Wearing a light yellow cotton cloak, Thirteen walked in with a slight limp, trying his best not to let Kangxi notice his leg injury. But how could he walk as smoothly as a normal person without any flaws?
Fortunately, the Fourth Prince was walking in front of the Thirteenth Prince, blocking most of his body. Kangxi had already sat up, and his whole demeanor had returned to its usual coldness and aloofness, seven parts like a monarch and three parts like a father.
"Father, the Thirteenth Prince, Yinxiang, has come to pay his respects!" The Fourth Prince bowed and then stepped aside. The father-son relationship between the Thirteenth Prince and Kangxi could only be continued by him personally.
Thirteen took a few steps forward, trying his best to make his legs look normal, but Kangxi still noticed that something was wrong.
"Your unfilial son, Yinxiang, greets His Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Yinxiang knelt down with a thud and performed a grand salute to Emperor Kangxi. The Fourth Prince, standing to the side, felt a pang of pain in his heart seeing Yinxiang disregard his injured leg, but he was powerless to say anything at this moment.
Kangxi's slight unease vanished instantly. Seeing Yinxiang kneeling reverently before him, the hesitation in his heart disappeared, and he simply asked, "What happened to your leg?"
When the Fourth Prince saw Kangxi asking, he quickly answered for the Thirteenth Prince: "Your Majesty, at the beginning of the year, the Thirteenth Prince accidentally slipped and fell into a ditch from a mountain stream, injuring his leg. There were no good doctors or medicines there, so he has been suffering from this ailment ever since."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi's doting fatherly nature was immediately revealed. He angrily said, "How dare those servants not report that the Thirteenth Prince is my son? It is truly despicable that they dare to treat him with such contempt. Fourth Prince, go and find out who served the Thirteenth Prince back then, and send him to do hard labor."
Thirteen immediately replied, "Please forgive me, Father Emperor. It was all my carelessness that caused this. Please don't blame them. My leg is alright. I'll have the imperial physician examine it when I get back, and it should be fine."
"Yes, Father Emperor. Your Majesty, I have seen that he can be cured. Please rest assured, Father Emperor," the Fourth Prince quickly added.
"Yes, get up quickly. Offer seats to Prince Yong and the Thirteenth Prince!" Kangxi instructed the eunuch serving beside him.
After the two were seated, the emperor began discussing state affairs with Kangxi. The Thirteenth Prince, having just returned, was completely unaware of court politics, but he occasionally chimed in with insightful observations. During his more than ten years of confinement in the bee-keeping alley, he hadn't been idle. When he was taken there, he only carried a box of books with him, nothing else. He had read the *Zizhi Tongjian*, the *Analects*, *Sun Tzu's Art of War*, and other Legalist texts at least three times, carefully studying their contents each time. Now, discussing state affairs with Kangxi, although he was unfamiliar with the court's situation, his analysis of the issues raised by the Fourth Prince and Kangxi using his accumulated knowledge and insights was quite meaningful.
Seeing that the Thirteenth Prince was not only not decadent, but seemed much more composed than before, Kangxi asked him what he was doing in the Bee-Bearing Alley. The Thirteenth Prince then told Kangxi about his life in the Bee-Bearing Alley, even describing how enjoyable his days there were and how he himself was quite content.
As Kangxi listened, he felt relieved. Seeing that the Thirteenth Prince showed no resentment towards him, his guilt towards the Thirteenth Prince eased. Furthermore, the Thirteenth Prince spoke of the books he had read, which made Kangxi even more convinced that the Thirteenth Prince had truly "repented and reformed," and he grew to like the Thirteenth Prince even more.
The father and his two sons chatted happily in a pleasant atmosphere, making Kangxi feel that he hadn't been so close to his sons in a long time. When Kangxi's rest time was up, the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince immediately paid their respects and withdrew.
The two walked out of Changchun Garden in a calm manner. After getting into the carriage, they looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
"Thirteenth, I didn't expect you to have read so many books. You've made up for all the books you didn't read properly in the Imperial Study before," Fourth Master teased Thirteen, a rare occurrence for him.
“It’s a tough place there. What can I do if I don’t study? I can’t really go and spend all day tending to bees with those beekeepers, can I?” Thirteen sighed. “Fourth Brother, I’m not willing to accept this!”
The Fourth Prince suppressed his smile, recalling how the Thirteenth Prince had just chatted and laughed in front of Emperor Kangxi. He raised his hand and placed it on the Thirteenth Prince's shoulder, saying firmly, "Thirteenth Prince, all of that is in the past. The suffering you endured will eventually be compensated. Just like today, the books you read in that environment have now transformed into your breadth of mind and knowledge, which even Father Emperor greatly admires."
A glint of light flashed in Thirteen's eyes as he nodded, but then gave a bitter smile and said, "Father is old, how could I blame him? So much time has passed since then."
Fourth Master nodded and then began to talk to Thirteen about some things in the capital.
That evening, Thirteen and Lady Zhao knelt in the mansion to welcome the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict. Kangxi immediately bestowed upon Thirteen the title of Prince Yi, and appointed him to oversee government affairs in the Grand Secretariat alongside Fourth Prince.
This news caused quite a stir in the capital. Thirteenth Prince was released and granted the title of prince. In an instant, he became the center of attention, even overshadowing Fourth Prince.
Third Master and Eighth Master both sent invitations to Thirteen, inviting him to their residence to reminisce about their years of brotherhood. However, Thirteen didn't give them any face at all, replying directly that he was unwell and unable to come over, and declined their invitations one by one.
Throughout history, it has been rare to offer help in times of need, but many more to add to someone's success!
Since the Thirteenth Prince was imprisoned by Emperor Kangxi in the Bee-Breeding Alley, apart from the Fourth Prince, which of his older brothers pleaded for him or took care of his household?
Now that he's been made a king, some people want to try and get close to him, but no way! They won't give him any face!
"Your Highness, Prince Cheng has sent someone to deliver medicinal herbs!" Lady Zhaojia said as she entered the Thirteenth Prince's study, where Yinxiang was reading.
"No, it's not like I don't have any. Fourth Brother sent over a whole bunch!" Yinxiang frowned. He had only just been granted a princeship by Kangxi, and they were already swarming around him like ants, which was really annoying. Besides, if Kangxi knew that the Thirteenth Prince had started making friends and going around drinking as soon as he was granted a title, he would definitely be unhappy. The Thirteenth Prince already knew from the Fourth Prince that Longkodo was now Kangxi's eyes and ears, and he was ordered to keep a close eye on the movements of the imperial relatives and ministers in the capital.
“Your Highness, is this not a good idea? He is Your Highness’s third brother. If people hear this, they will say that Your Highness is heartless.” Lady Zhaojia advised when she saw that Thirteen refused outright.
“Say it if you want. I have no connection with him. Now that Father Emperor is unwell, he should send medicine to Father Emperor, not me.” Thirteen frowned.
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