Kangxi was just about to order Yinzhī to hurry back and read. Even if classes were temporarily suspended, he still needed to study on his own and stop disturbing Yinreng's rest every day. But Yinzhī actually started talking about serious business, leaving Kangxi utterly astonished.

After hearing Yinzhī lay out the matter clearly and coherently, Kangxi praised him on the surface, but was deeply suspicious inside.

He did not believe this was an idea that Yinzhī could come up with. Even if Yinzhī listened to Shunzhi's teachings and took notes, did Kangxi not know how many strings and wires were actually in that little head of his?

Kangxi shot Yinreng a glance.

Yinreng ⊙_⊙: Innocent.

Kangxi was just about to withdraw his probing gaze when Yinzhī, like a startled hedgehog, immediately planted himself in front of Yinreng, raising every quill on his body to face Kangxi.

Kangxi: “……” Heh.

Yinreng (︶︹︺).

Ugh, Big Brother, you pig teammate! Father was already fooled by me!

Kangxi wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile and didn't immediately expose Yinzhī and Yinreng. “Think of a plan and write it up in a memorial for me.”

Yinzhī was shocked. “Khan-Father, how old is your son? You want your son to write a memorial?” Is there something wrong with your brain?

Yinzhī was old enough now not to say that last sentence aloud. He just expressed it entirely with his face.

Kangxi saw the unfinished sentence on Yinzhī's face and was unexpectedly gratified.

At least my eldest son didn't say it outright. He's already trying very hard, the old father thought, his heart aching.

“You can ask Nalan Xingde and Cao Yin to help you,” Kangxi said. “The three of you can come up with a solution together.”

“Oh.” Yinzhī relaxed.

Kangxi and Yinzhī stared at each other.

Yinzhī was puzzled. “Khan-Father, why are you glaring at me?”

Kangxi said irritably, “Did I not tell you to find Nalan Xingde and Cao Yin to help you write the memorial? Why are you still standing here?”

Yinzhī said, “Your son wants to go later.”

Kangxi said, “No, you don’t.”

Kangxi drove Yinzhī away.

Outside the tent, the red-faced Yinzhī jumped up and down several times. In the end, he didn't dare to curse aloud and could only leave in embarrassment.

The guards kept their eyes down, already accustomed to this.

After they started living in tents at the Temple of Heaven, the people naturally stationed nearby were guards carrying swords.

The guards were usually on duty at Qianqing Palace, but they didn't enter the inner palace itself and rarely saw the Crown Prince or the First Prince.

Only after spending these past few days in close contact with them did they learn that not only was the emperor genuinely fond of the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince's relationship with the other princes was genuinely good as well.

The First Prince and the Crown Prince were especially close enough to make even the emperor jealous.

Although the guards always felt that relationship was a little strange, they could not help sighing at the thought that there was actually sincere family affection within the imperial palace.

They heard that the Crown Prince was so kind and sensible that it was almost unbelievable. Nearly everyone in the inner palace praised him. Apart from his frail health, he was practically flawless. Perhaps the Crown Prince was simply too outstanding, which was why everyone liked him so much.

“Rongruo, I heard that you are close with the Crown Prince. What sort of person is he?” one guard asked Nalan Xingde, who was on duty.

Nalan Xingde said, “As a subject, I dare not speak lightly of the Crown Prince.”

The guard said, “I'm only asking about his personality. I heard he's especially kind?”

A benevolent smile, almost like one directed at his own child, appeared on Nalan Xingde's face. “The Crown Prince is indeed extraordinarily kind and clever, a rarity beneath heaven.”

The guard: “……” Did you not just say you dared not speak lightly of the Crown Prince? And now you are praising him?

You're praising the Crown Prince. Does your Father know?

Does Mingzhu know? Mingzhu knew far too much already.

Mingzhu's principal wife, Lady Jueluo*, persuaded him that no great aristocratic family, past or present, ever put all its eggs in one basket. Since the emperor ordered Rongruo to come into contact with the Crown Prince, they might as well let Rongruo follow the Crown Prince. That way, even if Mingzhu went looking for trouble, their family would not fall with him.

Mingzhu: “???” Why am I the one looking for trouble, instead of that unfilial son Nalan Xingde?!

Mingzhu was deeply dissatisfied, but he couldn't help but admit that Lady Jueluo was right.

