Chapter 168 168 Mooncake Disagreement
The Crown Prince is, after all, the Crown Prince. Although he is currently at odds with Kangxi, no one in the palace doubts Kangxi's feelings for the Crown Prince. Perhaps Kangxi will get over his anger at any time and reconcile with himself without the Crown Prince having to bow his head and apologize, and will continue to dote on the Crown Prince as always.
When the Crown Prince's position was secure, even if Yin'e and the Ninth Prince disliked him or couldn't stand him, they would only complain a few times in private to vent their dissatisfaction. They wouldn't make a scene in public and attract Kangxi's attention—if things really escalated, Kangxi would definitely side with the Crown Prince now.
After the successive deaths of Empress Renxiao and Empress Xiaozhao, Emperor Kangxi did not confer a new empress title for more than ten years. It was not until Empress Xiaoyi was critically ill that he conferred the title of empress on her before her death.
Having a legitimate female head of the palace to manage the overall situation is completely different from not having one. Although Empress Xiaoyi held the same rank as a secondary empress while she was still alive, she did not assume all the duties and responsibilities of an empress. Emperor Kangxi was truly a widower for more than ten years, acting as both father and mother, worrying about two things at once.
If Emperor Kangxi cared so much for his other princes and princesses, it goes without saying that he cared even more for the crown prince.
It wasn't just Yin'e and the Ninth Prince who were dissatisfied with the Crown Prince but only complained in private; other people in the palace usually avoided the Crown Prince and were unwilling to have much contact with him—of course, those who tried to curry favor with the Crown Prince to gain wealth and honor were exceptions.
At this critical juncture when Emperor Kangxi and the Crown Prince were at odds, most people in the palace were unwilling to rush to please the Crown Prince (judging from the Third Prince, it was useless to please the Crown Prince; perhaps the Crown Prince thought it was a matter of course), nor did they dare to kick him when he was down. The best option was to stay out of it and observe from the sidelines.
"Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, come and share the mooncakes." The Fifth Prince's call came from afar, bringing Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who were chatting together, back to their senses and looking up at the other princes.
While Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were chatting, the Fourth Prince, who had somehow found a small knife, gestured as he cut open a mooncake that was as big as a face plate.
Yin'e looked up and saw nine princes—the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth—gathered around a round table, gesturing as they planned to cut a large lotus seed paste mooncake with double egg yolks into a plate and give one to each of their brothers.
The Crown Prince always regarded himself as a higher being, separate from the princes, and never participated in the princes' collective actions; while the eldest prince was far away in the border region, on the front line fighting against the Dzungars, so it was only the brothers who gathered together to share mooncakes.
Logically, at today's Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, the person who should have been the one to distribute mooncakes to the brothers with the knife should have been the Third Prince. However, given the Third Prince's current mental state, no one was comfortable letting him do it, fearing he might hurt himself, so this task was conveniently passed on to the Fourth Prince.
“Even though my elder brother isn’t here, he should still get a share.” The Fourth Prince’s right hand, holding the knife, fell steadily, cutting off a piece of mooncake and setting it aside.
Then, without stopping, the Fourth Prince divided the large mooncake into several pieces of different sizes and placed them one by one on the small plates that the Fifth Prince pushed over from the other side of the round table.
Yin'e glanced at the small pieces of mooncakes placed on a dozen or so white porcelain plates and noticed that only three of them were particularly small, only half the size of the other mooncakes.
Yin'e glanced thoughtfully at the Fourth Prince, who had a stern, expressionless face, and then saw the Fourth Prince place the three smaller plates of mooncakes in front of the Eleventh Prince, Thirteenth Prince, and Fourteenth Prince.
The thirteenth and fourteenth princes are the youngest. They should only eat a little bit of mooncakes, which are difficult to digest, as a symbolic gesture. They should not overindulge. Although the eleventh prince is a few years older and will be old enough to enter the Imperial Study next year, he is physically weak and should be treated with care.
The fact that so many princes shared one large mooncake didn't mean the Imperial Household Department was short of supplies; rather, it was because this grand reunion symbolized family gatherings and was a traditional part of the Mid-Autumn Festival family reunion banquet. Not only the princes shared mooncakes, but the princesses did too, and Emperor Kangxi shared them with the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince, and his concubines.
Actually, the large mooncakes that symbolize reunion are not very tasty because they are so big. They are overly sweet, almost like sugar is added for free, making them unbearably cloying.
If it weren't for the auspicious and festive meaning, no one would want to eat this large mooncake, which is more suitable for plating and serving as a decoration.
The Imperial Household Department brought in quite a few delicious mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but who would crave a big one? Even the Fifth Prince, who loves to eat anything and is never picky, wouldn't choose a big mooncake if given the choice. The small, palm-sized mooncakes carefully crafted by the pastry chefs would definitely be more fragrant and delicious.
Yin'e, who disliked sweets, was averse to large mooncakes with excessive sugar. However, not everyone shared his opinion that the large mooncakes were too sweet to eat. There were indeed some ignorant princes who enjoyed these large mooncakes and wanted more after finishing their share.
"Eighth Brother, I still want to eat. Can I have your mooncake too?" The Fourteenth Prince leaned over and put half of his body next to the Eighth Prince. He glanced at the mooncake that was still more than half full on the plate and asked for it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Consort De doted on the Fourteenth Prince, but because of the early death of the Sixth Prince, she was also very concerned about the Fourteenth Prince's health. She usually did not allow the Fourteenth Prince to eat too many snacks, fearing that he would fill his stomach with snacks and then refuse to eat his meals.
