Great white shark in danger

The Crown Princess received her official certificate of appointment, and both the Crown Prince's and Princess' factions felt relieved. The legitimate future mistress of the country, a perfect match for the Crown Prince, was now beyond reproach. The Crown Princess' faction believed their daughter had received her commission, while the Crown Prince's faction believed the Crown Prince's wife had been officially recognized, further solidifying his position. Everyone was delighted.

Then he would receive congratulations again.

If she was a prince's wife, she would skip this formality and at most would meet a close relative or the wife of a retainer under her husband's name (who had an imperial decree). If she was an empress, she would be canonized at the time of her wedding and would simply receive a grand court ceremony.

As for the Crown Princess, the wedding ceremony and the enthronement ceremony were held separately, so Shujia had no choice but to don her formal attire in the summer of June and sit in the Yuqing Palace. This time, there were more people present, including Xiluo Te. When the mother and daughter's eyes met, Shujia knew with tacit understanding that her mother had something to say.

Such formal ceremonies were merely formalities. Unless someone deliberately disrupted them, they remained monotonous, even the words memorized in advance—nothing new or original. Everyone came to express their feelings, to show that they were of high status, worthy of entering the palace to offer congratulations. That was all…

Sitting high up, she truly saw all sorts of human life. If her mother wasn't there, looking down at her with a mixture of satisfaction, congratulations, and a touch of worry, Shujia thought she would probably feel much better.

The Xiluo family was considered to be in a good mood. Those in a bad mood included Prince An's family, needless to say. There was another person—the First Consort. She lacked a certificate of employment. Currently, the consorts of the princes were neither registered nor sealed, as they currently held no titles. And there were only two married princes: the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince.

As a control group, the eldest wife's mood was complicated. Perhaps she could understand the eldest prince's mood.

Having done the same thing once before, they were probably more experienced by now. After saying congratulations and sitting for a while, they could leave. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the mother and daughter still had something to say.

Xiluo Te really wanted to talk to her daughter. Being the mother of a crown princess is no easy feat. You gave birth to a daughter, raised her with great difficulty, and hoped she would marry well. Marrying her to a crown prince, a young, promising one favored by the emperor—wouldn't that be great? And then, only to discover that this crown prince was unreliable—wouldn't that be frustrating?

Originally, she was concerned about the young couple's married life, but now, such low-level needs have been directly passed over, and she has begun to care about the superstructure and the highest level of power. Xiluo would rather pay attention to her daughter's marriage life than worry about her life or death.

Well, the place was cleared, and Shujia invited Xiluo to sit in the back hall. This was the Dunben Hall, the Crown Prince's main hall. If it weren't for the cramped space and the inappropriate style of the former Ming Dynasty East Palace, she wouldn't have been able to sit here.

Arriving at the rear hall where Shujia lived, Xiluo looked up and saw the five main rooms, all beautifully decorated. Ice basins were placed in every corner, providing a subtle coolness. Shujia led her to the east side room, where Xiluo took another look. The decor was typical of a bridal chamber. Her daughter wasn't being treated poorly here; at least, materially, she was living a comfortable life. Xiluo felt a sense of relief.

Then, Hongxiu and the other four maids who came with the dowry came to kowtow to Xiluo. Xiluo smiled and raised her hand to support them: "Hurry up, everyone. Now that you have entered the palace, you are a palace person. I can't bear this kind of courtesy." She added, "Your parents are doing well outside. Don't worry."

Shujia smiled and said, "The maids serving in this palace have one day every month when their parents are free and can visit them."

"In that case," said Mrs. Xiluo, "I'll give everyone a day off after I return so they can reunite." But she felt sad. It had never been so easy for her to see her daughter. She didn't know it yet, but in the coming months, she would have plenty of opportunities to see her daughter.

Xiuniu came to serve tea. Xiluo glanced at the people waiting around. In addition to her own maidservant, there were also several palace maids and eunuchs. She glanced at Shujia, who understood what she meant and stood up and said, "I have a few things that would be perfect for you to take back. It's a pity that you've been so busy these days and haven't had time to do needlework."

Xiluo Te said, "It is a great blessing to receive the reward from the master."

Shujia paused and said, "Mother, come with me to take a look?"

The two walked hand in hand, occasionally chatting quietly and looking around. The rooms in the palace looked large, but if you counted the partitions in between, the area of ​​each room was not very large. And with all the furnishings, there wasn't much room for many people in one room. Shujia looked around and saw that there were still quite a few people around. Some of them had already retreated to the outer rooms.

