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The entire imperial household was a sophisticated machine, with everything running according to a precise schedule, and the emperor was bound to abide by these rules in most cases. At the end of July in the 39th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, it was planned that Kangxi would tour the frontier.

Since the beginning of July, the princes, members of the royal family, and court officials have been vying for the right to accompany the emperor. Han officials were relatively well-off; they weren't confined and could easily request leave. Manchu officials were practically rolling up their sleeves to fight for a spot. The princes resorted to various tactics, including throwing tantrums and making excuses. After all, this incident happened every year, so no one was afraid of losing face.

Kangxi seemed to enjoy this process quite a bit. Watching his sons trying their best, each of them became much more innocent and lovely.

Kangxi had already made up his mind: taking his sons with him on the trip was a must, and the Crown Prince had to stay behind. Furthermore, since the goal was to promote Manchu-Mongol relations and demonstrate the power of a great nation, bringing several adult sons along was a natural choice. And since the younger sons were so innocent and adorable, they would satisfy the emperor's paternal affection, so he decided to bring some along.

Among the Han officials, Zhang Ying, the indispensable edict-writing gunman, must accompany the prince on his travels. Xiong Cilü, being older, will stay to accompany the crown prince, and the rest will take turns. Among the royal family, those who are closer to him will go more frequently, and the rest will also be arranged in shifts.

OVER.

I made up my mind to just watch everyone mess around and argue about this, it’s much better than fighting over the party!

Kangxi reviewed the memorials leisurely. It was the Ghost Festival, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and he needed to send people to the mausoleums to offer sacrifices. There were eight locations in total, and eight groups needed to be selected. Well, this year's priority remained river engineering. He trusted Zhang Penghe, the river governor, but he still had to have others oversee the project.

While reviewing the memorial, Kangxi instructed Zhang Ying, "Draft an imperial edict to dispatch officials to offer sacrifices at the Yongling Mausoleum, the Fuling Mausoleum, the Zhaoling Mausoleum, the Temporary Resting Hall, the Xiaoling Mausoleum, and the mausoleums of Empress Renxiao, Empress Xiaozhao, and Empress Xiaoyi."

Zhang Ying began to write a draft without adding any changes. He only left a blank space for the list of names of people to be sent, leaving it to Kangxi to make the decision.

At this time, the Grand Secretary on duty, Ma Qi, came over with a memorial under his arm.

After paying his respects, Kangxi habitually pointed to an embroidered cushion below him and said, "Sit down."

Ma Qi thanked him for the seat and respectfully held out the memorial: "The memorial from Li Guangdi, the governor of Zhili, on the examination has arrived." He stood up and handed the memorial to Wei Zhu, who then presented it to Kangxi.

Kangxi began to worry. If the country was in chaos, with wars raging everywhere, as during the Three Feudatories Rebellion, the trouble was imminent. If the country was peaceful, it would breed "diseases of affluence." Once the country was peaceful, it was easy for a privileged class to form, with a relatively stable membership. To maintain their privileged status, the privileged class always wanted to ensure that their descendants continued to enjoy privileges, ensuring the continued prosperity of the family.

To put it bluntly, the sons of officials want to continue to control political resources and infiltrate various aspects such as the economy and military, while the sons of wealthy people want to continue to be wealthy and move forward into officialdom.

In a nutshell: cultivating the second generation of officials, the second generation of wealthy people, and even the next generation of officials and the next generation of wealthy people, leading to a hereditary empire. The most prominent example is Kangxi himself, who wanted his son to be emperor, and then his grandson to be emperor...regardless of whether they were truly capable or just asked, "Why don't you eat meat porridge?"

Of course, Emperor Kangxi himself would not admit that he was the same kind of person as those guys who did not care about the country and only wanted to push their own children and grandchildren, who were of uncertain quality, to the throne.

This time, the examinations were met with widespread controversy. Not only were the lower-class officials in the court extremely dissatisfied, but Emperor Kangxi also felt he could no longer tolerate such leniency. This year's examinations were dominated by the children of ministers, with few poor and isolated scholars. It's also true that wealthy families could provide their children with better education, so it's not surprising that their children had a higher success rate.

