Nalan Mingzhu and Lady Jueluo were truly extraordinary people for their time. Almost all of Nalan Xingde's longing for love came from his parents.

"One lifetime, one generation, one pair of lovers." Nalan Xingde put those words into his poetry and moved countless women in later generations. But he was only writing pretty words in his poems, because he himself never lived by them.

When Nalan Xingde's wife entered the household, his concubine Lady Yan* had already borne him a son. His eldest son was born outside the principal wife's line.

During the eight years between Lady Lu's* death and Nalan Xingde's own death, he not only had a posthumous son born to Shen Wan*, but also four daughters born to his wife and concubines.

Of course, perhaps an ancient man's heart and body were separate. Nalan Xingde's longing for his deceased wife didn't prevent him from being a dashing and romantic figure.

So someone like Nalan Mingzhu, who actually achieved harmony between heart and body, was almost incomprehensible in this era.

Because it was so unbelievable, an imperial clansman who had later been dismissed from office wrote a bored collection of gossip called Xiaoting Zalu, viciously smearing Lady Jueluo. The rumors that Mingzhu was henpecked and Lady Jueluo was cruel also came from this book.

In his second life, Yinreng had read quite a few stories related to the Qing dynasty, including this book.

The unofficial history claimed that Lady Jueluo had gouged out a concubine’s eyes. The concubine’s father then sneaked into his daughter’s room at night and hacked her to death, supposedly leading Kangxi to dismiss Mingzhu from office. Reading this horrifying story had deeply shocked young Yinreng.

Oh, and Xiaoting Zalu did not even call her "Lady Jueluo." It fabricated the claim that Mingzhu's wife was from the Heseri clan. Yinreng had every reason to believe that fellow was trying to slander the Heseri clan and, incidentally, slander him too.

Nalan Mingzhu married Lady Jueluo in the eighth year of Shunzhi. Lady Jueluo's father, Prince Ying of the First Rank, Ajige, failed in a rebellion in the seventh year of Shunzhi and was executed in the tenth month of the eighth year. Nalan Mingzhu brought Lady Jueluo home just before Ajige's execution, thereby protecting her.

With a family background as tragic as Lady Jueluo's, there was no way she could have been arrogant and overbearing.

That impulsive act of love dealt a heavy blow to Nalan Mingzhu's career.

He became a second-class Imperial Guard at only sixteen, a remarkable achievement at a young age. But after marrying Lady Jueluo, Nalan Mingzhu was stuck in that position for a full thirteen years. He received no promotion throughout the entire Shunzhi reign, and only in the third year of Kangxi was he promoted to Chief Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

By then, he was already twenty-nine.

As a man of his era, Nalan Mingzhu was willing to sacrifice his career to save the woman he loved. During those years, he neither complained nor regretted it. He and Lady Jueluo lived in perfect marital harmony, and he took no concubines.

Lady Jueluo died more than a decade before Nalan Mingzhu. Throughout those years after his wife's death, Nalan Mingzhu still never took a concubine or fathered another son.

Isn't this a profound love as deep as the sea?! Which of those ancient men who wrote moving poems mourning their deceased wives could compare with him?!

Nalan Xingde, a devoted lover? Fake.

Nalan Mingzhu, a devoted lover? Absolutely, undeniably real!

After Yinreng, dressed as a fluffy white bear, finished gossiping with Yinzhī and Yinzhǐ, the two boys did not quite understand what he was talking about. But the nanny, eunuchs, and palace maids accompanying the three princes to the Nalan residence cried until their eyes were swollen.

Who would have thought that Mingzhu was actually this kind of man?!

We absolutely have to spread the beautiful love story of Mingzhu and his wife!

Yinzhī immediately clapped his hands. "This is fun! I'll hire an opera troupe to perform it. Don't tell anyone yet. I want to surprise Mingzhu!"

After getting his fill of telling the story, Yinreng hurriedly tried to save Mingzhu's dignity. "Don't do that. Mingzhu doesn't like people spreading his private affairs."

Yinzhī said, "Whether he likes it or not, what does that have to do with me? I like it."

Yinreng said, "We're going to stay at his house. What if he spits into our food?"

Yinzhī's eyes widened. "He can do that?!"

Yinreng said, "Who knows? If he spits in it, we won't be able to tell."

Yinzhī said, "Then we won't use his name. We'll set it in a previous dynasty."

When in doubt, make it a story from a previous dynasty.

Yinreng looked puzzled. "Why did you suddenly think of writing a play, Big Brother?"

Yinzhī sheepishly rubbed his nose. "Khan-Father promised me that for Mother’s birthday this year, I can invite a small opera troupe to put on a performance for her. Mother likes reading these romantic stories in her spare time. She'll definitely love the story of Mingzhu's family."

Yinreng said, "You should have told me earlier! Your little brother supports you!"

Sorry, Lord Mingzhu. Big Brother comes first.

