7. Chapter 7
Promotion
Qi You basically understood the purpose of Kangxi calling him here. After a little thought, he told the story between him and the Third Prince very carefully without adding any words.
"Khan Ama, after I left your place, I ran into my third brother. He was very angry and started crying and yelling at me. I didn't understand what he was talking about, so I asked him and he told me."
Liang Jiugong had already changed his shoes and bowed before quietly exiting. Kangxi's expression remained calm. He tapped his foot on the floor, then casually picked up the "Zizhi Tongjian" from the table next to him and began flipping through it. Without even looking up, he said, "You continue."
Qi You withdrew his eyes from the book and continued, "I told my third brother that my legs were not convenient and I could only focus on studying. He didn't say anything after hearing that. Seeing that it was getting late, I reminded him to hurry up and learn archery, and then he left."
"Aren't you angry that the third brother is gone?" Kangxi asked gently.
"Not angry." Qi You shook his head, his expression dazed for a moment, then scratched his head and became happy: "Then today, Enie heard about the matter between me and my third brother from somewhere, so she called me over. Enie was worried about me, afraid that I would quarrel and fight with my third brother. I said that my third brother and I were doing well, and there was nothing wrong. Enie also made me some underwear, saying that I would have something to change into when my clothes got wet with sweat while I was learning archery in the future. Enie also invited me to have dinner with her. I hadn't eaten with her for a long time, so I stayed and asked Degao to send the food to her. I wanted her to see that I was eating well and living well every day, so that she could rest assured."
Kangxi placed the book in his hand on his knees and looked at Qi You with a smile on his face. Qi You walked along, his cheeks flushed, his eyes shining like stars, and he spoke in a childish voice, his words were straightforward and without any focus, but he spoke very seriously.
"Are you and the third brother okay? Is your mother happy to see you?" Kangxi asked with a smile.
"Third brother and I are fine! I am so happy to see my mother, and she is making clothes for me." Qi You answered naively.
Kangxi paid little attention to the affairs of the harem. Ever since Dai Jia gave birth to Qi You, her green card had been withdrawn. She usually never showed up, remaining almost invisible in the harem.
Kangxi and Rong Fei had been companions since their youth, and he knew Rong Fei's personality well. From Qi You's words that Dai Jia was worried about him, he knew that Rong Fei was protecting her child and would definitely cause trouble for Dai Jia.
Kangxi was furious. His sons were all friendly and harmonious, but Rong Fei was restless. Suppressing his anger, Kangxi stood up and said, "You must be hungry. Let's go eat first."
Qi You answered yes obediently and followed Kangxi out, looking back at the Zizhi Tongjian as he walked.
Kangxi saw it and asked curiously, "Why, do you want to read this book?"
Qi You smiled shyly and said, "I want to read it, but I just can't understand it. I'm still studying the Four Books and Five Classics. Mr. Che said that at my pace, I'll be able to finish it soon. After I finish, I might be able to understand a little bit."
Kangxi was extremely surprised. He usually checked Qi You's homework and knew that he had made great progress following Che Wanyu. He never thought that he could learn so quickly!
"Hahaha, okay! Let's eat first, and then I'll test you. If you learn your lessons really well, I'll let you go to class with the third brother and the others in a few days." Kangxi said excitedly.
Qi You felt relieved, and said with a smile: "Yes! I am so happy. I will go back and tell E Ni that my third brother and I are classmates. We have a good relationship. Tell her not to worry about me."
Kangxi's expression froze, he touched Qi You's head and walked towards the main hall.
After dinner, Kangxi took Qiyou for a walk and tested his homework. Kangxi randomly selected a chapter from the Four Books and Five Classics, asked Qiyou to answer the following sentence.
Qi You was very cautious. He honestly answered that he had not learned anything Che Wanyu had not taught him. As for what he had learned, he not only answered fluently but also gave the interpretation of what Che Wanyu had taught him. Kangxi's smile never stopped when he heard it.
