Chapter 57 Wenshan soon discovered that since…

Wen Shan soon discovered that ever since she and Yinzhen talked about the future, the three of them had become even busier. They would get together every day to discuss things for one or two hours, and then they would be so busy that they would be nowhere to be seen all day.

Wen Shan didn't bother them, only occasionally adding more historical details about later developments, which always managed to infuriate the three of them.

One day, Tong Guowei was in the Imperial Study with Ma Qi, Suo'etu and others when, after finishing their discussion, he was about to leave the palace and return home when he was stopped by a young eunuch in a slightly secluded place.

"Lord Tong, our master has something to discuss with you and requests your presence."

Tong Guowei discreetly sized up the young eunuch. Judging from his clothes, he wasn't a low-ranking eunuch, but he had never seen him before.

However, in the palace, those who could be addressed as "master" were either the princes or the ladies-in-waiting.

The concubines in the imperial harem rarely meet with men outside the palace, so it's highly likely that it's a prince.

So Tong Guowei stroked his beard and asked, "May I ask which prince summoned you?"

The young eunuch bowed and replied, "You will know when you get there, sir. Please follow me."

Tong Guowei had expected to meet the eldest prince or the crown prince, but the person he met after following the little eunuch through several paths into a secluded palace behind the Qianxi Fifth Palace was beyond his expectations.

"This old minister greets the Eighth Prince."

Yinzhi stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for Tong Guowei to come over. When he saw him arrive, he gave a signal to Xiao Shunzi, who had brought him there. Xiao Shunzi understood and went out to keep watch.

Tong Guowei thought that the only person who would dare to stop him in the palace like this must be either the Crown Prince or the First Prince. After all, how could someone who didn't have control over the harem dare to stop him in the street and bring him here to meet him?

Otherwise, the emperor would find out the moment he entered.

Yinzhi was the only one in the room. He smiled slightly and said, "Lord Tong, please rise and sit down."

Tea had been prepared on the table, but Tong Guowei had no interest in drinking it.

He was quite uneasy, worried that the Eighth Prince's recklessness might implicate him if word got out.

I couldn't stop regretting that I had come here so hastily.

Having secretly associated with Tong Guowei for many years, Yinzhi knew this old fox very well and could tell what he was thinking at a glance.

"Don't worry, Lord Tong, I've taken care of everything. No one else will know what I'm saying to you here today."

Tong Guowei was somewhat alarmed. He didn't know much about the Eighth Prince, mainly because the Eighth Prince was almost ten years younger than the First Prince. Although there had been frequent reports in recent years that the Eighth Prince was clever and quick-witted and that the Emperor loved him dearly, he was still a bit too young, and not many people thought that the Eighth Prince could achieve anything now.

But today, upon meeting Tong Guowei, Yinzhi immediately understood that the Eighth Prince could not be viewed with ordinary eyes.

"I wonder what important matter the Eighth Prince has summoned this old minister for?" Tong Guowei sat down and began to ponder why Yinzhi had summoned him.

Yinzhi took a sip of tea, took an envelope from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and gently pushed it in front of Tong Guowei.

"Lord Tong, please take a look at this letter first."

Tong Guowei picked up the letter. The envelope was blank, so he couldn't read anything. He took out the letter and read only two lines before his eyes widened suddenly.

"Eighth Prince, this is..."

Yinzhi smiled gently: "No one else has seen what's on this except me."

“Longkodo is quite diligent in his work for Father Emperor, but his mind is too big,” Yinzhi shook his head, “which has ultimately harmed both himself and others.”

Tong Guowei felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the letter detailing the correspondence between Longkodo and the First Prince.

If the Emperor finds out...

"Lord Tong has served as an official for many years and is also a member of the imperial family. I couldn't bear to see Longkodo go astray and implicate the entire Tong family, so I gave Lord Tong a timely reminder," Yinzhi continued.

Yinzhi's attitude was neither coercive nor tempting; on the contrary, it seemed to suggest that he wanted to establish a good relationship with the Tongjia clan. Tong Guowei, having been immersed in officialdom for many years, naturally understood Yinzhi's intention immediately.

Moreover, Tong Guowei was also shocked by the mental capacity of the Eighth Prince, who had just turned ten. The fact that he was able to obtain these records showed that the Eighth Prince had not only made connections in the harem and by the Emperor's side, but also in the court.

