Chapter 66: The Tenth Brother's Lazy Approach to Giving Gifts
After the Seventh Prince was brought back to the palace, since Emperor Kangxi had already chosen the wife of Prince Chun as his adoptive mother, it was not appropriate to select another adoptive mother for him in the palace.
The Seventh Prince's birth mother, Lady Daijia, was only a concubine and was not qualified to raise a prince.
Because he was reluctant to give his son away, Emperor Kangxi impulsively changed his mind and brought the Seventh Prince back to the palace. But then he thought that the Seventh Prince was getting old and was only a year away from turning six. So he waved his hand and sent the Seventh Prince to the Fifth Palace in the East.
The fourth residence was left vacant for the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Prince moved into the Fifth Residence, becoming the only prince in the palace who was under six years old and moved into the Prince's Residence before even entering the Imperial Study.
The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country, and it goes without saying that he resides in Yuqing Palace.
According to the order of seniority, the five princes of Gandong should have lived there in the order of the eldest prince, the third prince, the fourth prince, the fifth prince, and the sixth prince.
But now that the Sixth Prince has died young, and the Seventh Prince has been taken back by Emperor Kangxi but not adopted, the Seventh Prince has moved into the Fifth Palace that originally belonged to the Sixth Prince.
Thanks to Emperor Kangxi's cunning actions, the Seventh Prince was essentially establishing his own household within the palace ahead of schedule. He only needed to wait another year; once he turned six, he could enter the Imperial Study, at which point the difference between him and the other princes would become less pronounced.
Of course, because the Seventh Prince's adoptive mother was the wife of Prince Chun, Emperor Kangxi granted the Seventh Prince permission to leave the palace once every ten days to visit his adoptive mother at Prince Chun's residence and cultivate their relationship.
—Kangxi's true intentions were not what they seemed. He was reluctant to let his son be adopted, but he still did not give up on letting the seventh prince inherit the title of Prince Chun.
Emperor Kangxi went back on his word and brought his son back after he had already sent him out of the palace, completely disregarding the emperor's absolute authority. When Yin'e first learned of this, he felt that Kangxi had completely lost his public persona.
But upon further reflection, Yin'e realized that it hadn't actually collapsed.
Regardless of his political and state affairs, Kangxi, who lost his father at a young age and lacked paternal and maternal love, was mostly a loving and warm old father in front of his children.
Emperor Kangxi was very affectionate with his sons, especially the Crown Prince, whom he doted on. Aside from being overly strict with his children, Kangxi was mostly a doting and indulgent patriarch.
Historically, after the death of his third wife, Empress Xiaoyi, Emperor Kangxi, who had become a complete widower, had to act as both father and mother to his sons. Not only did he have to worry about two things at once, but he was also reluctant to let his sons move out of the palace. It wasn't until the thirty-seventh year of his reign that he issued his first order allowing princes who already held titles to leave the palace and establish their own residences.
—In the thirty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign, the eldest prince had turned twenty-six, not far from the age of thirty. Since his marriage at the age of fifteen, the eldest prince had lived in the palace for eleven years, but Kangxi was reluctant to let his son leave the palace to establish his own residence.
Before May was even over, the Seventh Prince moved into the Fifth Prince's residence.
Since the Seventh Prince has essentially established his own household in the palace, and this is the first time he has appeared in the palace in many years, and he will be raised in the palace like the other princes in the future, the entire palace sent him housewarming gifts as a gesture of goodwill.
When the Imperial Concubine asked Lanzhi to prepare a gift list for the Seventh Prince's move-in, Yin'e happened to be present.
Yin'e had been to the Fifth Palace before. Last month, when he was playing hide-and-seek with the Ninth Prince, the Ninth Prince secretly slipped into the Fifth Palace from the Imperial Garden and hid in the innermost courtyard of the Fifth Palace.
At that time, in order to find the Ninth Prince, Yin'e walked back and forth in the Fifth Palace several times, and looked through almost the entire three-courtyard complex.
