Chapter 51
Yinreng and Yintang noticed the Crown Princess's caution and became flustered, as if they were quite wary of this thing, as if it were something terrifying.
This puzzled both Yinreng and Yintang. Yinreng understood from Jialuo's words that the ointment was indeed very harmful, but those who had never actually seen it could not imagine it.
For example, Yinreng at this moment could not figure out what was so frightening about him.
“In that case, let’s have someone research and experiment with it. Perhaps it really will have some negative effects on people. Ninth Brother, we can’t be the kind of people who bring disaster to the country and its people.”
Out of trust in Jialuo, Yinreng did not immediately reject the idea. Instead, he looked at the Ninth Prince Yintang with a gentle and serious expression.
As the crown prince, a sense of caution regarding certain matters remains deeply ingrained in his mind.
The Ninth Prince, Yin Tang, pursed his lips somewhat unhappily, but he also knew that this kind of thing might have some negative impact, and quite a significant one at that, otherwise the Crown Princess wouldn't have such an expression.
What if the Crown Princess thought of doing this kind of business on her own? Those Western cargo ships had just left the coastal areas, and all their goods were gone. How could she possibly steal anything?
Moreover, considering that the goods sold by the people of the Western Barbarian Lands are so expensive yet so cheap, it's clear that it would be better to manufacture them ourselves.
"Second Brother is right, it was I who overlooked this." Yin Tang sighed, thinking that he had thought of something that could make money, and that he could make a fortune by splitting the profits 30/70.
“Ninth Brother, I know you have tried your best, but as a member of the royal family, since you enjoy the support of the Qing Dynasty, you should be responsible for the people of our Qing Dynasty, right?” He reached out and patted Yinzhen’s shoulder to comfort him.
"I know you're trying to prove yourself to Father Emperor, but your previous research on clocks was enough to show him your efforts and achievements. Now, how about you come with me to investigate this matter?"
Yinreng noticed Yintang's discouragement and, after thinking for a moment, decided that as the elder brother, he should rebuild his younger brother's confidence.
The fear is that Yinzhen will not listen to advice and may do something irreversible in private. You should know that both Yinzhen and Yin'e have always been reckless and headstrong. Binding Yinzhen is equivalent to binding Yin'e.
To prevent the Ninth Prince from getting into trouble outside, and the Emperor from thinking that Yinzhen is still cooperating with the Crown Princess, which would implicate the Crown Princess.
Yinzhen was unaware of Yinreng's thoughts and thought that Yinreng was just comforting him, realizing that his previous thoughts were truly wrong.
"Thank you, Second Brother." Second Brother is so kind; he's even thinking of leading me on errands now.
Thinking of my seventh and eighth brothers, hehe, I guess I made the right choice in clinging to their coattails.
"Second Brother, when should we start the investigation?" I'm already tired of the classes in the Imperial Study. If possible, I'd like to start tomorrow. What do you think, Second Brother?
Yinzhen's eagerness actually made Yinreng chuckle. "If Ninth Brother is willing to go through the trouble, I will take you with me tomorrow. I will go to the Qianqing Palace this afternoon to report to Father Emperor. How about that?"
"Alright, alright, then I'll leave it to you, Second Brother." Yinzhen felt that by following his Second Brother on business, he was acting like an adult, and he was determined to show off to Yin'e when they got back.
Hehe! I'm the older brother! Yin'e will always be the younger brother.
Yinzhen smiled helplessly at the person in front of him, then turned to Jialuo and said, "Your Highness, leave this matter to me. Don't worry, I will investigate it thoroughly."
If it really is a scheme by the Westerners, then the Qing Dynasty has no choice but to be on guard.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you." Jialuo knew that she shouldn't get involved in these matters. The inner palace was not allowed to interfere in politics, and she, as a member of Yuqing Palace, shouldn't even think about affecting the Crown Prince's affairs.
She still had some sense and clarity. Even if His Highness the Crown Prince was willing to tell her, if the Emperor found out, he might not blame the Crown Prince, but he would definitely blame her.
She's already thinking about interfering in politics while she's still the Crown Princess. What will she be like when she becomes the Empress?
