Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Yinzhen had no choice but to return to Xianfu Palace…

Yinzhen had no choice but to return to Xianfu Palace to change his clothes. A little embarrassed, Concubine Yi, after changing Ninth Prince's diaper, said apologetically, "What a child! How could he have peed on Fourth Prince?"

"It's okay, it's just a child," Wen Shan said, teasing Little Nine, whose smile had returned.

They sat for a while longer before Concubine Yi spotted a child in indigo clothes running towards them, leading a small black dog.

The child looked a bit like Yinqi.

Concubine Yi smiled. She was truly missing Little Five. Little Five usually stayed with the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace at this hour; why would he be here?

But when the child came closer, Concubine Yi suddenly stood up. It really seemed to be Yinqi.

"Your Highness, am I dazzled? How did I see Yinqi?" Concubine Yi asked, a little dazed.

As they were talking, the Fifth Prince also ran over and saluted them neatly: "Yinqi pays his respects to Empress Xuan and to Mother."

Wen Shan fanned Yinsi and said with a smile: "Hurry up and get up. Your mother is so happy that she can't speak."

Concubine Yi and the Fifth Prince had not seen each other for a while. Firstly, the Emperor often went to Concubine Yi's place recently and it was inconvenient for the Fifth Prince to come. Secondly, the Empress Dowager was fasting recently and took her precious grandson with her. The Empress Dowager was worried that the Fifth Prince would go to Concubine Yi's place. Concubine Yi was soft-hearted towards this son who was not raised by her side, and it would be bad if the Fifth Prince broke his fast. So she deliberately detained the Fifth Prince and did not let him go to Yikun Palace.

Concubine Yi embraced the Fifth Prince and examined him for a long moment before turning to Wen Shan with gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for allowing Yinqi and I to be together today."

Concubine Yi was no fool; she quickly realized that Wen Shan's mediation had secured the Fifth Prince's presence.

"The children are all here today, so how can Yinqi be missing?" Wen Shan beckoned Yinqi, offering him a piece of white jade cake. "Empress Xuan and the Empress Dowager promised not to let you out because of your greed, so you must obey."

Yinsi, stealthily taking a piece nearby, reluctantly put it down after a threatening look from Wen Shan.

Yinsi had a sweet tooth and had already eaten three pieces in a short while. If he ate any more, Wen Shan worried about his teeth.

Yinqi accepted it and nodded obediently, "Yinqi will be obedient and won't worry Empress Xuan and Mother."

The Fifth Prince hadn't seen his Ninth Brother for a while. After finishing his pastry, he clamored to see him. Concubine Yi held the Ninth Prince in her arms. The Fifth Prince exclaimed exaggeratedly, "How come my brother has gained weight again after not seeing him for a few days?"

Concubine Yi and Wen Shan were both amused and confused.

Soon, Yinzhen returned, having changed his clothes. Upon his return, he keenly noticed Fuqi and Heidou huddled together in the corner.

Yinzhen, shrouded in a sullen aura, stepped forward and pulled the two affectionate dogs apart. He then quickly carried Fuqi away, his face wary, as he stared at the black dog, who looked so filthy.

Forced to separate from his lover, Fuqi whimpered in Yinzhen's arms, flapping his front legs as if trying to jump down to find Heidou and rekindle their past relationship, but Yinzhen ruthlessly suppressed him.

The Fifth Prince saw this and ran down. Seeing Heidou frantically trying to play with Fuqi, he scratched his head and asked, "Fourth Brother, why don't you let Fuqi and Heidou play together?"

The two dogs clearly loved playing together, so why were they separated?

Yinzhen found it difficult to explain and remained silent.

Yinsi watched from the sidelines. Laifu was very attached to Yinsi. After leaving the house, he would lie by Yinsi's side and refuse to leave. This relieved Yinsi of his worries, not worrying about Laifu being abducted.

After a while, the Fifth Prince realized that Fourth Brother was absolutely adamant about not letting Fuqi and Heidou play together, and he could only crouch down dejectedly to comfort the wailing Heidou.

"Wow—I'm sorry, Heidou. I'm useless. I was scared of Fourth Brother. Wow, wow, wow."

Yinzhen said, "..."

True, like master, like dog. How could he trust Fuqi to marry him off with this attitude?

None of them were reliable.

