Blessed by God

by Usui Takumii

not mine, thisisbambispace. Beware BL and pseudoincest. Waiting for the translator to update. Total: 76cps and 3 extras.

1. 00 to 05

Description

Li You, a 30-year-old uncle, traveled to the Qing Dynasty and became the lame seventh prince of the Qing Dynasty, Aisin Gioro Yinyou.

When he was "young", he first met the fourth son of the emperor, Yinzhen.

He stretched out his white and tender little hand to him, with a bright smile on his face.

Yinzhen also loved this younger brother very much, and since some lingering and unstoppable feelings [1] have become a frequent visitor to the Southern Three Hall. [2] The two people grew up together, practiced riding and shooting together, and went on business trips to handle cases together. Special feelings quietly sprouted in their hearts.

What will be the ultimate destination of the royal family's emotions, and can this taboo love come to the end?

The subject matter of Sisi [3] and Xiao Qi [4] is no longer fresh, but the outstanding thing is how to bottle new wine and give people new ideas.

Yinyou seemed to be tender and cute, but in fact, in order to preserve his status and his mother's, he obediently called Ama and flattered the imperial concubines and the Empress Dowager.

Yinzhen took care of him everywhere, taught him to write, gave him his favorite Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl [5], and even gently lifted him up from the horse and wiped away the soil on his face. Slowly, a trace of warmth flowed in the hearts of the two of them.

This novel takes us from the palace where we have been disturbed and intrigued to a warm and loving palace, which is impressive.

Chapter 1: Becoming the Seventh Brother

In the winter of Kangxi's 20th year, heavy snow fell in the Forbidden City. Because the Revolt of the Three Feudatories [1] was thoroughly pacified, Kangxi had been in a very good mood recently, and even the entire harem had a festive and peaceful atmosphere.

[1] The Revolt of the Three Feudatories, also known as the Rebellion of Wu Sangui, was a rebellion in China lasting from 1673 to 1681, during the early reign of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). You can read more here.

It was in these harmonious surroundings that a child who was not more than one year old was lying on a soft couch, looking at a brass incense burner in the room. Such a tiny fellow looking this contemplative, it was truly a somewhat amusing sight.

A brass incense burner.

Li You himself actually didn't want to put on such a ridiculous appearance, but anyone who slept well on a soft bed and woke up to become a one-year-old child would be shocked, puzzled, and helpless.

Looking at Zhong momo [2] who was napping next to him, Li You frowned slightly. He had been here for two days. He didn't know anything except that it was the Qing Dynasty and that he was the Seventh son of Kangxi. Judging from the limited historical knowledge he learned in his previous life, in the history of the Qing Dynasty, the Seventh-ranked and very capable elder brother... in fact, did not exist.

[2] 嬷嬷 mómo - old female servant. Mostly they accompanied their master since birth. (From Dreams of Jianghu).

Making an effort, he arched on the soft couch. Li You then looked at his slightly deformed left foot, and then knew which one he was. The Seventh son of Emperor Kangxi, Aisin Gioro [3] Yinyou [4], who was born with a foot disease in the history of the Qing Dynasty. This person did not make many achievements in his life, and because of his foot disease, he was not even qualified to inherit the throne. There was also an Er-Niang [5] who was not favoured by the Emperor. In the history of the Qing Dynasty, there was really not much left for future generations to write.

[3] Aisin Gioro is the family name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing dynasty.

[4] His name, Yinyou means Blessed to be prosperous. It looks like this: 胤 yìn - descendant / heir / offspring / posterity / to inherit and 祐 yòu - (of divinity) to bless / to protect. As you can see, his name shares the meaning of the novel's title. The theme: to be blessed.

[5] 額娘 E-Niang. Because of the Chinese polygamy system, the wife and the concubines, and their sons had an intricate etiquette that they had to follow to show distinctions. The sons born from the concubines can only call 'mother' the wife of their father, but to their biological mother they can only call her 'father's concubine'. Because of the royal setting, this calling is E-Niang. For nobles, I believe they use a different calling.

Li You thought with some emotion that in addition to the nine sons of Kangxi [6], there were actually wastes like him who did not make much progress. Tugging at the small quilt covering him, Li You accepted his fate a little bit. In his previous life, his parents died early, and this life can be regarded as picked up. In the future, as long as he doesn't anger the prince, alienate the eighth brother, and treat the Fourth brother respectfully, he will be able to live peacefully for a lifetime.

[6] Only nine sons of Kangxi participated in the battle for inheriting the throne, openly and secretly. This is knowns as 九龍奪嫡 or "Nine Sons Seizing the Inheritance" (Read more here). In fact, Kangxi emperor was a prolific polygamist who had fifty-six children of thirty consorts, from when he was first started in sexual matters at the age of twelve, till his death when he was sixty-eight. Read more on the footnotes below.

In December of the 20th year of Kangxi, Kangxi advocated smallpox inoculation [7], and the little brothers in the palace also were inoculated according to Kangxi's idea, followed by the Laba Festival, and then the annual New Year's Eve Banquet.

[7] In 1678, Emperor Kangxi introduced smallpox inoculation to the Palace, and it became a royally approved medical technique. (Source.) The Kangxi Emperor (1654-1722) was particularly interested in the potential of variolation. Smallpox was a serious threat to the ruling Qing dynasty: One of the reasons the Shunzhi Emperor chose Kangxi to succeed him was because he had already survived smallpox. Kangxi was the first Chinese emperor to have children in the imperial family inoculated. (Source).

On this day, Yinyou met the biological mother in this life, the Dai Jia's clan daughter, Imperial Concubine Cheng [8]. He was carried by Zhong momo to Concubine Cheng's house, and soon he was in Concubine Cheng's arms. When he opened his eyes, he saw her: Concubine Cheng was only about twenty years old, and although her face was very beautiful, in this harem, it was really not that dazzling.

[8] 嫔 pín - imperial concubine. Above her there's the Empress, the Imperial Noble Consort, the Noble Consort and the Consort. She's in the bottom of the top places kinda. Every member of the harem also uses either a given monosyllable 'special name' before their rank or their own last name. Only the ones favoured by the Emperor or have high enough status are given a "special name". Once that special name is given, their last name is dropped from their title. (DRWCN). In this case, even though her family name is Dai Jia, she was given the title Cheng. Maybe because she gave birth to a prince. (You can read more here).

Concubine Cheng carefully checked Yinyou's clothes and saw that there was nothing outside the rules, and that it was also quite thick. She asked the palace maid next to her to take a chunky robe and wrap it in Yinyou, and then she handed him to the waiting Zhong momo, and said, "Look carefully at the Seventh brother. Today, the master of each palace, his elder brothers, will be there, so don't go wrong."

"Aye, aye", Zhong momo also understood the difficulties of the Mistress. The Seventh elder brother was born with a foot disease. Although there was not much wrong with him, and it will not affect walking or doing things in the future, among the princes born in recent years, it was really not outstanding. In addition, the Mistress was not favored. In this harem, she naturally had to be more careful. She must not offend the master of whichever palace.

Concubine Cheng lived in Qixiang Palace, which was still some distance from the Qianqing Palace where the New Year's Eve Banquet was held. Because Yinyou was young, he has been guarded in the momo's arms, and he only felt that they've been walking for a long time.

After arriving at the Qianqing Palace, Yinyou was not with Concubine Cheng, but was carried by the momo to the side hall and entered a wing. Yinyou felt that the room was warm, but it was a pity that his face was covered by a robe for most of the time, and he couldn't really see the furnishings in the room.

"Slave greets the Third brother, the Fourth brother, and the Fifth brother. The brothers are auspicious." Realizing that the person holding him seemed to have made a curtsy, Yinyou moved in the momo's arms, rather curious. These brothers should still be children now, and he doesn't know what they look like.

"Is it the Seventh brother in your arms?" He heard a soft voice drawing closer, "Show it to this master."

The corner of the robe that had been blocking his face was removed. Immediately Yinyou felt that his face was cold, and then he saw a ruddy-faced child with thick eyebrows and big eyes, looking rather upright.

"It's very cute," the child untied the sachet from his body and shook it in front of Yinyou, teasing him and saying, "Come on, Seventh brother, call for Third brother and this sachet will be given to you."

Yinyou glanced at the exquisite purse and guessed that it might contain snacks or gadgets that children love to eat. Although he was a little curious about how the princes of the Qing Dynasty played when they were young, thinking of the tragic end of this Third brother [9], Yinyou put away the slightest curiosity. He didn't want to attract the attention of this Third master too much, he just hummed twice and didn't react much.

[9] Emperor Yongzheng took his title, sent him to guard the mausoleum, and finally imprisoned him in Jingshan, leaving him to fend for himself. (Read more here). Yinzhi was too cunning and too much of a threat, he was also at odds with the Thirteen brother,Yinxiang, who was particularly close to Emperor Yongzheng. When the Thirteen brother died, and Yinzhi didn't even bother to act sad, he made the Emperor Yongzheng enraged and was finally imprisoned for life in punishment.

