Having received Emperor Kangxi's permission, the young princes happily swarmed off to play as soon as possible.
Yinreng stayed; he couldn't possibly leave so soon after arriving.
“Father Emperor is a good father,” Yinreng said.
Emperor Kangxi chuckled and scolded him: "You used to throw tantrums at me when you were little, but now you know I was doing it for your own good. I bet your younger brothers will go back to their mother and complain that I'm too strict and heartless."
A strict father and a kind mother—Kangxi practiced this principle very well.
Having his weakness exposed, Yinreng chuckled and said, "As people grow up, they will understand the good intentions of their elders. Father, in a few years Hongzhao will also be studying in the Imperial Study. Why don't you personally give him his first lessons?"
Yinreng's plan was excellent. He could let Kangxi tutor Hongzhao, while he himself could be a doting father. As for the stern face, Kangxi could handle that.
Kangxi saw through his little scheme at a glance: "Don't dream. You are Hongzhao's father, so it's your job to be his tutor. You were diligent in prenatal education every day, but you can't handle his formal education."
"It's not that I know I'm not as good as Father Emperor, but you definitely taught him better than I did. Tana has her fourth brother to teach her, and Hongzhao has Father Emperor to teach him. This really shows the warmth of our Aisin Gioro family." Yinreng kept praising Kangxi.
"I keep Hongzhao by my side all day long, don't you miss him?" Kangxi asked.
Yinreng said sincerely from the bottom of his heart, "I don't want to."
He has a wife, why would he want a son? Anyway, he already has a son and a daughter, it's better for his father to take care of them than for him to take care of them himself.
Thinking of Hongzhao's pretty face, Kangxi couldn't help but be moved.
I believe no minister would object to me personally instructing the only son of the emperor, the eldest grandson.
"Let's talk about it when the time comes. In any case, Hongzhao is smart and obedient, and he will definitely be more successful than you." Kangxi glared at Yinreng.
"The student surpasses the master; I accept your auspicious words, Father Emperor," Yinreng said shamelessly.
He was shameless and unscrupulous, and no matter how much Emperor Kangxi loved this son, he didn't want to see him at this moment.
The gentle and obedient concubines in the harem were much more docile, always trying to please him and watching his every move, unlike these sons who came to collect their debts, each one more infuriating than the last.
Yinreng returned satisfied and, unsurprisingly, met Yinzhen in the main hall of Yuqing Palace.
During the Lunar New Year holidays, Yinzhen would go to Yuqing Palace as soon as he woke up, and then return to the Prince's Residence when it was almost dark. He truly treated Yuqing Palace as his own home.
Holding a cup of warm goat's milk, Yinzhen greeted Yinreng warmly upon seeing him.
"Why didn't you go to play with Tana?" Yinreng knew very well that Yinzhen hadn't come to see him.
Yinzhen said frankly, "My eldest niece is still asleep. Second brother, today Yintang and Yin'e have been clinging to your leg."
He pouted, looking sullen.
Looking into Yinzhen's stubborn phoenix eyes, Yinreng remembered that he had promised in the Imperial Study that he would hold Yinzhen's hand and take him back.
As a result, he lingered inside for too long and forgot about the place.
“It’s my fault, I forgot to bring you. Little Jiu is still my younger brother. Last time he was naughty and wanted to cut Afu’s fur, wasn’t he restrained by Consort Yi? He’s at that age where cats and dogs don’t want to be bothered, just bear with it,” Yinreng said.
Originally, Yinzhen and Yintang kept to themselves and did not interfere with each other.
Later, someone whispered in Yinti's ear that dogs get hot in the summer and that cutting their fur would keep them cool, so he excitedly went to try it.
There were many dogs in the palace, but the one closest to Yin Tang was Yin Zhen.
As a result, the Pekingese dog that Yinzhen raised almost became a hairless dog.
"It was Second Sister-in-law who discovered it and sent someone to invite Consort Yi over. Afu is naturally vain; if he lost his fur, he would be hideous. I asked Yinzhen who told him, but he kept his mouth shut and didn't reveal a word. It's clear he doesn't consider me his brother," Yinzhen said, holding a grudge.
Yinreng had witnessed firsthand how much Afu loved beauty.
He had only ever seen one dog, Afu, who would occasionally go to the Imperial Garden to bite a flower and put it on his head.
"Didn't you consider that the people Xiao Jiu protects might not be servants?" Yinreng had tried to investigate, but because Consort Yi had people around Yintang, it was difficult for him to investigate no matter how far he went.
After all, it wasn't a major event, and it wasn't something an elder brother should do to rashly investigate the servants around his younger brother.
Yinzhen's phoenix eyes widened in surprise: "Which brother is so bored? Consort Wuya is trapped in the deep palace, she shouldn't be able to do that."
“When I went to the Imperial Study today, I noticed that Xiao Ba seemed somewhat inferior and jealous,” Yinreng said.
“Eighth Brother is gentle and kind; even the servants who serve him say he has an excellent temperament. Consort Hui and my eldest brother take good care of Eighth Brother, not just out of politeness. If Eighth Brother is so two-faced…” Yinzhen believed Yinreng’s words almost unconditionally.
Even though he analyzed it as impossible, he believed it in his heart.
When Yinreng returned from the Imperial Study, he was thirsty as he hadn't had a drop of water for so long.
He picked up the hot goat's milk that Yinzhen had drunk from and drank it all in one gulp. The warm goat's milk, with its floral fragrance, quenched his thirst perfectly.
“It’s not a matter of being two-faced. He’s just a little jealous of you. His birth mother and your birth mother are from similar backgrounds. Why is it that you are now the Empress’s legitimate son, backed by the Tong family, while he is still the son of a nobleman, only able to follow his eldest brother around and even occasionally have to curry favor with his ninth and tenth brothers?” Yinreng said.
That makes sense now.
Yinzhen slumped his shoulders dejectedly: "Last time I specially brought Eighth Brother some Jiangnan pastries made by Wang Yan, and he seemed very happy."
“No one is truly good and perfect. He is still young and it’s easy for him to do something extreme if he’s provoked. I suppose he doesn’t know how much you value Afu. I’m telling you this because I promised to investigate this matter thoroughly. You must not let this matter affect your character,” Yinreng said seriously.
"Don't worry, Second Brother. Actually, as long as you and Second Sister-in-law are here, I'm more than enough. Even Consort Wuya can harbor resentment towards me, her own son. Eighth Brother's childish temper is nothing." Yinzhen shook his head, clearing his mind of the bad mood.
"However, Second Brother, you haven't told me yet what exactly you were doing lingering in the Imperial Study," Yinzhen asked curiously.
Yinreng smiled smugly and said in a rather boastful tone, "Your second brother has handed over that chubby little dumpling Hongzhao to Father Emperor. When he grows up, Father Emperor will personally teach him. Hongzhao belongs to Father Emperor, and Tana belongs to you, so your second sister-in-law and I can have more time alone together."
Forced to display their affection, Yinzhen felt the air was thick with sweetness.
Fortunately, he was already used to it and even strongly agreed and supported it: "Don't worry, Second Brother, I've got my niece covered."
The two brothers hit it off immediately, seemingly without considering the opinion of their mother, Tong Wanyan.
Tong Wanyan had been there for a while, listening silently to their conversation from behind the screen.
At first, she laughed, but then her face darkened.
"Is Master sending away a son or daughter?" Tong Wanyan stepped out from behind the screen, her eyes flashing with daggers.
Yinreng and Yinzhen felt a chill run through their bodies. They froze, thinking to themselves: It's over.
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