Blessed by God Chapter 10: 46 to 49, a manhua/chinese comics/漫画 fanfic

Remember that Yinyou was born in the 20th year of Kangxi. Right now, he's 15 years old, while the fourth brother is 17. Yinsi was born in the same year as Yinyou.

Annotations for easier reading:

The Crown Princess's surname is "Shi".

The princes' legal wifes are called Fu Jin which means "wife" in Manchu (the Qing Dynasty was a Manchu family, from the grasslands).

The Fu Jin will be called second, third, fourth, etc according to the princes' order. So Fourth Fu Jin refers to Yinzhen's wife, since Yinzhen's the fourth son of emperor Kangxi.

The author created a name for Yinyou's Fu Jin: Min Hui. So she's Min Hui Hada Nara. In history, the women's names were never recorded so this is a fake name.

Chapter 46. The tragic1 marriage of little seventh

At the end of November in the 35th year of Kangxi, the seventh prince Aisin Gioro Yinyou married the daughter of Deputy Governor, Hada Nara shi. At this time, the seventh prince's mansion was just newly built, the garden was brimming from auspicious red decorations, and the guests were full of enthusiasm.

They initially thought that the seventh prince was not valued by the emperor because of his low birth, but who knew! The emperor actually favored him so much, sending gift after gift, the emperor's rewards were like flowing water, even more numerous than when the eighth prince married his Fu Jin.

The officials sitting in the outer room saw that many imperial concubines also sent eunuchs with congratulatory gifts, plus the emperor's numerous rewards, and secretly clicked their tongues. Although the seventh prince could not inherit the throne, looking at it like this, the Holy One in the palace really seemed to value him.

"The Crown Prince is here! The fourth prince is here!"

"The first prince is here!"

"The third prince is here! The fifth prince is here! The eighth prince is here!"

The princes arrived back and forth, and the officials present were busy greeting them, each sizing up the princes' temperament, unwilling to let go of any opportunity to beat on the right man. Yet it's a pity they could only have such brief meeting since the princes and the minister had to sit in separate rooms.

In the other room, all the princes' Fu Jin looked very harmonious. The Crown Princess Shi shi held a teacup, glanced at the fourth Fu Jin and the eighth Fu Jin and put down the teacup with a smile, "Why didn't the fourth sister take Honghui out today? I heard my Master say that Honghui is a smart and cute child. I haven't seen him for a long time and I do miss that child a little."

The fourth prince's Fu Jin, Shu Ya, got up to saludate the Princess Consort, and replied. "I made the Crown Princess worried. Honghui is still young. Today is seventh brother's big day. If the child begins crying, it will not be beautiful."

Shi shi nodded. She also knew that the fourth Fu Jin was always a careful person, so she stopped mentioning this matter and started talking about other things.

On the other hand, the eighth Fu Jin, Gorolo shi, was a little displeased. She had been married to the eighth prince for a year already, but she was still not pregnant. She thought to herself that there was a hint of ridicule in the words of the Crown Princess, and her face sank. Her face was still gloomy when the banquet started.

The female relatives of seventh Fu Jin's maiden family were also sitting in the inner hall. It was a happy day and seeing the eighth Fu Jin's gloomy expression, they were a bit displeased. Still, because of Gorolo shi's powerful family, they silently endured it.

Imperial Consort Cheng had been bestowed the emperor's grace and was thus able to attend Yinyou's wedding banquet. She looked as usual, as if she didn't see Gorolo shi's rude behavior, yet under her sleeves, she tightened her hands holding the handkerchief.

The Crown Princess was being served closely by maids. Secretly, her eyes swept over the eighth Fu Jin. She took out a handkerchief to wiped the corners of her mouth, hiding a trace of ridicule. A child born to a lowly slave also wanted to compete with her Master for the Crown Prince position? He even thought that marrying a woman from Gorolo shi's family will bring him benefits. Yet, looking at that woman's brainless appearance, one couldn't predict whether it would be a blessing or a curse…

"Fourth brother, we are here to toast today, not to drink."

Yinxiang noticed that as soon as Yinzhen sat down the table he'd began drinking several glasses of wine. Since the two of them were sitting together, he couldn't help but say something. "What does this look like? Wait for the seventh brother to come out and watch, what he will think?"

Yinzhen put down his wine glass, and answered calmly, "As his older brother, I've been taking care of him for so long. I only drank two more glasses of wine from him today, could it possible that he won't let me drink?"

The thirteenth brother felt that what the fourth brother said was also reasonable, but he always felt that the expression of the fourth brother was not right. Still, no matter how he tried to guess what was wrong with the fourth brother, he wasn't able to discern anything and finally, in a sullen mood, decided to eat some bites of the dishes in front of him.

As soon as Yinyou appeared, he was surrounded by several brothers, and then there was a toast to the left and to the right. On this kind of day, it was not inconvenient for him to refuse and in the end, drinking so much, he staggered.

In a daze, there seemed to be a person behind him supporting him, and that person seemed to be very familiar. Turning his head, it was indeed Yinzhen, so he just leaned his whole body's weight on him.

"No, no, if I drink any more, I'm going to faint."

"Knowing you're going to faint, it seems to me you're not drunk enough yet."

Yinzhen stuffed a glass of wine into his hand, and wrapped his other arm around his shoulder. "No matter what, you should give your fourth brother face and drink this glass."

Yinyou was so dizzy that his hand holding the wine glass trembled and even some spilled outside. He turned his head to look at Yinzhen and frowned, "Fourth brother, can't I not drink it?"

The man's eyebrows were picturesque, his eyes were shiny like stars, and his face was like a bright moon. Yinzhen felt that at this particular moment, no one in the whole world was more beautiful than Yinyou. He slowly tore his gaze away, "If you don't want to drink, then don't drink, that's all."

"Drink, I'll drink." Yinyou tilted his head and downed the glass.

A pity that this action was too heroic, which made his dizziness worse. His standing was also unsteady and he wobbled, almost falling down.

Yinzhen hurriedly stretched out his hand to support him, but like him, another person also moved very quickly to hold Yinyou down.

The eyes of the two met in the air, and it was the eighth brother who spoke first. "A spring night's moment is worth a thousand gold. Come and send the seventh brother into the bridal chamber."

After speaking, he let go of Yinyou's hand.

Two young servants came up. Seeing that the fourth brother was still supporting the seventh Master, they didn't dare to pull him so they just silently buried their heads and looked at their toes.

"Hold him carefully, don't let your Master fall."

Yinzhen finally loosened his grip on Yinyou's wrist, and looked away from the drunken man. Clearly, the house was brimming with people's energy and the decorations were beautifully red, yet the pain in his heart was even worse than when he himself got married.

When Yinyou woke up the next day, he felt that his forehead was hurting badly.

The woman sleeping next to him was only a girl in her teens. He took advantage of the drunkenness last night to make things happen, but for such a half-grown girl, there was always an indescribable strange feeling he couldn't get rid off.

On the second day of their marriage, they needed to go to pay their respects to the palace. Yinyou got up from the bed and was changed by a maidservant. After everything was done, the woman on the bed was still quiet, so he asked someone to wake up Hada Nara shi.

Waiting for a long time, he finally saw his Fu Jin came out from the inner room. She was wearing a Fu Jin's official dress. She was about fifteen years old, and although her appearance was very ordinary, she was still pretty.

Min Hui greeted Yinyou, and after that, the two of them had breakfast together, then climbed the carriage to go to the palace.

