After realizing he could no longer send his son away, Kangxi gradually adapted to the task of raising a child.
Although Yinreng seemed rather disobedient, he was actually easier to care for than expected. At the very least, now that Yinreng had passed his first birthday, he no longer kept Kangxi awake at night with his fussing.
As time went by, Kangxi grew accustomed to having a little bundle by his side. Whenever he encountered vexing matters of state with no one to confide in, he would hold Yinreng and talk to him about them.
Yinreng found this utterly exasperating, yet he was powerless to resist. He could only adopt an indifferent demeanor, pretending not to understand no matter what Kangxi rambled on about.
But after hearing it repeatedly, he gradually learned about the major affairs of the realm and gained some understanding of Kangxi’s difficulties.
According to Kangxi, the Da Qing dynasty was like a sieve—leaking from every direction.
The Three Feudatories remained unsettled, Russia and Northern Mongolia were restless, the Han people had yet to fully pledge their loyalty, and the Eight Banner iron-cap princes frequently stirred up trouble.
Not to mention the constant natural disasters across the land and the myriad tasks awaiting restoration.
Kangxi was only in his early twenties. In modern times, he would still be a naive and foolish university student, yet he had to handle so many complex affairs. The slightest misstep would bring suffering to the people.
Although the Grand Secretariat assisted him, the Grand Secretaries themselves were divided into factions, often holding conflicting opinions, leaving Kangxi to make the final judgments and decisions himself.
Seeing that Kangxi had stayed up for three consecutive nights, his eyes dark with exhaustion, yet still reviewing memorials, Yinreng couldn’t help but run over and hug Kangxi’s leg, exclaiming loudly, “Sleep!”
Thinking Yinreng was tired, Kangxi lowered his head and patted the top of his son’s head. “Your father still has work to do. Shall I have Eunuch Gu carry you to bed?”
The Qianqing Palace had never employed palace maids, and since Yinreng no longer needed breastfeeding, his original wet nurses had all been dismissed and replaced with eunuchs for his care. Usually, Guwen Xing looked after him more often.
Upon hearing this, Guwen Xing bent down to pick up Yinreng, but Yinreng shook his head. “Father, sleep!”
Kangxi helplessly picked up his little son and bounced him gently. “You little rascal, always causing trouble for your father!”
But despite his words, he personally carried Yinreng to the bedchamber.
Just as he was about to place Yinreng in the small bed, Yinreng pointed at Kangxi’s own bed. “Sleep there.”
Kangxi raised an eyebrow. “That is your father’s bed.”
Yinreng pouted and stared at Kangxi, his fair, tender cheeks puffing up like steamed buns. Kangxi couldn’t help but laugh and indulged him. “Alright, today you can sleep on the big bed.”
Kangxi tucked Yinreng into his own quilt and then lay down beside him, patting his son to lull him to sleep.
Yinreng struggled to rest his head on Kangxi’s chest, extending his little paw to mimic Kangxi’s gentle patting.
Patting and patting, both father and son fell asleep.
Liang Jiugong peeked in from the doorway for a while and whispered, “Master, the Emperor is still wearing his outer robe. Sleeping like this can’t be comfortable.”
Guwen Xing signaled for him to be quiet and led him farther away before saying, “It’s fine. The Emperor won’t sleep for long. Just listen for any movement and attend to him when needed.”
Sure enough, within half an hour, Kangxi awoke.
Liang Jiugong hurried in to assist Kangxi in getting up, whispering, “Your Majesty, will you return to the study?”
Kangxi shook his stiff and aching neck, then glanced at his son, who was sound asleep on the bed, and shook his head. “Never mind. After Bao Cheng’s little commotion, I’m tired too.”
Liang Jiugong assisted Kangxi in changing his clothes, while Guwen Xing brought over the medicinal tea for rinsing his mouth.
"Your Majesty has been working hard these past few days. Even the Taizi is concerned about you," Guwen Xing remarked casually. "In the past, the Taizi never slept this early."
Kangxi was taken aback for a moment, recalling how Yinreng had patted his chest earlier. A sudden warmth filled his heart.
Indeed, Yinreng hadn’t insisted on being coaxed to sleep in the previous days. Today’s behavior must have been because he noticed how busy Kangxi had been lately, even recognizing his exhaustion.
For the first time, Kangxi experienced the feeling of being cared for by his son, and it brought him an unusual sense of excitement.
