Chapter 83 A Cold and Illness: On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Emperor hosted a banquet at the Qianqing Palace…
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Emperor hosted a banquet for Mongol princes and leaders of vassal states at the Qianqing Palace. They had already attended a banquet on the third day of the first lunar month, and today was the last one during the New Year's celebrations. After the banquet, they would set off to return to their territories.
The banquet was already halfway through. In the hall, a prince from Outer Mongolia was giving a toast, while Kangxi sat on the dragon throne under the plaque of "Upright and Bright" seemingly listening but not really.
After a while, when the Mongolian prince finished speaking, the emperor on the dragon throne remained silent. Yinreng, sitting below the dragon throne, sensed something was amiss, looked up, and loudly interjected, "Father, I think the prince's words were quite humorous."
Kangxi seemed to have just come to his senses, and said with a smile, "Very well, everyone, please sit down." After saying that, he said to Yinreng, "Crown Prince, please serve wine to the princes and nobles for me." His words carried an undisguised weariness.
Yinreng stood up and said yes, then spoke to the princes in Mongolian: "The Eternal Heaven will hear your hopes. Let us all raise our cups to celebrate this festival." With him at the head, everyone else raised their cups, drank, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
The banquet ended quickly, and the princes and vassal leaders bowed and withdrew. Kangxi slowly stood up and was helped down from the dragon throne by eunuchs. His steps were unsteady, and he suddenly stumbled and fell as he descended the last step.
Yinreng was startled, and his legs moved forward before his mind could process it. "Father, Father..." He quickly walked over, pushed aside the eunuchs, and saw that Kangxi's face seemed to have an unnatural flush. He had thought it was because the emperor had been drinking, but now it seemed that the emperor was ill.
He suddenly raised his head and said anxiously, "Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly!"
A moment later, Kangxi was carried to the warm pavilion on the east side. Yinreng knelt before the bed, and when he saw the imperial physician rushing in from outside, his voice suddenly rose: "Quickly, quickly diagnose Father Emperor!"
Emperor Kangxi, lying on the couch, struggled to move his lips and uttered a few words in a trembling voice.
Yinreng leaned closer to listen, and heard him say haltingly, "Baocheng...don't panic..." Yinreng's nose stung, and tears instantly streamed down his face uncontrollably. Then he heard him say, "Empress Dowager...the affairs of state..."
Yinreng replied in a deep voice, "The Empress Dowager is advanced in years, and I will certainly keep it from her so as not to cause her too much worry. As for state affairs, I will deal with them after you recover from your illness."
Emperor Kangxi had been nodding, but upon hearing Yinreng's next few sentences, he frowned and said tremblingly, "State affairs are of utmost importance..."
With a sob in his voice, Yinreng replied, "Please don't say anymore, your health is the most important thing." He then called for the imperial physician to come and take his pulse.
Several imperial physicians, who were kneeling at the time, hurriedly stepped forward to take his pulse in turn. After some back and forth, the chief physician reported that the Emperor had caught a cold from being exposed to the wind and had also suffered from dizziness due to his overwork over the past few days. He advised that the Emperor should rest and recuperate to protect his health. Yinreng felt a sense of relief, but after a long while, he felt extremely disappointed and ordered them to go and write a prescription.
After a while, the medicine was brought in from outside. Yinreng tasted a few sips first, and then fed it to Kangxi spoonful by spoonful. Kangxi drank the medicine and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Yinreng slowly retreated from the warm pavilion, the cold wind outside making him exceptionally clear-headed. A short while later, Liang Jiugong also emerged. Yinreng said to him, "Prepare an extra quilt; I need to attend to Father Emperor during his illness."
Liang Jiugong was also covered in a cold sweat from what had just happened. He immediately nodded and lowered his head, replying with utmost respect, "This servant will take care of it immediately."
The next day, news of the Emperor's illness spread throughout the outer court. The princes were the most excited and rushed to the Qianqing Palace, only to find that Emperor Kangxi had just taken his medicine and was taking a nap.
