The word "forbearance" is like a knife in the heart
Kangxi patted his dragon buttocks and prepared to run away, leaving Yinreng at home to clean up the situation.
His Khan-father was away, and he had to inquire about all the arrangements. His brothers' children needed smallpox vaccinations, everyone was celebrating the Lunar New Year, and there were three concubines in the harem waiting to be crowned... With the Lunar New Year approaching, so many things needed to be handled. He had to review every memorial, except for the secret ones, and then write a report categorized by category. Important matters were reported together with the memorial, and less important matters had to be listed in his own memorial. He was busy all day and night.
At this moment, he still had to comfort his wife.
The two children returned to the Eastern Palace from Yuqing Palace and received an unprecedented warm welcome. The Crown Princess personally went to the Duanjing Palace to wait. Li Jiashi had already reported to the Crown Princess and came along, and Li Jiashi also came to congratulate them.
There were only two children, Hongyang and Hongtong, who were left to the care of the nanny and not allowed to go out for the time being.
As the two entered the main gate, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids, a young eunuch came running over: "Here they come, the two princes are here. They walked over on their own, and they look so energetic!"
Shujia, who had been stretched forward, relaxed. "Ah, I'm glad to be back."
After a while, the two came back and came forward to pay their respects politely: "Greetings to Mother."
Shujia's eyes were fixed on Hongdan the moment they entered the house. "Damn! My son has lost weight! He used to be a plump, chubby kid, like a watermelon, and now he's still fat, but a winter melon! You were worried when he was fat, but now that he's starting to gain weight, I'm even more worried!"
Shujia's eyes turned red. It had only been half a month and she had become so thin.
Li Jia's eyes remained glued to Hongxi. Hongxi's acne had cleared up relatively smoothly, with minimal trouble. The baby fat on his cheeks had faded somewhat. Compared to the control group, Hongdan, he seemed especially blessed by nature.
"Hurry up and get up!" Shujia said with a sob, "Come here and let me see you."
A closer look revealed faint acne scars on their faces, necks, and other exposed skin. Shujia extended her fingertips and gently touched the marks, then had them spun around in front of her. Hmm, they didn't look indelible. They were still in their early childhood, their cells were very active and growing. With proper care, they wouldn't leave any noticeable marks. Yinreng had no visible scars on his face or body, unlike Kangxi, who, judging from the brief moment they met, did have some pockmarks.
After looking at it for a while, he pushed Hongxi to Li Jiashi and said, "Go, ask your mother to take a look too."
As soon as Li Jia received the order, she quickly reached out and held Hong Xi's face, examining it from left to right, crying and laughing at the same time: "Look at him like this."
The shrunken little fat boy looked around and said, "Mother, where are my elder brother and younger brother?"
They haven't had pox, so they need to be isolated from you. Shujia said, "Your elder brother is sick, and your younger brother is asleep. See you later. I haven't been in the mood to clean the house right now because of your affairs. You two should change your clothes first and come back to talk."
All the clothes I had brought with me when I got the smallpox had already been burned. This set of clothes was a replacement I had prepared earlier. But since I had left Yuqing Palace, I thought it would be a good idea to change clothes just in case, so I burned this set of clothes as well.
The little fat boy pouted. He was five years old and not a child anymore. Why did his mother always talk to him in a child's tone?
"Son understands."
As soon as he showed this expression, Shujia knew that he was unhappy, and she coaxed him softly: "Your room is still the same as before. Go back and take a look. If there is anything you want to change, tell mother when you come back. After we finish cleaning the room, we will go to see your brother. The same goes for Hongxi. He is always obedient."
Well, since you say to be obedient, everyone has to be obedient.
Go back and change your clothes.
The clothes they had brought were destroyed, but fortunately, the prince's son still had a few spare sets of clothes, and since he was still growing, new clothes were made every season. As the New Year approached, new clothes were constantly being delivered.
After taking a bath and changing into new clothes, the eunuchs in the East Palace took the clothes they had changed out of, along with the large wooden tub they had used for bathing, and burned them.
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"Thank God, they're finally better," Shujia said, temporarily giving up her atheism. She clutched the Buddhist beads she had been holding for a month, "Let's light some incense in front of the Buddha!"
