Chapter 28: The Tenth Brother's Birthday Banquet - A Lazy Person's Party...
"Why?" Yin'e was taken aback, looking at Yin Tang with some confusion. "Isn't Fifth Brother good? Don't you like him?"
Could it be that the Third Prince caused Yinzhen to develop a psychological aversion to elder brothers?
But the Fifth Prince and the Third Prince don't look alike at all.
In terms of appearance, it's clear that Yinzhen and the Fifth Prince resemble each other more. Isn't it said that people have a higher initial liking for those who look like them? Why is it that Yinzhen does the opposite?
Or was it that Yinzhen actually wanted to escape studying, and simply didn't want to come to Cining Palace to receive bilingual instruction from Sumalagu?
That's true. Unlike him, Yinzhen doesn't have the mind of an adult. It's a bit too early for him to start learning at this age. Even if Yinzhen has a great talent for languages, it doesn't mean he can easily master Manchu and Mongolian at such a young age. Even he himself struggled to learn both Manchu and Mongolian.
His delicate and adorable face scrunched up, and after stammering for a while, Yinzhen finally whispered, "Fifth Brother is fine, and I don't dislike him."
Blinking, Yin'e looked at Yin Tang with a knowing glint in his eyes: So, it really was to avoid studying? Oh well, it was his fault; he shouldn't have tricked Yin Tang when he was so young…
As Yin'e was reflecting on his previous actions, he saw Yin Tang droop his head and pout dejectedly, saying, "He ignores me, but he always tries to talk to you."
"Huh? What?"
His eyes were blank for a moment before Yin'e realized who Yin Tang was talking about. He couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. He said helplessly, "You don't understand Mongolian, and Fifth Brother doesn't understand Manchu, but I know a little Mongolian. That's why Fifth Brother talked to me."
After a pause, Yin'e looked at Yin Tang seriously, his bright and clear almond-shaped eyes fixed on him intently, and patiently comforted him, "Aunt Su Ma translated Fifth Brother's words, didn't you hear it? Fifth Brother didn't ignore you, he just asked me to convey his message."
With a pout, Yinzhen glared at Yili's narrow phoenix eyes until they turned into cross-eyed ones. He looked aggrieved but stubbornly refused to speak, clearly still very angry and not changing his mind despite Yin'e's persuasion.
Yin'e barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes: ...He understood. It was just that the Fifth Prince didn't talk to him. Yin Tang, this love-starved little brat, failed to get attention and thought that the Fifth Prince didn't value or like him!
Who is he doing this for?!
Yin'e brought Yin'tang to Cining Palace to see the Fifth Prince, hoping that Yin'tang could get along well with the Fifth Prince and deepen the bond between the two brothers—they were originally brothers from the same mother, and their relationship was closer than that of other brothers.
With the Fifth Prince protecting him, Yinzhen would not be easily deceived or won over by the Eighth Prince when he later entered the Imperial Study to study. He would not be drawn into the Eighth Prince's faction or become his personal moneybag.
After spending these past few days together, although Yin'e found Yin Tang a bit clingy, he still felt sorry for him being neglected by Consort Yi.
At this time, Yinzhen didn't know the Eighth Prince and wasn't involved with him. Yin'e wanted to try to help Yinzhen and see if he could change the future. He didn't necessarily want to recruit Yinzhen into the "couch potato" team; he just didn't want Yinzhen to foolishly get involved in the struggle for the throne and end up being given the name Seshehei.
Since his rebirth, Yin'e has never met the famous Eighth Prince of later generations. But according to the novels and TV dramas he has read, the Eighth Prince is gentle and kind, and his presence makes people feel like they are bathed in a spring breeze, making it easy for him to gain the favor of others.
The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince were close in age and were brothers who stood side by side.
When Yinzhen entered school at the age of six, he not only studied in the Imperial Study with the Eighth Prince, but also moved to the West Third Palace to live next to the Eighth Prince. As classmates and neighbors, the two interacted frequently, and the love-starved and sensitive Yinzhen was indeed easily won over by the easy-going and good-tempered Eighth Prince.
Yin'e was worried and hesitating whether to try again to help Yin Tang. Yin Tang, who was pouting and sulking, suddenly rushed up and hugged him, saying in a low voice with a wronged look, "Tenth Brother, let's not look for Fifth Brother, let's just play together, okay?"
