91. Locking the target in a difficult situation

What to do after the war?

This depends on the individual.

The losing side has two main reactions: one, they endure hardships, vow to avenge their humiliation, hold those responsible accountable, and prepare for war; the other, they cede territory and pay indemnities, desperately seeking an escape. The victorious side's reaction is much simpler: they celebrate after the battle, calculate costs and revenues, determine who has made the greatest contributions, and then reward and punish those who have. That's pretty much it.

As the victorious party, the imperial court had two major tasks: one, to celebrate the victory, and two, to discuss the achievements.

Kangxi had only been back for two or three days when he completed the first event. There was no need to argue too much about it. Celebrating success would be meaningless if it dragged on too long. Everyone knew the emperor was in high spirits, and they were all waiting for the next big event, fearing that a poor performance would mean the reward would be lost.

It was supposedly a celebration of victory, but in reality, it was all about the emperor, from the king down, civil and military officials, rushing to the emperor's feet to offer congratulatory gifts. They were celebrating the emperor's victory over his greatest enemy and the protection of the imperial court. Of course, there was also plenty of flattery. Besides speaking a unified congratulatory message in official language, everyone also presented a memorial of congratulations.

It's really lively.

Women like Shujia, nestled in the courtyard, could feel the fervent atmosphere of victory, but she wasn't lucky enough to run over and watch. That was a man's job, and she had to look after the children at home. Her job wasn't to fight for more treatment for the fat boy, but to make sure he didn't get too much.

The sixth lunar month marks the hottest time of the year. For someone of Shujia's rank in the palace, the usual supply of ice is essential, along with fresh fruits and vegetables daily. The fat boy was also included in the Imperial Household Department's priority list of supplies. Although he hadn't been there for less than a hundred days, he had a full complement of daily necessities.

Looking at the fat boy's small neck that had to be carefully distinguished, Shujia felt very depressed - this kid was too fat!

In later generations, with many only children and vastly improved material conditions compared to previous generations, parents have been arduously raising their children. In the initial inexperienced years, many families raise their children to be overweight, which can lead to significant suffering for the children as they grow older. In Shujia's previous life, biology class taught her something similar, though fortunately, she wasn't overweight herself. It's said that if children, especially boys, become overweight and continue to gain weight, it can eventually affect their secondary sexual characteristics and become a serious problem.

Even without mentioning things like this when he grows up, right now, the little fat boy was sweating profusely. Shujia didn't dare put too much ice around him, as the child was so fragile that if he caught such a cold in the middle of summer, he would develop an illness that was out of season and very difficult to treat.

Gritting her teeth, Shujia decided to help the fat boy lose weight.

Once this decision was made, it sparked widespread protests from the individuals involved. The fat kid, well aware of the "crying child gets candy" mantra, would wrinkle his nose and hum when he felt hungry. Usually, at that point, someone would pick him up, check his diaper, coax him back to sleep, and if he wasn't sleeping, feed him. It was incredibly convenient.

Since the little fat boy had a very picky palate and a keen appetite for his mother's nutritious milk, Shujia usually fed him. The wet nurse would provide a backup when Shujia was unavailable. Now that his regular meals had been cut, the little fat boy was extremely unhappy, and the result of his unhappiness was: crying! He cried loudly.

Shujia felt like crying, but she was also worried about him getting too fat, so she fretted over the buttons of her dress. The wet nurse, convinced she was out of milk, was about to feed the baby when she shouted, "Wait a minute." The baby's big eyes, brimming with tears, looked eagerly at his mother. Shujia's dilemma deepened, and the wet nurse, in turn, looked eagerly at her mistress, hoping for further, clear instructions.

At this time, the baby was tired of crying, stopped and started sobbing.

The wet nurse and the babysitter were almost driven to tears. "Crown Princess, the little ancestor is crying! Please feed him! If you don't, let us feed him! If he's hungry, you're the master, so don't worry. We servants will be held responsible." The prince comes here to weigh his son down, but if he feels he's too light, he might find fault with us.

Wan Liuha and Ilari[1] thought they had done something wrong and were feeling rather anxious. Sehetu, acting as both a nanny and a mentor, mustered up the courage to step forward and ask Shujia, "Master, is there something wrong? Do you want to summon the imperial physician?"