The Crown Prince and the First Prince are far inferior to him.

"Thank you, Eighth Prince. I will definitely discipline this rebellious son strictly when I return. I am deeply grateful for your kindness today."

Tong Guowei bowed deeply to Yinzhi, who quickly helped him up.

"Lord Tong, you're too kind. It's getting late, so I'll have someone escort you out of the palace."

Yinzhi touched on the matter briefly without mentioning his intention to win over Tong Guowei, and Tong Guowei also made no mention of future interactions. Both sides ended the meeting by touching on the subject briefly.

As soon as Tong Guowei left, Yinzhen and Yinxiang came out from behind.

"My brother is now so good at lying, even I blush when I hear him say that no one else knows," Yinxiang joked.

Yinzhi disagreed: "I didn't make any oath. Whether you believe it or not is up to Tong Guowei."

Originally, Yinzhen and the others planned to nurture Longkodo, a treacherous character, to one day use him to overthrow the First Prince. However, after learning about the future from Wenshan, the brothers' thoughts changed considerably. They could no longer focus all their attention on the struggle for the throne. More importantly, they needed more learned, capable, and loyal officials to serve in the court for the future development of the Qing Dynasty. It was best to deal with those with impure intentions as soon as possible.

Secondly, Empress Tongjia was still doing her best to plan for Yinzhen before she died. In consideration of Empress Tongjia, Yinzhen couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted towards her brother. So the three of them discussed it and decided to have Tong Guowei keep an eye on his son before Longkodo did anything rebellious, so as to avoid many troubles in the future.

Moreover, Tong Guowei was an old acquaintance of Yinzhi. If Yinzhi wanted to show his ambition to seize the throne, the first person he would want to win over was Tong Guowei. After discussing it, they felt that it was a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Ever since Longkodo learned that the Emperor had only personally selected the eldest prince as his attendant, he started walking with a swagger.

When he returned to the Tong family home after finishing his shift at the palace, he was in a good mood, humming a little tune, until the steward of the mansion stopped him.

"Third Young Master, the Master is waiting for you in the study. He said you should go there as soon as you return."

The steward smiled and took Longkodo's official hat.

"Father wants to see me?" Longkodo followed the butler to the study and asked, "Does Butler Wu know what it is about?"

Longkodo was still somewhat afraid of his strict father.

He always felt that calling him over wasn't meant to praise him.

Steward Wu bowed and said with a respectful smile, "This servant doesn't know. As soon as the master returned, he went straight to his study and didn't let anyone serve him."

Longkodo nodded thoughtfully. Before going into the study, he said casually, "Today is Laba Festival. The Emperor has bestowed Laba porridge. An eunuch will deliver it later. Tell your mother to go and greet him."

The Tongjia clan was the emperor's maternal family, and they received constant rewards during festivals, so Steward Wu had no suspicions and simply nodded in agreement.

Longkodo straightened his clothes and knocked on the tightly closed red door in front of him.

“Father, your son is here.”

Soon, Tong Guowei's deep voice came from inside: "Come in."

It sounds like nothing has changed from usual.

Longkodo pushed open the door and saw Tong Guowei at his desk reviewing official documents.

"Father, what brings you here? If it's nothing important, I'll go and pay my respects to you first."

Longkodo said with a forced smile.

Longkodo and Empress Tongjia were siblings born of the same mother. After Empress Tongjia passed away, Madam Tong was devastated and had to stay in bed for several months to recover. She was only just able to get out of bed and walk around now. If anyone in the Tong family could control Tong Guowei, it would only be Madam Tong.

After all, his daughter had just passed away, and Tong Guowei couldn't do anything to Madam Tong, neither morally nor logically.

As soon as Tong Guowei heard Longkodo mention his mother, he knew what the boy was up to. He rolled up his sleeves and continued to approve official documents without even glancing at him.

"What's wrong? Did you do something wrong and feel guilty?"

Longkodo quickly replied with a smile, "How could that be? When I serve the Emperor, I always keep my father's teachings in mind and am cautious and careful not to make a single mistake."

"You still remember that you serve the Emperor?" Tong Guowei slammed his pen down heavily, looking at him with a stern face: "What do you mean by being cautious and careful and not daring to make a mistake? I think you're just about to ride roughshod over me!"

Longkodo thought to himself, "This is bad. My father is so angry. It must be something serious."

