Chapter 31 Yinzhen could only return to Xianfu Palace…
Yinzhen could only return to Xianfu Palace to change his clothes. Consort Yi was a little embarrassed. After changing the Ninth Prince's diaper, she said apologetically, "This child is really something. How could he have peed on the Fourth Prince?"
"It's alright, he's just a kid." Wen Shan smiled and teased Xiao Jiu, whose smile had returned.
After sitting for a while, Consort Yi saw a child dressed in indigo leading a small black dog running towards them from afar.
The child's build looks somewhat like Yinqi's.
Consort Yi smiled. She really missed Xiao Wu terribly. At this time, Xiao Wu was always with the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace. Why would he come here?
But when the child got closer, Consort Yi suddenly stood up; it really did seem to be Yinqi.
"Your Highness, am I seeing things? Why do I see Yinqi?" Consort Yi asked, somewhat dazed.
As they were talking, the Fifth Prince ran up to them and quickly bowed to them: "Yinqi greets Consort Xuan and Mother."
Wen Shan fanned Yin Si and said with a smile, "Get up quickly, look how happy your mother is, she can't even speak."
Consort Yi and the Fifth Prince hadn't seen each other for a while. Firstly, the Emperor had been frequently visiting Consort Yi recently, making it inconvenient for the Fifth Prince to come over. Secondly, the Empress Dowager had been observing a period of fasting with her beloved grandson. The Empress Dowager was worried that if the Fifth Prince went to Consort Yi's place, Consort Yi might soften her heart towards this son who wasn't raised by her side, causing the Fifth Prince to break his vows. Therefore, she specifically kept the Fifth Prince from going to Yikun Palace.
Consort Yi embraced the Fifth Prince and examined him for a while before turning to Wen Shan gratefully and saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, for allowing me and Yinqi to be together today."
Consort Yi was no fool; after a little thought, she knew that it must have been Wen Shan who had intervened to get the Fifth Prince to come and meet with her today.
“The children are all here today, but how can we leave out Yinqi?” Wenshan beckoned to Yinqi and handed him a piece of white jade cake: “Empress Xuan made a promise to the Empress Dowager that she wouldn’t let you eat anything, so you must be obedient.”
Yinzhi secretly took one as well, but only reluctantly put it down after being threatened by Wenshan's eyes.
Yinzhi likes sweets, and he has already eaten three pieces in a short time. Wenshan is worried about his teeth if he keeps eating.
Yinqi took it and nodded obediently: "Yinqi will definitely be obedient and not let Consort Xuan and Mother worry."
The Fifth Prince hadn't seen his Ninth Brother for a while. After finishing the pastries, he insisted on seeing his brother. Consort Yi brought the Ninth Prince to him, and the Fifth Prince exaggeratedly exclaimed that his brother had gotten fatter in just a few days.
Consort Yi and Wen Shan were both amused and exasperated.
Before long, Yinzhen returned, having changed his clothes. As soon as he came back, he keenly noticed Fuqi and Heidou rolling around in the corner again.
Yinzhen, shrouded in black, stepped forward and pulled the two dogs apart, who were being all lovey-dovey. He then quickly picked up Fuqi and carried her away, staring warily at the black dog that looked lewd.
Fuqi, forced to separate from her lover, whimpered in Yinzhen's arms, flapping her front legs as if trying to jump down to find Heidou and rekindle their romance, but was ruthlessly suppressed by Yinzhen.
The Fifth Prince saw this and ran down as well. Seeing that Hei Dou was so anxious to continue playing with Fu Qi, he scratched his head and asked, "Fourth Brother, why won't you let Fu Qi play with Hei Dou?"
Why separate the two dogs when they clearly enjoy playing together?
Yinzhen found it difficult to explain to him and chose to remain silent with a cold expression.
Yinzhi watched the commotion from the sidelines. Laifu was very attached to Yinzhi and stayed by his side after they left the house, so Yinzhi was very at ease and had no worries about Laifu being kidnapped.
After a while, the Fifth Prince realized that the Fourth Prince was very determined not to let Fuqi and Heidou play together, so he could only squat down dejectedly to comfort the howling Heidou.
"Waaah—I'm sorry, Black Bean, it's my fault. I'm scared of Fourth Brother, waaaah."
Yinzhen: "..."
Like master, like dog. How could anyone feel comfortable letting Fuqi marry into that family?
None of them are reliable.
Consort Yi and Wen Shan laughed heartily as they watched the children playing.
