The nineteenth year of Kangxi was no ordinary year.
In this year, the Qing army arrived directly outside the city of Kunming, and the suppression of the Three Feudatories entered its most critical stage.
In this year, three consorts in the inner palace gave birth to three princes: the Fifth Prince Yinqi, born to Consort Yi; the Sixth Prince Yinzuo, born to Consort De; and the Seventh Prince Yin You, born to the Noble Consort Tong.
The youngest of them was the Seventh Prince, Yin You. He was born at the break of dawn on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. At the moment of his birth, a bright star rose on the horizon, traveling alongside the waxing crescent moon.
Those skilled in observing celestial phenomena discussed this incessantly, and soon, many rumors about the Seventh Prince began to circulate both inside and outside the palace.
Some said that shortly before her labor, Consort Tong had a dream. While she was eating lotus seed soup, a star fell from the sky into her bowl. Feeling famished, the Noble Consort swallowed the entire bowl of soup along with the star.
Some said that Venus occulting the moon was a sign of great omen, portending war and conflict, suggesting that the rebel in Yunnan might hold out for another two years.
Some said that because the Seventh Prince was born prematurely, he had a physical disability and would likely be unfit for great responsibilities in the future.
Still others said that the Seventh Prince was not actually born to Consort Tong at all.
…
Not long after, the Qing army broke into Kunming. Wu Shifan hanged himself, the remaining rebels surrendered, and the Revolt of the Three Feudatories finally came to an end.
That same year, Consort Tong was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, acting in the capacity of the Empress.
The Emperor used his actions to silence the wagging tongues. All rumors crumbled without a fight and gradually died down.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, two years had gone by.
After settling the Three Feudatories, the young Emperor turned his gaze toward Penghu on the other side of the strait.
For a long time, the Qing court’s policy toward Penghu had focused on pacification, but in the twenty-second year of Kangxi, things changed abruptly.
Zheng Jing, the son of Zheng Chenggong, died of illness. The Qing court’s attitude shifted from pacification to suppression. Kangxi ordered Shi Lang, the Admiral of the Fujian Naval Fleet, to lead warships toward Penghu.
The frontline battles absorbed all of Kangxi’s attention, causing him to pay less heed to the inner palace.
Today, after the morning court session, he finally found some leisure time and went to the Palace of Benevolent Longevity to pay his respects to the Grand Empress Dowager.
Just as he entered the courtyard, he heard the old lady’s hearty laughter coming from the bedchamber, followed by the voices of a crowd gathered around her.
Kangxi had always been a filial son. Hearing that the old lady was in a good mood, the fatigue brought on by days of worrying about the war dissipated significantly.
Lifting the curtain and entering the room, he heard a milky, childish voice say, “Dis is a wabbit.”
The Grand Empress Dowager laughed loudly. “Good, good! Now, Little Seven, make a kitty for your Nanny Ukuma.”
Beside the kang table sat a small child who looked as if he were carved from pink jade. This was the Seventh Imperial Prince, Yin You. He was already over three years old by nominal age and was the only child of the Imperial Noble Consort Tong.
The Seventh Prince had been born prematurely and had been frail since birth. The Imperial Noble Consort was also in poor health and had to care for the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen.
Therefore, when Yin You turned one, the Grand Empress Dowager had requested the child from the Emperor to be raised in the Palace of Benevolent Longevity.
Yin You very seriously manipulated the tangram pieces in his hands. In a short moment, the pattern of a small cat was formed.
The Grand Empress Dowager smiled and praised him to Sumala Gu and the surrounding palace maids. “Look at our Little Seven. He’s been clever since he was a babe, just like his Abba.”
Kangxi glanced at his young son, who was focused on the tangram with his head bowed. A faint smile touched his eyes. Then, he strode over to the Grand Empress Dowager. “I pay my respects to Imperial Grandmother.”
Seeing Kangxi enter, the lively room fell silent as everyone performed their salutations to the Emperor. Only the little fellow by the kang table blinked his lively, large eyes, looking at his Abba with curiosity and a hint of anticipation.
The Grand Empress Dowager scrutinized the young Emperor. Her beaming smile faded slightly as she frowned and beckoned him over. “I haven’t seen you for a few days, and the Emperor has thinned quite a bit.”
“It is likely due to the weather growing warmer. I have caused Imperial Grandmother to worry.”
Kangxi sat opposite the Grand Empress Dowager and naturally scooped his son onto his lap. Yin You turned his head and gave him a sweet smile, calling “Abba” in a soft, milky voice.
There were many concubines in the Forbidden City and even more princes and princesses, but there was only one Khan Father. Aside from the Crown Prince Yinreng, the others rarely had the chance to see their Khan Father in their daily lives.
