Blessed by God Chapter 9: 41 to 45, a manhua/chinese comics/漫画 fanfic

TIMELINE

1690 (29th Year of Kangxi.) Galdan's first appearance (The 4th brother was 12 while the 7th brother was 10.)

1693 (32nd Year of Kangxi.) Nephew and rival of Galdan Boshugtu Khan sent an envoy with a tribute to the Qing capital. This is where Kangxi and his court get cozy with his nephew, so as to separate Galdan from the throne. The author is setting the story around these years but it should be later in the 35th year of Kangxi. Gorolo shi and Yinsi were engaged in the 31st year of Kangxi (1692) and married in the 37th year of Kangxi (1698).

—According to Yinyou's Baidu page, the 7th brother was ordered to lead the Bordered Yellow Banner battalion to follow Kangxi to conquer Galdan in the 35th year of Kangxi (1696). Because of his meritorious service, in the 37th year of Kangxi (1698), he was titled Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒 bèilè). In 1709, Yunyou was granted the title Prince Chun of the Second Rank. In the 1st year of Yongzheng (1723), he was promoted to Prince Chun of the First Rank.

1696 (35th Year of Kangxi.) "The Kangxi Emperor returns in victory. Defender of the Frontier General-in-chief Fiyanggū defeats Galdan Boshugtu Kahn at Zuunmod." (The 4th brother was 18 while the 7th brother was 16.)

Thanks for the kofi, Bee. —Bambi.

Chapter 41. Rewarding the Army

The originally lame foot was now missing two toes, and its appearance became even uglier. Seeing the comatose person on the couch shaking due to the strong alcohol being poured on the wound, Yinzhen felt panicked and unspeakably uncomfortable.

Yinyou's riding boot on his left foot was already stained half red with blood. Yinzhen couldn't imagine how the originally pampered seventh brother endured the pain and rode on horseback for several hours. Even when the pain was unbearable, Yinyou still fought the enemy until they retreated.

His younger brother who didn't like to participate in the affairs of the palace and faction disputes turned out to be such a courageous man. In his heart, he didn't know whether to feel pain or joy, perhaps just regret for not understanding him earlier, or admiration that the seventh brother had such a side.

"Doctor, how is the seventh brother?" Yinzhen looked at the wound. The flesh had turned cleaner after being disinfected by strong alcohol, but he still couldn't bear to look any further, and turned his head to the other side.

"Back to the fourth prince, after the seventh prince recovers from his injury, he will walk the same way as before, and it will not have much impact in his life." The military doctor was used to treating all kinds of wounds on the battlefield, but because the person in front of him was a prince, he moved very cautiously. "It's just that the seventh prince may have had a fever. Still, he will be fine after taking the medicine."

"Understand. Hurry up and make medicine," Yinzhen took two deep breaths and sat down beside Yinyou, only to realize that his hands were shaking violently. After sitting for a stick of incense, he slowly got up and went out to see the injured soldiers.

Sun Sike met the fourth prince before reaching the tent of the seventh prince. Seeing that the fourth prince had a bad face, he greeted him and said, "I have seen the fourth prince. I wonder how the seventh prince's injury is?"

He admired these princes very much but the one he admired the most was the seventh prince. An imperial prince, who was used to being served by eunuchs and maids, persisted for so long in the battlefield after being injured. He more or less understood why some soldiers secretly asked him about the seventh prince's injury just now.

It was just a pity that this prince had no chance to inherit the throne, otherwise these princes might fight even more fiercely. Thinking of this, Sun Sike shuddered, and just then realized that he was speculating about the royal family, which was a serious crime.

"I made General Sun worried about the seventh brother. The doctor said there is no serious problem, but two toes are missing." Yinzhen thought of the bloody skin and flesh again, and the bones and flesh that had been chopped off next to the toes, and frowned again. The battlefield was so chaotic, and the seventh brother's toes might not be found at this time.

When Sun Sike heard the words, he had no choice but to say some comforting words, in fact, he didn't know what else to say. For ordinary soldiers, not to mention losing two toes on the battlefield, even missing arms and legs was common. It's just that for a prince, missing two toes was a big deal. Glancing at the fourth prince who had a bad complexion, Sun Sike sighed in his heart, this Lord was friends with the seventh prince, so it was no wonder his face was so gloomy.

"He lost two toes?!" Yinsi looked at the person on the bed and his eyes swept over the wound that had been bandaged; his complexion changed again and again, between worried and concerned.

The military doctor didn't dare to say anything when he saw that the eighth prince looked so upset.

"You take care of the seventh brother. If something happens, I'm afraid that Huang Ama will not be able to forgive you." He stretched out his hand and pulled the quilt to cover Yinyu's body. Yinsi's voice became a little heavy as he ordered, "Use what you should use. If there is something missing, you can ask the fourth brother or this Lord."

"Aye." The military doctor was sweating on his forehead, but he didn't dare to wipe it off. This eighth brother seemed to be a very gentle person, how could he be frightened with just two words?

That night, Galdan broke out and fled. After Sun Sike, the fourth brother and the eighth brother got the news, they immediately deployed troops and prepared to pursue him.

Yinyou, who was drowsy at first, also got up from the bed, because at this time he was the commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner and unless he couldn't get up, there was no reason not to go. If he didn't let the soldiers of the Bordered Yellow Banner go fighting because he was injured, even if they went back to the capital safely, the people of the Bordered Yellow Banner would be dissatisfied with him in their hearts.

"Seventh brother, you are injured, how can you…" Seeing Yinyou being supported by soldiers onto the horse, Yinsi couldn't help but look at Yinyou's left foot, secretly worried. But, thinking of Yinyou's identity and those complicated noble relationship networks, after all, he didn't stop him.

"Eighth brother, don't worry, it's just a small injury," Yinyou smiled, his face pale.

Yinzhen on the side held the rein tighter and tighter. Looking at Yinyou's sickly face, he finally just said, "Be careful on the road."

He couldn't let Yinyou stay as it would only make the Bordered Yellow Bannermen dissatisfied with Yinyou. Even if Yinyou was in unbearable pain, at this time he could only persuade the seventh brother to continue moving. This was the honor and responsibility he carried as the seventh prince.

On the way to pursuit, Yinzhen stayed by Yinyou's side at all times, and who knows whether it was intentional or not, but Yinsi also rode a horse not far from them.

Seeing that the Qing army was closing up on him, Galdan hurriedly fled northward, but the Qing army was unstoppable, and after chasing more than ten kilometers, they caught up with Galdan and his remaining troops. Fighting fiercely all night until dawn, Galdan led dozens of cavalry to escape, while Galdan's wife was killed, and the remaining 3,000 soldiers surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.

As the sun rose in the morning, Yinyou looked up at the East.

The red light reflected the whole land, and even the blood on the ground became more dazzling. This was the biggest battle against the Dzungar during the Kangxi years.

Sitting in the tent, Kangxi watched the battle report of the seventh brother's injury, and kept the original order of letting the princes go to Jao Modo to reward the army. After thinking about it, he wrote another imperial order.

A few days later, under the imperial decree, the fourth brother and the seventh brother temporarily stayed in the army to reward the soldiers. Along with this imperial edict, there was also an imperial physician sent by Kangxi.

The eighth brother however, was sent to Jao Modo, and so he packed up his things and left the barracks with the messenger army. When he got on his horse, he looked at Yinyou who was seeing him off with the fourth brother, and suddenly grinned, "Fourth brother and seventh brother, after returning to the Capital, we brothers need to have a good drink."

"No problem," Yinyou smiled generously, reducing his original defenses against Yinsi by a lot.