Yinzhī became even more embarrassed. "How could I trouble you with something concerning my mother?"

"How could that be trouble?" Yinreng said pitifully. "Big Brother, I don't have a mother. I can't celebrate my mother's birthday. Can I join you too?"

Yinzhī immediately said, "Of course!" He didn't tell Yinreng because he was worried that Yinreng would be saddened by being reminded of Empress Renxiao.

The fluffy little white bear Yinreng hugged Yinzhī's arm. "Thank you, Big Brother."

Yinzhī pulled his fluffy little brother into his arms, positively glowing with happiness.

"I want to! I want to participate too!" Yinzhǐ didn't understand any of it, but the Crown Prince was participating, so of course Yinzhǐ had to participate too!

Yinzhǐ wriggled and squirmed until he climbed onto the fluffy white bear's belly.

Yinreng patted Yinzhǐ's little head with his bear paw. "All right. We'll all help Big Brother. Third Brother, when you go back, ask about Concubine Rong's birthday. We'll prepare a gift for her too."

Yinreng was still young. Apart from Noble Consort Tong, the highest rank held by the other women was only Concubine, so they normally did not have the standing to receive gifts from him.

However, if the princes had a good relationship with one another, giving birthday gifts to one another's mothers was perfectly normal. Rank did not matter.

Yinzhǐ nodded. "When is Crown Prince brother's birthday? I'll prepare a gift for you."

"The Crown Prince doesn't have a birthday," Yinreng said with a smile.

Yinzhǐ looked confused. "Why?"

Yinzhī coughed and interrupted Yinzhǐ's questions. "You'll understand when you grow up! All right, we're almost there. You have to keep this secret. Absolutely no telling anyone! And help me find out how Mingzhu and Grandaunt get along. I can put the details into the play."

Everyone in the carriage immediately agreed.

The touching love between Mingzhu and Madam Mingzhu absolutely had to be immortalized!

Everyone in the carriage was now united in a common cause. Mingzhu himself had absolutely no idea.

He merely noticed that the people from the palace were behaving unusually warmly toward him. The women in particular looked at him as if stars were sparkling in their eyes.

Mingzhu immediately became wary.

What are you people doing?! You work for the Emperor! Is someone trying to frame me?!

Mingzhu immediately hid behind Lady Jueluo.

Madam, protect me!

"As for matters concerning the inner household, I don't understand them very well. I'll leave them to Madam as well." Mingzhu desperately hinted that there were bad people among these palace servants.

Lady Jueluo swept her eyes over the palace people and smiled. "Leave it to me. Duanfan, you can rest assured."

Yinzhī looked puzzled. "Duanfan*? What food are you bringing? Is it time to eat? Why does Madam have to bring the food?"

Lady Jueluo was granted the honorific title of a first-rank lady, so others could respectfully address her as Madam.

Although Yinreng and Yinzhī privately called Lady Jueluo Grandaunt, they still had to use a more formal address when meeting her.

Lady Jueluo laughed. "Duanfan means 'a model of upright conduct.' It's his courtesy name."

Mingzhu's face went dark.

Yinzhī had already visited his house several times, and every time he came, he managed to make Mingzhu's face turn black.

At this point, Mingzhu had completely abandoned the idea of supporting Yinzhī in a struggle against the Crown Prince for the throne. The imperial clansmen and powerful aristocratic families shared similar thoughts.

The Crown Prince was still young, and there were still very few imperial princes. They were in no hurry. Once the Crown Prince came of age and the Emperor began to grow wary of him, the other princes would have grown up as well. Then they could slowly choose one.

The First Prince was quickly removed from their list of candidates.

That straightforward First Prince simply was not worthy of being promoted as a candidate for the throne!

Mingzhu's eyes fell on Third Prince Yinzhǐ.

If the First Prince wouldn't do, perhaps the Third Prince might...

"Bring the food! Bring the food Yinzhǐ is hungry! Bring the food!"* Yinzhǐ shook Yinreng's little bear paw.

The three children were dressed quite differently. Yinzhī wore close-fitting clothes and was not afraid of the cold at all. Yinzhǐ was dressed in bright red, like a little lucky baby from a New Year picture. Only Yinreng, whose health was poor, took the fluffy route and was turned into a little white bear.

Yinzhǐ adored his fluffy white-bear Crown Prince brother. He wouldn't even play with his stuffed toys anymore, and just insisted on hugging his Crown Prince brother instead.

"Third Brother, you can't be so rude. Duanfan is Lord Mingzhu's courtesy name, as well as his childhood name. It's like the Crown Prince's Baocheng and Big Brother's Baoqing." Little white bear Yinreng put on a stern face and scolded him. "If someone made fun of your name, you would feel sad too. Third Brother, apologize to Lord Mingzhu."

"Oh." Yinzhǐ drooped. "Lord Mingzhu, apologize."

