Cining Palace may not appear luxurious at first glance, but a discerning eye can tell that all the furnishings and objects inside are the work of famous craftsmen, and it is a collection of antiques from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. It is simple and understated, yet full of the air of a master. The Empress Dowager, already seventy-five years old, was a kind old lady with a full head of white hair. Leaning against the soft couch, upon seeing Emperor Kangxi and his son, before they had even finished their greetings, she bent down and pulled Yinreng up, lovingly stroking his bald head, and drew him to her side, asking, “Baocheng, are you feeling better? Have you been eating well these past few days? Sleeping well? Have the servants been serving you diligently?”
The renowned Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, like any elderly person who loves a younger generation, stroked Yinreng’s head and face with her rough, dry hands. He immediately thought of his grandmother from his previous life. She had been in a car accident and must have died to have transmigrated. How heartbroken his grandmother would be if she knew she was dead. And his parents—they only had one child. Without her, who would take care of them when they grew old? He had always avoided thinking about his family, afraid that the thought of home would make him cry, but Xiaozhuang’s loving and gentle voice instantly brought tears to his eyes.
“Grand Ancestor, let’s just call him Baocheng.” Kangxi’s first few sons didn’t grow up. According to folklore, the more common a child’s nickname is, the more blessings they will receive from the gods and Buddhas. Therefore, Yinreng’s nickname was Baocheng. He always felt that this name was not common enough. If it were something like Gou’er or Da Niu, perhaps she wouldn’t have transmigrated here. Since Kangxi renamed him Yinreng, only the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager in the entire palace would call him by his childhood name. Yinreng leaned against the old woman, sniffed, and forced back his tears: “How are you? Are you warm at night? Don’t catch a cold. Take your medicine on time, and if it’s bitter, put a piece of candy in your mouth.”
“Oh, Your Majesty, look at him,” the Empress Dowager held Yinreng’s hand tightly, her face full of surprise: “Look, my precious great-grandson has grown up and knows how to care for others.”
Hearing this, Yinreng felt embarrassed. He stopped crying and asked the old empress dowager to pull him to sit beside her. Kangxi looked at them with a smile, his eyes also faintly filled with tears of emotion.
“When the princess came back, she said you were so sick you didn’t even want to talk. Your grandmother was so worried, like a monkey scratching its head. Now that you’re alright, your grandmother is relieved.” The Empress Dowager, old as she was, reminisced about the past. “My greatest wish in this life is to return to the Khorchin grasslands. Baocheng, you don’t know how vast and boundless the grasslands are. As long as you have a horse, you can go anywhere, and no one can restrain you.”
Kangxi quickly said, “I’m preparing to go beyond the Great Wall next year. Let me accompany you on a trip to the grasslands then.”
The Empress Dowager smiled and waved her hand, “You can’t. Wherever you go, you’ll be surrounded by crowds. If you go to Khorchin, Khorchin won’t be the Khorchin I remember.”
Kangxi immediately felt a pang of sadness. Yinreng hurriedly said, “Father is busy, so let Baocheng accompany the Empress Dowager. Baocheng can ride horses on the grassland with the Empress Dowager and hunt eagles.”
The Empress Dowager looked at him with satisfaction, raised her withered hand to touch the side of Yinreng’s face, and said kindly, “Alright, let Baocheng accompany me.”
The three talked for a while longer, then Kangxi gestured for Yinreng to kneel and take his leave, as he had something to discuss privately with the Empress Dowager.
As soon as Yinreng withdrew, the Empress Dowager sighed, her expression hardening, “This child, he must be missing his mother.” Speaking of the deceased Empress Renxiao, Empress Hesheli, Kangxi couldn’t help but sigh, “Grandson has been too busy with state affairs, neglecting the upbringing of the Crown Prince.”
The Empress Dowager shook her head, her voice carrying the wisdom of someone who had experienced many hardships, “The entire empire depends on you; naturally there are things you cannot perceive. Xuan Ye, your grandmother only asks you to promise one thing.”
Kangxi immediately rose and bowed, “Please instruct me, Your Majesty.”
“Baocheng lost his father at a young age, and you raised him personally, showering him with affection and placing high hopes on him. The princes are growing up, and friction between brothers is inevitable. If, unfortunately, Baocheng makes a mistake in the future, I only hope you remember that he is the only Crown Prince of the Qing Dynasty, the son you, Xuan Ye, have held, kissed, cherished, and loved. Please think carefully before acting, and don’t break the child’s heart!”