Yin'e was momentarily stunned: What kind of development is this? This is not what he expected.
Clinging to Yin'e, Yin Tang twisted his little body and hummed softly, his tender, clear voice melting hearts: "Tenth Brother, you like me the most, right? I'm better than Fifth Brother, and I'll be a good older brother. Don't play with Fifth Brother."
"Yes, you are the best Ninth Brother, I like you the most." Yin'e struggled to support Yin Tang who was hanging on him, reached out and hugged him back, subconsciously stroking his fur to comfort him.
Yin'e looked somewhat bewildered and didn't immediately realize that Yin'e didn't want to go to Cining Palace to play with the Fifth Prince anymore, not just because he felt that the Fifth Prince didn't value him enough.
Blinking blankly, Yin'e was lost in thought, his expression somewhat dazed: Was Yin'tang's rejection of the Fifth Prince also because of him? Because the Fifth Prince had diverted his attention, making Yin'tang feel neglected?
Ah, this...
Looking at Yin Tang, who was rubbing against him and almost twisting into a pretzel, Yin E felt a very strange feeling.
He was a little happy, but also a little embarrassed.
Yinzhen actually likes him so much, and is even afraid that he will be taken away by the Fifth Prince? They have only spent a few days together, and Yin'e doesn't think he has been that good to Yinzhen. When did Yinzhen develop such deep feelings for him?
Or perhaps, this is simply a child's possessiveness?
What Yin'e didn't know was that his willingness to grant Yin's every request and his subconscious tolerance of him were precisely the reasons why Yin's son liked and depended on him.
Yin'e is not a real child; he has the mindset of an adult.
He discovered that Yinzhen was somewhat lacking in affection, knowing that Yinzhen had always been neglected by his mother. This made Yin'e feel sorry for Yinzhen, and he couldn't help but soften his heart towards him, lowering his bottom line again and again.
Children are best able to discern other people's emotions. It was Yin'e's indulgence that emboldened Yin Tang, who would come to Yongshou Palace every day to cling to him. Otherwise, if Yin'e had shown even the slightest resistance, the obedient Yin Tang would have taken his leave, not giving Yin'e a chance to ask him to leave, and would have wisely stopped bothering him.
On the surface, Yinzhen was the elder brother and Yin'e was the younger brother, but their inner feelings were reversed. All along, it was actually Yin'e who was tolerant of Yinzhen, indulging him to the point of taking advantage of him, becoming more and more comfortable and open in his presence, and being able to be a little temperamental, but never throwing a tantrum.
She struggled to keep herself upright, trying not to be pulled to the ground by Yinzhen.
Coming to his senses, Yin'e blinked thoughtfully, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering up and down. Suddenly, he realized something: So, if he wanted to prevent Yin'e from being won over by the Eighth Prince, the Fifth Prince couldn't be relied on; he had to do it himself.
Yin'e was somewhat conflicted and found it difficult to make a decision easily.
Was he going to sacrifice his future leisure time, risk his life to be good brothers with Junzi and Yintang, and pull him out of the pit of the Eighth Prince's party? Thinking of Yintang's excessive energy, Yin'e raised his head and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, feeling for a moment that he had no will to live.
He just wanted to be a lazy bum who wouldn't rise again, so how did he end up offending Yinzhen and ending up like this?
Should we retreat to where we were and simply ignore Yin Tang? This thought hesitantly surfaced in Yin E's mind, but he ruthlessly shattered it in the next instant.
If he had been more hard-hearted and hadn't been so soft-hearted towards Yinzhen, he wouldn't have been entangled with Yinzhen in the first place. Yinzhen was starved for love, clingy, and constantly seeking attention, but Yinzhen was also sensitive and clever; he didn't cling to just anyone.
"Tenth Brother?" Yin'e remained silent for a long time, so Yin Tang couldn't help but urge him on.
He pouted, his little cat-like face looking aggrieved.
A thin mist rose in his phoenix eyes, and Yinzhen looked pitiful and on the verge of tears, but he tightened his grip on Yin'e, holding him tightly as if he would strangle him if he didn't agree.
With his hands flailing, Yin'e struggled to create some space, then braced himself on Yin'tang's shoulders and pushed him away forcefully.