"Yinqi is such a rascal," Wenshan exclaimed, her mind clear and her expression endearing.
Consort Yi shook her head: "I think she's a bit silly. How come this child doesn't know how to read people's expressions?"
Wen Shan smiled without saying a word. With the Empress Dowager protecting him, even if the Fifth Prince was still naive in his thirties or forties, he could still live a peaceful and wealthy life.
And isn't this the greatest blessing?
Her two sons, one devoted his whole life to his studies but ended up with nothing, and the other endured hardship for most of his life before dying on the throne from exhaustion.
In her opinion, none of them lived as comfortably as the Fifth Prince.
Everyone has their own aspirations, and for Yinzhen and Yinsi, this was the best path in life.
Yinzhen entrusted the fortune to Baoquan, instructing him to keep a close watch on it, especially to guard against a certain dog that would shamelessly cling to him again.
Baoquan agreed repeatedly, though he was somewhat amused and exasperated.
Yinzhen sat down next to Yinsi, glancing at him sideways: "You saw this just now and didn't say anything?"
Yinzhi lazily propped his cheek up with his hand: "Because I think it would be nice to give Laifu a younger brother or sister."
Yinzhen looked at him, and after a while seemed to have made up his mind, and said, "Then, we can find some strong and smart dogs for Fuqi."
In short, he looked down on black beans.
The fact that Hei Dou had secretly squandered their good fortune still made Yinzhen grit his teeth.
Even though it may seem like the two are mutually in love now, in Yinzhen's eyes, Heidou made the first move.
Yinzhi didn't expect Yinzhen to say that, and burst out laughing.
"Fourth Brother is right. Love between men and women is human nature, and dogs are the same. Besides, Fuqi isn't some chaste and fierce dog..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wenshan grabbed his ear.
What are you saying, kid?
What about love between men and women? Although the souls within Yinzhi's body already have several children, it's truly shocking that a little kid who's only a few years old would say such a thing.
Seeing that things were not going well, Yinzhi slipped away and went off to play with Laifu and the Fifth Prince.
Autumn is approaching, and the Imperial Garden is picturesque. Today, Wen Shan and Consort Yi are not the only ones who have come here to relax. Soon, Wen Shan saw Consort Niohuru carrying the Tenth Prince through a flower bush, followed by a large group of palace servants.
Wen Shan wondered what day it was today, and how she was only one more member of the Fourteenth Prince's Party to complete the group.
Consort Niohuru looked at the group of children and, after thinking for a moment, decided not to take a detour and walked straight over.
"What a day it is today! Even Sister Niohuru has come out to stroll in the garden," Consort Yi said with a smile.
Currently, the most favored concubines in the palace are Consort Yi and Consort Niohuru. Consort Niohuru is impatient, but Consort Yi is shrewd and slippery, like a fish, making it difficult for Consort Niohuru to find a way to challenge her. Therefore, their relationship has always been relatively amicable on the surface.
"Now that the weather is cool, I'll take Yin'e out for a stroll." Consort Niohuru glanced around and saw that all the princes were there, including the two princes raised by Consort Xuan and the two princes raised by Consort Yi.
The Tenth Prince was only two months younger than the Ninth Prince. They were born in the same year, and Consort Niohuru felt that the two brothers were destined to be together. Now, seeing the Ninth Prince's chubby and healthy appearance, she was even more delighted. She wanted the Tenth Prince to be a little fatter, but the child seemed to be somewhat underweight in the womb. Although he was not sick, he was always a little smaller.
So Consort Niohuru couldn't wait any longer and began to ask Consort Yi for advice on how to raise children.
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince sat side by side, looking at each other and giggling. Consort Niohuru thought to herself that these two brothers were indeed destined to be together.
Yinzhi leaned over to look at the Ninth and Tenth Princes, who were still quite young, and couldn't help but smile. He never expected that the three of them would reunite in this way.
"Both the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince like the Eighth Prince. They smile whenever they see him," Consort Yi said, looking at the two young boys lying side by side, smiling innocently at Yinzhi.
Wenshan thought to herself, how could she not like it? This is their beloved myna bird.
Children this age can already recognize people. They would laugh when Yinzhi went over, but when Yinzhen came up, their expressions would change instantly, and they would pout and look like they were about to cry.
"..."
Feeling wronged by being inexplicably ostracized, Yinzhen wondered if he was simply disliked by children, as his eighth brother had also disliked him when they were young.
"Brother, you should smile more. If you keep a cold face, your eighth and ninth brothers will definitely be scared," Yinzhi said softly, unable to bear seeing his fourth brother so upset.
