Yinzhī was soon tossed back into studying by Kangxi.

Every day, Yinzhī had to get up at dawn. Yinreng felt immense sympathy and worry for this.

Counting on his fingers, he calculated that in another two years, his official tutors would take up their posts. Once that happened, Kangxi would drag him out of bed every morning to study.

Pain!

Children who don't sleep properly won't grow tall!

Even though Yinreng thought this way, he was currently still a child without any nightlife. He rose with the sun and slept at sunset, so he actually got plenty of sleep.

Still, the thought of studying filled him with dread.

In his previous life, he had studied exceptionally well, striving for perfection in everything.

This time, he definitely couldn't be perfect. If he became perfect again, he might end up confined to a little courtyard without a grand estate or hot springs.

But pretending to be lazy and refusing to study wasn't an option either.

Based on Yinreng's understanding of Kangxi, if he made any mistakes, it would always become someone else's fault. If Yinreng dared say he didn't want to study, or slacked off too much, the people serving him would be the first to die, and his teachers would also be reprimanded and punished.

Kangxi might even conclude that the other princes had led him astray and forbid him from interacting with his brothers.

Yinreng remembered the servants of Yuqing Palace who had been beaten to death after he "made mistakes" in his previous life; Songgotu, who had died imprisoned; the members of the Crown Prince faction who had been executed or tortured to death…

During the struggle of the Nine Princes for succession, even the people belonging to his Eldest Brother, Eighth Brother, or the other princes rarely lost their lives, no matter how much Kangxi disliked them.

Only the people around him had all died.

People always said Kangxi became too sentimental and merciful in his later years.

But that mercy had nothing to do with the people around the Crown Prince.

Yinreng closed his eyes. Memories from that previous life surged up like darkness. His vision was filled with a blood-red haze, as though the scent of blood still lingered in his nose even after two lifetimes.

"Little Brother?"

Yinzhī's voice pulled him back out of the suffocating sea of blood.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

After morning lessons, Yinzhī still had heavy assignments to complete during the day.

Kangxi was busy every day as well, so Yinreng would come to accompany Yinzhī while he worked. Yinzhī practiced calligraphy and copied texts while Yinreng read books nearby.

"I fell asleep?" Yinreng rubbed his face.

Watching Yinzhī study reminded him of himself in his childhood past life, desperately burying himself in books so as not to disappoint Kangxi.

The darkness from two lifetimes ago was affecting him more and more deeply.

As his body gradually grew and his mind matured, the influence would probably only become stronger.

Yinreng rubbed his face again until it turned red.

"You look like the kitten Mother keeps," Yinzhī said, putting down his brush and imitating him by rubbing his own face. "It washes its face just like that, always scrubbing with its paws until the fur around its eyelids falls out."

Embarrassed, Yinreng lowered his hands.

"I'm not going to rub my eyelids bald… wait, no, there's no fur on eyelids in the first place!"

"There is," Yinzhī said seriously. "Eyelashes. Be careful not to rub too hard, or all your eyelashes will fall out. I'm done with my homework. Come on, let's go play with Third Brother."

Yinreng glanced at his desk. "Big Brother, you've only finished half your assignments…"

Yinzhī crossed his arms smugly.

"That's where you don't understand. If I finish all the homework, they'll just keep giving me more. If I only finish half and tell them I tried my best, then next time they'll reduce the workload. Understand?"

Yinreng stared in shock.

"Y-you can do that?"

Yinzhī nodded proudly.

"But won't you get punished?"

"If I get punished, then I get punished." Yinzhī shrugged. "Teachers assigned to imperial princes only nag a little. They don't dare hit me."

"Father Emperor will."

"Relax. My skin is thick." Yinzhi sounded utterly unconcerned. "As long as I cry loudly while getting beaten and shout, 'I can't finish it because I can't finish it! Father Emperor, I tried my best!' Then Father Emperor can't really do anything to me. Little Brother, you should learn from me in the future."

As he spoke, Yinzhī lowered his voice and kept glancing toward the study doors.

To avoid disturbing Yinzhī while he worked, the attendants all waited outside. That allowed the brothers to secretly say such treasonous things.

Yinreng fell into thought.

"That's true… but I'm afraid that if I pretend to be too stupid, Father Emperor will take his anger out on the people around me."

Yinzhi looked puzzled.

"If you're pretending to be stupid yourself, why would Father Emperor blame other people?"

Yinreng sighed and nodded.

"In Father Emperor's eyes, even if I'm stupid, that would still be someone else's fault. The people serving me, the teachers educating me, even the brothers who play with me, all of them might be beaten because of it."

