Chapter 104 Wenshan received this news…
When Wen Shan received the news, she was talking to Lady Guo Luoluo in Yuqing Palace. Lady Fucha was also there with Yi'an and Hongxi. Wen Shan's first reaction upon hearing the news was to prevent Lady Guo Luoluo from finding out. She was already having trouble conceiving, and now that Yinzhi was not by her side, she didn't know what kind of wild thoughts she would have.
Wenshan found an excuse to go outside and quietly asked Pearl, "Where did you get this information?"
She found it strange that Yinzhen and Yinsi Yinxiang usually kept such bad news from her.
Pearl said, "It was a young eunuch who claimed to be working for the Fourth Prince and was sent by him to report to you."
"Send someone to ask Yinzhen if this is true," Wenshan said.
Pearl went there personally to carry out the order. At that time, Yinzhen was in the study discussing matters with his ministers. Yinxiang had also officially taken up his post in the court last year. Kangxi had sent him to the Ministry of War to gain some experience first.
At this time, Yinzhen, Yinxiang, and Ma Qi were also discussing Yinsi's affairs.
“Your Highness, Prince Lian has been ordered by the Emperor to remain at the Luoyang Imperial Palace to reflect on his mistakes, and all matters concerning the aftermath of the southern tour have been entrusted to Prince Li.” Ma Qi frowned deeply: “Is the Emperor planning to reinstate Prince Li?”
"Father Emperor has always favored Second Brother since childhood. He even let go of the serious crime of treason back then. It's not impossible that he wants to reinstate the Crown Prince after a few years."
Yinxiang sat cross-legged on the couch, playing with an orange in his hand, his tone somewhat nonchalant.
Upon hearing this, Ma Qi frowned even more deeply.
Yinzhen was reviewing memorials when he picked up his pen and wrote a comment in red ink before looking up and asking, "Did it say why?"
“No, only news of the confinement has come back. This matter seems to be very secretive, and the Emperor has issued a strict decree forbidding any public announcement,” Ma Qi said.
Yinzhen took a sip of tea to moisten his dry, itchy throat: "Eighth Brother has always been cautious and shrewd in his actions. This matter is rather strange."
“Who says otherwise?” Ma Qi hurriedly said, “Prince Lian is shrewd and cunning. It must be no small matter that even he has suffered such a big setback this time.”
So this is the strangest and most important part of the matter: why was Prince Lian confined to his quarters by the Emperor, and why was he not allowed to continue accompanying him on the subsequent southern tour?
“Such a big matter will always have clues. Have someone investigate thoroughly and send the information back as soon as possible,” Yinzhen said. “Strengthen defenses in the capital, especially keep a close eye on Tong Guowei’s faction.”
Tong Guowei naturally wouldn't sit idly by when Yinzhi got into trouble; who knew what kind of trouble he might cause?
After Ma Qi accepted the order and left, Yinxiang jumped off the bed.
"Fourth Brother, what happened to Eighth Brother? Did he send you a message?"
They hadn't received any prior warning, and the news startled them both.
Yinzhen shook his head solemnly: "Eighth brother has not sent any news back."
That's the troublesome part. Even if something really happened, with Yinzhi's methods, there shouldn't be a situation where no news could be sent back.
Unless something extremely serious happens and Yinzhi is placed under close surveillance, and given that he is currently on a southern tour and has no capable people by his side, he is naturally much more constrained.
Yinxiang initially thought that Yinzhen and Yinsi had secretly plotted something and that this was another scheme, but now that he heard Yinzhen say this, he panicked.
"This is troublesome. What exactly happened in Luoyang?" Yinxiang paced back and forth in the room with a furrowed brow. After circling around a few times, he made up his mind: "Fourth Brother, after Father Emperor sets off from Luoyang, I will secretly go and see Eighth Brother."
I really can't rest easy without seeing him with my own eyes, and I don't know how the myna is doing now.
"No." Yinzhen stopped him: "If it's really a matter that will shake the heavens, do you think Father Emperor wouldn't have a backup plan? If you go there, you'll be walking into a trap."
"We can't just wait around like this. We need to find out how the myna is doing!"
