In the winter of the 24th year of Kangxi's reign, the twelfth prince, Yin Tao, was born.
His birth mother, Consort Ding, held a low rank and was forbidden by palace rules from raising him herself. Still swaddled, the tiny bundle was carried to the home of Su Ma Lagu.
Everyone assumed that this little prince, with no maternal family to protect him and raised under the care of an elderly palace matron, was destined to grow up unnoticed.
But no one expected that when three-year-old Yin Tao softly called out, “Father,” he would melt the heart of Emperor Kangxi, exhausted from reviewing memorials.
Timidly, he offered a piece of osmanthus candy to his elder brother, the Crown Prince. From then on, the Crown Prince cherished him above all else.
He held out his little arms for his fourth brother to pick him up. The stern Fourth Prince blushed to the tips of his ears, and from then on personally saw to everything: cloaks, hand warmers, writing supplies, and clothes for every season.
He praised his eighth brother in a babyish voice, saying he was “as pretty as an orchid.” The gentle Eighth Prince smiled, and from then on made sure Yin Tao never got caught up in the storms of court politics.
Everyone said the struggle among the nine princes was perilous, but the pack of fierce older brothers doted on the twelfth prince, Yin Tao, until he became the most envied little darling in the entire imperial palace.
No schemes, no plotting, just a soft little dumpling and his brothers, stern on the outside but warm at heart.
While the undercurrents of the succession struggle surged beyond the palace walls, this little courtyard was always filled with warm milk, sweet osmanthus cakes, the Fourth Prince’s strong embrace, and the words, “Tao’er is right here.”
This is my first novel. Please come read my work on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support gives me the motivation to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well!
I don't know if there is any misjudgment. There are heavy traces of AI. There are several plots that are repeated and even the words and sentences are exactly the same. Others mention it repeatedly, repeat it too much, and smell of AI. But our Yindu is a very well-behaved child!
It's okay, but it's about the twelve elder brothers. Twelve is set to be three years old, so thirteen and fourteen are younger than twelve, but the thirteen and fourteen written in the article treat Twelve as if they were adults.