Everyone has a name.

Kangxi dismissed the eldest prince's complaint as a serious matter (serious, meaning a falling out between brothers), and the Crown Princess deliberately concealed it. The Crown Prince was completely unaware of the incident, like a pebble thrown into a lake, which creates a few ripples before disappearing. Most people had no idea it had even happened.

For Yinreng, who was far away in the capital, his only task now was to take care of his family. He could discuss other matters later. Of course, if he knew about the eldest prince's actions, he might not have been so calm. Fortunately, he didn't know. He still adhered to the experience of the past year or two and continued to show tolerance and concern for the eldest prince.

He wrote to Kangxi: "I, the Crown Prince Yinreng, respectfully wish my father Khan all the best. Secondly, all is well in the palace. The weather is getting cooler, and the Empress Dowager's appetite has increased greatly... All the concubines and mothers in the palace are well. Concubine Chen is being cared for by the Yikun Palace Concubine. According to the Crown Princess's visit and reply, everything is very appropriate... The allowances for the first, second, and third daughters of the Gandong, Dongtou, and Dongtou are all of the highest quality. Furthermore, the Gandong, Dongtou's due date is approaching, and I have instructed the Imperial Hospital and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to make early preparations. My father Khan and my elder brother need not worry..."

Kangxi received the letter and read it, feeling very relieved. "Look, look, who among you is saying that my two sons don't get along anymore? The eldest is afraid that the second will be led astray by the servants, so he is taking special care of him. And the second is so considerate of the eldest. What good sons they are!"

With his mood lifted, Kangxi's thoughts flowed freely. He picked up his pen and began naming his grandchildren. The Qing dynasty's imperial naming system remained chaotic until Kangxi's early years, with no rules or taboos. Kangxi's first few sons were similarly named after the emperor, simply picking names that sounded good. Unfortunately, they suffered heavy casualties, and with only a few remaining, there was no clear pattern.

It wasn't until the birth of the third and fourth sons that Kangxi's luck with sons improved, leading to a higher survival rate. This led to the standardization of the imperial titles. The names of the princes all had two characters, with "Yin" representing the common generational level, and the other having a fixed "礻" radical, which was considered auspicious.

Kangxi thought that since his sons were getting along well (big mistake!) and the family was flourishing, he would follow this naming principle to name his grandchildren. Again, for two-character names, one character was designated as the common character for names of the same generation, and the other character also had a fixed radical.

Kangxi calculated that he now had sixteen sons. Excluding the one in Chen's womb, the sixth and eleventh sons who had died, he still had fourteen. A son with a son, regardless of his fighting ability, even if we halved it, and counted seven sons for each son, that would mean... nearly a hundred grandchildren. You have to choose a character with many radicals, and it also has to have a good meaning.

Kangxi called out to Wei Zhu, "Go get Er Ya and Shuowen Jiezi." He was the only one who traveled with a pile of books, a collection of reference books, ready for immediate use. Wei Zhu, accustomed to Kangxi's frequent glances, repeated the titles, and seeing Kangxi had no objection, went to fetch them himself.

As Kangxi flipped through the book, his mind reeled in thought, and he finally decided on the generation name "Hong" for his grandsons. "Hong" means "big." He also decided that the "日" radical should be a fixed component of other characters. Characters with "日" as a radical tend to have good meanings, and there are quite a few characters with "日" as a radical, so it seems sufficient. If that's not enough, there are also many characters with "日" in them that could be used as well.

After making up his mind, Kangxi pulled out a piece of paper and began writing. He first wrote a large character, "Hong," on one sheet and set it aside. Then he pulled out another sheet and scratched out all the characters next to the character for sun, picking out the ones with the best meanings first. He would prepare them for the eldest and legitimate sons of his sons, both those who had already been born and those who would later be born, and for his future sons. He would have to make at least twenty. As for those born later or whose mothers were less powerful, he would have to use the lesser-known characters.

The eldest son's wife should have a son this time, right? We need to keep one for him. Even if it's not a son, the eldest son's eldest son should have a nice name. The three children of the prince's family, especially the fat boy, need to be carefully considered. And the fifth son's eldest son, and the wives of the third and fourth sons are also about to give birth.

