Chapter 76: The Tenth Prince's Lazy Volunteer Service...
While saying that the Seventh Prince was working too hard in the Imperial Study and had developed dark circles under his eyes, Yin'e was actually subtly complaining about the heavy workload of the cultural studies courses in the Imperial Study.
After all, the Seventh Prince was born with a limp, which would only hinder his horsemanship and archery skills, but would not affect his academic studies.
It's obvious that the Seventh Prince's dark circles couldn't have been from practicing riding and archery late into the night. As the sun sets and the daylight fades, it's not appropriate for the Seventh Prince to practice riding and archery on the training ground by lamplight; how many lamps would it take to illuminate the vast training ground?
The Seventh Prince's dark circles must be from staying up late doing his homework.
The Imperial Concubine listened silently to Yin'e's complaints and couldn't help but smile slightly: "I don't think you'll ever get dark circles under your eyes. You're not as diligent as the Seventh Prince; you're just looking for ways to be lazy."
Yin'e... could not refute it.
Although he hadn't enrolled in school yet, Yin'e did indeed intend to slack off and skip classes in the Imperial Study.
Putting aside everything else, Yin'e never intended to follow the rule that a book's meaning would become clear after reading it 120 times.
Instead of spending time reading an article a hundred and twenty times, he might as well memorize a few more articles and save that time to play.
Yin'e was determined to slack off in the Imperial Study, but this did not conflict with his decision to postpone his entry into the Imperial Study.
Although entering the Imperial Study would allow one to secretly slack off, wouldn't it be even more enjoyable to enter the Imperial Study a few years later, gaining several more years of relaxed time?
It's better to wait until later, why jump into the hot kang (heated brick bed) of the Imperial Study so early? He's not a studious and ambitious scholar, he's just a lazy bum.
Despite being rejected by the Imperial Concubine once, Yin'e was still unwilling to give up. He scooted closer to the edge of the soft couch and asked again, "Mother, can't I really wait a little longer before moving to the Prince's Residence? Fifth Brother hasn't moved yet."
The Imperial Concubine shook her head and said in a calm tone, "The Fifth Prince is being raised by the Empress Dowager, and he will likely have close ties with the Mongols in the future."
“From the moment the Fifth Prince was sent to the Empress Dowager’s side, it was destined that he would be a prince to be pampered and cared for. It doesn’t matter if he neglects his studies. The Emperor will not pursue it. After all, the Empress Dowager is Mongolian and does not value education. But you are different. You and the other princes must be studious and strive for progress.”
"Sigh..." Yin'e sighed regretfully, then he pursed his lips and muttered in a voice that the Consort could not hear, "Father is discriminating! What's wrong with being raised by the Empress Dowager? Does being raised by Mongols mean you can't be successful? Wasn't he himself enlightened by Sumalagu?"
After complaining about Kangxi's differential treatment, Yin'e suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Mother, didn't you say you were going to find me a Mongolian wife?"
“I will also be close to Mongolia in the future! Father should lower his expectations of me like he did of Fifth Brother.”
The Imperial Concubine glanced at Yin'e and found it amusing. She didn't directly shatter Yin'e's daydream, but simply said with a smile, "Then we'll have to wait until after your wedding to treat you the same as the Fifth Prince."
Yin'e listened in silence, his face immediately falling: The eldest prince graduated from the Imperial Study shortly after his wedding. When he too gets married, he'll graduate from the Imperial Study too; why would he need to go to the Imperial Study to study every day?
Did the Imperial Concubine's words amount to nothing? It seems he can forget about escaping the pressure from the Imperial Study like the Fifth Prince.
After being depressed for a while, Yin'e regained his spirits.
He wriggled closer to the Imperial Concubine, stretched his neck to look at the purse pattern she was embroidering, and pressed his cheek against the soft couch, flattening his chubby baby face: "Is it embroidered with gold thread? It looks so shiny and beautiful."
The imperial concubine glanced at him with a smile, her tone as gentle as a spring breeze: "I don't know your preferences, so of course I embroidered the purse for you according to your aesthetic sense."
The embroidered hand paused slightly, and the Imperial Concubine suddenly frowned as she looked at Yin'e. She was a little suspicious that he was really lazy, not competitive, lacked ambition, and liked shiny gold and silver jewelry, or... that he had to have these shortcomings and had to deliberately keep a low profile, hiding his talents.
