After resting for a while, Kangxi continued strolling through the temple fair.

He was having a thoroughly enjoyable conversation with Nalan Xingde and Gu Zhenguan.

Before long, Yinreng's gaze began drifting away.

He could understand their discussions about poetry and literature, but he simply didn't want to listen. So he put on the expression of a child silently declaring, "Adult conversations are boring," shook off his father's hand, and went to walk beside Fuquan instead.

Fuquan immediately scooped Yinreng into his arms, boldly abandoning his emperor brother without the slightest hesitation.

Watching the big and little pair happily fooling around together, Kangxi smiled helplessly and let them be.

Kangxi was extremely intrigued by the "Northern-Southern factional conflict" Yinreng had mentioned earlier.

But no matter how curious he was, he couldn't very well cling to his son and ask endless questions.

Didn't he, the father, have dignity too?

So Kangxi could only puzzle it out himself.

Although Nalan Xingde also didn't fully understand this "Northern-Southern factional conflict," many of the scholars in his circle came from both northern and southern regions. During daily interactions, those scholars would inevitably reveal regional prejudices from time to time. Nalan Xingde was emotionally sensitive and remembered those subtle tensions clearly.

Thus, when Kangxi asked, Nalan Xingde carefully recounted these observations, and the two of them tried to determine whether deeper meanings lay beneath those surface conflicts.

As a descendant of the Donglin faction, Gu Zhenguan had grown up immersed in the culture of literati politics and understood all the hidden twists and turns very well. Whenever Kangxi found himself uncertain, he turned to Gu Zhenguan for answers.

Gu Zhenguan kept wiping sweat from his forehead.

If possible, he absolutely did not want to answer.

How had disputes between gentlemen become factional warfare?

How had scholarly debates become struggles for interests and power?

Those upright moral exemplars, what dark dealings had they engaged in behind the scenes?

How did local powerful clans collude with court officials? How were those famous public figures carefully groomed from childhood to cultivate reputation and influence?

As a scholar himself, even if he truly was morally upright, Gu Zhenguan still did not wish to tear away the glamorous outer skin of the scholar-official class.

If such things spread publicly, he would never be able to remain among the literati again.

But the man before him was the emperor.

Could he refuse to answer the emperor's questions?

He could choose death to preserve his principles, but after finally gaining hope of saving his dear friend, he could not drag his friend down with him.

Kangxi: Your best friend is in my hands.jpg

Fortunately, the divine little angel Yinreng arrived to rescue Gu Zhenguan from misery.

Wearing a newly purchased tiger-ear hat, several brightly colored fabric flowers hanging around his neck, a tiny wooden pinwheel in one hand, and a rabbit lantern in the other, Yinreng ran over to stop Kangxi from tormenting Gu Zhenguan.

After running up to Kangxi, he looked at the pinwheel in his left hand, then at the rabbit lantern in his right, and realized that he had no free hand to tug at Kangxi's sleeve.

For some inexplicable reason, his brain short-circuited.

So he poked Kangxi with the pinwheel.

The moment Yinreng ran over, Kangxi had already stopped chatting and lowered his head with a smile to look at him.

Yinreng poked him with the pinwheel.

Kangxi remained unmoved.

Blinking in confusion, Yinreng then poked him with the rabbit lantern.

Kangxi merely smiled without speaking.

Yinreng alternated between poking him with the pinwheel and the rabbit lantern until Kangxi finally picked him up and held him eye-to-eye.

Laughing despite himself, Kangxi asked, "Baocheng, what are you doing?"

Yinreng replied, "I had something to say to Father."

"And then?"

Yinreng frowned in confusion. "What was I going to say again?"

He'd forgotten while poking.

Kangxi: "...Stupid son, you disappoint me."

Fuquan immediately stretched out his arms.

"If you dislike him, give him to me! Third Brother, let me hold my adorable nephew!"

Kangxi shot Fuquan a glance. "You've held him long enough already."

