The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 1 I am Old Fifteen

"Hello, Master Fifteen!"

"Stand up." Yinwu (pronounced: Yinwu) raised the folding fan in his hand, without even looking at the eunuchs who were kneeling to pay their respects, and walked into the Yonghe Palace with his head held high.

Yonghe Palace was the residence of Yinwei's adoptive mother, Concubine De. The front hall was Yonghe Palace and the back hall was Tongshunzhai.

Defei was afraid of both cold and heat, so she always lived in the west side hall of Tongshunzhai.

As soon as he stepped over the threshold of the West Side Hall, Yinyu heard the Fourteenth Old Man's rampant roar: "What kind of brother is he? He didn't even recognize his own uncle, but recognized a weird uncle like Longkodo?"

Yinyou couldn't help but curl his lips and smile, hehe, if this isn't a feud between brothers, then what is it?
However, Yinyu could fully understand that the fourth prince and Defei were not close.

After all, from the moment the fourth child was born, he was raised by Concubine Tong Jia.

It was not until he was fourteen years old, after Tong Jia was buried as queen, that the fourth son learned the shocking truth from Kangxi: his biological mother was Concubine De.

If Yinyou saw the Fourteenth Prince inside talking nonsense, it would be very inconvenient.

Yinyou deliberately stopped and turned to look at the cloudless blue sky.

"Bang." The crisp sound of porcelain breaking was heard from the west side hall.

Then, De Fei's furious voice was heard: "Sha Ku, this is a teacup given to you by your Khan Father. It is a precious treasure in the whole palace. You just threw it away like this. Aren't you afraid of being whipped? Get out..."

Defei's self-control was well-known in the palace. She would not easily offend anyone, even the humble palace maids or eunuchs.

When Yinyu heard the word "Shaku", he knew that Concubine De was really angry. He quickly turned around and faced the palace door with his back to avoid the domineering Fourteenth Old Man.

"Thump, thump, thump..." Following a burst of hurried footsteps, Old Fourteen's feet seemed to have small motors installed, and he rushed out of the west side hall with an arrogant look on his face.

Yinwei let out a long sigh and just as he turned around, he saw the fourth brother standing on the other side of the palace door, with a stern face, staring at him intently.

"Hello, fourth brother." Yinyu walked quickly to the fourth brother, bent his right knee, lowered his right hand, and made a half-thousand-knife punch in the air.

According to the rules of the Qing imperial family, among all the princes, except for paying a visit to the crown prince, the rest of the princes should greet each other with equal courtesy.

If the fifth brother had a humble character, he would have stretched out his arm to stop Yinyou long ago.

However, after Yinyou had stabbed half of the sword, the fourth brother remained silent.

Well, this is embarrassing, and Yinyou is in a dilemma.

Fortunately, the eunuch Su Peisheng beside him was very clever. He bent down and carefully reminded the fourth master: "Master, I'm afraid the fifteenth master is here to pay his respects to the Lord?"

Yinyou secretly praised Su Peisheng. Even though this guy had his testicles cut off, his brain was exceptionally good.

"There's no need to be polite between us brothers. Stand up." The fourth brother looked at Yinyu deeply, and with a stern face, he taught him bluntly, "I heard from Master Xu that you have a good understanding and are very good in all subjects, but your handwriting is terrible. Well, you still need to study hard!"

Master Xu is Xu Yuanmeng, whose surname is Shumulu and he belongs to the Manchu Plain White Banner.

It is worth mentioning that Xu Yuanmeng was a genuine Jinshi, which was extremely precious among the bannermen in the early Qing Dynasty.

"Fourth brother's teaching is very true. I will practice calligraphy more." Yinyu grew up with Concubine De, and he was particularly aware of the fourth brother's bad habit of being a know-it-all.

"Fifteenth brother, come with me to pay respects to the mother." The fourth brother didn't care what Yinyou thought and made the decision for him.

"Fourth brother, please go first." Yinyu turned sideways and let the fourth brother go first.

There was no way. Who told Yinyu's biological mother to be a Han woman, which made him lose the right to inherit the throne since he was born?

In the Qing Dynasty, even if you are talented, it is not as good as being born with the right stomach.

Yinyu's second brother Yinreng was made the crown prince shortly after he came out of Empress Hesheli's belly!
After the fourth son had had enough of his master's cravings, he asked Yinyu with a stern face and a cold tone, "Your fourth sister-in-law has been asking me why I haven't seen you come to my place for a meal recently?"

Yinyu quickly put on a smile and explained carefully, "Fourth brother, Eighteenth Brother has not been feeling well lately and refuses to take medicine obediently. I must go and keep an eye on him."

The fourth brother nodded, his expression obviously relaxed a little, and he wanted to say something, but in the end it turned into a sigh.

Yinyu knew clearly that the fourth brother must be thinking of his younger brother, the fourteenth brother, who was at odds with him.

The fourth brother is an extremely boring guy. Not only is he taciturn, but he also has a stern face all day long, as if everyone owes him fifty thousand taels of silver.

Under the leadership of the fourth brother, Yinyou followed him into the west side hall.

"Master, the Fourth Master and the Fifteenth Master are here together." The little palace maid in front of the palace door lifted the door curtain on her own initiative and reported loudly inside.

After entering the hall, Yinwei took a peek and saw that Concubine De was looking at the Fourth Prince with a smile on her face, as if the person who had been furious just now was not her at all.

