Liang Jiugong bent at the waist, leaning his ear close to Kangxi to listen carefully to the instructions. Then, bowing, he retreated outside the hall and approached Yinti with light steps. "This humble servant pays respects to the Fourteenth Prince."
"Eunuch Liang." Yinti stopped his movements, looked up at him, and naturally grabbed the hem of his robe with his small hand, his eyes full of anticipation. "When will Father Emperor have time?"
Hearing the milky, soft voice, Liang Jiugong's smile deepened. "Fourteenth Prince, His Majesty knows you are eager to see the ships. He has specially ordered this servant to find two nimble young eunuchs to first take you to Taiye Pond to see the ships."
After a pause, Liang Jiugong added, "His Majesty said that after finishing the discussions, he will go to Taiye Pond to see you."
At the mention of "seeing the ships," Yinti's eyes instantly lit up, and he didn't even register what Liang Jiugong said afterward. He immediately let go of the doorframe he had been clinging to and nodded his head like a rattle-drum. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go!"
Liang Jiugong smiled in agreement, then turned and called over two young eunuchs in blue cloth robes, carefully instructing them: "You two take the Fourteenth Prince to Taiye Pond. Be careful on the way; don't let the young master run too fast. Also, the ice at Taiye Pond hasn't fully melted yet. The ships are all moored at the shore, frozen in place. You can only let the young master view them from a distance. Absolutely do not let him approach the ice surface, and certainly not board any ship. Understood?"
Seeing the two young eunuchs bow and agree, Liang Jiugong turned to Nanny Luo and said gently, "Nanny Luo, please go along as well. With you there, His Majesty will be more at ease."
Nanny Luo nodded. "Thank you for your consideration, Chief Steward."
Yinti couldn't wait any longer. He tugged at the sleeve of one young eunuch and ran outside, shouting, "Quick! Let's go see the big ships!"
In less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yinti's smile had completely vanished. He stood dumbfounded on the pier, his eyebrows tightly furrowed and his eyes wide open, staring fixedly at the pleasure boat before him for a long while. Finally, he turned to look at the two young eunuchs. "How dare you! You dare deceive this prince!"
The two young eunuchs were stunned at first, then promptly knelt on the ground with a thud. "This humble servant would never dare deceive the Fourteenth Prince."
"Then why did you say this is a big ship?"
"But… this is a big ship?" The young eunuch looked utterly bewildered, stammering in response. One of them, afraid the Fourteenth Prince wouldn't believe him, hurriedly explained in detail: "This is the Imperial Barge reserved for His Majesty's exclusive use. It has a two-story palace-style structure overall, with a length of five zhang and seven chi. The first level has a flat roof…"
The more the young eunuch spoke, the more certain and proud he became, and he couldn't help but affirm once more at the end: "This is the Imperial Barge, which is the big ship you wanted to see, Fourteenth Prince!"
Big ship…
Big ship…
Big ship…
"This!? This is a big ship?" Yinti froze in place, the words tumbling out. His voice was filled with thick disappointment. The majestic warships he had seen in his dreams were like porcelain shattered by a heavy blow, crashing and scattering into pieces.
Yinti spread his arms wide, stretching them out to both sides with all his might, then stood on tiptoe and bounced, gesturing wildly. "Nonsense! I want to see a big ship that's this big, this big!"
Immediately after, he extended his fingers. "It can hold lots and lots of people on top, and it has cannons that go 'boom boom boom'! The cannonballs they fire can stir up waves taller than the city walls!"
The two young eunuchs listened, dumbstruck. They looked at each other, completely unable to imagine what kind of big ship the Fourteenth Prince was describing.
The little eunuch swallowed nervously and said cautiously, "Fourteenth Prince, this… this is already the largest imperial barge. In the entire Taiye Pond, there is no boat larger than this."
Another person whispered, "The big ship you mentioned, Fourteenth Prince, we've never heard of it… Could it be that you remembered wrong?"
"No, I didn't!" Yinti was furious, stomping his foot hard. "I saw it with my own eyes in my dream!"
"Not only our ships, but the enemy's ships were also that big, yet I still beat them to a pulp! When the cannonballs flew out, they went 'whoosh,' and then 'boom'—they exploded!"