Seeing that it was getting late, Kangxi took Qi You by the hand and personally escorted him to the gate of the Qianqing Palace. He called Gao Guihe, the waiter, and solemnly instructed him, "Serve the Seventh Master well. If you make the slightest mistake, you will be in trouble!"
Gao Guihe quickly knelt down and kowtowed to promise his agreement. Kangxi looked at Qi You, his expression instantly softening. He pinched his chubby cheeks and tightened the collar of his coat: "It's still cold in the spring evenings, be careful not to catch a cold. Your mother is right, change your underwear if it's soaked with sweat."
After rambling on about his concerns, Kangxi turned and instructed Liang Jiugong, "Dai Jiashi often has to do needlework, so the room needs to be brighter. Go and arrange for her to move to a more spacious room. Let's move to Chengqian Palace."
Liang Jiugong bowed and agreed, "It's too late now. I'll have someone clean up first. After a night of fresh air, the room will be clear. Master Dai can move in tomorrow morning."
"Well, Dai Jia has been in the palace for many years, and she has restrained herself and restored propriety... Seventh brother, what is the next sentence? You answer it." Kangxi paused and looked at Qi You, who had his black eyes open and a face full of joy.
Qi You knew that "Restrain yourself and return to propriety" has two sources. One is from Ban Gu's "Ode to the Eastern Capital", which says, "Restrain yourself and return to propriety, to serve the beginning and the end, to be truly respectful to Emperor Xiaowen."
Another passage is from "The Analects of Confucius. Yan Yuan Asks About Benevolence," "To restrain oneself and return to propriety is benevolence. If one restrains oneself and returns to propriety every day, the world will return to benevolence."
Qi You had not yet read "Ode to the Eastern Capital", so he answered according to the Analects of Confucius.
Kangxi raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Restrain yourself and return to propriety. 'Ode to the Eastern Capital' has a different source. Learning never ends. You must not become complacent."
Qi You immediately agreed. The mature young man sighed and said, "Khan Ama knows so much. I must learn from him and read as much as he does."
Seeing Qi You's admiring expression, Kangxi was delighted and continued with his unfinished words, "Let Dai Jiashi's share be the same as yours."
Liang Jiugong quickly agreed and went back to make arrangements. Kangxi waved his hand at Qi You, "Go back and rest early. Don't miss school tomorrow."
Qi You responded respectfully, and only returned to the prince's residence after Kangxi turned around and walked through the door and disappeared from his sight.
The Qianqing Palace was still brightly lit. Qi You just looked back and quickly quickened his pace to move forward.
Power is great!
With just one word from Kangxi, Dai Jia's life was about to change drastically.
Qi You frowned slightly. The Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia of Chengqian Palace occupied the main seat, and previously there were only two young concubines living in the palace.
Dai Jia moved in, on Tong Jia's territory, and Qi You couldn't tell whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Seventh brother." Qi You lowered his head in thought. When he heard someone calling him, he quickly looked up.
"It's so late, what are you doing outside?" The Fourth Prince stood at the gate of the yard, looking at Qi You and asked.
"Fourth brother." Qi You hurried forward and greeted him with a smile. Seeing the uneasy look on Fourth Prince's face, he said, "I just came back from Khan Ama. Fourth brother, haven't you rested yet?"
The fourth prince replied, "I will be back soon. I will have dinner with Concubine Tong first, and then I will go to pay my respects to my mother."
Qi You suddenly realized that the Fourth Prince's adoptive mother was Tong Jia, so he said, "Fourth Brother, when you go to pay your respects to Concubine Tong next time, let's go together. Enie will be moving to Chengqian Palace tomorrow morning, so I might as well go and kowtow to Concubine Tong."
The Fourth Prince was stunned for a moment. "Okay, we'll go together then. But I'm probably a little busy lately. I have to go visit Sixth Brother, so I may not be able to take care of you. Come back, I have to go rest."
Qi You watched the Fourth Prince's back as he walked in, and thought of the Sixth Prince, who was seriously ill and unable to get out of bed and whom he had never met before.