He returned to bed and stared at Yinreng’s sleeping face, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
Was this little one, still so small, already capable of caring for him?
If he grew a little older, would he be able to fuss over Kangxi’s well-being and help him handle those troublesome matters?
This was his Taizi, the person in the world he could trust the most.
Because one day, this empire would have to be handed over to the Taizi.
Compared to those scheming imperial relatives and court officials, the Taizi was the one who could truly assist him.
It was a pity that his Taizi was still too young, just a little child who needed to be coaxed to sleep.
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. This way, he could personally teach him as he grew up, nurturing him into a perfect crown prince. When the time came to hand over the empire to him, Kangxi wouldn’t have to worry.
Kangxi gently pinched Yinreng’s little cheek and whispered to himself, "Should I start Bao Cheng’s education earlier?"
Yinreng, who had been awakened by Kangxi: …
Father, do you even hear what you’re saying?
I’m only two years old, two!
What kind of education? What exactly do you want me to learn!
Yinreng slapped Kangxi’s hand with a smack: "Sleep, now!"
Kangxi chuckled, pulled Yinreng into his arms, and patted him gently, soon falling asleep himself.
In his dream, Yinreng seemed to have grown into an outstanding young man, standing before him and speaking eloquently with graceful poise.
Meanwhile, Kangxi leisurely rocked in a reclining chair, eating fruit, no longer troubled by the trivial matters of the empire.
What a wonderful dream! Unfortunately, when he woke up, all he saw was a chubby little child who had numbed his arm.
Kangxi, forced to rise early for court, shook his numb arm and looked at his son sleeping like a little pig, feeling quite indignant. And so, when Yinreng woke up, he received his first tutor in this life—
Longxi.
"Seventh Uncle!"
Yinreng liked this pure-hearted young man very much and happily snuggled into Longxi’s arms, only to be pulled out by the collar.
"His Majesty has asked me to read to the Taizi," Longxi said, his eyes and brows brimming with joy. This was the first time he had been given a task by Kangxi. "What would the Taizi like to hear?"
Yinreng: …
His father was insane!
Asking his frail younger brother to read to a son who had just turned one—what kind of bizarre arrangement was this?
Was he trying to test his Seventh Uncle’s health, or did he think Yinreng looked like some kind of prodigy?
Where was the Empress Dowager? Wasn’t anyone going to intervene?
Yinreng was very displeased, but seeing how happy Longxi looked, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. In the end, he could only rub his nose and accept his fate: "Stories."
As long as they didn’t delve into those tedious classics, histories, or philosophical texts, and just told stories as a way to chat, it shouldn’t drain too much energy.
If Kangxi didn’t care about his brother’s well-being, Yinreng certainly cared about his uncle’s!
Longxi had never intended to read any serious books to the young Taizi. Hearing Yinreng say he wanted to listen to stories, he didn’t need a book either. He held him close and told him tales of their great ancestor from years past.
These were stories the Empress Dowager had told Longxi when he was a child. Now, as he recounted them, though his memory was not entirely complete, they were still quite interesting.
Outside the door, Kangxi lowered his voice and said, "Grandmother, look, Bao Cheng is very well-behaved. He won’t trouble Longxi. Giving Longxi something to do is better than letting him brood alone in his residence."
The Empress Dowager was still somewhat uneasy. "But coming to the palace every day is exhausting, and he can’t rest comfortably here. Can he endure it?"
"Aside from me, no one dares to come into these sleeping quarters on ordinary days. Why can’t he rest comfortably here? If you’re still worried, Grandmother, we can even have him stay in the palace."
Kangxi helped the Empress Dowager leave. "Bao Cheng is clever. He’ll surely take good care of Longxi."
The Empress Dowager barely restrained herself from hitting Kangxi.
Listen to what he was saying—asking the Taizi, who had just turned one, to take care of his uncle. Did he truly think the Taizi was a divine being born with innate knowledge?
She had initially thought that having the Emperor spend time with the Taizi would allow him to understand the Taizi’s shortcomings early on, lest he be unable to accept them later. But how, after spending some time together, had the Emperor become even more blinded, seeing only the Taizi’s good qualities?
If this continued, what she would worry about was no longer whether the Emperor could accept the Taizi’s flaws, but whether the Emperor would spoil the Taizi!
Ah, this unreliable grandson.
The Empress Dowager, who had worried all her life, found that even in her later years she could not escape her concerns. She sent someone daily to inquire about the situation, only to discover that, just as Kangxi had said, the little Taizi was taking excellent care of his uncle.
