CH 35.2

Bambi here, I took some days off and now I’m back. Hopefully, in these two months I’ll advance with BBG until reaching chapter 40. I’m also very happy to be joining Foxaholic, here’s my work (+18) if you want to check it out. 

Before, in chapter 6, Yinyou said he wanted to be a mighty general, in today’s chapter, Kangxi will make his wish true. The next chapters are more action-packed, and of course, the yearning and romance will pick up.

After entering the palace, Yinyou was just walking towards Qianqing Palace, but midway, he met the eighth brother, the ninth brother, the tenth brother and the fourteenth brother1These four brothers are the future members of the Eight Lord Party. Led by Yinsi, they will support the eighth brother to the throne, and in later moments, when they see that Yinsi has no chance, Yinsi and others will turn to support the fourth brother’s full-blooded sibling, the 14th prince, Yinzen.. After the brothers greeted each other, Yinyou asked, “Where are the younger brothers coming from?”

Seeing Yinyou’s appearance, Yinsi guessed that he had gone outside the palace, and he replied with a smile, “The younger brothers rode a horse for a while in the teaching ground, is the seventh brother coming back from outside the palace?”

“I had nothing else to do, so I just walked around outside,” Yinyou nodded, “Riding a horse is not bad.”

“Isn’t the seventh brother working in the Ministry of Revenue? Why do you don’t have anything to do?” The ninth brother smirked, his handsome face dripping with sarcasm, “Maybe it’s the seventh brother that’s being lazy?”

Yinyou also smiled, “Huang Ama just told me to walk around, me being like this is Ama Huang’s intention. The ninth brother teased his seventh elder brother like this, it really makes the seventh brother don’t know what to say…2The way this was worded, there’s a hidden meaning of “I’m so sad you said this, and ALSO you’re so wrong on this, I really don’t know if I should correct you, so stupid”, I truly didn’t know how to imply it, so I just wrote a footnote. (Also, it’s a crime to say the ruling royal family is wrong!).”

“Naturally, Huang Ama is an enlightened ruler3Wiki. 聖明. august wisdom (formerly used in adulation of the emperor) / enlightened sage / brilliant master (flattering words applied to a ruler).”, replied the ninth brother. He had lost in his own game4被反將 bèi fǎn jiàng. It means being reversed when you have a greater advantage. , which in turn, made his expression a bit gloomy. In the end, he stopped mocking Yinyou all together.

“The ninth brother is young, seventh brother, please forgive him for the careless words,” Yinsi bowed and spoke with a smile, “The eighth brother apologizes to the seventh brother in his name.” 

How could two brothers be so different?

“There’s no need to be like this between brothers, we’re just having fun.” Yinyou smiled and glanced at Yinsi and Yintang5Yintang (胤禟), the 9th brother. When Yinzhen ascended the throne, he became Yuntang. This is Wiki page. Historically, he was a pain in the ass for Yinzhen. In most characterizations, he has become a sharp-mouthed person, and very good at business. During the Yongzheng Emperor’s reign, he was stripped from his title, imprisoned and later died under mysterious circumstances. (Probably assassinated by the emperor)., “The ninth younger brother has always been smart6Yinyou is saying this ironically like “oh I guess when it’s your turn, you’ll be better than me, we’ll see.” There’s a subtext of mocking the intelligence of the ninth brother. I just don’t know why he should say that, because from what I’ve read this ninth brother was very smart. He was very good in business, was friends with high ranking and low ranking people, and he was the first Chinese person to write Manchu using the Latin alphabet. (The 9th brother’s Baidu page.) , I think he will be better at handling errands in the future than me, his elder brother.”

When Yintang heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately became angry again, “Thank you, seventh brother, for your kind words.” Did this old seventh really think that no one dared to touch him?

Yinyou was still smiling, “My own brother, where’s the need to thank me. Huang Ama has summoned me, I hope the brothers will excuse me.” After finishing speaking, he clasped his fists and added, “We brothers should get together when we have time.” 

After seeing Yinyou go away, Yintang whispered resentfully, “It’s just his E’Niang that was promoted, what’s so great about it? He’s still a lame person, but he thinks he’s something.”

“Ninth brother, wasn’t it you that provoked him first?” The tenth brother asked blankly, “Why are you still angry?” 

The tenth brother felt that although the seventh brother was a lame person, he was a kind person. Once, when he was a child he fell into a snowdrift; at that time it was the seventh brother who helped him up. He remembered that his hands were warm and comfortable.

“What do you know?!” Yintang glanced at the foolish tenth brother, “Why are you still not moving?”

“Of course,” the tenth brother had an honest personality, “but why should I walk with you? Master will go back.”