The Empress Dowager’s words were forceful and resolute, unlike those of an elderly woman over seventy. Like Kangxi, she greatly favored Yinreng. Yinreng’s birth was overseen by the Empress Dowager herself in the Empress’s palace; she saw her grandson even before Kangxi. Empress Renxiao passed away only a few hours after giving birth to the Crown Prince, causing Kangxi immense grief. He suspended court for three days. At that time, the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories was raging, and the palace and the outside world were in chaos. The fact that Kangxi could still suspend court for three days, and the Empress Dowager didn’t stop him, shows how much the grandmother and grandson treated Yinreng and his mother.
Emperor Kangxi sighed. Since ancient times, royal families had rarely shown warmth. His sons must never be allowed to commit the sordid act of fratricide, especially since Yinreng was his beloved child and the most perfect heir in his eyes. Naturally, he showed more tolerance and affection to the Crown Prince than to others. The Empress Dowager’s words were all reasonable. Kangxi solemnly bowed and said, “Your grandson respectfully accepts the Empress Dowager’s kind instructions!”
Yinreng had visited the Cining Palace once and felt even more strongly that the Empress Dowager was a kind and approachable old woman. There was also an elderly woman in the palace, the Empress Dowager. Unlike the shrewd and wise Grand Empress Dowager, she seemed somewhat dull and slow-witted. She didn’t speak much Mandarin, mostly speaking Mongolian or Manchu. She had only been Empress for a short time when Emperor Shunzhi died, and without any intrigue or palace power struggles, she successfully ascended to the position of Empress Dowager. In these long years, unlike the Grand Empress Dowager who had to assist the emperor and guide state affairs, the Empress Dowager only needed to cultivate her character and appear on major festivals to show that she was still alive. Living such a peaceful life for so long, the Empress Dowager had become less wary; she was happy as long as people didn’t speak Mandarin to her. She naturally doted on Yinreng.
Knowing the old woman’s virtues, Yinreng loved to visit the two Empress Dowagers whenever he had free time.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was mid-August. That day, Emperor Kangxi played chess with Yinreng. Kangxi was a master chess player and won three games in a row. Yinreng lost interest, but Kangxi insisted on playing a few more. This old Kangxi was definitely trying to show off his chess skills, Yinreng thought bitterly, racking his brains for a solution. While he was deep in thought, Kangxi casually spoke to a young, handsome guard behind him: “I heard your residence is holding a poetry gathering tomorrow?”
The guard replied with a smile, “Yes, Fuldun just learned poetry, and Father is already eager to show off.”
Kangxi smiled: “Xingde passed away early, so your father inevitably had more affection for his bloodline.” His tone became slightly melancholic, “Years have passed, and he’s returned to dust. Since Xingde’s passing, I haven’t tasted a single good poem.”
Nalan Xingde? Yinreng lost interest in the game of chess. His ears perked up instantly, and his gossipy nature as a woman ignited. He stared intently at Kangxi, and seeing his sorrowful expression and the loneliness in his words, he wanted to rush up and ask him directly, “I’ve heard that you and Nalan Rongruo have an ambiguous relationship. Is that true? Is that true?”
Seeing Yinreng’s eyes light up, Kangxi assumed he wanted to attend the poetry gathering and experience it firsthand. He chuckled inwardly, coughed lightly, and said authoritatively, “Yinreng, tomorrow you and Kuixu will go to his residence and see how the literati of our Great Qing Dynasty compose poems and appreciate the beauty of nature.”
This meant he could leave the palace—an unexpected benefit. Yinreng was overjoyed and immediately put down his chess pieces, stood up, and bowed, saying, “Yes!”
Thinking of leaving the palace tomorrow, Yinreng was in high spirits. As he walked, he instructed Yuanmu, “Go to the stables later and check on my Akhal-Teke horse. I want to ride it tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” Yuanmu replied happily. Yinreng gave him a strange look: “What are you so happy about?”
“Your Majesty has been quite downcast these past few days, but you smiled today, and I’m happy too,” Yuanmu quickly replied. Yinreng smiled slightly and shook his head noncommittally.
“Your Majesty, someone from the palace just reported that Consort Wei sent her personal maid to the Eastern Palace to express her gratitude to the Crown Prince for visiting the Eighth Prince a few days ago.”
Consort Wei was the birth mother of the Eighth Prince, Yinsi. Due to her low status, she was not promoted even though she gave birth to a prince, and had always lived in Consort Hui’s palace. Consort Hui was the birth mother of the First Prince, so the Eighth Prince was marked as the First Prince from birth. Yinreng thought for a moment and said, “Just send a simple return gift, keep it respectful but distant.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Two princesses walked along the palace path ahead. As soon as they saw Yinreng, the four-year-old Fifth Princess stretched out her arms and ran quickly towards him. Yinreng was caught off guard and instinctively caught the Fifth Princess who jumped towards him, picking her up. The Fifth Princess giggled and even winked at him mischievously.
