With his most outstanding son arriving, how could Emperor Kangxi possibly look down on his other sons?
With the intention of showing off, he began to ask and answer questions with Yinreng, all of which were profound questions that were beyond the reach of others.
In a short period of time, Yinreng established a lofty image in the young prince's heart.
Yintang and Yin'e, lacking any willpower, switched their allegiance to Yinreng's camp, looking up at him with admiration, occasionally exclaiming in shock, "Even such a difficult question can be answered by Second Brother. Second Brother is so amazing, Second Brother is truly incredible!"
Yinreng was not on the same level as them, so naturally he had no competitive mindset.
Thinking of them as his younger brothers, Yinreng praised them kindly, acting as a friendly and outstanding elder brother.
Yinzhi was all alone; ever since Yinreng's sudden arrival, his existence had become negligible.
He was like Yinreng's shadow. No, he wasn't even worthy of being Yinreng's shadow.
Kangxi and Yinreng took in the subtle changes in Yinzhi's expression, which revealed a mixture of sweetness and bitterness.
"Is this Eighth Brother's handwriting? It's very neat. Eighth Brother must have put in a lot of effort in his daily life," Yinreng praised generously.
Emperor Kangxi wanted to win over the hearts of the people for Yinreng: "You have made great achievements in calligraphy, and your eyes are ruthless. Yinsi is far superior to his peers in terms of learning, riding and archery, but he is somewhat weak in calligraphy."
“Father has said that Eighth Brother is excellent in every other aspect. If he is truly without fault, would he still be a ten-year-old child? Diligence can make up for lack of talent in calligraphy. Eighth Brother is your son, Father, and doesn't need to be a calligrapher. You will naturally have better arrangements for him,” Yinreng said on behalf of Yinsi.
Yinzhi was young, but he had already seen the coldness and warmth of human relationships.
He had little contact with Yinreng before, and always thought that his older brother, the Crown Prince, was high and mighty and would look down on him.
The sudden warmth and protection caused his hardened heart to tremble slightly.
“But, not as good as Second Brother,” Yinzhi whispered.
Yinreng smiled and patted his shoulder: "People should focus on their strengths. Perhaps, even your second brother has areas where he is not as good as you."
The word "perhaps" is used very cleverly.
Kangxi understood Yinreng's inner pride: "Yinsi, I hereby appoint He Zhuo as your tutor. Starting tomorrow, you shall write ten pieces of calligraphy every day and present them to me for review. I will personally supervise you."
"Your son will certainly live up to Father Emperor's expectations," Yinzhi said excitedly.
From then on, his name held a place in his father's heart, which was of great importance to a prince who was not favored and came from a humble background.
Yinzhi was still excited, occasionally glancing at Yinreng with deep gratitude.
He knew that if Yinreng hadn't come, he wouldn't have escaped a scolding from Emperor Kangxi.
If word gets out, those opportunistic servants will surely bully him and his mother even more.
Overall, Kangxi was quite satisfied with this impromptu examination.
In a good mood, he asked Yinreng, "Why have you come at this time?"
"I heard that Father Emperor is going to test my younger brothers. I was curious and nostalgic. In the past, Father Emperor would often check my homework, and if I made a slight mistake, the ruler would fall on my palm. That memory is really cruel." Yinreng deliberately made it sound serious.
In fact, Emperor Kangxi would use a ruler on him, but only once every two or three years. Even when he was truly wrong and deserved a beating, the ruler would be raised high and then gently lowered.
Emperor Kangxi would rather beat himself than punish Yinreng, his own precious son.
"So, you came here specifically to see how I punish your brothers?" Kangxi raised an eyebrow.
Yinreng shrugged: "Father Emperor has discerning eyes. It's a pity that all my younger brothers are so outstanding that I can't see them even if I wanted to."
Yinreng subtly coaxed the group of teenagers, thinking to himself that being a good older brother was quite easy.
Kangxi cooperated perfectly and did not expose his words.
In the first year of junior high school, Yin Tang, who had been playing with Yin Reng in Ning Shou Palace for a while, cleverly ran over and hugged Yin Reng's leg.
"Second brother, you're too late. You didn't rescue your brother from this predicament. Father Emperor was really fierce just now, blowing his beard and glaring at you." Yinzhen openly complained, even provocatively raising his chin at Kangxi.
Emperor Kangxi teased him: "You with that fat chin that's gotten three layers thick, how dare you face me? Come here, stop clinging to your second brother's leg."
"Why? This is my son's own second brother!" Yin Tang refused to go over.
His second brother was handsome and knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography, which he greatly admired.
Emperor Kangxi was furious and glared at her. No wonder Consort Yi shook her head every time she mentioned this son.
"I am still your father. Come here!" Kangxi raised his voice.
Yinzhen tightly hugged Yinreng's thigh, tilted his head back, blinked, and looked at Yinreng.
"Second brother, do you think I should go? What if Father Emperor hits me?" Yinzhen asked.
Yinreng pinched his chubby little face, which looked so soft and cuddly: "What can we do but close our eyes and suffer?"
"Doesn't Second Brother protect his younger brother?" Yin Tang asked in shock.
Yinreng smiled and said to his expectant father, "But Father Emperor is the sovereign and father."
Heartbroken, Yinzhen ran to Emperor Kangxi.
My sovereign and father are beings I cannot defy.
Perhaps because Yinreng was enjoying pinching Yintang's face, Kangxi picked up Yintang and casually pinched his chubby bottom.
The feel of it is indeed very good.
Yin Tang, who considered himself a big kid, suddenly lost control of his bottom and started wailing as if he had lost his virginity.
Yin'e quietly moved from the corner to Yinreng's side: "Second brother, Ninth brother is crying so pitifully. Is this what it means to wail like a wolf and howl like a ghost?"
"Tenth Brother, you've learned idioms quite well and used them appropriately." Yinreng took the hand that Yin'e had offered, acting like a good older brother.
The imperial study was not a large space, but Yinzhi could hear Yin'e's powerful words and Yinreng's clear voice clearly.
"Little Ten, you've gone too far. I'm just practicing my voice, practicing my voice!" Yin Tang had been listening to a lot of opera with Consort Yi lately, and he knew quite a bit about it.
The two of them started arguing in the imperial study, completely dispelling the previous serious and tense atmosphere.
Yinzhen walked towards Yinreng expressionlessly and took the spot where Yin'e had just been standing.
"Second Brother, I want to hold your hand too." Yinzhen can be quite domineering and jealous at times.
Yinreng's eyes softened: "When we go back, I will hold your hand."
Yinzhen's straight lips couldn't help but curl upwards slightly.
He knew that his second brother's most beloved younger brother was him!
None of the other little rascals were as popular with Second Brother as he was.
Emperor Kangxi observed all the subtle interactions between Yinzhen and Yinreng.
"What a mess you've made of this peaceful place! Go back now. I will assess you again in a few months. If you haven't improved by then, you will be severely punished," Kangxi said.
The little boys quickly stood still and stopped playing around.
Seeing that his threat had worked, Kangxi said again, "You will start studying in the Imperial Study on the tenth day of the first lunar month. You can play as you please for the next six days."
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