Of course not! Even if the imperial physician were summoned, they wouldn't necessarily tell the fat boy to control his weight. No one dared to let a child who was less than a hundred days old eat less. But this wasn't acceptable either. If the Crown Princess continued to try to stop them, these people would run to the Crown Prince and cry.

Shujia asked them hesitantly, "Is this child too fat?" Although babies need to be round to look cute, isn't this a little too cute?

Sehetu thought to herself, "A mother only feels she's treating her child well if she lets him get fatter and fatter. How can anyone consider a child fat?" Let me clarify: while fat isn't always considered beautiful these days, being a bit sturdier is still healthier. This was... an era when the average standard of living was quite low.

Shujia said, "You're so fat that you're sweating so much, and you don't dare use too much ice. How can you keep doing this? If you keep getting this fat... what will happen to you when you grow up? Will you be so fat that you'll be ugly? It will be so ugly that you can't even walk."

Wan Liuha wanted to faint. "Grandson, just be fat and strong. If you're not big enough, it won't show!" A sturdy and graceful figure is a sign of dignity, isn't it? As for appearance... a simple "This is the Grandson" is enough.

Ilari wants to vomit blood. If you don't use too much ice, you can also ask someone to fan him gently. Why cut back on food? If he really loses weight, you will be anxious again. The child is still young, you can't cut back! If you really want him to lose weight, you can work harder when he grows up.

Fang had been silent the whole time, but now she spoke up: "Master, don't worry too much. There's an old saying that goes, 'If you're fat when you're young, you're not really fat.' This little prince is just milk fat, so it'll be easy to lose weight. Besides, children are prone to illness. We have a secret palace method, and they'll need smallpox vaccinations in a year or two. If they don't eat well and stay strong, they won't be able to withstand it."

Mrs. Fang didn't say something directly. Little boys are very difficult to raise when they are young. They may get sick from time to time, and they will lose a lot of weight after each illness. Now is the right time to gain weight while it is easy to raise them, so that they can withstand the illness in the future.

Sehetu immediately understood and came up to persuade: "The little prince is crying so pitifully." Shujia hesitated: "He must grow up stronger. I don't care whether he is heavy or not, but he must be strong." In short, he must be thin.

But the child was only a hundred days old, so everyone naturally assumed the Crown Princess was suffering from postpartum depression, a mother's worry about the child's future. "If he keeps going hungry, his throat will break from crying." Since the mother was worried about the child, it was right to use the child to persuade her.

As expected, the Crown Princess softened her stance. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

——————————————————————————————————————————

There is turmoil in the backyard, and the front dynasty is not at peace either.

After everyone celebrated their victory with the emperor, they waited for the emperor to reward everyone according to their merits, or for those who did not do well to be punished.

But after receiving the congratulations, Kangxi only issued one order:

Instruct the Imperial Guards and other ministers: Khalkha Prince Shanba has previously reported that Galdan should not be allowed to occupy the Kherlen region for long and should be quickly attacked. During this deployment, Shanba provided all his horses for our troops. This is a remarkable achievement and deserves great commendation. Upon hearing that Handu had escaped, Beizi Penchuk immediately dispatched his men to pursue him. This deployment also demonstrates remarkable diligence in capturing prisoners alive and detecting the enemy's presence. They should be commended for their achievements as a token of encouragement.

Then there was silence. Kangxi felt immense comfort and satisfaction after seeing his grandson. Considering the hot weather, he accompanied the Empress Dowager to Changchun Garden for a stroll, leaving the ministers to their utter confusion.

To the ministers, the emperor had already set the tone. It was obvious that he was going to reward the Mongols, which was a simple matter. There were two possible options: monetary rewards or titles. As for monetary rewards, Kangxi had already summoned the Mongol tribes and rewarded them before he responded. Now, the question was about titles.

The ministers of state convened and decided to raise the ranks of Shanba and Penchuk, both of whom Kangxi had mentioned. Shanba was promoted from Junwang to Qinwang, and Penchuk was promoted from Beizi to Junwang. It wasn't that they didn't take the titles seriously; it was to clarify the difference between the outer vassal states and those in the capital.