The Third elder brother Yinzhi was amused for a while, but when he saw that Yinyou, who was born white and tender, was also really dull and boring, he who was only more than four years old, lost interest in teasing. He threw his purse to the little eunuch behind Zhong momo, and sat aside to tease the Fifth elder brother Yinqi, who was more than two years younger than him.

Seeing that Yinzhi didn't plan to pay any more attention to him, Yinyou breathed a sigh of relief and twisted his body that was a little uncomfortable. When he tilted his head to one side, he saw a little boy sitting rather upright watching him fixedly. This child was pink and tender, and he looked really cute.

Yinyou blinked calmly, but ten thousand horses began to gallop in his mind [10]. This was the Yongzheng Emperor. This was his future patron [11]. Did he find him pleasing?

[10] 万马奔腾 wànmǎbēnténg - lit. ten thousand stampeding horses (idiom) / fig. with great momentum / going full speed ahead

[11] 讨好 tǎohǎo - to win favor by fawning on sb / to curry favor with / a fruitful outcome to reward one's labor.

"Seventh brother, this is the Fourth brother," Mother saw Yinyou staring at Yinzhen, spoke into his ear, and then squatted down to let Yinzhen see Yinyou clearly.

The Fourth elder brother Yinzhen was now being raised in the name of the Imperial Noble Concubine, and his status was naturally noble among the several princes. How could Zhong momo dare to neglect half a point.

Yinzhen's face was serious. He was only more than three years old, but even though he had some elder brother's demeanor on his face, he still had a bit of curiosity about this Seventh brother in his eyes.

Just when Yinzhen was in a daze, the child dressed as a small bag stretched out a hand to him, and with a bright smile on his face, spoke softly, "Gege… [12]"

[12] 咯咯 gēgē. The raws (author's meaning) is that Yinyou said Gege: elder brother. But taking into account that he was only one year old, I should leave it like it sounds, not like what it means.

He didn't know if the child was laughing or calling him brother, but Yinzhen was distracted by his gesture, and he also reached out to hold his little hand.

"Slave greet all the elder brothers. The Emperor has a decree to send several elder brothers to the table." A little eunuch walked in and gave a bow, with some snow particles on his shoulders.

Hearing Huang Ama's [13] call, Yinzhen retracted his hand, glanced at Yinyou, who was still smiling and walked behind the Third brother, silently following out the door.

[13] 皇阿瑪 Huang Ama - Huáng 皇 means 'emperor' while the Ama is father. So, it's Emperor Father, or Imperial Father. / Huang Ama, is the title of the father of the sons and daughters of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty in literary works, it's entirely made up. (Baidu).

Yinyou didn't care either, and there was still a smile on his face. He only put away the smile on his face and changed to a naive look when Zhong momo put his extended hand into the robe again, walked through a few corridors, and came to the Qianqing Palace.

Because of his foot disease, he will not be the object of calculation for the women of the harem or the princes, but also because of his foot disease, if he wants to be popular in the harem, he must be loved by the upper echelons. He didn't want to live an ascetic life, but he also didn't want to live making too many calculations. This body with a slight problem gave him a unique condition. Even in the history of the Qing Dynasty, the fate of this Seventh brother was much better than that of those who participated in the 'Nine Sons Seizing the Inheritance' and failed.

Zhong momo hugged Yinyou and stepped forward to greet Kangxi and the Empress Dowager. Kangxi was not eager for this son who was born with a disease. After rewarding a pair of jade Ruyi, he said nothing more.

A pair of jade Ruyi.

On the contrary, Empress Dowager became a little eager for this great-grandson who had never been out to see people before, and ordered Zhong momo to come forward and let her take a look.

Yinyou looked at the elderly woman who held him in her arms. Although the wind and frost of the years left traces on her face, it was not difficult to see that the famous Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang in history was once also a beauty. He tried his best to stretch out his short arm from the robe and giggle at the Empress Dowager.

New Year's Eve was originally a festive day. In addition, the Revolt of the Three Feudatories was also pacified. Taking these two things into account, Empress Dowager was already happy in her heart. Now, she saw Yinyou smiling at her. Yinyou was born beautiful and his smile was more so. The Empress Dowager was immediately attracted by Yinyou's smiling face.

In a good mood, she said, "Emperor, look at our little Yinyou. This little face looks like a lucky boy with a smile." With that, Su Mala gu [14], who was next to her, took a long-life lock and hung it on Yinyou's neck with her own hands.

[14] 拉 Gu. (Sometimes put as Gugu). Elderly woman servant. Usually, they've been with their Master for years and have aged together.

"Yes." When Su Mala gu saw this situation, she was willing to make her master happy. "The way this servant looks at it, this seven brother is blessed."

Concubine Cheng, who was sitting on the concubine's seat, was already too nervous when she saw Yinyou being held in her arms by Empress Dowager. Now that Empress Dowager showed her love for Yinyou, she was both afraid and happy, and she didn't know what to do for a while.

When the other concubines at the same table saw this, they all praised Yinyou one after another. It seemed that they had the ambition to forget that Yinyou had a foot disease together. Regardless of whether these boastings were true or false, Concubine Cheng felt that it was a blessing for her to have a son in this deep palace.

She was not favored, and her maiden family was not a great noble clan. Even if she gave birth to a sound child, that position was not something she could think of. Now that Yinyou was ill, she felt a little relieved.

Seeing that Empress Dowager loved Yinyou, Kangxi couldn't help but become curious. He asked Li Dequan [15] to hold Yinyou in front of him, but he didn't hold him in his arms. He just glanced at it twice. Seeing that the child's eyebrows were clear and his forehead was full, and his smiling appearance was indeed the appearance of a lucky boy in the painting for New Year [16]. He smiled and said, "Well, very good. Come on, give two pairs of gold earrings and gold bracelets with pearls to Cheng concubine."

[15] 李德全 Li Dequan. He was the general manager of the Imperial Palace during the Kangxi period, and Kangxi's personal eunuch. Because Emperors were recorded in history book, I believe his eunuchs (and most closely eunuchs) were too. In the novels I've read, Li Dequan keeps appearing, and I'm guessing that like Kangxi, he was a real historical person recorded in books.

[16] Maybe A New Year picture (Chinese: 年画; pinyin: níanhùa) is a popular Banhua in China. It is a form of colored woodblock print, used for decoration and the performance of rituals during the Chinese New Year Holiday. Images of babies (typically male), alone or in the company of young mothers, are very common motifs, as are images of beauties, alone or in the company of babies. (Honestly, I couldn't really make much sense of it. I'm just guessing here. #Help)

Concubine Cheng heard of the gift of the Holy One and hurriedly knelt down to thank him. Her cautious appearance made the concubines who were still a little wary of her suddenly lose interest.

Seeing Yinyou laughing, even more, Kangxi stretched out his finger and poked Yinyou's tender face, "Look at this kid, he heard that Zhen rewarded his E-Niang, and he laughed so happily. Tell me, I rewarded your E-Niang, what do you have for me."

Yinyou was secretly shocked. Did Kangxi say this unintentionally to tease the children, or did his words have a secret meaning? Although this may not be said to him, in this case, if he behaves too eye-catching, it would be bad, but if he does not respond, afraid that Kangxi will be unhappy.

Yinyou was just a child now, and he was not afraid that he will really anger Kangxi, so he stretched out his hand and grabbed the corner of the sleeve of Kangxi's dragon robe, and then pretended to be a child stammering, "Fang… Ama."

Hearing Yinyou calling him Huang Ama, Kangxi felt a little warm in his heart. Finally, he smiled and hugged Yinyou from Li Dequan's hand, "It's not Fang Ama, it's Huang Ama."

"...Ama," When Kangxi hugged Yinyou, Yinyou pulled a dim sum from the table next to them. As he smiled happily he put the dim sum in Kangxi's wide palm, "Ama."

The small hands lined Kangxi's wider and thicker palms. Kangxi was taken aback, and then he let out a laugh, "So this is the gift that Yinyou gave me. Give me my own things?"

Yinyou still just smiled innocently.

Kangxi also knew that such a young child could not know this, and after teasing for a while, he handed the child to Li Dequan, instructed the palace people who took care of Yinyou to look at the Seventh brother carefully, and then accompanied the Empress Dowager to talk about something else.

After Yinyou was hugged down, because of the child's drowsy physique, he fell asleep.

After that, it was another period of peaceful days, and then two years later, he was rewarded by Kangxi again. Although he was not in the limelight too much, he would not let the people in the harem underestimate him.

Therefore, Yinyou's life in the past few years has been quite nourishing, and the only pity was that Kangxi's other sons have rarely been seen in the past two years.

Sooner or later, Yinyou will see them. While practicing a good-looking walking posture in the house, Yinyou planned for his future life in his heart.

Chapter 2: Meet again

What should a child over three years old look like on weekdays?

