Chapter 32 Upon hearing the Sixth Prince's words, Yin...
Upon hearing the Sixth Prince's words, Yinzhen's expression became even more serious. He said with a stern face, "We are all brothers. Even among brothers, there should be a distinction of seniority. To use blood ties to determine closeness and distance and then try to use this to blackmail or protect someone shows that the teachings of your father and tutors have been wasted. If this continues, I'm afraid you will live a mediocre life and accomplish nothing to comfort your father's heart."
After hearing what had happened, the eldest prince was already somewhat embarrassed, because no matter how you looked at it, it was the sixth prince's inappropriate behavior. To put it bluntly, it could be considered as forcibly seizing a gift from the emperor. The eldest prince originally wanted to find a way to gloss over the matter, but he didn't expect the sixth prince to dare to mention Consort De in front of his fourth brother.
Everyone in the palace knew that although the Fourth Prince was Consort De's biological son, they had long since stopped interacting. He was initially raised by the Imperial Noble Consort and later went to Consort Xuan's palace, never spending a single day in Yonghe Palace. Moreover, Consort De had always been indifferent to this son. Ever since the Imperial Noble Consort devised a way to persuade Emperor Kangxi not to require Yinzhen to pay his respects at Yonghe Palace every day, the mother and son had almost no contact.
Occasionally, when they bumped into each other at palace banquets, the Fourth Prince would simply ask Consort Ande a question and nod, and that would be the end of it; they wouldn't exchange a single word.
Especially after the birth of the Seventh Princess, Consort De was busy taking care of her son and daughter, and had even less energy to give to the Fourth Prince.
Although they are biological mother and son, they look no different from strangers.
The Sixth Prince felt his head buzzing as he listened to Yinzhen's series of reprimands. Then, a surge of grievance and anger welled up in his heart, and his little tyrant temper in Yonghe Palace flared up. He cried loudly, "No wonder Mother said you're not my brother. You're someone Mother didn't want. You're a debt collector. You're someone else's child!"
"I want to find my mother! You're all bullying me!"
The Sixth Prince cried loudly, while the other princes in the Imperial Study gasped and stood there dumbfounded, not daring to utter a word.
Even the Seventh Prince, who was usually the least noticeable, opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
Yinzhen was surprised that the Sixth Prince would say such a thing, and it was clear that Consort De had told him these words.
So that's what he was like in his mother's heart.
A debt collector she abandoned.
Yinzhen didn't speak, but lowered his eyes slightly.
Yinzhi clenched his fists as he watched the fleeting look of dejection on his fourth brother's face. This Consort De was as biased as ever, favoring the sixth prince now and the fourteenth prince later. In her heart, the fourth brother was like someone she had picked up off the street.
So many concubines' children in the palace were raised in other palaces, but none of them turned out like her.
They take out their anger on their own children.
And they even said such... mean and vicious things.
Now that this has been said in front of so many princes, how is Fourth Brother supposed to face this situation?
What are you saying!
The Fifth Prince, another little tyrant of Cining Palace, couldn't stand it any longer. He jumped off his chair and ran to the Sixth Prince, shoving him directly.
"What are you saying to Fourth Brother? If you want to bully Fourth Brother, you'll have to ask me first!"
Wen Shan often took Yin Zhen and Yin Si to Cining Palace. Consort Yi and Wen Shan had a good relationship, so in this life, the Fifth Prince was the closest to the two brothers, Yin Zhen and Yin Si. In particular, the Fifth Prince even called himself Yin Zhen's in-law, which made their relationship even closer.
The Sixth Prince was pampered as he grew up, and so was the Fifth Prince. So he couldn't stand Yinzhen being humiliated by the Sixth Prince and confronted the Sixth Prince directly.
Seeing that his two younger brothers were about to fight, the Third Prince quickly separated them, while the Fifth Prince waved his fist at the Sixth Prince and muttered to him to be careful.
Finally, the Crown Prince stepped forward and asked in a stern voice, "Sixth Brother, who taught you to say these things?"
Although the Sixth Prince was spoiled and domineering, he was not stupid. As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had spoken without thinking and had gotten himself into trouble. So he immediately softened his attitude and returned to the obedient and cute appearance he had in front of Emperor Kangxi.
"I'm sorry, Fourth Brother, I... I misspoke. I just said something carelessly," the Sixth Prince said timidly.
Yinzhen remained silent, only staring coldly at him.
The crown prince felt a headache coming on at the sight before him. He rubbed his temples and decided to play peacemaker.
"Fourth brother, sixth brother is young and doesn't know any better. It must have been some unreliable servants gossiping and he overheard it. Since sixth brother knows he was wrong, please forgive him this time."
