“Achoo—!” The sudden sneeze shattered the surrounding tranquility. Hearing the sound, Crown Prince Yinreng lowered his gaze to Yinzhen, his tone carrying a hint of concern. “Fourth Brother, are you not wearing enough clothes? The weather has been changing extremely fast these past few days, with significant temperature differences. You must take care to stay warm.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”
“Our relationship is unlike that with others; there is no need to be so formal.” The Crown Prince frowned slightly. First, he instructed the palace attendant beside him to fetch a cloak, then added a reminder. “When we are in private, you may address me as Second Brother.”
Yinzhen complied obediently. “Yes, Second Brother.”
Seeing his compliance, the Crown Prince nodded with satisfaction, then shifted his gaze to once again admire the distant scenery.
Only Yinzhen noticed that the Crown Prince’s eyes lingered on Qinzheng Hall for a moment before moving away. He lowered his own gaze, focusing intently on the early sprouts emerging from the ground, as if he had never noticed the matter.
After a brief silence, the Crown Prince spoke of matters after the spring. “Emperor Father has already mentioned to me in advance that this spring, a selection will be held to choose suitable consorts for you and Third Brother. Fourth Brother, do you have a preferred type? If you have a particular liking in mind or favor a young lady from any family, feel free to tell me and Emperor Father in advance. I will keep an eye out for you.”
When speaking of marriage, an almost imperceptible shadow unconsciously flickered in the Crown Prince’s eyes.
Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, there had been no precedent for a Crown Prince’s grand wedding. Therefore, regarding the ceremonial protocols for the Crown Prince’s marriage, the officials of the Ministry of Rites had deliberated year after year, revising draft after draft, yet to this day, they still had not settled on a proper protocol.
He had been betrothed years ago, yet due to these cumbersome rules, his grand wedding had been repeatedly delayed. Watching his younger brothers catch up one by one, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat unsettled.
Especially after Eldest Prince Yinti had earned merits, and he himself had developed a rift with Emperor Father following the events of last July, the Crown Prince’s sense of crisis had suddenly intensified.
Now, he hoped that the marriages of Third Brother and Fourth Brother would spur those sluggish parasites in the Ministry of Rites into action, compelling them to expedite the necessary arrangements, thereby also advancing his own wedding matters.
Yinzhen did not perceive the Crown Prince’s complex thoughts. His gaze fixed on his own feet, he shook his head after a long moment and said softly, “Everything shall be as Emperor Father decides.”
Seeing him like this, the Crown Prince was not surprised. He merely smiled faintly and did not delve deeper into the topic. Instead, he recalled another matter and asked, “Your Third Brother recently told me that after the selection, he wishes to study at the Hanlin Academy to continue delving into mathematics, law, and music.”
Regarding Yin Zhi’s choice, the Crown Prince felt both satisfaction and a touch of dissatisfaction. He was satisfied because the Hanlin Academy was a prestigious and honorable institution. Although it did not directly manage local governance or specific administrative affairs, it allowed one to befriend many outstanding scholars who had passed the imperial examination, greatly benefiting one’s reputation and network accumulation. Moreover, it would not directly entangle one in court factional disputes, making it a safe choice.
His dissatisfaction, however, was not directed at Yin Zhi himself, but rather stemmed from his current urgent need for capable assistants to counter Eldest Prince Yinti. Third Brother Yin Zhi’s dedication to literary pursuits meant he would not be of immediate use.
He glanced sideways at Yinzhen beside him and sighed inwardly. Although Fourth Brother had a steady temperament and was diligent in his work, he unfortunately lacked talent in horseback archery and martial studies—in this aspect, he was even less adept than Yin Zhi, who was devoted to scholarly pursuits.
Even if the Crown Prince intended to let him lend a hand, it would be far too difficult for him to contend in court against the eldest brother, who held military power and had extensive connections.
On second thought, perhaps Fourth Brother had other plans in mind? The Crown Prince couldn't help but feel a faint glimmer of hope, his gaze burning as he looked at Yinzhen, waiting for his response.
Yinzhen lowered his head and pondered for a moment, his mind flashing through the books he had read over the years and the occasional affairs he had heard about. He then raised his head and replied earnestly, "In reply to Second Brother, your younger brother is more interested in the Ministry of Works."
"The Ministry of Works?" The hope on the Crown Prince's face instantly froze, and the faint glimmer in his heart was extinguished like a flame doused with cold water, crackling as it died out.
His expression visibly darkened, and the atmosphere around him grew heavier as he scrutinized Yinzhen.
It was well known that the Ministry of Works was responsible for trivial matters such as construction projects, water conservancy maintenance, mining, and manufacturing. Not only were its affairs complicated, but it also lacked independent decision-making authority, consistently ranking last among the six ministries.
Not to mention comparing it to the Ministry of Personnel, which oversaw official appointments and dismissals, or the Ministry of War, which held military power—even the Ministry of Rites, responsible for ceremonies and sacrifices, held a higher status.
The Crown Prince truly couldn't imagine why Yinzhen, as a prince, would choose to go to the Ministry of Works—a thankless and arduous department—instead of selecting one of the prestigious and powerful ministries. Could it really be that he genuinely enjoyed the work of laborers?
—Or perhaps Yinzhen didn’t want to get involved in the conflict between him and Yinti and deliberately chose a quiet department? Considering this possibility, the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes.
Just as he was about to press further to understand Yinzhen’s true intentions, he suddenly heard a clamor of noise in the distance, mixed with the shouts of children and the admonishments of palace attendants.