He had Nalan Xingde take the little toys from Yinreng's hands so the child could wrap both arms around his neck and sit properly in his lap.

"Remember now?" Kangxi asked with a smile.

Yinreng's eyes lit up. "I remember!"

"Go ahead."

Yinreng first let out a dramatic sigh before saying, "Father, stop bullying Gu Zhenguan. If you keep asking questions, he'll become a traitor to the scholar class and be condemned by everyone. His whole family might even be driven to death."

Gu Zhenguan: "..."

Your Highness, the Crown Prince, you really didn't need to say it that directly!

Kangxi frowned. "Is it really that serious?"

Yinreng nodded.

"Petty men are hard to drive to death. Gentlemen are not."

Kangxi sighed. "That makes sense. Fine, I'll ask around elsewhere. What about Yu Chenglong? I originally thought he was a rare incorruptible official…"

He laughed mockingly.

"The Qing salaries aren't exactly low. There's no need to abandon one's wife and children and live with nothing."

Gu Zhenguan: "!!!"

Your Majesty, are you actually trying to drive me to my death?!

Yinreng tugged at the fluffy fur collar around Kangxi's neck.

"Father, no one is perfect. We should judge people by their actions, not their intentions. If you judge by intentions, then there would be no good people. Lord Yu Chenglong truly achieved great political accomplishments and lived simply. That's simply a fact."

"You're right." Kangxi's emotions came and went quickly.

How could he not understand this principle?

Han officials already had an extremely difficult path to advancement. Without some striking and unconventional acts to cultivate reputation, how else could they attract attention?

From Shunzhi's reign to his own, two generations of emperors had struggled to reform officialdom, and those reforms had always been difficult.

Kangxi needed a model upright official, and Yu Chenglong was willing to endure the hardships of becoming that model. Their interests aligned perfectly.

"How did you suddenly become smart at a time like this?" Kangxi said, rubbing the tiger ears on Yinreng's newly bought hat.

Yinreng shot him a disdainful little look.

"Isn't that exactly the sort of thing Father says all the time? Were you praising yourself just now?"

Kangxi burst out laughing.

Abandoning Nalan Xingde and Gu Zhenguan entirely, he resumed playing with his son.

Fuquan trailed behind them, looking deeply lonely.

He'd only gotten to play with his Crown Prince nephew for a little while before his emperor brother stole him away again.

Nalan Xingde and Gu Zhenguan exchanged glances filled with amazement at the Crown Prince's actions.

Throughout history, there had been many child prodigies. Some scholars could compose poetry at age three and write brilliant prose by age five.

Not to mention that the current emperor himself had been considered a prodigy, already showing signs of becoming a wise ruler by the time he ascended the throne at eight years old.

The Crown Prince was already nearly five, so extraordinary intelligence alone was not surprising.

What truly astonished them was his instinctive grasp of human nature hidden within childish words and behavior.

Such understanding required both experience and talent. Some people spend their entire lives without learning it.

With a Crown Prince like this, as long as he did not die young, the empire's peace and prosperity for two generations would surely be guaranteed.

Gu Zhenguan was Han Chinese, and Han Chinese scholars generally already approved of the Crown Prince, so he naturally felt only delight.

But Nalan Xingde felt conflicted and anxious.

He personally admired the Crown Prince, yet his family stood politically opposed to him. Those opposing loyalties pulled painfully at his thoughts, leaving him with a splitting headache.

While Yinreng and Kangxi laughed and played, Yinreng happened to glance over and notice Nalan Xingde rubbing his temples with a furrowed brow.

He patted Kangxi's face and pointed toward Nalan Xingde.

Kangxi misunderstood immediately.

"What? Has Rongruo's sickly-beauty charm dazzled you?"

The "sickly-beauty" Nalan Xingde: "..."

Your Majesty, please stop.

Yinreng looked horrified.

"Father, shouldn't you be concerned about Guard Nalan's health instead?!"

Kangxi: "..."