Yinyou didn't know, he only felt that the surrounding maids and eunuchs treated him cautiously, as if he would fall at any instance now. Fortunately, he was already a 30-year-old adult in his previous life, and was not naughty like the other children were. He practiced writing the simplest words with a brush every day, and wandered around the palace, so as not to cause trouble to these palace eunuchs. Like this, his days were not too boring.

After all, he was only three years old now, and he was not worried that seeing the concubine will cause trouble in the palace. Even more, the concubines here were not like in the TV series where they would just run to the Royal Garden or to the Lotus Pond casually. As for the older brothers, the ones over the age of six were dragged to get an education. So how could he often meet the big people.

Last winter, Concubine Cheng moved to the west wing of Yonghe Palace, so today Yinyou, as in the past, wore the robes neatly, and took the eunuch Fu Duo, who was his usual attendee, to Yonghe Palace to give his greetings.

Nowadays, there was no master in Yonghe Palace, but there was a favored concubine in the palace at the same level as Concubine Cheng, the future Empress Dowager. So when Yinyou went to Concubine Cheng's side, he also saw Concubine De who was as beautiful as a warm pearl.

"Child [1] wishes E-Niang good health [2] and pays his respect to De E-Niang." Yinyou respectfully stepped forward to bow [3], the etiquette in place, and his face respectful.

[1] 孩 háiér - The way parents address their children or children call themselves in front of their parents. Means "child" or "baby".

[2] 请安 qǐng'ān - to pay respects / to wish good health / in Qing times, a specific form of salutation. / He actually says this to both concubines, but he was more respectful to De, so I wanted to make a distinction.

[3] 打千 dǎqiān - genuflection, a form of salutation in Qing times performed by men, going down on the right knee and reaching down with the right hand.

打千 dǎqiān - genuflection.

"Oh! This kid, why are you being this polite, get up, get up!" Concubine De [4] sighed inwardly when she saw that Yinyou, who was three years old did not make a sole mistake while saluting.

[4] For those who are not clear, this is Yinzhen's biological mother. Because she is in the same rank as Yinyou's mother, she can't raise his son in the same way Cheng can't. This fact is historically accurate: Yinzhen was never close to his biological mother. He was raised since childhood by Noble Consort Tong, who was Kangxi's paternal cousin and the one who raised him wholeheartedly. Here, Concubine De is late to raise Yinzhen, but because she is favored by the Emperor, even though she doesn't have the rank, she can raise her next son from Yinzhen. Well, there's more info bellow.

This child was also intelligent, but it was a pity that he was not loved by God. Thinking of this, she let out a smile all over her face and let Yinyou walk in front of her, stuffed a purse full of snacks in his hands, smiled and said to Concubine Cheng, "Older sister, Yinyou looks so well-behaved, younger sister really likes him."

Although Concubine De was more favored than Concubine Cheng, she was promoted later than Concubine Cheng, who was named concubine when she first entered the palace. It was not an exaggeration to call her older sister.

Although Concubine Cheng was not intelligent, she was also a woman who knows how to listen to the true meaning. Listening to Concubine De's boast, she only smiled lightly and nodded at Yinyou's big head, "What's so good about this child? He is behind doors all day, his mind stuffy. If he has the wisdom of the sixth brother, I, ah, shall thank the bodhisattva."

Concubine De only smiled when she heard this. She had a grievance in her heart. The first child she gave birth to had to be picked up by other women because of her low status. Now that the child saw her, he just indifferently greeted her, and she didn't even enter his eyes. Now because of the emperor's pampering, she was fortunate enough to raise Yinzuo [5] herself. Yinzuo has always been smart, but it's a pity that his body was thin. If something happened [6] to him, how can she be well?

[5] Yinzuo (1680-1685) was the sixth son of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty and younger brother of Emperor Yongzheng. Born on the fifth day of the second lunar month in the nineteenth year of Kangxi (1680), his biological mother was Concubine Wu Yade . On May 14 , the twenty-fourth year of Emperor Kangxi (1685) , Yinzuo died unexpectedly at the age of 6.

[6] 三长两短 sānchángliǎngduǎi - unexpected misfortune / unexpected accident / sudden death. Yes, she's actually thinking that her son might die. Many of Kangxi's sons died very early in their childhood.

She knew that Concubine Cheng was a sensible person [7], and even when the seventh brother was sent to the Southern Three Hall [8] Concubine Cheng's face was faint. Most of the children born from the low-ranking concubines were adopted by high-ranking concubines of other palaces, but this seventh brother was sent to Southern Three Hall. It was unknown if it was because the seventh brother was disabled and others were unwilling to raise him, or if the emperor had other intentions.

[7] 安分守己 ānfènshǒujǐ - to be content with one's lot (idiom) / to know one's place.

[8] Southern Three Hall. This is a palace of hallways in the Forbbiden City. In history, this is the place where Yinreng, Kangxi's favorite son, and the one he named Crown Prince at the age of two, lived in his early childhood. I wonder if the author made Yinyou live there instead of being raised by other concubines, as it was the norm, as a secret meaning of being in the Emperor's favor. Because usually, people are unable to love other people's sons when they can well-enough have their own, and more so if the child has a disability. So I think it is one of the first ways the Emperor bestows favor on Yinyou in a subtle way where nobody else actually knows he is in favor. (Imagine the disaster if everyone knows he is the favorite). This is a recurring saga in the novel, haha. So keep your eyes open.

No matter what the reason was, Concubine De had two points of empathy for Concubine Cheng, so much so that she also had two points of sincere love for Yinyou.

In fact, Yinyou's foot disease was not obvious, and his walking posture was almost the same as that of ordinary people, but that was only almost. In this harem, such a little flaw was enough to make him unable to contest the throne.

An elder brother who was sensible but had nothing to do with the throne always made the harem women sympathize and love when they were bored.

After Concubine De stuffed a few more golden melon seeds [9] for Yinyou, she got up and left, leaving the mother and son in the room.

[9] These are actual melon seeds made of gold. Often, people in the palace need to bribe their servants. Masters usually personalize their rewards, for example, in the shape of personal seals, animals, and so on. In China, it is a custom to reward children with a little money, too.

Concubine Cheng told Yinyou the things he need to pay attention to and then asked him about his daily life. Seeing the child who was only three years old being a little adult because he was not favored, Concubine Cheng felt sour. She straightened Yinyou's collar and said a few more words. Because everyone in the palace was watching, she didn't dare to let Yinyou stay alone with her for a long time, [10] and she looked at Yinyou several times before reluctantly letting him leave.

[10] Not sure why, but there's an etiquette/rule that children of the Imperial Family can't spent that much time together with their mothers. Might've something to do with their whole patriarchal system, tbh.

Yinyou left Yonghe Palace with some warmth in his heart. This woman really cared for him, even though every time he went to greet her, her face was faint.

Walking step by step with short legs to the Southern Three Hall, he never thought that he would meet the Crown Prince dressed in bright yellow halfway. He was followed by a few elder brothers. Yinyou didn't dare to take a closer look, and hurriedly lowered his head to greet them, "Greetings to the Crown Prince brother, greetings to all brothers."

Because the Teacher was sick, several brothers who were of age to attend school were free and had the intention of going to the Imperial Noble Consort [11] to ask for snacks. How could they know they would meet this inconspicuous little brother on the way.

[11] This is Yinzhen's foster mother. She is the highest-ranked consort in the palace and is the Empress only without the title. Kangxi didn't dare to title her because, for some reason, all his Empresses ended up dead. He only titled her one day before her death.

The Crown Prince [12] was only ten years old at this time. Seeing Yinyou lowering his head, he said, "Raise your head."

[12] You know, in fact, Kangxi was breaking the rules when he proclaimed an heir so quickly. Usually, Emperors only choose an heir later in life, when they've shown their capabilities, or when the Emperors are on their deathbed. The fact that he chose an heir so quickly only made the Crown Prince grow arrogant.

When the child with his head buried rise his chin, Yinyu discovered that this humble seventh brother had a good appearance, with a ruddy face and big black eyes which made people look at it and couldn't help but love it. He asked, "Why are you here?"

The child may be a little nervous, and he lowered his head again and tugged at the clothes, "Going back to the Crown Prince brother, the younger brother is coming from greeting his E-Niang."

Yinyou was young, and his voice was soft and melodious like a little cat scratching a person's heart. The prince was overjoyed when he heard this, so he said, "Brother Crown Prince will take you to the Imperial Noble Consort for delicious snacks, will you go?"

"The Imperial Noble Consort?" The child tilted his head, his eyes full of surprise, "That beautiful E-Niang?"

Seeing the child's appearance, Yinreng teased and asked, "Do you know what good looks are?"

The child seemed to be bolder, and raised his head and said, "It's like the fairy sister painted under the lights of New Year's Eve. Very good-looking." After speaking, in order to increase the credibility of this sentence, he also nodded his head firmly.

When the prince saw this, he laughed again. After making fun for a few more words, he asked Yinyou to follow him to Zhongcui Palace. He was the Crown Prince and naturally walked in the front.