But isn't the proportion of these poor and lonely scholars a bit too small? Can you do a better job? Recruit more capable people? Number of successful candidates = success rate x population base. Kangxi knew this formula: no matter how high the success rate is, what's your base? Those who report to me should be split at least 50-50, right?

If it was really split in half, Kangxi would have tolerated it. But what about now? You brought a bunch of pigs here, how can you work for me?

This is where Emperor Kangxi got angry.

Therefore, Kangxi sent Li Guangdi, Zhang Penghe, Guo Xiu, and Peng Peng to discuss the matter. Of these four, Zhang Penghe and Li Guangdi had served in the academy and were both good officials. Peng Peng and Guo Xiu had good reputations and were honest officials. They had also all passed the imperial examinations and were more knowledgeable about the situation.

Kangxi set a time limit. Li Guangdi, who was closer, had to give an answer within six days. Zhang Penghe, who was farther away, had to return within twenty days. Guo Xiu and Peng Peng had to come back within a certain time!

You are rebelling!

This is a typical case of officials being allowed to set fires but ordinary people not being allowed to light lamps.

Of course, Ma Qi, raised in a feudal society, saw nothing wrong with this. He then asked, "The Imperial Guards are ready. Your Majesty can escort the Empress Dowager back to the palace tomorrow. What do you think, Master?"

"Well, I'm going north. Autumn is approaching, and the palace isn't too hot anymore. It's time to return."

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

I am back to the familiar place again. I have moved repeatedly this year, and it feels very troublesome even if I don’t have to do it myself.

Fortunately, Kangxi's departure was imminent, bringing a great deal of psychological relief. Returning to Yuqing Palace, Yinreng's concubines would retreat to Xiefang Hall, a truly heartening prospect. Construction on the Eastern Palace had already entered the interior renovation phase, a task that required minimal drilling and was quieter. The main tasks involved adding partitions, doors, and paintings. The first two could be measured and completed outside, then brought in and installed. The latter was a much quieter undertaking.

Even Hongyang and Hongxi moved back.

Yinreng was busy again.

Kangxi was truly cultivating his crown prince. After Chao Ketuo, he appointed Xu Bingyi, the Chancellor of the Chancellery, as the Minister of Rites, still in charge of the Chancellery affairs.

Then, perhaps to compensate Yinreng for the loss he suffered after Soetu's retirement, Kangxi gave Fu Dali the post of deputy commander of the Bordered White Banner Han Army, who had been ordered to retire due to "lack of talent." He also removed Qingde from the Imperial Guard and made him an imperial guard.

The two brothers who received the letter of appointment were somewhat surprised, but more so, melancholy. They had left their original jobs and entered a relatively unfamiliar interpersonal relationship, and everything had to start all over again.

The men in the family held a small meeting, and Hua Shan was happy: "You two have made great progress! Work hard."

Shi Wenbing said, "You must work diligently and do your best for your master. You must not become arrogant..."

Hua Shan gave Shi Wenbing enough face and did not interrupt, waiting for Shi Wenbing to finish his words. "Fu Dali has always been steady, but you must understand that you are now the deputy governor. You must do your job, but you cannot compete with the governor. Don't rush to make achievements. You are only thirty-five years old now. Being the deputy governor is already a favor from your master. You need to work at this level for ten or eight years before you can hope to become the governor. Observe how others do it so that you can do better in the future..."

Hua Shan counted silently in his heart, and counted to five hundred. Shi Wenbing finally stopped to drink tea and take a breath. The old man was overjoyed, it's my turn.

Just as he opened his mouth to cough, Shi Wenbing finished his tea and rested, and pointed the muzzle of his gun at Qingde: "And you, your eldest brother is not very worried, but your temper is really worrying." He pointed his finger at his unreliable father, probably his father. "You must not quarrel with your superiors this time! What are you mumbling about? Longkodo's lack of personal morality is his family affair. You are not the censor, so it is not your turn to speak! Why are you pretending to be a hero in a matter that his father doesn't care about? This time, your boss is the Minister of the Imperial Guard. You should know your own weight!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. His anger was rising. What a poor kid! Normally, he was a gangster, but now he was acting like a righteous man!

