Had Kangxi been infected by Ashumuergen? Why did he keep pinching people’s cheeks now? And with such heavy-handed force!
Yintang blinked his eyes in protest.
Seeing the little dumpling’s puffed-up expression, exactly like an inflated pufferfish, Kangxi couldn’t help but chuckle with amusement.
And he was still laughing!
Such undignified behavior from an elder!
Under Yintang’s wide-eyed glare, Kangxi finally released his grip.
What would have been ordinary father-son affection took on additional meanings in others’ eyes when viewed through the lens of emperor and prince.
Consort Yi shot a reproachful look at the Emperor.
His Majesty truly could be as mischievous as a child at times. Their son’s fair, pinkish cheek now bore two white marks from the pinching.
Niohuru observed this, and her envy was undeniable.
Though her maternal family held high status and had produced a former empress, the Emperor’s favor was always welcome. However…
She glanced at Yin E. The little white chubby dumpling seemed hungry, having produced a piece of crispy candy from somewhere, eating while scattering crumbs and coating his small chin with white sugar dust.
He even giggled happily upon seeing the Emperor pinch the Ninth Prince’s cheek.
…Never mind, neither she nor her son were cut out for this sort of thing.
Liang Jiugong and Garu exchanged glances, both seeing astonishment in each other’s eyes.
Aside from the Crown Prince, they had never witnessed the Emperor being so affectionate with any other Prince.
Liang Jiugong reminded himself once again to be extra courteous when dealing with the Ninth Prince and Consort Yi. Although His Majesty disliked his sons indulging in frivolous pursuits, he was quite interested in those foreign natural history studies and had even commissioned Minister Nan to create the Complete Map of the World. The Ninth Prince’s current endeavors might appear childish amusement, but they might inadvertently align with the Emperor’s interests.
This Ninth Prince was indeed not to be underestimated.
Garu recalled Yinti’s stubborn face—more obstinate than ten oxen—then looked at the Ninth Prince’s jade-like, adorable little face, and sighed inwardly.
No comparison, absolutely no comparison.
Kangxi paid no mind to what these people thought; his attention was solely focused on the little pink dumpling who barely reached his thigh.
Looking down at Yintang’s small face, Kangxi noted how the child, having just come indoors, still wore thick clothing that had warmed his fair complexion to a rosy pink.
Had Consort Yi not already warned him with her eyes, his itching fingers would have reached for another pinch.
Had the little thing grown a bit since last time? He wondered if he’d feel heavier when held.
And how did this small head contain so many novel ideas?
His visit today had originally been planned as a proper lecturing session for this little rascal.
Just look—his neglect of proper studies had become the talk of the entire palace. Among his own Aisin Gioro Xuanye’s children, this one was famous precisely for his playfulness.
Oh wait, there was also the fifth one.
Yinqi, who happened to be fiddling with a Rubik’s cube, felt his nose tingling slightly.
But seeing was believing today. Although his neglect of proper studies was extreme, from the perspective of broadening knowledge, he had still learned quite a bit.
Especially the exhibition design and inscriptions—everything was properly executed. Even an adult like himself found it quite engaging. If the Imperial Household Department were to handle it, given Garu’s rigid nature, it might not be done this well.
Garu suddenly sneezed.
Torn between disciplining the child and rewarding him, Kangxi hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing the latter.
“Enough, enough. Today is such a rare occasion where everyone is happily gathered. Let’s save the child-beating for another day.”
“Well done. What reward would you like?”
Yintang was looking at the toy shelf, mentally planning the layout of his future toy room, when Kangxi’s question reached him.
Truth be told, Yintang’s initial motivation for designing toys had been quite simple.
Yinzhi was already two years old, spending every day either sleeping or being carried by his wet nurse. On clear days, he might be taken outside to see flowers and trees, or listen to birds and insects, but even the slightest breeze would make the wet nurse worry about the Prince catching cold, so they’d stay indoors.
A child this young could only be taught simple words by his wet nurse, or have a few songs hummed to pass the time.
Yintang often went to play with him, and nine times out of ten he’d find Yinzhi sitting bored on his small couch. When Yinzhi saw him enter, knowing his ninth brother had come to play, he’d become so excited he’d babble and wave his little arms and legs wildly.
Children of this era, even those as noble as imperial princes, mostly had dull childhoods. In terms of richness of experience, they might even fare worse than commoner children who weren’t raised so delicately – at least commoner children could climb trees, catch fish, or get caught in the rain without it being a big deal.
Thus emerged his idea to make some toys for Yinzhi.
Then he thought further – Kangxi was so prolific, and counting on his fingers, there were still many younger siblings to come. Why not think bigger? He’d already organized the ant exhibition, so a toy room wasn’t out of the question either.
