Chapter 139 Father and Son Are Abnormal

As Yin'e watched the Fifth Prince, Seventh Prince, Eleventh Prince, and Twelfth Prince follow him and the Ninth Prince into the side room, his smile froze on his face, and he could no longer smile.

Neither Emperor Kangxi nor the Empress Dowager gave any instructions, so the group of them all slipped away unnoticed.

They all simply wished Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager a Happy New Year and exchanged auspicious words in the main hall before leaving. They did not wait for Emperor Kangxi to examine their studies, nor did they stay to show off in front of the two powerful figures. Instead, they took it upon themselves to go to the side room to relax.

He raised his hand to his chest, feeling short of breath and needing oxygen: if only he and the Ninth Prince were absent, Kangxi and the Empress Dowager might not have noticed their absence, perhaps thinking they had gone out to use the restroom or change clothes.

But now, six people have suddenly disappeared. Kangxi has a total of thirteen princes. Apart from the crown prince sitting below Kangxi, the number of princes standing in the hall has suddenly decreased by half. Unless the two powerful figures sitting in the highest seats are blind, even the Empress Dowager with presbyopia would not be able to miss them.

But now that things have come to this point, Yin'e's mood has strangely calmed down.

With an optimistic attitude, he consoled himself with a "what's the use" mentality: although it's conspicuous that so many of them are skipping class together, there's always the saying that "the law doesn't punish the masses"!

Or perhaps, during the Lunar New Year, Emperor Kangxi simply wouldn't bother with them, and wouldn't pursue the matter or punish them?

After all, what's that saying again? Oh, right—it's the New Year, no matter how small the matter, nothing is easy. I think if these three or four words of wisdom are uttered, Kangxi will be forgiving and understanding towards them. (Kangxi: Forgive you my foot!)

In the main hall of Ning Shou Palace, while the Third Prince was still talking incessantly, it was Kangxi, who was sitting high at the head of the table and whose eyes were still bright even though he was not yet forty, who first noticed that something was wrong and found that someone was missing from the hall.

The Third Prince's melodious voice kept reaching his ears. Kangxi pretended to listen attentively, occasionally nodding slightly with a smile to show his approval. In reality, he was multitasking, silently surveying the hall to find the troublesome little devil.

The first person Kangxi saw was the eldest prince, who was standing at the front of all the princes. He raised his eyebrows, pursed his lips and squeezed out a smile. His expression was ambiguous, with barely suppressed impatience in his eyes. He looked like he was trying his best to show joy and happiness but had failed miserably.

The eldest prince was skilled in archery and horsemanship, but his academic performance was mediocre. Although he had accumulated some literary knowledge under the encouragement of Emperor Kangxi, he was not really cut out for it and had no interest in poetry and prose.

In addition, the eldest prince had just been mocked by the crown prince. If it weren't for the fact that it was the New Year's reunion family banquet and the eldest prince didn't want to spoil the mood of Kangxi and the empress dowager, he wouldn't even be able to squeeze out that forced smile.

Behind the eldest prince was the eloquent and boastful third prince, but Kangxi's gaze skipped over him and went straight to the fourth prince, who was standing behind the third prince with his head bowed.

Emperor Kangxi sat high on the throne, looking down at the Fourth Prince, unable to discern his expression or inner emotions.

He remembered that he had scolded the Fourth Prince for showing his emotions too much, but now, looking at the Fourth Prince with his head down and silent, Kangxi frowned with worry and sighed softly in his heart: I don't know when the Fourth Prince became like this.

It seems that... after Empress Xiaoyi passed away, the Fourth Prince became much more silent and aloof, as if he had sealed the burning flames in his heart with a thick layer of ice, and his whole being had fallen into silence.

Emperor Kangxi disliked the Fourth Prince's previous outspoken and clear-cut manner of love and hate, but now that he is quiet, indifferent, and increasingly detached from worldly affairs due to his immersion in Buddhism, Emperor Kangxi is also uneasy about him.

Thinking of Ulanara, the daughter of Fei Yanggu, who was being raised by the Empress Dowager in Ning Shou Palace, Kangxi once again considered arranging a marriage. However, considering that both of them were still too young, Kangxi frowned and suppressed his desire to have the Fourth Prince and Ulanara marry immediately—he would wait at least another year or two.

After worrying about the Fourth Prince, Kangxi continued to look behind him.

Upon seeing this, he immediately lost his composure and couldn't help but grit his teeth: behind the Fourth Prince, apart from the Eighth Prince who was still standing in place, the others had all disappeared.

—The thirteenth and fourteenth princes were too young. After offering their New Year's greetings and auspicious words, they returned to Consort De's side and did not stand in the line of princes.

The Eighth Prince listened attentively to the Third Prince with a gentle and serene smile on his face.

Kangxi's gaze did not linger on the Eighth Prince. After sweeping over the well-behaved and clever Thirteenth Prince and the lively and active Fourteenth Prince standing beside Consort De, he still could not find the other six sons. He did not even see their shadows. Kangxi was furious and laughed out of anger.

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Kangxi still had a smile on his face.

He didn't want to disrupt the festive atmosphere of the New Year, and besides, the Fifth Prince had also sneaked away, so out of respect for the Empress Dowager, he couldn't reveal it immediately.

But in secret, Kangxi gritted his teeth and made up his mind to teach these brats a lesson: They're causing trouble even during the New Year, they never stop all year round, they deserve a beating, they won't listen unless they're beaten!

