Once the Crown Prince realized what was happening, he understood that all his earlier efforts had been in vain. He should have hardened his heart and refused, but when he lowered his head and met those watery eyes, the words of refusal lingered on the tip of his tongue. In the end, his shoulders slumped, and he sighed, “I’ll accompany you.”
The Crown Prince thought optimistically that he was merely escorting the Fourteenth Prince there, and surely Emperor Father would have a way to placate the Fourteenth.
“Yay!” Yinti cheered with delight.
“…” The Ninth Prince wore a bitter expression, unable to speak for a long while.
Noticing the Ninth Prince, the Crown Prince smiled and said, “I’ll accompany the Fourteenth Prince. Ninth Brother, you may return first.”
The Ninth Prince was taken aback. Logically, he should have breathed a sigh of relief, but hearing these words left him with an inexplicable unease.
He remained silent for a moment, just as he was about to nod in agreement, he happened to meet Yinti’s gaze and froze on the spot.
Yinti’s face was filled with disappointment. “Is Ninth Brother not coming?”
The soft, gentle words struck the Ninth Prince’s heart like a sharp arrow. He clutched his chest, took a step back, and his face resembled a palette of overturned paints, a chaotic mix of colors.
“It’s fine, Crown Prince Brother is here.”
“Alright.” Yinti pouted, tightening his grip on the Crown Prince’s hand. He glanced at the Ninth Prince from the corner of his eye before shrinking back with a pitiful expression.
“Wait.” The Ninth Prince took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, “One shouldn’t give up halfway through a task.”
“Ninth Brother means—”
“I mean, I’ll go see how Emperor Father explains it to you.” The Ninth Prince straightened his face and spoke first.
“Ninth Brother!” Yinti beamed with joy, grabbing the Ninth Prince tightly with his other hand. “I knew Ninth Brother was the best!”
The Ninth Prince subtly puffed out his chest, his pride evident on his face, though he still spoke lightly, “What do you mean, the best?”
As for the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, watching the three of them walking closely ahead, he felt a cold breeze sweep through him, leaving him utterly frustrated.
Yinti held the Crown Prince’s hand with his left and the Ninth Prince’s hand with his right, so happy he could almost bubble over. He strode forward with his short legs, full of vigor, muttering as he walked, “The three of us, hmm, what is it again?”
[It’s ‘three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang.’]
Yinti suddenly understood. “Right, it’s ‘three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang.’”
Yinti belatedly realized that the Sleepy Worm Immortal had appeared and happily greeted him. [Sleepy Worm Immortal, you’re finally awake.]
Yinti: …He hadn’t been asleep at all, had he?
Unsurprisingly, what Yinti saw in Xiyuan was indeed a tiny, tiny boat. Unexpectedly, Yinti didn’t give up. Instead, he decided to go directly to find Emperor Father, taking the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince along as helpers along the way.
Speaking of the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince, Yinti’s emotions were quite complex. Setting aside the close relationship with the Ninth Prince, ever since he began his studies as a child, he had constantly heard the Crown Prince’s name from Emperor Father and his tutors. Everyone knew he was erudite, talented, and treated others with respect and humility. Everyone admired him.
But the good times didn’t last. By the time Yinti grew up and entered the court, it coincided with the first deposition of the Crown Prince.
In the years that followed, he witnessed the Crown Prince gradually descend into madness, never again resembling the admirable figure from his childhood.
Gazing at the still gentle and refined Crown Prince before him, Yinti was lost in thought for a long time, which was why he had forgotten to speak earlier.
Yinti didn't get a response from Yinti, but he didn't mind—he was already used to the Sleepy Worm Immortal's elusive ways. Tilting his little head up, he looked left at the Crown Prince, then right at the Ninth Prince: "The three of us cobblers… hmm, why does it have to be cobblers to surpass Zhuge Liang? Can't it be three little donkeys?"
Crown Prince: ""
Ninth Prince: "…Because cobblers are at least human?"
Yinti was puzzled: "But just now, Crown Prince Brother said donkeys are used to describe people."
"They're also animals—it's a metaphor," the Ninth Prince tried to explain. "Whereas a cobbler is a job, a profession."
"Donkeys pull carts and carry water—that's a profession too!"