Like peeling away a piece of chewing gum, Yin'e finally managed to push Yin'tang away with great difficulty. After all this, his face was flushed with exhaustion. He couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe away non-existent sweat from his forehead, and then let out a long sigh of relief, only then feeling like he had come back to life.
Rolling his eyes to the sky, Yin'e, with a very complicated mood, said to Yin Tang with a stern face, "Let me think about it."
Thinking that Yin'e was reluctant to part with the Fifth Prince and wanted to come and play with him, Yin Tang pouted, his delicate and lovely face showing obvious dissatisfaction.
But in front of Yin'e, Yin'tang did not throw a tantrum as he did when facing his wet nurse and others. Instead, he pouted so much that a soy sauce bottle could hang from it, and tugged at Yin'e's clothes, earnestly emphasizing, "Then you have to think about it quickly!"
Yin'e sighed inwardly, took Yin'tang's hand, and led him back to the Western Six Palaces.
Walking along the narrow palace corridors with their red walls and green tiles in the Forbidden City, Yin'e found that many things were in disarray, completely different from his original plan.
When he was first reborn and could only lie in the cradle eating and sleeping, Yin'e pondered his future course of action when he had nothing to do. His principle was to be Buddhist-like, low-key, not to cause trouble, not to bully others, and not to be bullied by others.
In terms of interpersonal communication, Yin'e even summarized a "couch potato rule": minimize contact with people you shouldn't associate with, and choose the right "alliance".
The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and there is a distinction between ruler and subject, so he should keep his distance and show respect but not closeness; the First Prince is the eldest brother, and one should show him the respect due to an elder brother, but there is no need to be overly friendly with him; the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are elder brothers, but firstly, they are not the eldest brothers, and secondly, they are the sons of the four concubines and are inferior to him, so one should just fulfill the proper etiquette.
Avoid excessive contact with your two elder brothers, the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince, especially the Eighth Prince. Do not befriend or have any personal relationship with him.
Of course, Yin'e never intended to sever ties with the Eighth and Ninth Princes right from the start. Showing hostility without reason and deliberately targeting or ignoring them wouldn't be distancing; it would be offending them.
True indifference in a relationship is a normal, polite way of treating someone—neither overly warm nor cold, maintaining a comfortable distance.
As for the Fifth Prince Yinqi and the Seventh Prince Yinyou, Yin'e had seriously considered it. If they were compatible, he would be happy to be good brothers with them. After all, the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince had completely disappeared from the struggle for the throne among the princes, and being on good terms with them would not lead to any trouble and would be safe.
But now… Yin'e glanced at Yin Tang, who was still sulking with a pout, his little feet stomping heavily on the palace path, making a loud noise. He knew that his original plan had failed before it even began, and had been completely stillborn.
Yin'e didn't know how it happened, but he and the Ninth Prince Yin Tang became familiar with each other inexplicably.
But there was nothing they could do; the two lived close by, and their mothers, the Imperial Concubine and Consort Yi, had a good relationship. Unless Yin'e stayed indoors all day in Yongshou Palace, he would inevitably run into Yin'tang and become familiar with him as he went in and out.
In the following days, due to Yinzhen's strong opposition, Yin'e did not take him to Cining Palace to see the Fifth Prince again.
But that's alright, because Yin'e found a good way to wear down Yin Tang's energy, which is to teach Yin Tang Mongolian.
Every night, the Imperial Concubine taught Yin'e new Mongolian vocabulary. The next morning, Yin'tang rushed into Yongshou Palace, and Yin'e would pull him aside and teach him the new words he had learned the day before. This not only reinforced the knowledge he had just learned, but also calmed Yin'tang down, allowing him to devote his abundant energy to learning Mongolian.
It was fortunate that Yinzhen truly had a talent for languages and quite enjoyed learning Mongolian; otherwise, Yin'e wouldn't have been able to fool him so easily.
However, the Imperial Concubine didn't teach Yin'e many new Mongolian words each day, so this trick could only buy Yin'e half a day at most. Yin'e would still have to play games with Yin'e for the rest of the day.
To avoid being dragged into playing physically demanding games, Yin'e brought out a series of children's toys, including seesaws, rocking horses, slides, Ludo, building blocks, and tangrams.
