People naturally have those they are closer to and those they are more distant from.

The moment Yinreng fainted, Kangxi no longer had the heart to visit Longxi.

He immediately summoned the imperial physicians and also called for Western doctors, making the two groups examine the crown prince separately.

The imperial physicians said that the crown prince suffered from deficient qi and blood, and that overexertion and mental strain had harmed his spirit. Moreover, the Western doctors said the crown prince had overworked his brain, causing a stress reaction in his body.

Both diagnoses pointed to the same conclusion.

Kangxi then invited Daoist Master Zhang and Master Dehai into the palace.

Master Zhang turned pale with shock. "The crown prince's spiritual energy is far too strong. I fear his body cannot bear such immense power."

Master Dehai also frowned deeply. "The crown prince's soul is unstable."

Kangxi collapsed into a chair, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long while.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager is asking about the crown prince's condition," Zhao Chang said.

Kangxi opened his eyes. "The crown prince fainted from heatstroke. Tell the Grand Empress Dowager not to worry."

Zhao Chang hesitated. "The imperial physicians' diagnosis and the masters being summoned to the palace. Her Majesty will certainly learn of it."

Kangxi said, "I said the crown prince fainted from heatstroke. The Grand Empress Dowager will understand what I mean."

Zhao Chang immediately bowed and went to Cining Palace to report.

After hearing Zhao Chang's report, the Grand Empress Dowager's fingers trembled slightly around her prayer beads. Then, with a sudden pull, she snapped the string. "Is the Emperor guarding against me now?!"

Sumalagu quickly persuaded her, "How could His Majesty be guarding against Your Majesty? He is tactfully telling you to help conceal the crown prince's supernatural signs, lest others exploit them."

The Grand Empress Dowager threw away the broken beads in her hand and frowned. "Several times before, the crown prince's strange abilities were noticed by others. Now, whenever the concubines become pregnant, they intentionally seek contact with him. The Emperor is still displeased with me after all. Fine, let him be displeased. I was negligent and failed to protect the crown prince properly after he left the palace. Ah…"

Though upset, the Grand Empress Dowager still remained rational. She ordered a sedan chair to be prepared and went to Qianqing Palace.

When she saw the Chinese and Western doctors waiting there, along with the Buddhist monk and Daoist priest chanting scriptures over the crown prince, the last traces of her irritation turned into panic.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what happened to Baocheng?" she asked anxiously, gripping Kangxi's hand. "Tell me the truth!"

Kangxi replied wearily, "He was affected by the summer heat, overworked himself mentally and physically, and exhausted his strength. He'll recover after some rest."

Heatstroke and mental exhaustion had little to do with each other. The Grand Empress Dowager immediately thought back to the smallpox incident, when the crown prince, guided by Fulin, had handled palace affairs flawlessly, only to drift in and out of consciousness for several days afterward.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has awakened!" cried Liang Jiugong, the eunuch attending him closely.

Kangxi sprang up from his chair like a leopard, rushing over without regard for imperial dignity. "Baocheng!"

"Father… it's too noisy," Yinreng muttered as he rolled over and covered his ears. "Stop chanting already. My ears are buzzing."

Seeing that Yinreng was still so lively, Kangxi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He pulled Yinreng into his arms. "You frightened me."

Yinreng yawned. "Father should go see Uncle. Baocheng just needs a little sleep. I'm only a bit tired. It's nothing serious. And no medicine!"

Kangxi felt both angry and heartbroken and couldn't help tapping Yinreng lightly on the forehead.

Ever since Yinreng had sternly protested against head-tapping, Kangxi refrained from doing it for a long time.

"You promised not to hit my head. Father is bad," Yinreng complained, wriggling in Kangxi's arms and lightly bumping him with his forehead.

"Baocheng…" The Grand Empress Dowager also came closer and stroked Yinreng's face. "Are you really alright? Does your body still feel uncomfortable?"

"Great-Grandmother, Baocheng's fine. Just sleepy. A little more sleep and I'll be okay." Yinreng rubbed against her hand with a grin. "Baocheng's body is very healthy. Great-Grandmother shouldn't worry."

The Grand Empress Dowager didn't know what to say.

"Father, Great-Grandmother, Baocheng's sleepy. I want to sleep a little longer." Yinreng used tremendous willpower just to wake up. If he stayed awake any longer, the noise would drive him to death. "Stop chanting scriptures, and don't make Baocheng drink medicine either. Father and Great-Grandmother should go visit Uncle. By the time you come back, Baocheng will be awake again…"

As he spoke, his little head kept drooping. His eyes were sticky as if glued shut, no matter how hard he tried to keep them open.