The sound of the wheels made Min Hui feel a little uncomfortable. As a daughter of the Hada Nara family, she had no choice in her marriage, but she felt regretful and unhappy about her future husband being a lame man.

Glancing at the man sitting across from her with eyes closed and meditating, she lowered her head and twisted the handkerchief in her hand. The seventh brother was handsome, yes, but he was still a disabled prince. In the end, that's all she could do for the rest of her life.

At the palace gate, Yinyou got out of the car first, then turned around and went to help Min Hui.

Min Hui saw the beautiful hand in front of her eyes, and slowly extended her palm to his. The warmth of his palm made her panic decrease.

When Min Hui got out of the carriage, Yinyou let go of her hand. He had always respected women, and this move was just a habitual action without any other meaning.

After greeting Kangxi and the Empress Dowager, Yinyou took Min Hui to Xianfu Palace to greet Consort Cheng.

After the two entered the hall, Consort Cheng was already dressed and waiting. She was naturally happy when her son got married, and so she rewarded Min Hui with many jewelry. She then pulled the couple to talk for a long time before letting them leave.

After the two of them left Xianfu Palace, Consort Cheng let the smile on her face slip away and took off the pearl-encrusted nail cover on her little finger.

To the old momo who had been by her side for many years, she said quietly, "Why does bengong think this Fu Jin is not a attentive person?"

The old mama also noticed that Fu Jin seldom looked at the seventh brother when he was talking. At the threshold, she didn't even care that the seventh brother was injured and crossed over herself. It was an eunuch next to Yinyou who helped the seventh brother cross and she didn't even turn her head.

"Mistress, this marriage was bestowed by the emperor, so it is naturally good. But Mistress, you're the seventh brother's birth mother, so it's only right that you find a good Ce Fu Jin2 for the seventh brother in the future."

The old momo bowed to her Mistress, her words were spoke in a calm, reasonable manner.

"That's true." Consort Cheng put the nail cover back on her fingertips, with a hint of a smile on her face.

After leaving Xianfu Palace, there was not much to say between the newly married couple. Even though the weather was cold, the husband and wife walked together with a distance of two steps.

"Master, the fourth brother is at the front."

The atmosphere on this journey was dull, and Fu Duo himself was also trembling with fear. Now seeing the fourth brother, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fourth brother," Yinyou also showed a hint of joy on his face.

Thinking of the scene in Xianfu Palace just now, he felt a slight disappointment this was his wife. Yet, as a man, he needed to be responsible for this woman. Even knowing all of this, he couldn't get past his emotions.

"Seventh brother." Yinzhen glanced at Yinyou.

Seeing the woman beside Yinyou, the smile on his face faded a little, but before he had time to say anything else, he saw the seventh brother hurrying towards him.

"Be careful." Yinzhen hurried forward and took a few steps, stretching out his hand to support him. "Your injury was so long ago but it's still not cured yet, it's all because you're not careful enough! Even now, you're in the palace yet you're still like this!" The more words he spoke, the more his face darkened.

"Fourth brother, don't be angry, my injury is nothing serious. There are so many imperial doctors in the palace, and I have been back to the palace for almost two months. How can this be so serious!" Yinyou smiled cheerfully, hearing Yinzhen's words, he was instantly in a good mood.

"Of course you're fine now but when you get older, you'll have to suffer!" Yinzhen frowned, but seeing that Yinyou was still smiling without a concern, he sighed and said helplessly, "You're so old. You know it yourself, me, I'm too lazy to talk to you."

Yinyou raised his eyebrows. After talking so much, why bother to say this? Those authors who wrote Emperor Yongzheng as cruel and taciturn should transmigrate here to see what the real Yinzhen looked like. If this was called cruel and taciturn, no one would believe it.

"You send the seventh Fu Jin back to the mansion, I still have something to discuss with the fourth brother." Yinyou waved his hand to his entourage, and dragged Yinzhen away.

Secretly, he was thinking that this Fu Jin didn't seem to understand the rules. As the seventh Fu Jin, meeting one's in-laws in the road, shouldn't she greet the fourth brother?

However, this road was not going to the Yonghe Palace, how did the fourth brother get here?

After the two left the palace together, Yinyou sighed in a low voice, in his handsome face there was not a trace of happiness. He more or less understood Yinzhen's heart on the second day of Yinzhen's wedding. It was so different marrying someone one loved and someone one didn't love. Yet, his fourth sister-in-law still cared about the fourth brother. Not like that woman this morning. She was clearly awake, but she still hid under the covers and only dared to secretly look at his lame foot. Only after he went out of the inner room was she willing to get up.

As a man, it was truly depressing not being able to confide in anyone about this kind of matter.

Seeing that Yinyou's complexion was not good, Yinzhen recalled Yinyou's behavior with his newly married wife. Yinyou was polite, but not eager enough. Thinking about this, even when seeing Yinyou's complexion was not good, Yinzhen's mood still couldn't help but get better.

When an imperial prince got married he was allowed three days off so he could accompany his Fu Jin. It stands to reason that the couple was young and energetic; and like burning firewood, the relationship of the newly weds should be fiery and harmonious, yet on the fourth night after his wedding, Yinyou moved into his own courtyard.

After all, although he didn't care about the deformity and ugliness of his left foot, it didn't mean that he liked to look at Fu Jin's dodging eyes every night, and the undisguised disgust in her eyes when she accidentally glanced at his lame foot every night.

As a man, he would take good care of this young woman, but he couldn't get close to her. Even as an old uncle, his heart could be hurt occasionally.

杯具 bēijù. (slang) (pun on 悲劇｜悲剧, tragedy) so bad / terrible / bummer / fiasco / debacle

This is the highest rank a concubine can be, she's a bit like a second wife, but she's still a concubine. A bit like Cefei.

In earlier chapters I referred to the farmstead as a Zhuangzi, since's that's the usual translation in webnovels, but I decided that I should just use farmstead. Just know it's something that the characters inherit from their family, that allocated them food and so they don't have to buy food from outsiders since they have their own source, which leaves them with more money. Also, I posted this on the 31st of August, so this should also count as releasing it September 1st, right? (๑ •̀๑) —Bambi

Chapter 47. One is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer

When Min Hui married in, she didn't say anything about wanting to be the mansion's housekeeper, so Yinyou didn't say anything either, and thus, the mansion was still being managed by the steward. Fortunately, the mansion was newly build, and there were few people in the family with just a few farmsteads, even if the servants wanted to take a bite, they couldn't embezzle that much.

"Master, this fish was brought by a village woman from the farmstead. The mansion's cook saw that it was fresh, so he made this Jumping Dragon1 dish for Master to try." Fu Duo carefully served Yinyou's meal.

Yinyou took two bites, and suddenly asked, "Has Fu Jin gone to pay her respects to E'niang these days2?"

The smile on Fu Duo's face was a bit awkward. "It must be cold these few days, and Fu Jin is weak, so she hasn't entered the palace yet."

Hearing his words, Yinyou immediately lost his appetite. Let alone the feudal period, even in his previous life, it was the most basic thing for a husband and wife to be filial to each other's parents. He could turn a blind eye if she didn't want to manage the mansion, but Min Hui's being unfilial to his E'niang was too much for him to bear.

Glancing at the sky outside the door, he sighed. The weather had indeed cooled down these days.

He put down his chopsticks, "Since Fu Jin likes to eat in her room, I won't ask her to eat together in the future. What she wants, as long as it isn't against the rules, you can give. Fu Duo, you will help supervise the house affairs from now on. Fu Jin is young and inexperienced, so you don't have to bother her with these trivial matters."

