Chapter 51: The Lazy Emperor's Father Who Cares for the Tenth Prince...

"Oh?" Kangxi looked at the Imperial Concubine with great interest. "What kind of cosmetic?"

The Imperial Concubine stood up and sat back down with a faint smile, her eyes gentle and calm. She said neither servile nor arrogant, "The winter winds are cold and dry, so I consulted ancient recipes and made some ointments. The effect is to moisturize the skin and prevent frostbite."

Emperor Kangxi nodded slightly, his interest waning immediately: "I see. Ointments can moisturize and protect the skin, and are indeed much better than ointments." Although his interest waned, Emperor Kangxi still smiled and praised in a gentle voice, "The Consort has quite the ingenuity."

It's no wonder that Emperor Kangxi was not very interested. The Consort had explained the effects of the ointment very clearly. The main purpose of applying the ointment was not to treat frostbite, but to protect and moisturize the skin.

Ointments do have some uses, but their very function dictates that they will only circulate among the wealthy upper class. The truly poor would never spend their money on ointments whose only function is skincare; they would need frostbite creams specifically for treating frostbite.

Seeing that the Emperor wasn't very interested in the cosmetics, the Empress Dowager smiled and sighed, "The weather in the capital isn't that cold yet. Winters are a bit tough, but we can get through them. Mongolia is much colder than the capital, and if there's a White Disaster, it's even more unbearable. These cosmetics are much more important in Mongolia than in the capital."

The Empress Dowager was not implying that she wanted the Consort to send her the formula for the cosmetics; she simply expressed her regret: "It's a pity that the cosmetics are rare and produced in very small quantities, which may not be enough to supply the herdsmen of the Mongol tribes."

If the cosmetics were sent to Mongolia, only princes and nobles could afford them, so the purpose of selling cosmetics to Mongolia would be minimal.

Although the weather in Mongolia is bitterly cold in winter, the princes and nobles can stay in their warm tents and not go out. Unlike the herders, they do not have to brave the cold to herd cattle and sheep, nor do they suffer from the cold during the White Disaster.

Kangxi neither confirmed nor denied this, but simply smiled and chatted with the Empress Dowager, naturally changing the subject.

Unless the imperial concubine's cosmetics could be mass-produced in sufficient quantities for nationwide distribution, they were destined to remain a luxury item for the upper class, unable to alleviate the plight of the common people.

However, if the fat were sold to Mongolia, it would firstly promote trade between Mongolia and the Qing Dynasty and deepen Mongolia's dependence on the Qing Dynasty; secondly, it would allow Mongolia to recover a large amount of gold and silver, making it a business with no drawbacks.

However, Emperor Kangxi would not take advantage of his concubines, nor would he force a concubine to present her with a formula for cosmetics.

Whether the sale of cosmetics to Mongolia can be successful depends on the Imperial Concubine's wishes and whether she is willing to engage in the cosmetics business.

If the Imperial Concubine intended to do this business, she could hand over the formula to the Niohuru clan and let the Niohuru family manage it on her behalf. Then Emperor Kangxi would give her a helping hand behind the scenes, so that the cosmetics could be sold smoothly to Mongolia and the Mongolian gold and silver could be harvested on a large scale.

If the Imperial Concubine did not intend to get involved in this business, Emperor Kangxi would ask her if she was willing to sell the formula for the cosmetics. If she was, the Imperial Household Department would buy it at a high price, ensuring that the Imperial Concubine would not suffer any loss.

However, based on Kangxi's understanding of the Consort, even if she wanted to run a cosmetics business, she wouldn't hand over the formula to the Niohuru family and let her brothers and sisters-in-law run it for her.

This is not because the Imperial Concubine has become estranged from the Niohuru family, or because she no longer trusts them; it is simply because the Imperial Concubine wants to protect her son.

