Chapter 21: Baocheng performed very well today.

Chapter 21

When Kangxi came over, Yinreng was already tired from crying and fell into a deep sleep on the couch. He burped with every breath and his eyes were swollen.

Kangxi was slightly surprised: "What happened?"

The Empress Dowager sighed, "I dreamed of his mother, and heard the palace maids chatting. They talked about many things that happened with their mother at home. Baocheng couldn't help but think of himself. When he thought about the fact that his brothers all had mothers, but he didn't, he was even more sad."

Kangxi's expression darkened: "This child! Even if it is like this, he should come to find me, how can he disturb Mama!"

"I watched Baocheng grow up. I am so happy that he is close to me. How can it be a bother? I just hope he can come more often." The Empress Dowager looked at Kangxi, "When a child is sad, he naturally wants to find his relatives. It's not that Baocheng doesn't want to find you. He understands you."

Kangxi: ???

The Empress Dowager continued, "You have always loved Hesheli, and you often miss her even after she passed away. Baocheng sees the friendship between us. He was afraid that if he told you, it would only make you sad. He came to me not to complain, but just to ask me what Hesheli looked like.

"I noticed that he looked strange, and he refused to answer my repeated inquiries, so I called Xueqing in to force her to tell me the whole story. Baocheng... Baocheng said that he couldn't see his mother's face in his dream. It was all foggy and unclear. This child... this child..."

The Empress Dowager sighed, "He has never seen my mother since he was born. He came to ask me what my mother looks like, and said that he hopes that when he dreams about her in the future, he can see her face clearly, and not just a blurry figure."

Hearing this, Kangxi felt a blockage in his throat and his heart ached.

After a while, he said, "I heard that the queen has a younger sister① who looks quite similar to the queen. Why don't I let her enter the palace?"

Unexpectedly, she was glared at as soon as she finished speaking. The Empress Dowager felt that this idea was extremely bad, and it was hard to describe it in words, but she could not say it clearly, so she only said: "No matter how similar they are, there are still differences. They are not the real person. Baocheng is thinking of Hesheli herself. This biological mother cannot be replaced by anyone. Not even your aunt can."

Kangxi was stunned: Yes! Even if she is his biological sister, even if she looks very similar, so what? After all, she is not his Hesheli!

These words seemed to wake him up, and the thoughts in his mind disappeared instantly.

At this moment, Yinreng turned over, pouting, and looked sleepy.

"Khan Ama?" He was a little uncertain. He rubbed his eyes and found that it was really Khan Ama. He quickly got out of bed and saluted. Seeing that Kangxi's eyes were red, he was very confused: "What happened to Khan Ama?"

The Empress Dowager explained the whole story.

Yinreng was stunned for half a second, but soon realized what the Empress Dowager meant. This move was to explain why he cried in the Cining Palace today. Secondly, it was to deepen Kangxi's sympathy for him.

Seeing the deep meaning in the Empress Dowager's eyes, Yinreng responded immediately. He shrugged his nose and lowered his head: "It's my fault. I made Khan Ama sad again."

That little expression was full of sadness, worry and self-blame. Kangxi felt even more distressed and quickly hugged him in his arms: "It has nothing to do with Baocheng. It's Khan Ama who didn't do enough."

Yinreng shook his head repeatedly: "Khan Ama, don't say that. Khan Ama has already sacrificed a lot for me, Baocheng knows it all. Although Baocheng doesn't have a mother, he has the best Ama in the world. Khan Ama, Baocheng is not upset anymore, and you don't have to be sad either, okay?"

Kangxi choked up and said, "Okay!"

As it got darker, the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren had dinner together.

The Cining Palace has a small kitchen, and all food is prepared from there. Dai Jia brought a plate of crystal meatballs and placed it in front of Yinreng: "I heard that the prince likes to eat this, so I tried to make one. Prince, please have a try."

Kangxi smiled and said, "There are so many chefs in the palace, why do you have to cook it yourself?"

Dai Jia replied: "I just want to learn a skill. I have nothing to do anyway."