"Aye," although his Master's words were thoughtful, Fu Duo understood that the Master didn't intend to take care of this Fu Jin carefully, and neither wanted to give her the right of being the housekeeper. It seemed that the Master was really annoyed with this one. Master should just provide food and house for her, but will not love or pamper her. Alas, the Hada Nara family didn't know how to raise a daughter.

After rinsing his mouth and hands, Yinyou was still in a bad mood. As a man who had lived two lifetimes, he could understand the capriciousness of teenage girls. He also disliked the feudal dynasty's thinking of regarding women as tools.

Yet, Min Hui had grown to her current age being pampered until she was married off to him. She was now his responsibility.

He could be considerate to her while disliking Min Hui's behavior. Since he found it difficult to beat and scold her, the best was to stay away from her. After all, out of sight, out of mind.

After sitting in the study for a while, he dug out a storybook.

It turned out to be a story about a scholar and a bewitching temptress. He tossed the book aside in boredom, and thought of the Crown Princess in the Crown Prince's mansion who was a famously good housekeeper. Then he thought of the virtuous fourth sister-in-law in the fourth brother's mansion. He even thought of the well-known elegant fifth sister-in-law in the fifth brother's mansion.

Many times, he changed position on the chair yet he still felt uncomfortable.

After thinking for a long time, Yinyou finally figured it out. Anyway, it was no one's fault this feudal society didn't allow free love. He should just think of this Fu Jin as he was raising a idler, he didn't have to toss and anguish so much because of a strange woman.

"Come here, change your Master's clothes!"

After leaving the study, Yinyou's mood gradually improved.

Back into the bedroom, Fu Duo brought another eunuch to wait on Yinyou. Seeing that Yinyou looked better, he felt relieved. If something happened to the seventh prince, Consort Cheng would have to strip him from his skin. "Master, it's early noon. If you want to go somewhere, I will ask someone to prepare a sedan chair for you."

"No need." Yinyou picked up a jade pendant and handed it to Fu Duo. "Master will go to the fourth brother's house for a walk. It's so close to us, where's the need for a sedan chair?"

When Fu Duo heard this, he stopped worrying about the Master going out. If the Master went to other princes' houses, he will still remember to pass a pre-greeting card so as to warn the host, but if he was going to the fourth brother's house, frankly, it was just like going to the Master's own house. When his Master swaggered right into the fourth Master's mansion, the porter's eyes will not stray away.

Helping the Master wear a fur vest, Fu Duo looked outside the door.

"Master, still, there's snow outside, why don't you ask someone to prepare a sedan chair for you. If Master gets sick, it will be this slave's fault."

Thinking of his Master's injury, Fu Duo felt worried. If Master really slipped, he would not have a good ending.

"Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion." Yinyou took the leather hat handed over by the little eunuch and put it on. He pointed to the two eunuchs in the room with a smile. "You two will come with your Master, and Fu Duo will stay to look after the house."

After an imperial prince was allocated his mansion, the courtyard where the princes stayed in the palace3 would also send some eunuchs to the newly build prince's mansion. These eunuchs had all served the imperial sons for many years, and they were more reliable than those slaves in the mansion who nobody knew where they came from. It was those eunuchs sent from the palace that Yinyou kept serving him closely and today too, they followed him out.

"Hiss, why is it so cold today?" Hugging a few books close to his chest, Xiao Luzi hurried across the bluestone road in the yard, stamped the snow on the floor under the eaves, and looked down carefully at the books in his arms. The books were not stained with snowflakes, so he walked into the courtyard with a peaceful mind. "Master, permission for this slave to enter."

"Come in." Yinzhen finished the last stroke, put down the brush, and looked up to see Xiao Luzi coming in with several books. Without caring that Xiao Luzi wasn't saluting properly, Yinzhen's gaze went straight to the books. "Are these the latest scripts4?"

"Answering back to Master, this slave noticed that many literati like to buy these stories to read, presumably the seventh Master will be interested."

Xiao Luzi read the names of the books out loud but Yinzhen didn't have any impression after listening. He ordered him to put them all down. Yinyou ran to him every day or two, and sometimes spent the afternoon in his study reading some travelogs, or just lazing around. The common theme was that Yinyou couldn't read any serious books.

As soon as the books were put down, a servant came to report that the seventh brother had arrived. Yinzhen looked at Xiao Luzi's newly bought acquisition, and scolded with a smile. "This bastard, even when it snows, he never forgets to come to my place to eat and drink." Yet the smile on his face couldn't be hidden no matter what.

Xia Luzi received his reward and exited the study just in time to meet Yinyou who was walking over. Xia Luzi greeted him with a smile.

Yinyou stuffed some trinkets to him before asking casually, "How busy is the fourth brother?"

Xiao Luzi was also astute, knowing that the seventh Master was worried he would disturb the Master's business, he cleverly said, "Master was very bored today, hearing that the seventh Master is here, it's too late for Master to be happy."

Hearing this, Yinyou didn't worry anymore and walked into the study.

Xiao Luzu stood under the eaves, listening to the voice of the seventh Master in the study and occasionally the smiling voice of the fourth Master would also come up. After a while, the study gradually quieted down.

Presumably one was reading the storybook, and the other was practicing calligraphy. Xiao Luzi secretly laughed in his heart, this Seventh Master was really! Even when wanting to read a storybook, he needed to read it here. It also happened that his Master could stand the seventh Master coming to his house three to five days a week to eat and drink his fill. One was willing to fight and the other was willing to suffer5, it could be considered they were a perfect match to each other.

Xiao Luzi rolled up his sleeves and stood guard in a shelter from the wind, just in case the two Masters inside had something to do, he would be able to wait on them in time. After standing for a while, he saw a eunuch walking over with a few plates of snacks and a pot of tea. Even without taking a careful look, he could tell that they were snacks in the southern style that the seventh Master liked, and the tea was the seventh Master's favorite Green Snail Spring6.

After delivering the snacks, the little eunuch walked to his side and announced. "Eunuch, the seventh Master said that it's cold outside, you go back to the house to rest. If something happens, the Masters have the guards in the yard to attend to them."

Xiao Luzi thanked him, turned around and walked towards his room. Whether the person who spoke was the seventh Master or his Master, it didn't affect his walking speed at all. After all, the seventh Master had said this in front of his Master, and his Master hadn't disagreed. Thus, he only needed to do what he was told.

In the blink of an eye, the New Year's Eve banquet in the 35th year of Kangxi came. The eldest brother was brave on the battlefield, the Crown Prince supervised the country, and the fourth brother rewarded the army. However, since Yinzhen's temperament was cold and aloof, it was the Crown Prince who stole the banquet's limelight.

Yinyou received very little attention. Although Kangxi had been recently rewarding him at every turn, everyone in the harem thought that this was Kangxi's compensation for his injured foot. The attention paid to him was obviously not as good as that of the rest of the princes and Yinyou was also very happy.

After the banquet was over, Yinyou and Min Hui went out of the Qianqing Palace, and unexpectedly met the eighth prince and eighth Fu Jin.

Looking at the eighth Fu Jin who was luxuriously dressed, Yinyou unconsciously remembered how unmannered this woman was more than a year ago. This time around, Gorolo shi didn't greet him, and he too acted like he didn't see it. After chatting with Yinsi casually, he was about to walk away from them, when eighth Fu Jin Jin suddenly spoke.

