At sunset, the glass windows of the Hall of Mental Cultivation reflect a play of light and shadow.

Yinzhen sat amidst this patch of light and darkness, and for the first time remained unmoved by the memorials on his desk.

He wanted to go back.

He had not seen Qian Shengyan, Hongli and Hongzhou from another time and space, or his little princess and Hongshan for three days.

It has everything, yet it has nothing.

"Your Majesty, back in February you said you wanted to stay at the Yuanmingyuan for a while. Now... do you still want to go?" Su Peisheng noticed that Yinzhen was not very interested, so he kindly offered his advice.

Yinzhen lazily raised his eyebrows: "Never mind." What would he go there for? Was he going to live in the vast Qingyan Palace of the Nine Provinces by himself?

What does that mean?

"Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience," the gatekeeper Xiao Quanzi reported as he entered. Yinzhen initially did not want to see her, but after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Let her in."

Ulanara walked in, supporting Yanruo's hand. Unlike the one Yinzhen remembered, she had a peaceful expression and was clearly in a very good mood.

Yinzhen understood at a glance that no one in the harem was diminishing her power or shaking her position, so Ulanara could remain so calm.

Moreover, from his memories, Yinzhen could see that Ulanara and Hongli seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding. The two got along very well, and even in the previous dynasty, the Ulanara family had influence, infiltrating and helping Hongli do things.

Hongli probably felt that his mother, Lady Qian, couldn't help him much, so he rarely interacted with Jingren Palace, only paying his respects daily. He wasn't very affectionate towards his father, and when they met, they only asked about his studies and discussed court affairs.

This "Yinzhen" rarely even sees his son's smiling face.

At this moment, Yinzhen suddenly felt particularly grateful to Qian Shengyan. If it weren't for this ray of light appearing in his life, his life would have been just as dull and boring as this "Yinzhen".

The relationship between him and the Thirteenth Prince, who was originally very close to him, became even more harmonious. Having lost his family in this world, Yinzhen could only draw some warmth from his familiar Thirteenth Brother.

Days passed by, and Yinzhen didn't know how to return home. Fortunately, the political affairs of this world were the same as those of his time. After understanding what it meant to be bored for long days, Yinzhen had no choice but to throw himself into politics.

In July of the fifth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, he ordered the Eight Banners civil and military officials to strictly control their families and prevent them from colluding to cause trouble. Tian Wenjing was appointed Governor-General of Henan and given the additional title of Minister of War. In September, it was decreed that local officials could impeach any unscrupulous gentry who mistreated tenants. Unruly tenants who defaulted on rent or taxes or bullied landlords would be punished with caning according to the law. In October, Longkodo was imprisoned for forty-two major crimes and died in confinement after six years. The Eight Banners' official schools were reorganized. In November, Li Wei was promoted to Governor-General of Zhejiang, overseeing the duties of the provincial governor. Flattery and sycophancy were strictly prohibited, and violators would be punished. In December, the Manchu and Chinese versions of the *Classic of Filial Piety* were completed. Yan Xin was convicted of a crime and imprisoned. Starting the following year, the poll tax in Jiangnan would be converted into a land tax.

In the sixth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, in the first month, a border was demarcated with Annam. In the second month, the handling of post-war affairs in the Miao region of Sichuan Province was approved. In the third month, tax and grain levies were reduced in disaster-stricken areas. Jiang Tingxi, Minister of Revenue, was appointed Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and concurrently served as Minister of Revenue. In the fourth month, an edict was issued to Shaanxi officials and soldiers, prohibiting seditious and heretical doctrines. In the fifth month, Pholhana of Tibet entered Lhasa. Tian Wenjing was appointed Governor-General of Hedong, managing affairs in Henan and Shandong. In the sixth month, it was forbidden for garrisoned Eight Banner soldiers to purchase civilians as servants. The crime of Prince Cheng, Yinzhi, was discussed. In the seventh month, Li Wei, Governor-General of Zhejiang, took charge of the Jiangsu theft case. In the eighth month, people from Zhejiang were allowed to participate in the provincial and metropolitan examinations. Qing troops entering Tibet executed Albuba. In the ninth month, the cases of Zeng Jing and Zhang Xi in Hunan began. In the tenth month, regulations for ships going to sea were established. Princes were exempted from managing affairs under their banners. In the eleventh month, it was reiterated that provinces were not allowed to present antiques except for local products. Provincial gazetteers were ordered to be compiled. In the twelfth month, the revised "Collected Explanations and Supplementary Regulations of the Great Qing Code" was completed.