Yinreng patted Yinzhǐ's head with his bear paw. "Not 'Lord Mingzhu, apologize.' Say, 'Lord Mingzhu, I apologize.'"

Yinzhǐ obediently repeated, "Lord Mingzhu, I apologize."

"It's all right, it's all right. Third Prince is still just a child. What does he know?" Lady Jueluo immediately forgave Yinzhǐ on Mingzhu's behalf.

She looked at little white-bear Yinreng with an expression full of maternal affection. "Who made this outfit for the Crown Prince? It's adorable."

Mingzhu puffed out his beard in indignation.

What's so good-looking about it? It has none of the dignity befitting a Crown Prince!

Yinreng smiled. "The Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager made it. But Big Brother and Khan-Father came up with the idea. They said that since I had to wear some furry clothes anyway, I might as well dress up as a fluffy animal."

Mingzhu no longer dared to puff out his beard.

The idea came from Kangxi, while the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager personally made it. Even if Mingzhu had a hundred times the nerve, he would not dare to criticize it.

Mingzhu frowned as he looked at the little white-bear Crown Prince.

The little white bear smiled and waved at Mingzhu.

Mingzhu: "..."

He could no longer maintain his stern expression, so he found an excuse and fled.

Lady Jueluo carefully picked up little white-bear Yinreng and bounced him in her arms. Comparing his weight with that of her second son, who was the same age as Yinreng, she sighed deeply.

The Crown Prince had lost so much weight.

She said to Yinreng, "Duanfan actually likes you very much. He's just shy."

Yinreng smiled. "I know. No one could possibly dislike me." That was assuming they set aside his status as Crown Prince.

Yinzhī put his hands on his hips. "That's right! Whoever doesn't like you, I'll beat them up!"

Yinzhǐ raised his tiny fists. "Beat them up!"

"All right, all right. We're staying temporarily in someone else's home, so behave yourselves. Let's go tidy up our rooms together," Yinreng said.

Yinzhī immediately said, "We'll sleep together."

Yinzhǐ hugged Yinreng around the waist. "I'll sleep with Crown Prince Brother!"

"Fine, fine, all together." Having an overly clingy older brother and younger brother was such a sweet burden. Yinreng was secretly delighted.

When imperial princes came to stay at a minister's residence, they naturally had the right to decide how their rooms were arranged.

Lady Jueluo had originally prepared three separate courtyards for the three children. When she heard that they wanted to stay together, she rearranged things and even brought out a large huanghuali-wood bed from her dowry, which was large enough for the three children to roll around on side by side.

Yinreng gave instructions for a while before becoming tired. A nanny carried him aside to rest.

Yinzhī and Yinzhǐ, full of energy, continued ordering the servants to hang all their favorite toys around the room, turning it into a garish mess that was almost painfully ugly.

Lady Jueluo smiled and let them boss everyone around. Once they finished their chaos, she stepped in and made a few adjustments, transforming the cluttered room into something neat and orderly.

Yinzhī and Yinzhǐ stared at Lady Jueluo with sparkling eyes. "Grandaunt is amazing!"

Lady Jueluo was momentarily stunned by the form of address. Then she crouched down, pulled both children into her arms, and laughed softly.

A five- or six-year-old child peeked around the doorway and witnessed this scene. His eyes darted about, and he ran toward the side room.

The servants saw what happened and quietly whispered it into Lady Jueluo's ear.

Lady Jueluo sighed helplessly. "Rongde, that child... Honestly. Come, let's go see."

"Who's Rongde?" Yinzhī asked.

Lady Jueluo answered, "My second son, Nalan Kuixu*. His courtesy name is Rongde. He is the same age as the Crown Prince."

Because Nalan Kuixu was young and not in particularly good health, Lady Jueluo had always kept him in the inner household and away from guests. Thus, Yinzhī and Yinreng had never met him.

Yinzhī said, "Same age as the Crown Prince? Great! Then he can play with us."

Lady Jueluo smiled. "He's a mischievous child. I'm afraid he might accidentally offend the Crown Prince."

This was merely a polite expression, but Yinzhī immediately took it literally. "What? He's going to bump into my little brother?! My brother is so fragile! How could he withstand being knocked around? That kid needs a beating!"

With that, Yinzhī took off running toward where Yinreng was napping. Yinzhǐ hurried after him on his little short legs. "I'm coming too! I'll protect Brother!"

Lady Jueluo's smile froze.

She wanted to explain that by "offend," she didn't literally mean bumping into the Crown Prince.

Lady Jueluo rubbed her temples and sighed softly. Forget it. That was simply the First Prince's temperament. Why should she argue with him?

By the time Yinzhī and Yinzhǐ ran into the next room, Yinreng was already awake.

He was sitting there looking utterly bewildered while a thin little boy hugged him and rubbed his face against him.

"What are you? Are you a big dog?" the boy asked.

Yinreng answered, "No. I'm a bear."

The thin boy asked, "What's a bear?"

