Chapter 140 A Silent Realization: Calm
If Yin'e knew that Kangxi's first dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince stemmed from his perception that the Crown Prince was not close enough to his brothers and sisters, and from his discovery that the Crown Prince lacked affection for his relatives and friends, then Yin'e would surely have cursed Kangxi as "sick."
Why did the Crown Prince develop such an arrogant and haughty temperament? Didn't Emperor Kangxi himself know the answer?
It was Emperor Kangxi himself who placed the Crown Prince above all his other children; it was Emperor Kangxi who gave the Crown Prince the most favor and the best treatment; it was Emperor Kangxi who spoiled the Crown Prince into being proud and noble; it was also Emperor Kangxi who elevated the Crown Prince to a high position early on, drawing a chasm between the Crown Prince and the other princes and princesses.
Now, the middle-aged Emperor Kangxi suddenly demanded that the Crown Prince be friendly and respectful to his brothers, hoping that the Crown Prince would be kind to his brothers, take care of his sisters, get along well with his siblings, and make the relationship harmonious. Kangxi wanted this and that, making him really difficult to please.
The crown prince is a living, breathing person, not a lump of clay that can be molded and shaped at will.
The education that Emperor Kangxi had given to the Crown Prince over the past decade or so had shaped the Crown Prince's character. Whether his character was good or bad, his worldview, outlook on life, and values had become stable and mature, and could no longer be easily changed.
The Crown Prince's thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors had long been established by the time he grew up. It was not something that could be changed completely by a mere thought of Kangxi.
However, there was a reason why Kangxi would consider the relationship between the crown prince and his brothers and sisters at this time.
After the New Year, the Crown Prince would be seventeen years old, well past the age for marriage. After the eldest prince's wedding, Emperor Kangxi began to consider bestowing a marriage upon the Crown Prince. However, Emperor Kangxi was very cautious about the selection of the Crown Prince's consort, which is why the Crown Prince's marriage was not settled for a long time.
The problem lies here: the crown prince is already an adult and will soon be married and become a father, but Emperor Kangxi is not yet forty years old and has many underage children, and newborns are still being born in the harem.
The current crown prince doesn't have much affection for his brothers and sisters. Once he has his own family and children, how much care and love will he be able to give to the other princes and princesses?
As he grew older, Emperor Kangxi's heart softened considerably. As he aged, he became more concerned about his youngest son, who was vulnerable and dependent on him, than his older sons who were growing up and becoming capable of taking care of themselves.
Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. When he thought of his young, innocent children, Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but feel pity and deep concern for their future. No one can know how long they will live in advance, so all Emperor Kangxi could do was plan ahead.
It is said that spilled water cannot be gathered up again, and rifts cannot be healed. As the crown prince gradually grew up and Kangxi slowly aged, the honeymoon period between the father and son, which lasted for more than a decade, was about to end. Their extremely close relationship would become a thing of the past, and it would be difficult to return to what it was before.
In the warm, cozy side room with its burning charcoal stove, Yin'e climbed onto the soft couch with practiced ease. After rummaging through the small sandalwood table in front of him, which was laden with fruits, snacks, nuts, and dried meat, Yin'e picked out a plate of beef jerky and dragged it to his side.
After wiping his hands with a clean handkerchief, Yin'e took a piece of beef jerky sprinkled with white sesame seeds and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, his eyes lit up, and he looked amazed. He squinted his eyes contentedly at the delicious food.
After swallowing the jerky in his mouth, Yin'e pushed the plate of beef jerky toward the Ninth Prince: "Ninth Prince, try this. This jerky is delicious. Not only does it taste good, but the texture is also great!"
The Ninth Prince tasted a piece, and a joyful smile immediately appeared on his face. His phoenix eyes, with their upturned corners and curled eyelashes, curved into crescent moons. His eyes were bright and sparkling: "It's quite delicious. Let's eat more of this to fill our stomachs."
Yin'e and the Ninth Prince had just attended a grand banquet held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but they only touched their chopsticks a few times and were not full at all.
Unfortunately, the delicacies on the grand banquet table only looked delicious and appealing; in reality, they were all show and no substance and didn't taste good at all.
In order to keep the dishes at the banquet vibrant in color, the imperial kitchen would prepare the dishes half a day in advance and keep them warm on the stove until they were served. This resulted in the dishes at the palace banquet being lukewarm and having a very poor taste.
Yin'e had been hungry all the way to Ning Shou Palace, and the grand banquet held at noon had just ended. The family reunion banquet held at Ning Shou Palace would not begin until the evening.
Before the banquet was served, Yin'e, who was starving, could only eat some fruit, snacks, nuts, and dried meat to fill his stomach. He would have to wait until the evening banquet to eat a hot meal.
Not only Yin'e, but also the other concubines, princes and princesses who attended the grand banquet were treated the same way. The dishes placed in front of them had been left to simmer on the stove for most of the day, and the meat and vegetables were so mushy that they could no longer be tasted. No matter how precious the raw materials or how exquisite the preparation, they could not taste the deliciousness that those delicacies should have.
Of all those family reunions in the Ning Shou Palace, only Emperor Kangxi, the Empress Dowager, and the Crown Prince truly enjoyed their meals at the grand banquet.
After all, they were of different status, and the dishes at the banquet were specially made for them by the imperial kitchen, not the "pre-made dishes" that had been prepared in advance and kept warm on the stove for half a day.
While Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were sharing beef jerky, the Fifth Prince, finally realizing that their sneaking off together as a group of six had gone a bit too far, came over with a conflicted expression and asked hesitantly, "Will Father be angry with us?"
