Chapter 209 209 Everyday Life is Different

After successfully dealing with the troublesome Third Prince, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince naturally turned their attention to the more approachable Fourth Prince: "Fourth Brother, what about you? Would you like to lend a hand to your younger brothers?"

Replacing the wedding snacks with goat milk snacks is really not a big deal. The Fourth Prince nodded indifferently and said, "Okay."

Just as the Third Prince said, he didn't suffer any loss.

In this matter, neither the Third Prince nor the Fourth Prince will suffer any loss of interests. The only one who will be harmed is the Imperial Household Department. They will be forced to make concessions and end up promoting Yin'e and the Ninth Prince for nothing.

The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince nodded in agreement one after another. Yin'e and the Ninth Prince felt a great weight lifted from their hearts and smiled broadly, their joy evident in their expressions.

After the initial excitement subsided, Yin'e was quicker to compose himself than the Ninth Prince. He glanced at the Third Prince, thinking that it was best to say things upfront and make them clear from the beginning, so he said frankly and truthfully, "Third Brother, I have to tell you the truth."

Yin'e turned his head and exchanged a glance with the Ninth Prince before continuing, "Ninth Brother and I are currently losing money to gain publicity. The goat milk powder business has just started, and we're still in the stage of putting money into it. We won't break even so quickly."

Because the business was just starting out and hadn't yet made a profit, Yin'e thought of taking a shortcut through the Imperial Household Department to save some of the money he would have spent on advertising.

“Actually, neither Ninth Brother nor I can guarantee that the goat milk powder business will really succeed.” Yin’e looked at the Third Prince with great sincerity. “So the only benefit I can offer is a promise—if this business succeeds one day, the Bairin tribe will definitely not be overlooked.”

The Third Prince looked up and saw that Yin'e was very serious. After thinking for a moment, he readily agreed.

For the Third Prince, his contribution was minimal, so he didn't expect to gain much. He was just acting casually, and even if Yin'e failed, he wouldn't suffer much loss; on the contrary, if Yin'e succeeded, the Third Prince would reap a huge profit.

Having made a promise to the Third Prince, it wouldn't be right to favor the Fourth Prince over him, so Yin'e turned to look at the Fourth Prince, who had already opened his book to prepare for morning reading: "Fourth Brother..."

“I don’t need it.” Yin’e was interrupted before he could finish speaking. The Fourth Prince said indifferently without looking up, “It’s just a small matter.”

The Third Prince's sensitive nerves were immediately touched, and he muttered awkwardly, "Fourth Brother, that's not fair of you. You're making it seem like I'm being too calculating."

Yin'e and Ninth Prince: ? Aren't you usually very calculating?

At this moment, the Seventh Prince interjected and asked, "Tenth Brother, do you have enough capital?" He looked at Yin'e with concern and said very seriously, "If you are short of money, I can invest a share."

The Seventh Prince didn't want to get involved in Yin'e and the Ninth Prince's business to make some money. He just heard from Yin'e that they were losing money to gain publicity, and he simply wanted to help Yin'e out.

The Seventh Prince is not short of money. Although his birth mother is still only a concubine and has no spare resources to take care of him, the Seventh Prince's relationship with the Prince Chun's mansion has never been severed. In addition to the prince's allowance, he also receives a stipend as the heir of the Prince Chun's family.

Yin'e quickly waved his hand to refuse: "No, this business has just started and is still losing money. There's no profit at all. I'm too embarrassed to ask you to join."

“Let Ninth Brother and I try it out first. That’s how business is. You’re bound to lose money in the early stages, but things will be fine once the business is established. If Seventh Brother doesn’t want his spare money to sit idle, you can invest in the business once it’s on track and starts making money.”

After hearing this, the Seventh Prince shook his head and chuckled. The cold indifference that had been gathering in his eyes and brows faded slightly, revealing a hint of warmth as if the first snow had melted: "If you don't participate in the initial investment, how can you have the nerve to invest and freeload off your good fortune later?"

Not far from the Seventh Prince, the Eighth Prince's lips twitched slightly. He wanted to say something in support of the investment in order to fit in, but in the end, he had concerns and hesitated for a long time before finally not speaking up.

