Chapter 53: Persuading Old Ten's Salty Fish Idea

Emperor Kangxi assessed the learning progress of the eldest prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince separately.

The best performer was the Third Prince. Although he was sharp-tongued, had low emotional intelligence, and was eccentric and preoccupied with trivial matters, he was both literate and skilled in martial arts, a rare all-rounder among the princes with no weaknesses.

In this respect, the Third Prince and the Crown Prince are very similar; both are all-around geniuses who excel in all aspects. Whether it is academic learning, horsemanship and archery, or skills such as arithmetic, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, the Third Prince is very capable in all of them and does not falter in any aspect.

However, the difference was that the Crown Prince received a better education. From the time he began his studies, he had countless great Confucian scholars as his teachers, and Emperor Kangxi personally oversaw his education.

The Third Prince did not have this opportunity, so he was sent outside the palace to be raised. The ministers who took care of him certainly dared not neglect the prince, but they could not provide him with a better education than that in the palace.

Compared to the well-rounded, all-around warrior, the Third Prince, the First Prince was more specialized. He was exceptionally brave and skilled in horsemanship and archery, surpassing both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince in these areas. However, the First Prince's performance in academic subjects was only average, ultimately lacking in literary talent.

The Fourth Prince also had some weaknesses in certain subjects. He entered the Imperial Study a year early, which is enough to show that he not only started his education early, but also laid a very good foundation.

The Fourth Prince was exceptionally intelligent, and even though he enrolled a year early, he was able to keep up with his teachers' lessons. However, he lacked arm strength, and his performance in archery lessons was less than satisfactory. He was far behind not only the First Prince but also the Third Prince.

After examining the studies of the eldest, third, and fourth princes one by one, Emperor Kangxi stopped, picked up a blue-and-white porcelain teacup, and took a sip of tea.

Immediately afterwards, Kangxi continued to comfort the concubines in the palace.

The first to be affected was Consort Tong. Emperor Kangxi still had deep feelings for his cousin and regarded her as his wife in his heart. If it weren't for the suspicion that he was cursed to bring misfortune to his wives, and the fact that his first two wives had died young, Kangxi would have already made her Empress, instead of only nominally making her a Consort.

When Kangxi spoke to Consort Tong, his expression was gentle and his eyes were smiling. After a few words, the slight gloom in Consort Tong's eyes disappeared completely, and she looked at Kangxi with affection, feeling that her cousin loved, trusted and approved of her.

Not only Consort Tong, but every concubine who was qualified to attend the family banquet received care and greetings from Emperor Kangxi. Everyone felt that Kangxi's concern for them touched their hearts. It was not just polite talk, but heartfelt, which was enough to show that the emperor cared about them.

That's why later generations called Emperor Kangxi a "sea king" (a term implying someone who is overly attached to others). He truly remembered everyone's preferences, likes, and worries.

Emperor Kangxi's words of concern for each person were different; they were not formulaic or monotonous, nor were they empty platitudes that sounded fake and lacked sincerity.

He genuinely cared about everyone from the bottom of his heart; it wasn't just for show or to win people over. He simply had such a good memory that it all came naturally to him.

It has to be said that being a playboy requires skill. To achieve what Emperor Kangxi did, making everyone feel that they are special, unique, and of a superior status in his eyes, is not an easy thing. Ordinary people really can't do it.

To be a player, one needs an exceptional memory to remember so many people's situations clearly and readily, without needing to consult any information, to say heartwarming things. If you don't have that memory, don't rashly try to be a player, or you might end up crashing and burning.

After the family banquet ended, Yinzhen did not return to Yikun Palace with Consort Yi, but instead returned to Yongshou Palace with Yin'e and the Imperial Consort, just as they had come. Seeing his reaction, Consort Yi, with a bitter smile, became even more determined to send away Consort Guoluo.