He promptly shoved Yinreng's little head into his chest and calmly said to Nalan Xingde,

"What is it? Too much wind causing a headache? You're an imperial guard. How can your health be this weak?"

With his face buried in Kangxi's chest, Yinreng's muffled voice protested,

"Father, Father, concern and affection, not nagging and scolding."

Kangxi pressed his head down even harder, so Yinreng stopped making noise.

Nalan Xingde laughed helplessly.

"Third Master, I merely drank wine and caught some wind. It's nothing serious."

Yinreng finally wriggled his head back out of Kangxi's chest. The tiger ears atop his hat flopped wildly from the effort.

"Drink less. Drinking harms the body."

He shook his head in an old-fashioned, lecturing manner, causing the tiger ears to wobble back and forth.

"Good health is the foundation for achieving all ideals. Without health, there is nothing."

That was definitely one of Shunzhi's complaints speaking through him. Kangxi couldn't help laughing.

Wasn't Shunzhi the very definition of "dying before fulfilling one's ambitions"?

Nalan Xingde froze for a moment, then smiled softly.

"The young master is right."

Yinreng beckoned him closer. At Kangxi's signal, Nalan Xingde leaned down.

Yinreng stretched out as far as he could and pressed his two warm, chubby little hands against Nalan Xingde's temples.

"Rub rub. Blow blow. Pain pain, fly away."

And while doing so, Yinreng smugly thought: Absorb some of Nalan Xingde's scholarly aura, then rub it onto Big Brother, who gets headaches from studying every day.

Feeling the soft warmth against his face, Nalan Xingde's expression froze in surprise.

Kangxi coughed.

Jealous.

What should one do when one's son is too gentle? He was proud, certainly, but he did not particularly want his son to treat other people this tenderly.

Snapping back to himself, Nalan Xingde hurriedly thanked Yinreng.

Yinreng grinned, then kindly gave the jealous Kangxi a little head rub too.

Kangxi was instantly pleased.

Fuquan immediately reached out.

Uncle wants one too! Uncle wants one too!

Kangxi: "No. You don't."

Then he strode away, carrying his son in his arms.

Fuquan jogged after him desperately.

"Just once!"

"Absolutely not."

Several steps behind them, Nalan Xingde touched his own temples.

Gu Zhenguan sighed emotionally.

"His Highness the Crown Prince truly is…"

He thought for a long while, unable to find the right words to describe the Crown Prince.

In the end, he could only conclude: Anyone who met the Crown Prince would inevitably think, How wonderful it would be if this child were my own son.

Fuquan: Exactly. Want to carry him home.jpg

Before the palace gates were locked for the night, Kangxi returned to the palace with a heavily burdened Yinreng.

Kangxi had spent the entire day enjoying himself outside, so that evening he could only work by candlelight to handle state affairs.

Meanwhile, Yinreng had servants carry all his bundles and packages as he went to find Yinzhī for bedtime.

Yinzhī had been a little sour all day after learning that Yinreng got to leave the palace.

He wanted to go too.

But all that resentment vanished the moment Yinreng came running over carrying bags of gifts and insisting they sleep side by side.

My little brother really does love me!

The two brothers sat cross-legged on a large, cushioned couch while sorting through their purchases.

"This fabric flower is for Mother. This one is for Great-Grandmother."

"Brother, what about the Empress Dowager?"

"Ah, I forgot about the Empress Dowager."

"Which one is for little brother?"

"This one."

"Brother, giving little brother only a clay figurine doesn't seem very nice."

"He's too little to play with it anyway. Fine, add the cloth tiger too."

Yinreng and Yinzhī chatted back and forth as they divided a huge bundle of goods into several smaller piles. Every high-ranking consort in the palace would receive a share.

Yinreng planned to send the gifts out in both his and the Eldest Prince's names.

Yinreng said, "Even though I bought these while shopping, Big Brother helped sort them, so they count as gifts from both of us."

Yinzhī thought that this made perfect sense.