"That's different." The Ninth Prince rubbed his forehead, feeling like the number of explanations he'd given today already exceeded the total from the past few years.
"How exactly is it different?" Yinti tilted his head, his round eyes filled with confusion, unable to understand why it worked just a moment ago but not now. After thinking for a long while, he finally pouted and complained, "You guys are so troublesome."
"You're calling us troublesome? You're the most troublesome one!" Hearing this, the Ninth Prince nearly rolled his eyes to the back of his head. Reflecting on his experiences over the past hour or so, he felt utterly exhausted, wishing he could go back in time and strangle the version of himself who had struck up a conversation with the Fourteenth.
"How am I troublesome? It's Ninth Brother who can't explain clearly!" Yinti couldn't figure it out and felt indignant.
Seeing the Ninth Prince's nose twitching in anger and looking utterly miserable, Yinti suddenly felt a pang of guilt and hurriedly reminded himself: Humans can speak, communicate, wear clothes, and use tools. Look at that donkey just now—what can it do?
Yinti tilted his little head, thinking hard.
Watching Yinti's expression, the Ninth Prince felt a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples, and his gaze happened to fall upon the quietly standing Fourth Prince, Yinzhen.
The Ninth Prince was taken aback for a moment, then grew furious, shooting a reproachful look: Don't shirk responsibility! This is your own brother!
Yinzhen: ""
Truly, good things never come his way, but troubles pile up in abundance.
Yinzhen cleared his throat: "A donkey won't speak up even if it doesn't want to move, but we will. So, donkeys are animals, and we are humans."
"Explaining it so complicatedly, Yinti won't underst—"
"So that's how it is." Finally understanding, Yinti clenched his right fist and tapped it into his left palm, looking as if he'd had a sudden realization.
The Ninth Prince's voice cut off abruptly, his smile frozen, as he stared incredulously at the foolish Yinti. How had he suddenly understood?
—Could this be the rapport of brothers?
—Was this really the tacit understanding of brothers? Yinzhen was stunned for a moment, instantly lost in thought. He stared at Yinti's beaming smile, feeling both incredulous and unexpectedly flattered.
He pursed his lips, and the accumulated displeasure from the journey vanished without a trace. Yinzhen glanced at the Ninth Prince, his gaze carrying a hint of mockery and pride.
Ninth Prince: ""
Ninth Prince: …Suddenly feeling like a clown 🙂
Beside them, the Crown Prince couldn't hold back, covering his mouth with a fist as he chuckled softly. He squeezed Yinti's chubby little hand and cleared his throat: "Let's go, we should go find Emperor Father."
…
Following the direction reported by the palace attendant, Kangxi walked toward the corridor. From afar, he could already hear chattering voices: "Crown Prince Brother, Crown Prince Brother, why is the lake in Xiyuan so shallow? It can't even hold a large boat?"
"Why is the waterway so narrow?"
"Why is the water just transported so clear, while the river water is so dirty?"
"Why does snow turn into water when it melts?"
"Why is snow white, but water is transparent?"
Kangxi paused his steps and looked up. What came into view were Crown Prince Yinreng and Yinti, two children—one big, one small—sticking closely together. Yinreng was slightly bent over, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to answer Yinti's questions.
—He just looked utterly exhausted. Kangxi felt no pity; instead, a sense of schadenfreude rose within him. "Look at that, even this kid has moments like these? I originally thought I'd have to wait until I held a grandson in my arms to see such a sight."
The chief eunuch Liang Jiugong, who was accompanying him, detected the lightness in the emperor's tone and smiled, following Kangxi's lead: "Indeed, when this servant first saw it, for a moment I thought I had returned to the days when His Highness the Crown Prince was young!"
Crown Prince Yinreng had lost his birth mother from the moment he was born and was raised personally by Emperor Kangxi. Thus, Emperor Kangxi and even the close attendants of the Palace of Heavenly Purity had also experienced a period surrounded by endless "whys."
Back then, Kangxi had often been both pained and helpless. Now, seeing the scene before him, he couldn't help but stand still, smiling faintly as he gazed into the distance, reminiscing about the past.
It was Yinzhen, following behind, who noticed the approaching figure ahead and hurriedly reminded them: "Second Brother the Crown Prince, Emperor Father."
