Yintang’s leg injury had just healed, but walking from the East Four Directorate to the Palace of Earthly Purity (Yikun Palace) required crossing the entire Imperial Garden, which was still rather strenuous, and he did not particularly want to go.
“Eunuch Zhou, did Consort Mother say what this is about?”
If it was nothing important, he would find an excuse to decline.
Eunuch Zhou smiled warmly. “It is good news, Your Highness.”
Good news?
Yintang’s mind drifted. Could it be the matter he had been hoping for? With anticipation kindled, walking no longer felt strenuous, and in a short while, he arrived at the Palace of Earthly Purity.
“This son pays his respects to Consort Mother.”
Consort Yi hurriedly had someone stop him. “Your injury is not yet fully healed; why are you pushing yourself? Sit down quickly. Senior Servant Xu, have someone bring the beef bone soup from the small kitchen for the Ninth Prince.”
Yintang sat down with a grin. “Consort Mother is still the best to me. Every time I come to your place, you have good things prepared.”
“If I don’t care about you, who else can I care for? Your fifth brother has the Empress Dowager looking after him, so I cannot interfere too much. Your eleventh brother had little fortune and left us early…” Speaking up to this point, Consort Yi’s eyes gradually turned red.
Seeing that things were going poorly, Yintang quickly stood up, crouched in front of Consort Yi, took her hand, and pretended to slap his own face with it. “It is all this son’s fault for speaking without tact and making Consort Mother sad. Consort Mother, please hit this son to vent your anger.”
Consort Yi gently patted him twice, and the sorrow in her heart turned into affection. “Enough, enough. Get up quickly before you injure your leg again. What does this have to do with you? Your mother was merely grieving to herself.”
Just then, Senior Servant Xu entered with the soup, and Consort Yi hurriedly called out to Yintang, “Have a taste. If you like it, I will tell the small kitchen to stew a portion every day and send it over to you.”
Yintang took two sips and praised, “Delicious. Though there is no need to send it every day; having it too often becomes cloying.”
With the bowl drained to the bottom, Yintang put down his spoon and asked, “Consort Mother called me over today. Is there something you wanted to tell me?”
Consort Yi nodded and instructed the people outside, “Bring them in.”
As soon as her voice fell, two graceful young women entered, walked up to Yintang, and said softly, “Greetings, Ninth Prince.”
Yintang glanced at them. “These are… the cousin from the Golo clan?”
Consort Yi gave him a sidelong glance. “What are you talking about? These two are palace maids from your mother’s palace. They are both honest and steady by nature, and their appearances are quite good. I sent them to serve by your side.”
Yintang refused without even thinking. “How could this son take people from Consort Mother’s side? Besides, this son is not lacking people to serve him.”
Consort Yi pressed her hand to her forehead. Was this son of hers truly dense, or just shy?
Men in the palace generally reached puberty around the age of thirteen or fourteen. Once they had semen and rested for another half year, arrangements could be made for palace maids to serve them and continue the ancestral lineage. His little Ninth had been late in reaching puberty, only experiencing it at fifteen. She had planned to wait half a year to arrange for someone to instruct him, but then he suffered a fall outside the city walls, rendering his lower body immobile, and the matter had been delayed ever since.
Now he was already sixteen and about to select a primary consort to marry; he could not possibly remain completely naive. Consort Yi had no choice but to state the purpose of arranging these two maids.
After hearing this, Yintang felt somewhat shy. Not wanting to discuss the matter with his mother, he vaguely nodded in agreement.
He asked again, “Aside from this, does Consort Mother have anything else to say to this son?”
“No. What, are you in a rush to leave? You have only been here for a moment; truly, a grown son is no longer his mother’s…”
Ah, that was it?
Yintang felt a wave of disappointment in his heart. He blinked and asked, “Eunuch Zhou said there was good news waiting for this son. Where is the good news?”
Consort Yi pointed at the two maids. “Your mother has given you two beautiful maidens; is that not considered good news?”
Yintang carefully sized up the two of them, curled his lip, and thought to himself that this was hardly any good news at all. Neither of them looked as good as he did, nor did their monthly silver exceed his. If they followed him, they would not have to work and would receive several times more in monthly stipends than before. Exactly who was taking advantage of whom?
