Chapter 24 Wen Shan looked at Yin Si calmly…
Looking at Yinzhi's calm and composed demeanor, Wen Shan felt both a sense of expectation and a touch of unfamiliarity.
Yinzhi was always well-behaved and adorable in front of her. He was a very likable child. Although she had thought he was precocious before, when he was with Wenshan, Yinzhi would also act cute and silly to make her happy.
But his current appearance made Wen Shan feel as if she were seeing the Eighth Prince, who was shrewd and calculating.
But upon closer inspection, isn't this still the same youngest son she's been caring for day and night, feeding him, changing his diapers, and raising him herself?
Although Yinzhi appeared calm and composed, a thin layer of cold sweat had actually appeared on his palms and back.
Mother...will he scare her? Will she still accept him?
Unexpectedly, Wen Shan only paused for a moment before slowly saying "I understand."
"Okay, Mother understands. Quickly cover yourself with the blanket and go to sleep."
Seeing that Yinzhi was sitting in a thin nightgown, Wenshan quickly tucked him into the quilt: "Don't kick off the quilt, it's so cold and you'll catch a cold."
Although there's a heater burning inside, it's still freezing cold today, so we need to be careful to keep warm.
Yinzhi listened blankly to Wenshan's usual nagging and instructions. He blinked and was tucked into the warm quilt by Wenshan.
"Mother, is there anything you want to ask me?" Yinzhi asked.
He was prepared to be questioned, but his mother seemed unconcerned.
"We'll talk after you wake up." Wen Shan patted his head and said softly, "If you don't sleep at noon, you'll be like a wilted eggplant in the afternoon. Go to sleep first."
Since Yinzhi is here and can't run away, let the child go to sleep first. It'll also be a good opportunity for her to sort out these matters.
"Mother, in this situation... I'm having a hard time sleeping." Yinzhi said helplessly. After such a big announcement, he was still feeling uneasy. How could he possibly fall asleep so easily?
Wen Shan thought it made sense, so she helped Yin Si put on some clothes and helped him sit up.
"First of all, is your fourth brother alright?" Wen Shan asked cautiously after thinking for a moment.
Yinzhen was also a very clever child. Since both of his sons were reborn, the three of them were truly a perfect match.
Yinzhi shook his head: "Fourth Brother is perfectly normal."
Wenshan breathed a sigh of relief, then leaned closer mysteriously: "Then Mother will tell you a secret, just the two of us."
“Mother comes from the future, from… the future after the Qing Dynasty has already perished.”
Yinzhi's eyes widened. What had his mother just said?!
What future generations?
What happened to the Qing Dynasty?
In order not to shock Yinzhi's young heart too much, Wenshan even hesitated to tell him that in her time, not only did the Qing Dynasty cease to exist, but even the emperor was gone.
Dynastic changes have been common throughout the ages, and the Qing Dynasty could not last for ten thousand years. Therefore, Yinzhi only sighed slightly and accepted the fact that the Qing Dynasty had fallen. He did not ask for the reasons, after all, knowing such things would only make him feel bad. Now he just wanted to live a comfortable life. He would leave these troublesome things to his fourth brother in the future.
He thought to himself, no wonder his mother had changed so much in this life, and the situation in the palace was completely different from before. Many of the problems that had troubled Yinzhi had been answered.
It turns out that his mother, like him, was not originally from this world.
Yinzhi felt inexplicably happy, as if a secret yet strong thread had connected him and his mother.
Yinzhi paused for a moment before asking, "Mother, you also know about the things between me and Fourth Brother, right?"
"The struggle for the throne among the nine princes? It's quite famous in later generations, the Eighth Prince~" Wen Shan had completely recovered and was now joking with Yin Si with a smile.
As expected, Yinzhi blushed and said, "Mother, these are just the officials shouting nonsense."
After Yinzhi died in confinement in the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, he came here and knew nothing about what happened afterward. When he learned that Wenshan came from the future, he kept pestering her to ask about what happened later.
After learning from Wen Shan that his fourth brother had only been emperor for thirteen years before passing away, Yinzhi remained silent for a long time.
If it were his past life, he would have celebrated with drums and gongs, but now he couldn't feel happy at all.
In fact, Fourth Brother is a very sentimental person. He will treat those he approves of with all his heart. You can tell by how he treats Thirteenth Brother.
As for enemies, like Yinzhi, well... he was also completely devoted to them, but only in a physical sense.
A truly clear-cut love and hate, a strong personality that cannot tolerate any flaws.
