On the third day, the hunt officially began. Kangxi looked at his sons, who had grown up, and was pleased. He took out his treasured bow and arrows as a prize and suggested that they compete to see who could hunt the most prey.
Among his brothers, the eldest prince, Yinzhi, has always been the best at riding and archery, and he is determined to win this competition.
Crown Prince Yinreng's horsemanship and archery skills are weaker than those of the eldest prince, but as the crown prince, he strives to be the best in everything, and he also wants to win first place in this competition.
In his previous life, Yinzhen was not particularly skilled in riding and archery, and he remained so in this life as well. He was not particularly good at riding and archery, and he needed to avoid competing with his two older brothers for the time being. Therefore, he was only doing his best in this competition and had no intention of winning first place.
With a shout from Emperor Kangxi, the four princes raised their whips and, like arrows released from a bow, each chose a direction and sped into the woods.
Kangxi sat on the throne, with Yunyi slightly lower to his left, next to Consort Rong, and Consort Hui on the other side.
While waiting, Kangxi joked with his concubines, guessing who would win.
Yunyi knew her son's abilities very well. She smiled faintly and said that Yinzhen was young and did not like riding and archery, so naturally he could not compare with his three older brothers.
Consort Rong was a peaceful person who did not compete or fight for anything. She smiled and humbly said that the Third Prince was not as good as the First Prince and the Crown Prince.
Everyone knows the First Prince's abilities, and Consort Hui is not one to be modest. However, due to the Crown Prince's status, she could only suppress her resentment and somewhat reluctantly praise the Crown Prince.
But in her heart she thought, "Everyone is praising the second son for winning. If the result is revealed to be my son who won, the Crown Prince will probably lose face."
Thinking this way, Consort Hui's resentment subsided a little. Her eyes were fixed on the outside, her mind filled with the image of her son defeating the Crown Prince.
Time was up quickly, and Yinzhen was the first to emerge from the woods. He had no desire to fight and was intentionally trying to control himself so as not to be too weak.
Then the Crown Prince and the First Prince returned one after the other, followed by guards on horseback, their packs of game fully loaded.
Everyone present could tell at a glance that the winner was likely one of the two, but since the Third Prince had not yet returned, they did not feel comfortable praising him.
Before long, the Third Prince, Yin Zhi, returned.
What they found was astonishing. The previously unassuming Third Prince was quite skilled in horsemanship and archery, and his prey appeared to be just as plentiful as theirs, perhaps even more.
Kangxi's gaze swept over his four sons, lingering on Yinzhen for a moment, but overall he was very satisfied with them, thinking they were indeed worthy of being his sons.
When he saw his third brother return, Yinzhi didn't pay much attention to him at first, but when he saw this prey, his eyes turned cold, and he made a mental note of this younger brother.
It seems that the third son has grown up since marrying his wife. He used to hide from trouble, but now he knows how to fight back.
Yinreng was the crown prince and was instilled with the idea of brotherly love from a young age. However, his eldest brother always fought with him, his third brother was incompetent, and only his fourth brother was somewhat obedient and stood behind him.
Seeing his third brother's behavior, Yinreng was somewhat surprised, but he didn't take it to heart. He still had that much tolerance.
His upbringing and self-confidence told him that he didn't care how outstanding his brothers were, only how they treated him.
With everyone present, the guards stepped forward to count the prey. After some comparison, the winner of this competition turned out to be the Third Prince, Yin Zhi.
The dark horse won, a result that none of the concubines, ministers, and guards present had anticipated.
Everyone was a little stunned. Seeing the subtle atmosphere, Yunyi took the lead in congratulating the Third Prince, breaking the silence.
The others finally realized what was happening and began to praise the Third Prince.
Although Emperor Kangxi was somewhat surprised, he was proud of his third son, since the contestants were all his own sons.
When the results were announced, Yinzhi was the most unable to accept it. At the beginning of the competition, he had put himself in the first place, but he never expected that his third brother, whom he had not taken seriously, would become the first place.
He was very dissatisfied and congratulated his younger brother with a disdainful expression.
Yinreng, on the other hand, was much more magnanimous. As the crown prince, he was much more open-minded than his eldest brother. When he saw that the victor was his third brother, he still stepped forward with a smile to congratulate him, without minding at all.
This hunt actually made Yinzhi more noticeable in Kangxi's mind.
Consort Rong was not particularly pleased with this. She had always been a person who did not compete or fight, and she had also raised her son in the same way. She did not expect that Yinzhi would perform so well this time.
That evening, she summoned the Third Prince and gave him a good lecture, telling him to stay true to himself and not to get involved in the struggle between his two older brothers.
Having lost four children, Consort Rong had no desire for the throne; all she wanted was for her children to grow up safely and live healthy lives.
On the surface, Yinzhi obediently followed his mother's teachings, but in reality, he had his own little schemes.
After this incident, Kangxi would sometimes ask Yinzhi to ride horses with him when he was in a good mood. The father and son even had a race together, and the result was surprisingly evenly matched.
Before long, the hunt was over, and everyone packed their bags and set off for the capital. It was during this hunting competition that Kangxi remembered the Third Prince, Yinzhi.
The Third Prince is already married and can participate in court affairs. It's not hard to imagine that he will be highly valued by the Emperor after returning to the capital.
As the emperor grew older and his sons came of age, the struggle for the throne became increasingly apparent. Ministers in the court began to take sides, choosing to support one of the princes. Beneath the surface of peace, undercurrents were surging.
As turmoil begins to rise in the imperial court, some events also occur in the inner palace, involving Yunyi's youngest daughter, Hutu Ling'a.
During this hunt, Hutulinga also remembered the figure of a young boy.
Time flew by and it was now the 19th day of the third month of the 32nd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Today was the day that Yunyi's son, the Emperor's fourth prince, was to marry his primary consort.
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