noffsinger Chapter 34 This Emperor Can't Be the Best
Chapter 34 This Emperor Can't Be the Best
"Look, look, why are you getting so worked up over this joke? Father, I'm not saying this out of spite, but you're getting a little too worked up. Your son is only twelve years old, and your older brother has only been married for a few years. You're already thinking about me giving you a grandson. Don't you think that's a bit too early?"
Seeing that Kangxi seemed genuinely angry with him, Yinzhu quickly and obsequiously walked behind him and began to massage his shoulders.
"Father, don't you think your focus is a bit off? Your son just boldly asked you to grant him the hereditary title of Iron-Cap Prince. Don't you think that's more terrifying than him becoming a spoiled brat? Besides, life is so long. Your son is only a teenager, and his temperament hasn't even settled yet. You're already asking me to set a life goal. Isn't that a bit unreasonable? They say the watershed moment in life is the amniotic fluid. Your son was born with exceptional skill, becoming your son. As long as I don't do anything reckless and rebel against you, a life of wealth and honor is guaranteed. Even if I don't achieve anything in the future, do you and my brother, the Crown Prince, really want to watch me starve or die in poverty?"
Yinzhuo's long speech actually focuses on the last two sentences, which can be summarized as: I am very lucky, and as long as I behave myself, I can enjoy wealth and honor for the rest of my life without having to work hard.
But it's clear that his father and his brothers had different priorities than him.
"What? If your elder brother, the Crown Prince, and I let you starve to death or die in poverty in the future, are you going to rebel against us?"
Yinzhu felt he couldn't reply to Kangxi's words because he genuinely thought the same thing. However, he wouldn't rebel, but he could let his fourth brother ascend to the throne ahead of time.
His hesitation caused both Emperor Kangxi and his brothers to look at him in disbelief.
"Yinzuo, have I guessed right? Do you really intend to rebel?"
Although Kangxi's attitude was similar to when he was chatting with Yinzhu earlier, some subtle changes in his tone made Yinzhu feel a sense of crisis.
“You didn’t guess right, son. You left me speechless. Rebellion? Father, you think too highly of your son. They say a scholar’s rebellion won’t succeed in ten years. If it were me, I’d probably not succeed in twenty. Besides, what’s so good about being an emperor? You just asked me what I want to be when I grow up. The first option I’d rule out is being an emperor. Being an emperor is no good. It’s truly the most miserable job in the world.”
Yinzhuo wasn't lying; he genuinely believed from the bottom of his heart that being an emperor was a very miserable thing.
Clearly, Yinzhuo's words shocked both Kangxi and the princes. Take Yinti and the others, for example. Although the position of crown prince had long been decided, they were born into the royal family. It would be a lie to say that any of them didn't have any ambition for the throne under Kangxi's feet. If that were the case, the eldest prince Yinti wouldn't have been competing with the crown prince for so many years out of resentment.
"Go around asking around the world, who wouldn't want to be emperor? Don't even mention others, just ask your brothers and sisters. If the throne were given to them, would they want it? Believe me, if I said right now that I would abdicate in favor of the most capable, they would fight tooth and nail to get the throne."
Upon hearing Kangxi's words, regardless of what Yinti and the others thought, they all quickly got up and knelt down, including the Crown Prince.
"Father, you have already decided on the position of Crown Prince. Your sons will wholeheartedly assist His Highness and would never dare to have any other thoughts."
"Yes, Father, you are in the prime of your life, how can you have the idea of abdicating?"
Yinzhuo knelt on the ground and listened to his brothers pledging their loyalty. His thighs were almost pinched raw, but he managed to hold back his laughter. He believed them, he believed them too much. And even without you saying anything, your sons would seize the opportunity to fight for the throne themselves. Otherwise, how could there be the Nine Princes' Succession Struggle?
Yinzhuo was often the butt of jokes for his brothers, and now, seeing the utterly terrified expressions on the faces of Yinti and Yinreng, he was naturally quite amused. But he hadn't forgotten that he himself was still in dire straits. The question that Kangxi had just asked was directed at him.
"I don't know what the other brothers think, and I don't care. Anyway, what I just said came from the bottom of my heart. Father, what my elder brother said is right. The crown prince will be chosen soon. We brothers will definitely do our best to assist His Highness in the future. And look at what you just said, you scared my elder brother and the others."
Compared to the others who had something to hide, Yinzhuo's statement about assisting His Highness the Crown Prince was much more open and honest. After all, His Highness the Crown Prince was just a title, and the position of Crown Prince was also a post. Whoever sat on that throne, that's who he would assist. Of course, in his heart, he probably hoped that it was his own brother sitting on that throne.
"I was just saying that casually. Why are you all kneeling? Get up."
As Yinzhuo rose with his brothers, he couldn't help but purse his lips. "Tch, who would believe something you just said offhand? If it were true, why didn't you stop them when they knelt down? Were you worried about your precious crown prince before the upcoming campaign, and were you using my unintentional words to give us brothers a warning?"
Regardless of what he thought in his heart, he still had to shout "Thank you, Father!" But Yinzhuo had just gotten up from the ground and his heart was not yet at ease when his scumbag father showed no sign of letting him off the hook.
"Yinzuo, you just said that being the emperor is the most difficult job in the world, so tell me in detail just how difficult it is."
Hey, you're getting cocky, aren't you? Others have no right to speak. You've been emperor for so many years, don't you know that? You've only had a few good days, and you've already forgotten the suffering you endured. Should I help you remember it?
Although he was indignant, Yinzhuo was not stupid after all, and of course he would not actually help Kangxi recall his miserable childhood.
"Father, this is what I think: throughout history, every emperor, unless you want to be a tyrant who is infamous in history books for ten thousand years, has never had a comfortable life. Qin Shi Huang was amazing, wasn't he? His achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and his virtues exceeded those of the Five Emperors. Looking back now, every single thing he did was a crime against his own time but a merit for future generations. Yet, even with all that, he was still called a tyrant. Li Shimin was amazing, wasn't he? The Heavenly Khan! It's not an exaggeration to say that he conquered half of the Tang Dynasty. But so what? He was still criticized by Wei Zheng. And you, you ascended the throne at eight, took personal control of the government at sixteen, eliminated Ao Bai, quelled the Three Feudatories, recovered Taiwan, and now you're going to conquer the Dzungars. These are all verifiable achievements, but do you ask yourself if you've lived a comfortable life?"
After listening to Yinzhuo's words for a moment, Kangxi immediately realized that his son was right. Once you become emperor, if you want to be a wise and virtuous ruler who can be praised by others, it is indeed impossible to live a comfortable life. Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Song—weren't they all capable rulers with verifiable military achievements in history? Yet, which of them didn't bear a bad reputation during their lifetime and be pointed at and criticized by later generations after their death?
"What my son just said about being unable to control one's own destiny is just one aspect. I think the suffering of being an emperor is not limited to that. First, there's the mental strain, and then there's the physical strain. Take you, for example. You get up before dawn every day and work until the lamps are lit, and you don't even get to rest. You get up earlier than the rooster, sleep later than the dog, and work harder than the ox. And you still can't enjoy yourself? If you do that, just wait and see. There will definitely be a bunch of people watching you. Being scolded until you lose your bearings is the least of your worries."