This marked the third consecutive year Kangxi had toured beyond the Great Wall and conducted the Autumn Hunt at Mulan Hunting Grounds.
With the expedition having departed many days prior, the usually bustling Forbidden City had suddenly grown quiet.
Although touring beyond the Great Wall sounded like a leisure trip, it was actually Kangxi’s way of reminding the Eight Banners soldiers to maintain their bravery and combat readiness, while also serving political purposes like strengthening alliances with Mongol tribes.
The procession was particularly grand this time – all Princes from The Eldest Prince to the Eighth Prince who were over six years old had joined.
Yintang naturally wanted to follow along.
Staying in the palace all day made him feel like he was growing moss on his head. Moreover, all the older children he was close with had gone. Just imagining everyone gathering around bonfires roasting meat at night and galloping freely on horseback during the day made Yintang envious.
However, such prolonged travel would be too physically demanding for a child not yet four years old. Since Kangxi went on at least one such trip every year, it wouldn’t be too late to join his brothers on future excursions once he was older and sturdier.
After all, as someone who preferred an easy life, avoiding unnecessary hardship was a fundamental principle.
He wasn’t the only one who thought this way.
“Han Ama and our brothers must be roasting meat at Mulan Hunting Grounds right now,” sighed Fifth Princess in the toy room, tugging dejectedly at a rabbit doll’s ears. Although Royal Grandma had permitted her to visit the toy room seeing how bored she was after Yinqi’s departure, her heart had already flown to the grasslands with Yinqi.
Leaning against the wall while hugging a tiger plushie, Yin E listlessly complained, “I don’t want to play anymore. I want to hunt real tigers.” Usually he found the toy room fascinating, but now that his brothers might encounter real tigers, all these toys seemed utterly dull.
“Pfft, all talk. You’d probably wet your pants if you actually saw a tiger,” Fifth Princess retorted, her melancholy forgotten as she snorted with laughter at what she deemed an absurd notion.
Yin E puffed his cheeks and complained to Yintang, who was organizing toys: “Ninth Brother, Fifth Sister insulted me!”
Fifth Princess immediately denied: “Ninth Brother, I didn’t! I was merely stating facts!”
Their behavior was understandable. Since all the older children had followed Kangxi beyond the Great Wall, only these two older toddlers – Tenth Brother and Fifth Sister – remained in the toy room. The Eleventh Prince, Twelfth Prince, Sixth Princess, and Seventh Princess were still too young to speak clearly and couldn’t play with them, leaving the two siblings to find amusement in bickering daily.
Though usually poised and graceful, Fifth Princess always clashed with Yin E, their arguments igniting at the slightest provocation.
Yintang sighed and raised his hands in surrender. “Enough, both of you. I’ll take you somewhere.”
Eastern Side Hall, Jingyang Palace
Despite several ice basins placed around the modest room, the mid-autumn heat remained oppressive.
Having always been heat-sensitive, Yintang developed a thin layer of sweat on his back after just a short while. Noticing his discomfort, Baofu quickened her fanning, the cool air instantly drying the perspiration.
Evening glow filtered through the window lattice, casting patches of light upon four children seated on the bed.
Wiping his forehead with his sleeve, Yin E stared curiously at the round-faced toddler whose dark, obsidian-like eyes shone like gems set in white jade.
A six-month-old baby could already sit independently for a short while. At this moment, he was staring at Yintang before him with a joyful laugh, his tiny mouth parted to reveal pearl-like white gums.
“Ninth Brother, why do I feel Thirteenth Brother particularly likes you?” Yin E couldn’t help feeling somewhat jealous seeing the little baby grinning at Yintang.
Hmph, I knew Ninth Brother first! I’m the one who likes Ninth Brother most! You little rascal aren’t allowed to steal him from me!
Facing little Yinxiang who couldn’t even crawl yet, Yin E inexplicably sensed a threat.
“Tch, it’s because you always end up making him cry every time you visit,” Fifth Princess rolled her eyes.
Like last time when Yin E had good intentions to teach little Yinxiang how to crawl.
Little Yinxiang rolled over, staring with round eyes as Yin E demonstrated crawling with hands and feet, occasionally giggling with amusement.