Seeing this, Yinsi smiled even brighter. He clasped his fists at the two of them, pulled the reins, turned the horse's head and left. After walking a long distance, he slowly turned his head to look at the bustling barracks.

"Go back," Yinzhen held Yinyou up by the waist, "You're missing a few toes, don't run around."

Yinyou leaned on Yinzhen and bounced back to his tent, "Fourth brother, it is disgraceful to discriminate against the disabled."

Yinzhen tightened his hold on Yinyou's waist, and as he slowly loosened his grip, he said in a flat tone. "If you dare to lack anything else, I will ignore you instead of discriminate against you."

Yinyou thought sadly that he came to the Qing Dynasty and didn't discriminate against Yinzhen's glowing forehead, how dare Yinzhen look down on him for missing two toes?! The future Emperor Yongzheng turned out not only to be narrow-minded, but also to have a poisonous mouth!

That night, when the West Army slaughtered pigs and sheep, Yinyou limped and drank with the soldiers. Although his walking posture was really ugly, no one in the army laughed at him, and most of them looked at him with admiration.

The whole army was messing around almost all night. Yinyou originally had a sore foot and was secretly resisting pain while walking but after getting drunk, he wanted to sing and dance with other soldiers, and he didn't stop until Yinzhen couldn't bear it anymore and pulled him to sit down.

Seeing this, Feiyanggu and several other lieutenants who were sitting next to him seemed to have seen nothing. Then only thought the two brothers had a close relationship. After all, if the relationship was not good, how could the cold-tempered fourth brother care so much about the seventh brother?

When Yinyou woke up the next day, he felt that his head and left foot hurt extremely. He took two deep breaths before trying to get up. Unexpectedly, there was an extra hand beside him to help him up.

"Fourth brother?" Seeing that Yinzhen's face was not very good looking, Yinyou coughed dryly.

Yinzhen glanced at him, but didn't speak as he helped Yinyou to put on his clothes and wash his face before he asked the soldiers outside to call the imperial physician.

Seeing this situation, Yinyou knew that he must have offended this narrow-minded fourth brother, so he obediently sat on the bed, obediently let the old doctor remove his bandages, and even when the other party poked his instep with a silver needle, he gritted his teeth and endured it.

"Seventh prince, bear with me, I will use silver needles to invigorate your blood circulation for you, so that you will not suffer in your old age in the future," said the old doctor, poking several long and thin silver needles on Yinyou's instep and calf.

Yinyou glanced at his deformed left foot, with two missing toes, "Isn't this foot already gone bad, though?"

Hearing his words, the imperial doctor choked. Although his movements did not slow down, when his eyes fell on that foot, he had to admit that what the seventh brother said was true, this foot was already in a bad condition.

Yinzhen, who was sitting next to him looked at Yinyou, and saw that his expression was calm when he said this, without anger or sadness, so he slowly relaxed. He remembered that one winter a few years ago, Old Nine whipped a young eunuch, Yinyou stepped forward and said a few words, and Old Nine scolded him as a cripple.

Later, the ninth brother and the seventh brother were at odds, and their words were not respectful. It was not until the Imperial Concubine Cheng was promoted to Consort that their tense relationship got better.

Taking a sip of tasteless tea to suppress the anger in his heart, Yinzhen walked to Yinyou's side and put his hand on Yinyou's shoulder. "There will be no more problems."

Yinyou didn't care too much about these things, but he did care about Yinzhen's comforting words. He raised his head and smiled at Yinzhen, then he stretched out his hand and patted the back of the hand on his shoulder, "I'm not afraid, fourth brother don't worry about me."

The warmth of the palm made Yinzhen shudder. His other hand climbed to cover Yinyou's hand, and slowly gripped it, "You are not afraid but I am. I just hope that your legs will be free from illness and pain in the future."

Yinyou was originally uncomfortable because Yinzhen was holding his hand, but after hearing Yinzhen's words, the original discomfort turned into indescribable emotion. In this world, besides Consort Cheng and Yinzhen, who else really cared about him?

"Thank you, fourth brother." Since he was a child, he had been taken care of by Yinzhen a lot. Looking back now, he felt that getting along with Yinzhen was the greatest blessing in his life, not because Yinzhen was the future Emperor Yongzheng, but because Yinzhen really held him in his heart.

Yinzhen's originally expressionless face slowly revealed a smile.

In July of the 35th year of Kangxi, the rewards to the army were finally settled. At the end of July, Feiyanggu led the army to escort more than 3,000 captives back to the imperial court. The fourth brother and the seventh brother returned with him, and it wasn't until October that they stepped foot in the Capital.

The author has something to say: In official history, it was the eldest prince who handed out the army rewards. I finally got over the fighting part! I'm so happy, wowowow! ↖（^ω^）↗

In the 35th year of Kangxi, the fourth brother and the seventh brother returned to the Capital. The emperor was very happy, and the rewards continued to pour in, thus their biological mothers were also rewarded by the emperor.

After Yinyou returned to the palace, he first reported to Kangxi, and after washing up, he rushed to pay his respects to Consort Cheng.

Consort Cheng's eyes became red when she saw her only son walking unnaturally. She was already aware of the news of him being injured on the battlefield, but now seeing Yinyou like this, after all, she still felt sad. Looking at the maids and eunuchs around her, she forcibly endured her pain.

Seeing Consort Cheng's anxious appearance, Yinyou's heart warmed, and he talked to her for a long time before returning to his residence, although not before having lunch with her.

The eldest brother listened to the news from his subordinates and looked at the rewards list. In the end, he sneered, "The fourth and that useless seventh have made a big splash this time."

It stands to reason that since the Crown Prince supervised the country, he, as the eldest son, should have been the one to hand over the military rewards to the soldiers.

The seventh brother had stayed in the barracks for a period of time and was familiar with the soldiers, so it made sense to let him do it, but what was the point of letting the fourth child stay and reward the army? He, as the eldest son, had already fought Galdan six years ago, and also made lots of contributions this time. Could it be that he was still not as good as the fourth child?

"Eldest prince, from this servant's point of view, the Emperor is probably just trying to build momentum for the Crown Prince," said an aide with some hesitation. "The fourth brother is in the same side as the Crown Prince, and the emperor has always favored the Crown Prince"

The eldest prince hammered the table bitterly, his face gloomy and ugly as he yelled, "To Huang Ama, all my contributions can't compare to that second child who likes to molest and mess around with eunuchs!"

In Yuqing Palace, the Crown Prince was obviously in a good mood. At first, he was still a little jealous of the fourth brother, but seeing that Yinzhen had quickly found an opportunity to greet him not long after returning to the palace, the deadly suspicion in his heart was suppressed.

"The fourth child has worked hard this time, you've lost a lot of weight."

"Thank you, Crown Prince, it's no hard work." Yinzhen then roughly talked about some things he encountered during the marching, cryptically expressing some puzzlement as for why he left behind to reward the army; his attitude was respectful but not flattering.

"Huang Ama is wise, He wishes his sons to do things according to his orders." The Crown Prince took a sip of tea and said, "You have done a good job, fourth."

This time he intentionally found a way to get the eighth and the fourth together, just to suppress the eldest brother and the fourth brother, and it seemed that this move was going well.

Yinzhen raised his eyes, then lowered his head to drink tea, "What the Crown Prince said is true."

The Crown Prince smiled when he heard his words. "Gu heard that the seventh brother's foot was injured, how is he now?"

Yinzhen put down his teacup, frowned slightly and replied. "The seventh brother got injured on the battlefield and missed two toes. After participating in the battle, he rushed back to the Capital. Now his foot injury has not healed yet. I'm afraid he will have to take care of it for a few days."

