Chapter 13 - Becoming Reality
That night, much to her surprise, Cheng Wanyun ended up experiencing the lounge chair in an entirely different way.
The Crown Prince held her by the waist, and her entire body swayed with the rhythm of the rocking chair beneath them.
Having lived through two lifetimes, she finally understood what it truly meant to feel “utterly overwhelmed with ecstasy.”
By the second round, she reached such an intense peak that she briefly lost consciousness, only to awaken again amidst the tempest of their passion.
The next morning, Qingxing stared at the deep, uneven marks left on the fabric of the chair cover, lost in thought, before quickly removing it to wash.
Cheng Wanyun, hiding under the quilt, didn’t have the face to leave her room.
The Crown Prince, however, rose before dawn. When he arrived at the Hall of Academic Studies, he wasn’t the first to get there.
Shrouded in the darkness of the early morning, he walked along the stone-paved pathway toward the arched gate of the hall. From a distance, he could see the warm glow of candlelight casting the shadows of two figures—one tall and one short—onto the long window as they practiced their calligraphy.
Calligraphy required a calm and focused mind, so Yinreng waved a hand to stop the doorman from announcing his arrival and walked in directly.
In the hall, the personal attendants and eunuchs of Fourth Prince Yinzhen and Eighth Prince Yinti knelt immediately when they saw the Crown Prince stride in.
“Long live the Crown Prince!”
The noise startled the two princes and their tutor, Zhang Ying, who hurriedly set down his brushes and came out to greet him. Yinreng took the hands of his younger brothers and stopped Zhang Ying from kneeling.
“No need for formalities, Mr. Zhang.”
Turning to the two princes, he said warmly, “Fourth Brother, Eighth Brother.”
The three walked into the study together, and seeing that the Crown Prince intended to speak privately with his younger brothers, Zhang Ying tactfully refrained from following them in.
Yinreng looked at his two younger brothers, both with dark circles under their eyes, clearly having stayed up all night. He frowned and asked, “What are you two doing here? Why aren’t you staying by Mother Tong’s side to show filial piety?”
That question hit a nerve. The two boys’ eyes immediately turned red with unshed tears.
“Mother pushed us away,” they replied miserably, heads hung low. “She said we mustn’t neglect our studies because of her.”
At this time, Yinzhen was not yet eleven, and Yinti had just turned eight. Both boys barely reached Yinreng’s shoulders. Having grown up under the care of Noble Consort Tongjia, the Crown Prince had a closer relationship with them, speaking more like a brother than a future ruler.
Tongjia, the Imperial Noble Consort, had always been frail and never had children of her own. Known for her gentle and meticulous nature, since becoming a noble consort, she had taken under her wing many princes and princesses whose mothers were of humble origins or had passed away.
Yinreng himself had lost his mother at birth, a misfortune that had spurred countless rumors. Whispered gossip painted him as unlucky, even cursed, claiming he was destined to bring misfortune to his mother. Before being named Crown Prince, not even the concubines Hui and Rong, who had borne multiple children, nor the Empress Niohuru, were willing to raise him.
It was Tongjia who voluntarily took on this “hot potato.” She even reassured the Kangxi Emperor, saying, “My family and that of Sister Hesheri are of the same lineage. This child shares a kinship with me, so no one should have anything to say about it. Besides, I don’t fear baseless superstitions.”
When Yinreng was formally declared Crown Prince at the age of two, it became inappropriate for Tongjia to continue raising him. Kangxi brought him back to Qianqing palace for personal tutelage. Yet, the wet nurse, Nurse Ling, and all the palace maids and eunuchs who served him were handpicked by Tongjia. Many remained in his service to this day, loyal and exceptionally capable.
This history was now mostly forgotten within the palace.
Yinzhen and Yinti, however, had been raised by Noble Consort Tongjia for even longer. Fourth Prince Yinzhen had even undergone a formal adoption ceremony, recorded in the imperial genealogical records and solemnly presented to the ancestral shrine, making him her official adopted son.
Yinreng gathered his two younger brothers, who seemed lost and unsettled, and had them sit down beside him. He called for warm towels and hot tea. “No need to rush into reading or writing now. Sit here and collect yourselves first. Have you eaten yet? Don’t study on an empty stomach. Since Mother Tong gave such instructions, it’s clear she doesn’t want you to worry too much. You both know that ever since Eighth Sister passed away six years ago, all of Mother Tong’s vitality has been drained. If you two can’t take care of yourselves, her heart will ache even more…”
“Second Brother…” Yinti, who resembled his birth mother, Noble Lady Wei, with his pale, delicate features and frail demeanor, bit his lip tightly, his voice trembling. “Mother… she coughed up blood again today. She…”
Before he could finish, Yinzhen frowned and shot him a sharp look, effectively silencing him.