The Imperial Concubine knew that Yin'e was born with innate knowledge, so it's very likely that he knew from the beginning what his birth meant and what he would face as he grew up. In response, Yin'e made his own choices, choices befitting his birth.
Pinching Yin'e's chubby cheeks, the Imperial Concubine put down her embroidery frame, took a roll of gold thread from a nearby embroidery basket, and waved it in front of Yin'e. With a slightly heavy heart, she asked, "Yin'e, do you really like these?"
Could this be something he deliberately put on, just to make the emperor think that he likes vulgar things and is not worth cultivating?
"I like it!" Yin'e's gaze unconsciously followed the gold thread in the Consort's hand, and he nodded without hesitation. "Of course I like it."
In his past life, he never had such luxury, nor did he have the opportunity to come into contact with so many treasures.
The Imperial Concubine chuckled for a moment, realizing she had overthought things. Just because Yin'e was born with knowledge did not mean he was exceptionally gifted or had extraordinary intelligence.
Yin'e is indeed very intelligent, but not to the point of being a prodigy. He just developed his intelligence earlier than the average child—which is not unusual in the palace. The one in Yuqing Palace is truly gifted, quick-witted, and clever. He was outstanding from a young age, and after starting his studies last year, he has been praised by many ministers for his excellence.
It is said that when the Crown Prince was still in the palace being taught by the Emperor, he studied Chinese classics, and the accumulated volumes were almost as tall as a person.
Last year, when the Crown Prince left the palace to study, he directly told the Han officials who were instructing him, "I have mastered the books. You may recite them if you wish." The Crown Prince meant that he had already thoroughly studied the Four Books and Five Classics, and the officials could teach him whatever they wanted. He would just listen and that he had already learned them all, so there was no need to study them a second time.
The Crown Prince's excellence was unmatched by the other princes, and the hardships he endured were unimaginable to them.
The Crown Prince was personally taught by Emperor Kangxi from the age of five. His studies were heavy every day, even more so than those of the princes in the Imperial Study.
He studied continuously for eight years, finally beginning his formal education at the age of thirteen last year. It is only natural that the Crown Prince's excellence astonished and amazed the ministers who taught him Chinese, given the unimaginable efforts he made in secret to achieve these results.
Yin'e looked up at the Imperial Concubine and smiled, counting on his fingers the fancy and expensive toys he had owned since childhood, such as the rattle drum and the nine-linked rings: "I do like these shiny things, but I also know that Mother is deliberately indulging me."
He climbed up from the soft couch and knelt down, looking directly at the Imperial Concubine. His small face was tense, and his expression was more serious than ever before: "I know everything, Mother."
Gazing at the Imperial Concubine, Yin'e's eyes were full of affection and closeness, yet his expression was resolute and solemn as he earnestly promised, "Mother, don't worry. I will grow up safely, and I will be your support in the future."
Tears welled in the Imperial Concubine's eyes, and her nose tingled with emotion. She couldn't help but lean forward and embrace Yin'e: "My good child, my good child... You don't know how afraid I am that you'll resent me when you grow up."
She wanted Yin'e to grow up safely, so she suppressed him and made him live an ordinary life. This meant that as a prince, Yin'e would have little chance to make achievements in the future, let alone gain supreme glory.
Yin'e buried his head in the Consort's arms, his eyes stinging. He whispered in a very soft voice, almost inaudibly, "Mother, I know that only you are the best to me."
Emperor Kangxi was an unbalanced father. Yin'e, as a son who was not valued by Emperor Kangxi, did not have much affection for him. Emperor Kangxi was unwilling to even show him any concern, and was even afraid that it would bring him misfortune.
But Consort Gui was different. She treated Yin'e with all her heart, and Yin'e would naturally reciprocate with all his heart. The bond between him and Consort Gui was deep, unlike the superficial father-son relationship he had with Emperor Kangxi.
Yin'e knew why the Imperial Concubine was afraid that he would resent her when he grew up.
Being the son of a noble consort sounds like a privileged birth, placing one at a height that others would have to strive for to reach. However, with the crown prince already established, this status became a shackle, depriving Yin'e of many things from birth, such as the right to be studious, ambitious, and to achieve great things.
