Kangxi's tone was as tender as it could possibly be.
Just moments ago, he had been using the royal "We," but now, he had switched to saying "I." Hearing this shift, Yunxiu’s heart trembled slightly before settling back into calm.
Her peach blossom-shaped eyes lowered, and after a few moments, she lifted her face into a smile so dazzling it seemed to light up the world. She softly responded and quickened her steps, making no effort to break free from the warm hand holding hers.
Kangxi paused briefly, his lips curving slightly into a faint smile, and his expression grew even gentler.
Nanny Dong observed the scene with keen eyes and exchanged a look with Wenyuan and Ruizhu, her heart finally relaxing. A trace of delight appeared on her face.
Thank the heavens, her ladyship had finally shaken off her reluctance and stopped resisting His Majesty!
For them, the servants, watching their mistress’ mood had been a source of tension and helpless worry. They had no solution but to silently fret while holding on to faint hope that one day, she would come around...
And now, it seemed, that day had finally arrived.
Following close behind, Liang Jiugong trailed after them step by step. He flicked his whisk and allowed a wide smile to crease the corners of his eyes—evidently even more delighted than Nanny Dong.
Yet, amid his joy, the chief eunuch tried his hardest not to look at the hands entwined between his master and mistress. He was terrified that his reaction might betray a sour expression, lest he earn himself an unjust punishment.
The last time he’d slipped up, he had been struck with the board five times and had spent three full days recovering in his chambers!
As for Yintang, nestled safely in his wet nurse's arms, his little eyes were tightly shut. His breathing was even, as if he were fast asleep, but in truth, he was silently brooding.
He hadn't even had the chance to put his plan into motion—say, doodling a watercolor painting all over Kangxi’s dragon robes—before the old man had whisked his mother away...
But Yintang was, after all, merely an infant of one month old. He slept more than he was awake. So before he could stew in his frustration for too long, his consciousness grew foggy, and soon he fell into a deep slumber.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a different place. The space was grand and lively, and before him, three large faces loomed closer—one, two, three inquisitive faces.
All three wore expressions of curiosity. One was somewhat mature, smiling faintly and already showing tinges of handsomeness; the other two were younger, their expressions pure and brimming with unreserved curiosity. Wasn’t this the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Fifth Prince?...
Caught unprepared, Yintang froze entirely upon meeting the youthful faces of his elder brothers.
He had never seen them looking so young before!
Excitement, joy, resentment, and frustration... a torrent of complicated emotions surged through him, leaving him with a sense of displacement, like a soul from another era.
No, that wasn’t right. This was another era.
After all, he had been given a second chance at life!
To be fair, back in his last life, Yintang hadn’t crossed paths with the Crown Prince very often. They had no grievances, nor any great affection for each other, largely because of the significant age gap between them.
The Crown Prince was second eldest in the line, far more senior than Yintang, and had always been dearly favored by their father. Among the brothers, he was a figure to be both admired and envied, and Yintang was no exception to this sentiment.
By the time Yintang was old enough to begin attending the imperial study, the Crown Prince was already participating in state affairs. Their opportunities to interact dwindled even further from there.
That said, the Crown Prince possessed an undeniably broad-minded character. During the period he was deposed, Yintang had taken note of how their eldest brother and even the eighth prince covertly conspired against the him. Yet the Crown Prince, fully aware of their machinations, still greeted Yintang with a calm and friendly smile.
Later, when Yintang was granted the title of “Ninth Prince,” the Crown Prince, by then in a difficult and precarious position, still offered him a thoughtful congratulatory gift—a set of much-needed war chariot schematics.
It was an act of magnanimity that left Yintang deeply impressed.
Life is full of regrets. The Crown Prince, who seemed to have everything go smoothly, ended up with such a fate. What makes him any better off?
Ever since he was coerced by Suo Etu in his youth and implicitly consented to act against Mingzhu, he lost control over his own life, unable to escape the trap.
Twice established and twice dethroned by the old Emperor, he spent the rest of his life imprisoned in Zhengjia Village, had his wife stolen by the Fourth Prince, and fell from his status as a direct royal lineage to a side branch of the clan.
Would the new Emperor show kindness to the family of the deposed Crown Prince after ascending the throne? On the surface, they are treated with courtesy, but hidden beneath it is endless distrust and precaution.
... One wonders how Hongxi, his eldest nephew, has been faring since his passing.
Before he could finish sighing, Yinqi’s booming voice sounded, “Second Brother, Fourth Brother! At least I’m not ugly anymore, Mother can finally rest easy.”
The youthful but familiar voice reached his ears, and for a moment, Yintang felt overwhelmed, nearly reduced to tears.
Brother, my dear brother.
Whether during times of glory or moments of downfall, his fifth brother had always treated him sincerely, never changing his attitude, always wholeheartedly caring for him.
When he stubbornly followed the Eighth Prince, ending up with that wretched fate, the ones tirelessly pleading for mercy on his behalf were only his mother and his honest, kind-hearted brother.
Before his rebirth, the money he earned from his businesses—all except the monthly tribute to the Yikun Palace—had been poured entirely into the Eighth Prince’s endeavors.
At one point, he’d asked his fifth brother if he needed money. His brother seemed to have refused. And so, the matter was dismissed from his mind.
Thinking about it now, Yintang wished he could slap himself across the face—hard.
Stupid! Truly stupid!
Fifth Brother had an entire family to support and didn’t have officials offering him tributes like the Fourth or the Eighth Prince. How could he not need money?
Guilt and excitement surged through him all at once. And then, Yinzhen’s hesitant childlike voice chimed in, “You’re not ugly… but Ninth Brother is always staring blankly. Could he have hurt his brain?”