"Tomorrow we'll wear these together!" Yinreng held up a tiger-head hat.

This hat was even more exaggerated than the tiger-ear hat Yinreng had worn while out shopping. It was basically an entire tiger puppet head.

Once worn, their faces would peek out from the tiger's wide-open mouth, making it look as though a chubby baby were emerging from inside a tiger's jaws.

"Okay," Yinzhī agreed. "I wonder if Khan Father has tiger-fur coats. If we each had one, we could pretend to be big tigers."

"Let's ask Khan Father tomorrow," Yinreng said.

After dividing up the gifts, the two brothers climbed into the same blanket and continued chatting.

First, Yinreng told Yinzhī about Songgotu and Mingzhu.

Yinzhī sighed emotionally. "How are your poor relatives even more troublesome than mine? At least my poor relatives don't have high status, so they can't cause me too much trouble."

Then Yinreng complained to Yinzhi about Changning's "paralyzed face."

Yinzhī sneered coldly. "Relying on being an elder while behaving shamelessly. Tomorrow we'll complain to Great-Grandmother together!"

When Yinreng brought up Nalan Xingde and Gu Zhenguan, however…

Yinzhī wasn't interested in Nalan Xingde at all. But Gu Zhenguan, the man who had struggled for twenty years for the sake of a friend, interested him greatly.

"I don't understand all that poetry stuff," Yinzhī admitted, "but a loyal man? That's good."

He still wanted to say more, but before he realized it, Yinreng had already drifted off to sleep with soft little snores.

Yinreng had spent the whole day exhausted outside the palace. He was only forcing himself to stay awake while chatting.

Yinzhī pulled his little milk-dumpling brother closer and sat there in a daze for a while with his chin resting atop Yinreng's head.

From Yinreng's cheerful stories and occasional complaints, Yinzhī had noticed several things that deeply confused him.

Even the Crown Prince himself knew that Songgotu was ruining his reputation. So why didn't Father stop Songgotu? Why allow him to damage the Crown Prince's name?

The Crown Prince had never offended Prince Gong, so why did Prince Gong dislike him so much? And why did Father not even reprimand a prince for being so disrespectful toward the Crown Prince?

Yinzhi once again remembered all those people around him who constantly said that the Crown Prince was the most honored imperial son of the Great Qing, the heir to the nation, and the future emperor.

Those people were all gone now.

Mother had told him those people deliberately stirred trouble to provoke jealousy toward the Crown Prince.

Jealousy?

Yinzhi hugged the sleeping little milk-dumpling even tighter.

He wasn't jealous of his little Crown Prince brother at all. He simply couldn't understand the Crown Prince's current situation, and because he couldn't understand it, he felt afraid.

Perhaps adults considered many things children did not.

If it were him, and someone bullied the Crown Prince, he would simply throw punches.

But Father acted as though nothing had happened.

Yinreng: "Hnn… hnn…"

Yinzhī rubbed his face against the warm little dumpling in his arms, who was even warmer than a heater.

His mother said these matters weren't simple and that he would understand once he grew up.

How long until growing up?

As he thought about it, Yinzhī gradually fell asleep as well.

-----

The next morning, Yinzhī first instructed servants to distribute the gifts Yinreng had brought back. Then he directed the young eunuchs helping a still half-asleep Yinreng wash up.

Yinzhī had long since developed excellent habits from waking before dawn every day to study.

But Yinreng was different.

Yinreng only wanted to sleep.

As Yinzhī adjusted the tiger-head hat on Yinreng's head, he lectured,

"Didn't we agree to visit Great-Grandmother to pay respects and file our complaint? Don't tell me you plan to wait until lunchtime?"

Yawning, Yinreng grumbled, "We could go after lunch…"

"No!" Yinzhī declared firmly. "In a few more days, I'll have classes again. Rare playtime can't be wasted sleeping!"

Yinreng's little head drooped sleepily, clearly wanting to point out that you have lessons, but I don't.