Since Yin'e's birth, the Imperial Concubine gradually distanced herself from the Niohuru family and stopped summoning the current Lady of Guoyi. She knew very well that the farther Yin'e was from the Niohuru family and the less close he was to them, the safer he would be.

Emperor Kangxi spoke with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager with a smile, while the other concubines sat quietly at the lower end, smiling and gracefully acting as beautiful ornaments, not daring to interrupt.

Among the concubines, only Consort Tong and Consort Tong would occasionally chime in and participate in the conversations between the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager. The other concubines, even the Four Consorts, remained quiet and dared not act rashly, maintaining a cautious demeanor in front of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

The Crown Prince, dressed in an apricot-yellow python robe, was led by the Empress Dowager by the hand. Of all of Kangxi's sons, the Crown Prince was the one most favored by the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager often turned the conversation to the Crown Prince, not only inquiring about his daily life during his southern tour, but also reminiscing with Emperor Kangxi about the Crown Prince's childhood anecdotes, telling him stories to amuse him.

The powerful figures at the head of the table chatted and laughed, as if they and the Crown Prince were the closest and most intimate family in the Forbidden City.

Consort Tong touched the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief. She pursed her lips and smiled with composure, concealing the fleeting sadness in her expression.

The Imperial Concubine smiled gently, her expression calm and composed, showing no sign of anything amiss.

She paid close attention to the conversations between Kangxi, the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Crown Prince, joining in when appropriate. However, her gaze would occasionally drift through the beaded curtain to Yin'e on the heated kang in the inner room. She did not focus on how much the Crown Prince was favored or how much the Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager loved him.

This should have been the most secure time for the Crown Prince. He was not only the son Kangxi cherished most, but his beloved Empress Dowager was also still alive. Kangxi deeply respected and revered his grandmother; if the Empress Dowager were still alive, the Crown Prince would not have ended up being deposed and reinstated twice.

After chatting with the Empress Dowager for a while, Kangxi remembered the purpose of the family banquet he had hosted, and said with a smile, "Summon Yinti and the other two. I have been away from the capital for a long time and have not examined their studies for two months. This is a good opportunity to see if they have been slacking off."

"And those younger ones, I haven't seen them in a long time, bring them out so I can see them too."

Emperor Kangxi truly loved the crown prince, whom he had raised himself, the most. If his fatherly love was ten parts, then at least seven parts were given exclusively to the crown prince, who was the legitimate son of the Empress Dowager.

However, Kangxi was not entirely without affection for his other children. He was especially fond of his eldest son, the First Prince, and held him in high regard, particularly appreciating his heroic and spirited nature.

While enjoying snacks and milk tea on the warm kang (heated brick bed), Yin'e was suddenly called out to stand in front of Emperor Kangxi, which made him somewhat reluctant.

Emperor Kangxi was the most ardent parent when it came to raising his children. The princes in the inner chambers now included not only the Fifth Prince, the Sixth Prince, the Eighth Prince, and Yinzhen, but also these little rascals, as well as the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince who were already studying in the Imperial Study.

Given Kangxi's emphasis on the education of his princes, Yin'e had no doubt that he would put pressure on his son during today's family reunion banquet.

Putting aside the feelings of those three unfortunate students who had already enrolled, being tested on their studies on the spot, just thinking about how Kangxi, on his first day back in the palace, couldn't wait to get his sons' studies under control and relentlessly pushed them to excel, made Yin'e feel suffocated. He felt that the future was bleak and hopeless.

No matter how unwilling he was, Yin'e had no way to defy imperial power. He pulled Yin'tang, who was still holding half a piece of walnut cake, off the heated kang. The two of them followed the Eighth Prince out of the inner room and into the outer room.

Besides the Crown Prince, who was also accompanied by the Empress Dowager, the eight princes attending the family banquet today stood in the spacious hall, arranged in two rows. In front were the Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, Eighth Prince, Yinzhen, and Yin'e, who were still enjoying their childhood. Behind them were the First Prince, Third Prince, and Fourth Prince, who had already started school.