Yinreng said, "A bear is a particularly terrifying creature. It eats people. Rawr!"

The boy was frightened, but he still refused to let go of Yinreng. "But you're not scary at all."

"That's because I'm still little. When I grow up, I'll eat people. Rawr!"

The boy's eyes were filled with frightened tears, but his arms around Yinreng did not loosen even a little.

Yinzhī charged in like a little cannonball. "Little brother! Big Brother is here to protect you! Don't you dare bump into my brother... Ah, who's that skinny kid next to you?"

The skinny boy was so frightened that he buried his head in Yinreng's fluffy fur. "Doggy, protect me!"

Yinreng said, "I told you I'm not a doggy. I'm a bear. Ah, Big Brother, don't get so excited. Who else in the Nalan residence is the same age as us? It must be Rongruo's younger brother."

The tombstone of Nalan Kuixu, a staunch member of the Eighth Prince's faction, was vandalized by Emperor Yongzheng with the words, "Tomb of the disloyal, unfilial, treacherous, and obsequious Kuixu."

Pfft, Fourth Brother is really funny.

When Yinreng realized that the skinny child was Nalan Kuixu, darkness briefly churned within his heart.

After his first deposition as Crown Prince in his first life, Nalan Kuixu and Alingga* spread rumors about him, fabricated all kinds of absurd crimes, and smeared his reputation among the common people to prevent him from ever being restored to the position of Crown Prince.

Many of the frightening, pitiful, and ridiculous clown-like portrayals of him in later television dramas originated from the handiwork of those two men.

Nalan Kuixu truly was a son of the Nalan family. His literary talent was excellent, and the stories he wrote were vivid and lifelike. In modern society, he would certainly be a bestselling author.

As Yinreng stared at Nalan Kuixu with darkness hidden in his eyes, the little boy sensed his hostility and immediately hugged Yinreng tighter.

Yinreng: "..."

The darkness vanished, and his sunny personality returned. Yinreng allowed Nalan Kuixu to continue hugging him and sighed deeply.

Yinreng, you are a good young man born under the Red Flag and raised in New China. You cannot bully a child over things that have not happened in this life.

A genuine five- or six-year-old child had instincts almost as sharp as a cat or dog.

The moment Yinreng's hostility toward Nalan Kuixu disappeared, the little boy began rubbing his face against the fluffy fur in his arms, clearly treating Yinreng as a giant stuffed toy.

"Go away, go away! Don't hug my brother." Yinzhī tried to pull Nalan Kuixu away.

Because he was the youngest child in the family, Nalan Kuixu had developed a rather domineering personality. "No! I won't let go! Doggy is mine!"

"I already told you I'm a bear. The kind that eats people," Yinreng said slowly.

Yinzhǐ also rushed over and clung tightly to Yinreng. "Brother! Who is he?!"

Yinreng answered, "He's Nalan Rongruo's younger brother... Ow! Stop pulling! I'm not a doll!"

All three children piled onto Yinreng, trying to monopolize him.

When Lady Jueluo entered the room and saw this, she was horrified. "Rongde! Come here!"

Nalan Kuixu trembled, and tears immediately began gathering in his eyes.

Yinreng was accustomed to taking care of his younger brothers and could not stand seeing children cry.

He immediately rubbed Nalan Kuixu's face with his bear paw. "Good boy, don't cry, don't cry. You can play with my bear paw."

Nalan Kuixu sniffled, grabbed the bear paw, and squeezed it. He immediately broke into a smile.

Yinreng smiled and rubbed his face again with his other bear paw. "All right. Big Brother, Third Brother, stop playing."

"Oh." Yinzhī let go of Yinreng and casually draped an arm around him. "Why is Rongruo's younger brother so small?"

Yinzhǐ sprawled across Yinreng's belly and grumbled. He still did not want some stranger sharing his fluffy brother.

Yinreng said, "In the future, you'll have younger brothers with an even larger age gap than Rongruo and Kuixu."

Yinzhī was shocked. "Khan-Father is that prolific? How many younger brothers will I have?!"

"Twenty or thirty?"

Yinzhī's face went dark. "I refuse to have that many younger brothers."

Even one Third Brother was enough to make him fight tooth and nail over the Crown Prince. Twenty or thirty younger brothers made his head ache just thinking about it.

Yinreng added, "And sisters too. Khan-Father will definitely be able to have that many."

Yinzhī made a look of disgust and horror. "Ugh, even pigs don't..."

Yinreng smacked him in the face with a bear paw. "Just shut up, Big Brother! Think before you speak. If Khan-Father punishes you, your little brother won't be able to save you."

Yinzhǐ looked up. "I won't save you!"

Yinzhī slapped Yinzhǐ on the head. "Shut up!"

Yinzhǐ said, "Ow." He stretched out his arms and hugged Yinreng even tighter.

Nalan Kuixu followed his example and tightened his arms too.