Was he physically disabled? The corners of the Crown Prince's mouth widened, but soon he changed into a worried expression, "Gu still has some medicine for conditioning one's body. Old fourth, you help me out and send it to the seventh brother. When Gu is free, Gu will visit the seventh brother."

"Thanking the Crown Prince on behalf of the seventh younger brother," Yinzhen replied.

The Crown Prince smiled when he heard this; he knew that the fourth child and the seventh child were close friends, so sending medicine was just taking care of the fourth child's face. As for that lame younger brother who was now missing toes, afraid he was simply unlucky, and he honestly didn't care much about him.

Yinyou's wound no longer hurt, but now it was starting to form a scab which made him unable to resist scratching. Because of this, he only wore soft shoes and socks. Right now, when he entered the room, he simply took off the shoe on his left foot and leaning on the Tianshi armchair, he lazily flipped through a travelog.

"Master, the fourth brother is here." Seeing his Master's lazy appearance, Fu Duo stepped forward to help him put on his shoes.

"Don't, it's fine like this. Let the fourth brother come in and you go and make the new tea that Huang Ama gifted me." Yinyou waved his hand, too lazy to make a fuss.

Anyway, he didn't feel like he needed to toss so much if he only was going to be in Yinzhen's company.

"Aye," Fu Duo was ordered by his Master so he had no choice but to back out, yet secretly, he was a bit worried about his Master's trust in the fourth brother.

As soon as Yinzhen entered the door, he saw someone sitting on the grand Tianshi chair with his left foot bare, holding a book in one hand, a cup of steaming tea on the low table next to him, and two plates of appetizing snacks on one side, looking extremely lazy.

"I see you're enjoying yourself." Sitting down on the chair beside him, Yinzhen slowly let go of his worries.

"Just stealing half a day of leisure1." Yinyou put down the book and took a sip from his teacup, "It was hard to come back but now I enjoy myself, I naturally can't waste this opportunity."

"I think you're just lazy," Yinzhen laughed, and glanced at the left foot that was still wrapped with bandages. "Don't go to the Ministry of Revenue these few days, lest the wound festers again."

The wound was healed at the end of June, but who knew that they had to go to war again in July, and then rush back to the Capital. In the end, the wound never had time to properly heal.

On the way back, he sometimes thought, if the Crown Prince suffered such an injury, who would dare to go on the road disregarding the Crown Prince's health? But it was the seventh brother who was injured. Not only did he have to go forward with the army, he couldn't even complain, otherwise people would say he used his military exploits to run amok, or say that the seventh brother misbehaved and acted recklessly. This thought took root in his mind, but he couldn't get rid of it or even say it.

At this moment, Fu Duo brought the tea, and Yinzhen took a sip. Seeing that Yinyou had no objection to what he said earlier, he added, "Just now the Crown Prince asked me to bring you some tonics, I have already given them to Fu Duo."

Yinyou saw that Yinzhen's complexion was not good before, so he didn't say anything, but now seeing that Yinzhen didn't seem to have any abnormal expression, he slowly changed his sitting position.

"I will find a chance to thank him. Fourth brother you just came back, don't you need to go and check on the women in your house?"

"The mansion is well taken care of, I have nothing to worry about," Yinzhen replied calmly and took a bite of a piece of pastry.

He savored it; it was slightly sweet. After he swallowed, he took another sip of tea.

Seeing him like this, Yinyou knew that he probably didn't have much affection for the women in his mansion, so he smiled and changed the topic. "By the way, fourth brother, Huang Ama has ordered my mansion to be built, and it's not far from yours. In the future, it will be convenient for me to come to your house."

"Good, you can count on me," Yinzhen smiled, but then remembered that Huang Ama had pointed out Hada Nara shi to Yinyou, and felt depressed again.

He forced a smile and commented lightly, "When you have Fu Jin and side Fu Jin, you won't remember to go to the fourth brother's house."

Yinyou frowned; subconsciously, he didn't hold much affection for the stranger who would become his Fu Jin. He knew that he couldn't have only one Fu Jin, because even if he didn't want any more women, Kangxi would send them to him. To offend the emperor for the so-called monogamy only known in modern times? How could he dare. Not to mention that both Manchurian and Mongolian nobles in The Great Qing, who of them didn't have a concubine at home?

The only thing he could offer to his Fu Jin was respect. He will definitely not take the initiative to get a concubine, but he was not so naive as to talk about monogamy. What's more, those women didn't necessarily want to be a prince's wife and concubines.

In the eyes of men in the Qing Dynasty, women were tools for giving birth, and all he could do was respect them. The relationships between men and women didn't hold much affection, so how could he disregard Yinzhen for them?

Thinking of this, Yinyou gazed seriously at Yinzhen. "I only have one fourth brother, you are different from them."

Hearing this, Yinzhen slowly loosened the hand that was holding the teacup, and gently put it down. He smiled wryly, "That's enough."

Yinyou seldom saw Yinzhen showing such a smile. This handsome and indifferent face seemed to be incompatible with this kind of smile. Seeing how the grown-up child finally became more and more mysterious, he subconsciously felt a little sad in his heart. Maybe when Yinzhen became the emperor, no one would be able to understand him.

There was a saying that being in high places would make one cold and lonely… Yinyou suddenly smiled. As long as Yinzhen treated him well, he would not lie to Yinzhen. If in the beginning he was close to Yinzhen because he was the future emperor, at this time he has already put this person in his heart. It was said that in the imperial family there were no true feelings. From the age of three to now, hadn't this child still protected him in the harem for more than ten years?

"Fourth brother, did you treat me differently when you married Fu Jin?" Yinyou turned his body slightly, and leaned his head to get close to Yinzhen. "I will be the same."

Quietly looking at his handsome face, Yinzhen suddenly wanted to stretch out his hand to caress those beautiful peach blossom eyes, but this only lasted for a moment.

He raised the corner of his mouth, stretched out his hand and flicked Yinyou's forehead. "Then I will watch carefully. If you treat your fourth brother badly, I will lock you in a room so that you can't see the women in your house."

Side-eying Yinzhen, Yinyou retracted his head, took another sip of tea, and raised his chin, "Fourth brother, you won't have the chance."

"It's fine as long as I don't get the chance," Yinzhen looked at him with a smile.

He picked up the teacup and lifted the lid. When he took a sip, something flickered in his eyes, and finally turned into a smile.

Yinyou glanced at Yinzhen and faintly had a weird premonition. He secretly sighed in his heart, could it be that he was born to endure hardship, so that when he went back to the palace to drink some good tea and eat some exquisite snacks, his heart was still full of anxiety…

At the eighth brother's house, Yinsi handed over several invitation cards to an eunuch beside him, and looked to the outside with a smile on his face.

It's rare that the weather was so good, and the brothers were all in the capital, so how can they not have a good get-together?

The translator has something to say:

Yinsi: *shit-stirring the pot*

Yinzhen: *drinking vinegar*

Yinyou: *holding his chin* hold up, i sense something… noup, it's gone. Surely it's nothing! After all, what could go possibly wrong?

I really like when Yinzhen is jealous 3 A quick second update! How's that (3)/

偷得浮生半日闲 tōudéfúshēngbàn rì xián. It means to get rid of boredom and frustration, and go to an elegant and refined place to cultivate your body and mind. (I suppose reading has always been a well-regarded hobby.)

"Master, we arrived." Fu Duo opened the palanquin curtain for Yinyou, and was about to help him.

"Alright, go down, it's not like I can't walk," Yinyou bypassed Fu Duo's hand to get out, then glanced at the restaurant's signboard, and walked in.