Jialuo left the place to Yinzhen and Yinreng to discuss their strategy, and then she took her leave.
Although he didn't glean any specific details from Jialuo's words, Yinreng could guess that this matter couldn't be delayed. After seeing Yintang off, he went to the Qianqing Palace.
In the Qianqing Palace, when Kangxi heard Yinreng's purpose, he looked at Yinreng with a deep gaze and asked, "What do you want to do with Yintang?"
"Father, I have made a discovery, but I don't know if it's accurate. I need to investigate it before I can know. Father, please wait until I have investigated it thoroughly before I tell you, okay?"
Yinreng couldn't very well say that it was the Crown Princess who discovered it, because the Emperor would definitely ask how it was discovered. Are you really going to believe the Crown Princess's one-sided story?
Although, perhaps the Emperor already knew about the conversation in the study in the front courtyard...
"Hmm." Kangxi responded indifferently. He had no interest in knowing about the Crown Prince's discovery, nor did he know whether it was true or false. He told them to investigate however they wanted, and perhaps there was some surprise in store.
When Yinzhen returned to the Princes' quarters, he immediately went to the Tenth Prince to boast, "Starting tomorrow, I will no longer go to the Imperial Study. His Highness the Crown Prince said he will take me on official business."
When the Tenth Prince Yin'e heard that the Ninth Prince had come to find him, he was quite happy, thinking that something had happened, since he was always the one who went to the Ninth Prince's residence to find him.
Then, upon hearing Ninth Brother's words, which were like a bolt from the blue, he was completely dumbfounded.
"What? Ninth Brother, you went on an errand with His Highness the Crown Prince? Why? What about me???" Yin'e was shocked, utterly shocked. He knew that Fifth Brother was still studying in the Imperial Study.
"You? Of course you should study hard. Ninth Brother, I'm an adult now, not like before. I can't play with you little brat, Tenth Brother anymore." Ninth Prince Yin Tang raised his chin proudly.
Even as a teenager, he liked to act mature, like the Ninth Prince at this moment.
Yinzhen's words displeased Yin'e, who immediately lunged at the Ninth Prince, shouting, "How could you do this? Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother, I want to go on this errand with you!!!"
"Then how will you go? You're not like me, able to have His Highness the Crown Prince personally escort you on your missions." Yinzhen felt he had already surpassed Yin'e by a huge margin, no, by three huge margins, with his fifth, seventh, and eighth brothers still ahead of him! Hahahaha.
"So what? His Highness the Crown Prince takes you on errands, and you take me. I'll be your little follower. Don't people bring their personal servants when they go on errands? Am I not qualified to be your little follower?" Yin'e also disliked going to school, especially the literature classes in the morning.
It's a headache just looking at him, but the tutors in the Imperial Study always seem to call on him to ask questions.
(The tutor in the Imperial Study: If even the Tenth Prince can learn it, everyone else should understand it too.)
"You?" Yin Tang shook his head arrogantly, "It depends on your performance."
A single arrogant, coy remark turned the Tenth Prince into the Ninth Prince's personal servant all day, attending to Yinzhen's every need. By the afternoon, he was already exhausted.
"Ninth Brother, go to sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow. You'll have energy for tomorrow if you rest early." Yin'e was tired and didn't want to serve him anymore. Even simple tasks like serving water and tea were tiring to stand.
"It's not even dark yet, what are you sleeping for? You just want to slack off, don't you?" Yin Tang and Yin E grew up together, how could he not know what Yin E was thinking? Hmph.
"No, I swear! Oh, Ninth Brother, I don't want to go back to my place today. I want to sleep here tonight." Yin'e stayed here as if he were being unreasonable, afraid that Ninth Brother would leave without waiting for him tomorrow and that he would run away on his own.
Neither of them thought of telling anyone else about it, like with the Western clock incident last time, which caused a huge uproar and attracted everyone's attention.
If it weren't for the fact that he had a good relationship with the Tenth Prince and that Yinzhen was genuinely happy and had no one else to share this with, he wouldn't have gone to the Tenth Prince to tell him.
That evening at Yuqing Palace, Yinreng came to the main courtyard and saw his chubby little boy throwing toys around. He looked... quite angry?