What if the Crown Prince still ascends the throne after all our jumping around? We might as well have one of us support the Crown Prince. Thus, he stopped restraining Nalan Xingde.

Nalan Xingde was delighted. Once he was in a good mood, he also had to admit that, because he needed to stay beside the Crown Prince and the First Prince at all times, it had been a long while since he last got drunk.

He also had to exercise diligently every day, terrified that he might fail to protect the two princes properly. As a result, he grew healthier by the day and was now strong enough to carry one prince in each arm and stride as swiftly as the wind.

Mingzhu was immensely comforted. He began making arrangements for Nalan Xingde to take a second wife, which led to another huge argument with his eldest son. But that is a story for later.

The other guards watched Nalan Xingde's radiant appearance and envied him intensely.

Even people in the inner palace, no matter how proper they were, had moments when they gossiped. The guards often overheard the idle chatter others thought were quiet whispers.

Many palace servants said that the Crown Prince was a blessed person. Whoever he took a liking to would become healthy and enjoy great fortune. Moreover, the Crown Prince passed through the smallpox epidemic with ease when he was very young, so many people believed he was a little celestial child. A lucky star who descended from heaven.

It just so happened that an ancestor appeared to Kangxi in a dream and predicted the great earthquake in the capital. That ancestor must have been a deity.

It made perfect sense that the Crown Prince of an immortal emperor would also be an immortal child.

Having heard these words repeatedly, the guards grew increasingly curious about the Crown Prince.

They originally thought that this was an image that the emperor crafted for the Crown Prince, but Nalan Xingde said the same thing. Could the Crown Prince really have some kind of lucky-child effect?

Aside from bondservants favored by the emperor, such as Cao Yin, the guards were basically all Manchu and Mongol nobles with meritorious families. Their families' positions mostly… no, not mostly. Almost all of them were opposed to the “Crown Prince.”

Thus, they basically never heard anything good about the Crown Prince at home. The better the Crown Prince's reputation became, the more sighs and furious outbursts came from their elders.

The young men originally followed the teachings of their elders and held no favorable impression of the Crown Prince.

But the Crown Prince's reputation kept improving, and Nalan Xingde, a “little traitor” among the guards, supported him. Thus, they became curious.

Perhaps young people always went through a rebellious phase. In a feudal great family, where people hardly ever separated from the household, the old men remained over their heads for their entire lives, making that rebellious phase even longer. The more talented a person was, the more intense his rebellious phase became.

They began to think for themselves and started trying to take a road different from the one their elders chose.

The symbol of the “Crown Prince” became the spark and the fuse.

“The Crown Prince is indeed clever,” said a guard who briefly protected him during the Jingshan hunt. “His Majesty has educated the Crown Prince extremely well.”

He described in vivid detail how the Crown Prince said that Kangxi would become “an emperor for the ages,” earning a glare from Nalan Xingde.

“Do not imitate that sort of talk, and be cautious in word and deed,” Nalan Xingde reminded him.

The guard rubbed his nose, unconcerned. “It's not some great secret. There were so many people present that day. Anything worth spreading already spread.”

Many of the guards from noble families in the palace were careless and slapdash in how they handled things. They had little “political thinking.” A great many were spoiled young masters who came merely to pad their credentials. That was why, later on, Orondai could lead the Qianqing Palace guards in playing at archery while out on an excursion.

Orondai was a lawless, shameless fool. The fact that those Qianqing Palace guards could play with Orondai showed just how dissolute some of the noble guards there were.

As soon as the Jingshan hunt came up, the frivolous* guards crowded around to investigate the gossip, squeezing the stern, proper guards off to one side.

The stern and proper guards looked at one another, sighed, and voluntarily took on the heavy responsibility of patrolling in place of the frivolous guards.

They were used to this sort of thing. If these people behaved like this inside the palace, could anyone really expect them to change after leaving it? Thus, the Qianqing Palace guards always exceeded the required number on patrol. One group of proper guards led another group of spoiled young masters who were merely “pretending” to be proper guards in order to pad their credentials, while the frivolous guards frequently skipped their shifts.

Nalan Xingde also wanted to leave, but he was also a son of a noble family, and people who considered themselves his boon companions wouldn't let him go.

