Yinyi: "Mother, you wanted to see me?"
An Ning didn't say anything, but smiled and pushed a box in front of him.
Yin Yi asked, "What is this?"
Then, as he opened the box, he saw a stack of silver coins. Yin Yi's eyes widened in surprise: "Mother?!"
His tone was shocked, and his expression was also shocked.
"Mother, where did this money come from?"
Yin Yi was not an detached person from worldly affairs. An Ning managed a portion of the palace affairs and would use this opportunity to teach Yin Yi some things about palace matters. She even gave him two price lists for items inside and outside the palace.
He had seen banknotes before, but never so many at once. He had never worried about money in all these years, but he knew that this amount of money was not a small sum.
"Mother, you didn't give all your private savings to your son, did you? If so, your son can't accept it."
Yin Yi already had some ideas for making money, but of course he wouldn't do it himself; he would find someone to help him, which wouldn't be difficult.
Seeing him answer his own question, Anning quickly interrupted him: "This is the money your father gave to the An family."
Yin Yi: "Huh? So many?"
Anning explained to you: "The An family's silver is available to all your brothers, though the amounts vary. This is 300,000 taels. As far as your mother knows, apart from Prince Li, you have the largest share. Also, your father's imperial decree to confer upon you the title of Beile will arrive soon, so be prepared."
Yin Yi frowned: "Silver notes are one thing, but to give me the title of Beile directly as a bald prince, my brothers ahead of me will probably have some doubts."
Anning: "Think as much as you want. You're young and don't have many advantages. Your father's favoritism towards you is very important, so you have to make good use of it. Now is not the time for you to be humble and back down."
Yin Yi's eyes were firm: "Mother, I know what's important, but I just didn't expect it. The title of Beile is more beneficial than harmful to me."
Anning gave him some more instructions and then said nothing more.
Anning had originally planned to give Yinyi a share of the An family's silver, but seeing how generous Kangxi was, Anning felt that she could give him her share later. She did give him quite a few good things, all of which were the most practical items.
On the day he left the palace to establish his own residence, Emperor Kangxi's imperial edict was delivered directly to his newly built mansion. In front of many guests and brothers, Yin Yi was granted the title of Beile.
Beile is not unusual, but Yinyi has not yet entered the court to serve, yet he has already been granted a title. There is a bald prince, the Fifteenth Prince, ahead of him. The Fourteenth Prince is favored, but he is also a Beizi.
After this incident, everyone's gaze towards Yin Yi changed.
At the very least, the Fourteenth Prince began to look at Yin Yi with disdain.
The Fourteenth Prince was born when Consort De held a high position of power. He was her support and comfort, so she doted on him and raised him to be exceptionally proud.
It was one thing for his older brothers to be lenient, but the fact that his younger brother, Yin Yi, who was almost ten years younger than him, had a higher title made him feel very ashamed.
Yin Yi touched his nose, never expecting the imperial edict to arrive in this way.
Seeing the scrutinizing gazes of his brothers and guests, Yin Yi remained calm, expressed his gratitude, and then continued to entertain the guests as usual.
The Fourteenth Prince was the first to lose his composure: "Sixteenth Brother, you're quite capable! Tell me quickly, what great thing did you do that made Father Emperor bestow upon you the title of Beile as soon as you left the palace?"
The tone was sarcastic and unpleasant, which Yin Yi disliked. He wasn't afraid of the Fourteenth Prince, but he felt that although his brother was capable, his untimely arrogance was enough to destroy him.
Yin Yi smiled and replied, "Fourteenth Brother, you're just asking a question you already know the answer to. Father Emperor is merely giving you a routine reward. When you brothers got married and started your own households, Father Emperor bestowed favors upon you in various ways. If Fourteenth Brother has any questions, you can ask Father Emperor yourself."
I know you're not convinced, but you've picked a fight with the wrong person. If you're so capable, go find Emperor Kangxi!
Why not go?
It's not that they don't dare.
The Fourteenth Prince was a typical bully at home; he appeared reckless but was actually a coward who preyed on the weak.
Yin Yi wanted to let him know that even though he was the younger brother, he couldn't just let him act recklessly.
The Fourteenth Prince snorted coldly. Thinking of Yin Yi's maternal clan, he didn't say anything more. In fact, he regretted saying those words. An Ning and Yin Yi were used to being low-key, which made the Fourteenth Prince forget the importance of the maternal clan.
The Fourth Prince felt exhausted. As the Fourteenth Prince's elder brother, he couldn't let the Fourteenth Prince lose face.
Fourth Prince: "Fourteenth Prince drank too much. I had someone take Fourteenth Prince back to sober up."
Yin Yi had no objection to the Fourth Prince and was happy to take the opportunity to back down: "The wine I prepared was indeed a bit too strong. It's good to sober up. Thank you for your trouble, Fourth Brother."
The Fourteenth Prince has indeed left.
The banquet ended just like that.
After returning, the Fourteenth Prince went to the Eighth Prince's place, and the Ninth and Tenth Princes were also present.
The Fourteenth Prince looked indignant: "Why? Why was the Sixteenth Prince made a Beile?!"
Not only was he indignant, but the Eighth Prince was also indignant.
The Tenth Prince had nothing to say. In fact, his situation was similar to that of Yin Yi. Both of them were from powerful maternal clans, prominent Manchu families with deep roots. Even if they didn't have any merit, they were bound to become princes in the future.
Although the Ninth Prince was a Beizi, he was easygoing and knew that his current title was due to his business dealings. He could become close brothers with the Tenth Prince, so naturally he didn't think there was anything wrong with Yin Yi's title.
The Eighth Prince was understandably upset that after all his hard work, he was now just a Beile, starting out the same way as Yin Yi.
However, we should still offer advice if necessary.
Eighth Prince: "Fourteenth Brother, Consort Shu's family is the Ulanara clan. Although Lord Feiyanggu has retired, the Ulanara family members are promising and now have considerable influence in the army. Father Emperor is also wary of the Manchu nobles. Father Emperor's actions are not inappropriate."
That's the logic, but I'm still indignant.
The reason why the Tenth Prince and his family could accept this was because Niohuru had passed away, and the Niohuru family had produced an empress. In addition, the Tenth Prince accepted the Mongolian consort appointed by Kangxi, which eliminated the possibility of him succeeding to the throne.
Previously, with the Crown Prince, Kangxi's most favored eldest son, the Tenth Prince's title of Prince of the Second Rank was more like compensation, so they could disregard it.
Now that the crown prince has been deposed, Yin Yi has become the most prominent figure.
They felt the injustice once again, the injustice brought about by their birth.
The Eighth Prince's mother was a palace maid in the Xin Zhe Ku (a type of official residence).
The Fourteenth Prince's mother was also a palace maid, though her background was better than that of a Xin Zhe Ku (a lower-ranking official in the Imperial Household Department). Her family, the Uya clan, had some influence among the bondservants.
However, such a family background is nothing compared to prominent clans like the Niohuru and Ulanara clans.
Fourteenth Prince: "Eighth Brother, I just feel resentful. We brothers are sixteen years older than each other. I have been doing my job diligently all these years, but in the end, I am not as good as Sixteenth Brother!"
Eighth Prince: "One's birth does not determine one's final success or failure. Fourteenth Brother, do not be discouraged. Let us work hard together and encourage each other."
Then the Eighth Prince fed the Fourteenth Prince a big pot of chicken soup, and the Fourteenth Prince was fully recovered.
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