Blessed by God

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I’m so sorry it took so long. Sorry for the long footnotes too! —Bambi.

44.2: Turning angry from embarrassment

 

The lights in Qianqing Palace were still on at the time of Hai Shi1亥时 hàishí. 9-11 pm (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times), Kangxi finished approving a memorial, and drank a sip of nourishing tea, “Zhen heard that a few elder brothers had a drink together?”

Li Dequan replied with a smile, “Emperor, that’s exactly the case.”

Kangxi’s complexion didn’t show much joy because of the gathering of his sons, and even his tone of voice didn’t change one bit. “Well, they are all grown up. Has the Old seventh returned to the palace yet?”

Li Dequan bowed and replied, “This servant heard that the seventh brother was drunk, so he rested at the fourth brother’s mansion.”

“The fourth brother has always been very good at taking care of the seventh brother.” Kangxi picked up a booklet, and circled a name with the imperial cinnabar pen. “If he didn’t, who knows who would guide this child…” The cinnabar pen paused slightly, but he didn’t say any more .

Li Dequan bowed slightly again.

“The seventh brother’s marriage date will be set to next month,” Kangxi said suddenly, “You ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to handle this matter carefully.”

“Aye,” Li Dequan knelt down and accepted the order.

In the early morning of the next day, Yinyou and Yinzhen went to court together. Although Yinyou’s walking posture was not elegant, the ministers  treated him very politely, and looked at him like a battlefield hero.

Yinyou stood on the right side of the fifth brother and peeked at the straight-backed eldest brother and Crown Prince. It had taken him effort to put most of his body’s weight on his right foot but he still had to maneuver some more so his posture could look as straight as possible. As a disabled person, he had to compare his standing posture with other brothers who were healthy. He felt troubled.

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Even if he was a member of the Ministry of Revenue, Yinyou didn’t do much. Yinzhen took care of the big affairs, and other officials dealt with the small matters. Yinyou just needed to show up on time and not cause trouble.

Moreover, the recording method for finances here was different from that of later generations. Their method was more complicated, and very difficult to cheat. Trying to change a word or subtract a stroke was not so easy to do, and differences would be noticeable to the eye.

Yinyou thought of the rumor surrounding Yongzheng Emperor succession to the throne, saying how the word “fourteenth” was changed to “fourth” by Yinzhen by just adding a stroke2“According to folklore, Yongzheng changed Kangxi’s will by adding strokes and modifying characters. The most famous story was that Yongzheng changed “fourteen” (十四) to “four” (于四), others say it was “fourteen” to “fourth” (第四). Though this folklore has been widely circulated, there is little evidence to support the theory. The character “于” was not widely used during the Qing Dynasty; on official documents, “於” was used. According to Qing tradition, the will would have been written in both Manchu and Chinese, and Manchu writing would have been impossible to modify. Furthermore, princes in the Qing Dynasty were referred to as the Emperor’s son, in the order in which they were born (such as “The Emperor’s Fourth Son” Chinese: 皇四子). Therefore, the theory that Yinzhen changed the will in order to ascend to the throne has little substance.” From the New World Encyclopedia.. Yinyou felt it was ridiculously funny. How come he wasn’t aware that simplified characters3 Wikipedia: “The first set of simplified Chinese characters were first put to public use in 1956. Over time, more characters became “simplified”, or existing ones changed, once in 1964 and again in 1978 and 1984. Many people did not like these changes because too many characters with different meanings were merged.” had been going around since Kangxi’s years?

There were many good reasons for Kangxi to pass the throne to the fourth brother. The first three eldest sons had made mistakes, and the following ones were either too young and unreliable; if not this, then their E’niangs’ status was too low, or they themselves were too inconsequential. On the other hand, the fourth brother had been raised by Tong Jia shi and just this was enough for Kangxi to always attach great importance to the fourth brother. Even more, the fourth brother’s ability to handle affairs was obvious to all and even the fourteenth brother was not as good as the fourth brother in this regard.

The so-called idea of Kangxi wanting to pass the throne to the fourteenth brother was simply nonsense. There was also the rumor that Kangxi wanted to pass the throne to the eighth brother. But that was even more absurd. Kangxi had reprimanded the eighth brother for his birth mother’s low status in front of the courtiers and treated him coldly for several years4I can’t find a source but I’ll tell you what I know from other novels I’ve read. From the time when Kangxi deposed the Crown Prince for the second time, he started asking his courtiers who should be the future CP. Majority of the officials in Kangxi’s court pushed Yinsi out, saying he was suited for the position. Kangxi was already old at that time, and suspicious of everyone. He felt that the own officials he had instated had changed their loyalties to Yinsi, his own son. He flew into a rage and immediately said that Yinsi had a mother from a slave caste, was lowly and thus didn’t deserve the throne. That became a great humiliation to the eighth prince, and he never recovered from that huge infamy. After that, he supported the 14th brother as a contender. (Source: Bro, trust me.), how could it be possible to pass on that position to the eighth brother?

Yinyou was sitting in the Ministry of Revenue drinking tea and secretly admiring the working status of Yinzhen and the officials. He was so care-free  he almost wanted to get a travelog on his hand to pass the time.

This leisurely state finally disappeared after he returned to his courtyard in the palace and received Kangxi’s edict to get married next month. As an uncle with a light5 清淡 qīngdàn. light (of food, not greasy or strongly flavored), insipid.  taste, where would he be interested in a teenage immature girl?

1亥时 hàishí. 9-11 pm (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)2“According to folklore, Yongzheng changed Kangxi’s will by adding strokes and modifying characters. The most famous story was that Yongzheng changed “fourteen” (十四) to “four” (于四), others say it was “fourteen” to “fourth” (第四). Though this folklore has been widely circulated, there is little evidence to support the theory. The character “于” was not widely used during the Qing Dynasty; on official documents, “於” was used. According to Qing tradition, the will would have been written in both Manchu and Chinese, and Manchu writing would have been impossible to modify. Furthermore, princes in the Qing Dynasty were referred to as the Emperor’s son, in the order in which they were born (such as “The Emperor’s Fourth Son” Chinese: 皇四子). Therefore, the theory that Yinzhen changed the will in order to ascend to the throne has little substance.” From the New World Encyclopedia.3 Wikipedia: “The first set of simplified Chinese characters were first put to public use in 1956. Over time, more characters became “simplified”, or existing ones changed, once in 1964 and again in 1978 and 1984. Many people did not like these changes because too many characters with different meanings were merged.” 4I can’t find a source but I’ll tell you what I know from other novels I’ve read. From the time when Kangxi deposed the Crown Prince for the second time, he started asking his courtiers who should be the future CP. Majority of the officials in Kangxi’s court pushed Yinsi out, saying he was suited for the position. Kangxi was already old at that time, and suspicious of everyone. He felt that the own officials he had instated had changed their loyalties to Yinsi, his own son. He flew into a rage and immediately said that Yinsi had a mother from a slave caste, was lowly and thus didn’t deserve the throne. That became a great humiliation to the eighth prince, and he never recovered from that huge infamy. After that, he supported the 14th brother as a contender. (Source: Bro, trust me.)5 清淡 qīngdàn. light (of food, not greasy or strongly flavored), insipid.