This can be vaguely seen from the way my fourth brother behaved when he was young.
By this time, Yinsi, who had been with Yinzhen for a year, had already begun to change his attitude towards Yinzhen under Yinzhen's daily care and companionship.
"So that's why you were so rude to your brother when you first came to Xianfu Palace. You were holding a grudge." Wen Shan also recalled the various "misdeeds" Yin Si had committed against Yin Zhen when he first arrived. During that time, Yin Zhen was worried every day, thinking that his younger brother disliked him. Wen Shan still vividly remembers how he wanted to play with his younger brother but dared not approach him.
Yinzhi felt a little guilty when he recalled these things, and now he realized that he had indeed been somewhat blaming others.
"Do you still hold a grudge against your fourth brother?" Wen Shan nudged Yin Si and asked.
“That’s all in the past.” Yinzhi shook his head, thought for a moment and said, “Actually, Fourth Brother was a good emperor. Given the circumstances at the time, he was more suitable than me to be the helmsman of the Qing Dynasty.”
"So...do you still want to be emperor in this life?"
Yinzhi looked at Wenshan with disbelief: "Of course I don't want to. Let Fourth Brother continue to be the one."
"I was already exhausted enough in my previous life. Now I want to be a carefree prince, with my fourth brother protecting me, just like he did for the thirteenth prince before." Yinzhi secretly compared himself to the prince.
Wen Shan reminded him, "Old Thirteen died from overwork even earlier than your Fourth Brother."
Yinzhi: "..."
"Then let the thirteenth prince continue doing this for the rest of his life. I'll stay with Mother." Yinzhi quickly changed his mind and habitually started to act coquettishly towards Wenshan.
The mother and son talked until the very end, and only one question remained: whether or not to tell Yinzhen about this.
In fact, Wen Shan's suggestion was just a formality, because the two quickly reached a tacit agreement to wait until Yinzhen himself realized something was wrong before making any further statements.
After they finished talking, Yinzhi cautiously asked, "Mother, then I..."
"Of course you're still my son." Wen Shan smiled and hugged Yin Si. "No matter who you are, in your mother's heart you'll always be the son I've raised since you were a baby. Your mother will always love you."
Yinzhi was somewhat caught off guard by Wenshan's direct attack.
Looking at his flustered appearance, Wen Shan thought to herself, "He's clearly still just a child."
That afternoon, as usual, Yinzhen came to accompany his mother and younger brother, but he noticed that today seemed a little different from usual.
Sometimes his mother and younger brother would look at each other and smile for no apparent reason, and their gazes at him were also a little strange. Yinzhen asked Wenshan in a serious tone if she and her younger brother were hiding something from him.
“Yes, Mother and Yinzhi have a little secret,” Wenshan said with a smile.
Yinzhi nodded in agreement.
A secret known only to him and his mother.
Yinzhen was somewhat frustrated: "Can't you tell me?"
Wen Shan and Yin Si both shook their heads.
Yinzhen was furious, but not too upset. He now understood that everyone has secrets. He secretly thought that one day he would also have secrets with his mother and his younger brother, and he would not tell anyone.
In the days leading up to the New Year, the Crown Prince came several more times, making excuses such as discussing studies with Yinzhen or visiting Yinsi. After exhausting all reasonable pretexts to freeload a meal, the Crown Prince gave up and would send someone every few days to ask if he could come over for a meal.
Even Emperor Kangxi was somewhat surprised that the Crown Prince would visit Xianfu Palace so frequently. However, considering Wen Shan's culinary skills, he found it understandable. But as Confucius said, "A gentleman does not seek to be full when eating, nor does he seek comfort when dwelling. He is diligent in his work and cautious in his speech." As the heir apparent, the Crown Prince should not be too fond of pleasure. Therefore, before the New Year, Emperor Kangxi stopped the Crown Prince from coming to Xianfu Palace to freeload.
Although Wen Shan wasn't particularly happy about the Crown Prince frequently coming to freeload meals, she still found Kangxi's behavior quite despicable.
Emperor Kangxi never seemed to eat less than usual.
Aren't they just here to freeload meals and land?
Wen Shan privately asked Yin Si what Kangxi's attitude was towards the Crown Prince. It seemed that he doted on him now, but in the end, he still deposed him from the position of Crown Prince twice.
Hearing Yinzhi recount the story of the Nine Princes' struggle for the throne filled Wen Shan with anticipation. Even if there were historical records in later generations, they would certainly be incomplete or completely contrary to the truth of the time.
