Today, Nan Huairen was giving Kangxi a mathematics lesson, with several self-made geometric models placed on the table. Kangxi was watching with great interest when he was unexpectedly nudged on the arm by someone beside him.
Kangxi looked up, and Cao Yin gave him a meaningful glance. Following the gaze, Kangxi saw a pair of bright, inquisitive eyes peeking from behind the door.
His first instinct was to call Wei Zhu, who was guarding the entrance, to take the child away. But after a moment’s thought, he changed his mind and instructed Cao Yin, “Go and bring the Seventh Prince over.”
Cao Yin walked to the door, where Yin You stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at him.
The little one’s eyes were wide open, filled with wonder and curiosity, his hands hidden behind his back as if concealing something.
Cao Yin, with a stern expression, had initially intended to play a prank and scare him.
But the moment he met that innocent face, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He reached out to take Yin You’s hand but then bent down and scooped him up with one arm.
Yin You kept his hands hidden behind his back, and as Cao Yin caught a whiff of osmanthus fragrance, he noticed the branch towering even higher than the child.
Kangxi, mindful of Nan Huairen’s advanced age, called for a short break and ordered the palace attendants to prepare tea and snacks.
Yin You was carried by Cao Yin to his Ama’s desk.
Kangxi’s expression darkened. This little one had recently become a frequent visitor to the Qianqing Palace—lingering in the bedchamber, study, garden… every corner bore traces of his presence.
Now, growing bolder, he dared to come to the South Study during lessons. It seemed the old father had to assert the authority of a ruler today, teach him a lesson, and instill some discipline.
Leaning against Cao Yin’s chest, Yin You sensed his Ama’s anger even before a word was spoken.
He bit his lower lip, remaining silent, his eyes fixed on his Ama, even with a hint of pitifulness.
“Put him down.”
Kangxi ordered Cao Yin, who complied and set the child on the floor. Yin You was so short that he stood entirely in the shadow of the desk, not even reaching its height.
Kangxi had to look down at him, frowning as he gathered his thoughts and prepared to speak. Just as he was about to begin, he saw his son suddenly bring his hands from behind his back.
Yin You held out what was in his hands to his Ama. Kangxi looked closely and saw it was a freshly plucked osmanthus branch, its fragrance immediately filling the air.
When he looked back at his son, Yin You was gazing at him expectantly, offering the branch once more.
Kangxi did not reach out, merely frowning as he looked down at Yin You.
Even Cao Yin felt a pang of sympathy, thinking the child was too young to understand reasoning even if explained.
All the reprimands Kangxi had prepared earlier remained unspoken.
He sighed inwardly, took the osmanthus branch from Yin You’s hands, and immediately called out toward the door, “Wei Zhu!”
Hearing his Ama call for Wei Zhu, Yin You thought he was about to be taken away and quickly hid behind Cao Yin.
Cao Yin: “…”
Yin You tilted his head to look at his Ama and, to his surprise, saw him holding the osmanthus branch with a slight upward curve of his lips, as if smiling.
Yin You’s little head was filled with question marks, unsure whether his Ama was angry or not.
Wei Zhu had already entered and was standing respectfully to the side, awaiting the Emperor’s instructions.
Kangxi glanced at his son before saying, “Go find a vase.”
What else could he do? His son had come all this way to bring him flowers—how could an old father bear to reject such a gesture?
That boy had a knack for it; whatever he did, it was impossible to stay angry with him.
Hearing that Ama wanted a vase, Yin You’s heart finally settled back into place. He bounced out from behind Cao Yin, his hands gripping the edge of the desk as he stood on tiptoe to peer at what was on it.
Alas, he was too short. Even craning his neck and standing on his toes, he could barely see over the edge, unable to get a proper look at the items on the desk.
Afterward, Yin You accompanied Ama through a mathematics lesson. Though he couldn’t understand much, he found it fascinating—far more interesting than the literary texts Ama usually discussed with his older brothers.
Especially the models on the desk. Seizing the moment while Ama was speaking with Nan Huairen, he climbed onto the dragon throne and finally reached the models that had captured his attention.
The items were handmade and not particularly refined, but Yin You was utterly captivated. They reminded him of the building blocks he played with, yet their shapes were more varied, and they were marked with scales.
Nan Huairen, after all, was getting on in years. Unlike in earlier days when he could lecture Kangxi for two or three hours at a time, he now grew weary after just one. Kangxi thus concluded the day’s lesson and ordered the Imperial Court of Horse Management to prepare a carriage to escort Nan Huairen back to his residence.
Wei Zhu brought in a plain porcelain vase that complemented the osmanthus branch perfectly. Kangxi was quite pleased and personally arranged it on his dragon desk.
Thanks to the osmanthus branch gifted by his youngest son, the Emperor’s mood remained cheerful from afternoon until evening.
Just before retiring for the night, he inadvertently learned from Liang Jiugong that the osmanthus branch had originally been picked by Yin You as a gift for Yinzhen. However, since Yinzhen had returned early to Chengqangong, Yin You had brought it to the South Study to present to him instead.
The Emperor’s mood instantly soured, filled with regret for not having properly scolded the boy that afternoon.
