Chapter 110 Extra 2 (Part 1)
When Kangxi first arrived at the Chengde Mountain Resort, he was extremely uncomfortable. After being an ambitious emperor for so many years, he found it hard to accept that he was forced to spend his days idly in the Mountain Resort, having just passed the age of fifty.
Although those brats of Yinzhen talked a good game, saying that he was here to spend his old age in peace, and even sent some concubines who were willing to follow him along.
That unfilial son, Yinzhi, even said in a sarcastic tone that he wouldn't mind having a few more younger brothers and sisters.
Yinxiang, with a face that bore a striking resemblance to his own, feigned innocence, which only fueled his anger.
It's impossible to say that Kangxi didn't think about accumulating strength to return to the capital. However, firstly, his health was indeed much worse than before. The medicine given to him by Consort Tongjia had really damaged his body. Although he usually looked no different from an ordinary person, he could no longer withstand fatigue.
Secondly, over the past few years, he had heard from outside sources that these young men seemed to be doing quite well.
Before he left, Yinzhen listened to his instructions to treat Yinreng well. However, he was stripped of his title and confined to his own residence, where he was provided with all his food and drink. This allowed Yinreng to live out the rest of his life in peace.
In terms of government affairs, Yinzhen appointed Yue Zhongqi, who had won a great victory in Qinghai, and implemented a series of new policies. The court was now completely transformed. Several craftsmen that Yinzhen had previously kept in his villa in the capital were finally able to see the light of day. Even Yinzhen, who was not fond of luxury and building palaces, allocated funds to build a huge academy for them. In addition to the imperial examination, he created a separate engineering discipline to recruit students who had talent in ingenious skills and crafts.
Even more than those students who participated in scientific expeditions, these students received subsidies from the imperial court.
Kangxi understood this immediately. At present, this so-called engineering discipline has just emerged, and most of the candidates are children from poor families. Yinzhen's move was also to ensure that these people could eat and dress well so that they could properly engage in this thing called "science".
Emperor Kangxi was well-versed in both Eastern and Western learning, and he had studied some of the astronomical, geographical, and mathematical methods that came from the West. However, he only used them as pastimes to pass the time and for amusement. So when he first heard that Yinzhen wanted to vigorously promote these things in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi was so angry that he almost choked.
Aren't they learning enough from the knowledge left by their ancestors in the Central Plains over hundreds and thousands of years? Why do they admire these opportunistic tricks from overseas?
Kangxi immediately wrote a long letter and sent it back to the capital, scolding Yinzhen severely. Yinzhen replied with "I know" and stamped it before sending it back to him.
This time, Emperor Kangxi was so angry that he fainted.
When he woke up again, he saw Yinzhi drinking tea and reading a book, looking quite relaxed.
"Cough... What brings you here?"
Since Liang Jiugong had secretly pledged allegiance to Yinzhen, he could no longer accompany Kangxi to Chengde, and the chief eunuch by his side became Li Dequan.
Li Dequan, who was waiting nearby, quickly helped Kangxi up when he woke up, carefully placing soft pillows under his head and saying, "Your Majesty, please don't get angry."
Yinzhi gave him a perfunctory bow.
“Father, you are unconscious. As your sons, we have to come and see you, both out of duty and obligation.”
Emperor Kangxi is still the retired emperor, and the burden of filial piety still rests on their shoulders.
Kangxi snorted coldly: "Where is Yinzhen? Why didn't he come?"
"Does becoming emperor mean you no longer care about filial piety?"
Yinzhi sat down on his own, had a palace servant refill his cup of tea, and then dismissed all the servants in the room.
"Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, and you have left us with a huge mess. Fourth Brother is so busy that he only sleeps for two hours a day and really has no time to visit you. So I have to take care of it for you."
Yinzhi didn't really want to come either. If we were to say who among the three brothers had the deepest prejudice against Kangxi, it would definitely be him.
The phrase "born of a lowly woman from the Xin Zhe Ku" used for two consecutive lifetimes had exhausted all the father-son bond between them.
Yinzhen was indeed extremely busy lately. The thirteenth prince was the only one among them who had implemented these new policies in his previous life, so he was the busiest. He had endless memorials to read, plans to write, and meetings to attend. There was no other way but for Yinsi to make the trip.
The Emperor Emeritus's serious illness and coma were no small matter. Even if Yinzhen couldn't come himself, he had to send one of his brothers to visit him on his behalf.
Emperor Kangxi, naturally, couldn't stand any mess, and sure enough, he immediately started fuming and glaring.
"How dare you! You dare to fabricate and smear me like this now. What will you brothers do after I pass away, and label me as a tyrannical and incompetent ruler!"
Yinzhi's words struck a nerve with Kangxi, who was now preoccupied with his posthumous reputation. Yinzhi's words were ruthless and deliberately aimed at hurting him.
"Father, now you have to admit that you have indeed been too lenient with the court officials. Although it is because Suo'etu and Tong Guowei dared to rebel, it is also a consequence of your continued indulgence in their tyranny and collusion with the officials."