"Are you the one who scared my horse a year ago?" As soon as the words spilled out, the eighth Fu Jin Jin felt that something was wrong. After all, the seventh prince hadn't said anything when her horse hurt him that day, but she'd gone and admitted it herself. This crime of harming the royal family was probably a bit troublesome to deal with.

Yinsi heard this, and followed along her words with a smile on his face, "Has Fu Jin met the seventh brother before?"

Eighth Fu Jin smiled naturally, "There was something wrong with my carriage last year, and we happened to met by chance."

Hearing this, Yinyou thought to himself that although the eighth Fu Jin was headstrong, she was still smart.

Yinyou promptly joined the conversation, "The horse of eighth sister-in-law was frightened that day, and it happened that the guards around me calmed it down. It turned out that the person in that carriage was actually the eighth sibling, look at us now, a family."

The eighth Fu Jin Jin heard Yinyou's words go well, and answered a few words casually, and the matter was considered to be over.

"What are the seventh and eighth brother doing standing here? It's so cold, why don't you go back to the house to rest earlier?" Yinzhen walked in, glanced at the two of them, but didn't look at the two Fu Jins. "Could it be that you are here to enjoy the winter night view?"

"Fourth brother." Yinyou politely greeted him, and Min Hui behind him also greeted him honestly, it looked like she had grown a lot.

The eighth Fu Jin didn't move but just followed Yinsi's words and called 'fourth brother' then stood aside without making a sound.

"Fourth brother is joking. This younger brother happened to meet seventh brother, so we said a few words casually. This younger brother didn't expect the fourth brother to come this way." Yinsi then offered, "Since such is the case, how about us brothers going together?"

Yinzhen's gaze swept across the eighth Fu Jin behind Yinsi with calm eyes, "Sure."

The eunuch and maid helped the seventh Fu Jin and the eighth Fu Jin to walk in another direction, leaving the three brothers walking outside the palace in silence.

The snow on the palace road was swept clean. Yinyou looked at the ground, then at the sky, at the two quiet people around him, and finally, he yawned, "In this weather, it would be better to lie on the bed and sleep more." Then he'll be more comfortable. Instead, at this time period, there were quite a lot of New Year's rules and not to mention sleeping in, afraid he slept less than usual.

The corners of Yinzhen's mouth perked up slightly hearing his words. He was used to Yinyou's lazy temperament, and internally, he wondered how such a lazy person was able to stay in the barracks for so long.

Listening to this, Yinsi glanced the lazy expression on Yinyou's face, and commented, "If the seventh brother's words are known to Huang Ama, Huang Ama will probably scold you for being a bastard7 again."

Yinyou pursed his lips, looking not the least bit worried. "This bastard is also Huang Ama's son, so even if Huang Ama scolds me, he should feel reluctant to say much."

After hearing this, the smile on Yinsi's face became complicated, and he didn't say anything more.

Yinzhen, who was walking on Yinyou's left, looked as usual as he attentively supported Yinyou, "Be careful of your steps, it's snowing again."

Looking at Yinzhen's hand holding Yinyou's arm, Yinsi smiled, with a trace of loss that even he didn't understand in his eyes.

A few days later, the seventh prince was summoned by the emperor to play chess in Qianqing Palace. He played only a few matches since he always regretted his moves, and for this he was told off a lot by the emperor. Even when playing this badly, he still managed to eat a lot of fresh fruits from the Qianqing Palace which made the emperor scold him again, this time for being a bastard. Then the emperor said that in the future when the seventh brother came to the Qianqing Palace he was not allowed to eat any of the good fruit.

But that night, the seventh prince's house still received some fruits rewarded by the emperor. This way, the seventh prince's foodie reputation was successfully spread around and even the Empress Dowager joined in the fun, cracking a few jokes.

The translator has something to say: I think the last bit when Yinyou is called by Kangxi to the palace and bestowed favor (A.K.A, the fruits and how him being a foodie is a quirky trait and not him being lowly), really shows how much eyeliners the emperor has in the palace. I think this happened because the chat between Yinyou and Yinsi was heard by some spies and then relayed to Kangxi, which made Kangxi feel that Yinyou really saw him as his father, and not only the emperor. Also, I was re-reading some chapters and I noticed that in chapter 28, the emperor started suspecting Yinzhen's feelings for Yinyou! I never noticed that. As Bee said, this novel is really suitable for re-reading a bunch of times cuz every time, you catch a different thing you didn't notice before!

跃龙门 yuè lóngmén. "Jumping Dragon". It's a dish where a fish is fried till crispy in a curvy pose. You can watch the recipe on this YT video.

It's customary for the daughter-in-law to greet her parents-in-law every morning, or at least, some previously agreed days, like once every five days. This is called being filial, and filial piety is China's greatest virtue. The fact that Yinyou's Fu Jin isn't going to pay her respects to Yinyou's mother is obviously, disrespectful, rude, and perhaps has the meaning of looking down on Yinyou and his mother.

Since the emperor has many children, often, when they have grown up and they're ready to go to school, these children will all go to a courtyard where there are his other brothers. Yinyou should've gone to this place too, but he was sent to the South Three Halls by Kangxi earlier in the novel, which I take as a sign of favor. Other princes who have more favored mothers, or high-ranking noble mothers, will be allocated a specific place, like Yinyou. Some children will also be given to other concubines if their birth mother was too low on status, like what happened ot Yinzhen and Yinsi.

话本 Huàběn. Song and Yuan literary form based on vernacular folk stories. The stories can be "historical tales, often drawn from the history of the Three Kingdoms (220–265) or the Five Dynasties (907–960)", some "specialized in Buddhist stories" and others talked about "stories of bandits, fantastic stories of ghosts and demons, love stories, and such." Source.

An idiom from chapter 46 of «Romance of Three Kingdoms». Yu Zhou hit Gai Huang in order to cheat the enemy, thus, the punishment is given by one and accepted by another. It's mean both parties are willing.

碧螺春 Bì luó chūn. It is a renowned green tea for its delicate appearance, fruity taste, floral aroma. The name Green Snail Spring was given by Emperor Kangxi: «According to the Qing Dynasty chronicle Ye Shi Da Guan, the Kangxi Emperor visited Lake Tai in the 38th year of his rule. At that time, because of its rich aroma, local people called it Scary Fragrance. The Kangxi Emperor decided to give it a more elegant name, Green Snail Spring.» We're still in the year 35th of Kangxi, as you can see, it appears the author has once more, forsaken official history. Source.

混小子. A youngster who's muddled-headed, idle and just living life drifting along. (I translate this as a bastard, since this is how I've been translating it, but probably a more suited term would be… Salted fish? Every time someone calls Yinyou a bastard, this is what they mean.)

Remember that Yinyou was born on the 20th year of Kangxi. Thus, in this chapter, Yinyou should already be 16, and Yinzhen 18-19!

In this chapter, the princes get upgraded! As Corie explained in her blog, "Titles are granted to the prince if he has proven himself to his father. There are three typical types for princes: junwang 郡王 = prince of second class , qinwang 亲王 = prince of first class, and taizi 太子 = crown prince. (…) Princes typically get named junwang first, and as they prove themselves with more accomplishments they'll get promoted to qinwang. There can be as many qinwang or junwang as there are princes, but there can only be ONE taizi [Crown Prince]. Taizi is the heir to the thrown. In most cases, taizi can be any of the princes, not necessarily the oldest prince. Taizi is just taizi, no name or other characters are added before this title but qinwang or junwang are usually given a "name" honorific: [title]-junwang, or [title]-qinwang. The "title" in this case is typically 1 character long (1 syllable)."