Yintang’s thinking was quite straightforward – since these toys were for his siblings, they should naturally come from his siblings too.
Anyone who visited the ant exhibition once and wanted to come again would receive a letter from Yikun Palace along with their returned name card. Inside were detailed sketches and instructions specifying that if they wished to visit again, they should bring the completed item.
Little by little, they gradually accumulated this shelf full of toys.
With more effort, by next spring they could open their doors to visitors.
Anyway, if Kangxi wanted to beat children, he only had one backside to offer.
But unexpectedly, instead of accusing him of “squandering his ambitions on frivolities,” Kangxi wanted to reward him?
Yintang neither wished nor dared to claim this achievement alone.
He briefly explained the whole story: “Han Ama, these were gathered from all the brothers and sisters in the palace. I merely collected them and dare not claim undeserved rewards.”
Garu finally understood why the Imperial Workshop had suddenly become busier recently. Hearing that various palaces had been assigning numerous tasks to the workshop, it turned out it was for this purpose.
If only there had been such toys when The Eldest Prince was being raised in the residence. Then he might not have developed that personality that took pleasure in teasing others.
Garu felt a wave of regret toward Yinzhi. He decided to have the Imperial Workshop keep an eye out – if there were toys suitable for older children, they should make a set for The Eldest Prince too.
Kangxi was somewhat surprised by Yintang’s refusal of his reward.
Having reigned for over twenty years, he witnessed daily how people inside and outside the palace would fight tooth and nail for the slightest advantage.
Even his two oldest sons frequently found ways to compete for credit before him. Moreover, even when they didn’t compete, there were those who wanted them to.
Kangxi resisted dwelling on these unpleasant matters.
“Theirs is theirs. What I reward you with is yours.”
A conflicted expression appeared on Yintang’s young face.
The palace was a place teeming with people and prying eyes, with intricate relationships and many who delighted in stirring up trouble. If he accepted Kangxi’s reward today, he feared no one would be willing to visit his ant exhibition in the future—wouldn’t his grand plan for early childhood education fall apart?
Kangxi had no idea Yintang was thinking this.
Seeing the little dumpling’s tiny eyebrows and nose scrunched up in rare distress, he assumed the child genuinely didn’t want the reward. The more he looked, the more he felt his ninth son was delightful—beautiful in appearance, pleasing in temperament, and innately pure-hearted. Truly a good child.
As for studying… well, there were still two years left. If he wanted to play, let him play. This child was so clever; once he applied himself to books, he surely wouldn’t perform poorly.
At the very least, even if he did poorly, he ought to be much better than the fifth prince.
Ah, the fifth prince wasn’t bad either—just a bit too fond of play. In scholarly matters, neither child seemed to have inherited his aptitude, likely taking entirely after the Niohuru clan.
Consort Yi, who was whispering with Niohuru, suddenly sneezed.
Kangxi’s gaze swept over the toys on the shelves and settled on one from the neatly arranged set of small wooden animal models.
Earlier, these tiny animal models had escaped his attention, but now he noticed they were exquisitely carved, so lifelike that even individual strands of fur were visible.
After a moment’s consideration, he selected a majestic lion from the collection: “We have taken a liking to this. Shall we exchange it for something of yours?”
He rarely offered others an easy way out. If the little creature failed to appreciate this gesture, a spanking would be in order.
Everyone in the room turned to look at what Kangxi held.
It was just an inconspicuous small toy—truly, the Emperor doted on the Ninth Prince.
Only Yinqi couldn’t suppress an audible “Wow!”
Han Ama was amazing—he’d immediately picked the most impressive one.
Others didn’t know, but he was aware that among all these toys, this set of models had required the most effort from his ninth brother.
The other toys were larger items—rough sketches with general descriptions conveyed to craftsmen at the Imperial Workshop could produce decent approximations. But these animal models demanded precision and vividness. The Imperial Workshop had previously created small animal pieces, mostly bronze castings that were recognizable in shape but lacked detailed carvings of fur, joints, and other fine features. To perfect this set of small animal models, the workshop had gone through multiple prototypes, spending half a month on adjustments before completion.
Yintang couldn’t help but admire Kangxi’s sharp eye. However, with the Emperor having spoken to this extent, refusing would demonstrate ingratitude.
The little dumpling’s face relaxed, his large sparkling eyes blinking: “Han Ama, can your son really ask for anything?”
“Certainly.”
Last time, the little one had requested a reward from the Imperial Workshop and created an ant observation box. What would he ask for this time? Kangxi found himself feeling unexpectedly anticipatory.
The moment these words were spoken, the entire room gasped in astonishment.
“Han Ama, your son wishes for the Kunyu Quantu [Complete Map of the World].”
Kangxi’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the small lion he’d been holding.
Many in the palace knew of the Kunyu Quantu, but few showed interest in it.
