Chapter 27 Father and Son Reminisce Changchun Garden is located in the western suburbs of the capital, and is a…
Changchun Garden is located in the western suburbs of Beijing and is a genuine imperial garden. In the past, the emperor would only come here to escape the summer heat. However, in recent years, the emperor has gradually stopped living in the Forbidden City and spends half of the year staying at Changchun Garden. As a result, Changchun Garden has become a mini-imperial palace in the hearts of officials.
The main garden of Changchun Garden is on the east side, where the emperor resides. To the south are several palaces where court assemblies are held and officials are summoned. To the north are vast lakes and villas scattered among the greenery. To the west of Changchun Garden is a West Garden, which is at most half the size of the East Garden. In previous years, it was generally used as the residence of the crown prince, and Yinreng still lives there.
Logically, since Yinreng had lost his position as crown prince, he should not be entitled to live in the West Garden, but he was still arranged to live there after being summoned.
It was nighttime, and Yinreng, dressed in his robes, sat in the courtyard gazing at the bright moon in the dark sky. Returning to the West Garden, he felt he was still favored by the Emperor, but amidst his joy, a touch of melancholy lingered. He had personally gone to express his gratitude on the very day he was summoned, but the Emperor had not granted him an audience. He could only submit a memorial of thanks and await the Emperor's summons.
But for several days in a row, the emperor did not summon him, as if he had forgotten about him, leaving him alone in this illegitimate place, which puzzled him greatly.
Father Emperor, what are you thinking?
Two days later, someone finally arrived at Changchun Garden. Yinreng unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and quickly boarded the sedan chair to the Emperor's residence. However, he stopped before entering, his heart pounding with anxiety. He hadn't seen the Emperor for over half a year; what should he say once inside? His mind was a complete blank.
He hesitated outside for a long time before finally stepping inside, his mind unsettled, and kneeling down to pay his respects. When Qi Liao looked up and saw Kangxi's half-white braid and wrinkled face, nothing remained in his mind. He took two steps forward and knelt down again beside Kangxi's legs, bursting into tears with a heart full of grievances.
To be honest, he didn't know why he was crying. Was he crying for the bond between father and son, or for the sorrow of losing power? But whatever it was, all of this was given to him by the emperor before him, and now it had all turned into tears streaming down his face. Between sobs, he said, "Father, your son... your son... your heart is like that of a demon... your son... deserves to die a thousand deaths..." He couldn't say any more, and he was sobbing uncontrollably.
Emperor Kangxi had not seen his son for more than half a year. When Yinreng cried like this, he couldn't help but shed tears. He patted Yinreng's shoulder affectionately and called him by his childhood name, saying, "My Baocheng, how come you've become so thin?" He raised his hand, and Liang Jiugong, who was next to him, quickly called a young eunuch to help Yinreng up.
Yinreng took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face, sobbing as he said, "I've suffered through the summer heat, Father Emperor, please forgive my embarrassment."
Emperor Kangxi sighed and immediately ordered the meal to be served. He then personally served food to Yinreng at the table, saying, "It's easy to lose your appetite in the summer, but you can't neglect your health."
"Yes, son thanks Father for his concern." Yinreng picked up the cold smoked pork belly from the plate and started eating, but he couldn't help coughing because he ate so quickly.
Seeing him eat like a child, Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but smile and remind him, "Eat slowly, no rush."
"Yes." Yinreng slowly slowed his movements, but the pig's stomach tasted like wax in his mouth. However, after finishing, he asked with concern, "How has your appetite been lately, Father? Are you enjoying your meals? I remember that Father likes Eight Treasure Tofu Soup."
"It's kind of you to remember." This back-and-forth conversation made Kangxi's face relax a lot. However, there was no Eight Treasure Tofu Soup on the table today, so he ordered in a deep voice, "Tell the chef to make one."
Liang Jiugong, who was standing nearby, quickly replied, "Yes, sir."
After lunch, Yinreng took his leave. Liang Jiugong directed the eunuchs to clear the food table, only taking a few spoonfuls of the eight-treasure tofu soup. He had just come to his senses when he saw His Majesty sitting in his chair, eyes half-closed. Kangxi slowly took a sip of tea to rinse his mouth, then asked, "Is the Crown Prince doing well at Xian'an Palace?"
Liang Jiugong lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Zhao Chang said that everything is fine at Xian'an Palace lately, and there are no shady people coming and going. These past few days, the Second Master has been staying in the West Garden and has been keeping his doors closed to guests."
Emperor Kangxi nodded, then went to the side to look at the memorials. He picked one up, glanced at it, then picked up another, flipping through seven or eight in a row before finally tossing the memorial aside. At the top of one memorial, faintly written, were the words: "For the sake of a stable foundation of the nation... please establish a crown prince..."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Recently, half of the court officials have been submitting memorials requesting the establishment of a crown prince. He wanted to see what his ministers were thinking, so he asked them to discuss the matter. As a result, only one-fifth of the civil and military officials favored Yinreng, while the majority of the rest actually supported Prince Zhi.
Ha, what utter nonsense!
After the heart-wrenching cry that broke the ice, Yinreng has become quite busy in the past few days, a stark contrast to his previous dejected state. Kangxi seems to have treated him the same way he did when Yinreng was the crown prince, frequently summoning him to Changchun Garden for an audience, dining with him, taking him to pavilions to enjoy the scenery, and even having him read memorials.