Nalan Xingde: “……” Thank you. Even if you are fox-and-dog friends*, one still has to choose foxes and dogs who share the same path. I don't want several of you as my fox-and-dog friends.

The First Prince descended like a divine soldier from heaven and rescued him.

“Rongruo, come with me. Where is Ziqing?” Yinzhī asked with his hands behind his back and his brows furrowed. “What are you talking about? Why did I hear the words ‘Crown Prince’? Were you speaking ill of the Crown Prince?”

The frivolous guards hurriedly shook their heads. “No, no! We were praising the Crown Prince!”

Yinzhī's brows unfurrowed as he smiled. “My little brother can take a compliment. You're right to praise him!”

The frivolous guards: “……” Alright, it is obvious that the First Prince genuinely likes the Crown Prince.

Their families keep saying that the First Prince and the Crown Prince are competing for the throne. Competing for a damn throne? Would they dare to say that in front of the First Prince?

No wonder their elders already gave up on the First Prince and watched the unsteady Third and Fourth Prince, who couldn't even talk yet.

“First Prince, I'm on duty. May I ask what brings you here?” Nalan Xingde asked.

Yinzhī said, “Khan-Father asked you and Cao Ziqing to help me write a memorial. Think of a way to unite the young people among the noble families who hate those old immortals* who do no proper work and only know how to sow discord between my brothers and me. We should do something useful together. Those old immortals occupy their positions without doing anything good, staring at other people's family affairs all day. They are worse than gossipy women. Only the young people are left to do any actual work.”

This was the first time Yinzhī showed outsiders the blunt, outspoken side of himself, which was, in the most negative sense, enough to cause a brain hemorrhage.

Nalan Xingde was already used to it, so his expression remained normal as he said, “I'll go find Cao Yin at once. First Prince, please wait a moment.”

The other frivolous guards looked as if a gale blew them into disarray.

First Prince, you, you, you…

“Your Highness, cursing people is not good,” one guard said weakly.

Yinzhī raised a brow. “Where did I curse anyone?”

The guard said, “Old immortals…”

Yinzhī said, “Saying that they are old but healthy. Is that cursing? Isn't that a compliment?”

Is that what ‘old immortal’ means? We understand now!

Pah! How could it be! First Prince, is that what your teacher taught you?!

The guard tried again. “You also said they occupy their positions and draw salaries without doing anything.”

Yinzhī said, “I didn't say that. You did.”

The guard immediately said, “That's what your words meant!”

Yinzhī gave the guard a long, quiet look. “You say that's what I meant, so that makes it what I meant? What gives you the right to say that? Are you dissatisfied with your own elders and are secretly storing up curses for them, so you deliberately misunderstood me in order to insult people?”

The guard: “……” Although he really was dissatisfied with his elders, he did not do that!

The guards were utterly shocked.

The First Prince was still only a boy with hair tied in little tufts, yet his tongue was already so sharp. Where did he learn this whole set of sophistries?

Who was the First Prince's teacher?! They didn't dare to offend the First Prince, but they could go block the door of the teacher who taught him this sophistry! (Yinreng: Achoo!)

Yinzhī waved his sleeve with magnanimity. “Forget it. I'm a broad-minded adult and won't quibble with you. But be more careful with your words in the future. Don't interpret things carelessly and offend people. By the way, are you interested in taking part in what I mentioned?”

Although the frivolous guards were all spoiled young masters who did not attend to their proper duties, they did not dare do anything that might bring disaster upon their families. They had that much common sense.

They hesitated. “We are not…”

Yinzhī said, “It's nothing major. We'll just find some people to compile books, tell stories, and spread them. You can come listen first, then decide whether you want to take part. Of course, whether you tell your elders is up to you.”

Yinzhī smiled. “If any family's elders find out, I'll spread the word that XX family's good little darling is a spineless loser.”

The frivolous guards: “… Your Highness, you are cursing now!”

Yinzhī was puzzled. “Who did I curse? Has any one of you already done this?”

The frivolous guards vigorously shook their heads.

Yinzhī said, “Since none of you has done such a thing, why are you saying that I'm cursing people?”

The frivolous guards: “……” Can those words really be explained that way?!

The frivolous guards began to suffer.

Why did they feel as if their intelligence had just been crushed by a child with hair in little tufts? Their families often pointed at their heads and called them stupid, but how old was the First Prince? Were all imperial children this monstrous?

