Inside the Qianqing Palace, Kangxi sat behind the expansive Imperial Desk, frowning as he reviewed a memorial.
On the Imperial Desk, a little dumpling was toddling along on his short legs, swaying with each step.
Around the desk, a circle of eunuchs stood with arms outstretched, nervously watching the little Taizi on the Imperial Desk, fearing he might fall if they looked away for even a moment.
After finishing one memorial, Kangxi casually tossed it behind him. Instead of taking the next one offered by Guwen Xing, he glared irritably at his son, who had taken over his Imperial Desk.
"You little rascal, haven’t you wandered around enough?"
Kangxi reached out and grabbed Yinreng’s feet, preventing him from taking another step. Unexpectedly, this caused Yinreng to tumble face-first onto the Imperial Desk with a soft thud.
Kangxi immediately released his hands and stepped back, signaling that it had nothing to do with him.
Guwen Xing’s eye twitched slightly as he hurried forward to help Yinreng up.
Yinreng took a deep breath and turned to glare at his father, who had just played such a dirty trick. Kangxi chuckled awkwardly and said, "You can’t even stand steadily, yet you insist on walking by yourself. You deserve to fall."
Yinreng: …So annoying!
He had been walking perfectly fine on the ground earlier, but Kangxi insisted that the floor was too dark and he might fall, forcing him onto the desk. Now, after only a few steps on the desk, Kangxi was causing trouble again—utterly infuriating!
He didn’t want to be raised by Kangxi anymore. He wanted to return to the Cining Palace to find his dear great-grandmother!
On the very first night of the newly appointed Taizi’s cohabitation with the Emperor, father and son had already fallen out.
When the Empress Dowager saw Yinreng being carried back by Guwen Xing, the corner of her mouth twitched. A scolding remark rose to her lips, but she forced herself to swallow it back.
No, if she were to scold anyone, it should be that unreliable grandson of hers. She mustn’t frighten her precious great-grandson.
"The Taizi has only just recovered. Why are you dragging him around in the dark and damp night?"
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth as she reprimanded, "If the Emperor doesn’t know how to raise a child, don’t any of you have the sense to advise him?"
Guwen Xing knelt and kowtowed, pleading for punishment. "This servant deserves death. Please punish me, Empress Dowager."
"Go and receive ten strokes to teach you a lesson!"
The Empress Dowager said coldly, "Take the Taizi back and tell the Emperor that if he doesn’t know how to raise a child, he should learn properly!"
Earlier that day, he had moved the Taizi to the Qianqing Palace under the pretext that the Cining Palace was too gloomy, and now he was sending him back at night. Was this any way to behave?
If the imperial relatives who were already dissatisfied with the establishment of the heir found out, who knew what trouble they might stir up!
This was the first time Yinreng had seen the usually gentle Empress Dowager lose her temper. Too frightened to make a fuss, he obediently allowed Guwen Xing to carry him back exactly as he had been brought.
After hearing Guwen Xing’s report, Kangxi fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Carry out the punishment right at the doorway."
The eunuchs quickly brought a long bench. Kangxi personally held Yinreng and stood at the doorway, watching as Guwen Xing lay on the bench to receive the strokes.
It was the first time Yinreng had witnessed such a scene, and the one being beaten was Guwen Xing, a eunuch he had always liked. Terrified, he wrapped his small arms tightly around Kangxi’s neck, not daring to look.
Kangxi’s expression was also grim. Although it was Guwen Xing being beaten, the strokes felt as though they were landing on him.
The imperial father and son stood there, waiting until Guwen Xing had finished receiving the strokes and came forward to express his gratitude.
Yinreng’s eyes welled with tears as he sniffled softly, but Kangxi said sternly, "You may go and thank the Empress Dowager."
Guwen Xing kowtowed once more and, supported by the young eunuchs, rose to his feet. Limping, he made his way toward the Cining Palace.
Yinreng felt miserable inside. With reddened eyes, he glared angrily at Kangxi and said, "Father, you’re bad!"
Kangxi sighed, "Silly child, Eunuch Gu took the punishment for me. Although this beating was unjust, the suffering that needed to be endured could not be avoided in the slightest."
