Chapter 233

Chapter 233

The Fourth Prince is an unwavering dog person—absolutely unshakable.

Suppressed in childhood, and even after growing up, he continued to suppress it.

Sigh. It wasn’t until middle age that he finally went all-in on dog ownership, and once he started, there was no stopping him.

No one could question him!

No one!

And once he went full-on dog lover, it was truly hard to rein in.

Because it was just so addictive! Now, though, he’s physically younger but his dogs are gone.

What a downright tragedy.

The Fourth Prince’s current circumstances have changed compared to before, so logically, he should maintain his previous persona.

But the situation is different now—his old persona just doesn’t fit anymore.

Back then, the Fifth Prince was the one raised under the Empress Dowager’s care, and the real meaning of that only became clear to the Fourth Prince much later.

Now, not only is the Fifth Prince nowhere to be seen, but the prince being spoiled rotten by the Empress Dowager has been replaced by the Fourth Prince. Keeping up his old act won’t fly now.

It’s no longer suitable to be the composed prince who holds back his feelings.

A prince doted on by the Empress Dowager should behave like the Fifth Prince did in his childhood.

In short, he shouldn’t appear too complex. What the Fourth Prince lacks now is that dumb-but-innocent look—but when it comes to acting, he’s got skills.

After all, in his past life, he outmaneuvered his brothers and endured under the suspicion of his own father to seize the throne. Without some acting skills, how could he have managed?

Every emperor, while still in training, must first be a masterful actor.

So the Fourth Prince channels his little brother's vibe with ease—that clueless puppy-dog eyes kind of look, the kind that can’t possibly hide any deeper meaning.

So now, dog ownership doesn't stress him out.

Because right now, as a young prince, doing what he wants matters more than anything else. Playing the good boy? The Fourth Prince doesn’t need that right now.

Sigh. It’s not that the Fourth Prince wants to coast—it’s just the circumstances forcing his hand. What can he do?

Mainly, his body is still young now. Back then, he didn’t know any better, driven solely by youthful ambition and fervor—he really pushed himself hard.

Now?

While he has the time, coasting—no wait, focusing on self-care—isn’t that just common sense?

You know how it is. When it comes to lifespan, the Fourth Prince doesn’t hold a candle to his father Kangxi—the original dog lover. Not even close!

And now he’s back under dad's thumb again. Seriously, what son wouldn’t freak out—especially when that father is Kangxi?

After getting a dog, getting his dog-fix to decompress does the trick. Back when he was emperor, the Fourth Prince leaned hard on dog therapy to regulate his mood.

He’s cracked the code.

When shit hits the fan, Rong Noble Consort’s cat is the first line of defense.

(Guogaitou: Startled meow?!)

His Snowball was the epitome of well-behaved cuteness.

Usually, it didn't cause any fuss at all—completely unlike those rowdy cats, hmm... the pig-like ones. Not the same in the slightest.

Unless someone led it, Snowball would never run around aimlessly. When it was time to go back, it even came over immediately to bid farewell—absolutely soothing.

It was enough to comfort the Fourth Prince, who had returned to being under his imperial father’s thumb.

Petting his puppy calmed his nerves a little.

As for the cat raised by Rong Noble Consort—even someone like the Fourth Prince, a dog person through and through, would find it hard not to know about it.

Just its name alone was exceptionally... no frills, just pure simplicity, yet still stuck in your head after one listen.

It even started a cat-raising trend, though the hype eventually faded.

Because people weren’t really into cats—they were in it for the wrong reasons. But after raising them, they found not only more chores than expected but also that the cats just added to their headaches, so naturally, they dropped out of the hype.

Once, the Fourth Prince actually caught a glimpse of the cat said to be raised by the Noble Consort, and it blew him away—seeing beats hearing.

That white cat named Guogaitou not only had fur almost as white as Snowball’s but was also about the same size, maybe even chunkier.

How’s this a kitten?!

How could it grow like this?!

The Fourth Prince, who had been taking Snowball out for a stroll, immediately panicked.

If cats and dogs didn’t get along, and if a fight broke out—given that physique and speed—Snowball wouldn’t stand a chance!

His Snowball doesn’t even know how to fight!

And that chubby cat with a small patch of black fur on its head looked built like a brawler!

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Fourth Prince instinctively scooped up Snowball, who had been cluelessly trotting around on the ground with its tongue lolling out, looking utterly dumb and easy to bully, and hoisted it onto his head.

