, "Father isn't doing this for the Seventeenth Prince at all; he's clearly trying to control the Fourth Prince. Neutrality—once the potatoes are grown, Father won't allow the Fourth Prince to remain neutral. Not following Father's lead, even neutrality is a mistake..."

"Father...Emperor...The Emperor's heart is the hardest..." Even if his life was saved, what difference did it make? At this moment, Yinreng suddenly felt relieved towards Yinzhen, completely realizing that he had always been vying with his father...