Yinxiang was extremely anxious. Among the three of them, Yinsi was always the one who did the dirty work in the open. If Kangxi found any evidence against him, it would be inseparable from Yinsi. That's why Yinxiang was so anxious.
Yinzhen had obviously thought of this as well. He stood up, pressed Yinxiang's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Eighth Brother chose to do this so that if such a day really comes, the three of us won't be wiped out. If something really happens this time, we can only wait until the next day to rescue him."
Yinxiang's heart sank heavily, and his hands and feet felt cold. He looked up at Yinzhen and said, "Fourth Brother, I have a feeling we're in big trouble this time."
As soon as Yinxiang finished speaking, Jinbao announced from outside that Pearl had arrived.
Yinzhen quickly sent someone in.
"Sister Pearl, does Mother have something to tell you?" Yinxiang asked.
Pearl recounted the story of the eunuch who had come to inform Yinzhi earlier, and sure enough, she saw that both Yinzhen and Yinzhi had their brows furrowed.
"Which little eunuch? What does he look like?" Yinzhen asked.
Pearl realized in her heart that he was indeed not one of the Fourth Prince's men.
"His name was Xiao Wuzi. He was only about fifteen or sixteen years old. He wasn't tall and was rather thin. He looked like a complete stranger," Pearl recalled.
Neither Yinzhen nor Yinxiang had ever seen this person before. They assumed he was a newcomer to the palace, and they sent him to deliver the message because he was unfamiliar with the place.
Yinzhen quickly thought about who in the palace would get involved in this matter. After thinking it over, it seemed that only Consort Ping could do so. So he beckoned to Jinbao to send people to keep a close eye on Chuxiu Palace and to search for this little fifth prince everywhere.
Wen Shan, who had found an excuse to leave Guo Luoluo Palace, felt inexplicably uneasy. Ever since Yinzhi left, he had sent her a letter every four or five days. She was supposed to receive a letter in the next day or two, but there had been no news all day.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, has Fourth Brother mentioned the Southern Tour these past few days? I've been feeling uneasy because there's been no news from the Prince these past few days," Guo Luoluo asked.
Empress Fucha could tell from Wen Shan's hurried departure that something was wrong, but she still smiled gently and said, "Eighth brother is with Father Emperor on a southern tour, what could possibly happen? Perhaps the news is slow to come back because we've been traveling by water on the imperial ship these past few days."
Guo Luoluo frowned slightly as she stroked her lower abdomen. She had been feeling inexplicably anxious for the past few days, and the imperial physician couldn't find a reason for it.
“By the time your eighth brother comes back, this little nephew will be six months old.” Fucha comforted her, “By then, he will be able to stretch his little hands and feet and move around in your belly.”
Since it was Guo Luoluo's first pregnancy, she was naturally curious about these things and her attention was drawn to them. She chatted with Fucha about some things during her pregnancy.
“I think the fall you took a while ago made your pregnancy a little unstable. They say that mothers and children are connected, and your little nephew is uncomfortable in your belly, which is why you are so anxious,” Fucha said gently. “Don’t think too much, just rest well. If you trust me about the matters at Yuqing Palace, I will keep an eye on them for you.”
"Of course I trust my fourth sister-in-law."
Guo Luoluo had indeed been feeling unwell these past few days, and she naturally agreed to Fucha's offer of assistance.
Lady Fucha spoke with Lady Guoluo for a while, and only left when she seemed tired. Lady Fucha's maid, Wenhui, helped Lady Fucha out of the gate of Yuqing Palace and then whispered, "Your Highness, judging from the appearance of the Imperial Noble Consort, it seems that something has happened to Prince Lian."
"Tell the palace servants to keep their mouths shut, especially those from Yuqing Palace. Don't let these nonsense reach Eighth Sister-in-law's ears."
Lady Fucha took Yi'an, who was being held by a palace servant and was still reaching out to her for a hug, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
"Fourth Prince instructed us to take good care of Eighth Brother's wife and the child in her womb while Eighth Brother is not in the palace," said Lady Fucha. "As for what exactly happened, I will ask Fourth Prince when I get back."
Yinzhen and Yinxiang were already in Xianfu Palace. Wenshan had received the news, and they could no longer hide it from her, so they had to tell Wenshan the truth.
