Chapter 52: Examining Old Ten's Salted Fish Roll King
Compared to Yinqi, the son of Consort Yi, who was raised under the Empress Dowager's care, and Yinzuo, the son of Consort De, the Eighth Prince Yinsi was the true son of a concubine.
Moreover, his birth mother, Lady Wei, came from the Xin Zhe Ku (a place for slaves in the imperial household). Regardless of her family background, her rise from a slave in the Xin Zhe Ku to become a concubine of the monarch was bound to attract criticism.
Emperor Kangxi never really valued the Eighth Prince. The reason the Eighth Prince was raised under Consort Hui's care was simply because Consort Wei lived in the rear hall of Yanxi Palace; there was no other reason.
In the Qing court, the status of a son depended on his mother. The order of importance was based on the legitimate son, the noble status, the seniority, and the virtue. The Eighth Prince, who was also good at studying, was the son that Kangxi valued the least. Well, not really, the one that Kangxi disliked the least was probably the Seventh Prince.
The Seventh Prince is not only the son of a concubine, but also born with a disability. He has never appeared in any public occasions in the royal family. He has never attended the Golden Festival banquet, the New Year banquet, or the year-end sacrificial ceremony. He is even unable to attend today's family banquet.
However, to say that Kangxi had no fatherly affection for the Seventh Prince and did not regard him as his own son is not entirely accurate. At least, Yinyou, who was born during the most critical and dangerous period of the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories and whose disability was rumored to be an ominous sign, did not die. He was simply imprisoned in the palace and raised there.
After asking the Eighth Prince a few questions, it was the Ninth Prince, Yin Tang's, turn.
Looking down at Yinzhen, who was still holding half a walnut cake in his hand, hesitating whether to put the palm-sized piece into his mouth, Kangxi felt a slight headache coming on.
Because Consort Yi was favored, Emperor Kangxi had met Yinzhen once or twice before his southern tour.
And it was only on those one or two occasions that Yinzhen left a very deep impression on Kangxi. The reason was simple: Yinzhen loved to cry, and he was very good at crying. Every time he cried, his voice was loud and piercing, which was simply torture.
On the chairs on either side of the main hall, Consort Yi, sitting below Consort Hui, wrung her handkerchief tightly, feeling extremely embarrassed and wishing she could disappear into a hole.
Her eldest son only knew Mongolian, and was not even as good as the sixth and eighth princes who were younger than him; her second son, Yinzhen, was a simpleton. During Kangxi's southern tour, he probably had long forgotten who his father was.
Clutching the half-eaten pastry, Yinzhen followed the example of his older brothers and bowed to Emperor Kangxi, calling him "Father," and then said nothing more.
He looked up blankly at the unfamiliar Kangxi, then lowered his head again, showing no intention of striking up a conversation. He even felt that singled them out was a waste of his time eating pastries.
Looking at Yinzhen's blank expression, one can't help but wonder if he doesn't remember Emperor Kangxi at all, or even who his father is to him. Perhaps his father, whom he might only see once in a long while, is less important to Yinzhen than the walnut cake in his hand?
Kangxi tried his best to remain amicable and spoke a few words to Yinzhen, not daring to say anything too harsh, for fear of upsetting the young and unruly Yinzhen to the point of bursting into tears in this setting, which would be another jarring experience.
Yinzhen was quite respectful from beginning to end. Although he didn't respond much, he at least didn't ignore Kangxi and embarrass him in public.
Finally, it was the turn of Yin'e, Kangxi's current youngest son.
Yin'e raised his head and stared intently at Kangxi with his round almond eyes, but unlike his brothers, he did not greet Kangxi. He just stared at him, making people wonder if he, like the Ninth Prince Yin Tang, had completely forgotten Kangxi.
As Yin'e's pauses grew longer, the concubines in the hall began to look at him with growing curiosity, all glancing towards the Noble Consort.
Even if the Tenth Prince didn't remember Emperor Kangxi, it wouldn't be difficult for him to follow the example of the previous princes and pay his respects. Why did the Tenth Prince just stand there motionless? Could he have been scared out of his wits?
Some people looked at the Imperial Concubine with schadenfreude, while others looked with worry and relief.
The Imperial Concubine remained seated calmly, showing no sign of distress. Her expression was serene, and a slight smile even graced her gentle and beautiful face. She did not find Yin'e's behavior worrying or disgraceful to her as his mother.
After a long while, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yin'e finally made his move.
But instead of bowing to Kangxi, he stepped forward, stretched out his little hand, looked up at Kangxi with pleading eyes, and said in a clear voice, "Yes."
What do you want?
The people in the hall were not immediately clear about what Yin'e meant, or what he was asking Kangxi for.
The Imperial Concubine was probably the person in the palace who understood Yin'e the most. At this moment, she couldn't help but turn her head to the side, feeling both amused and helpless.
If the Emperor were to encounter Yin'e, he would likely suffer another financial loss.
Kangxi noticed that Yin'e was staring at him intently, so he searched his body for where Yin'e's gaze was fixed, trying to figure out what Yin'e was looking at.
After searching for a while, Kangxi finally found the object that Yin'e was staring at intently at his waist. It was a jade ruyi, about the size of a baby's palm, an ornament worn as a waist decoration.
This jade ruyi is carved from the finest Hetian jade. It is pure white throughout, with a warm and clear texture. Its whiteness resembles the clouds in the high sky, and its clarity is like the ice on a snow mountain. It is a first-class treasure, priceless, and was just presented as tribute last year.
The carving on this jade ruyi is not particularly outstanding, or rather, no effort was put into the carving at all. Because the jade material of the ruyi is of high quality enough, it is already a rare treasure without the need for carving to enhance its beauty.
