Chapter 46 Back in the Palace, the Tenth Prince's Salted Fish and Porridge...

Ever since Consort Yi discovered that Consort Guo Luoluo was always getting close to Yin Tang when she wasn't paying attention, and was intentionally or unintentionally trying to win him over, Consort Yi subtly separated the two of them.

First, she restricted Consort Guoluo from moving freely in Yikun Palace; second, when her health was still good, she personally watched over Yinzhen, but when she could no longer hold on, she sent Yinzhen out of Yikun Palace. In short, she did not give Yinzhen and Consort Guoluo any opportunity to meet.

First, there was the physical separation caused by Consort Yi, and later Yin Tang met Yin E.

Aside from sleeping, Yinzhen spent more time in Yongshou Palace than in Yikun Palace. Naturally, he hadn't seen Consort Guoluo for a long time, only catching glimpses of her from afar a few times in the past two months.

However, Yinzhen had a very good memory. He had long recognized people and remembered that Consort Guoluo was his aunt. He remembered that his aunt often came to visit him (actually to see Yinyu), and that she had a good relationship with his mother. He had no suspicion of her at all.

Regardless of whether Consort Yi and Consort Guoluo had fallen out, Yinzhen was still young, and Consort Yi would never reveal these ugly and dark things to him.

Yinzhen was unaware that his once doting aunt had changed and that the candy she gave him might contain poison.

When Consort Guoluo took the initiative to talk to him, Yinzhen was completely unprepared and did not avoid her. Although he was a little impatient, he still gave her face and did not immediately rush out of Yikun Palace—Yinzhen was actually very soft-hearted towards people he was close to.

Having finally found an opportunity to get close to Yinzhen, Consort Guoluo did not miss it. She said many things to Yinzhen, which at first glance seemed harmless, but upon closer inspection, they were all provocative words. This was the reason why Yinzhen was heartbroken and angry.

"What did your aunt say to you?" Yin'e asked, frowning slightly.

He still remembered the first time he saw Yinzhen. Yinzhen was throwing a tantrum near the gate of Yikun Palace, leaving his servants helpless. His wet nurse couldn't soothe him no matter what she did; she simply couldn't handle him.

In the end, it was Consort Guoluo who took away the crying and making a fuss. Yin'e remembered that at that time, Yin Yu had just died. Although Consort Guoluo was beautiful and charming, she was dressed very plainly, with almost no bright colors on her body.

Yinyu was born on November 23rd, and today is the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, just a few days after his first birthday. Others in the palace may have forgotten Yinyu who died young, but as his mother, Consort Guoluo must still remember him.

But this is not the reason why Consort Guoluo plotted against Yintang—what does Yinyu's death have to do with Yintang?

Does Consort Guoluo think that since both princes were born in Yikun Palace, Yinyu died young while Yintang was healthy and lively, Yintang was at fault?

Yin'e remained silent, then nuzzled against Yin'tang in the quilt, urging him to answer his question.

After humming and hawing for a long time, Yinzhen still refused to speak, and even turned his back to Yin'e while under the covers.

"Ninth Brother?" Yin'e raised his hand and poked Yin Tang's soft, fleshy back.

With a soft groan, Yinzhen felt as if insects were crawling on his back, and he twisted his back, trying to relieve the itch by rubbing it.

After a long while, Yinzhen still did not answer Yin'e's question, nor did he mention what Consort Guoluo had said to him. Instead, he asked Yin'e, "Fifth Brother is Mother's child, and Mother is carrying another one now?"

Yin'e roughly understood what Consort Guoluo had said. He leaned forward and pressed against Yin'tang's back, whispering, "Ninth Brother, she's a bad person. Don't believe anything she says."

Yinzhen, who still hadn't turned around, sniffed and whispered, "I know."

Yinzhen was so sensitive that even if he wasn't on guard at first, after a few words, he naturally noticed the malice of Consort Guoluo towards him and realized that she was no longer the kind aunt he remembered.

What distressed Yinzhen was that what Consort Guoluo had said—which he didn't want to repeat—was actually true: compared to him, his mother did indeed prefer the Fifth Prince; and compared to his unborn younger brother/sister, he was indeed the least valued by his mother.

To his mother, he was superfluous.

Sniffing, Yinzhen was no longer as angry as he had been when he first heard Consort Guo Luoluo say those words. He felt she was right, and he also felt that his mother disliked him, considered him superfluous, and resented him for causing her trouble.