As he spoke, guarded by wet nurses and palace servants, he cautiously poked the soft, pudgy hand of the little toddler.
The Fourth Prince’s tone was innocent and adorably clumsy, but it made the dazed Ninth Prince—Yintang—utterly furious.
“Eeeeya—”
You’re the one whose brain is hurt! Your whole family’s brains are hurt!
The moment he saw Yinzhen’s face, even though it was just the chubby face of a six-year-old utterly devoid of authority, Yintang still felt a sharp pang in his chest.
Waves of old and new grudges swelled simultaneously within him. Yintang glared, his teeth clenched tightly, and thought, Fourth Brother, oh Fourth Brother—this lifetime, if I don’t make you cry for your mother and father, I swear I’ll change my surname to Mother’s maiden name!
...
...
Yinzhen, of course, had no idea about Yintang’s dangerously vivid inner thoughts.
Today, at the full-month celebration, the slumbering Ninth Prince was the first to be shown off, garnering rounds of praise. Later, he was placed in a cradle in the rear hall, only to be “sneaked” upon by a trio of visitors.
Calling it sneaking wasn’t entirely accurate; Kangxi was well aware and indulgently allowed their mischief.
Owing to the Imperial Noble Consort’s attendance, the Fourth Prince’s mood was particularly good, and he displayed a rare, cheerful smile.
In that moment, the image of Noble Consort Wu’s hysterical scene in Yuqing Palace gradually faded from his mind, and the dread caused by his sixth brother’s poisoning finally lifted.
His mother had stepped forward once again…
At that particular moment, Yinzhen’s thoughts revolved wholly around the Imperial Noble Consort, who was seated just below the Emperor. Her complexion appeared slightly pale.
She used a handkerchief to cover her mouth and coughed softly before her flawless, dignified smile returned.
Unlike the other consorts, the Imperial Noble Consort's gaze toward Yunxiu lacked any trace of hostility or malice—it was calm and serene, as if she had become a completely different person.
It was worth noting that, due to the angle and obstruction, the subtle movements Kangxi made while leading Yunxiu into the hall were not visible to everyone. Yet some observant consorts had clearly caught sight of them.
Although this event was supposed to be about the full-month ceremony, after the rituals concluded, it essentially turned into a banquet.
The Noble Consort Wu, being nine months pregnant, had been granted permission by the Grand Empress Dowager to rest and nurture her pregnancy, so she was absent from the event. Meanwhile, Noble Consort Wu was still confined due to her penalties. Below the Imperial Noble Consort came Consort Hui, followed by Consort Rong, then the six consorts, ladies of noble rank, and junior concubines...
Yunxiu was dressed elegantly in light crimson ceremonial robes adorned with ruby-studded hair ornaments paired with emerald-accented hairpins, glowing with a vibrant smile that seemed to ripple like spring waters.
Giving birth and recovering during confinement seemed to have done nothing to diminish her beauty. Instead, it added an air of tenderness and charm.
Upon catching sight of Consort Yi, everyone was stunned.
Consort Yi’s beauty had somehow surpassed her former radiance, leaving even the wives of the noblemen marveling inwardly. As for those concubines and junior consorts harboring other expectations, their initial shock quickly gave way to a sinking feeling of despair.
Initially, these women had hoped that Consort Yi’s confinement after childbirth would leave her a changed woman. Perhaps her figure would become bloated, or her beauty would fade under the strain of fatigue and stress.
But no—none of that happened.
The Emperor’s gaze remained firmly fixed on her, not even sparing a glance at the others present.
When Consort Yi was pregnant, even though she wasn’t frequently visited by the Emperor, her favor still outshone everyone else in the palace. Now that she had completed her confinement and retained her dazzling beauty, how could any of the others stand a chance?
Within moments, the expressions of the women watching Yunxiu shifted dramatically. Consort Ping’s face stiffened with shock, Consort Rong clenched her handkerchief tightly, and even Consort Hui, who had been entirely focused on her son, showed signs of unease.
The Emperor and Consort Yi’s sleeves…?
Even after entering the hall, when Kangxi gently released their clasped hands, the tremor of shock in the watching women was impossible to suppress—and their sinking hearts continued to plummet.
Only the Imperial Noble Consort maintained her calm smile, occasionally turning her head to glance toward the inner chambers with a look of caring benevolence.
Sitting among the imperial kin, nobles, and their wives, a steady stream of discreet, curious glances was cast her way.
Everyone knew the truth. The Imperial Noble Consort had lost control over the inner palace and her former authority. Rumor had it that her health was also failing. All she had left was her empty title as the foremost among the Emperor's women.
Even the Fourth Prince—he was merely her adopted son. His name in the imperial genealogy was still recorded under Noble Consort Wu, who was, after all, his true mother!
Though these subtle glances carried no ill intent, and some were even tinged with sympathy, their expression deeply unsettled the Imperial Noble Consort. The pity they conveyed made her uncomfortable—as if needles were pricking her back.
Pain and cold radiated from her lower abdomen and legs, painting her cheeks a ghostly pale hue, though her makeup masked her frailty from view.
Her cousin’s devotion to Consort Yi caused her heart, long deadened by resignation, to tremble faintly once more. A surge of hatred overtook her, directed at both the confined consort in Yonghe Palace and the Heseri clan outside the palace walls.
Her eyes briefly swept over Consort Ping from the Heseri family before quickly lowering her gaze. Yinzhen and the Crown Prince could not be allowed to grow any closer.
When will news arrive from Father?
Suo Etu! Crown Prince Yinreng!
She must plan carefully, leaving no room for error this time.
She wanted Yinzhen to become her child, to ascend to that almighty throne… Even if she could no longer endure, she had to hold on until that day!