—So it was just a dream! The little eunuch’s eyes showed sudden understanding, and he looked troubled. "Fourteenth Prince, that… that was just a dream. I’m afraid such things don’t exist in reality."
"That’s not true!" Unexpectedly, these words made Yinti explode with anger. He snorted furiously, his little legs moving swiftly as he charged straight toward Qinzheng Hall like a young calf.
Nanny Luo had been prepared but still missed grabbing him. The other palace attendants also tried to block his way, but they were no match for Yinti’s speed. In the blink of an eye, they were left behind.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and chase him!"
"Little master, little master—" Nanny Luo and the others chased after him, panting heavily, calling out repeatedly, "Little master! Slow down! Be careful not to fall!"
But Yinti paid no heed, his mind filled with the anger of feeling deceived. He was determined to find Kangxi and demand an explanation. Not only did he not stop, but he ran even faster.
In his furious dash, he paid no attention to what was ahead and crashed headlong into someone with a thud.
"Ouch!"
"Oof—!"
Yinti was knocked dizzy and fell to the ground with a thud. The other person gasped in pain, staggering back several steps before being steadied by someone. He immediately snapped, "Who’s the bastard who doesn’t watch where they’re going… Fourteenth?"
Yinti clutched his aching forehead, dizzily looking up to see the strikingly handsome face of the person before him. "…Ninth Brother?"
The person was none other than Ninth Prince Yin Táng. When he saw that it was Yinti who had crashed into him, the annoyance on his face faded slightly. He reached out and pinched Yinti’s cheeks, pulling them hard to both sides. "You little rascal, why are you running so fast? Did your fourth brother order you to try and knock me to death?"
Yinti’s cheeks were already delicate, and with Yin Táng’s pinch, they immediately turned red. He struggled a bit, mumbling incoherently, "No, I didn’t—"
Nanny Luo and the others who had caught up were horrified at the sight. A wet nurse who had been following Yinti grew especially anxious, rushing forward to snatch Yinti from Yin Táng’s grasp and shield him in her arms. She bowed slightly to Yin Táng, her tone urgent. "Ninth Prince, as an elder brother, you should be taking care of your younger sibling! How could you bully the little master like this?"
Ninth Prince’s smile vanished instantly, his eyebrows furrowing. "Where did this lowly servant come from, daring to speak nonsense in front of me?"
"Clearly, you couldn’t even keep a three-year-old prince under control, letting Fourteenth run around everywhere. Now that he’s bumped into someone, you’re trying to shift the blame?"
"That’s right, that’s right. Ninth Brother didn’t bully me," Yinti protested from the wet nurse’s arms, kicking his legs in dissatisfaction. "You’re wronging Ninth Brother."
"But, but this servant clearly…" The wet nurse's gaze fell on Yinti's cheeks. Young and tender-skinned, Yinti had been pinched twice by Yin Táng, leaving obvious red marks that were still quite visible.
Ninth Prince also noticed the red marks on Yinti's face. While inwardly regretting having been too harsh earlier, he grew increasingly dissatisfied with the accompanying palace attendants: "Fourteenth Brother, have these wretched servants been neglecting you lately? How could they let you run so far ahead while lagging so far behind? Aren’t they afraid something might happen to you?"
"It’s not their fault."
"Hmph? How is it not?" Without waiting for Yinti to respond, Ninth Prince continued on his own: "I think you’re just too soft-hearted. Servants and eunuchs who don’t know how to attend to their duties properly should all be sent back to the Imperial Household Department and replaced with new ones."
"I was the one who bumped into Ninth Brother first. It’s my fault." Yinti repeated himself, pouting as he complained: "I’m not like those people who break their promises. I’m a good child who bravely admits his mistakes!"
—How were they supposed to respond to that? The wet nurse understood the implication in Yinti’s words and instantly broke into a cold sweat. Before she could figure out how to reply, Yinti kicked his little legs: "Put me down quickly."
"…Yes, yes." The wet nurse hesitated for a moment before squatting down and releasing him.
She was about to say something else when she saw Yinti scramble to his feet and grab Ninth Prince’s hand: "Ninth Brother, don’t be angry. I know you only meant well for me."
Ninth Prince spoke insincerely: "It’s nothing serious."
Yinti bit his finger, thinking hard: "It’s not nothing! Ninth Brother is, um, a straightforward and fearless hero!"