"Sleep then, sleep peacefully." Kangxi held Yinreng tightly in his arms, just like when the boy was still unable to walk. He gently patted his back and soothed him to sleep.

Yinreng rarely cried or fussed since childhood. Only when roughhousing with Kangxi or being punished by him would he howl loudly.

He relied heavily on Kangxi and always clung to the corner of his robes.

Back then, Kangxi had just lost his empress and was facing the most critical period of the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. His nerves had been stretched to the limit.

Yet whenever he held little Yinreng in his arms, his mind could relax for a brief moment and focus more clearly.

So from that time on, Kangxi developed the habit of holding Yinreng close.

Kangxi would sit cross-legged on the couch handling state affairs while Yinreng curled up in his arms sleeping or playing with toys.

Whenever he felt troubled or alarmed, he would lower his head to look at his son, play with him for a while, and listen to the baby babble that sounded more soothing than music despite being impossible to understand.

Just like before, Yinreng quickly fell asleep nestled in Kangxi's embrace.

Kangxi rubbed his cheek against the top of Yinreng's head. When he lifted his head again, he was once again the young emperor whose joy and anger never showed on his face, and whose grief and pain were equally concealed.

Aside from the redness at the corners of his eyes, there was not a single crack in his composure.

Kangxi said, "I trouble the Grand Empress Dowager to watch over Baocheng in Qianqing Palace for a while. Do not allow anyone to visit him. I must leave the palace first to visit Longxi."

Kangxi still did not tell the Grand Empress Dowager about the true reason for Yinreng's collapse.

His thoughts were in complete disarray. He needed to sort them out himself before revealing the matter to anyone else.

And the Grand Empress Dowager's suspicions were indeed correct. If what Yinreng said was true, this matter was of immense importance. Mishandling it could cause tremendous harm to Yinreng, so Kangxi trusted no one.

A child capable of predicting earthquakes... according to the nature of shamans and lamas, the child would either be "offered" to the gods or be forced into religious life.

Even as emperor, he might not be able to protect his son.

Kangxi believed in many religions, yet also believed in none of them completely.

If the gods intended harm toward the Great Qing, toward him, or toward his son, Kangxi would not hesitate to follow the example of past rulers and destroy temples and shrines.

The Grand Empress Dowager might stand with him in other matters, but matters involving gods and spirits were another issue entirely.

Handling the matter of the crown prince's prophecy would certainly arouse the Grand Empress Dowager's suspicions, so Kangxi decided to shift the blame onto Former Emperor Shunzhi.

"Imperial Father appeared in spirit. The crown prince is too young and couldn't withstand Imperial Father's dragon aura, so he fainted." Kangxi leaned close to the Grand Empress Dowager's ear and lowered his voice. "This matter absolutely cannot become known to others. That's why I claimed Baocheng suffered heatstroke."

Understanding flashed in the Grand Empress Dowager's eyes.

No wonder the Emperor suddenly became so defensive. It turned out that he had personally witnessed Fulin descending upon Baocheng.

For a qualified ruler, even the manifestation of his own imperial father would provoke the same hostility as a tiger whose territory had been invaded by another beast.

And if news of this spread, the court would descend into panic.

One could believe in ghosts and gods privately, but such matters could never appear openly, or trouble would inevitably follow.

Back during the smallpox incident, the Grand Empress Dowager also suppressed rumors of Fulin's manifestation for precisely this reason.

"I understand. You handled this correctly. But those exact words must never be repeated by anyone delivering messages," she said sternly. "I will remain here personally. Your Majesty may rest assured."

Kangxi had to leave the palace to visit Longxi. Otherwise, people would notice something amiss.

Kangxi sighed. "I knew Imperial Grandmother would come in person. These matters could only be spoken quietly to you."

The Grand Empress Dowager relaxed slightly.

So Kangxi was not truly guarding against her after all. Perhaps she had overthought things.

"You're right. Even the people around me may not necessarily be trustworthy." The Grand Empress Dowager patted the back of Kangxi's hand. "Go now."

Kangxi nodded. He took some of the imperial physicians and Western doctors with him and ordered a batch of precious medicinal herbs from the imperial treasury to be delivered together to Prince Chun's residence.

From Yinreng's collapse to the consultation of famous physicians, nearly two hours had passed.

By the time Kangxi left the palace, Prince Yu Fuquan and Prince Gong Changning had already arrived.

Longxi was so ill that he was barely conscious. Fuquan silently wiped away tears.

When Changning saw Kangxi arrive, tears immediately poured down his face, and he cried so hard he hiccuped, appearing utterly grief-stricken.

