Chapter 73: The Tenth Elder's Lazy Brothers...

The eldest prince will turn fifteen this February. After his wedding, he will officially become an adult and will begin to take on duties and responsibilities, no longer just a young prince studying with his tutor in the palace.

After the grand wedding, the eldest prince graduated from the Imperial Study and no longer studied there with the third and fourth princes. At the grand palace banquet, his seat was moved from the line of concubines on the side of the main hall to the line of princes and nobles in the center of the main hall.

The eldest prince has not yet been granted a title, but he has come of age and is qualified to interact with princes and relatives as an imperial prince.

According to Qing Dynasty rules, sons without a title were considered noble only if their father's title was reduced by one rank. The same applied to princes; the eldest prince without a title was considered noble only if he inherited his father's status and received the same treatment as a prince of the first rank.

Therefore, the eldest prince is currently ranked below several close relatives of the imperial family, such as Prince Yu and Prince Gong. They are princes, and also Emperor Kangxi's brothers, making them the uncles of these princes. According to seniority, they are placed before the eldest prince.

Conversely, Prince An, Yue Le, although also a member of the imperial clan, was no longer considered a close relative. His relationship with the First Prince was based solely on rank, not kinship. Despite both being princes, Prince An, Yue Le, ranked after the First Prince, who was a prince of the emperor.

The princes' status was only equivalent to that of a prince before they were granted a title and their rank was reduced by one grade from their father's—because their father was the emperor, and even with a reduction of one grade, they still enjoyed the status of a prince above the rank of prince.

However, once the princes were granted their titles and assigned to the Eight Banners by Emperor Kangxi to serve as banner lords, commanding varying numbers of banners based on their rank, they had already established their own households and had to interact with other princes and relatives according to their rank.

After being granted a title, the rank of the title determined the status and treatment of adult princes outside the palace. Sometimes, a low-ranking title might not be as good as not having one at all.

Like the Ninth Prince in history, who always held the title of Beizi, which was inconsistent with his status as the son of four concubines, his life was certainly not as good as that of his brothers with higher titles.

Yin'e and the Ninth Prince greeted the older princes who were already seated: "Third Brother, Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother."

Their relationship with the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince was distant; they hadn't had much contact or friendship before, and had only exchanged polite greetings.

The Third Prince and the Eighth Prince returned the greeting politely. Although the Third Prince looked at Yin'e and the Ninth Prince with disdainful eyes and a twisted, sinister expression, he never dared to cause trouble in such situations.

The Seventh Prince was different. When Yin'e greeted him, he gave him a big, bright smile to show his closeness. The Seventh Prince also smiled slightly and nodded back.

Perhaps because he was raised alone in the palace by Emperor Kangxi from a young age, the Seventh Prince rarely saw outsiders, which fostered his aloof and indifferent nature.

The Seventh Prince was taciturn and not good at socializing.

He usually spent his days alone, even in the Imperial Study, and had little contact with his brothers. The Seventh Prince was aloof and cold. Although he never violated etiquette and his every move was in accordance with the rules of his status, judging by his appearance alone, one could not help but think that he was cold and indifferent.

But these are just the surface of the Seventh Prince. Yin'e, who had contact with the Seventh Prince, dared to guarantee that the Seventh Prince was actually cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

He's just not good at initiating social interactions and doesn't know how to extend kindness to strangers.

However, if someone takes the initiative to approach the Seventh Prince and befriend him, the Seventh Prince will cherish every act of kindness shown to him, carefully preserve it, and return it in kind or even double.

Kangxi's sons proved the truth of the saying "species diversity" with examples. Leaving aside the other princes, just take the seventh and eighth princes who were adjacent in age, they were brothers with completely opposite personalities.

The Eighth Prince was refined, gentle, kind, and sociable. He seemed to be able to get along with everyone and become friends with everyone.

After entering the Imperial Study, the Eighth Prince never had any conflicts with his fellow students, maintaining a harmonious brotherly relationship with them. Moreover, the palace maids and eunuchs who interacted with him praised him highly, commending him as a gentle and kind gentleman.

But upon closer examination, one discovers that the Eighth Prince, who was kind and friendly to everyone, couldn't recall who his closest friend was. Unlike the Third Prince, who lacked close brothers due to poor interpersonal relationships, the Eighth Prince...

Third Prince: Are you being polite?

"Hello, Ninth Brother, hello, Tenth Brother." Almost two years old this year, the fair-skinned and handsome Yin Tao stood up and bowed to Yin E and the Ninth Prince with a cute and innocent manner, and greeted them.

Yin Tao's voice was soft and sweet, and he spoke clearly, showing no stage fright whatsoever.

Although he was born during a smallpox outbreak in the palace, Yin Tao was not weak or sickly as a result. He was vaccinated against smallpox shortly after birth and was permanently immune to the virus. Yin Tao was even stronger than Yin Zi, who was half a year older than him, unlike Yin Zi, who always looked sickly.

Yin Tao was born with regular features, bright eyes and clear eyebrows. He was neither fat nor thin, and was a fair-skinned, well-behaved, and quiet child.

The Ninth Prince chuckled and, after Yin Tao greeted him, suddenly leaned closer across the table and pinched Yin Tao's soft little face: "Good boy~ Ninth Brother will give you candy."

Just as Yin'e was about to say a few words to the Seventh Prince before taking his seat, he caught a glimpse of the Ninth Prince's actions out of the corner of his eye. He paused, his lips twitched slightly, but he pretended not to see it and did not step forward to stop him.