Yinzhī frowned deeply.

"If Father Emperor acts like that, who would dare get close to you?"

Yinreng nodded.

"Mhm. Nobody dares."

Silence fell.

After a long while, Yinzhī finally asked:

"Little Brother… what's the point of being Crown Prince if it's like this?"

A flash of gloom crossed Yinreng's face, but his smile quickly returned.

"The perks are good. Look at me, everything I eat and use is top quality."

Yinzhī snorted dismissively.

"Good? Everything you eat and use comes from Father Emperor. He knows about every single thing. You can't even secretly save private spending money."

Yinreng scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Big Brother, you already know about saving private money?"

"Of course." Yinzhī sounded matter-of-fact. "Mother said that once we move out of the palace and establish our own households, there'll be countless places to spend money."

Yinreng raised both little hands.

"I can't save private money, so I'll just let Father Emperor support me."

Yinzhī sighed.

"Little Brother… if Father Emperor controls your money, what happens if your hobbies don't match his? If you don't have spending freedom, then it's the same as having no money at all."

Yinreng responded with a foolish grin.

Yinzhī rubbed his head.

"Forget it. I know you understand what I'm saying. You're just pretending to act silly. But if I were you, pretending to be silly would probably be the only thing I could do too. In the future, if there's something you want but Father Emperor refuses to buy it for you, ask me instead."

Yinreng lowered his hands and tugged lightly at his own sleeves before suddenly throwing himself into Yinzhī's arms.

At that moment, he seemed to forget about past lives and future lives alike. He was simply a wronged little child acting spoiled toward his older brother, who was also still just a child.

"I won't ask Big Brother for things. Big Brother will get punished," Yinreng muttered muffledly.

That was exactly how Songgotu had been punished.

Yinzhī hugged the little milk dumpling and rubbed him reassuringly.

"Then let me get punished." He sounded unconcerned. "No matter how ruthless Father Emperor is, he definitely wouldn't go too far with his own son. Alright, now, are we going to play with Third Brother or not? If not, you can take a nap here in Big Brother's room."

Yinreng suppressed the surging emotions inside him and lifted his face with a smile.

"Let's go play with Third Brother! Then we'll visit Fourth Brother too!"

"Mhm."

Yinzhī called the attendants over to straighten both their clothes before heading out together to find their younger brothers.

Both Yinzhī and Yinreng were energetic children who disliked riding in sedan chairs or being carried.

Hand in hand, the two little boys ran through the palace on their short little legs.

The consorts they passed all watched them with warm smiles.

Every so often, Yinzhī would slow down and walk for a while, afraid Yinreng might get tired.

By now, Yinreng had once again regained his usual obedient smile, as though his earlier emotional collapse had never happened.

Yinzhī used to love Yinreng's smile.

That smile always looked carefree and blissfully happy, as though he had no worries at all. Just seeing it made Yinzhi happy too.

But now that Yinzhī gradually understood his situation, seeing that silly smiling face no longer made him feel entirely cheerful.

When he himself felt upset, he cried. When angry, he caused trouble. Push him too far, and he'd even punch someone.

But even when Yinreng had clearly been hurting just moments ago, he still wore a smile.

Yinreng often said that whenever he felt sad or suffered, the people around him would be punished.

Yinzhī couldn't even imagine living like that.

But what could he, still just a little child himself, possibly do for his younger brother?

Maybe spending more time with him would at least make him happier, right?

"Big Brother, Big Brother! Third Brother ran out to welcome us!"

Yinreng excitedly tugged Yinzhī's hand.

"Third Brother runs so steadily now!"

This time, Yinzhī could tell that Yinreng's smile came from genuine joy.

He smiled sincerely as well.

"That little turtle who used to crawl around everywhere can finally run now. Third Brother! Come here… ow! I told you to come over, not ram into my stomach!"

The Third Prince had launched a headbutt directly into Yinzhi's belly and was now giggling uncontrollably at his pained expression.

"You brat. Keep that up, and I'll beat you," Yinzhī groaned while rubbing his stomach.

Yinzhǐ lowered his head and delivered another headbutt.

Yinreng hurriedly grabbed him.

"That's enough! Are you a little bull or something? Ugh, you're so strong!"

Yinreng suddenly remembered that although Yinzhǐ loved studying and literature, he was actually one of the physically strongest among the brothers, even stronger than their Big Brother.

Kangxi had always found it baffling that someone so physically gifted cared more about poetry and books than horseback riding and archery.

A scholar overflowing with martial spirit.