Alas, Tian family, who among us is not an actor who has stored several faces?
"Your son Yinzhen, may your mother be well!"

"Your son Yinyu, may your mother, Concubine De, be well!"

Yinyou deliberately took a half step back, knelt beside the fourth brother, and kowtowed heavily.

"We are all family, let's get up." De Fei said with a smile, "Come here, bring two stools, so that the three of us can have a good chat."

"Yes." The eunuch responded in a low voice.

"Thank you for your grace, mother." The fourth brother led Yinyu to stand up straight. Yinyu quietly took another half step back, hiding half of his body behind the fourth brother.

Well, they are the biological mother and son. Yinyu is just an outsider who was forced by Kangxi to be raised by Concubine De because his biological mother was of low status.

However, everyone inside and outside the palace knew that Concubine De did not like the mean and ungrateful Fourth Prince.

After the eunuch brought the stools, the fourth brother sat in front and Yinyou sat behind, and the two brothers sat down one after another.

"Excuse me, mother, is your headache better?" The fourth brother pretended to be concerned and began to ask about Concubine De's old illness.

"It's nothing serious!" Defei restrained her smile and answered casually.

"May I ask, Mother, was the meal yesterday delicious?"

"It smells pretty good."

Right under Yinwei's nose, the fourth prince and Defei, mother and son, asked and answered each other in an orderly manner.

How can this be like the casual conversation between mother and son?
Yinyu had seen too many awkward scenes like this one between the emperor and his subjects. He subconsciously held his breath and closed his mouth tightly, fearing that any sound would leak out and cause trouble for others.

Finally, when the fourth prince had nothing to say, Concubine De said calmly, "I am tired. Please kneel down and wait."

"Whoo."

Yinyou followed the fourth brother out of the gate of Yonghe Palace, and then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At first, Yinyou thought that the fourth son had a strange temper and couldn't get along with his own mother.

Later, according to Yinyu's secret observation, the fourth prince was probably resentful that Concubine De favored the fourteenth prince and was deliberately trying to irritate her?

As the saying goes, distance does not separate close relatives!

After all, Concubine De and the Fourth Prince are mother and son, and it is not the place for an outsider like Yinyou to interfere.

After saying goodbye to the fourth brother, Yinyou led the young eunuch Wulin and walked towards his residence with big strides.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, all princes who did not establish their own palaces lived in the "A'ge Suo" in the palace.

The A-ge Residence is located west of Qianqiu Pavilion, north of the Qianqing Palace, and has a total of five courtyards.

These five courtyards are collectively called Qianxi Five Courts, and from west to east they are Xitou Court, Xier Court, to Xiwu Court.

Yinyou's biological mother, concubine Wang, was a typical Han woman who was brought back to the palace by Kangxi from Hangzhou.

During the more than ten years in the palace, Wang was favored by Emperor Kangxi because of her beautiful appearance. She gave birth to three sons for Emperor Kangxi: the fifteenth son Yinyu, the sixteenth son Yinlu and the eighteenth son Yinzhi.

What is more interesting is that Yinyou and the ninth prince Yinzhen both lived in the West Three Buildings.

The ninth brother was ten years older than Yinyou. The two brothers had very different backgrounds, interests and hobbies, so it was obviously impossible for them to play together.

Therefore, even though Yinyou and Laojiu lived in the same courtyard as neighbors, their relationship was only superficial and friendly.

In the West Three Buildings, Yinyou and Laojiu each occupied a row of five rooms, facing each other from east to west.

Seeing Yinyou coming back, the gatekeeper, Chunxi, lifted the door curtain from a distance and reported in a crisp voice, "The master is back."

Aunt Zhang rushed to the door upon hearing the noise, and while kneeling down to salute, she said happily, "Master, what a coincidence! I was just about to send someone to look for you."

Nanny Zhang was born into a Han army bondservant family under the Zhengbai banner and was originally one of Yinyou's wet nurses.

Later, because of Concubine Wang's whispering in Kangxi's ear, Nanny Zhang became the most important nanny beside Yinyou.

Nanny Jingqi, also known as the teaching nanny, is responsible for disciplining the prince or princess, and her status should not be underestimated.

To be frank, when Yinyou was a child, he often went hungry because he was naughty and mischievous.

And the person who gave the order not to give Yinyou food was none other than Nanny Zhang!
"Madam, is there something wrong?" Yinyu asked with a smile as he helped Madam Zhang up personally.

After Nanny Zhang stood up, she said with a smile, "Master, in half a month, it will be your birthday. How dare this old servant forget it?"

Yinyou suddenly realized something, raised his folding fan, and gently tapped the palm of his left hand.

Well, if Nanny Zhang hadn’t told him, he would have really forgotten it.

In half a month, it would be the ninth day of the fifth month of the forty-fifth year of the Kangxi reign, and Yinyu would be fourteen years old.

According to royal custom, once a prince reaches the age of fourteen, it is time to formally consider marriage.

In the Qing Dynasty, there was no such thing as free love and marriage. It was always arranged by parents and matchmakers.

As for Yinyou specifically, he could only accept the arranged marriage of Kangxi.

In other words, it has been almost three years since his soul was transported to Yinyou's body.

Three years ago, he was still the vice president of a department-level state-owned enterprise. Who would have thought that after waking up, he would become the fifteenth prince Yinyu.

(End of this chapter)