Sure enough, Tong Guowei then threw a secret letter in front of him.

"Open it and see for yourself."

Longkodo picked it up, read two lines, and his face turned ashen, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"You've got some nerve! It's only this early and you're already daring to get close to the First Prince, and you even have the audacity to reveal the Emperor's whereabouts to him. Do you know that's a capital offense punishable by beheading!"

The secret letter contained details of his private exchanges with the eldest prince over the past few days, including the time, place, and even the content of their conversations.

“Father, I…” Although Longkodo spoke with great ambition, he knew that if what he was doing were exposed, even Tong Guowei would not be able to protect him.

"How dare you! You're so bold!"

Longkodo slammed his fist on the table, making a deafening noise, and then knelt down with a thud.

"Father, your son is only thinking about choosing a wise ruler..."

Tong Guowei interrupted him sharply: "Stop talking nonsense! The current emperor is the enlightened ruler. What other enlightened ruler are you looking for!"

Longkodo had calmed down and figured things out. He wasn't as scared as before. Since the secret letter had reached his father, it meant it had been suppressed and there was nothing serious.

“Father, my sister died young without leaving behind a prince. If our Tongjia clan wants to prosper for generations, we must choose the right person to follow.”

Tong Guowei was amused by his words: "I haven't even thought about these things yet, and you're already making plans for the Tongjia clan. Who's the Grand Secretary, you or me?"

"Now, Father is naturally the Grand Secretary, but in the future, the Tongjia clan will still have to rely on their son to bring glory to the family."

Longkodo's words struck a chord with Tong Guowei. Although he had several sons, none of them, except Longkodo, were talented enough to achieve anything significant. That's why he sent Longkodo to the emperor's side as a first-class bodyguard to pave the way for his career. This was tantamount to announcing to the outside world that Longkodo would be the next leader of the Tongjia clan.

Kangxi was naturally aware of Tong Guowei's thoughts, and his favor towards Longkodo was already an implicit acceptance of the power transfer from the Tongjia clan.

"Then you have to choose the right person and the right branch, otherwise you won't become a phoenix but will fall to the ground and be reduced to ashes." Tong Guowei rubbed his forehead and waved his hand. "Get up first."

Longkodo quickly got up from the ground and poured Tong Guowei a cup of tea.

"Father, where did this letter come from?"

The important thing now is who has been monitoring his actions so closely, and the thought of someone secretly watching him sends chills down his spine.

"You don't need to know who it is," Tong Guowei glared at him. "All you need to understand is that the fact that this letter appeared on the Emperor's desk, even if it didn't, means your life has been spared!"

“Starting tomorrow, I will cut off all contact with the First Prince. Someone delivered this letter to me today, and the Emperor might find out about these things someday.”

Longkodo gritted his teeth, unwilling to give up. After all, he had been working for the First Prince for over a year and was becoming the First Prince's most trusted person.

“Father, don’t you also not think highly of the Crown Prince? Then we have to choose another one from among the princes, right?” Longkodo tried to persuade Tong Guowei to support the eldest prince.

Tong Guowei did not side with the Crown Prince. Not only did many of the Manchu military nobles in his court not support the Crown Prince, but the reason had nothing to do with the Crown Prince's character and ability. Rather, it was because from the day the Crown Prince was enthroned, he was inherently opposed to these princes and ministers who had been military nobles from beyond the Great Wall.

The reason why the crown prince was made crown prince before he was one year old was because of the circumstances. At that time, the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories was in full swing. Wu Sangui's power was so great that he had raised the banner of rebellion. In order to consolidate the power of the Han people, Kangxi made the eldest son of the legitimate wife the crown prince in accordance with the Han people's custom to stabilize the court. However, the Manchus have never recognized the concept of the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Every emperor of the Qing Dynasty, including Kangxi, was elected by Manchu military nobles through the Council of Eight Princes. In their view, only the crown prince chosen in this way was the legitimate heir. The rule of primogeniture was a Han Chinese custom, and what did it have to do with them, the Manchus?

Therefore, the very act of establishing a crown prince meant that Kangxi was weakening the interests of these Manchu princes, so naturally no one would be happy.

Moreover, the crown prince was arrogant by nature, not only towards his brothers but also towards his ministers. As a result, as the princes grew older, more people began to consider supporting another prince.