Ever since her child was about to be vaccinated and the Empress Dowager had been constantly praying to Buddha, Shujia had brought home a statue and placed it indoors for worship. Li Jiashi probably also had a lot of these magical things.
"Lin Si'er, go to Ningshou Palace and tell the Empress Dowager that our Second and Third Princes have returned safely. I'll take them there shortly."
This saves me from having to answer the question of why they don't let me see my brothers.
Arriving at Ningshou Palace, the Empress Dowager was delighted: "Everyone come over here and let me see you. Oh! Hongdan, how come you've lost so much weight?"
You really hit the nail on the head. How come Hongxi, who was vaccinated together, only became a little thinner, while Hongdan shrunk a lot?
Shujia didn't know either, so it was a good opportunity to try him together.
Since the two princes had returned safely, the gag order probably didn't need to be strictly enforced. The two ladies finally learned of the dangerous situation that day. The Empress Dowager kept chanting Buddhist scriptures, and Shujia's face turned pale. "Why didn't you report it earlier?"
"The Emperor and the Crown Prince have issued orders not to spread the news, so no one knows about it. Now that everything is safe, I dare to speak out..."
"Don't tell her, so she doesn't worry. I'll handle all the problems myself." It sounds good, but the person being kept in the dark will never be grateful. It's really hard to feel the same way. Looking at Hongxi and then at Hongdan, thinking back to that time... Shujia was very angry.
The Empress Dowager complained, "Why did the Emperor keep this a secret from me?" She sought to find someone to settle the score, only to discover that the Emperor, being the Emperor after all, had presciently packed his bags and was about to flee. Furthermore, the eunuchs in the Palace of Heavenly Purity reported that the Emperor and the Crown Prince were so exhausted that they had simply gone to sleep.
The Empress Dowager said this time with great force: "If the Emperor wants to leave the capital, he must come and tell me. Then I will ask him!"
Before leaving, Kangxi naturally went to Ningshou Palace. He was quite skilled at deceiving the old lady: "My son is worried that the news will spread and cause panic. The children of the eldest son and his family have also been scheduled for vaccination this year and are recovering. If word gets out about the danger, it would be bad if they were startled."
The Empress Dowager just wanted an explanation, no matter if it made sense or not, as long as there was an explanation. After the matter was left unanswered for a day, the Empress Dowager's anger subsided. Seeing that the old lady had given up asking further questions, Kangxi took his leave.
The Crown Princess wasn't so easy to deal with. After waiting for so long, the Crown Prince slept with the Emperor. Her anger was rising, and the irritation she had felt with the Empress Dowager had spread to her. With a little time to herself, she also made a small plan.
When Yinreng came back the next night, he put the fat winter melon in front of his father and said, "I gave you a watermelon and you became as thin as a winter melon, and you didn't even tell me. I almost didn't recognize you."
Yinreng was helpless: "What's the point of telling you? Can you go over? This family still needs you to take care of it."
She knew the truth and had explained it to Donggua Pang, but…she still had to tell Yinreng that it was important for her son to hear it. Donggua Pang had to know that it wasn't because his mother didn't care about him that he was locked up in the dark room, but because his mother couldn't go. She also had to let Yinreng know that not telling his wife about something would have serious consequences.
With these two goals in mind, even though she knew Yinreng was telling the truth, even though she could understand him but just couldn't get over it emotionally, and even though she knew being unreasonable wasn't nice, she had to hold on for another two or three days. The fat winter melon father and son were stunned when they heard the adjective for fat changed from watermelon to winter melon.
"It's better to worry knowingly than to worry blindly without knowing. I don't know how I got through these days."
Yinreng was originally in the right, but the metaphor of "watermelon turning into winter melon" aroused his fatherly heart, and his tolerance for his wife's "unreasonable behavior" also increased a lot. Anyway, his son had returned safely, and he was in a good mood, patiently explaining things every day.
Things like, "Khan Ama is here too, what are you going to do?", "You've never had pox before, what if you get it?", "There's a little one at home, you take care of one and I take care of the other, isn't that perfect? Are you going to leave Hongtong at home without anyone to take care of him?"
Until Donggua Pang came to his rescue and said, "Mother, I'm back safe and sound. I came here because I missed you so much. Now you ignore me and only care about me."
