Chapter 15 The Extraordinary Talent of the Clever Tenth Brother...
The Imperial Concubine shuddered, and unconsciously tightened her grip on Yin'e, pulling him even closer into her embrace.
She had long known that Yin'e was extraordinary, seemingly born with innate knowledge, which he had demonstrated in every way since childhood. Yet, when Yin'e expressed his meaning so clearly, the Imperial Concubine was still greatly shocked.
As if realizing something, the Imperial Concubine looked up at Lan Zhi and gave her a look, signaling her to lead the other palace maids out of the inner room.
Once only the mother and son remained in the inner room, Consort Niohuru lowered her voice and asked, "Yin'e, were you doing that on purpose during the first birthday ceremony?"
Yin'e nodded his little head, which was nestled in the Consort's arms, and said, "Yes, I won't take the seal."
The Imperial Concubine fell silent, her slender, white hand gently stroking Yin'e's head: "How did Yin'e know that Mother didn't want you to handle the seal?"
Raising his head, Yin'e looked up at the Imperial Concubine with his fair and delicate face. His dark eyes were clear, clean, bright, and spirited, but not in the ignorant ignorance of a child: "I know."
His voice was childish, but his tone was very serious: "The seal is in the very center. Aunt Lanzhi put it there. Mother doesn't want me to take it."
All the items at the first birthday celebration were placed on the carpet by the Imperial Concubine's trusted confidantes, Lanzhi and Lüyi.
Their seemingly random placement was actually quite deliberate: at the Imperial Concubine's suggestion, Lan and Zhi subtly placed auspicious items such as seals and books in prominent but inconspicuous locations.
When the baby's first birthday celebration begins, if Yin'e wants to grab the seal and other items that Lan Zhilu has deliberately "hidden," he will have to overcome many obstacles.
Emperor Kangxi, who did not visit his son Yongshou Palace often, was not very clear about Yin'e's personality. He only knew that Yin'e was a good-tempered, lively, cheerful, clever, and obedient child who never cried and especially loved shiny, sparkling gemstones and jade.
But the Consort Gui, who personally raised her son and has lived with Yin'e day and night ever since, must know her son well.
Yin'e showed extraordinary qualities from a young age. He didn't cry much, unlike other babies who cried all day long, when they woke up, when they were hungry, when their diapers were wet, or when they were uncomfortable.
When Yin'e is hungry, he will whimper to remind his wet nurse. When he is not hungry, he will not force himself to eat even if the wet nurse wants to feed him. He has never wet the bed, and he will always pretend to cry a couple of times before he poops to remind the person taking care of him.
Throughout his life, Yin'e has never been a night wailer who disturbed anyone's rest. He was a well-behaved child who was easy to take care of and caused no trouble for the Imperial Concubine.
The Imperial Concubine knew how clever, obedient, and sensible Yin'e was, and wondered if he was born with innate wisdom or was a genius with extremely high talent.
Yin'e recognized people early on, and was closest to his mother. He understood her meaning very early on, and listened to her very much. He was always well-behaved and quiet, never willful or noisy. He was intelligent, clever, considerate, and filial.
Even though Consort Gui always viewed Yin'e through a soft-focused lens as a mother, she had to admit that while Yin'e was well-behaved and sensible, he also had quite a few minor problems and flaws.
Yin'e... is very lazy.
It's not that Yin'e was lazy and always lay still or slept soundly. Yin'e was very active when he was three months old, six months old, seven months old, and eight months old. After he could crawl and walk, he was even more eager to explore Yongshou Palace. He would play and run around everywhere without being urged.
In what specific ways did Yin'e's laziness manifest itself?
In the eyes of the Imperial Concubine, Yin'e's laziness was simply being capricious and self-centered, indifferent to everything, without any goals, living day to day, and content with what he had.
He lacked a strong thirst for knowledge and a desire to explore, and he didn't have anything he was particularly persistent about. People, things, and events he disliked could never take away any of his attention; things he wasn't interested in, even if placed right next to him, he wouldn't bother with.
If Yin'e possessed mind-reading abilities, he would directly tell the Consort that he was just a lazy bum who wanted to lie down and do nothing.
He takes a Buddhist-like approach to everything, hoping only for a peaceful and stable life. Although the days may be dull and uninteresting, they are simple and easy, without the need for hard work, struggle, or fighting.
It was precisely because she understood Yin'e's lazy nature that the Consort made those arrangements for the impromptu first birthday celebration.
Those items given during the baby's first birthday celebration, aside from the gemstones and jade that Yin'e liked, were all the same to him, regardless of whether their meanings were good or bad.
He wasn't interested and didn't care. If he really had to choose a few, he would probably choose the ones closest to him and the ones that would require the least effort from him—when Lanzhi and Luyi had arranged the items for the first birthday celebration, it was the Imperial Concubine who personally carried Yin'e to sit down on the blanket.
Yin'e's first birthday celebration came suddenly. The Emperor had only made the decision on a whim. He had just sent Liang Jiugong with the imperial edict that morning and arrived at Yongshou Palace that same morning. The Consort really didn't have time to rehearse with Yin'e in private, so she only gave Lanzhi and Luyi a hint at it.
The Imperial Concubine was about 70-80% certain that Yin'e would follow her plan. However, she did not expect that Yin'e's performance during the first birthday ceremony would be completely different from what she had imagined, and he did not follow her plan at all—but this was not a big deal, and the final result was still good.
Originally, the Imperial Concubine thought it was just a coincidence, but now she understood that Yin'e had discovered her attitude and understood her meaning, deliberately choosing those foods, toys, jewelry, and gold and silver items with bad connotations.
