Chapter 167 Family Feast

The crown prince wasn't exactly deserted by everyone, but he certainly had no one to help him.

Among the many concubines, princes, and princesses present, not one stood up to say a word to ease the situation or give the crown prince a way out.

The Crown Prince's maternal aunt, Consort Xiao Hesheli, was absent, as was the Third Prince, who had always followed the Crown Prince.

Emperor Kangxi ignored the Crown Prince but did not reprimand him either. He simply ignored the Crown Prince and left him to his own devices, continuing to talk to the Empress Dowager.

Sitting beside the Empress Dowager, Kangxi spoke with a gentle expression and mild tone, mentioning that after the Qing Dynasty went to war with the Dzungars, the Southern Mongolians, led by the Khorchin, were quite active. He hinted to the Empress Dowager that after the Qing Dynasty defeated the Dzungars, the Khorchin would be richly rewarded.

The Empress Dowager was thick-skinned and lacked experience in political struggles. She was not particularly perceptive and failed to notice the unusual atmosphere in the pavilion. She was overjoyed to hear Kangxi praising the Khorchin and couldn't stop smiling.

Although she was happy for the Khorchin, the Empress Dowager was content and not greedy. She did not seek any benefits for the Khorchin. Instead, she repeatedly told Emperor Kangxi, "Your Majesty does not need to reward them specially. This is what the Khorchin should do. They all know to be loyal to the emperor. Mongolia belongs to the Qing Dynasty."

The Empress Dowager lacked the political acumen and cunning of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Knowing she was not particularly bright and lacked political acumen, she firmly remembered Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's dying words of advice:

Always go along with Kangxi and try not to clash with him. As long as she doesn't fall out with Kangxi, even though the Empress Dowager is only Kangxi's legal mother, she can live a peaceful life in the palace and enjoy her old age thanks to Kangxi's filial piety.

The Empress Dowager can offer appropriate protection to the Mongols and the Khorchin. Protecting their shortcomings in minor matters is harmless, but when it comes to matters of national importance, such protection is absolutely unacceptable. Regarding major issues concerning the Khorchin, the policy and approach should be entirely as instructed by Emperor Kangxi; this would actually be better for the Khorchin.

Kangxi smiled slightly after hearing the Empress Dowager's words, his expression softening slightly. He did not continue to promise to reward the Khorchin, but instead said, "Chunxi has been married to the Khorchin for several months now. She was unable to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival family reunion banquet today because she was far away in Mongolia. I miss her very much."

“It’s too late for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Your Majesty, let’s bestow more gifts upon Chunxi during the New Year and send them to Khorchin as quickly as possible, so that Chunxi knows that we all remember her.”

The Empress Dowager didn't quite grasp the situation and genuinely believed that Kangxi had been persuaded to stop mentioning the reward to the Khorchin. Furthermore, because the family was reunited for the Mid-Autumn Festival except for Chunxi, she felt sorry for her eldest daughter who had married far away to Mongolia.

The Empress Dowager couldn't help but sigh, her expression somewhat desolate. She nodded with a long sigh and said, "What the Emperor said makes sense. That's exactly right. We can't let Chunxi feel that she's all alone in Khorchin. We need to let her know that we all care about her and feel sorry for her."

With a sigh, the Empress Dowager shook her head slightly: "I grew up in Mongolia, so naturally I think Mongolia is wonderful in every way, and I am deeply attached to Khorchin. But Chunxi grew up in the capital, and this is her hometown. I'm afraid she won't be able to get used to the climate on the grasslands for a while."

The Empress Dowager had been married off from the Khorchin tribe to the capital for decades, but had never had the opportunity to return to her homeland and set foot on her native soil.

She knew all too well the hardships of marrying far away, and wouldn't assume that Princess Chunxi would enjoy life in Khorchin just because she married into her hometown. The Empress Dowager wasn't clever, but she was genuinely kind and amiable, very empathetic, and had a compassionate heart.

Listening to the conversation between Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager at the head of the table, the Consort Gui, sitting in the first position on the lower left below them, lowered her starry eyes. Her clear, autumn-water-like eyes were hidden under her thick, dark, long eyelashes, revealing not a trace of her gaze.

Her gaze fell on her hands, which were folded on her knees, and she stared intently at the nail guard on her little finger. It seemed that on this day, at this particular time, she suddenly realized how beautiful the finely crafted nail guard with its gold thread was, and she couldn't help but admire it.

The four consorts Huirong Yide, who were sitting near the Imperial Consort, as well as Consort Hesheli of Chuxiu Palace and Consort Borjigit of Xianfu Palace, were the same. They all sat upright with their eyes downcast and no one flattered the two powerful figures or interrupted the conversation between Kangxi and the Empress Dowager.

After Kangxi returned to the palace, anyone with a modicum of sense would notice the strange atmosphere between him and the Crown Prince, realizing that the once close and affectionate father and son were now at odds. Kangxi was angry, but the Crown Prince, proud and arrogant, refused to back down and didn't know how to do so.

Everyone knows that Emperor Kangxi, who had been a widower for over a decade, loved his crown prince dearly. Even if they were having a falling out now, who knows when Kangxi would stop being angry and reconcile with the crown prince as before?

The concubines in the palace who could rise to the rank of Consort or above were not stupid; they were all clear-headed. Before the complicated relationship between Emperor Kangxi and the Crown Prince was sorted out, no one dared to recklessly interfere.

Consort Hesheli of the Chuxiu Palace was seated relatively close to the front, and thus was very close to the Crown Prince, who sat next to Kangxi and was ignored by everyone, with a slightly heavy and gloomy expression.