Yinreng met them in the Maoqin Hall in the west wing of the Qianqing Palace. The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, in particular, inquired with concern, "Your Highness, how is Father Emperor's health?"
Yinreng said, "Father Emperor caught a cold due to overwork. The imperial physician said it's nothing serious, he just needs to rest." He looked at the long line of princes who had entered. Except for the nineteenth and twentieth princes who were still young and had not yet begun their studies, all the other princes were present. None of them dared to look up and meet Yinreng's gaze.
In the silence, the Eighth Prince spoke first, tentatively inquiring, "Your Highness, regarding the matter of attending to Father Emperor during his illness..."
Yinreng glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "We are both sons of the Emperor, and it is our duty to care for him when he is ill. However, the Emperor is not in good health and should not see too many people each day." He directly pointed to the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince and said, "Prince Cheng and Prince Yong, you will stay here today to serve the Emperor with me." Then he looked at the others and said, "The Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince together, the Eighth Prince... the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince together, and the Thirteenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince together."
The fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth princes immediately stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, what should we do..."
Yinreng took a breath and said, "You still have studies to do. If you have free time, come and pay your respects to your father together. Your diligence and hard work are your way of showing filial piety to your father."
Everyone agreed. Then the other princes left, leaving only the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince behind. As soon as the others left, the Third Prince immediately said, "Father Emperor is seriously ill. Is it possible that Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is in charge of overseeing state affairs?"
Yinreng had already spent the entire night guarding Kangxi, and he was only managing to keep his spirits up when he saw people. When the Third Prince asked him questions, his face and scalp started to tingle. The Fourth Prince hadn't expected his third brother to speak so urgently, and quickly changed the subject: "The affairs of state are left to Father Emperor to decide."
Yinreng finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, come with me."
The three of them left the Maoqin Hall and saw the princes kneeling and bowing outside the Qianqing Palace. After they finished kneeling, they bowed to Yinreng and then left one after another.
The Eighth Prince strolled leisurely towards the door, keeping his distance from the surrounding princes, even the Ninth and Tenth Princes. He let out a barely audible sigh, his breath leaving wisps of white smoke in the air, but even so, the smile on his face never faded, though it appeared stiff and unnatural in the cold winter.
The Eighth Prince stepped out of the Qianqing Gate, but couldn't help looking back, only to see the palace with its gates tightly shut. His heart, yearning for the Emperor's speedy recovery, was purer than gold. He silently prayed: "Father, you must get better. Only when you recover can I be your most useful son."
Although the princes came to attend to the emperor in turn, Yinreng was the most exhausted. He slept on a makeshift bed in the East Warm Pavilion, staying by Kangxi's bedside day and night. This went on for four or five days. The court officials, especially the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, could no longer sit still. The New Year holidays were over, and the backlog of official business needed to be dealt with. Although the emperor was ill, the crown prince was still alive, and important court matters could not be delayed. However, the crown prince was only concerned with attending to the emperor and was putting off official business as much as possible.
Grand Secretaries Ma Qi, Tu Hai, Li Guangdi, and others came from the Southern Study to pay their respects to the Emperor. Kangxi felt extremely weak, often drowsy after taking his medicine. He couldn't help but think that of the Qing emperors, only the Taizu Emperor lived past sixty, the Taizong Emperor only fifty, and the late Emperor died even earlier. He himself was now past the age of knowing one's destiny. Would he be fortunate enough to pass sixty?
A sense of despondency arose in Kangxi's heart, as if it were a premonition of his death. Taking advantage of his lucidity, he met with the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and, in front of the princes who came to attend to him, solemnly said, "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. All state affairs shall be handled by the Crown Prince."
With Kangxi's words, Yinreng was finally able to take over the reins of government. However, he did not review memorials or meet with ministers alone; he remained firmly entrenched in the Qianqing Palace. He discussed and decided on important memorials with Kangxi, and any discussions with court officials were conducted in the East Warm Pavilion when Kangxi was lucid.
