Chapter 87 World Line Convergence?

"I hope you won't regret it and will have the last laugh... Oh, and please give my regards to the fourth brother."

Yinzhi closed his eyes, the last words of the eldest prince Yinzhi still lingering in his mind: his eldest brother had discovered it. It was actually his eldest brother who was the first to discover his relationship with the fourth prince. Where exactly did things go wrong?

Yinzhi, his face cold and lost in thought, was completely unaware that, from some point onward, his solemn demeanor had become identical to Yinzhen's, and that Yinzhen's shadow was everywhere...

【Ugh, how could Kangxi be like this? He's even covering up for the Crown Prince. Does he even remember who saved him?】555 is going crazy every day, shaking 556's body and complaining non-stop.

556's pink, round body was almost like a shaken egg with its yolk shattered. Dizzy and disoriented, it asked, "Why don't you understand why you keep shaking me? Why don't you ask your master?"

[The host is already so upset, and his injuries haven't healed yet, how can I bother him?] 555's cat eyes widened, giving 556 a "you're being inconsiderate" look.

556 is speechless. What kind of image does the Great Demon King have in 555's eyes? He's playing the innocent white lotus, not actually innocent. What's wrong with the Great Demon King? What's hurt about him?

Can't you tell at all that he's faking it? Can't you see how carefree and happy he is without a job? He's practically turning Xiao Honghui into a ball!

"I know." 555 licked its paw and answered innocently. Only then did 556 realize that it was really holding a grudge and had unconsciously spoken its mind.

【So what are you worried about?】556 is going crazy.

[But acting is hard work, host. You acted so realistically; you must have put in real emotions, otherwise no one would believe you. And that was a parent-child activity; Xiao Honghui was happy too, okay? Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand.]

【Whatever makes you happy.】556 was speechless. It strongly suspected that the Great Demon King was using a curse. Otherwise, how could 555 have been so easily fooled? And Xiao Honghui too, he seemed like a smart kid, but the Great Demon King treated him like a toy, and he would always be eagerly hanging around him.

This family is beyond saving, but thankfully, it's here with its knowledgeable and worldly-wise leader, preventing it from being bewitched by the Great Demon King. 556 proudly puffed out its chest, completely forgetting the scrambled characters of fear and anxiety it displayed when Yinzhen and Kangxi fell into the water.

Yinzhen, who was teasing Honghui in the courtyard, raised an eyebrow, having already noticed 555's confusion. But since the little system wanted to hide it, he would pretend not to see it.

After all... it's 556 who's being tormented, Yinzhen thought with a wicked sense of humor. This is one thing overcoming another, isn't it? How interesting.

Four-year-old Honghui, oblivious to everything, was happily swinging in the air by his father's collar, his laughter ringing out. Both father and son ignored the servants' terrified expressions and hesitant attempts to speak.

Su Peisheng still finds it hard to believe that the usually aloof Prince and the young prince are so "childlike" and get along so well, even though it seems that it is mainly the prince playing with the young prince.

But the prince is already having such a hard time, so let him play around with the young prince. Nothing bad will happen anyway.

“Father, Father…”

"Honghui is such a good boy. The weather is going to change. Let's go back inside and play slowly. We have plenty of time to play..."

...

The Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, rose rapidly and successfully absorbed the remaining power of the First Prince right under everyone's noses. Because of Yinzhi's courteous and virtuous style of dealing with people, he also recruited a lot of talented people. The Eighth Prince's faction completely replaced the First Prince's faction and stood firm in the court.

The rise of one political party inevitably encroaches on the interests of another. Whether intentional or unintentional, the emergence of the Eighth Prince's party has brought down many of the Crown Prince's supporters, both overt and covert.

Kangxi's actions were also quite unpredictable. On the one hand, he continued to pamper the crown prince, ensuring that the prince's food, clothing, and accommodation were second only to Kangxi's. Kangxi also entrusted the handling of political affairs and the review of memorials to the crown prince with great confidence.

However, Kangxi turned a blind eye to the losses suffered by the Crown Prince's supporters and began to heavily rely on the Eighth Prince, Yinzhi. For a time, the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince were equally prominent, creating a strange and fragile balance.