Yin'e remembered that the Fifth Residence was well-built, a brand-new courtyard. However, it remained empty for several years after its completion, appearing somewhat desolate and bleak, with dust and leaves covering the rooms and courtyard.
However, the Fifth Residence is a newly built courtyard in recent years. It can be cleaned up and will not affect the Seventh Prince's ability to move in and establish his own household.
The Imperial Concubine was about to send a housewarming gift to the Seventh Prince, and Yin'e also joined in, wanting to send the Seventh Prince an extra gift in his own name.
Although he hadn't met the Seventh Prince yet, Yin'e had a high initial impression of him and held the most ordinary and sincere goodwill towards him—the Seventh Prince wouldn't participate in the struggle for the throne; he had always been a nobody among the princes vying for the throne, making him perfect for being friends with Yin'e.
Yin'e was not hesitant to extend goodwill to the Seventh Prince, who might become his close friend and ally in the future. Just like when he first approached the Fifth Prince, it was because the Fifth Prince was also a nobody in the struggle for the throne among the princes.
"What gift should I give?" Yin'e asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
He had never met the Seventh Prince, so of course he didn't know the Seventh Prince's preferences. But if he were to give a careless gift like everyone else, he might as well not give one at all. Even if he didn't want to give the Seventh Prince a gift that matched his tastes, he should at least give him something that the Seventh Prince could use.
Hmm...it will come in handy.
Thinking of this, Yin'e suddenly had an idea.
He remembered that the Ninth Prince had previously hidden in the Fifth Palace, specifically in a large porcelain vat under the main hall's corridor. That vat wasn't for holding water; it was a decorative piece for the courtyard, used to grow water lilies or other aquatic plants.
It's May now, the perfect time for lotus flowers to bloom.
Yin'e grinned, clapping his chubby little hands together, and said in a cheerful, childlike voice, "I've decided, I'm going to give Seventh Brother the seeds of water lilies."
Yin'e jumped up and ran towards the storeroom in the backyard. His lively, clear childish voice drifted from afar in the bright, sunny summer light: "Maybe Seventh Brother would like to plant lotus flowers in the yard~"
Seeing that Yin'e, who had been listless for quite some time, had regained his spirits, the Consort was relieved and also developed a better impression of the Seventh Prince. It was thanks to the Seventh Prince moving back to the palace that Yin'e's attention was diverted, and he stopped being depressed and thinking about the death of the Sixth Prince.
After the death of the Sixth Prince, two unusual things happened in the palace. First, the Seventh Prince was brought back to the palace and was no longer adopted by the Prince Chun's mansion as his heir. Second, the Consort De, who had always been favored, suddenly fell out of favor.
Everyone in the palace speculated about the reason for Consort De's fall from favor, but no matter what they tried, they couldn't find out anything. They only vaguely guessed that Consort De's fall from favor was likely related to the secret cause of the Sixth Prince's death.
However, Emperor Kangxi never announced the cause of the Sixth Prince's death, so everyone could only speculate in private, but no one could come to a conclusion.
The Sixth Prince actually died from overwork due to the constant urging and encouragement from Consort De to make him strive for improvement.
Consort De was a very ambitious woman, as can be seen from her rise from palace maid to the rank of consort.
Both were born into palace maids and came from bondservant families, but Consort De was far less favored than Consort Yi.
Consort Yi entered the palace in the sixteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign and was initially granted the title of Noble Lady. In the same year she entered the palace, she was promoted to Consort along with Consort Rong, Consort Hui, Consort Xi, Consort Duan, Consort An, and Consort Jing. At that time, Consort Yi had not yet given birth to the Fifth Prince. Her promotion to Consort was not due to her son, but simply because she enjoyed the Emperor's favor and deepest affection.
Consort De's favor was far less than that of Consort Yi. She was able to climb from a concubine to a principal position in the palace, and then be promoted to the rank of Consort and then Imperial Concubine, all because she sold the Fourth Prince. Consort De gave birth to the Fourth Prince in the seventeenth year of Kangxi's reign, and soon the Fourth Prince became the adopted son of Imperial Noble Consort Tong. Consort De was also promoted to the rank of Consort the following year.