Shujia finally came around. She poked Dongguapang's face and said, "You heartless little thing! You've only been with your father for a few days, and you're already speaking for him."
Fatty Donggua lowered his head sheepishly, looking at his toes. The heat was unbearable, the itchiness unscratched, and he could only cry out for "Mother." But Mother never appeared. For a child, the blow was unimaginable. At that moment, his biological father and grandfather were caring for him, so it wasn't unreasonable for him to trust them.
Fortunately, his mother was insidious enough and even hugged him and cried: "I miss you so much. I miss you but can't go to see you. You become a different person when you come back. Ask me to go in your place." The last sentence was absolutely sincere.
Dongguapang did not suffer any psychological trauma from this incident. After all, children are willing to believe their biological parents.
The one who felt resentful was another child.
Because Hongxi's pox had healed smoothly, he didn't receive any special attention from his father and grandfather. He only saw them once the scabs had fallen off. As soon as he left the house, he saw their visibly thinner faces, and he felt very relieved.
Later, when he saw Donggua Pang, he was surprised and asked with concern: "Why are you so thin?" He touched his face and found that he was not that thin!
Donggua Pang was quite generous: "I think it's okay."
The two returned home together. Their father and grandfather had already settled down in Yuqing Palace. After meeting the Crown Princess and their mother, they changed their clothes and were touched by the Empress Dowager.
So far, things have been going smoothly.
When he came back, he saw his eldest brother. This guy's expression was very strange. At first, he was a little indifferent, and Hongxi was so angry that he wanted to flip the table. I'm so worried about you!
Hongyang felt pent up, the feeling of being cast aside was something even the most open-minded child would struggle with. Seeing his brother's expression, he felt mocked. He mumbled a few words, "You're back!" This choked Hongxi, who had eagerly rushed over to see his brother.
Parted on bad terms.
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Adults often don't take children's concerns seriously, believing them to be minor tantrums that will clear up in a few days. As Hongyang's health deteriorated, his temper grew increasingly erratic, a fact everyone knew. Even with his own mother taking care of him, she couldn't help him... Everyone just assumed it was just his nature.
What's more, the East Palace has been very busy recently.
When they first moved in, many things hadn't been dealt with yet, as the two princes needed to be vaccinated. Yinreng was now acting as regent, and Shujia had to deal with personnel allocation, fine-tuning of the house, and other new preparations.
Even Li Jiashi, who had been tortured by the fear for more than ten days, paid special attention to Hongxi out of a sense of compensation.
Hongyang lay on the bed, getting angrier and angrier as he thought about it, kicking his legs wildly. A nanny came in from outside and just as she said, "Brother, take care of yourself," he glared back.
Even the half-grown young master's eyes still had some power. The nanny simply stepped forward to cover him with the quilt and then quietly retreated - knowing that he was unhappy.
Hongyang got angry and felt hot, so he threw off the quilt and lay motionless on the bed.
The next day, I woke up with a high fever and the East Palace was busy again.
Li Jiashi wished she could be split in half, thinking that this was truly outrageous.
Shujia had redistributed everyone's duties, but the main points remained the same: whoever they served was still the one they served. Because they had moved and the space was larger, the Imperial Household Department had redeployed staff, initially stationed them in the garden or various empty courtyards, to observe the situation before making further arrangements.
While assigning tasks, she discovered a problem: their family had too many empty courtyards! She and Yinreng occupied three main halls, no problem. There were twelve surrounding courtyards, one for each of her three older sons and one for each of her two concubines. That left more than half unoccupied!
Isn’t this a reminder that it’s time to add someone to the family?
She discovered this problem when she moved in, but she was busy at the time and hadn't figured out what to do, so she put it aside. Now she's in the mood to deal with it, and the solution is simple: take the initiative and fill them up!
That day, seeing Yinreng in a good mood, Shujia discussed with him: "Our place is quite convenient now, except for the piles. Should we adjust them?"
Yinreng asked, "What's the matter?"
"I was so busy thinking about where to live that I forgot. Should we invite the Bodhisattva back? Should we clean up a small Buddhist temple here?" She had an excuse. When her two children had smallpox, she was anxious and wanted a place to seek psychological comfort.