Yet the next day, when he arrived at the South Study and was about to begin Yinzhen’s lesson, he noticed an extra stool in front of the desk. A small figure knelt on it, carefully removing yesterday’s osmanthus branch from the vase and replacing it with a fresh one.
From that day onward, Yin You became utterly fascinated by Nan Huairen’s lectures and the set of geometric polyhedron models. Whenever Ama attended lessons in the South Study, Yin You would be there without fail, listening intently—whether the topics were astronomy and calendars, navigation and geography, mathematics, or musical theory.
Even Nan Huairen remarked that the Seventh Prince was bright and eager to learn, destined to become a promising talent—a blessing for the Great Qing and for the Emperor.
Who wouldn’t enjoy hearing their son praised? Kangxi was naturally delighted.
Seeing how Yin You couldn’t put down the geometric polyhedron models, Kangxi ordered the Imperial Workshops to craft two sets from nanmu wood—one large and one small. The larger set was kept for his own study and future instruction of the princes, while the smaller set was specially sent to Cining Palace as a reward for the Seventh Prince.
Yinzhen was overjoyed. He tugged at the Grand Empress Dowager, proudly showing off the new toy Ama had bestowed, chattering away with terms he’d picked up from the lessons.
Truthfully, he didn’t fully understand the meanings of those unfamiliar words, but his interest was inexplicably profound.
The Grand Empress Dowager naturally couldn’t comprehend any of it, but seeing Yin You so happy, she too was filled with joy.
The Imperial Noble Consort also noticed that her son often came out with some novel words, even English vocabulary.
The little fellow was quite proud, saying these were words from the language of the Southerners that others didn’t know.
The Imperial Noble Consort’s English proficiency was just enough to read foreign medical literature without barriers. In her previous life, she had two SCI papers to her name, so she considered herself capable of serving as a makeshift English tutor for her son.
She crouched down to look at her son and joked with him: “E’nang will teach you the language of the Southerners. Study hard, and then amaze your Ama, okay?”
“No!” Yin You flatly refused. “I don’t want to study. I just want to be a Baturu.”
This little rascal would have to learn sooner or later.
Everyone in the palace knew that Yin You frequently ran to the Qianqing Palace these days. Not only did he see his Ama every day, but he also received many rewards.
Among the many princes and princesses in the harem, it was one thing for him to see the Emperor daily at Cining Palace, but why should he also get to go to the Qianqing Palace every day?
Then there was the Crown Prince, who kept sending toys and food to Cining Palace every few days. With so many brothers, when had he ever shown such care for anyone before?
Though the Imperial Noble Consort usually only went as far as Cining Palace, and the Emperor seldom visited Chengqangong, her methods were by no means few.
The harem of the Forbidden City was both vast and small, with the same people coming and going. No matter what was said, it would always find its way to the ears of those involved.
The Imperial Noble Consort listened to it all for amusement. She had many methods—give her a scalpel, and she could perform a live dissection.
The Crown Prince’s studies grew increasingly busy. He had begun assisting Kangxi with some court affairs earlier on, so even though Yin You often visited the Qianqing Palace, the two brothers rarely had a chance to meet.
But Yinreng always kept this younger brother in mind. Whenever Han Ama bestowed gifts—whether food, clothing, or other items—if there was an extra portion, he would send it to Cining Palace for Xiao Qi. Even if there wasn’t an extra, if he thought Xiao Qi would like it, he would have it delivered.
Kangxi found this quite amusing. The Crown Prince had been proud and aloof since childhood, accustomed to his food, clothing, and possessions being different from his brothers’. Yet Xiao Qi was the exception—he wanted to give all the best things to this younger brother first.
From then on, Kangxi also took note. When bestowing gifts upon the Crown Prince, he often sent extra, sometimes even tailoring them to the preferences of both children.
Though Yin You had never learned the concept of reciprocity, whenever Crown Prince Gege sent something over, he would have the palace maids prepare a food box with some pastries from Cining Palace to send back.
The Grand Empress Dowager asked him, “Xiao Qi, why do you always send food to the Crown Prince?”
Yin You held osmanthus pastry in his left hand and golden-thread jujube cake in his right: “I send Crown Prince Gege the things Xiao Qi loves to eat. You need to be full to have the strength to study.”
He was just a three-year-old child, and his most treasured possessions were toys and snacks.
Many of his toys had been sent by the Crown Prince, who was now older and no longer played with toys. So, the little fellow could only think of sending food.
The Grand Empress Dowager had spent most of her life worrying for her son, her grandson, and the Great Qing Empire. Now, she could finally enjoy her later years in peace, with her greatest daily joy being chatting with the little fellow being raised in the palace.
“These things might not be lacking in the Crown Prince’s residence. How do you know the Crown Prince will definitely like them?”
This was indeed a problem. Yin You pondered for a long while before pouting and replying, “What Xiao Qi likes, Crown Prince brother will surely like.”
Sumala Gu poured a bowl of milk tea for each of the old and young: “Whatever gift it is, it comes from the heart of our Seventh Prince. How could the Crown Prince not like it?”
Though the words were comforting, the problem truly caused Yin You great distress.
Before he could think of what special gift to give the Crown Prince, within a few days, the Crown Prince sent over another Western novelty Yin You had never seen before.