Was this the legendary sort of cleverness that bordered on being demonic?

If the First Prince was already like this, would His Highness the Crown Prince be even more terrifying? (Yinreng: Achoo.)

Nalan Xingde quickly brought Cao Yin over.

During that short interval of time, Yinzhī already “subdued” a group of frivolous guards whose curiosity was greater than a cat's. Everyone skipped duty under imperial orders and gathered for a meeting.

Nalan Xingde and Cao Yin: “……” What exactly did the First Prince do?!

After Kangxi finished playing with his son and emerged from the tent refreshed and invigorated, ready to continue working, he discovered that nearly half the guards surrounding the tent were missing.

Kangxi's anger began to build up.

This group of spoiled young masters skipped duty as a group again?! Fine in ordinary times, but now, the capital has suffered a great earthquake, and everything is in chaos. They actually dare do this now?!

The guard captain reported, “The First Prince said he had an oral command and took them away.”

The guard captain repeated to Kangxi what the First Prince said after arriving. Officials with real ability generally had excellent memories, so he remembered the First Prince's words almost without missing a single one.

Kangxi's facial expressions changed wildly, like clouds driven across the sky by a fierce wind.

Watching Kangxi's face change so rapidly, Zhao Chang prepared himself to scurry off and call for the imperial physician.

But who was Kangxi? He was the emperor who could endure Oboi, endure the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, and endure any number of things.

After one deep breath, his expression returned to normal. But his blood pressure still rose and fell, and he felt a little dizzy.

“It was my oral command,” Kangxi said through clenched teeth, taking the blame for the First Prince.

What else could he do? Say that the First Prince falsely transmitted an oral command and took away his guards? Once that spread, wouldn't it turn into a story about a seven- or eight-year-old First Prince attempting to force his way into the palace and commit treason?

Kangxi left without looking back.

As he went, he thought furiously that if Yinzhī failed to do this properly, he would punish… punish Nalan Xingde and Cao Yin! (Nalan Xingde and Cao Yin: Achoo!)

Inside the tent, Yinreng thought back to what Kangxi said before leaving.

Kangxi guessed that Yinzhī's idea came from Yinreng, and asked Yinreng why he did not simply tell Kangxi himself.

Yinreng found a “lazy” excuse, but it did not fool Kangxi.

Kangxi asked, “Did Grandpa say something to you?”

Yinreng said, “It's not Grandpa's fault.”

Kangxi said, “Alright, so Grandpa did say something to you.”

Yinreng: “……” Sorry, Imperial Grandpa. This really is not my fault. Father came up with that entire interpretation on his own.

Kangxi did not discuss the matter in depth with Yinreng. He merely pulled Yinreng into his arms and emphasized that Yinreng would receive all the benefits other Crown Princes received, while avoiding all the misfortunes other Crown Princes suffered.

The two of them were unlike every royal father and son in history. They were much closer.

Yinreng nodded in agreement. But I'm just lazy. I don't want to take responsibility, and I don't want to work.

Kangxi was speechless. “You're still young. It's normal not to want to do anything right now. But you must keep your own accomplishments. Don't hand them to other people. Yinzhī and the others are still young, and you have a good relationship now. But people grow up, and once they grow up, people's hearts change. Do you understand? It's cruel, but you are the Crown Prince. You must understand how to guard against others.”

Remembering Kangxi's words, Yinreng let out a deep sigh. He rolled over twice and unexpectedly managed to sit up.

Yinreng stretched, proudly patting the waist that had lost so much of its flesh.

That is our Yinreng! Through rolling exercise, he managed to climb out of bed after such a short time recovering!

Yinreng brightened and forgot all the dark feelings that were stirred up inside him by Kangxi's words.

“Liang Jiugong, help me out of bed!” Yinreng waved his little hands at Liang Jiugong.

As Yinreng sat up, Liang Jiugong hurried over.

“Your Highness, you still need to lie down and rest more,” Liang Jiugong advised while supporting Yinreng.

Yinreng shook his head. “I need to move around more. The body only gets better when work and rest are balanced. If you lie down all the time, your body will grow weaker and weaker. Hold my hand and take me outside for a walk. Bring several extra sets of clothes.”

