Kangxi's mood swings

Kangxi's illness wasn't serious, but when he was sick, he needed someone to comfort him, to feel the warmth of family, and to feel cared for. The emperor was no exception. His beloved son remained calm, and Kangxi was deeply displeased. This displeasure was particularly unforgettable.

"I'm sick and I've lost weight, and you, you idiot, aren't you sad? You look so calm and composed, and your demeanor is so dignified, as if you haven't been affected at all! What do I think of you?!" Kangxi roared inwardly. Psychological factors affect physiology. Even though he had brought a bunch of imperial doctors with him, and Yinreng had packed a bunch more for expert consultation, his illness still didn't heal, so he had no choice but to return to Beijing.

His return brought prosperity to the Shi family. The Shi clan's eldest grandson, Fu Dali, and second grandson, Qingde, accompanied the emperor. Furthermore, Hua Shan's nephew, Shi Wenying, already a member of the imperial guard, also accompanied him on his journeys. However glorious it may have seemed, the fact that three male members of a family were stranded on the front lines was a profound worry. When Kangxi returned, they were all able to return with him, and the entire family breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Wenying's father was not in Beijing, so when he returned, he and his wife naturally went to his uncle's house to thank him for taking care of their family these days. Hua Shan curled his lips in disdain: "You are not a good boy. It is obviously your wife who takes good care of your niece and niece-in-law."

Shi Wenying: "..." Just pretend that he didn't see his uncle looking down on him.

Fu Dali was helpless, completely speechless, and desperately tried to wink at his brother. Qingde rolled his eyes and interrupted, "Mafa, uncle was just being polite to you, but you're really putting on airs."

Hua Shan picked up the pipe from the table and put it over his head to gesture. Qingde jumped out from a distance: "Mafa, your pipe is still burning! Whoosh, whoosh..." A few sparks fell on his hands, and he jumped several times, shaking his hands as he jumped.

The atmosphere finally relaxed. Hua Shan began to ask his nephew and grandson about their situation outside in a gloomy tone: "How is the master's health?"

Shi Wenying's position was closest to Kangxi, but there were regulations prohibiting leaks. After much deliberation, he chose the most insignificant explanation and said, "The master is seriously ill this time. The original imperial physicians, as well as those brought by the crown prince, all said he needed to rest, so he returned. His complexion has become thinner, so I guess he'll be fine after a while of rest."

Hua Shan hummed and said, "Your niece has won the favor of the Empress Dowager. She has spoken a few times in the palace. I heard that the Empress Dowager is very worried." It's not like I don't know everything. Don't try to fool me, you guys!

Shi Wenying wasn't surprised that her niece's daughter had won the Empress Dowager's favor. With a family of their size, where every adult male wore a headdress, it would be strange if the palace didn't care about them. Shi Wenying simply hadn't expected the young girl to be so favored by the Empress Dowager.

Shi Wenying's surprise faded, but he also understood his uncle's intention to punish him, and he felt a little helpless. The Shi family's rules had always been to revolve around the emperor, to be humble, not to push the envelope, and to work quietly. For Shi Wenying, there was an additional rule: if the risk was too high, to cower and play dead.

He was now a little tempted to play dead. After thinking about it, he realized that he was his uncle after all, so he had to remind him of some things. He said, "It's also because of concern. However, when the Crown Prince went to the camp, he didn't show much concern. The master didn't seem very happy, and ordered the Crown Prince to return to the capital the next day. Since then, he hasn't smiled at all."

The father and son of the royal family are so fickle, we'd better just stay quiet. "Given the emperor's love for the prince, he might have let his anger go. If we were caught in the middle and used as a raft to vent our anger, it would be too unfair..."

Hua Shan and his three grandchildren shared the same sentiment. It was indeed unbelievable for the sons to be so paralyzed when their father was ill, but Hua Shan knew that the Crown Prince had rushed over, even packing a large number of imperial doctors and medicinal herbs. He certainly didn't seem unconcerned. Then again, everyone in the capital had witnessed the Emperor's perverted doting on the Crown Prince—not every parent would do such a thing as beating up their son's teacher.

The men discussed and came up with a rough plan: continue to act around the emperor, the center of the nation, and play dead as to the rest. Stay out of other people's business. The women, however, met frequently, chatting in the backyard over sunflower seeds, their conversations focused on family matters, unnecessary rambling.

When Shujia paid her respects to Huashan in the evening, Huashan lectured her: "If the Empress Dowager summons you to the palace again, if you meet an important person, be careful what you say."