After careful examination, Yinzhi determined that his ninth and tenth brothers were normal babies. The reason why his fourth brother didn't smile was simply because his fourth brother was too serious and always had a stern face, so of course the children wouldn't smile at him.
Yinzhen kept a straight face. Children are such a hassle; he still had to make them smile.
"There are so many more children in the palace now, it's really quite lively," Consort Niohuru remarked.
As Wenshan sipped her tea, she thought to herself, "That's right, there's another batch of children coming in the next year or two."
These past few years can be considered the peak period of Emperor Kangxi's childbearing.
In the twenty-third year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Consort Yi became pregnant again, and Consorts Ding and Tong also discovered they were pregnant one after another.
Consort Yi gave birth to another prince, the eleventh prince, named Yinzhi by Emperor Kangxi. Consort Ding gave birth to the twelfth prince, Yintao, and Consort Tong gave birth to the tenth princess, the fourth princess.
All three children were born safely and look very healthy.
Consort Yi gave birth to three princes in a row, and as they grew up, she became very conspicuous in the harem. Her status was subtly surpassing that of Consort Hui, who was implicated and lost favor due to the eldest prince's quarrel with the crown prince.
With Songgotu leaving the court and becoming the Grand Secretary, the Hesheli family became increasingly anxious about the Crown Prince's position. So Consort Ping thought about adopting a prince to help the Crown Prince. The Twelfth Prince was immediately on Consort Ping's mind from birth. Consort Ding was of low birth and her rank was just enough to raise a prince. If she wanted to raise one, she would have had the opportunity.
As a result, Consort Ding and Consort Tong teamed up and, through a series of maneuvers, managed to protect the Twelfth Prince by virtue of their favor, leaving Consort Ping with no choice but to retreat in defeat.
Originally, Wen Shan loved listening to these exciting stories and would follow them like a TV drama during her leisure time. Moreover, Yin Si had people in each palace who could always give Wen Shan the latest gossip. However, this time, Wen Shan had no interest in paying attention to the heated power struggle between Consort Ping and the other two.
Because the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had calculated the auspicious date, Yinzhen and Yinzhi were to be vaccinated against smallpox.
Although Yinzhen had already been vaccinated against smallpox, Wenshan's heart was still hanging in suspense. As the appointed day drew closer, Wenshan had no choice but to start packing things for Yinzhen.
The vaccination site was located in a secluded spot next to the palace. Palace servants had prepared it early in the morning, sealing off the doors and windows, decorating with colorful decorations, and setting up offering tables and incense stands. When Wen Shan saw the state of the courtyard when she escorted Yin Zhen there, she burst into tears.
She had almost calmed down, but seeing this strange and elaborate outfit that seemed to be an exorcism made her even more frightened.
Yinzhen, who was to be vaccinated against smallpox, comforted Wenshan for a while before being forcibly taken inside by the palace servants, because the auspicious time was approaching and could not be delayed.
When Wen Shan returned to Xianfu Palace, she lost her appetite and couldn't eat or drink. Yin Si tried everything to coax her, but to no avail. Consort Rong also practically lived in Baohua Palace, burning incense and praying for the Third Prince every day.
After enduring more than half a month of hardship, news finally came in, saying that both Yinzhen and Yinzhi had been successfully vaccinated against smallpox. Yinzhen's reaction was mild, and he only had a fever for a few days before recovering. Yinzhi, however, had a more difficult time, experiencing intermittent fever and vomiting and had not yet fully recovered.
A few days later, Yinzhen returned to the palace first, while Yinzhi needed to rest in the separate courtyard for a few more days.
Consort Rong also came several times to inquire about the Third Prince's condition from Yinzhen. Unfortunately, Yinzhen and Yinzhi were vaccinated separately, and the two had not seen each other since entering the villa, so Yinzhen did not know how Yinzhi was doing now.
Consort Rong silently shed tears and could only continue to pray day and night in Baohua Palace for Yinzhi's early return.
The Third Prince finally returned after resting outside the palace for more than ten days. Consort Rong was so happy that she cried and hugged him tightly. Seeing that the Third Prince seemed to have lost some weight, she began to try her best to help him get back to health. She even made several trips to Xianfu Palace to ask Wen Shan for a recipe.
After being vaccinated against smallpox, Yinzhen officially enrolled in school. He spent all day in the Imperial Study, reading in the morning and practicing riding and archery in the afternoon, only returning home around dinner time.