When the Fifth Prince slipped out of the main hall of Ning Shou Palace with Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, he didn't think much of it. He simply followed his instinct as a poor student and chose to run away in order to avoid the miserable fate of being tested by Emperor Kangxi.
The Fifth Prince did not expect that the Seventh Prince, the Eleventh Prince, and the Twelfth Prince had also sneaked out with him.
Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who were the first to slip away, were originally just two people and not particularly noticeable. Even if there were three of them, they could still barely keep it a secret against the backdrop of the Third Prince's peacock-like display of his power.
But adding three more people after the three would be too cumbersome. There were only thirteen princes in the palace. If you exclude the crown prince who sat at the head of the table, there were still twelve left. The number of sons who were to be pampered by his parents had suddenly decreased by half. Anyone with eyes could see that something was wrong, let alone the wise and powerful Emperor Kangxi.
Lifting his little face, Yin'e blinked at the Fifth Prince, whose face was full of anxiety, and a sly glint appeared in his big, bright almond-shaped eyes: "Yes, Fifth Brother, Father will most likely be angry."
The Fifth Prince's eyes widened, and fear immediately showed on his round, chubby face.
Before the Fifth Prince could ask why Yin'e could still laugh and why he wasn't nervous or scared at all, Yin'e covered his mouth and said with a grin, "Fifth Brother, if Father is really angry, he'll probably take it out on you."
"Huh?" The Fifth Prince was completely dumbfounded. Beads of sweat the size of mung beans kept pouring from his forehead. His limbs were weak, and his body trembled like a leaf, as if he would roll his eyes and faint at any moment.
Swallowing the beef jerky in his mouth, still feeling irritated, the Ninth Prince, who had almost been seriously injured by the four people who had sneaked out with him, rolled his eyes at the Fifth Prince without any politeness: "You deserve it!"
"Who told you to be the oldest among us? You're the eldest brother, the oldest, and you should be the one setting a good example, but you still got into trouble with us. Of course, the blame should fall on you!"
The Fifth Prince understood, the Fifth Prince comprehended, and the Fifth Prince burst into tears—this was indeed the reaction that Emperor Kangxi would have.
The Ninth Prince glared angrily at the Fifth Prince, pouted, and muttered a complaint: "Fifth Brother, are you stupid? You were standing in such a conspicuous spot in front, why did you sneak out with us? Do you think Father is blind and couldn't have noticed?"
After a tirade, the Ninth Prince, unable to fully vent his anger, finally couldn't hold back and continued to lash out at the Fifth Prince: "Even if Father is so preoccupied with Third Brother that he's forgotten about you, Grandmother is here too. She won't forget you. How dare you sneak away?"
Scratching his head, the Fifth Prince, his face covered in resentment, smiled good-naturedly, not taking the Ninth Prince's harshness and sharp tongue to heart when he was angry.
But the Fifth Prince couldn't answer the Ninth Prince's question either, because when he sneaked away, he didn't think about anything; his body just moved instinctively. He didn't think at all during the whole process and didn't use his brain.
Since he gave up and started acting recklessly, Yin'e's emotions have remained strangely calm—some people look fine, but they've actually been gone for a while.
He patted the Ninth Prince's shoulder reassuringly, then looked at the Fifth Prince and said calmly, "Fifth Brother, it's alright. It's the New Year, Father won't hold it against us. Besides, so many of us made a mistake together, there's the saying 'the law doesn't punish the masses,' Father won't be furious."
After a subtle pause, Yin'e continued calmly, "Even if Father is angry and flies into a rage, it doesn't matter. For the sake of Grandmother, Father won't punish you severely."
Fifth Prince: ...
Fifth Prince: …………
Fifth Prince: I can tell now. Your words of comfort were just for show. You actually think Father Khan will be angry. I'm in big trouble QAQ.
Glancing at the Fifth Prince's bitter face, the Ninth Prince angrily grabbed a piece of beef jerky, stuffed it into his mouth, and tore into it fiercely.
The Ninth Prince certainly had reason to be angry.
Yes, even without the interference of the Fifth Prince and his group, it was still a mistake for him and Yin'e to sneak away.
But if only the two of them were absent, they might not have been noticed. After all, the Third Prince, with his peacock-like display of his feathers, was too conspicuous, a real attention-grabber who drew most of the attention away from the main hall.
However, things have developed to this point, and the truth has been revealed in a foregone conclusion. It would be strange if the Ninth Prince wasn't annoyed and angry.
He had to vent his anger, and there was no one else he could vent it on but the Fifth Prince.
The eleventh and twelfth princes were behind Yin'e and the ninth prince. They were young, one was silly and the other was dull. Maybe they just followed them stupidly when they saw them backing away. The ninth prince couldn't vent his anger on them.
As for the Seventh Prince... the Ninth Prince and the Seventh Prince had only a so-so relationship. The one who was on good terms with the Seventh Prince was Yin'e.
Even though he didn't know the Seventh Prince that well, the Ninth Prince didn't believe that the Seventh Prince had sneaked out after them. The Seventh Prince must have had his own reasons for doing so; it just so happened that they had the same idea.
For the Seventh Prince, the family reunion dinner was not a good day.
Before the age of six, let alone attending family reunion banquets, the Seventh Prince was not even allowed to go out. After he could remember things, the first relative he saw was not Emperor Kangxi, nor his birth mother, but his aunt, the wife of Prince Chun, who became his adoptive mother.
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