Chapter 131 Taking leave is something someone cares about.
The Imperial Study was right next to the Qianqing Palace. Whether going to the Imperial Hospital or inviting the imperial physicians from there, the news would reach the Emperor and inevitably alarm Kangxi.
But the Fifth Prince believed that they had a legitimate reason this time, and even if Emperor Kangxi knew, he was not afraid of him getting angry and scolding them.
The Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince were very worried and insisted that the imperial physicians take the pulses of Yin'e and the Ninth Prince for a thorough examination.
The Eighth Prince, with a gentle and warm smile on his lovely and delicate face, slowly turned his gaze to the Third Prince, as if hoping that the Third Prince, the eldest among those present, would step forward to make a decision.
Indeed, the eldest prince had already married and started his own family, and had begun his official duties after graduating from the Imperial Study. The crown prince was personally taught by Emperor Kangxi and had never studied with the other princes. At this time, the third prince was the eldest in the Imperial Study, so if any accident or emergency occurred, the third prince should have taken charge.
However, the Third Prince was not a decisive or opinionated person, and he did not have a good relationship with Yin'e and the Ninth Prince. The Fifth Prince pursed his lips and glanced at the Third Prince, not believing that the Third Prince would take the lead.
Since it concerned the health of the Ninth Prince and Yin'e, the Fifth Prince couldn't worry about anything else. He came out from behind the desk, intending to drag his two younger brothers to the Imperial Hospital—not to mention that his father wasn't heartless enough to make his sons study while sick, even if his father really wanted to punish them, he would just take the blame himself.
With his pale lips slightly pursed, the Seventh Prince didn't speak, but walked over with a cold expression and reached out to support Yin'e, directly showing his attitude through his actions.
The Eighth Prince glanced at the Third Prince again and found him continuing to recite his lessons as if it were none of his business, shaking his head and looking completely unfocused. So the Eighth Prince silently lowered his head and shut his mouth without saying a word.
The Ninth Prince, his face still swollen, was drowsy and so sleepy that he could barely stand.
After the Fifth Prince came over and helped him up, the Ninth Prince collapsed into the Fifth Prince's arms, closed his eyes, and fell fast asleep, completely unaware that his ghostly behavior had earned him a "terminal illness" label from the Fifth Prince.
Because he had been explaining the laboratory setup to Xiao Linzi along the way, Yin'e was also sleepy, but he managed to stay awake and quickly assured that he and the Ninth Prince were really fine, and told the Fifth and Seventh Princes not to worry too much, and not to exaggerate to the point of taking them to the Imperial Hospital.
At this moment, the Fourth Prince, who could have remained uninvolved, stood up. With his thick eyebrows furrowed and his voice slightly deep, he made a decisive statement: "If you are truly feeling unwell, there is no need to endure it. Go to the Imperial Hospital immediately to have the imperial physicians examine you."
The fact that the Fourth Prince stepped forward and made his decision before the Third Prince did not surprise Yin'e.
Although he had a so-so relationship with the Fourth Prince and didn't have much contact with him, the Fourth Prince was always righteous and outspoken, and he would not sit idly by just because the fire hadn't spread to him or the matter was unrelated to him.
Leaning against the Seventh Prince for support, Yin'e turned to the Fourth Prince and smiled gratefully. Just as he was about to speak, a yawn burst out.
He raised his hand to rub his eyes, trying to clear his head. But with the movement, the dark circles under his eyes became more pronounced, appearing bluish-purple and even black against his fair and delicate skin.
The Fourth Prince's face darkened, and he looked at Yin'e as if he were looking at an unreasonable person who was sick but unaware of his own illness and insisted on resisting and disobeying. The Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince also showed disapproving expressions that seemed to want to say something but did not.
Yin'e was so anxious that he scratched his head and didn't know how to explain to the Fourth Prince and the others that he and the Ninth Prince were really fine. Their faces were much rounder, but it was just edema. Although they looked a bit miserable, they were really okay and the swelling would go down in less than half a day.