When a person was weak, he would sweat profusely. Yinreng estimated that after taking only a few steps, the undershirt beneath his clothes would be soaked through with cold sweat.

Liang Jiugong hesitated, then gritted his teeth and agreed. “All right. Your Highness, please do not push yourself.”

After accompanying Yinreng for so long, he developed immense respect for this Crown Prince who was so young yet unusually clever. He sincerely wished to follow Yinreng's instructions.

He also personally saw Yinreng force himself to eat in order to recover quickly. If Yinreng accidentally vomited, he rinsed his mouth at once, then slowly continued eating.

His Majesty knew about it too, and he often secretly wiped away his tears. Liang Jiugong saw that as well.

Going out to walk around would really be better for the body. But not only children, but even adults in a state of extreme weakness would find exercising outdoors so painful that it was difficult to endure.

The Crown Prince said he could endure it, so Liang Jiugong could only accompany him outside while holding back his tears.

A deeply treasonous thought arose in Liang Jiugong's heart.

Why did Heaven make such a good child a Crown Prince who suffers these things?

What curses? What possessions? Why make such a small child bear them? Could he be…

A... a sacrificial offering?

Liang Jiugong buried those two words deep in his heart and did not dare to think about them again.

“Take a walk after meals to drive away all illnesses.” Yinreng cheerfully put on his little cloth shoes. Alas, his legs went weak on the very first step.

Again!

Yinreng was like a child who just learned to walk. He tottered like a little penguin, moving forward one difficult step at a time.

Liang Jiugong, along with the other eunuchs and matrons, followed close beside him and guarded him with the utmost care.

Yinreng took only two or three steps before he began panting heavily.

He dropped onto the carpet on the ground. “Oh dear, I overestimated my stamina. It seems I won't make it out of the tent today.”

Yinreng waved his arms twice and kicked his short legs twice. Once he caught his breath, he used Liang Jiugong's hand to pull himself up and continued his efforts.

“Crown Prince Brother…” The tent flap opened a crack, and Yinzhǐ's little head poked through, looking as if he might cry but was trying not to.

“Third Brother? What is wrong? Who bullied you?” Yinreng reached out a hand to Yinzhǐ.

Yinzhǐ immediately threw himself forward. Fortunately, Liang Jiugong was behind Yinreng to support him, so Yinreng was not knocked to the ground.

“Oh, my little brother. Your brother is weak right now. I can't catch you,” Yinreng said with a smile, rubbing Yinzhǐ's smooth head.

Yinzhǐ choked out, “S-sorry.”

“It's all right.” Yinreng hugged Yinzhǐ and rubbed against him. “A little brother hugging his brother shows that he likes his brother. You don't need to apologize. Your brother is the one who should apologize for being too weak to catch you. I'm sorry, little brother. Once I'm well, I'll take you outside to play properly.”

Yinzhǐ tightened his short arms around him. “Mm. Sob, sob. Crown Prince Brother, I heard someone say that you're very sick and dying! Waaaah!!”

A vicious expression flashed across Liang Jiugong's face.

Our Crown Prince is such a good person! How could anyone chew on his reputation behind his back and curse him?!

“I've been a little weak these past few days and haven't gone outside. They might simply be worried about me,” Yinreng sighed inwardly.

What idiot was gossiping so loudly that even Little Third could overhear it? Father will surely beat that person to death.

“To die means never seeing someone again. Yinzhǐ will never be able to play with Brother again. Sob, sob. Brother, don't die.” Yinzhǐ began wailing.

Only then did the matron come rushing over. “Oh dear, Third Prince! How did you run so fast? This servant…”

“Stop her and take her away.” Yinreng's expression changed in an instant, and his voice turned cold.

How old was Yinzhǐ? He was not even three! How could he run off like that? How did he run so fast that the adults couldn't catch him?

When the princes followed Kangxi to live temporarily in tents at the Temple of Heaven, there was little ground available for tents. The front court and the inner palace could not be separated, so guards and eunuchs were mixed together.

Almost all palace maids remained in the inner palace. Only elderly matrons came out, while some eunuchs were also left behind, so every consort was short of hands.

The princess under Consort Rong's care fell ill after the earthquake frightened her, so the Consort cared for her daughter day and night, making it difficult to spare much attention for Yinzhǐ.