Zhongcui Palace.

Only then did Yinyou see that the other two elder brothers accompanying him were actually the Third brother and the Fourth brother. He stepped behind the three six-year-old children and although he walked with difficulty, at this time he didn't dare to let the little eunuch hug him. So he worked hard to follow the Third brother and the Fourth brother and ran behind them.

Although he didn't know how the Crown Prince inexplicably let him, a useless person, follow him, Yinyou didn't dare to make the prince unhappy. After all, the Crown Prince was Kangxi's favorite son, and he was still the Crown Prince.

Yinzhen turned his head and watched Yinyou stumbling behind him. Somehow, he thought of the vague memory of a three-year-old smiling at him, and the outstretched little hand. This memory was so strong that for more than two years, every time there was a banquet in the palace, he had to take a few glances at this child. Now the child who was held by the momo at that time can now run behind him but he didn't know if his feet would be uncomfortable.

Thinking of this, Yinzhen stopped, and when the child ran to his side, he stretched out a hand, the expression on his face dull because of shyness.

If Yinyou were really just a three years old child, he would definitely be timid because of Yinzhen's expression, but Yinyou was not really a three-year-old child. He was a strange uncle with three-year-old skin and a 30-year-old soul. He saw that the six-year-old child in front of him was uncomfortable, with his beautiful face tightly stretched, which was really cute. Without hesitation, he put his hand in Yizhen's palm and then gave him a big smile.

Yinzhen blushed because of Yinyou's smile and turned his head aside uncomfortably. Even though he was a prince who lived in the harem, he was only six years old at this time, and he still had the innocence unique to children.

Yinyou looked at Yinzhen's blushing face and thought in his heart that even the iron-faced emperor in history had once been naive. At least when he was struggling to walk, it was this child who stretched out his hand to him.

When he arrived at Zhongcui Palace, after the eunuch had passed the news of their arrival, Yinyou was led by Yinzhen in front of the Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia-shi [13].

[13] 氏 shi: clan name, maiden name. Women, upon marriage, are identified by their surname, and it is very rare that their personal name is recorded. This is the case even for princesses. Thus, a married woman is referred to by her maiden name with a shi (氏) after it, to show that she is married and to identify the family that she originally came from. (Dreams of Jianghu).

Historically, Tong Jia-shi was a beautiful and intelligent woman. Yinyou had seen her several times at the banquet. She was indeed a beautiful and virtuous woman, but it was perhaps the first time that he was really close to her.

When Tong Jia-shi saw Yinzhen leading Yinyou in, she was also a little surprised, but seeing the three-year-old child solemnly greeting her, Tong Jia was also amused. She took the fresh fruits and vegetables rewarded by the emperor out to give to the children, and asked the Crown Prince and the Third brother about some life matters before talking to Yinyou who was bowing his head and eating kumquat, "Seventh brother, how is your mother?"

Kumquats.

Hearing this, Yinyou hurriedly put down the kumquat in his hand, got up, and replied, "Back to Tong E-Niang, E-Niang is very good, thank you Tong E-Niang for your concern."

"Okay, sit down," Tong Jia-shi smiled and stuffed two more snacks for Yinyou, and said to Yinzhen who was sitting next to Yinyou, "Fourth brother, you are the elder brother, take good care of your younger brother."

"Yes, E-Niang," Yinzhen replied in a milky voice, and then stuffed the oranges in his hand to Yinyou, "For you to eat." He really liked this lovely brother, so he was willing to give this thing.

Yinyou looked at the oranges in his hand. These things were not rare in modern times, but at this time, he only knew that his E-Niang did not have these things and he understood that this was not a common product. He put the peeled orange petals in his hand and raised his hand high to reach Yinzen's mouth, "Brother, eat."

Yinyou's hands were white and tender and looked clean. These white and tender hands also smelled like sweet oranges, and it was incredible how cute they looked. Moreover, when Yinzhen heard him call him "brother" instead of his estranged "fourth brother", as a six-year-old child, he suddenly felt the sense of responsibility of a big brother taking care of his younger brother, so the great Yongzheng Emperor in history touched Yinyou's unshaven head like a little adult, "I won't eat it, you can eat it yourself." He knows that these things were not available to concubines who were not high enough, so the seventh brother mustn't have much chance to eat these things.

To be willing to part from a precious thing, and the fact that he offered it to him, this seventh brother must've some affection for himself. Thinking of this, when looking at his seventh brother, Yinzhen loved him even more.

Yinyou didn't expect that such a small act of ingratiating himself would make the six-year-old boy feel so responsible. He just hugged Yinzhen and put the orange in Yizhen's mouth. It wasn't until Yinzhen ate the orange that his eyes smiled into a half-moon shape.

As a 30-year-old man who used such a shameless way to please children, Yinyou was not embarrassed at all but instead said that he was holding high the banner of following the footsteps of the fourth elder brother firmly and unwaveringly, so that he can retire safely in his old age, rather than being tossed to death.

Because the Yongzheng Emperor in history was really small-minded, [14] and it was the truth that friendship need to be grabbed at this time when both of them were still babies.

[14] In fact, Yongzheng Emperor's reign was full of turbulence as the other princes were always trying to dethrone him. One time, in alliance with the Eight Kings, the 7th, 8th and 9th son of Kangxi almost dethroned Yongzheng, if it were not for the 13th prince who came to help out. But because of this event, the 13th prince died and Yongzheng lost the only brother that was close to him. Because this plot also involved his first son, Yongzheng, who did not want Qianlßong to share the same tragedy as he, sent orders for the first son to commit suicide. This way, when Qian Long ascended the throne, he had no rivals.

Chapter 3: Innocent playmates

Yinyou never thought that there were really white lotus women in the harem, so he didn't really think that Tong Jia would let Yinzhen take care of him just because she pitied Yinyou.

Who was Tong Jia-shi? She was Kangxi's cousin, a famous concubine in history. Kangxi may not have love [1] for her, but she must have his respect [2]. Kangxi's attitude towards her was different from that of other women. Because she had no children under her knees, she had long regarded Yinzhen as her own child, and a mother always calculated for her own son.

[1] 爱情 àiqíng - romance; love (romantic).

[2] 敬爱 jìng'ài - respect and love; esteem, admiration.

If Yinzhen took care of other princes, he might be suspected by Kangxi of being young but still having a deep mind, he might even be suspected of forming a faction. However, taking care of Yinyou, who didn't have a powerful family behind him, and was unlikely to inherit the throne will only make Kangxi feel that Yinzhen was kind and loved his younger brother.

The people of the royal family were always ruthless, but they also hoped that other people had feelings and good intentions. The psychology of an emperor was sometimes so strange.

During the Qing Dynasty, only two meals were used. Yinyou thought with some apprehension. No wonder the high-ranking concubines in the harem always had snacks in the house. Isn't it just that they were afraid of going hungry?

At lunch, Tong Jia-shi ate with the older brothers. She glanced at Yinyou sitting next to Yinzhen. Although he was only three years old, he sat in a good posture and wasn't a naughty child. She nodded secretly in her heart. If it were this child, even if Yinzhen got closer to him, it wouldn't matter much.

No one spoke at the dinner table. Yinyou was waited by the eunuchs around him to eat, occasionally raising his eyes to look at the Crown Prince and the others. Although the Crown Prince was only ten years old, his words and deeds carried the unique majesty of the royal family and his elegant behavior was really pleasing to the eye.

Later generations have also recorded the wisdom of this Crown Prince, but some TV series always portrayed the prince as stupid as a pig. If you think about it, you will know that the Crown Prince taught by Kangxi himself cannot be stupid, only smart. Otherwise, how could Kangxi love this prince for so many years, and even after the prince was abolished, he pushed for the restoration of the Crown Prince.

The Third brother also had his own aura, but he was less majestic than the Crown Prince. In general, he was also a brilliant figure.

He glanced at Yinzhen beside him. Although he was only six years old, his waist was straight, he didn't make the slightest noise when eating, his expression was serious, and he didn't lose half of his elder brother's demeanor, but somehow, Yinyou just felt that Yinzhen was a bit cute.

Could it be because of Yinzhen's good-looking face? Yinyou sincerely despised his habit of judging people by their appearance.

After finishing the meal, Tong Jia-shi personally wiped Yinzhen's face clean. The warmth in her eyes was not at all false. Yinyou stood aside obediently, looking at the big Western clock [3] in the room in a daze.

[3] The Qing emperors' interest in clocks and watches multiplied as Western-originated ones were considered chic and had novelty value. In 1648, the Qing imperial palace began making copies of Western clocks and doing simple repairs. Emperor Kangxi was diligent and studious, and had a strong interest in Western science. (Read more here.)

After the prince and Tong Jia-shi talked for a while, he got up and left. Seeing that the Crown Prince had left, the Third brother naturally had no reason to stay and followed him out.