"You little punk, getting cocky already? Take this!"

Yinzhī assumed the starting stance for wrestling.

Despite his tiny size, the Third Prince boldly copied him.

Yinreng hurriedly separated them.

"If you want to play, go inside! The palace floors are carpeted, so it won't hurt if you fall."

"Hmph. I'll spare you for now." Yinzhī flicked his sleeves dramatically and shot Yinzhǐ a glare.

Yinzhǐ circled around Yinreng once before trying to headbutt Yinzhī again. This time, he didn't use force, and Yinzhī blocked him easily with one hand.

"Where is Consort Rong?" Yinreng asked. "Why are you playing here alone?"

Even though the Third Prince could walk now, leaving such a small child alone in the courtyard was still dangerous.

Yinzhǐ answered one word at a time:

"Mother… with Sister. Sister… sick. Me… play alone."

"Sister?"

Yinreng thought for a moment and remembered that Consort Rong did indeed have a daughter.

Princes and princesses in the palace were raised separately. Unless they shared the same birth mother, they rarely had opportunities to interact. Yinreng wasn't very familiar with the palace princesses.

On the other hand, Yinzhī had no interest in sisters.

"You were playing alone? Then let's all go see Fourth Brother together."

The Third Prince had only recently gained the freedom to run around and was currently incapable of sitting still.

Immediately, he bounced excitedly.

"Go! See little brother!"

Ignoring the wet nurse trying to stop him, he grabbed Yinreng with one hand and Yinzhī with the other and tried charging out of Zhongcui Palace.

Yinreng quickly pulled him back first and had someone inform Consort Rong. Only after receiving her approval did he take the Third Prince away.

By the time the three brothers arrived at Consort De's palace, the recently recovered Consort De was amusing Yinzhen with a cloth tiger toy.

Yinzhen, however, showed absolutely no interest in the tiger.

And the less interested he looked, the more amused Consort De became.

Teasing one's own child was apparently a universal hobby among loving parents.

Seeing three princes all come to play with her son, Consort De hurriedly ordered toys and snacks to be prepared.

"Your Highness needn't be so courteous. Please focus on resting," Yinreng said politely.

Giving birth to such a large, healthy son had somewhat damaged Consort De's health. Even after finishing her confinement month, her complexion remained pale.

Yinreng estimated that his Sixth Brother probably would never be born from Consort De in this lifetime. And even if he was, he might swap places with Seventh Brother.

Consort De smiled softly.

"I'm fine. You children go play. I won't disturb the brothers having fun together."

She placed the cloth tiger into Yinzhen's cradle.

Yinzhen immediately kicked it away.

Consort De's brows knit slightly, giving her the air of a melancholic beauty.

"Why doesn't Fourth Prince like cloth tigers?"

Her son was so adorable, round-headed and sturdy-looking. He matched the tiger perfectly.

Remembering Yinzhen's preferences from his previous life, Yinreng suggested:

"If he doesn't like cloth tigers, what about cloth wolves or cloth puppies? Maybe he just doesn't like cats and prefers dogs."

Consort De widened her eyes with almost girlish excitement.

"Really?"

Yinreng nodded.

"Some people are cat people, some are dog people. Little Fourth is probably a dog person."

Yinzhen was absolutely a dog person.

"Person? What kind of 'person'?" Yinzhī didn't understand.

"It means faction," Yinreng explained. "Like forming factions."

"Oh." Yinzhī nodded thoughtfully. "Like Mingzhu and Songgotu factions. Which one is the cat and which one is the dog?"

Yinreng's train of thought immediately got dragged off course.

"Maybe Mingzhu is the cat, and Songgotu is the dog?"

"Why?" Yinzhī asked.

"Why?" Yinreng asked back, then replied, "Because Songgotu is dumber?"

Yinzhī looked curious. "Are cats smarter?"

Though the Third Prince didn't understand the conversation at all, he still insisted on joining in.

"Don't know! Ask Father… Emperor!"

Consort De covered her ears and fled.

The princes could casually discuss Mingzhu and Songgotu, but she certainly dared not listen.

"Bring some cotton and silk. I'm going to make Fourth Prince a cloth puppy," Consort De instructed.

She might not dare listen to political matters, but making cloth dogs was perfectly safe.

If her son really preferred dogs over cats, then once he grew a little older, she'd get him a well-behaved puppy to play with.

Thinking of the little curls already appearing in her son's hair, different from the other princes, Consort De happily decided she'd raise him a curly-haired dog.

A curly-haired son with a curly-haired dog. A perfect match!