Most of the titles of "wang" and "beizi" in the outer vassal states were of Mongolian descent. These people stayed in their own territories on the grasslands and acted as local tyrants. Whenever something happened, such as when Kangxi wanted to deal with Galdan, they would come to help. The princes and dukes in Beijing were almost all members of the Aisin-Gioro family, so there's no need to elaborate on this.

Although both were princes, the salaries of princes in Beijing were many times higher than those of princes from other provinces. In other words, these two people who were promoted had a good title and high rank, but in reality, they received less. Whether their sons could inherit their current rank after their promotion was another matter.

Therefore, the ministers of the council gave their opinions readily, and Kangxi also approved them readily.

What posed a dilemma for everyone was what to do with their own people. The emperor was enjoying himself, and no one dared to approach him to test his will. Consequently, the ministers suffered, being pursued and intercepted by various heroes. They unleashed all their might, even against Galdan on the grasslands, and made the ministers miserable.

Gifts and backdoor dealings have been a common occurrence for both Mingzhu and Suo'etu factions since their establishment. But this time, it was a military achievement, and the emperor was personally present at the front lines, so he knew what was going on. He couldn't just accept it! The ministers were frantic. With the situation at stake, both the Ming and Suo factions were eyeing this big pie, hoping to use the opportunity presented by the campaign to gain more people in key positions. They didn't dare act rashly.

The ministers of state decided that they couldn't handle this anymore and should just tell the emperor directly. After submitting their suggestions for the promotion of Shanba and Penchuk, the ministers of state also asked for permission to discuss the others.

Kangxi already had a plan in mind; even if the ministers didn't ask for his approval, he would have expressed his opinion. Seeing the ministers coming to ask for their approval, Kangxi didn't bother with the intricacies and simply issued the decrees one by one. Kangxi's point was that while this was a great victory, Galdan's escape was a great regret. He planned to personally lead another expedition next year to completely eliminate this major threat.

Therefore, it was very interesting when Kangxi issued his imperial edict. He started with a bit of self-praise, saying, "This time, when the troops went out, they found water in places without water, and grass grew in places without grass. They also adjusted the cold and heat. This is because of the blessing from heaven. Therefore, they destroyed the invaders and achieved a great success. This is beyond human power. I hereby instruct the nine ministers on this." This was propaganda.

Then comes the processing.

It was this very arrangement that made people scratch their heads. Kangxi first rewarded the Chahar army with an additional ounce of silver per month for their expansion, and then gave each Khalkha soldier ounces of silver for a three-year period. He then confiscated the war horses, calculated the rations spent, and collected rations for the surrendered troops and fodder for the garrison troops.

Yinreng stood by, having been brought along by Kangxi to Changchun Garden to observe government affairs. However, his wife and child remained at the palace, as the baby was still young and the constant traveling was feared to overwhelm him. Naturally, Shujia also stayed behind to look after the child. Yinreng was accustomed to his wife and child, and felt uneasy when they were separated.

My thoughts are flying.

The Imperial Household Department has almost finished preparing for the baby's hundred-day banquet. It will be held soon. I guess I have to go back to the palace to hold it. Well, we will be able to see each other soon. I wonder if the baby has grown up a bit, and I wonder if my wife misses me...

It was not His Royal Highness's fault for being distracted; he simply could not concentrate on the matter at hand. He was afraid that if he did, he would get angry with Kangxi.

Well, ever since he got to know the little fat boy more, he deeply felt the love between father and son - the illegitimate sons before His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were not so lucky to be looked after by the Crown Prince himself - Yinreng was quite considerate of Kangxi. This is probably what "only when you have children do you understand the kindness of your parents" means.

What kind of decrees did Khan Ama issue? ! !

Yinreng wanted to argue, but he held back. Yisan'a, Soetu's son-in-law, had been fined for his horse, and the damned Ministry of Personnel wanted to dismiss him. Khan Ama, while not dismissing him, demoted him three levels but retained him. Soetu had been demoted four levels last time for his mistake, and now another one was demoted three levels! Mingzhu's Fulun had been reappointed, and the Crown Prince was furious.

With his head lowered, his originally curled fingers clenched, and his neatly trimmed nails left several crescent-shaped marks in his palms.