As he lifted Snowball, the Fourth Prince considered his current shrimp of a frame—not even tall enough for the cat to reach with a single leap—so placing it atop his head was the safest option.

In performing this series of actions, the Fourth Prince had no awareness of what a sight he must’ve been.

Oh, it was the kind of foolishness that would earn a cat’s scorn.

Just after the Fourth Prince had perched the petite Snowball on his head, the chubby cat pricked its ears at the commotion, turned its face to glance over.

The Fourth Prince still remembers how plump its face was—so much so that even tilting its head made its cheeks bunch up, making him wonder if it could even see properly.

But clearly, his doubts were unnecessary—its vision was just fine.

With just a dismissive glance, Guogaitou swept a look over him and Snowball before losing interest, turning away, and lying back down.

Lazily basking in the sun, it radiated an air of utter indifference, exuding the arrogance befitting a cat overlord.

Its expression suggested next-level disdain—pure contempt.

And in one fell swoop, it managed to scorn both the human and the dog.

The air hung thick with silent shade.

The Fourth Prince, with a small white dog perched on his head: "..." He was absolutely certain that he had been snubbed by a cat.

No, rather, both he and Snowball had been snubbed by a cat.

Snowball pawed at the Fourth Prince’s head from above, its puppy face completely clueless. Its big, watery eyes were wide with confusion as it tilted its head and let out a confused whine, seemingly unsure why its field of vision had suddenly changed.

When it finally realized it was stranded up high, it began trembling slightly—so high up, so scary!

In its nervousness, Snowball scrabbled at his head like it was digging a hole, as though it wanted to bury its head first. The blunt claws didn’t hurt *that* much, but...

This was beyond ridiculous.

Looking at it now, it really was too silly.

The Fourth Prince also realized how foolish he must appear at that moment. If anyone saw him like this, both his and Snowball’s dignity would be *gone for good*.

Before the sound of approaching footsteps reached him, he quickly pulled Snowball down from his head and stood there acting casual, pretending he had simply been walking the dog in this area.

Then, a group of servants, finally showing up, came to retrieve the culprit cat, which had been out for a stroll.

The expression of "*Thank heavens*" was plastered on the faces of the attendants, who looked ready to faint from stress.

So much so that they didn’t even notice his presence at first.

This wouldn’t have been strange if it were the Rong Noble Consort’s people searching—they would naturally turn the place upside down to avoid her reprimand, or else they’d have no way to explain themselves.

But the Fourth Prince could tell these were attendants from the Qianqing Palace, carrying the cat back like it was the Emperor’s favorite treasure, treating it with extreme caution.

This was rather unexpected.

The Fourth Prince thought about how well-behaved Snowball usually was—it rarely had the chance to cause chaos in front of the Emperor. But that chubby cat? It was hard to imagine it *not* drawing attention before His Majesty. Judging by the situation...

He felt that this cat was truly... one *sassy* cat.

If anything happened, the Rong Noble Consort’s cat would be the first to catch heat. Snowball had never been safer.

Also, so the Emperor was on *team cat*.

No wonder His Majesty couldn’t care less about dogs—something the dog-loving Fourth Prince couldn’t quite comprehend.

Of course, the Fourth Prince didn’t single out the Emperor on this matter. He equally failed to understand *anyone* who could remain unmoved by dogs.

From the dog-loving Fourth Prince: *Pfft.*

They were simply not on the same team.

(Kangxi: ?!)

Little Milk Dragon was exhausted but happily racing off—today’s daily dose of cuddles with the Honored Mother Consort wasn’t yet fulfilled.

The Eldest Prince dragged his weary body to report to Consort Hui, whose heart *ached* seeing him, and she immediately asked what had happened.

After learning the details, though she pitied him, she still urged the Eldest Prince to work even harder. What he did today was right—if he had left directly, wouldn’t the Crown Prince have walked away looking like the hardworking one?

He must stay and work alongside the Crown Prince, and even outperform him.

Consort Hui did feel for the Eldest Prince, but in moments like these, as much as it killed her, she never showed it too openly. Excessive motherly softness would only harm him.

Now, the Eldest Prince was all she had. Giving birth to him had damaged her health, and despite consulting imperial physicians and trying countless remedies afterward, nothing had worked.

At first, she was frantic with worry, but as the eldest prince grew older and stronger, surviving the most perilous years of childhood, and became the emperor’s firstborn son, her anxieties gradually subsided. Moreover, as she aged, vying for the emperor’s favor no longer suited her.

It would be better to cultivate a few dazzling young concubines or manageable palace maids. Even if they couldn’t be used immediately, they’d prove useful eventually.