By now, Yinzhen's eyesight had developed enough to see things more clearly.

Perhaps because Yinzhī and Yinreng often came to visit him, he was especially friendly toward them and would beam happily whenever he saw them.

Yinzhī poked Yinzhen and said to Yinzhǐ,

"Look how well-behaved Fourth Brother is. Unlike you! When you were little, you bit me every time you saw me."

Yinzhǐ lifted his chin fiercely.

"I'll still bite you now."

Yinzhī grabbed the Third Prince's soft cheeks and tugged hard.

"Show some respect to your eldest brother."

"Rawr!"

Yinzhǐ opened his mouth wide to reveal tiny little rice-grain teeth, acting ferocious.

Soon, the two brothers were roughhousing again.

The wet nurse lifted Yinzhen from the cradle and placed him on the couch. Yinreng kicked off his shoes, climbed up, and hugged Yinzhen while watching the Eldest and the Third Prince fight.

Leaning against Yinreng, Yinzhen waved the little wooden bow Yinzhī had gifted him and babbled endlessly under his breath.

Even before his vocal cords had fully developed, his chatterbox nature was already obvious.

While drinking milk: babble babble.

While playing: babble babble.

As long as he was awake, his mouth never stopped moving.

Yinreng wickedly wondered whether he should develop this natural talent, perhaps teach Yinzhen modern debate techniques, and turn him into a master debater?

There were equivalents in this era too, like the arts of persuasion practiced by the School of Diplomacy.

"Little Brother, Big Brother will tell you a story."

The moment the idea occurred to him, Yinreng immediately started scheming.

"I'll tell you about a man named Su Qin."

"Huh? You're telling stories now? No more fighting!"

Yinzhī immediately wrapped his arms around the wildly flailing Yinzhǐ's waist, lifted him up, and climbed onto the couch together with him.

The moment Yinzhǐ got close to Yinreng, he became obedient.

"Listen… story!"

Yinreng cleared his throat.

"This is a story about the School of Diplomacy."

The diplomats were said to trace their origins back to Guiguzi. Their "vertical and horizontal alliances" were essentially a diplomatic strategy.

Yinzhǐ listened with sparkling eyes.

This diplomacy stuff is interesting!

If Father Emperor was Qin, and my brothers and I were the Six States, then there were plenty of things here he could learn from.

-----

After finishing his work, Kangxi realized his son spent every day playing with his brothers. Even while eating or sleeping, all he talked about was his brothers and not his father anymore.

After some thought, Kangxi decided to take his son out of the palace again.

"Baocheng, we're going hunting."

Kangxi scooped his son up.

"Didn't you say before that you wanted to ride a big horse?"

Yinreng lit up excitedly.

"Really? Is Big Brother coming too?"

"He's not." Kangxi's expression darkened.

Although he appreciated Baoqing helping look after Baocheng while he himself was busy, it absolutely would not do for his son to think about Baoqing all day long.

Yinreng looked puzzled.

"Why not? Big Brother is amazing at riding and archery."

"He needs to study," Kangxi casually invented an excuse. "Baoqing's lessons are progressing too slowly. He needs extra tutoring."

Thinking of how Yinzhī permanently completed only half his assignments, Yinreng found himself unable to argue.

Poor Big Brother. Slacking off came with consequences.

The innocent Yinreng had no idea that Kangxi's real reason for excluding Yinzhī had nothing to do with schoolwork.

"Where are we going? The Mulan hunting grounds?" Yinreng asked.

"Jingshan."

Yinreng suddenly remembered.

This really did seem to be the year he would display his archery skills at the Jingshan hunt.

When he grew older, people often told him that at age five, he was already able to shoot deer and rabbits. Was this the occasion?

Yinreng's birthday coincided with Empress Renxiao's death anniversary, so he never celebrated birthdays. On that day, he only burned incense for Empress Renxiao.

Lowering his head, Yinreng stared at his own tiny, chubby little hands.

Uh… I haven't even properly learned mounted archery in this life yet. Even if I mastered it in my previous life, can this five-year-old body really draw a bow strong enough to kill a deer?

Once they arrived at the Jingshan hunt, Yinreng quickly discovered exactly how he had shot those animals.

After all preparations were complete, Kangxi departed for Jingshan with his precious son, accompanied by numerous ministers and imperial guards.

The hunt began.

Kangxi fired the opening arrow.

A eunuch immediately shouted:

"Long live His Majesty! The Emperor has struck a stag!"

Then, the attendants carried over a powerfully built stag with magnificent antlers.