Fortunately, Consort Guo Luoluo wisely bowed her head. After Consort Yi returned to Yikun Palace, Consort Guo Luoluo gave her answer: she would request to move to the East Six Palaces and would no longer stay in the West Six Palaces, nor would she ever get close to the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince again.

Consort Guo Luoluo also knew that once Consort Yi stopped tolerating the situation and stopped caring about the Guo Luoluo couple outside the palace, and directly exposed the matter, it would not only cause a great uproar in the palace, but also affect her parents outside the palace, and would also be detrimental to the Sixth Princess.

She was not invincible; like Consort Yi, she had weaknesses. This meant that Consort Guoluo could not resist for long and would eventually have to bow down and submit. It is said that those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose, but Consort Guoluo clearly did not have the determination to disregard the Sixth Princess.

After Kangxi returned to the palace, the relocation of the palace became much easier. In addition, Consort Tong had already agreed to Consort Yi's request and sent people to select a suitable palace in the Eastern Six Palaces and clean it, just waiting for Consort Guoluo to move in.

After Kangxi returned to the palace, Consort Guo Luoluo packed her bags and moved out of Yikun Palace on a fine day when it was neither raining nor snowing and there was no wind. She completely separated from her sister, Consort Yi, and there would be no more contact between them in the future.

After Consort Guo Luoluo moved out, Consort Yi couldn't wait to come to Yongshou Palace to fetch Yin Tang. She had made up her mind that even if Yin Tang still avoided her, she would definitely bring him back this time and not let him stay in Yongshou Palace to continue causing trouble for the Noble Consort.

But... it's hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. Ten days later, on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, when Consort Yi came to fetch Yinzhen, Yinzhen had become so forgetful that he had forgotten why he was angry in the first place, and why he had thrown a tantrum and stayed in Yongshou Palace instead of returning to Yikun Palace.

Unlike the previous days, Yinzhen no longer rejected Consort Yi, who came to Yongshou Palace to take him back, nor did he avoid her. He seemed to have returned to the state before Consort Guoluo instigated a conflict between him and Consort Yi, and no longer intended to hold a grudge against her.

However, it seems that Yinzhen has no intention of getting close to Consort Yi. He does not seem to miss or rely on his mother after not seeing her for a long time, and he seems to be more enthusiastic towards Consort Yi than towards Yin'e.

But perhaps Yinzhen's estrangement and unfamiliarity weren't obvious enough, or perhaps Consort Yi still thought Yinzhen was sulking. In any case, Consort Yi didn't realize Yinzhen's strangeness and didn't take his coldness to heart.

This cannot be blamed on Consort Yi's carelessness. It can only be said that although Consort Yi loved her son and valued him highly, she had never actually gotten close to or understood Yin Tang.

Since the birth of Yin Tang, Consort Yi's attention has been constantly diverted to other matters. First, there was Yin Yu, who was born weak and needed careful care; later, Yin Yu died young, and Consort Yi began to vie for the emperor's favor.

When she became pregnant, not only did she experience severe pregnancy symptoms, but she also had to be wary of Consort Guo Luoluo. Consort Yi was even less able to take care of Yinzhen. Otherwise, Consort Yi wouldn't have been sending gifts to Yongshou Palace every day like a flowing stream. It was precisely because the Noble Consort shared the trivial matters of taking care of Yinzhen with her that she could have a good pregnancy.

Yinzhen stopped avoiding Consort Yi and stopped ignoring her, but he also refused to return to Yikun Palace with her.

He wanted to stay in Yongshou Palace, but this time it wasn't because he was angry with Consort Yi. It was purely because Yintang liked being with Yin'e and was so happy that he didn't want to go back to Yikun Palace at all.

Yin Tang wanted to stay in Yongshou Palace and eat and sleep with Yin E, so that he wouldn't have to run from Yikun Palace to Yongshou Palace every day, saving a lot of time spent on the road and squeezing out more time to play.

"No, no! I'm not going back." Yinzhen shook his head vigorously, vehemently resisting Consort Yi's suggestion to take him back, almost rolling on the ground in a tantrum.