Yinreng couldn’t help but laugh. He glanced behind her; a large group of wet nurses and nannies were running breathlessly, and the two-year-old Sixth Princess, not as fast as her older sister, finally caught up, jumping anxiously at Yinreng’s legs. Yinreng took the Sixth Princess’s hand, put the Fifth Princess down, and coldly scolded, “Wenxian, why are you running? Is anyone chasing you?”
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen my Crown Prince brother,” the Fifth Princess said, standing on tiptoe. She was the daughter of Consort De, and the Empress Dowager favored her. She was used to being arrogant in the palace. Others might fear the Crown Prince, but she wasn’t. The former Crown Prince preferred lively and straightforward girls, so he had never reprimanded her. The Sixth Princess, standing to the side, was somewhat timid. Seeing her sister put down, she quieted down, bowed, and stood with her eyes lowered, not daring to look directly at him.
“I can’t run, you can just walk here slowly.”
“Crown Prince,” the Fifth Princess’s little eyes darted around, and she said cleverly, “I heard from Mother that you were sick, but you seem very happy today. What’s fun?”
“Cough cough, am I happy?”
“Yes, your mouth is practically stretched to your ears.” The Fifth Princess said seriously.
Yinreng laughed: “You little rascal. Alright, I’ll tell you, I’m going to go for a stroll outside the palace tomorrow.”
“Oh,” the Fifth Princess instantly lost interest, “What’s fun outside the palace? The palace has everything.” The Sixth Princess beside her nodded in agreement.
Yinreng’s mind raced, and she immediately came up with an idea. She put her hands behind her back and said earnestly, “It’s so much fun outside the palace! Yuanmu, tell the princesses what interesting things there are outside.”
Yuanmu quickly bowed and stepped forward, telling the two little princesses about the colorful and lifelike dough figurines, the soft and sweet cotton candy like clouds, the people coming and going on the streets, and the diverse cuisine from all over the country in the restaurants. Yuanmu was quite eloquent, and her description made the two princesses’ eyes light up.
“Crown Prince, I want to go too! Take me with you!” The Fifth Princess stood on tiptoe, tugging at the hem of Yinreng’s robe, pleading persistently. The sixth princess said timidly in a soft voice, “Brother Crown Prince, please take me with you.”
“No, my departure from the palace was permitted by the Emperor. Without the Emperor’s decree, the guards at the palace gate will not let you pass. How about this, you go and beg the Emperor. If you get permission, send someone to the East Palace to tell him that I will wait for you tomorrow, okay?”
The fifth and sixth princesses exchanged a glance and felt that this made a lot of sense. They immediately took their leave of Yinreng and went to the Qianqing Palace.
Yuan Mu slapped his forehead: “With the Fifth Princess clinging to him, His Majesty is probably in for a headache.”
Yinreng smiled. It was all because Kangxi always showed off his chess skills to him, forcing him to spend an hour every day after school pondering chess moves, sacrificing much of his sleep. He felt unbalanced if he didn’t cause Kangxi some trouble.
The next day, the weather was pleasantly warm. Yinreng, having finished getting ready, went to the Xihua Gate and saw the two little princesses dressed as ordinary Manchu girls. He was immediately shocked.
Upon seeing him, the Fifth Princess jumped up happily, “Crown Prince, Father Emperor has agreed! Let’s go together!”
Yinreng suddenly felt a little dizzy. He turned to Kuixu and whispered, “The poetry gathering is all men; there’s bound to be some clashes. The two princesses are of noble birth; if anything happens to them, Father Emperor will be heartbroken.”
Kuixu gave Yinreng a strange look, seemingly suppressing a laugh, and said, “Today, the front courtyard of my residence is for the poetry gathering, while the back garden is for the young ladies of various households to drink and play games. It’s perfect for the two princesses to go.” He raised his voice, “Also, His Majesty has instructed me to deliver a message to the Crown Prince. His Majesty said that since the Crown Prince is so enthusiastic, I can’t refuse him, so he granted permission. You must all keep a close eye on the princesses and ensure they are not harmed in the slightest.”
The Fifth Princess and the Sixth Princess looked at him gratefully! Xian Reng: “Thanks to my Crown Prince brother, Wen Xian will definitely behave and not cause him any trouble.”