Seeing the wounded deer, whose blood had already dried around the injury, Yinreng's adorable little head slowly tilted with a tiny question mark forming above it.

"Your turn."

Completely bewildered, Yinreng drew his little bow and shot three arrows.

With his excellent eyesight, he clearly saw all three arrows flop weakly into the grass.

Yet the eunuchs erupted excitedly:

"His Highness the Crown Prince has struck a deer! A young deer!"

Yinreng: "…?"

The eunuchs continued screaming enthusiastically:

"His Highness also struck rabbits! Four rabbits!"

Yinreng: "…??"

The eunuchs ran over, carrying prey triumphantly.

"One deer and four rabbits! The Crown Prince never misses!"

The ministers excitedly cried out:

"His Highness the Crown Prince is mighty!"

Some older officials even burst into tears, choking out:

"A blessing for the nation!"

Kangxi sat atop his magnificent horse, laughing loudly. Reaching down, he plucked Yinreng from his small pony onto his own saddle and ruffled his head.

"As expected of my Crown Prince!"

Yinreng whispered quietly:

"Father Emperor… how did I shoot three arrows and hit five animals?"

Kangxi muttered back:

"Shut up. Look proud."

Then he resumed his loud, booming laughter while accepting congratulations from the ministers.

Yinreng muttered under his breath:

"If you wanted to stage a performance, you should've warned me beforehand. What if I couldn't act convincingly?"

Straightening his little back, he slightly tucked in his chubby chin and displayed a proud yet restrained smile.

I, a five-year-old child, shot three arrows and hit one deer and four rabbits!

Oh heavens above, Father Emperor, even if you're making things up, at least make them believable!

At the very least, couldn't you let me shoot five arrows instead?

And the ministers surrounding them were incredible too. Those tears looked genuine?!

Yinreng had thought his acting skills had improved tremendously.

Now it seemed that he was the worst actor present.

Among the crowd, many imperial clansmen wore dark expressions.

Who couldn't see what the emperor was doing?

The emperor was building prestige for the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was only five years old, yet the emperor was already presenting him before the world as the legitimate heir.

Did the emperor truly intend to replace the old tradition of clan-selected succession with succession through officially designated crown princes, thereby weakening the power of the imperial princes?

Changning's expression was particularly ugly.

Recently, because he had accidentally shoved the Crown Prince once, Kangxi had made his life miserable: cutting his salary, confining him, and punishing him constantly no matter what he did.

"The Crown Prince truly is exceptional," Fuquan sighed emotionally.

After accompanying the Crown Prince once at the temple fair, Fuquan had secretly taken his own son out to play afterward.

He'd even endured scratches from the women in his rear court across his face and back just to spend time with the child.

But all his son did was cry. Not fun at all.

Fuquan felt cheated.

If only my son were as clever and healthy as the Crown Prince, he thought sourly.

"Hmph. Did he really shoot any of that? This performance is overdone," Changning sneered.

Fuquan rolled his eyes.

"Just shut up. Other clansmen are one thing, but you're the emperor's own younger brother. If even you don't stand on the emperor's side, be careful not to chill his heart."

With that, Fuquan rode forward.

As the Crown Prince's uncle, accompanying him during the hunt was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

Though inwardly dissatisfied, Changning reluctantly followed.

As Fuquan said, no matter how unhappy he was about Kangxi appointing a crown prince without clan approval, he couldn't publicly embarrass the emperor.

With malicious delight, Changning thought:

That little milk baby I knocked over with just a flick of my sleeve, even if the emperor warned him in advance, once he saw real bloodshed, he'd definitely cry from fright.

Maybe he'd even wet himself.

And if the dignified Crown Prince actually wet himself during a hunt, how could the emperor possibly continue protecting him?

Changning's eyes shifted slyly as he approached Kangxi with what he believed was a kindly smile.

Yinreng tugged on Kangxi's robes, signaling him to lean down.

Kangxi lowered his head.

Yinreng whispered into his ear:

"Father Emperor, Uncle smiles like the Big Bad Wolf Grandma."

Big… bad wolf grandma?

Kangxi looked at Changning in confusion.

Then he understood.

His younger brother's fake smile was so obvious that even a child could tell Changning harbored ill intentions.

Is my younger brother a little too stupid?

Kangxi began wondering whether he should send Changning off to guard the imperial tombs sooner rather than later.

For a brother this foolish, assigning him to guard the tombs would practically be an act of protection.

Kangxi studied Changning with a dangerous smile while Yinreng squeezed his own chubby chin thoughtfully.

Hmm. Father Emperor's smile also looks like the Big Bad Wolf Grandma.