Now, all eight princes, from the eldest prince to Yinzhi, have entered school. Although the younger ones are still in their early education, they are studying very hard. As his sons have grown older, Emperor Kangxi will occasionally visit the Imperial Study to conduct surprise checks on the princes' studies.
Apart from the Fifth Prince, the rest were all to his satisfaction.
Emperor Kangxi couldn't change the Fifth Prince's temperament, because the Fifth Prince was the Empress Dowager's beloved grandson. The Empress Dowager spoiled the Fifth Prince and only allowed him to learn Manchu. The Fifth Prince didn't like learning Chinese characters, and Emperor Kangxi was also unusually helpless because he was burdened by the concept of filial piety.
In the end, they could only grit their teeth and accept it. They didn't expect the Fifth Prince to be outstanding in his studies, as long as he was obedient and well-behaved.
Speaking of which, Emperor Kangxi once tried to persuade the Empress Dowager through Wen Shan to stop spoiling the Fifth Prince so much. The other princes studied hard day and night and were outstanding in both literature and martial arts. It was not good for the Fifth Prince to be so lazy and not know many Chinese characters.
Wen Shan outwardly agreed but actually went to Cining Palace and met with the Empress Dowager. While the Empress Dowager was chatting, she turned around and betrayed Kangxi.
"The Emperor is out of options, that's why he sent you to persuade me." The Empress Dowager was overjoyed and said, "You don't need to worry about him. Just say that I don't listen to you, and he won't do anything about it."
Wenshan nodded in deep agreement; she had been planning to do just that anyway.
The Empress Dowager has been getting older in the past two years, and her health is not as good as before. She sat cross-legged on the couch, drinking the angelica, ginger and mutton soup that Wen Shan had specially made, and said: "Xuan Ye has too high expectations for these princes and puts too much pressure on them. In my opinion, this is not a good thing. He will suffer the consequences."
Wen Shan was incredulous; no wonder she was Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, her vision was truly unmatched.
"Grandmother, don't just drink the soup, try the yam and duck stew that I specially made today."
Seeing that the Empress Dowager was in good spirits today, Wen Shan quickly urged her to eat more.
Recently, Wen Shan has been thinking about making some nourishing medicinal meals for the Empress Dowager. According to history, the Empress Dowager will pass away in the 26th year of Kangxi's reign, which is not many years away now. Moreover, the Empress Dowager is visibly getting weaker day by day.
"Alright, I'll have a taste." The Empress Dowager smiled and beckoned Su Ma La Gu to serve her the food.
The Empress Dowager disliked taking medicine, and no matter how much Wen Shan tried to persuade her, it was no use. All she could do was prepare some medicinal meals for her to slowly help her recover.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager had made a lot of progress, Wen Shan felt relieved but also curious about why the Empress Dowager doted on the Fifth Prince so much. Based on Wen Shan's understanding of the Empress Dowager, she didn't seem like an old lady who couldn't distinguish right from wrong and only wanted to spoil her child. On the contrary, the Empress Dowager was very lenient with the Fifth Prince and insisted that he change his bad habits.
Thinking this, Wen Shan asked the question. The Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager exchanged a smile, and finally the Empress Dowager said meaningfully that she would understand when Yinzhen and Yinsi grew up.
After returning to Xianfu Palace in a daze, Wen Shan decisively seized upon Yinzhi, her "cheat code," and asked him to analyze what the Empress Dowager meant.
"Fifth Brother's maternal family is of noble birth, and he was raised under the Empress Dowager's care since childhood. This is unique among all of us brothers." When Wen Shan asked about this, Yinzhi explained in detail: "The Empress Dowager has the Grand Empress Dowager and the Khorchin behind her. If Fifth Brother is excellent in both learning and riding and archery, and has so many powerful forces supporting him, he will inevitably have thoughts of vying for that position in the future. The Empress Dowager understands that this is not a good path. It is better to let Fifth Brother live a peaceful and carefree life as a wealthy prince and live a stable life."
Judging from the outcome, the Fifth Prince did indeed walk the path that the Empress Dowager chose for him very happily.
"It is said that parents who love their children plan far ahead for them, and the Empress Dowager, as a grandmother, was no exception," Wen Shan remarked.
Yinzhi nodded in agreement; his fifth brother was indeed one of the few brothers who had lived a carefree life.
Speaking of reading, the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince had already been studying for a while, and in just a few months they made rapid progress, leaving the Fifth Prince's level of education far behind.
