Chapter 85 The Emperor bestows a name. After talking with the child, the Third Prince indeed...
After talking with the child, the Third Prince was indeed lively and energetic again. He no longer stayed cooped up in his room all day, and when he had nothing to do, he would wander to the west wing to see the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince. If Cheng Qianyue was there, he would play with them with her. If Cheng Qianyue was not there, he would talk to the two little ones by himself, and then run back to report to Cheng Qianyue.
He strolled back that evening, his face scrunched up and his nose twitching. He ran up to Cheng Qianyue and said, "Little brother has relieved himself, and his poop smells really bad." As he spoke, he fanned his nose.
Cheng Qianyue couldn't stop laughing at his appearance. "All children are like this. You were like this when you were little too. You would poop not long after you finished drinking milk."
The Third Prince pursed his lips, thinking to himself that it was not true. He must have pooped very little when he was a child, and maybe it even smelled sweet. In any case, it certainly didn't smell as bad as his younger brother's poop.
As the mother and son were talking, they heard someone outside say that Yinreng had arrived. Upon hearing this, the Third Prince ran to the outer room and shouted happily, "Father!" Cheng Qianyue also stood up to greet him. After Yinreng entered, she looked at his complexion and saw that it was fairly rosy.
After sitting down, Yinreng said, "I've been busy lately and haven't been here for a long time."
Cheng Qianyue replied, "I know you've worked hard taking care of the Emperor while he was ill. Now that the Emperor has recovered his health, you can finally relax a bit."
Speaking of this, Yinreng felt that she was very considerate. He used all the soup and broth that were sent over for every meal. He patted the Third Prince's shoulder and then asked, "How are the other two children eating and sleeping?"
Cheng Qianyue replied with a smile, "They're both fine. The children are still young, and all they do is eat and sleep. It's just that I don't know if it's because they're twins, but when one wakes up, the other will wake up soon after. When one cries, the other is sure to cry too. Whether it's crying or laughing, it's always double."
Upon hearing this, Yinreng's expression relaxed instantly: "Perhaps this is the telepathic connection between twins." Then he became restless and said, "Let's go see them together."
The Third Prince immediately panicked upon hearing this and blocked his way with both hands: "Father, don't go, it stinks."
Cheng Qianyue covered her mouth and laughed unkindly: "The Third Prince just came out from over there. The Fourth Prince smelled the stench when he went to the toilet."
Yinreng, thinking something was amiss, was both amused and exasperated. He said, "Then let the wet nurse bring the two children over. I haven't seen them in a long time, and I've been thinking of them." When the two children were brought over, he looked at them one by one, touching their faces and hands. After a while, he looked at the Third Prince and said, "Hongyan." Then he looked at the Fourth Prince and said, "Hongchao."
Not to mention the Third Prince, even Cheng Qianyue was stunned for a moment, but she quickly realized, "Those are the names of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince?"
Yinreng nodded: "This morning, His Majesty bestowed names upon the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince. The Third Prince is named Hongyan, and the Fourth Prince is named Hongchao. Yan means clear sky without clouds, bright and warm. Chao refers to the early morning."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Qianyue felt that the two names had good meanings. She smiled and said to the Third Prince, "Did you hear that? Your grandfather has named you. From now on, you will be called Hongyan, and your younger brother will be called Hongchao."
Hongyan pointed to himself and said, "Hongyan?" Then he repeated over and over, "My name is Hongyan, hehe."
Cheng Qianyue chuckled at his rambling, repetitive chatter, but then realized it wasn't surprising he found it so intriguing, since he'd never had a name and had always been called "Third Prince." However, Cheng Qianyue quickly came to her senses; her son already had a name, but her daughter didn't, so she asked, "What's the Second Princess's name?"
Yinreng said, "I've thought of several names, let's choose together." He then ordered someone to bring pen and ink. After a while, he first wrote the names of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, then continued writing. Cheng Qianyue looked at the row of names, picked the one she liked best, and asked, "Moyaqi, what does this mean?"
“In Manchu, it means ‘longevity herb’,” Yinreng replied.
Cheng Qianyue then asked, "What about the others?"
Yinreng pointed to the remaining names and explained them to her one by one: "Hutuling'a means a blessed person. Foerguochun means auspiciousness, symbolizing good fortune. Ailanzhu means daughter of gold, which means a beloved daughter."
Cheng Qianyue pondered in her heart. All the names had good meanings, but after careful consideration, Moyaqi was still the best. Hutuling... it sounded like "muddled," and that kind of name was most likely to be used as a nickname—no way! Fuerguochun meant good, but it wasn't very pleasant to pronounce. Actually, Ailanzhu was also good, but it was a bit too common, like a name often seen in Qing Dynasty dramas, similar to the Han name Zhang San. Besides, the eldest princess was named Wulinzhu, and if the second princess were also named Ailanzhu, it would be like having the same name as someone else. So she said, "Then how about we name our daughter Moyaqi? I hope she will have many blessings and a long life."
Yinreng smiled and said okay, then called out to the Second Princess Moyaqi.
Cheng Qianyue solemnly said to the Third Prince, "Hongyan, you are Hongchao and Moyaqi's older brother. You must act like an older brother and protect your younger brother and sister, understand?"
The Third Prince patted his chest and assured his mother, "Mother, I no longer dislike them. I will definitely be a good older brother."
Cheng Qianyue: ...Baby, why did you have to talk about what happened before in front of your father?!
As expected, Yinreng's brows furrowed slightly. Cheng Qianyue wanted to smooth things over, so she quickly said, "Oh dear, it's already so late, let's call someone to bring the meal, I'm starving."