Lady Jueluo stood to the side in a daze, watching as Yinreng somehow quickly established harmony between the brothers and the newly added Nalan Kuixu. The three children happily huddled around Yinreng, chattering about things no adult could understand.

When had her spoiled little tyrant become so obedient?

Nalan Kuixu rubbed against Yinreng. Big doggy, no, big bear. I like him.

Lady Jueluo tried to take Nalan Kuixu away, but Kuixu looked ready to cry again.

Yinreng said, "Let him stay here. We can play together. We're all the same age anyway."

Nalan Kuixu nodded enthusiastically. Yes, yes, I want to stay.

After giving birth to Nalan Xingde, Lady Jueluo was still young, but her family soon suffered disaster. The strain damaged her health so badly that she did not give birth again for many years.

It took more than a decade of recuperation before she had her second son.

There were no children of Nalan Kuixu's age in the residence, and his frail health kept him from going outside to play with other children.

Now that he had met kind and adorable children his own age, Nalan Kuixu gazed at them and did not want to leave.

Lady Jueluo was quite troubled. Even though the Crown Prince had said it was fine, she could not simply leave Nalan Kuixu here unattended.

She tried persuading him a few more times, but Nalan Kuixu buried his head firmly in little white-bear Yinreng's fur and refused to answer.

Lady Jueluo had no choice but to go arrange other matters first, planning to persuade Nalan Kuixu properly that evening.

After Lady Jueluo left, Yinzhī immediately said, "She doesn't want her son to be close to us."

Yinreng smiled. "We're imperial princes. Even if the three of us are all good children, other people will still worry that we might use our status to bully them."

"Hmph." Yinzhī was dissatisfied. "I insist that her son play with us. Can she refuse?"

Yinreng said, "Of course she can't."

He rubbed Nalan Kuixu's head again. "Stop pretending. Just from the way your eyes keep darting around while you mutter to yourself, I know you're a precocious child. At five or six, the children of the Nalan family have already begun their education, right? What are you planning?"

Yinzhī immediately became wary of Nalan Kuixu.

Kuixu froze, not expecting to be exposed.

He had never been exposed at home. Even his father had been fooled by him.

"You..." Nalan Kuixu said awkwardly. "I wasn't pretending. The bear really is cute."

Originally, he only wanted to see what the Crown Prince who had caused his father and older brother to argue looked like. But once he saw the bear, he simply could not let go.

"Thank you," Yinreng said. "Do you want to play with us? If you do, I'll tell Mingzhu too. If you don't, we won't force you."

Nalan Kuixu immediately said, "I want to! There's no one at home to play with me."

"Poor thing. He's just like how my Crown Prince brother used to be." Yinzhī felt a little soft-hearted.

Yinreng said, "Big Brother, I had someone to play with."

Yinzhī rolled his eyes. "Who?"

Yinreng answered, "Khan-Father..."

Yinzhī was speechless. "Was Khan-Father playing with you, or playing you? I remember very clearly how he treats Fourth Brother!"

Yinreng stared at the sky.

Well, yes. Calling it “playing together” when he plays with me is about as accurate as calling it a mutual fight just because I let my face beat up the other person’s fist.

Nalan Kuixu put on a pitiful expression. "Your Highness, can I play with you? I'm very well behaved."

He absolutely had to observe the Crown Prince, who made his older brother and father argue, up close!

"Sure," Yinreng nodded.

The three brothers were staying at Nalan Mingzhu's residence. It was impossible for them to remain isolated from Nalan Kuixu anyway.

When Mingzhu heard that his second son had secretly gone to see the Crown Prince, then hugged him without letting go and even fought with the First and Third Princes over him, he clutched his chest and nearly fainted.

His eldest son being led astray by the Crown Prince was one thing. But his second son was still so young! How did he also become obsessed with the Crown Prince?!

Nalan Xingde stood with his hands behind his back and tilted his head, still acting cute despite his age. "This only prove that His Highness the Crown Prince is wonderful. Otherwise, is Father declaring that he has failed to educate us?"

Mingzhu was so angry that he picked up the book in his hand and almost threw it at Nalan Xingde.

Lady Jueluo sighed. "Master, if you don't like it, I'll separate the Crown Prince and Rongde. Please don't be angry."

Mingzhu looked aggrieved. "It's not about whether I like it or not..."

Nalan Xingde said, "Father simply doesn't understand. But Father, do you really not understand? You've met the Crown Prince so many times. Do you truly dislike him?"

Mingzhu fell silent.

Lady Jueluo patted Mingzhu on the shoulder. "Speaking from the heart, I like the Crown Prince too. Rongde is only a child. He doesn't consider all the complicated matters. He simply follows his instincts, so it's perfectly natural that he likes the Crown Prince. When he grows up, if you slowly teach him that he must not like the Crown Prince, he will eventually stop liking him for the sake of the family."

Lady Jueluo did not believe that Mingzhu's scheming was the right thing to do.