Unlike the Seventh Prince, who had external support, the Eighth Prince was truly penniless. Among the princes currently studying in the Imperial Study, the Eighth Prince's family background was the weakest.

The Eighth Prince's birth mother, Lady Wei, came from a humble background. She was originally a slave in the Imperial Household Department. After being favored by the emperor, she was promoted to a concubine. Even after giving birth to the Sixteenth Prince, she was not promoted and only enjoyed the status of a Noble Lady. She still lived in the side hall of Yanxi Palace, and the prince she gave birth to was raised by Consort Hui, the principal consort of Yanxi Palace.

Given his mother's background, Lady Wei, it would be a miracle if the Eighth Prince didn't suffer any consequences, let alone rely on his maternal clan. There were some things the Seventh Prince could say without any burden, but the Eighth Prince could only remain silent, because he currently lacked the ability to fulfill his words.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yin'e noticed the hesitant expression on the Eighth Prince's face and immediately realized his predicament, so he couldn't help but sigh.

Yin'e simply couldn't bring himself to like the Eighth Prince.

Even if he tries to convince himself with reasons like "history might change" or "nothing has happened yet," he still can't get over that hurdle in his heart.

However, it's not accurate to say that Yin'e harbored any great malice towards the Eighth Prince.

Yin'e knew he didn't have the ability to prevent problems before they arise and nip danger in the bud. The Eighth Prince was a prince, after all. Could Yin'e really kill him in the heavily guarded Forbidden City without anyone noticing?

Even if he had the ability, Yin'e couldn't bring himself to do it: the Eighth Prince was only ten years old this year, still a child; Yin'e and the Eighth Prince studied together in the Imperial Study every day and never had any conflicts. Even if they didn't have brotherly affection, they were still classmates.

The Third Prince and the Ninth Prince have always had a strained relationship, but they only argue verbally. Yin'e and the Eighth Prince have never been at odds, so how could Yin'e possibly do anything to harm the Eighth Prince?

All Yin'e could do was keep his distance from the Eighth Prince, neither getting close nor offending him, and simply treat him like an unfamiliar classmate, neither too close nor too distant.

Not wanting the Eighth Prince to continue to struggle with money, Yin'e quickly spoke up again to persuade the Seventh Prince to give up his idea of ​​investing money: "Initial investment is unavoidable in doing business, and the Ninth Prince and I both know that."

“We’re just doing small-scale things right now, and our allowances are enough to cover our expenses. We don’t need to worry about money, so Seventh Brother doesn’t need to worry about us.”

The Third Prince pulled out the Book of Rites while humming, "Seventh Brother, instead of worrying about whether their money is good or not, you should worry more about how I, your Third Brother, will support the family. I'm getting married soon, and the backyard will be quite lively then..."

Halfway through his sentence, the Third Prince realized that what he was about to say was inappropriate for the Imperial Study, so he immediately shut his mouth and stopped talking. He simply opened the Book of Rites and began to reread the article that he already knew by heart.

Seeing that Yin'e was determined, the Seventh Prince said no more and just smiled it off.

Of course, the Eighth Prince wouldn't show himself at this time; he simply lowered his head and quietly began practicing calligraphy—his calligraphy had always been poor.

The Fourth Prince silently withdrew his gaze from the Third Prince and sighed without a sound. He and the Third Prince were brothers side by side, of similar age and in similar order of birth, and even their wedding dates were set on the same day. Among the people in the Imperial Study, he was probably the only one who knew what was troubling the Third Prince.

A grand wedding is certainly a good thing. Only after getting married can one be considered an adult by the Khan and thus be allowed to serve in the court and achieve great things.

But the wedding also meant that they were no longer alone. From then on, they shouldered the responsibility of family. Their future was not only about themselves, but also about their wives, children, and their families.

To be honest, it's a bit too hasty for the Fourth Prince to get married this year.

The Third Prince is sixteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), and is already fourteen. He already has servants in his household, so it would be appropriate for him to get married this year.

