Chapter 144 Getting Along with the Crown Prince

Because he felt both pity and guilt towards the Seventh Prince, although Kangxi didn't show it on his face, he was always very forgiving of the Seventh Prince.

However, the Seventh Prince was steady and composed, and acted with great integrity. He never disobeyed the Emperor or made any mistakes that angered him, so this tolerance was rarely used.

At this moment, the Seventh Prince stepped forward. Although Kangxi was still angry, he couldn't bear to vent his anger on the Seventh Prince. So he took the opportunity to accept the plum blossoms offered by the Seventh Prince and temporarily let the matter drop, not intending to immediately hold these rascals accountable.

The Empress Dowager was completely unaware of the undercurrents. She squinted at her grandsons standing below the platform with her old eyes. Seeing that Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who were following behind the Fifth and Seventh Princes, were also holding plum blossoms, she asked with a smile, "Little Ninth and Little Tenth, did you also go to the plum garden? Who are you giving these flowers to?"

Blinking his eyes, Yin'e opened his clear, bright almond-shaped eyes wide and replied with an obedient and frank expression, "This is for Mother Consort. I spent a long time choosing this plum blossom!"

After speaking, Yin'e turned his head and gave the Consort a sweet smile, then naturally moved closer to her and handed her the plum blossom he was clutching tightly in his hand.

The Imperial Concubine smiled happily, pulled Yin'e into her arms, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

She had just attended a grand banquet, dressed in a magnificent and exquisite imperial concubine gown adorned with pearls, her headdress studded with gemstones and jade, and her hairpins adorned with gold, jade, and emerald feathers. Everything she wore and accessorized was exquisite, radiant, and dazzling.

But to the imperial concubine, none of the gold and jewels she wore could compare to a single plum blossom.

The Crown Prince sat to Kangxi's right, his seat half-turned and facing left front, giving him a perfect view of the interaction between the Consort and Yin'e.

With his thin lips slightly pursed, the Crown Prince subconsciously looked away, his eyes dimming, and his mood becoming somewhat depressed.

The Ninth Prince hadn't paid any attention to Consort Yi since entering the palace, so he naturally didn't see the slight expectation that Consort Yi was showing on her face.

He was equally candid, speaking frankly and directly: "My eleventh brother also wanted to go out, but it was too cold outside and I was afraid he couldn't stand it, so I sent him back. This plum blossom was meant to be brought to my eleventh brother."

Consort Yi was slightly taken aback, feeling both disappointed and gratified that the Ninth Prince knew how to take care of his younger brother. She lowered her head, raised her hand to wipe her face with a handkerchief, concealing the slight unusual expression on her face. When she looked up again, her expression was completely normal.

The Ninth Prince, though seemingly indifferent to worldly desires, was not foolish. He knew that telling the truth didn't mean telling the whole truth. He didn't mention that the plum blossom in his hand was randomly picked without any selection, and that half of the branch was still in bud, ready to bloom.

The successive remarks of Yin'e and the Ninth Prince made Kangxi, who had just barely managed to suppress his anger, want to grit his teeth again: it turns out that apart from the Seventh Prince, none of the other three remembered him, their imperial father.

Based on Kangxi's understanding of the Seventh Prince, he now strongly suspects that the Seventh Prince's act of presenting him with plum blossoms was a spur-of-the-moment decision, not something he had in mind from the beginning. Rather, it was something he did to fill the gap after discovering that his other three brothers did not care about their father.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, reason told Kangxi that this might be the truth.

Unaware that Emperor Kangxi was on the verge of a violent outburst, the Ninth Prince glanced down at the rather unappealing plum branch in his hand: "I promised to bring plum blossoms for the Eleventh Prince..."

The Ninth Prince did not say what he was going to say directly. He just raised his head and looked at the Empress Dowager and Emperor Kangxi with a hint in his phoenix eyes, which he inherited from Consort Yi.

The Empress Dowager, always kind and gentle, nodded repeatedly after understanding what the Ninth Prince meant. There was no reason to refuse the Ninth Prince's request. She smiled kindly and said, "Little Ninth, go find the Eleventh Prince quickly, don't keep him waiting."

With a clear and bright voice, the Ninth Prince turned around and walked towards the side room without saying a word. Before leaving, he gave Yin'e a wink.

Upon receiving the message from the Ninth Prince, Yin'e hesitated for a moment and did not immediately follow. He didn't really want to stay in the main hall to listen to the Empress Dowager and Kangxi's conversation, but he also wanted to spend a little longer with the Consort.

Just then, the Imperial Concubine released Yin'e, carefully straightened his collar, and said gently, "Go play, go play with your brothers."

Yin'e looked up at the Imperial Concubine and understood something from her eyes. He nodded in response and quickly took two steps to catch up with the Ninth Prince, who was waiting for him.

Seeing that the two of them had left, the Seventh Prince did not hesitate, bowed to the two powerful figures at the head of the table, and also took his leave.

The Fifth Prince watched longingly as Yin'e and the other two left one after another, a look of yearning on his face.

He secretly glanced up and saw that the Empress Dowager had no intention of keeping him by her side. His eyes lit up, and a happy smile immediately appeared on his round face. He hurriedly followed her.

At any other time, the Fifth Prince would have been very willing to stay by the Empress Dowager's side and fulfill his filial duties, but on this important annual family reunion banquet, he still refused to join in.