Yinreng was also angered by another incident: Kangxi transferred officials from the six ministries. He transferred Albai, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to the position of Left Vice Minister. He promoted Tao Dai, a Cabinet Scholar, to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He transferred Maerhan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, to the position of Left Vice Minister. He promoted Song Zhu, a Cabinet Scholar, to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. He appointed Zhu Duna, the former Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, as a Cabinet Scholar and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He appointed Chang Shu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, as the President of the Hanlin Academy. Kangxi simply refused to comment on the battle results on the front lines.

Yinreng awaited an assessment of Soetu's achievements. The Crown Prince's influence within the central government was not strong, and his control over central government institutions like the Grand Secretary and the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers rested on the Crown Prince's authority, not Yinreng's. This was dangerous and unstable. Yinreng had indeed accomplished Kangxi's mission admirably, and the central government was very cooperative. However, as Shujia had positioned him: "You are second in command!" Few within the central government were willing to be his trusted advisors and serve him. Only those who entered the central government could truly be considered... to have access to power.

The Ming and Soe parties, the core of the Soe party—tsk, tsk, it really makes one question Soetu's intelligence. Mingzhu has Fulun, Kerkun (now a dead end), Yu Guozhu... and now his son is rising again. Soetu's side, while seemingly powerful, is a close look and reveals no one who can hold their own.

Mingzhu had also made a contribution this time, but she hadn't returned yet, remaining outside to clean up the mess and make preparations. Yinreng desperately wanted to take this opportunity to return Soetu to the center of power. Soetu had previously made mistakes and was demoted four levels to retain his position. Although he was in charge of many things, his rank remained at that level. Removing him from his position would only take a word.

Although Yinreng had begun to doubt Soetu's abilities, he had no one to rely on. His father-in-law's family was powerful, with high-ranking officials controlling several provinces and commanding a banner of troops, commanding both the military and civilians, yet none of them had reached the highest levels of government. Yinreng couldn't do without Soetu. From another perspective, the fact that Soetu had made the Crown Prince dependent on him was quite impressive.

However, Kangxi's decree also included some things that were beneficial to the prince.

Kangxi returned, and naturally, the men of the Shi family also returned home for a small meeting. Women like Xiluo Te naturally described the latest developments at home to their husbands, and also mentioned, "Our second aunt gave birth to a big, fat boy, so adorable!" While the men were certainly excited about the current situation, they also had to consider the long-term future.

After sending the women away, the men officially began the meeting.

After all, Hua Shan was the elder, so once he sat down on the main seat, he didn’t tell everyone what was happening in the capital, but directly said, “Tell me, what news have you heard while you are here with the master?”

It just so happened that Shi Wenbing and Shi Wenying had something important to say. Of the two, Shi Wenying mainly talked about the feud between Suo Etu and Fei Yanggu, while Shi Wenbing mainly talked about Suo Etu's performance on the front line, including how he came out of Fuquan unhappy, and how Fuquan was depressed for a long time.

Needless to say, it was Soetu who was causing trouble again.

Hua Shan was furious: "The older you get, the more out of tune you become!" He and Soetu were of the same generation, so it wouldn't be a big deal if they kept it to themselves. He was also saying what all the men in the family wanted to say, so the younger generation pretended not to hear Hua Shan's disrespectful remarks about the powerful official.

"No, we have to deal with him! If he continues like this, he will help the prince offend everyone, and then we will have to be punished too." After Hua Shan said a very reliable sentence, he began to curse Soetu's ancestors, whom he himself might not even understand.

Normally, Shi Wenbing would have tried to persuade him, but right now, he was fuming, and listening to Hua Shan's scolding was a welcome relief. He had never imagined a powerful official could go so far, so completely out of control. It made one question his intelligence, and even more so, how he had managed to survive all these years. Shi Wenbing even had the delusion that "Mingzhu is a pig, and all the officials in the court are pigs, which is why Soetu has been so proud for so many years."

Could the imperial court be full of pigs? Kangxi was no fool; why would he allow a pig to rule? This question can't be pondered too deeply; even thinking about it can make your scalp tingle.

But now I have to think about it.

Shi Wenying was, after all, further away and less burdened. He spoke first, offering advice to his uncle: "No matter what, the prince must not trust him again."