But Consort Rong did not neglect Yinzhǐ. She cared for her daughter herself, and sent everyone she could command to Yinzhǐ's side. She even poured her own tea and water, leaving only one eunuch to heat water and boil medicine.

Consort Rong also asked the other consorts who came along to keep an eye on Yinzhǐ, sending him to their tents whenever she was unable to watch him herself.

Consort Rong made every possible arrangement, so how did Yinzhǐ still manage to shake off his attendants and run wild?

Yinreng hugged his brother tightly. For an instant, the aura of the Crown Prince from his first life rose within him. He wanted nothing more than to personally kill that old matron with a whip.

He closed his eyes and suppressed his violent emotions.

Honestly. After exhausting his mental strength to impersonate Shunzhi, the influence of his first life was sinking deeper and deeper into him.

Perhaps being influenced was not entirely bad. In this era, he needed to become a conforming member of the feudal ruling class. He would inevitably encounter many things that looked cruel to people of later generations. He needed to grow accustomed to them early, or else too much compassion might cause him to make the wrong move in the future.

Even so, Yinreng forced himself to restrain his own emotions.

He needed to use the twenty years of his modern life to restrain the fifty years of his first life, and make that college student Yinreng into his true self.

Otherwise, he might lose himself.

“Send her back to Consort Rong and let Consort Rong deal with her.” Yinreng suppressed his urge to impose private punishment and issued a rational order. “Send someone to see whether Father is free. If he is, tell him what happened. If he is not, wait until he has time.”

Liang Jiugong acknowledged the order and sent people to carry out Yinreng's instructions, while remaining at Yinreng's side himself.

Yinreng and Kangxi lived in the same tent. There were many people serving in their tent who were capable of handling tasks.

In the past, whenever Yinreng told him to notify Kangxi, Liang Jiugong always went personally.

Now, unless the matter was extremely important and could not be entrusted to someone else, Liang Jiugong would not report to Kangxi in person. Under ordinary circumstances, he stayed beside Yinreng and did not leave easily.

Yinzhǐ stared blankly as the matron was dragged away with a hand clamped over her mouth. He rubbed his tears and snot against Yinreng's clothing. “Did Yinzhǐ do something wrong?”

“Little brother did nothing wrong. She was the one who did something wrong. I'll explain it slowly in a moment. First, I need to change my clothes.” Yinreng looked down at the clothes Yinzhǐ ruined with his tears and snot, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch.

What a dirty little doll. I absolutely have to remember this scene and laugh at Third Brother when he grows up.

By the time Yinreng changed his clothes, the eunuchs and matrons also washed Yinzhǐ's face clean.

As he asked Yinzhǐ how he heard someone speaking ill of him and how he shook off his attendants to charge into the tent alone, Yinreng also invited Yinzhǐ to help with his rehabilitation.

Yinzhǐ was at the age when children in later generations just entered the younger kindergarten classes, or the class below that. He could run and jump, speak quite clearly, and understood the meaning of other people's words.

When Yinreng invited him, Yinzhǐ immediately patted his little chest. “I'll help Brother! I'm very good at it!”

“Of course. My little brother is extremely capable.” Yinreng held Yinzhǐ's hand. Yinzhǐ moved forward carefully, one step at a time, while Yinreng followed him, also wobbling forward one step at a time.

A little penguin led a large penguin around and around the enormous tent. Both of them wore expressions of utmost seriousness.

Liang Jiugong laughed until his eyes narrowed.

Our Crown Prince is simply this capable and adorable!

When Consort Rong received the news, her body was already exhausted beyond measure. Her vision went black, and she fainted outright.

The imperial physician hurried over, pinched her philtrum, and brought her around.

Consort Rong wanted to go find Yinzhǐ, but the people Kangxi sent were already there.

“Consort Rong, please rest and take care of your health. The Third Prince is having a great time playing with His Highness the Crown Prince. There is no need to worry,” the eunuch said.

Consort Rong immediately climbed up and knelt on the bed, kowtowing toward the tent where the Crown Prince and Kangxi lived. “Thank you, Crown Prince. Thank you, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Although Consort Rong had a son and a daughter and occupied a high position, she was no longer favored.

People in the palace were accustomed to stepping on the lowly and fawning on the powerful. In the inner palace, things were still manageable. She was the principal consort of her palace and could keep the people of Zhongcui Palace under control.