Shujia sent Wang Youde to see where Yinreng would have his meal, and he came back soon: "Your Majesty has kept the Crown Prince in the Palace of Heavenly Purity." Shujia asked two eunuchs to go to the kitchen. She wanted to keep Xiluo Te for dinner, and asked the kitchen to prepare it.

Several people went there.

Mother and daughter spent more time together. Xiluo Te found an opportunity to share the news from home. Hongxiu and the others, close confidants, followed closely and overheard a few words, becoming secretly wary. At the same time, they also served as a barrier.

At such an old age, she still had to carry a pile of resumes. It was really... too difficult for the Xiluo family. However, the daughters-in-law were not of high enough rank, and it was not appropriate to let more people know about this. The Wendu and Jueluo families were still in the dark.

According to the news brought by Xiluo Te, Yuqing Palace and Xiefang Palace are a mixed crowd. Not everyone is playing the game of "Unbelievable", and there are not many dishonest people. Most of them are standard slaves: they follow their master when they are told to, and they may have some ulterior motives, but they are all people who go with the flow.

There were a few not-so-good ones, for example, the eunuch Zhang, a replacement in Yuqing Palace, who was definitely planted by someone else—his family had become wealthy. The traditional method of simply investigating the wealthy to determine if they were spies had clearly been challenged. Within Yuqing Palace, it was common for those who had made a good living to leverage their influence to purchase property outside the palace.

Shi Wenbing was shocked to discover Eunuch Cui's wealth. It was normal for powerful eunuchs in the palace to acquire property, but he was simply too wealthy! He initially thought there was a hidden danger hidden somewhere near Yinreng. Later, he discovered he was simply using Yinreng's name to extort money. Furthermore, he had no contact with suspicious individuals, and if he did, it was Suo Etu.

Then we spent a lot of time and effort to investigate and finally identified the target.

Xiluo Te couldn't help but say to Shu Jia, "Please persuade the Crown Prince. If outsiders continue to act like this, he will be implicated sooner or later."

Shujia smiled bitterly.

Furthermore, Xiefang Palace was a den of thieves. Li Jiashi and Li Jiashi were of low status, and even though they had children, they still didn't have official titles. Since Yinreng didn't live there, the selection of people for them wasn't taken seriously, so it was only natural that a few questionable individuals were included.

Concubine Hui was at least the head of a palace, and the highest official title in the palace was now a concubine. Even before, when Concubine Wenxi was still around, Concubine Hui still had some influence. At first, Concubine Hui just thought that since the eldest prince and the crown prince were reconciled, it would be good to hear some news.

As for doing something bad, she really couldn't think of a way: Poison? Even poisoning a rat with a coin of arsenic would require registration! Push someone down a well? The wells in the palace were all rimmed with stone, and some even had iron bars across them. Provoking them? That was more reliable, but the problem was... they were just two concubines without official titles, their children never seen, and they just had a different time serving Yinreng. Yinreng himself didn't take them seriously, so provoking them wouldn't have any effect.

As the head of a palace, it would not be difficult for Concubine Hui to win over a young maid. Just by extending a finger, she could provide great help and make people think of her. Especially since maids were young when they entered the palace, they were at the time of great plasticity. Leaving home at a young age, they were prone to loneliness. A little warmth given to them could make them unforgettable.

It's unfortunate... so unfortunate... The Shi family has two aunts from Concubine Hui's family. Although they are a little older, I still seem to remember that the aunt who was assigned to Xiefang Palace as a manager seems to be their descendant.

Shujia remembered the people she couldn't trust, and Xiluote reminded her, "Be careful with the people around you. These are the only things we can see. Don't take it lightly."

Shujia understood: "I can tame someone who is not mine. Even if he is mine, he may rebel if I treat him badly."

Xiluo Te was satisfied: "There's only one left and right." She held up a finger and said, "Don't panic yet."

Shujia thought, how would you know? Yinreng is a great white shark, powerful, yes, but his brothers share the same genes, a pack of sharks! When he's the strongest, it's fine, but if the boss goes all out and bites him even a little, the pack will see the blood and eat him alive! Not even a bone will be left!

He couldn't say this to Mrs. Xiluote, so he could only nod and ask his family to take care of themselves.

Perhaps Shujia's knowing-it-all look comforted Xiluo Te, and the meal was quite enjoyable.

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

Life in the palace wasn't boring, especially during the Kangxi era, when the harem was huge. There were a ton of concubines and a ton of children. Except for the princesses who married into the family, the rest lived in this small space—at this time, the princes hadn't even been given their own residences, so it was impossible not to be bustling.

Two lives arrived in June. On June 18th, Concubine Wang gave birth to the Sixteenth Prince, and then the Fourth Prince's second daughter was born. Shujia was busy selecting items to send to the two places. There were differences between men and women, and different social statuses, and each had its own priorities.