He wrote and wrote, writing the character "日" (sun) horizontally and vertically, until his eyes were blurry. Naming his grandson was a mixture of pain and joy for a grandfather. He divided the characters next to the sun into three batches, finally finishing. Kangxi rubbed his wrists before deciding which name to assign.

Liang Jiugong quietly served him a bowl of milk tea, then gently tidied up the desk for Kangxi. He took a paperweight and arranged the papers in order and placed them in front of Kangxi, letting them dry while he could choose.

Kangxi sat upright, gripping the teacup and taking two slow sips. Looking at the auspicious characters that could make anyone claustrophobic, he seemed to see a house full of children and grandchildren. With the warm milk tea in his mouth, the warmth seeped into his heart. Which one should he give to whom?

Start distributing from the most auspicious one.

Each family had its own piece of paper. The first belonged to the Crown Prince's family. The eldest prince of the Yuqing Palace was named "Hongyang," with "yang" meaning sunrise. The second prince of the Yuqing Palace was named "Hongxi," with "xi" meaning bright and clear. The third prince of the Yuqing Palace... Kangxi really put a lot of thought into it. Although they all had auspicious characters, he didn't dare give him a name that was too big, fearing that he wouldn't be able to hold his own and would suffer a shortened lifespan.

The rest is easy.

The fifth son had already been born, and was also given the character "Sheng". Sheng means rising sun.

He also gave his eldest son, whose name he had not yet seen, a good name, "Hongyu". Yu means bright and clear.

The third prince's unborn son was named "Hongqing", and the fourth prince's son was named "Honghui".

In fact, words with the character "日" as a radical all have good meanings. The character "晴" has a softer meaning, meaning "rain stops and there are no clouds", which is not a bad meaning either.

These were already written. These were the only sons he had ever married, the fifth of whom had been born secretly. The rest would be given names when they were born. He called Liang Jiugong, "Put them all away. These will be sent back to the capital with the imperial edict to the crown prince. Keep these carefully, for I will need them when the time comes."

——————————————————————————————————————————

The imperial edict was sent to Beijing.

After Yinreng accepted the position, he first dealt with state affairs. Next, he discussed household arrangements, and Kangxi praised his brotherly love. Then, regarding the child's name, Yinreng twitched his lips, thinking, "He's already had four daughters. Are you sure he's not one of those special breeds who can only have daughters?"

He quickly glanced at the other three pieces of paper and had no objection to the third, fourth, and fifth sons. It was just that the third and fourth sons' families hadn't given birth yet, and if they rashly gave birth to a daughter, it would be embarrassing. So he simply sent Eunuch Cui to first report to Concubine Yi in the Yikun Palace, and then to the fifth son's home to announce the decree.

Then he ran to his wife and told her: "Khan Ama has given our son a name."

Shujia was delighted. Although her son was the apple of her eye, she couldn't use "baby" as a big word, could she? She wanted to teach him his own name in a few months. Unfortunately, she didn't get to choose the name, so she didn't dare to ask him. Now, she could start preparing the flashcards.

She took the paper and looked at it, feeling a little depressed at first. There were two people to the right of her precious son, and her son was last in line. She swallowed her anger for now; her son's name was the most important.

But...what is this? ! ! !

Kangxi, after much deliberation, decided to name the Third Prince of Yuqing Palace "Hongdan." Dan means early morning, daytime, and also refers to the first day of the new year. It's a pretty good idea. Good things are just beginning.

But, this pronunciation is really not good!

Hongdan... Hongdan... Bastard...

Shujia's forehead was bruised, but the child's father was very happy: "The meaning is very good. It's also easy to read..."

You're right about the first half, but can we leave out the second half? Shujia was on the verge of tears, thinking of the little fat boy being bullied by his mother before he could even speak. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Kangxi's ridiculous words filled with tears! You don't know, but later on, General Ju had to censor them all over again. Many people were afraid of being framed, so to be safe, they just called the bastard "Red Egg".

In her past life, Shujia had suffered enough from having a homophonic name, and she once vowed not to let her own children suffer the same fate. Unexpectedly, man proposes, God disposes. Kangxi, truly a time-traveling Halley's Comet!