He waved his hand to dismiss everyone in the room and lowered his voice to ask Consort Yi, “Consort Mother, this son heard that Imperial Father is going to confer titles of nobility upon us. Is this news accurate?”
The people with the most nimble intelligence network in the palace were the Booi servants; whatever orders came from above, they were the ones who carried them out. Although his mother had her banners elevated, her relatives were still Booi servants working in the Imperial Household Department, meaning their sources of information were extremely well-informed. Therefore, inquiring about this matter with his mother could not possibly be wrong.
Consort Yi nodded. “There is indeed such a matter.”
Hearing this, Yintang felt a surge of warmth in his heart. “Then… then do you know what rank it is?”
“The ceremonial robes being rushed by the Imperial Household Department are of the Prince of the Second Rank (Junwang) and Beile styles.”
Beile! The lowest rank for an initial conferral was Beile. In the future, upon rendering meritorious service, or when the Crown Prince ascended the throne and bestowed grace upon his brothers, a Prince of the Second Rank crown would certainly be within reach.
Imperial Father was truly generous!
His eyes shone brightly. “Then… then is this son included this time?”
Consort Yi felt that her younger son’s gaze looked just like a starving dog staring at a meaty bone; she truly could not bear to say words that would reject him.
She patted Yintang on the shoulder. “Little Jiu, you are young and still studying in the Upper Study. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”
It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured straight over his head, thoroughly extinguishing the hope in Yintang’s heart.
“How am I young? I am sixteen years old, an adult! When Eighth Brother followed Imperial Father on campaign, he was also only sixteen. Back then, he was able to be sent to manage the military affairs of a banner, and no one thought sixteen was too young.”
“Eighth Brother! Did Eighth Brother receive a title this time?”
Consort Yi sighed and placated him, “You said it yourself, the Eighth Prince followed the Emperor on the campaign against the Dzungars and rendered military service. A title naturally cannot be lacking for him.”
Even Eighth Brother got one…
Yintang’s face could not conceal his disappointment. He had a good relationship with Eighth Brother and ought to be happy for him, but his heart simply felt aggrieved.
Why should it be? Eighth Brother was only two years older than him. Being two years older meant he could be taken onto the battlefield by Imperial Father to pick up military service, return to handle official duties led by Second Uncle Fuquan, and now even receive a title!
Yet he himself, being two years younger, got nothing at all.
Imperial Father was truly partial!
It was one thing to write poetry for the Crown Prince, and acceptable to write for Eldest Brother, but Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Seventh Brother, and Eighth Brother could all receive poems from Imperial Father, yet starting from him, the younger princes, they had none!
Leaving out the younger princes in poetry, leaving out the younger princes in tutoring, and leaving out these younger princes yet again in the conferment of titles!
Could it be that they, the younger princes born later, were not Imperial Father’s sons?
Yintang did not want to listen to Consort Yi’s comforting words any longer. He bowed to her and left in a huff.
Consort Yi rubbed her head and said helplessly, “This child is truly…”
Senior Servant Xu walked in and reminded her, “Your Ladyship, the Ninth Prince did not take those two palace maids away with him.”
Consort Yi felt her head ache even more. “You go send them over.”
East Four Directorate.
Upon returning, Yintang lay on his bed, still nursing his anger.
Yintang’s wet nurse walked over quietly and petitioned him, “Little master, Consort Yi sent two palace maids over. Wondering if Your Highness has any arrangements for them?”
Her meaning was to ask Yintang which one he would choose to serve him tonight.
At that moment, Yintang’s mind was entirely filled with Kangxi’s partiality. Full of resentment, he had no mood to think of anything else, and naturally had no arrangements to make.
“Have them sweep the floors with Old Woman Liu.”
The wet nurse was in a somewhat difficult position. “Her Ladyship said they were sent to serve you personally.”
Yintang did not even lift his eyelids. “Not interested.”
He certainly did not want those people taking advantage of him.
After thinking about it, he gave further instructions, “Pay them the same monthly wages as coarse-sweeping maids.”
Outside the door, the blushing young maiden received this reply and was left on the verge of tears. Could she and her companion please just go back to serving Consort Yi?