Yinti propped his chin in his hands, swinging his short legs, his mind still lingering on the earlier sea battle. He wished he could lie down immediately, fall asleep quickly, and go play again.
Thinking this, he simply rolled out of Nanny Luo’s embrace, slipped back under the covers, and buried his little head snugly beneath the quilt.
“Young master?” Nanny Luo called to him with a smile.
“I want to sleep a little longer~” Yinti’s voice came from under the covers, soft and muffled.
Then, he poked his little head out and gave Nanny Luo a sweet smile: “Nanny, you should go rest too!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll go right away.” Nanny Luo’s smile crinkled the corners of her eyes. She tucked the quilt securely around the fourteenth prince, instructed the night-shift palace maid to take good care of the young master, and then tiptoed away.
The soft rustle of footsteps faded, and the hall returned to silence. Yinti closed his eyes, but the excitement of the sea battle still swirled in his mind, making him toss and turn, unable to sleep.
Seeing this, the night-shift palace maid, holding a candle, asked softly, “Young master, would you like me to tell you a story?”
“No!” Yinti had no time for stories about cats, dogs, or rabbits. He turned over, then after a moment, turned back: “Do you have a way to fall asleep quickly?”
The night-shift palace maid thought for a moment and smiled. “Young master, if you just close your eyes and stay perfectly still, the sleepy worm will naturally come to find you.”
Afraid Yinti wouldn’t believe her, she added, “The sleepy worm is a very good little worm. It will come to meet you in your dreams.”
In the past, Yinti would have completely disbelieved this. But remembering the sea battle he could play in while asleep, his eyes instantly lit up: “So… so that was the Sleepy Worm Immortal!”
The night-shift palace maid stifled a laugh and agreed, “Yes, if you want to meet the Sleepy Worm Immortal sooner, young master, you must close your eyes and not move a muscle.”
“Okay~” Yinti obediently lay still, this time truly clearing his mind. Before long, drowsiness swept over him again, and soon he was sound asleep.
However, he slept straight through until dawn. When Nanny Luo came to help him wash up and dress, Yinti was still utterly puzzled.
When he was carried before Consort De, his little face was still tense.
Seeing Yinti looking like a little adult, Consort De found it amusing. She personally ladled a bowl of fish congee and handed it to him: “Sweetheart, what are you thinking about?”
“Hmm… I’m thinking about the Sleepy Worm Immortal.”
“The Sleepy Worm Immortal?” Consort De was momentarily puzzled, then realized it was likely a little trick the palace servants used to coax Yinti to sleep.
She didn’t expose it but continued along the topic: “Did the Sleepy Worm Immortal come to visit our sweetheart yesterday?”
“Mm-hmm…” Yinti nodded, scooping a spoonful of fish congee into his mouth. He swallowed the sweet, smooth congee before answering: “It came at first, but later, when I fell asleep, it didn’t come to find me…”
As he spoke, his little mouth puckered, full of grievance.
Just as Consort De was about to speak, an announcement suddenly came from outside: “The Emperor has arrived.”
Immediately, Consort De hurriedly led Yinti to stand, and everyone in the room knelt in unison to receive the Emperor.
“Beloved consort, rise.” Emperor Kangxi strode forward, took Consort De’s hand, and turned his gaze to Yinti: “I came to see you, and to check if Yinti has been behaving lately?”
As his children grew in number, Kangxi had long lost the excitement of first-time fatherhood, often treating them with an assembly-line approach, only casually inquiring when he happened to see them.
Consort De understood this well. Rising with the support of Emperor Kangxi's hand, she lifted her face, her affectionate gaze fixed on his profile, and complained with a helpless tone, "Your Majesty doesn’t know, but yesterday this child built a snow mountain in the backyard, climbed to the top, and slid down—it truly frightened me."
Consort De, who had borne three sons and two daughters for Emperor Kangxi, had always been favored. Seeing her charming smile, Kangxi’s expression softened, and a smile touched his lips. "It seems to me his temperament resembles yours."
After a pause, Kangxi brought up an old memory: "A few years ago, when I visited the Palace of Heavenly Purity, I saw Little Fourth pulling Little Eighth as they jumped from the wall into a snow pile—it nearly startled me too! It seems they share the same mother and the same spirited nature."
"Your Majesty!" Consort De stamped her foot, avoiding the topic of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and instead cooed, "In my opinion, both Yinzhen and Yinti take after you!"
"I was never so mischievous in my youth!"
"Hmph! I heard from the Empress Dowager—"
As the two were engrossed in their affectionate banter, a voice suddenly piped up from the side: "Fourth Brother also climbed a snow slope? Then why did he scold me!"
Kangxi and Consort De both froze, only then remembering that Yinti and a group of palace servants were still in the room, leaving them momentarily stiff.
The palace maids and eunuchs dared not breathe, while Yinti puffed out his cheeks angrily, clenching his small fists. "He’s just… he’s just… he’s just…"
Just as Yinti held his head in his hands, racking his brains for the right words, a voice echoed in his mind: [What you want to say is ‘strict with others, lenient with oneself,’ right?]
As Kangxi was about to offer a hint, he saw Yinti’s eyes light up, and the boy exclaimed loudly, "Yes! That’s it—strict with others, lenient with oneself!"
"Well now, our Little Fourteen is so young and already knows about being ‘strict with others, lenient with oneself’?" Emperor Kangxi raised an eyebrow, placing a large hand on his young son’s head to ruffle his hair, using the gesture to mask his earlier embarrassment. Then he turned to Consort De. "Has Yinti begun his early education?"