But once they left Zhongcui Palace, the other lower-ranked consorts were more favored than Consort Rong, so she was treated with disdain.

Consort Rong knew life outside the palace would be difficult, so she sent every useful person around her to care for Yinzhǐ, while she personally took one eunuch to care for her sick daughter.

But even then, Yinzhǐ still managed to shake off the matron and eunuchs and run away alone?

If Yinzhǐ did not remember to run to the Crown Prince, her son…

The Temple of Heaven was guarded in layer upon layer. Yinzhǐ certainly wouldn't get lost, and someone would have discovered him and brought him back very soon.

But if he bumped into something, fell, or hurt himself, she would still be heartbroken.

“This isn't Consort Rong's fault. His Majesty says Consort Rong should rest easy,” the eunuch comforted again.

He sighed inside. If Consort Yi wasn't pregnant, she would probably be blamed for this.

Consort Rong sent Third Prince Yinzhǐ to the other consorts in turn to ask them to care for him. She reported this to Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who personally made the arrangements.

When Third Prince Yinzhǐ ran off, he happened to be at Consort Yi's tent.

But Consort Yi was actually blameless too.

Her belly was already very large, and she was in poor spirits to begin with. She was also frightened by the earthquake, and recently found both sleep and food difficult. Moreover, she had no experience caring for children.

Thus, Consort Yi merely assigned more people to accompany Yinzhǐ and let him play by himself near her tent.

The consorts' tents stood close together. When Yinzhǐ occasionally ran around, she did not pay much attention, since other consorts were helping to keep an eye on him anyway.

Who could have known that with so many people watching him, Yinzhǐ would still manage to run all the way to the Crown Prince's tent without the people behind him catching up?

To put it plainly, the problem was that everyone was crowded together in tents at the Temple of Heaven, making management far too chaotic.

The Grand Empress Dowager was too old, the Empress Dowager could no longer manage affairs, and Kangxi was busy with state business.

Naturally, no one was left to manage the consorts and palace people who followed them there.

Only now did Kangxi notice the problem.

He rearranged the living quarters of the consorts and imperial children. Instead of having each consort manage her own children, he gathered the children together, uniformly assigned staff, and had them collectively cared for.

Yinreng sighed. “Father, let my brothers live with me. We can look after one another. Anyway, they often come to find me to play, unlike my sisters, who rarely leave their tents and are easy to manage. Big Brother and I can order people around, so we can watch over the younger brothers properly.”

Kangxi said, “You are still recovering!”

Yinreng smiled. “Then we can recover together. Big Brother and Third Brother can also take care of Fourth Brother and me.”

“They are still so young. How could they take care of you?” Kangxi hesitated. “Forget it. Live together, then. I will take care of all of you.”

When it came to experience in raising children, Kangxi was confident that he surpassed every consort in the palace. Perhaps only the Grand Empress Dowager was a tiny bit better than him.

“Good.” This was exactly what Yinreng meant.

Letting his brothers grow closer to Father would also keep Father from constantly thinking of using his sons as whetstones.

The knife suffered. Did that mean the whetstone did not suffer too?

People were neither knives nor stones. Human hearts were made of flesh. They could bleed, hurt, and die.

Yinreng remembered the madness of the First Prince in his first life, when Yinzhī called for the Crown Prince's death.

Was Yinzhī really stupid?

All the princes received the same education. No matter how stupid he was, after reaching his thirties or forties, would he still not know what words would make him lose Kangxi's favor completely?

Yinzhī knew he was the whetstone, didn't he?

The First Prince in his first life was incomparably arrogant and looked down on everyone. He looked down on the Crown Prince from the bottom of his heart, and believed that, as the eldest son, he had the qualifications to compete with Yinreng.

Their Khan-Father gave him so much power and allowed so many court officials to rally behind him and challenge the Crown Prince. Wasn't that also an acknowledgment of his abilities, and a sign that Kangxi was wavering over the choice of heir?

It was only the first deposition of the Crown Prince that made Yinzhī see things clearly. He was never a candidate for the throne. He was just the whetstone used to hone the Crown Prince.

Anyone could become the Crown Prince. Only the whetstone itself could not.

Because if the Crown Prince's blade were ground to ruin, the whetstone would certainly be ruined too.

And if the Crown Prince's blade were not ruined, if he successfully ascended the throne, then the whetstone would certainly be smashed to pieces.