Kangxi glanced at Changning once, and Changning cried even harder.

"Longxi is not dead yet," Kangxi said coldly.

Changning wiped his tears. "Y-your servant simply feels heartbroken seeing Longxi like this. Of all the late emperor's sons, only a few of us remain. Only a few!"

Kangxi's fist clenched tightly inside his sleeve.

If he had left the palace immediately after hearing news of Longxi, then in the midst of sorrow he might indeed have felt sympathy and emotion hearing Changning say this.

But now, all Kangxi felt was disgust.

He could tell that Changning was not truly grieving. He merely wanted to use Longxi's impending death to gain favor for himself.

Fuquan cried silently, his eyes swollen red.

Yet Changning cried so vigorously, with tears streaming endlessly, but his eyes still looked perfectly fine. Who was he trying to fool?!

Since Longxi was gravely ill, many members of the imperial clan came to visit. Kangxi could not show anger here and now.

He said to Fuquan, "Prince Yu, keep an eye on Prince Gong. Tell him not to wail loudly, it's inauspicious."

Fuquan immediately replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Kangxi entered the inner room, and the moment he left, Fuquan kicked Changning lightly. "Enough. Do you think His Majesty can't tell your crying is fake?"

Changning became indignant. Pointing at his tears, he protested, "Fake crying?!"

Fuquan grabbed Changning's sleeve, and a handkerchief with a pungent smell fell out from inside it.

Changning's tears were still flowing, but his expression turned awkward.

With swollen red eyes, Fuquan said calmly, "We've all attended enough funerals to recognize tricks like this. Fooling others is one thing, but as you said yourself, only the four of us brothers remain now, and Longxi is your only younger brother…"

Fuquan choked up again.

He was the eldest surviving son of Former Emperor Shunzhi and had watched all his younger brothers grow up with his own eyes. That was why he often favored Changning and protected him before Kangxi.

But Longxi was the youngest brother, the one who had suffered illness since childhood. Fuquan felt even more pity for him and could no longer tolerate Changning's behavior.

Earlier, he didn't dare expose him, fearing Changning would face Kangxi's wrath.

But now that Kangxi had already noticed, there was no need to pretend anymore.

Seeing that the usually honest second brother was genuinely angry, Changning finally lost some confidence.

Wiping away his tears, he muttered softly, "Brother, of course I'm sad too."

Fuquan said nothing.

He released Changning's sleeve and resumed guarding the doorway, blocking the clan members who were trying to push inside.

Changning also dragged over a stool and sat quietly beside Fuquan, waiting for Kangxi to emerge.

When Kangxi entered the room and saw his younger brother's gaunt appearance, his head felt slightly unsteady.

The curse the Jurchens had placed upon the Qing dragon vein was not limited to their own generation.

Former Emperor Shunzhi's descendants had been few to begin with, and even fewer survived. That too must have been part of the curse.

"Your Majesty?" After the imperial physicians administered acupuncture, Longxi finally regained a brief moment of clarity.

Kangxi stepped forward and gently patted Longxi's blanket. "Don't worry. You will recover."

Longxi smiled bitterly.

He knew his own body best. This time, he likely truly would not survive.

Still, he gave thanks. "Yes, Your Majesty."

After only a few sentences, Longxi no longer had the strength to speak.

The imperial physicians and Western doctors discussed matters quietly among themselves in different languages. None of them looked hopeful, and all were shaking their heads faintly.

The illness had reached its final stage; even immortals couldn't save him now.

Kangxi sat by Longxi's bedside without questioning the physicians. He simply gazed silently at his brother's withered form.

Most people become terribly ugly after falling seriously ill, and Longxi, who was bedridden for so long, looked especially dreadful.

His waxy, sunken face, sharply protruding cheekbones, pale cracked lips, tangled yellowing hair, and the constant scent of decay and death emanating from him. All of it inspired fear in healthy living people.

But what Kangxi thought of at this moment was not himself.

It was Yinreng.

A young, fragile child bearing such an immense curse. He might be fine now, but would he still be fine in the future?

Yinreng had been raised into a fair, plump, lively, and lovable child. Even when sick, he was still soft and adorable, smiling as he insisted he was fine, rolling around in Kangxi's lap as though illness caused him no suffering at all.

But just because no suffering showed on his face, did that truly mean there was none?

The child he had cherished in the palm of his hand since infancy. How could he already have endured so much hardship at such a young age?

What if one day Yinreng could no longer withstand the torment of the curse and became like Longxi, lying before him now?

What if one day, that snowy little face tinged pink turned waxy yellow streaked with bluish black; that plump, soft face became gaunt and rough; those rosy lips that chattered endlessly turned pale and cracked…

Kangxi clenched his fists even tighter. It felt as though a demon had taken root in his heart.