If the Fifth Prince were present, the Empress Dowager would definitely value him more than the Crown Prince. Why create discord between the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince? The relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince has always been lukewarm; the two are not close. The person who truly values ​​the Crown Prince and has a deep affection for him is the late Grand Empress Dowager.

Not long ago, Emperor Kangxi had been troubled by the Crown Prince's distant and unfriendly relationship with the other princes. Now, a thought struck him, and he smiled and instructed, "Crown Prince, First Prince, you may go with us. You don't need to accompany me and the Empress Dowager."

Turning to the Empress Dowager, Kangxi explained, "The brothers get along well and have a lot to talk about. Let these rascals hang out together; they'll be comfortable and have fun, instead of finding it boring to sit and talk with us."

The Crown Prince and the First Prince stood up at the same time, repeatedly saying that they dared not, that they did not find it boring, and that they were happy to keep each other company.

But the Empress Dowager felt that Kangxi's words made sense, and said with great understanding, "I know you are filial, but you should also be happy on this night of reunion. Go on, you don't need to stay with us. It's good enough that you have such good intentions. Go and have fun with your brothers."

The Crown Prince was one thing, but the eldest prince, who had already married and had two legitimate daughters, felt genuinely embarrassed by the Empress Dowager's words.

The eldest prince felt that he didn't have much in common with his brothers. He was quite far older than the other princes; he had been married for several years and had already started performing official duties, while the other princes were still studying in the Imperial Study. They had no interaction whatsoever, so what could they talk about or play together?

Sumalagu chuckled lightly and spoke up to the Empress Dowager at the opportune moment: "I think you want to send your grandsons away to make room for a card game. You don't want to be disturbed and want to find some fun for yourself."

The Empress Dowager's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands excitedly, then spoke to Sumalagu in fluent Mongolian: "You're so clever! It's rare to have such a lively day with everyone here, so let's play together for a while. The winners can keep their winnings as New Year's rewards, and the losers can keep everything for me!"

Consort Yi had long since returned to her usual self, as radiant and elegant as ever. She covered her mouth and smiled, then chimed in, following the Empress Dowager's words, "Your Majesty, since you have spoken, then in order to win more reward money and have a good New Year, I must muster my spirits and show my true abilities."

Consort Yi was the birth mother of the Fifth Prince and always held considerable influence with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager beamed at Consort Yi's words, saying, "It would be good if you showed your true abilities! Be bold and win as many as you can. If you can't win, I'll send someone to deliver them back to you so you can have a good New Year!"

After being interrupted several times, the slight awkwardness between the Crown Prince and the First Prince dissipated. Neither of them said anything more about staying, and they went to the side room to meet with the other princes as instructed by Kangxi.

In the side room, as soon as the curtain was lifted, the Eleventh Prince rushed over like a small cannonball, almost bumping into the Ninth Prince who was walking in front.

"What are you doing, being so reckless!" The Ninth Prince stopped and scolded the Eleventh Prince, using his right hand, which was not holding the plum blossom, to support the Eleventh Prince and prevent him from falling because he was rushing too fast.

Upon hearing the Ninth Prince's voice, the Eleventh Prince obediently stopped, raised his head, and looked up at him. When he saw the plum blossom in the Ninth Prince's hand, the Eleventh Prince immediately became happy, grinning and smiling brightly with sparkling eyes.

The eleventh prince didn't particularly like plum blossoms; he just appreciated the ninth prince keeping his promise to him.

The princes who remained in the side room looked up and saw Yin'e and the other three enter the room one after another. They all greeted them a few times. The Third Prince even stood up abruptly and waved impatiently to the Seventh Prince, wanting to continue discussing poetry and songs with his confidant.

The brothers split into several groups to talk separately. Their voices, laughter, and screams mingled together, creating a noisy and boisterous atmosphere in the room. The most noticeable sound was the occasional screams and laughter from the youngest, most lively, mischievous, and attention-seeking Fourteenth Prince.

As the princes were chatting and exchanging pleasantries, the curtain to the side room was once again lifted by the palace servants standing guard at the door. Immediately afterwards, the Crown Prince, dressed in an apricot-yellow auspicious robe, and the First Prince, wearing a dark blue python robe, slowly walked into the room and greeted the other princes.

When the Crown Prince and the First Prince entered, the princes in the room were all a little stunned, not expecting them to come over. The Crown Prince had never been close to his brothers; after the First Prince got married and started taking on official duties, he also felt that his younger brothers were too young and that he had nothing to talk about with his younger brothers who were still studying, so he rarely paid attention to the other princes.

The princes, led by the Third Prince, were all somewhat stunned. The relaxed and comfortable atmosphere in the room was completely swept away. The princes, who had been sitting, standing, or leaning, all straightened up, bowed and greeted the Crown Prince and their elder brother, the First Prince.

After completing the formalities, all the princes fell silent. Even the Third Prince, who always followed the Crown Prince around, didn't know what to say. He was unsure what topic everyone could participate in so that the atmosphere wouldn't be so heavy and stagnant.

Whether the others felt awkward, Yin'e didn't know; he only knew he was filled with regret. If he had known he'd have to face this upon returning, he would have listened to the Ninth Prince and simply stayed out until the banquet began that evening!

Perhaps it was a meeting of minds, but as Yin'e was thinking this, the Ninth Prince tugged at his hand and cast a mournful glance at him, clearly also feeling that coming back was a huge loss.

Touching his nose, Yin'e gave the Ninth Prince a wry smile and shrugged, indicating that he was also helpless.