After Consort De gave birth to the Sixth Prince, she completely abandoned the Fourth Prince who had been given away and no longer regarded him as her son. She only wanted to help the Sixth Prince improve himself, especially since the character "Zuo" in the Sixth Prince's name further fueled her ambition.
—It must be said that although Consort De was ambitious and ruthless, she lacked foresight and thought that the word "Zuo" could pave a bright future for the Sixth Prince.
However, it's also possible that Consort De wasn't just indulging in wishful thinking or daydreaming; she simply had a soft spot for her son. After all, with the Fourth Prince gone, the Sixth Prince was Consort De's only son and her greatest support for the future.
Consort De sent the Fourth Prince away, no longer regarding him as her own son. But when it came to using the Fourth Prince and extracting his remaining value, Consort De was ruthless.
By giving the Fourth Prince to the Emperor's cousin, Consort Tong, as an adopted son, Consort De always pretended to be wronged and sought sympathy in front of Emperor Kangxi, while subtly asking for benefits.
Consort De did indeed succeed. Her current status in the palace, her position as the head of a palace, is largely due to her stepping on the Fourth Prince.
Consort De not only feigned pitifulness in front of Emperor Kangxi, but she also used this incident to soften the heart of Imperial Noble Consort Tong.
Regardless of how much compensation or benefit Consort De received in private, as the secondary empress, Consort Tong could easily have lent Consort De enough by simply loosening her grip and turning a blind eye.
After the birth of the Sixth Prince, Consort De showed even greater affection and attention to the Fourth Prince in front of Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong. She no longer regarded the Fourth Prince as her own son, so she could use him to gain benefits without any scruples.
After being granted the title of Consort on her own, Consort De was able to raise the Sixth Prince while still holding the rank of Consort. In the twentieth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, she was granted the title of Consort along with Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Yi.
Besides these overt benefits, Consort De also received private favors and indulgence from Imperial Noble Consort Tong.
Yonghe Palace and Chengqian Palace are very close. Consort De rarely interacts with Chengqian Palace on the surface, but the fact that she was able to live so smoothly in the Eastern Six Palaces is inseparable from the secret help of Imperial Noble Consort Tong.
Many concubines in the palace sent their children to be raised by foster mothers. The First Prince and the Third Prince were both sent out of the palace to be raised by ministers. The Fifth Prince was also sent to Cining Palace to be raised by the Empress Dowager. The Eighth Prince was born in Yanxi Palace and was raised by Consort Hui.
However, the birth mothers of these princes never had much contact with their sons' adoptive mothers, and never showed any concern or affection for their children in front of the adoptive mothers.
Are these concubines not loving or caring about their children?
No, it's because they have a long-term plan for their children. They don't want their children to become estranged from their adoptive mothers. They would rather be a little distant from their own biological children than let their children live well in the care of their adoptive mothers, be close to them, and not be mistreated.
Only Consort De did the opposite.
She deliberately showed concern and care for the Fourth Prince in front of Consort Tong, never considering his feelings or perspective. She never thought that Consort Tong might feel resentful towards the Fourth Prince because of her actions and behavior, and might even distance herself from him.
After cruelly sending the Fourth Prince away, Consort De truly no longer regarded him as her own son. Especially after giving birth to the Sixth Prince, Consort De, feeling that she had another person to rely on, cared even less about the Fourth Prince and only wanted to squeeze every last drop of value out of him.
Ironically, in order to climb the social ladder and for her own ambition, Consort De gave up her eldest son, the Fourth Prince, to Consort Tong.
The death of the Sixth Prince was also due to her ambition.
Her two sons, whether by choice or by chance, were both lost because of her ambition.
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Author's Note: It's a pity that Consort Tong will be the Empress Dowager, so it's unlikely that the Fourth Prince will be registered under her name. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 21:06:06 on March 15, 2023 and 11:46:50 on March 16, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: I hope I'm not so competitive (7 bottles); Ranpo Neko's Ramune soda (5 bottles); and I'm still going to resign today (1 bottle).
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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