Fu Duo let the sedan chair bearers scatter, and hurriedly followed in. The room booked by the eighth Lord was upstairs, and his Master had a leg injury. Won't his Master suffer?

As soon as Yinyou reached the stairs, he saw a smiling Yinsi coming down from the top, "Seventh brother, this younger brother didn't think carefully this time, now I'm here to help you out." He said this with a helpless sigh, already stretching out his elbow to Yinyou.

Yinyou glanced at the outstretched arm, and without any politeness, put his hand on it.

The warmth coming from Yinyou's palm made Yinsi slightly stunned, but then he smiled and helped Yinyou upstairs. While they climbed, it was very quiet and only one room could be heard, it seemed that several brothers had already come.

After entering the door, the eldest brother, third brother, fifth brother, ninth brother, and tenth brother were already there. Yinyou took his hand back and greeted the brothers first.

"I thought the seventh brother would come with the Crown Prince and the fourth brother, I didn't expect you to come alone." The third brother held a white porcelain wine glass, tilted his head and looked at Yinyou with a half-smile. This small movement revealed a comfortable bookish air.

"Afraid the Crown Prince and the fourth brother still have things to do." Yinyou picked an empty seat and sat down. "I haven't been to the Ministry of Revenue these days, so how can I be with the fourth brother?"

After finishing speaking, he glanced at the Old Nine and Old Ten, "Don't the ninth and the tenth brothers need to study today?"

"The eighth elder brother is hosting a banquet, how can us younger brothers not come?" Although the ninth brother's complexion was rather pale, he wasn't like before, and still gave Yinyou face.

The tenth brother was honest and straight-forward, and he scratched his head before admitting, "If we are just absent for half a day, nothing will happen." Thinking of the densely packed words in the book, the tenth brother frowned.

Seeing him like this, Yinyou couldn't help but smile. His tenth brother was quite interesting.

"Seventh brother, this is one of the signature wines in the store, would you like to try it?" Yinsi poured a glass of wine with his own hands and handed it to Yinyou. Although it was in a questioning tone, because Yinsi was the host, Yinyou had no right to refuse at this moment.

"Eighth brother, then, I'll thank you." Yinyou took the cup with both hands, smelled it, took a sip, and commented with a smile, "It really is a good wine."

The eldest brother Yinzi glanced at Yinyou and noticed that the smile on his face lacked two points of sincerity. "Since that's the case, today we will get drunk and won't go home. Now I too would like to toast my seventh younger brother."

"Don't dare," Yinyou raised his wine glass, "Eldest brother, I'll go first."

Kangxi's sons were dexterous and smart, but they were all narrow-minded. Even if the eldest brother had been on the battlefield several times, his straight-forward temperament hadn't changed much and Yinyou felt that as long as the eldest brother didn't touch his bottom line, Yinyou would never dare offend him. Yet today, he realized that maybe this person still remembered what happened a few years ago, otherwise how could he toast him so politely?

After drinking the whole glass of wine served by the eldest brother, Yinyou still felt that the wine tasted sweet and mellow; it was indeed a good wine.

"This wine is called Faintly Fragrant Green Jade. It tastes sweet and has an endless aftertaste." Seeing that Yinyou had drunk it all, the eldest brother smiled and picked up another jug and poured a glass. "This wine is called Imperial Mighty Spring. When one first drinks it, it's light, but the aftertaste is quite strong, seventh brother, do you dare to taste it?"

He raised the cup and handed it to Yinyou.

Yinyou accepted the wine glass and chatted with a smile, "Since the elder brother has poured it himself, how can this younger brother refuse?" After drinking the wine, it was really as the eldest brother described it. He put down the wine glass, already mentally prepared to get drunk due to his brothers' antics.

"Seventh younger brother drinks the eldest brother's wine, would you accept the third brother's glass of wine?" The third brother Yinzhi poured a cup with his own hands, the wine falling into the cup let out a nice sound.

"This wine is called Ten Colorful Blooming Islands. It's a good name so it must be delicious." Pushing the wine in front of Yinyou, Yinzhi's smile didn't change one bit.

Yinyou was not annoyed and took the wine with a smile. He raised his head and drank it before saying, "Drinking burning knives was very popular in the military camp, and today I finally know what that must have tasted like."

He was not afraid of these guys playing tricks and because he knew the Crown Prince and the fourth brother were coming, he was not afraid of getting drunk either. In fact, it wasn't difficult to pretend to be drunk after drinking a few cups.

The ninth brother watched from the side with a mocking face. After hearing Yinyou's words, he took the jug next to him, and poured him a glass, "It is said that one sip of Holding Your Head Wine1 is just like drinking one whole jug of wine. The seventh brother might as well try it."

Holding Your Head Wine, as the name suggested, was very strong. This ninth brother was not afraid of getting his elder brother drunk.

The fifth brother Yinqi held a cup of Thousand Spring Days wine in his hand, and did not join the ranks of these people persuading the seventh brother to drink, he just drank quietly by himself.

Yinqi noticed how Yinyou smiled and drank glasses of wine one after the other just after entering the door, and he turned his head to the window, just in time to watch the two sedan chairs land at the entrance of the restaurant.

Quickly retracting his gaze, he looked back at the seventh brother whose cheeks were slightly flushed, and glanced at the few people who were still persuading him to keep drinking. He lowered his head to his cup, and slowly drank a sip.

"This wine is called Exquisite Jade…"

"Gu just said why is this room so lively? It turns out that you guys have already started drinking." The Crown Prince in a brocade robe entered the room and looked at the wine glass in the ninth brother's hand and then at Yinyou's reddish cheeks with a smile, "If Gu had known this, Gu wouldn't have waited for you to be half drunk before coming over to watch your jokes."

Yinzhen looked at the ninth brother's hand holding the wine glass with cold eyes. The ninth brother quickly put down the cup in his hand when hearing the Crown Prince's voice and went over to greet him.

Yinyou also heaved a sigh of relief and got up to greet the Crown Prince. When he sat down, Yinzhen was already by his side. Yinyou then finally had the opportunity to stuff himself with some food. As for the others, they were all busy stabbing each other with words.

"Seventh brother, this duck tongue tastes good." The tenth brother, who was sitting on his right, moved a plate in front of Yinyou. "This younger brother always orders this dish when coming here."

Yinyou picked one bite with his chopstick and ate it. It tasted really good. He smiled and nodded to the tenth brother. "It's really good."

Suddenly, he liked this little brother a bit more. At least he's much cuter than Old Nine. Both of these younger brothers had high-ranking E'niangs, so it was no wonder that one was arrogant and the other was without much scheming.

The tenth brother also smiled and continued to eat. He was not very old, so he didn't like to drink, instead he was more interested in the food.

Yinzhen who was sitting on Yinyou's left saw him smiling foolishly and quickly asked someone to bring a bowl of Snow Fungus Soup in front of him, "Drink some soup, soothe your stomach."

He knew that the brother must've been drinking before he arrived and he was afraid that Yinyou's stomach couldn't bear the wine at this time with him wounded.

Yinyou was not interested in these sweet soups, but he still picked up the spoon and drank one sip after the other, with a scattered mind.

The people at the table, although they were brothers, were plotting against each other. Even after drinking two glasses of wine, they spoke with backhanded compliments, just wishing they could kill the other with one sentence.

Now the eldest brother was weaker than the Crown Prince, but there were rumors in the harem that the Crown Prince was molesting the eunuchs, and nobody knew whether it was true or not, even more, Kangxi never asked. There were only two possibilities for this, one was the rumors were spread by someone with a hidden intention, and the other was that Kangxi had suppressed this matter because it was indeed true.