Offspring were the foundation of a woman’s standing in the harem. Niohuru believed that currying favor with the crown prince would safeguard her, but after all, he was not her own flesh and blood—it would never be the same.

This was something Niohuru didn’t understand now, but she’d have her share of regrets later.

The emperor’s favor, even if briefly won, could never be held onto forever. Consort Hui waited for the day when Niohuru’s beauty would fade before the emperor’s favor, leaving her unable to provide any further support to the crown prince—then she would see what fate awaited her.

Consort Hui looked at the eldest prince before her, her smile laced with implication.

At least she still had the eldest prince, the emperor’s firstborn son, whose very milk-name was bestowed by the emperor himself. If the empress hadn’t borne the legitimate heir, her Bao Qing wouldn’t have had to fight tooth and nail just to keep from being eclipsed by the crown prince.

The road to the underworld was lonely—how could the empress bear to leave the crown prince behind? A gleam of derision flashed in Consort Hui’s eyes.

She placed great expectations on the eldest prince and tolerated no missteps.

"Bao Qing, Mother sees how hard you’ve striven, but you must work even harder in the future. You must never slack off. You’re the firstborn—you must outshine your juniors."

Though Consort Hui didn’t say it outright, her meaning was clear—among the younger brothers, only the crown prince posed the greatest threat to the eldest prince.

The eldest prince was still young and didn’t fully understand, but Consort Hui never failed to remind him, nipping and nudging, monitoring his every move.

"Mother, I understand," the eldest prince replied, his face set in youthful defiance, yet tinged with an unmistakable hint of disappointment.

These weren’t words he was hearing for the first time. He had taken all of his mother’s admonitions to heart, never complaining about hardship or exhaustion, knowing she meant well for him.

But...

Couldn’t she say something else? Something that showed concern for him?

Normally, he was used to Consort Hui’s expectations and prodding, always motivating himself to work harder.

But today, perhaps because he was too tired, hearing these words again stirred other emotions within him—disappointment, weariness, frustration—a jumble of feelings. Was there nothing else his mother could say to him?

The eldest prince wasn’t yet skilled at masking his expressions, especially in front of his mother. Despite his efforts, a flicker of resentment escaped him.

Consort Hui naturally noticed the shift in his expression, but her focus remained on whether she had missed anything—had something else happened today?

"Nothing unusual. It’s just that the Second Prince pushed himself harder today."

Hearing this, Consort Hui’s thoughts darkened slightly, as if considering something else. "Just like usual, then."

After yesterday’s theatrics from the crown prince, today he knew to work hard and put on a show for the emperor. The emperor doted on him so blindly, and with such a display, the matter would soon blow over.

So young, yet such a schemer—someone must have advised the crown prince.

At the thought of this "someone," Consort Hui’s face darkened. The eldest prince, puzzled, asked, "Is something wrong?" Was there something amiss?

Consort Hui composed herself, returning to her usual demeanor. "That’s good. Mother was just worried that after the crown prince’s mischief yesterday, the emperor’s reprimand might’ve been too severe when he happened to witness it. I was concerned it might affect the child."

She laced her voice with feigned concern, as if she truly cared for the crown prince.

And she was indeed worried—but not in the way her words suggested. She worried that the emperor doted on the crown prince so blindly that even if he embarrassed himself, the emperor would scarcely chide him.

But spelling it out would wound her Bao Qing, for his imperial father’s partiality for the crown prince was plain.

Consort Hui remarked with feigned sincerity, "Fortunately, the Crown Prince is fine today and unaffected, even working exceptionally hard. This calmness under pressure is something you should learn from, Bao Qing. You mustn’t act recklessly when things go awry."

She blamed herself, too—if only she’d been more ambitious as a mother. If only she had taken advantage when the Empress was giving birth... Perhaps her Bao Qing wouldn’t have to be stuck in such a humiliating position now.

The Eldest Prince pursed his lips in irritation. Why should his mother worry about his second brother? He saw that his second brother was perfectly fine, acting completely unfazed. As soon as Imperial Noble Consort Rong recovered slightly from her illness, he rushed over to her—where’s the composure in that? If anyone’s reckless, it’s him!

"Hmm," the Eldest Prince responded reluctantly, his eyes still defiant. But in front of his mother, he couldn’t simply throw a tantrum and had to suppress his unwillingness to reply.