Here's the list of titles:

Heshuo qinwang, commonly simplified to qinwang, translated as Prince of the First Rank or Prince of the Blood. Shizi meaning heir son, refers to the heir apparent to a qinwang.

Duoluo junwang, commonly simplified to junwang, translated as Prince of the Second Rank or Prince of a Commandery.

Duoluo beile means lord, prince or chief in Manchu, commonly simplified to beile, and translated as Prince of the Third Rank, Venerable Prince, or Noble Lord.

Gushan beizi commonly simplified to beizi, and translated as Prince of the Fourth Rank, Banner Prince or Banner Lord.

The four ranks above were granted solely to direct male-line descendants of the Emperor.

Chapter 48. Bestowments of Titles

In the spring of the 36th year of Kangxi, Kangxi crossed the Yellow River to inspect Ningxia, and at the same time sent two armies to attack Galdan. Galdan died of poisoning, and the eight-year war with Galdan ended.

July in Beijing was so hot that people sweated all over their bodies, as if they were fished out of the water. If it weren't for the fact that in this era one couldn't be shirtless, Yinyou would want to walk around the house bare-chested.

The ice cubes placed in the room melted in no time, and their cooling effect wasn't good. Yinyou sat in the shade of a tree and kept shaking his fan. Even more, the maid fanning him was too weak and the wind from her fan was close to none.

"Master, the kitchen brewed this iced milk to relieve the heat." Fu Duo brought a bowl of milk.

Yinyou took it over, and forgoing the mannered act of sipping with a small spoon, he directly poured the bowl into his mouth. After drinking half of it he finally felt that the heat in his whole body drop down.

Chengde, Imperial Mountain Resort

There were a lot of things going on this year, and Kangxi had no plan to go to Chengde1 to escape the summer heat. The princes would naturally have to stay honestly at their mansion. In a few days, due to their victory defeating Galdan, the imperial princes would also follow Kangxi to offer sacrifices to their ancestors. Thinking of the layers of the prince's official clothes, Yinyou immediately felt hot and sweaty again.

Seeing this, Fu Duo took the fan from the servant girl's hand, and fanned Yinyou, "Master, this slave heard that there were people added to fifth prince's mansion2."

Yinyou waved off his hands, and replied indifferently, "The servants in the fifth brother's house are capable, and it's not a big deal to add someone to their mansion. You can just send a gift."

Fu Duo thought that among the grown-up princes, only his Master and the eighth prince had few women in their backyards. Since gotten married with the seventh Fu Jin, the Master seldom rested in his Fu Jin's room. Usually, Fu Jin would just quietly stay in her own yard and embroider, which saved some trouble. At least, Master didn't marry one home like the eighth Fu Jin, if that was the case, them, as slaves, would be the ones to suffer.

"Today Mistress Cheng sent someone here. Said she was told to serve you, Master."

Yinyou froze, "From which family?"

"I heard that she was raised by Mistress Cheng's family. This slave thinks she looks quite virtuous." Fu Duo smiled cautiously.

On one side, he had to do as Mistress Cheng ordered, and on the other hand, he had to take into account the intentions of his Master. Alas, his Master was not a womanizer, otherwise this business would be less difficult to do.

Yinyou nodded, "How is her character?"

"The person who sent her said that she was the second daughter of her family, and she was usually considered honest. Her father is a third-rank military official3 and her education is good." Fu Duo saw that his Master had no intention of refusing, and put forward good words for the woman.

"Since she was sent by E'niang, let's give her face. You can handle her affairs."

The woman was already here. If he sent her back, this woman may have a hard time in the future. His E'niang will also lose face. Yinyou understood that Consort Cheng, as a mother, couldn't wait to give her son attractive women. Although he was a little bit against these precept, he still had to adapt to the environment here4.

"Aye," Fu Duo accepted the order happily, and began to think about which courtyard to arrange this new girl.

"You all go down, I will sit for a while by myself." Yinyou yawned and leaned lazily on the Taishi chair.

Several serving servants retreated. Yinyou shook his fan, drank two sips of ice milk, and fell asleep drowsily with squinted eyes.

This sleep was actually a dream about those things in the previous life. His parents died early, and he stayed with relatives. Although he had his parents' inheritance and was not treated harshly, he didn't get much affection. After graduating from university, he entered the workforce and competed against others. The woman he liked ended up marrying a second-generation official, who had a better future than a person with no background like himself. Such a choice was considered normal in a cruel society. He didn't hate it, he simply felt sad. He died in a daze, and now, apart from his parents in the previous life, only Consort Cheng was the one who really treated him well…

"Seventh brother, why are you here alone?" Yinyou felt a gust of cool wind blowing, opened his eyes and saw that it was Yinzhen holding a fan and shaking it for him, his face was full of worry.

Seeing that Yinyou's expression was not right, Yinzhen squatted down, distressed and frowning, "Are you not feeling well?"

Yinyou stared blankly at Yinzhen who was still fanning him while sweating all over, and the last care and defense against Yinzhen in his heart disappeared. At this moment, he couldn't help but smile, "It's okay, I just fell asleep and was in a daze. I had a messed up dream."

"You're still laughing, what does the sweat on your forehead look like?" Yinzhen took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat on Yinyou's forehead, "There are a lot of insects and ants outside, and it won't help even if you light up some incense yet you're still lying outside. If the ice in your house is not enough, I'll ask someone to bring you some, besides the ones given by Huang Ama, I have saved a lot in my house."

Let Yinzhen, the future Emperor Yongzheng wipe his sweat? Who else would get this kind of treatment? Yinyou was very, very proud and so he stretched out his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead on Yinzhen's sleeve, making Yinzhen so angry that he flicked Yinyou's forehead. "Sit down, your mansion was built not long ago, and there are few trees with little shade. If you have nothing to do, you can sit in my house, it's much cooler than yours."

"That's a good idea. The two of us share ice, which saves money." Yinyou smiled playfully, "It's just a pity that you have Fu Jin, or we can sleep together at night, it'll save us even more money."

Yinzhen's eyes flickered slightly, and then he replied in a deep voice, "What are you talking about? After hearing this, people would think that the princes in the Great Qing can't even afford two pieces of ice."

Yinyou's words were actually extremely unorthodox. This fault was why Yinzhen scolded him, but there was also a small mistake he caught on which showed him Yinyou closeness.

Yinyou laughed twice, and asked Yinzhen to continue fanning him.

"Do it yourself. After squatting for a long time, my legs are sore." Yinzhen threw the fan back into Yinyou's hand, stood up and kicked his legs; inwardly, he was thinking about what Yinyou said before, and his heart was extremely happy. What Yinyou said just now at least showed that he didn't resist sleeping together5.

"Fourth brother, since it's cooler in your house, let's go to your house." Yinyou waved his fan and stood up unsteadily.

Seeing his appearance, Yinzhen sighed, and led his little tail to drink iced lotus seed soup. The servants in Yinyou's mansion watched their Master go out with a "I knew it would end like this" expression on their faces.

It seemed that their Master was going to the fourth brother's house to stole some good things again; he had good tea in spring, ice in summer, and fresh meat and fruits in winter. They have been serving the Master for three seasons, and they were used to his antics. They secretly wondered what will the Master get from the fourth prince this coming autumn.