Unfortunately, no matter how Yin E demonstrated, little Yinxiang didn’t seem to grasp it, only managing to prop his belly against the bed while waving his tiny limbs in the air, babbling cheerfully like a little airplane.
“Ninth Brother, why hasn’t Thirteenth Brother learned yet?”
Yintang thought to himself: babies sit at seven months and crawl at eight – little Thirteen is only six months old, of course he can’t crawl yet.
“Thirteenth Brother is still too young, just let it be,” Fifth Princess couldn’t bear to watch anymore.
But clearly Yin E didn’t intend to wait until next month.
He patiently demonstrated for a long time with exaggerated gestures, but there was no progress. Meanwhile, little Yinxiang grew tired and sprawled on the bed in a starfish position, grinning at Yintang and Yin E.
“Thirteenth Brother, hold on a bit longer. Look at Tenth Brother – prop yourself up like this with your hands.Yin E bent his elbows to mimic the crawling position, signaling little Yinxiang to follow.
Little Yinxiang just giggled, refusing to comply.
Yin E’s tone sharpened: “Hurry up!”
Feeling criticized, little Yinxiang burst into loud wails.
In the end, it took Yintang quite some time to comfort him before he stopped crying and smiled again.
“Ah, don’t remind me of that,” Yin E recalled the incident, sheepishly rubbing his head.
Recently, the three children had gained a new playmate – the six-month-old Yinxiang.
Both of them had attended Yinxiang’s third-day bathing ceremony. At that time, Yin E looked at the wrinkled, monkey-like newborn and whispered to Yintang: “Ninth Brother, why is this baby so ugly?”
Yintang wasn’t worried about the child’s appearance.
Kangxi, being quite particular about looks, had once been very fond of this thirteenth brother. Based on this alone, Yinxiang’s appearance couldn’t possibly be bad.
Yintang had long anticipated the birth of this future right-hand man of Emperor Yongzheng. After the bathing ceremony, he had begged Consort Yi several times to visit, but it wasn’t until Yinxiang was six months old that she finally agreed.
Looking back now, this was protection for both him and Yinxiang.
After all, if a young child were left alone with an infant, any accident happening to the baby would immediately cast suspicion on Yikun Palace.
Although Kangxi’s harem was relatively stable, several children had still been lost. No one could say for sure whether it was due to natural weakness or other reasons. In any case, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Now, taking advantage of Kangxi’s inspection tour beyond the Great Wall, Yintang pleaded with Consort Yi again and finally managed to get her consent.
Yinxiang’s birth mother, Lady Zhangjia, was a tall woman with a gentle temperament.
According to protocol, as a concubine of lower rank, Lady Zhangjia shouldn’t have been allowed to raise Yinxiang. However, since there were two childless imperial concubines residing in Jingyang Palace, it was permitted to let the child stay there temporarily until he grew older, when he would be handed over to other consorts for upbringing.
Lady Zhangjia was thoughtful and kind-hearted. Seeing that Yinxiang particularly liked the Ninth Prince, she never refused whenever Yintang requested to visit.
In truth, she also had her own considerations. Her maternal family wasn’t particularly prominent, and she hoped to benefit from the influence of the Gorolo and Niohuru clans, making her son’s future path smoother.
Moreover, she had heard that the Emperor held this mischievous Ninth Prince in high regard. With the care of the Ninth and Tenth Princes, at least Yinxiang wouldn’t have to live at others’ mercy.
Yintang gazed at the smiling little child on the bed, his thoughts drifting to the historical Thirteenth Prince who was once deeply favored by Kangxi but later fell out of favor for over ten years.
Seeing Little Thirteen’s innocent smile directed at him, Yintang felt a pang of reluctance.
“Ninth Brother, when will Thirteenth Brother be able to walk? Every time we see him, he’s either on the bed or the couch. It’s so boring,” Yin E grumbled.
Yintang pulled back his wandering thoughts and smiled, “Just wait. It’ll be another half year or so.”
“So long!” Yin E’s eyes widened in surprise.