This was a very smooth statement, as if it meant nothing, but Hua Shan said, "You're talking about Soetu's followers... followers... followers! He has enemies all over the world!" Hua Shan began to analyze. The people Soetu associated with were all useless. "Those who are truly on the side of the prince don't need Soetu's help. If he does, they'll feel lowered. And those who are not truly on the side of the prince, it's useless for Soetu to deal with them!"

What a straightforward truth! But the Crown Prince didn't see it clearly, and even if he did, it would be difficult to put it into practice. His position as Crown Prince meant that he couldn't make friends with court officials. If he did, he would be going against the Emperor. Hua Shan said to his children and grandchildren, "The Crown Princess has a message for you."

Shi Wenbing gasped. Fusu, Liu Ju, Li Chengqian, and even Zhu Gaochi—all those hapless princes swam before his eyes. What was there to understand? The Crown Prince's relationship with his subordinates was a serious problem. His trusted confidant, Soetu, was useless, too categorically opposed, and increasingly disfavored by the Emperor. He had too few capable men under his command, completely incompetent, relying solely on the Emperor's millennia-old system of primogeniture.

Silence, silence again.

Qingde said, "It's not bad. Didn't Mafa already advise the Crown Prince last time? I think the Crown Prince listened a little. Soetu has been with the Crown Prince for how many years? It can't be covered up with just a few words. Besides, I read the court bulletin the other day. Yin Tai, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was appointed as the Chancellor of the Imperial Household Department, still holding the rank of Vice Minister. Yuan You, the Right Vice Minister of the Right Spring Office, was appointed as the Chief Examiner for the Zhejiang Provincial Examination. Your Majesty is supporting the Crown Prince."

"We can't delay this," Fu Dali thought for a moment. "The longer we delay, the deeper the prince will get bogged down. He'll inevitably get into trouble if he tries to pull himself out."

"But there's no good solution right now," Shi Wenbing said, a pragmatic man. "After all, our words don't carry as much weight in front of the Crown Prince as Suo'etu does. It's hard to say whether we're close or distant. The most important thing is that no one in the court can replace Suo'etu and establish the Crown Prince's authority."

The Shi family doesn’t have a key figure yet!

Hua Shan was very depressed: "You three! You followed the master out for a while, and you actually came back with the same rank!" The implication was that you went out for a while, but you didn't seize the opportunity to get a central government position. You are really idiots! Such a scoundrel's words made the young man bow his head and listen. Qingde must have been complaining in his heart: You were originally the Minister of the Interior, but you lost it, and you also lost the general's seal...

Qingde stayed in Beijing, so he had less psychological burden. He rolled his eyes and said, "All those who followed the emperor in the expedition didn't get any reward, and it's not just our family. Perhaps the master is considering making a big move."

"Bullshit! The six ministries, the nine ministers, the grand secretaries, every year there are no transfers and promotions? Do you know what a big move is? It would be a big move to remove all of Suo Etu."

Qingde shut up, drawing the fire away. He had done his best. After Hua Shan vented his anger, he also felt that Qingde was right. Shi Wenbing said, "Qingde does have some truth to it, but... judging from the master's expression, he has issued several decrees in recent days, as if he has already thought it through. He has plenty of time to think on the way back to the capital, so why not issue a decree?"

"Maybe...wait for the eldest prince and Mingzhu to come back?"

"The master has issued an order, so why wait for them to return? Could it be that he wants to reward them?"

This is really bad news.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Regardless of what people guessed, Kangxi punished several people who performed poorly during the expedition, such as Shi Musen, the commander-in-chief and chief, who was arrogant in the Bordered Yellow Banner Army with the seventh prince. He requested that the rice already given to the soldiers be withdrawn by his stewards, and the daily necessities of the prince were delayed and not given, and was punished as a blank slate.

The punishment has been met, but the reward remains unchanged.

Yinreng, anxious, met with Soetu again. Soetu had once been a bright and ambitious man, but his recent tyranny had left him with a diminished IQ. The two speculated for a long time, but still couldn't figure out Kangxi's intentions. Yinreng felt a pang of disbelief, believing Soetu was truly old and useless.

Then, before the baby was 100 days old, his uncle came back.

