Chapter 68: Two years later, it's Old Ten's birthday, a day he's been living a life of leisure...
Yin'e's goodwill gesture towards the Seventh Prince, including sending him gifts and receiving a return gift, was not kept secret from the Ninth Prince—of course, Yin'e had no intention of hiding it either. It wasn't anything bad, so why should anyone know?
The Ninth Prince was quite jealous of this and was a little unhappy.
As Yin'e was planning to make bookmarks from the water lily petals sent by the Seventh Prince, the Ninth Prince sat next to him with puffed-out cheeks and a displeased expression. He neither helped nor moved away, stubbornly sitting there without moving.
With his head down, Yin'e carefully pressed the dried water lily petals flatter and firmer, slowly making preparations for making bookmarks with his chubby little hands. He didn't look up at the Ninth Prince, who was waiting for him to coax him, and pretended not to know about the Ninth Prince's displeasure.
"Hmph!" With his chin held high, the Ninth Prince deliberately let out a loud snort through his nose.
He kept a straight face, neither looking at Yin'e nor initiating a conversation.
With his cheeks puffed out, the Ninth Prince sat there sulking, muttering something under his breath.
Although the Ninth Prince made many subtle hints, he stubbornly refused to speak first, insisting that Yin'e take the initiative to talk to him and that Yin'e admit he was wrong before he was satisfied.
After tidying up all the petals, Yin'e finally raised his head to look at the Ninth Prince.
He tilted his head, blinked his bright, watery almond-shaped eyes, and asked with an innocent, childlike expression, "Ninth Brother, what's wrong? Is your throat sore? Do you want some pear juice?"
The Ninth Prince had made up his mind that if the Tenth Prince didn't apologize to him first and admit that he was wrong, he would absolutely not speak to him or pay any attention to him.
But Yin'e had just left the Ninth Prince waiting, focusing only on his own affairs, which only made the Ninth Prince more and more anxious and angry as he waited.
Now that Yin'e has taken the initiative to talk to the Ninth Prince, the Ninth Prince immediately puts his original plans behind him.
Although he was still angry, the Ninth Prince did not ignore Yin'e or respond to his words.
The Ninth Prince just pouted, wrinkled his nose, and snorted heavily, saying stiffly, "I won't drink it. I'm not feeling unwell."
"Oh—" Yin'e replied in a drawn-out tone, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, but he still pretended to be confused. "Ninth Brother, are you really alright? Your throat really doesn't feel sore. I've been hearing you coughing."
With a stern, fair face, the Ninth Prince hummed softly, his tone noticeably softening, though a hint of sullenness remained: "I'm really fine, I'm not feeling unwell."
"I see." Yin'e nodded, as if he believed the Ninth Prince's words. He lowered his head and started fiddling with the pale pink water lily petals again, ignoring the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince, whose emotions had calmed down somewhat, immediately widened his phoenix eyes and shouted, "Tenth Brother—"
"Hmm?" Yin'e looked up at the Ninth Prince, his handsome face full of confusion. He asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Ninth Brother?"
Faced with Yin'e's expression, the Ninth Prince, who was furious, suddenly fell silent.
He could only stare at Yin'e with wide eyes, resentful and indignant, but he didn't know what to say. A bellyful of resentment and sadness born of jealousy was stuck in his throat, unable to be expressed. He felt wronged and heartbroken, and he sniffled, feeling a little like crying.
Blinking, Yin'e suddenly looked down at the petals in his hand, then looked up at the Ninth Prince again, and said with a sudden realization, "Ninth Brother, do you want to make petal bookmarks with me? I can give you half of the petals."
The Ninth Prince was furious; he had no intention of taking the flower petals that the Seventh Prince had sent!
He finally couldn't hold it in any longer, and stopped pretending to be arrogant. He pouted and muttered softly, "Tenth Brother, you're being unfair!"
"Favoritism?" Yin'e looked completely bewildered, as if saying, "I don't understand what you're talking about!" "I didn't!"
"Waaah..." The Ninth Prince pouted, wanting to accuse Yin'e of giving the Seventh Prince a gift but not him, and also wanting to accuse Yin'e of ignoring him earlier. But with tears welling up in his eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing that the easily teased Ninth Prince was about to cry, Yin'e wisely stopped teasing the arrogant prince and looked at him with a smile, saying, "Ninth Brother, I'm making a gift for you."
"Huh?" The Ninth Prince froze on the spot, his anger vanished, and his bright, almond-shaped eyes, with a hint of doubt and uncertainty, looked over and asked, "A gift for me?"
"Hmm, the lotus bookmarks are very pretty. I've made them and will give them to Ninth Brother." A small dimple appeared on Yin'e's right cheek. He smiled sweetly and adorably at Ninth Prince, which was really cute and made it impossible for anyone to be angry with him.
The Ninth Prince awkwardly approached. He hadn't even glanced at the water lily petals before, but now he was peering at them with curiosity, and he actually found the petals more pleasing to the eye.
The Ninth Prince was overjoyed, his little face slightly flushed. His lips, which had been pouting so much they could hang an oil lamp, not only relaxed but also couldn't help but curl up at the corners, though he still managed not to show an overly bright smile: "Is this a birthday present for me?"
Yin'e opened his almond-shaped eyes wide, looking at him with a "How could you think that?" expression. He shook his head and denied it outright: "Of course not!"
"Huh?" Ninth Prince was dumbfounded again, looking back at Yin'e with a blank and confused expression.
