Chapter 151 Examination and Inquiry

There weren't too many urgent official matters that day. After reviewing the memorials, Emperor Kangxi had some rare free time, so he set off to inspect the Imperial Study, intending to check on his sons' studies and, incidentally, the teaching progress and attitude of the tutors in the Imperial Study.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, Kangxi did not rush inside.

He waved his hand, signaling the palace servants following him to tread lightly and stand quietly outside the classroom where the princes were studying, peering inside through the window.

Emperor Kangxi's sharp gaze swept across the lecture hall inch by inch, carefully checking whether the princes were concentrating on their studies and whether they were daydreaming or distracted.

Inside the library, Yin'e, who was reciting scriptures with Ne'anda, suddenly felt a strange and familiar intuition strike him, causing him to subconsciously look up at the slightly open window on the side of the library.

As soon as he looked over, Yin'e met a pair of almond-shaped eyes that were sharp and naturally imposing.

With a "whoosh," Yin'e immediately turned his head back, buried his head in the books laid out on the desk, and began to recite the scriptures taught by the Inner Dagang School more loudly and energetically, looking focused and diligent, as if he intended to read them a full one hundred and twenty times with great passion.

Yin'e was still earnestly and attentively reciting the scriptures, but his heart was already trembling: he now knew what the mysterious intuition that had struck him earlier was—it was clearly the feeling he had when he encountered his nemesis, the head teacher, during his student days.

Who did Kangxi learn this from? How did he manage to learn the headmaster's method of watching from outside the window without any instruction? Suddenly seeing a pair of eyes flashing outside the window is really scary, isn't it? It's so unfriendly to students who are studying diligently in the classroom... although Yin'e wasn't exactly studying very seriously either.

At other times, Yin'e wouldn't have cared so much about Kangxi's sudden inspection, let alone immediately put on a serious face.

After all, Yin'e had been languishing in the Imperial Study, practically slacking off outright, his motto being merely to pass, aiming for only a mediocre level. But hadn't he been punished recently? With the deadline fast approaching, Yin'e was genuinely terrified of seeing Emperor Kangxi.

Having already been spotted by Yin'e, Kangxi decided not to continue standing guard outside the window and instead made a grand entrance, leading Liang Jiugong and the others into the spacious and bright study.

After Kangxi stopped concealing his whereabouts, the inner attendants in the lecture hall soon heard his footsteps. They all stopped lecturing and, together with the princes and their companions, bowed to Kangxi as he entered.

After saying "Rise," Kangxi dismissed the inner attendants and the princes' companions, leaving only the princes behind. He sat down in the seat offered by the Third Prince, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Yin'e, who stood at the very back, with a half-smile.

Shrinking his neck, Yin'e gave Kangxi a forced smile and silently lowered his body to hide behind him.

Then, Yin'e was speechless and not surprised to find that the Ninth Prince, who was standing in front of him according to age, was also trying his best to shrink back, almost leaning against him and sticking to him.

Yin'e had no intention of mocking the Ninth Prince for being cowardly, because his performance was not much better than the Ninth Prince's.

Now, he only hopes that Kangxi will examine the princes' studies according to their order of age, and that the older brothers will speak freely and frankly. He hopes that the examination will take longer, so that before Kangxi has a chance to ask him and the Ninth Prince, an urgent report will arrive, forcing him to return to the Qianqing Palace to handle state affairs.

Unfortunately, wishes don't always come true. Even though Yin'e prayed sincerely, fate inevitably led him into the abyss—Kangxi tested them one by one, and soon it was the Ninth Prince's turn.

Emperor Kangxi was busy with state affairs, but he always paid close attention to the education of his sons.

He knew each of his sons' abilities, and each time he tested a prince, he would ask them questions that were precisely designed to require them to think carefully and answer diligently. The questions would not be too easy or challenging, nor would they be too difficult to discourage the princes.

Faced with Kangxi's question, the Ninth Prince racked his brains for a long time before finally stammering out a difficult answer, which earned him a seemingly satisfied nod from Kangxi.

The Ninth Prince breathed a sigh of relief and planned to step aside, while Yin'e, who was standing next to the Ninth Prince, immediately became anxious and stepped forward, waiting for Kangxi to ask a question.

Surprisingly, Kangxi did not immediately test Yin'e's scholarship. Instead, his gaze swept over Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, and he asked in a slightly somber tone, "I heard that you two have recently become very interested in spinning and weaving?"

Kangxi's words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Yin'e's heart skipped a beat, and he stared wide-eyed with a hint of panic. He subconsciously clenched his fists, straightened his back, and assumed a defensive posture.

The Ninth Prince was not just a little frightened, he was extremely panicked. He turned his head sharply to look at Yin'e's eyes—but before he could finish the subconscious action, he shuddered and stopped himself from doing so, turning his head back without looking at Yin'e completely.

With his lips pursed, the Ninth Prince was quite relieved that he had restrained his instinctive reaction and hadn't implicated Yin'e. He was still somewhat clever; he knew that his immediate glance at Yin'e after being startled was tantamount to admitting guilt and revealing the mastermind.

It was one thing for him to confess without being asked, but even though the Ninth Prince was quite confident, he didn't think he could fool Kangxi. He was mainly relieved that he hadn't implicated Yin'e, and that the blame for the mastermind hadn't been shifted onto Yin'e alone, leaving him in the position of an accomplice.