Seeing that both of them were gone, Yinyou naturally didn't want to stay in Zhongcui Palace. He got up and said to Tong Jia-shi, "Tong E-Niang, Yinyou should also leave."

Tong Jia-shi got up, took his hand, and sat him down, wiping his face with a fragrant handkerchief, "You child, you have no homework, so you are in a hurry to go back and do something, ask your Fourth brother to take you to the house to play."

Tong Jiashi-shi saw how the child's round face blushed, and although he seemed a little embarrassed, his eyes were shining, "Doesn't the Fourth brother have homework?"

Obviously, he wanted to play with Yinzhen, but he was still thinking about his brother's homework. He was indeed a good boy. The smile on Tong Jia-shi's face became warmer and warmer, and she turned and touched Yinzhen's head, "Yinzhen, go."

Yinyou looked at Tong Jia-shi, then at the cute little Yinyou, and took the initiative to take his hand, "Seventh brother, I will take you to play."

Yinyou glanced at the hand he was holding, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Do good friends hold hands? Suddenly, he felt that it was… a bit suffocating to have a six-year-old child as a playmate.

Yinzhen didn't know Yinyou's thoughts. He led Yinyou to his room and took out a few gadgets that children liked: a bunch of glass beads and a ring puzzle [4], which were all piled up in front of Yinyou, "These are for you to play with."

[4] 九連環 jiǔliánhuán: Chinese rings, a brainteaser toy consisting of nine rings interlocked on a looped handle, the objective being to remove the rings from the handle. You can watch this video of how they play with it.

Yinyou looked at the things on the table and thought with some emotion that this was the gap between the princes. In his room, there were only a few glass beads at most. In this pile of things that the Fourth brother brought him, there were also several small animals carved out of jade and opals. Put these things into modern times, and you could buy a few houses in Beijing.

Seeing Yinyou motionless for a long time, Yinzhen's tone was a little cautious, "You don't like it?"

Yinyou recovered and hurriedly took a ring puzzle, "Brother, how do you play this?" By the way, attach a smiley face.

Yinzhen took the ring puzzle, hesitated for a while, then said, "You have to call me the Fourth brother [5], not brother [6]." The seventh brother was still too young. If he only calls him "brother" in front of the other brothers, he will definitely offend the other brothers.

[5] 四哥 sìgē - Fourth brother. Formal calling.

[6] 哥哥 gēgē - Brother. Informal calling that shows closeness.

Then Yinzhen saw that the smile on the face of the child who was still happy had faded, but he still called "Fourth brother" obediently. Seeing the child standing there restlessly, Yinzhen, who was only six years old, somehow thought of his newborn puppy, cute and pitiful.

"From then on, when there are only two of us, you will call me brother, and if there is someone else around, you will call me Fourth brother." The six-year-old child felt distressed, and in his heart, he also wanted the child to call him, so he pulled the child's hand and stuffed the two opals into his hand, "This is for you, don't be sad."

Yinyou put the opal into the small purse hanging on his body and stretched out his hand to hug Yinzhen's soft body, giving him a smile, "Brother."

Well, this six-year-old child was so soft and comfortable to hold, and right now the Yongzheng Emperor has not yet advocated the style of frugality [7]. It's not too embarrassing to take advantage of this opportunity to get two opals by selling cute, right? As the younger brother without power behind him, and a mother who was not favored, letting him call him brother was well-needed favor [8].

[7] Yongzheng Emperor cracked down on corruption and reformed the personnel and financial administration. (Wikipedia). He's the emperor who's keeping accounts of how many taels he has, how much he owes and is owed, what should he spend on and whatnot, and so on.

[8] 恩 ēn - favor / grace / kindness.

Yinzhen also smiled. The seventh brother was so cute. His little body seemed to have this milky fragrance, just like a white and soft bun. Yinzhen didn't know that this white and soft bun looked cute, but it was actually filled with black sesame seeds. [9]

[9] The author's calling Yinyou "black belly", lmao. It's a Chinese term used often in online novels and it refers to someone who is secretly evil, sly or manipulative. Secretively is the key point: most people won't realize the person's true nature or the person will portray a different image. The term exists because someone will only know what that person's true nature is only after "being eaten up."

Ming Ruo was ordered by Tong Jia-shi to see how the two children were getting along. When she opened the door, she saw that the Seventh brother was seated on the table holding a brush and writing something, and the Fourth brother was standing behind the seventh brother seriously guiding him.

Ming Ruo approached with the dim sum, put it on the table and said, "Fourth brother, Seventh brother, use some dim sum." She looked at the table and saw several "Yinzhen" written crookedly on the white paper. The penmanship was still immature and even some of the words lacked a few strokes [11]. If she didn't look closely, she might not be able to tell what it was.

[10] Yinzhen is written as 胤禛. 胤 yìn means 'descendant / heir / offspring / posterity / to inherit' and 禛 zhēn is 'to receive blessings in a sincere spirit'. All of Kangxi's sons have this 'yin' in their names: Yinyou, Yinzhen, Yinreng, Yinsi, Yinqi and so on. Later, all the brothers had to change the character Yin (胤) in their names to Yun (允) to avoid naming taboo; because the reigning emperor's personal name contained the character Yin. their names were changes from 'yin' to 'yun'. That's why their wikipedia pages have this names iniciation on 'yun', like Yunti.

[11] I think some words lacked strokes because Yinyou was writing modern day characters which are more simpler than the traditional Chinese, haha. Look at the picture to understand. In fact, this is a common problem for transmigrated characters.

Seeing Ming Ruo, Yinzhen touched Yinyou's head like a little adult, "Seventh brother, would you like a snack?"

Yinyou put down his brush and glanced at the sky outside. It should be around noon now. According to the work and rest time of the Qing Dynasty, it was appropriate to use dim sum at this time. He raised his head to smile at Yinzhen and nodded obediently, "I want to eat."

He touched his own head. At this time, he was still young and hadn't shaved his head. At the time he had to attend school, he might have to shave his head half bald. The aesthetics of the Qing Dynasty people were really incomprehensible. Half of his head was naked, which was uglier than the whole bald head.

Ming Ruo asked the little eunuch waiting outside to fetch water to wash the hands of the two brothers, and then quietly exited the door. When she was leaving, she couldn't help but look back, just in time to see the Seventh brother take a piece of dim sum and raise his hand high for the Fourth brother to eat.

Ming Ruo retracted her gaze when she saw this and left with a smile on her face.

When Yinyou returned to the Southern Three Hall it was almost time to turn on the lanterns, and he was still holding a ring puzzle that Yinzhen had given him. The eunuch Fu Duo beside him stuffed some golden melon seeds for the little eunuch who sent Yinyou back by order of Imperial Noble Consort. This eunuch was also a person in the palace of the Imperial Noble Consort, how dare they neglect it.

The eunuch did not refuse, said a few auspicious words, bowed to Yinyou, and returned to Zhongcui Palace.

Seeing Yinyou coming back, the palace maid Yunzhu hurriedly asked the people below to wash Yinyou's face and hands and waited for him to fall asleep, before lightly extinguishing the candle and retreating.

Yinyou remembered watching some Qing Dynasty TV series in his previous life. In those series, the palace ladies and eunuchs around the brothers always talked nonsense. Now that he was here, he knew that those who are minions, no matter what the Master does, they can't ask, only watch. In the harem, those talkative minions were not qualified to serve the master. Therefore, these TV dramas without a standard were not good for the development of the audience's IQ.

Yinyou rolled over on the bed, bowed, and held his slightly deformed left foot. Now it was more than 20 years before the Crown Prince would be deposed. If he was not careful, afraid that he won't be able to wait for Yinzhen to seize the throne, he would have already gone to see the King of Hell.

He was not afraid of death, but he wanted to live long and well. The Crown Prince was good, as well as the Fourth and Eight brothers at least, and he won't intervene if the Ninth brother takes the throne, but he has to make plans for himself and for his E-Niang. Since he occupied the body of E-Niang's son, he must fulfill his responsibility as a son.

Now he can't help his mother be dignified [12], but after he goes out and establishes his own Mansion, he must help her be even more honored than her son.

[12] 母以子貴 mǔ yǐ zǐ guì. Explanation: This means that the mother is honored by the promotion of her son's status. He means that if he has merits, and rises in ranks, he can help his mother raise her head and be more respected in the harem.

This woman, who had been in the palace as a concubine since she was in her teens, was not favored by Kangxi in all her life, and she was not promoted to Consort [13] until Kangxi's 57th year. She entered the palace in the best years of a woman and wasted her life, and only she got such an inconspicuous title.

[13] As you can see in the image, she only rose one rank, from Imperial Concubine to Consort in all those years.

Therefore, in this life, for this woman and himself, he must be a good brother who Kangxi loves and who will not become a thorn in the eyes of all his brothers.

Touching the slightly cool instep, Yinyou smiled slightly. In this life, he was extremely fortunate that he had a disease on his foot, otherwise many things would not be so simple.

