CH 56

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Wikipedia says: “On the first day of October in the 25th year of Kangxi (1686), she [Concubine Min] gave birth to the thirteenth prince Yinxiang.” Right now it’s the 38th year of Kangxi and it was not even October when Concubine Min died so Yinxiang should be 12 years old. Yinyou was born in the 20th year of Kangxi, so he’s around 18, while Yinzhen’s 21. 

At the end of May, the weather in Beijing gradually became hotter.

Yinyou was in the study when Fu Duo hurriedly entered and brought the news that the third prince had been disrespectful to a concubine in the harem, and how he’d been recently been too harsh on his servants. All of this combined made the emperor furious.

In recent days, the third brother has indeed become a lot more arrogant in his words and deeds. Earlier this year, it was the Crown Prince who’d angered the emperor, then Imperial Noble Consort Min fell seriously ill and now the third brother’s actions only made the emperor even more unhappy.

“Enough, this matter has nothing to do with your Master. Let them make a fuss.” Yinyou slowly took a sip of tea before adding. “Go and tell Fu Jin to warn the people in the mansion to keep their mouths shut. If someone is not being cautious, beat them to death. There’s money to buy them a coffin, anyway.”

“Aye,” Fu Duo was also worried. Recently, the relationships between the princes have become more and more tense, being in such a situation, he didn’t dare to slack off. After receiving his Master’s order, he left the study and walked to Fu Jin’s yard.

When the study room was quiet again, Yinyou put down the book and rubbed his eyebrows. He didn’t know what Jinsu said, but after they returned from her maiden family, Maqi didn’t stand in the faction of any prince in the court, and he behaved like the emperor’s loyal minister. This result was already very good. For a talented man like Maqi, as long as he didn’t favour any prince, Yinyou believed Yinzhen had his way of dealing with him.

Recently, the fourth brother and Yinxiang have been very close, and the fourth brother and the fourteenth brother have also gotten along very well. Yinyou tapped the table with his right index finger. The political struggles will begin sooner or later, but they will also end sooner or later. He just needed to wait it out.

In July, Imperial Noble Consort Min couldn’t hang on anymore and finally died of illness. The emperor held her funeral according to the ceremony of a concubine and did not raise her rank. She was the Imperial Noble Consort Min while she was alive and when she was dead1When an imperial concubine died, if she was favoured, if she had merits, if she had a good family background, it was not impossible to raise her ranks to give her glory. To this character, the next rank was probably Empress, so it was problematic to give her any more rank since Yinxiang would become a di son, with the same legitimacy to the throne as Yinreng who was the son of the second Empress of Kangxi. / In real history, Yinxiang’s mother died as a Concubine, was buried as Consort by Kangxi, and then became Imperial Noble Consort Min during Yinzhen’s reign. In this story, the author made her extremely favoured, thus she became of the highest-ranked concubines..

Yinyou looked at the thirteenth brother, who was crying in the mourning hall and felt distressed. In this harem, an underage prince who lost the protection of his E’niang would never have it easy. He walked up to the thirteenth brother and patted him on the shoulder. Then, he knelt on the futon next to him and silently accompanied the thirteenth brother to burn the incense paper2 The tradition of burning paper money as an offering to ancestors in China dates back to at least the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 9 CE). It is a significant part of Chinese ancestor veneration and is believed to provide financial resources for deceased relatives in the afterlife..

“Seventh older brother?” Little Thirteenth who had a flushing face and red eyes stared at the young man in the light-coloured robe3During mourning, there’s etiquette to follow. For example, don’t engage in sexual intercourse, do not be extravagant in clothes (use clear colours, nothing fancy), don’t eat meat, and particularly important in this Qing Dynasty setting: don’t shave your hair (There’s this belief that the body and hair were given by one’s parents, it’s unfilial to cut it). Liu Jue (2022) says, “In Chinese culture, a mourning period can last for 100 days, which is the length of time it may take for someone’s soul to be reborn as another person. During that period, bereaved people might continue to wear grieving colours, and might feel it inappropriate to go to celebratory occasions, like weddings.” These things are stipulated in the Book of Etiquette and Ceremonies and the Book of Rites. beside him. He stubbornly wiped the tears from his cheeks, obviously not wanting to look embarrassed in front of him.

“Thirteenth younger brother, restrain your grief.4In Chinese culture, the phrase “請節哀” (Qǐng Jié āi) holds profound cultural significance in the context of expressing condolences. Translated literally as “Please observe mourning etiquette,” it reflects a deep-rooted respect for the deceased and their family. This expression encourages individuals to handle grief with restraint and dignity, aligning with traditional customs associated with mourning in Chinese society. / B: I feel like a similar Western expression would be, “It’s okay to cry but don’t let sadness control your life”, or “You have the right to cry and grieve.” / Corie, a Chinese speaker, says: “Just like how we say for a friend who is down with a cold, is meant to be a well-meant wish, not a command.” Source.” Yinyou threw the money papers into the brazier one by one and whispered, “When someone leaves us too soon, they go back to where they began. Everyone goes through this in their lifetime. As her child, you are right to be sad but don’t grieve too much and hurt your body. Min E’niang will only worry about you when she sees you like this, wouldn’t that make Min E’niang even more unsettled?5According to tradition, the “seventh day (头七 tóuqī)” since a person’s death is when their spirit will revisit the living world one last time. Source.”