He angrily took another sip of tea, pointed a finger at Qingde, and started to speak again: "Who in the capital doesn't know about Longkodo's family affairs? Even if no one mentions him, I, your father, think highly of him? It's not my place to meddle in other people's affairs!"

Qingde had been playing dead, but now he finally argued, "That doesn't mean I should bow down to such a beast."

Shi Wenbing was really angry: "What do you know?! Why do you think the Tong family can tolerate this? His concubine gave birth to his son!" As a scandal, men are actually quite gossipy about such gossip, so it's not surprising that Shi Wenbing knew about it.

When Longkodo kidnapped someone, not many people knew about it at first. By the time everyone knew about it, Si'er had already given birth to his son, Yuzhu. Even Tong Guowei was done for now. He had to put up with it, choosing between the needs of his son and his grandson. He couldn't help but endure it. As a father, he couldn't keep an eye on his son's backyard.

Qingde stammered, Shi Wenbing's face darkened as he tried to say something else, but Hua Shan finally jumped up: "You're talking endlessly for an outsider!" I already let you speak first, and you forgot to return the favor and pass the microphone back to me! You're stealing the show! Are you looking for trouble?

Shi Wenbing's cheek muscles trembled three times, and he finally sat back down and apologized to Hua Shan: "My son just wants him to be more cautious in his official duties..."

Hua Shan snorted coldly, cleared his throat, and froze, forgetting what he was about to say. "I'm so pissed!" He slammed his cane to the ground with a dull thud, then fired directly at Shi Wenbing: "You might not have achieved such success when you were their age (this is nonsense), they're much better than other children, and yet you just want to show off your power at home! (Are you talking about yourself?)"

After scolding him three times, he remembered what he was going to say and pointed at Qingde with his cane: "What are you so anxious about? The grandson of the Tong family is going to marry a princess, and the decree has been issued. If you really cause trouble now, the emperor will eat you alive! This is not a big deal. If you really don't like him, don't take the initiative to intervene. There are many honest ministers and censors who want a good reputation. Now is not the time to touch the Tong family. If it really comes to that, you only need to say a word and there will be plenty of smart people to intervene."

How could I have such an idiot grandson? Situation, can you understand the situation?

The old man was really frustrated. Ever since Soetu's death, he had been very tactful and stopped provoking the Crown Prince. He was almost going crazy staying at home. The longer you stay at home, the more you wither. Today, he finally had something to show off, and Hua Shan's rogue nature was revived.

"When deciding who to punish, we have to consider the wind and the timing. You say, there's a war going on outside, the general is on the front lines fighting the enemy, and you want to impeach him for occupying two acres of land in his hometown and tie him up and bring him back to be punished. Aren't you asking for a beating? The circumstances are different, but the principle is the same! As long as the emperor doesn't make any major mistakes, no one will care about minor flaws in the person he wants to support."

Qingde still refused to give in. Fu Dali couldn't help but persuade him: "You are still young, with a long life ahead of you. Longkodo's evil deeds will never stop. He was just doing it for personal gain, but that concubine actually accepted bribes on his behalf." He sneered, "The master will never tolerate such a thing. You are exposing the crime now, the crime is minor, two strokes of the cane will be enough, and you have made an enemy."

Hua Shan was overjoyed: "Right, right, right. Usually you act like a fool, but this time you finally said something smart."

Fu Dali: ...

Shi Wenbing: ...

Hua Shan continued to give Qingde a chance to educate him. "Your brother is right. If you don't kill the snake, it will become an enemy. Do you understand? They have been spoiled for two years. They think no one dares to stop them. They are getting bolder and bolder. Every time they report something, they are always right. The master hates women interfering in men's affairs the most. She also disrupted Empress Xiaokang's maternal family. She hates him even more." He hit the nail on the head. "Now, even if he is punished, it will be a high-handed punishment. If he turns around, he will become even more aggressive. Then you won't be able to deal with him. He has a father, brothers and clansmen. You have to make him lose the support of the family before you can touch him. Tong Banchao, do you really think you are faking it?"