Although the toys that the Imperial Household Department rushed to make based on Yin'e's ideas were all simplified and incomplete versions, they were enough to keep Yin Tang entertained. This made him increasingly fond of going to Yongshou Palace to play. Every night when his wet nurse took him away from Yongshou Palace, he would cry loudly, wishing he could stay in Yongshou Palace every day and never go home.
They drifted along until the end of the month. On October 29th, the palace servants of Chengqian Palace sent out invitations throughout the palace, formally inviting the First Prince, Third Prince, Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Yin'e to attend the Sixth Prince Yinzhen's sixth birthday banquet a day in advance.
Among Kangxi's sons, the only two who were not invited were the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince.
The Crown Prince was not in the palace at this time. Kangxi's first southern tour, besides inspecting the Yellow River, also aimed to appease the literati of Jiangnan. The Crown Prince's presence best reflected the long-standing Han Chinese tradition of primogeniture; therefore, Kangxi brought only his son, the Crown Prince, with him on this trip to the south.
As for the Seventh Prince, he was indeed in the palace. However, as a taboo subject within the palace, even the Imperial Noble Consort Tong dared not risk offending the emperor by releasing him from confinement for a mere birthday banquet.
The Seventh Prince was born with a disability. That same year, the Three Feudatories Rebellion broke out, the war was raging, and the Qing Dynasty was in grave danger of being destroyed. The Seventh Prince was regarded as an ominous sign and became a buried secret and a taboo subject in the Forbidden City.
The Seventh Prince is already four years old this year, but he is never allowed to participate in palace sacrificial rites. Some time ago, the Imperial Clan Court rearranged the order of the princes' ages, and Prince Xin did place Yin You in the order of the Seventh Prince, but Yin You's register and imperial genealogy have not yet been handed over to him.
It wasn't that Prince Xin intentionally ignored or neglected Yin You, who wasn't favored by Emperor Kangxi, or deliberately bullied him. Rather, Prince Xin simply didn't know where Yin You lived and couldn't find him at all. Yet, he still managed to deliver the standard list of princes and imperial genealogy to Yin You through negotiations.
The Seventh Prince, Yinyou, was born with a disability. Emperor Kangxi did not choose a foster mother for him, nor did he allow his birth mother, Consort Daijia, to raise him. For the past four years, Yinyou was raised alone in a secluded courtyard in the palace, rarely seeing outsiders and never having any contact with the outside world. It was almost like being imprisoned and confined.
At this time, Emperor Kangxi had a total of ten sons. Apart from the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince, the other princes accepted the invitation from Chengqian Palace and would attend the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet.
After the formal invitation from Chengqian Palace was delivered to Yongshou Palace, Yin'e hesitated, wondering whether he should choose another gift for the Fourth Prince. It wasn't a birthday gift chosen for him by the Consort, but a gift that he, as the younger brother, would give to his elder brother.
Originally, Yin'e did not intend to send the Fourth Prince a separate birthday gift, because he and the Fourth Prince were strangers before, only brothers in name but not in affection, so it was not necessary for him to specially choose a birthday gift for the Fourth Prince.
However, when they bumped into the Third Prince outside the West Third Palace, it was the Fourth Prince who helped him and Yinzhen out of the predicament. If they didn't want to keep owing this favor, they had to find an opportunity to repay it, and the sooner the better.
With his chubby little hands supporting his round face on the small table, Yin'e racked his brains but still couldn't think of what birthday gift to give the Fourth Prince.
Since he was repaying a favor to the Fourth Prince, the gift he gave had to suit the Fourth Prince's tastes, either something the Fourth Prince could use or something that suited his preferences; it had to be something that suited his tastes.
Otherwise, what's the point of giving the Fourth Prince something he doesn't need or like? What would that be as repaying a favor?
But as the deadline approached, Yin'e realized that choosing a gift was really difficult. Should he choose something the Fourth Prince could use? His adoptive mother was Consort Tong, who was materially wealthy and lacked nothing. Should he give the Fourth Prince something he liked? But Yin'e had no idea what his preferences were.
"Why don't we just give them the Four Treasures of the Study?" Yin'e muttered to himself, sounding a bit reckless.
The Fourth Prince's sixth birthday banquet was also his graduation banquet—although it was a year later. But since the Fourth Prince had already entered the Imperial Study, giving him the Four Treasures of the Study was appropriate, and he would definitely use them and they wouldn't be left idle.