But Yin You was an exception, as he was being raised by the Grand Empress Dowager. Typically, after the morning court session each day, Kangxi would visit the Palace of Benevolent Longevity to pay respects, so Yin You naturally saw his Khan Father often.
An Emperor carried a natural majesty. When the other princes and princesses were before Kangxi, they both wanted to be close to him and felt a certain amount of awe and fear.
For some reason, Yin You wasn’t afraid of his Khan Father at all. On the contrary, every time he saw him, he wanted to be close.
“Little Seven, make something else for Abba.” Kangxi teased the child in his arms.
Yin You waved his small arms, scrambling the various wooden shapes and rearranging them. “Dis is a puppy, dis is a fishy, dis is a birdy, dis is a chickie, dis is a duckie…”
“So Little Seven likes small animals.”
The little ball of fluff in his arms nodded. “Likes!”
Kangxi asked him, “Which animal do you like best?”
Yin You answered, “Like fishy.”
“And why do you like fishy?”
Yin You tilted his head in thought. Whatever he was thinking of, a longing smile appeared on his face. “Smells so good!”
“Hahahaha!” Kangxi burst into laughter at his son’s childish words. The Grand Empress Dowager and everyone in the room laughed along with him.
The senior palace maid who had been personally caring for Yin You smiled and said, “Our Seventh Prince loves animals the most; he can’t go a single meal without them.”
The little fluff-ball nestled in his Khan Father’s arms and bobbed his head. “Can’t go without, can’t go without!”
He was truly adorable, with large, round eyes and long eyelashes that flickered. When he smiled, his eyes curved like crescents, and his cheeks were chubby and pink. Anyone who saw him couldn’t help but want to give them a gentle squeeze.
The Grand Empress Dowager couldn’t stop smiling. “Ever since Little Seven came to my Palace of Benevolent Longevity, there has been laughter here from morning till night.”
Sumala Gu also chimed in with a smile, “Indeed. With the Seventh Prince’s company this past year and more, Her Majesty’s spirits have improved greatly.”
While everyone was chatting and laughing, they suddenly heard a palace servant outside report that the Imperial Noble Consort had arrived.
In a short moment, Imperial Noble Consort Tong entered the room. She was tall with well-defined features, a high bridge to her nose, and thin lips. At first glance, she gave an impression of coldness, possessing a look that was not easily approached.
The Imperial Noble Consort held the hand of a child about four or five years old. His demeanor and expression were a mirror image of her own—cold and self-possessed.
She first led the child to Kangxi. The two followed the rules, bowing to the Emperor with dignified poise and calm expressions.
That child was the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen.
Kangxi had just finished saying “Rise,” and before he could speak a word to the Imperial Noble Consort, he saw her lower her eyes. A warm smile bloomed on her face as she whispered something to Yinzhen.
Yinzhen nodded and stood obediently to the side.
Then, the Imperial Noble Consort turned to the Grand Empress Dowager. After paying her respects, she took the old lady’s hand to check her pulse while asking Sumala Gu about her diet and sleep since the previous night.
For some reason, this reminded Kangxi of a few years ago. When she had no children, she would shyly call him “Cousin” in private. But once she had children, she kept to herself, studying medical texts and seeing the imperial physicians more often than she saw him.
Kangxi sighed inwardly: I can’t blame her. She has had two miscarriages since entering the palace, and Little Seven was born premature and weak. She should rest more.
Then, his thoughts were pulled back by the restless little fellow in his arms.
Looking down, he saw Yin You had leaned half his body out from the kang, stretching out a round, short arm and shouting toward Yinzhen in slurred speech, “Big bwother, big bwother…”
The corner of Yinzhen’s mouth lifted into a slight arc as he reached out to gently pinch his younger brother’s cheek.
Suddenly, a small hand grabbed the front of Kangxi’s casual robes. Yin You, in his arms, babbled, “Abba, hold big bwother! Hold big bwother!”
Seeing his two young sons, Kangxi was in an exceptionally good mood today. He tossed aside his usual strict adherence to protocol and picked Yinzhen up as well, placing him on his other knee.
Yin You immediately lunged into Yinzhen’s arms, giggling uncontrollably.
Ignoring the two children for a moment, Kangxi looked up at their mother, though his words were directed at the Grand Empress Dowager: “Since Little Seven’s presence has made Imperial Grandmother increasingly healthy, let’s keep him here in the Palace of Benevolent Longevity to accompany you for another two years.”
The Imperial Noble Consort’s hands paused slightly. She knew his words were meant to test her, but she showed no reaction.