This was the first time Ninth Prince had ever been praised as a hero. His heart swelled with sweetness, and he couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward: "Don’t talk nonsense. I already said it was just a casual remark. How does that make me a hero?"
"But you are a hero!" Yinti shook his little head and continued: "Last time, Ninth Brother even climbed a tree to help me catch a cicada!"
"Oh? You still remember that?" Ninth Prince looked surprised, glancing down at Yinti, who was barely taller than three heads stacked together. He remembered that Fourteenth Brother was not yet three years old, yet he recalled something that happened half a year ago so clearly.
"Of course I remember!" Yinti puffed out his chest proudly, his adorable little expression making Ninth Prince’s hands itch to ruffle his hair.
Yinti didn’t understand why but instinctively nuzzled against Ninth Prince’s palm. This affectionate gesture made Ninth Prince’s smile widen even more.
In high spirits, he grew curious: "By the way, why were you running so fast just now?"
"Ah, there’s something important!" Yinti remembered his original purpose and tugged Ninth Prince’s hand as he ran forward: "Ninth Brother, you have to help me!"
"Oh? Who bullied you?" Ninth Prince’s expression turned serious. After considering the possibilities, he settled on a target: "I know, it’s Fourth Brother, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely stand up for you and—"
"No, it’s Father Emperor! Father Emperor lied to me. He said there was a big ship, but all he showed me was such a tiny, broken boat!"
"Wait a moment!" Ninth Prince hurriedly stopped him, his features—so similar to Consort Yi’s—showing a mix of confusion and shock: "Explain clearly first. What do you mean Father Emperor broke his promise? What’s this about a big ship and a broken boat?"
"Ah!" Yinti exclaimed with righteous indignation, recounting his recent ordeal in full detail once more. Finally, he tugged at the Ninth Prince's sleeve, pouting, "Since Ninth Brother knows about it now, you have to help me too."
"Huh?"
"You have to speak to Father for me!" Yinti declared, lifting his head with an air of solemn authority.
—What? The Ninth Prince's expression turned strange. He pointed at himself, repeating in disbelief, "Me? Speak to Father?"
Yinti nodded with unshakable confidence, his eyes brimming with anticipation. His adorable appearance almost made the Ninth Prince's heart soften… or so it seemed!
—This little rascal must have been sent by Fourth Brother to set him up! The Ninth Prince didn't even bother with the nursemaid's account anymore and turned to leave. "Goodbye…"
Before his words could fully fade, the Ninth Prince found himself involuntarily taking two steps backward.
The Ninth Prince: ""
He took two more involuntary steps back, then looked behind him in confusion. The Ninth Prince quickly realized why the nursemaids and palace attendants hadn't followed Yinti—because at this moment, he couldn't break free from Yinti's grip at all. In fact, he was being dragged forward by him.
What's more, Yinti still had the energy to chatter on endlessly: "Ninth Brother, you're my own brother! You have to help me!"
"No, your own brother is Old Fourth!"
"Help me, help me, help me, help me!"
"I can't help you with anything—"
"Ninth Brother, just use the same skill you used to scold the nursemaid earlier. I believe in you!" Yinti's eyes sparkled, and he didn't forget to flatter: "Besides, I know, Ninth Brother, you're the absolute best Ninth Brother in the world!"
"No, I'm a villain!" The Ninth Prince shook his head repeatedly, busy trying to pin the blame on himself: "Let me tell you, I'm the really bad kind! The kind who deliberately speaks ill of others, deliberately does bad things, deliberately bullies people—the biggest, baddest villain!"
"No, no," Yinti said, running forward while looking at the Ninth Prince. "Back then, I just wished you were my own brother!"
His eyes were bright and sparkling, utterly adorable.
On any ordinary day, the Ninth Prince would have been immensely proud, so proud that he'd have bragged about it to Yinzhen for a full 365 days.
But that was only on an ordinary day.
Right now, the Ninth Prince just wanted to say: I can't possibly be your own brother!
The Ninth Prince looked around in panic, desperately hoping for someone to appear.
Yinzhen! Fourth Brother!
My most, most, most important Fourth Brother, where are you? Come save me!
Author's Note:
Bet you didn't expect it—it was Yin Táng who said it.