Consort Hui didn’t press further. After all, she wasn’t actually pushing him to copy the Crown Prince—she just didn’t want to give others any reason to gossip. What really mattered was that the Eldest Prince always remembered the Crown Prince was his greatest threat and remained vigilant against him.

If she genuinely wanted the Eldest Prince to foster brotherly affection with the Crown Prince, she’d have to be out of her mind. A surface-level act sufficed; he must never truly regard the Crown Prince as a good brother in his heart.

She gave a faint smile and pushed a plate of pastries toward the Eldest Prince. "Try these pastries. They’re quite delicious and soft. If you like them, I’ll have the palace servants bring some back for you."

Then, as if remembering something, she pressed him to practice harder in horsemanship and archery recently—though she didn’t explain why, only insisting that he focus on improving in these areas.

There was a reason for this.

Having been in the palace for many years, Consort Hui naturally had her own ways of gathering information. The Emperor was preparing for a hunting expedition at Mulan Hunting Grounds, where riding and archery drills would be conducted. Naturally, the imperial princes would be involved.

If the Eldest Prince could outperform the Crown Prince and the others, not only would he earn the Emperor’s praise, but he could also overshadow the Crown Prince’s prominence.

Of course, Consort Hui wasn’t the only one who had received this news. Those with well-connected sources also knew, and for the sake of securing a spot on the list of those permitted to accompany the Emperor outside the palace, the inner court was bound to stir. Signs of this had already surfaced earlier in the Grand Empress Dowager’s palace.

Most likely, the task of finalizing the list of accompanying consorts would fall to the Imperial Noble Consort.

Opportunities for the imperial concubines to leave the palace were rare, so this hunting expedition was too good to pass up.

Moreover, it meant far more than that.

The Imperial Noble Consort’s palace would soon buzz with activity.

As the one managing the Six Palaces, the Imperial Noble Consort couldn’t easily leave her duties. The Grand Empress Dowager was advanced in years, so it wouldn’t do to trouble her with palace affairs. If the Imperial Noble Consort were to accompany the Emperor, the palace duties would have to be temporarily handed over to someone else.

Power surrendered isn’t easily taken back.

Consort Hui would be more than happy to lighten the Imperial Noble Consort’s load, but the latter might not welcome her help.

Though the Imperial Noble Consort couldn’t go, her younger sister—who had entered the palace during the recent selection—could.

After all, the Tongjia family had sent in another Tongjia girl. What was the purpose, if not because the Imperial Noble Consort had trouble bearing children and even lost the Fourth Prince—once rightfully hers?

Rather than waiting for another Fourth Prince, it was better to send in another girl to share the Imperial Noble Consort’s burdens—at least the child would still be a Tongjia prince. A far cry from some maid’s son, Consort Hui thought with some derision. Xiao Tongjia Shi was surely making the list.

Ah, the Tongjia clan. Some people, simply by virtue of being Tongjia, could surpass many others—just like Consort Ping, who became a Consort immediately upon entering the palace because she was a Hesheli.

Others had to grind away to attain what these people obtained so effortlessly.

Whether for the sake of her maternal family or other reasons, the Imperial Noble Consort would undoubtedly pull strings to include her sister.

That Xiao Tongjia Shi had just entered the palace. With her elder sister being the Imperial Noble Consort, it was impossible for her not to attract attention. She had been granted the rank of Noble Lady, but compared to Consort Ping, she remained much more low-key, overshadowed by the latter.

There hadn’t been any major moves from Xiao Tongjia Shi either. She occasionally visited the Imperial Noble Consort’s palace, appearing to share a close sisterly bond.

Coincidentally, it was said that Xiao Tongjia Shi’s health wasn’t particularly robust either, and the Imperial Noble Consort frequently sent imperial physicians to check on her.

Hard to tell if this is really about bad health or something fishy.

After all, the Tong family wouldn’t be so desperate as to send a sickly girl into the palace, would they? What good’s a sickly girl gonna do for the Imperial Noble Consort anyway?

Aren’t the Imperial Noble Consort and Rong Noble Consort tight?

Question is, how long this buddy-buddy act’ll hold up.

When the Fourth Prince returned, he immediately petted Snowball—who’d been waiting forever—and received a set of tiny clothes perfectly suited for Snowball, sent from Consort Ping’s palace.

The Fourth Prince didn’t even blink as he had someone put them away, with no intention of putting ’em on Snowball.

Even though the little outfits looked kinda hilarious and one could easily imagine how well they’d suit Snowball.

Consort Ping’s attitude toward him was pretty damn weird. She should be sucking up to the Crown Prince, yet she seemed intent on using Snowball to butter him up.