The Ninth Prince can be quite mischievous at times, and his temperament is rather unpleasant and not to be trifled with. When he gets into trouble, the Ninth Prince's sharp tongue is no better than that of the Third Prince, who is good at being sarcastic and sarcastic. His words can be just as infuriating.

Back then, the Ninth Prince hated the Third Prince the most for taking advantage of his age and being the older brother to call him Little Ninth and bully him.

But unexpectedly, one day the dragon slayer also became a dragon. In the blink of an eye, the Ninth Prince also became the very thing he used to hate the most ┓(`)┏ After exchanging a few words with the Seventh Prince and thanking him for the birthday gift, Yin'e walked back to his seat.

But Yin'e did not sit down at his own desk. Instead, he squeezed together with the Ninth Prince at the same desk, and the two brothers whispered among themselves.

"It seems we arrived too early." The Ninth Prince glanced at the few plates of fruits and snacks sitting alone on the table, his voice soft and tinged with annoyance. "Father, Grandmother, and Consort Tong haven't arrived yet. We should have come later."

Before Emperor Kangxi arrived, the grand banquet for the Golden Festival was delayed in officially starting.

Before the banquet began, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince could only sit and wait, not wander around. They could stay near their seats. They could do some small things in private, but they couldn't run around the Hall of Supreme Harmony or make too much noise at the banquet.

Neither Emperor Kangxi nor the Crown Prince came; the throne at the very top of the main hall and the Crown Prince's seat below it were both empty.

The Crown Prince's seat was right next to the throne, only a step away from Kangxi's dragon throne.

From the time Yinreng was made crown prince in his childhood, he was no longer a member of the imperial princes, and his seat was moved out of the princes' sequence and placed in the seat closest to Kangxi.

Noble, distant, and also high above. The Crown Prince looked down upon the masses below the imperial steps, including his brothers.

The Crown Prince held a prominent position, and Emperor Kangxi doted on him in every way, constantly highlighting the difference between the Crown Prince and other princes. It is no wonder that so many princes would aspire to the position of Crown Prince after reaching adulthood, and would be drawn into the struggle for the throne, either actively or passively.

But the princes vying for the throne yearned for the prestigious and high position of crown prince, yet no one noticed the loneliness that accompanied their high status.

From the moment Yinreng became the crown prince, he had no brothers and was practically all alone compared to the other princes.

After being placed on the throne as crown prince, Yinreng became the heir apparent. His brotherly relationship with the other princes was artificially severed, and no one simply regarded him as the second prince anymore. The moment he became crown prince, he gained power, but at the same time, he lost his brothers.

All the princes who tried to seize the throne eventually ended up in the same lonely state as Crown Prince Yinreng. It's just unknown whether the princes who succeeded in seizing the throne would be happy to have ascended to a high position or regret that they were now surrounded by loneliness when the crown prince was dethroned.

Withdrawing his gaze from the throne and the Crown Prince's seat, Yin'e was about to respond to the Ninth Prince's words when he suddenly heard the faint sound of whips coming from outside the Hall of Preserving Harmony. He pulled the Ninth Prince aside and whispered, "Father is here."

The Ninth Prince exclaimed "Eh!" and looked up to see the Fourth and Fifth Princes being led over by palace maids to take their seats.

It was clear that the Empress Dowager and Consort Tong had come to the Hall of Preserving Harmony with Emperor Kangxi, and the Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince had also finally arrived at the Hall of Preserving Harmony for the banquet.

Compared to two years ago, the Fourth Prince exuded an even stronger aura. He was expressionless and cold, unlike the usual aloofness and indifference of the Seventh Prince. Instead, he possessed a stern and imposing presence that was incredibly oppressive.

Anyone who was being looked at by the Fourth Prince would tremble involuntarily, even if they had nothing to hide. They would feel their aura being inexplicably suppressed, as if the Fourth Prince possessed a special aura that made people subconsciously respect him.

The Fifth Prince is no different from two years ago. He still has a simple and honest appearance with a good temper, but he has grown taller and fatter. His body is becoming stronger and more robust. He is now half a head taller than the Fourth Prince and has become a full circle rounder.

He looked rather listless today, probably due to the Empress Dowager's serious illness. After all, the Fifth Prince lived with the Empress Dowager in the Cining Palace. Even though the Empress Dowager didn't raise him personally, he still had a lot of contact with her and they had a deep bond as grandson.

After greeting their two elder brothers who arrived later, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince looked at the Fifth Prince with special concern.

The Fifth Prince shook his head at them and mouthed (in Mongolian) that he was alright.

But judging from the Fifth Prince's listless expression, and considering that Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager arrived so late at the grand banquet for the Golden Festival today, it was clear that the Empress Dowager's health had not improved at all, and she was just getting through the days.

But the end of the year was hard to get through, and when the heavy snow fell and the coldest days of winter arrived, the Empress Dowager's days became even more difficult.

The Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince were led over by palace servants to take their seats. Not long after they sat down, accompanied by loud greetings, Emperor Kangxi, the Empress Dowager, Consort Tong, and the Crown Prince entered the Hall of Preserving Harmony and took their seats in turn on the high platform at the head of the hall.

Looking at the haggard and exhausted Kangxi from afar, Yin'e suddenly turned to the Ninth Prince and said, "Ninth Brother, pinch me to wake me up."

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 11:48:05 and 17:55:08 on March 19, 2023!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: ...Ruoxi... 15 bottles;

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