It's not fair to say that the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince were overly worried; it's just that they were "inexperienced," as it was the first time they had ever seen someone's face swollen and puffy after staying up all night.
They were all well-behaved children with regular daily routines. Even though the curriculum of the Imperial Study Room 377 was extremely unnatural, they had long been accustomed to it and would not have any abnormal reactions.
If the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince had suggested that they return to the Princes' Residence to rest, Yin'e would certainly have readily agreed.
But Yin'e was reluctant to go to the Imperial Hospital. If the imperial physicians found that they were perfectly fine and just had trouble sleeping at night, not to mention the possibility of them dying, the alarmed Kangxi would suddenly turn on them and show them what a strict father he was.
He yawned widely with his eyes half-closed, and firmly rejected the suggestion to go to the Imperial Hospital. He pulled the Ninth Prince to sit down at the desk and said, "We're really fine, just sleepy. We'll take a nap during morning reading."
At this point, Yin'e winked at the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince, trying to act cute: "Fifth Brother and Seventh Brother, you have to cover for me and Ninth Brother, don't let Master notice us~"
As for the upright Fourth Prince, Yin'e had no hope of him and didn't bring it up. The Fourth Prince was incapable of covering up wrongdoings for others, at least not now.
With a slight nod, the Seventh Prince readily agreed. His studies were also quite good, and he wasn't afraid to deal with the Inner Court at all. Because of his birth disability, the competitive Seventh Prince had always worked very hard and never wanted to fall behind others.
The Fifth Prince's bitter face contrasted sharply with the Seventh Prince's composure, vividly demonstrating what a poor student looks like.
Looking at the Ninth Prince, who was sprawled on the desk, sleeping soundly in an awkward position, and thinking of the hard-won brotherly bond between them (the Ninth Prince was proud, and it took the Fifth Prince a lot of time to soften his attitude), the Fifth Prince gritted his teeth and agreed.
Having finally adapted to the study's schedule and not dozing off during morning reading for some time, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince once again collapsed during morning reading, falling into a deep sleep amidst the clear and melodious recitation, enjoying a blissful encounter with the Duke of Zhou in their dreams.
Before the morning reading session was over and before breakfast was served, Luyi, the personal maid of the Imperial Concubine, rushed from Yongshou Palace to the Imperial Study to take Yin'e back to the Ganxi Third Palace to rest. There would be no classes this morning.
Awakened, Yin'e looked sleepily at the greenery he hadn't seen for a while, his eyes filled with confusion. He weakly raised his head and slowly opened his mouth wide: "...Huh? Back to the Prince's Residence?"
Yin'e wanted to go back to his bed and be with his family, but how could he explain it to Emperor Kangxi? If he had skipped class from the beginning, it would have been fine, but he had already gotten up and come to the Imperial Study. Turning back halfway would be a waste of time and effort, and the sunk costs were too high, which made Yin'e somewhat unwilling.
"It was the Imperial Concubine who sent me to fetch you." Greenie half-squatted down to put a hat on Yin'e's head. Her slender, delicate eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes were full of heartache. "Don't worry, the Imperial Concubine has already asked for leave for you and the Ninth Prince, and His Majesty has also agreed. You can go back to the West Third Palace to rest now."
Luyi's words completely dispelled Yin'e's concerns. As early as when Luyi mentioned the Imperial Concubine, Yin'e knew that with his mother's intervention, he could legitimately "skip class." However, he absolutely could not leave the Ninth Prince behind and go back alone in the Imperial Study.
Fortunately, Luyi said that the Imperial Concubine had helped him and the Ninth Prince obtain leave, so everyone was happy. The Imperial Concubine had already paved the way for them; only a fool like Yin'e would not go back to suffer in the Imperial Study.