In Zhongcui Palace, after Yinzhen had reviewed the homework for tomorrow, he got up and put away the book. He picked up the Four Books [14] and saw the paper pressed under the book. He took it out and took a look. It was the caligraphy that the Seventh brother was practicing in the afternoon.

[14] The Four Books (四書; Sìshū) are Chinese classic texts illustrating the core value and belief systems in Confucianism. They were selected by intellectual Zhu Xi in the Song dynasty to serve as general introduction to Confucian thought, and they were, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service examinations.

His name and seventh brother's name were written randomly on it. Yinzhen looked at these crooked characters with a not-so-obvious smile on his face, and then folded the crumpled paper and put it inside the Classic of Mountains and Seas book [15]. Yinzhen was very proud and thought that when the Seventh brother grows up, he must take out these pitiful characters and laugh at him.

[15] 山海經 shānhǎi jīng. The Classic of Mountains and Seas, also known as Shan Hai Jing, formerly romanized as the Shan-hai Ching, is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. It is largely a fabulous geographical and cultural account of pre-Qin China as well as a collection of Chinese mythology.

In the days that followed, Yinzhen sometimes went to the South Three Hall to see Yinyou after school, and Yinyou occasionally went to Zhongcui Palace to find Yinzhen. Just as the relationship between the two brothers was getting better and better, New Year's Eve in Kangxi's 23rd year was approaching, and in the Forbidden City, snow fell.

Chapter 4: Melting snow

It was snowing heavily in the Forbidden City. Yinyou shrank in the wing and didn't want to go out. Although there were eunuchs cleaning the snow every day in the palace, for three years old, the slippery ground was too much of a struggle, add to that the cold biting wind outside… Yinyou didn't want to suffer that hardship.

There was no Empress in the harem, and the brothers didn't have to get up early every day to greet her. In addition, his E-Niang felt distressed that Yinyou was young but lived alone in the South Three Halls, and didn't want him to toss every day, so Yinyou hadn't been out for two days.

Thinking that tomorrow night would be the New Year's Eve Banquet, Yinyou didn't know if Concubine Cheng had anything to say, so he had to ask his maid Yunzhu to dress him, and took Fu Duo to Yonghe Palace to greet her.

When he got to Yonghe Palace, Concubine Cheng was sewing a leather collar. Seeing the size, she should have sewn it for him. His heart warmed, and he stepped forward and bowed in greetings. After talking to Concubine Cheng for a while, he took the hand warmer from Concubine Cheng before leaving.

After leaving Yonghe Palace, there was already a layer of snow on the ground. Fu Duo opened the umbrella and said to Yinyou, "Brother Qi, this minion shall carry you".

Yinyou pulled his collar up with one hand, "No need."

A child over three years old, whether he was young or not, if he was still held by a eunuch when his behavior reached the ears of Huang Ama, who knows what this emperor through the ages [1] would think of him?

[1] 千古一帝 qiān gǔ yī dì. Li Zhi commented on Ying Zheng in 'Collection of Books': "The first emperor has been an emperor through the ages." Guessing it's something like, 'the man among men', 'the best' and so on.

Stepping on the snow with a creaking sound, Yinyou glanced around with bright eyes and walked very steadily step by step.

Meeting palace eunuchs along the way, and although their attitude towards Yinyou was not revering, it was respectful. Yinyou also took care of his due attitude: Do not make a fuss, but never lower your status. Walking through a withered lotus pond, he faintly heard the cry of a child.

Stopping, Yinyou looked at the rockery next to the lotus pond, "Fu Duo, go and have a look." The children in this palace who dared to cry in such a place, except for the brothers, there were also princesses.

"The minion greets the eighth brother", Fu Duo said after he went to investigate who the person behind the rockery was. Yinyou who was about to step forward immediately stopped. He naturally knew what happened to the eighth brother in history. Even if Yinsi [2] is still just a child at this moment, he didn't want to get involved too much.

[2] 胤禩 Yinsi [yìn sì] Aisin Gioro (de sí in his name is from 禩 tongsi, a variant word for sacrifice). 1681-1726. Eight son of Kangxi's. He was the strongest contender for Kangxi's throne, but he failed miserably.

"E-Niang… E-Niang," Yinsi's cry was very small. As a less than a three-year-old child, he already knew that this kind of thing could not be known to more people. Yinyou glanced at the eunuch who hurried in the distance, sighed, and walked to the rockery.

There, he saw a child with a red face lying pitifully on the ground, crying, covered with a lot of snow. Upon seeing this, Yinyou handed out the hand warmer in his hand to Fu Duo on the side. He bent down and struggled to pick up Yinsi from the ground. He then patted the snow particles on his body. When he touched him, he found that Yinsi's clothes were soaked through, and his hands were freezing cold.

Yinyou frowned, and when he heard the footsteps getting closer and closer, he covered Yinsi's mouth, which was still calling "E-Niang", and comforted, "Eighth brother, Hui E-Niang is in the palace, don't cry, I will take you to Hui E-Niang. Let's go."

Yinsi's moth was covered by Yinyou, and he could only sob, no longer asking about his mother, just looking at this strange boy with his big red eyes open, tears still dripping, his appearance very pitiful. Yinyou took out a handkerchief from his body and wiped Yinsi's face, and stopped talking.

At this moment, a momo led a eunuch and palace girl over. Seeing that Yinyou was also present, she hurriedly bowed, "The minion greets the seventh brother. It turns out that the eighth brother was by the side of the seventh brother, the minion can rest assured."

Yinyou let go of Yinsi, patted the clothes stained by snow when he squatted down just now, and smiled at the old momo, "The eighth brother was still clamoring to see Hui E-Niang just now. Fortunately, you are here, otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do. Now that you have found the eighth brother, I will go back."

Yinsi's birth mother was not of high status so he was raised under Concubine Hui's name. He was not as lucky as the fourth brother. Concubine Hui was pregnant with the eldest son. Naturally, it was impossible for her to treat Yinsi wholeheartedly as Concubine Tong Jia treated Yinzhen. In the palace, the servants were clear about who was high-level and who was low-level. Seeing that Concubine Hui didn't care about the eighth brother, they were naturally not happy to take care of him. Otherwise, why would the eighth brother be alone here for so long before someone found him.

Although Yinyou sympathized with this child in his heart, he would not do anything beyond his power. He was one year older than Yinsi and not much taller than him. Standing in front of Yinsi, he really didn't have much of an elder brother's momentum. He glanced at Yinsi, who was burying his head and no longer crying, took the heater in Fu Duo's hand and handed it to him, saying with a smile, "Eighth brother, seventh brother will leave first."

"The minion respectfully sends the seventh brother."

After Yinyou walked out of the rockery, he went in the direction of the South Three Halls without turning his head. As for this eighth brother, for him, it was nothing more than a peaceful encounter. Handing him a heater was nothing more than an elder's love for children, and that's all.

Seeing that the master didn't say a word, Fu Duo naturally didn't dare to say much, but in his heart, he found it faintly strange. The master's attitude towards the eighth brother seemed a little odd. Could it be that the two of them were too similar in age, so they were not too close?

Returning to the South Three Halls, Yinyou stepped his feet on the ground before entering, patting off a lot of snow on his shoes, so when he entered the house, he felt a lot warmer.

"Seventh brother, where have you been?" Yinzhen's voice sounded behind him, Yinyou paused and turned to look. It was really Yinzhen wearing fox fur. He hugged him, "Brother, I haven't seen you for a long time."

Yinzhen was knocked back by Yinyou's action, but he still hugged Yinyou carefully and the unhappiness of waiting for a long time also disappeared. "I have been listening to the Master lectures at Wuyizhai's recently. Today, Huang Ama gave us a few days, no need to go to class." The implication was 'I will come to you when I don't have to go to Wuyizhai'.

How could Yinyou not know this, he just wanted to show a child's dependence on his elder brother. After rubbing against Yinzhen's tender cheeks, Yinyou let go of Yinzhen, and then spoke softly, looking well-behaved like a good baby [3], "I just went to greet E-Niang."

[3] 乖 guāi - (of a child) obedient, well-behaved / clever / shrewd / alert / perverse / contrary to reason / irregular / abnormal. 宝宝 bǎobao - darling; baby

Yinzhen looked down at Yinyou's already wet shoes, which must have been caused by the melting snow. He said to Fu Duo on one side, "What are you doing in a daze? Don't you give your master another pair of shoes quickly?"

He pulled Yinyou aside and sat down on a stool. Seeing Fu Duo changing Yinyou's shoes, he calmly said, "How do you, a dog slave [4], serve your master? If the seventh brother gets sick because of this, you shall be punished."

[4] In history, eunuchs had a low status and were always called dog slaves. / Dogs are the master's housekeepers. They are supposed to perform their duties. It is a dog's responsibility. (Baidu).

Fu Duo knelt on the ground in fright and did not dare to speak.

"Brother, Fu Duo is a good servant, it's me who didn't allow him to carry me," Yinyou pulled Yinzhen's sleeve and said to Fu Duo, "Fu Duo, go and show the words in my room to fourth brother."