"My dear Hongyao, what's wrong? Who made you angry?" The long-legged man strode over, gently patted Hongyao's head, and asked softly.
"Father?" When the angry little Hongyao heard his father's voice, he quickly looked up and saw that it was his father. He scrambled to his feet and said, "Father, go, go, go see him."
Pointing in a certain direction outside, she wanted to go see it with her father.
Yinreng, oblivious to his son's meaning, looked puzzled at the Crown Princess who hadn't come to pay her respects. "What's going on? Did you two have a fight?"
Does arguing mean I can ignore you?
"It's all because Your Highness the Crown Prince's son is so talented. He insisted on playing with bows and arrows. Didn't Father Emperor say before that everything on the table for the baby's first birthday celebration belonged to Hongyao? After it was delivered, it was put in the small storeroom next to Hongyao's room, and he was eager to play with it."
Jialu glared at the grumpy little brat, annoyed. She got angry just because she was told not to.
"You're so mean, you're scolding Hongyao." Hearing his mother speak ill of him, Hongyao immediately retorted unhappily, puffing out his cheeks and fuming. Hongyao is so cute and wonderful, how could she scold him? Hongyao felt wronged, and he had to show it.
"Oh? What did Mother say about Hongyao?" Yinreng glanced at the Crown Princess, then at Hongyao, and finally squatted down next to Hongyao, asking with concern.
“I feel cold, I feel cold…” Hongyao recalled for a moment, but suddenly couldn’t remember what his mother had said to him. He only remembered that his mother had scolded him, and he felt wronged and angry.
"Mother is just concerned about Hongyao, worried that Hongyao will get hurt and feel pain. She's not scolding Hongyao, you know?" Yinreng reached out and picked up Hongyao, gently coaxing him.
Little Hongyao's big, doe-like eyes widened and he puffed out his cheeks in thought for several seconds. His cute and delicate little face was so adorable when it was slightly puffed up that even Yinreng couldn't help but reach out and touch it a couple of times.
Then she stretched out her two chubby little hands in front of her father, "Hey, you hit Hongyao, hands."
Feeling wronged.
“Hongyao has quite a temper.” Jialuo did say a few words to him, and even patted his hand twice as her first lesson in love.
Children can be incredibly cute and endearing, but when they get naughty and won't listen to reason, they can be absolutely infuriating. She was terrified when she saw Hongyao playing with those dangerous things.
Her heart almost stopped beating. That wicked Hongyao had no idea about her old mother's worries.
As Yinreng listened to Hongyao and Jialuo's complaints, each of them had their own reasons, he took Hongyao's hand and said, "Hmm, they're all red. Hongyao, do you feel like crying?"
"But Mother is worried about Hongyao. You know, even a single hit hurts. If he gets hit by something else, wouldn't it hurt even more? Look at this table corner. Hongyao accidentally bumped into it before, and he cried all night, didn't he?"
Yinreng held him and began to reason with him, and then carried little Hongyao toward the corner of the table where he had accidentally bumped into last time.
"Isn't Mother doing this for your own good?" When little Hongyao buried himself in his father's arms, feeling a little scared after remembering what happened last time, Yinreng coaxed him softly.
Xiao Hongyao thought for a while before obediently nodding, though he didn't really understand.
However, he is no longer angry.
Turning her head, she looked at her mother, her big, round eyes blinking as she looked at Jialuo, and softly called out in her sweet little voice, "Mother."
"Hmm." Jialuo was also taking care of a child for the first time, and she didn't know much about it. Like an ox or horse crossing a river by feeling for stones for the first time, she realized that she was being a little anxious when she was educating the child when the Crown Prince earnestly advised Hongyao.
She personally invited him to the small storeroom to check on Xiao Hongyao's assets, mainly because Xiao Hongyao insisted on going out to play. It's the middle of summer, even in the afternoon, how hot is it? And in the evening, the night wind will rise. Wouldn't the sudden change in temperature cause him to catch a cold?
In order to get Xiao Hongyao's attention, he deliberately brought up the first birthday gift that his grandfather had given him.
Then, Xiao Hongyao excitedly ran around in his little storeroom, ignoring everything he was told, and insisted on swinging his little bow around.