Yin'e also moved closer to the Ninth Prince, snuggling up to him and whispering sweetly in his clear, childlike voice, "Bookmarks are too ordinary! I want to prepare a big surprise for you, Ninth Prince, so I won't just give you bookmarks as a birthday gift."
Yin'e was already very skilled at pleasing the Ninth Prince.
At this moment, Yin'e skillfully comforted the Ninth Prince, making him forget all his previous unhappiness and only remember that Yin'e was going to give him a flower petal bookmark and prepare a big surprise for his birthday. He immediately smiled so broadly that his eyes narrowed into crescents.
The Ninth Prince was overjoyed. His face was full of happiness, and he smiled so broadly that his fair and lovely face blossomed into a flower.
He rushed over to Yin'e, and the Ninth Prince opened his arms and hugged Yin'e tightly, pressing himself against him, forgetting his earlier disdain for the water lily petals: "Tenth Brother, I'll help too!"
In late August, Consort De was diagnosed with a pregnancy of nearly one month, and her wish to have a child again came true.
After the sudden death of the Sixth Prince in May, Consort De relentlessly tried to please Emperor Kangxi, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the struggle for his favor. Her efforts and dedication paid off; with her clear objective, she quickly achieved her goal.
This made all the concubines in the palace sigh that Consort De was truly blessed and fertile. She only regained the emperor's favor at the end of July, and by the end of August she was diagnosed with a pregnancy of nearly one month, which meant that Consort De became pregnant with the emperor's child almost immediately after regaining the emperor's favor.
This was Consort De's fifth child. In addition to the Fourth Prince, the Sixth Prince, and the Ninth Princess, Consort De also gave birth to the Seventh Princess in the twenty-first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. However, the Seventh Princess was frail and died after only two months.
August 27th is the Ninth Prince's birthday.
Yin'e delivered the gift as promised, and it was indeed a gift that suited the Ninth Prince's taste perfectly, a true surprise.
Upon receiving the gift, the Ninth Prince immediately opened it.
Upon discovering that the gift he received was far superior to the writing implements that Yin'e had given to the Seventh Prince in July, the Ninth Prince couldn't help but cover his mouth and secretly laugh, overjoyed with a smug and delighted expression.
Yin'e was surprised that the Ninth Prince still remembered what happened two months ago, and he also didn't expect that the Ninth Prince would still be so concerned about who received a better gift between him and the Seventh Prince. He was both amused and exasperated.
Looking at the Ninth Prince bouncing around with his gifts, Yin'e really didn't know whether to praise the Ninth Prince for his good memory or to secretly criticize him for being petty.
After his excitement subsided, the Ninth Prince leaned closer with bright eyes and said earnestly to Yin'e, "Tenth Brother, I've also prepared a birthday gift for you. It's a big surprise, and I'm sure you'll love it!"
Tilting his head, Yin'e became interested, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face: "Really? Ninth Brother has already decided what birthday gift to give me?"
"It'll be a secret for now." The Ninth Prince shook his head seriously. "I can't tell you now. If I told you now, there wouldn't be any surprise!"
With her almond-shaped eyes crinkling into crescents, Yin'e readily agreed, saying, "Then I won't ask anymore. I'll wait for Ninth Brother's surprise."
No one dislikes having their efforts rewarded.
Although Yin'e always treated the Ninth Prince with the same tolerance and care as a child, if it was always just him making sacrifices and giving in, then this friendship was very fragile and could collapse at any time because Yin'e might lose patience.
But the Ninth Prince never only knew how to take but also how to give back. He was sensitive to the lack of love, arrogant and stingy, but he also cherished every bit of care he received.
In this friendship, there has never been a case of Yin'e being more tolerant and giving more; the two brothers simply went their separate ways, both wanting to be the best of friends.
Happy birthday, tenth brother!
"Happy birthday, Yin'e." The Imperial Concubine leaned down and kissed Yin'e's soft cheek, her beautiful and gentle face filled with a smile, her eyes full of affection.
She patted Yin'e's head, stroking his soft, black hair. The Consort smiled, but concealed the slight sigh that welled up in her heart, so that no one would notice.
Time flies. The Imperial Concubine still remembers how Yin'e was only as big as her arm when he was born, a tiny little thing nestled in her arms.
Four years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Yin'e is now four years old.
He grew up a bit, and his once round, chubby face thinned out, revealing his dignified features resembling those of a noble concubine. The older he got, the more handsome and dashing he became, exuding a spirited and vigorous air.
Although Yin'e had lost some weight, his baby fat had not completely disappeared.
When he smiles brightly, his almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents, he still has a sweet and adorable appearance. As a result, even though Yin'e and the Ninth Prince have been running rampant in the palace for the past two years, becoming increasingly mischievous, they haven't been punished by the adults much, repeatedly escaping scolding and reprimands by acting cute.
It is now the 26th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and today is Yin'e's fourth birthday. Two years have passed since the 24th year.
Yin'e's birthday banquet today was not a grand affair. Apart from the Imperial Concubine, only the Ninth Prince came to celebrate his birthday. The Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince, who were also on good terms with Yin'e, were unable to come to celebrate his birthday.
Not only was Yin'e's birthday not celebrated in a lively manner this year, but the Ninth Prince's birthday was also not celebrated in a grand manner.
Since the second half of this year, a low-pressure atmosphere has been hanging over the palace. Even on joyous occasions like birthdays, no one dares to celebrate extravagantly, for fear of attracting too much attention and displeasing Emperor Kangxi.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:11:43 on March 16, 2023 and 11:56:20 on March 17, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Floating Dream (6 bottles); Warm and Gentle, -Shallow Smile (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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