Another few days passed, and Yinyou was served by someone to change into court clothes, and he and his brothers worshiped the mausoleum and heaven and earth together6. Yinyou didn't need to do much, he just needed to kneel where he should kneel and stand where he should stand.

Hearing Kangxi's impassioned announcement to heaven, Yinyou knelt on the ground, feeling beads of sweat dripping down to the ground. Except for Kangxi's voice, the surroundings were so quiet that even people's breathing could not be heard.

Kneeling properly until the ceremony was over, Yinyou's eyes darkened after standing up, and when he got into the sedan chair, he felt that he couldn't see anything in the sedan chair, so he closed his eyes and rested for a while.

There were no pedestrians on the street, the doors of the shops were closed, and there was no other sound except the sound of horseshoes. Sure enough, the TV shows where the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven and there were crowds of people watching the excitement all around was just floating clouds.

Not to mention anything else, just think of the National Day military parade7 in later generations; there was no reason for ordinary people to watch casually, let alone in the old feudal dynasty.

In Dream of the Red Chamber8, when a concubine went out of the palace to visit her relatives, people had to pave the road and repair everywhere, as well as follow various etiquettes; it was such a complex situation, the royal family offering sacrifices to heaven must be even more so cumbersome.

Dragging his soul, Yinyou climbed out of the sedan chair. He felt that his whole body was soaked, sticky and greasy, and he was very uncomfortable. Looking at his other brothers, their complexions were not much better, especially the Crown Prince who was tossing with Kangxi, his face was already glowing red from the sun.

All the princes, relatives and ministers were standing in the hall; the emperor did not speak, and no one dared to leave.

Kangxi sat at the head, and signal to Li Dequan holding out several imperial edicts, then, he read them one by one.

Everyone understood that this was a reward for meritorious deeds.

All the ministers who participated in the war received rewards, among which Fiyanggū and Maska received the most generous rewards, and then it was the turn to confer titles on all grown-up princes. ①

Yinyou knelt on the ground. He didn't know in which year Kangxi conferred titles to his sons, but according to his age, he should have the title of Prince of the Third Rank or Prince of the Fourth Rank.

The eldest brother was promoted to Prince Zhi of the Second Rank, the third brother was promoted to Prince Cheng of the Second Rank, the fourth brother was promoted to Prince Yong of the Second Rank and the fifth brother, the seventh brother and the eighth brother were all promoted to Princes of the Third Rank.

Several adult princes now had titles, and some ministers in the court turned their minds9 but soon enough, restrained themselves.

When Yinzhen heard that he was promoted to be Prince of the Second Rank, he was somewhat surprised. He thought that since Fiyanggū had won the military merit this time, Huang Ama would suppress him10. At most, he would get be a Prince of the Third Rank, he was still a bit young and Huang Ama should be reluctant to give him a higher rank. Thus, he didn't think much but unexpectedly, he was actually given a higher rank. He didn't expect that Huang Ama's will would surprise him so much this time.

After leaving the palace, the brothers congratulated each other. The eldest brother invited the younger brothers to listen to an opera in his villa in a few days. The eldest brother asked, and the younger brothers agreed one by one.

Only after leaving the palace and reaching Yinzhen's residence did Yinyou relax his tense body.

"This younger brother is here to congratulate my oldest brother," Yinyou smiled and cupped his fists at Yinzhen.

Seeing that the joy in his eyes was not fake, Yinzhen smiled and followed along, "As an older brother, I also congratulate the seventh younger brother."

Yinyou smiled cunningly, "Yeah, at least, the monthly salary will be increased."

Yinzhen shook his head with a helpless smile. In fact, he was still a little uneasy about being named Prince of the Second Rank. This uneasiness made him decide to be more careful in the near future, for fear that what Huang Ama would think he was arrogant.

Looking at Yinyou who was smiling so hard that his eyes could not be seen, Yinzhen thought to himself that the seventh brother's rank was perfect for him, he couldn't be said to be treated coldly by Huang Ama, but he was also not treated preferentially. This perfect balance was a relief.

The author has something to say: ① In history, little fourth was promoted to the Second Rank in the 37th year11 of Kangxi, I was ahead of time O(∩_∩)O~ Make way, I'm here to make little fourth a Prince of the Second Rank!

The translator has something to say: Yinyou is now Prince Chun of the Third Rank! According to the original timeline, in the 48th year of Kangxi, (1709), Yinyou 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.

Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde The Kangxi, Qianlong and Jiaqing emperors often spent several months a year here to escape the summer heat in the capital city of Beijing and the palace zone in the southern part of the resort was therefore designed to resemble the Forbidden City in Beijing.

People refers to women. So the fifth prince married a concubine home.

参领. Cānlǐng. Military assistant. "(…) In charge of the subordinate's war preparations, military registration, litigation, household registration, land and residence, etc." Baidu.

If Yinyou sends the woman back to her family, she would become a dishonor for her family, and she would never marry in her life again, either she would be confined in a courtyard forever forgotten or be sent to a nunnery. Ancient china was very patriarchal and emphasized on filial piety. Since Consort Cheng, his birth mother, bestowed someone to him, he had to accept her, else he would be called unfilial and his mother would be ashamed and angry, and would lose reputation among the harem women. (Don't instill modern values to a feudal dynasty, it's not realistic!)

In chapter 35.1, Yinyou disliked sleeping together with Yinzhen. Now in chapter 48, he doesn't. (Yinzhen's like, "Omg, the frog has been boiled! Can I start eating him up now?")

"Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) emperors followed the routine rituals at the mausoleum temple every three years. In addition, they also personally presided over sacrificial ceremonies at the Imperial Temple of Emperors in Beijing." "The Ming and Qing imperial tombs are natural sites modified by human influence, carefully chosen according to the principles of geomancy (Fengshui) to house numerous buildings of traditional architectural design and decoration. They illustrate the continuity over five centuries of a world view and concept of power specific to feudal China." Source 1, 2.

National Day, holiday celebrated on October 1 to mark the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The holiday is also celebrated by China's two special administrative regions: Hong Kong and Macau. You can watch the 2019 parade here: YT link.

Wikipedia: "A novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known for its psychological scope, and its observation of the worldview, aesthetics, life-styles, and social relations of 18th-century China."

Meaning they now had ideas to support a prince to reach the throne (a titled prince shows merit and legitimacy). But this has to be done secretly, lest the now Emperor knew of their disloyalty.

The author holds Fiyanggū as Yinzhen's father-in-law (historically untrue) so that's why Yinzhen thought he would be suppressed. Since he had a powerful relative, he would need to be repressed so as to not surpass the Crown Prince.

1698

The Qing Dynasty started in 1644 and ended in 1912, so this novel is set in the first (golden) years of the dynasty while the images I'm about to show you are set in the last few years of the dynasty. Thank you for reading. —Bambi.

Chapter 49: Unforeseen event

Swearing brotherhood,

they're overjoyed to find like-minded friends.

Peach blossoms are also smiling at the altar.

Swearing brotherhood,

They share the ambition to serve the kingdom.

Oath of Peach Garden (Spotify, sang by Liu Huan 刘欢)

The dust had settled regarding the titles of the princes. The older ones were very satisfied, and the younger ones had no objections. After all, titles depended on age, seniority, and meritorious service. One's performance on the battlefield should also be very heroic.