Yinyou tilted his head to look at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was now only in his twenties. He had extremely good-looking features, and he acted with restraint, but was still a little extravagant. This Crown Prince looked nothing like the future generation guessed he was, he wasn't an incompetent second-rich generation who only knew how to drink and have sex.

After drinking for three rounds, all the other brothers who were invited also came, and little by little, after drinking enough, one by one they began to leave.

Yinyou also intended to leave but who knew that just after standing up, his mind flickered, and he staggered. Someone held him up.

"Seventh brother, be careful." Yinsi's voice was gentle and limpid, very pleasant to hear, "Don't fall."

"Thank you, eighth brother," Yinyou took a step back, and someone behind him supported him. He knew it was Yinzhen without turning his head, so he simply leaned against the person behind him, so as not to get too dizzy, "Thank you, eighth brother for your hospitality today, I will take my leave now but surely we will get together again when we have time."

Yinsi smiled, "Of course."

Glancing at Yinzhen's hand on Yinyou's waist, Yinsi slightly lowered his eyelids. "Then fourth brother and seventh brother walk slowly, this younger brother will not see you off."

"Eighth brother, we will go first," Yinzhen said with an expressionless face, and then helped Yinyou downstairs, apparently in a bad mood.

Out of the restaurant. Yinzhen didn't let go of Yinyou, and pulled him into his sedan chair. "Go to my house to sober up, don't go back to the palace looking this drunk."

Yinyou didn't object either. Leaning on Yinzhen's shoulder, he rubbed his forehead with one hand, humming in a low voice.

"Uncomfortable?" Yinzhen stretched out his arms to embrace him, letting him lean into his arms, "I'll let you lean for a while."

Yinyou's mind was not clear at this time but he knew that the two were close brothers for years, and so he didn't have much resistance to Yinzhen's intimate contact, he even twisted to adjust to a more comfortable posture.

"It's up to them how the eldest brother and the third brother2 want to quarrel. Sooner or later they will dig a hole and jump on their own." Even as he complained, Yinyou's mind became more and more dizzy. "But the eighth brother, fourth brother, you have to be careful with him."

Yinyou's voice was low, but Yinzhen still heard him clearly, and his expression changed again and them again, "Seventh brother, you are drunk." The shock in his heart was not fake.

Yinyou half-opened his eyes, twisted his neck and looked at Yinzhen, his eyes were wet and misty, and one could tell that he was not sober. "How can I get drunk so easily with such a little wine, I'm fine."

Yinzhen looked at those blurry eyes, and forced himself to look away, "Then what nonsense are you talking about if you're not drunk."

"Pff," Yinyou snickered, then slowly closed his eyes, and muttered. "Fourth brother, they all… you…"

The following words became indiscernible, and Yinzhen did not hear him clearly. He looked down at the person who had fallen asleep in his arms, slowly lowered his head, and pressed his lips against his. The taste of fine wine really made people feel intoxicated and lose their minds.

"Master, we're here." Xiao Luzi's voice came outside the sedan chair.

Yinzhen sat up straight, looked at the moist lips of the person in his arms, and ordered in a calm voice, "Go to the kitchen and ask for a bowl of hangover soup."

Brushing Yinyou's soft lips with his fingertips, Yinzhen slowly withdrew his hand, "Bring two more people to help the seventh brother to your Master's room."

The translator has something to say: Am I in a roll or whaaat! I guess I missed translating BBG? Thanks for reading! 33 As for the next chapter, try and guess what could happen. Our little seventh is drunk… while little fourth has his crush in his hands… just ready to swallow him… But I promise you that they will not do the deed cough cough while they're not in a relationship! Yes, I'm talking to you, smalllove08, I love your comments but you gotta slow down a little, we're not there yet! 😳😳😳😳 (Or are we? )

扶头酒 fú tóu jiǔ. Wine makes it easy for people to get drunk. It is mostly found in ancient poems.

The second eldest son of Kangxi is the Crown Prince. The eldest brother and the third brother, as people close to the CP's age and with more experience than the younger brothers, are very suitable for this position too. The eldest brother has military achievements while the third brother is a literati-scholar, so the two are polar opposites. When Yinreng (CP) was deposed the first time, it was Yinzhi who spread the rumors accusing the Eldest Prince of using sorcery to overthrow Yinreng from his Crown Prince position. "The Kangxi Emperor believed the rumors and was so furious with Yinzhi (First Prince) that he called his son a treacherous subject and stripped him off his princely title and placed him under house arrest." For more info, here's his Wikipedia page. As for the third brother's bad ending, when Yinzhen ascended the throne, he sent him to the imperial tombs to guard the ancestors (so he was exiled), and later when Yinxiang (13th brother) died, because Yinzhi didn't brother to act sad, "he stripped Yunzhi of his title and had him confined in the Yong'an Pavilion, Jingshan, Beijing. Yunzhi died in 1732 during his incarceration." Here's his Wikipedia page.

Chapter 44.1: Turning angry from embarrassment

"Master, what's wrong with the seventh brother?"

When Shu Ya saw the seventh brother was being carried by two young servants she hurriedly greeted Yinzhen and looked worriedly at Yinyou who had lost his sobriety. Guessing the situation, she told the servant girl to go cook the hangover soup, and asked someone to fetch water.

"He's just drunk, don't worry about it." Yinzhen ordered the two servants to help Yinyou to his room, and then said to Shu Ya, "Go and take care of Honghui1, Xiao Luzi will deal with these matters."

"Yes." Shu Ya slightly bowed to him, and led the momo and maid back to her courtyard.

Since the two of them got married, although their relationship has stayed lukewarm, she knew her Lord treated her well. He left the housekeeping of the mansion to her, and always gave her face. Moreover, there were not many women in the Lord's backyard, and no one caused her troubles. It was a blessing to live like this for a lifetime.

When Yinzhen returned to his room, he saw that the servant was lifting Yinyou's outer robe and he waved his hand. "You all go down, just bring up the water, you don't need to worry about the rest."

"Aye," the servant withdrew, and the room became quiet again.

At this time Yinyou was very peaceful, even if Yinzhen took off his clothes, he didn't move. When he took off his outer robes, there was a knock on the door, and Yinzhen pulled the quilt over Yinyou's body, "Come in."

Two young servants came in with a large wooden barrel, followed by several eunuchs carrying water and maids carrying bath supplies.

When everything was ready, Yinzhen asked them to retreat, and then looked down at the sleeping person. Because Yinyou was drunk, his cheeks were flushed and he looked a little bit cute, reminding Yinzhen of the child he once was, the one who used to hang on his clothes, acting all spoiled.

Touching the hem of Yinyou's underwear jacket, he paused for a moment, then took it off without hesitation, dragged his trousers down, and bent over to carry him into the tub. Although he really wanted to do the thing that he had thought about countless times in his mind, looking at the sleeping person, he just washed his whole body in a regular manner.

Shoulders, back, waist and abdomen; he hesitated when going down as he didn't know if any further movement would turn the restrain in his heart into smoke, and then do something that he regretted.

The hand finally bypassed that place, slid to the thigh with a firm touch and scrubbed; but after washing, the back of his hand inadvertently touched something. Yinyou let out a light hum, and Yinzhen's whole body stiffened from the sound. The thing seemed to move, and immediately, the back of his hand felt hot.

Yinzhen withdrew his hand violently, carried the person out of the bathtub, quickly wiped Yinyou's whole body dry, put him back on the bed, and hurried out of the room.

Only then did he feel that he could breathe normally. The warm vapor in the room made him dare not go back to the room for the time being, so he just called the servants to tidy up the room, and went to the side wing to take a bath by himself.