The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded: "She is thoughtful. These days, my appetite has not been very good, so she thought of a way to consult with the imperial chef to find some appetizing and refreshing dishes that are easy to digest."

Yinreng rolled his eyes, thinking that something was not right. He looked at Dai Jiashi, then at the Grand Empress Dowager, wondering if they were singing the same tune.

Yinreng understood instantly and quickly followed the rhythm, pulling Dai Jiashi and saying, "The meatballs are delicious, thank you!"

"As long as the prince likes it!"

"I like what you have done these days."

Yinreng had indeed been dining with her in the Cining Palace these past few days, and Daijia had indeed been learning to cook for the Empress Dowager herself, but basically only one dish a day. She had never cooked a full table like she did today, and even selected a dish specifically for Yinreng.

But Kangxi was busy with state affairs and came seldom, so he didn't know clearly.

Yinreng's words were vague, and Kangxi naturally thought that Dai Jia was very attentive and prepared meals for the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince every day. He smiled even more and said, "You should sit down and eat with us."

Dai Jia was slightly surprised: "How can this be possible? I will serve you and the Grand Empress Dowager during your meal."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "The Emperor asked you to sit down, so you should sit down. This is an imperial decree, do you still want to disobey it? The servants will serve you, so you can eat without worry."

Dai Jia then bowed to express her gratitude and sat in the last seat.

After the meal, everyone was happy.

The emperor returned to the Qianqing Palace and summoned Dai Jia to sleep with him at night. The Empress Dowager left Yinreng to sleep in the Cining Palace.

An old man and a child were lying on the bed, and the Empress Dowager said softly: "Baocheng behaved very well today."

Yinreng asked about Daijia hesitantly.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "She is a good mother. She only thinks about her son. She came to the Cining Palace because she wanted her son to live a good life.

"But I am already this old. There is a saying that things never go as planned. If I can live a few more years and wait for Yinyou to grow up, it will be fine. But if I die early, what will happen to her? What will happen to Yinyou?

"You are the crown prince, the heir to the throne. Apart from me, there is no one more suitable than you. As long as you are friendly to the brothers, Yinyou will be fine. So I didn't say it clearly, but only let her know a few words. She is smart and will understand."

The Empress Dowager asked again, "Do you know why I don't want your aunt to enter the palace?"

Although the Empress Dowager did not say it explicitly, she pointed out that "the resemblance is not the same person", which was to shatter Kangxi's fantasy and remind him that there are no two people in the world who are exactly the same. Some things are irreplaceable.

At this point, the Empress Dowager had a bit of sarcasm on her face: "As far as I know, your aunt is only eleven years old this year. An eleven-year-old girl, her face hasn't fully grown yet, how come there are rumors that she looks like your mother? And how come your Khan Ama even heard it?"

Yinreng frowned, fearing that someone might have done this on purpose.

"The Hesheli family has a queen who has become the apple of your Khan's eye. They have tasted the sweetness and I'm afraid they want to try again."

Yinreng thought for a while and said, "This shouldn't be what my uncle meant."

The smallpox experiment in Zhuangzi was progressing well. Suo'etu had been very active recently, even smiling when he saw Mingzhu. He also respected the prince more and more.

Moreover, since Suo Etu was removed from the court, Yinreng had assigned him tasks one after another. Suo Etu had no time for this.

The Empress Dowager did not refute: "It shouldn't be your grandfather. Your grandfather is old and his health has been worse in the past two years. I heard that he has been sick several times this year."

Yinreng knew this. Grandfather Gabula had resigned from his post due to poor health and was recuperating at home. Yinreng could not leave the palace at will, so he sent people to deliver gifts and express his condolences.

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly: "He doesn't have the energy. But the Hesheli family is a big family. There are many people besides them. Besides, your aunt is not from the same mother as your mother."

Yinreng understood that even sisters from the same mother would fight with each other, let alone sisters from different mothers.

For my uncle Soetu and my grandfather Gabula, he was already the crown prince and was very much loved by the emperor. They only needed to be of one mind with him and wait for him to ascend the throne without any unnecessary efforts.