Therefore, although the Fourteenth Prince was pampered by Consort De and grew up in Yonghe Palace, he was indeed a "country bumpkin" with little knowledge when it came to snacks, and he craved sweet candies all the time.
The Eighth Prince paused for a moment, then looked down at the Fourteenth Prince with a gentle smile on his face, and said softly, "I ate a little of the mooncake. Shall I cut off the untouched part for you, Fourteenth Brother?"
"Great! Great!" The Fourteenth Prince's eyes suddenly lit up. He swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly.
Frowning slightly, the Fourth Prince raised his voice with a hint of displeasure and called out, "Eighth Brother?" He turned his head and stared sternly at the Fourteenth Prince, saying in a firm tone, "One piece is enough, don't eat any more!"
The Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince had always had a good relationship, so the Fourth Prince did not express his dissatisfaction directly. He just looked at the Eighth Prince with disapproving eyes, hoping that he could understand his meaning: The Fourteenth Prince is still young. How can we let him eat too much mooncake, which is difficult to digest?
True love for your younger brother doesn't mean indulging him in everything he does. That's spoiling him, not genuine care.
The Eighth Prince is gentle and considerate, and always handles things smoothly. Why doesn't he understand this principle? Could it be that he is too soft-hearted and doesn't know how to refuse people? The Fourth Prince pursed his thin lips, completely puzzled, and looked at the Eighth Prince with two question marks above his head.
If the Fourth Prince was only somewhat dissatisfied with the Eighth Prince's reaction, then he was extremely dissatisfied with the Fourteenth Prince, who was self-centered and demanding of the Eighth Prince.
The Fourth Prince felt even more annoyed by the well-behaved and quiet Thirteenth Prince. Compared to the Thirteenth Prince, the Fourteenth Prince seemed even more unreasonable and a complete brat.
After learning about his true parentage, the Fourth Prince refused to get close to Consort De, who clearly neglected him, but he developed a special affection for his younger siblings from the same mother. He treated the Ninth Princess, the Eleventh Princess, and the Fourteenth Prince with special regard and spontaneously took on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings as an elder brother.
Growing up in the palace, the princes, influenced by their surroundings, mostly distinguished between their full siblings and their non-full siblings.
Like the Fifth Prince, who initially took the initiative to get closer to the Ninth Prince and patiently tolerated the Ninth Prince's arrogance, sharp tongue, and bad temper, it was because he and the Ninth Prince were both born to Consort Yi, and were naturally closer to each other than other half-brothers.
However, not all princes followed this unspoken rule. For example, the Ninth Prince got along better with Yin'e and had the best relationship with him, while he was not as close to the Fifth Prince and the Eleventh Prince.
There's also the Fourteenth Prince. He already knows that the Fourth Prince is his half-brother, but he still prefers the Eighth Prince, who always goes along with him and treats him well, and dislikes the Fourth Prince, who always tries to control him and lectures him.
"Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother~" It wasn't just the Fourteenth Prince who was ignorant; the Eleventh Prince tugged at the Ninth Prince's clothes and shook him back and forth, blinking his bright, watery phoenix eyes and trying his best to beg for more mooncakes from the Ninth Prince.
Although he preferred the Ninth Prince, the Eleventh Prince had considered asking the more mild-mannered Fifth Prince for some mooncakes. However, the Fifth Prince's appetite matched his slightly chubby figure; while others had only eaten half of their mooncakes, the Fifth Prince had already devoured all of his, leaving nothing for the Eleventh Prince.
The eleventh prince was born weak, and Consort Yi took care of him with even more care and attention than Consort De took care of the fourteenth prince. The eleventh prince didn't have many opportunities to eat snacks, and he was really craving them now. The pastry chef had carefully made small mooncakes, but without the excuse of wishing for good luck during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the eleventh prince couldn't eat them.
"No." Faced with the Eleventh Prince's persistent pleading, the Ninth Prince refused without hesitation. "Your stomach is weak, and mooncakes are hard to digest. Just eat a small piece; eating too much will easily cause a stomachache."
Out of the corner of his eye, the Fourth Prince saw that the Ninth Prince had directly rejected the Eleventh Prince. He couldn't help but give him an approving look, while his dissatisfaction with the Eighth Prince increased: Even the Ninth Prince, who is always bad-tempered and reckless, knows what it means to truly be good to his younger brother. Why doesn't the Eighth Prince understand this?
The Fourth Prince could attest to the Ninth Prince's temper simply by observing the conflict between him and the Third Prince. Only his close friends, the Tenth Prince and the honest and good-natured Fifth Prince, were able to tolerate him; the others didn't bother with him at all.
Even with his bad temper, the Ninth Prince had a sense of right and wrong and knew what he should and shouldn't do. In contrast, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but feel disappointed in the usually considerate and sensible Eighth Prince, thinking that he was clueless and lacked discretion.
The Eighth Prince's delicate and handsome face was filled with hesitation. He glanced at the Fourteenth Prince, but hesitated to express his opinion, only showing his predicament with a bitter smile.
The Fourteenth Prince was spoiled by Consort De, who always indulged him and went along with his every whim. The Fourteenth Prince was used to being the only one who mattered, so when the Fourth Prince reprimanded him as the elder brother, he was completely unconvinced and refused to listen to him.
The Fourteenth Prince glared at the Fourth Prince resentfully and shouted, "It's none of your business! I want to eat it. Eighth Brother already promised to give it to me. Why should I obey just because you say I can't eat it?"
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