Chapter 50: Old Ten's Salted Fish Feeding
"Tenth Brother?" Yin'e suddenly stopped, and Yin'tang paused as well, reaching out to tug at his sleeve and calling out softly.
Yin'e came to his senses, no longer looking at the Crown Prince, and instead took Yin'tang's hand, following the maid who was leading the way into the inner room separated by a beaded curtain.
The inner room separated from the main hall is not large, but its layout is exactly the same as that of the main hall outside, with the upper part facing the same direction.
At the head of the inner room stood a long table, below which were two rows of four armchairs arranged symmetrically. Against the inner wall opposite the beaded curtain door was a spacious heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed), upon which two small tables divided the kang into three sections.
The first seat on the left of the head of the table was empty, presumably reserved for the Crown Prince. Although the eldest prince was the eldest son, the Crown Prince was the heir apparent. The order of ruler and subject came first, followed by seniority, and this principle would not be shaken in the Cining Palace.
The eldest prince sat in the first seat on the right. Compared to last time, he looked somewhat anxious today. When he turned his head to look at the crown prince, who was following closely beside the Empress Dowager, through the beaded curtain, there was a look of jealousy in his eyes. He was clearly dissatisfied with the crown prince's treatment and harbored resentment.
Under the empty chair, the second seat on the left belonged to the Third Prince, who was more active than he had been at the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet a month ago. He had always been on good terms with the Crown Prince, and with the Crown Prince accompanying Emperor Kangxi on his southern tour of the palace, he seemed to feel that his confidence had returned.
The second seated on the right was the Fourth Prince, dressed in a crimson python robe, his face expressionless, his features as composed as ever. He ignored the Third Prince's chatter and did not respond; but at the same time, he showed no intention of getting close to the First Prince.
Three little boys sat on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed): the Fifth Prince, the Sixth Prince, and the Eighth Prince. The Seventh Prince was still nowhere to be seen. The Fifth and Eighth Princes sat in the area above the kang, separated by a small table, while the Sixth Prince sat alone. The area below the kang was empty.
At this family banquet, it seemed that Emperor Kangxi still hadn't thought of his seventh son, who was born with a disability, and did not bring him out to appear in front of everyone.
Yin'e let out a soft breath and, together with Yin'tang, bowed to their elder brothers in the inner room. The older brothers returned the bow, and even the Third Prince, out of respect for the elders in the inner room, behaved very politely.
The Seventh Prince will soon be six years old. If he continues to be forgotten by Emperor Kangxi, raised in confinement in the palace and unable to see outsiders, and even unable to study in the Imperial Study, then his future will be bleak and there will be little hope.
Yin'e and the Seventh Prince Yinyou were complete strangers, and now they could only sigh with regret. Even though they were born into the palace and had the noble status of a prince, not everything went smoothly for them; they still had to endure torment and pain.
Without asking the palace maids for help, Yin'e and Yin'tang kicked off their shoes and climbed onto the heated kang themselves.
They sat down side by side in the empty area under the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), the two brothers snuggling close together, grabbing some pastries from the small table and sharing them.
The Sixth Prince was not familiar with his two youngest brothers, and only glanced at them when they climbed onto the heated kang.
He was engrossed in fiddling with the nine-linked rings in his hand, ignoring his four brothers sitting at either end of the heated kang. He seemed to be somewhat aloof and didn't interact with others.
Although Yin'e genuinely hoped that the Sixth Prince would live and not die young, the Sixth Prince was not special to him. He did not speak to the Sixth Prince, nor did he intend to befriend him.
Perhaps because the Empress Dowager and other elders were in the outer room, any noise from the inner room would be heard outside, so the princes sitting in the room were very quiet.
They all sat quietly by themselves, either drinking tea or eating snacks. No one talked loudly; even when they occasionally exchanged a few words in hushed tones, they quickly ended the conversation, trying not to attract the attention of the elders outside.
Even the Third Prince, who is known for his boastful talk, didn't show off his literary talent like he did at the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet last time. He just made a few winks to make his presence known.
After taking a bite of walnut cake, Yin'e looked at the princes in the hall and was surprised to find something, or rather a pattern: apart from the Seventh Prince, among all of Kangxi's sons, the more they resembled Kangxi in appearance, the more ordinary-looking they were.
Emperor Kangxi was of average appearance, with ordinary features. He had a long face, narrow eyes, and a high nose bridge adorned with pockmarks. In terms of appearance, he was only of above-average looks; his main advantage lay in his demeanor.
The most handsome one is undoubtedly the Eighth Prince. Even though he is still young, his fair and lovely features show that he will surely grow up to be a handsome man as bright as the moon and as gentle as the breeze.
Secondly, there is the Ninth Prince, Yin Tang. His features are delicate and beautiful, a trait he inherited from Consort Yi. Now that he is young, he looks like a girl, and his gender is indistinguishable. He will surely grow up to be a handsome man with striking features.
The third in line is the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is twelve years old this year. He is handsome and has a noble temperament. At first glance, he gives people the impression of arrogance and nobility cultivated by being born into wealth and privilege.
From this perspective, even though the Crown Prince was personally raised by Emperor Kangxi, he was not like Kangxi at all. Not only were their appearances different, but their personalities, temperaments, and overall demeanor were also vastly different. Although the Crown Prince lost his mother at birth, he was actually pampered and lived a life of luxury from a young age, while Kangxi was the complete opposite.
Apart from these three, the other princes were not particularly outstanding in appearance. They were good-looking, but only ordinary good-looking, a level below the first three.
The eldest prince was heroic and had striking features; the third prince was refined and gentle, and had a scholarly demeanor; the fourth prince was upright, solemn, and dignified.