"What does it mean to reflect on one's mistakes at the imperial palace?"
Wen Shan became extremely anxious upon hearing this and hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened? Why were you suddenly punished?"
"I've only heard that it seems to be related to Prince Li, but we haven't received any specific information yet," Yinzhen said. "Mother, you don't need to worry too much. Eighth Brother is a man of principle, so I think nothing serious should happen."
Wen Shan knew that this was Yinzhen comforting her; the fact that no news had come back meant that the situation was somewhat critical.
Yinxiang remained silent the whole time, his lips pursed as he seemed to be deep in thought.
Now all we can do is wait for the people sent to gather information to find out what happened in Luoyang as soon as possible.
The news of Yinzhi's accident was not only received by Yinzhen and Yinxiang, but also by Tong Guowei, who naturally received the news very quickly.
Within a day or two, many officials came either directly or secretly to inquire about Yinzhi's situation.
As the current Commander of the Nine Gates, Longkodo immediately strengthened the defense of the capital and then went home to discuss countermeasures with Tong Guowei.
“Father, you know…”
Longkodo pushed open the study door and rushed in. Tong Guowei was writing something at his desk when Longkodo came in, having just finished writing and sealed the letter.
"What are you yelling about? You've already become the Commander of the Nine Gates, and you're still so unsteady."
Tong Guowei frowned: "Close the door."
Longcodo turned away sullenly and closed the door.
"Father, what exactly happened in Luoyang?"
"have no idea."
Longkodo was stunned for a moment. It was the first time he had ever heard the word "I don't know" from his father, Tong Banchao.
Tong Guowei's reputation as "Tong Half-Court" was not for nothing. He had people in both the capital and the provinces, and he could easily obtain all kinds of information.
"If even you don't know, then this matter is in trouble."
Longkodo slumped in his chair, already calculating in his mind how likely it was that if Yinzhi fell from power like the deposed crown prince, he would switch allegiance to Yinzhen.
Tong Guowei immediately saw what his son was thinking and shouted, "Get rid of those ideas in your head! Who do you think you are? Do you think you can even get off the boat now?"
The Tong family is now undoubtedly the core of the Eighth Prince's faction. At this point, defecting to the enemy would be no different from political suicide.
Because afterwards, no officials dared to bet with them anymore.
Therefore, they now have no choice but to gamble everything on supporting Prince Lian.
Longkodo looked dejected: "If we had known this would happen, we should have bet on both sides, Father."
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Tong Guowei sneered: "Holding your positions on both sides? When has Prince Yong ever looked up to you? Don't forget who gave you your position as the Commander of the Nine Gates."
Longkodo touched his nose. When did his father become so grateful and righteous? This was unlike the old man's usual behavior.
“Father, I’ve also heard that this seems to be related to Prince Li,” Longkodo continued. “Do you think the Emperor might really be considering reinstating the Crown Prince?”
"It's hard to say. Although Prince Li has not participated in court affairs in recent years, he has not missed any of the rewards and honors. It is possible that the Emperor is testing the court officials," Tong Guowei said in a deep voice.
"What a careless move. We should have suppressed Prince Li when he rebelled, or at least demoted him to a commoner. Now that he has a title, it will be quite troublesome for the Emperor if he wants to reinstate him." Tong Guowei was annoyed. Back then, they were held back by the Emperor, which wore down their patience, so they let the deposed crown prince escape unscathed.
Longkodo: "Father, it's pointless for you to say all this now. What should we do about Prince Lian?"
"Let's find out what happened first." Tong Guowei got up and paced around the room, instructing Longkodo, "Have your men keep a close watch on the defenses of the capital. If it really comes to the worst..."
He has to give it his all, just like Longkodo.
Even Longkodo, who was always bold and quick-witted, was startled by Tong Guowei.
“Father, we must be careful about this. The lesson of Suo'etu is only a few years old.”
If it weren't for the fact that Empress Xiaocheng's maternal clan was spared by Emperor Kangxi, the Hesheli clan would have been completely eradicated. Even so, the Hesheli clan is now far from what it used to be, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it is barely surviving.
Treason is no ordinary crime.
Tong Guowei had clearly thought it through carefully.