Shujia had been listening to the lecture with her head down, but now she looked up at Huashan, her eyes full of confusion.

Hua Shan simply spoke directly. Now wasn't the time to ask his granddaughter to strictly adhere to her rules. Since she had already stepped into this circle, she might as well be frank. "The emperor is not feeling well. The crown prince wasn't sufficiently attentive during his visit. Father and son are currently sulking. Please be more subtle when you speak."

Huh?

Isn't the Crown Prince... not that stupid? Why is he acting so badly this time?

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Back in her room, Shujia tossed and turned her thoughts on Yinreng's behavior. She couldn't imagine. Given Kangxi's indulgence of Yinreng, what kind of irritating expression would Yinreng's rather handsome face have to wear to warrant Mafa specifically warning her, someone who "might" have spoken to her in the palace, to be careful? The way he treated his grandmother, was he anything but a fool? Was he also capable of making the old lady happy? Why was he so indifferent to the person whose words could decide her life or death?

She overlooked the other party involved, Kangxi. Kangxi was a patient, and a patient's emotions are always difficult to understand.

Sick people are often emotionally unstable and their hearts are inevitably a little fragile when they are away from home. They usually feel much better when they return home.

Kangxi was in this situation. The military camps on all sides were filled with a solemn and desolate atmosphere. In addition, his eldest son was not ambitious enough to argue with his elders. The Eight Banners had been at ease for nearly ten years since the Three Feudatories Rebellion, but they had become corrupt and their combat effectiveness was not as good as expected. Kangxi was in a very bad mood.

On the way back to Beijing, the imperial carriage wobbled. Even in July and August, the daytime heat was still intense, and the sick Kangxi was deeply irritated. After thirty years as emperor, he had perfected his outward appearances, but he couldn't pretend to be without anger. Even at night, when there were no green cards for him to turn over, he kept thinking over and over about Yinreng's performance.

I was so excited, so eager for him to come and hug me, uh, even if we didn't cry, we could at least comfort each other. But he walked into the tent without even a twitch of an eyebrow. His voice didn't even tremble, and he didn't even show any concern. He truly is a 'mature and steady' Crown Prince! Humph!

His steps, when he retreated, were two feet per step, more accurate than a ruler! His arms dropped down, so smoothly and gracefully! You're so decisive!

During this journey, Kangxi did nothing but look after and deal with important matters, and just recalled his son's actions.

When he returned to the palace, he looked at the familiar red walls, yellow tiles, golden pillars and green eaves. All the arrogance he had when he was sick was gone, and he sighed. Returning to the Qianqing Palace, the familiar palace made him feel safe. He could still hold on to his glass heart, which was shattered by his beloved son's indifference, and handed over the work tasks.

Led by Yinreng, his sons came to pay their respects. The emperor was listless, and seeing the one standing at the head of the group, he still looked calm and composed. His troubled heart, which had calmed down in the familiar surroundings, suddenly began to flare up again. He coughed twice in anger, reaching for his forehead, his palm and forehead burning uncomfortably. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his sons to kneel and pay their respects. He watched angrily as the bunch of little idiots, big and small, left the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and finally lay down to lick his wounded heart.

Because he was listless, the concubines couldn't see him for the time being. The Palace of Heavenly Purity wasn't a place anyone could come and go as they pleased. Even though it was the first of the three inner palaces, the concubines couldn't just come without being picked. However, there was one person who could - the Empress Dowager.

Kangxi had just changed his clothes and lay down when Liang Jiugong tiptoed over and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is here to see you. The sedan chair will be arriving soon."

Kangxi was speechless. He couldn't turn this person away. Besides, at this moment, he also wanted a relative to comfort him. Even if the son was unfilial, at least his mother still cared about him. Kangxi's heart warmed again. He hurriedly dressed and opened the door to welcome the empress dowager.

The young eunuchs quickly ran to the tea room to urge for tea.

The Empress Dowager arrived and saw Kangxi waiting to greet her. She was surprised and said, "Didn't they say you had already gone to bed? I just came to see you. Seeing you makes me feel relieved. Who told you to get up and make trouble again?"

Kangxi was moved. He had a clear view of his stepmother, and his conclusion was the same as Shujia's: from a purely personal perspective, she was just an ordinary old lady, but simple and lovely. Kangxi stepped forward and helped the empress dowager to sit down: "It's okay, you still have some strength."

Everyone around was moved. The emperor was truly a filial son. Look, he still needed Liang An'da to support him, and he even stepped forward to support the empress dowager.