Yinzhi thought for a while and said, "Father Emperor truly loves and cherishes the Crown Prince. He genuinely wants the Crown Prince to inherit the throne. However, the Crown Prince is not someone to be entrusted with the throne. If it weren't for Father Emperor's favoritism, there would have been no second reinstatement."
Soon after reinstating the crown prince, Kangxi realized that Yinreng was indeed not a qualified heir apparent, let alone an emperor. Between father-son affection and the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi chose the Qing Dynasty and deposed the crown prince once again.
Ever since Wen Shan and Yin Si had their falling out, Wen Shan often got together to chat. Yin Si was curious about the court situation after his death, while Wen Shan was curious about the real situation of the famous Nine Princes' Succession Struggle.
"Third Brother? Third Brother has always supported the Crown Prince. He didn't have much interest in it himself. Later, he just wrote some books and articles."
"The relationship between the fourteenth brother and the fourth brother is indeed just so-so; they don't usually interact much."
"The Emperor's death was sudden. It was Longkodo who conveyed the Emperor's oral edict. There was no will at all. It would be somewhat understandable if we said that there was something fishy about the Fourth Brother's ascension to the throne, but the idea that the throne was to be passed to the Fourteenth Son was changed to the Fourth Son is too absurd."
Finally, Yinzhi dropped a bombshell on Wenshan.
At the beginning of the struggle for the throne, Yinzhen's chances of winning were not great and he was not taken seriously. At that time, the two well-known forces were the Crown Prince's Party and the Eighth Prince's Party.
Contrary to Wen Shan's belief that Yinzhen was initially a member of the Crown Prince's faction, Yinzhen was actually a member of the Eighth Prince's faction at first.
Unlike the ninth and tenth brothers, he was just a peripheral figure and not deeply involved.
Moreover, according to Yinzhi, it is highly likely that Yinzhen was just putting on an act at that time, and had long harbored the ambition to seize the throne, but was simply biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity.
After the Crown Prince was deposed, Yinzhi was implicated by the First Prince and consequently disliked by Emperor Kangxi. Yinzhen then completely changed his stance and broke away from the Eighth Prince's faction.
Yinzhi secretly complained to Wenshan about how outrageous his fourth brother had been. After Yinzhen ascended the throne and began to settle scores with Yinzhi, he ordered Yinzhi to hand over all the imperial edicts written to him by Kangxi. Yinzhi replied that some of them could not be found, but Yinzhen did not believe him and kept urging him, forcing Yinzhi to swear to heaven that if he told a single lie, his whole family would die. Unexpectedly, Yinzhen used this to attack him, saying that he had treacherous intentions and was deliberately cursing him.
Because Yinzhen and Yinsi were also from the same family.
Wen Shan: "..."
Wen Shan was taken aback; she hadn't expected this turn of events. No wonder Yin Si was so annoyed with Yin Zhen at first.
Wen Shan also gave Yin Si a general account of what happened after his death.
"It was expected that Hongli would inherit the throne. Fourth Brother didn't have many sons, and he valued Hongli very much."
While eating the cheese sticks that Wen Shan had specially made for him, Yinzhi mumbled, "The Ten-Complete Emperor, what a boastful tone. But to live to this age is indeed quite an achievement, and to have become the Retired Emperor, tsk tsk."
Yinzhen went to walk the dog in the Imperial Garden. Wenshan dismissed all the palace servants and chatted with Yinsi while making a ruyi knot.
Wen Shan said, "It is said that he was raised by your Emperor Father for several years and was designated as a good grandson. He deliberately avoided the sixty-one-year limit of your Emperor Father's reign, which is why he abdicated."
“That’s true, but not for many years.” Yinzhi’s little hand reached for the biscuits next to him, “Father did bring him into the palace and take care of him for a while. I don’t remember exactly how long, but it shouldn’t have been more than a few years.”
Yinzhi had a fairly good opinion of Hongli, saying he was both capable and shrewd, so it was reasonable for the fourth brother to choose him.
However, when he heard that his nephew had later exonerated him and restored his clan status and imperial genealogy, he was not happy but frowned.
"Doesn't this kid's actions confirm the rumors that Fourth Brother forced his brothers to kill each other?"
That's such a filial son.
Wen Shan thought to herself, "That's because you don't know that your fourth brother published an epic masterpiece called 'The Great Righteousness Awakens the Delusion,' which was originally intended to refute rumors, but ended up spreading those rumors all over the world."