This was a tradition in the Qing palace, and Yinreng agreed without hesitation: "Where should I put it?"
"I didn't think about it when I was building it. Restarting the work would disturb everyone and cause them no one to complain. Even if it were feasible, I'm afraid it would ruin the layout. It's better to use an existing courtyard." Of course, it's located in the empty courtyard to the west. "The main hall and side rooms are all complete. We can just invite the statues of the gods. Just like the Empress Dowager's grandmother, there are no monks or Taoist priests. Just two eunuchs will be enough to guard it."
This was quite thoughtful: "Next spring, we're too busy now."
Just agree to it.
The next step is to arrange a courtyard for storing books. During the Chinese New Year this year, when we invite the female relatives to the East Palace for a small gathering, we will definitely need a courtyard as a retreat.
The Crown Princess pondered silently, then asked the Crown Prince, "How are the nephews outside doing with the smallpox?"
Yinreng counted on his fingers and said, "It's only the eighth day now. We won't know for sure until a few days later. Then the Khan's father will return to the capital, followed by the conferment of the title of imperial concubine, and after the New Year there will be another round of vaccinations."
He wrote memorials every day, and one of them would be about the Imperial Hospital's report on the progress of smallpox vaccination in a certain place. He was naturally more concerned about the situation at Yinzhi's home, which, according to reliable sources, was going very smoothly.
There is also very reliable information: the eldest prince burns incense and chants Buddhist scriptures every day.
He was such a kind-hearted father that he even had to bite the bullet and write a memorial to praise his elder brother.
The word "forbearance" is like a knife in the heart!
It was impossible not to praise him. His father was out on business, and it was almost Chinese New Year, yet the emperor was traveling in person. Even for an emperor, traveling at this time of year would be a real pain. He was on official business, meeting with the princes, giving out generous rewards, and trying to win their hearts.
Also, if you keep nagging him when he is doing things, he might get annoyed.
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The result of Yinreng's mediation was that after returning, Kangxi praised him profusely, saying: "You have won my heart. With you, I have no worries."
Then, he personally inquired about the vaccination progress of the imperial physician and his grandchildren. After learning that everyone was safe, he generously rewarded the imperial physician and asked all the grandchildren who had been vaccinated to be brought to him for a checkup.
Kangxi considered it a great blessing that everyone was safe, and he hugged each of his grandchildren. He personally saw that Hongxi and Hongdan were safe, so he did not pay any special attention to them this time. Instead, he asked about all the grandchildren living outside the palace.
These children had seen their grandfather when they were younger, but now many of them no longer recognized him. Not only did the children not recognize their grandfather, but Kangxi also gradually lost the ability to recognize all of his grandchildren. The children of similar age, whose facial features had not yet fully developed and who still bore a slight resemblance to their ancestors, were particularly difficult to recognize. They all wore blue, four-sleeved jackets, had pink, handsome faces, and were all roughly the same height, weight, and body type.
Kangxi did recognize Hongyu, but the rest were a bit confusing. Wei Zhu was very sharp. Seeing this, she winked and gestured to a group of princes behind Kangxi's back. One pointed at Hongqing and mouthed: "Whose family?!"
The Third Prince nodded vigorously immediately.
Wei Zhu stepped forward and introduced to Kangxi: "This is Prince Hongqing from Prince Zhi's family." The children are still young, with a difference of one or two years, and the difference is very obvious, so the ranking can be seen.
The following people had figured out the pattern, so Wei Zhu didn't need to bother making gestures anymore, and they all took the initiative to wink at Wei Zhu.
After asking all these questions, Kangxi felt relieved: "I feel relieved now!" He then said to Yinreng, "The New Year is almost here. After the New Year, plant some for the children."
Yinreng smiled and said, "The children are healthy, all thanks to Khan Ama's blessing."
The princes all thanked the emperor for his concern for their sons.
Yinreng felt a little unsatisfied. His eldest son had always been frail and sickly, and this time he missed out on the vaccination, which was ultimately a regret. People are like that; even after recovery, they still want to be better. Before the vaccination, they thought, even if only two of them had made it through safely, it would be great. Now that both had returned safely, he thought, how wonderful it would be if Hongyang had been saved as well.