Although the third prince's performance on the battlefield was average, he was excellent in poetry, calligraphy and painting. In addition, his birth mother, Consort Rong had been favored by the emperor for many years, and being a Prince of the Second Rank was feasible. The other younger ones, like the seventh prince, may have great military achievements, but he was still young, so he could only be a Prince of the Third Rank.

The eldest brother's mansion was far away from Yinyou; the closest to him were the fourth brother and the eighth brother. The three of them were basically neighbors. Yinyou went out from the main entrance and invited the fourth brother and eighth brother to go with him; regardless of their true feelings, they had to put on a good show of brotherhood, after all, they were each in their own sedan chairs, and they couldn't see each other.

Arriving at the eldest brother's mansion, Yinyou got out of the sedan chair. Someone had already handed over his name card, and the housekeeper personally awaited them at the entrance.

"Servant greets the fourth Master, the seventh Master, and the eighth Master. Master has been looking forward to you for a long time," the steward bowed to welcome the three of them into the mansion.

After walking for a while, Yinyou saw a stage set up in the garden, on which singers were performing and the eldest brother stood in front and waited for them in a brocade robe1.

The brothers greeted each other, and not long after they sat down, other brothers came one after another. They talked and laughed together with wine and snacks. Overall, the atmosphere was very pleasant.

Already years ago, Yinyou already knew that the eldest brother didn't like him very much. Thus he sat quietly on the side and listened attentively to the opera, and only after listening for a long time did he finally figure out which play it was. It turned out to be "Oath of Peach Garden"2. Yinyou had always held a heart of admiration for opera, a national quintessence treasure3, but he really lacked the ability to appreciate it. At most, just look at the body moving and listen to the voice singing, whether it was good or not he didn't understand.

"Didn't expect these opera performers4 in the eldest brother's villa to be this good. I heard they are the girls found and brought back by the eldest sister-in-law." The third brother smiled and took a sip of clear tea. "Sister-in-law is very virtuous."

"The third brother is joking, didn't I hear that the Ge Ge5 in your house added a little baby boy to you two days ago?" The eldest elder brother smiled a little, obviously very satisfied with his wife raising these playthings6 for him. "Performers are just that, what's so nice about them? If you like, I'd send you some for you to raise."

When the third brother heard the words, his smile faltered slightly, but then he laughed again, "If the eldest brother is willing, the younger brother will definitely not refuse."

Two wealthy merchants eat and enjoy the company of girls paid to sing. These men, as part of the bourgeois, would be major targets of the new regime after the Communist Revolution. Beijing. 1901. See clearly here.

Hearing the two brothers' tone as if they were discussing a few Chinese cabbages, Yinyou couldn't help thinking that if these two were really to transmigrate to the modern age, they'll be fine if they're powerful and wealthy but if they had a normal family background, just this virtue, the majority of single women will despise them and think that they are wasting air, obstructing sight, and wasting food, condemned to be forever bachelors. Yet, at this time and age, actors were no different from playthings in the eyes of ordinary people, let alone these princes who had no shortage of women.

"I heard that the seventh younger brother accepted a Ge Ge a few days ago, he's very lucky," The eldest brother commented, but there was a hint of irony in his voice.

All the brothers present knew that the seventh brother's Fu Jin's family was average at best, and now one year had passed and she wasn't pregnant. Now, there was one more Ge Ge with a mediocre background. Except for the eighth brother, there were many other brothers with at least a Ce Fu Jin and Shu Fu Jin7.

"It's just a girl who hasn't grown up, what kind of blessings can she bring?" Yinyou pretended not to hear the sarcasm in his words, and calmly took a sip of steaming tea. "This reminds me of a few days ago when I played chess with Huang Ama and he made fun of me as a foodie whose only redeeming quality is not being obsessed with beauties, pity me."

When the eldest brother heard these words the smile on his face turned ugly. These words were obviously self-deprecating but were also a taunt back to the sarcasm he'd previously deployed. Since he couldn't contradict Huang Ama, he could only reluctantly offer an insincere smile, "It's exactly as what Huang Ama said."

These words implied that Yinyou had no other skills, and Yinyou accepted it with a smile. His unflappable demeanor only made the eldest brother lose his enthusiasm and once again, he accurately felt that he and his seventh younger brother didn't seem to match well!

The eighth brother was the only one of the brothers with just one Fu Jin and he didn't even have a Ge Ge. While the elder brother's words were clearly mocking him, he maintained his composure and smiled from start to finish, never once letting on a hint of displeasure.

Recently, the emperor was going to let the clan and children of the Eight Banners to participate in the provincial examination8. Some dissolute youngsters who walked around swinging bird-cages on the streets9 now began to feel anxious, and even had the idea of using connections to get a place in the list of accepted candidates. Thus, the eldest brother has received a lot of "gifts" in recent days, and it was inevitable that he will be a bit over the top in both words and action. Now that his enthusiasm had been splashed with cold water, he even felt that his words were inappropriate yet seeing that Yinyou didn't care for it, he suppressed his thoughts; whether he looked left and right, he would not find a more unimportant brother than Yinyou and he didn't need to bend over to apologize or justify himself.

The fourth brother had been indifferent to their scuffle from beginning to end, and because several brothers also knew of his cold temperament, there was no one who was foolish enough to provoke him. In this way, the eldest brother and the third brother became the main characters of this brotherly play.

As Yinyou observed the performance of the eldest brother and the third brother, he also secretly sneered. No wonder they couldn't compare to Yinzhen. Both of them were proud of becoming a Prince of the Second Rank and didn't even stop to think about Kangxi's suspicious disposition. There was also the Crown Prince whose ambitions were getting bigger and bigger, why didn't they think that the more prominent they were, the more the Crown Prince will regard them as thorn in his flesh?10

Ha! "Luckily," he was still the eldest brother! Why can't he learn from the fourth brother?

Turning his head to look at Yinzhen who was quietly drinking tea, Yinyou secretly approved. As expected of the future Emperor Yongzheng, he knew the virtue of keeping a low profile. Apart from that shiny forehead, Yinzhen's appearance was considered pretty good among the brothers. Although his temperament was cold, his appearance had a hint of elegance. The combination of the two made him even more outstanding. But when it came to the most beautiful face, the first thing Yinyou thought of was of the thirteenth brother's lovely face.

Some people in later generations said that the ninth brother looked like a woman. In fact, the ninth brother was only average in appearance among brothers, and Kangxi did not favor him very much. On the contrary, the thirteenth brother's looks followed that of the lucky boy in the New Year's painting and Kangxi favored him very much.

"What is the seventh brother thinking?" Seeing that Yinyou was holding a teacup in a daze, looking stupid, the eighth brother couldn't help laughing and casually asked, "Did something good happened?"

"It's not like that," Yinyou shook his head, put down his teacup, and sighed, "Thirteenth has a lot of homework recently and no chance to go out of the palace, so he asked me to bring him some food from outside for him to taste. I got busy and forgot until today."

The eighth brother also laughed when he heard these words. Several brothers knew about the close relationship between Yinyou and the thirteenth brother. The thirteenth brother started pestering the seventh brother to draw him some puppies and pigs since he was very young, and now he was still very close to Yinyou.

Yinzhen on the side heard Yinyou's words and joined in, "No wonder, I met him the other day and he asked about you, so it was him looking forward to your food." After speaking, he shook his head. "Tomorrow I will ask someone to send some in for you, lest we keep him waiting."

Hearing this, the eighth brother frowned slightly and lowered his head to take a sip of tea. The brothers were very careful when sending food, how could they even think of sending food on behalf of others? If something happened in the middle, no one could testify to it. For a person as cautious as the fourth child, to say such things, it seemed that his relationship with the seventh brother and the thirteenth brother was really close.