With her almond-shaped eyes slightly lowered, the Imperial Concubine looked thoughtfully at her son: Yin'e was even smarter than she had imagined. He was precocious, quick-witted, and exceptionally intelligent. Although he was very young, he was already sensible and reasonable!
Hmm... wait a minute, just how far has Yin'e come to understand things? During the first birthday celebration, he deliberately chose those items. Did he discover her arrangements and simply comply with her wishes, or did he gain a deeper understanding of her true intentions?
The Imperial Concubine knew she was thinking too far ahead, but she still couldn't help but look Yin'e up and down.
For a moment, her eyes held a strange expression, a mixture of surprise, joy, anticipation, and longing, yet also regret, sorrow, and sadness.
Given his position and background, it would be better for Yin'e to be less clever and more ordinary...
Everyone hopes their son will become a dragon, but the Imperial Concubine would rather Yin'e not be a genius, or even be mediocre, than be born with innate wisdom but be in such an awkward situation where he can neither advance nor retreat.
With a soft sigh, the Imperial Concubine stopped thinking about it and reached out to pinch Yin'e's soft, chubby face. She took out the blood jade thumb ring bestowed by Emperor Kangxi from the little pocket on his stomach: "You are not old enough to wear this yet. Your mother will keep it for you for now."
"Thank you, Mother." Yin'e gave the Consort a quick kiss on the cheek, his smile bright and innocent. "Mother is the best."
The Imperial Concubine chuckled and gently poked Yin'e's forehead with her finger: "At times like these, Mother is the best."
The first birthday celebration had already been held in advance. After Emperor Kangxi went to Jiangnan, Yin'e's first birthday was celebrated in a very simple way. There was no grand birthday banquet. Instead, a simple and warm celebration was held at Yongshou Palace.
The Golden Award Ceremony held two days after Yin'e's birthday was not as lively as in previous years.
Although Emperor Kangxi was not present this year, the grand banquet for the Golden Banquet was still held as usual, but it could not compare to the solemnity and grandeur of the banquet when Emperor Kangxi personally presided over it.
It must be said that Emperor Kangxi really went through a lot of trouble. He returned to the palace in August after escaping the summer heat, and set off on another long journey at the end of September. He only stayed in the capital for a little over a month, which was not as long as he spent in the border regions.
Yin'e did not attend this year's Golden Festival family banquet. He was glad that he did not have to eat the dishes that were already lukewarm and tasteless when they were served by the imperial kitchen.
The food at the banquet was unpalatable, a fact that the Imperial Concubine mentioned to Yin'e after returning from the banquet.
Ever since Yin'e first spoke at his first birthday celebration and subsequently displayed remarkable intelligence, the Imperial Concubine no longer allowed him to grow up freely as before, and instead spoiled him excessively.
She not only began teaching Yin'e to speak, but also talked to him about things in the palace. Although Yin'e might not understand, such conversations were a fun and educational process. The Consort hoped that Yin'e could speak fluently as soon as possible, learn more about the situation in the palace, and understand things quickly.
The Imperial Concubine also mentioned that at the palace banquet during the Golden Festival, the current Prince An, Yue Le, brought up the matter of reordering the princes' age, and said that he would formally submit a memorial after the banquet to Emperor Kangxi, who was on his southern tour.
The Imperial Concubine scooped a spoonful of fragrant steamed egg custard and fed it to Yin'e, saying with a smile, "If this matter is settled, and the order of the princes is rearranged at this time, Yin'e, you will be the tenth prince from now on."
After swallowing the soft and smooth egg custard, Yin'e's eyes lit up. He tilted his little face up to the Consort, and like a little bird waiting to be fed, he opened his mouth and hummed anxiously.
As she gently fed Yin'e complementary food, the Consort's tone was filled with undisguised joy. She said softly, "Yin'e, this is a good thing for you."
Obediently hummed in agreement, and Yin'e parroted back, repeating, "Good thing, good thing."
Although he responded to every word, it was clear that Yin'e's mind was not on that at the moment, but entirely on the steamed egg custard that the Consort was holding.
The Imperial Concubine glanced at Yin'e with a smile. Seeing his big, watery almond-shaped eyes filled with longing, his mind not on what she had just said, she stopped talking and focused on feeding Yin'e.
So be it. Even if Yin'e is born intelligent and knowledgeable, with her around, he doesn't need to rush to grow up. She will protect him and let him grow up happily.
After Yin'e finished eating a small bowl of egg custard as a complementary food, the Imperial Concubine sent Luyi to lead him to take a walk in the small garden of Yongshou Palace to aid digestion.
With a wave of her hand, the Consort gestured for the palace servants to clean up the bowls and cups. She lowered her eyes, thoughtfully recalling the Empress Dowager's reaction when Prince An, Yue Le, proposed rearranging the order of the princes at the palace banquet.
The Empress Dowager did not object, seemingly indicating her approval... The Consort nodded slightly, somewhat understanding the Empress Dowager's attitude.
The reordering of the princes' birth order is a good thing for the princes themselves, but not necessarily for the crown prince. Because after the reordering, the fifth prince, Yinti, will be ranked as the eldest prince, formally establishing his political status as the eldest son.
However, the Consort was not surprised that the Empress Dowager would agree to this. While she cherished the Crown Prince Yinreng, who had lost his mother at birth, the Empress Dowager did not only have the Crown Prince as her great-grandson; she also had other descendants, and she would certainly have to consider them.
Moreover, the Empress Dowager valued her grandsons more than her great-grandsons. The Emperor valued the Crown Prince, but he also loved his other sons dearly, and the Empress Dowager certainly did not want the Emperor to be troubled by this matter.
In the small garden, Yin'e, who was sitting alone in front of a clump of chrysanthemums, admiring them intently, suddenly sighed.
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