Chapter 126 Partnership Wealth
“Fine, you have a point.” A muffled voice sounded, and the Ninth Prince muttered under his breath, “But I just don’t want to.”
He knew that Yin'e was right and agreed with Yin'e's reasons for not trying to curry favor with Kangxi, but he was not convinced and still did not want to win Kangxi's favor.
Yin'e knew that the Ninth Prince was still unwilling, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: If he doesn't rely on Kangxi, then who else can the Ninth Prince rely on?
Consort Yi? But Consort Yi still has the Fifth Prince and the Eleventh Prince to take care of; Lady Guoluo? But Consort Yi's family background is very ordinary. Her maternal family is not a noble or powerful clan. And don't forget Consort Guoluo, she is a huge pitfall for Consort Yi and her son and the Guoluo family.
What Yin'e didn't say was that he didn't compete for Kangxi's favor because he still had Consort Niohuru to rely on. In the palace, no one dared to underestimate him as the son of a consort. Outside the palace, Yin'e also had Consort Niohuru as his backer, his maternal uncle Faka, and the Guoyi Duke's Mansion, which had already been separated from Aling'a's family.
However, Yin'e could not say these things directly, because they were too hurtful and could also be suspected of sowing discord between the Ninth Prince and Consort Yi and Lady Guoluo.
The Ninth Prince was somewhat arrogant and self-centered, and his temper was also a bit eccentric. He couldn't bring himself to approach Kangxi without Kangxi showing him any kindness first; he couldn't lower his head. The Ninth Prince had a strong sense of self-respect and disliked asking for favors from others. He couldn't overcome the hurdle of trying to please and get close to Kangxi with ulterior motives.
This wasn't just true when facing Emperor Kangxi; the Ninth Prince treated his mother, Consort Yi, the same way.
The Ninth Prince's personality is inherently characterized by a stubbornness and toughness that says, "If you're not good to me, then I won't be good to you either." He also possesses the courage and determination to fight a lose-lose situation and harm others without benefiting himself.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Ninth Prince and the Fifth Prince, who share the same mother, have a good relationship. That's because the Fifth Prince was the one who first sent a friendly signal to the Ninth Prince. The Ninth Prince didn't bow down to the Fifth Prince first; he was really quite arrogant.
After the eleventh prince grew older and his body was no longer as sickly as when he was born, Consort Yi, who finally had time to care for the ninth prince, did not not consider easing her relationship with the ninth prince and rebuilding a close relationship with her second son.
In Consort Yi's view, she and the Ninth Prince were mother and son. Even if she had neglected the Ninth Prince in the past few years because she was busy taking care of her young son, their relationship would not have become distant. Moreover, the Ninth Prince knew very well that the Eleventh Prince was born weak and sickly, so he would understand her predicament and difficulties.
But the Ninth Prince responded to Consort Yi's belated maternal love and her proactive signals of reconciliation with: No, I refuse.
He wasn't unaware that reconciliation was the best option, nor was he unaware that reconciling with Consort Yi and returning to normalcy would benefit both parties. However, the Ninth Prince stubbornly refused to back down, unwilling to compromise himself by doing something against his conscience, and would never turn back even if it meant suffering a loss.
Because the Ninth Prince had truly been abandoned and genuinely hurt, his relationship with Consort Yi wouldn't reach the point where Consort De and the Fourth Prince ended up, but it would be difficult for them to rekindle their deep mother-son bond. Not only was the Ninth Prince unwilling to reciprocate the care Consort Yi showed him after so many years, but Consort Yi also lacked the patience and time to rebuild a close relationship with the Ninth Prince.
So in the end, the Ninth Prince did not turn against Consort Yi, and he had long since stopped arguing about Consort Yi's favoritism. He was just not close enough to Consort Yi. When he was with Consort Yi, he was neither warm nor cold. He was more distant than familiar and more polite than intimate.
Yin'e never questioned the Ninth Prince's polite but distant attitude towards Consort Yi. He would advise the Ninth Prince to show his face before Emperor Kangxi, but he would never advise the Ninth Prince to reconcile with Consort Yi. He could actually understand the Ninth Prince's complicated feelings towards Consort Yi. He was just luckier than the Ninth Prince in this life, having a Consort who loved and cared for him.
The saying goes, "The deeper the love, the harsher the criticism." Precisely because the Ninth Prince had deeper feelings for Consort Yi and had once held expectations for her, it was even more difficult for him to reconcile with her. As for things like appearing before Emperor Kangxi, the Ninth Prince was not so averse to them; he was more indifferent and too lazy to go.
To put it bluntly, in the eyes of Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, Kangxi was just a gold digger. Yin'e's motivation for wanting the Ninth Prince to get close to Kangxi was entirely utilitarian; he never even considered having a genuine father-son relationship with Kangxi.
Of course, Yin'e also admitted that he wasn't objective enough in the matter of the Ninth Prince and Consort Yi, and was somewhat hypocritical—he was closer to the Ninth Prince, so he naturally stood on the Ninth Prince's side and felt more sorry for him. In fact, Yin'e, like the Ninth Prince, was biased towards his own family rather than reason.
Therefore, Yin'e would not try to persuade the Ninth Prince to understand or forgive Consort Yi, nor would he use filial piety to force the Ninth Prince to bow his head or restrain his behavior. He simply cared about the Ninth Prince and was deeply worried about his future.
After racking his brains, Yin'e sadly discovered that he could not find any reason to make the Ninth Prince change his mind and strive for progress.