But Yin'e genuinely felt that being the son of a concubine was quite good.
He was born the son of a royal concubine, and his status was so high that he was born in Rome.
Moreover, his prominent status objectively limited his ability to strive for advancement. This kind of start was perfect for a lazy bum like him who only wanted to lie down and relax. It met all his needs in every way, and was a unique kind of "easy work, high pay, and close to home".
Yin'e was reborn in this era after time rewound three hundred years. If he were not the son of a noble concubine, but the son of a concubine, he would have been forced to fight for better living conditions, treatment, and status. He couldn't just lie down and relax.
However, if things go too far, he will not only be the son of a concubine, but will also fall into the position of the crown prince. Yin'e is very self-aware and knows that he may not even know how he will die in the future.
He's completely naive and clueless, and utterly inept at political maneuvering. He'll definitely be bullied to death and crushed one by one by the princes vying for the throne. If he were the crown prince, he couldn't possibly resort to calling out "Imperial Father, Cai Cai, Lao Lao" every time something happens.
After a period of wild and unrestrained thinking, Yin'e, having once again confirmed his winning hand, felt quite satisfied with his current situation.
The Imperial Concubine worried that he might resent his birth because he couldn't achieve anything significant in the future? Impossible, absolutely impossible. The Imperial Concubine had no idea that he'd rather be a lazy bum, lying around doing nothing.
He would rather starve to death, die outside, or jump off the walls of the Forbidden City than compete with his brothers.
Why would someone who could simply lie down and enjoy wealth and luxury be so foolish as to become a powerful figure and achieve great things? He lacked lofty ambitions and unwavering will; he was just an ordinary person who wanted to live a carefree life.
The mother and son snuggled together, quietly enjoying this warm moment. Both were in a good mood, feeling that their mother/son was the best.
After a long while, the Imperial Concubine remembered something important and gently stroked Yin'e's soft hair, saying softly, "Yin'e, would you like to come with me to Cining Palace in a couple of days to attend to the Empress Dowager? You haven't been to Cining Palace for a long time, it's time to go."
Yin'e hesitated for a while before whispering, "But I can't do anything to attend to the sick in Cining Palace and won't be of any help."
Each time he went to Cining Palace to attend to the sick, Yin'e would spend most of his time with the Fifth Prince in a side hall, learning Mongolian and Manchu from the palace maids.
Only when the Empress Dowager was in better spirits could he and the Fifth Prince enter the inner room to talk to her, cheer her up, and make her laugh so she wouldn't continue to suffer from the pain.
However, the Empress Dowager's condition worsened, and as autumn deepened, the weather in the capital grew colder. The Empress Dowager had little energy throughout the day, so Yin'e's visits to Cining Palace were of no use.
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine lowered her eyes, her expression somewhat somber.
Because of the legacy left by her elder sister, Empress Xiaozhao, the Consort Gui had always been favored by the Empress Dowager and had received much care from her during her years in the palace. The Consort Gui sincerely hoped that the Empress Dowager would be in good health and live a long and healthy life.
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager's health was already failing; the imperial physicians said she was merely passing the time. She had at most a few months left, and even with the physicians' meticulous care, she wouldn't last much longer.
Everyone says the end of the year is the hardest time, but actually it's not the end of the year that's hard, it's the approaching cold winter months and the coldest days of winter.
Yin'e also thought that the Empress Dowager probably wouldn't last much longer. Even if she survived the winter, she probably wouldn't be able to hold on until the spring of next year and get through the cold snap after the spring.
Seeing the Empress Dowager was a rare opportunity, so Yin'e sighed like a little adult, nodded, and said, "I'll go to Cining Palace with my mother to take care of Granny Wukuma when she's ill."
"Yin'e is so good." The Imperial Concubine sighed and patted Yin'e's head.
The Empress Dowager is seriously ill, and the imperial physicians say that her condition is beyond medical help. They only hope that her great-grandchildren will be by her side, bringing her some joy in her final days.
Yin'e and the Empress Dowager were not close, and unlike the Consort, he was saddened and grieving. He only felt sentimental and melancholy for a moment before calming down and beginning to think about the impact that the Empress Dowager's serious illness and even death would have.