Qingde raised his head, grinning grimly. "Last time my eldest sister-in-law was sick, it was my wife who went out with Mother. When we went to the Tong family to see Old Madam Tong, she was quite amiable, but that bitch is openly acting as if she's on equal footing with Mother. Old Madam Tong was tired and went to rest, so it was her proper daughter-in-law who should have come to talk to Mother, but this bitch actually showed up! My wife nearly choked to death! She was about to run back to her parents' house to complain!"

Wipe it!

The men were all angry. Fu Dali and Qingde sat close to each other and asked, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Bah! I'll kill him first. The Tong family is going too far!"

Shi Wenbing calmed down after his anger: "Is this just towards your mother? Or is it towards all the ladies and guests?"

Qingde rolled his eyes and said, "Father, even though I have a little free time, I won't pry into these matters. No matter how they treat others, I can't tolerate them having something so unpresentable sitting on the same high chair with my mother."

"Shut up! What are you yelling about? You're so ignorant, you're about to get into trouble. You've become so arrogant and careless, how can you not worry about getting into trouble? Your Mafa and your brother have explained it all to you. I'll say it again: just bear with it. I think you look alike like this woman. What are you yelling about? In the past, I didn't care much about you if you were acting out at home. After all, you were a bit well behaved outside. Now you're acting like that too. What should I do? Do you still want to deal with him? At this rate, someone else will deal with you. If you want to deal with others, you have to deal with them first. Do you understand?"

I understood the logic, but I still felt a bit angry. Finally, I gritted my teeth and agreed, "Son, I understand." I went to chat with Mr. E. Mr. E was now a duke, a general, and a chamberlain, leading the guards out for fun. It was a good opportunity for the old man and the young man to meet again. It would be good to get more information.

What are you holding onto? Your daughter has already reported Longkodo's case to the Crown Prince, and we're just waiting for the day when the reckoning will come. The Crown Prince, that fellow, inherited his memory from Kangxi, so he's no stranger to grudges. Tong Guowei's family still doesn't care much about the Crown Prince.

None of these guys would have thought that Longkodo's wife was being tortured and needed to be rescued as soon as possible. See, this is the rule of the game in this era.

After getting Qingde's guarantee, Huashan and Shi Wenbing discussed: "Isn't it time for our third child to find a career?" Guanyinbao is still hanging around in the official school, building up his network and making friends with classmates, so he was absent from this meeting.

Shi Wenbing adhered to the principle of stability: "The third child is still young and has entered the officialdom early. I am afraid that if he does things in a careless manner, he will cause trouble."

"Even if he lives to be a hundred years old, he'll still be a hairy crab in your eyes!"

"We are a family of prostitutes, and my son wants to take the translation exam."

Boss Hua Shan was unhappy: "It doesn't matter how you got promoted, as long as you have the ability to do the job well."

"At his age, he's just accumulating experience. He might as well take the exam to become a translator. His two older brothers are both military men, so why not let him take the literary route?"

After a fruitless discussion, Fu Dali said, "Even if we take the exam, it will take three years. We need to fill a Blue Feather Guard position, and the Emperor is about to tour the frontier. Should we wait until the Emperor returns?"

Okay. Let's hold that for now.

Fu Dali and Qingde exchanged a glance. This wasn't a big deal. The brothers had a definition of a big deal: if Ama and Mafa agreed, it was a big deal; if not, it wasn't. That was it.

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

The prince was naturally delighted by his brothers-in-law's promotions. This was the most endearing aspect of the Shi family: they were unassuming, yet incredibly low-key. When you really looked at them, you'd realize, damn, they were truly amazing. Because Hua Shan disliked Soetu, the prince had originally felt a mixture of admiration for the old man's charade and anxieties about his pettiness. This feeling only intensified when Soetu finally retired.

This old man was very cunning. When Soetu retreated, he followed suit and refused to come out of seclusion, making Yinreng forget his grudge against him. It seemed that Huashan was just speaking the truth. Soetu had been making such a fuss at the time, so Yinreng came to this conclusion.