Yinzhī's future was already set.

The princes were all weak-willed people. All they could do was hate one another and attack one another ever more violently.

As the whetstone, Yinzhī could only hate the blade that tormented him in return.

What else could he do?

Yinreng thought of Thirteenth Brother again.

The Thirteenth Brother, who returned to service under Yongzheng. Did his hot blood also turn cold? Or was his early death partly caused by watching the tragedy of the brothers in the Kangxi era continue? Did the prolonged suffering leave him depressed and eventually make him ill?

“Little brother, why are you hugging so tightly?” Yinzhī was delighted to be able to sleep with Yinreng again. “Do you miss your brother that much?”

The three of them successfully squeezed Kangxi into the neighboring tent to sleep. If Yinzhī had a tail, it would have been held very high.

Yinreng joked, “Of course. Look, Third Brother almost ran off by accident. What if I run off too? I need to hold Big Brother tightly. Big Brother, protect me!”

Yinzhǐ also hugged Yinzhī tightly. “Big Brother, protect me!”

Yinzhī scoffed. “Little Third, you used to fight with Big Brother all the time. Now you want Big Brother to protect you?”

Yinzhǐ said, “…Then I don't want you to protect me.”

Yinzhǐ let go and turned over, facing away from Yinzhī.

Yinzhī burst out laughing and turned Yinzhǐ back around to hug him.

One little brother in each arm. Yinzhī is a true winner in life!

“Aahng!” From the cradle in front of the three princes came a high-pitched cry of displeasure from Yinzhen.

Baby Yinzhen: You are so noisy! Are you going to let me sleep or not?!

“Keep your voices down, keep your voices down. Don't make Little Fourth cry,” Yinreng hurriedly whispered.

Yinzhī: “Awooo, all right, all right.”

Babies are terrifying!

Worried about the children, Kangxi poked his head into the tent in the middle of the night to check on them.

A candle was lit inside the tent and left burning all night, so the palace people would not step on the princes while arranging their bedding.

Kangxi saw Yinreng and Yinzhǐ curled obediently against either side of Yinzhī's body. Then he saw Yinzhī sleeping in an outrageously sprawling starfish position.

He drew in a sharp breath.

Kangxi wanted to lift the First Prince up and lie down in his place.

Shouldn't the children be sleeping around me, relying on me?! Yinzhī, are you not being far too presumptuous? That is my place to begin with!

Kangxi crept inside on tiptoe, secretly reached into the blankets, pulled out the sleeping Yinreng, and ran.

Early the next morning, Yinreng was woken by Kangxi getting out of bed. He stared blankly at Kangxi's face.

“Father?” Yinreng was utterly bewildered.

Wait, wasn't I sleeping with Big Brother and Third Brother yesterday?

Kangxi said calmly, “Yesterday you sleepwalked over to find me.”

Yinreng: “Huh?”

Father, I'm not a real little child. You can't fool me!

Kangxi had someone carry Yinreng back and stuff him into the arms of Yinzhī, who was still snoring away.

Yinzhī reflexively hugged Yinreng and continued sleeping soundly, while Yinreng remained surrounded by question marks.

Liang Jiugong and Zhao Chang, who witnessed the whole thing, exchanged a terrified look that said, Are we going to be silenced?

Stealing his son in the middle of the night?! Was that something an emperor could do?!

Could anyone other than an emperor do it either?!

Liang Jiugong and Zhao Chang were so frightened the previous night that neither recovered their composure.

Fortunately, Kangxi himself thought that the matter was shameful, so he stole Yinreng only once, then used “Yinzhī's sleeping posture is too terrible, and Yinreng cannot sleep properly while recovering from illness. He should sleep with me” as his reason for carrying Yinreng away. He only returned him during the day.

Liang Jiugong and Zhao Chang exchanged another terrified look.

Your Majesty! Don't you think this is even more embarrassing?!

Yinreng sighed.

What can a person do with an overly clingy father?

I hope we can move back to the palace soon. Then there will be no one crowding together, Father won't have to worry about people listening through the walls, and he can continue sleeping with the consorts in the inner palace instead of always using me as a pillow.

Even with Kangxi's heavy arm pressing him down, Yinreng still preferred to sleep while pressed and cuddled against his brothers.