The palace maid guarding the gate lifted the curtain, and the Imperial Concubine stepped into the inner room, bringing with her a chill.
After standing for a moment in front of the incense burner at the door to warm her body and dispel the chill, the Imperial Concubine walked to the heated kang and touched Yin'e's forehead. Seeing that the temperature was normal, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the bitter and resentful look on Yin'e's droopy face, the Imperial Concubine's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she laughed out loud: "Yin'e, what are you thinking about? Why do you look so troubled?"
Yin'e sighed like a little adult, shifted his body on the heated kang, and leaned back to rest his head on the concubine's lap: "Tomorrow is Fourth Brother's birthday, and I'm thinking about what gift to give him."
The Imperial Concubine raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: Previously, when the topic of the Fourth Prince's sixth birthday came up, Yin'e hadn't planned to send him any additional gifts. Was this sudden change of heart because Yin'e had met the Fourth Prince?
Previously, Yin'e and Yin'tang went to Cining Palace to find the Fifth Prince, but unexpectedly they encountered the Third and Fourth Princes outside the West Third Palace. Of course, Yin'e's wet nurse, Granny Wang, dared not hide this matter and reported the whole story to the Consort in detail upon their return.
Thinking of how the Fourth Prince had once helped Yin'e out of a predicament, and how she had revised the gift list to prepare a generous birthday gift for the Fourth Prince, the Consort gently stroked Yin'e's head and suggested with a smile, "Since you have no clue, let's open the storeroom and let Luyi lead you in for a walk. Take your time and choose carefully; you'll surely find a suitable gift."
His eyes lit up, and Yin'e nodded happily: "Okay, let's do it that way."
Since he didn't know what the Fourth Prince liked or lacked, and couldn't choose the right gift, he decided to choose the expensive one. Giving an expensive gift was a way of returning the favor.
At the Fourth Prince's sixth birthday banquet, all the princes who received the invitation gladly accepted the invitation, including the First Prince and the Third Prince, who had already entered the Imperial Study for their studies.
In fact, both the eldest and third princes were happy to have the opportunity to take a half-day off from the banquet.
Emperor Kangxi practiced elite education for his sons. After the princes entered the Imperial Study, they could only rest on their own birthday and their birth mother's birthday, except for major festivals such as the New Year and the Golden Gift Festival. They would then enter the inner palace to pay their respects to their birth mother/adoptive mother.
Normally, it is very difficult for princes to ask for leave unless they are seriously ill and have a medical record from the Imperial Hospital. Otherwise, the tutors in the Imperial Study will not approve their leave.
Taking advantage of the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet, the First Prince and the Third Prince were able to have half a day off and some free time.
If Consort Tong had been more lenient and allowed them to move freely within the palace, the eldest and third princes, who usually had no opportunity to see their birth mothers, could have paid their respects to their respective mothers before the birthday banquet began.
October 30th was the Fourth Prince's birthday, and he had a full day off. The First Prince and the Third Prince did not have leave; it was only through the intervention of Consort Tong, who sent someone to request leave from the tutors in the Imperial Study, that they were granted half a day off.
After entering the Imperial Study, the princes' studies were extremely demanding, with a very tight schedule. From three in the morning to noon were cultural classes, learning etiquette, music, calligraphy, and mathematics; after lunch and a short rest, the afternoon classes began, from two to seven o'clock, which were riding and archery classes, learning archery and horsemanship.
Since they could only take half a day off, the eldest and third princes naturally preferred to skip their morning classes. So the fourth prince's birthday banquet was held in the morning, which also freed up the afternoon for the fourth prince and Consort Tong, mother and son, to catch up.
On the day of the birthday banquet, the first to arrive were the eldest prince and the third prince.
After entering the Imperial Study, their daily routine had become fixed. Even though they had a day off this morning, they still habitually got up early and went to the inner palace to pay their respects to their birth mothers before heading to Chengqian Palace, located in the Eastern Six Palaces.
The Third Prince traveled alone from Zhongcui Palace to Chengqian Palace, while the First Prince, who had just gone to Yanxi Palace to pay his respects to Consort Hui, casually brought along the Eighth Prince, who was raised by Consort Hui.