But Nalan Mingzhu was neglected for more than a decade during the Shunzhi reign, and his desire for power became extremely deep.

Nalan Mingzhu was not targeting the Crown Prince because he truly hated him or intended to betray Kangxi. Rather, he knew all too well how powerful the imperial clansmen and aristocratic families were. If he did not follow them, they would abandon him.

There was already one powerful official supporting the Crown Prince, Songgotu. If Mingzhu did not oppose the Crown Prince, the Nalan family could not become the leader of another faction at court.

He did not want to become anyone's subordinate.

But now Songgotu had withdrawn, and Kangxi seemed to have stopped deliberately cultivating opposing forces at court to balance its power. Even his eldest son had openly switched sides and supported the young Crown Prince. Mingzhu found himself caught between advancing and retreating.

Mingzhu had just received new information. Changning, the leader that the imperial clansmen had put forward to oppose the Crown Prince, also backed down. He openly said that he had a good relationship with the Crown Prince, that the Crown Prince was wonderful, and that no one was allowed to say bad things about him.

Someone previously told Changning that the Crown Prince was sickly and would not live long, and then Changning beat that person with a whip.

The sons of aristocratic families serving as Imperial Guards in the palace also praised the Crown Prince endlessly. Even Orondai, the troublesome son of Tong Guogang, was shouting that he was impressed by the Crown Prince.

If the Crown Prince were already an adult, Mingzhu would have started stirring up trouble long ago, claiming that the Crown Prince's reputation was too great and that he harbored rebellious intentions.

But the Crown Prince was still so young, so Mingzhu simply could not find a way to counter him.

He could not possibly run to Kangxi and say, "Your Majesty, the five- or six-year-old Crown Prince has too much prestige. I fear he may threaten your throne."

If Songgotu were still making trouble, Mingzhu could pin everything on him and accuse the Heseri family of deliberately building up the Crown Prince's reputation.

But Songgotu was now doing nothing except completing the work Kangxi assigned him, then going home to beat his sons and younger brothers. He even shut his doors and refused visitors.

The Heseri family's new favorite, Changtai, was a completely solitary and taciturn man. Unless Kangxi specifically called upon him to speak, he could stand in court like a wooden post from beginning to end.

Mingzhu tried to find people to impeach him.

Failed to fulfill duties?

"I request a self-investigation. If there is a problem, I will resign."

Embezzled public funds?

"I request a self-investigation. If there is a problem, I will resign."

Behave too arrogantly?

"I request a self-investigation. If there is a problem, I will resign."

Frequently entering and leaving the palace, which violates etiquette?

"All right, I agree with you too!"

Kangxi: "Resign my ass! Agree with your ass! Don't even think about escaping. Get back to work!"

Changtai cupped his hands and, in front of the entire court, revealed an utterly dejected expression.

Every official in the court understood. Changtai was desperate to go home and care for his seriously ill father, but there were too many matters at court, and the Emperor refused to let him leave.

If he kept making trouble, the Emperor would truly become angry.

Mingzhu was furious.

What kind of person was Changtai?! He had never met anyone like him!

If you called him cautious, he openly contradicted Kangxi in front of everyone. If you called him reckless, the moment he finished his official duties he went home to care for his elderly father, refused every banquet invitation, and simply threw the gifts other people sent onto the doorstep for them to pick up themselves.

Mingzhu had accumulated too many frustrations in his heart. Today, after hearing that even his second son liked the Crown Prince, he finally exploded.

For the first time, he had the strange feeling that he was a clown on a theatrical stage.

The Emperor and Crown Prince had a deep father-son bond. The Crown Prince was practically perfect except for his weak health. Yet Mingzhu insisted on trying to replace him with someone else, and the more he jumped around, the more people hated him. Even his own family was beginning to question him.

What exactly was he exhausting himself for?

"The Crown Prince is still young. Father doesn't need to make a decision so early. At the very least, wait until the Crown Prince comes of age before deciding. Who knows? Perhaps things will really turn out as Father says. Once the Crown Prince grows up, maybe the Emperor won't tolerate him anymore because he is too perfect," Nalan Xingde said.

Lady Jueluo sighed. "That would be so tragic for the Crown Prince."

Nalan Xingde was also saddened.

Mingzhu looked at his sentimental wife and son and immediately coughed. "Don't be so pessimistic. The Crown Prince is so intelligent. Surely he'll find the right way to get along with the Emperor. The Emperor isn't made of stone. He personally raised that child. He wouldn't so easily... Rongruo! What kind of expression is that?!"

Nalan Xingde turned and ran. "I'm going to check on the Crown Prince, the First Prince, and the Third Prince!"

"Get back here!" Mingzhu angrily threw the book in his hand.

But the instant he threw it, he immediately lifted his robes, ran over, picked it up, and patted it affectionately.

He had not finished reading it yet!

Lady Jueluo laughed.