Consort Yi's eyebrows furrowed, and the fine veins on her forehead throbbed with excitement. Her patience with Yinzhen was wearing thin, and her anger was rising. Pregnant women are already prone to mood swings and irritability, and when faced with a little devil like Yinzhen, she could hardly contain her rage.

Suppressing her anger, Consort Yi tried her best to speak calmly and gently, saying, "Yin Tang, the Imperial Concubine has already worked very hard to take care of the Tenth Prince. If you stay, you will only cause trouble for the Imperial Concubine. Listen to me and go back with your mother."

"I won't cause any trouble for my mother, I'm very obedient!" Yinzhen puffed out his cheeks and glared at Consort Yi, then looked at the Noble Consort with confidence, asking for confirmation, "Right, Noble Consort, I'm very obedient and haven't caused you any trouble at all."

What could the Imperial Concubine possibly say? She could only remain silent, offering an awkward yet polite smile. Whether she answered "yes" or "no," she felt it was inappropriate; this was a dispute between Consort Yi and her son, and she really couldn't get involved.

The situation remained deadlocked. Consort Yi couldn't do anything to Yin Tang unless she got angry, so it wasn't easy to persuade him.

However, Consort Yi dared not act rashly, fearing that her impulsive actions would cause the hot-tempered and temperamental Yin Tang to throw another tantrum and refuse to talk to her.

Looking left at Yinzhen, who was covering his ears and muttering "I won't listen, I won't listen, I want to stay," and right at Consort Yi, who was trying to suppress her anger but was helpless and whose patience was gradually running out, Yinzhen scratched his head and came up with a solution that was not really a solution.

Leaning close to the Imperial Concubine's ear, Yin'e lowered his voice and muttered a series of solutions that he had come up with, which were not exactly good ideas.

After listening, the Imperial Concubine remained silent for a moment, then raised her hand to rub her temples, sighed softly, and said with a wry smile, "You can try it first, just do it your way—there's no other way."

Yin'e thought so too. If there hadn't been no other way, he wouldn't have wanted to use this method to "trick" Yin Tang back to Yikun Palace: "Ninth Brother, I'll go to Yikun Palace with you."

Yinzhen, who was engaged in a tug-of-war with Consort Yi, suddenly turned around, looking completely bewildered: "Huh?"

Yin'e suppressed his shame and said softly, "I've never stayed at Ninth Brother's house before. I want to stay at Yikun Palace with you, Ninth Brother, once."

Yin'e planned to stay at Yikun Palace for one day to trick Yin Tang into returning.

Even if Yinzhen comes to Yongshou Palace to stay overnight again in the future, we must first get him back to Yikun Palace. We cannot let him stay in Yongshou Palace forever, otherwise sooner or later people will notice the problem, and Kangxi will also find out that something is wrong.

Yinzhen's eyes lit up instantly: "Tenth Brother, are you coming to Yikun Palace with me? I'll be the host and receive you, Tenth Brother?"

He muttered to himself, "Why did you say 'go' like I did? Shouldn't you say 'go back'?" Yin'e didn't show any abnormality on his face, and bravely maintained his smile. With tears in his eyes, he nodded and said, "Yes, I want to go to your house with Ninth Brother."

No… he didn’t want to; he had no interest in Yikun Palace. Besides, staying overnight outside would be troublesome and would only cause trouble for Consort Yi.

But there was nothing Yin'e could do; he couldn't think of a way to persuade Yin Tang to go back. He couldn't very well tell him, "We don't welcome you; you should go back now."

Rather than hurting Yinzhen's feelings and damaging his self-esteem with such words, Yin'e would rather endure the embarrassment and risk his life to accompany the gentleman to Yikun Palace for one night, thus troubling Consort Yi once.

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

Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 06:45:03 and 15:48:18 on March 9, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: -浅浅笑か, 薄荷微凉1瓶;

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