Kangxi naturally wanted a son. Regardless of what might happen in the future, he wasn't yet so deranged as to do so.

As for why the struggle for the throne among the nine princes occurred at the end of the Kangxi era.

Firstly, Emperor Kangxi lived long enough that the conflicts between him and the Crown Prince were irreconcilable; secondly, there was the issue of Kangxi's education. He raised his princes to be quite successful, so they were all ambitious and unwilling to be inferior to others, striving to catch up.

It was the combination of various causes and effects that led to the events that occurred in the later years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Ultimately, Yinzhen was able to ascend to the throne because he was one of the few princes who could be given a slightly higher regard.

Others had obvious strengths and weaknesses (Yinzhen naturally had his own, including the problem of having difficulty conceiving, but compared to others, it was not as serious), so in the end, Yinzhen was chosen.

However, when Yinzhen ascended the throne, he was already over forty years old, and his health had deteriorated over the years. He only reigned for thirteen years before passing away, making him a short-lived emperor.

Tsk tsk, with Xiu Ning's existence in this life, Kangxi definitely won't live to the age he was in the original timeline. As for Yinzhen, he should just stay a prince.

"Don't rush things, and don't panic."

Xiu Ning was instructing Yin Yi on how to act.

"People sometimes react too late, which can easily lead to serious mistakes."

"Yinyi, this incident is a lesson. If something similar happens again, don't rush to me."

This was before even leaving the palace. Although the Prince's Residence and Qixiang Palace were not close, it wouldn't take long to walk there.

But what if, after a while, Yin Yi takes his family out of the palace to live? The distance between the palace and the outside world is not just a wall.

If another emergency were to occur, Xiuning, who lives in the palace, would be powerless to help even if she wanted to.

Not to mention that the palace gates are locked every day, the fact that a grown prince like Yin Yi often comes to the harem can cause unnecessary trouble.

There are always many scandals in the imperial harem, but the spread of some rumors is also based on evidence and unspoken rules.

Furthermore, as the main concubine in charge of palace affairs, Xiu Ning wielded considerable power. No matter how gossipy the other palace servants were, they would not dare to offend Qi Xiang Palace, which also prevented Xiu Ning's children from encountering various troubles.

Of course, that's not to say there's none at all, because that's simply unrealistic.

Besides Xiuning, there were other people in the harem, and there were bound to be some dubious rumors circulating about them.

But unless it's something life-threatening, Xiuning won't specifically intervene to stop it. The reason is that sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone; everyone having problems means there are no real problems.

"Mother, I have learned a lot."

Yin Yi lowered his head, thinking to himself that he had really let his concern cloud his judgment.

After all, this matter involved many powerful forces, and Kangxi's attitude was key to his ascension to the throne.

There's a saying that goes, "The older you get, the more you tend to overthink things."

When Yin Yi was young, he was fearless, but as he got older, he became somewhat timid and hesitant.

Ultimately, it's because Yin Yi has more leverage. He's not the kind of person who would risk everything when he's penniless, so naturally he doesn't want to do anything with high risk and high reward.

Why not just honestly and steadily climb the ladder step by step? Why do you have to be so reckless?

Anyway, that's Yinyi's mindset, and Xiuning understands her son well enough.

I thought to myself that this mentality wasn't necessarily bad, but it had both advantages and disadvantages in politics.

Given Kangxi's personality, he certainly didn't like Yinyi very much, after all, when Kangxi ascended the throne, the Qing Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles and was extremely unstable.

Emperor Kangxi consolidated the Qing Dynasty through his talent and iron-fisted rule, which is why he appreciated his sons who were sharp and ambitious.

Unfortunately, such princes were extremely rare in the imperial harem.

In the original timeline, Yinzhen had this tendency, but unfortunately, Yinzhen was born at a disadvantage, was too young, and his own abilities could not keep up with his ambitions, so he ended up losing in the struggle with his brother Yinzhen.

In the end, Kangxi had no choice but to choose Yinzhen to ensure the smooth succession of the Qing Dynasty.

Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi was good at judging people. Regardless of how Hongli, who was later Emperor Qianlong, eventually ascended to the throne, Yinzhen truly relied on his own abilities to do so.

Although Xiuning didn't think much of him, she wouldn't deliberately smear or slander him.

As for Yinyi, he is suitable to be a ruler who maintains the status quo. However, given the current development path of the Qing Dynasty, there is indeed no need to expand its territory. There is also no threat of invasion from outside enemies. If Yinyi ascends the throne, he will not become a foolish ruler.

This is actually quite good, Xiu Ning nodded, thinking to herself that Yin Yi doesn't need much ability.

As long as it is ensured that Yinyi will not act recklessly after ascending the throne and can steadily safeguard the Qing Dynasty, then Xiuning's mission this time will not be considered a failure.

Regardless of the origin of the palace intrigue novel, the middle part is always the most important, while the ending is not particularly prominent.

She exchanged a few more words with Yinyi, but given that it was getting late, the mother and son didn't have much to talk about.

Yin Yi got up to say goodbye, and before the night had completely darkened, he turned and hurriedly left.

At the same time, like Yin Yi, the princes who were sensitive to political affairs began to look for ways to exonerate themselves.

Yinyi will come to find Xiuning, and the others will also go to find their own mothers.

In the blink of an eye, the entire harem was in complete chaos.

Whether big or small, old or young, they all erupted like a volcano, causing a great commotion.

Xiuning, who was the first to handle these matters, once again remained calm and composed, holding a cup of tea and watching the power struggles and changes outside the palace.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!