Why my child?

Why Baocheng?

If a child truly had to be sacrificed, could it not be one of the children born to the lower-ranking consorts? Why did it have to be the child I raised myself?

In a daze, Kangxi recalled the younger brother he had once deeply envied.

Prince Rong, who had died only months after birth.

In the darkness of his heart, he had once thought: Imperial Father said Fourth Brother was his first child, yet Fourth Brother could not bear such fortune.

Now, Kangxi suddenly understood Former Emperor Shunzhi's feelings completely.

Everyone has favorites. Though both the palm and back of the hand are flesh, people instinctively protect the palm first.

Why was Heaven so cruel as to insist on taking away the child he loved most?

If another child died, Kangxi might shed a single tear, or perhaps none at all, merely sighing and saying, "I understand."

But if anything happened to Baocheng, it would be like carving flesh directly from Kangxi's heart. Pain so intense that it would nearly make him cough blood.

Kangxi no longer knew how he had listened to the physicians' reports, nor how he had received the flood of imperial clansmen, many of whom had never once visited Prince Chun's residence before. He did not even know how he eventually returned to Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty…" The Grand Empress Dowager, who had waited until his return, said worriedly, "You should rest first. If you exhaust yourself, Baocheng will blame himself and feel distressed when he wakes."

Kangxi came back to himself. "Yes. Imperial Grandmother should also return and rest."

The Grand Empress Dowager asked, "Longxi…?"

Kangxi shook his head. "It will be within the next few days."

Supported by Sumalagu, the Grand Empress Dowager staggered slightly and let out a pained sob.

Kangxi watched her leave before going to see his son.

The little quilt on the bed bulged upward... and was wriggling.

Kangxi, who was already in a terrible mood: "…"

He walked quietly to the bedside and looked down at Yinreng, who had burrowed under the blanket and was apparently doing something suspicious.

Kangxi grabbed both corners of the blanket and gave it a shake.

Yinreng rolled out in a tumble, still holding a strip of jerky in his mouth.

Kangxi: "???"

Like a hamster, Yinreng shoved the jerky into his puffed cheeks with rapid chomping sounds, then lifted his little round face and stared innocently at Kangxi.

Supporting his forehead, Kangxi sat down beside the bed. "What are you doing?"

Yinreng: "Mmph-ah-oo…"

Kangxi said, "Swallow first."

Yinreng quickly chewed and gulped the jerky down.

Then he stretched out his hand. "Father, water! I'm choking!"

Kangxi swung his large hand and smacked Yinreng's palm with a loud smack.

Yinreng yelped and withdrew his hand, glaring furiously at Kangxi for suddenly hitting him.

Kangxi took warm water from Zhao Chang and handed it over. "Drink."

Yinreng crawled into Kangxi's arms and tilted his head back, gulping noisily.

Kangxi sighed. "Why are you hiding under the blanket while eating jerky? And where did the jerky come from?"

Yinreng only grinned foolishly without answering.

Kangxi pinned him down and searched through his clothes for quite a while. He eventually uncovered several more pieces of jerky wrapped in handkerchiefs and oil paper, some dried cheese, and even a piece of sachima.

Kangxi was utterly shocked.

How did his son manage to hide so much food in his clothes?

Was he starving the boy? Why was he secretly hoarding snacks?!

"I'm still growing! I'm hungry!" Yinreng, hands on hips and belly thrust outward, protested righteously after his stash was discovered.

Kangxi poked the little soft belly. "If you're hungry, tell the imperial kitchen. Why are you hiding snacks in your clothes?"

After being poked, Yinreng rubbed his stomach and continued standing proudly with his hands on his hips. "Bothering the imperial kitchen is troublesome. Jerky fills my stomach faster."

Seeing that outrageously self-righteous expression, Kangxi felt both annoyed and amused. "Even so, you shouldn't hide under the blanket to eat."

Yinreng collapsed dramatically into Kangxi's arms and rolled left and right like a salted fish being fried on both sides.

"Great-Grandmother is annoying," he declared with complete filial impiety. "She says I'm sick, so she only lets me drink soup and porridge."

Raising both arms indignantly, he announced, "Sick people should eat more meat! Drink more milk! Eat more eggs! Meat, eggs, and milk have nutrition! Porridge doesn't! Soup doesn't!"

"Yes, yes, meat, eggs, and milk. Don't forget vegetables too," Kangxi replied, carrying on an oddly modern conversation with him. "If you explain it properly to the Grand Empress Dowager, she'll definitely let you eat if you can stomach it."

