noffsinger Chapter 138 Dad's move was too brilliant!
Chapter 138 Dad's move was too brilliant!
A few days after the lively brotherhood party, snow fell in Changchun Garden. Yinzhuo, who was already afraid of the cold and reluctant to go out, stayed indoors even more. Except for visiting his father every few days, he did not step out of Changchun Garden until he returned to the palace with Kangxi near the end of the year.
Thirty-seven years later, the Spring Festival is still the same old story. If there is anything different from previous years, it is that there is a baby less than one year old in the team of people staying up late at Yonghe Palace this year.
"Mother, what's wrong with letting me hold my little nephew? My sixth brother and I are both his uncles, why can my sixth brother hold him but I can't?"
Although Consort De's attitude towards Yinzhen has never been particularly warm over the years, she now dotes on his son. How much does she dote on him? Well, let's put it this way: Yinzhen, Yinzuo, and the fourteenth prince have been back from the palace banquet for a while now, and apart from the moment they returned and went to pay their respects to Consort De, she only glanced at them briefly. Since then, her eyes have never left the child in her arms.
“Go over there and play with your fourth brother and the others. How can you be the same as your sixth brother? He’s a grown man and knows his limits. You’re always so clumsy. My grandson is still so young. What if you hurt him?”
Fourteen returned empty-handed from his mother's visit, now radiating resentment. After all, he was his own younger brother, and Yinzhen didn't want him to be unhappy over such a small matter during the New Year. He raised his hand to his mouth and coughed lightly. When Fourth Princess Consort looked over, he gave her a wink, signaling her to go and tell Consort De to let his mother let Fourteen hold the child.
“Mother, although the baby’s body is fragile, Honghui is almost ten months old now. It’s okay for Fourteenth Brother to hold him. How about this, let Fourteenth Brother sit next to you and you teach him how to hold him. I think it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Even if grandparents love their grandchildren more, the Fourteenth Prince is still Consort De's own son, so how could she not love him? After listening to the Fourth Prince's suggestion, Consort De thought it over and decided it was a good idea, so she raised her hand and beckoned the Fourteenth Prince over.
"Be careful, don't use so much force. Come on, first use your left hand to support the child's neck, then put your right hand through here..."
Half a year has passed since the 100-day celebration. Finally, Fourteenth Brother fulfilled his long-cherished wish and held his little nephew in his arms. He was quite excited before taking the child from his mother's hands, but as soon as he put Honghui's soft little body in his hands, he immediately stiffened up.
"Mother, why is his whole body so limp, like he has no bones? Oh, Mother, look, he's moving! I can't take it anymore! Mother, please help me..."
Fourteenth Prince held Honghui stiffly, as if he were holding a bomb, not daring to move an inch. Seeing this, Consort De was afraid that he would drop her precious grandson, so she quickly had Fourth Prince's wife, who was standing next to Fourteenth Prince, take the child from his arms.
"Hmph, you were making such a fuss before, I thought you were so great, but it turns out you're just a hypocrite, aren't you?"
As soon as the child was out of his hands, Fourteenth Prince breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't get angry at his mother's teasing. He stood up, stretched his stiff hands and feet, and walked towards Yinzhen and Yinzuo.
“Mother is right. My nephew is still very young, and my son is too clumsy to hold him properly. So, let’s wait until next year. Next year, my son will be a year older and more composed. When he holds my nephew then, he certainly won’t be like he is this year…”
Yinzhuo had been trying hard to suppress his laughter ever since the Fourteenth Prince had asked Consort De for help with a look of horror. Now, seeing the Fourteenth Prince clearly panicking inside but still trying to remain calm and save face, Yinzhuo could no longer hold back.
"Hahahaha~~ Fourteen, are you sure there won't be any problems? Is it because you've grown a year older and are therefore more mature? Or is it because your little nephew has grown a year older and is therefore more mature?"
As soon as Yinzhuo said this, the others in the room couldn't help but laugh. Fourteenth Prince glared at his sixth brother, who was always enjoying the show, and then turned his gaze to his mother, who was also watching the spectacle with great interest.
"Mother, are you going to do anything about Sixth Brother or not...?"
The thirty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign thus began amidst laughter and joy. In the first month of the year, Kangxi couldn't sit still in the capital. He first took the Empress Dowager to Mount Wutai, and after returning, before the weather had even warmed up, he moved the Empress Dowager and his wives and children to Changchun Garden.
In March, Emperor Kangxi began to reward those who had contributed to the war effort the previous year. He bestowed titles upon all his sons who had served on the battlefield the previous year. The eldest prince, Yinti, and the third prince, Yinzhi, were made princes of the second rank, while the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth princes were all made princes of the third rank. And what about Yinzuo? Kangxi naturally wouldn't leave out his precious son. Yinzuo was given a title on par with his elder brothers, based on the two arrows he had taken for his father in Ningxia.
It's no wonder that Yinti and the others always complained in their hearts that Kangxi was biased, because his heart was indeed biased to an extreme degree. The eldest prince was given the title "Zhi" and the third prince was given the title "Cheng". At first glance, these titles don't seem like much, but everything is afraid of comparison. Compared with Yinzuo's title "Zhao", their titles seemed much more perfunctory.
Along with the imperial edict conferring titles, the wedding dates for Yinqi, Yinzuo, and Yinyou were also sent. Yinzuo's wedding was set for August of next year, while Yinqi's and Yinyou's were set for May of next year and August of the following year, respectively.
Not long after the wedding date was set, the location of Yinzhuo's future residence was also determined. If Yinzhuo's previous title of "Zhao" only made the princes feel envious, the announcement of the location of his future residence made not only the princes jealous, but even Crown Prince Yinreng was almost envious. This was because Kangxi's move was too brilliant. He directly ordered the Imperial Household Department to expand the residence of former Regent Dorgon, which was only 300 meters away from the Forbidden City, and bestow it upon Yinzhuo.
"Big brother, third brother, don't you have anything else to do all day? It's been like this for days, I'm exhausted even if you're not. I'm begging you, please let me go, okay? It's just a mansion, we really don't need to go this far. If you keep going like this, my little courtyard is afraid it will be flooded by your acid!"
Kangxi's favoritism was so blatant that it inevitably aroused the envy of the other princes. Yinzhuo was also having a headache. Including today, he had been subjected to sarcastic remarks from his eldest and third brothers for almost a week. Anyone could stand that.
"Hmph, Father is so biased! Look at your mansion, is it even worthy of a prince? It's even more magnificent than Uncle Yu's mansion. And look at our mansion, it's just... cramped."