It must be said that although many of Kangxi's children died young, he is now thirty years old and has children around him. He has ten sons who are still alive, so he is not short of sons.

The eldest, third, and fourth princes stood in the back row because Emperor Kangxi wanted to examine their studies, which might take a long time.

The princes below the Fifth Prince were too young, and if they waited too long, they might not be able to stand still, and there was a possibility that they would cause a disturbance. So Kangxi decided to ask them first.

Encouraged by the Empress Dowager, the Fifth Prince stepped forward first, bowed deeply to Emperor Kangxi, and said in Mongolian, "May the Khan be blessed."

Emperor Kangxi raised an eyebrow, glanced at the Empress Dowager, and then said with a subtle smile in Mongolian, "Yinqi should start his education. He will be six years old next year and should be studying in the Imperial Study. It wouldn't be good if he could only speak Mongolian."

The Empress Dowager moved her lips but said nothing, only her eyes revealed a strong sense of reluctance. In her view, it was too early for a prince to start school at the age of six; Mongolia did not have such a custom... Well, the Grand Empress Dowager was in the minority. Mongolia had been a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty for many years, and there were countless princes and nobles in Mongolia who only spoke Mongolian.

Seeing that the Fifth Prince, wrapped in a python robe, looked even plumper, Kangxi barely managed to refrain from telling the Empress Dowager that Yinqi was getting a little fat and should control his diet and exercise more.

According to Mongolian aesthetics, the Fifth Prince wouldn't be considered too fat; in fact, they might even think that his physique was more robust and strong. Only a physique like the Fifth Prince's could allow him to grow up in the harsh environment and frigid weather of Mongolia—but the problem is, this is the capital, not Mongolia.

When it was the Sixth Prince's turn to pay his respects, Yin'e made a point of observing him carefully.

Then Yin'e discovered that Kangxi treated the Sixth Prince and the Fifth Prince no differently. In fact, because the Fifth Prince was raised by the Empress Dowager and had more contact with Kangxi, Kangxi was even more lenient with him and took good care of the Fifth Prince's Mongolian language.

Later generations often say that the death of the Sixth Prince was related to the Crown Prince Party and the First Prince Party, but this possibility is not high.

The Empress Dowager is still alive, and the eldest prince is still studying in the Imperial Study. He has not yet had a wedding, entered the court, or taken up any official post. The eldest prince's faction has not gained any momentum, let alone been able to compete head-on with the crown prince's faction.

The current Suo'etu doesn't even respect the eldest prince, so how could he possibly notice that his mother is just a bondservant concubine, Yinzhuo?

The character “祚” does indeed mean the fate of the nation, but it can also mean good fortune. In fact, every character in a prince's name carries a very auspicious meaning.

褆 means good, 礽 and 祉 mean good fortune, 禛 and 祺 mean auspiciousness, 佑 means to bless, 禩 means to sacrifice, 禟 means to bless, and 礻 is a sacrificial name. Each of these characters is auspicious and was carefully selected by the Imperial Household Department and drawn by Emperor Kangxi himself. None of them were chosen arbitrarily.

Emperor Kangxi did not show excessive favoritism or special treatment to his sixth son, who was bestowed the character "Zuo". He merely exchanged a few words of greeting before turning his attention to the eighth prince.

The Eighth Prince's lovely face flushed slightly. He seemed very excited, and his eyes looked at Kangxi with admiration and affection.

Although he rarely saw Emperor Kangxi, the Eighth Prince couldn't contain his excitement, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. However, his movements when bowing were perfectly standard, every gesture conforming to etiquette. Coupled with his exceptionally handsome appearance among the princes, he was very endearing.

Emperor Kangxi treated the Eighth Prince with indifference, neither showing excessive favoritism nor neglect. He merely exchanged a few casual greetings, showing a slight coldness compared to the Fifth and Sixth Princes, but not significantly.