Concubine Yi and Wenshan also laughed at the children's play.

"Yinqi is such a funny kid," Wen Shan exclaimed, his mind clear and adorable.

Concubine Yi shook her head: "I think he's just silly. How can this kid not understand how to read people's expressions?"

Wen Shan smiled without saying anything. With the Queen Mother protecting him, even if the Fifth Prince was still naive in his thirties or forties, he would still be able to live in peace and wealth.

And isn't this the greatest blessing?

Of her two sons, one worked hard all his life and ended up with nothing, while the other lived a miserable life and died of exhaustion on the throne.

In her opinion, neither of them lived as comfortably as the Fifth Prince.

Naturally, everyone has their own aspirations, and for Yinzhen and Yinsi, this was the best path in life.

Yinzhen handed the blessing to Baoquan and told him to take good care of it, especially to prevent some dog from coming to him again.

Baoquan agreed repeatedly, feeling a little amused.

Yinzhen sat down next to Yinsi and leered at him. "You saw this just now, and you didn't say anything?"

Yinsi lazily tilted his head and said, "Because I think it would be nice for Laifu to have a sibling."

Yinzhen looked at him, then, as if making up his mind, said, "Well, we can find some strong, intelligent dogs for Fuqi."

In short, he had a deep disdain for Heidou.

The thought of Heidou ruining Fuqi behind everyone's back still rankled in Yinzhen.

Even though it seemed like the two were in love now, in Yinzhen's eyes, Heidou had been the first to make the move.

Yinsi hadn't expected Yinzhen to say that, and he burst out laughing.

"Fourth brother is right. Love is human, and dogs are no exception. And Fuqi isn't some chaste, fierce dog..."

Before he could finish his words, Wenshan pulled his ear.

"What are you talking about, kid?"

What about love between men and women? Although Yinsi already has several soul children in his body, it is really explosive for a little kid like him to say such words.

Seeing that the situation is not right, Yinsi slipped away and took Laifu and the fifth prince to play together.

It is almost autumn now, and the scenery in the imperial garden is picturesque. It is not only Wenshan and Concubine Yi who come here to relax today. After a while, Wenshan saw Concubine Nianhulu also holding the tenth prince coming from a flower bush, followed by a group of palace people.

Wenshan wondered what day it was today, and it seemed that the party of the fourteenth and eighth princes would be complete. Concubine

Nianhulu looked at the group of children here, thought about it, and did not take a detour, and walked straight over.

"What day is it today? Sister Nianhulu is also out to visit the garden." Concubine Yi said with a smile.

The most favored concubines in the palace were Concubine Yi and Noble Concubine Niohuru. Noble Concubine Niohuru was impatient, but Concubine Yi was smooth and slick, like a fish, making it difficult for Noble Concubine Niohuru to find a way to challenge her. Therefore, their relationship had always been quite good.

"When the weather cools down, I'll take Yin'e out for a walk." Noble Concubine Niohuru looked around and saw that all the princes had gathered, including the two princes raised by Concubine Xuan and the two princes raised by Concubine Yi.

The Tenth Prince was just over two months younger than the Ninth. Born the same year, Concubine Niohuru had already sensed a connection between the two brothers. Seeing the Ninth Prince's plump appearance, she was even more delighted. She had hoped the Tenth Prince would be a bit fatter, but the child seemed to be underdeveloped. While not sickly, he was still smaller.

Concubine Niohuru couldn't resist asking Concubine Yi for advice on raising children.

The Ninth and Tenth Princes lay side by side, each glancing at the other and laughing. Concubine Niohuru observed, convinced that the two brothers were destined to be together.

Yinsi leaned over to look at the now-young Ninth and Tenth Princes, and he couldn't help but smile. He had never imagined the three of them would be reunited in this way.

"The Ninth and Tenth Princes both like the Eighth Prince. They smile whenever they see him," Concubine Yi remarked, observing the two children lying side by side, their innocent smiles directed at Yinsi.

Wen Shan thought, how could he not like him? This was their beloved eighth brother.

Children his age were already familiar with people. They smiled whenever Yinsi approached, but their expressions quickly changed, pouting as if they were about to cry whenever Yinzhen approached.

"..."

Feeling inexplicably excluded, Yinzhen felt a little aggrieved, wondering if he wasn't liked by children. His eighth brother had also disliked him when he was little.