“This time is different from before. The Emperor is on a southern tour without taking many troops with him. As long as we control the capital and then join forces with the Governor-General of Sichuan to send troops to control the Emperor, we have a good chance of winning.”
The Governor-General of Sichuan was promoted by Tong Guowei and could be considered one of Tong Guowei's confidants.
"But the Ministry of War is under the control of the Thirteenth Prince, and Prince Yong is also overseeing the country in the capital..."
Longkodo still felt uneasy and was about to persuade the steward again when the steward came to report that the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince had arrived.
"Please come in, both princes."
Tong Guowei straightened his clothes and looked at Longkodo: "Don't tell the two princes what I just said to you. Let's hear what these two have to say first."
Yinzhen was also busy sending several groups of people to inquire about Yinsi's whereabouts, but this time it was indeed a bit strange. The people in Luoyang were very tight-lipped and could not get any information. The only vague thing was that this matter was related to Prince Li. Kangxi was furious and then Yinsi was confined to the Luoyang Palace.
Yinzhi rubbed his aching head, pondering what to do next, when he received another piece of troublesome news: Yinxiang had secretly slipped away to Luoyang again.
Yinzhen smiled helplessly and waved for the eunuch who had come to deliver the message to leave.
Yinxiang also left him a letter saying that he had been waiting for several days but still hadn't heard anything, so he was really worried and had to go to Luoyang even if it was risky. He said that his old subordinates were in Luoyang and that Yinzhen didn't need to worry.
Thirteenth Brother is indeed still the same chivalrous king.
Yinzhen had no choice but to send more men to Luoyang to at least protect the safety of Yinsi and Yinxiang.
Wen Shan has been preoccupied lately. One of her sons is imprisoned in Luoyang, and the other ran away from the capital, almost scaring her to death.
Now that things have come to this, even Wen Shan knows that something bad is probably going to happen, so she didn't interfere with Yinzhen and Yinsi's arrangements. She could only take care of things in the palace and keep the news from Yuqing Palace a secret from Guo Luoluo.
Yinxiang traveled day and night for three days before arriving. Yinzhen had arranged for several palace servants to be stationed at the temporary palace, and Yinxiang secretly slipped in that night.
Yinzhi was imprisoned in a small palace at the southernmost part of the Luoyang Imperial Palace. When Yinxiang went in at night, only one room was lit by candlelight, and the courtyard was bare and looked very desolate, with hardly any palace servants.
Yinxiang was so angry that his eighth brother, such a picky person, was locked up in such a place.
Yinxiang pushed open the door and saw Yinsi reading a book.
"Myna!"
When Yinzhi heard the door open, he looked up and saw Yinxiang taking off his cloak and walking quickly toward him.
Yinzhi was first startled, then felt a surge of comfort.
"Why are you here?" Yinzhi got up and pulled Yinxiang to look out the window. It was quiet and there was no one outside.
"Sneaked in?"
Yinxiang: "My fourth brother and I learned that you were confined by Father and that we haven't heard from you since, but we couldn't rest easy without coming to see you."
Yinzhi patted his shoulder: "Does Fourth Brother know you're here?"
"My fourth brother initially told me not to come, but I came secretly and left a letter for him." Yinxiang scratched his head.
Yinsi naturally understood why Yinzhen didn't want Yinxiang to come, and he also understood that Yinzhen definitely couldn't stop Yinxiang.
"Alright, Eighth Brother, let's not talk about that now. What exactly happened?" Yinxiang eagerly pulled Yinsi down to sit; this was the important matter now.
Yinzhi smiled and said, "Father knows about the Crown Prince's matter."
Yinxiang's heart skipped a beat: "What matter?"
Yinzhi said leisurely, "Unfortunately, it was I who instigated the Crown Prince to rebel."
Yinxiang: "!!!"
Although the Crown Prince and Suo'etu started the rebellion on their own initiative, Yinzhi also gave it a push through Tong Guowei.
The trigger that made the Crown Prince and Suo'etu so eager to take action was that the Fourteenth Prince couldn't stand it anymore and was arrested when Uya fell seriously ill. This was something that Yinzhi had planned behind the scenes.