The Fourth Prince came back so late and was not in a good mood. Did Concubine De give him a cold look?
Qi You feels very lucky that he does not have a high-status adoptive mother and does not have to face the problems of having both a biological mother and an adoptive mother at the same time.
After Dai Jia was settled, Qi You went to pay his respects. According to the rules, he kowtowed to Tong Jia first.
The Fourth Prince was already there, standing below Tong Jia. Qi You stepped forward and kowtowed. Tong Jia called him up, looked him up and down, and said, "I pity your filial piety. Now you come to pay respects to your mother, and the distance you have to walk is quite far. You have difficulty walking, so from now on, just go to your mother and don't come to me."
Qi You thought to himself that Tong Jia was not happy about Dai Jia moving into Chengqian Palace.
Pretending nothing had happened, Qi You greeted the Fourth Prince, took his leave, and went to the side hall where Dai Jia lived.
The side hall was much more spacious and brighter than the previous residence. Dai Jiashi knew Qi You was coming and had been waiting at the door. When she saw Qi You, she immediately smiled, pulled him in front of her, and said lovingly, "Come in and sit down. You look sweaty from walking so much."
Qi You followed Dai Jia to the warm room and sat down. Seeing an unfamiliar palace maid, he just drank tea and chatted with Dai Jia about family matters.
Dai Jia waved the maid away, exhaled slightly, and put on a smile again: "My son has really made it big. Mother has enjoyed his blessing in advance. When Liang An Da came in person to convey the emperor's decree, I was so scared that I thought something had happened to you."
Qi You asked seriously, "Enie, are you having a good time living here?"
Dai Jia paused for a moment, then said hurriedly, "Well, why not? Look at this room, and the furnishings; there's nothing wrong with it. My monthly allowance is now higher than before, so please don't give me any more money. I'll save it all for you, and when it's fully accumulated, you can spend it all."
"Enie, I'm not short of money, you don't need to worry about me." Qi You thought for a moment and asked, "Enie, is anyone bullying you now?"
Dai Jia was silent for a moment, then whispered, "There are those who hate others, but there are those who laugh at others. I've seen so many cold stares, and this is no different. Before, no one looked at us mother and daughter, but now that you've caught the emperor's eye, there are so many people looking at you, and there are all kinds of opinions."
"Even if they look down on me, or even roll their eyes, I'm still very happy. I've never been so happy in my life." Dai Jia thought of Rong Fei's sour, unwilling yet restrained look, and suddenly laughed. She said cheerfully, "It's better than no one paying attention to me. My son is amazing. Even if they don't like it, they have to endure it."
Qi You felt relieved and started laughing.
Dai Jia wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, glanced outside, and said in a low voice, "You should be careful recently. The Sixth Prince is dying, and the Emperor is in a bad mood. Don't bump into him."
Qi You nodded, "Enie, don't worry, I will pay attention."
A few days later, the weather was fine, and Qi You and his companions began to learn archery and horse riding from Neian Da Bodhisattva Bao.
It was not difficult to draw the bow, as they were about the same age and could just about pull it with all their might.
Seeing that they had just learned to draw the bow, Bodhisatta was afraid of hurting their strength, so he was not too strict. After they had drawn a few times, he went on to teach them how to ride horses.
The guards pulled the horses, and Bodhisattva stood by, giving instructions and helping them sit on them. The guards held the reins and they circled around the parade ground.
The eldest and third princes shot arrows and watched the fun while they were resting nearby.
Qi You's left leg wasn't very flexible, and he was particularly awkward when he mounted the horse. The eldest and fourth princes were still trying to hold back their laughter, but the third prince was no longer polite. He opened his toothless mouth and pointed at Qi You, laughing heartily: "Brother, look at the seventh prince! Oh, his leg is so funny."
The Third Prince shouted at Qi You, "Seventh Brother, don't try to be so stubborn. If you fall off your horse and break your other leg, both of your legs will be useless. Wouldn't you have to crawl on the ground like a crab?"
It’s over now!
Qi You's face gradually became ugly.
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