Danqing looked up to see a young man dressed in golden everyday robes approaching. His features bore a striking resemblance to Kangxi, about seventy to eighty percent similar. With a smile on his face, dignified demeanor, and steady steps, even as he knelt to pay respects, he carried an air of noble elegance.
"Rise. Come and see your Fourth Sister."
Kangxi looked at his son with affection, his tone warm and intimate. "Danqing, this is your Second Brother."
Second Brother—the legendary Crown Prince Yinreng, who was deposed and reinstated twice in history?
Only then did Danqing realize who the visitor was, and she widened her eyes to observe him more closely.
Historical accounts of the Qing Dynasty’s only formally appointed crown prince were mixed. Some praised him for his literary and martial prowess, while others criticized him for extravagance and indulgence. Yet at this moment, the ten-year-old Yinreng appeared no different from any other child his age. Despite his proper manners, a youthful liveliness still flickered in his eyes.
"I came specifically to see Fourth Sister, but as soon as I entered, I heard you speaking ill of me, Emperor Kangxi! If Fourth Sister believed it, she’d surely think I’m a fool!"
Yinreng rose and walked to the bedside, pulling a fluffy little creature from his sleeve and dangling it playfully before Danqing. "Fourth Sister, look! Do you like it?"
"A rabbit!"
Danqing was astonished. Her Crown Prince brother seemed so composed—how could he have hidden a rabbit in his sleeve, and a live one at that!
Kangxi frowned. "Did you steal it from the Imperial Kitchen again?"
Yinreng protested, "Not at all! This is one of the baby rabbits born from the pair I caught myself during our last hunting trip. This one is the prettiest of the litter, and I picked it especially to give to Fourth Sister as a plaything."
With that, he placed the little rabbit into Danqing’s arms.
The warm, fluffy creature was an irresistible temptation for any human. Instinctively, Danqing cradled it in her hands, gently stroking its fur.
"Thank you, Second Brother!"
Danqing chose what she felt was a more affectionate form of address.
For the decades to come, as long as Kangxi did not depose Yinreng, he would remain the most esteemed figure within the Forbidden City. It couldn’t hurt to be closer to him.
Yinreng was delighted by Danqing’s choice of address. He sat down by the bedside and began recounting in a soft voice how he had "heroically" captured the two rabbits and how carefully he had tended to them to ensure they safely gave birth to this litter.
Kangxi did not disturb the siblings’ conversation. He rose and returned to sit beside the Grand Empress Dowager, chuckling as he said, "Grandmother, look at him. He never boasts about hunting wolves or tigers, yet he insists on showing off those two rabbits."
Hearing this, Yinreng protested, "Emperor Kangxi, how can you mention wolves and tigers in front of Fourth Sister? Aren’t you afraid of frightening her?"
Kangxi clicked his tongue. "Would she be afraid of wolves and tigers? Do you know what she came to ask me yesterday when she ran to the Imperial Garden to see me? She asked if she would have to go to the grasslands to feed wolves when she grows up!"
Yinreng’s eyes widened in surprise, and even the Grand Empress Dowager looked taken aback.
"I asked her if she knew what feeding wolves meant. Guess what she said?"
Kangxi couldn’t help but laugh. "She said it’s just like feeding cats—give them some food and drink, and they’ll listen to her."
Yinreng hadn’t yet grasped what Kangxi was implying, but the Grand Empress Dowager shook her head with a wry smile. "The words may be crude, but the reasoning isn’t."
"Merely giving them food and drink isn’t enough,"
Yinreng said to Danqing, "You must first let it know hunger, then it will understand you are its master and truly obey you."
Danqing thought for a moment and shook her head. "I don’t want to be its master."
Yinreng was surprised. "Then why are you feeding it?"
Danqing’s large eyes sparkled as she raised a small arm and declared loudly, "I want to be the wolf king!"
Kangxi: …Pfft.
Grand Empress Dowager: …
Yinreng: "…Wow, Fourth Sister is amazing!"
…
That a delicate and soft little Princess aspired to become a wolf king made Kangxi deeply realize that the education of the Princesses must be taken seriously.
So that evening, he went to Consort Rong’s Qixiang Palace, intending to see how the long-unseen Second Princess was doing.
Consort Rong was one of the earliest consorts to serve Kangxi and had borne him several children, but only the Second Princess and Third Prince survived.
She was two years older than Kangxi and had long lost the desire to compete with the younger consorts for favor. Since the Third Prince moved to the Southern Three Compounds, all her attention had been focused on her daughter. Hearing that Kangxi wanted to examine the Second Princess’s studies, she was not at all flustered.
The Second Princess was a year older than Yinreng and had already grown into a young lady, her demeanor very dignified. She respectfully presented a handkerchief she had embroidered just a few days earlier to Kangxi.
The handkerchief was embroidered with a peony pattern. The needlework was somewhat lacking, but it was still presentable.
However, after looking at it, Kangxi frowned deeply.
"Is this what you usually learn?" Kangxi asked. "Besides embroidery, what else can you do?"
The Second Princess replied somewhat timidly, "I also learn accounting from my mother, but I’m not very skilled yet."
Kangxi asked further, "What about reading and writing?"
The Second Princess shook her head in confusion. "Isn’t reading and writing something only the Princes need to learn?"
Kangxi took a deep breath, forcing himself not to lose his temper in front of his daughter, and simply told her to go back and rest.
After the Second Princess left, Kangxi slammed a teacup onto the floor.
Consort Rong immediately knelt to beg for forgiveness.
"I am busy with state affairs and inevitably cannot attend to the Princesses as much as I should. I thought having their birth mothers raise them would be sufficient, but what have you taught her?" Kangxi said angrily. "My daughter—is she destined to become an embroideress in the future?!"