Looking at another person who was promoted, Yinreng expressed his congratulations to Xu Bingyi and was satisfied to find that Xu Bingyi, even if he became a minister, would not be a traitor.

Everyone working in the Zhanshi Mansion shared a common understanding: working diligently for the Crown Prince was more likely to attract the Emperor's attention than struggling within the imperial court. The Zhanshi Mansion's smaller staff than the imperial court's, and its sparse staff, however, meant more opportunities for everyone—the Emperor was absent from the capital for at least two months each year, during which time the Crown Prince was in charge of government affairs! What a chance to shine! As long as the Crown Prince didn't go astray, who wouldn't want to invest a little emotionally and politically?

Besides the prospects, everyone can see that the Crown Prince usually ignores anyone who leaves the Zhanshi Mansion, but if you encounter difficulties, the Crown Prince will lend a hand. The Crown Prince's childhood teachers, such as Tang Bin and Geng Jie, have passed away, and their families have recently begun receiving special subsidies from the Yuqing Palace. It's not much, just a small gift each year during the New Year holidays. For a frugal family, this is definitely enough to supplement their household expenses after three major festivals.

The Crown Princess' motto was: "There is no extra money left in Yuqing Palace. We should remember the kindness of others. Even if they are gone, their kindness remains."

Mr. Xiong's family lives in poverty these days, so for his birthday, the Yuqing Palace gift includes a full set of seasonal clothes. On Confucius' birthday, they give him paper and pens; on his wife's birthday, they give him clothing and jewelry. It's both respectable and practical, solving your problems under the guise of a proper solution.

The Crown Princess now understood completely. All that talk of cultivating retainers and bribes for him—it was all nonsense! Cultivating a person wasn't just about loyalty; it was about ability. There were plenty of diehard Crown Prince loyalists within the Suo Party, but what happened? With that kind of talent and skill, they even incurred the Emperor's dislike, and Kangxi completely destroyed them.

The current national selection system and the emperor's style of employing people have already screened out the most opportune individuals. Kangxi even personally sent numerous talented and capable officials to the Imperial Household Department, placed them in the imperial court, and let the crown prince use them freely. Why would you still waste your money? Huh? Just invest in your feelings, dear! It's much easier than running for office.

Undermining the country has always been... uh... a very profitable thing.

However, you have to be very careful when doing it, as it is a technical job.

Stealing someone's girlfriend will make you hate them. At the very least, they will spit at you behind your back, and at the worst, they will retaliate violently. If you steal the emperor's girlfriend, once he finds out, he can dig up your ancestral graves.

Shujia was very cautious. After all, when a man marries a wife, his approach to life changes dramatically. This is reflected in his conduct and interpersonal relationships. Starting with his deceased teacher was a good start. From her death to her life, slowly, by the time everyone noticed, the style of the Yuqing Palace was deeply etched with the imprint of the Crown Princess.

The effect is quite good.

Even Mingzhu had to admit: A good wife adds a lot of points to the prince. So, Mingzhu also hinted to Kuixu: "Send your wife to meet Master Hui. The Prince Zhi's mansion cannot be without a mistress. Perhaps the next wife can make him smarter."

Mingzhu is now in the stage of waiting and watching, so she cannot give up Yinzhi immediately.

Geng met with Concubine Hui and explained her family's intentions. Concubine Hui immediately replied, "I feel the same way. He's my son and I know him perfectly well. He's capable, but he's stubborn and unwilling to think twice. Having a wife to look after him would help him avoid offending others. His children haven't grown up yet, and I worry about them every day. Next year's selection will be held, and I must give him a wife. She can't help him with anything else, even if it's just to run the household and take care of the children."

It's probably a little late to start breaking up the Zhengda Prince now.

Yuqing Palace has already taken the initiative.

The couple, working on both fronts, played the emotional card more and more smoothly. With the future political dividend report showing a promising situation, what reason was there for those who were already under the crown prince to become disloyal? And what reason was there for the ministers in the court who were not members of the royal family to not treat the crown prince better?

Given that the Crown Prince insisted on being a good person despite facing numerous doubts, more people were willing to give him advice.