What Yin'e didn't know was that half an hour earlier, the head maid who had moved with Yin'e to the West Third Palace, arranged by the Consort, went to Yongshou Palace to report to the Consort that Yin'e and the Ninth Prince had been fooling around and not sleeping last night, and that they were so sleepy that they were swaying when they went out this morning. That's why they had a holiday.
Fifteen minutes ago, at the Qianqing Palace.
Although Emperor Kangxi implemented a strict 3-7-7 schedule in the Imperial Study, he wasn't just talking without understanding the situation. He led by example, having grown up with the same schedule since childhood.
It was still the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), but Emperor Kangxi was already up and was reviewing the memorials and reports that had been delivered the night before, before his breakfast.
Upon hearing that someone had come from Yongshou Palace, Emperor Kangxi put down his imperial brush with slight surprise and asked with great interest, "What is it?"
Normally, the Imperial Concubine Guifei didn't participate in the concubines' routine of sending soups and drinks to the Qianqing Palace. She usually didn't come near him, so the Emperor was quite surprised when she suddenly sent someone to the Qianqing Palace.
Liang Jiugong leaned forward, half-bowed, and whispered to the Imperial Concubine about requesting leave for the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince.
When it came to his son's studies, Kangxi subconsciously frowned: "What's going on now? What's wrong with Yinzhen and Yin'e?" Those two rascals must have caused trouble again.
Liang Jiunong was able to secure his position as the head eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, which was naturally due to his abilities. The matter between Yin'e and the Ninth Prince had already been gathered and reported by the junior eunuchs. When Kangxi inquired about it, he knew what was going on, so he calmly replied, "The Tenth Prince stayed at the Qianxi Fifth Palace yesterday."
Emperor Kangxi was learned and had a photographic memory. When he learned that Yin'e was staying at the Qianxi Third Palace, he immediately understood what was going on. He couldn't help but snort and laugh, saying, "I didn't expect that they also knew how to sleep side by side and talk by candlelight."
Kangxi's words were sarcastic. He knew that Yin'e and the Ninth Prince had been close since childhood, but he didn't believe that they could have any profound conversations at night. Most likely, they would just pretend to stay overnight and end up fooling around for half the night. Kangxi paid very little attention to Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, so he didn't really understand them.
Perhaps Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were just fooling around before, but last night was not. They really did have a long talk by candlelight and discussed some very important matters.
Liang Jiugong smiled obsequiously, but dared not casually respond to the conversation.
Kangxi was clearly not truly angry. If he were to echo his sentiments, he would neither please Kangxi nor offend the Ninth and Tenth Princes. The Ninth Prince was backed by Consort Yi, one of the Four Consorts, and the Tenth Prince by Consort Gui. Liang Jiugong must have been insane to be picking on them for no reason and to confiscate their gold.
After the laughter and scolding, Kangxi realized that having Yin'e and the Ninth Prince stay in the Imperial Study to study this morning was a waste of time. After a moment's thought, he nodded and said, "Let the Ninth and Tenth Princes go back to the Princes' quarters to rest."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Emperor Kangxi, true to his nature of pushing his children to excel, added: "Tomorrow, have them catch up on the lessons they missed. We cannot allow them to fall behind because of their own misbehavior."
"Yes, sir!" Liang Jiugong memorized Kangxi's instructions. Seeing that Kangxi had once again lowered his head to read the memorials and that he had nothing to do with him for the time being, he quietly retreated.
Upon reaching the outside of the hall, Liang Jiugong flicked his whisk and approached Lan Zhi, a palace maid from Yongshou Palace, with a familiar smile that was neither arrogant nor overly enthusiastic.
"Thank you for your help, Eunuch Liang." Lan Zhi greeted him with a smile. She had only waited a short while outside the hall before receiving a reply, thanks to Liang Jiugong's great efforts.
While conveying Emperor Kangxi's imperial edict, Liang Jiugong subtly slipped the purse that Lan Zhi handed him into his sleeve, his smile growing even more genuine and radiant.
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A note from the author: Happy New Year!
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