Zero reason for her to try and get in good with him, an imperial prince raised by the Empress Dowager.

Not many knew that the Fourth Prince was a hardcore dog person. At most, people assumed it was just a kid’s puppy phase—something he’d grow out of.

That was the extent of it.

But while this surface-level take applied to most, there were still those who knew just how much the Fourth Prince was crazy about dogs.

And some sought to schmooze him—Consort Ping being one of them.

Who was the Fourth Prince? A future big shot—unremarkable now, but a safe bet in the long run.

The Crown Prince, on the other hand, seemed like a blue-chip stock, as if he would always yield steady profits, only to one day tank hard, leaving investors ruined beyond salvage.

While Consort Ping did need to maintain ties with the Crown Prince, she had no intention of investing too much effort in a future has-been.

Instead, the Fourth Prince—the future Yongzheng Emperor—was the real moneymaker she sought.

Though her time-travel seemed to have altered some aspects of history, the Fourth Prince remained the same old—still Yinzhen, still born to Uya, though now raised by the Empress Dowager instead of the Imperial Noble Consort of the Tong family.

But the Fourth Prince was still the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen—unchanged, including his love for dogs.

If Consort Ping didn’t seize the chance to get in good with him while he was still young, it would be much harder to win him over later.

Thus, she planned to use dog-keeping as her in—after all, shared interests made it easier to connect.

But before her enthusiasm for raising a dog could even warm up, the system shut her down hard—not just dogs, but any pets at all.

Her first step in dog-raising collapsed right there under the system’s restrictions.

Completely ruined.

Consort Ping wanted to ignore it and raise one anyway—sometimes the system was just absurd, offering no help and only hindering her.

But the dog inexplicably died within days, despite being cared for by experienced palace attendants.

Unconvinced, Consort Ping had another puppy brought in—only for it to die just as quickly.

She dared not try again. If word spread that she kept killing dogs, not only would it be laughable, but it would also make her look bad—making it impossible to use a shared love of dogs to approach the Fourth Prince.

Forced to abandon the plan, she had to think of another way. Directly approaching the Fourth Prince would seem too deliberate, but getting close to his dog was easier—she just needed to work through the attendants who cared for it.

She had gone out for a stroll and happened to meet him, taking the opportunity to show her capabilities when the Fourth Prince came looking for her.

Empress Ping intended to use the dog to showcase herself, but the dog was not very cooperative. To maintain her image, she endured with great impatience, secretly cursing the little beast for being so uncooperative.

When the Fourth Prince arrived, Empress Ping took the chance to say a few more words while returning the dog, thinking that she could gradually build familiarity from this point on.

However, a few days later, the palace attendant responsible for the Fourth Prince’s dog was punished by the Empress Dowager and reassigned to another post for committing an offense.

The new attendant, aware of his predecessor's mistake, was even more cautious, never letting the dog step outside the Empress Dowager’s palace during walks.

Just as Empress Ping was starting to make progress, she had to change her approach due to this situation.

She could only seize the opportunity when the concubines were paying respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, having someone casually mention how adorable and well-behaved the Fourth Prince’s dog was, hoping to encourage the Empress Dowager to bring the dog out for some fun.

Empress Ping carried a fragrance that could attract dogs, a product of the system, ensuring there would be no issues. Since the dog had been uncooperative last time, she used it this time to ensure success.

Immediately, the dog ran over, showing great affection towards Empress Ping, circling around her, wagging its tongue in a pleading manner, clearly fond of her.

Empress Ping took this opportunity to portray herself as a dog lover, mentioning that she liked dogs very much but seemed unable to take care of them properly, feeling heartbroken despite her desire to keep one, not wanting to harm any more small lives.

Now, she could only pet the Fourth Prince’s dog to satisfy her love for them, explaining her previous failure in raising a dog.

She then praised the Fourth Prince for his dedication and patience in caring for the dog, naturally complimenting him in front of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager, who already favored the Fourth Prince, was delighted to hear these praises and immediately invited Empress Ping to visit more often if she wished.

Empress Ping also sent the Fourth Prince some novel toys for the dog and specially designed clothes for the dog, making it difficult for anyone to find fault with her actions.

After all, Empress Ping simply loved dogs too much.

And coincidentally, she couldn’t raise them well, while the Fourth Prince just happened to have a cute and obedient dog.

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Qianqing Palace

"Woodland hunt?" Su Yi, upon hearing this, was at a loss for words.

Taking her along on the hunt might not be a good idea.