Yinzhi was thinking the same thing, inwardly mocking his younger brother: "You have another one in your family who will be worried whenever he hears about smallpox." Here, Yinzhi should explain that he held no ill will toward his infant nephews. He only ever disliked the crown prince. The others were merely incidental. "You've won honor for the crown prince, so I'll remember you. That's how the Zhijun Prince's huge grudge came to be."
After mocking the crown prince, Yinzhi recalled another matter. He had made a vow before the Buddha, promising his son's safety, and he wanted to fulfill it. He smacked his lips, wondering if that Mongolian lama had any power after all. He returned to his worship.
The eldest brother was not the only one who had the same thought. Many of his younger brothers had made vows before the Buddha and had Buddha statues at home. They all thought that it was time to fulfill their vows. [1]
Only Kangxi was not so bored, as he still had important things to do. Then, he did something that made the crown prince regret his stupidity: he appointed Yang Mingshi, the reviewer of the Hanlin Academy, as the official in charge of daily records.
Yang Mingshi was a student of Li Guangdi, a true student, who studied Confucian classics with Li Guangdi, who was also his mentor.
I regret so much! I didn't build a good relationship with Li Guangdi in the first place!
Kangxi had no idea that his beloved prince had such thoughts. He had to hold the inauguration ceremony of Concubine Tong, Concubine He, and Concubine Liang before the New Year.
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Shujia has been feeling refreshed lately, and her precious son has returned safely from vaccination. She was heartbroken at the time, but... winter melons are indeed more pleasing to the eye than watermelons, and they look healthier. Fat kid Erpang can no longer speak. Just a quick aside, he turned one in September.
During the "Zhuazhou" ceremony, he very uncreatively grabbed some bows and arrows and jewelry. Fortunately, Shujia was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and got a tube of beautifully colored brush, which he caught. Otherwise, it would have been embarrassing.
After his mother's constant harassment, Erpang finally started to call her "mother".
The baby who just learned to talk is so cute and is really a killer. Even though Yinreng has already gone through the attack of Fatty Donggua, he is still defeated by Fatty Er.
Seeing this, Shujia simply left the child with him, letting him be the stay-at-home dad. It's said that every mother who teaches her baby to call "Dad" has a sinister heart, so that when the baby cries in the middle of the night, she'll kick her husband and say, "Hurry, your son/daughter is calling you, make some milk/change the diaper." Then she'll fall asleep, leaving her poor husband to wake up and soothe the child.
Anyway, the first thing these two little white-eyed wolves learned was never to call "mother", but "Ama"!
She still had needlework to do, which was difficult to do during the Lunar New Year. Hongdan was going to school next year, and a schoolbag was a must. There was a difference between having someone else do something for her and having someone else do it.
But I still haven't figured out what reason to use to explain why I didn't give it to my two illegitimate sons, but only to my biological son. At this point, I have to admit that the phrase "treat them as my own" is sometimes pure nonsense.
Or to put it bluntly, for a child who is not related to you by blood, your love may make you treat him as your own. But if your husband has a child with someone else... the success rate of "treating him as your own" will be greatly reduced.
Before she could think of a reason, she had to attend a grand event in the harem - the enthronement ceremony.
From the treatment they received, we can clearly see the status of these three women in Kangxi's mind. The one with the highest status was none other than Tong Jia, which was of course related to her family background, but there was no doubt that she was highly regarded by Kangxi, otherwise he would not have made her a concubine.
A control group, Concubine Ping, was the sister of Empress Renxiao and gave birth to a son for Emperor Kangxi. After her death, she was posthumously awarded the title of concubine.
Liangpin was undoubtedly at the bottom of the list this time. In the imperial edict, her name was even ranked behind Hepin, who had just entered the palace for two years.
The envoys who conferred titles on the Imperial Concubine were the veteran Grand Secretary Yisan'a, while the Grand Secretary Ma Qi, also a prominent figure, was used to confer titles on the Imperial Concubine. The Grand Secretary Xihana was merely the Cabinet Scholar for the Concubine Liang, missing the "Grand" title, which felt like a significant downgrade.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that she did this purely because her son wanted to make her proud.
