Chapter 8: The Life of Yinzhi, Starting from Humble Origins...

Yinzhi's life went from the low point of humble origins to the peak of being supported by all officials, and finally ended in his downfall as Aqina.

As he quietly awaited the end of his life in the Imperial Clan Court's prison, Yinzhi's gaze drifted unfocused as he watched the swallows flying past outside his cell.

Spring has arrived again.

"The Eighth Prince is inexperienced and has recently been convicted of a crime, and his mother's family is also of very low social standing..."

“Yin Si was born to a lowly woman from the Xin Zhe Ku, therefore he could not be made crown prince.”

"From this day forward, the bond between me and my son Yinzhi is severed."

Every word Kangxi said began to echo in Yinzhi's mind: his heartless father, his ruthless fourth brother... and his mother who had suffered the most undeserved calamities because of him.

Before he closed his eyes for the last time, he thought that if there really was a next life, he didn't want to be born into an imperial family again.

Parents living in harmony, siblings sharing a deep bond, and the whole family reunited—that's enough.

With his eyes closed, Yinzhi felt as if his mind was in a daze, as if he were floating in a dark sea, with no end in sight and no light.

He thought he had come to the underworld after his death and was being punished to drift for eternity because of his heavy sins. Until one day, he suddenly saw a crack appear in front of him, and then a pair of hands pushed him from behind into the crack.

In a panic, he struggled for a moment, and then in the blink of an eye, he felt as if he had been lifted up, and then he tasted his first breath of air.

"Wow—wow—"

"Oh my, young prince, your voice is loud and clear, you can tell you're in good health!"

The midwife quickly washed Yinzhi's body, wrapped him in a longevity quilt that had been prepared beforehand, and then placed him next to Wei Shi, who had just given birth.

Lady Wei was exhausted after giving birth. She laboriously raised her hand to touch her son's little face. "Consort Xuan has been waiting outside. Hearing that you had a successful delivery, she asked me to congratulate you on your behalf." Pearl came in from the outer room, accompanied by two maids carrying many congratulatory gifts.

Wei struggled to sit up to express her gratitude, but Zhenzhu quickly pressed her down and made her lie down. She glanced at the little prince lying next to her and said with a smile, "Your health is important, there's no need for such formalities. Consort Xuan said that the little prince shouldn't be separated from his mother right after birth, so please bear with us for a few more days."

Although Emperor Kangxi issued an edict to give Yinzhi to Wenshan to raise, Wenshan couldn't bring herself to separate the mother and child so soon after giving birth. She wanted to let Wei Shi and Yinzhi stay together for as long as possible.

With tears in her eyes, Lady Wei, though somewhat disheveled from childbirth, could not conceal her beauty. She knew that with her humble origins and low rank, there was absolutely no possibility of raising her child on her own. When Emperor Kangxi's decree came down, she had already accepted the inevitable separation of mother and child.

Fortunately, Heaven took pity on Consort Xuan, who was kind-hearted. When Consort Xuan was pregnant, she often came to visit and brought many tonics. Now that the little prince has been born, she was specially allowed to take care of him for a few days. She was already very satisfied.

Meanwhile, the newborn Yinzhi had blurred vision and could not see clearly, nor could he hear clearly. He only felt that there was some chaos around him. He stretched out his arms and legs and cried out twice.

Soon someone picked him up, and in his dazed state, Yinzhi felt something soft being put into his mouth. His infant instincts made him suck on it, and a sweet liquid flowed out.

At this moment, Yinzhi finally understood what was going on.

Could it be that Heaven truly heard his wish and allowed him to be reincarnated as a human?

Two days later, Yinzhi's eyesight was still not very good, but just when he could finally hear clearly, a bolt from the blue struck him.

He heard his mother in this life hugging him and saying, "Yin Si, from now on you will be called Yin Si. Do you like the name your father gave you?"

I like it... my foot!

Yinzhi was on the verge of tears. So, the prince had come back again?

The timing of Yinzhi's birth was also unfortunate. The day before his birth, Consort Tongjia had a miscarriage, and the palace was filled with sorrow. As a prince born to a concubine, almost no one dared to come and congratulate him, for fear of offending Consort Tongjia.

Moreover, even Emperor Kangxi only glanced at the place briefly before leaving, and the rewards were less than usual. After raising Yinzhi for a few days, Lady Wei was filled with anxiety as she watched the situation in the palace, fearing that something might happen to Yinzhi. Despite her reluctance, she sent Yinzhi to Xianfu Palace.

At least Consort Xuan has a high rank and is protected by the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, so it's safe for Yinzhi to be raised there.

Wen Shan looked at the still frail Consort Wei, who was holding back her tears as she handed Yinzhi to her. She felt a pang of reluctance: "Sister, it's not too late to send Yinzhi to Xianfu Palace after the hundredth day. If you're willing, I'll speak to the Emperor."

Kangxi clearly didn't care much about this son, so he probably wouldn't refuse her request.

Consort Wei shook her head: "No, I feel more at ease leaving Yinzhi with Your Highness."

Wen Shan glanced at Yinzhi, who was staring at her with his big, blinking eyes, and sighed. Consort Tongjia had just lost a little prince, and Yinzhi was born the very next day. The situation for the mother and son in the palace was indeed awkward.

"You should focus on your postpartum recovery and don't worry about Yinzhi. You can come to see Yinzhi whenever you want after you've recovered, and it's fine to bring him back to stay for a few days," Wen Shan said softly.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Wei Ying bowed deeply, and Wen Shan handed Yin Si to Zhen Zhu and quickly helped her up.

Watching Wei Ying leave, Wen Shan touched the little face of Yin Si in her arms: "Look how much your mother loves you."

At this moment, Yinzhi was deeply shocked.