Yinzhi truly suffered a loss while on tour this time. Without many trusted confidants by his side, he was imprisoned and unable to send out messages.
"How did Father Emperor find out?" Yinxiang asked hurriedly.
Mynah birds are always cautious, especially when it comes to something so important, they shouldn't leave any evidence against them.
“That old fellow Suo’etu left someone in the palace. It turns out that he had already sensed that something was wrong with the Fourteenth Brother’s matter. It was also my carelessness that prevented me from dealing with these irrelevant people.”
Yinzhi spoke casually, but Yinxiang was already on the verge of jumping up in anxiety.
"This is troublesome, this is really troublesome!"
Yinxiang's heart pounded: "No, Eighth Brother, you must come back to the capital with me immediately to discuss countermeasures with Fourth Brother. If Father finds out about this, he will surely punish you severely!"
Yinxiang felt extremely distressed when he recalled the suffering and torment he endured during the more than ten years he was imprisoned in the beekeeping alley in his previous life. He vowed that he would never let his brother suffer the same fate as him!
“Thirteenth Brother.” Yinzhi pulled Yinxiang, who was as fiery as a firecracker, and pressed him down to sit: “Since things have come to this, we can only protect you and Fourth Brother for now. Fortunately, you two haven’t been dragged into this.”
"Brother Ba, what are you saying? Every decision we made was made by the three of us together."
However, in the end, it was Yinzhi who took the blame for them, so he was even less likely to watch Yinzhi be punished.
Yinzhi's calm demeanor suggests he has come to understand that once Kangxi learns of this, it will likely be only a matter of time before he is reinstated as crown prince, and Yinzhi will undoubtedly be the first to be sacrificed. However, killing him is unlikely; at most, he will be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court or, more ruthlessly, demoted to a commoner.
None of that matters. As long as Fourth Brother can ascend the throne, these are minor issues. It's just that he'll suffer a bit.
“Thirteenth brother, listen to me. Even if Father wants to reinstate the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's power is already gone. The Hesheli clan has fallen, and the former Crown Prince's faction has fallen apart. Not to mention, he has not participated in court affairs at all in recent years. Even if Father puts him on the throne, he is exhausted and has no future.”
"Go back to the palace quickly and tell Fourth Brother to prepare. We need to get Father Emperor to step down as soon as possible."
In recent years, they have not only been gradually gaining control of the court, but the craftsmen kept in the capital have also been working day and night to develop many good things. However, Kangxi is somewhat conservative and only scratches the surface of many things, unwilling to promote them on a large scale. A while ago, Yinzhen and the other two had a small meeting and mentioned this matter. They must not let the Qing Dynasty miss this opportunity for rapid development again. Even if their father is in their way, they must find a way.
“Eighth Brother, I will absolutely not let you suffer, and neither will Fourth Brother,” Yinxiang said resolutely.
"Come with me, let's go back to the capital. We'll do what you just said right now. We'll raise an army while Father Emperor is away from the capital."
Yinzhi's eyes welled up with tears, but he still persuaded Yinxiang: "Now is not the time. It is not good for Father to take action while he is outside. We must wait until Father returns to the capital."
With so many officials outside, they couldn't guarantee they had control over them all, not to mention that several governors-general of Zhili had troops under their command. It would be better to wait until Kangxi returned to the palace before taking action.
Yinxiang thought about it and realized that Yinsi made sense, but he still couldn't bear to see Yinsi suffer.
"I'm not suffering much here, sheltered from the wind and rain. When we get back to the capital, you and Fourth Brother will take care of me. It's alright. If we act quickly, I shouldn't be locked up for long," Yinzhi said with a smile.
Yinxiang looked around the room and became even angrier: "How come there isn't even a servant?"
Father Emperor, this is going too far.
"Yes, I found them annoying, so I sent them out first." Yinzhi brushed the dust off Yinxiang's shoulder and said gently, "Go back and tell your fourth brother about this, and let him make the decision."
Yinxiang gritted his teeth: "I'll rush back tonight, Eighth Brother, take care."
Yinzhi smiled and said, "Alright, take good care of your eighth sister-in-law. She's pregnant, so don't let anyone bully her."
Yinxiang nodded: "Don't worry, we'll get you out."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
