Chapter 155 Distress and Loss of Composure

The eldest prince's frank remarks startled Kangxi for a moment, followed by a moment of bewilderment.

Emperor Kangxi understood his eldest son's personality, knowing that his eldest son was always straightforward, never hiding his thoughts or feelings, and always speaking his mind openly. However, Kangxi hadn't expected that on such an important issue, his eldest son would be so stubborn.

However, Kangxi was not annoyed, because the eldest prince's reaction was exactly what he wanted.

Emperor Kangxi's teaching of the crown prince was geared towards making him the heir apparent and an emperor who would shoulder the responsibility of ruling the country. Therefore, he required the crown prince to have political acumen, a broad perspective, and the ability to see the overall situation from a higher level and consider the big picture from a more grand perspective.

But Kangxi did not have this expectation for the eldest prince.

The eldest prince was straightforward and upright, and also had outstanding talent in riding and archery, making him a rare warrior. Therefore, Kangxi's expectation for the eldest prince was not to become a wise prince like Prince Yu who assisted in governing the country, but to become a fierce general who could bring peace to the country and guard the border.

It was precisely because the eldest prince was straightforward, honest, and upright that he acted openly and honestly when he did things in accordance with his conscience. Even though the eldest prince competed with the crown prince after he came of age, and the private conflicts became more frequent and intense, Kangxi did not really think that the eldest prince was vying for the throne.

The eldest prince was fostered outside the palace when he was young. After being brought back to the palace, he was both envious and jealous of the crown prince who was personally raised and taught by Emperor Kangxi. He often competed with the crown prince in front of Emperor Kangxi and vied for Emperor Kangxi's favor.

Emperor Kangxi knew that the eldest prince and the crown prince were at odds and had a strained relationship since childhood, but he was unaware that the struggle for the throne was already beginning to unfold.

Emperor Kangxi still thought that the eldest prince and the crown prince were vying for favor. He had not yet truly realized that his son had grown up and was gradually developing a desire for power, and had already set his sights on the dragon throne beneath him to fight for it.

Now, what the Crown Prince and the First Prince are vying for is no longer Kangxi's favor, but Kangxi's power and status. Kangxi has not yet realized this; he still views the Crown Prince and the First Prince through a lens of prejudice, still regarding them as sons who need his careful protection and patient guidance.

"Good, you truly deserve to be the Baturu of my Aisin Gioro family!" Kangxi laughed heartily, his eyes filled with pride as he looked at the eldest prince. "I await your victory over the Dzungars for the Qing Dynasty—once the Qing Dynasty and the Dzungars go to war, I will appoint you as the vanguard."

The eldest prince puffed out his chest without the slightest hesitation and said confidently, "Your subject will certainly not disappoint Father Khan."

After expressing his determination, as Kangxi laughed with increasing pride and joy, the eldest prince glanced sideways at the crown prince and gave him a smug look.

His fist clenched tightly, and where Kangxi couldn't see, the Crown Prince's face suddenly darkened, his eyes filled with a cold, menacing light.

Yin'e, the youngest prince studying in the Imperial Study and seated at the end of the table, suddenly sighed and lowered his head, withdrawing his gaze from Kangxi, the Crown Prince, and the First Prince.

"Tenth Brother, what's wrong?" Upon hearing Yin'e's sigh, the Ninth Prince leaned slightly towards him and asked in a concerned whisper, "Are you tired of sitting for so long? Or are you feeling unwell?"

With his lips slightly pursed, Yin'e shook his head, saying nothing, but simply indicating to the Ninth Prince that he was alright.

Yin'e was just feeling sentimental for a moment. The eldest prince was now full of vigor and high spirits. Even when it came to going to the battlefield to fight, he was not afraid at all. On the contrary, he was full of ambition and confidence.

Who could have imagined that the ambitious and spirited eldest prince would be stripped of his title and imprisoned by the filial Emperor Kangxi for vying for the throne in his prime, spending the rest of his life in confinement, never to return to his youthful vigor and ambition?

While Yin'e was lamenting, Kangxi had already asked the Third Prince in turn: "Third Prince, do you have any insights?"

Gazing at the Third Prince, Kangxi was somewhat surprised that he had taken the initiative to ask the question. Usually, the Third Prince would have eagerly spoken up long ago, and there would have been no need for Kangxi to ask.

What's wrong with the Third Prince today? He's so depressed, it's like he's a completely different person.

When Emperor Kangxi asked him a question, the Third Prince, who had been hanging his head and lost in thought, finally came to his senses and forced himself to speak: "Your Majesty, I think what the Crown Prince and my elder brother said is absolutely right. They hit the nail on the head and have profound insights. I have nothing to add."

In the antique and elegant pavilion built on the mountaintop, Kangxi and the others looked at each other in disbelief upon hearing the Third Prince's reply, wondering if they had misheard.

Everyone turned to look at the Third Prince, their eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief. Some even doubted whether the Third Prince standing there was an imposter, or whether he was their son/third brother/third elder brother.

Yin'e and the Third Prince had been enemies for years due to a minor grudge from several years ago. There's a saying, "The one who understands you best is not your friend, but your enemy," and Yin'e really did understand the Third Prince quite well, knowing his character.

At this moment, Yin'e couldn't hold back his inner complaints any longer: You're not the Third Prince, who are you? Give back that show-off, attention-seeking Third Prince! The Third Prince is suddenly so profound, it's not like him at all.

The Third Prince was probably genuinely depressed and in a bad mood. After giving Kangxi's question insincere answers, he slumped down, head drooping, looking lost and absent-minded, seemingly not knowing what he was thinking.