Recently, when Kangxi traveled, Yinreng's headache wasn't how to deal with the remaining affairs, which would have been no problem for him ten years ago. Once Kangxi left, he could still calmly connect with the ministers who stayed behind. His headache was how to see him off!

I've done enough cuteness. We're both fathers now, and any more cuteness won't do. Don't worry, I'll be a good look after the house. These are just polite words, repeated every time, nothing new. I can't bear to leave you, please take me with you. I've said this over and over again, until Kangxi... has no words of comfort left.

At this time, the savior came.

When Yu Yinreng was anxious, Xu Bingyi offered him advice: "The emperor will set off the day after tomorrow, and Your Highness should lead all the officials who stayed behind to see him off. I heard that the emperor's grandson has learned riding and shooting--" Let your son go and act cute!

Yinreng blinked: "You are right."

Not only were those who knew how to ride and shoot taken along, but the fat kid who couldn't was also taken along. Three generations of grandparents and grandchildren sat in Kangxi's spacious imperial sedan chair. The fat kid was held in Kangxi's arms, heavy as a weight, filling Kangxi's heart. "Is it fun on the grassland? Father said it's good, grandson wants to go."

This guy definitely inherited his father's attitude towards Kangxi when he was a child, pulling the emperor's beard to act cute. Kangxi was really sad and happy: "I will take you there when you grow up."

"My second brother has grown up now, why don't you take him with you?" Study hard and ask questions. Study hard and ask questions.

"He wants to study~" Very patient.

"Uncle Sixteen also wants to study."

Hong Xi spoke at the right time: "Third brother, it's okay for me not to go today. Mafa has her own arrangements. Big brother isn't feeling well right now, so let's all stay home and keep him company."

The little fat man mercifully let Kangxi go, muttering softly.

Kangxi reached out and pinched his fat face in revenge: "Why didn't you say it earlier? If you had told me earlier, Mafa would have been approved. It's too late to pack your luggage now." He was definitely bullying the child's IQ.

The little fat boy raised his face, opened his black eyes wide, and said innocently: "Now my grandson said that he would take us there tomorrow. Is that too early? The emperor cannot lie. I believe that what Mafa says is true." Bullying children will result in severe revenge.

Kangxi was speechless.

Yinreng finally stretched out his claws, picked up the little fat boy and hugged him: "You save your breath."

Kangxi said, "Don't scare him." He leaned forward and continued to pinch her face, retaliating, "Okay, I agree."

The little fat boy smiled smugly, looking from his father to his brother. Father and son were united in their deception. He stretched out his fat paw to rub his face, which must have been pinched red, and gave Kangxi a resentful look. Kangxi snatched him back and held him again, this time gently. He rubbed his fat face and whispered to Yinreng, "There is a memorial from the Governor of the River. Send it to me quickly, eight hundred miles away. Nothing else is urgent."

The scene was very warm, and Yinreng also responded: "The Fifth Princess's wedding ceremony has been decided, and the dowry has been prepared. Khan Ama, please come back soon."

Kangxi agreed and then asked Hongxi gently, "Is your brother not feeling well?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I can't come to see you off today."

"Last time you said you had memorized the Analects?"

"Yes, I've started reciting Mencius, but I don't quite understand its meaning yet. My father said that if I recite it more, I'll understand it much better once the teacher starts explaining it in detail."

…

…

…

This year, the crown princes were the eldest, third, fourth, fifth, eighth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth sons. The last two were still young and rode in carriages, while the first ones rode horses. Yinzhen, from his horse, looked out at the imperial chariot and asked Yinxiang, "We're almost at the border. Why hasn't the crown prince come out yet? When will he come out?"

Yinxiang said, "He's probably giving instructions. Khan Ama will be away from the capital for over a month, so it's only natural that he'd say more."

The look in Yinzhi's eyes when he looked at the imperial carriage seemed to penetrate all the obstacles and kill the crown prince on the spot.

Finally, the imperial carriage stopped.

The farewell party and the accompanying party were on either side. Yinreng jumped down first, and Hongxi followed with the help of the eunuchs. Kangxi personally handed his beloved fat grandson down, and Yinreng caught him and lowered him to the ground.