The mother and son were chatting enthusiastically when the door suddenly opened, and Yinzhen ran in, leading Fuqi by the hand.
It's snowing outside, so Yinzhen came back early today.
"Mother, what are you and my brother talking about? Who is Hongli?"
"..."
Yinzhen and Yinsi never needed to announce their arrival to enter the palace, so Pearl and the others didn't stop them. Yinzhen stood in the corridor for a while, brushing the snow off his clothes, and happened to hear his mother and younger brother talking inside.
I didn't hear it clearly, I only heard the name Hongli.
"It's nothing, just a character from a storybook. Your mother is telling your brother a story right now," Wen Shan said casually.
Fortunately, Yinzhen didn't delve into it further. Instead, he brought over a stool and eagerly wanted to listen as well.
Yinzhi twisted his body and said that his brother couldn't listen.
Yinzhen: ?
"Because Mother has finished speaking, if you want to listen any longer, you have to help Mother with chores."
Wen Shan was both amused and exasperated to see Yinzhen being ordered around by Yinsi to fetch snacks and fruit.
Yinzhi looked at Wenshan with a smile and said, "Mother, Fourth Brother has gone to get us food. You have to tell us a story later."
"..."
Good lad, you've got her hooked too.
On New Year's Eve, Wen Shan got up early to steam red bean rice cakes and three-delicacy buns before going to Yinzhen and Yinsi's room to wake the two children and put them in new clothes.
"These two garments were made by your mother and Consort Wei themselves." Wen Shan nodded with satisfaction as she looked at Yinzhen and Yinsi, who looked good and spirited in them.
Yinzhi looked down at the intricate embroidery and ran forward, saying, "Mother, one should be kind. Did Mother Wei make this?"
The embroidery and workmanship are clearly not something my mother could have done.
To distinguish between his two mothers, Yinzhi would call Consort Wei "Mother Wei" in front of Wenshan, and Consort Wei "Mother Xuan" in front of Wenshan.
However, when both of his mothers were present, Yinzhi would often shout incoherently, making Wenshan and Consort Wei laugh.
Wen Shan: "..."
That brat is talking nonsense! She clearly sewed the buttons on too!
Seeing Wen Shan's expression, Yinzhen grabbed his younger brother and ran out before his mother could get angry, to dress Fuqi in new clothes as well.
"Yin Si, tidy up your bed later, it's a complete mess." Wen Shan's light voice came from behind.
Yinzhi was on the verge of tears, regretting that he hadn't teased his mother.
Now he's in trouble again; he'll have to fight with the blankets and bedding in bed.
What can he do with his tiny body?
Yinzhen pinched his little face: "That's what you do, trying to embarrass your mother."
Yinzhi stroked the soft, auspicious fur of the dog, snorted, and said nothing.
Yinzhen suppressed a laugh: "Alright, I'll go with you to pack up later."
After finishing her breakfast, Wen Shan plunged into the small kitchen to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner. This was their first New Year together, so of course they had to make grand preparations. During this time, they also received orders from the Empress Dowager and Consort Rong.
Both of them were pestered by the Fifth Prince and the Third Prince. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was fine because Wen Shan often delivered meals to Cining Palace. However, Consort Rong hesitated for a long time but finally gave in to the Third Prince's persistent pleading and came to Xianfu Palace herself.
They sat there for a while, too embarrassed to say it, after all, it was really too much to ask the Imperial Concubine to cook for them during the New Year.
Wen Shan was still thinking about the fish in the pot. Seeing Rong Fei's hesitant manner, she became anxious and asked her directly what was wrong. Rong Fei gritted her teeth and told her that the Third Prince had been crying and making a fuss about wanting to eat the dishes Wen Shan made on New Year's Eve.
After she finished speaking, Consort Rong hurriedly instructed the palace maids behind her to bring up the gifts she had prepared.
"Your Highness, I know that my visit is abrupt but I have no intention of being disrespectful. It's just that this child, Yinzhi, has been bothering me all morning, and I had no choice but to come here."
Wen Shan, who now also has two children, deeply sympathizes with Consort Rong's helpless state of being entangled with her children. Even a mother would find it unbearable.
Moreover, Consort Rong brought generous gifts, and Wen Shan glanced at them and saw that four or five palace maids were carrying mahogany trays.