Yinzhi continued, "And those who owe the national treasury money and haven't paid it back, it took my fourth brother, thirteenth brother, and me ten days to sort it out. The national treasury is owed nearly five million taels. Just to recover these deficits, my brothers and I haven't slept for days and nights."
Mentioning these things only intensified Yinzhi's resentment. In the years since Yinzhen ascended the throne, they hadn't had a single good day; every day was filled with endless work and constant patching up of problems.
Kangxi felt somewhat guilty upon hearing this. He was naturally aware of what Yinzhi was saying, and some of it he had tacitly approved for fear of damaging his reputation.
Many things are thankless tasks. For example, when Yinzhen (Emperor Kangxi) strongly promoted the reform of returning the fire loss tax to the public, some officials had submitted memorials. Emperor Kangxi naturally knew that having the court regulate the fire loss tax would reduce the exploitation of the people by local officials and make their lives more comfortable. However, this matter was complicated and difficult to handle, and the benefits were not high.
It's possible that this will cause resentment among many officials in private, and if it's spread that the court is embezzling this money, it will be even worse and damage his reputation as a benevolent ruler.
Therefore, Emperor Kangxi ignored the matter.
But Yinzhen was different. He never cared about reputation. What mattered most was to do practical things well so that the people could eat their fill and stay warm. So when Kangxi learned that Yinzhen had actually implemented the reform of returning the fire tax to the public treasury, he not only thought that Yinzhen was young and impetuous, but also that he was a capable and decisive person.
Although Kangxi felt somewhat guilty, he still coldly said, "When you forced me to abdicate, didn't you look so confident? What, after only a few years, you think being an emperor is not easy?"
"In my opinion, being an emperor is the easiest thing in the world," Yinzhi said with a smile. "It's not so easy to be a wise ruler."
"..."
That unfilial son!
Yinzhi's visit was merely a formality; otherwise, it wouldn't sound good if no one came to visit Kangxi.
Upon seeing that Kangxi had woken up, he prepared to find a place to rest for a few days at the Summer Palace, and publicly claimed that he had served Kangxi there for a few days.
Seeing that Yinzhi was about to leave, Kangxi quickly called him back.
"I don't care about anything else, but the so-called engineering school that Yinzhen set up is simply laughable. The court is full of civil and military officials, when did it become the turn of these lowly craftsmen to enter the hall?"
"I don't care which of the various schools of thought they want to promote, but these strange and ingenious skills are not worthy of being presented in a refined manner. If they were to spread, they would only become a laughing stock among the people!"
Yinzhi turned around helplessly, glanced at the exasperated Kangxi, and said, "Father, since you are not well, you should take good care of yourself. You don't need to worry about these things."
After saying this, Yinzhi lazily left, leaving Kangxi alone to angrily pound the bed.
When Yinzhi left the Yanbo Zhishuang Palace where Kangxi lived, he looked up and saw beautiful mountains and clear lakes all around. He thought to himself, "Kangxi has such a nice place to retire in, yet he still thinks about this and that and causes so much trouble all day long. He must have so much free time."
"Father!"
Ning An, dressed in a light yellow outfit and carrying a windmill, ran over and happily jumped into Yin Si's arms, followed by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
“Father, look, this is a windmill that the Empress Dowager made for Ningning. Mother said we can bring it here to play.”
Yinzhi kissed her little face affectionately and said, "Are you having fun here?"
Yinzhi brought Ning'an along this time, as if he were taking her out for fun.
Lady Guoluo had just given birth to Hongwang not long ago. She was also frightened during childbirth and her body was somewhat injured, so she needed to rest quietly. Ning'an was a very lively child and couldn't stay in the mansion, so Yinzhi simply brought her along.
Originally, Yi'an also insisted on coming along, but in the end, the two little maids went to Xianfu Palace together and begged Wenshan. Wenshan couldn't resist and was about to agree, but then Hongxi used some tricks to keep Yi'an in the palace.
Hongxi had studies to attend to and couldn't travel far to play, but seeing that Yi'an and Ning'an could come, the boy's mischievous thoughts came out, and he insisted that Yi'an stay in the palace with him.
Yi'an tearfully begged Ning'an to bring her a gift back.
Ning An patted her chest and assured her sister, but it seems she's already had too much fun to remember the whole thing.
When Ning'an was born, Emperor Kangxi had already abdicated and soon moved to the Chengde Mountain Resort, so Ning'an had never been there before. The scenery there was indeed beautiful, so Ning'an had a great time.
Yinzhi picked up Yi'an and walked to the back: "Ningning, do you want to go see your grandfather?"
Ning An tilted her head, somewhat puzzled: "Who is Grandfather?"
Ning'an had never met Emperor Kangxi, and had hardly ever heard of the title "Grandfather Emperor." There was really no need to tell a child about the affairs of adults, so Ning'an did not know what Emperor Kangxi had done to Yinzhi.