When they arrived at Chengqian Palace, it was not yet 10:00 AM. Before long, the Fifth Prince was brought over by the palace servants from Cining Palace.
Yin'e and Yin'tang arrived later than the Fifth Prince, almost at the hour of Si (9-11 AM) when they arrived at Chengqian Palace—even though the journey from the Western Six Palaces was shorter than that from Cining Palace.
After all, Yin'e and Yin'tang had not yet started school, so their schedules were not the same as the traditional three-seven-seven schedule. They were also young and needed more sleep, so they went to bed early and got up late, which naturally made them arrive a little later. However, Yin'e and Yin'tang were not late; they both arrived early, half an hour before the birthday banquet officially began when they arrived at Chengqian Palace.
The main guest of this birthday banquet was the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, and only his brothers were invited. The ladies of the palace only sent congratulatory gifts and did not come to Chengqian Palace to offer their congratulations in person, including the birth mothers of the invited princes.
The birthday banquet was held in a side hall of Chengqian Palace, a banquet specially set up for the princes. Yin'e and Yin'tang were carried into Chengqian Palace by their wet nurses. After paying their respects to Consort Tong, palace maids led them to the side hall to congratulate the birthday celebrant, the Fourth Prince, and to join the other princes.
Led by a palace maid, Yin'e led Yin'tang into the side hall.
Inside the hall, near the two corners of the wall by the main entrance, there is a bronze incense burner. As soon as you enter, you feel a wave of warmth mixed with a delicate fragrance, which makes you feel warm all over and you don't feel the chill of early winter at all.
Yin'e raised his head and quickly glanced at the scene inside the room.
A space had been cleared out in the center of the main hall, where a large round table was set up for the upcoming banquet. At present, only a few plates of fruit, snacks, melon seeds, and dried fruit were placed on the table. The rest was nothing special, but the fruit in those plates was fresh and vibrant, which was quite rare in this early winter season.
At the very top of the hall, directly opposite the entrance, against the wall, stood a large long table. Below the table was an eight-immortal table, with a mahogany chair on each side.
On the left sat a handsome young man with striking features and clear eyes. He had no smile on his face and looked very dignified and unapproachable. He was sipping tea from a white porcelain teacup.
Sitting on the chair to the right was the Third Prince, whom Yin'e had met before. He was peeling an orange, and whether it was due to obsessive-compulsive disorder or a particular taste, he was meticulously peeling off the orange pith, one strip at a time, as if he wouldn't eat it until all the pith was removed.
On the left side of the side hall, against the wall, is a very spacious heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed), with a small table on it and people sitting on both sides.
Sitting facing the door was the Fifth Prince, who was leisurely eating snacks, looking quite carefree. Noticing that Yin'e and Yin'tang had entered the hall, the Fifth Prince happily waved to them, inviting them to come and have snacks with him.
On the other side of the small table, facing the Fifth Prince and with their backs to the door, sat two children, one big and one small, close together, looking very intimate, but it was unclear who they were.
Yin'e glanced at it quickly, then took Yin'tang's hand and walked towards the center of the hall. After taking only a few steps, he belatedly realized that someone seemed to be missing from the hall.
The Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince won't be attending the banquet, so if we include the Fourth Prince, the main character, there should be eight people at the birthday banquet. But if we add him and Yinzhen who just arrived, there are only seven people in the room. Who is the missing one?
Or is it that the sixth and eighth princes were sitting opposite the fifth prince, and the fourth prince was not present?
But when Yin'e went to pay his respects to Consort Tong, he didn't see the Fourth Prince either. The palace maid led him and Yin'tang to the side hall to congratulate the birthday celebrant, which proves that the Fourth Prince should be in the side hall.
With these doubts in mind, Yin'e saw the older of the two children sitting on the heated kang with their backs to the door get off the kang and come to greet him. It was none other than the Fourth Prince, the protagonist of today's birthday banquet.
Perhaps because it was his birthday, the Fourth Prince seemed much more relaxed today, with a rare smile on his handsome face. He nodded to Yin'e and Yin'tang, and called out with a smile, "Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, you've arrived."
Upon seeing the Fourth Prince, Yin'e was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered. He clasped his hands together and shook them up and down in a cute manner, bowed to the Fourth Prince, and said in a soft, childish voice, "Happy birthday, Fourth Brother."