When Nan Huairen (Ferdinand Verbiest) completed the Kunyu Quantu, Kangxi had been very young. But that year, Empress Xiaochengren of the Heseri clan passed away, and in his excessive grief, he had no heart to examine it. Before long, the map gathered dust in storage.
Three years later, when he recalled it again, he found the world vast and foreign customs endlessly fascinating upon closer reflection. He couldn’t resist sharing these discoveries with court officials and even imperial consorts.
Most responded with surface-level deference or agreement, but their eyes betrayed complete indifference – “What does that have to do with me?”
As governmental affairs grew busier, the Complete Map of the World was shelved once more, only occasionally taken out for examination.
Never did he expect that a decade later, one of his sons would want to see this old relic.
What was this? This was finding a kindred spirit!
Kangxi felt his nose tingling with emotion, his entire being seeming to grow ten years younger. His heart swelled with turbulent feelings, evoking the classical notion of finding spiritual resonance.
What surprised Consort Yi wasn’t her son’s request, but the sudden brightness in Kangxi’s eyes.
She remembered how the Emperor had once enthusiastically told her about the enormous map Nan Huairen had drawn for him. There was a period when he’d been utterly captivated by it, chattering incessantly about those exotic foreign customs the moment he entered Yikun Palace, regardless of whether she was interested. Later, for some reason, he’d mentioned it less frequently – likely too preoccupied with state affairs.
Liang Jiugong was also inwardly astonished, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Yintang.
Though he hadn’t served the Emperor for many years, since he began his service, he’d always seen His Majesty maintain a calm and profound demeanor. How could a single sentence from the Ninth Prince transform the Emperor so completely?
Garu had never seen Kangxi display such expression before, nor did he understand why the Ninth Prince’s words had stirred the Emperor’s emotions so profoundly. He couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at Yintang.
Even someone as dull as Yintang could tell that Kangxi had become inexplicably excited for some reason, and that everyone was looking at him with varied emotions.
“Good, good, good child,” Kangxi restrained himself repeatedly but ultimately couldn’t help himself. Half-crouching, he took Yintang’s hand: “I always knew you would amount to something.”
Huh? Amount to what?
Yintang wanted the Complete Map of the World for educational purposes. But in Kangxi’s eyes, this shouldn’t be considered particularly promising behavior.
Seeing the increasingly intense gazes directed at him from those around, Yintang instinctively felt he must interrupt his father’s sudden effusive praise.
Otherwise, who knew what rumors would spread through the palace once they left this room?
How could he remain an idle prince then?
“Han Ama,” Kangxi saw the little round-faced boy smile sweetly at him, the small dimples in his cheeks seeming to hold honey: “Your son isn’t just busy with this – I’ve been studying seriously too!”
Kangxi’s eyes lit up.
See! His Ninth Prince wasn’t just clever – now he was finally starting to apply that intelligence properly!
His large hand patted the little one’s head, his tone growing even softer: “What have you been reading? Can you recite something?”
The little boy declared loudly: “I’ve been reading the Three Character Classic! I can recite some passages!”
The Three Character Classic was excellent – a classic primer for beginners.
Kangxi glanced at Yinqi, who was watching the scene with keen interest, and asked: “Are you studying it in Manchu or Chinese?”
“In Chinese!”
Chinese was good – perfect opportunity to give the Fifth Prince a nudge. With his younger brother advancing ahead of him, even the thickest-skinned should feel some shame.
Kangxi smiled: “Recite for me?”
The little boy tilted his head, thinking as he recited in his childish voice: “Men at their birth / are naturally good. Their natures are much the same / their habits become widely different. If the dog is not barked / the nature becomes corrupted. To teach the way / we should specialize with devotion.”
Then he patted his little head, pouted and looked at Kangxi: “Ama, your son can’t recite any more.”
Consort Yi’s eyes lit up. She never expected her little rascal, who spent his days climbing trees to catch birds and wading into ponds to catch fish without any proper demeanor, and whom the eunuch teaching him characters said was always absent-minded during recitation, to actually manage to recite the “Three Character Classic”!
Had she given birth to a genius?! Truly worthy of being her precious son!
Liang Jiugong and Garu also nodded repeatedly, each with their own thoughts.
Liang Jiugong had often seen the Emperor testing the young princes, but the Ninth Prince was only three years old and could already recite the first four lines of the “Three Character Classic.” Among these princes, he ranked in the top three.
Garu recalled the times when he had personally taught Yinti Chinese back at the residence and couldn’t help but make a pained expression.
Indeed, the Emperor was sharp-eyed—the Ninth Prince truly showed promise.
Niohuru glanced at Yin E again; the child was chewing on something, his mouth moving like a chubby little rabbit.