"Aye, aye" Fu Duo breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his master was protecting him, and hurriedly retreated. When he closed the door of the room, he heard his master say something to the fourth brother.

Yinzhen took out a few opals from his purse and put them on the table, "Seventh brother, this is for you."

Yinyou looked at Yinzhen's serious face, and then looked at the few opals in front of him. Suddenly, he felt that there was something like a kitten's paw scratching around somewhere in his conscience. He was taken aback for a moment and then smiled, "Brother, you gave me a lot. Keep these for you to play with."

"It's okay, I don't like these, I'll give them to you," Yinyou glanced at the opal several times, before grabbing the opal on the table and stuffing them into Yinyou's hand. "If you like anything in the future, tell brother. If it's possible, I'll give it to you."

Yinyou blushed and held the hot opals. After a long time, he put the opals in his purse, showing a big smile, "Thank you brother, I like them very much."

After the two played for a while, Fu Duo took a few pages of Yinyou's handwriting and came in. Yinzhen held them and took a look. Although it was still terrible, it could be recognized at a glance. He touched Yinyou's head like a little adult, "It's good to grow up."

Yinyou cooperated to make a look of joy, but he was ashamed in his heart. He was really not good at writing with brushes, but Kangxi seemed to value his sons' calligraphy and painting very much. The eighth brother seemed to have been scolded by Kangxi because of his bad calligraphy. Thinking of this, Yinyou shook. In the future, he will still practice calligraphy and painting a lot.

Thinking of Yinzhen, who was only six years old and could write correctly with a brush, Yinyou felt that he was worthy of being emperor. As for himself, he already knew so many things at the age of six. In his previous life, when he was six years old, he was still playing with mud and bullying girls.

At noon, Yinzhen stayed in the South Three Halls and had a meal with Yinyou. Then he accompanied Yinyou to practice calligraphy for an hour. Only then did he take the little eunuch beside him to leave.

Yinzhen held the heater in his hand and walked out of the South Three Halls for a distance before whispering, "Did you say that the seventh brother met the eighth brother today?"

The little eunuch glanced around, saw no one, lowered his voice, and said, "Yes."

Yinzhen looked down at the hand warmer covered with patterns, "What was his attitude towards eight brother?"

The little eunuch thought for a while, "The minion was a little far away, and couldn't hear what they are saying. But looking at the appearance of the seventh brother, he seemed quite unfamiliar with the eighth brother."

Yinzhen remembered Tong Jia's words. A brother who treats him as enthusiastically as other brothers, he has no need to be mindful of these people, naturally unworthy. But if this person only treats him especially, then it means that this person might be seeing you as one of their own, or really relying on yourself.

Yinzhen remembered that when Yinyou met Yinreng outside Yonghe Palace that day, Yinyou's attitude towards the Crown Prince was also unfamiliar and polite, but later he seemed to be attached to him very much, looking very sticky.

In this way, Yinyou was really dependent on him.

Thinking of this, Yinzhen felt that the hand warmer that Yinyou stuffed him in his hand was extremely warm. He lowered his eyelids, "Master knows. In the future, you will spend more time in the palace, don't let the minions below bully him. Go."

The little eunuch opened his eyes slightly, then lowered his brows and said, "The minion remembers it."

A snowflake fell on the heater, quickly melted, and disappeared.

Chapter 5: Risky chess play

In the 23rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, there was no major event worthy of national celebration, so the New Year's Eve banquet was not very extravagant.

After Yinyou brought Fu Duo to the Qianqing Palace, he consciously followed the servants of the Qianqing Palace to the side room to wait for the call of the Emperor. When they arrived in the wing room, the brother, the third brother, the fourth brother, and the fifth brother had already arrived. Yinyou stepped forward to greet them one by one, walked obediently to Yinzhen's side and stood still.

The third brother didn't have much likes and dislikes towards Yinyou, and after a few words with Yinyou, he sat on the side alone and talked with the fifth brother.

Yinzhen pulled Yinyou to sit beside him, touched his hand, and felt relieved that it was warm. He was afraid that the servants below would not serve him wholeheartedly, and it would be bad if the young Yinyou was cold.

Fu Duo, who was standing with the eunuch next to the fourth brother, saw the fourth brother's move, his eyebrows moved, and then he buried his head in a proper manner, not watching or listening anything.

"The relationship between the fourth brother and the seventh brother is really good."

The eldest brother Yinti [1] was already thirteen years old. In addition, he loved to practice martial arts, and as a result he looked as tough as a fifteen-year-old boy. He glanced at Yinyou, and then glanced at Yinyou's left foot indifferently, "Seventh brother's feet are inconvenient. Two more servants should be called to serve."

[1] 胤褆 Yinti (1672-1735). Because the first four sons of Kangxi died, he became the eldest brother. A historical fact: Kangxi Emperor had many sons and daughters who died young.

When Yinzhen heard the brother's words, he raised his eyes slightly and quickly returned to normal, but Yinyou, who was sitting beside him, still noticed his reaction. Yes, a six-year-old child, no matter how smart, still had some deficiencies. He stood up from his chair and called out Yinti, "Thank you for your care, brother. Seventh brother [2] just wanted to exercise more, so didn't call for more servants."

[2] He calls himself 七弟 qīdì. Qi is seven, and Di is from Didi, younger brother. This is also how the eldest brother called him. Younger brothers (like the Eight brother) should call him qige, "seventh elder brother".

Seeing Yinyou's behavior, Yinti had no interest in talking to him, and waved his hand to close the matter.

Yinzhen looked at Yinyou who was standing upright, and saw that Yinyou's fair face was smooth, without the slightest unpleasant emotion. He got up and pulled Yinyou back to sit down, leaned over and whispered in Yinyou's ear, "I got a new gadget today, and I'll come to you tomorrow."

Yinyou nodded and made a childish response, like it was expected from him, "Then, fourth brother, you must remember to come to me."

It was just a conversation between two children, and the eldest brother was not interested in listening to it either. He thought of the Crown Prince that accompanied the Emperor to the banquet. As the eldest son [3], he was somewhat envious and jealous, so he didn't give much thought to the other brothers.

[3] You know the rules of seniority in Asian countries. As the eldest born son, he should be with the highest standing, but instead it was the second born son, Yinreng, who had the highest rank as the Crown Prince. As I've said in other chapters, the fact that Kangxi named a heir so quickly just made matters worse. After him, no other Emperor followed his example and only at the Emperor's deathbed would people know who would be the next Emperor.

"The eighth brother is here."

The arrival of the eighth elder brother Yinyou did not cause much reflection from the several elder brothers in the room. Yinyou looked at the eldest brother and saw him expressionless. He knew that the eldest brother didn't care about the eighth brother who was raised under his mother's name.

"Eighth brother greets the eldest brother, the third brother, the fourth brother, the fifth brother, and the seventh brother." Yinsi respectfully saluted, his voice soft and cute.

A pity that several brothers reacted lightly, they didn't seem to take this eighth younger brother seriously. When Yinyou asked for peace, the brothers still exchanged a few words, but to the the eighth brother they didn't even greet him. [4]

[4] The reason why Yinsi is not well-regarded and has low status is because his mother was a palace maid. A drastic difference from the concubines who at least had a noble family, like the seventh brother, and a huge huge difference from Yinzhen who had the Empress without the title, Tong Jia, as his foster mother.

Yinyou glanced at the eighth brother, who was standing alone in the middle of the room, and at fourth brother, who was sitting beside him. Then he just smiled at the eighth brother, and said, "It's hard to walk when it's snowing outside. Sit down, brother." He said no more.

The eighth brother glanced at Yinyou, chose the seat next to him to sit down, looked up at all the brothers in the room, and finally turned his gaze to Yinyou, and then slowly retracted his gaze.

Not long after, Yinyou saw a maid and eunuch holding the ninth brother into the wing. Yinyou looked at the ninth brother who was being carefully served by the palace servants, and lowered his head expressionlessly.

After a while, Kangxi passed an order to let the brothers enter the banquet. Except for the sixth brother who was seriously ill, all the other brothers were there. Yinyou followed the fifth brother, Yinqi, without saying a word, and then joined all the brothers to give his greetings to Kangxi and the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager told the brothers a few words, gave each of them some gadgets and then said nothing. Kangxi asked the brothers to stand up and asked about their daily life one by one.

"Little seventh [5], I heard that you have started to read recently, which is very good," Kangxi smiled, "Who taught you all this?"

The average eunuchs in the palace were not allowed to read and write. When Yinyou heard Kangxi's question, he was shocked. Was Kangxi testing himself? He quickly reacted with a shy smile on his face, "Huang Ma also knows that Erchen [6] is practicing calligraphy?"

[5] 小七 xiǎo qī. Xiao Qi. Little Seven, or Little Seventh. Endearment.

[6] 兒臣 ér chén. 'Er' is child while 'chen' means I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign).

