The brothers' most common way of getting along is to tease each other without holding back.
That kind of tender, effeminate concern is not the style of a real man.
The primary consort bestowed upon Yinzhen by Emperor Kangxi was impeccable in every way except for her young age.
After asking on behalf of Tong Wanyan, Yinreng stopped dwelling on the matters in the backyard.
On June 28th, Emperor Kangxi issued an imperial edict to rebuild the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong.
At the time, Yinreng was still recovering from his injuries, and Kangxi ordered Yinzhi to assist in handling the matter.
Confucius held an unparalleled position among scholars, sometimes even surpassing that of emperors.
Yin Zhi's ability to get involved in this matter greatly boosted his reputation among scholars.
"Fourth brother, what do you think of Yinzhi's involvement in the reconstruction of the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong?" Yinreng asked.
When Emperor Kangxi announced the officials in charge of rebuilding the Confucius Temple, Yinzhen was in the court and could hear each name clearly.
He had been pondering this question for a long time.
“Rebuilding the Temple of Confucius is a major event in the hearts of scholars. Father Emperor is doing such a meritorious deed and surely hopes it will be recorded in history. Involving the princes is the best way to deepen the relationship between the royal family and Confucius,” said Yinzhen.
At Yinreng's prompting, he carefully continued to express his thoughts: "My eldest brother is skilled in martial arts, my second brother is the crown prince, I am not well-versed in Confucianism, my fifth brother can't even recognize all the Chinese characters, and the remaining princes are too young. After considering all the options, only Yinzhi, who is well-versed in Confucianism, is the most suitable."
Yinreng looked at Yinzhen with admiration, and Yinzhen, feeling that his answer was good, immediately puffed out his chest with great pride.
"Fourth Brother is right, but there's one thing I forgot to mention," Yinreng said. "Actually, Fourth Brother knows this too, but he just doesn't want to say it."
Yinzhen lowered his head dejectedly, tacitly agreeing with Yinreng's words.
“No matter what, Yinzhi is Father’s son. Even if he has many shortcomings, as long as he has not committed any treasonous acts, Father will not abandon him,” Yinreng said calmly.
"I am the Crown Prince of the Great Qing, the emperor of the Manchus. Even if I like Han studies, I cannot be too biased, much less make it my specialty. On the contrary, Yinzhi is just an ordinary prince. If he can make some achievements in Confucianism, it would not be a bad thing."
Yinzhen said indignantly, "I just can't stand him. He used to resent you, Second Brother, and would often do silly things. Now he's suddenly reformed? Does that mean all the times he spoke rudely to you before can be forgiven?"
Yinreng smiled gently at Yinzhen, but Yinzhen felt a chill run down his spine.
"When have you ever seen me bullied without retaliating?" Yinreng said politely.
Yinzhen thought about it carefully, his pupils dilating in shock.
It's chilling to think about; his second elder brother, the crown prince, did indeed retaliate not long afterward.
"So just focus on doing your own thing. I specifically asked for your opinion on this matter because I didn't want you to be blinded by temporary power. The road ahead is long and arduous, and everything must be done slowly. No matter how glamorous other people's lives may be, you must continue on the path you've chosen," Yinreng instructed.
"I will keep in mind my second brother's teachings. The tutors in the Imperial Study always said that my second brother was a qualified crown prince because of his tolerance and broad-mindedness. I didn't understand then, but now I do," Yinzhen said with emotion.
Yinreng smiled but remained silent; his tolerance was based on the premise that the other party posed no threat to him.
Of course, he didn't need to tell Yinzhen about these preconditions.
"Tomorrow I can finally go to court and attend the court assembly. These past few days, I've been lying in bed every day, and my bones are so weak I have no strength left," Yinreng said, waving his hand.
Yinzhen's eyes lit up: "Then shall I practice with Second Brother?"
"Alright, let's go to the training ground. You can choose any weapon you like!" Yinreng said enthusiastically.
Yinreng was bedridden for a month, and his physical abilities were not as good as before.
Yinzhen was naturally weak in martial arts.
As a result, the two are now almost evenly matched in strength.
The two were evenly matched, both sweating profusely.
The two of them tied their hair into pigtails and fought on the dueling platform for quite a while.
Dry clothes were soon soaked with sweat.
Yinzhen chose a sword, while Yinreng used his preferred whip. After several dozen rounds of stalemate, Yinreng's whip finally managed to wring Yinzhen's sword away.
As the whip wrapped around him, Yinzhen's hand went limp, and the long sword fell to the ground with a dull thud.
"I thought my second brother would be weaker since he had just recovered from his illness. I didn't expect that I would still lose," Yinzhen said dejectedly.
His second brother was truly an insurmountable mountain to him, someone he looked up to his entire life.
Yinreng laughed heartily: "That was a good sweat. Fourth brother, you should know that my martial arts skills were honed through countless battles, so it's normal for you to lose."
Yinreng's nonchalant words reminded Yinzhen of the assassination attempt not long ago.
"Second brother, I will protect you from now on," Yinzhen said.
Yinreng was unaware of the depth of Yinzhen's thoughts. Upon hearing this, he simply assumed that Yinzhen was unwilling to accept defeat.
"Alright. I will protect you now, and you will protect me from now on." Yinreng looked at Yinzhen with trust, not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm.
Tong Wanyan only lent a hand in the kitchen and came out shortly afterward.
It's early July now, and another sweltering summer is just around the corner.
It's cool in the mornings and evenings now, but it's gradually getting a bit hot at midday.
I originally thought that Yinreng and Yinzhen would at most take the children out for some activities, but I never expected that the two of them would go to practice martial arts.
After Tong Wanyan changed into some cooler clothes, the two brothers were still relaxing in the bathtub.
Tong Wanyan asked De Shun and the other man where they had gone. After learning that they were exhausted, she sent two eunuchs who knew how to massage and relax them over there.
They should have been palace maids, but now Yinreng was most afraid of seeing unfamiliar, strong palace maids.
"Your Highness and Fourth Brother have finally arrived? You look even better after all that sweating." Tong Wanyan was waiting in the side hall when she saw Yinreng and Yinzhen arrive and went to greet them.
Yinreng consciously took Tong Wanyan's hand, and they walked separately on opposite sides.
Yinzhen, used to being left aside, found a seat and sat down.
"This lush green vegetable dish looks so refreshing," Yinzhen said, gazing at the table full of food with great satisfaction.
Tong Wanyan and Yinreng sat down together. She said, "I heard that Fourth Brother has not had a good appetite these days. Eating some wild vegetables will help to stimulate his appetite. The cup contains osmanthus and plum juice. On such a hot day, drinking hot tea would be uncomfortable."
"Second Sister-in-law is not only virtuous, but also has a clever mind. As for delicious food, Yuqing Palace has the most." Yinzhen's mouth immediately watered at the mention of sour plums.
Tong Wanyan first served food to Yinreng, then moved her own cup closer: "Your Highness, you can't touch the food in front of Fourth Brother. The imperial physician instructed that you must avoid cold foods this month. So, you can't drink this plum juice either."
Yinreng sniffed, and the sweet and sour smell of plum juice mixed with floral fragrance seemed to waft into his nose.
"I'll eat a little bit, it'll be fine. Those imperial physicians are too cautious; if we listen to them, we'll starve to death," Yinreng said greedily.
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