The palace is bustling now.

Yuqing Palace welcomed the Eighth Lady as a guest. By then, Shujia had already brought the little fat boy back from Ningshou Palace and asked him to rest for a while before reciting his lessons. The little fat boy looked up and asked, "Mother, Mother Suma taught us a lot today. Can I review it first and then recite the rest?"

Shujia said, "That's fine. I'd rather take it slow and learn thoroughly."

The little fat boy nodded and said, "Then I will review my Chinese first, and then memorize the homework assigned by my father later." After saying that, he blinked his eyes.

Shujia smiled and said, "You're so good. You can have an extra piece of osmanthus candy later."

The little fat boy stood on tiptoe and stretched out his hand to touch Shujia's belly. Shujia cooperated by bending her legs and lowering her stomach, listening to the little fat boy muttering: "You have to be good. Brother will go study hard and come back to play with you later."

Shujia chuckled, exchanging a glance with Sehetu, who was also trying to suppress her laughter. "Okay, you're good, and he's good too." Hongxiu and Li Zhongxing stood quietly on either side of Shujia, ready to support the Crown Princess at any moment. Seeing Shujia trying to stand up, they quickly reached over to help.

Shujia walked the fat boy to his little cubicle study and watched him shakily climb onto a chair, flipping through a book and writing. The fat boy's small desk and chair were custom-made, too, since he was still so young. The fat boy's Manchu writing had already reached a certain resolution. Shujia reached out from his old schoolwork and pulled out a piece of practice paper. The tracing wasn't quite perfect, but it was clear he'd put a lot of effort into it. Even if his skill wasn't great, he'd worked from beginning to end. His ink didn't get heavier, suggesting he was losing patience.

She nodded with satisfaction and put the paper down again. A young maid came up with tea, her footsteps light and almost silent.

Such a quiet moment was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps. The little fat man looked up and saw it was the eunuch guarding the gate, then lowered his head and continued to scribble. Shujia gestured, and the eunuch tactfully shut up. Li Zhongxing came over and helped Shujia to her feet, and the group went outside to talk.

"Master, the Eighth Lady is here. She said she has something to discuss with you."

"oh?"

"They have arrived. The servants said that the Crown Princess is checking the young prince's homework. Let her sit down and serve tea first, and then we will invite you."

"knew."

The Eighth Concubine was a powerful figure. This power didn't just refer to her background. Nor did it simply mean glaring at everyone. She smiled most of the time, and her presence was undeniable. She didn't care if you spoke loudly or twisted your handkerchief; it was all about her aura. The Eighth Concubine possessed a powerful aura, reflected in her every move.

She loves to take on tasks and also likes to be the first to do something. In other words, she has a strong desire to show off.

Just now, in Ningshou Palace, everyone was chatting about how, with the Eighth Consort taking office, the Ninth and Tenth Princes should also take concubines. While the topic seemed to revolve around the two princes, it actually primarily concerned the Ninth Prince. The Eighth Consort meticulously inquired about the Ninth and Tenth Princes' concubines and how preparations were progressing. As for the concubines of her other brothers, she tactfully avoided asking.

The Third and Fourth Fujins exchanged glances, then looked at the Crown Princess sitting next to the Empress Dowager. Shujia felt a flicker of displeasure, but quickly suppressed it. A woman can be gentle, cheerful, even a bit temperamental—these are all superficial traits. But no matter how you act, you must never give off a sense of aggression. A woman who is too dominant, at least when Kangxi is the boss, has a hard time getting by.

In this regard, the Eighth Concubine is not as good as the Yi Concubine. The Yi Concubine is also a woman with a cheerful temperament. Her mindset is not necessarily particularly bright, but she has a good sense of proportion and the depth to take a step back. The Eighth Concubine is young after all. Let her perform.

The Eighth Lady didn't say anything more, but her heart was in turmoil. The Empress Dowager was someone who couldn't keep secrets, and she was also very transparent. One could see through her simple nature at a glance.

The Empress Dowager said, "I was in high spirits that day, so I took the Crown Princess to visit Prince Ten and cleaned up his place." Everyone automatically translated it as: The Empress Dowager went there to watch the fun, and the Crown Princess must have been the one doing the work.

The Eighth Concubine was no exception. She thought to herself that the preparations had already been made by others, and now was the wrong time to intervene. She had heard from her husband that the Ninth and Tenth Princes were close friends with her family, and as the new sister-in-law, she felt compelled to assert her position. Furthermore, the Crown Princess's actions, whether intentional or not, would always have the same effect: they would warm the recipient's attitude toward the Yuqing Palace.