Yinyou, who was lying on Yinzhen's bed, unconsciously rubbed against the bed sheet at this time, his face became more and more red, and he tossed for a long time before he could calm down again.

After bathing and changing into clean clothes, Yinzhen left the wing room.

Seeing Xiao Luzi guarding the outside of the main room, he asked, "Have you given the hangover soup to the seventh brother?"

"Master, the slave saw that the seventh brother was asleep, so this servant didn't let anyone disturb him. But the hangover soup is ready." Xiao Luzi knew that his Master had always loved this younger brother, so he didn't dare to be careless.

"Forget it, let him sleep. You ask the kitchen to prepare stomach-nourishing soup, and let little seventh drink it when he wakes up," Yinzhen said while walking towards the wing room.

He took two steps, and turned around again. "Go to the study and ask someone to wait outside the main room. If the seventh brother wakes up, send someone to call your Master."

"Aye." His Master even thought about this scenario? He was really particular.

Yinyou woke up in a daze. When he felt a cold sensation on his lower body, he suddenly sat up awake and his face distorted into various shapes. Did he actually have nocturnal emissions?! That alone was mortifying, but he was still at the fourth brother's house! This… How could he be so shameless! In an instant, he used the quilt to become a shrimp, and threw himself to the bed with a look of wanting to die.

Lying on the bed weakly, his old face was redder than when he was drunk.

When Yinzhen heard the servant in the mansion say that the seventh brother was awake, he walked back to the room, but saw that the person who was awake was still lying on the bed.

He walked to the bed and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, are you feeling uncomfortable?"

The lump on the bed moved and the corners of Yinyou's mouth twitched, but Yinzhen didn't hear him clearly, so he reached out and patted the bulging hill, "What are you talking about?"

"I want to change my pants," Yinyou said quickly and anxiously, his voice turning into a shrill.

Yinzhen was slightly stunned, and then bent his mouth, "Why, are you not used to wearing the clothes in my house?"

Yinyou looked at Yinzhen with a numb expression, and roared messily in his heart, do you even want Lao Tzu to say this?! How can Lao Tzu expose himself?

Seeing that Yinyou's expression was not right, the smile on Yinzhen's face gradually dissipated, and hesitantly but seriously asked, "You… peed in bed?"

"Crack!" The servant girls and male servants guarding the outside heard the sound of bowls breaking from inside the room.

Xiao Luzi twitched the corners of his mouth. Did the seventh Lord smash the bowl of lotus leaf porridge?

Seventh Lord, that bowl was selected especially because it's your favorite color, and it is worth several hundred taels of silver!

Yinyou, who had successfully changed his trousers, watched the maid come to tidy up the bed, his complexion changed again and again, and the teacup in his hand clanged.

Xiao Luzi came in with two bowls of blood swallow porridge, and seeing the seventh brother's complexion was unwell, he knew that the seventh brother was embarrassed, so he approached him with a smile, "Seventh Master, this is what the Master specially ordered to cook in the kitchen. Would you like to try the Swallow's nest2 porridge?"

The seventh Master was not very old and he was already embarrassed when encountering such a thing at his elder brother's place. Xiao Luzi wondered what had his Master said that made the seventh Master so angry he smashed the bowl of lotus leaves porridge.

Seeing the ambiguous smile on Xiao Luzi's face, Yinyou knew that Xiao Luzi knew about it too. Thinking of the boy and maid who cleaned the bed just now, his complexion changed again, and he said with a hard voice, "Serve it. You go down."

Xiao Luzi put down the tray with a smile, put the porridge in front of Yinyou, and then served his Master's portion. He took a look at Yinzhen's face, and then backed out.

Looking at the tolerant smile on Yinzhen's face, Yinyou felt that it was not right for him to take his anger out on Yinzhen for no reason. After all, he was already several dozen years old, but he still fought a young man who was less than twenty years old. He was really unreasonable.

After controlling his mood, he said awkwardly, "This porridge tastes pretty good."

Yinzhen knew Yinyou's temperament. Even if he becomes angry from embarrassment, he will quickly figure out right from wrong. This temperament made him love and hate at the same time, while feeling that the person he liked was sensible, at the same time, he felt a little pity for Yinyou's awkward side, and found it hard to see. As an older brother, he was always conflicted psychologically. As an elder brother who was in love with his younger brother, this feeling was even more contradictory.

The feeling of the back of his hand brushing Yinyou while bathing him suddenly flashed in his mind. Yinzhen's hand holding the silver spoon tightened, and he quickly buried his head in a sip of porridge to hide the unbearable thoughts in his heart, "If you like it, you come to the house later. I'll let the cook do it for you, and after your mansion is built, it's fine to send the cook who made the Swallow Nest porridge to your house."

"That can't be done. It costs a lot of money to make a bowl of Swallow Nest porridge. I'll just come to the fourth brother's place if I want to eat it." Yinyou buried his head in another mouthful, and after swallowing, he smiled proudly, "Fortunately, Huang Ama knows that I like to run to your house. Fourth brother, your house is so close to mine, it's really cheap for me."

Yinzhen smiled wryly, this time back in the capital, Huang Ama treated the seventh brother a lot better and while he was happy for him, whenever he thought of the woman who will live in Yinyou's mansion in the near future, after all, he still felt depressed.

"You are always thinking about coming to my mansion. It's good as long as you continue coming to me in the future."

"If I don't go to my fourth brother, with whom will I go?" Yinyou opened his eyes wide and said it as a matter of course, "I'm too embarrassed to ask for the good things from E'niang."

After hearing this, Yinzhen's complexion improved a lot. Among all the brothers, he was different after all.

This is Yinzhen's first child and it's a di son, meaning, legitimate heir. In history, he was sickly, and died at the age of seven. He and his Principal Consort never had any other children again.

血燕 Swallow's Nest. Wikipedia: "They are particularly prized in Chinese culture due to their rarity, high protein content and rich flavor. Edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans,[1] with nests being sold at prices up to about $3,000 per pound ($6,600/kg), depending on grading"

44.2: Turning angry from embarrassment

The lights in Qianqing Palace were still on at the time of Hai Shi1, Kangxi finished approving a memorial, and drank a sip of nourishing tea, "Zhen heard that a few elder brothers had a drink together?"

Li Dequan replied with a smile, "Emperor, that's exactly the case."

Kangxi's complexion didn't show much joy because of the gathering of his sons, and even his tone of voice didn't change one bit. "Well, they are all grown up. Has the Old seventh returned to the palace yet?"

Li Dequan bowed and replied, "This servant heard that the seventh brother was drunk, so he rested at the fourth brother's mansion."

"The fourth brother has always been very good at taking care of the seventh brother." Kangxi picked up a booklet, and circled a name with the imperial cinnabar pen. "If he didn't, who knows who would guide this child…" The cinnabar pen paused slightly, but he didn't say any more .

Li Dequan bowed slightly again.

"The seventh brother's marriage date will be set to next month," Kangxi said suddenly, "You ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to handle this matter carefully."

"Aye," Li Dequan knelt down and accepted the order.

In the early morning of the next day, Yinyou and Yinzhen went to court together. Although Yinyou's walking posture was not elegant, the ministers treated him very politely, and looked at him like a battlefield hero.

Yinyou stood on the right side of the fifth brother and peeked at the straight-backed eldest brother and Crown Prince. It had taken him effort to put most of his body's weight on his right foot but he still had to maneuver some more so his posture could look as straight as possible. As a disabled person, he had to compare his standing posture with other brothers who were healthy. He felt troubled.