The farewell ceremony has just begun.

Since the cuteness had already been sold out, this farewell was just a formality. The same old, stereotypical farewell speech, thanks to the grandparent-grandchild interaction, took on a new kind of sentimentality. The aura was incredibly corny, stimulating, and shuddering.

Back at Yuqing Palace, the little fat boy boasted: "Father, wasn't what I said good?"

"Yes, it's good. The strength of the hand is also quite good."

The little fat boy stuck out his tongue guiltily.

"Let's all go change our clothes."

"I'm still teaching my younger brother to speak. When Mafa comes back, I must teach him how to call people." The little fat boy happily toyed with his younger brother.

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

During Kangxi's tour of the frontier that year, the most important task was the river works. Actually, the other matters were minor, and Yinreng continued to maintain a close relationship with his teacher Xiong in Beijing and to strengthen his friendship with his staff.

It was not until September, when the fifth princess's wedding was approaching, that Kangxi returned.

For the Eastern Palace, the Emperor's return not only marked the completion of the Crown Prince's Regency duties but also marked the beginning of the Fifth Princess's marriage. The greatest impact on the Eastern Palace was, in fact, Xu Bingyi's appointment as Chancellor and Vice Minister to preside over the military examinations, and Emperor Kangxi's reprimand of the court officials.

Xu Bingyi is inclined towards the Eastern Palace, so the person he chooses will be influenced by him to some extent. This is good news for Yinreng.

Another thing, which is also good news.

I've already criticized the exams, which primarily affected Han officials. This time, the Manchus are primarily under fire. With the arrival of a "peaceful and prosperous era," officials are more willing to let their children join the government. Their networks are complex, and any good opportunities like promotions are given to those within their own ranks. Hard tasks are pushed onto others.

This directly angered Kangxi.

The sons of ministers under your command should have diligently served as guards and deacons, and maintained the spirit of diligence and martial spirit! But now, you have become corrupt and degenerate!

"Now, the Manchu and Han ministers of the Eight Banners, except for those of the same clan, their descendants, brothers, uncles, and brothers' sons, who are serving as officials or clerks in the ministries and courts, must be investigated and submitted to me in writing. I will review them and retain those who can be retained, and dismiss those who can be dismissed. The upper three banners will select them as guards and stewards, and the rest will follow their banners. When their fathers and brothers are no longer in office, they will be appointed to ministries and courts."

This order immediately put an end to Shi Wenbing's thoughts. Even if Guanyinbao passed the exam, he would not be able to enter the ministry, and at his age, being sent out would be a disadvantage.

He could only submit a report in disgrace and send Guanyinbao to the palace as a guard. Manchuria Zhengbai Banner, if you don't guard, who will?

Yinreng wasn't happy about this, but rather... with fewer Bannermen in the government, there were more Han officials. Han officials were more inclined to support the Crown Prince, unlike Bannermen. If they were Yinzhi's followers, it would be extremely difficult to get them to pledge allegiance. The current fifth and sixth rank officials, with their limited experience, might not necessarily be pillars of the Sun Ri.

As for the bannermen who served as guards...he had plenty of time to interact with them in this palace. Even if he didn't, the crown prince could still be on camera in front of everyone.

It's like watching the Xinwen Lianbo (News Broadcast). You're taking the college entrance exam and are required to watch it from 7:00 to 7:30 every day. After just a few days, you're guaranteed to remember the announcer's face better than your own! And you're also convinced that the leaders are busy, that China is prosperous, and that the rest of the world is in chaos.

As his mood improved, he behaved more cordially when attending the Fifth Princess's wedding. Although, he still did not like the Tong family very much.

The fifth princess was given the title of Heshuo Wenxian Princess and married Shun Anyan, the grandson of Tong Guowei. Shun Anyan was also given the title of Heshuo Efu. On the first day, the princess's dowry had already been transported out of the palace and laid out.

On the wedding day, the sisters-in-law came early to see the bride.