People are so unique, and if you're close to one person, it naturally affects your relationship with another. Now that the Eighth Lady is married, she should help her husband manage interpersonal relationships. She doesn't necessarily have to drag the Ninth and Tenth Princes against the Crown Prince, but at least she should stay close to the Eighth Prince, strengthen his influence, and add some chips to his future.

During the initial preparations, she hadn't even married yet, and the Crown Princess had already gotten involved. If you celebrate on the first day, I'll celebrate on the fifteenth, making the Tenth Prince's wedding banquet a bit more lively. After all, the Eighth Concubine grew up in the palace and knew all the etiquette. Although the eldest Concubine was the eldest among the sisters-in-law, the Crown Princess held the highest position. Filing a case with the Second Sister-in-law and getting the order myself would make things more legitimate.

Therefore, after the show, the Eighth Lady and the First Lady thoughtfully sent Concubine Hui back to Zhongcui Palace to rest, and then returned to her own courtyard to change clothes before coming to Yuqing Palace.

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Seeing Shujia coming, the Eighth Lady stood up and said with a smile: "Second sister-in-law is very busy, how is my nephew? He is so young and needs to study hard."

Shujia pointed at the seat and said, "Please sit down. There's no need to be so polite. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

After the Eighth Lady waited for Shujia to sit down, she also took a seat. "I just arrived," she said, taking a sip of tea. "I never visit a temple for no reason. There is something I must consult with my second sister-in-law."

Shujia asked what was going on. The Eighth Lady smiled and said, "It's about our neighbors."

This is a continuation of this morning's topic: the Ninth and Tenth Princes marrying concubines. While the spectacle is a bit less grand than the Eighth Prince's wedding, it's still a lively affair. After all, it's a first, so it's worth a bit of a joke.

Especially the Ninth Prince, whose mother was the head of a palace, and whose brother, the Fifth Prince, and his whole family came to help out, making the whole courtyard lively. The new daughter-in-law, the Eighth Lady, wanted to help out because her husband had a good relationship with Yinzhen and the two families lived close to each other.

Furthermore, the Tenth Prince was born a few days later than the Ninth Prince, so the excitement was a bit less intense. Taking a concubine wasn't noticeable outside the palace, but it was a lively affair within. Unlike marrying a concubine, the excitement spread from the concubine's family all the way to the palace. Naturally, the Tenth Prince, being motherless, was a bit less intense.

The enthusiastic sister-in-law, the Eighth Lady, was dealing with many such issues. She wanted to add icing on the cake for the Ninth Prince and also to support the Tenth Prince.

"Since we live close by, I've heard some of the news. Old Nine is fine; he always has his mother and sister-in-law to support him. As for Old Ten, his mother passed away early, so it's hard for everyone else to help."

Outside the palace, a half-brother's wife could also come forward, especially a sister-in-law of the Crown Princess' status, but this was the palace, and it was harder to find a wife from the same mother. If the Crown Princess wanted to show her favor to the Tenth Prince, she had to use the Empress Dowager's name.

Shujia said, "You are absolutely right." She already understood in her heart that the Eighth Lady wanted to show off, probably not for herself, but to bring the Eighth Lady closer to her brothers.

As expected, the Eighth Lady first praised the Crown Princess: "Second Sister-in-law loves us. When I married the Eighth Master, Second Sister-in-law took care of me (Shujia: I just gave her a little wedding gift). Now, I just followed her example... (Shujia: I'm definitely not like that.)"

The underlying message was that she wanted to liven up things for the Ninth and Tenth Brothers, especially the Tenth. Judging from Yinsi's reaction, the Ninth Brother had a closer relationship with him, while the Tenth Brother was slightly less so. With his wife, the Eighth Prince finally shifted his attention, which had been distracted by that, to caring for his brothers. With a wife, he could completely unburden himself from the affairs of the backyard, freeing him to focus on planning. He briefly mentioned to his wife that he had been neglecting his two younger brothers, and the Eighth Lady promised to find a solution.

Shujia said: "That being said, we are sisters-in-law after all, so it's not easy to show up openly."

The Eighth Lady covered her mouth and smiled: "Second sister-in-law is a decent person, but I have a wild way."

Shujia raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"We don't have to do anything. We can just bring more people with us. It will be more lively when there are more people."

What's the good idea? Old Tenna, everyone has to go to the wedding anyway, so how can we bring more people?