His troublesome son gave Emperor Kangxi a heart attack, and he subconsciously shifted his gaze to his most favored and proudest son:

The Crown Prince sat to the side of Emperor Kangxi. His gentle, jade-like face was adorned with a faint smile. His posture was upright yet relaxed, not overly tense, making him appear both noble and elegant, as well as possessing a refined and graceful air. This sight filled Emperor Kangxi with pride, as if he were saying, "My son is just that outstanding."

Kangxi was filled with pride and self-satisfaction at having raised such an outstanding crown prince. He was immersed in the fantasy of being a "holy father and holy son" and did not notice that the crown prince's eyes were wandering and he was obviously not paying attention to what the third prince was saying.

Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, and out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the eldest prince. A smile played on the corner of his lips. At first glance, it seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, one could find a hint of mockery and coldness in that smile.

The Third Prince always followed the Crown Prince around, trying to get closer to him.

However, the Crown Prince was always arrogant and haughty, and never took the Third Prince's overtures seriously, nor did he think there was any need to win him over. The Crown Prince neither thought that the Third Prince had any talent that could help him, nor did he disdainfully believe that the Third Prince had no chance of seizing the throne.

The Crown Prince harbored no hostility towards the Third Prince, but he was not particularly close to him either, and usually ignored him.

Given the Crown Prince's arrogance, even if the Third Prince tries to curry favor with him and flatter him, he won't get any good results.

The Crown Prince looked down on the Third Prince and didn't take him seriously. He considered the Third Prince's obedience and respect to him to be a matter of course, because he was the Crown Prince and the heir apparent, while the other princes were just subjects who had to abide by the etiquette between ruler and subject when facing him!

Of all the princes, the only one whom the Crown Prince took notice of was the eldest prince.

But this wasn't because the eldest prince had displayed any talent or ability that amazed or frightened the crown prince. It was purely because the crown prince held a grudge and resented the eldest prince for taking advantage of being the eldest son to compete with him. In his childhood, the eldest prince vied for Kangxi's favor, and in his adulthood, he fought for power and profit. The eldest prince and the crown prince were always at odds and irreconcilable.

In the Crown Prince's eyes, the eldest prince was like a toad, sticking to his heels for more than ten years and impossible to shake off. He was disgusting and impossible to kill, which made him feel disgusted whenever he thought of him. So, he couldn't help but keep his eyes on him.

Apart from the eldest prince, the other princes who were under the age of 18 and had not participated in the struggle for the throne were nothing in the eyes of the crown prince.

But the Crown Prince forgot that while the heir apparent is indeed the emperor, he still has Emperor Kangxi above him!

Even if Emperor Kangxi doted on him and firmly regarded him as his successor, he still had to have the proper respect. Some things were not yet his to take, and if he reached out to take them casually, it would be considered robbery, which would inevitably arouse the master's rejection and hostility.

Having ascended the throne as a child and only able to assume full power after capturing Oboi in his youth, Emperor Kangxi possessed an extremely keen political sense and was often able to discover problems from details that others overlooked.

Although Emperor Kangxi, a widower, personally raised the crown prince and often viewed him through a lens of sympathy, he still instinctively felt uncomfortable at this moment, finding the crown prince's behavior unsettling.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Kangxi truly loved the Crown Prince and had a deep father-son bond with him. At this moment, he still regarded the Crown Prince as his greatest pride. He was unwilling to suspect his son and dismissed the strange emotion that had just crossed his mind as an illusion, forcibly suppressing his sudden displeasure.

After Empress Heseri passed away, Empress Xiaozhao, the successor, died of illness only half a year after her investiture. Emperor Kangxi probably accepted his fate of being unlucky in marriage. Although Consort Tongjia acted as empress in her place, without the title of empress, Kangxi never formally made her the successor empress.

It wasn't until Consort Tongjia could no longer take her medicine and was on the verge of death that Emperor Kangxi no longer had to worry about his birth chart indicating he would bring misfortune to his wife. Only then did he bestow upon Consort Tongjia the title of Empress, allowing her to pass away with the honor of an Empress and be buried with him after her death.

For more than ten years after Empress Xiaozhao passed away, Emperor Kangxi, a widower, personally raised the crown prince, taking care of everything from the prince's daily life to his studies, never entrusting it to anyone else.

Emperor Kangxi acted as both father and mother to the crown prince, investing countless efforts and hardships in raising and educating him into the outstanding person he is today.

Because of the huge investment, Kangxi had high expectations for the crown prince. He hoped that the crown prince would excel in everything, not only in both literature and martial arts, but also in filial piety towards elders and brotherly love. He wanted the crown prince to be flawless in terms of talent, ability, and character, reaching a near-perfect level.

Emperor Kangxi wanted to become a "holy father and holy son" who would be remembered in history, so he cultivated his moral character, set an example, and used various methods to ensure that his image in the eyes of the crown prince was lofty, majestic, and worthy of admiration.

At the same time, the crown prince in his eyes had to be excellent in everything. Kangxi had a strong desire to control the crown prince he had raised. He had a strong desire to demand that the crown prince grow up according to his expectations and not allow any deviation in the process.

Six years ago, Kangxi targeted Suo'etu because of Suo'etu's close relationship with the Crown Prince, and because Suo'etu's existence caused the Crown Prince to deviate from the growth path Kangxi expected. Similarly, the tutors in the Imperial Study kneeled to teach the Crown Prince, not only to highlight the Crown Prince's status and privileges, but also because Kangxi, who personally raised the Crown Prince, did not allow the Crown Prince to respect and admire other teachers.

Undoubtedly, Kangxi's excessive and intense desire to control and possess his crown prince was abnormal, somewhat distorted and abnormal. From the moment his second son, Yinreng, was made crown prince, Kangxi was not raising a son, but rather molding a flawless crown prince, a clay "saintly son."