Releasing Yin Tang's hand, Yin E reached out and took a brocade box the size of an adult's palm from Wang Mama's hands.
He held the pale purple brocade box in both hands and waddled towards the Fourth Prince like a little penguin: "Fourth Brother, this is for you."
The Imperial Concubine prepared a birthday gift for the Fourth Prince, but it was just a standard gift, a common courtesy in the palace. After the gift was delivered to the prince, it was put directly into the storeroom. Only the gift list was presented to the Fourth Prince for a glance. Both sides knew that the gift might be quite valuable, but neither of them took it to heart.
—Except for the eldest and third princes who had moved to their own residences, all the other princes were treated the same way; their birth mothers/adoptive mothers helped with the wedding gifts. Only those with close relationships would personally select and present the gifts.
Yesterday, Luyi took Yin'e on a tour of the storerooms in Yongshou Palace. Yin'e didn't pick out any of the obviously valuable treasures, but instead took a liking to a lively and cute puppy statue and chose it as a birthday gift for the Fourth Prince.
It is said that after Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he even designed clothes for his pet dog, which shows that he loved dogs very much. The jade carving of the dog chosen by Yin'e was of average material, but its exquisite craftsmanship made it stand out. The carved dog was lifelike and extremely cute, which should please the Fourth Prince—although it was not very valuable, it was still in line with his tastes.
When the Fourth Prince saw the brocade box handed over by Yin'e, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he was clearly stunned for a moment.
It wasn't until Yin'e glanced at the Third Prince and then lowered his head timidly that the Fourth Prince understood the origin of the gift. He pursed his lips and accepted the brocade box, saying, "Thank you, Tenth Brother."
Shaking his head, Yin'e smiled at the Fourth Prince and said, "It's Ninth Brother and I who should thank Fourth Brother." After a pause, Yin'e's smile widened, and he said to the Fourth Prince again, "Happy birthday, Fourth Brother!"
The Fourth Prince hummed in agreement, his smile deepening slightly.
After handing the brocade box to his personal eunuch to take away and put it away, the Fourth Prince, as the protagonist of the birthday banquet and the host of Chengqian Palace, took a responsible attitude and led Yin'e and Yin'tang to greet the other princes in the hall.
Leading Yin'e and Yin'tang to the head table, the Fourth Prince said to the handsome young man sitting on his left, "Eldest brother, these are Ninth and Tenth brothers." He then turned to Yin'e and Yin'tang and said, "This is eldest brother."
The eldest prince, Yinqi, the future Prince Zhi!
Yin'e took a deep breath, pulled the bewildered Yin'tang along, and bowed to the eldest prince, saying, "Greetings, elder brother."
"Hmm." The eldest prince put down his white porcelain teacup, nodded calmly to Yin'e and the other, and that was his greeting.
The eldest prince was not close to them, but his attitude was not bad either. He was just clearly not interested in his younger brother, who was only a little over a year old. He was too lazy to coax the child and did not want to have more contact with his younger brother, who was much older and still ignorant.
Yin'e and Yin'tang had met the Third Prince before, and there had been a slight unpleasantness between them.
But since they were all brothers, and it was better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester, the Fourth Prince still introduced them to each other.
Yin'e frowned and stood in a stalemate with the host, the Fourth Prince, for a long time. After glancing at the First Prince, he held his breath and pulled the unwilling Yin Tang to give the Third Prince a perfunctory bow.
Looking down at the two little ones standing in front of him, the Third Prince looked very displeased. He pinched the orange he had just broken open, almost causing the juice to spill out.
Considering that this was Chengqian Palace, and today was the Fourth Prince's day, with the First Prince watching, the Third Prince pursed his lips but didn't say anything. He just let out a sarcastic snort, which was considered an acceptance of Yin'e and Yin'tang's greetings.
Yin'e chuckled, deciding to find an opportunity to trick the Third Prince. He hadn't avenged the previous grudge yet, and he wasn't a magnanimous, forgiving person; he had to teach the Third Prince a lesson before he could be at peace.
Yinzhen's reaction was much more direct. He glared fiercely at the Third Prince, stuck out his tongue, and made a face at him. If they hadn't been far apart and his legs weren't so short, he might have kicked him.