"Brother, you need to smile more. Your sullen face will scare your eighth and ninth brothers," Yinsi whispered, unable to bear the sight of his fourth brother's sadness.

After carefully examining his ninth and tenth brothers, Yinsi concluded that they were normal babies. The fourth brother's lack of smile could only be due to his seriousness, his constant stern expression, and children certainly wouldn't smile at him.

Yinzhen scowled. Children were such a nuisance, expecting them to smile.

"There are more and more children in the palace now, it's really lively," Noble Concubine Nianhulu lamented.

Wen Shan sipped her tea and thought, "That's right. There's another batch of children coming in the next year or two."

The last few years were arguably the peak of Kangxi's childbearing.

In the 23rd year of the Kangxi reign, Concubine Yi became pregnant again, and Concubine Ding and Concubine Tong also confirmed their pregnancies. Concubine

Yi gave birth to another prince, the eleventh prince, whom Kangxi named Yinzhen. Concubine Ding gave birth to the twelfth prince, Yinzhen, and Concubine Tong gave birth to the tenth daughter, the fourth princess.

All three children were born safely and appeared healthy.

Concubine Yi, having given birth to three princes in a row and seeing them grow up, became a prominent figure in the harem, her status gradually surpassing that of Concubine Hui, whose favor had declined due to the conflict between the eldest prince and the crown prince.

With Soetu's complete departure from the court and Mingzhu becoming the Prime Minister, the Hesheli family became increasingly anxious about the crown prince's position. Concubine Ping, therefore, considered adopting a prince to support him. The twelfth prince had been on Concubine Ping's radar since his birth. Concubine Ding, despite her modest birthplace and high rank, was also able to raise a prince, indicating that she had the opportunity if she wished.

In the end, Concubine Ding and Concubine Tong teamed up, relying on their favor to secure the Twelfth Prince's place,

while Concubine Ping had to return empty-handed. Wen Shan had always loved hearing about these affairs, following them like a TV series after dinner. Yinsi had his own agents in various palaces, always keeping Wen Shan informed of the latest news. But this time, Wen Shan had no time to pay attention to the heated battle between Concubine

Ping and the other two. The Imperial Observatory had calculated the date for Yinzhen and Yinzhi to be vaccinated against smallpox.

Although Yinzhen had already been vaccinated against cowpox, Wen Shan's heart remained in suspense. As the date drew near, she had to begin packing Yinzhen's belongings.

The vaccination site was located in a secluded area near the palace, and palace servants had already cleared it out, sealing the doors and windows, decorating it with colorful ornaments, and preparing the altar and incense table. As Wen Shan escorted Yinzhen there, she burst into tears at the sight of the courtyard.

She'd almost gotten her composure back, but the sight of the strange, yet extravagant, attire, as if meant to exorcise evil spirits, only frightened her even more.

Yinzhen, who was about to receive the vaccination, comforted Wenshan for a long time before being forcibly escorted inside by palace servants, as the auspicious time was approaching and there was no time to lose.

Wenshan returned to Xianfu Palace and lost her appetite. Yinsi's attempts to appease her were futile, and Rong Fei practically lived in Baohua Hall, burning incense daily to pray for the Third Prince.

After enduring for over half a month, news arrived: the vaccinations for Yinzhen and Yinzhi had been relatively successful. Yinzhen's reaction was mild, with only a few days of fever before he recovered. Yinzhi, however, had a more difficult time, suffering intermittent fever and vomiting, and hadn't fully recovered.

A few days later, Yinzhen returned to the palace first, while Yinzhi remained in the separate courtyard to recuperate.

Rong Fei also visited Yinzhen several times to inquire about the Third Prince's condition. Unfortunately, Yinzhen and Yinzhi had been vaccinated separately, and since they hadn't seen each other since moving to the separate courtyard, Yinzhen had no idea how Yinzhi was doing.

Rong Fei silently wept, praying day and night in Baohua Hall for Yinzhi's swift return.

After more than ten days of recuperation outside the palace, the Third Prince finally returned. Rong Fei was practically overjoyed, holding him tightly. Seeing that the Third Prince seemed to have lost some weight, she began desperately trying to regain his weight, even making several trips to Xianfu Palace to ask Wen Shan for a diet.