While grumbling the whole time, Yinzhī fed Yinreng breakfast spoonful by spoonful.

Even half asleep, Yinreng managed to eat perfectly clean without getting a single crumb on the little bib draped across his chest.

Yinzhī rubbed the tiger head on Yinreng's hat approvingly.

"So good."

Then he ordered the eunuchs to carry Yinreng as they headed together toward the Cining Palace to complain.

Consort Hui watched with a smile as Yinzhī fussed over the half-awake Crown Prince.

After the two little ones left, she sighed emotionally.

"Eldest Brother is becoming more and more like an actual older brother."

The old nanny beside her smiled.

"The Eldest Prince acts especially mature in front of His Highness the Crown Prince."

Consort Hui sighed softly.

"I hope the two of them always stay like this."

She had long since given up any ambitions of having Yinzhī compete for the throne. In that case, there was nothing better than a close relationship between the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince.

Of course… if the Crown Prince who loved her son so much eventually ascended the throne, that would be even better.

"Prepare things. I'll visit Consort Yi today."

Changing into fresh clothes, Consort Hui chose to walk gracefully rather than ride in a sedan chair.

She had promised Yinzhī that she would take good care of her health and strive to outlive Kangxi.

Her daily visits to other consorts were now her form of exercise.

-----

By the time Yinzhi dragged Yinreng to Cining Palace to complain, Changning was already there.

Knowing he had offended Kangxi, he had hurried over to seek reinforcements from the Grand Empress Dowager.

As long as the issue wasn't too serious, he could usually cry and fuss a little before her, and she would indulge him.

Shunzhi had a few surviving children. Among them, only Fuquan, Kangxi, Changning, and Longxi were still alive. Longxi had been sickly since childhood and clearly would not live long, making Changning effectively the Grand Empress Dowager's youngest grandson.

Now old in age, she treasured her grandchildren dearly and naturally tended to protect Changning.

However, matters involving the Crown Prince were different. The Grand Empress Dowager would never blindly side with Changning, so she intended to ask questions carefully first.

Changning was currently using selective storytelling to explain that yesterday's conflict with Kangxi had all been a misunderstanding when Yinzhī suddenly burst in, dragging Yinreng behind him while radiating fury.

"You still dare come here?! Are you trying to accuse us first?!" Yinzhī shouted, shielding the still-yawning Yinreng behind him while pointing accusingly at Changning.

"Don't think I'll be afraid of you just because you're an uncle!"

Yinzhī's sudden explosion of anger startled Yinreng so badly that his yawn stopped midway.

His sleepy, half-open eyes were filled with misty tears.

Changning was just about to get angry himself when the Grand Empress Dowager hurried over anxiously, wrapping one arm around Yinzhī and the other around Yinreng protectively.

"What happened? Eldest Brother, speak slowly. Great-Grandmother will stand up for you."

Seeing tears in Yinreng's eyes instantly enraged her.

Her two precious great-grandsons had never looked this wronged or angry before. Something serious must have happened!

Changning stood there blankly.

Wait, they hadn't even explained anything yet, so why are they already convicting me?!

Grandmother, you were never like this before!

Yinzhī and Yinreng immediately began talking over one another in complaint.

Yinreng: "Father said Uncle's face was stiff like he'd had a stroke!"

Yinzhī: "He was deliberately giving us attitude! How did my little brother offend him? Father even gave him a chance to step down, yet he still refused!"

Yinreng: "I just lost my balance. I didn't fall."

Yinzhī: "What kind of elder pushes little kids?! Does he even have shame? What if my brother got hurt? How would he compensate for that?!"

Yinreng: "He only bumped me accidentally. It didn't hurt."

Yinzhī: "My little brother is so tiny and fragile! Even if it was accidental, he should apologize! Instead, he accused my brother of framing him! Is he even worthy of being framed by my brother?!"

Changning exploded.

"Eldest Prince, what nonsense are you saying?!"

