Chapter 83 Wen Shan receives gifts from Yinzhen and Yin...

Wen Shan was fiddling with an ice maker when she received the news that Yinzhen and Yinsi were about to return.

There's no way around it, it's just too hot. If I don't find a way to get through this summer, it will be unbearable.

She tried hard to recall the working principle of the ice machine, wondering if she could give the powerful figures living in Yinzhen's villa some inspiration to figure out how to make an ice machine.

I wonder if she'll be able to figure out how to build an air conditioner in her lifetime.

Yinxiang was counting on his fingers to figure out when Yinzhen and Yinsi would arrive, thinking about how to welcome his two older brothers.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was dejected and drowned his sorrows in wine at Yuqing Palace.

Seeing the Crown Prince's dejected state, Suo'etu hurried over to comfort him.

However, while it was called advice, it also carried a hint of blame.

"Your Highness, how could you recommend someone like Wang Kuo to be the Minister of Disaster Relief!"

"It's still in Shaanxi, and you know that the governor of Shaanxi is the First Princess's cousin!"

Soetu never expected that his momentary lapse in supervision would lead to such a huge mess for the Crown Prince.

The crown prince was also disheveled and had nothing to argue with.

"Uncle, you don't know this, but I was also deceived by this Wang Kuo. I thought he was a hidden talent, and then..."

Another 30,000 taels of silver were presented.

The Crown Prince didn't need to finish speaking for Suo'etu to know what he wanted to say.

When Suo'etu first heard the news, he was completely baffled. Thirty thousand taels of silver might be a huge sum for most people, but it was nothing to the Crown Prince.

Or rather, no amount of money should tempt the crown prince.

It is utterly absurd for a crown prince to engage in selling official positions and titles.

The Crown Prince knew that recommending Wang Kuo was not a serious matter, so it was done secretly and privately. He would not tell Suo'etu. It was common for the Crown Prince to recommend ministers, so Suo'etu did not take it to heart. Now, thinking back, Suo'etu felt extremely regretful. He should have paid more attention to the important position of Minister of Disaster Relief at that time.

He simply hadn't expected that the Crown Prince would choose such a fool after all his careful selection.

But since the matter was already settled, Suo'etu couldn't really reprimand the Crown Prince. He could only say, "Fortunately, His Majesty still cares about Your Highness and has suppressed this matter. Otherwise, if the First Prince had insisted that you hold the position of Crown Prince in jeopardy, your position might have been in jeopardy."

The Crown Prince panicked even more upon hearing this: "Grand Uncle, is Wang Kuo's confession still in the hands of the First Prince...?"

"Your Highness, rest assured," said Suo'etu. "The Emperor has already given his word, so the eldest prince can't cause any trouble."

At least the emperor is still protecting the crown prince, so the crown prince won't fall.

However, even Suo'etu now has to start to wonder how much of his father-son relationship with the emperor can be worn down if the crown prince continues to act so recklessly.

The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief and then tentatively asked, "What about Wang Kuo..."

“His Majesty has already decreed that Wang Kuo be executed immediately. A dead man cannot speak,” Suo’etu interrupted the Crown Prince.

But the Crown Prince was clearly still worried about something. After hesitating for a while, he continued, "I wonder if Wang Kuo's family will be implicated."

Soetu: "..."

Something's not right.

The Crown Prince's demeanor suggests he has not only accepted bribes from Wang Kuo, but also that he is worried about Wang Kuo's family.

"Your Highness, please tell this old minister the truth, is there still some kind of leverage that Wang Kuo has over you?"

Suo'etu quickly pondered: Could it be that Wang Kuo was so audacious as to not only bribe but also threaten the Crown Prince?

The crown prince hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, Uncle is overthinking it."

Soetu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

Then he realized something was wrong. What was the prince so flustered about just now?

Under Songgotu's persistent questioning, the Crown Prince had no choice but to reveal the truth.

"Wang Kuo had a daughter who was exceptionally beautiful, and he intended to offer her up as a gift... so..."

Upon hearing this, Songgotu nearly choked on his breath, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him.

He was an elderly man and simply couldn't withstand the Crown Prince's endless stream of outrageous acts.

"It hasn't been long since Princess Yun Dai's incident, how come Your Highness always can't control yourself when it comes to women!"

Mentioning Yun Dai made the Crown Prince's face turn pale and swollen; it was truly embarrassing.

Fortunately, Yun Dai was sensible and didn't make a scene. After losing her child, she obediently married back to Mongolia, and gradually no one mentioned the matter anymore.

Suo'etu thought to himself that Wang Kuo was also cunning and treacherous. He not only used money but also his beauty to win over the Crown Prince. No wonder the Crown Prince insisted on recommending him as the Minister of Disaster Relief.

Wang Kuo's crime was bound to implicate his family, otherwise it would be difficult to quell public resentment. All the adult males in his family were sentenced to beheading, while the remaining children and female relatives were exiled to Ningguta.

Soetu thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and asked, "The women in Wang Kuo's family have been sentenced to exile in Ningguta. Does Your Highness intend to secretly keep this woman?"

Although Suo'etu asked the question, he had already decided in his heart that the Crown Prince's idea was not feasible.

How can I cause trouble because of a woman at a time like this?

The Emperor is still willing to protect the Crown Prince at this time. If he were to find out that the Crown Prince is not only pursuing money but also women, neglecting national affairs, and even daring to switch the emperor's concubine with a woman, the Emperor would surely be heartbroken.

Therefore, he had to persuade the Crown Prince to break off his relationship with that woman, and ideally, send someone to settle things so that the matter would never come to light again.

However, Suo'etu did not expect that the Crown Prince had prepared a big surprise for him.

"Not quite." The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then tried again, "I have already taken this woman out and secretly settled her in a courtyard in the capital. Now..."