"Your Imperial Grandfather is your father's father, and also the father of your fourth and thirteenth uncles," Yinzhi patiently explained to his daughter.
Ning An was very clever; she understood as soon as Yin Si finished speaking.
"Then why has Ningning never met the Emperor?"
Yinzhi: "Because your grandfather is ill and has been recuperating here, your father has come to visit him."
Ning'an had never met Kangxi before and felt somewhat resistant to this imperial grandfather she had never met, but since he was her father's father, it seemed she should go and meet him.
Yinzhi smiled when he saw his daughter frowning and looking troubled. He patted her head and said, "Ningning, you can go if you want to, or not if you don't. It's okay if you don't see her."
Ning An gave a muffled "hmm" and hugged Yin Si's neck tightly.
Yinzhi was heartbroken and thought to himself that he should not have told Ning'an about this, lest he have caused her unnecessary trouble.
After taking Ning'an back to the tidied palace, Yinzhi put aside his official duties and played with Ning'an for a while. He was relieved when he saw his daughter smile again. After coaxing Ning'an to sleep, he quietly left the bedroom and instructed Xiao Shunzi, who was standing solemnly to the side.
"Take good care of the princess these next few days, and report back immediately if anything goes wrong."
"Yes, Master, rest assured, this servant will take good care of the young master."
Xiao Shunzi had been by Yinzhi's side since he was a child, so he naturally watched Ning'an grow up. Ning'an was born beautiful and cute, and very endearing. Xiao Shunzi also loved this young master from the bottom of his heart.
Yinzhi originally planned to stay in Chengde for ten days to half a month, just to pay his respects to Kangxi every day, and spend the rest of his time dealing with the official documents that Yinxiang sent him urgently every day, and then spend more time with Ning'an.
Now that Hongwang has been born and Ning'an has a younger brother, Yinzhi is worried that the girl will feel neglected.
Fortunately, Ning An had grown up in the love of her parents and elders and had a pure mind, so she didn't think about these messy things. She also liked her younger brother very much and would visit him every day when they were in the manor.
Guo Luoluo was not the type to devote herself entirely to her son and neglect her daughter. Moreover, the time when she was pregnant with Ning'an was the most difficult period for the couple, so they would naturally treat the child differently and show her extra love.
Ning An couldn't stay still and liked to run out to the garden to catch butterflies and pick flowers. Yin Si was sometimes too busy to accompany her, but fortunately, he was relieved to have Xiao Shunzi with him.
Moreover, the palace servants serving in the Chengde Mountain Resort are all handpicked by them, so there's no chance of any trouble.
That day, Ning An caught butterflies in the garden for a while, but then got bored and sat down to rest in a nearby pavilion.
When the palace servants saw that the little princess was tired, they quickly tidied up the pavilion, laid out soft cushions, and placed fruits and snacks on it.
Ning An sat for a while, then, resting her chin on her hand, couldn't help but look towards the direction of Yanbo Zhishuang Palace.
"Uncle Shun, let's go see Grandpa Emperor."
Ning An had been thinking about this matter for the past few days. She had already started her studies and knew that she should be filial to her parents and grandparents. Since her grandfather was ill, she felt she should go and visit him.
However, her father didn't seem very enthusiastic about it and never suggested taking her to see her grandfather.
Xiao Shunzi hesitated for a moment: "Princess, the Emperor Emeritus is probably resting right now. Why don't we go back and ask the Prince, and have him take you there?"
"Father is talking to Lord Fucha, telling me to play by myself first." Ning An blinked and tilted her head to think for a moment.
She has always been a very opinionated child. After thinking it through, she decided to go to Yanbo Zhishuang Palace to see her grandfather, whom she had never met.
It is only natural for a granddaughter to pay her respects.
Seeing that Ning An genuinely wanted to go, Xiao Shunzi didn't stop him anymore. In any case, everyone in the Chengde Mountain Resort was one of their people, so even the retired emperor couldn't cause any trouble.
Xiao Shunzi accompanied Ning An there, while another eunuch was sent to inform Yin Si.
When Ning'an arrived, Emperor Kangxi, for some unknown reason, threw another tantrum and sent all the palace servants away. Li Dequan, who was guarding outside, saw a beautifully dressed and lovely young girl leading a dozen or so palace servants. After a moment's thought, he realized that this was probably the eldest daughter of Prince Lian, Princess Ning'an, who had been personally bestowed the title by the Emperor.
Ning An was about to go in to pay her respects to Emperor Kangxi. Li Dequan was about to bite the bullet and go in to announce his arrival when Ning An waved him off and opened the door himself, quietly peeking his head in.
Emperor Kangxi was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he impatiently opened his eyes, thinking it was some ignorant servant again. But instead, he saw a little girl with a bun hairstyle, who looked to be only three or four years old.
Who are you?
Author's Note:
There will be another chapter this afternoon, barring any unforeseen circumstances!
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