In terms of facial features, the Fifth Prince actually resembled Yinzhen quite a bit, only not as refined. In addition, his chubby face was somewhat round, and his temperament leaned towards being simple and honest, giving people the impression that he was not particularly handsome, just ordinary-looking.
The Sixth Prince was handsome and intelligent. He actually bore a resemblance to the Fourth Prince, but despite their similar appearances, the Sixth Prince's features were more delicate and his details were more refined, making him much more handsome than the Fourth Prince.
Yin'e was only of average good looks, far from the handsome and refined appearance of the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Crown Prince. He had looked in the mirror; he had bright eyes and sparse eyebrows, a clear and cheerful appearance, the kind of handsome that is sunny and dashing.
After finishing half a piece of walnut cake, Yin'e finally looked away from the faces of the princes in the inner room.
As if his curiosity had been satisfied, he stopped staring at people's appearances, which made several princes, such as the Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince, who were particularly sensitive to the gaze of others, secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
However, he was also sensitive to people's gaze and didn't like being stared at. The Sixth Prince simply disliked being scrutinized by others. He seemed somewhat aloof, as if he didn't want to have much contact with others in any way.
The Eighth Prince was not used to being stared at; it seemed he was not comfortable with being the center of attention.
When Yin'e stared intently at his adorable little face, he not only stiffened but also became somewhat nervous. At the same time, he couldn't help but lower his head and look around at himself, as if trying to find out what was wrong that Yin'e was staring at so intently.
The Eighth Prince's behavior didn't seem like social anxiety; rather, it seemed like he had some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He seemed to want to be seen as excellent and correct by others. When Yin'e stared at him, his first reaction wasn't that Yin'e had a problem, but rather that he was reflecting on what was wrong with him that made Yin'e stare at him so intently.
Tilting his head, Yin'e frowned and racked his brains to recall. After a moment, he suddenly realized and nodded to himself: The Eighth Prince's personality and behavior seem to be a bit like a people-pleasing personality.
When interacting with others, the Eighth Prince subconsciously placed himself in a lower position. He paid more attention to the preferences and pursuits of others than his own needs, and would try to satisfy those desires in order to gain their favor.
The Eighth Prince has this kind of personality... Yin'e suddenly turned his head to look at Yin Tang, who was eating walnut cake with crumbs all around his mouth.
Yinzhen lacked love and security, and was impatient, arrogant, and sharp-tongued. He had a great need for affection; he wanted to be valued, cared for, and concerned by others, and he wanted to be noticed and treated specially.
It's not surprising that Yinzhen, who was skilled at ingratiating himself with the Eighth Prince, was won over and became the core of the Eighth Prince's faction, diligently making money for the Eighth Prince's faction and almost becoming the Eighth Prince's personal money bag.
"Tenth Brother?" Yin'e turned around and stared at him from head to toe. Yin'e was stunned for a moment. He looked down at the half-eaten walnut cake in his hand and tentatively handed it over. "Do you want some? Here you go."
With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Yin'e looked at Yin Tang silently for a while, then refused his offer amidst Yin Tang's increasingly bewildered gaze: "I won't eat it, Ninth Brother, you eat it."
After thinking for a moment, Yin'e pushed the plate of walnut cakes on the small table toward Yin'e, and gently and kindly instructed him, "Ninth Brother, eat more. This is very suitable for you."
Eat more walnuts to nourish your brain. Don't be so naive as to fawn over anyone who shows you kindness, lest you be tricked into becoming their lackey or working for free without even realizing it.
Seeing the walnut cake pushed in front of him, Yinzhen quickly snapped out of his daze.
His slightly upturned, beautiful phoenix eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile, and his delicate face beamed with a bright and cheerful smile: "Tenth brother, you should eat too, it's delicious."
Walnut cake wasn't Yin'e's favorite snack, but considering the brain-boosting properties of walnuts, Yin'e firmly shook his head, picked up a piece of walnut cake, and stuffed it directly into Yin'e's hand: "No, give it all to Ninth Brother."
Since the goal is to nourish the brain, it's best to have a plate of walnut cake every day. Don't worry about not having enough walnuts; as long as Yinzhen can eat them, let him eat as many as he wants!
Yin'e began to focus on feeding Yin'tang walnut cakes. Fearing that eating too many cakes would dry his throat, he also asked the maids of Cining Palace to bring them a pot of hot salty milk tea.
Just as he had asked a palace maid to refill Yinzhen's milk tea, Yin'e heard a chorus of greetings coming from the outer room through a beaded curtain.
He turned his head and saw Emperor Kangxi, dressed in a dragon robe, striding into the Cining Palace.
After passing the kneeling concubines, palace maids, and eunuchs, Kangxi strode to the side of the Empress Dowager and performed a respectful yet affectionate greeting.
After paying his respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, Kangxi glanced indifferently at the kneeling crowd in the outer room, said "Rise" lightly, and then stepped forward to extend his hand so that Consort Tong could stand up with his arm.
Kangxi personally helped Consort Tong to her feet, then sat down below the Empress Dowager and asked with a smile, "Grandma, what were you talking about earlier, all that commotion?"
The Empress Dowager smiled broadly, gently patted Kangxi's hand, and pointed to the Consort, saying, "We were just talking about the rouge that the Consort sent. Your Majesty doesn't know, but with this rouge, winter isn't so unbearable."
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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 09:20:12 on March 7, 2023 and 09:26:02 on March 8, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Shao Yan (44 bottles); Tingyuchuanyumian (20 bottles); Boheweiliang and MWM (2 bottles each); Luo Yin (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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