Chapter 190, 190 Candidates, Faka

When Tong Guogang was being buried, Emperor Kangxi originally planned to send a prince to the Tong residence to pay his respects. However, Longkodo had offended eight princes at once, which created a problem. Kangxi didn't know which prince to choose and couldn't immediately make a decision.

The Crown Prince didn't even need to think about it. No matter how much Kangxi relied on the Tong family or valued his maternal clan, he would never send the Crown Prince to do such a task.

Emperor Kangxi had recently had a falling out with the Crown Prince, and the two still had some estrangement and had not fully reconciled. However, Emperor Kangxi would never let the Crown Prince make this trip and use the dignity of the heir apparent to save face for the Tong family.

Originally, Emperor Kangxi intended to send the eldest prince to pay respects to Tong Guogang. Kangxi knew that the eldest prince had a good relationship with Orondai, and he would not object to sending the eldest prince to the Tong residence. Moreover, it would be an opportunity to deepen his friendship with Orondai, which would be entirely beneficial.

Today, outside Desheng Gate, Longkodo put on airs as an uncle in front of the eldest prince. Kangxi was very pleased that the eldest prince had been offended but did not lash out on the spot, and felt even more that he had wronged the eldest prince. He really couldn't bear to make his eldest son suffer any more, so he sent him to the Tong family to pay respects to Tong Guogang.

Shaking his head slightly, Kangxi rejected the idea of ​​the eldest prince in his heart. He didn't want his son Baoqing to suffer mistreatment at the Tong family again. Even if the eldest prince wanted to contact the Tong family again, he would wait until Kangxi had warned them.

After ruling out the eldest prince, Kangxi naturally thought of the third prince, but quickly shook his head again.

Given the Third Prince's abilities, he could have handled the task well before Longkodo offended him, without making any mistakes. However, now that the Third Prince harbors resentment towards the Tong family, and knowing his temperament, if he were to run into Longkodo at the Tong family's residence, he would definitely be sullen, which would only cause unpleasantness for both sides. It's better to let it go.

The Fourth Prince… Just as Kangxi considered the possibility of having the Fourth Prince, he shook his head and rejected the idea. Kangxi knew best about the Fourth Prince's resentment towards the Tong family, and he couldn't bring himself to force the Fourth Prince to become close to them.

If the Fourth Prince took the initiative to visit the Tong family to pay his respects, Emperor Kangxi would be happy to see it happen and would only encourage the Fourth Prince to get closer to the Tong family; but if the Fourth Prince was unwilling, Emperor Kangxi would not issue an edict to force him.

The Fifth Prince is a good choice. He's honest and simple-minded, so he probably won't think Longkodo's behavior is too bad, won't have too much resentment towards the Tong family, and won't embarrass them. No... given the Fifth Prince's slow-wittedness, he probably hasn't even realized that he's being mistreated by Longkodo.

The Fifth Prince was honest and kind-hearted, a simple and honest boy, and Emperor Kangxi couldn't bear to bully him. Even if we take a step back and assume that Emperor Kangxi could be so kind, the Empress Dowager in Ning Shou Palace would not be happy about it.

The Empress Dowager never opposed Kangxi and actively cooperated with his various policies toward Mongolia. Her only selfish wish was for the Fifth Prince to be well. Kangxi would not deny even this small wish of the old lady.

Compared to the previous princes, the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince were of lower birth, being only sons of concubines. Kangxi frowned slightly, unwilling to send these two princes to the Tong residence to pay respects on his behalf.

Firstly, the Seventh and Eighth Princes came from lowly backgrounds and held little weight in the eyes of the nobles. Kangxi valued the maternal clan and wanted to bring honor to the Tong family. Of course, he also wanted to send a prince who was at least a concubine's son to represent them, so as not to let the Tong family be looked down upon by the outside world.