Seeing Yin'e reach out to him for something, and with his gaze clearly fixed on Yin'e's waist, Kangxi couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, thinking, "Just as I expected." He smiled, took off the jade ruyi from his waist, and readily handed it to Yin'e: "Here you go."
As it turned out, Kangxi was right. When he took off the jade ruyi and handed it to Yin'e, his eyes lit up almost immediately.
Yin'e tilted his little head back and smiled brightly at Kangxi. His bright, clear almond-shaped eyes were wide open, and he looked at Kangxi with great emotion, as if Kangxi was the most important and favorite person in his heart at this moment... Yes, that's right, at this moment.
"Thank you, Father!" After getting what he wanted, Yin'e thanked him very sweetly, his little voice crisp and clear, as if it were covered with sweet frosting.
If one could obtain good things simply by saying a few nice words, then Yin'e could have been so sweet-talking that he would have kept spouting auspicious phrases until he could have emptied Kangxi's treasury... Unfortunately, Kangxi would not have given him such an opportunity.
Holding the jade ruyi in both hands, Yin'e smiled so broadly that his eyes disappeared from his grin.
He deftly slipped the jade ruyi into the purse that the imperial concubine had given him, now that he had received a reward, he remembered to bow to Emperor Kangxi.
He clasped his hands together and shook them up and down in a cute and endearing manner at Kangxi. Because he was dressed in thick clothes, Yin'e's greeting was not quite standard, but his smile was bright and cheerful, innocent and pure: "Greetings, Father."
Even though Kangxi knew about Yin'e's little hobbies and guessed that Yin'e actually remembered him but just refused to greet him, he couldn't help but pretend to be annoyed and lightly snorted, tapping Yin'e's forehead with his index finger: "You little rascal, you only remember your father after you've received a reward, is that it?"
"Hehe, Father is the best." Yin'e's smile became even brighter, but he pretended to be stupid and didn't understand Kangxi's words. He smiled and flattered, "Yin'e likes Father the most."
Raising an eyebrow, Kangxi looked at Yin'e with interest, propped his chin on his hand in the chair, and asked with a smile, "Oh, you like me the most?"
Kangxi chuckled, but his tone was skeptical. He not only didn't take it seriously, but also seemed determined to get to the bottom of it: "Then tell me, Yin'e, when do you like me the most?"
Yin'e blurted out his true feelings: "When my father gave me a gift."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yin'e seemed to realize that he had accidentally revealed his true feelings. His bright almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise, his dark and clear eyes filled with astonishment, like a frightened cat.
Raising her small hand to cover her mouth, Yin'e glanced shyly and embarrassedly at Kangxi.
Seeing that he only raised an eyebrow slightly and showed no sign of anger, Yin'e blinked and tried his best to act cute towards Kangxi, hoping to get away with it: "Father is the best, Yin'e likes Father~"
Kangxi put on a stern face and waved his hand dismissively, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes: "Don't try to sweet-talk me, or you'll end up stealing a lot from me."
Under the varied gazes of the people in the hall, the Empress Dowager glanced at the childlike face of the Tenth Prince and the serenely smiling Consort, and couldn't help but sigh almost imperceptibly:
The emperor had no good father when he was young, but after he grew up and became a father himself, he was determined to be a good father. He was extremely strict with his sons' studies, hoping that they would become outstanding individuals and pillars of society.
If it were any other prince as dissolute and spoiled as the Tenth Prince, the Emperor certainly wouldn't have tolerated it so much and would have reprimanded him. If the prince were older and already studying in the Imperial Study, he would probably have been punished by copying books.
Ultimately, the Emperor valued the Crown Prince more and wanted to eliminate any potential threats to him. In terms of lineage and nobility, the Tenth Prince posed a greater threat to the Crown Prince than the First Prince. Fortunately, the Consort was prudent and astute; she not only understood the Emperor's intentions but also accepted them without complaint.
The young princes have all been looked at and asked questions. Next up are the three princes who have already enrolled in school: the eldest prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince.
As the young princes left, Yin'e followed Yin'tang into the inner room, and couldn't help but look at the three of them with pity: Kangxi was going to raise their children on the spot, and as the children being raised, they were truly a pitiful bunch.
Fortunately, they drew Kangxi's attention; otherwise, he might have interfered with the young prince's education. Sacrificing three of them to save five was a worthwhile deal, and it was feasible, though it would have been tough on the eldest, third, and fourth princes.
Especially the Fourth Prince, who grew up in the palace and was not only encouraged by Emperor Kangxi from a young age, but also entered the Imperial Study to study at an early age. He was really hardworking and capable!
The thought that he and Yinzhen would be classmates with these academically gifted students when they grew up, and that they would be made to look lazy and stupid by these academically gifted students, made Yin'e feel sorry for them. He felt that he was the one who should be pitied more.
Without top students to compare them to, even the worst student's attempts to excel go unnoticed. But if all classmates are top students, and there's only one slacker who's just showing off, then the slacker becomes as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark, with nowhere to hide. They'll be singled out and used as a prime example to be compared to the worst student.
Back in the inner room, Yin'e was about to continue eating snacks and drinking milk tea with Yin'tang when he noticed that the Eighth Prince looked at his three older brothers outside with envy in his eyes, as if he hoped that he could also be one of them, be tested by Kangxi on his knowledge, and receive Kangxi's praise and attention after answering perfectly.
Yin E was slightly embarrassed: Oh no, there's another King of Scrolls here.
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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 2023-03-08 17:54:16 and 2023-03-09 06:45:03!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Lu Yi (5 bottles); Li Shang (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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