The Emperor's birthday was approaching. Although Emperor Kangxi had been in poor health recently and had ordered the celebrations to be simplified, a grand palace banquet was still held for a day.

Originally, the highlight of the Emperor's birthday celebration was the gifts from each person. Whoever's gift could please the Emperor was truly special.

Everyone racked their brains and offered up their treasures, such as auspicious mythical beasts and divine stones from Taihu Lake inscribed with the character "寿" (longevity).

However, what Kangxi was most satisfied with was Yinzhen's half-bag of beans.

Shifting focus from political struggles to agricultural development was also beneficial to Kangxi's policy of merging land tax and poll tax, so Yinzhen's birthday gift was exactly what he wanted.

All the princes and nobles made jokes.

"I had heard that the fourth prince's estate was in a very good location, close to the hot springs. I didn't expect the soil to be so fertile, producing such plump grains. It's truly a fine product!" The first to praise it was Prince Zhi.

He was initially overwhelmed with work preparing for his daughter's marriage to a distant land, but no matter what, he was well aware of the power of the emperor. Now, he was even less willing to go against the emperor. He had to show his loyalty to the emperor so that he wouldn't be the next one to be punished.

The Crown Prince remained silent, so the Third Prince had no choice but to agree, "Yes, yes, Fourth Prince's technique is really good."

Next were the fifth and seventh princes. They had always had a good relationship with Yinzhen and praised him, saying that Yinzhen had the air of a carefree hermit.

The eighth prince looked bitter. He had long been disliked by Emperor Kangxi. Since returning from the disaster relief mission, although the emperor had not issued a decree to punish him, he had never summoned him or assigned him any official duties. It was as if the emperor had neglected his son and banished him to the cold palace. Even when Consort Liang passed away, he was not allowed to enter the palace to see her.

The Eighth Prince's heart was completely broken.

They're both the Emperor's sons, so why is he so biased? What does he treat him like? An object? To be used and discarded at will?

The Eighth Prince had worked hard to climb to that position, and he foolishly thought that his father, the Emperor, cared about him and truly valued him. He even thought he could personally give his mother, Zheng, a respectable position. Now it seems that it was all just wishful thinking.

But he was unwilling to accept it; he was truly unwilling to accept it.

Is it because he has a mother who came from the Xin Zhe Ku (a place for laborers in the imperial harem) that he is inherently inferior to his brothers?

My brothers are all royalty, sons and grandsons of emperors, while I am of lowly blood?

Yinzhi was not convinced.

He won't be content to stay in the trough forever; given the chance, he will do everything he can to climb back up.

So this time he smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, I particularly admire Fourth Brother's perseverance. We, the descendants of Aisin Gioro, should also be able to ride horses and work on the land. Father, I request permission to visit Fourth Brother's estate for a few days and learn how to farm and harvest together."

After Lao Ba said this, everyone had different thoughts.

The ninth prince was the first to jump out in support: "Father, I also request permission!"

The Ninth Prince tugged at the Tenth Prince's sleeve, and the Tenth Prince chimed in, "Yes, Father Emperor, we have never seen such a sight before. Father Emperor, please have mercy and let us see the world."

The twelfth prince was a nobody, never getting involved in anything. The thirteenth prince hadn't returned from his marriage to the Mongols yet, while the fourteenth prince was as excited as a big monkey, jumping up and down: "Father Emperor, Father Emperor, Fourth Brother's estate is really nice! I've been there once, the scenery is beautiful, and it's very rustic. Even the grasshoppers are bigger than elsewhere!"

Yinzhen really couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. Why did everyone have to cause him trouble?!

Kangxi listened to his sons talking with narrowed eyes, and laughed: "Alright, alright, if you want to relax, go ahead. Just be careful, the fourth prince is very clean, don't mess up his place, or he'll be angry with you!"

The princes laughed along, and Yinzhen could only feign embarrassment: "Father, what are you saying? I'm overjoyed that my brothers are here."

Amidst this harmonious scene, Crown Prince Yinreng stepped forward, his usually noble posture bowing slightly, and the room fell silent.

"Father, I have been living in the palace for a long time and I also want to go out and see the world."

Emperor Kangxi narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips, and remained silent.

The most honorable emperor and the crown prince were locked in a silent standoff, and no one else dared to even breathe loudly.

After a long silence, the fourteenth prince, who had just drunk quite a bit, was feeling the effects of the alcohol. His neck was covered in sweat, which was dripping down his back, but he didn't dare to move to wipe it away.

No one knew how much time had passed, but the Crown Prince's bent back remained unchanged, without the slightest sway. The Fourteenth Prince admired him, thinking that this was no wonder he was the Crown Prince; his demeanor was as if it had been measured with a ruler.

In the end, Kangxi said in a low voice, "If you want to go, then go with them."

When the Fujin and Changning received the news that evening, they both fell silent.

They said that all the princes who were considered important this time would go to their estate.

There were also Prince Zhi and the Crown Prince.

What's going on here?

It's just farming, right? It's turned into a tourist attraction.

Fortunately, it's harvest time now, and there are still quite a few eggplants, peppers, and other vegetables that haven't been picked yet, so it's not like there's no farm work to do.

The Fujin was surprised. She knew that the Fourth Prince was farming, but she did not expect that the impact of this farming would be so great. Judging from the way the Fourth Prince had called her and the Pure Fujin together, it must be a complicated matter, and they definitely had to be on high alert.

The princess straightened her back inwardly; the time had finally come for her to make a difference.

Changning felt a headache coming on. These princes, each with their own hidden agendas, were all gathered together. It was difficult to deal with them, really difficult.

Yinzhen was also helpless, but since they were already there, he could only ask the two of them to put in more effort. This was originally the duty of the Fujin (principal wife), but Changning was the only woman in the manor who had been to the estate several times and was more familiar with the situation there, so he asked the two of them to take care of things together and make sure that nothing went wrong.

Changning was both annoyed and helpless, so he could only tell his wife all the information he knew about the estate. The two of them roughly outlined a plan, and would make further details and adjustments once they arrived at the estate.

Changning asked one last question: "This time, will the children come along again?"

The princess consort didn't dare to answer and turned to look at Yinzhen.

Yinzhen smiled and said, "Come along. Don't be nervous. They are all my brothers, so there will be no danger. It wouldn't be good for the children to stay if the three of us leave. As for the affairs of the inner courtyard, let Liu and Song take over for now."

The princess nodded. Liu Gege was senior and usually flattered her. Song Gege had a daughter who was raised by her. Promoting the two of them would not be a problem.

After the three finished discussing, they immediately started instructing people to pack their luggage; they needed to go ahead and prepare in advance.

The group worked until late at night.