Since the topic had come up, Tong Guowei, looking at his son who had grown up and had his own thoughts, rarely opened up to him.

“You’re right. There are quite a few people in the court who don’t think much of the Crown Prince, but not many are as eager to place their bets at this time as you are, even risking their lives.”

"Just look at Mingzhu and you'll see. You don't really think the Emperor dismissed Mingzhu just because he accepted bribes and sold official positions, do you? It's because he stirred up factional strife among the princes and stirred up trouble!"

Longkodo was unconvinced and said, "That was because Mingzhu was careless. Father, do you know that the Emperor is about to lead a personal expedition and has only appointed the First Prince to accompany him? As long as the First Prince makes meritorious contributions in the campaign against Galdan, he will overshadow the Crown Prince. No matter how you look at it, he is the most promising among the princes."

Tong Guowei got angry when he saw Longkodo sticking his neck out and looking like a stubborn fool.

"You're blind! Of all people to choose, you chose the First Prince. What, you want to be a palace gate guard too?"

Longkodo, unable to lift his head after being scolded by Tong Guowei, secretly glanced up and asked, "So, Father, do you mean that the First Prince is incapable of accomplishing anything, and you already have someone else in mind?"

Longkodo thought for a moment and asked, "Could it be the Fourth Prince or the Eighth Prince?"

The Fourth Prince is the only one among all the princes who has some connection with the Tongjia clan, after all, his sister raised him for several years. The Eighth Prince's reputation for being virtuous and humble has spread far and wide in recent years, and he is also favored by the Emperor and is an outstanding prince.

"Stop asking questions now and go back to your room to reflect on your actions!"

Tong Guowei said with his hands behind his back, "Tomorrow I will submit a memorial on your behalf to ask for leave, saying that you have fallen seriously ill and need to rest for a month."

"Father, how can I ask for leave at this time when we are about to go to war!" Longkodo said anxiously.

But Tong Guowei had his men forcibly drag him back into the house.

Just then, Madam Tong arrived and became anxious when she saw her son being held down.

"What are you doing? Let go of the young master right now!"

Tong Guowei closed his eyes, feeling like his head was about to explode.

"Madam, what brings you here?"

Madam Tongjia ignored him, only pushing away the servants who were holding Longkodo down, and glared angrily at Longkodo, saying, "What are you doing? Why are you tying up your own son?"

Tong Guowei sighed and looked at Longkodo: "If you have any filial piety left, don't worry your mother. Go back to your room and reflect on your mistakes."

Longkodo looked left and right and realized that this time his mother's intervention wouldn't be enough to save his father, so he obediently went to reflect on his actions behind closed doors.

Madam Tong was unaware of what had happened, but the sight of Tong Guowei's face only fueled her anger.

"What are you up to now? Lin Yue has only been gone a short while and you're already tormenting her brother like this!"

"You still bring up your daughter? Wasn't it you who instigated Lin Yue's early death when you went to the palace?" Tong Guowei lowered his voice, took a few deep breaths, and then said, "Enough, enough. Go back now. In the future, you should interfere less in Longkodo's affairs."

The woman was short-sighted. She could let it go that the Empress in the palace had been delayed, since the die was cast. But Longkodo was the future hope of the Tongjia clan, and she could not be allowed to get involved any further.

Madam Tong could not sway Tong Guowei on important matters, so even after throwing a tantrum, there was nothing she could do but send Longkodo to reflect on his actions behind closed doors.

But before leaving, he remembered his other daughter.

"Master, has the matter of bringing Linwen into the palace, which we discussed a few days ago, been finalized?"

Lady Tong gave birth to two daughters and one son. In addition to Empress Tongjia and Longkodo, she also had a young daughter who had just turned sixteen.

Two days ago, Tong Guowei revealed to her that the emperor intended to select another daughter of the Tongjia clan to enter the palace, and that her rank would not be low, at least the initial title of concubine.

Besides missing her deceased eldest daughter, Madam Tong also had her youngest daughter on her mind.

"I'll tell you about this once I have some leads. Fangling, hurry up and help Madam back!"

Tong Guowei was extremely annoyed and had no interest in arguing with the mother and daughter; he just wanted to get them out of there as soon as possible.

After Madam Tong left, Tong Guowei finally let out a long sigh. He had accepted the Eighth Prince's favor, which gave the Eighth Prince leverage over him. However, it was fortunate that the Eighth Prince did seem to have the appearance of a wise ruler.