Yinzhi arrived, dusty and full of excitement. Khan Ama asked him to cover the rear. What a trust! He was the oldest among the princes going on this expedition, and he had the most errands (…he actually did nothing. Except for those sent to pursue the enemy, the rest of the Central Army was just on a public-funded trip. And Yinzhi was not sent to pursue.), and this time he made the greatest contribution!

Kangxi and the crown prince summoned him together. Yinzhi saw Yinreng's tangled eyes, such a familiar look, he missed it so much! The crown prince was defeated, and Yinzhi was very happy. A smile bloomed on his upright face, which looked quite pleasing to the eye - Yinreng didn't think so.

Even though he was unhappy, Yinreng still had to say, "Thank you for your hard work, big brother." Unable to contain his anger, he added, "It just so happens that your nephew's full-month banquet is in a few days. Big brother, please do me a favor!" The last sentence was full of sighs. In the past, if the prince asked him to do him a favor, Yinzhi would have been very proud of it. But this time, Yinzhi began to feel aggrieved.

Kangxi was also pleased with the closeness between his two sons, who were rumored to have a falling out. The crown prince, in particular, might not have been happy to congratulate the eldest prince, but the invitation was genuine. Kangxi thought, the crown prince is slowly making progress. Yinzhi thought, "Whether your son will grow up is anyone's guess, why are you so proud?"

The eldest prince returned, but received no reward. All previous speculations were off the mark, and the situation became unclear.

It just so happened that the baby's hundredth day was approaching, so five days in advance, Kangxi led a large group of troops and returned to the Forbidden City.

It's better to trouble an adult than a child. This is a common belief in later generations, but it wasn't the case among the royal family of this era. It's possible that the baby was a bit special, otherwise... he wouldn't have received this treatment. It was only because Kangxi wanted to continue to boost morale and create an atmosphere of justice, orthodoxy, and divine protection that he returned to live in the Forbidden City with his group.

Yinreng returned to Yuqing Palace, and the scent of milk soothed him. Shujia had been worried about one thing: he hadn't brought any of Yuqing's women with him. What would he do if he brought back a concubine to Changchun Garden? Now, seeing that the number of people was not even half as large, and looking at Eunuch Cui, who gave her a reassuring gesture, she felt relieved.

Yinreng was very well-behaved in front of Kangxi. He appeared to be ambitious, serious and not interested in women.

Yinreng lay on the baby's body and sniffed the milky smell for a while before coming over to sit and talk with Shujia. He couldn't tell anyone else if he was unhappy with Soetu, so he just let it slip to Shujia.

Shujia smiled. "For so many years, Prime Minister Suo has worried so much about you. It's not uncommon for you to be overwhelmed. The emperor's mind is unpredictable. How many people in the world can guess what Khan Ama is thinking? Besides, he's so old, and you're still forcing him to think about things. It's really hard for him. If people could always think like those in their twenties, they wouldn't have to retire."

Yinreng smiled at what he said and counted on his fingers: "Isn't it true? He must be... over 60, right? He is old--" He sighed, there was a lack of successors, and his subordinates were useless. Look at his wife, the Shi family is good, but her position is still not central enough!

Shujia said, "Seriously, the Imperial Household Department has sent over the clothes that our Third Prince will wear for his hundred-day banquet. Would you like to take a look?"

Yinreng suddenly smiled: "You have been in the palace recently. Have you seen your sister-in-law?" The eldest wife had to take care of her pregnancy and did not dare to travel, so she stayed in the palace.

Shujia said, "She's used to giving birth. I don't have to worry about anything. But she doesn't look well and is a little tired. She's had so many births in a row that her body is weak."

"Are you used to giving birth, are you used to giving birth to girls?" Yinreng had no ill will towards his nieces, it was just... he just disliked their father.

Shujia sighed. A woman's heart doesn't speak with her mouth. If she hadn't given birth to a son, she and Yinreng might still be close, but Yinreng would never treat her as closely as he does now.

Yinreng, however, was already happy: "Come on, put the clothes on our son and let me see him."

I went to look at clothes happily.

The author has something to say: In some ways, Soetu is actually quite talented.

Looking at the historical records, we only see numerous members of the Eight Princes faction active during the reigns of Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng. Where the hell were all the Princes faction?! A single drinking case brought them all to justice, and they were all people you didn't even know who they were. The Eight Princes faction gave Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng countless headaches for years! So many powerful individuals were among them...