The thirteenth brother looked at Yinyou with wet, sad eyes, but did not reply. Yinyou patted him on the back gently, “The thirteenth younger brother is a man already. As a future Batulu6巴圖魯 (bātú lǔ) it’s an official title of the Qing dynasty, awarded to commanders and soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield. In Manchu, baturu means “warrior” or “brave.” It is originally from the Mongolian word baγatur, which has the same meaning., you should be strong and brave.”

Outside the mourning hall, Kangxi gazed calmly at the two brothers kneeling together. He did not step forward, but stood quietly in the courtyard and listened to their whispering. His entourage of palace eunuchs stood in the corner with their heads buried.

“Seventh brother, fourth brother also told me that E’niang doesn’t want to see me cry.” Yinxiang sniffed, “But I will never see E’niang again, and I will never eat the snacks made by E’niang, or wear the leather hat she made for me…”

Although the thirteenth brother was smart, he was still a child after all. This tragedy caused his usual joyful appearance to disappear, leaving only a sad child.

“Don’t cry.” When Yinyou saw Yinxiang’s beautiful face twisted from his crying, he frowned and took out a handkerchief, kindly wiping away his tears. “You are my younger brother. Even if there is no Min E’niang in the future, I will take good care of you. There is also the fourth brother. Although the fourth brother has a cold face, he’s very kind to you. Don’t make him worry about you like this. The other brothers are also good to you. Without Min E’niang, you still have Huang Ama and the rest of us brothers.”

“Seventh brother!” Thirteenth leaned against Yinyou’s body, his voice trembling. 

Although Yinyou mentioned the other brothers, it was merely a polite statement. Yinyou just didn’t want to tell Yinxiang the truth. He sighed, stretched out a hand and patted the thirteenth brother’s back slowly. After this incident, afraid the thirteenth brother would grow up.

Kangxi did not interrupt the two brothers, but turned around and left with his large entourage. He walked on the palace road with a serious expression, and Li Dequan and the eunuchs who followed him did not dare to speak.

Kangxi knew very well that there were only two of his sons who cared to comfort little thirteenth: one was the fourth son and the other was the seventh son. The fourteenth one often came to accompany little thirteenth, but he was still young and didn’t know how to comfort a grieving person.

His disabled seventh son actually cared more about his younger brother than the other older sons, which made him, as a father, feel tired. He spoiled the eldest son, and Yinzi became complacent and arrogant. He cared for and planned for his second child, but Yinreng only acted more and more extravagantly. When he cared for his third son, it only caused Yinzhi to become arrogant and domineering. Although he treated his fourth son well, he was also very strict towards him. He hadn’t expected Yinzhen to be the only one who did things properly: the accounts in the Ministry of Revenue were cleaned up neatly, and even the national treasury had been filled up a lot in the past two years. As for little seventh… although his ability to do things wasn’t apparent, his heart was in the right place and he was kind towards others.

The old eight on the other hand… Kangxi thought of that all-around son and involuntarily furrowed his brows. After returning to Qianqing Palace, he practised calligraphy but was still very dissatisfied with the results. Ultimately, after drinking a cup of cold tea, he picked up the memorials to handle official matters.

At the end of July, Imperial Noble Consort Min was buried, and the atmosphere in the harem was a bit gloomy. In mid-August, the weather was still very hot, and it was at this time when Yinzhen got the news that a concubine in the third brother’s mansion was pregnant but she “accidentally” miscarried.

When Yinzhen heard the news, Yinxiang and Yinyou were also present. After hearing this, their expressions turned displeased. “How old was the child?”

Seeing the thirteenth prince looking rattled, the visitor carefully glanced at his Master’s expression before hesitatingly answering, “This servant heard that it was not more than a month old.”

“What a good third brother!” The thirteenth brother was now completely furious, his face looking almost blue from anger. 

Although her E’niang was not the Empress, she was still an Imperial Noble Consort. In the hundred days after the deceased passed away, the princes were not allowed to shave their hair or indulge in pleasure. His good third brother actually made the women in the mansion pregnant! Even more, the days of pregnancy coincided with the days when his E’niang was dying.

“Thirteenth brother, don’t hurt yourself.” Yinyou saw that Yinxiang was truly angry, and he felt that something would go wrong if he didn’t guide him properly

He ordered the servant to retreat, handed a cup of tea to the thirteenth brother and spoke seriously, “If you ruin your health out of frustration, it won’t be worth it. Don’t act impulsively.”