Soon, Hongchao and Moyaqi were taken away by the wet nurses, and Hongyan returned to the east wing after finishing her meal. Then Yinreng asked her, "Why did Hongyan dislike his younger siblings before?"
Cheng Qianyue hadn't expected him to still remember this. After thinking for a while, she decided to tell the truth and sighed, "Actually, it's not his fault. I scared him when I was giving birth." She slowly explained why Hongyan disliked Hongchao and the others. She said, "I've already talked to him, and you heard it too. Hongyan promised to be a good older brother."
Yinreng patted Cheng Qianyue's hand, deeply moved: "Brothers, we, as father and mother, can't just stand by and watch our children hate each other."
“Yes,” Cheng Qianyue agreed, “No parent in the world wants their children to fight; they all hope their children get along well.”
"Is that so?" A mocking smile suddenly flashed across Yinreng's lips, thinking that it might not be so. However, something quickly flashed through his mind, and he soon fell into deep thought again. When it was time for bed that night, he suddenly asked, "What if Hongyan and Hongchao have a falling out one day?"
Cheng Qianyue said, "We definitely need to find out the reason. Whoever is wrong should be punished. It has to be fair."
In the darkness, Yinreng chuckled and continued, "But some things are just unfair, aren't they? For example, there's only one good thing, but everyone wants it."
Cheng Qianyue pursed her lips. Yinreng's words were clearly pointed. She organized her thoughts and answered slowly and deliberately, "I don't know what others would do, but if it were me, whoever received the item, I would compensate the others in other ways. I would tell the person who took the item that since they got the only good thing, they should generously allow their siblings to receive other benefits. No one can want everything, or try to take advantage of everything. Of course, those who received other benefits shouldn't be eyeing the person who took the item too much. After all, there's only one item, so they should be content. In this way, everyone can understand each other and celebrate together, and that's how relationships can last."
Yinreng sighed deeply, "Unfortunately, not everyone understands this principle, and some things are easier said than done."
Cheng Qianyue fell silent as he talked about increasingly heavy topics.
When Yinreng saw that she wasn't speaking, he knew she had figured things out and wanted to avoid him, but he wouldn't let her off the hook on this topic and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "What's the point of saying this? She's not a strategist. What good would it do to tell her these things? Is she going to help him seize the throne?" Then she thought, "Wait a minute, Yinreng is already the legitimate heir. What's the point of seizing it? The real skill is being able to hold onto it." Besides, getting back to the point, she's a mother, and her own child will listen to her when she educates him. But Yinreng isn't a child. Will he listen to her like Hongyan? Okay, even if Yinreng listens to her, will the other princes listen to her? It seems impossible.
Therefore, she can only apply this theory to her own children. What if she applies it to Yinreng and his brothers and ends up leading them astray? Although the fate of her family is predetermined, it doesn't mean she wants to speed up the process!
When Yinreng saw that she still didn't speak, he stared at her and then hummed in response, as if urging her to answer.
Cheng Qianyue took a deep breath: "Sir, I'm not Zhuge Liang. I don't have the ability to strategize and manipulate people's hearts." At most, she could only think about the people and things at hand. She didn't have the intelligence to do anything more. She continued, "I can't control others. I can only control myself and our child."
Yinreng was taken aback, straightened up, and looked down at her.
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "What kind of look is that...?" She stared at him innocently with her big eyes, and finally, having no other choice, she could only say in a defiant tone, "Even if you look me up and down, I have nothing else to say."
Yinreng looked at her with a wistful smile, then he pressed down on her, pulled her into his arms, and turned her over so that Cheng Qianyue rolled over and lay on top of him.
Yinreng stroked her hair and said, "Alright, I won't ask anymore." Actually, he was just saying it casually at first, but later he realized that what she said was both sincere and made some sense. More importantly, he found that the more he understood her, the more he loved and trusted her. He knew her better than anyone else.
The next day, Yinreng returned to Yuqing Palace. These past few days, the Emperor had acted as before, summoning him to court to hear state affairs and discuss the memorials submitted by ministers. But the more this was the case, the more Yinreng felt it was an omen of impending storm. He understood that the Emperor's suppression hadn't subsided; the current calm was because the Emperor couldn't reveal his displeasure with the Crown Prince, who had just completed his mourning period, and bestowing names upon his children was also a gesture of favor.
Sometimes, Yinreng clung to a sliver of hope, wondering if he had guessed wrong, if he had thought too badly of the Emperor. But reason and intuition told him that he was absolutely right. So he calmly and patiently waited.
As expected, a few days later, the anticipated crackdown came. The Emperor raised the titles of the first few princes; the ninth prince was promoted from Beizi to Beile, the tenth prince became the Prince of Dun, and the thirteenth and fourteenth princes were also granted the title of Beizi. Not only that, the Emperor also had the thirteenth and fourteenth princes attend to him and instructed them on how to listen to government affairs and carry out their duties.
"Your younger brothers are of age now. Let them learn from you, so they can share your burdens in the future," the Emperor said.
Yinreng looked out the window and slowly exhaled: Is it to share the burden or to delegate power? Is it to be a helper or to monitor?
His mind suddenly flashed back to his conversation with Cheng Qianyue that day.
Brotherly love and respect...
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Author's Note: The character 晁 (cháo) is a polyphonic character. When used as a surname, it is pronounced chao (chao). For a specific historical figure, refer to Chao Cuo, a minister during the reign of Emperor Jing of Han. When pronounced zhao (zhao), it means "morning" or "dawn."
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