Yinzhen’s naturally cold and stern expression was enough to intimidate anyone, and his piercing gaze, filled with reproach, made Yinti cower. The eight-year-old immediately shut his mouth, his large eyes welling with tears. Too afraid to cry aloud, he looked pitiful and helpless.
Yinreng frowned, sensing the seriousness of the situation. “Why didn’t you call for the imperial physician?” he asked, directing his question at Yinzhen.
After a long silence, Yinzhen finally replied, “Mother wouldn’t allow it.”
Yinreng remained silent, a heavy weight settling in his heart. It seemed she had given up on fighting for her life.
Later, as their other brothers gradually arrived, the conversation had to shift. The eldest brother, Yinzhi, stormed in with a foul temper. Upon seeing Yinti’s tear-streaked face and swollen eyes, he immediately scolded him. “Old Eight, what are you doing walking around with those rabbit eyes first thing in the morning? Bringing bad luck to everyone!”
Noble Lady Wei, Yinti’s mother, resided in Consort Hui’s palace. It was likely that some dispute had erupted there, and Yinzhi had taken it upon himself to intervene.
Yinreng cleared his throat lightly.
“Oh,” Yinzhi feigned surprise, as if only now noticing the Crown Prince. He offered a half-hearted bow. “I didn’t see you there, Second Brother, the Crown Prince.”
Arrogant and bull-headed, Yinzhi was not only quick to speak but also quick to resort to physical confrontations. Yinreng decided not to waste energy arguing with him.
When their studies ended, Liang Jiugong personally delivered an imperial decree. “The Emperor summons the Crown Prince to Qianqing palace.”
This was not unusual. Among all the brothers, only the Crown Prince was qualified to discuss state affairs. As the heir apparent, it was his duty to assist in governance.
However, Third Brother Yinzhong couldn’t help but glance at Yinzhi, who stood stiffly in front, fists clenched tightly.
Yinzhi’s eyes burned with naked jealousy and frustration, making no effort to conceal his resentment.
Yinzhong shielded his face with a fan, lowered his head, and sneered coldly. “The eldest brother… truly ‘a mayfly shaking a tree, thinking itself powerful.'”
Yinreng, on his way, was still thinking about Mother Tong’s situation. He was determined to request an imperial edict from the Emperor so that several imperial physicians could visit Jingren Palace regularly to check her pulse. Moreover, Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother didn’t seem to be doing well either. He worried that the scheming among the brothers, with some elevating others while suppressing certain people, might be neglecting important matters. He needed to bring this up—Mother Tong was still alive, and they were still neglecting to prepare properly for the brothers’ education, just like herding sheep into studying without care.
As he was lost in thought, he ran into Suoetu and Tong Guogang, both of whom were hurriedly making their way into the palace.
These two men had no direct connection, so it was odd that they were entering the palace together. It was clear they had been summoned.
Moreover, a strange feeling rose in Yinreng’s chest.
This was eerily similar to the dream he had the previous night. Even stranger, he could still remember many details of the dream, as though they had not faded upon waking. Now, it felt as if the scenes from the dream were unfolding right before his eyes.
What made him feel a chill was that, in the Qianqing palace, there were already two foreigners standing—one with curly golden hair, the other dressed in missionary attire—Xu Risheng from Portugal and Zhang Cheng from France.
Yinreng stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing even deeper.
Soon, his ominous feeling turned into reality. The Emperor, Kangxi, publicly announced the members of the delegation to negotiate at the Treaty of Nibu Chu: “Chief Minister of the Imperial Guards Suoetu, Commander Tong Guogang, Minister A Lani, Left Minister of the Imperial Censors Ma Qi, General Ma La, and the Jesuit priests from the palace, Portuguese Xu Risheng and Frenchman Zhang Cheng will join the delegation. General Bandarshan and Sabusu will lead 3,000 soldiers in the Heilongjiang region and await orders!”
Not a word was missing, not a person was omitted.
Yinreng’s face turned pale as he heard Kangxi solemnly tell Suoetu the bottom line of the negotiations: “Nibu Chu shall be the boundary; all lands along the Heilongjiang River, both upstream and downstream, are Chinese territory.” He also granted Suoetu full authority to act.
Everything aligned perfectly with the details from his dream. Yinreng suddenly understood that it wasn’t just a dream—perhaps everything he had seen in the dream was about to happen.
“Yinreng?” Kangxi turned his head to look at him, his brow slightly furrowed. “Why do you look so pale?”
It felt as though the wind from the Erguna River had blown through his heart. Yinreng took a deep breath, lifted his robe, and knelt down. “Imperial Father, I have grown up now. I wish to travel with the delegation and gain experience. I ask for your permission, Imperial Father.”