When Nalan Xingde found the Crown Prince and the others, the Crown Prince had fallen asleep again. Yinzhī was quietly playing with Yinzhǐ and Nalan Kuixu using building blocks.

The blocks were made at Yinreng's request. He provided the designs for miniature versions of agricultural tools and new-style weapons, hoping to cultivate his brothers' interests from an early age.

When Nalan Xingde entered, Yinzhī immediately made a shushing gesture.

Nalan Xingde looked worriedly at the little Crown Prince who was curled into a fluffy ball and sleeping soundly.

"His coughing has already improved a lot. He just gets tired easily," Yinzhī said in a lowered voice. "He sleeps longer than we do, but once he's rested, he's energetic. The imperial physicians said there's no need to worry too much."

Nalan Xingde breathed a sigh of relief.

He rubbed his little brother's head. "Are you happy?"

Nalan Kuixu's eyes sparkled. All these toys were so much fun. It was his first time playing with children his own age, and with such interesting toys!

Nalan Xingde looked at the building blocks on the floor and became interested as well. "Can I play with you?"

Yinzhī generously said, "Sure. Come on. Today I'm definitely going to build a big house for my little brother!"

When Yinreng woke up, there was not only Nalan Xingde sitting on the floor. Somehow, Mingzhu had joined the building-block session as well.

Yinreng was speechless.

Lord Mingzhu, no matter how fun these blocks are, do you have no dignity left? And Rongruo's overly carefree personality, where do you think he got it from? Shouldn't you be reflecting on that?

When Mingzhu saw Yinreng's speechless expression, he awkwardly said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is awake? Are you hungry? My kitchen always has food prepared."

Yinreng nodded. "I'm hungry. But I need to write Khan-Father a letter first."

Yinzhī rolled his eyes. "You could just send someone to tell him. Why write a letter? That's such a hassle."

Yinreng said, "Father wants to see the letters we write."

Yinzhī rolled his eyes again. "He just wants to torment us!"

Mingzhu: "..."

Abandoning the idea of supporting the First Prince was truly the correct decision!

While Mingzhu had food prepared, Yinreng gathered his brothers and began writing a letter to Kangxi.

Yinreng dictated while Yinzhī served as his scribe.

Yinzhī could now write almost all the commonly used characters, and his handwriting was beautiful. But as he continued writing, his elegant characters became larger and larger, as if he were drawing increasingly huge circles out of frustration.

At the palace, Kangxi opened the letter. Yinzhī didn't write a single word saying he was annoyed, yet Kangxi could see the boy's impatience simply from his handwriting.

We haven't even gone far away!

One letter a day! Aren't you tired of this?!

Khan-Father, are you deliberately tormenting us?!

Aaaaaah! I don't want to write anymore! Flips the table

The corner of Kangxi's mouth twitched. It was only one letter a day. It was basically handwriting practice too. Did the boy really have to be so dramatic?!

Kangxi put down his magnifying glass. When reading by candlelight at night, he habitually used a magnifying glass to enlarge the characters and protect his eyes. But with Yinzhī's enormous handwriting, he did not need one at all.

Yinreng told Kangxi about Yinzhī's plan to turn the love story of Mingzhu and Lady Jueluo into a stage play.

Yinreng found a very good excuse. Because of the brutality surrounding the Great Qing's entry into the Central Plains, Han commoners had demonized the Manchus. Only after life had stabilized did that prejudice begin to ease.

Through his extraordinary literary talent, Nalan Xingde had made Cebian Ci and Yinshui Ci household favorites, changing the Han people's perception of the Manchus as crude and uncultured.

The faithful love between Nalan Mingzhu and Lady Jueluo also fit perfectly with the public's ideal of love and family. Turning it into a play would be no less popular than the famous dramas of the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

Of course, publicly they would still claim that it was a story from a previous dynasty. But those who understood would understand. Before long, the truth would spread through the streets and alleys anyway.

The Nalan family would make excellent ambassadors for Kangxi's image of the Manchus.

Kangxi stroked his chin and smiled. Although he knew that Yinreng was merely trying to cover for his elder brother's antics, this idea might genuinely be useful.

Kangxi turned another page. Now it was Yinzhī's turn to speak.

Having taken Yinreng's advice, Yinzhī understood that before doing anything, one should first raise a grand banner. He said he would first experiment with this new method of spreading stories through theatrical performances. If it worked, they could also turn the newly written mythological stories into plays and send opera troupes throughout Great Qing.

Wouldn't that make it easier to spread stories about their ancestors and their myths?

Kangxi's smiling expression froze.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, reread Yinzhī's letter from beginning to end, and then summoned the eunuch who had delivered it. "Was this really Yinzhī's idea?"

The eunuch replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. It was the First Prince's idea."

He explained how Yinzhī had come up with it.

In truth, Yinzhī was merely letting his mouth run while bragging and didn't even realize what he said.