"Hmm?" The Crown Prince frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the noise. His gaze passed through the sparse trees, faintly catching sight of two figures tugging and pulling as they made their way toward Qinzheng Hall.
He narrowed his eyes, recognizing the smaller figure, and raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with surprise. "Yinzhen, look over there. Isn’t that Fourteenth, chattering and making a fuss?"
Upon hearing "Fourteenth," Yinzhen’s expression shifted slightly. Following the Crown Prince’s gaze, he saw three-year-old Yinti clinging like a sticky little tail, stubbornly holding the hand of the person in front of him while hopping and pulling forward, all the while chattering incessantly.
Upon closer inspection, it was actually the Ninth Prince, Yin Táng!
The two most important figures were tugging and pulling, sticking close together, appearing unusually intimate.
The Crown Prince recalled that earlier in the year, Fourth Brother and Ninth Brother had quarreled over a puppy, causing an uproar throughout the palace. How could Ninth Brother and Fourteenth Brother be so close now? He raised his brow and glanced at Yinzhen out of the corner of his eye, only to see Yinzhen enveloped in a cold aura, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, knuckles turning white.
The Crown Prince was momentarily taken aback, then remembered some rumors circulating in the palace and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity. He reached out and patted Yinzhen’s shoulder, offering silent comfort. "Fourteenth Brother is still young. He’ll understand better when he grows older."
Upon hearing the words "still young," Yinzhen’s face twitched slightly, and the resentment in his heart flared up like a wildfire. Ultimately, his strong self-control kept him from voicing his doubts.
"Come, let’s go and see what’s happening."
"…Yes," Yinzhen responded gloomily.
Contrary to the intimate harmony the two of them envisioned, the Ninth Prince Yin Táng, caught in the middle of this tug-of-war, was already sweating profusely with anxiety.
Dragged forward by Yinti while stealing glances around, he watched as the outline of Qinzheng Hall grew clearer and closer, a look of despair creeping onto his face.
—How did they get here so quickly!? The Ninth Prince cursed inwardly, scanning his surroundings in hopes of finding someone who could save him—preferably the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen.
But as his eyes swept over the palace paths and groves, he saw not a trace of the Fourth Prince, nor even a single familiar figure.
Damn Yinzhen! Damn Fourth Brother! The Ninth Prince cursed Yinzhen a thousand times in his heart. Why was it that he seemed to run into him everywhere on ordinary days, yet when he most needed him to step in and intervene, there wasn’t even a shadow of him to be found?
Cursing aside, the Ninth Prince knew he couldn’t just sit back and wait for disaster. He had to save himself, and quickly. Forcing himself to calm down, he began carefully recalling and piecing together the stream of mutterings Yinti had been spouting along the way. Soon, his eyes lit up, and he tugged hard on Yinti, who was still charging ahead: "Fourteenth, wait a moment!"
"Hmm?" Yinti turned his head, speaking kindly, "Ninth Brother, don’t worry, we’re almost there!"
"Listen, you kept saying earlier that Emperor Father lied to you, that the big ship he promised wasn’t real."
The Ninth Prince took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible. "The big ship you mentioned—does it have huge cloth sails that can be folded up and unfurled?"
Yinti’s footsteps halted, his little face instantly lighting up. "Yes! Yes! That’s exactly it! Ninth Brother, have you seen it?"
Confirming that Yinti was indeed talking about this, the Ninth Prince immediately felt a wave of relief, and the weight in his heart eased considerably.
"I heard about it from the missionaries."
"Missionaries?" This was a term Yinti had never heard before, and he couldn’t help but look curious.
"That’s right, Yinti, you haven’t met missionaries yet, have you? They look really strange—some have golden hair, others red or brown, though some have black hair like us. And their skin is mostly as white as flour, with hooked noses and deep-set eyes."
Listening to this description, Yinti felt as though he had seen something like it somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite recall. Tilting his head, he continued listening as the Ninth Prince went on: "They come from a place called Europe, which is very far from our Great Qing. It takes several months by ship to get here."
"I didn’t believe it at first, so the missionaries showed me picture books and described the ships. They say one ship can carry hundreds of people, withstand strong winds and waves, and isn’t afraid of storms or lightning."
"Then why aren’t there any in the capital?" Yinti, now captivated, thought this must be the big ship he was searching for and couldn’t help but press further.
"You really are foolish when it comes to this," the Ninth Prince said, flicking Yinti’s forehead with his finger. "The rivers in the capital are too narrow and not deep enough. A ship that big simply can’t sail in here."
After a pause, the Ninth Prince added, "Besides, it’s winter now. The river surfaces are frozen solid. Forget big ships—even small boats can’t sail."
Having said this, the Ninth Prince stole a glance at Yinti. "Now that you know the reason, we don’t have to go see Emperor Father, right?"
The Crown Prince and Fourth Prince, who had just stepped forward, happened to hear Ninth Prince's words. The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow and asked, "To see Father Emperor? Ninth Brother, what are you and Fourteenth Brother planning to do?"
Ninth Prince was momentarily stunned. When he turned and saw who had arrived, the anxiety and despair on his face vanished completely, replaced by an unmistakable joy and excitement. Even his voice carried a hint of tears as he cried out, "Your Highness the Crown Prince! Fourth Brother!"
To be honest, this unusually enthusiastic attitude sent a chill down Yinzhen's spine. He instinctively took two steps back, eyeing Ninth Prince warily.