However, the Fifth Prince was an optimistic person by nature and did not feel bad about not being as good as his younger brothers in academics. Although his academic level was a little worse, his honest and simple personality made him the most popular person in the Imperial Study.
From his older brothers down to the seven prince who had just turned three, they all got along well with the fifth prince and were the life of the party in the Imperial Study.
One day, however, the usually mild-mannered Yinzhi clashed with the Sixth Prince Yinzuo.
The incident stemmed from a trivial matter: Emperor Kangxi bestowed upon several princes some newly made imperial calligraphy brushes, two for each prince, and each brush was different. Although they were all finely crafted and made with exquisite materials, there was still a difference in their quality.
The finest calligraphy brush, made of silver and jade, was given to the Crown Prince, while Yinzhi received a silver-wrapped brush with horns, second only to the Crown Prince. After all, Yinzhi had practiced calligraphy for decades in his previous life, and although he deliberately concealed his shortcomings, his handwriting was still more beautiful than that of the young princes.
Emperor Kangxi greatly admired him and thus bestowed this writing brush upon him.
The Sixth Prince saw the silver-plated writing brush with its horn-shaped handle and liked it very much, so he suggested exchanging it with Yinzhi.
Logically speaking, imperial gifts should not be exchanged. However, this time the reward was not a formal decree. It was just that Kangxi, as a father, was in a good mood and saw the newly presented writing brushes, so he distributed stationery to his sons. The Sixth Prince was one of the princes who were favored by Kangxi, so he was bold. It was just a matter of exchanging writing brushes, and Kangxi would not reprimand him if he knew.
Yinzhi initially thought it didn't matter; since the Sixth Prince liked to change it, it wasn't a big deal. However, after getting the brush he wanted, the Sixth Prince started to push his luck and wanted another brush from Yinzhi.
Yinzhi was mild-tempered, not without temper, and he refused on the spot.
"It is inappropriate to exchange imperial gifts. Exchanging one with Sixth Brother is already a violation of Father Emperor's decree. If Sixth Brother likes it, he may go to Father Emperor to ask for another one."
Although Yinzhi smiled and spoke gently, there was a hint of coldness in his words.
The Sixth Prince was not only favored by Emperor Kangxi, but he was also a little emperor in Yonghe Palace. Consort De doted on him like the apple of her eye, even more so than the Seventh Princess who had just been born. He always got what he wanted and was never refused.
So when Yinzhi rejected her, she felt she had never been wronged like this before, and she pouted as if she was about to cry.
Yinzhi had a headache. It was almost time to finish school. His mother had said that morning that she would make his favorite boiled pork slices for lunch, so Yinzhi didn't want to waste time with the Sixth Prince. He thought to himself that he should just let it go this time.
We'll find another opportunity to get it back later.
Unexpectedly, the eldest prince saw the sixth prince's aggrieved look, on the verge of tears, and immediately said with a stern face, "Eighth brother, how did you bully the sixth brother?"
Yinzhi found it amusing; the Sixth Prince was a year older than him, so where could he possibly bully him?
Since the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince entered school, the First Prince has become more assertive again. Finally, two younger brothers who are not part of the Crown Prince's faction have arrived. Although they are young, they are still princes, so the First Prince has always taken good care of them.
Today, he finally got a chance to teach Yinzhi, who was always close to the Crown Prince, a lesson.
The eldest prince's intervention caused quite a stir, drawing the attention of both the crown prince and Yinzhen.
The eldest prince asked the sixth prince what had happened, but the sixth prince sobbed and couldn't give a coherent explanation. Yinzhi sneered inwardly, knowing that no matter how you looked at it, it was the sixth prince's fault, so of course he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Seeing that the eldest prince was supporting the sixth prince, Yinzhen also came over and stood next to Yinsi, bowing his head to ask him what was wrong.
Yinzhi briefly explained the matter, and the Crown Prince raised an eyebrow and said, "Then this is Sixth Brother's fault. Why is Eldest Brother yelling at Eighth Brother?"
Yinzhen looked coldly at the weeping Sixth Prince and said, "To change the imperial gifts without permission and then cry and act like a rogue when others disagree is not befitting a prince. Even a three-year-old child in the common people would not do such an unrighteous and immoral thing."
Looking at the Sixth Prince's shocked expression, where he had even forgotten to cry, Yinzhi thought to himself that his Fourth Brother's sharp tongue hadn't changed over the years.
Sure enough, when the Sixth Prince realized what was happening, he burst into tears, pointing at Yinzhen and saying, "You are clearly my own brother, why are you siding with the Eighth Prince!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