Putting aside other matters, the Empress Dowager was of high seniority and noble status, and after her death, her descendants were all required to observe mourning. Yin'e and the Consort were her direct descendants, so they would definitely have to observe three years of mourning.
For young princes like Yin'e, observing three years of mourning was not a big deal. In any case, these young princes were either still studying in the Imperial Study or hadn't even entered the Imperial Study yet, so it didn't affect them much.
However, the death of the Empress Dowager had a significant impact on the Crown Prince. Not only did the Crown Prince lose a strong backer and assistant after the Empress Dowager's passing, but the three-year mourning period alone had a considerable influence on him.
The Crown Prince will turn thirteen this May, and in another year and a half he will be of legal age and ready to marry. But with the passing of the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince's wedding will have to be postponed again, making it more than two years later than the eldest prince's.
However, it is said that the court has not yet reached a clear and convincing agreement on the rules for the Crown Prince's wedding ceremony. The Crown Prince was not originally destined to marry at fifteen, and the three-year mourning period following the Empress Dowager's death doesn't seem to have had a significant impact on him.
The next day, the Ninth Prince, who had come to Yongshou Palace, heard that Yin'e was going to Cining Palace with the Consort to attend to the Empress Dowager in a few days. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Why don't I go to Cining Palace with you? Otherwise, I'll be bored by myself without anyone to keep me company or play with."
Yin'e didn't object, but—he glanced at the Ninth Prince with a conflicted expression before whispering, "Consort Keyi went to Cining Palace to attend to the sick on a different day than us."
There were a fair number of concubines qualified to attend to the Empress Dowager at Cining Palace. To prevent all the concubines from crowding there every day and ending up with none at all, Consort Tong arranged a schedule for the concubines to attend to her during her illness.
The Ninth Prince nodded indifferently: "We're not going to Cining Palace on the same day, so I don't plan to go with Mother. I plan to go with Consort Gui. We're both going to attend to the sick, so there's no reason why I have to go with Mother to Cining Palace, right?"
What the Ninth Prince said... doesn't seem to make any mistakes.
Yin'e, who felt something was amiss but couldn't quite put his finger on it, didn't refute it. He simply spread his hands and said, "As long as you can persuade Consort Yi, I'd be happy to go to Cining Palace with you, Ninth Brother."
Even if these young princes, who were too young to be of much help, went to Cining Palace to attend to the sick, most of the time they would be left unattended and had to pass the time in the side hall.
Although Yin'e and the Fifth Prince got along well and could play together, it would be even better if the Ninth Prince went to Cining Palace with him. With a playmate, waiting in the side hall of Cining Palace for the Empress Dowager to see them wouldn't be so boring.
Now that the Empress Dowager is seriously ill, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince cannot go to the Imperial Garden to play, so they played indoor games together for a while, such as chess, marbles, and building blocks. There are actually quite a few ways and toys to pass the time.
They were having a good time when the Ninth Prince's wet nurse, who had been waiting outside the palace, suddenly came in and, with a somewhat hesitant expression, reported something to the Ninth Prince.
It turned out that when Yinzhi woke up today and found his brother was not there, he insisted on coming to Yongshou Palace to find the Ninth Prince. Consort Yi could not persuade Yinzhi otherwise, so she sent someone to Yongshou Palace to inquire whether Yinzhi could also come to Yongshou Palace to play with them.
"Can."
"no!"
After the Ninth Prince's wet nurse explained her purpose, two voices rang out simultaneously in the room: one casual and indifferent, the other irritable and frustrated.
After the two gave their answers in unison, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince looked at each other in surprise, as if they hadn't expected the other to give such an answer.
The Ninth Prince stared wide-eyed at Yin'e, his delicate and beautiful face filled with disbelief: "Tenth Brother, are you alright? You let Yinzhi come and play with us? Do you know how clingy he is?"
Before Yin'e could even express his surprise, he was bombarded with three questions from the Ninth Prince. It was clear that the Ninth Prince was very reluctant to let Yin'e come to Yongshou Palace to play with them, and was so anxious that he even wanted to jump up and down to persuade Yin'e to join him in refusing Yin'e's visit.