At this time, it is unclear whether Kangxi was simply feeling uneasy or thought that a triangle was a more stable arrangement, but he suddenly bestowed the title of Consort Shu upon her.

Not only did the emperor lavishly construct the Tonghua Terrace for her, but he also attempted to entrust her with the affairs of the palace. Had it not been for the court officials' strong opposition due to her status as a descendant of a disgraced official, everyone would have suspected that the emperor was preparing to elevate Consort Shu to the position of his fourth empress.

Although Consort Shu did not succeed in obtaining palace affairs, her status was second only to Consort Tongjia. At the same time, perhaps to compensate her or out of affection for her, Emperor Kangxi made the previously insignificant Seventeenth Prince, Yinli, surpass the Twenty-first Prince to become his most favored youngest son.

Furthermore, just as Yinli was entering school, Emperor Kangxi generously appointed several of his trusted ministers as Yinli's tutors, both in literature and martial arts, and even frequently took him by his side to personally teach him, treating him with the same care he received as the crown prince when he was a child.

For a time, quite a few opportunistic ministers sided with Yinli. After all, Kangxi seemed to be in good health and would live a long life, while the Crown Prince's position was not secure and might not be... On the other hand, the seventeenth prince, Yinli, was still young and favored by the emperor, so he might have a chance.

Before we knew it, it was the end of the forty-second year, and the Crown Prince Party, the Eighth Prince Party, and the Seventeenth Prince Party had formed a three-way power struggle.

Even Yinzhen, who was recuperating in his residence due to "serious injuries" and "being oblivious to what was happening outside," received the news.

"How is it?" Yinzhen sat at the head of the table, with Gao Wuyong, whom he had sent out to gather information, standing below him.

"Your Majesty, the situation of Zhen Yuandao, the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is exactly as you described. He does indeed have a daughter named Zhen Huan."

Gao Wuyong replied in a low voice, not knowing what was so special about this fourth-rank civil official that caught the prince's attention. But since his master had made the request, he wouldn't ask any more questions and would investigate Zhen Yuandao thoroughly as instructed.

Yinzhen raised an eyebrow. Ever since he learned that Kangxi had bestowed the title of Consort Shu, he had been very curious whether this could be considered a kind of convergence of timelines.

Emperor Kangxi was not one to let emotions cloud his judgment; Yinzhen believed that Kangxi was deliberately promoting her to maintain balance in the court.

But without the influence of the plot, would Kangxi still have chosen Consort Shu? Would he still have chosen Yinli?

Yinzhen was curious, so he sent someone to investigate Zhen Huan.

"Oh, how old is his daughter now?"

"Reporting to Master, this Miss Zhen has just turned seven years old."

"Seven years old?" Yinzhen smiled. According to the normal plot, Zhen Huan shouldn't have been born yet at this time. Does the plot of this world favor him so much? Knowing that he would ascend the throne ahead of schedule, is the age of the "female lead" arranged so perfectly?

"So what does this seven-year-old Miss Zhen learn on a daily basis?"

"Music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are all things that young ladies from respectable families usually learn, and Miss Zhen is quite good at them. In addition," Gao Wuyong carefully glanced at Yinzhen and continued, "Miss Zhen is also learning the Dance of the Flying Swan. According to investigations, the female tutor who teaches her is the same one who taught Princess Rouze in the past."

Yinzhen laughed. What was this all about? Did Zhen Huan and Rouze really have to clash? Since the plot seemed to want it that way, he'd just have to give Rouze a little more credit. It would be quite interesting if the two of them met in the future, wouldn't it?

Yinzhen, who had gradually lost interest in Rouze because he had almost perfectly imitated her innocent and naive qualities, was now filled with renewed curiosity.

In order to give her the confidence to face Zhen Huan in the future, Rouze, whose favor had been waning, regained Yinzhen's favor. This puzzled the women in the inner palace, who gained a new understanding of Rouze's ability to win favor.

Therefore, Rouze was targeted even more. She could only struggle cautiously in the backyard while enjoying the sweetness. Unconsciously, she lost her lovable white lotus temperament and became no different from the other women in the backyard.