It turned out that the Eighth Lady wanted to make a cameo appearance, to coordinate the affairs of the household, and to bring along the eloquent members of the princes' household. The concubine who could tell jokes would be placed next to the more reserved person, as it would be too embarrassing for everyone at the table to just eat in silence. The maid who could smooth things over would be brought to the side of the masters to smooth things over.

Shujia said, "As long as it doesn't break the rules, why not? There's only one thing, I can't interfere in their family affairs, you have to talk it out yourself. I don't have many people here who are good at talking, look at these people, whoever you say is who it is."

The Eighth Lady said, "Second sister-in-law is a precious woman, so I dare not trouble you. You can use whoever is most convenient for you. As for the other sisters-in-law, I will go and act coquettishly with them and let them do their bidding."

The next day, in Ningshou Palace, Sanfujin said to Shujia in front of everyone, "I felt a little heavy in my stomach last night. What do you think, Crown Princess?"

Shujia said, "It's fine here."

As the two pregnant women started chatting, the Third Lady simply said, "I'll go to your place and ask for your advice later."

After a while, Sanfujin arrived at Yuqing Palace with a bulging belly and started chatting with the Crown Princess, who was also pregnant. "Has the Crown Princess heard about it?"

"Oh, when you say 'Crown Princess', I really thought my last name was Crown Prince and my name was 'Princess'. We have known each other for a long time, so why don't you call me Second Sister-in-law like the Eighth Prince's wife. She calls me that in a very affectionate way, and when I hear my sisters-in-law saying 'Crown Princess', it seems like they are trying to show off to me." She said in a smiling tone.

The Third Lady smiled and said, "Well, well, well, my dear Second Sister-in-law. Our Eighth Sister-in-law came to see me yesterday..." She repeated the tone of the conversation in a long and short way. The Third Lady was quite gentle, so imitating the Eighth Lady's words was a bit out of place. The same content, but the artistic conception was completely different.

Shujia said, "She was raised in the palace as a pampered princess. It's not uncommon for her to be decisive and resolute, and she doesn't have any bad intentions. If she's willing to worry about it, then let her do more work. What's wrong with that?" She met the Third Lady's eyes and smiled, "Eighth Brother's wife already told me about this yesterday."

They could see helplessness in each other's eyes. If they refused directly, it would be too embarrassing, but if they agreed, they would feel a little depressed. The aura of the Eighth Lady was a bit choking.

"Why not take a break from all this? Good times like this don't come around often," he consoled himself, "We're all family from now on, so we have to get along."

Well, the Crown Princess almost never conflicts with anyone, even if it's just a small eunuch. The Third Lady nodded and said, "It's just this time. Once the ninth and tenth princes marry their wives, she won't have to worry about it anymore." She said this with a rare, not very kind smile.

"She's young and energetic," he said, touching her face. "When I saw her lively and alert like a water chestnut, I felt old."

"What are you talking about, Second Sister-in-law? I'm the same age as Second Sister-in-law. It doesn't matter what you said, but I'm old too. I always feel that I'm still quite young. You, don't think about it too much."

As soon as the Third Lady left, Shujia called Hongxiu and the others and said, "Did you all hear that? The Eighth Lady is going to do something important, and you are not allowed to say anything." But word also had to spread that it was the Crown Princess who was ill, and it happened that the Eighth Lady was willing to take the trouble. If there was anything inconsiderate, the Crown Princess apologized first. We are all sisters-in-law, so please be more tolerant.

The wedding banquet for the ninth and tenth brothers was indeed a lively one, filled with laughter and joy, exuding an unprecedented level of popularity. It had been lively before, but now, it was like the dragon on the wall, now with eyes painted on. The wedding banquet was a success.

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

With the arrival of the Eighth Concubine, the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became much more lively, and everyone seemed more intimate. From the way they addressed each other to the increased frequency of visits, the palace truly felt like one big family. The couple in Ganxi Tousuo, one lively, the other gentle, became a beautiful sight in the palace.

There are people who have not changed, and the Queen Mother is one of them.

Compared to the dynamic Eighth Concubine, the Empress Dowager was static. Her mind wasn't particularly bright in her youth, but as she aged, it became increasingly docile. She could only listen to slow conversations, speaking simple language, preferably Mongolian, though Manchu was also acceptable. Chinese had to be spoken slowly, slowly, slowly. The Prince An's residence was the most Sinicized of all the other princely residences...