Yinreng said lazily, "Too much effort. By the time I finished explaining, I could've already eaten two more pieces of jerky."

Kangxi pinched his cheeks and tugged lightly. "Not sleepy anymore?"

Yinreng slapped at Kangxi's hand. "L-let go. I'm sleepy. Once I'm full, I'm going back to sleep."

"Little piglet." Kangxi released him. "Eat, sleep, then wake up and eat again. If you're not a piglet, what are you?"

Yawning, Yinreng replied, "Right, right, yes, yes, I'm Father's little piglet. Father's the greatest pig farmer in the world… ow!"

Kangxi smacked his little backside and hauled his son off to wash up.

After eating, he had to rinse his mouth. Otherwise, once his adult teeth came in, he'd end up with rotten teeth.

"Oh right, Father, about the earthquake…"

"Focus on recovering. Father knows what to do."

"And Uncle…"

"The imperial physicians are watching over him. Worry about yourself."

"I want to play with Big Brother!"

"Alright…"

"And Third Brother and Fourth Brother too!"

"Third Brother can come. Fourth Brother is still too little."

"Little ones are more fun."

Kangxi pondered for a moment, then agreed.

So the next day, Kangxi continued leaving the palace to visit the sick, while Yinzhī happily got time off from lessons and brought his two younger brothers to play with Yinreng.

Yinreng was still somewhat sleepy.

He hugged his Fourth Brother while reclining against a soft couch, teaching him to talk while watching Yinzhī and Yinzhǐ swing wooden swords at each other while shouting battle cries.

"Third Brother is really impressive," Yinreng commented.

Fourth Brother babbled, "Ahhh-ahhh."

"Is Big Brother actually going easy on him?"

"Ah-ah."

"Big Brother isn't seriously losing to Third Brother, is he?"

Fourth Brother waved the puppy doll in his hand. "Ah!"

Yinzhī tossed aside his wooden sword, scooped Yinzhǐ up, and tucked him under his arm.

Yinzhǐ struggled furiously.

Yinzhī raised an eyebrow. "Second Brother, who exactly did you say couldn't beat whom?"

Yinreng covered his own mouth with one hand and Fourth Brother's babbling mouth with the other.

Blinking obediently, Fourth Brother quieted down.

"Why are you sick again?" Yinzhī asked, setting Yinzhǐ down before sitting beside the couch. "The moment I escaped, you fell ill right after. I was so scared, thinking that Imperial Father had beaten you too hard. I wanted to visit you, but Mother locked me inside and wouldn't let me out."

Yinzhī was still furious about it.

He even tried climbing out the window, only to discover that Consort Hui had stationed eunuchs and maids at every single one.

"It's fine. Just heatstroke," Yinreng said.

Yinzhī reached over and felt his forehead. "Are you really okay now?"

Whenever he himself was sick, the imperial physicians and wet nurses always touched his forehead. He didn't understand why, but that didn't stop him from copying the gesture.

"I'm better," Yinreng said. "Just lacking energy. I can't get out of bed and play with Big Brother and Third Brother."

"Then don't get out of bed," Yinzhī replied. "Got anything fun? Those playing cards?"

Out of boredom, Yinreng had invented many little toys (everything conveniently attributed to Former Emperor Shunzhi).

The playing cards were mostly identical to modern ones, except the J, Q, and K had been changed by Kangxi into a round little crown prince, the graceful Empress Renxiao, and the wise and martial Emperor Kangxi. The two jokers also become dragon cards.

Kangxi personally drew those illustrations himself.

To be fair, the emperor and empress looked quite good, but Yinreng had been drawn as a chubby, round New Year baby doll with no distinctive features at all, much to his dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately, Emperor Kangxi was autocratic and rejected all complaints.

"We're not playing cards today. It'll only be fun once Third Brother grows older. Right now all we can do is draw dragon cards. It's boring." Yinreng had Liang Jiugong bring over a box of illustrated cards.

These were story cards commissioned from palace painters by Yinreng, something like comic strips.

"Big Brother, let's tell stories to Third Brother and Fourth Brother while teaching them characters," Yinreng said. "Big Brother already knows lots of historical tales. I'll tell the stories, and Big Brother can add details."

The moment Yinzhī heard Yinreng was telling stories, he became excited immediately. "Good good good! Hurry up!"

Yinreng had endless stories in his head. Yinzhī could listen for a lifetime and never grow tired of them.

While the children in the palace were playing happily, outside the palace, Longxi finally succumbed to illness and closed his eyes forever.

Kangxi stood with his hands behind his back as he stared up at the sky.

Was the Dragon Vein Curse about to erupt completely?