Chapter 102 One Hundred and Two Inspects the Tenth Brother's Salted Fish Promise

After tilting his head and looking at the Third Prince for a moment, Yin'e realized why the Third Prince had the courage to confront him head-on this time.

Firstly, Yin'e, the Ninth Prince, and the Fifth Prince all decided to stop taking meals from the Imperial Kitchen and instead have their meals delivered to them by the Princes' Quarters or their birth mothers. With Yin'e and the other two leading the way, the Third Prince following closely behind would not stand out.

Even though the Second Palace of the Eastern Palace has not yet opened a small kitchen, the Third Prince has Consort Rong to rely on, so he is not afraid of having no food after falling out with the Imperial Kitchen.

The Third Prince lacks his own opinions and never does anything out of the ordinary. However, he is used to going with the flow, and if something is truly in his favor, he will never let himself suffer any loss. He is most adept at changing his bets based on the prevailing winds.

Secondly, the Third Prince is fourteen years old this year (by Chinese reckoning) and will soon be thirteen. It is estimated that he will be of marriageable age after he finishes observing the mourning period for Empress Xiaoyi.

Once the Third Prince's wife marries into the palace, the Third Prince will have a reason to open his own small kitchen in the Gan Dong Er Suo, where he resides. At that time, the Third Prince's wife will take care of all the affairs of the Gan Dong Er Suo, and will not have to pay too much attention to the Imperial Kitchen.

Knowing the reason why the Third Prince suddenly stood up, one can also understand why the other princes did not participate—even though they also had many grievances against the Imperial Kitchen.

The Fourth Prince was not registered under Empress Xiaoyi's name; according to custom, he was merely her adopted son. After his adoptive mother passed away, the Fourth Prince was supposed to be cared for by his birth mother, according to the rules.

However, Consort De was still raising the young Yinzhen and was obviously unwilling to devote her attention to the Fourth Prince. Otherwise, she would not have forced Emperor Kangxi to issue an edict to bring Feiyanggu's daughter into the palace to be raised by the Empress Dowager. When the Fourth Prince was eleven years old, she raised a child bride for him.

None of the five imperial kitchens in Gan Dong, except for the one belonging to the eldest prince, had a small kitchen. Furthermore, Consort De wouldn't care about the fourth prince and wouldn't even bother to show him any respect. If the fourth prince were to fall out with the imperial kitchen, his future would be very difficult; he wouldn't want to get involved in this mess.

Moreover, given the Fourth Prince's temperament, he wouldn't do something so despicable as to teach the head eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen a lesson like Yin'e did.

The Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince were both sons of concubines. Even if they were dissatisfied with the food sent by the Imperial Kitchen, they had no mother to support them or send them meals every day.

Similarly, without a mother to rely on, and without a grand wedding, it would be difficult for them to build a small kitchen in the prince's residence on their own.

The Seventh Prince's birth mother, Lady Daijia, was disliked by Emperor Kangxi because the Seventh Prince was born with an illness. Although Consort Daijia entered the palace early and gave birth to a prince, she was not promoted for a long time and remained a concubine, not the head of the palace. She remained unknown in the palace for many years.

The Eighth Prince's birth mother, Consort Wei, came from the Imperial Household Department and gained favor due to her beauty. She lived in Yanxi Palace and was dependent on Consort Hui, the head of Yanxi Palace. She could not provide much support for the Eighth Prince, and in fact, because of her background, she actually dragged him down.

Even though they were all princes, all of noble birth and the pride of the emperor, not all princes had the same willful rights as Yin'e, the Fifth Prince, and the Ninth Prince.

The palace servants were adept at protecting themselves, as well as at flattering the powerful and belittling the weak, and at changing their stance according to the prevailing winds.

Growing up in such an environment, without anyone to protect or shelter you, the harsh environment will make you grow up quickly and mature prematurely, losing the ability to be yourself and act according to your own heart at an early age.

Although the Third Prince had gotten involved and mingled with Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, he seemed to have nothing to say to them. After handing the food box to Xiao Linzi, the Third Prince quickly returned to his seat in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the Third Prince's retreating figure, which seemed to be fleeing in disarray, Yin'e couldn't help but reflect deeply: Was their relationship with the Third Prince really that bad?

Judging from the way the Third Prince ran away so eagerly, it seemed as if he was afraid that the Ninth Prince would say something unpleasant.

Are you kidding me? Are he and the Ninth Prince unreasonable people? At other times, it's one thing, they do have verbal conflicts with the Third Prince, but this time the Third Prince is on their side, so they won't be so quick to abandon him!

After having breakfast and filling his stomach, Yin'e felt even more sleepy. Spring drowsiness, autumn fatigue, summer naps, and the three months of winter when one can't wake up—now it's late autumn and early winter, a good time to sleep, but poor things, they can't sleep well and have to get up in the middle of the night to read.

Hearing the continuous yawns coming from behind him, the Fifth Prince also became sleepy.

He shook his head violently, trying to shake off the drowsiness and clear his mind.

Before the half-hour break for breakfast had passed and the master had not yet arrived, the Fifth Prince turned around and whispered to Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, "It's fine if you slack off a little during the morning reading, but you absolutely must not fall asleep during the following lessons!"

After thinking it over, the Fifth Prince, still feeling uneasy, solemnly added, "Especially today, you absolutely cannot doze off in class today!"

Blinking, the Ninth Prince asked with a puzzled look, "Why not especially today?"

The Fifth Prince lowered his voice and whispered, "After the morning court session, if there are no urgent memorials to review, Father Khan will come to the Imperial Study to inspect our studies."

"Today is your first day studying in the Imperial Study. As long as nothing major happens, Father will definitely come to inspect the Imperial Study."