The seventh year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign...

In May of the eighth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Yinxiang passed away.

Yinzhen was deeply grieved. It was only a year after he came into this world that he learned how serious his thirteenth brother's leg injury was! For the past two years, he had sought out renowned doctors for him, but because the treatment came too late, it was too late to save him. As for Yinzhi, because he did not show enough grief at Yinxiang's funeral, the enraged Yinzhen stripped him of his title and placed him under house arrest.

That same year, Yinzhen fell seriously ill, and the Imperial Medical Academy was helpless. Lying in bed, half-conscious, his only sensation was that he was surrounded by wolves, and everyone was waiting for him to breathe his last.

He was alone, and no one expected him to continue living.

He raised his hand and summoned the mysterious master he hadn't seen in years, and then took a poison he knew was toxic.

He felt he was about to collapse and even hoped that if he really died, he might be able to return to Qian Shengyan's side—but after thinking about it, he inexplicably felt better again.

The ninth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign...

The tenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign...

By the eleventh year of Yongzheng's reign, Yinzhen was utterly exhausted.

The endless political affairs, coupled with countless infamy, sometimes caused him to lose control of his emotions and vent his anger by punishing a few disliked officials, which further solidified his reputation for being cold-blooded and ruthless.

In February of that year, Yinzhen finally issued an edict to confer the title of Prince on Hongli, with the honorary title of Bao—not for the sake of this one.

Whenever he thought of Hongli in another world, Yinzhen could not make any other changes to the choice of successor. However, in recent years, he had become increasingly reluctant to see Hongli and Consort Xi, simply because everything before him seemed to remind him that this was the real one, and that the only vivid and bright Qian Shengyan in his memory was actually just a dream he had because he was too lonely.

His treasure, his jewel, perhaps... will never be seen again.

In the twelfth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, he was still alive, but his body was already severely weakened. He could feel it himself; it seemed that every breath he took was a heavy burden.

We're almost there.

That year, the population and households totaled over 26.41 million, and the population increased by over 930,000 due to the policy of never increasing taxes. The land area was over 8.9 million hectares, and the tax revenue was 29.9 million taels of silver, and over 4.79 million shi of rice, wheat, and beans.

August of the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.

Yinzhen lay on the dragon bed in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, looking at the golden bed curtains embroidered with dragon patterns, and suddenly thought of the former Jiuzhou Qingyan Palace.

During that time, Qian Shengyan was in poor health. Yinzhen was worried about her and refused to let her stay in Yongshou Palace. He insisted that she sleep in the back hall of Yangxin Hall. When they arrived at Yuanmingyuan, they naturally stayed together. The two of them lived in the same room and on the same bed, just like the most ordinary couple among the common people.

Therefore, some officials in the court submitted memorials, saying that the emperor should not be too biased in his favoritism towards his concubines, as favoring concubines over his wife is not the right way.

At the time, Yinzhen only sneered and dismissed him with a "get lost." Now, thinking back on it, it was a longing that could never be reached.

From the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign to the present, Yinzhen has not set foot in the inner palace. The concubines, noble ladies, and ladies-in-waiting are now just vague images in his mind. Only a smiling face, polished by the years, has become more and more radiant.

On the night of the 23rd of the thirteenth year of Yongzheng's reign, Yinzhen finally closed his eyes completely in the Jiuzhou Qingyan Hall.

But strangely, he died, yet he wasn't completely dead.