Chapter 27: The Tenth Old Man of Mongolian Language, a Slacker and a Trap
With the Third Prince no longer blocking their way, Yin'e and Yin'tang continued their journey toward Cining Palace.
Halfway there, Yinzhen frowned, his phoenix eyes filled with worry, and whispered to Yin'e, "Fifth Brother isn't this annoying too, is he?"
Yin'e was taken aback. He really didn't expect Yin'tang to make that connection, even though the Third Prince didn't really seem like the behavior of an older brother.
But in order to prevent Yinzhen from developing a dislike for the Fifth Prince before even meeting him, Yin'e patted his chest and assured Yinzhen, who was still shaken by his defeat of the Third Prince, "Of course not, Fifth Brother is very good."
His brows furrowed even more, and Yinzhen's delicate and beautiful eyes drooped. With a sullen, cat-like face, he grumbled unhappily, "How good is he? Is he better than me?"
Yin'e: ...There's no need to be jealous. You and the Fifth Prince are brothers from the same mother.
Despite his inner grumbling, Yin'e, who had been tormented by Yin Tang for several days, still skillfully reassured him, "Of course you're not as good as me, you're the best Ninth Brother."
Yes, Emperor Kangxi only had one ninth prince, and Yinzhen was undoubtedly the best and only ninth brother. Yin'e wasn't lying; there was nothing wrong with what he said.
The corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up, and her little head was held high.
Yin Tang's slumped face broke into a bright smile again, but he still pretended to be reserved and gave a soft hum, acting as if he was being coaxed, but his little hand tightly gripped Yin E's hand.
Upon arriving at Cining Palace, Yin'e and Yin'tang first went to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Coincidentally, the Fifth Prince was also in Cining Palace, and he was temporarily being looked after by the Empress Dowager for the next few days.
These past few days, with the changing seasons, the Ninth Princess, who is raised by the Empress Dowager, caught a bit of a cold and started coughing. The Empress Dowager is currently busy taking good care of her.
The Empress Dowager was afraid that the Ninth Princess had caught a cold and might pass it on to the Fifth Prince, so she had not allowed the Fifth Prince to pay his respects to her for the past two days and had temporarily entrusted him to the Grand Empress Dowager.
After removing their bell-shaped cloaks, Yin'e and Yin'tang paid their respects to the Empress Dowager.
As winter approached, they were all dressed warmly. With some difficulty, Yin'e and his companion raised their arms and clasped their hands together, then awkwardly and endearingly shook them up and down at the Empress Dowager, like two little lucky cats.
He tilted his little face up and smiled brightly at the Empress Dowager. Yin'e recalled what the Consort had taught him, tried to clear his tongue, and sweetly called out in his broken Mongolian, "Ukuma Mama."
Yin'e didn't know many Mongolian words. He had only started learning a few days ago, and Yin'tang was still clinging to him and causing trouble, coming to Yongshou Palace to play with him every day, leaving him with very little time to study.
Over the course of a few days, besides learning the three titles "Ukuma Mama," "Huangma Mama," and "Fifth Brother," Yin'e only managed to memorize a dozen or so commonly used words, such as "good," "thank you," "like," and "play."
However, with the help of gestures and movements, Yin'e was able to communicate with the Fifth Prince, whose vocabulary was also limited.
Hearing Yin'e speak Mongolian, the Empress Dowager was pleasantly surprised: "Little Ten is so clever." She beckoned Yin'e and Yin'tang over, her old and thin face beaming with a kind smile and gentle expression. "My dear grandsons, come to Grandma Wukuma and let Grandma take a good look at you."
After being embraced and rubbed by the Empress Dowager, Yin'e and Yin'tang waited for a long time before the Fifth Prince, who had been brought over by Sumalagu, finally arrived.
When the three brothers reunited, not only did Yin'e and Yin'tang look relieved to have escaped the torment of their elders, but even the Fifth Prince looked overjoyed, his gaze towards Yin'e and Yin'tang filled with surprise and gratitude, as if he were looking at his benefactors who had saved him from dire straits.
The Fifth Prince is already five years old. Unlike the Empress Dowager, the Grand Empress Dowager does not spoil and raise children freely. These days, she has Su Ma La Gu giving the Fifth Prince his early education.
Even if he doesn't speak Mandarin, the Fifth Prince must at least learn Manchu. Otherwise, once he leaves the Cining Palace, he will be completely illiterate and unable to understand what others are saying.
The Fifth Prince still remembered Yin'e, and waved to him with a smile. He then looked curiously at Yin'tang, who was standing next to Yin'e, but his expression was one of surprise and unfamiliarity, which made Yin'e feel a little sad.
The Empress Dowager was kind and did not forbid Consort Yi from visiting the Fifth Prince. However, Yinzhen was too young and had never been to Cining Palace, so these two brothers from the same mother had never met and were unaware of their closer blood relationship than that of their other brothers.
Yin'e called out to the Fifth Prince in Mongolian, "Fifth Brother".
The Fifth Prince's eyes lit up, clearly showing his surprise: "Tenth Brother, you can speak Mongolian!"
Yin'e didn't actually understand, but that didn't stop him from nodding with a smile, pushing Yin Tang forward, making a nine-pointed hand gesture, and calling out "Brother Yin Tang" in Mongolian, thus introducing Yin Tang to the Fifth Prince.
Pushed forward by Yin'e, Yin Tang looked up at the Fifth Prince, pouted and nodded at him, saying in Manchu, "Hello, Fifth Brother, I am Yin Tang."
The Fifth Prince couldn't understand Yin Tang's words, but he knew from Yin E's introduction that he was the Ninth Brother. After a moment of stunned silence, he smiled sheepishly and replied in Mongolian, "Hello, Ninth Brother."
Yin'e realized he had made a mistake. The Fifth Prince and Yin Tang couldn't communicate, making it difficult for them to even talk, let alone play together and develop a deep bond.
His plan to shift the blame onto the Fifth Prince by giving him the clingy Yin Tang seems unlikely to succeed. Leaving aside whether Yin Tang and the Fifth Prince are compatible or can get along, the first problem to solve is the language barrier!
However, Yin'e quickly came up with an idea. He rolled his eyes, leaned into the Empress Dowager's arms, and said in a childish voice, "Grandma Ukuma, teach me and Ninth Brother Mongolian, so we can understand Fifth Brother and play with him."
The Empress Dowager stroked Yin'e's head with delight, nodding with undisguised satisfaction. She then smiled and said to Su Ma La Gu, "It's just the right time for Yin Qi to begin his education. You should put in extra effort and teach Xiao Jiu and Xiao Shi together as well. It doesn't matter what you teach Xiao Jiu and Xiao Shi; just let them listen in."
Sumalagu was Kangxi's first teacher of Mongolian and Manchu languages, and was fully capable of teaching the Fifth Prince. Even with the addition of Yin'e and Yin'tang, she would have been more than capable.
It was just a pity for the Fifth Prince. He thought he had escaped a disaster and would no longer have to study, but unexpectedly, Yin'e pulled him back into the pit.
On the other hand, Yinzhen was discovered by Yin'e to have a great talent for languages. He not only did not reject learning Mongolian, but was even quite interested in it, unlike the Fifth Prince who was a poor student.
However, despite not being a poor student, after leaving Cining Palace, Yinzhen sullenly pulled Yin'e aside and whispered, "I don't want to play with Fifth Brother anymore. Let's not come to see him anymore, okay?"
A note from the author:
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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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