The child heard that his respected father knew that he was diligent and eager to learn, shouldn't he be happy instead of uneasy?

"That day, I met the Crown Prince brother, the third brother, and the fourth brother in the garden, and Erchen son went to Tong E-Niang's place to eat snacks. Crown Prince brother had to go back to study after the meal, and my son was curious so he pestered the fourth brother to taught me to read." After speaking, his fingers seemed to grab a purse hanging on his body unconsciously, "I can write a lot of characters."

After Kangxi heard this, he nodded to the Crown Prince who was sitting next to him, very pleased, "He knows how to take care of his younger brother, and doesn't forget to study in his spare time. Very good." After that, he nodded to the fourth brother, "The fourth brother knows to take care of his younger brother at a young age, which is also very good." After speaking, he rewarded the two of them again before turning his head to tease Yinyou, "Then little seventh, what words do you know how to write?"

Yinyou looked at Kangxi, blinking his big black eyes, "A lot. Tong E-niang, De E-niang , and fourth brother all said that I was very smart."

"Oh?" Hearing the child showing off like this, the corner of Kangxi's mouth became more and more obvious, and he asked the eunuch beside him to move a small table with paper and pen on it. "Then you write a few words for Huang Ama, if you write well, how about Huang Ama reward you and the fourth brother with a set of calligraphy?"

Yinyou thought for a while, and asked a little embarrassedly, "If I write well, can Tong E-Niang, De E-Niang, and E-Niang and the third brother also be rewarded?"

Kangxi lowered his eyelids slightly, and quickly asked with a smile, "It was your fourth brother who taught you how to read, why are you rewarding others?"

Yinyou puffed up his bun face, "Do you have to say it?"

Kangxi nodded, "Don't you want me to reward them?"

Yinyou seemed to accept his fate and said while playing with his fingers, "Tong E-Niang gave to Erchen a lot of delicious snacks, Erchen really liked them. There is also De E-Niang, who also gave Erchen delicious food, and even embroidered a purse for Erchen, which is very beautiful." After speaking, he shook the two purses hanging on his waist with pride, "One of these was given by De E-niang, and the other was made by E-niang for me."

When the concubines around heard this, they all laughed in a low voice, some of them praised Yinyou's filial piety, Tong Jia-shi on one side also had a smile on his face, and even the concubine who was in a bad mood because of the sixth brother's illness showed a light smile.

The Empress Dowager was also delighted to hear that, and she waved her hand to let Yinyou step forward, glanced at the two small purses, and nodded with a smile, "Well, it's very good-looking. They are all dexterous., Su Ma, go to the storeroom of Aijia [7]. The three pieces of silk and satin that I got are to be given to the three concubines, and when they were free, I'll asked them to embroider two purses for Aijia. Aijia is getting old and the eyesight is not good". After speaking, she stretched out her hand and pinched Yinyou's white and tender face, "You child remember the good of the ladies, and you are filial.[8]"

[7] 哀家 aijia: lit. "in mourning" or "grieving one"; illeism for the Empress Dowager, a widowed empress, as she is in mourning for her deceased husband. (Dreams of Jianghu).

[8] Filial virtue is the highest virtue of China, and more so in Ancient China. / The Eight Virtues are loyalty (忠), filial piety (孝), benevolence (仁) love (愛), honesty (信) justice (義), harmony (和), and peace (平). Wikipedia.

Kangxi squinted and saw that one of the two purses was embroidered with a white and fat rabbit and the other one was embroidered with a puppy. Merely something that children will like, but seeing Yinyou showing off, his mood was getting better and better.

The concubines who were rewarded hurriedly said that they did not dare, got up to salute and thanked, and then sat down under the envious gazes of the other concubines.

Yinyou just smiled stupidly, letting the Empress Dowager hold his cheeks, and when the Empress Dowager took back her hand, he took off the purse embroidered with the little white rabbit and put it in the Empress Dowager's palm, "Yinyou heard the fourth brother tell a story. The story says that a little white rabbit was Fairy Chang'e's [9] pet. The empress dowager is so beautiful, Yinyou will give you the little white rabbit." After speaking, he looked at the chubby little rabbit with reluctance.

[9] He's referring to the moon fairy lady Chang'E. Her legend of floating to the Moon and becoming an inmortal fairy was made to explain the folk custom of worshipping and appreciating the moon during Mid-autumn festival. She has The Jade Rabbit as a pet, who is always seen preparing the elixir of life for the immortals. He is a noble and benevolent creature to whom offerings are often made during Mid Autumn Festival. You can read more here.

Although the Empress Dowager was the most honorable woman in the Qing Dynasty, she was naturally happy when facing a three-year-old child who said she was beautiful, so she put Yinyou in her arms and hugged him. Most of the three-year-old children like to hide the things they like. Yinyou was a child. When he heard that she liked the purse he gave her his own. Although the purse was in the style that only children like, but this heart [10] was loved by the Empress Dowager, so she asked Su Ma to give Yinyou some gadgets that children liked, obviously in a good mood.

[10] 心 xīn - Heart. The ancients believed that the heart is the organ of thinking, so both thoughts and feelings are called "heart". From the thinking organ, it is extended to mind, thought, idea, emotion, temperament, etc. "Heart" is an important signifier, most of the words from "heart" are related to thoughts and feelings, such as: thinking, hatred, admiration, etc. (Baidu).

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was happy, Kangxi became more friendly towards Yinyou. After Yinyou stepped down from the Empress Dowager's side, he asked, "Then why do you want me to reward the Crown Prince and the third brother?"

Yinyou answered seriously, "the first time Erchen saw Tong E-niang, the Crown Prince brother took me there, and the third brother gave me a purse, and there were delicious candies in it."

"I see that you like the candy in the old three's purse. I understand, Little seventh, you are a greedy pig," Kangxi said with a loud smile, "Well, if you write well today, Huang Ama will reward you together. How about that."

"Thank you, Huang Ama," Yinyou lay down at the small table, dipped ink with a brush, and wrote the strokes one by one. Everyone present was curious about how many words a three-year-old child could write.

When Kangxi was brought the words written by Yinyou, he suddenly laughed. He saw that the five characters of "Wishing Huang Ama Ten Thousand Good Fortune" [11] were written crookedly on the paper. Let's not say that the words were crooked, but the character of ten thousand was still missing. He gave the paper to the eunuch beside him and said, "Go, show everyone what little seventh wrote."

[11] Yinyou wrote "皇阿瑪萬福" huáng āmǎwàn fú, he's wishing auspiciousness to the Emperor. I believe he missed a word in purpose. In the raws, the Emperor is thinking that Yinyou missed the character of "萬". You can watch here a video of Chinese calligraphy, they wrote the character 福 fú of 'good fortune' which is the last word Yinyou wrote.

After a while, the concubines laughed and the children under the throne blushed to their necks.

Tong Jia-shi took the paper from Concubine Yi's hand, and when she saw the words written crookedly and with even a word missing, she couldn't help but cover the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed, "This child, how are these written words, according to me, look, this is clearly the kitten doing doodles."

Concubine Yi had a bright temperament, and she smiled when she heard the words, "Sister, don't make fun of me but this sister thinks it looks good. The three characters of Huang Ama are written neatly, it looks like seventh brother will always practice these three words on weekdays." After speaking, she also laughed.

The words were passed around and returned to Kangxi's hands. Kangxi asked the eunuch to put them away, "Okay, little seventh can indeed write, but afraid these word needs to be practiced well. Yinzhen, you have to be stricter with this younger brother in the future." After speaking, he rewarded those who Yinyou mentioned.

After Yinyou took his seat, he could still hear the laughter of the concubines. He sat on the side with a blushing face but sighed in his heart that this move was a thrilling move. Writing the character like that is nothing more than making people think that he is young and ignorant. If he wrote the characters neatly, he who has no power or connections will only become a thorn in the side. The people in the palace who were too clever too early also died early. He pleased Tong Jia-shi because of Kangxi's respect and love for her, and Concubine De must not be ignored. A woman from a low background can stand firm in the palace. How can people look down on such skills, not to mention that she will be the master of Yonghe Palace in the future, and concubine Cheng still lives in the wing of Yonghe Palace.

The Crown Prince too can't be offended. Now in Kangxi's eyes, the prince is his smartest son. He will not be stupid enough to say that the prince is not good. This is not only hurting himself but also hurting the fourth brother.

After Yinyou retired, Kangxi praised the third brother and the fifth brother several times, asked the third brother to write a poem, and gave him a lot of things before the third brother retired.

Everyone's attention was put on the third brother.

It didn't matter how amusing the seventh brother with a disability was, it was still not as good as the third elder brother who was at the top of the ranking.

Yinzhen, who was sitting at the table, looked at Yinyou. When he saw Yinyou smirking at him, he buried his head and thought, the writing is so ugly and he still takes it out to make others laugh. In the future, he must supervise the seventh brother's calligraphy practice well, lest he be stupid and ashamed.