The Fifth Prince didn't need the Fourth Prince to introduce him. Although the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince were brothers, the Fifth Prince had always been raised in the Cining Palace and hadn't yet entered school, so the two weren't very close. Yin'e, Yin'tang, and the Fifth Prince were closer.
The Fourth Prince pointed to the child who had been sitting next to him and introduced him to the two of them: "This is the Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, your eighth brother."
The Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, the future Eighth Prince, and the core leader of the Eighth Prince Party, the Eighth Wise Prince!
Taking a deep breath, Yin'e felt a mix of emotions as he faced the Eighth Prince. He lowered his head slightly, trying his best to hide his unease as a well-behaved child: "Greetings, Eighth Brother. Hello, Eighth Brother."
The nearly four-year-old Eighth Prince was extremely cute. His skin was fair and his features were delicate and beautiful. In terms of appearance, he was even better than Yinzhen. He was the most handsome prince Yin'e had ever seen, and also the least like Kangxi.
This is not surprising. Consort Wei, Yinzhi's mother, rose from a lowly slave in the Imperial Laundry to become one of the Emperor's concubines based solely on her beauty, which speaks volumes about her striking looks. As her son, it was only natural that Yinzhi inherited her beauty.
The first impression of the Eighth Prince is that he is well-behaved and sensible, and it is impossible to tell that he will be involved in the struggle for the throne and become the powerful Eighth Prince.
"Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, hello." With a friendly and kind smile on his fair and delicate face, the Eighth Prince said to Yin'e and Yin'e, "Come up to the heated kang, it's warm up there."
Hearing the Eighth Prince's considerate and caring words, Yin'e's feelings were somewhat complicated.
If it weren't for the preconceived notion of the Eighth Prince, Yin'e would have felt much more favorably toward such a thoughtful, considerate, well-behaved, and sensible child as the Eighth Prince. Even if they were incompatible and couldn't become close friends, he would still have been willing to befriend him.
But for now... let's wait and see.
The biggest difference between the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince is that, in the history before his time travel, the Eighth Prince wanted to be emperor, while the Ninth Prince merely followed him. It's difficult to get someone who wants to seize the throne to give it up, but getting someone who only supports another's attempt to seize it to give it up seems not so difficult.
After exchanging greetings, Yin'e knew who was missing in the palace: the Sixth Prince, the second son of Consort De, and the Fourth Prince's younger brother by the same mother, Yinzuo.
Yin'e found it strange that the Sixth Prince lived with Consort De in Yonghe Palace, which was right next to Chengqian Palace. Unlike Yikun Palace and Yongshou Palace, which were adjacent to each other from north to south and top to bottom, Chengqian Palace and Yonghe Palace were adjacent from east to west, with their main gates facing the same direction, and the two palaces were very close to each other.
The Sixth Prince lives the closest, but he arrives the latest and hasn't come yet.
This made Yin'e a little uneasy. Was the Sixth Prince trying to avoid suspicion? Because the Fourth Prince's birth mother was Consort De, who had once served as a maid to Consort Tong. The relationship between Consort De and the Fourth Prince was already awkward, and outsiders did not know whether the Fourth Prince knew that his birth mother was Consort De.
Regardless of the reason, even if he was trying to avoid suspicion, the Sixth Prince was still being impolite. The eldest prince had already arrived, and the Sixth Prince was acting like the crown prince, leaving all the other princes and nobles waiting in vain.
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Author's Note: Please add this draft to your favorites.
The Scroll-like Life of the Seventh Prince in the Qing Dynasty
In the fifth year after transmigrating into the body of the seventh prince of the Kangxi Emperor, on a carriage leaving the palace, Yin You was struck by an emperor-raising system that seemed to fall from the sky.
Yinyou was born with a disability and was considered a taboo in the palace, so he was not allowed to participate in sacrificial rites. At that time, he had just been selected by Emperor Kangxi and adopted by Prince Chun as his heir.
Emperor Development System 007: Ding! The cheat system is now online. Host, let me assist you in achieving great things and ascending the throne!
Yinyou: ...You've got the wrong person. I'm disabled and can't possibly inherit the throne.
007: ?
Yinyou: And I'm about to be adopted out.
007: ? ? ?
The story is set in an alternate Qing Dynasty. The male protagonist, Prince Juan, neither adopts nor vies for the throne.
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