Where is he?

Shouldn't he be being cared for by Consort Hui?

Why are you here, Consort Xuan?

In his previous life, he and his mother could not be reunited. His mother was of low rank, and a few days after his birth, he was taken to the main seat of Yanxi Palace, where he was also the mother of the eldest prince, Consort Hui. Consort Hui could only say that she treated him neither well nor badly. Since she had her own son, she naturally did not pay much attention to him.

As for Consort Xuan... to be honest, he didn't have a deep impression of this Consort Xuan who came from Mongolia. She had no favor and no children, but she lived a peaceful life in the palace because of her good background. She seemed to be a long-lived consort. There were too many such concubines in the Emperor's harem who had no presence.

So how did he end up being raised by Consort Xuan?

Before Yinzhi could figure out what was going on, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Mother Xuan, I'm back."

Yinzhen had just finished school, and because of the recent hot weather, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. Wenshan squatted down and took out a handkerchief to wipe Yinzhen's sweat.

"Have you visited your mother at Chengqian Palace?" Wen Shan asked, straightening Yinzhen's clothes.

Yinzhen's expression showed a hint of disappointment for a moment. He shook his head and said, "Your mother still refuses to see guests."

Since Consort Tongjia's miscarriage, only the Emperor has visited her. She has not seen any of the other concubines, not even Yinzhen. It is said that Consort Tongjia's mother will visit her in a few days. Having her mother by her side may help her open her heart and get over the pain of losing her child.

Just as Yinzhen was about to tell Wenshan some interesting things that happened in the Imperial Study that day, he turned his head and saw that Pearl was holding a swaddled baby in her arms.

"Mother Xuan, is this my eighth brother?"

Wen Shan got up, picked up Yin Si, and carried him to sit down. She then reached out and called Yin Zhen over.

"Yes, this is your eighth brother, Yinzhi. He was just born a few days ago. Isn't he adorable?"

Yinzhen looked curiously at the tiny bundle in Wenshan's arms: "He's so small."

“Yinzhen was this small when he was born,” Wenshan said with a smile. “Would you like to touch your little brother, just gently?”

Yinzhen nodded and reached out to touch Yinsi's face. Unexpectedly, before he could even touch Yinsi, who had been well-behaved and quiet since arriving at Xianfu Palace, he suddenly burst into tears and turned his head away as if avoiding Yinzhen.

Yinzhen awkwardly withdrew his hand: "Summon Mother..."

Wen Shan awkwardly tried to soothe Yin Si, who was crying loudly in her arms. Looking at Yin Zhen, who was equally at a loss, Wen Shan was both amused and exasperated. Was this the bond between Yongzheng and the Eighth Prince?

Fortunately, after Wen Shan comforted Yin Si for a while, he stopped crying. Wen Shan put Yin Si in the cradle that she had prepared earlier, which was surrounded by toys that Wen Shan had sewn herself.

Yinzhen followed closely behind, wanting to greet his younger brother, but wherever he stood, Yinsi turned his head away and ignored him.

"Mother Xuan, it seems my younger brother doesn't like me." Yinzhen was very disappointed.

Wen Shan took Yin Zhen's hand and comforted him, "Your younger brother is still young. He can't recognize people at all right now. Maybe he's just sleepy. How about we have your mother take you to lunch so your brother can rest for a while?"

Yinzhen nodded, and before leaving, he looked back at Yinsi on the cradle. Suddenly, he stopped and mustered his courage to say, "Mother Xuan, now that Eighth Brother is here, will you like me less?"

After he finished speaking, his face turned slightly red, and he showed a rare shy expression.

The eighth brother was raised by Xuan'e Niang from a few days after birth, and he was only taken care of by Xuan'e Niang for a few months before he was about to return to Chengqian Palace.

Yinzhen is introverted and keeps many things to himself. For the past three months, Wenshan has been trying to guide him to speak his mind and not to overthink things. It seems that her efforts over the past few months have been effective.

In the past, Yinzhen would never have asked such a question.

Wen Shan understood Yinzhen's fear. He had experienced too many things like this. Consort De became cold towards him after having the Sixth Prince, and Consort Tongjia was not the same as before after becoming pregnant. It seemed that he was always the one who was not chosen.

"How could that be? You and your brother, Xuan'er, both liked him very much." Wen Shan patted his head and said softly, "No matter what, Xuan'er will never forget the time you spent in Xianfu Palace, and neither will Yinzhen, right?"

Yinzhen nodded heavily. These past few months by Xuan'e's side were the happiest days of his life.

Xuan'e's mother would cook delicious food for him, make kites with him, take him to and from school, and play with him and Fuqi. She would stay by his side no matter what they did.

"When I grow up, Yinzhen will also be filial to Xuan'e Mother." Yinzhen clenched his fist, glanced at Yinsi beside him, and said confidently, "I will also take good care of my younger brother."

Wen Shan: "..."

You've succeeded if you don't end up in jail.

Yinzhi, still in the cradle, rolled his eyes. "Listen to what you're saying, does anyone believe you?"

But... why is Fourth Brother also at Xianfu Palace?!

And is this still his cold-blooded, ruthless, and rule-abiding fourth brother? He remembers that his fourth brother wasn't so obedient when he was a child. On the contrary, he was incredibly stubborn and rebellious. Otherwise, his father wouldn't have said that he was unpredictable.

The huge shock made Yinzhi's head start to feel dizzy. He must be dreaming. He would feel better after he woke up and he would be back in Yanxi Palace.

Then, full of hope, Yinzhi opened his eyes again and saw his fourth brother's still very young face staring at him. Then he heard him shout loudly, "Mother Xuan, it seems that my little brother wet the bed!"

Yinzhi: "..."

It's still that annoying fourth brother, just as I thought!