He raised his hand to rub his temples, and it took Yin'e a while to regain his composure. He did not answer the Ninth Prince's question, but instead looked at the Ninth Prince with an incredulous expression: "Ninth Brother, Yinzhi is your younger brother, it's normal for him to want to play with you."
"Anyway, we're not studying, we're just playing, so bringing Yinzhi along is no problem at all. Besides, some games are more fun with three people."
The Ninth Prince shook his head repeatedly: "No, there's a problem, a big problem. You don't understand Yinzhi, you don't know how clingy he is. I don't want to bring him along. Mother doesn't need to go to Cining Palace to attend to her illness today, let her keep Yinzhi company. I don't want to bring my little brother."
Yin'e's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything more.
Although Yongshou Palace was his territory, Yinzhi was the Ninth Prince's younger brother. Since the Ninth Prince had so clearly expressed his opposition, Yin'e couldn't very well forcefully agree to let Yinzhi come to Yongshou Palace to find them.
After the Ninth Prince's wet nurse left the room with an embarrassed but unsurprised expression, the Ninth Prince picked up a chess piece and muttered to himself, "What was Mother thinking? Sending Yinzhi to Yongshou Palace is just disturbing you and the Consort. It's so inappropriate!"
After the Ninth Prince made his move, Yin'e silently took one of his pieces and sharply retorted to the Ninth Prince's words: "Ninth Brother, you also run to Yongshou Palace every day, 'bothering' me and Mother every day."
Having carelessly lost a piece to Yin'e, the Ninth Prince was filled with regret. Upon hearing Yin'e's sarcastic remark, he glared at Yin'e with wide phoenix eyes and said angrily, "How dare you compare me to Yinzhi? I am not like him at all!"
The Ninth Prince spoke with great confidence, his tone as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He rolled his eyes at Yin'e, his tone defiant yet assertive: "You and I are the closest, how can you say it's a bother when I come to visit you? Don't you welcome me?"
Ninth Prince narrowed his long, upturned phoenix eyes slightly and glared at Yin'e with a threatening look, as if he would pounce on Yin'e and make him suffer if Yin'e dared to say "yes".
Before the Ninth Prince could even argue with him and force him to change his mind, Yin'e quickly switched sides. He said in a serious tone, "Ninth Brother, you're right. Let's play together as brothers. We shouldn't have Yinzhi come along. He's too young. Let's wait until he's a bit older."
The Ninth Prince snorted, his eyes scanning the chessboard for a chance to capture one of Yin'e's pieces: "You have no idea how much trouble Yin'e is causing now. He needs someone to play with him all the time. If you ignore him, he starts crying. He's so noisy and annoying."
Two-year-olds are indeed the most annoying age, full of energy and mischievous. Even though Yinzhi was a little weaker than average, it didn't diminish his immense destructive power at the age of two.
Yin'e stared speechlessly at the Ninth Prince, wondering how he could be so confident. The Ninth Prince was just as mischievous at two years old, far more difficult to handle than the shy Yinzhi. How could he so confidently believe he was superior to Yinzhi?
It seems that sometimes it's not a bad thing for people to lack self-awareness or have a unclear understanding of themselves. Look how confident the Ninth Prince is!
The following day, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who had persuaded Consort Yi, went to Cining Palace with the Imperial Concubine.
After meeting the Empress Dowager and Sumalagu, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince separated from the Consort. They were not taken inside to see the Grand Empress Dowager, but were instead led directly by palace maids to a side hall to meet the Fifth Prince, who was learning Manchu.
It is clear that the current Empress Dowager is not in good health and has no energy to spend time with her great-grandchildren or listen to their innocent words to cheer herself up.
"Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, you've arrived!" The Fifth Prince looked up and saw Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, both wearing thin cloaks, enter the side hall. He had a "saveable" expression on his face, looking at them as if they were his great saviors.
Because the Empress Dowager didn't even have the energy to see them, Yin'e felt a little gloomy. When he saw the Fifth Prince, Yin'e couldn't help but ask, "Fifth Brother, can you sing Mongolian long songs?"
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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 19:00:20 on March 20, 2023 and 19:07:55 on March 21, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Hehe 14 bottles; Little Deer Died in Summer 10 bottles; Sweet Party Doesn't Eat Cilantro 6 bottles; Millet Worm 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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