After the vaccination, Yinzhen officially began attending school. He spent his days in the Shangshufang, studying in the morning and practicing archery in the afternoon, returning only for dinner.

Now, from the eldest prince to Yinsi, a total of eight princes had enrolled. Although the younger ones were still in elementary school, they were studying diligently. As his sons grew older, Kangxi would make a few surprise visits to the Shangshufang to check on the princes' schoolwork.

With the exception of the Fifth Prince, the rest were generally satisfactory to him.

Kangxi was powerless to change the Fifth Prince's temper. He was the Empress Dowager's beloved grandson, and she had coddled him into learning only Manchu. He showed no interest in learning Chinese characters, and Kangxi, burdened by the weight of filial piety, was at a loss for words.

Ultimately, he had to accept the situation, not demanding academic excellence from the Fifth Prince, just obedience.

Kangxi had even tried, through Wen Shan, to persuade the Empress Dowager to stop doting on the Fifth Prince. The other princes studied tirelessly, excelling in both literary and martial arts. It wasn't good for the Fifth Prince to be so lazy and barely know any Chinese characters.

Wen Shan, seemingly agreeing, actually went to the Cining Palace to meet the Grand Empress Dowager, who, while chatting, immediately betrayed Kangxi.

"The Emperor must be at his wit's end, so he's sending you to persuade me." The

Empress Dowager was overjoyed. "Don't worry about him. Just say I don't listen to you, and he won't do anything." Wen Shan nodded in agreement; she had been planning to do just that.

The Grand Empress Dowager had been aging over the past two years, her health declining. She sat cross-legged on the couch, sipping Wen Shan's specially prepared angelica, ginger, and mutton soup. She said, "Xuanye has too high expectations of each of these princes, and he's pushing them too hard. In my opinion, this isn't a good thing; he'll suffer."

Wen Shan was amazed. As expected of the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, her discernment was unparalleled.

"Grandma, don't just drink the soup. Try the yam-braised duck I made especially for you today."

Seeing the Grand Empress Dowager's spirits, Wen Shan urged her to eat more.

Wen Shan had recently been thinking about making some nourishing medicinal dishes for the Grand Empress Dowager. According to history, she would have died in the 26th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, which was only a few years away. Moreover, her spirits were visibly declining.

"Okay, I'll try some," the Grand Empress Dowager smiled and beckoned Su Malagu to help her serve the dishes.

The Grand Empress Dowager disliked taking medicine, and Wen Shan's attempts to persuade her were unsuccessful, so she could only prepare some medicinal dishes to slowly heal her.

Seeing the Grand Empress Dowager's progress, Wen Shan felt relieved, yet she was also curious about why she doted on the Fifth Prince so much. From what she knew, she didn't seem like an old woman who couldn't distinguish right from wrong, but rather, she was relentless in insisting the Fifth Prince change his bad habits.

This thought spurred Wen Shan to ask. The Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager exchanged a smile, and finally, the Empress Dowager said meaningfully that she would understand once Yinzhen and Yinsi grew up.

Wen Shan, still confused, returned to Xianfu Palace and decisively confronted Yinsi about his cheating, asking him to analyze the Empress Dowager's intentions.

"Fifth brother's mother's family was from a different land, and he was raised by the Empress Dowager from a young age. He's unique among all of us brothers." Upon hearing Wen Shan's question, Yinsi elaborated, "The Empress Dowager has the Grand Empress Dowager and the Khorchin behind her. If Fifth Brother excels in learning, riding, and archery, and has the support of so many powerful factions, he'd inevitably want to compete for that position in the future. The Empress Dowager understands that this isn't a good path. It's better to let Fifth Brother live a peaceful and carefree life as a wealthy and prosperous prince."

The results show that the path the Empress Dowager chose for the Fifth Prince has indeed brought happiness to him.

"They say that parents who love their children plan for the long term, and the Empress Dowager, as a grandmother, is no exception," Wen Shan lamented.

Yinsi nodded, believing Fifth Brother to be the rare one among them who has lived a carefree life.

Speaking of reading, Sixth and Seventh Princes had already been learning for a while, but in just a few months, they've made rapid progress, surpassing Fifth Prince's level of literacy.

However, the Fifth Prince, a naturally optimistic person, didn't feel bad about not being as good as his younger brothers academically. Although his academic performance was somewhat lacking, his honest character made him the most popular person in the Shangshufang.