The Fifth Princess scoffed, “As if you weren’t over a year old when you learned to walk. Making a fuss over nothing.”
“…”
“Ooh, eh eh.” Little Thirteen, seeing his older siblings chatting and ignoring him, grew anxious and quickly made sounds to remind them: Play with me!
The Fifth Princess looked curiously at Little Thirteen’s scrunched-up face. “Ninth Brother, what is Thirteenth Brother saying?”
Yintang explained, “Thirteenth Brother wants to play with us.”
As he spoke, Yintang leaned his head close to Yinxiang, suddenly raising both hands to cover his face: “Little Thirteen, look! Ninth Brother disappeared!”
The little child saw the pretty brother vanish “whoosh” and cried out anxiously.
“Hey, brother’s back!” Yintang suddenly put his hands down.
The little child saw the familiar face suddenly reappear and giggled happily.
Yintang repeated this several times, making Yinxiang laugh so hard he nearly toppled over.
Six little hands immediately steadied Little Yinxiang.
“Thirteenth Brother is still too young to sit for too long,” Yintang called to the wet nurse standing by. “Please help the Thirteenth Prince lie down.”
As Little Thirteen shifted from sitting to lying down and could no longer see the pretty brother, he grew frantic, waving his little hands and feet in the air.
“Ding ling ling.”
A clear, pleasant sound rang out. Little Thirteen turned his head left and right, curiously searching for the source of the sound.
“Hey, can’t see it, can you?” Yin E hid his hands behind his back, shaking a wooden rattle while grinning at Yinxiang. “Call me ‘good Tenth Brother’ and I’ll give it to you.”
This rattle was newly made by Ninth Brother. Yin E hadn’t had enough time to play with it before Ninth Brother brought it to give to Thirteenth Brother.
Hmph, Ninth Brother is biased!
The little child cried “ah ah ah,” unable to form proper sounds. Frustrated and anxious, he suddenly burst into tears with a “waaa.”
The wet nurse hurriedly patted Yinxiang’s back, but it had little effect.
“Alright, Tenth Brother, stop teasing Thirteenth Brother,” Yintang said helplessly to Yin E.
“Exactly, give it back to Thirteenth Brother! How can you take things from a baby!” the Fifth Princess said angrily.
Yin E pouted and handed the rattle to Yintang.
Hmph, only for Ninth Brother’s sake, and because you’re our Thirteenth Brother—you’re getting off easy, you little child!
Yintang took the rattle and held it directly above Little Thirteen.
“Thirteenth Brother, look what fun thing Ninth Brother brought you?” Yintang shook his hand, making the small ringer emit crisp, pleasant sounds.
Yinxiang’s tears turned to laughter, his dark grape-like eyes curving into crescent moons.
“Would Thirteenth Brother like to try it?”
Yintang extended the rattle toward him. Yinxiang’s small hands were stronger than he expected, immediately grabbing and snatching the rattle, shaking it back and forth in his grasp. He occasionally lifted it before his face, widening his eyes to examine it curiously.
“Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling”—the rattle continuously made sounds as it shook. Little Yinxiang laughed gleefully, shaking the rattle even more vigorously.
“Ah, Thirteenth Brother is so clever!” Yintang clapped his hands nearby in encouragement.
Had he not experienced it personally, it would be hard to imagine how impoverished an infant’s life in the palace could be. Either lying in bed or held in the wet nurse’s arms, there was almost no entertainment.
Though the rattle seemed childish, it could train an infant’s hearing and hand flexibility, while also helping establish the simplest causal connection between the bell sound and shaking the rattle—it was excellent early education toy.
When Yin E and Fifth Princess saw little Yinxiang shaking it so happily, they also found it quite amusing and joined Yintang in cheering him on.
“Oh, Ninth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince is still young. Be careful he doesn’t drop it and hit himself,” the wet nurse said, her face paling as she watched the Thirteenth Prince vigorously swinging the rattle.
In raising children in the palace, the foremost priority was safety.
As for whether the young prince was happy—that was an extra concern. For servants like them, ensuring the young prince grew up healthy and safe was the greatest achievement.