When Jialuo got angry, she said a few words loudly and slapped his little hand as punishment.
"It was Mother's fault, Mother also needs to examine herself." She reached out and took Xiao Hongyao from the Crown Prince's hands, apologizing softly.
"It's alright, Your Highness. We'll educate the child together slowly. We'll both be more patient in the future." Yinreng knew what the Crown Princess was thinking, so he reached out and patted her head, coaxing her along with Hongyao.
Yinreng didn't find it troublesome at all; he felt a sense of satisfaction, as if he had resolved the main conflict of the family as the head of the household.
After putting Xiao Hongyao to sleep, Yinreng secretly asked Jialuo for information, "Your Highness, I don't quite understand the longevity ointment you mentioned today."
【Huh? You don't understand? What don't you understand? Then you'll have to look it up yourself before you'll believe it. What's the point of asking me?】
Jialuo also knew that some things are not to be believed until you have seen them with your own eyes. If she hadn't seen them, she wouldn't have believed that the harm was so great.
Have you met the Crown Princess?
No wonder...
"If I were to investigate, is there anything I should be aware of? Jialuo seemed to know a lot about it today." He asked in a low voice, with a hint of probing.
"Be careful! Don't put yourself in danger." Jialuo thought for a moment, then tightly grasped the Crown Prince's hand, speaking earnestly and repeatedly, "This is not something you can ingest! It can kill you!!"
Yinreng glanced down at his tightly clenched hands. Would someone die? "I won't."
"That's good, that's good. By the way, if it's to be destroyed, it can't be burned directly. It relies on burning and then inhaling. It has to be soaked in water to destroy it..." Jialuo remembered this point and emphasized it, so as not to cause thousands of people to become addicted to it, which would be really a waste.
"Hmm." Yinreng nodded, then asked in confusion, "How did my Crown Princess know about these things? Even I didn't know."
He reached out and gently pinched Jialuo's chin, his intimate, deep voice reaching her ear.
Feeling seduced, Jialuo's eyes brightened slightly. The Crown Prince's hand was on her body, the pressure neither too strong nor too weak, but it only made her feel more aroused and ticklish.
"Your Highness, why don't I tell you..." she said, pushing Yinreng down onto the bed and chuckling, "Those things are things I've heard about, and I've even seen them before. They're really terrifying."
It's terrifying and infuriating to think about. Those despicable Westerners should all be killed, otherwise they will continue to harm our people.
It is precisely because I feel terrified that I need His Highness's comfort and reassurance.
What could the Crown Prince do when he was forced to comfort the Crown Princess with his body? As a man, he should protect his wife and children, so he could only tell the Crown Princess to quickly forget these things she shouldn't remember.
Even with some doubts, it's really inappropriate for a man to let his mind wander to other things at this point.
Of course, it would be even worse if we couldn't personally help the Crown Princess forget those terrible things in her mind at this time.
For the sake of his manly dignity, he could not lose this battle.
Jialuo was naturally unaware of Yinreng's inexplicable competitive thoughts about male pride at this moment; she only knew that her small boat was drifting on the lake, not knowing where it was going.
As it swayed, it tugged at a blade of grass by the lake, causing the grass to hiss in pain, which in turn made the waves in the lake even more turbulent.
the next day.
Yinzhi and Yin'e got up early and went to Yuqing Palace to wait, afraid that His Highness the Crown Prince might forget.
As soon as Yinreng stepped outside, he saw Yintang and Yin'e waiting at the door. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Tenth Brother, you're here too? Have you had your meal?"
"Your Highness, not yet. I came over as soon as I got up and washed up," Yin'e replied hastily, sounding a little embarrassed.
Because she was anxious and worried that Ninth Brother would abandon her and run away, she rushed over in such a hurry. She was also worried that the Crown Prince would not be willing to ask her to go with him.
“We’re all brothers, just call him Second Brother.” The Crown Prince was very gentle. Yinreng quite liked the honest and simple-minded Yin’e.
"Okay, Second Brother." Yin'e naturally didn't think much of it. After hearing Yinreng say that, he immediately responded and called out "Second Brother." His appearance made Yinreng chuckle.