Yinreng had always been hands-off in these matters. In the past, Eunuch Cui prepared everything and reviewed it, but now that he had a wife, he naturally handed it over to Shujia. He instructed Eunuch Cui to obey the Crown Princess's instructions and remind her of important matters. Then he told Shujia, "He usually handles it. He knows everyone in the palace well. Tell him to answer you honestly." Eunuch Cui responded very honestly.

Then, Yinreng suddenly remembered something.

With Shujia's work permit in hand, Yinreng felt closer to her and even introduced his young servant to her. "If there's anything inconvenient for me to go out, or if I need anything, I can ask him to do it." It seems he's used to it, adept at guessing his superiors' intentions. Ahem, if Tang Bin and the others were to say it, he'd definitely be considered a "villain."

Yinreng's hahazhuzidezhu appeared in front of Shujia. He lowered his head and walked in, looking very submissive. Shujia could only see his slender figure, his light steps, and his good sense of advance and retreat.

Yinreng said to Shujia, "You didn't tell me, and later I found out that the things you gave your mother when she came to see you last time weren't very good. How can this be? Those two snuff bottles aren't of the best quality. I had a good one, but unfortunately I gave it to Soetu. Next time something like this happens, just ask Dezhu to go out and find it."

Dezhu took advantage of the situation and hit Qian'er again: "I will listen to your orders, my master." His voice was clear and pleasant to the ear.

Shujia smiled and said to Yinreng, "Then I will accept your kindness." She then said to Dezhu, "I will have to trouble you more in the future."

Dezhu finally looked up, and Shujia was amazed. He was quite good-looking. Dezhu had a fair, clear complexion. Of course, the young servant Kangxi chose for his son had to be a handsome young man when he was young, and a handsome young man when he grew up, provided he didn't grow ugly. Having such a person around was a real pleasure.

Of course, some people don't think so.

Take Eunuch Cui, for example. Eunuch Cui and Dezhu had a bit of a problem going on. Their work clashed, and both were flatterers of Yinreng. Dezhu's attempts to curry favor with Yinreng inevitably impacted Eunuch Cui's relationship with Yinreng. Like the concubines in the harem, they were in the same profession, yet enemies! Furthermore, Eunuch Cui held more power, while Dezhu was incredibly close to Yinreng. With the arrival of the Crown Princess, Eunuch Cui's authority was drastically taken away. Although the Crown Princess was good-tempered and still used him, Eunuch Cui still... wanted to give Dezhu a piece of his mind. If we're going to be upset, let's all be upset together!

Eunuch Cui hinted that Dezhu was not a good person! "He might teach the prince bad things, Master, you must keep an eye on him."

...Shujia was utterly embarrassed. They're already fighting among themselves before the war even begins, huh? She'd make a note of both of them.

However, Shujia now had to deal with her own problems. She knew she couldn't send them away just yet. The excuse was one thing. And the new arrivals, even if she sent them away, still had no idea of ​​their details. She couldn't investigate every single one of them; it would tire her to death.

It would be better to keep those who already know the details, and then use their tactics against them. As for how to use this intelligence, that remains to be seen. In short, if the enemy doesn't move, I won't move. What matters now is to communicate well with Yinreng.

Shujia's first step was to ask Yinreng for information on the officials in the Zhanshi Mansion, specifically their families. "More courtesy is better than less," she said. "I just remember that when I was at my mother's house, my father's staff, our husband, and our family were all taken care of by my mother. Anyway, I don't have much else to do..."

With a little bit of coquettishness, Yinreng agreed. They were newly married and their relationship was pretty good, so now was the best time to talk.

At this time, the second prince's wet nurse for the Yuqing Palace had also been chosen. Since the Imperial Household Department was making the selection, Shujia refrained from interfering, simply stating that she was aware of the situation to avoid causing trouble and ultimately embarrassment. Meanwhile, Kangxi ordered the renovation of the former Ming Dynasty East Palace. During the day, the inhabitants of Xiefang Hall remained ensconced while the craftsmen went inside to work. When the sun went down, the craftsmen left, and the inhabitants of Xiefang Hall emerged again.

These two things made Shujia come back to her senses: Yinreng did have a concubine. But! Since his wedding, Yinreng has been staying in Yuqing Palace, ahem, living in her room, and has not gone anywhere else!

Um... is he a model husband? Is he crazy?

Then I thought, I must be crazy. Yinreng didn't take a concubine, and I actually suspected that he had a problem with his brain. Isn't this good?

The author has something to say: I deeply believe that the saying "competitors are enemies" is completely applicable to Kangxi's sons.