Chapter 170 Reconciliation and Moon Appreciation
Besides distributing mooncakes, the Mid-Autumn Festival also includes moon gazing and wine tasting.
However, the eldest prince is not here this year. Apart from the eldest prince, who loves to drink and even more so, he loves to find people to taste wine, among the other princes, only the third prince and the fourth prince are old enough to drink.
The Third Prince was an artistic youth, usually quite cultured, and would occasionally enjoy a drink under the moon or savor wine among the flowers. But today he was in no mood for it at all, and didn't want to drown his sorrows in wine, which only made him more miserable. He didn't even glance at the fine wines and spirits served to him by the palace servants, and just sat there alone, feeling emo.
The Fourth Prince disliked drinking, hating the state of mental confusion and uncontrollable behavior that came with intoxication. Coupled with his recent argument with the Fourteenth Prince, he was feeling troubled and even less inclined to drink.
He wasn't the type to drown his sorrows in alcohol. The more depressed he felt, the higher his standards became, and the less he wanted to lose control or show his vulnerability. He was too strong-willed, which wasn't entirely a good thing.
Since none of the princes drank alcohol, the fine wines and spirits presented by the palace servants were neglected and left untouched, not even glanced at, wasting the effort the palace servants had put into carefully bringing them to the Imperial Garden.
However, the fine wine served by the palace servants in the pavilion where Emperor Kangxi admired the moon was not ignored.
Emperor Kangxi was not in high spirits, but he still raised his cup to toast the Empress Dowager and shared a cup with the concubines seated in the pavilion. However, he did not drink with the Crown Prince. Before the father and son had a falling out, Kangxi would have toasted the Empress Dowager and then drunk with the Crown Prince first, before the others.
She glanced at Kangxi, whose smile was faint and did not reach his eyes, and then at the Crown Prince, who looked pitiful with his head drooping. The Empress Dowager's heart softened, and her dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince dissipated considerably.
Among Kangxi's children, apart from the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Princess who were raised by her, the Empress Dowager treated the other princes and princesses equally. She never made things difficult for them and was very kind and gentle. She treated them with the same care and affection that an elderly person would show to their grandchildren, and she was happy to see them standing there so lively.
Unlike Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the Empress Dowager did not treat the Crown Prince differently. Among Kangxi's many children, the Crown Prince was her favorite. She treated the Crown Prince the same as all the other princes except for the Fifth Prince. Her love for him was genuine, but she did not differentiate between them based on the Crown Prince's status as heir apparent.
For this reason, when Kangxi and the Crown Prince had a conflict or disagreement that did not involve politics, the Empress Dowager would lean more towards Kangxi and stand on his side, considering the whole matter from his perspective.
Although the Empress Dowager and Emperor Kangxi were mother and son who came to the monastic life later in life, Kangxi had always respected and loved her, been extremely filial to her, and taken good care of her. After the late emperor's death, the Empress Dowager became a widow, but she lived a happier life than when the late emperor was alive.
Even if we assume that Kangxi's filial piety towards the Empress Dowager was all an act, the fact that he sent his fifth son and ninth daughter to her care made her grateful to him for life. Whenever Kangxi needed her help, she always did her best to assist him.
When news came back that the Crown Prince had been indifferent to the ailing Emperor Kangxi and had neglected his duties in attending to him, the Empress Dowager felt resentful and harbored some resentment towards the Crown Prince.
After the Crown Prince returned to the capital, before Emperor Kangxi returned to court, the Empress Dowager only received the Crown Prince once according to regulations and did not see him much. However, she sent people to deliver gifts to the Third Prince in the Eastern Palace to comfort him.
After Kangxi returned to court, the Empress Dowager noticed he had lost a lot of weight and was somewhat displeased. Although she realized Kangxi was not as close to the Crown Prince as before, she didn't try to intervene. Firstly, she felt sorry for Kangxi, and secondly, the Empress Dowager knew she was foolish and inarticulate, so she didn't dare to meddle.
But now, the Empress Dowager has truly softened and wants to step forward and do her best to help Kangxi and the Crown Prince reconcile.
The Empress Dowager felt some pity for the Crown Prince who had lost his mother, but the main reason was that she felt sorry for the unhappy Emperor Kangxi. Even though they were not a mother and son, they had genuine feelings for each other. The Empress Dowager was kind and gentle, and she couldn't bear to see Kangxi and the Crown Prince looking so listless and unhappy.
After racking her brains for a long time, the Empress Dowager, being a Mongol, was not very good at Chinese and had little cultural refinement. She was tongue-tied and couldn't come up with a good word, so she awkwardly smiled and said, "Crown Prince, come, let me pour a cup of wine for your Khan, and the three of us will drink together."
The Crown Prince couldn't stand Kangxi's coldness and indifference. He was struggling internally, wondering whether he should put aside his pride, endure his grievances, and take the lead in bowing his head and admitting his mistakes to Kangxi. Just then, he heard the Empress Dowager's voice and realized that she intended to mediate the relationship between him and Kangxi, giving him a way out.
The prince blinked, somewhat surprised.
The Empress Dowager had never been close to him, and the Crown Prince never expected that she would take the initiative to help him.
Empress Dowager Heseri died young, and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who valued him highly, also passed away a few years earlier. The Crown Prince disliked Consort Chuxiu and had been distant from her for many years. Because of this, the Crown Prince was somewhat at a disadvantage; no one spoke up for him in front of Emperor Kangxi, and no one mediated between him and Kangxi.