The Crown Princess still sat at the Empress Dowager's side. Normally, it was the Empress Dowager's concern for her unborn great-grandson, and the Crown Princess also had to moonlight as a translator, not between languages, but between classical Chinese and vernacular Chinese. The Eighth Concubine had to dig out Bai Juyi's poetry to study what it meant to be understood by an old woman. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager loved to hear the Eighth Concubine laugh, and whenever she did, she would smile knowingly, as if reminiscing about the carefree days of her youth.

As Shujia had guessed, Kangxi wasn't particularly fond of strong women. However, he didn't think the Eighth Concubine was overly dominant; he simply thought her wife was a bit more lively, which wasn't a big deal. During the Ninth and Tenth Princes' consorting, everyone had performed admirably. The Eighth Concubine's youthful enthusiasm, the Crown Princess's consideration for the greater good (Your Majesty, her words were ostensibly a safeguard, but in reality...), the help from the sisters-in-law...

Kangxi, who had previously sighed and lamented over the frequent quarrels between the crown prince and the eldest prince, found great comfort in this. A filial son is not as good as a filial daughter-in-law, and a virtuous husband is not as good as a virtuous wife!

Before he knew it, he said it out loud.

Yinreng's ear twitched, and Kangxi explained with a smile: "Old Eighth was a little too reserved originally, but since he got married, his smile has become more genuine and he's become more cheerful, which is very good."

Yinreng replied calmly, "My son is quite filial."

Kangxi: ...

After a long time, he tapped the blueprint on the table and coughed: "How about this? I haven't built Yinzhi's palace yet, but he wants to build a temple for me first. I have no choice but to accept it while urging the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Works to build him a house quickly. Really, is he urging me? How much money has he earned to settle down?" There was no complaint in his tone.

Yinreng's heart twitched, but he continued to say, "Just now he was complaining that his sons were not filial enough, and now when they are filial, he accuses them of spending money lavishly."

Kangxi smiled triumphantly.

Yinreng thought quickly in his mind, what is the boss doing? It seems like something he can do, so that everyone knows he is a filial son, but he hasn't made any special efforts to steal the girl recently. It's really unlike him.

Yinzhi was not completely stupid, and he had Mingzhu to persuade him. Mingzhu asked him to be quiet, and he agreed on the surface. Like Yinreng, he was now separated from Mingzhu and could only do so much. Yinzhi also felt what it meant to be unable to get rid of a big tail.

Yinzhi has been busy building "his own" power recently.

With his new home still unfinished, he rarely escaped Mingzhu's scrutiny when he tried to meet people outside. Unlike Yinreng, he lacked the ruthlessness or the aura to maintain his "king" status. So, he buried himself in the design of the temple, constantly revising it and pretending to be indifferent.

Once the blueprints were submitted, a construction company was found, and bricks, tiles, and timber were delivered, the temple needed to be built. Yinzhi got busy, interacting with all sorts of people. Today, if someone knew a great monk, he'd go visit them. Tomorrow, if a lama arrived from the west, he'd also go see him.

Only he himself knows how much of his busyness is for appearances and how much is for small tricks.

At the same time, he hadn't forgotten to establish two more roots within the palace. His greatest rival, Yinreng's younger brother, was still there. Concubine Hui was the head of a palace, and over the years, she had developed a certain network of connections and a few eyes and ears within the palace. Yinzhi knew that after several rounds of elimination, Concubine Hui's staff had only one young eunuch left in Yuqing Palace. Xiefang Palace had two maids who were leaning towards Zhongcui Palace.

Concubine Hui was not one to be overly public. It was a woman's nature to seek information. She had connections, but she only shared a few tips and never used them excessively. When she got news, to prevent her reckless son from impulsively doing something bad, she would always tell him half of it and keep the other half to herself. Unless it was urgent, she would hold off on telling him the other half.

For example, when Yinzhi was young, Concubine Hui had forbidden him from showing off too much. Only when he grew up and could no longer be controlled did Concubine Hui sigh and give up, and instead nag Yinzhi to be careful and take care of himself and not show it too obviously.

Yinzhi was never satisfied with secondhand information. It was fine if he hadn't been able to get involved before. But now, he had the title and the money. If he didn't poach someone now, when would he? He poached his mother's woman!

As mentioned earlier, Yinzhi knew his mother had spies, so after careful observation for a while, he sent his first wife to investigate. Working together, the couple finally learned the list of undercover agents. Only then did Yinzhi quietly approach Mingzhu and ask her to investigate the details of these individuals.

Mingzhu began to doubt Yinzhi's motives. In his impression, the eldest prince was definitely not a man who would plan before acting. Mingzhu was an old fox and easily figured out that these people were spies planted by Concubine Hui in Yuqing Palace.