Now we can only hope that the Tongjia family has chosen the right person this time.

...

While Yinzhen and the others were busy, Kangxi was also busy lately, but he was busy with the expedition against the Dzungars. He also visited the inner palace much less frequently than before. Wenshan was so happy that she decided to retract her assessment of Kangxi as a warmonger.

Okay, being busy is good.

However, Kangxi would still take time to come and rest for a few days. The longer he spent with Wenshan, the more comfortable he felt, as if he could unload all his burdens once he arrived at Xianfu Palace.

Emperor Kangxi was never one to compromise himself, and naturally he didn't care what others said. He liked to stay in Xianfu Palace and felt comfortable there, so he would come whenever he had time.

He has devoted himself to the cause of the Qing Dynasty and worked so hard that he can't even have some free time to do as he pleases. What's the point of being an emperor then?

So one day, when Emperor Kangxi stayed overnight at Xianfu Palace, he suddenly brought up something that Wen Shan had never thought of before.

"Next year, Yinzhen will be twelve years old, and it's time to start preparing to choose a consort for him. You can also tell me if you have any girls you like."

Emperor Kangxi casually tossed out the news while sipping his tea.

Wen Shan was feeding the koi fish that Yin Si had given her when she heard this, and her hand trembled so much that she almost poured all the fish food into the tank.

“Yinzhen is only twelve years old, is there any need to be in such a hurry?” Wenshan said.

It's quite shocking that someone who's twelve years old—just graduated from elementary school in modern times—would be discussing marriage.

Although people in ancient times married earlier, the eldest prince in front of us didn't choose a wife until he was fifteen or sixteen. Even if it weren't for the national mourning period, he would have married around seventeen.

Although it was a bit early, Wenshan could still barely accept it.

"I got married when I was eleven years old. Now I'm just starting to choose my partner. What's so early about that?"

If one had to pinpoint where Kangxi was dissatisfied with Wen Shan, it would be that he felt she spoiled her sons too much. Leaving aside Yinxiang, Yinzhen and Yinsi were no longer children who needed their parents to worry about everything in his eyes. Their interpersonal skills, social skills, and shrewdness were already comparable to those of adults.

Wen Shan pouted, thinking to herself that Emperor Kangxi would occasionally lament that so many children in the palace died young in the early years, all because of early marriage and childbirth.

Wenshan was also worried that having sex and giving birth too early would be bad for Yinzhen's health.

Emperor Kangxi could tell from her expression that she had never thought about this before, and couldn't help but scold her, "You are now Yinzhen's mother, and you don't even care about marriage?"

"Let's wait another two years. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince haven't even started discussing marriage yet. How can Yinzhen get ahead of them?" Wen Shan could only bring up her two older brothers.

"The Crown Prince's marriage is a matter of state, and I have my own plans. Let's not discuss it for now." Kangxi put down the book in his hand, beckoned Wen Shan to come closer, and pushed a memorial in front of her.

"But Consort Rong has only just been released from confinement and she's already submitted a memorial to me proposing a marriage for Yinzhi. Look at the way you've acted as a mother."

Wen Shan glanced at the memorial submitted by Consort Rong, which earnestly stated that the Third Prince had reached the age to marry and hoped that Emperor Kangxi could arrange a marriage for him so that he could settle down and start a family as soon as possible.

The Third Prince was only one year older than Yinzhen, and Consort Rong's words made Wenshan feel embarrassed to refuse again on the grounds that Yinzhen was too young.

"Consort Rong certainly knows how to choose a daughter-in-law." Kangxi tapped the table and said leisurely, "Yehenara, Dong'e, and Tongjia are all good."

Their family was prominent, with their father and brothers holding important positions in the court, no less so than the Irgen Gioro clan whom Emperor Kangxi had chosen for his eldest son.

Kangxi looked up and saw Wenshan lost in thought. He tapped her forehead with his finger and said helplessly, "You can also pick one for Yinzhen. If there is one he likes, you can summon him to the palace to take a look. Once you've chosen one, tell me."

Wen Shan knew from his words that he was talking nonsense, as if she could choose whomever she wanted. If she were to choose the Guarjia clan woman that Kangxi had prepared for the Crown Prince, he would never approve it.