Most princes in the palace started attending the Shangshufang at age four, but aside from the Fifth Prince, who was raised by the Empress Dowager, the others typically began their studies earlier. By the time they entered the Shangshufang, some had already finished the Great Learning and Doctrine of the Mean, while others had nearly completed the Analects and Mencius.
Emperor Kangxi assumed Yinti would be no different, but to his surprise, Consort De shook her head with a smile. "Not yet. Usually, it’s just me, Tserenel, and Yinzhen reading to him."
Gazing at Yinti, Consort De’s words were tinged with pride. "This child is clever—often, after hearing something just once from us, he can remember most of it."
"But he only knows how to recite; he can’t recognize many characters yet. Yesterday, I discussed with Yinzhen about having him teach Yinti to read." Consort De did not forget Fourth Prince Yinzhen, mentioning him in front of Kangxi.
"Oh?" Kangxi grew intrigued and leaned down to ask, "Yinti, do you know the Rhythm Enlightenment?"
"Of course I do!" Yinti nodded without hesitation and immediately recited a passage fluently.
Seeing how effortlessly he recited it, Kangxi’s eyes brightened, and he asked further, "What about the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Classic?"
"I know those too," Yinti nodded and recited another passage.
Watching Yinti recite the text fluently, Kangxi's smile deepened. He decided to raise the difficulty of the question: "Yinti, do you know the order of the 'Eight Steps' mentioned in The Great Learning?"
Yinti nodded. "I know."
Kangxi's smile grew even wider as he lowered his head, waiting for Yinti's answer. However, Yinti stood in place, remaining silent for a long while.
"Yinti?" Kangxi urged.
"Imperial Father…" Yinti kept glancing up at him, hesitating to speak.
Kangxi frowned slightly, thinking to himself: Has Yinti become overconfident from the praise, pretending to know something he doesn’t?
Just as he was about to suppress his smile and prepare to lecture Yinti, he heard the boy mutter softly, "Imperial Father, you don’t even know this? How silly…"
"Yinti!" Consort De broke into a cold sweat.
"…" Kangxi was taken aback for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter. "You little rascal, you’ve got quite the nerve! But you’re mistaken—of course I know."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Then tell me."
"Hey, you’re testing me now?" Kangxi was both amused and exasperated, but he continued willingly: "They are investigation of things, extension of knowledge, sincerity of will, rectification of the mind—"
At this point, he glanced at Yinti. "You finish the rest?"
"No! If you know, why ask me?" Yinti crossed his arms and flatly refused.
"Yinti!" Consort De felt her vision darken, her teeth grinding audibly. In that instant, she realized she had been wrong the day before—she should have listened to Yinzhen and properly disciplined this audacious little brat. "Hurry up and say it!"
Yinti glanced at the furious Consort De, shrank his neck, and immediately became obedient: "Cultivation of the self, regulation of the family, governance of the state, and bringing peace to the world."
"Hahahahahaha!" Emperor Kangxi didn’t mind at all; in fact, he laughed even more heartily. He ruffled Yinti’s head and said to Consort De, "This child is truly clever. I think after the New Year, he can start attending Shangshufang early."
"But Yinti is only three years old…"
"Three is no issue. I started my studies at three, and though Yinzhen didn’t formally enroll back then, he had already been studying for a long time."
Kangxi waved his hand, settling the matter decisively. "Besides, this child still had the energy to cause trouble at Agesuo yesterday. It’s better to send him to Shangshufang early so he has a place to channel his energy."
Kangxi spoke calmly, but Consort De’s heart sank: the warning in his words was unmistakable. It seemed the argument in Yonghe Palace yesterday had already reached his ears.
Consort De felt both frustrated and aggrieved, yet she had to force herself to maintain composure, leading the somewhat confused Yinti to express their gratitude.
Yinti glanced at Kangxi, then at Consort De, his round eyes filled with confusion. He vaguely sensed something amiss between the emperor and his consort but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He decided to keep his questions to himself, planning to ask Sleepy Worm Immortal that evening.
[Who is Sleepy Worm Immortal—?!]
[I’ve told you, I’m the Ideal System, Ideal System, Ideal System! Repeat after me.]
Yinti mischievously pressed down on Yinti’s little head, urging him to repeat the words.
[No, you’re Sleepy Worm Immortal.]
[I already said I’m not.]
[Yes, you are!]
[If you don’t repeat it, there’ll be no war game today.]
[Hello, Ideal System.] Yinti instantly changed his tune, his fawning demeanor leaving Yinti utterly speechless and increasingly convinced that this kid was nothing like him. He muttered under his breath, [A real man… should at least have some integrity, shouldn’t he?]
["Alright, Ideal System."] Yinti didn't care about bootlicking or solar terms, his mind was filled with thoughts of the great ship: ["Hurry up, hurry up, let's go ride the big ship! I want to be a great general!"]
["Fine… wait, no!"] Yinti had just agreed when he realized he'd forgotten the main point: ["Did you forget the question you just asked?"]
["Ah…"]
["Let me tell you, this is the emperor's way of thinking."] Yinti looked down at him with a serious tone: ["Every move of everyone in the imperial harem is under his control, and everyone's life is decided by him. If you want to change this fate, you must inherit the throne and become the next emperor."]
In Yinti's eyes, the little boy's face gradually scrunched up, filled with shock. Softening his heart, he said gently: ["It's alright, I'll help you. We are one and the same, after all…"]
Before he could finish, he saw Yinti shaking his little head: ["There are dozens of people around me alone, and I don't even know what they do every day. How could Imperial Father possibly know what everyone in the entire palace does every day? That sounds exhausting."]
["I don't want it."] Yinti said resolutely.
["…………"] Yinti's face remained expressionless.
["Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's get started."]
["It's over."]
["Huh?"]
["I said your game is over—go back to sleep!"]