"He's just a Han girl's son, it's hard to say whether he'll grow up. Ninth Prince, what are you worrying about?" The Crown Prince never took the princes after the Tenth Prince seriously and scolded them disdainfully.
Just as Kangxi was about to send Liang Jiugong to deliver a message, he overheard the Crown Prince's words and stopped Liang Jiugong, turning and storming off. This was the Crown Prince's fault; he didn't realize walls have ears, especially since it was just a tent with no one guarding it.
Kangxi returned to his imperial tent and sat silently behind his desk. Liang Jiugong knew he was angered by the Crown Prince's words, so he waved to several palace maids, signaling them to quietly go out and wait, so as not to offend Kangxi at this time.
Meanwhile, the prince, unaware that his words had chilled his father's heart, continued to eat, drink, and laugh with his brothers, temporarily forgetting the awkwardness of being in the northern grasslands.
By late afternoon, the Crown Prince was slightly drunk, and the others had also drunk about 70-80% of their fill. They rose to take their leave, which goes without saying. The young eunuch Bao, who had been serving the Crown Prince, immediately ordered the remaining cups and saucers to be cleared away.
"Your Highness, the hangover soup is here. Please have some, and then I'll help you rest for a while," said Eunuch Bao, carrying a bowl of darkened hangover soup to the Crown Prince's side.
"Don't drink it. What's the point of sobering up? It's better to be in this ambiguous state." The Crown Prince swept the bowl of hangover soup out of Eunuch Bao's hand.
"You may all leave. This servant will attend to the Crown Prince here," said Eunuch Bao, seeing the Crown Prince's displeasure. He immediately addressed the palace maids standing at the four corners of the tent.
After they all left, Eunuch Bao climbed up to the Crown Prince and advised him, "Your Highness, please speak to me if you have anything on your mind. Don't keep it bottled up inside, it's bad for your health."
The Crown Prince propped his head up with one hand, tilted his head to look at Eunuch Bao, and said, reeking of alcohol, "You servant, what do you think you are? How dare you concern yourself with my worries?"
Xiao Bao quickly kowtowed and said, "This servant is just Your Highness's dog. I only hope that my master is happy at all times. This servant will just do his best to jump around in front of Your Highness."
The Crown Prince's face was as dark as the sky before a storm, and he suddenly slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Damn eldest son! He's only accomplished a few minor feats, yet he dares to climb all the way up to me. And the third son, he can only spout a few lines of poetry, yet he's won Father's favor and been granted the Changchun Garden; even the eighth son, born in the Imperial Laundry, has been pushing his way up step by step—he's truly delusional. But what angers me most now is the fourth son. Tell me, why is he so outstanding? He handles everything perfectly, and it's clear that Father is increasingly favoring him."
The eunuch Bao cautiously climbed behind the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, please don't overthink it. You are the son of the Empress and were personally appointed by the Emperor. You have always been educated by the Emperor's side. How can the other princes compare to Your Highness? Moreover, you come from the Hesheli clan, which has produced meritorious officials who served under three emperors. The Emperor will not forget that."
The Crown Prince gradually calmed down, but still said bitterly, "But my uncle was still dismissed by Father Emperor. The Hesheli family is no longer what it used to be."
While patting the Crown Prince's back, Eunuch Bao advised, "Crown Prince, you can still rely on the Emperor in the end. After all, you are the legitimate son and have always been raised in the Qianqing Palace."
The Crown Prince chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "But it's just that my Empress Dowager passed away too early. And my Father Emperor has too many sons."
Eunuch Bao was startled and quickly tugged at the Crown Prince's sleeve, saying, "Your Highness, please speak softly. Such words must not be overheard by others. Your Highness, now that you are here, you should serve the Emperor well and be a diligent and frugal son. In this way, the Emperor will be more affectionate towards you, and the civil officials and scholars will see that Your Highness is a person of utmost filial piety and purity."
To be fair, Eunuch Bao was indeed a capable eunuch by the Crown Prince's side. His words were all quite reasonable, but unfortunately, Crown Prince Yinren didn't seem to heed them, especially when it came to showing filial piety to Emperor Kangxi. His feelings towards Kangxi seemed extremely contradictory. Perhaps Kangxi couldn't be a completely benevolent father, yet he still doted on Yinren, causing Yinren to develop an inflated ego yet also a timid and confused nature from a young age.
Under the comforting words of Eunuch Bao, the Crown Prince gradually became drowsy and went to bed to rest. He slept until dusk, when Emperor Kangxi sent someone to summon him to dine with the Emperor.
Seeing that Kangxi was taking the initiative to approach the Crown Prince, Eunuch Bao quickly helped the prince up, then had someone bring him water to wash his face and helped him change his clothes before following the prince to the imperial tent. The sky over the grassland was a deep, dark black as the sun set, and the white tents looked incredibly peaceful against the backdrop of the sunset.
The Crown Prince straightened his collar before stepping into the tent under the curtain lifted by Eunuch Bao.
Emperor Kangxi had already placed the book on the prepared dining table, holding a scroll and reading it. However, he squinted slightly, as if he couldn't quite see the words clearly. Liang Jiugong had specially lit two large white candles, but they couldn't save Kangxi's increasingly frail eyesight.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty, wishing you ten thousand blessings and peace!" The Crown Prince stepped forward and bowed.
"Oh, Bao Cheng is here. Come, sit down." Kangxi turned his gaze from his book and looked at the Crown Prince with a gentle smile.
"What book is Father Emperor reading?" Seeing the Emperor's friendly expression, the Crown Prince relaxed and sat down next to him.
"Come here, take a look. Father Emperor's eyesight isn't very good. Would you like to read a passage?" Kangxi looked at the Crown Prince with more doting eyes, as if he had returned to the kind fatherly expression he used to have.
Once upon a time, when Yinren was still a child, Emperor Kangxi often personally guided him in reading and writing, and would even teach him by hand. At that time, the Crown Prince was also a lively and adorable child, and would often act cute and playful with the eldest prince, Baoqing, in front of Emperor Kangxi.
The Crown Prince was slightly lost in thought, for he clearly saw the familiar gaze he once knew, but a sense of vigilance arose in his heart. Yet, he still respectfully accepted the scroll that Kangxi handed him.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was "Zhu Xi's Family Instructions".
"Jiugong, go and have them serve the meal slowly. I'd like to listen to Baocheng's story first," Kangxi said with a smile.
The Crown Prince opened the book and asked, "Father, which part are you reading?"
Emperor Kangxi smiled and said, "When you get to the part about the brothers, read it aloud."
The Crown Prince's heart stirred, and he suddenly remembered the bickering he had with his brothers that afternoon. But seeing that Kangxi seemed very expectant, he began to read it aloud.
As Liang Jiugong listened to the Crown Prince's deep male voice, he looked at Kangxi and seemed to be recalling how the Crown Prince was when he was a child, and how Kangxi often kept him in front of him to read books.
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