Secondly, neither the Seventh Prince nor the Eighth Prince were flamboyant; they were introverted and cautious, unlikely to easily turn against the Tong family, much less daring to antagonize them. However, precisely because of this, the Tong family might turn around and look down on them, causing them to suffer injustice within the Tong family—something Kangxi could not tolerate.

Emperor Kangxi felt pity, guilt, and high regard for the Seventh Prince, and admiration, praise, and affection for the Eighth Prince. Although his affection for the Seventh and Eighth Princes was far less than that for the Crown Prince and the First Prince, Kangxi was extremely protective of his own and would never stand idly by while the Seventh and Eighth Princes were bullied outside.

The Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince were not suitable, so Kangxi then thought of the Ninth Prince according to the order of age. In terms of status, although the Ninth Prince was a bit young, as the son of four imperial concubines, he was barely suitable to go to the Tong family on behalf of Kangxi.

However, Kangxi immediately dismissed the idea when he thought of the Ninth Prince's unruly nature. Compared to his older brothers, the Ninth Prince was a complete troublemaker, never well-behaved and always causing some minor or major trouble.

What's most infuriating is that the Ninth Prince wasn't the only troublemaker in the palace. He didn't cause trouble alone; he teamed up with another brat, the Tenth Prince, to create a "double attack."

Since the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince entered the Imperial Study, the frequency of the Imperial Study's eunuchs coming to the Qianqing Palace to report on each other has increased dramatically over the past year. Every few days there is a new "excitement," and Emperor Kangxi has to deal with their headaches, which has caused him to have many more gray hairs.

This was only because the outer guards who taught riding, archery, and infantry dared not report it. If the outer guards also joined the inner guards in complaining, Kangxi would probably hear about the "great achievements" of the Ninth and Tenth Princes from them every day.

Emperor Kangxi never understood how the Ninth Prince, with his capricious and arrogant nature and extremely guarded heart, had become such a close brother to the Tenth Prince. The Tenth Prince wasn't exactly a good-natured person either, so how did the two of them get along so harmoniously, never quarreling, but instead uniting against external threats?

Kangxi's strongest impression of his tenth son was that he was "reckless." He was reckless, bold, and fearless, always doing things without thinking about the consequences, only caring about his own happiness, and not caring whether it was in accordance with the rules or reason.

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that he climbed over the wall and sneaked into the Eastern and Western Six Palaces is something only the Tenth Prince would do.

Emperor Kangxi truly didn't understand what Yin'e was thinking. No matter how much he missed Consort Gui or wanted to see his mother, he couldn't just openly violate palace rules, could he? Didn't he know to come to the Qianqing Palace to beg for a favor? Instead, he went straight to climb over the wall. He didn't even use his brain; all he did was act recklessly. He had a head on his neck but no brain.

The Tenth Prince was not only reckless but also audacious. Emperor Kangxi eliminated the options of the princes ahead of him according to their order of seniority, but he had no intention of sending Yin'e to the Tong residence.

Yin'e dared to be presumptuous and act recklessly in front of him, which shows how bold he was. This morning outside Desheng Gate, Longkodo acted like an uncle to the princes, but Yin'e was even more arrogant than the eldest prince. He just turned his back and left like the fourth prince, not giving Longkodo any face at all.

Kangxi sent Yin'e to the Tong residence to pay respects to Tong Guogang on his behalf, but he was genuinely afraid that Yin'e would cause a scene there. If he ran into Longkodo, or if Orondai and the others said something unpleasant that angered Yin'e, Kangxi was truly worried that Yin'e might tear down Tong Guogang's mourning hall without a second thought.

Of course, the idea of ​​overturning the mourning hall was just an exaggerated guess. Kangxi felt that Yin'e wouldn't do such a thing, wouldn't go to such lengths... Hmm, he shouldn't be able to do it, right? He wouldn't be so foolish, would he? As Kangxi thought about it, he suddenly became uncertain.

Kangxi was at one point convinced that Yin'e wouldn't do something so outrageous, but at another he thought that he might actually dare to do it.