The thirteenth brother took a sip of half-warm tea, took a few deep breaths, and managed to suppress the anger within. His complexion gradually improved. Gripping the tea cup tightly, he said calmly, “Seventh brother, you’re right. I was impatient.”

Yinzhen walked up to Yinxiang and patted him on the shoulder. Instead of continuing the topic, he said, “It’s noon already. I asked someone to cook some light but delicious dishes. You have lost a lot of weight, you need to make up for it.”

The thirteenth brother nodded, and seeing the worry in the eyes of the fourth brother and seventh brother, his heart warmed up. After all, he still had two older brothers who cared about him.

Thirteenth, who had calmed down, suddenly said, “Seventh brother, when I was in the palace, I accidentally overheard the ninth brother talking bad about you. What’s going on between you and the ninth brother?”

In his impression, although the seventh brother was not too close to the other brothers, he was very kind. Why was the old nine so unhappy with the seventh brother?

Yinyou didn’t care much about the ninth brother. He mused for a while before saying slowly, “I rarely got along with the ninth brother, and I don’t remember much about our past interactions. But once he used a whip to beat a little eunuch when he was young and I happened to pass by. I asked him to stop, and that’s it. I just didn’t expect that such a trivial matter would make him hate me to this day.”

He remembered that the tone of his speech was very gentle, and he didn’t scold or punish him. What could have caused Old Nine’s unhappiness?

Yinzhen knew the true reason, but he didn’t say it out loud. He handed a cup of tea to Yinyou’s hand and said nonchalantly, “Old nine has a domineering temperament. Don’t waste your brain thinking about his behaviour.”

After taking a sip from the teacup, Yinyou smiled and nodded, “That’s right. There is indeed a layer of separation between us. If we were to compare closeness, it would still be you and the thirteenth brother who are closer to me. However, Little Thirteenth, if you dare to treat me as the ninth brother did in the future, I will surely teach you a lesson.”

Yinxiang didn’t like hearing these words, and he raised his eyebrows and complained, “Seventh brother, why don’t you say that the fourth brother might also treat you like the ninth brother in the future?”

Yinyou stretched out his hand and pulled Yinxiang’s fair and beautiful face. Without thinking, he said, “I believe in the fourth brother, he won’t do such a thing.”

The thirteenth brother swatted Yinyou’s paw away. He originally wanted to refute, but seeing the fourth brother standing behind the seventh brother with a smiling expression, the words died out. He didn’t know if it was his illusion but recently the seventh brother seemed to be particularly relaxed in front of the fourth brother, and the fourth brother seemed to be particularly gentle. He glanced to the left, then to the right, burying his head to avoid Yinyou’s paws.

At the beginning of September, Prince Cheng of the Second Rank7This is the third brother, the one that made his concubine pregnant. shaved his head even when the Imperial Noble Consort Min one hundred days had not passed. Kangxi was furious and demoted him to a Prince of the Third Rank. At the same time, he rewarded a large number of treasures to play to the thirteenth prince. In the month following this incident, he would not hide his love for Yinxiang

Shaving one’s head when in mourning was not particularly bad or good. It just depended on whether the emperor wanted to pursue this issue. The third prince had been too arrogant in recent days and made the emperor angry. The reason for his demotion was not difficult to understand. 

At this time, Yinyou was nestled in the Taishi chair in Yinzhen’s study. As he listened to Xiao Luzi’s report, he thought lazily: this one just doesn’t understand what it means to be low-key. Then, he dozed off.

Seeing Yinyou’s lazy appearance, Yinzhen sighed, “If you are sleepy, go to sleep. I arranged for a room next to mine.”

“Then this matter of the Ministry of Revenue…” Yinyou lazily waved a stack of paper in his hand. His job was not important, it was just sorting out paperwork.

“Leave it. I’ll do it for you.” Yinzhen waved his hand. “The mattresses and incense in that room are all chosen to your liking. If you don’t like something, just ask someone to replace it for you. Anyway, the servants  treat you as another Master so you don’t need to be polite.”

Sometimes when Yinyou arrived at his mansion, he just ordered someone to tell the chef what he wanted to eat. Yinzhen didn’t need to say a word. Secretly, he was very satisfied with it. At least Yinyou has become more and more accustomed to coming here, and even sometimes slept in his courtyard.

Looking at the person walking outside the door while yawning, Yinzhen clutched the brush in his hand tight. Be calm, don’t fret. He has everything planned out. He could wait some more. He didn’t want Yinyou to endure a lifetime of suffering because of his immoral feelings.

Yinzhen knew that if Huang Ama knew about it, the person who would be sacrificed would be Yinyou. That kind of tragic situation was the last thing he wanted to see. 

If he couldn’t protect Yinyou, then he wasn’t qualified to love him.