Chapter 202: A Promise of Gratitude

After having breakfast, Yin'e first received the rewards sent by Ning Shou Palace, and then waited for half an hour at the Qianxi Sansuo before receiving Kangxi's rewards.

After accepting the gifts as required and expressing his gratitude to the Emperor, Yin'e casually flipped through Kangxi's gifts and found that they were all pretty but useless things. They looked valuable, but they were actually not very practical. It was obvious that they were sent as usual, without any effort put into them.

Yin'e smiled, casually put down the list, showing no disappointment, let alone sadness or distress.

Unlike Consort Niohuru, Yin'e had little affection for Emperor Kangxi. Therefore, Kangxi didn't pay much attention to him, which made Yin'e feel at ease, as he felt he owed Kangxi less and didn't need to repay him emotionally.

To be fair, although Emperor Kangxi didn't care much for Yin'e, he actually treated Yin'e well.

As the emperor, Yin'e had everything that other princes had, and he was not mistreated. In fact, because of the influence of his maternal family, Yin'e's treatment in the palace was only slightly worse than that of the crown prince.

As a father, Kangxi did not deliberately neglect Yin'e, nor did he harbor any dislike for him or intentionally suppress him. Kangxi intended to cultivate Yin'e into a capable person, just like he did for his other princes. It's just that he didn't love him as much as he loved the crown prince or value him as much as he valued the eldest prince.

But this can only be described as favoritism. And favoritism is perfectly normal. Even fingers are of different lengths, and the heart is located on the side of the body. To demand that Kangxi treat all his children equally is to make things difficult for him.

Kangxi treated Yin'e well, and Yin'e didn't want to let Kangxi down. His way of repaying the favor was to not participate in the struggle for the throne, and even less to encourage the Consort and the Niohuru clan to participate in the struggle.

Yin'e believed that this was the reward Kangxi truly desired. Kangxi was the emperor first and foremost, and only then a father; his priority was undoubtedly the stability of the court, and only then the bond between father and son.

With the Crown Prince already established, regardless of whether Kangxi was somewhat disappointed in him, he certainly wanted to ensure the Crown Prince's stable position. As the son of a Consort and from the Niohuru family, Yin'e would pose a great threat to the Crown Prince if he participated in the struggle for the throne. Kangxi hoped that Yin'e would behave himself and not compete with the Crown Prince.

As for the father-son relationship with Yin'e, whether Yin'e was close to or distant from his father, Kangxi, whether he was affectionate or indifferent, Kangxi didn't really care that much.

First of all, Emperor Kangxi's most beloved son was the Crown Prince. He gave nine-tenths of his fatherly love to the Crown Prince, the remaining one-tenth to the eldest prince, and only the rest to his other children.

Secondly, Emperor Kangxi had too many sons. Apart from the older princes, he clearly didn't pay much attention to the younger ones. Unlike Yin'e, the older princes weren't allowed to slack off in the study or even skip classes, because Kangxi had previously placed much more emphasis on the princes' studies than he did now.

Having received the reward, he had to express his gratitude. Yin'e first had to go to the Qianqing Palace to pay his respects to Emperor Kangxi, then to the Ningshou Palace to see the Empress Dowager, before he could return to the Yongshou Palace to reunite with the Consort. In truth, the time he could spend with the Consort on his birthday was not long.

He took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time, estimating that the morning court session was almost over. Only then did Yin'e get up, put on his ochre-red python robe, and head to the Qianqing Palace. He was still young and not yet old enough to wear the imperial robes, so the Imperial Household Department wouldn't send them over.

Other princes might go to the Qianqing Palace to express their gratitude earlier, but Yin'e didn't want to sit on the sidelines there. So he planned to go there after the morning court session ended, meet with Emperor Kangxi as usual, express his gratitude, and leave immediately without wasting any more time at the Qianqing Palace.

Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, after being led inside by a young eunuch, Yin'e had barely sat down, and before tea was even served, Liang Jiugong, with a warm smile, came to invite Yin'e into the inner hall. It turned out that Emperor Kangxi had just finished his morning court session and had some free time to receive him.

Having successfully completed the checkpoint, Yin'e's lips curled up slightly, a smile flashing in his eyes, and he stood up and walked towards the inner hall.

Yin'e was not a frequent visitor to the Qianqing Palace. Unlike other princes who would visit the Qianqing Palace to pay their respects to Emperor Kangxi every few days, Yin'e only visited the palace when there was a reason. He would only come if it was required by the rules or if he had something to ask of Emperor Kangxi. He was very pragmatic.

Upon entering the inner palace and meeting Emperor Kangxi, Yin'e bowed, uttered a few polite words of thanks, and then wanted to leave—he still had to make a trip to Ning Shou Palace before reaching Yong Shou Palace, and he was in a hurry, so he didn't want to waste any more time with Emperor Kangxi.

Kangxi, however, stopped Yin'e with a half-smile: "Didn't you say last time that you wanted to take a trip to Mongolia?"

Yin'e's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "Father Khan, are you planning to go hunting beyond the Great Wall? Can you take me with you?"

“Even if we go to the border regions in the next two years, I can’t take you with me.” Kangxi glanced at Yin’e.

The Qing Dynasty had just launched a campaign against the Dzungars this year, and it was destined to have frequent contact with the Mongols in the coming years. However, more contact between the two sides would not only deepen their ties and strengthen their relationship, but would also generate differences and friction, requiring a push-and-pull approach, and there were many hidden dangers.

Emperor Kangxi inevitably went hunting beyond the Great Wall, but he did not intend to take any princes who were too young with him.

Showing the older princes to the Mongol princes would let the Mongols know that the Qing Dynasty had successors and keep them subservient to the Qing. But bringing the younger princes along would be purely for sightseeing and to broaden their horizons, so it wouldn't be appropriate for them in the last two years.

Yin'e was just seven years old, so Kangxi didn't consider taking him there. He would wait until he was ten, when the unrest in the Dzungar Khanate would have subsided. If Yin'e was still interested in Mongolia, then it wouldn't be impossible to take him on a trip to the borderlands.

Yin'e's face fell immediately. If he wasn't planning to take him with him when he went to the border regions these past two years, what was he going to say to him? Was he just teasing him?

His undisguised display of emotion amused Kangxi, who deliberately teased him but instead made a promise: "In two years, I'll take you with me when I go to the borderlands!"