Yin'e grunted in response, understanding what the Fifth Prince meant.

It's just about putting on a show.

No matter how lazy and casual he and the Ninth Prince were in private, they even dared to slack off and take a nap openly in the Imperial Study.

However, in front of Emperor Kangxi, it is best to act as a good student and show a diligent and studious attitude.

Otherwise, who knows how Emperor Kangxi, who was not only a notorious troublemaker but also liked to drag others into his troubles, would have raised his children?

As sons of Emperor Kangxi, both Prince Juan and Xianyu had a miserable life. It wasn't easy for Prince Juan to keep up with Kangxi's pace, and even if Xianyu wanted to lie low, Kangxi wouldn't give them a chance to fall behind.

The Ninth Prince was a beat slow to realize why the Fifth Prince had specifically reminded him, but his focus was different from Yin'e's, and he had a different understanding of the Fifth Prince's reminder.

After tilting his head and thinking for a moment, the Ninth Prince asked the Fifth Prince, drawing inferences from the previous statement: "So, if Father doesn't come to the Imperial Study for inspection, my tenth brother and I can sleep in class without worry?"

Touching his nose, Yin'e lowered his head and chuckled softly, somewhat reluctant to look at the Fifth Prince's colorful, "wonderful" face, which resembled a spilled paint palette.

What actually made Yin'e laugh was not the Ninth Prince's reaction, but his sudden realization that the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince were twin brothers, and that neither of them liked studying.

Although the Ninth Prince was already thinking about slacking off as soon as he started school, his elder brother, if not the Second Prince, was no less prone to doing so. The Fifth Prince, who was always finding excuses to take leave, was no better. They truly deserved to be members of the same "lazy bum" team; they even went so far as to slack off together.

After recovering, the Fifth Prince looked at the Ninth Prince with a "How could you be so naive?" expression and sighed deeply: "But the problem is, Father Khan comes to inspect almost every day. Unless there is an urgent military situation, Father Khan will come to the Imperial Study after court."

The Imperial Study was located so close to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, within the palace complex centered around it. It was just a short walk away for Emperor Kangxi, so it's no wonder he visited almost every day.

Especially after the Crown Prince left the palace, Kangxi did not allow him to continue studying alone in Yuqing Palace. Instead, he placed him in the Imperial Study and had him receive instruction from the Imperial Study's tutors in a separate classroom.

The Crown Prince was the son whom Emperor Kangxi cherished most, and he would naturally visit him at the Imperial Study whenever he had time. When he came to the Imperial Study, Emperor Kangxi would also take the opportunity to see his other sons who were studying there, showing that he still extended some of his fatherly love to the other princes.

For other ambitious princes, being able to see Emperor Kangxi frequently was a good thing, as it would deepen their impression on him and increase their chances of winning his appreciation and praise.

But for Yin'e, the fact that Emperor Kangxi could come to inspect the class at any time was just as terrifying as his high school homeroom teacher.

If a student glances back while daydreaming in class and sees their homeroom teacher's face through the window, it's a nightmare...

Even more of a nightmare was that Emperor Kangxi was more terrifying than a homeroom teacher; he was an emperor who held the power of life and death. Although even tigers don't eat their cubs, Kangxi wouldn't punish the princes too harshly, but he would certainly punish them by making them copy texts and doubling their homework. Being caught by him would definitely have a worse consequence than being caught daydreaming by your homeroom teacher in school.

However, Kangxi's visit to the Imperial Study was also good news in another sense, because Yin'e happened to have something to discuss with Kangxi, and his coming to him was much more convenient than going to the Qianqing Palace.

Because he didn't know when the elusive Emperor Kangxi, who seemed to appear out of nowhere like a homeroom teacher, would show up in the Imperial Study, the Ninth Prince dared not sleep, even though he was yawning and teary-eyed.

Afraid that he might accidentally close his eyes and fall asleep, the Ninth Prince leaned over and whispered to Yin'e. He asked Yin'e to pinch him whenever he saw him getting sleepy, and pitifully emphasized to Yin'e that he should not hold back and should pinch hard.

Having gone to bed early last night, Yin'e, who was in better condition than the Ninth Prince, nodded emphatically and solemnly agreed to the Ninth Prince's request: "Don't worry, Ninth Brother, I definitely won't let you fall asleep!"

The Ninth Prince pursed his lips, unsure whether to laugh or cry after receiving the promise. He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "I really hope Father doesn't come so often."

It was one thing for them to be studying in the Imperial Study every day, but if Emperor Kangxi also came to inspect and test their studies every day, how could they possibly survive?

The Fifth Prince was indeed very prescient. Just after the hour of Si (9:30 AM), Kangxi, accompanied by Liang Jiugong, strolled from the Qianqing Palace to the Shangshufang (Study Room).

After visiting the Crown Prince, whom he cherished dearly, and exchanging pleasantries with his most beloved son, Yinreng, Emperor Kangxi finally arrived at the school in the center of the Imperial Study to visit the seven princes who were studying there.

Standing outside the window, Kangxi gazed at the seven princes seated in three groups in the bright and clean school, and was momentarily lost in thought.

In previous years, he lost several sons. To ensure the survival of his lineage, he even sent his eldest and third sons outside the palace to be raised by ministers. But in the blink of an eye, he already had nine sons of school age. If his sixth son hadn't died young, that would have been ten!

Having lost his children one after another in his early years, Emperor Kangxi, now an empty-handed emperor, couldn't help but sigh at the lively scene inside the room.

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:12:39 on April 9, 2023 and 14:32:20 on April 10, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Huan Gui (10 bottles); Chi Yu Mo Li Shang (5 bottles); Mango Daifuku (1 bottle);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!