Yinreng quickly stopped him, carefully asked about his idea, then consulted Nalan Xingde about the opera troupes and theatrical performances, and refined the proposal.

So the idea really originated entirely from the First Prince. The Crown Prince merely improved it.

Kangxi pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes glistening.

My eldest son has finally grown up.

"Give Consort Hui a jade ruyi," Kangxi said with satisfaction.

Although he knew that the First Prince had become clever because of his beloved son, he could not exactly reward the Crown Prince every time the First Prince did something good. So he would reward Concubine Hui, the First Prince's mother, instead.

Concubine Hui had worked hard for a long time because of her son too.

When Concubine Hui received the jade ruyi, she was confused about why she had suddenly received a reward.

When she learned it was because of the First Prince, she hugged the jade ruyi and cried so hard that she could barely breathe, even harder than when she herself had been promoted to Concubine.

My son! You actually earned a reward for your mother!

Wait. No, that can't be right. I know my son. He's not the sort of person who can earn rewards from the Emperor!

After she finished crying, Concubine Hui immediately investigated what had happened.

When she heard that something in a letter written jointly by the three princes had pleased Kangxi and prompted him to reward her, she immediately slapped her chest. "It was the Crown Prince."

She knew it! Her own foolish son would never know how to please the Emperor. The Crown Prince must have dragged him into doing something good again.

Whenever Yinzhī did something for the Crown Prince, he did not tell anyone else, only Concubine Hui.

So Concubine Hui knew that the First Prince had been credited with many of the Crown Prince's achievements and was even gaining exposure to government affairs and the sons of powerful aristocratic families serving as Imperial Guards.

Every day, Concubine Hui secretly recited the Longevity Sutra ten times for the Crown Prince in the Buddhist hall, filled with gratitude toward him.

She stroked the jade ruyi, unable to bear putting it down.

This was the first reward her son had ever earned for her.

After Concubine Hui received her reward, every consort in the palace became intensely jealous.

Concubine Rong thought about how her own son was also by the Crown Prince's side and smiled. She stopped being jealous.

Concubine De looked at her own chubby little boy, who could barely speak and spent all day cursing and yelling, then remembered how much the Crown Prince adored the Fourth Prince. She stopped being jealous too.

Concubine Yi thought of her Fifth Prince, who was still being raised by Noble Consort Tong, and immediately devoted herself to improving her health so she could compete for the Emperor's favor, while praying that the Crown Prince would also take good care of her son.

The other consorts who had daughters thought of the Crown Prince's kindness and hoped he would treat the princesses well. Consorts without children, such as Noble Consort Tong, simply ate another bowl of yogurt without honey.

Mmm, unsweetened yogurt is really delicious.

……

After arriving at the Nalan residence, Yinreng's mood became much more relaxed, and his health improved as well.

Even though the people around him still reported to Kangxi about his affairs, it was not as frequent as in the palace, which was once every half hour.

The people delivering the reports could not possibly tell Kangxi everything Yinreng did and said every day. A daily report means that Kangxi wouldn't know what he does for most of the day.

This made Yinreng feel as if he could finally breathe freely again.

The imperial physician came to the Nalan residence every day to examine Yinreng, and the smile on his face grew wider each day.

The Emperor had been right. A change of environment really did improve the Crown Prince's health.

But when Kangxi received the results of Yinreng's daily pulse examinations, he thought of something entirely different.

"Just as Khan-Father suspected, Baocheng really cannot stay in the palace for long." Kangxi was in tremendous pain.

He even began to wonder whether his beloved Fourth Brother, Prince Rong, had once attracted the curse as well. Perhaps that was why he survived smallpox, why Changning survived, and why Longxi managed to live, sickly as he was, until the previous year.

Only children whom the Emperor deeply loved, children he sincerely wanted to inherit the throne, could attract the curse.

Only such sacrifices were considered precious.

Kangxi walked out of Qianqing Palace, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked up at the sky.

The sky in the first month of the year was still gray and gloomy. Perhaps another heavy snowfall was coming.

Could fate truly not be resisted? But it was merely a curse. How could one presume to call it Heaven's will?

"Summon opera troupes from every region to the capital and prepare performances for the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday next year." Kangxi summoned his officials and ordered proclamations to be posted throughout the empire. "A grand celebration is needed to lift the people's spirits after the earthquake disaster. The Revolt of the Three Feudatories has also been brought under preliminary control. Next year, we will hold a grand celebration for the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday."

The officials answered, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Once the imperial edict was written, the Grand Secretaries made numerous copies. They were sent by fast horses to every province of Great Qing, and the provincial officials then passed the edict on to the famous local opera troupes.

And so, the Four Great Anhui Opera Troupes Entering the Capital, an event that historically would not occur until the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong, appeared ahead of schedule during the Kangxi reign.

This time, even more opera troupes came to the capital, and a much wider variety of theatrical genres was represented.