"What do you want them to do?" He wouldn't be stupid enough to poison them, would he?

Of course not. Knowing Mingzhu disapproved of his drastic actions, Yinzhi remained cautious and tense. "I really didn't mean to do anything. Seeing that the palace is about to be completed, I will move out. I really don't feel comfortable leaving my mother alone in the palace. I have to crush these people. Otherwise, if the second son finds out, they will turn against me. My mother will be helpless in the palace. What will I do?"

Mingzhu became serious and thought that this was possible.

Yinzhi added fuel to the fire: "We are about to move out. Do you think I will cause trouble at this critical moment?"

Mingzhu pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Something's been wrong with the East Palace lately. They seem to be 'close to virtuous officials and away from villains' and have become much calmer. As long as he doesn't make a mistake, we shouldn't take any action. It would be useless to take any action. We have to wait for him to make a mistake and then induce him to make one..."

"Didn't we do that before?" Yinzhi curled his lips in disdain. "We could do it then, and we can do it now." Don't think he doesn't know that Mingzhu once used his connections to subtly place some less-than-well-educated people in the palace. They looked like Suo's party, but they did what the Ming party wanted them to do.

For example, some individuals who were knowledgeable about sensual pleasures would, even though they knew they were using the sowing of influence, let them in without giving them any trouble. Eunuchs with ulterior motives would be stopped when they tried to sneak into Yuqing Palace. These individuals were discovered, intentionally or unintentionally, by the villains around Yinreng, who then made them their confidants. Then, things would change.

Originally, it was almost successful, but unexpectedly the prince turned back. What a pity!

"Don't act rashly. It might be very useful in a critical moment. Good steel should be used on the blade." Mingzhu continued to advise earnestly.

Yinzhi hadn't figured out what he wanted to do with these people yet; he simply wanted to get the resources into his own hands so he could do something big. Specific plans: None.

Mingzhu was adept at reading people's minds. Seeing Yinti's expression, he knew he had no specific ideas, so he went ahead with the investigation without worrying about it. He also wanted to know if these people were reliable.

After the investigation, he found nothing, so he used both kindness and force to deal with the relatives and friends of these people outside. Yinzhi returned with the conclusion in hand, looking for an opportunity to show his hand.

If this happened five years ago, these people might not have agreed. Now, compared to the situation, the eldest prince is already a prince, and his family is under great pressure. So they gritted their teeth and did it! Hui Fei didn't know at this time that her corner had been dug. Until Yin Zhi finally couldn't help but said to her: "My son asked Mingzhu to investigate these people again, and they won't change their words." Hui Fei looked at him with a surprised look: "You really have grown up."

Having secretly poached his mother's girlfriend, he was praised for it; having Mingzhu help him without her complaining, Yinzhi felt a surge of accomplishment. "I'm already a prince; of course I can accomplish great things." He felt a subtle sense of satisfaction, a sense of pride that "they're old, and I'm the sun at 11 o'clock." Yinzhi was filled with energy and continued to act according to his own ideas.

I also need to have more contact with my good younger brother Yinsi, as it is related to whether Prince An’s line is capable.

The Prince of Zhi and his wife met with Prince Si and his wife for a small dinner, filled with laughter. Prince Zhi repeatedly assured Prince Si's biological mother that she would be comfortable in Zhongcui Palace. Prince Si expressed his gratitude to Prince Zhi.

These are just superficial.

As the saying goes, don't hit someone and don't criticize them. Yinsi had a closer relationship with his biological mother, and he had heard such words of care from a young age, so he was more tolerant. But the Eighth Lady was different. Who had ever said to her, "If you're good, I won't hit your mother"?

Even though she was talking about her mother-in-law, the Eighth Lady still had a sullen look on her face. The couple returned to their room and closed the door to talk. The Eighth Lady said nothing else but, "Master, you must strive to improve yourself. You can't let Mother be stuck in someone else's yard, unable to control her own actions."

Yinsi said, "Palace Concubine Zhongcui has been very good to me and my son. Don't hold a grudge against me just because of the eldest brother's bad mouth. The eldest brother has always been like this, all talk and no action, always acting very arrogantly and never getting anything done." But he agreed with her in his heart.

When he was young, even Concubine Hui, whether sincerely or for show, hugged him and said, "Eighth Prince, you must work hard. Only when you have a promising future will your mother have face and status. You can sit on the main seat and kowtow to her." For this, Yinsi accepted her kindness.

The author has something to say: Jinjiang is so busy that it made me forget what I wanted to say.

The seventh time, the table of contents page does not show the updated chapters...