Even if he was a member of the Ministry of Revenue, Yinyou didn't do much. Yinzhen took care of the big affairs, and other officials dealt with the small matters. Yinyou just needed to show up on time and not cause trouble.

Moreover, the recording method for finances here was different from that of later generations. Their method was more complicated, and very difficult to cheat. Trying to change a word or subtract a stroke was not so easy to do, and differences would be noticeable to the eye.

Yinyou thought of the rumor surrounding Yongzheng Emperor succession to the throne, saying how the word "fourteenth" was changed to "fourth" by Yinzhen by just adding a stroke2. Yinyou felt it was ridiculously funny. How come he wasn't aware that simplified characters3 had been going around since Kangxi's years?

There were many good reasons for Kangxi to pass the throne to the fourth brother. The first three eldest sons had made mistakes, and the following ones were either too young and unreliable; if not this, then their E'niangs' status was too low, or they themselves were too inconsequential. On the other hand, the fourth brother had been raised by Tong Jia shi and just this was enough for Kangxi to always attach great importance to the fourth brother. Even more, the fourth brother's ability to handle affairs was obvious to all and even the fourteenth brother was not as good as the fourth brother in this regard.

The so-called idea of Kangxi wanting to pass the throne to the fourteenth brother was simply nonsense. There was also the rumor that Kangxi wanted to pass the throne to the eighth brother. But that was even more absurd. Kangxi had reprimanded the eighth brother for his birth mother's low status in front of the courtiers and treated him coldly for several years4, how could it be possible to pass on that position to the eighth brother?

Yinyou was sitting in the Ministry of Revenue drinking tea and secretly admiring the working status of Yinzhen and the officials. He was so care-free he almost wanted to get a travelog on his hand to pass the time.

This leisurely state finally disappeared after he returned to his courtyard in the palace and received Kangxi's edict to get married next month. As an uncle with a light5 taste, where would he be interested in a teenage immature girl?

亥时 hàishí. 9-11 pm (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)

"According to folklore, Yongzheng changed Kangxi's will by adding strokes and modifying characters. The most famous story was that Yongzheng changed "fourteen" (十四) to "four" (于四), others say it was "fourteen" to "fourth" (第四). Though this folklore has been widely circulated, there is little evidence to support the theory. The character "于" was not widely used during the Qing Dynasty; on official documents, "於" was used. According to Qing tradition, the will would have been written in both Manchu and Chinese, and Manchu writing would have been impossible to modify. Furthermore, princes in the Qing Dynasty were referred to as the Emperor's son, in the order in which they were born (such as "The Emperor's Fourth Son" Chinese: 皇四子). Therefore, the theory that Yinzhen changed the will in order to ascend to the throne has little substance." From the New World Encyclopedia.

Wikipedia: "The first set of simplified Chinese characters were first put to public use in 1956. Over time, more characters became "simplified", or existing ones changed, once in 1964 and again in 1978 and 1984. Many people did not like these changes because too many characters with different meanings were merged."

I can't find a source but I'll tell you what I know from other novels I've read. From the time when Kangxi deposed the Crown Prince for the second time, he started asking his courtiers who should be the future CP. Majority of the officials in Kangxi's court pushed Yinsi out, saying he was suited for the position. Kangxi was already old at that time, and suspicious of everyone. He felt that the own officials he had instated had changed their loyalties to Yinsi, his own son. He flew into a rage and immediately said that Yinsi had a mother from a slave caste, was lowly and thus didn't deserve the throne. That became a great humiliation to the eighth prince, and he never recovered from that huge infamy. After that, he supported the 14th brother as a contender. (Source: Bro, trust me.)

清淡 qīngdàn. light (of food, not greasy or strongly flavored), insipid.

Chapter 45. So close yet so far away

How much longer do I have to gaze at you like this alone…

This love that came like the wind

This miserable love

Will you love me if I continue loving you?

Come a little closer. Just a little.

When I take one step closer to you

You take two steps away

I, who loves you, am still now next to you

This man is crying.

The man, Hyun Bin

Yinyou's Fu Jin family was not particularly prominent, and her father was just a Deputy Governor. Yinyou's brothers were very satisfied with this marriage. If Yinyou's marriage partner didn't have a strong family, then he didn't have what it took to compete and wasn't a threat to them. In particular, the eldest brother, when knowing of Yinyou's nearing marriage, simply wondered what he should give at that time.

Before getting married, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent someone to teach Yinyou about personnel affairs1, and Consort Cheng even planned to send him a maid2. Looking at the girl who was only thirteen years old, Yinyou firmly refused, and then flew back to his courtyard to flip through the sex education books.

The book was very detailed, the descriptions were not very subtle and the process was very clear for people to understand. For Yinyou who had watched explicit romance movies from later generations, this little thing had little effect on him. He simply read this to justify his answers to the questions from the Ministry of Internal Affairs's people.

The wedding day was getting closer and Yinyou was so busy learning various etiquettes and rules, he didn't have the time to go to the Ministry of Revenue. Ten days before he got married, he finally got to know everything he should know and was able to drop by to see his busy fourth brother who hadn't even come to see him once.

As soon as Yinyou entered the gate of the Ministry of Revenue, he saw Yinzhen coming out. It was already November, the sky was gray, and the weather was cold. Yinzhen was wearing a black hat trimmed with fur, looking extraordinarily stern. When seeing him, Yinyou was stunned for a moment, and then called out, "Fourth brother."

Yinzhen looked at the person who hadn't been seen for half a month standing ten steps away from him, and stopped. He had always known that Yinyou's smile was extraordinarily gentle, and by simply looking at his smile, his chest felt hot. Yet, staring at his smiling face today, he no longer had the joy of the past.

"Fourth brother?" Seeing that Yinzhen's expression was wrong, Yinyou approached in puzzlement, then stretched out his hand and waved in front of Yinzhen's eyes. "Fourth brother, what are you thinking?"

Yinzhen regained his composure, "I haven't seen you for more than ten days, and you have turned pale again."

Yinyou looked at the back of his hand which was indeed a little bit paler, and said regretfully, "As a man, having white skin is not something to be happy about."

"Man?" Yinzhen smiled slightly; thinking of Yinyou's bravery on the battlefield, he felt that Yinyou was indeed a real man everywhere and his slightly lighter complexion didn't affect this.

Reaching out to pat Yinyou's shoulder, a complicated smile appeared on Yinzhen's face, "Yes, you have grown up."

Then he turned around and walked in another direction.

Yinyou stared blankly at Yinzhen's back, but did not follow him like in the past. He didn't understand what was going on with Yinzhen recently. Yinzhen didn't come looking for him, and now even when he met him, he didn't ask him to accompany him. Before… it wasn't like this before.

Yinyou felt a little lost. Crushing a dead leaf under his feet, he stood there, not knowing what to do for a while.

"Seventh brother?" Yinsi passed by and saw a listless Yinyou standing at the gate of the Ministry of Revenue. He approached, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "What are you doing standing here?"

"Ah?" Yinyou turned around and saw Yinsi standing a few steps away, "Eighth brother, I'm fine."

Seeing that Yinyou's expression was not right, Yinsi smiled. "Since the seventh brother is fine, why don't we go drink tea together? I heard that a new teahouse has opened recently, and the other brothers also said that it wasn't bad."

Yinyou thought for a while, there weren't any other brothers around and there was only the eighth brother alone. He nodded, "That's fine, it happens I'm also free."

The two brothers walked forward side by side. Yinsi saw that Yinyou was still low-spirited, so he teased him, "The seventh brother is getting married soon, is there anything to be unhappy about?"