The Fifth Princess's dress was a standard uniform, and it was dignified and beautiful. Even the most generous bride-to-be can be shy sometimes, and being stared at by her sisters-in-law made her feel shy. Princess Wenxian couldn't help but turn her head to avoid their enthusiastic gazes.

Shujia smiled and said, "The bride is shy."

The Fourth Lady stepped forward and nudged the Fifth Princess: "Why are you so embarrassed right now?"

Princess Wenxian waved the handkerchief in her hand: "It's hot."

The ladies all laughed.

Shujia said, "She's lucky. When I was there, it was summer and it was extremely hot."

This sentence aroused the sympathy of many people, and the buzz of conversation relaxed Princess Wenxian's tense nerves.

"Eat some cut-up apples and don't drink too much water."

"Tell them to fan themselves if it's hot."

"It's been quite a while now. You should get up and walk around first. You'll be sitting for most of the day."

There was a lot of chattering until the Fifth Princess's nanny came over and said, "Go and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and Master De." Only then did the Fifth Princess stand up.

The wedding was a grand affair; Tong Banchao's family had married a princess. The princess's wedding was preceded by a sedan chair led by court ladies, which was then lowered and carried out of the palace by the inner chamberlains. A procession of ceremonial guards was formed, with lanterns and torches leading the way. The wife, the wives, and other court ladies accompanied the bride in the sedan chair as they proceeded to the residence of the prince consort for the wedding ceremony.

The accompanying wives included the Fourth and Eighth Wife, who were there to make the occasion more lively. Unfortunately, Shujia could not go with them.

Yinreng's dislike for the Tong family increased to seven points during this happy event. The Tong family was not enthusiastic about him, and in fact, they were more enthusiastic about the Eighth Brother.

Here, Yinreng also noticed something was amiss. Tong Guowei and the others clearly disliked the eldest brother; it was evident in their words and actions, even more perfunctory than they had been towards him. Yinreng smiled silently. It seemed the eighth brother had other plans.

Boss...does he know?

Of course I don’t know.

Yinreng's smile deepened. "Go ahead, you two can do whatever you want." "Big brother, I'll be a good brother and won't let you stay in the dark." Considering how active Old Eight and his wife have been lately, Yinreng felt a little sympathetic towards Yinzhi. "He's about to start his own family, and you still treat him like a good brother."

Huh? Does Khan Ama know what's on Lao Ba's mind?

Even Yinsi himself was a bit lost at this point; he didn't know what he wanted anymore. If he worked hard to improve himself, his mother would be promoted, and everyone would be honored. Of course, he wanted to improve himself. What was next? He still wasn't sure. Probably, he just wanted to improve himself.

From this perspective, Kangxi probably knew that Yinsi and Yinzhi were drifting apart.

Kangxi wanted Yinsi to be "capable," and seeing that he was doing well, he was encouraging him. He also supported Yinsi's independence from Yinzhi. Yinzhi was a prince himself, so what was the point of asking another prince to follow him around and cheer him on? If Yinsi had been determined to follow Yinzhi, Kangxi would never have promoted him. If you want to despise yourself and become a lackey, why should I support you?

Kangxi knew it, but he agreed.

Yinreng narrowed his eyes. He wondered what the boss would do when he found out. He'd probably start a scene, right? A scene would be best; he'd cut off his own path, saving me the trouble.

Well, the elder prince's health is getting worse. Perhaps we could ask for permission to see him. And then there's the uncle prince. Although Khan Ama doesn't like him much anymore, he's still his uncle. If we get too close to the uncle prince, Khan Ama will be unhappy. But being too indifferent isn't good either. Focusing solely on the elder prince and ignoring the uncle prince also seems a bit utilitarian.

Having said that, Yinreng was very envious of Chang Ning's ability to do whatever she wanted. Although it offended the emperor, he felt so happy!

He sighed. He was like this five years ago, too. Now... he's so twisted he feels like a pervert. Let's go see Uncle Wang.

Just like that, after his sister's wedding, when the prince's family entered the palace to pay their respects and express their gratitude, the prince was distracted. Fortunately, his part in the drama was over, otherwise... the Tong family would have felt that the prince was even more arrogant.