Yinreng didn’t understand and pouted, on the verge of tears again. Kangxi quickly patted his back to comfort him, saying, "You’re still too young. When you grow up and have your own trusted servants, you’ll understand. Be good now. From now on, we father and son mustn’t cause any more trouble. If we keep making a fuss, the bamboo board might truly land on your father’s back."
Today’s beating that Guwen Xing endured was the Empress Dowager’s warning to Kangxi. So when Guwen Xing went to Cining Palace to express his gratitude, the Empress Dowager did not make things difficult for him further and had someone help him up.
"Eunuch Gu, you are the person the Emperor trusts most. In all matters, you should advise him more and not always let him act recklessly," the Empress Dowager instructed. "The Emperor is impatient by nature and prone to impulsiveness, but he is still willing to listen to a few words from you. Now, with the young Taizi being raised by his side, you must take extra care."
Guwen Xing apologized, saying, "It was this servant’s fault. I will be more diligent from now on."
The Empress Dowager said no more and ordered Sumalagu to escort Guwen Xing out.
Guwen Xing initially tried to decline, but Sumalagu said, "I was planning to go see Taizi anyway, so let’s go together."
After leaving Cining Palace, Sumalagu proactively reached out to support Guwen Xing. Guwen Xing was startled and repeatedly said he dared not accept such courtesy, but Sumalagu gently replied, "It’s fine. I have a few words I’d like to advise you on, and this will make it easier to talk."
"The Empress Dowager also knows that the beating you received today was unjust, but as servants, sometimes failing to act appropriately is itself a mistake," Sumalagu said as she walked slowly alongside Guwen Xing. "The reason the Emperor moved Taizi to Qianqing Palace to raise him is, firstly, to silence those gossiping outside, and secondly, to allow more closeness between him and Taizi. If every time there’s some unhappiness, Taizi is sent back to Cining Palace, not to mention how outsiders would spin tales, how could the Emperor and Taizi ever grow close?"
"Taizi is young, and the Emperor has never personally raised a child before, so it’s inevitable there will be moments of discord. But which father and son don’t go through such phases? More conflicts can actually strengthen their bond. If they only interact when things are smooth and part ways when difficulties arise, wouldn’t that waste the Emperor’s deliberate effort to bring Taizi to his side?"
If it were just an ordinary Imperial Prince, the Empress Dowager would never trouble herself with such concerns.
The Emperor is a father, but he is also a sovereign. He doesn’t need to understand his sons as deeply as an ordinary father would. Maintaining some distance and only seeing the side he wishes to see might even be better.
But Taizi is different.
If, from a young age, the Emperor only sees Taizi’s good side, he will lack a true understanding of him. If Taizi makes a mistake in the future, the Emperor might be unable to tolerate it.
The Emperor must personally witness Taizi’s growth, understand his strengths, and also recognize his shortcomings. Only then will the father and son get along better in the future, avoiding estrangement over trivial matters.
Guwen Xing was an astute person. He had simply not thought that far ahead at the time. Now, with Sumalagu’s guidance, he immediately understood.
"You are right, Madam. This servant will remember it all," Guwen Xing replied. "The Empress Dowager’s compassionate heart, I will report it to the Emperor."
When speaking with intelligent people, a hint is enough. Sumalagu said no more. As she walked into Qianqing Palace, she saw Kangxi reviewing memorials while Yinreng obediently played with the Luban lock Kangxi had given him on the recliner.
"Nanny Su is here. Does Grandmother have any instructions?"
Kangxi personally rose to greet her.
Sumalagu curtsied and said, "The Empress Dowager has already retired. It was this servant who was concerned about the Taizi and wanted to come see him."
Kangxi nodded. "It's just about time for Bao Cheng to sleep as well. Then I'll trouble you, Nanny, to take him."
Yinreng obediently opened his arms to be carried away by Sumalagu. After they left, Kangxi asked Guwen Xing, "What did the Empress Dowager say?"
Guwen Xing faithfully recounted everything the Empress Dowager and Sumalagu had said. Kangxi frowned in thought for a moment, also discerning the underlying meaning.
"I understand. You may withdraw. Have someone apply medicine for you and return to serve after your injuries have healed."
Guwen Xing thanked him for the grace and was helped out by Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong wasn't on night duty today, so he personally escorted Guwen Xing back to his quarters.