"Second Brother, didn't you say you were taking us on an errand? When are we leaving?" Yinzhen was already impatient and eager to follow Yinreng out of the palace.
"No rush, let's have a meal first. We can't let our younger brothers go hungry, can we?" The gentle and refined Crown Prince smiled with pride as he turned and led them back to Yuqing Palace. He ordered the food to be served first, so that Yin'e and Yin'tang could eat their fill before continuing.
After having their meal at Yuqing Palace, Yinzhen and Yin'e followed the Crown Prince out.
However, to their surprise, His Highness the Crown Prince brought them to... the prison?!
"Second Brother, what are we doing here??? Weren't we supposed to be investigating? Could it be that we can investigate here?"
"Yesterday, I sent people to investigate the Jiangzhe and Huguang areas, but the results were far less than what I saw with my own eyes."
Yinreng had already sent someone to find Suo'etu yesterday. He knew that Suo'etu was very idle at home. If he didn't go to him for anything, it would only make Suo'etu panic and cause him even more trouble.
Upon hearing that it was the Crown Prince's request, Songgotu immediately obtained the opium that very afternoon and was waiting outside the prison. As soon as he saw the Crown Prince, he rushed to greet him.
If he hadn't trusted the Crown Prince, Suo'etu would have suspected that the Crown Prince was planning to kill him and send him straight to prison, without even bothering to arrest him.
"Your Highness, what are you doing?" When the Crown Prince took the things from his hands and headed to the prison, Suo'etu was full of confusion and doubt, as if asking, "Why are you taking this to the prison?"
It took a lot of effort and money to acquire this, Suo'etu. Could it be that he's going to give it to some lowly soldier? Wouldn't that infuriate him?
"Uncle, you've worked hard." The Crown Prince's words of comfort instantly dispelled all the thoughts in Suo'etu's heart. He looked at the Crown Prince with deep emotion. "Waaah, the Crown Prince has noticed my hard work. So all my hard work wasn't in vain."
In the Imperial Study, the Fifth Prince Yinqi and the Eighth Prince Yinsi sat in their seats, watching the sky outside grow brighter and brighter, but they couldn't see Yintang and Yin'e by the door. They frowned with some worry.
"Fifth Brother, did Ninth Brother and Tenth Brother sleep in late today?" Eighth Prince Yinzhi turned to Fifth Prince Yinqi and asked with a hint of worry.
“I don’t know either, but logically speaking, it shouldn’t be like this. Even if they slept in late, wouldn’t the servants around them remind them? It’s not like they’ve never been to school before.” Yinqi had the same expression, worried that his ninth brother would be scolded and punished by the teachers in the Imperial Study.
After waiting and waiting, and seeing that the teacher had already arrived, but Yinzhi and Yin'e were still nowhere to be seen, Yinqi had a bad feeling: Could it be that the two of them had skipped school?
Yinzhi had the same idea, but he also knew that even if his ninth and tenth brothers skipped school, they wouldn't be punished much.
After all, one was the son of a favored concubine, and the other was the son of a noble concubine; their statuses were worlds apart from his own…
Head bowed, a surge of resentment welled up in his eyes.
But when he raised his head, his gentle and refined expression was accompanied by a warm smile, giving him the air of a dashing young gentleman.
The teachers in the Imperial Study did not ask where the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince had gone, as if they had already gotten used to their truancy.
This relieved Fifth Prince Yinqi slightly. He had been glancing at the door occasionally at the beginning of class to see if Yintang had arrived.
But as his master's explanations became more in-depth, Yinqi lost interest in paying attention. He figured it was better to study hard than to come or not. If Yintang didn't understand, he could tutor his ninth brother later.
It wasn't until after class that Yinqi asked the eunuch beside him to go and see where those two rascals, Yintang and Yin'e, had gone.
Skipping school again? Are you afraid your father won't know? Or do you think your backside is tough enough to withstand a beating?
Throughout the entire lunch break, Fifth Prince Yinqi didn't even bother to eat. He ate a few bites and then went to Yikun Palace to see if Ninth Prince was there. He also sent someone to Ninth Prince's residence, otherwise there wouldn't be enough time.