Seeing his wife staring at the paper, seemingly lost in thought, Yinreng explained the meaning of a few words. Shujia silently thought, "I know what they mean. I can even foresee what nicknames they would have if I gave them one."

Listen, the eldest son's name is Hongyang, pronounced [yang], which means "promoting national culture"... What a familiar word, and quite funny. Only the second son's name is better. And the eldest prince's son, whom Yinreng strongly rejected, is named "Hongyu." Hongyu—remember there's a fox spirit with that name in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio"?

Anyway, because Kangxi gave the little fat boy a name that was not very pleasant to the ear, Shujia was very dissatisfied with Kangxi's naming skills.

She was full of dissatisfaction, but could not express it. She asked Yinreng: "Should we pass down the children's names so that they can be more careful when speaking in the future and pay attention to avoiding taboos?"

Yinreng said, "Very true."

It was a big deal. Kangxi followed up with another instruction. In order to make the child easier to raise, there was no need to avoid taboos. As long as the double characters did not appear together, there would be no need to pursue the matter. In order to make the child easier to raise, he even thought of taking the child away from the palace to raise him. It was nothing to call him a name.

Finally, the eldest and second princes of Yuqing Palace had their own names: Hongyang and Hongxi. Since they were now of school age, Shujia gifted them with identical sets of pens, paper, and books. Their mother also made them new clothes. While the stitching wasn't as good as a professional seamstress's, wearing them was a token of her love.

The eunuchs who accompanied him were already there, and Yinreng had chosen Hahazhuzi. Shujia initially considered it her responsibility, but she was worried about making an oversight. She simply sent word to the abbot, who had a list of young men of similar age and decent family backgrounds from Yinreng's entourage, to make the final selection. This way, she contributed while avoiding potential risks.

One also needs to choose an auspicious day to study, so I was two days late.

The day before school started, Li Jiashi, Li Jiashi, and the two children came to pay their respects. Shujia, seeing the two children's happy faces, said with a smile, "That's good! You're going to school now, and you're half-grown-ups now. You must listen to your teacher, study hard, and don't bring shame to your father."

Yinreng coughed and pretended not to hear.

Shujia asked Yinreng again, "My son will be going to school tomorrow, and you don't even give him a few instructions? There are many uncles there now. How should they be treated? What is their position? What time should they eat snacks? When should they take a break? It would be better to give them some ideas, right?"

Yinreng's face was stern: "You're the one who's always bothering me." Shujia thought he was just taking a break from laughing, not feeling embarrassed at all. A flicker of helplessness flashed in Yinreng's eyes, and he glanced down, acting like a strict father again: "When you get there, just bow and greet your uncle. You don't have to be too polite to your master. You are the emperor's grandsons, so you should behave like masters. No frolicking. Sit upright, wear your hat straight, don't stamp your feet when it's cold, and don't undress when it's hot..."

The lecture, which was suspicious of child abuse, was over. The two children did not tremble. They were considered strong. They stood at attention honestly, then lowered their hands and bowed their heads in response.

Shujia was helpless and said softly, "Don't be afraid. If there is anything that doesn't fit, just come back and tell us. Ama and E'niang will make the decision for you."

"Just spoil them!" Yinreng continued to put pressure on his son, who was a little relaxed after hearing Shujia's words, "You broke another pocket watch?" This was referring to Hongxi, "Or did you give it to them?" This was referring to Shujia, "You all be careful!" He drew a circle with his fingers, pointing to everyone, and the lecture ended.

Shujia wasn't the least bit afraid. To say Yinreng valued things was a bit of a joke; he was the type who never asked the price. Kangxi once took him on a tour of the outskirts of Beijing, telling him how difficult farming was and how hard the people worked. Yinreng often discussed prices with Kangxi, but that was always at the decision-making level. He didn't care at all that a pocket watch cost hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver.

The reason why he was strict this time was just to take advantage of the situation. Otherwise, what would you let a father say to a traditional feudal father who was about to go to school?

Shujia didn't take it as an offense, and used her eyes to comfort the poor bastard. With Yinreng as a father and a mother who dared not and had no right to interrupt, the two children were quite pitiful. "Tomorrow, you can take the time to send them over in person, which will also appear more solemn. Khan Ama hasn't come back yet, so you can go and check on your brothers' homework, right?"

