"Mother, your son is back."
Xiu Ning was chatting with Chun Yu in the main hall when, unexpectedly, Yin Yi, whom they had said wouldn't be returning today, appeared at the door of the room.
Um?
A flash of surprise crossed Xiu Ning's face. She stood up and looked up. "Yi'er, why are you back?"
"It wasn't that we were going to stay overnight at the Qianqing Palace," Xiuning reflexively looked at Chunyu beside her.
Chunyu was also puzzled. She shook her head to show that her previous information was true and that a lowly eunuch running errands for the emperor would recognize him. But she didn't understand why the young prince would come back.
Yin Yi had been holding back his anger the whole way, and was about to complain to Xiu Ning, so he naturally didn't notice the change in his mother's expression.
"My second brother, the Crown Prince, sent me back. With Father Emperor not here, what can those servants say?"
With a soft hum, Yin Yi toddled to the bedside with his short legs, then buried his head in Xiu Ning's arms and twisted his hair into a braid. "Mother, your son doesn't want to go to the Qing Palace anymore."
Tsk, what a child's temper.
Xiu Ning looked at Yin Yi, who had buried his head in her arms, and shook her head helplessly while stroking the back of Yin Yi's head.
Whether or not to go to the Qianqing Palace was not up to Yin Yi; it was entirely up to the Emperor's own decision.
With a glance, Xiu Ning gestured for Chun Yu to go and wait, then pulled Yin Yi out of her arms. "Tell Mother what exactly happened."
Xiu Ning's gentle voice greatly soothed Yin Yi's bad mood. Yin Yi grumbled for a while, but still told his mother all the grievances he had suffered when he was alone with Yin Reng in the Qianqing Palace.
Xiuning listened and analyzed as she spoke, and finally reached out to touch Yinyi's little face, saying, "Don't worry, your father won't let you suffer."
But the Emperor didn't appear at all. Yin Yi muttered to himself that he thought his mother was just trying to comfort him, and that his Emperor didn't care about him at all. His Emperor's favorite was the Crown Prince.
Hmph! What's so good about the Crown Prince? He can't be a good older brother, and he doesn't have any magnanimity. That's why he doesn't like him.
Seeing that her son was a bit emotional, Xiu Ning didn't try to lecture him. Instead, she took Yin Yi's hand and asked Chun Yu to fetch some of Yin Yi's favorite snacks from the small kitchen. She coaxed and persuaded him to smile again.
Once things calmed down at Qixiang Palace, Yin Yi immediately forgot about the outrageous things Yinreng had done.
Meanwhile, at the Qianqing Palace, Yinreng was personally escorted to the Cining Palace by Liang Jiugong and his men.
When Yinreng arrived, he was a little nervous, but fortunately Sumalagu reacted quickly and calmed him down with a few words. Then she sent someone to take him to a side hall to rest.
"Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Su Ma"
Liang Jiugong wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
Sumalagu didn't waste any words, only asking why Yinreng was sent here. The Empress Dowager was still in the small Buddhist hall, and even if Emperor Kangxi came to visit, he could not be disturbed.
Liang Jiugong could only vaguely tell Su Mala Gu what Yinreng had done in the Qianqing Palace: "The Emperor is going to stay overnight at the Qixiang Palace tonight. He was afraid that Prince Yinreng would not be used to being alone in the Qianqing Palace, so he sent this servant to bring him to the Cining Palace."
Sumalagu: ...
"I understand, Eunuch Liang. His Majesty is busy, so I will not keep you any longer. Please go back now."
What could Su Ma La Gu say? She saw Liang Jiu Gong off in a businesslike manner, then turned around and went to wait for the Empress Dowager to come out at the entrance of the small Buddhist hall.
After a while, the Empress Dowager's voice came from inside the small Buddhist hall.
Sumalagu responded by pushing open the door and helping the Empress Dowager back to the main hall.
"His Majesty seems somewhat dissatisfied with Yinreng," the Empress Dowager remarked, her hands constantly turning a string of Buddhist prayer beads.
Sumalagu lowered her head and said, "Perhaps it was also to try and change Prince Yinreng's temperament."
This practice of sending people over one minute and then immediately going to Qixiang Palace can be interpreted in two ways.
One possibility is that the Emperor was dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and went to Qixiang Palace to appease Consort Jing and her son, and also to teach the Crown Prince a lesson, making him understand the difference between what he should and should not do.
Another method is to protect the crown prince's safety indirectly, making people think that he doesn't value the crown prince much, thus reducing the attention that the harem and the court pay to the crown prince, so that the crown prince can grow up smoothly.
How one thinks is entirely up to oneself, but Su Ma La Gu felt that both possibilities existed, because the Emperor was not someone who would leave no way out.
The Crown Prince may not be performing well now, but the Emperor cannot just give up on him. He must give the Crown Prince a few more chances.
Of course, if the Crown Prince fails to seize the opportunity, the Emperor will certainly not hesitate to give it up.
"Bring Yinreng here when it's time for dinner. No matter what happens later, it's not good to let the child go hungry."
The Empress Dowager didn't have many thoughts about Yinreng, unlike the Empress who died in childbirth at the beginning. The Empress lived for several more years, allowing Yinreng to experience his mother's love, but also causing Yinreng to lose the favoritism of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Every event has its advantages and disadvantages. Just like now, even the death of Yinreng's mother, the Empress Dowager, has been tolerated.
Yinreng was led over, and the two dined at the same table. He remained unusually quiet.
"Yinreng, you will stay in Cining Palace tonight. I will have Suma escort you to the side hall later."
After hearing this, Yinreng looked up at the Empress Dowager and said, "Grandmother, I... I won't go back to the Qianqing Palace?"
He has not yet moved to Yuqing Palace, and is temporarily living in Qianqing Palace with Emperor Kangxi.
Having lived with Emperor Kangxi for some time, Yinreng was in a stage of dependence on him. Whenever the Empress Dowager spoke, his first thought was of Emperor Kangxi.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager said calmly, "The Emperor is not in the Qianqing Palace tonight. I am not at ease letting you go back by yourself."
Yinreng couldn't help but ask, "Grandfather, where did Father Emperor go?"
Qixiang Palace
Yinreng: ...?!
His face turned deathly pale instantly, and Yinreng's lips trembled slightly. "This... how did he end up at Qixiang Palace? Could it be that Father Emperor was displeased with his behavior and went there personally to comfort his third brother?"
Recalling the foolish thing he had done that afternoon in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Yinreng felt it made more and more sense.
Yes, not long after my third brother left, I was sent to Cining Palace by Eunuch Liang. My original dinner was gone, and even the privilege of sleeping with him was gone.
Unable to contain his anger, Yinreng clenched the spoon he held tightly in his hand. This undisguised behavior was noticed by the Empress Dowager.
Shaking her head inwardly, the Empress Dowager felt that the Crown Prince was truly hopeless, and indeed, the Empress was still no good.
"Yinreng, it is only right for the emperor to go wherever he wants. If you are not feeling well, go back and rest early. You have to return to the Qianqing Palace tomorrow, so don't be late."
The Empress Dowager subtly reminded Yinreng to be mindful of his behavior, then rose and left the dining table for him.
Yinreng responded softly with a "yes," and then lowered his head to silently begin his meal.
However, anyone with a discerning eye could tell from Yinreng's mechanical movements that he was not paying attention.
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