Consort Yi, of course, had no idea that the Ninth Prince was preparing to go on an errand with the Crown Prince. She only knew that he had skipped school again today, which made Consort Yi so angry that she wanted to pick up a feather duster and beat Yinzhen up.
Since entering the palace, she has never been inferior to anyone else in terms of appearance, favor, or offspring.
At this age, she was utterly humiliated by her own Ninth Prince. Occasionally, she would even hear that vile Consort De hypocritically asking how the Ninth Prince was doing... How could she not be angry?
Then... the person who went to the Ninth Prince's residence reported that he had gone to Yuqing Palace with the Tenth Prince this morning, and that the Tenth Prince had stayed overnight at the Ninth Prince's residence last night.
this……
Fifth Prince Yinqi knew that Ninth Prince was alright, but he was a little unhappy because Ninth Prince hadn't told him about it. He felt that Ninth Prince didn't care about his own brother.
"Mother, since Ninth Brother is alright, then I'll be leaving now." Fifth Prince is also a man with a temper. He hadn't even finished his lunch before rushing over, only to find that Ninth Brother had run off and was alright.
"Ah? Oh, okay, go back first. When the Ninth Prince comes back, Mother will definitely give him a good beating with a feather duster." Consort Yi said fiercely. After the Fifth Prince left, she learned that the Fifth Prince had barely eaten his lunch before rushing off to deal with the Ninth Prince. She then quickly sent someone to deliver his lunch to the Fifth Prince.
Old Ninth is really something! She's infuriating!
After Yinreng left, there were only two masters in the main courtyard of Yuqing Palace. Little Hongyao had already forgotten what happened yesterday and still wanted to cuddle and hug his mother.
The small boat, which had been rocking all night, was still a bit tired. It lay on the recliner in the inner room, with a variety of fruits beside it, all of which were produced in summer. There weren't many kinds, but they were good at quenching thirst.
"Mother, Mother, Hongyao wants some too!" Little glutton Hongyao watched his mother leisurely eating fruit, and he also stood on tiptoe, his chubby little hands ready to grab some.
"No, we can't let Hongyao eat like that until he grows a few more teeth. Right now... Xiaoqing, get Hongyao a bowl of fruit puree." Jialuo was still worried that her little Hongyao might choke. As a first-time mother, she was very cautious.
Xiao Hongyao didn't refuse; he just saw Jialuo eating fruit and it looked delicious, which made him a little tempted.
"Mother, hug me." Little Hongyao stretched out his chubby little hands and raised them, only happy when his mother hugged him.
Jialuo glanced at her chubby little boy, and, considering herself a doting mother, she reached out and picked him up. "Oh dear, our Hongyao has gotten heavier again. Let me feel his chubby belly and see if he's gotten fatter."
Jialuo reached out and pinched Xiao Hongyao's chubby belly. Xiao Hongyao giggled and leaned back, falling into Jialuo's arms. "Wow, so cute."
"Yes, yes, our Hongyao isn't fat, he's just so cute he's practically overflowing with cuteness." Jialuo replied with a smile. Meanwhile, Xiaoqing had already brought over the bowl of fruit puree from the kitchen.
Jialuo took the baby's hand; she could already feed the child fruit puree! She felt amazing, a wonderful mother!
While eating the fruit puree, Xiao Hongyao wondered, "Cute, to the point of being... bloated?"
"Hongyao, do you know what expansion is? It's when an object keeps getting bigger and bigger, super big and super big. Mother is praising our Hongyao for being super cute and adorable."
Jialuo gently coaxed Xiao Hongyao. Her baby was the cutest in the world, so sweet and delicate. There was no one as cute as her baby.
Hearing his mother's praise, Xiao Hongyao's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands happily, "Really? Hongyao, the best??"
"Yes, our Hongyao is the cutest. Come on, eat some fruit puree. Gobble it all up in one go, and you'll be the best Hongyao." Jialuo fed Hongyao fruit, saying that eating more is good for his health, and look how good her baby's skin is.
With a loud "Awoo!", Hongyao opened his mouth wide and bit the spoon. He felt incredibly proud of himself. After finishing this bowl of fruit puree, he would be the coolest guy in Yuqing Palace today.