The Ninth Prince was probably infected by his lazy and complacent attitude, and didn't care much about his future, showing a rather easygoing attitude.
Not only did the Ninth Prince refuse to bow down and ask Emperor Kangxi and Consort Yi for resources, he also became lazy and unwilling to work hard. Yin'e was really worried. What should he do?
With a pout, he turned over under the thick, warm blankets, and Yin'e also turned around, squeezing back-to-back with the Ninth Prince in the quilt: he was sulking and wanted the Ninth Prince to guess why.
Wait a minute… A sudden thought flashed through Yin'e's mind, like the moon emerging from the clouds: the person with the best relationship and deepest affection for the Ninth Prince was none other than himself.
Since that's the case, should he shamelessly try to see if he has enough influence with the Ninth Prince to change the Ninth Prince's mind? The Ninth Prince is very loyal, so perhaps Yin'e could try to "take advantage of the favor"?
With a light cough, Yin'e tactically cleared his throat and, suppressing his shame, said to the Ninth Prince, "Ninth Brother, think about it. If you were a prince favored and trusted by Father Khan, I could benefit from your favor—I can't win Father Khan's favor."
The little body nestled in the quilt stirred, and the Ninth Prince clearly showed interest by letting out an "Eh," actually imagining things in the same way that Yin'e had just assumed.
But soon, the Ninth Prince's delicate and handsome features wrinkled, and he shook his head repeatedly with a look of horror on his face, his refusal evident: "Tenth Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I really can't do it!"
"Really, let's forget about it." The Ninth Prince's heroic spirit, which had just been raised for a second, vanished completely, and his tone was full of lingering fear. "I think if I really try to get closer to the Khan, the probability of being punished is even greater."
Having studied with his older brothers in the Imperial Study for some time, the Ninth Prince was self-aware enough to know his own limitations and dared not be overly ambitious or unrealistic: "I don't really ask my father to value me. I'm just afraid that he will find out that my knowledge is too poor, and he will dislike me and punish me."
Yin'e was momentarily speechless, because he realized that what the Ninth Prince said was right and made sense: Kangxi was not so easy to please, and one had to have enough ability to win Kangxi's favor.
Emperor Kangxi was not a tender and loving father. Talking about fatherly affection with him and hoping to win his favor by acting cute and cuddling was almost impossible—they were not Crown Prince Yinreng!
To win Emperor Kangxi's favor, the Ninth Prince should not first try to impress him, but improve himself so that Kangxi would discover his strengths and appreciate him.
What were the Ninth Prince's virtues that Emperor Kangxi appreciated?
...Yin'e froze, sitting on the wax floor, realizing the cruel truth: the Ninth Prince did not possess any qualities that Kangxi liked, and he was not the model son in Kangxi's eyes.
Yin'e knew that the Ninth Prince's title was not high in history. He was only granted the title of Beizi during the second major conferment of titles on princes in the 48th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Moreover, he was granted the title of Beizi along with his two younger brothers, the Twelfth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, who were slightly younger than him. He did not even receive the title of Beile.
This may be related to the fact that the Ninth Prince was a core member of the Eighth Prince's faction, but it also reflects that the Ninth Prince was just a nobody in Kangxi's eyes, inconspicuous and without any outstanding qualities, so his title could not be promoted.
Currently, apart from the eldest prince, the other princes are all confined to the Imperial Study to study, which is good because the distinction between the princes is not so obvious. However, once they grow up and begin to perform their duties in the imperial court, their circumstances will be vastly different.
As mentioned before, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were in the middle of the order of birth. They had older and capable brothers ahead of them who shared the burdens of their father, and younger and sensible brothers behind them who were favored by their father. They were just a few unlucky guys who had no connections and were destined to be ignored.
With Yin'e and the Ninth Prince moving out of the inner palace and into the Princes' Residence, it meant they were becoming independent and needed to plan for their future. Putting aside other matters like career and relationships, they needed to secure at least one of power, status, or wealth; otherwise, their privileged background would have been wasted.
As for power, since they don't intend to participate in the struggle for the throne, it's best not to get too involved. As for status, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince don't need to worry too much. As long as Kangxi is alive, they are imperial princes, the sons and grandsons of the dragon. And Kangxi lived quite long, reaching the age of sixty-nine.
Finally, there's wealth. In this regard, Yin'e actually had many ideas, many inspirations from later generations, and many money-making schemes waiting to be put into practice. And coincidentally, the Ninth Prince may very well have a great talent for business.
This is no exaggeration. The nickname "God of Wealth Ninth" is not a joke. He was able to provide most of the funds for the Eighth Prince's party's activities, which is enough to demonstrate the Ninth Prince's business acumen.
Since the Ninth Prince couldn't be the model son in Kangxi's eyes and had little chance of improving his power and status in the future, he might as well make money. With money, even if his rank wasn't high and he didn't receive many rewards from Kangxi, he could still live a wealthy and comfortable life.
Yin'e knew his own family best; he lacked business acumen and skill. Since that was the case, he might as well cooperate with the Ninth Prince. He would provide the ideas and technology, while the Ninth Prince would handle the management, and the brothers could make a fortune together.
Without hesitation, Yin'e sat up abruptly in bed and pushed the Ninth Prince, who had his back to him, forcefully: "Ninth Brother, do you want to go into business with me? Let's make a fortune together!"
The Ninth Prince was very interested in this topic. Without complaining that Yin'e had pulled back the covers to let in the cold air, he turned around, looked up at his little face, and asked with great interest, "What kind of business do you want to do? Do you have any good ideas?"
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