Although his behavior was not that respectful to his teacher, Yinreng still knew that he had to put on a show. Besides, he was indeed his son, so Yinreng still remembered his responsibilities. Looking back, Kangxi seemed to often check on his son's academic progress. Yinreng muttered something, but finally agreed to Shujia's suggestion: "Okay."

Well, everyone's happy. Li Jia, who hadn't dared to speak, lowered her head and chuckled. It was hard to say whether they were competing for favors right now. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had only been married for less than a year and a half, barely a newlywed couple. Anyone who dared to interfere at this time would be an idiot. But her son was studying, and he would soon be an adult, so she had hope.

Li Jia, on the other hand, remained frail and sick. The Crown Princess would inquire about her condition from time to time, and from her tone, it seemed as if she was taking care of her. But her illness refused to improve. Her daughters had died frequently, and the grief she felt during the postpartum period had left her with a deep-seated illness, which was extremely difficult for a woman to recover from.

Shujia was indeed a little anxious. If anything happened to Li Jiashi, no one would blame her. However, Yinreng's number of concubines was reduced, with only Li Jiashi left. For a crown prince, this was too few. It was hard to say whether Kangxi would suddenly squeeze in two more. Therefore, she hoped that Li Jiashi would live well.

After reassuring Li Jiashi a few more words, Shujia invited them to eat together. She reasoned that the two children were about to go to school, so they should at least eat together. She even offered Li Jiashi and Li Jiashi a special favor, allowing them to sit down and eat. She should have established a rule, but Shujia felt that even though she could eat while they watched, she wouldn't have an appetite if they were milling around.

As everyone sat together, the two who were most nervous became the others. Shujia felt a dark sense of relief. Then she told herself that everyone was innocent, unlucky enough to be brought together by Master Kang's stroke of the pen to make them burp each other.

The meal was surprisingly good, and the two children seemed quite polite. The palace maids were indeed quite skilled. Silence while eating was a Qing palace custom. Unless it was a banquet with a specific purpose, and everyone needed to bond over the table, they ate in silence. When the person at the head of the table had almost finished, everyone else, regardless of whether they were full or not, had to put down their chopsticks.

This also has the advantage that one does not have to worry about crafting a reply, and the host does not have to bother showing friendliness.

What a good rule, Shujia thought.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Yinreng personally sent his sons to school.

He had long since left the elementary class and graduated from the advanced class, and this visit brought with it a lot of emotion. His younger brothers were much cuter than Yinzhi, so Yinreng smiled and said, "Why should we be so polite to each other?" He then let them go.

He watched the teachers bow, then gave them a slight support. "No need for formalities. Masters, you've worked hard. I'm here today to ask you for a favor." He leaned over slightly, and Hongyang and Hongxi came forward. Young eunuchs were waiting in the corridor outside the door, holding books. Thirteenth Prince Yinxiang and Fourteenth Prince Yinzhen were the youngest of the current students, both under ten years old, and their position allowed them to see them.

Yinzhen reached out to tug at Yinxiang's clothes and made a little noise. Yinxiang glanced up, then stuck out his tongue at Yinzhen. The two of them exchanged a silent grimace and stood back.

I heard their second brother introduce the masters to his sons, and then to his sons. The emperor's grandson and the masters exchanged greetings. The masters were in a state of panic! The emperor's sons were already difficult to serve, but fortunately, they weren't teaching the crown prince. Just as they were celebrating, the crown prince sent his son. The masters had no choice but to accept him, and promised to do their best to "teach" the emperor's grandson well.

Who knew your family's "good teaching" was such a ridiculous standard?! Poor Senior Xu Yuanmeng, he's still stuck in the Xinzheku records, not knowing what's happening now! Just hold on tight!

Then, the prince, this bastard father, even dragged his son to recognize relatives! "This is your thirteenth uncle, this is your fourteenth uncle, and this is your sixth uncle from your great-uncle (Chang Ning)'s family..."

Seeing his son pay his respects, Yinreng was very proud and said to the group of half-grown children, "Your nephew has just arrived today. If there is anything he doesn't understand, you should take care of him."