Yinyou felt that he had saved himself a task, so he happily agreed, and then continued to appreciate the quintessence of Chinese opera.

After the brothers gathered for a while, they each got up and bid farewell, being the perfect image of brotherhood and respect.

After leaving the eldest brother's lofty villa, Yinyou breathed a sigh of relief, and only when the Crown Prince's sedan chair moved forward, did he got in his and started leaving. He simply wanted to distance himself from these brothers who were excellent in both attacking or defending.

While shaking the fan, thinking about the scene of the brothers' gathering from a few days ago, Yinyou suddenly opened his eyes wide. This time, the Crown Prince didn't say much from the beginning to the end. Even when the eldest brother said something rude, the Crown Prince smiled. Him being like this was really shocking.

What a Crown Prince hated the most was someone threatening his position, was the Crown Prince holding back now but secretly planning something?

Fanning vigorously, Yinyou lifted up the screen window and wisps of wind blew in; he immediately felt comfortable physically and mentally. Oh, well, fight all you want, as a matter of fact, he only knew the ending of the eldest brother and not how…

The summer was gradually passing, the leaves were starting to turn yellow, the weather was getting colder, and autumn had already a month in. The provincial imperial examination had ended, and the princes closed their doors to refuse guests; each one of them worked in a low-key manner, for fear of getting into trouble.

Yinzhen was copying Buddhist scriptures in the study room when he heard the sound of impatient footsteps outside the study. Displeased, he frowned, and said in a deep voice, "Who is making noise outside?"

Xiao Luzi, who was waiting outside the study, hurried in, and then knelt down with a plop, "Master, the news has just come that the pregnant Ge Ge in the seventh Master's mansion, both mother and child are gone! This servant heard that the fetus had already taken shape. It was a baby boy."

Hearing this, Yinzhen was startled and due to his sudden movements, the ink splashed onto the paper without him realizing it; it took him a long while to come back to his senses, "What's going on?"

Xiao Luzi kowtowed again, "This slave doesn't know. But the seventh Master's house is in a mess at the moment, this slave heard that the seventh Master was so angry that he smashed several precious porcelains in the house. Fu Duo, who serves closely at the seventh Master's side was worried and send someone to tell the Master."

Putting down the writing brush in his hand, Yinzhen didn't even consider to change his clothes. "What are you doing in a daze, you're still not moving! Let's go to the seventh brother's mansion!"

As soon as Yinzhen arrived at Yinyou's mansion, he saw that the servants were panic-stricken. When he arrived at Yinyou's courtyard, he saw several servants kneeling outside in a row, and he asked Fu Duo in a quiet voice, "What's going on? How is your Master?"

Seeing that it was Yinzhen, Fu Duo replied honestly but in a hurry, "This servant greets the fourth Master. Today, when the Lord came back, he heard that Ge Ge's child was gone. Just when the imperial doctor had arrived, Ge Ge too followed the child. The imperial doctor's diagnosis was that Ge Ge's food had problems, hearing this, the Master lost his temper. Now he has locked himself in the room. Us servants are all worried about the Lord's health, asking the fourth Master to help persuade the Lord."

After finishing speaking, he knelt straight down in front of Yinzhen.

The translator has something to say:

Lord = Master.

Who do you think plotted against Yinyou's Ge Ge? You guessed it right, it is…

I did some digging for this chapter, as you can tell from the long footnotes. I am pleased with finally having understand the "bird-keeping" hobby of the noble dudes, apparently, the Qianlong emperor himself loved birds. While I researched that bit, I thought of Mulan's grandma and her lucky Cricket, pff.

Ty for reading!

Bambi.

Clothes showed rank. The more elaborate the clothes, the higher the status of the person wearing them.

桃园结义 táoyuánjiéyì. Lit. Oath of Peach Garden, it means to make a pact of brotherhood (from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"). "Oath of Peach Garden" talks about the oath bound the three men to be of one mind and devote themselves to their country in the Three Kingdoms period. / The story is often alluded to as a symbol of fraternal loyalty. The three men's solidarity, loyalty and righteousness have inspired Chinese people for generations. / Bambi: It's a very cool melody, and I love the male voice, please listen to it here: Youtube (without subs) and Spotify. / You can see the scene from the 2010 adaptation on YouTube with English subs (captions): Here. On minute 26:04 begins the music Yinyou's listening to!

The Peking opera is regarded as an expression of the aesthetic ideal of opera in traditional Chinese society and remains a widely recognized element of the country's cultural heritage. The traditional repertoire of Beijing opera includes more than 1,000 works, mostly taken from historical novels about political and military struggles with little to no romance.

戏子 xìzi. (derog.) opera singer / actor. It was considered a low-status job. Wikipedia: "Qing dynasty emperors repeatedly banned female performers beginning with Kangxi Emperor in 1671." (Since we're in the 36th Year of Kangxi (1697), the ban should already be implemented. It may be the author's mistake.)/ "In 1912, with the collapse of the Qing empire, its ban on female actors in theatre was officially lifted. The early Qing emperors' repeated prohibitions banished women from the imperial stage (with a few notable exceptions), because the Manchu rulers were concerned about female performers' sexual appeal, which was said to threaten social morality." 2013, Guanda Wu.

Ge Ge is the polite Manchu title concubines receive.

One of the ways the legal wife attained favor was sending beauties to his husband, if they had children, the women would always recognize her as their backer since without her, they wouldn't gain the opportunity to be favored, and the wife also gained the fame of being virtuous.

Di Fu Jin is the main wife or first wife, she's the highest ranked woman in the backyard of a prince. Ce Fu Jin means side Fu Jin and she's the second wife, she can't top the first wife though. The third level of prestige, that is, the third wife, is the Shu Fu Jin. / To explain where the irony comes from: "Polygamy was an affirmation of male potency. The presence of many women connoted a strong ruler blessed with fertility." (…) "Taking multiple wives was a way in which men made themselves appear exceptional. The exceptional men distinguished themselves from all other men and women by exerting privileges that others did not have. Their exceptionality had a kind of magical or even sacred quality to it, as if they harbored an essence that made them something like gods. Polygamy also of course relied on the social and economic power of men. Women became concubines because they suffered social and economic disadvantage." (From The Institution of Polygamy in the Chinese Imperial Palace by Keith Mcmahon, 2013. Recommend reading it, it's super interesting

乡试 xiāngshì. The triennial provincial imperial exam during the Ming and Qing. "Racial quotas were placed on the number of graduates permitted. In the early Qing period, a 4:6 Manchu to Han quota was placed on the palace examination, and was in effect until 1655. Separate examinations were held for bannermen from 1652 to 1655 with a ten-point racial quota of 4:2:4 for Manchus, Mongols, and Han Chinese."

In China, a pronounced appreciation for bird keeping arose during the Qing dynasty. As aviculture spread throughout the country, many men would stroll through the early morning streets, swinging their birdcages back and forth like a pendulum. To this day, Chinese bird keepers swing cages to encourage birds to grip to their perch, an exercise which prevents birds' feathers from falling off. Source. (Bambi: so rich playboys with a hobby of bird-keeping).

刺在他肉里 cì zài tā ròu lǐ. This idiom implies that the person or issue in question is a continual source of frustration or trouble for the individual. It often refers to a longstanding problem or annoyance that is difficult to eliminate or resolve.