"What?!"

Soetu nearly slammed his fist on the table and jumped up.

"Foolish, foolish!"

Soetu never imagined that the Crown Prince would be so audacious; it was simply outrageous!

At a time like this, daring to transport criminals out under the watchful eyes of the First Prince and his gang is nothing short of courting disaster!

The Crown Prince was still somewhat puzzled as to why Songgotu was so shocked.

"She's just a woman, I don't think it's a big deal."

In the Crown Prince's eyes, the matter of Wang Kuo's death was already over. With hundreds of people in Wang Kuo's family working together, it wouldn't be difficult for anyone to discover that a woman had been secretly hidden away.

Besides, hardly anyone would care about Wang Kuo's family.

"She's just a woman," Suo'etu said, heartbroken. "Your Highness, you know she's just a woman. Why risk your life for her!"

After the crown prince ascends the throne, he will have no shortage of women. How could he have been so bewitched by this woman from the Wang family!

Not only did she recommend her father for the position of Minister of Disaster Relief, but she also had the Crown Prince switch a baby for her, committing such a crime right under the Emperor's nose.

The Crown Prince also found the matter quite troublesome.

“Uncle, you may not know this, but that Wang family girl is already pregnant. We can’t let her go to that harsh and cold place, Ningguta, while she’s carrying my child.”

"..."

Soetu felt like he was about to faint.

He couldn't understand how the Crown Prince could do so many outrageous things right under his nose!

The matter of Princess Yun Dai, which had just been mentioned, resurfaced in his mind. How did the Crown Prince manage to fall into the exact same trap twice?

The only difference might be whether or not this shameful affair was caught on the spot.

"Your Highness, you are about to get married soon, why... why, alas!"

Soetu was speechless, unable to understand why the Crown Prince was so lustful and kept getting pregnant!

Seeing that Suo'etu's expression was off, the Crown Prince also felt a little uneasy.

"Grand Uncle, it shouldn't be anything serious..."

The Crown Prince thought that Wang Shi was different from Princess Yun Dai. Wang Shi was just an unknown daughter of a disgraced official and could not cause any trouble, unlike Princess Yun Dai who lived in the palace and whose every move was under scrutiny. Hiding Wang Shi quietly should not be a big deal.

"Why did Your Highness specifically bring this up with this old minister if it's nothing serious?" Soetu was already quite annoyed by the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince sighed helplessly, "Father will soon bestow a marriage upon me and Lady Guarjia, and this child in Lady Wang's belly..."

"..."

So this was what the Crown Prince was worried about. Suo'etu was speechless and could only suppress his anger and find out the situation.

"Where is this woman now? When did the Crown Prince bring her out? From the Ministry of Justice prison?"

Fortunately, the Crown Prince wasn't so confused and quickly said, "As soon as Wang Kuo had her accident, I ordered someone to bring her out. She is now settled in a villa in the capital."

Suo'etu sensed something was amiss: "Didn't the Ministry of Justice check the number of people when they went to make the arrests?"

Such a complete confiscation would leave no one out; how could there be no reaction if Wang Kuo's daughter was missing?

The Crown Prince's eyes darted around, and he coughed twice before saying, "It was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Yarha, who handled this matter."

"..."

Yarha is the Crown Prince's man; it would be a piece of cake for him to get one person out of hundreds of wanted criminals.

Soetu was completely speechless; how many incriminating clues had he left out?

“Your Highness, you are confused!” Soetu said, “Even if you rescue Wang, the child in her womb cannot be kept! The Emperor is about to arrange your marriage with Guarjia. This child is not legitimate and will not be able to enter the royal genealogy. What use is it? Not to mention, Guarjia will definitely have some complaints.”

"Furthermore, the Emperor will surely be furious."

The Emperor was already furious when Princess Yun Dai became pregnant last time, and now the daughter of a disgraced official has appeared, which is sure to make the Emperor even angrier.

The Crown Prince hesitated and said, "It shouldn't be that serious. We can just raise the child properly outside the home after she gives birth, even if she doesn't have a formal title."

It's still his bloodline, after all. If there's really no way to get him into the royal genealogy, then keeping him outside is fine.

The Crown Prince even thought that if Kangxi hadn't kept delaying his marriage, he wouldn't have been unable to resist finding women outside.

Soetu was at a loss for words. Why did he have to create trouble for himself when he could have just behaved himself?

Looking at Suo'etu's face, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot, the Crown Prince thought that this was why he dared not tell Suo'etu. If he had told Suo'etu in advance, Suo'etu would have gone on and on incessantly.

He has long since grown up and no longer needs them to treat him like a child.

She's just a woman; it's not a big deal to keep her as a mistress.

Suo'etu sighed repeatedly and reminded the Crown Prince: "The daughter of Nuomin, the Minister of Justice, is the Fourth Prince's concubine."

That Wang Kuo is truly despicable. He himself has fallen into the hands of the First Prince, and now his daughter has given the Fourth Prince leverage over the Crown Prince. He is truly besieged on all sides.

The prince paused, clearly not having considered this matter, and hesitated before saying, "Yarha's concealment should prevent Nuomin from knowing."

"I hope so." Soetu no longer expected the Crown Prince to do anything. He was thinking that he would call Yarha over later to discuss the matter in detail, and he must not leave any evidence against him.

It would be best to get rid of that woman surnamed Wang.

Since the crown prince couldn't bring himself to do it, he was the only one who could.

Soetu was, after all, a seasoned politician with a keen sense of danger. He was naturally very concerned about the case of Wang Kuo, the Minister of Justice, which involved the Crown Prince.

As soon as Yarha took everyone away, Nuomin received the news.

The news was delivered to Yinzhen the next day.