However, the Fourth Prince was a year younger than the Third Prince. He was born in the twelfth lunar month, and although he was said to be fifteen years old in the traditional Chinese age reckoning, he was not yet thirteen years old in the actual age reckoning. The wife whom Kangxi assigned to the Fourth Prince, the daughter of Fei Yanggu, Ulanara, was even younger. She had just turned ten years old this year. No matter how old she was, it would be a shame to say that she was thirteen years old in the traditional Chinese age reckoning.

It's far too early to have the Fourth Prince marry Ulanara so soon; the wedding seems rushed.

However, Emperor Kangxi had no choice but to bring forward the wedding date of the Fourth Prince and set it on the same day as the Third Prince's wedding. The Fourth Prince was in an awkward situation and needed to marry a consort to take care of his daily life.

Since the death of Empress Xiaoyi, the Fourth Prince's daily life has been neglected.

The Fourth Prince's birth mother, Consort De, was cold towards him, unwilling to even show him any courtesy, and only cared about her youngest son, the Fourteenth Prince. With Consort De still alive, the Noble Consort, who was in charge of the inner palace, could not overstep her bounds and interfere in the Fourth Prince's private affairs.

Actually, after Empress Xiaoyi's death, Emperor Kangxi brought Fei Yanggu's daughter into the palace to be raised by the Empress Dowager, precisely because he considered the Fourth Prince's special circumstances. However, the fact that the Fourth Prince's wedding was set so early was due to Consort De's blatant and undisguised coldness towards him.

In recent years, Consort De's favor with the emperor has gradually faded, which may be partly due to her neglect of the Fourth Prince.

Seeing that the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince had opened their books and started reading, Yin'e didn't want to disturb them any longer. He just hurriedly gave them a word of advice and went to his seat: "Third Brother, Fourth Brother, don't forget to mention the matter of exchanging snacks with the Imperial Household Department."

The Ninth Prince followed Yin'e back to his seat and reminded him, "There are still about ten days until your wedding. Remember to tell the Imperial Household Department as soon as possible, and don't make the time too tight."

It is now the height of summer at the end of July, and the wedding date of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince is set for August 16th, the first day after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"What do you need to tell the Imperial Household Department?"

Just then, the Fifth Prince walked in from the door. Having only heard half of what the Ninth Prince said, he only vaguely understood what he was talking about. His round face, with its outstanding features, was half bewildered and half puzzled: "Were the people from the Imperial Household Department not serving us properly?"

As they were talking, the Fifth Prince saw the Ninth Prince and Yin'e sitting upright in their seats. His pupils dilated in shock, and his face showed fear and astonishment: "Am I late?!"

He's late?! If the Khan finds out, he'll definitely be punished!

But something's not right... The Fifth Prince was puzzled. His phoenix eyes, which were already bulging from his flesh, widened even more: He hadn't gotten up late today, and he was no different from usual, so why was he late?

Seeing his elder brother acting foolishly so early in the morning, the Ninth Prince was speechless: "Fifth Brother, is it possible that you weren't late, but that the Tenth Brother and I just arrived early today?"

Fifth Prince: ? ? ? Ah, did the sun rise in the west today?

The Third Prince curled his lip, looking disdainful: "Fifth Brother, don't be surprised. They only did it occasionally and couldn't stick to it."

While making sarcastic remarks, the Third Prince continued to silently read the Book of Rites, his pen never stopping as he wrote down his new insights and feelings. Multitasking did not affect his work at all: "Just you wait and see, they will be back to normal tomorrow, they won't be here before you."

Yin'e ignored the Third Prince's mockery and had no intention of refuting it at all.

Not only Yin'e, but even the Ninth Prince, who had always been at odds with the Third Prince and was always bickering with him, remained silent.

Just kidding, they're not stupid, they wouldn't argue with the Third Prince on this matter.

They wouldn't do something thankless; otherwise, would they get up early every day to come to the Imperial Study just to prove the Third Prince wrong?

There was no need, so he politely declined. Yin'e said that it was impossible for him to work hard, that he would never work hard in his life, and that he couldn't sustain himself through hard work; only by lying low and doing nothing could he barely make a living.