Yinzhī stubbornly lifted his chin.

"What nonsense? I'm telling the truth! You did it yourself and now won't admit it?"

Changning's expression darkened.

"Don't forget, I'm your uncle!"

"I know you're my uncle, which makes me even angrier! As an uncle, you don't protect your nephews! Instead, you bully us and then complain about us afterward! What kind of uncle are you?!"

If the Grand Empress Dowager hadn't been holding him back, Yinzhī would have already launched himself at Changning to bite him.

His little brother had been bullied outside, and Father hadn't stood up for him, so Yinzhī had come to Great-Grandmother for justice.

And now Changning dared to try to accuse them first?

Absolutely unacceptable!

"Enough, Changning!" the Grand Empress Dowager snapped.

Changning looked aggrieved.

"Imperial Grandmother, you know my temperament. How could I deliberately bully children?"

"What temperament? I know your rotten temperament perfectly well!"

Changning: "..."

That was annoyingly reasonable, but this time he really was innocent.

The Grand Empress Dowager spoke coldly.

"Go home and reflect on yourself. Don't leave your residence for the next few days. Otherwise, if the emperor becomes angry, I absolutely will not protect you."

Changning: "...Yes."

For the Grand Empress Dowager to say this already counted as protecting him.

After all, she could hardly punish Changning merely for giving the Crown Prince a bad attitude. If word spread, people would simply dismiss Changning as his usual unruly self, but the Crown Prince's prestige would suffer greatly.

If even the emperor's own brother did not respect the Crown Prince, how could the Crown Prince's authority remain stable?

The Grand Empress Dowager understood that Kangxi's restraint yesterday had surely been motivated by the same concern.

But although Kangxi could tolerate things temporarily, that did not mean he would tolerate them forever. Sooner or later, he would certainly find another excuse to punish Changning.

And yet Changning still dared to enter the palace and argue with the Eldest Prince today?

Did he want to be sent to guard imperial tombs?!

"All right, all right, don't be upset anymore. Great-Grandmother will make him leave."

The Grand Empress Dowager comforted the two children while ordering people to bring delicious treats and toys to cheer them up.

Rubbing his eyes while struggling to stay awake, Yinreng murmured,

"I'm not upset. Thank you, Great-Grandmother. Thank you, Big Brother."

Yinzhī pressed his lips together silently.

Making Changning leave? Wasn't that just protecting him? Great-Grandmother wouldn't even scold him properly!

How infuriating!

Was there seriously no one in the palace besides him who wanted to protect his little brother?

"Grand Empress Dowager! Consort De has gone into labor!"

Just as the Grand Empress Dowager was comforting the children, someone rushed in with the news.

The Grand Empress Dowager immediately lit up with joy.

"Consort De is giving birth? Quickly, prepare the sedan!"

Yinreng immediately declared, "I'm going too."

Wow. The famous Fourth Little Brother was finally about to be born?

Since he was being born two or three months later than in history, he would no longer be premature. Hopefully, this version of Fourth Brother would eventually be able to pull at least a four-and-a-half-strength bow.

Thinking this, Yinreng nearly snorted with laughter.

Seeing Yinreng's excited expression, Yinzhī suddenly had an epiphany.

Adults were unreliable.

But if he gathered more younger brothers together, maybe all of them united could protect his silly little Crown Prince brother?

"I'm going too!" Yinzhī immediately declared.

Third Brother adored the Crown Prince so much; surely the other younger brothers would too.

No one could dislike the Crown Prince except filthy adults!

"Good, good, let's all go together," the Grand Empress Dowager said with a smile.

What worried her most was the conflict among the imperial brothers. Though they were still young, the fact that they already showed such anticipation and affection for their siblings meant they would surely remain close in the future.

And that, she thought with emotion, was because the Crown Prince had set such a good example.

Then she grew angry at Changning all over again.

If that troublesome grandson kept courting disaster like this, sooner or later, the emperor would really send him away to guard the imperial tombs.