As the Crown Prince tentatively stood up, he glanced at Kangxi out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that Kangxi's expression was indifferent but he did not refuse, the Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief and quickened his pace to get the wine pot and cups.
He personally poured three cups of wine. When he presented the first cup to the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince couldn't help but look at her gratefully. For the first time, he felt that the Empress Dowager, who was simple-minded, kind-hearted, and not very clever, was quite nice.
Although the Empress Dowager is a bit slow-witted, often unable to guess what her father is thinking even after decades of being his mother, she is a good person! Not only does she not kick him when he's down, but even though they have no real relationship, she is willing to help him out. What a kind person!
The Empress Dowager chuckled as she took the wine cup, gestured towards Emperor Kangxi with her lips, and gave the Crown Prince an encouraging look: "Here's another cup for your father."
The Crown Prince moved to stand in front of Emperor Kangxi and presented him with the second cup of wine. He was very nervous, unsure for the first time whether Emperor Kangxi would accept the wine or use this opportunity to reconcile with him.
Kangxi stared intently at the Crown Prince standing before him for a long while. Seeing his haggard expression, the timid look in his eyes, and his listless demeanor, Kangxi couldn't help but feel sorry for him... When had the Crown Prince ever been so insecure and humble? He had always been proud and noble.
Emperor Kangxi's favorite son was the Crown Prince, and he was the only one he personally raised, acting as both father and mother to the Crown Prince from childhood. Over a decade of affection had grown to an incredibly deep level, and Kangxi truly couldn't bear to see the Crown Prince suffer.
After being angry for so long, and having left the Crown Prince out of the public eye for several days after returning to the capital, Kangxi's anger had actually subsided. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken up for the Crown Prince at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet held in Paiyun Hall, saving face for the Crown Prince and preventing him from losing face as the heir apparent, thus diminishing the Crown Prince's prestige.
But as an emperor, Kangxi was also very proud. He had a deep fatherly love for his crown prince, but the crown prince neglected him when he was ill. It would be strange if Kangxi wasn't angry and sad.
Even after the matter had passed and Kangxi's anger had subsided, the Crown Prince had not yet come to apologize. Naturally, Kangxi was unwilling to be the first to back down and offer the Crown Prince a way out of his predicament. The two remained deadlocked, both wanting to reconcile but unable to take the first step.
With the Empress Dowager mediating this time, Kangxi, who was no longer angry, naturally took the opportunity to reconcile with the Crown Prince and restore their father-son relationship to its former intimate state.
However, a broken mirror is hard to mend. Even if they reconcile, this quarrel between Kangxi and the Crown Prince has left a rift in their hearts. Whether this rift can be healed, whether they can return to normal, no one knows for sure; only time will tell.
More importantly, the conflict between Kangxi and the Crown Prince was resolved through mediation by others.
Neither of them backed down, nor did they openly discuss their disagreement or clarify the situation. They failed to understand each other's thoughts and resolve the conflict completely, instead letting the matter slide unresolved.
This time, Emperor Kangxi ultimately chose to forgive the Crown Prince's disobedience and lack of filial piety. However, Kangxi was, after all, an emperor with his pride. No matter how much he loved the Crown Prince, now that he realized the Crown Prince was a potential rival, how many more times could he tolerate him, and how long could he tolerate him?
The Empress Dowager invited Kangxi and the Crown Prince to drink together. After a cup of wine, the atmosphere between Kangxi and the Crown Prince eased considerably, and they were no longer as stiff and cold as before.
However, both Emperor Kangxi and the Crown Prince were very perceptive and thoughtful. Even after they reconciled, they couldn't immediately change their attitudes and abandon their previous silence and coldness to become affectionate. As a result, a sense of awkwardness still lingered between them, but the oblivious Empress Dowager didn't notice it at all.
Clearing his throat, just as Kangxi was about to initiate a conversation, a head suddenly popped out from beside the thick, red-painted pillar on the outermost side of the pavilion.
The newcomer popped half his head into the pavilion, quickly turning his head to look around. His eyes lit up immediately upon finding his target.
"Yin'e, what are you doing?!" Kangxi took in the messenger's little actions. Since he couldn't think of any topic suitable for bringing up at this time to ease the estrangement between himself and the Crown Prince and have a proper conversation, he raised his voice slightly and scolded him.
Yin'e felt a bit unlucky. It was one thing for Kangxi to spot him with his sharp eyes, but why did he suddenly ask him what he wanted? Wasn't Kangxi currently at odds with the Crown Prince? How could he have the mind to care about his other sons? Could he please stop with this sudden concern? He really couldn't accept it, and didn't want it.
With a pout, reluctantly, Yin'e emerged from behind the vermilion pillar. At Kangxi's signal, he walked to the middle of the pavilion, first paying his respects to the Empress Dowager and Kangxi at the head of the table, then greeting the Crown Prince, and exchanging greetings with the concubines in the pavilion before finally standing still and explaining his purpose.
"The moon is exceptionally beautiful tonight. It would be a waste to simply sit in the pavilion and enjoy the view. I have come to invite Mother Consort to go moon-gazing with me." Yin'e's voice was muffled, but his words were clear and his tone was earnest and firm. "Please grant me permission, Father."
Kangxi blinked slowly, and made a decision in an instant. He smiled and said to Yin'e, "Go, I grant your permission."
Turning his head to look at the Empress Dowager, Kangxi extended his hand in an invitation: "Would the Empress Dowager like to admire the moon? Your son will accompany you." His gaze naturally shifted to the Crown Prince, and Kangxi said casually, "Crown Prince, come along too."
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