With a furrowed brow and a sullen face, Kangxi's expression shifted rapidly, his face displaying a riot of colors as if a palette had been overturned: He was having a terrible headache. He couldn't predict the Tenth Prince's actions at all. His son was too reckless; he had no idea how bold he was or what kind of trouble he might cause.

Kangxi was once again puzzled. The doubts that had surfaced in his mind when he saw Yin'e that morning resurfaced: Did he really dote on his tenth son? Did he spoil Yin'e to an extreme degree? How come he remembered that the son he cherished was the crown prince? How could Yin'e be even bolder than the crown prince?!

Liang Jiugong watched as Kangxi strolled around digesting his food, his expression constantly changing, shaking his head and sighing from time to time. He felt that the emperor was particularly strange today, and he dared not speak to him at all. He kept his head down to minimize his presence and would not show himself unless Kangxi called him.

After mentally reviewing all the princes who were old enough, Kangxi still couldn't choose a suitable candidate. Helpless, he turned his attention to the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince.

Aside from their less prestigious backgrounds and lack of influence, which might lead to them being looked down upon by nobles and bullied at the Tong residence, there's nothing else that would make the Seventh and Eighth Princes unsuitable. At least they can complete their duties perfectly without causing trouble or escalating the situation at the Tong residence.

After pondering for a while, Emperor Kangxi, who felt guilty and had great pity for the Seventh Prince because of his leg problems, couldn't bear to send the Seventh Prince to the Tong residence. Instead, he decided to entrust the task of sending the Seventh Prince to the Tong residence to pay respects to Tong Guogang on his behalf to the Eighth Prince.

"The Eighth Prince is always sensible and should be able to handle this task well. There's no need to worry about him." Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief, putting his mind at ease.

The silver shop on Qianmen Street in Beijing, owned by the Niohuru family.

Yin'e accompanied the Ninth Prince for a while in the lobby of the silver shop. Before long, a carriage bearing the insignia of the Niohuru clan stopped in front of the silver shop.

The front curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a middle-aged man who looked somewhat like the imperial concubine, with an air of refinement and elegance, stepped down from the carriage. He strode into the silver shop, looked around the lobby, and his gaze immediately fell on Yin'e, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"Tenth Prince, I've finally met you!" The middle-aged man walked up to Yin'e, lowered his head, and looked at him with deep emotion, his eyes filled with joy, his voice slightly choked with emotion, "This is the first time I've ever met you, Your Highness. You've grown so much! You really look like the Imperial Concubine..."

This scholarly-looking, frail middle-aged man is none other than the current Duke Guoyi, Faka, and also the half-brother of Empress Xiaozhao and Consort Gui.

Although Faka was also Kangxi's brother-in-law and a member of the imperial family, he dared not address the princes as his uncle like Longkodo did.

Faka and Consort Gui were very close siblings, and Faka had a deep affection for Consort Gui, his younger sister. Years ago, he emptied half of the storeroom of the Duke of Guoyi's mansion as a dowry for Consort Gui. Today, he was meeting his nephew Yin'e for the first time. Although Faka was very excited, he always kept to himself and did not overstep his bounds.

This was the first time Yin'e had met his uncle, Faka. Just by looking at Faka's resemblance to the Imperial Concubine, Yin'e had no doubt that Faka and the Imperial Concubine were siblings.

Looking up at Faka, he saw that his eyes were slightly red, his expression was excited, and his brows and eyes were full of nostalgia and joy. Thinking of the extremely generous New Year's gifts that Faka had given him over the years, and thinking of Faka's support and care for the Consort, Yin'e felt more acknowledgment of Faka as his uncle and his goodwill towards him increased.

He grinned at Faka and said in a friendly manner, "You must be Uncle Faka. In private, you can just call me by my name, Yin'e."

Fakalian dared not, neither daring to respond to Yin'e calling him "uncle" nor daring to call Yin'e by his name directly. He repeatedly declined, saying that it was too presumptuous.