“I understand your loving mother’s heart.” Wen Shan thought for a moment and said, “How about this, after the banquet at the palace, I will send someone to deliver the food box to Zhongcui Palace, so that my sister and the Third Prince can stay up together to celebrate the New Year.”
Consort Rong was overjoyed and thanked her repeatedly, saying that she would be grateful if Wen Shan didn't have to go through the trouble of making a dish or two to fool the Third Prince.
Wen Shan was very happy with these customers who remembered her cooking skills. Before leaving, Consort Rong specially packed some freshly baked rice cakes and buns for her to take back and appease the Third Prince. Consort Rong was so moved that she almost burst into tears. She thought to herself that the rumors were indeed true. Consort Xuan was honest and simple. She should get closer to her in the future.
The grand banquet that evening went much as Wen Shan had anticipated. The event was large and there were many people. Because it was New Year's Eve, the smiles among everyone as they toasted each other seemed more genuine.
Wen Shan thought to herself that the phrase "New Year's Day" is indeed a powerful tool for letting go of grudges at any time.
Consort Niohuru and Imperial Noble Consort sat on either side of Emperor Kangxi. Imperial Noble Consort was clearly in much better health than before, and her complexion was rosy. Consort Niohuru now held great power, and Emperor Kangxi had always favored her, so she was also radiant.
In particular, the Imperial Noble Consort has kept a low profile recently, never touching any palace power, and has become much more humble in her conduct, deliberately avoiding many conflicts with Noble Consort Niohuru.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were old and only stayed at the palace banquet for a short while before returning to Cining Palace. After watching the two old matriarchs leave, Wenshan asked Pearl to go back to Xianfu Palace to deliver the dishes she had prepared to Cining Palace.
The dishes prepared by the Imperial Kitchen tonight were quite good, far exceeding the usual level, according to Wen Shan. In particular, the Eight Treasure Duck was very flavorful. Wen Shan was busy feeding Yin Zhen and Yin Si. Kangxi looked down from the head of the table and saw that all of his concubines were chatting and toasting with smiles. Only Wen Shan, after saying a few words of celebration and offering a toast at the beginning, did not move and focused on the dishes in front of her.
Despite being one of only two imperial concubines in the palace with a prestigious position, she is the first to have such a low profile.
Kangxi shook his head. Seeing this, Consort Yi stood up, said a few auspicious words, and then toasted Kangxi. After she set the example, the other concubines were not to be outdone, especially those who rarely saw Kangxi throughout the year. They all seized this opportunity to make their presence known.
By the time of Xu (7-9 PM), the palace banquet was almost over. Kangxi would go to Cining Palace to spend the New Year with the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager. This year, the Imperial Noble Consort would also accompany him.
Consort Niohuru was naturally not very happy. Although she held great power in the six palaces, she was still a Noble Consort with the same rank as the Empress Dowager, and she couldn't say anything about it.
Wen Shan didn't care about any of that. She called on Consort Wei and they went back to Xianfu Palace hand in hand.
Wenshan had already wrapped the dumplings in the afternoon, and now, for good luck, everyone wrapped a few more together before cooking. The New Year's Eve dinner was very lavish, and even Yinzhen and Yinsi, who were used to Wenshan's cooking, praised it highly.
After finishing their meal, they took some fruits and snacks. Wen Shan and Consort Wei chatted, while Yin Zhen and Yin Si played with Fu Qi on the side.
"Mother, Mother, it seems like Fuqi is about to give birth!"
Yinzhen suddenly ran over, looking anxious.
Wenshan was startled. After thinking for a moment, she realized that Fuqi's due date was still half a month away, so she quickly sent someone to the dog kennel to ask for help.
Fortunately, the birth went smoothly; she gave birth to two puppies before the kennel staff even arrived.
One was pure black, and the other had a small white patch on its neck.
After finishing all that work, it was exactly midnight. Looking at the two newborn little lives, Wen Shan thought to herself, "It really is the beginning of the new year. The new year will surely go smoothly."
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, good news came from the palace.
Consort Yi is pregnant.
At this time, Consort De was already more than six months pregnant. In the spring and summer of the twenty-first year of Kangxi's reign, she gave birth to a princess. She should have been the seventh daughter of the emperor. However, the princess was born weak and despite two months of careful care, she could not keep the baby. Consort De was heartbroken, and Kangxi stayed with her for a few days before she felt a little better.
Following this, both Consort Niohuru and Imperial Noble Consort became pregnant, and the addition of three high-ranking pregnant concubines to the palace at once diluted the grief brought about by the princess's untimely death.
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