Before Yintang could speak, Yin E waved his small hand: “Nanny, don’t worry. Look, Thirteenth Brother is very strong—he’s holding the rattle quite steadily. Besides, this rattle is hollow inside and not heavy at all. Even if it falls, it won’t hurt much—at most cause a small bump, no life-threatening danger.”
After hearing Yin E’s words, the wet nurse’s expression grew even more tense.
Yintang, however, seemed to recall something. Scanning the room, he asked the wet nurse: “Nanny, where are the toys I brought for Thirteenth Brother on previous visits?”
Yintang’s toy room was gradually taking shape, filled with various toys. Each visit, he would carefully select one or two to bring as gifts for Yinxiang.
Yet today, when he arrived, Yinxiang’s bed remained bare, without any toys in sight.
Hearing Yintang’s question, Yin E also realized something. The room’s layout was quite sparse—whatever was placed inside could be seen at a glance. Clearly, the room contained only daily necessities, with no trace of those toys.
The wet nurse looked somewhat uncomfortable: “Ninth Prince’s gifts are too precious. We feared the young prince might damage them unknowingly, so we put them away.”
Little Yinxiang seemed to understand, realizing that the beautiful brother’s toys were all gone. With a “wah,” he threw the rattle forcefully and began crying loudly.
For a moment, the three older children and one adult were all busy comforting the little one.
“Ninth Brother, that wet nurse is too wicked—she actually hid the toys you gave Thirteenth Brother without permission,” Yin E said indignantly on their way back, kicking small stones by the path forcefully. “If it were up to me, we should tell Thirteenth Brother’s mother and have her properly punish this audacious servant!”
“Exactly, I was about to teach her a lesson earlier. Why did you stop me, Ninth Brother?” Fifth Princess chimed in. Just moments ago, when she wanted to reprimand the wet nurse for daring to secretly hoard the toys given by the princes, she had barely opened her mouth when Ninth Brother firmly tugged her sleeve, signaling her not to speak.
She truly couldn’t understand what Ninth Brother was so cautious about.
While Yin E and Fifth Princess didn’t grasp it, Yintang knew well that wet nurses couldn’t be casually reprimanded—a principle that held true across time.
In the rear palace, the number of maids and eunuchs allocated to each palace and consort was strictly regulated. Even for a favored consort like Consort Yi, adding or replacing palace staff was no simple matter.
Those scenes in palace intrigue dramas where a mere flick of a finger decided the life or death of a servant could only exist on television.
Lady Zhangjia wasn’t even a consort yet, and the servants under her could be counted on two hands. Though she wasn’t a principal consort and didn’t have to manage palace affairs like Consort Yi, the imperial rules were intricate: makeup and attire, meals and rest, cleaning, needlework, care of the princes, daily guard duties, account management… each and every task was a responsibility.
If they inadvertently offended the wet nurse, it would be difficult to replace her with a satisfactory one anytime soon. Instead, the wet nurse might vent her frustration on the young prince.
The palace was full of subtle ways to make life difficult. Whether you were a prince or a consort, wherever maids and eunuchs were needed, there were underhanded tricks that could be employed.
Little Yinxiang couldn’t even speak yet. If he were mistreated, others wouldn’t immediately suspect the wet nurse. What could a baby do besides wail loudly?
Yintang fell silent for a moment before saying, “After all, that’s a matter of Jingyang Palace. For us to intervene would be improper.”
Yin E was somewhat unconvinced but still obediently nodded. Ninth Brother must have his reasons.
Fifth Princess also fell silent. Royal Grandma had taught her these principles before.
Seeing Yin E’s pouting lips, Yintang smiled and said, “Alright, since Thirteenth Brother likes us, let’s visit him more often from now on. After all, he’s the youngest brother now and needs us, his older siblings, to protect him.”
Little Yinxiang’s round face appeared in Yin E’s mind. Since he was his tenth brother, protecting his younger brother was his undeniable duty!
A small flame seemed to ignite in Yin E’s chest. Was this the responsibility of being an older brother? Clenching his chubby little fist, Yin E replied resolutely, “Good, let’s do it!”
Fifth Princess also nodded vigorously. “We’ll take care of protecting Thirteenth Brother!”