That day, Emperor Kangxi had just taken his medicine and his spirits had improved slightly. The group then set up a screen in front of his bed, and the sounds of their discussions on state affairs were soft and slow.
Outside the screen, Yinreng was discussing spring plowing matters with the Ministry of Rites. He rose from his seat, walked to the bedside, knelt down, and asked, "Father, with the Spring Equinox approaching, what are your thoughts on the selection of people for spring plowing?"
Kangxi pondered for a moment: "What does the Crown Prince think?"
Yinreng replied, "Your Majesty, I am worried about you. I was thinking of entrusting this matter to Prince Cheng and Prince Yong." Among the princes, besides him as the Crown Prince, the princes held the highest positions, so it was natural to let them handle the task. Moreover, compared to his other brothers, he trusted his third and fourth sons more.
Kangxi nodded and said okay. Yinreng tucked the blanket around Kangxi and then stepped behind the screen. He then went on to discuss other matters with the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet.
Kangxi listened slowly from his bedside. The medicine began to take effect, and his eyelids gradually drooped. The sounds outside the screen faded until they were no longer audible. Before falling into a deep sleep, Kangxi couldn't help but sigh, "The Crown Prince truly lives up to his name; he is the fine son I have painstakingly raised over the years."
After a while, several heavy breaths came from the bedchamber, accompanied by a few coughs. Yinreng paused in his speech, tiptoed over, and found that Kangxi had already closed his eyes. He then retreated outside and led the ministers to the outer hall. The dragon throne was now close at hand, but Yinreng did not even raise his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, please follow me to the Southern Study for a meeting."
After a long while, Kangxi finally woke up from his sleep and coughed twice. Liang Jiugong quickly stepped forward, helped him up, and had tea served.
With his eyes half-closed, Kangxi asked, "Where is the Crown Prince?"
Liang Jiugong said, "The Crown Prince saw that you had fallen asleep and, fearing that he might disturb your rest, went to the Southern Study with his ministers to discuss matters."
"Is that so..." Kangxi took a few sips of tea to moisten his lips, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the window, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He felt he should be gratified, gratified that his son was already capable of standing on his own, but more than that, he felt a void in his heart, a terribly painful feeling.
The crown prince has his father standing behind him, but who stands behind him?
February arrived in the blink of an eye, and Kangxi's health gradually recovered. After the imperial physician reported that his health was no longer a concern, he couldn't wait to get out of bed and walk. Yinreng supported him as they walked. Kangxi walked from the warm pavilion all the way to the main hall. He climbed the steps one by one, gripping the armrest of the dragon throne heavily.
Yinreng's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
Emperor Kangxi said, "The Spring Equinox is almost here."
"Yes," Yinreng replied.
Kangxi then added, "It is not appropriate for only the third and fourth sons to carry out spring plowing; let's add a few more younger ones."
Yinreng continued, "What Father Emperor said is absolutely right. The princes working together in spring plowing can also show the people the harmony of the royal family."
Kangxi then said, "You've really had a hard time these past few days. Look at the dark circles under your eyes; you've clearly not been sleeping well. You should go back to Yuqing Palace to rest and recuperate these next few days." With that, he patted Yinreng's arm heavily.
Yinreng's hand remained firmly on the ground as he smiled and replied, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your concern." After having lunch with Kangxi at noon, Yinreng left the Qianqing Palace and returned to the rear hall of the Yuqing Palace. He took off his clothes and went to bed, but his physical exhaustion could not overcome his tense spirit.
Only then did his expression turn somber and dejected, followed by a bitter smile that seemed to pierce the heart. He thought, "A country cannot have two rulers; the emperor is probably going to suppress me again."
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Author's Note: I've seen everyone in the comments section urging me to update, but I really can't do it! [laughing and crying emoji]
This month, I used up all my drafts faster than usual, and I'm already overwhelmed trying to finish next month's drafts. [crying emoji]
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