Consort Rong kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I only wish for her to live a long life! How could I not know that she could be taught to read, write, and understand reason? But she is destined to marry into Mongolia in the future. If she knows too much, how could she resign herself to her fate and live on?"
Kangxi was stunned.
Consort Rong shed tears. "If she could stay by my side for her whole life, I would certainly teach her to be cultured, reasonable, skilled in riding and archery, and become the most carefree little Princess in the world. But I cannot keep her! Your Majesty, if she is destined to sacrifice her entire life for the country, then let her remain ignorant. Only then can she live long."
The anger in Kangxi’s heart instantly dissipated, leaving only heartache and helplessness.
He reached out to help Consort Rong up and had her sit beside him, sighing. "How could I not wish for all the Princesses to be free and unrestrained? But they were born into the imperial family and have inherent duties. They must consider the stability of the Great Qing."
"I am not unreasonable, and I know that as a Princess, she has her own destiny. But Your Majesty, I only seek peace and stability for her."
Consort Rong looked at Kangxi earnestly, "Your Majesty once told this concubine that you wished to marry a princess to the Barin tribe. Since Grand Princess Shuhui is the princess's own grand-aunt, it is only fitting for the princess to serve her after marrying there."
Grand Princess Shuhui was the biological daughter of the Grand Empress Dowager and had married into the Borjigit clan of the Barin tribe in Mongolia. Her son had now been enfeoffed as a prince and already had several grandsons.
In the twelfth year of Kangxi's reign, when the Second Princess had just been born, Grand Princess Shuhui returned to the capital to visit the Grand Empress Dowager. At that time, she mentioned wanting to take a grand-niece back as a granddaughter-in-law in the future. Kangxi agreed on the spot, but since the Second Princess was still an infant, no detailed discussions were held, only a promise to decide when the princess grew older.
Since then, Consort Rong had firmly believed that the Second Princess was destined to marry into the Barin tribe. With the even more esteemed Grand Princess above her, the Second Princess would naturally have to be humble and submissive. However, with Grand Princess Shuhui present, at least the Second Princess would not be easily mistreated to death.
Thus, Consort Rong had always taught the Second Princess to be virtuous and filial, wholeheartedly hoping she would live a long and peaceful life. She had thought this matter was settled, but who could have expected Kangxi to suddenly take the Fourth Princess to Cining Palace, and the Grand Empress Dowager actually kept her there.
Everyone in the palace knew that the Eldest Princess raised in Cining Palace was to marry into the Khorchin tribe. Now, with the sudden addition of the Fourth Princess, Consort Rong couldn't help but wonder: Did the Grand Empress Dowager want to personally choose a granddaughter-in-law for her own daughter?
But if the Fourth Princess were to go to the Barin tribe, what would become of her own Second Princess!
Consort Rong did not hide her worries, and Kangxi understood them clearly.
"You are overthinking it. Even if the Second Princess goes to the Barin tribe, she will still be my daughter. I would never allow her to serve others,"
Kangxi also pitied Consort Rong's maternal devotion and softened his tone to comfort her, "The Second Princess is still young. My princesses will be raised until at least eighteen before they marry. Why are you in such a hurry? It is good that you wish to temper her character, but you must not let her grow up ignorant. How can a princess of the Great Qing Dynasty be illiterate?"
Tomorrow, I will order the Imperial Household Department to select a governess who knows the Mongolian language to teach the princess. Instead of learning embroidery, it would be more useful for her to study Mongolian properly,"
Kangxi was also thinking of his daughter's future, "In a few days, I will go hunting, and several princesses will accompany me to adapt. When I later tour the northern grasslands, they will also go along and must learn to ride horses."
He did not expect his daughters to achieve great accomplishments, but he could not let them remain ignorant, easily deceived by servants in the future. Moreover, since they were to marry into Mongolia, learning Mongolian and horse riding was essential.
Kangxi's words also implied his agreement to send the Second Princess to the Barin tribe. The heavy stone in Consort Rong's heart finally lifted, and she knelt again to express her gratitude.
…
Meanwhile, in Cining Palace, Danqing, now fully awake, was enthusiastically petting a dog.
When she first arrived, the Grand Empress Dowager, fearing she might be scared, ordered the large dog she kept to be tied up. However, the eunuch in charge lost focus, allowing the dog to break free from its leash and run inside. If Yinreng had not blocked it in time, it would have pounced directly on Danqing.
The eunuch who made the mistake was naturally punished with caning, but the large dog was allowed to stay.
Danqing was not afraid of dogs. Although the large dog looked almost as tall as her, its eyes were gentle, and it wagged its tail, appearing exceptionally friendly.
"Little girl, you're really brave. Last time, Snow White scared Second Sister to tears, yet you still dare to pet it," Yinreng said while shielding his younger sister. "Snow White is actually very well-behaved and has never bitten anyone. It wants to play with you because it likes you."
Danqing didn't know what breed the large dog was, only that it was snow-white, with exceptionally soft fur that made her want to stroke it.
"Hello, Snow White! My name is Danqing. I am the great-granddaughter of the Grand Empress Dowager and Second Brother's younger sister," Danqing greeted the large dog in a proper manner. "From now on, I'll be living here. We can play together!"
Snow White seemed to understand, whimpering twice before burying its fluffy head into Danqing's arms.
The little girl with short arms couldn't fully embrace the large dog, but she buried her face in Snow White's fur, giggling happily. Snow White, as if understanding human nature, obediently sat down and rested its head on its paws, making it easier for Danqing to pet.
While the siblings were playing with the dog, not far away, the Grand Empress Dowager watched them and instructed, "Have the Palace Discipline Office interrogate that little eunuch thoroughly. Find out exactly who ordered him to do this."
The dog may be innocent, but the person behind it may not be.