Yinyou sighed. Any uncle with a bland taste would not be very happy knowing that his future wife was an immature little girl.

"It's not that I'm unhappy, but I don't know what my Fu Jin will look like." He forced a smile. "Brother, don't think that you can make fun of me just because you married earlier."

When Yinyou thought that Yinsi's wedding was earlier than his, he felt he couldn't understand Kangxi's mind. Although both their marriage decrees were given at the same time, Kangxi actually let the younger brother marry ahead of the older brother. Just when others thought Yinyou wasn't favored, Kangxi asked him and Yinzhen to reward the army together, which was a great honor.

Even though his actual age was as old as an uncle, why was his brain so less smart than Kangxi? Could it be because of IQ? Kangxi was one of the greatest emperors in history, and the seventh brother was just a little dot of ink. They really weren't comparable.

"If the seventh brother didn't say this, I would've forgotten. Seventh brother, you still owe me a wedding gift." Yinsi saw the smile on Yinyou's face, and felt relieved. Although it was a reluctant smile, at least he was more energetic than before. "This younger brother reminds you for your own good. Don't let this younger brother continue thinking about your good things."

"Do you still care about this kind of thing?" Yinyou complained. "Otherwise, when I get married you don't need to send one, then we will be even."

"These words can't be said. Sending a gift is regarded as etiquette and kind intentions." Yinsi looked at Yinyou with a smile. "You can't just not hand it over."

Yinyou turned his head silently, and then secretly touched the white jade double fish pendant hanging on his waist. This jade pendant was quite valuable, and it could be used to buy tens of millions of things in modern times. Should he just give it away or go back and pick something else?

After walking for a while, the two came to a tea house called Manlou Qing3 and entered a small room with famous paintings and replicas of famous brush-works hanging on the walls. It was indeed a very fresh and elegant place.

Yinsi ordered a pot of Spring Green Shell tea, and some snacks and dried fruits before sitting down. The table was next to the window, and as long as the two got up, they could see the scenery of the street downstairs.

Tea and snacks were quickly brought in.

Seeing how Yinyou was drinking tea with his head down, he thought he must be quite fond of this tea. Yinsi asked unhurriedly, "How is the seventh brother's injury?"

"It's been nursed in the palace every day, and it's all right," Yinyou's expression was not the least bit worried. Apart from the times when his injury made him feel pain, other times he didn't care much about it. "Anyway, there was already something wrong with the left foot, and it's not the whole body that's affected. It's a blessing to have a leg, and speaking of it, you saved my life on the battlefield."

"Seventh brother, don't mention it. We're brothers."

Yinsi thought of the scene on the battlefield. How he saw Yinyou fall off his horse after the battle ended and how Yinyou endured his injury, chasing Galdan until his face was bloodless.

Yinsi's smiling face seemed to show admiration but also respect. "Seventh brother, if I am in such a situation, wouldn't you also save me?"

Frankly, Yinyou was a bit stunned. He had always been more wary of Yinsi, never considered him close and even though he occasionally protected him in secret, it was only because women in his previous life often said things like how pitiful the eighth brother was; as an adult, of course he would pity children. It was inevitable to take care of Yinsi by two points, but the premise was that it did not bring him harm.

Being distracted on the battlefield was dangerous. Maybe you saved someone one moment, and your head will fall to the ground the next; just like when he saved Yinzhen, but his left foot was also injured.

With a faint smile, Yinyou took a sip of tea, "The eighth brother's words really make me feel ashamed."

Yinsi bowed his head slightly. "Seventh brother, you don't have to say that."

Among all the brothers, only the seventh brother had a disability, and for his part, his mother's status was the lowest. Although the seventh brother treated him coldly, he was different from other brothers after all. At least, when no one paid attention to him, the seventh brother would say a polite word to alleviate his embarrassment. When learning archery, equestrian and martial arts, the seventh brother will stand not far from him, instead of being like the third, fourth or fifth child who acted like he wasn't even there.

It was normal for the seventh brother to have a good relationship with the fourth brother. Without the fourth brother's protection, the seventh brother may not be much better than him. It was probably fate that the fourth brother, who had always been cold-faced and cold-hearted, would be so attached to a lame brother.

E'niang once said that gathering and parting were fated, and good fortune and misfortune were all the grace of God. It's like he got Gorolo shi as Fu Jin plus the support of the Gorolo clan, but his Fu Jin turned out to be a shrew who treated him harshly and was extremely disrespectful to his E'niang.

If there was a loss, there was a gain. He has lost too much, so he must get what he wants. Even if this seventh brother who was a little special in his heart may one day stand against him because of the Crown Prince and the fourth brother.

After all, even his own marriage can be used as a tool. This meager brotherhood can be sacrificed, even if he's reluctant, to get what he wants, he must give it up.

Seeing Yinsi's head buried didn't put off Yinyou. He supported his chin in his palm as he tapped the teacup, "How can I forget this life-saving grace."

Raising his head, what Yinsi saw was Yinyou's smiling face, without a trace of perfunctory or alienation in him. Feeling his heart throb, he lowered his eyelids, avoiding Yinyou's eyes. "Seventh brother is too serious."

He felt he should pay back Yinyou's kindness from that snowy day when he was young, as well as Yinyou's kind reminders. Who owed more to whom, even he couldn't figure it out.

The two chatted about poetry, and gossiped for a while, but they didn't mention the life-saving grace.

It was the first time they had a calm and non-calculating conversation alone; Yinyou didn't mention the eldest brother or the ninth brother, and Yinsi didn't mention the fourth brother.

Listening to Yinsi's views on some poems, Yinyou suddenly thought, if there was no Yinzhen, and Yinsi's birth mother had a higher status, maybe Yinsi could really be a benevolent emperor. It was a pity that Yinsi was born at an untimely time, fate was indeed unfair to him.

After drinking tea and talking, the two went back to the palace together. When they parted, Yinyou surrendered, and gave Yinsi the double fish pendant hanging from his waist, with a look of reluctance.

Yinsi looked at Yinyou walking away, and spread his palm. The two fish on the jade pendant looked like they were about to cross the Dragon gate4. The carvings were vivid and clear, and while the fish's two dorsal fins were next to each other, the head and tail were one to the left and the other to the right.

Obviously they were so close, yet so far away.

It's amazing how this chapter has me crying for the second male lead. The only scene I remember made me cry for Yinsi was when he was crying on the snow, back then in chapter 4 and honestly didn't remember this chap. But also, I read this novel in MTL and missed a lot of things I wouldn't have understood without proper translation… Idk, I'm feeling sad for Yinsi *blows nose* —Bambi.

It was a tradition in Ancient China that before a man gets married, he should learn how to have intercourse so he doesn't spend years thinking he's working hard towards having a baby but being ridiculously wrong. Like this, the man was sent a woman to teach him and have his first experience. For Yinzhen, it was Song Ge Ge who appeared in earlier chapters.

This maid would become his tongfang. This is the only type of concubine men can get before marriage (it's etiquette to not have a concubine or concubine son before getting married, tongfang it's just a maid with a lil bit of prestige but a concubine is a half-master). If the man particularly likes this tongfang, only after getting married can the man raise this tongfang to concubine with the wife already married in. → 通房 tongfang: literally "passing through the room"; the lowest rank in concubine. Usually of low birth, likely former servants. From Dreams of Jianghu.

满楼清 mǎnlóu qīng. It comes from "a famous poem in China. It means: Drunk, he knows not the sky is afloat in the water; / A boat laden with sweet dreams weighs down the Milky Way." From HiNative.

龙门 Lóngmén. Mythical Dragon gate where a carp can transform into a dragon. You can read more here.