When Emperor Kangxi heard that Yinzhen had a healthy son, he was overjoyed. He still remembered the expression on Yinzhen's face when he knelt before him, suppressing his grief, begging for mercy for the child who had died shortly after birth.
At that time, he thought that no matter what request he made, he would fulfill his wish, since it seemed that the fourth brother was going to follow him.
Fortunately, it was just a small matter of naming the child. While Emperor Kangxi felt sorry for Yinzhen, he was also pleased with his child's thoughtfulness.
Now that the Fourth Prince's mansion has been filled with new members, he suddenly remembered the little boy Honghui.
I roughly calculated that the child will be five years old soon. I don't know how his studies are going, but I'll get started whenever I feel like it.
Honghui was escorted to the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Seeing that Liang Jiugong did not intend to invite him in, Yinzhen looked down at Honghui and said, "Be careful when you talk to your imperial grandfather. If your imperial grandfather is tired, I will trouble Eunuch Liang to take you to Yonghe Palace and wait for your father to pick you up. Do not run around in the palace, understand?"
"Yes." Honghui nodded in agreement, and Yinzhen went off to do his duty without further ado.
Honghui, his face tense, looked remarkably similar to Yinzhen's when he was silent. He stepped over the stairs, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Honghui greets His Majesty."
Emperor Kangxi looked his grandson up and down, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. He had lost a lot of weight since the last time they met, and his baby fat had gradually faded from his face. He looked like someone from the Aisin Gioro family.
"Honghui, do you know why Grandfather summoned you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation?" Kangxi gestured for Honghui to rise and sit beside him.
There were already stools for children, thick blankets, and even steaming hot snacks and milk tea prepared on the side.
Honghui sat next to Kangxi, tilting his little face up and answering seriously, "Honghui knows."
Kangxi patted Honghui's straight back from behind, thinking that the child looked good but was still nervous. He then asked Liang Jiugong to bring a small backrest so that Honghui could sit comfortably.
Seeing this, Liang Jiugong became even more respectful to Honghui. The number of third-generation imperial princes who could enter the Hall of Mental Cultivation could be counted on one hand, and this young master was the first to receive such careful attention from the emperor.
"Honghui is now an elder brother, and he should be a role model for his younger brothers," Kangxi said. "Have you studied the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic?"
“Reporting to Grandfather, Honghui can recite it all, and will recite it for you.” Honghui began, his childish voice clear and crisp, so that the palace servants waiting outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation could hear it clearly.
Looking at this scene, Liang Jiugong felt somewhat dazed, as if he had returned to more than twenty years ago, when there was a child of similar age sitting in this very seat, and the Emperor's eyes were filled with the same loving kindness.
Seeing that the little guy wasn't intimidated and would pause when he felt thirsty, Kangxi naturally took the cup to moisten his throat before continuing to recite.
He interrupted Honghui and increased the difficulty by randomly selecting a sentence from the article. Honghui was able to answer fluently and thought for very little time, clearly having memorized it thoroughly.
"This cleverness is something I inherited from him," Kangxi thought with satisfaction.
"Besides these, what else do you practice writing in your spare time?"
Upon hearing this, Honghui blinked and said, "These were taught by my father and my mother. My mother taught me foreign languages and arithmetic. I like them very much. My mother said she even commissioned a Western musical instrument as a fifth birthday present for me."
When talking about these things, Honghui's eyes lit up, clearly showing that he genuinely liked them.
Kangxi was surprised. He took out a book from a drawer in his desk and pointed to an arithmetic problem on the first page. Honghui counted on his chubby fingers and gave the correct answer in no time.
"Does Honghui like Western learning?"
Honghui shook his head and then nodded: "Mother said that knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. I need to be more knowledgeable about Western things than they are themselves, so that I won't be bullied in the future."
Emperor Kangxi was extremely pleased with his daughter-in-law for having such insight, despite being a woman raised in seclusion.
Originally, Emperor Kangxi planned to find a tutor for Honghui, but now that he himself is also very fond of Western learning, it's not a big deal for him to teach his grandson in his spare time.
Thinking this, Kangxi pushed the pastries towards him: "We've been talking for so long, you must be hungry. I remember you like sweets, try some."
"Thank you, Grandfather."
Kangxi put down the book, and the two chatted like old friends despite their age difference.
"Does your father know what your mother taught you?"
“At first I didn’t know, Mother secretly taught me, saying Father was an old-fashioned person.” Honghui continued disapprovingly, “But Mother was wrong. After Father found out, he said that as long as you don’t fall behind in your studies, it’s good to learn more knowledge.”
"Besides teaching you your homework, what else did your father teach you?"
"Hmm... Father will take Honghui out of the manor to learn about the lives of ordinary people. Although Honghui doesn't know what ordinary people are, he knows that his life is very comfortable and he cherishes it."
Kangxi nodded. The fourth prince truly cherished and nurtured his eldest son.
"Good!" Kangxi asked Honghui earnestly, "Honghui, would you be willing to come to the palace every day to accompany your grandfather?"
"Honghui is willing!" Honghui was still a little hesitant; he preferred to stay home with his mother every day. However, his father had instructed him beforehand that he must perform well in front of his grandfather this time.
Since the Emperor is willing to let Honghui enter the palace every day, he must be behaving very well.
Honghui wasn't quite sure.
Seeing Honghui's bewildered expression, Kangxi invited him to stay for lunch. The grandfather and grandson ate heartily, and Kangxi even ate an extra bowl. Afterward, he instructed Liang Jiugong to take the somewhat drowsy Honghui to Yonghe Palace.
Zhou An, the chief eunuch of Yonghe Palace, had been waiting outside for a long time. When he saw Liang Jiugong carrying the young master out, he reached out to take him, but missed.
Liang Jiugong carefully draped a blanket over Honghui, signaled Zhou An to follow, and actually went to Yonghe Palace himself.
Consort De understood what was going on; she knew that Honghui had caught Kangxi's eye, otherwise why would these shrewd people in the imperial court be so eager to curry favor with him?
When Yinzhen came to pick him up, Honghui had already woken up and was talking with Consort De.
Seeing that the two looked calm, Yinzhen felt relieved after a day of worry. After exchanging routine greetings with Consort De, the father and son left Yonghe Palace hand in hand.
As soon as Honghui left, Yonghe Palace became quiet. Consort De stared at the toys that Honghui had tidied up for a long time before suddenly ordering, "Prepare a room for Honghui."
Green Granny was somewhat surprised. The Fourth Prince's wife was fine. Did Consort De intend to force Prince Honghui and his mother to be separated and raised in the palace?
She felt this was inappropriate and asked, "Your Highness, why don't you inform the Fourth Prince and his wife first?"
Consort De smiled and said, "What are you thinking? We'll see. Honghui will be coming to the palace many times in the future. Prepare in advance, he'll need it sooner or later."
"yes."
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