After his heartbreak, the stubborn, sensitive, insecure, and somewhat love-starved Yinzhen harbored a defiant thought: Mother loves Fifth Brother, not him. Fine, then he won't love Mother and Fifth Brother either.

"Tenth Brother." Yinzhen turned around and snuggled close to Yin'e, like a small animal drawing the last warmth in winter.

He kept his head down, not looking at Yin'e, and asked in a low voice, "Can I stay and live with you? We play together every day anyway, so please let me stay in Yongshou Palace at night too."

Yinzhen's pitiful little appearance was truly heartbreaking, and the soft-hearted Yin'e readily agreed without the slightest hesitation: "Of course, I would welcome Ninth Brother to live with me."

Although he hadn't discussed it with the Consort, Yin'e felt that the chances of her refusing were very low. Even disregarding his close brotherly relationship with Yin Tang, the fact that the Consort was on good terms with Consort Yi alone would prevent her from standing idly by.

Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief and was no longer so uneasy.

He rolled over, spread his limbs out on the bed, touched his flat stomach, and said, "Tenth Brother, I'm hungry."

They slept until mid-afternoon, and Yin'e rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit hungry as well.

He sat up abruptly from the bed and tugged at the lying Yinzhen: "Ninth Brother, get up and have some snacks! Mother said that the small kitchen will be making osmanthus radish cake, jujube paste mille-feuille rolls and goat milk pastry this afternoon."

With his stomach growling, Yin Tang's mouth watered at the mere mention of the name. He quickly got up from the bed, no longer wanting to linger there.

Yinzhen immediately forgot his earlier low spirits and sadness. After all, he was just a child. With someone to keep him company, to comfort him, and to feed him, he was carefree and only thought about filling his stomach and satisfying his most primal desires.

As his wet nurse, Granny Lin, helped Yin'e put on his outer robe, he suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but frown: Consort Guo Luoluo was still in Yikun Palace!

Consort Guoluo likely harbored resentment towards Consort Yi because of the death of Yin Yu, and wanted Consort Yi to experience the pain of losing a son, so that she could feel the pain Consort Yi had endured.

This is why she sowed discord between Yinzhen and Consort Yi. If she could speak ill of Yinzhen, with whom she had at least spent some time, there's no reason she wouldn't target the Fifth Prince, who is also Consort Yi's son.

Unfortunately, the Fifth Prince is indeed at Yikun Palace today, and even unusually, he plans to stay overnight there.

"Ninth Brother, is Fifth Brother in Yikun Palace right now?" Yin'e asked hesitantly as he put on his outer robe.

Consort Guoluo didn't let Yinzhen off the hook, and she might go after the Fifth Prince as well. Although the Fifth Prince is older than Yinzhen and not so easily fooled, he was indeed sent to be raised by the Empress Dowager. The Fifth Prince has a deep relationship with the Empress Dowager, which means that his relationship with Consort Yi is very weak.

Yin'e scratched his head. He considered sending someone to Yikun Palace to remind Consort Yi to keep an eye on Consort Guoluo and prevent her from getting close to the Fifth Prince again. But after glancing at Yin Tang and remembering his angry expression earlier, Yin'e decided it was best not to mention the Fifth Prince in front of him.

After thinking for a moment, Yin'e leaned closer to Yin Tang and asked, "Ninth Brother, does Consort Guo Luoluo speak Mongolian?"

"Huh?" Yin Tang, who was halfway through putting on his outer robe, was stunned by this sudden question. He was stunned for a while before whispering, "I don't think so. I've never heard her speak Mongolian."

Yinzhen learned his limited Mongolian from Yin'e, who in turn learned it from the Imperial Concubine. Currently, their level is limited to remembering some words, but whenever they speak Mongolian, they still utter one word at a time, making it very disjointed.

Very few Manchu concubines in the palace could speak Mongolian, and not everyone came from a top-ranking noble family like the Imperial Concubine, who had the resources to provide them with a proper education. As far as Yin'e knew, although Consort Yi and Consort Guoluo shared the same surname, their family backgrounds were quite ordinary; otherwise, Consort Yi wouldn't have entered the palace as a maid during the initial selection process.

Having confirmed that Consort Guoluo did not speak Mongolian... Yin'e nodded slightly, immediately feeling relieved.

He jumped to the ground and stomped hard on his tiger-head shoes. Yin'e then reached out to Yin Tang: "Ninth Brother, let's go get some snacks."