Never mind, never mind. No use comparing. Just let it be.
Kangxi’s eyes also lit up. For a child who had just turned three, being able to recite this much was already quite impressive.
Kangxi’s smile widened: “Little Nine recited very well. But does Little Nine know what these four sentences mean?”
Perfect, he had been waiting for this question!
The little bunny puffed out his chest, raised his small face, and looked utterly confident: “In reply to Han Ama, your son knows.”
This display of confidence made Consort Yi firmly believe her son was a genius.
Kangxi’s admiration grew even stronger. The last one this clever was the Crown Prince, whom he had personally taught. He asked expectantly, “Then can Little Nine tell Ama?”
“The first two sentences mean that people are born good, their natures are very similar, but their habits become different because of how they are taught later on.”
Everyone present nodded repeatedly, except for Yinqi and Yin E.
“Fifth Brother, what is Ninth Brother saying?” Yin E mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Yinqi shook his head regretfully: “Tenth Brother, I don’t understand either.”
Garu thought the Ninth Prince was truly bright and adorable. The rumors of his mischievousness were clearly slander spread by gossipy palace servants—seeing was believing!
He secretly resolved to strictly discipline the palace servants upon his return.
Kangxi took a deep breath.
Yintang was even better than he had imagined!
He truly resembled his own childhood demeanor!
Kangxi could hardly contain his excitement, grabbing both of Yintang’s small hands as he asked eagerly, “And what about the rest?”
The little bunny placed his hands on his hips, took a deep breath, and in a room full of expectant gazes, declared loudly in his childish voice: “It means, if a dog stops barking, its master’s interest in it will change. So, to please its master, the principle of a dog’s barking is to keep barking attentively and continuously!”
Liang Jiugong: …?
Consort Yi: …??
Kangxi: …???
It took everyone a moment to finally understand what the little one had just said.
So that’s what you meant by “dog not barking”!
Liang Jiugong stifled a laugh.
Consort Yi covered her face with her hand.
Kangxi’s face turned ashen.
Garu choked on his own saliva and coughed uncontrollably.
Only Yintang stood tall and proud in the center of the room, chest puffed out.
It is said that on that day, the sound of a child being disciplined in Yikun Palace could be heard from far away.
Author’s note:
[1] The “Kunyu Quantu” is a wooden world map created under the supervision of Belgian Jesuit missionary Nan Huairen (Ferdinand Verbiest) in the Kangxi Year of Jiayin (1674). Employing the latitude and longitude method, it depicts the eastern and western hemispheres in circular maps, presenting the complete geographical panorama of five continents and four oceans. It remains the best-preserved early Chinese version of a world map in China, supplemented with textual illustrations recording geographical theories. Source: Baidu Baike.
Yintang: Stop fighting! Stop fighting!
——Upcoming Work “The Qing Dynasty Mascot”——
After drifting above the Forbidden City for over two centuries, Yinreng opened his eyes to find himself back in the familiar Yuqing Palace.
Having witnessed the profound changes of the Forbidden City and completely lost interest in the throne, Yinreng felt his vision go dark: Again? QAQ.
Sitting on a rockery with his knees hugged, Yinreng sighed heavily at the sky when he suddenly heard the loud cry of a chubby, babyish voice.
Doing a quick calculation, he realized this was Fourth Brother!
With tears in his eyes and tiny fists clenched, Yinreng declared: My savior! Fourth Brother, this time your elder brother will directly help you debut!
The usually quiet Forbidden City suddenly became lively.
When Kangxi tested the princes on horseback archery, Yinreng accidentally fell off his horse, sustaining a minor ankle sprain that required three months of bed rest.
When Kangxi examined the princes on political affairs, starting from the youngest prince, it came to Yinreng’s turn: “Han Ama, I believe all my younger brothers’ opinions are correct, and I agree with them all. Especially Fourth Brother—his points are well-reasoned and particularly excellent.”
During Kangxi’s first southern inspection tour, halfway through the journey, he received news that Yinreng, left in charge of the capital, had taken his younger brothers out of the palace secretly the very next day. They played until just before the palace gates were locked, thinking they had gotten away with it perfectly.
Kangxi: …
The younger princes thought their Second Brother was simply the best elder brother in the world.
Yinreng’s decade-long, diligent maintenance of his “beautiful but foolish” persona finally paid off.
Kangxi eventually concluded that his second son was indeed all style and no substance. For the future of the Qing Dynasty, he had to reluctantly depose the Crown Prince.
Unexpectedly, the princes knelt in unison: “We beg Han Ama to revoke this decree!”
Particularly, Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother campaigned most actively. Kangxi even overheard their private complaints: “Has Han Ama gone senile? If he doesn’t choose Second Brother as Crown Prince, does he expect one of us to take the position?”
Kangxi: ???