No matter when or where, Emperor Kangxi's discriminatory treatment of people is always unpleasant. When the Eighth Prince received the news, his face was very interesting. The other two who were canonized this time had no children, but Liangpin's son had already married and moved into a separate residence. The residence was extremely lively, with people bringing gifts in droves.
□He also gave valuable gifts to the Eastern Palace. Who among those who saw it would not say that the Eighth Prince was becoming more and more powerful and had a bright future?
But this ceremony standard slapped the Eighth Prince in the face.
In terms of seniority, Hepin is not as good as Liangpin. In terms of children, there is no news about Hepin at the moment. In terms of character, in the eyes of the Eighth Prince, his mother is absolutely excellent. Even so, they were both canonized as concubines, and they still had to suffer a loss.
The Eighth Prince was angry.
There were also some tactless people who came to urge him: "Master, the Emperor asked you to write something every day and give it to him to read." They were hitting another sore spot!
Yinsi jumped up and said, "Get out!"
The fearless one said stubbornly: "The New Year is coming soon, and it will be a good day for the good master. If my handwriting is not good and I get scolded... I'm afraid it will not look good."
Yinsi was poured with a basin of snow water, with white smoke coming out of his head. He gritted his teeth and said, "Go! Find someone who can write about the same level of characters and write two essays for me. Hurry up~" The wavy lines were not meant to be coquettish, but because he was so angry that he couldn't speak straight.
What else could he do, even if he was still angry? The one who did this was his father, and his father's current position was: Emperor. He could only endure it! Even enduring it wasn't easy, for endurance was like a knife in his heart!
Two puffs of white air erupted from his nose, and Yinsi rubbed his temples. He truly couldn't understand his Khan-father. He said he was mean to him, but his wife gave him a good deal and promoted his mother. He said he was good to him, but he had already bowed to him ninety-nine times, and yet, with the last shudder, he simply didn't give him enough face.
This old man!
This old man just has his own standards for doing things. He himself can't even make his sons live in peace. As his son, the Eighth Prince, how can he make the emperor do things as he wishes?
Kangxi was actually quite kind to Yinsi. To help Yinsi gain a firm foothold in the Zhenglan Banner, he struck a blow to the Prince An's Mansion just before the New Year, without waiting a moment. Two days before, he appointed Concubine Liang, and two days later, he swept away all obstacles that Concubine Liang's son had encountered in the Zhenglan Banner.
He dug up old accounts, uncovering Yue Le's partiality in convicting Belenoni and his son while managing the Imperial Clan Court, and had the court deliberate on their charges. Ultimately, the deceased Yue Le was posthumously demoted from Prince to Duke of a County. While Mahun retained his Duke of a County, Yue Le's sons Yue Xi and Wuerzhan were stripped of their Duke of a County and granted the title of Zhenguogong.
Considering that Kangxi had also dismissed Jingxi from his position as a prince a few years ago, it seems that Kangxi was using a blunt knife to scrape the flesh of Prince An's mansion. Yinsi was caught in the middle and was in a very difficult situation!
The Eighth Prince's dilemma was not manifested in his behavior, and he could still adjust. But the Crown Princess's dilemma was truly "under the watchful eyes of the public" in the absolute sense.
When the principal position is enthroned, all the ladies of the inner court must come to congratulate. When they come to congratulate, they must perform formalities, and according to the rules still used today, they must kneel and kowtow.
An ordinary concubine would be fine, but the Crown Princess...
The recipients of the gifts were the first to feel uneasy. Concubine Tong was relatively calm. After returning the greetings to the other consorts, she quickly offered the Crown Princess her seat before calling out to the eunuchs to take their seats. Concubine Liang and Concubine He were so uncomfortable that they couldn't even sit comfortably on their chairs.
Shujia felt the gazes from all around her, but she had to hold on, doing whatever her sisters-in-law did. It was as if everything was natural and right. At least she looked relaxed, not forced or unwilling.
In her heart, she cursed the ancestors of the officials who had originally formulated the etiquette: How could you forget that the crappy position of Crown Princess still exists in this world?!
The author has something to say: [1] For the fourth son, most of Kangxi's sons were Buddhists. Not to mention the eldest and third sons who built temples, there were many others who associated with monks and wrote poems full of Buddhist spirits. Those who concealed their wild natures were not to be mentioned. It was just a trend.
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