With her lips tightly pressed together, Consort Chuxiu, who had lost weight since becoming pregnant, looked slightly pale. Her right hand rested on her stomach, seemingly relaxed and casual, but upon closer inspection, one could see that Consort Chuxiu's body remained tense.

Consort Chuxiu was dressed in a lotus-colored palace gown, which made her right hand, resting on her stomach, appear as smooth as jade and her fingers as delicate as scallions. However, her slender hand was slightly curled up, her fingers trembled slightly from time to time, and the veins on the back of her hand stood out.

Seeing that the Ninth Prince was staring in one direction, almost dropping the rabbit figurine he was holding, Yin'e took the figurine from the Ninth Prince and placed it on the table. He then looked in the direction the Ninth Prince was looking and asked curiously, "Ninth Brother, what are you looking at?"

The rabbit-headed, human-bodied clay sculpture that Yin'e casually placed on the table was a fine gift from the Imperial Household Department. The small, three-inch-tall rabbit was exquisitely crafted, more like a work of art than an object used during the moon-worship ceremony or a toy made afterward.

The Rabbit God has a pink and white face, wears a golden helmet and armor, and has a small and exquisite command flag on his back. He rides a majestic tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead. He is cute and lively because of his small and exquisite body and rabbit head, and he is also majestic and solemn because of his attire and the tiger he rides.

The Ninth Prince reluctantly withdrew his gaze, his eyes still brimming with a mixture of schadenfreude and pity: "I was looking at Third Brother. I don't know why, but seeing him like that, I actually felt a little sorry for him."

The Ninth Prince and the Third Prince have always been at odds. Their feud started when they were young. After the Ninth Prince entered the Imperial Study, the two often quarreled and argued. It was always one of them attacking the other. Their grudges did not diminish at all but instead escalated.

But seeing the Third Prince's dejected state, the Ninth Prince felt a little schadenfreude, but upon reflection, he wasn't entirely happy; a lingering sense of sympathy remained.

Hearing what the Ninth Prince said, Yin'e couldn't help but laugh: "Ninth Brother, we don't get along with the Third Brother, but we're just verbally abusive. We've never caused any major trouble. When we argue with the Third Brother, we settle our scores on the spot. We don't hold grudges or do anything underhanded behind his back."

Yin'e and the Third Prince did not get along well. The two brothers rarely spoke to each other properly, and their conversations were either sarcastic or full of bickering.

However, Yin'e was still willing to bicker with the Third Prince, but he kept his distance from the Crown Prince, the First Prince, and even the Eighth Prince, not saying a word to them and not wanting to have any inappropriate contact with them.

After being sent back from the front lines by Emperor Kangxi, the Third Prince remained silent, barely speaking even in the Imperial Study, a stark contrast to his usual outspoken nature.

Emperor Kangxi had initially comforted him and given him advance notice of his marriage, which helped the Third Prince regain some of his spirits. However, upon seeing the Crown Prince at the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet today, the Third Prince became depressed again, sitting sullenly in his seat, refusing to play with the rabbit figurine, take the octagonal palace lantern, or even eat mooncakes.

“Speaking of which, Third Brother is indeed a bit unlucky.” Yin’e shook his head and couldn’t help but light a candle for Third Prince in his heart. “It must have been so hard to rush from the capital to the front line. He was sent back before he even had a chance to rest. Most people couldn’t bear such a journey.”

Yin'e glanced at the Crown Prince and suddenly thought of something. He leaned close to the Ninth Prince's ear and whispered, "Third Brother was implicated by the Crown Prince and was sent back to the capital by Father Khan. After Father Khan returned to the capital, he showed Third Brother a lot of concern and even arranged a marriage for him ahead of time to make up for it. But surely the Crown Prince won't show any reaction at all?"

With a sneer, the Ninth Prince said in a sarcastic tone, "He is the Crown Prince, the heir apparent, such a noble and proud person. How could he bow down and apologize to an ordinary prince?"

“Look, the Crown Prince angered the Khan and was ignored by the Khan for a long time, but he still refused to bow his head and admit his mistake, and sincerely apologize. He is both the legitimate son and the Crown Prince, and has been pampered since childhood. But we are different. We can’t lower our heads.”

The Ninth Prince's strong reaction wasn't because he felt sorry for the Third Prince, but because he empathized with the Third Prince's plight and felt a sense of shared sorrow. He was mainly grieving for Yin'e, as he himself didn't have any direct conflict with the Crown Prince.

The Ninth Prince hadn't forgotten that Lingpu, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, was keeping a close eye on the three residences of Yin'e. It was Lingpu who had reported their wool-making schemes to Emperor Kangxi. It would be strange if the petty Ninth Prince didn't hold a grudge against Lingpu and the Crown Prince.

The Ninth Prince never liked the arrogant and haughty Crown Prince. After Lingpu's deliberate targeting of the Ganxi Three Palaces, he was even more eager for the Crown Prince to fall from his high position and suffer a severe setback. The Ninth Prince was just that kind of person, with clear likes and dislikes. He only wanted those he disliked to suffer as much as possible.

Shaking his head slightly, Yin'e disagreed with the Crown Prince's behavior. He couldn't quite understand whether the Crown Prince was too arrogant and aloof, or if he was talented but lacked emotional intelligence. He had done something wrong, yet he refused to admit it and wait for the aggrieved party to give him a way out.

It should be noted that, so far, the Third Prince is the only prince who is willing to be close to and follow the Crown Prince. The other princes do not have a good relationship with the Crown Prince. They are respectful, but there is no closeness at all.

The Fourth Prince, who will be a supporter of the Crown Prince for a long time to come, supports the Crown Prince because the Crown Prince is the heir apparent and has a great responsibility. He is not close to the Crown Prince and their brotherly relationship is not deep.