Jialuo patted Hongyao's round, chubby belly and put down her bowl with satisfaction. "Hongyao needs to eat his fill so he can grow up quickly."
"Yes." Hongyao nodded heavily. He still remembered his grand ambition: to grow taller than his father in the future.
In the afternoon, when Yinzhen and Yin'e returned to the princes' quarters, they were told that Consort Yi had invited them to Yikun Palace.
After walking for most of the day, Yinzhen and Yin'e's legs were sore and tired. Hearing the report from the messenger, they sighed and said, "Can we go again tomorrow? I've been walking all day, and my legs are so sore and tired."
He only dared to ask such a question because it was his own mother. If it were someone else who summoned him, he would have to go no matter how tired he was. Sigh, he is such a hardworking adult.
The Tenth Prince, Yin'e, didn't plan to go with the Ninth Prince. He was exhausted. He would go to pay his respects to his mother tomorrow, and he would also tell her about his excellent behavior today. His mother would definitely be moved and gratified.
Then... he fell asleep in the Ninth Prince's quarters, because the Tenth Prince, Yin'e, was exhausted from a day of hard work and travel.
When Yin'e woke up, he saw his ninth brother limping back. When he sat down, he jumped up from the stool with a cry of "Ouch!"
"Ninth Brother, did you get beaten up?" Yin'e exclaimed in surprise as soon as he saw Ninth Brother's appearance.
Yinzhen, who thought his tenth brother was asleep, was called out by a rough voice. He subconsciously looked over and saw Yin'e staring at him in shock. Yinzhen pursed his lips and remained silent.
"Ninth Brother, why?" Yin'e couldn't figure out what bad things Ninth Brother had done recently. Seeing Ninth Brother's stubborn expression, it must have been Consort Yi who hit him, but... why would Consort Yi hit Ninth Brother?
When Yinzhen heard Yin'e ask this question, his face darkened.
Why? He was exhausted after a long day, and when he went to pay his respects to his mother, he was hit several times with a feather duster and scolded for skipping school. She even said that no prince in the entire harem was like him.
"Your fifth brother was so worried about you at noon because you didn't go to the Imperial Study. He looked for you everywhere and didn't even have lunch." Consort Yi angrily pointed at Yin Tang and scolded him, but her words showed her heartache for Yin Qi.
Yinzhen was dissatisfied and felt wronged. "Mother, I didn't skip school. His Highness the Crown Prince took me to do some errands with the Tenth Prince. Father Emperor agreed to it."
Consort Yi then stopped, looking at Yinzhen with an embarrassed expression. A few seconds later, she became angry and embarrassed, "Who told you not to tell me! If you had told me earlier, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Does it hurt?" Seeing her son grimacing in pain, Consort Yi felt a pang of sympathy and could only offer silent concern.
Yinzhen didn't say anything. Does he know how to care about him now?
"Mother, I've been walking all day and I'm tired, so I'll head back now." Yinzhen said, indicating that he was a man with a temper and didn't want to talk to his mother anymore. The main reason was that he was in pain, and he was afraid that if he cried out in pain in Yikun Palace, wouldn't that make him lose face as the Ninth Prince?
"What did you do today? Why are you so tired?" Consort Yi asked with concern, then regretted that she had acted too impulsively. Raising sons is not easy, and her eldest son was not by her side, so they were not close enough. After what happened today, she had to give her eldest son an explanation.
Old Nine is a reckless and unruly guy, who knew things would turn out like this today...
"Your subject takes his leave." Yinzhen bowed and took his leave, limping away. The main reason was that the feather duster had hit a sore spot, making it hurt even more, and it wouldn't be good to cry out.
Consort Yi was unaware of the situation and thought that she had angered the Ninth Prince and was blaming herself. She wanted to pull the Ninth Prince away, but could only send someone to fetch the imperial physician while asking the nanny beside her.
The old woman comforted him, saying, "The Ninth Prince has always been filial. He's just feeling a bit wronged because he hasn't thought things through yet. But Her Majesty is doing this for his own good. I'm sure the Ninth Prince will understand soon."
