Rebirth: I'm a Daddy's Darling in the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 71 There are no insurmountable obstacles, only endless obstacles.

Life is truly unpredictable, like a large intestine wrapped around a small intestine, one link after another, making it hard to foresee. One moment Yinzhu was still lamenting his good fortune and comfortable life, and then tragedy struck just a few days later. His father's habit of randomly matchmaking had resurfaced. After messing with his older brothers, he was now targeting him and his fifth and seventh brothers.

Although Yinzhuo had always known that he had no say in his marriage, and had seen his older brothers get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, he originally thought that he would understand and accept things more easily after seeing so many. But when it really came to him, Yinzhuo still felt that he was unable to accept it.

Putting aside the appearance and temperament of the person he would spend the rest of his life with, just the thought of marrying her as a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child made Yinzhuo's head buzz. This was pure evil! And the thought of having a child with such a child... oh my god, he couldn't even bear to imagine it. In modern times, that would definitely be a crime.

"Sigh, this long road of life, indeed there are no insurmountable obstacles, only endless ones. The matter of attending court last time has been resolved, but now there are new matters. Come on, Dexi, let's go to Qianqing Palace to fight the little monsters."

After much thought, Yinzhuo decided to challenge his father and promote the benefits of late marriage and childbirth, as well as eugenics. Although he knew the chances were slim, he believed that anything was possible. There's a saying: "Don't despair because life is hard, because the most difficult time is often when you're closest to success." People should always be optimistic.

So the optimistic Sixth Prince, full of ambition, marched all the way to the Qianqing Palace. Coincidentally, when he arrived, Emperor Kangxi was studying a stack of portraits. When he saw Yinzhuo come in, he raised his hand and beckoned him over.

"You've come at the perfect time. I'm currently selecting future consorts for you, the fifth prince, and the seventh prince. Since you're here, take a look at these people and see if there's anyone you like."

The fact that these portraits reached Kangxi's hands meant that the family background, character, demeanor, and even appearance of the people in front of him had all passed the test. To be honest, Yinzhuo was still a little curious about the people that the Ministry of Revenue had carefully selected. He walked to Kangxi's side and glanced at the portraits of a few people, and immediately his curiosity disappeared.

"Father, as the saying goes, marriage is a major event that depends entirely on the parents' decision and the matchmaker's words. I have no opinion on the choice of my future wife, so it is entirely up to you, Father."

Yinzhuo's purpose in coming today was to postpone the wedding as much as possible, not to personally select a future consort. Moreover, he thought that given Kangxi's favor towards him, he wouldn't just randomly point to someone to fool him.

Yinzhu felt that since they were asking for a favor, he should offer them a sweet treat first. Besides, these days, portraits only aim for a likeness of spirit, not a likeness of form, so what could one possibly discern? Kangxi was quite satisfied with his son's trust, after all, he believed his judgment of people was quite good. However, he was clearly too hasty in his satisfaction, because Yinzhu then delivered a heavy blow.

"Father, I have come to see you today to talk about the matter of the arranged marriage. I have no objection to the arranged marriage, but I have a small suggestion regarding the timing of the marriage."

Kangxi had thought that a year had passed and that his son Yinzhuo had indeed become much more sensible. However, in just a few words, the boy had shown him with his actions that he had been overthinking things.

"I have no objection to the choice of the person to be married or to the matter of the marriage itself, but I do have some suggestions regarding the timing of the marriage? Tell me, do you think it's too early or too late?"

Yinzhu observed his father's expression and realized that Kangxi was not angry. He felt relieved and put his hand on Kangxi's shoulder to massage it.

"Of course it's too early. Just thinking about getting married at thirteen or fourteen and having a little one calling him 'Father' when he's fifteen or sixteen gives me goosebumps. My son is still a child himself. How can he take good care of his wife and children?"

Obviously, this reason could not convince Kangxi, because in his view, everyone was like this: betrothed at the age of twelve or thirteen, married a year or two later, and then had children at the age of fifteen or sixteen. This was perfectly normal, so why would he be so surprised? Besides, were all the servants in his future mansion dead? Why would he need to personally take care of his wife and children?

Yinzhuo clearly knew that his previous words were not enough to convince Kangxi, so he thought for a moment and continued.

"Father, from my observation, early marriage and childbirth do have an impact on offspring. Although early marriage can lead to more children, the survival rate of these offspring is much lower than that of children born to older couples. Think about it, if a couple marries at thirteen or fourteen, they are still children themselves, and their reproductive organs are not fully developed. Can a child born under such circumstances be healthy? If you don't believe me, you can have someone investigate in various households in the capital to see if what I'm saying is true. Do children born to older couples have a higher survival rate?"

Kangxi was clearly stunned by Yinzhuo's words. After a moment's thought, he felt that it made sense. In fact, there was no need to investigate. Take Kangxi himself as an example. From the time he became aware of human affairs until the birth of Yinti in the eleventh year of his reign, he had many children, but none of them survived. The deaths of his children in infancy had given Kangxi a phobia of raising children. He would rather take them outside the palace to trusted ministers to help raise them than keep them under his own nose, for fear that they would not survive.

"What you said makes some sense."

Seeing that Kangxi was swayed by his words, Yinzhuo quickly pressed on.

"Father wants us to get married as soon as possible so that we can have children and raise them. But we have to be able to give birth and raise them. Getting married later will not only increase the survival rate of the offspring, but it will also be good for the mother. As you know, childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell. It is extremely dangerous. A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl is still a child and her body is not fully developed. If she gives birth at this time, it is really easy to lose both her and her unborn child. So even if it is for the sake of the lives of your child and your wife, I have to postpone the wedding for a few years, preferably until after you are twenty."

When Kangxi saw that Yinzhu had made such a grand statement and finally came up with such a high-sounding reason, which was to delay marriage by a few years, he couldn't help but pull Yinzhu in front of him and slap him on the forehead!

"Alright, I will have people investigate what you've said. It's not that you can't get married so early, but twenty is too late. When I was twenty, your older brother was already running away. I can allow you to play for a few more years, but you must get married by the time you are eighteen at the latest."

Yinzhuo was satisfied with the result. Although the arranged marriage was inevitable, it was still better to postpone the marriage by a few years.

"Your son thanks you, Father Khan."