But for my aunt and her mother, no matter how glorious he was, the benefits they received were limited. If they wanted to gain greater benefits, was there anything better than entering the palace directly?

They are all women, all sisters. Why can the elder sister do it, but the younger sister can't? My aunt is only eleven years old, and even if she is selected for the draft, she must be at least thirteen years old. So even if my uncle and grandfather have this idea, they will not act so early.

But it was different for my aunt and her daughter. They were afraid that my grandfather's condition would worsen and he would leave too soon. They wanted to arrange everything before then.

The Empress Dowager sighed again: "Even if it wasn't your grandfather and uncle's idea, they wouldn't necessarily stop it if they knew. If the Hesheli family could really have another girl enter the palace, it wouldn't be bad for them. But it might not be good for you."

Yinreng hugged the Grand Empress Dowager tightly and said, "Baocheng understands! There is a big age difference between her and my mother. When she was born, my mother had already entered the palace. The two of them have never been together, how much affection can they have? Now that it is reported that she looks like my mother, it is clear that they are already plotting.

"Since there are rumors, they must look alike. Based on this alone, and with Khan Ama's remembrance of my mother, she has a lot to offer. She is also a girl from the Hesheli family. With this status, her position in the palace will not be bad.

"If her methods are not good enough, the Hesheli family will naturally not have any disloyalty. But if her methods are good, she can use my Royal Mother as a stepping stone to win the favor of Khan Ama, and even replace my Royal Mother step by step, erasing her position in Khan Ama's heart.

"When she gives birth to another son, will the Hesheli family support me or this little prince?

"Even if there are still people who stand firmly on my side, there will definitely be people who have different opinions. In this way, the Hesheli family will be divided into two factions."

There was a flash of surprise in the Empress Dowager's eyes, and then she was delighted.

"Good! Good! Baocheng sees things so clearly, and Mother Wuku is very happy."

Yinreng shrugged his nose and said, "Mother Wuku! Baocheng knows it all! Baocheng knows that you have worked hard for me. Baocheng remembers it. I remember it all."

It was because he understood and remembered that he didn't want to pretend anymore. Mother Wuku, the famous Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang in history books, was nearly seventy years old. She could have enjoyed her old age and no longer had to deal with worldly affairs, but she was thinking hard about him and even used the calculating methods she had long abandoned.

How could Yinreng not understand this sincerity!

"Just remember it. Now that we have grown up to be so smart, Mother Wuku can rest assured."

Yinreng nodded heavily: "So you see, Baocheng is very capable. Baocheng can plan for himself and protect himself. Today you have helped Baocheng dispel Khan Ama's idea of taking my aunt into the palace. From now on, Baocheng will handle the future by himself.

"You also said that Baocheng can't stay under your wings forever. He has to learn these things. Mother Wuku, from now on, you just need to live peacefully and enjoy your life."

The Empress Dowager nodded with red eyes: "Okay! Mother Wuku, just enjoy your happiness!"

"Um!"

The old and the young burst into laughter.

The author has something to say:

① Hesheli's younger sister, here we are talking about Concubine Ping, who entered the palace in October of the 19th year of Kangxi. There is no specific age, but she was probably around ten years old. Yes, you read it right. The information says she was around ten years old. Oh my god! I suddenly felt that Kangxi was unbearable to look at. But think about it, Kangxi himself was only eleven or twelve years old when he got married...

Of course, the part about entering the palace made me crazy.

Another thing, there were many sisters in Kangxi's harem. For example, Concubine Yi's sister, Concubine Guo Luoluo (this seems to be a cousin, not a biological sister). For example, Concubine Wenxi, the sister of Empress Xiaozhao. For example, Empress Xiaoyi, who was Tong Jia's sister, Imperial Noble Concubine Hui. And then there was Concubine Ping, the sister of Empress Renxiao.

Among them, the noble lady Guo Luoluo has the lowest rank. But she has a daughter, Princess Gulun Kejing.

Apart from the other three empresses' sisters, Concubine Ping had the lowest status. She had little presence in the harem, and her son died young.

But this article recreates the character of Concubine Ping and will not follow history.