However, Your Majesty should indeed change your attitude towards the Ninth Prince and stop always scolding him for being unambitious.
At the same time, she reminded Consort Yi: "The Ninth Prince is now also assisting His Highness the Crown Prince with official duties. He considers himself mature and cannot be treated like a child anymore, or he will lose face..."
This is the process of Yinzhen going to see Consort Yi. However, Yinzhen didn't explain it in detail to Yin'e. He was just told to leave so as not to disturb his rest.
Yin'e muttered as he got up. It seemed that Ninth Brother had been badly beaten. Oh well, to avoid being blamed, he would go back first.
While Yinreng was investigating and researching the ginseng ointment with Yintang and Yin'e, Kangxi suddenly issued an order: this year's autumn hunt in the hunting grounds will take place, but the list of participants has not yet been released.
Immediately, Yinreng rushed to the Qianqing Palace, saying, "Father, the autumn hunt is coming to the hunting grounds, and I want to go too."
Kangxi looked down at the handsome young man below, who was well-mannered and elegant, with graceful manners and the demeanor of a royal heir apparent. He was excellent and perfect.
"Baocheng, you will oversee the country in the capital. When I am not here, Father Emperor is worried about not having someone to oversee the capital." Kangxi wanted to leave Yinreng to oversee the country, and at the same time, to give Yinreng an opportunity to gain experience, otherwise he would not be able to handle government affairs when he sat on the throne in the future.
What? Regent? Ever since Father Emperor made me regent during that summer retreat, has he been planning to make me regent every time he goes on a long trip?
That won't do. Father Emperor will live for another twenty years. Does that mean I won't be qualified to travel far for the next twenty years?
"Father, I want to travel with you. Only when I was a child would you take me with you. Do you dislike me now?" Yinreng said coquettishly. In front of his father, he was always his son and did not need to maintain his dignity as a husband and father.
“Baocheng, you’ve grown up. Be more mature. This is a learning experience for you. Others would love to have it!” Kangxi was pleased with Yinreng’s coquettishness, but this was a necessary process for Baocheng’s growth.
"Father, there are always opportunities for training, but it has been a long time since I have traveled with you." Yinreng thought that there were not many opportunities to travel. If his father was stationed in the capital, he, as the crown prince, could not travel around. At most, he would stay in the capital.
What does that mean?
Luckily, only Father Emperor and Liang Jiugong were here. Otherwise, others would definitely see me acting like a spoiled child with Father Emperor, and wouldn't the Crown Prince's dignity be completely ruined?
"Your Majesty, the First Prince requests an audience." Just as Yinreng was feeling relieved, a voice announced from the doorway, causing Yinreng to freeze slightly in shock.
Oh no! Why did the boss have to come now? If he sees us, we'll lose face big time.
After Kangxi gave his approval, Yinti walked in. Upon seeing Yinti, Yinreng immediately stood up straight, the proud Crown Prince showing no emotion whatsoever.
As soon as Yinti entered, he first greeted Emperor Kangxi, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"Hmm." Kangxi responded, glancing at Yinreng out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that Baocheng's entire demeanor and temperament changed the moment Baoqing entered.
Kangxi remembered that the relationship between Baocheng and Baoqing was...so-so harmonious. However, just now, when Baocheng acted coquettishly, he almost agreed.
How can the Crown Prince still act like a spoiled child towards his father? Honestly, giving him opportunities to gain experience is for his own good.
It is also for the sake of the eternal stability of the Qing Dynasty. As the crown prince, if he becomes the emperor in the future and does not know anything, wouldn't he be ruining the country?
As long as I'm still alive, if the Crown Prince makes a mistake, I can clean up the mess for Bao Cheng and teach him how to do each step properly.
He didn't speak to Yinti, but looked at Yinreng with a calm expression and a tone that was both gentle and tinged with doubt, and said:
"Your Highness, what were you trying to say to me just now? A ruler's word is law, so speak."
Hint: You only have one chance, so speak up!
Do you dare to shamelessly act coquettishly towards Father Emperor in front of Bao Qing? If you're not afraid of Bao Qing's ridicule, then come on.
(End of this chapter)
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