"Master, what are we to do from now on?"
Liang Jiugong helped Guwen Xing lie down and asked while applying medicine for him.
Guwen Xing said, "Do as we should."
Liang Jiugong asked again, "But how old is the Taizi? He's at an age where he doesn't listen to reason. What if he angers the Emperor?"
Guwen Xing sighed. "What can we do? Persuade him."
Liang Jiugong: "And if we can't persuade him?"
Guwen Xing pointed backward at his own buttocks, the implication clear.
Didn't Nanny Su say it? For servants, failing to do something is a mistake.
Liang Jiugong immediately made a bitter face, but Guwen Xing said, "You should still go back and keep watch today. It's the Taizi's first night staying in Qianqing Palace; we mustn't let anything happen."
Inside the Qianqing Palace bedchamber, Yinreng lay in his small bed, obediently being patted to sleep by Sumalagu.
Sumalagu was very skilled at singing lullabies. A Mongolian melody flowed from her, melodious and gentle, full of tenderness.
Yinreng could now understand quite a bit of Mongolian. He roughly understood that this was a love song, sung by a maiden to a warrior about to go to war, hoping for his early return.
Looking at Sumalagu's expression, which seemed tinged with melancholy and nostalgia, Yinreng couldn't help but wonder if there had once been a lover in her heart. Perhaps because she followed the Empress Dowager into the palace, they were forced to live apart.
"I remember when I was little, Nanny often sang this song."
Kangxi entered from outside, stopping Sumalagu as she was about to rise and bow.
"Back then, when I had smallpox and left the palace, only Nanny stayed by my side. When I felt unwell, Nanny would sing to me,"
Kangxi sat down beside Sumalagu and reached out to pinch Yinreng's smooth, tender cheek. "Now over ten years have passed, and I already have a Taizi."
Sumalagu said softly, "The Taizi very much resembles the Emperor when he was young. That's why this servant thought of this song again."
"Is that so? Bao Cheng looks like me?"
Kangxi poked his son's cheek with interest, then quickly pulled back when Yinreng grew annoyed enough to want to bite.
"In appearance, the Taizi takes five parts from the late Empress and five parts from the Emperor. But in temperament, he resembles the Emperor more,"
Sumalagu gently patted and soothed the displeased Yinreng. "Both are much more intelligent than ordinary children."
Kangxi didn't believe it. "Was I this domineering as a child?"
After spending time together, Kangxi felt that his son truly had a mind of his own.
Though barely a year old, the child insisted on making his own decisions about everything—what to eat, what to do—and would become displeased at the slightest dissatisfaction.
Kangxi recalled his other children; it seemed none of them had been like this.
At this age, they were still cradled in their wet nurses' arms all day, nursing. What sense of their own will could they possibly have?
They simply used whatever was given to them and followed whatever they were told to do.
In comparison, his Taizi was indeed, as Sumalagu had said, much more intelligent than ordinary children.
"Taizi is not being domineering; he is sensible,"
Sumalagu gently restrained Yinreng, who was trying to sit up and argue with Kangxi. "He is close to the Emperor, which is why he wants the Emperor to know what he is thinking. This servant almost feels a bit envious."
Kangxi laughed heartily. "Naturally, my Taizi is closer to me. Nanny, your jealousy is unfounded. Rest assured, I will take good care of Bao Cheng."
Having accomplished her purpose, Sumalagu withdrew, leaving the imperial father and son staring at each other.
Her words had been understood by both Kangxi and Yinreng.
He was the Taizi; he should be close to Kangxi and let Kangxi see his true self.
He knew how to act obedient and innocent, but doing so all the time was meaningless.
He could not pretend forever. Rather than waiting until later for Kangxi to discover his true nature and be unable to accept it, it was better to let Kangxi see the real him from the start.
Perhaps once Kangxi understood him, he would realize that he was not suited to be Taizi. Then, they might avoid the historical rift between father and son, and he could be deposed for some other reason, allowing him to live more comfortably under house arrest in the future.
Hadn’t Kangxi just complained about him being domineering? Well, then he would—
Yinreng extended a small finger toward Kangxi and said firmly, "Ama, lull me to sleep!"