“This Panda7 滾滾 Gǔngǔn – nickname for a panda. He’s calling him fatty. Just like we might call someone a pig/piggy. They’re around 10-13 years old so it’s not surprising. (I wonder if it’s also an endearment, since pandas are considered sacred animals in China, like EarthStoriez says: “Giant Pandas are regarded as ‘sacred creatures of the forest’ (…), Chinese people adored this gentle giant, regarding them as a symbol of peace.” So maybe it has a bit of fondness, since these siblings are very close. Maybe I’m just delulu.).” The ninth brother looked at the tenth brother’s slightly chubby back, “What is the seventh brother, he is a lame and a waste!”

“Ninth brother!” Yinsi lowered his voice, “Be careful!” 

The ninth brother had a long history of disliking the seventh brother. He was rude when Consort Cheng was an Imperial Concubine, and now although he was polite on the surface, his mouth never stopped. It was no wonder that the seventh brother spoke harshly to him. Although the seventh brother had a good temper, he was not a cowardly person. If the ninth brother continued to provoke him like this,  he will soon get himself in trouble.

The seventh brother was a person who was good at forbearance but he still had a bottom line. Once this line was crossed, afraid that there would be a lot of trouble.

After entering the Qianqin Palace8Wikipedia: The Palace of Heavenly Purity, or Qianqing Palace (Chinese: 乾清宫; pinyin: qiánqīng gōng). During the Qing dynasty, the palace often served as the Emperor’s audience hall, where he held council with the Grand Council., Yinyou gave his greetings very obediently, “Erchen greets Huang Ama.”

“Get up,” Kangxi drank tea and looked at the young man standing in front of the imperial table, “Zhen once heard that little seventh wanted to be a general?”

Yinyou didn’t know Kangxi intentions, but he still said, “Yes, Huang Ama.” 

Kangxi let out the next words slowly, “Then if I asked you to go to the border with the army now, would you be willing?” 

Yinyou was secretly startled, but he immediately knelt down, “Erchen was born in the Great Qing Dynasty and is naturally willing to defend his family and the country. Erchen is willing to fight.” 

“Good.” Kangxi put down his teacup, “In three days, you will follow Feiyanggu9費揚古 Fiyanggū (1645–1701) was one of the commanders of the Qing expeditions against the Zungar Mongols in the 1690s. He was a first rank military official and had many military achievements, one of them was to help quell the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, this revolt happened in the first years of Kangxi and was the setting of the first chapter of the series. to go to the border to fight with Galdan10Galdan Boshugtu Khan. He was a descendant of Genghis Khan, and like him, wanted to unite the Mongols under his standar. At first, he gave up his right to the throne, passing it to his full-blooded brother and spending 20 years studying Buddhist canons, philosophy, astronomy, astrology and basics of medicine and pharmacology. He was one of the best educated kings in Mongolian history. But when he heard the news that his brother was killed by their half-brothers, he returned to seize the throne, and married his brother’s widow, Lady Anu, a warrior queen who would become a close confidant and would later gave up her life to let him escape the Qing Empire’s army. His ambitions to unite the Mongols, and his victory on conquests made Kangxi suspicious of him, Galdan thus began to be pursued by the Qing Empire as an enemy: Kangxi made sure to support Galdan’s nephew claim to the throne, leaving him with no homeland to return; cut him off diplomatically, leaving him with no allies; and chased him everywhere with the Qing army. After Queen Anu’s death, Galdan’s army didn’t amount to much. He ended his own life in a mountain with 300 of his close supporters drinking poison. Here’s more information, it’s super interesting, and if you want to understand the context, this is a very useful reading. In the mentality of those in the Qing Dynasty, Galdan was attacking them, (he never did but would’ve eventually), that’s why you’ll see them refer to him as an active participant even when he hadn’t reached that point yet. . Zhen will take no objection from you.”

Yinyou kowtowed, “Erchen will definitely not disgrace you.”

He didn’t understand what Kangxi was planning, and although he didn’t show it, internally, he was horrified. Fei Yanggu’s battle against Galdan was obviously in the 35th year of Kangxi11According to The Palace Museum: “In Bingzi Year (1696), Kangxi Reign, 35th Year. 1st Month: By imperial edict, the emperor will personally lead an attack on Galdan Boshugtu Khan.” So it’s different from the official history as Yinyou should go together to fight with Kangxi instead of alone. , but now it was a year earlier. And even if he went to fight Galdan, he should have gone with Kangxi when Kangxi himself went to war. Why did he go there alone with Feiyanggu?

Why did history start to take a turn? Still, Yinyou couldn’t see through the emperor’s mind.

Can’t see through, can’t guess. Forget it, no matter where history changed, at least there was still Feiyanggu who was fighting against Galdan at this moment, so he can just regard it as time passing.

He wanted to see how much would history change.