The other princes who had passed Kangxi's inspection and stepped aside all cast their gazes toward Yin'e and the Ninth Prince. Some looked surprised, some looked puzzled, some looked gloating, but there were also many who were worried and concerned.

Feeling smug about his quick thinking and secretly pleased with himself, the Ninth Prince miraculously escaped the panic of being questioned by Kangxi. Holding his head high and chest out, the Ninth Prince smiled, though he dared not laugh out loud in front of Kangxi; his crescent-shaped phoenix eyes were enough to show his good mood.

Like the Ninth Prince, who immediately calmed down, Yin'e also quickly regained his composure. Although he hadn't expected Kangxi to make a move today, Yin'e was mentally prepared for Kangxi to discover the underhanded dealings he and the Ninth Prince had made.

No matter how capable Xiao Linzi was, because Yin'e was still living in the Prince's Residence and had not yet left the palace to establish his own residence, he could only stay within the palace. The needles, combs, spindles, and other tools that he obtained from craftsmen were most likely obtained through connections with the Imperial Household Department. And once they passed through the Imperial Household Department, it was perfectly normal for the news to reach Kangxi.

Although the head of the Imperial Household Department was Lingpu, the Crown Prince's wet nurse, the Imperial Household Department mainly served Emperor Kangxi. At most, Lingpu would secretly undermine the Crown Prince.

Lingpu only dared to do this with Kangxi's tacit approval, which allowed him to enrich himself. If Kangxi hadn't agreed, undermining the Imperial Household Department would have been tantamount to suicide—the Imperial Household Department was right under Kangxi's nose, and nothing could be hidden from him.

As the supreme ruler of the Forbidden City, it was impossible for Kangxi to be fully aware of everything that happened in the palace. However, there were certainly some things that Kangxi paid special attention to or that showed obvious signs of abnormality that were reported to him.

Emperor Kangxi paid particular attention to the five princely residences, such as the East Fifth Residence and the West Fifth Residence.

After all, the Princes' quarters were not like the Qixiang Palace, which housed the princesses and belonged to the Six Eastern and Western Palaces, and were looked after by Consort Niohuru and the Four Consorts Huirong and Yide. Moreover, the Empress Dowager was not as shrewd and capable as Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who could keep order and control the situation, so Kangxi naturally had to pay more attention to it himself.

"Hmm? Why aren't you answering?" Kangxi raised his eyes slightly, looking at Yin'e and the Ninth Prince with a calm expression. He was quite surprised that his two sons, who were usually lazy and unambitious, were unusually calm and composed today. They were bold and steady, and did not panic.

With his almond-shaped eyes wide open, Yin'e put on the most innocent and pure expression: "Your subject is just a little curious."

"Spinning thread and weaving cloth...you're curious about that?" Kangxi first asked with a wry smile, then frowned and his expression darkened slightly. "What's so curious about that?"

Kangxi glanced back and forth between Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, realizing he couldn't understand what his two sons were thinking; he simply couldn't comprehend their thought processes. Although he didn't immediately reprimand them for neglecting their duties regarding their curiosity about spinning and weaving, his expression was already quite displeased.

Scratching his head, Yin'e gave a shy and bashful smile, still maintaining an innocent and naive appearance. However, he didn't tell the truth, but instead avoided the main point and said, "We're not curious anymore."

This statement is actually quite true. After the experiment of washing wool with pure alkali was completed, and before the business was expanded and the commercial plan was officially launched, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince would indeed no longer be interested in textiles—the experiment and the verification that needed to be done had already been completed.

With a slight raise of his long eyebrows, Kangxi muttered to himself, "Hmm, not curious anymore? Your minds really change quickly, you're so fickle!"

Under his breath, Kangxi suddenly realized something and looked at Yin'e: "Did you intend to make a dress for the Consort yourself this time?"

With a smirk playing on his lips, Kangxi couldn't help but chuckle, unable to suppress his amusement: "You, who only works sporadically, if you could actually accomplish something like this, I would have to look at you with new respect."

Kangxi's original intention was to mock Yin'e for lacking perseverance and having a short attention span, but after being reminded by him, Yin'e's heart stirred, and he blinked, and was actually somewhat tempted.

Glancing at the restless Yin'e, Kangxi's face hardened, and he warned in a low voice, "Stop causing trouble, don't make a fuss."

Although he verbally mocked Yin'e, Kangxi was actually a little jealous. He knew very well that even if Yin'e had the idea of ​​making clothes by hand as a token of his affection, it was probably not for him. His son was still closer to the Consort.

After warning Yin'e and the Ninth Prince a couple of times and confirming that they were only slightly interested and not addicted to it, Kangxi let the matter drop and gestured for Yin'e to come forward: "Come, Yin'e, it's your turn."

Emperor Kangxi hadn't forgotten that he had only tested the Ninth Prince earlier, and hadn't yet tested Yin'e's knowledge.

Yin'e, who had somehow retreated behind the Ninth Prince, thought: ...I thought I could escape this calamity, but I didn't expect that I still couldn't escape it.

With his head drooping, Yin'e slowly moved towards Kangxi, as if he were going to the execution ground.