Inside the pavilion, Kangxi and several princes exchanged glances, their expressions varied. They were all particularly unaccustomed to the Third Prince's unusually serious demeanor, feeling both puzzled and worried about his strange behavior.

Finally, the eldest prince stepped forward, coughed lightly, and said, "Third brother, what's wrong with you today? Why are you so listless and dispirited? Are you feeling unwell? Should we summon the imperial physician to take your pulse?"

The Third Prince stared blankly at the First Prince, as if he needed great effort to understand what the First Prince was saying.

After a long, stunned silence, it seemed that the Third Prince's departed soul had finally returned. His eyes widened, and a look of collapse suddenly appeared on his face. He could no longer hold back his emotions and had to wipe his face to cover them up. However, when he took his hand down, his eyes were still red.

First Prince: ...

First Prince: ? ? ?

The eldest prince was completely dumbfounded. Looking at the third prince's red eyes, he was at a loss and wished he could immediately bring in some witnesses to prove his innocence.

He was truly at a loss. He thought to himself that he hadn't said anything special, just a few words of concern for the Third Prince, and his tone was completely sincere and genuine, without any sarcasm. So why did the Third Prince suddenly become aggrieved, with his eyes as red as a rabbit's?

Emperor Kangxi shook his head slightly at the eldest prince, indicating that he did not need to worry. Everyone present had eyes and knew that the third prince's unusual behavior had nothing to do with the eldest prince. At most, it was the eldest prince's concern that made the third prince, who was still holding back his grievances, unable to hold back his emotions and finally let them out.

The eldest prince stepped aside, and after the third prince took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Kangxi spoke up at the right time: "Third prince, if you have any grievances, just say them. Don't keep them to yourself. As long as you have done nothing wrong, I will definitely stand up for you."

When Kangxi asked him such a question and showed concern, the Third Prince almost burst out with tears that he had managed to hold back. He shook his head with red eyes and his voice was hoarse and tearful: "I have not been wronged. I am just... just a little sad."

Lowering his head and rubbing his eyes, the Third Prince gritted his teeth and suppressed his emotions. After a long while, he said in a trembling voice, "Just now, Father Khan mentioned that the winters in Mongolia are extremely cold and often plagued by white disasters. I couldn't help but think of Sister Chunxi. She is going to marry far away to Mongolia. I wonder when she will have the chance to return home."

Princess Chunxi was Emperor Kangxi's adopted daughter and was the eldest princess in terms of birth order. The Third Prince did not have much contact with Princess Chunxi, and their relationship was not particularly deep. He was not really saddened by Princess Chunxi, but rather felt a sense of kinship and thought of his own Third Princess, who was about to get married next year.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Third Princess, born to Consort Rong along with the Third Prince, will also marry into Mongolia, taking on the responsibility of supporting Mongolia as a princess and daughter of the imperial clan. She will become a sacrifice in the Manchu-Mongol marriage alliance, using her frail body as a bond and bridge connecting the Manchu and Mongol peoples, just like other princesses and imperial clanswomen who married into Mongolia.

Consort Rong, of the Ma Jia clan, was one of Emperor Kangxi's earliest concubines. She gave birth to five sons and one daughter. Apart from the Third Princess and the Third Prince, the other four sons died young, and only the Third Princess and the Third Prince grew up successfully.

Although, like the eldest prince, the third prince was also fostered outside the palace in his early years, after Consort Rong lost four sons, she loved her only two children who grew up very much. This made the third prince admire and be close to Consort Rong, and he also had a very close relationship with his sister, the Third Princess, with a deep and profound affection.

The Third Prince knew, of course, that the Third Princess had always been favored by Emperor Kangxi and held great prestige in his presence. Once the Third Princess went to Mongolia to pacify the region, Emperor Kangxi would inevitably show leniency towards Consort Rong and the Third Prince whenever he thought of her. However, the Third Prince was not happy to have a solid backer; he only felt sorry for his sister.

Whether life was good or bad after a marriage to a distant land can be seen by looking at the Empress Dowager in Ning Shou Palace. Despite her exalted status and the life of luxury and honor she enjoyed for most of her life in the Forbidden City, she never felt happy when she thought of her hometown, the grasslands, and the Khorchin region; she was always filled with a sense of loss.

Emperor Kangxi naturally knew who the Third Prince was grieving for, and fell silent.

Leaving aside Princess Chunxi, the Third Princess was his first daughter who stood firm and grew up smoothly. How could he not love her? And how could he not feel heartache when he sent the Third Princess to marry far away to Mongolia?

No matter how reluctant he was, Emperor Kangxi had already made his decision. He planned to officially confer the title of Second Princess on the Third Princess next year and have her marry into the Bairin tribe in southern Mongolia, continuing the Manchu-Mongol alliance. Most of the daughters of the imperial family were sent to serve the Mongols, and there was no such thing as a princess of the imperial family being able to remain uninvolved.

Because of the Third Prince's outburst, Kangxi did not ask the other princes what they thought. The welcoming of spring and the garden tour could not continue. Kangxi lost his previous mood and simply waved his hand to let the Crown Prince and the other princes go home.

However, Kangxi did not blame the Third Prince for being sentimental and ruining the original atmosphere. Kangxi, who was also very sentimental, was moved by the Third Prince's words and took him to Qixiang Palace to find the Third Princess, intending to take the siblings to Zhongcui Palace to see Consort Rong.

After Kangxi left with the Third Prince, the Ninth Prince, who escaped a calamity and was neither asked to write a poem nor questioned by Kangxi, couldn't help but sigh softly, "I never thought that one day I would actually thank my Third Brother."