Thank goodness for the language barrier, and thank goodness the Fifth Prince only speaks Mongolian. Until he learns Mandarin and Manchu, there's no need to worry about the simple-minded Fifth Prince being fooled in the palace.

If Consort Guoluo were to try to sow discord between the Fifth Prince and Yinzhen in the same way she had tried to sow discord between Yinzhen and Yinzhen, she would only end up failing.

Hilarious! The Fifth Prince couldn't understand a word Consort Guo Luoluo was saying.

If it weren't for the fact that the Fifth Prince learned a few words of Mongolian after being raised by the Empress Dowager, he wouldn't even be able to communicate with his own mother.

Yinzhen settled down temporarily in Yongshou Palace. That same day, Consort Yi packed up Yinzhen's daily necessities and sent them to Yongshou Palace in a trunk, so that Yinzhen would not be inconvenienced by staying in Yongshou Palace and would not be unable to use his favorite items.

As for the wet nurses and nannies who took care of Yinzhen, they allowed Consort Guoluo to sow discord between Yinzhen and her without doing anything to stop it. Whether they were bribed by Consort Guoluo or dared not confront Consort Guoluo, the birth mother of the Sixth Princess, Consort Yi did not intend to use them anymore.

Just then, Yinzhen threw a tantrum and wanted to stay in Yongshou Palace with Yin'e. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Consort Yi not only planned to send away Consort Guoluo to the Eastern Six Palaces, far away from Yikun Palace, but also planned to select a new and reliable wet nurse for Yinzhen.

Yinzhen settled into the side hall where Yin'e lived, and the two were inseparable every day. Just as two sheep are equally difficult to herd, even with the addition of a child, Yinzhen and Yin'e were so close that the palace servants of Yongshou Palace didn't have to worry too much.

It's Laba Festival again in the blink of an eye. "After Laba Festival, the New Year is just around the corner." Another snow fell in the capital, and in the silver-clad world, every household began to prepare for the New Year.

"It tastes awful..." Yin'e's little face scrunched up, full of reluctance, and he almost closed his eyes as he forced down the Laba porridge in his mouth.

Last year, Yin'e was still young and couldn't drink Laba porridge, so the Imperial Concubine only served him a little bit so he could smell it. This made Yin'e remember Laba porridge in his heart.

The more unattainable something is, the more it is missed. This year, Yin'e has grown a year older and can finally drink Laba porridge. When the Imperial Household Department delivered this year's Laba porridge to Yongshou Palace, Yin'e pulled Yin'tang to each serve a bowl and recommended the Laba porridge to Yin'tang, who had never drunk it before.

But after drinking the Laba porridge sent by the Imperial Household Department, all Yin'e could say was... Laba porridge that you can only smell and imagine the taste of was still better!

So how much aged millet did the Imperial Household Department actually accumulate? How come even auspicious dishes like Laba porridge taste like stale millet?!

He forced down a small bowl of Laba porridge that was neither sweet nor salty, and only tasted of stale rice. When he was so disgusted by the rotten and moldy taste of the stale rice that he rolled his eyes, he couldn't help but feel glad that he had used a small bowl to serve the porridge.

Holding a bowl of Laba porridge with only a spoonful scooped out, Yin Tang looked at Yin E with accusatory eyes.

Yinzhen was a picky eater, and Laba porridge was really hard to drink. He only took one bite and never wanted to take a second spoonful. But Laba porridge was a blessed dish, and once it was served, it had to be finished, otherwise it would be considered unlucky.

Ugh... I should have known better than to believe my tenth brother's nonsense about how delicious Laba porridge was.

If you've been caught in the rain, you're going to tear up someone else's umbrella.

After struggling to finish his bowl of Laba porridge, Yin'e grinned and said to Yin'tang, "Ninth Brother, drink up! It'll taste even worse when it's cold." He paused, then added with a smile, "Father wants some but can't get any, so you should cherish it!"

That's right. Although it's already Laba Festival, Emperor Kangxi, who went on a southern tour at the end of September, has not yet returned to the palace, and it's unknown whether he will be able to make it in time for the New Year this year.

Perhaps it's because it can't stand being talked about, or perhaps it's because "speak of the devil and he appears."

The following day, the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Emperor Kangxi returned to the palace through the Zhengyang Gate in Beijing with his son, Crown Prince Yinreng.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 11:18:30 and 21:44:23 on March 5, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Fish Hugging Cat (4 bottles); Mint Slightly Cool and Big Rabbit Learning Math (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!