"Hmm, hmm, we'll go find Emperor Father now."
"No, what I mean is—" Yinzhen explained with a tense little face, "Emperor Father is here!"
Yinti abruptly looked up and, before the Crown Prince could react, let go and shot straight toward Kangxi like a firecracker, shouting as he went: "Emperor Father—!"
Kangxi was quick-eyed and swift-handed, instantly apprehending the firecracker-like Yinti. He grabbed Yinti by the back of his neck and nodded to his other sons, who had approached properly to bow and greet him: "Rise, all of you."
Then, he set Yinti down on the ground, put on a stern face, and scolded in a deep voice: "Yinti, where have your manners gone?"
Yinzhen and the Ninth Prince felt their hearts pounding at the sight of their stern imperial father, but Yinti wasn't the least bit afraid.
He showed no panic at being reprimanded, obediently said "oh," performed a proper bow, and then immediately wrapped his arms around Kangxi's legs, complaining pitifully as he brought up old grievances: "Emperor Father, you bully! You didn't keep your word!"
Seeing a string of accusations thrown at him, Kangxi was so angry he laughed: "When did I bully anyone? When did I not keep my word?"
"You clearly promised to see the big boat—" Yinti never expected Kangxi to deny it outright. His cheeks puffed up with anger: "Emperor Father is being dishonest and even shifting the blame! You're a bad guy!"
"You really know a lot of idioms, huh?" Kangxi muttered, pressing his hand against Yinti's forehead to push him a little farther away. "And the one trying to deny things is you. I remember it perfectly clearly."
Kangxi said irritably: "I told you at the time that the military ships couldn't come in, so we could only look at small boats."
"And I also said that once you perform well in your studies, I'll take you to see the big boats later."
Yinti's momentum instantly deflated quite a bit. He blinked several times but still couldn't recall this memory, looking at Kangxi with suspicion: "Was… there such a thing?"
Emperor Kangxi, seeing that he still dared to doubt him, was so angry he laughed. He curled his knuckles and gave a thwack on Yinti's forehead: "Just earlier I praised your good memory, and now you've completely forgotten what was said. Go back and ask Consort De."
Yinti's little face scrunched up into a knot. He still couldn't believe he would forget, but in the end, Yinti couldn't stand watching anymore and directly said: [It's true.]
With the corroboration of the Sleepy Worm Immortal, Yinti was utterly deflated, his whole person becoming listless.
The Crown Prince, having escaped the fiery situation, first breathed a sigh of relief. Then, looking at the dejected Yinti, he couldn't bear it, so he gently said: "Fourteenth Brother, don't worry. Emperor Father said that once you perform well in your studies, he will take you to see the big ships later."
Yinti listlessly lifted his eyes to glance at the Crown Prince, put his hands behind his back, and sighed with an air of premature maturity: "Crown Prince Brother, what does 'perform well in your studies' mean, and what does 'later' mean?"
"Uh… well." The Crown Prince was helpless.
"Hmph!" Yinti gazed resentfully at Kangxi's back and loudly grumbled: "Then it's probably the same as what Crown Prince Brother just said about 'when you grow up later'—maybe, perhaps."
The more Yinti spoke, the more indignant he became, until finally his cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish: "He's just treating me like a child!"
Crown Prince: …
Is it possible that you are, in fact, a child?
As for Kangxi walking at the very front, hearing Yinti's words, he was both annoyed and amused.
Yinti, filled with resentment, took the Crown Prince's hand and continued muttering: "Emperor Father is too bad, always thinking of such things to brush me off. He's a super, super, super big bad guy!"
He grew more and more enthusiastic as he spoke: "And he wants me to study hard? I've decided! I'm going to be a bad child, I won't study hard at all—mmph!"
Before he could finish, a large hand reached over and tightly covered Yinti's mouth. Setting aside words of encouragement for study for the moment, the Crown Prince could only helplessly remind him: "Yinti, Emperor Father is right in front, you know."
Hearing this, Yinti was still unconvinced. At first, he wanted to struggle, but as Kangxi turned around and met his eyes—which held a smile that didn't reach their depths—he instantly felt guilty and revealed an obedient smile: OvO
Yinti me, super obedient!