Finally, the Crown Prince finished disrupting the class and left, contented. Leaving behind a group of students staring at each other in amazement, Hongxi was more alert and bowed to his teacher, "Master, where shall we sit?" After the chaos, seating was arranged. Yinxiang had a younger sister, so he had some experience in "taking care" of children.

He made a request to the master: "They are both young, so let them sit in front of me, so that it will be more convenient for them to listen to the class." The Thirteenth Prince was now a prince that Kangxi liked very much, so he was more daring to speak. He said this, and the master looked at him approvingly. Not bad, not bad, very stylish.

The Thirteenth Prince was quite pleased with himself, sitting in the back with his books in his arms. The eunuchs hurried in to help the Thirteenth Prince and the young grandson arrange their belongings. Yinxiang settled into his new seat and realized it wasn't a bad place at all. A row back allowed him to occasionally do some small activities. It wasn't that he was naughty or inattentive, but boys his age are always a little restless. For someone like Yinreng, who had so many teachers watching him, he was forced to be steady. If you had the right conditions, being able to truant in class would be the perfect life!

The Fourteenth Prince was initially puzzled. He was the youngest son of Concubine De, who held considerable influence in Kangxi's eyes and even more so in the harem. Both Kangxi and Concubine De were fond of him, especially Concubine De, who treated her like her lifeblood. Therefore, Yinzhen was even bolder than Yinxiang. Seeing Yinxiang move back, he was still indignant: "It's okay that the Crown Prince is more valuable than us, but why do these two guys have to sit in the front row too?"

As in later schools, only those with good grades, favored by teachers, or with connections to higher-ups could occupy the front row center seats permanently. Later schools would rotate seats monthly to protect eyesight, but here, seats were assigned purely based on status. For the Fourteenth Prince, being able to sit in the front row center was an honor. Now he was being asked to move back, but he wasn't happy. He was the uncle, while the two were merely illegitimate sons of the Crown Prince.

But... thinking about it, he and Yinxiang were of similar age and had always gotten along. Yinxiang wasn't some idiot who'd be so obvious about trying to please the Crown Prince; on the contrary, he was quite perceptive and astute. Coincidentally, upon receiving Yinxiang's signal, Yinzhen, who had been hesitant, immediately applied: "There are two brothers. One position wouldn't be enough. Let's change mine, too."

After the change, I realized this seat was truly amazing. It put me next to Yinxiang again. I could make faces and just turn my head, no need to turn. It was fantastic! The uncles were so gracious, showing some respect and giving their nephew a seat.

"Hey, boys, learn a little bit. Experience is always better than gold!" Yinzhen thought proudly, "Ah, really killing two birds with one stone. Hmm, how did Thirteenth Brother think of that? But I was quick to react, so I'm not bad either."

The author has something to say: This, Baozi's name, are you surprised? Are you satisfied? I thought about it for a long time before I came up with a good name! This is an evolving name, if you don't believe me, just look at it.

——————————————Flower Arrangement Theater————————————————

"Mother, why am I called Hongdan?" He was very depressed because he and his brothers and cousins ​​had privately laughed at the dog from his eighth uncle's family, and then laughed at everyone's names. In the end, he got to the point where he felt his name was embarrassing but he didn't dare to complain to Kangxi.

"Be content. The character Dan is not bad. Why are you complaining? Think about his uncle King Cheng of Zhou, and then think about Emperor Minghuang of Tang's father." The mother had calmed down.

"..." Baozi, "I'm going to change my name in the future..."

[What's the point of changing it? From the emperor's uncle to the emperor's father, that's auspicious enough, change it to P!] The mother gnashed her teeth.

Finally, about the update time.

I'm a coder, but that's not the main reason. It's mainly because I've been so busy lately: four weddings in October, plus a company-sponsored internship, and occasional overtime. The new dorm has various issues that can only be discovered and resolved as I use it. Yesterday, at 11:30, I even called customer service because the screws on the heater in my room weren't tightened properly, and it was dripping.

I can only say that I will try my best to write, and there is no fixed update time. I am very sorry.

After this busy period, things will probably get better. If I can resume daily updates, I will set a fixed time and let everyone know. For now, I have to ask for your understanding.