She took Yin You from Kangxi’s lap, felt his forehead, then coaxed the child to open his mouth to check his teeth and throat.
These were daily routine checks. She only felt at ease once she confirmed there were no issues.
The Grand Empress Dowager smiled. “That would be wonderful. I only fear that Qingyi might resent us later for keeping mother and son apart.”
Qingyi was the Imperial Noble Consort’s given name before she entered the palace. She shared the “Qing” generational character with her brothers, showing how much Tong Guowei doted on this daughter.
Ever since Yin You was sent to the Palace of Benevolent Longevity, she had come every day to pay respects, rain or shine. Although it was primarily to see her son, she was also dedicated in her care for the elderly woman.
The Imperial Noble Consort instructed the maids to bring out the snacks from the food box while responding calmly, “It is Little Seven’s blessing to be able to stay by the Old Ancestor’s side. I could not thank you enough; how could I possibly feel resentment?”
Kangxi’s original intention was to get his cousin to act coquettishly with him and say a few sweet words to beg him to send the child back.
To his surprise, she had simply gone along with it and accepted the favor.
Tong Qingyi knew that Kangxi had his own reasons for raising Yin You in the Palace of Benevolent Longevity and wouldn’t easily send him back, so she didn’t fall for his trap.
She had arrived in this deep palace in a muddle and had become a mother of two in a muddle.
As a modern pediatrician, she understood one truth—in this hyper-competitive deep palace, if one wanted to live a little longer, one should have fewer children and read more books.
Especially since she and Kangxi were too closely related by blood; fetuses did not survive easily. Even if born, the risk of early death or disability was high, so she wouldn’t bother with the effort.
She would leave the KPI of expanding the royal lineage to her other “colleagues.” She could contribute her remaining worth by using what she learned in her past life to help her colleagues’ children live a bit longer.
As for the two brothers, Yinzhen and Yin You—the elder had lived a life of dependency from a young age, making him introverted and sensitive. He was a child who desperately lacked a sense of security but refused to show it.
The younger was lively and cheerful with a likable personality, but his health had been poor since childhood, plagued by constant illnesses large and small. If not for her professional care, he likely wouldn’t have survived until now.
Yin You’s birth was truly unique, and the gossip inside and outside the palace had never stopped. Several major consort clans in the court also viewed him as the greatest potential threat. Kangxi’s decision to place the child with the Grand Empress Dowager was also meant to make them wary.
“Mama~” Her younger son grabbed the longhua silk ribbon at the Imperial Noble Consort’s chest, calling back her thoughts. “Snack! Little Seven hungry!”
This little brat had eyes only for food. He had just finished milk and spring rolls not long ago. The moment the maid placed the snack plate on the table, he couldn’t wait to scramble down.
The snacks the Imperial Noble Consort brought were all made in the small kitchen of the Palace of Celestial Purity—low in oil, fat, and sugar, soft and fragrant, most suitable for the elderly and children.
Today she had made poria cakes, lotus crisps, and osmanthus lotus root starch cakes. Great care had been put into their appearance, and their fragrance was even more enticing.
The Imperial Noble Consort rubbed her forehead against her son’s and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Then what should baby do?”
Without hesitation, the little fellow threw his arms around his mother’s neck and gave her a loud “mwah” on the cheek.
Yinzhen sat upright on his Khan Father’s lap like a little adult. Both father and son were somewhat uncomfortable. Kangxi simply put him down and let the two little fellows accompany the Grand Empress Dowager for some tea and snacks.
Yin You pointed at his favorite osmanthus lotus root starch cakes while muttering, “One for Nanny Ukuma, one for Little Seven, one for Mama, one for Little Seven, one for big bwother, one for Little Seven, one for Abba, one for Little Seven. Da last two are for Auntie Xi and Nanny Su.”
Auntie Xi was his head maid, named Li Xi. Her father and brother were both officials elsewhere, and she was unusually well-educated and sensible. She was originally one of the Grand Empress Dowager’s people, but after Yin You arrived, she was sent to care for him.
The child’s speech was somewhat slurred, but his serious expression melted the hearts of the adults nearby.
The only one feeling very dejected was Kangxi. He had thought his status in Little Seven’s heart was second only to the Grand Empress Dowager. He hadn’t expected his treatment would not only fall behind the Imperial Noble Consort but even behind Yinzhen, being only slightly higher than a palace maid.
The Emperor was unhappy, but the younger one was too small and protected by the Grand Empress Dowager. Thus, he turned his gaze toward the elder: “Yinzhen is almost at the age for school. Let’s find him a teacher to begin his formal education first.”
“???”
Hearing the word “school,” a certain little fellow who was entirely focused on his snacks suddenly snapped his head up.