At first, Longxi remained reserved. Every day, he would come and pay his respects with proper decorum, sitting with a formal posture, careful not to breach etiquette.
But as they spent more time together, he was gradually led astray by Yinreng.
In less than half a month, Kangxi saw Longxi holding Yinreng without any regard for decorum, curled up together on a rocking chair basking in the sun. The uncle and nephew no longer told stories; both were full and sleeping soundly.
"Didn’t I say the Taizi could do it?"
Kangxi ran off triumphantly to seek praise from the Empress Dowager. "In just a few days, Longxi has relaxed. Now he can even take naps in the Qianqing Palace, feeling more at ease here than in the Cining Palace."
The Empress Dowager didn’t much feel like indulging her boastful grandson, but hearing that the Taizi and Longxi were getting along harmoniously, she was quite pleased and asked one more question: "Consort Majia has given birth to another little Imperial Prince for you. What are your thoughts regarding her rank?"
Kangxi’s harem followed the regulations from the Shunzhi era, without later ranks such as concubines or noble ladies. Most were Shu Fei without specific titles. Currently, only Empress Niohuru, a candidate to become the next empress, had been granted the title of consort, and Nala Shi, the mother of Baoqing Agé, had been granted the title of minor Fujin.
Consort Majia was Kangxi’s first woman and had borne him four sons and one daughter, though only the Second Princess and the newly born Prince Changsheng remained.
After all, she was the mother of imperial princes and princesses, and it wasn’t right for her to remain without a rank indefinitely. Seeing that Kangxi had yet to take action, the Empress Dowager offered this reminder.
Kangxi explained, "Grandmother, I feel that the previous titles like Fujin and lesser Fujin seem somewhat petty. It would be better to establish more suitable ones and then enfeoff the imperial harem accordingly."
Da Qing was currently in a period of integration between Manchu and Han cultures, with various rituals and systems being redefined. This applied not only to the court but also to the imperial harem.
Kangxi had already ordered the Imperial Household Department to revise the ranking system for imperial consorts, so he was in no hurry to enfeoff the harem.
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement and added, "Even if enfeoffment must wait, she should still be given better treatment for now. After all, she is raising a child. Don’t let her live too frugally."
"That’s a minor matter. Grandmother may decide as you see fit."
Kangxi was not particularly concerned. "However, there is something I truly wish to discuss with you. I want to bring my cousin from the Tong family into the palace."
The Tong family was the maternal family of Kangxi’s birth mother, Empress Xiaokangzhang. The cousin Kangxi mentioned was the daughter of his maternal uncle, Tong Guowei, now only fourteen years old.
Empress Xiaokangzhang had passed away early, and although the Tong family were relatives by marriage, they rarely visited the palace. Thus, while the Empress Dowager knew of this Tong family girl, she had never met her in person.
Kangxi’s sudden mention of this cousin made the Empress Dowager ponder further.
"If she is a girl from the Tong family and you favor her, then keep her for yourself," the Empress Dowager probed. "But you just mentioned revising the consorts’ ranks. Why not wait until that is settled before enfeoffing her and bringing her in?"
Kangxi replied, "It’s fine. Let her be enfeoffed as a consort first, just like Empress Niohuru."
How could it be the same? Empress Niohuru was the designated successor to the empress!
Now, with Kangxi delaying the matter of appointing an empress and suddenly bringing in a girl from the Tong family—equally noble in status and enfeoffed as a consort—how could it not raise suspicions?
"Xuanye, tell me honestly, do you disapprove of Empress Niohuru and intend to make the Tong family girl your empress?"
The Empress Dowager did not wish to beat around the bush and asked directly.
Kangxi shook his head. "Grandmother is overthinking it. Since I agreed to establish Empress Niohuru as the successor empress, as long as she does not commit any major mistakes, the position of empress will remain hers. However, there are currently no women of outstanding family background in the harem. When it comes time to enfeoff the harem, it might seem somewhat desolate. Bringing my cousin in could liven things up."
Liven things up.
The choice of words was particularly telling. Upon careful consideration, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but glare at Kangxi.
What "liven things up"? It was clearly about not wanting Empress Niohuru to dominate alone, insisting on bringing in a girl of comparable status to rival her.
"Fine, as you wish."
The Empress Dowager ultimately agreed.
Knowing how to balance the harem was a good thing—far better than becoming infatuated with one and refusing to let go.