Then Yinreng learned about the ministers' request to establish a crown prince. He knelt down almost the moment he read it aloud and said in a deep voice, "Your subject has no face to ascend to the position of crown prince again. Your subject leaves the decision to Father Emperor."
Emperor Kangxi smiled and said, "Alright, it's nothing serious. Get up."
Only then did Yinreng dare to stand up. After reading the unimportant greetings, Kangxi wanted to take a nap, so he went out and took a sedan chair back to the West Garden. When the sedan chair curtain was lowered, he felt a surge of heat in his heart, but immediately felt a chill on his back.
The next day, Yinreng was summoned as usual, but he paused for a moment as soon as he stepped into the Danning Residence, because there were several court officials standing inside, the leader of whom was Li Guangdi, the Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and concurrently the Minister of Personnel.
Emperor Kangxi summoned Yinreng and said, "Every summer, rivers and lakes in various places occasionally flood. Your Highness..." He paused and then changed his words, "Second Prince, take a look at this memorial and give your opinion."
Although Li Guangdi and several other ministers remained expressionless and unresponsive, not even glancing at him, Yinreng still felt as if his face had been publicly humiliated. At this moment, he could only force himself to remain calm, taking the memorial with both hands and reading it quickly. After finishing, he composed himself and said, "During the rainy months, the rivers near the capital overflow and easily breach the dikes. I believe we should order the dredging of the waterways and, according to local conditions, divert the river water into the Grand Canal to reduce flooding."
He looked at Li Guang with feigned composure and said, "If I remember correctly, when you were the Governor-General of Zhili, you had many insights into dredging the Zhanghe and Hutuohe rivers. Your Majesty, you might as well listen to what I have to say."
Li Guangdi quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is too kind. I did exactly as the Second Prince suggested."
Yinreng thought of the four princes among those who had submitted memorials supporting his reinstatement as crown prince, and said, "Your subject remembers that when the Yellow River flooded, the four princes also had the merit of inspecting the area."
Kangxi hummed in agreement, pondered for a moment, then assigned several people to dredge the river, and ordered Li Guangdi and the Fourth Prince to oversee the process. After the discussion, everyone else in the hall dispersed. Kangxi looked outside with his hands behind his back, nodding in satisfaction as he thought about Yinreng's performance.
The Crown Prince has become much more composed than before. Only by tempering his temperament can he understand whose son he is and whose subject he is.
Yinreng left Changchun Garden in a daze, and as soon as he returned to the palace in the West Garden, he dismissed everyone. Only now did his body dare to tremble, and he found himself falling into a terrible state of mind again. He could clearly feel his dignity shattering like a mirror, and for a moment he vaguely saw others secretly showing that mocking and sarcastic smile.
Yinreng felt like he couldn't breathe, and for a moment he thought he was dying. After a long, long time, he felt that he was still alive. He grasped at a straw and thought that someone must have been cursing him again. Thinking of the curse, the image of Cheng Qianyue immediately appeared in his mind.
He wanted to see her, immediately!
However, Yinreng quickly realized that he couldn't just summon Cheng Qianyue alone; he also had to give face to his wife. Then he thought about the heat in the palace and decided to bring the eldest princess, Wulinzhu, as well. Having figured this out, he wanted to give the order directly, but immediately hesitated.
He was no longer the crown prince, and he doubted whether he had the authority to directly order people to live in the West Garden.
Thinking of this, Yinreng couldn't help but smile bitterly. He took a long breath before finally saying, "Someone, bring me pen and ink." In front of his subordinates, he put on a stern face and became the master again. He thought he had to write a memorial and submit it to his superiors.
The memorial requesting instructions was completed in no time. Yinreng instructed Chen He to deliver the memorial to Changchun Garden, then stood up and slowly exhaled.
It seemed that just thinking about Cheng Qianyue coming to his side made those wicked thoughts caused by petty scoundrels disappear from his mind. Thinking this way, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
Upon hearing the instructions, Chen He immediately led Jing Shun and a few others to carefully carry the writing brush and ink to Yinreng's side to serve him, watching with trepidation as the Second Prince began writing a memorial at the desk.
Compared to the timid little eunuch next to him, whose face was almost completely obscured by his hat, Chen He looked much more composed. However, this was only on the surface; in reality, he was also quite nervous. Alas, he wasn't as capable as Consort Cheng in calming a prince in a fit of rage. Fortunately, the prince was still quite sober today and hadn't lost his temper under the Emperor's nose. Thinking this, he didn't relax until he left the West Garden with the memorial in his hand.
The memorial was submitted, and approval was granted the next day. Yinreng readily agreed and sent someone to the palace to fetch the person.
Chen He was overjoyed to hear this. After coming out, he pretended to kick his apprentice Jing Shun, and handed the task over to him. Then he said with a smile, "You little rascal, hurry up and make a trip to the Forbidden City. Be careful and bring the Princess Consort, the First Princess, and Princess Cheng back safely."
He paused, then lowered his voice to remind Jing Shun, "That young mistress is the Second Master's darling, and also our lifeline. Remember, don't cause her any trouble, and take extra care of her."
Jing Shun grinned so hard his gap-toothed smile showed, and said crisply, "Master, how could your apprentice possibly fail? Just you wait and see."
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