From his older brothers down to the recently three-year-old Seventh Prince, everyone got along well with him, making him the happy person in the Shangshufang.

However, one day, the usually mild-mannered Yinsi clashed with the Sixth Prince Yinzuo.

The incident stemmed from a minor incident: Kangxi had gifted several princes with newly made imperial brushes, two each, each one unique. While all were fine brushes made of exquisite materials, there were always differences in quality.

The best, a silver-threaded jade brush, went to the Crown Prince, while Yinsi received a silver-wrapped brush with a horn, just below the Crown Prince's. After all, Yinsi had practiced calligraphy for decades in his previous life, and while he tried to hide his shortcomings, his handwriting was still more beautiful than that of the younger princes today.

Kangxi was very impressed and gave him this brush.

When the Sixth Prince saw it, he liked the silver-wrapped brush with a twisted horn very much and asked Yinsi to exchange it for it.

It is reasonable to say that the imperial gift should not be exchanged, but this time the reward was not a solemn decree. It was just that Kangxi, as a father, saw the new brush and decided to share the stationery among his sons. The Sixth Prince was one of the few princes in the palace who was favored by Kangxi, so he was bold. Kangxi would not scold him if he knew about it.

Yinsi didn't care at first. Since the Sixth Prince liked to exchange it, it was no big deal. Unexpectedly, the Sixth Prince started to get a little too demanding after getting the brush he wanted, and even asked for Yinsi's other brush.

Yinsi was mild-tempered but not without temper, so he refused immediately.

"It's not right to exchange the gifts bestowed by the Emperor. Exchanging one with Sixth Brother is already a violation of the Emperor's will. If Sixth Brother likes it, he might as well go to the Emperor and ask for another one."

Although Yinsi smiled and spoke softly, there was a hint of coldness in his words.

The Sixth Prince was not only favored by Emperor Kangxi, but he was also a little ancestor in Yonghe Palace. Concubine De loved him like the apple of her eye. Even the Seventh Princess, who was born not long ago, could not compare to him. She always asked for the moon but not the stars. From childhood to adulthood, she had almost never been rejected.

So when she was rejected by Yinsi, she felt that she had never suffered such grievances. She pouted and was about to cry.

Yinsi had a headache. School was about to end. Mother had said in the morning that she would make his favorite boiled pork slices for lunch. So Yinsi didn't want to waste time here with the Sixth Prince. He thought that he might as well not bother with him this time. He would find

a chance to get it back later.

Unexpectedly, the Sixth Prince's aggrieved expression, half-crying, was seen by the eldest prince, who immediately said with a stern face, "Eighth brother, how are you bullying the Sixth Prince?"

Yinsi found it amusing. The Sixth Prince was a year older than him, so how could he possibly bully him?

Ever since the Sixth and Seventh Princes started school, the eldest prince had become more assertive. Finally, he had two younger brothers who weren't part of the Crown Prince's faction. Although they were younger, they were still princes, so he had always taken good care of the two younger ones.

Today, he finally had the opportunity to teach Yinsi, who had always been close to the Crown Prince, a lesson.

The eldest prince's intervention escalated the situation, and both the Crown Prince and Yinzhen looked over.

The eldest prince asked the Sixth Prince what had happened, but the Sixth Prince sobbed and couldn't explain it. Yinsi sneered inwardly. No matter how you looked at it, it was the Sixth Prince's fault, so of course he couldn't say it out loud.

Seeing that the eldest prince was supporting the sixth prince, Yinzhen also walked over and stood next to Yinsi, lowered his head and asked him what was wrong.

Yinsi briefly explained the matter. The prince raised his eyebrows and said, "Then this is the fault of the sixth brother. Why is the eldest brother yelling at the eighth brother?"

Yinzhen also looked at the crying sixth prince with a cold face and said, "You arbitrarily changed the imperial gift, and when others did not obey, you cried and acted like a rogue. You are not like a prince at all. Even a three-year-old child in the common people would not do such an unkind and unjust thing."

Yinsi looked at the sixth prince's shocked expression, who had forgotten to cry, and thought that the fourth brother's poisonous tongue really had not changed for many years.

Sure enough, when the sixth prince reacted, he burst into tears, pointing at Yinzhen and said, "You are obviously my biological brother, why are you siding with the eighth brother!"