The Empress Dowager also reached out to support Kangxi, and kept urging him: "Lie down quickly." A widow relies on her son. The Empress Dowager was a widow, and Kangxi was her son. How could she not care about him?

Kangxi was lying on the kang, and the Empress Dowager was sitting beside him, looking him over. "Oh, you've lost a lot of weight. You must have suffered a lot. Marching and fighting are not like hunting. How can you, as the emperor, just run to the front without any hesitation?"

Kangxi listened with a smile, pleased with the scolding, and his complexion brightened considerably. The Empress Dowager did not explain her complaints, and seeing her weight loss, it seemed she was worried. Kangxi was deeply moved and listened patiently to the Empress Dowager's nagging until the end, saying, "I am sorry for being unfilial. I have caused you to worry. You have worked so hard in the palace."

The Empress Dowager smiled. She had originally intended to check on Kangxi. It would have been fine if she hadn't been anxious about him at the front, but now that he was back at the palace, she felt uneasy if she didn't check on him right away. But once she did, she couldn't hold it in and started nagging. To her surprise, Kangxi's expression brightened the more he talked, so she didn't stop and continued nagging.

Hearing Kangxi thank her at the end, she felt a little embarrassed—the Empress Dowager couldn't stand being treated kindly. Kangxi had just praised her, and she had just scolded him. Well, to save face for the Emperor, the Empress Dowager said sternly, "The Emperor's toil for the state is the real hardship." Then she thought, Kangxi usually loved the Crown Prince the most, and she wanted to praise him again.

The Empress Dowager seemed a bit dumber among the clever people in the palace, but even dumb people have their own ways. Over the years, she had developed a set of practical experience. Since she couldn't come up with many brilliant words herself, she would just recite what she had heard or said that she thought made sense, adding a few of her own words. This made her words sound righteous and impressive, which also added a lot of points.

The theory about the front and rear that the Empress Dowager had recently heard was from the girl who had the misfortune of being watched by her and her grandson, so she cheerfully reiterated it, "We're in the rear, how hard can it be? If I had to say hardship, I just listened to Yinreng and told the palace not to talk nonsense. The one who has worked the hardest is the Crown Prince... Not only has he taken care of all the court affairs, but he's also thought of all the imperial doctors and medicinal materials. By the way, have you used them?"

Kangxi was stunned for a moment. Could it be that... he had misunderstood Yinreng? Kangxi was a little bit unable to accept it. When the Empress Dowager saw that Kangxi did not give the expected reaction to her words, she thought that she had not said it well. She said awkwardly, "Then you rest. I'm going back."

Kangxi finally understood and rubbed his hands: "You are right, my son is lost in thought." The empress dowager became happy again: "It's nothing, it's just delayed your rest, you should rest well, don't send me out, I will be angry if you do." She left with satisfaction, and on the way she was still thinking about going back to urge her small kitchen to make some delicious food and send it up as extra dishes.

On his way here, Kangxi was concerned about the war situation—which wasn't going well, affecting his mood—and was also obsessed with the implications of his beloved son's attitude toward him—which was even more depressing. Neither was good news, and instead of a positive, negative outcome, it only made the negative even worse. His view of the crown prince became somewhat nuanced.

It's not that he didn't want to find excuses for his son, but as a patient emperor in a fragile period with the first impression of "he doesn't care about me", Kangxi found that his usually smart brain could not find an excuse for Yinreng, and he couldn't help but get angry - you just don't care about me!

Now, a reason so reasonable that proved his son cared about him had fallen from the sky, and it was spoken by a relative, the Empress Dowager. No matter how ordinary the old lady was, Kangxi accepted it.

Then, his initial suspicion, sadness, and anger instantly transformed into a flood of guilt. Yinreng was a good boy, yet he had misunderstood him. If he knew, how heartbroken he would be. That evening, when Wei Zhu arrived to announce, "The Crown Prince has come to pay his respects to you," Kangxi's attitude completely shifted.

Yinreng had no idea his father's mood had been twisted back into a knot. Back at the front, he'd said Kangxi was ill again due to the war, and that was a normal reaction. Now back, Kangxi was acting like this again—Kangxi had always been kind to him in the palace, so it wasn't unusual. Yinreng remained oblivious and continued to report on his work as usual. Seeing his earnestness, Kangxi's gaze grew even kinder.

No matter how guilty he felt, it was an indisputable fact that Kangxi's mood instantly improved, and the positive impact of psychology on physiology also emerged - his illness recovered quickly.

Just when there was hope for his recovery, God, who had been in a torturous relationship with him, could no longer bear it and struck him on the head with a blow.