If this matter escalates to the point that it involves the Emperor and other influential consorts like the Imperial Noble Consort, the Noble Consort Xuan, and the Consort De, it will cause trouble. As the Crown Prince, he has a responsibility to oversee the princes in the Imperial Study. It's better to avoid trouble altogether.
"Sixth Brother is young, so it's alright if he misspoke. After all, he's still immature," Yinzhi said, tilting his head.
The crown prince was somewhat embarrassed.
It was indeed somewhat ironic that the youngest person present, Yinzhi, would say such a thing.
Finally, seeing the Sixth Prince's timid and evasive gaze, Yinzhen gave the Crown Prince face and nodded.
The prince breathed a sigh of relief and told everyone to disperse and stop crowding around.
The Sixth Prince pouted and told the little eunuch to pack his things, as he wanted to hurry back to the palace to see his mother.
Just as he was about to leave, Yinzhen blocked his way again.
Although the Sixth Prince had just spoken arrogantly to Yinzhen, it was only in a fit of anger. Now that he had calmed down, he was still quite afraid of his always cold and serious Fourth Brother.
"Fourth Brother, is there anything else?"
Yinzhen stretched out his hand, palm up: "Return Eighth Brother's calligraphy brush."
The Sixth Prince has become well-behaved now. He took out the writing brush and handed it to Yinzhen with a pitiful expression before quickly running away.
Yinzhen handed the brush to Yinsi, patted his head and said, "In the future, if you feel embarrassed to refuse when others ask for your things, just tell your brother. Don't let people bully you all the time."
The Third Prince, who was passing by, wondered how deep his Fourth Brother's misunderstanding of the Eighth Brother was, that someone else was bullying him.
He had witnessed his eighth brother digging pits for others to jump into several times with a smile on his face.
Therefore, he knew from the beginning that his eighth brother was a seemingly kind but actually difficult person to deal with, a so-called smiling tiger.
Yinzhi looked down at the pen. When Yinzhen saw that he didn't move, he pushed it forward again and urged, "Take it."
"elder brother……"
Yinzhen interrupted him: "Go back to the palace quickly, your mother is waiting for you to have lunch."
After saying that, she rubbed his head again: "I'm fine, go back."
No sooner had Baoquan finished speaking than he was already peering out of the study, carrying the lunch Wenshan had prepared for Yinzhen, and also taking the Eighth Prince back with him.
Seeing that Yinzhen didn't want to say more, and since the Imperial Study was indeed not a place for conversation, Yinsi could only return to Xianfu Palace first.
As soon as Yinzhi returned, Wenshan noticed that Yinzhi's mood was off; he seemed a bit depressed and angry, so something must have happened.
Yinzhi didn't intend to hide it from Wenshan and told her what had just happened.
Wen Shan's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. Yinzhen looked cold and aloof, but he was actually very sensitive. Although his relationship with Consort De had long since weakened, even an ordinary person would find it hard to accept hearing his own brother say how much his mother disliked him.
"Empress De, how could you say such things to the Sixth Prince?" Wen Shan was furious when she heard this.
Then she thought about how Consort De might have said even more hurtful things in Yonghe Palace, and she became even angrier.
When the Sixth Prince returned to Yonghe Palace, he immediately burst into tears. When Consort De saw his aggrieved appearance, she quickly put down the Seventh Princess, whom she was coaxing to sleep, and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the Sixth Prince's tears. She asked, "What's wrong? Who bullied our Yinzhuo? Tell your mother, and your mother will help you get revenge."
The Sixth Prince clung to Consort De's neck, sobbing. While trying to comfort him, Consort De glared at a nearby eunuch and said, "You tell me, what's wrong with the Sixth Prince?"
The young eunuch, naturally unable to speak ill of the Sixth Prince in front of Consort De, hesitated for a moment before saying, "Today in the Imperial Study, His Majesty bestowed calligraphy brushes upon the princes. The Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince exchanged brushes, and later the Eighth Prince became somewhat unhappy, so the Fourth Prince reprimanded our prince."
The young eunuch's vague explanation conveniently covered up the Sixth Prince's mistake.
When Consort De heard that the matter stemmed from the imperial brush, she immediately understood the situation and waved her hand, dismissing the young eunuch.
Consort De picked up the Sixth Prince and coaxed him, "Alright, be good, don't cry. It's just a writing brush. I'll find you whatever you want."
The Sixth Prince sat in Consort De's lap, acting coquettishly and persistently: "I want the Eighth Brother's one. The Eighth Brother agreed to exchange with me, but the Fourth Brother wants to go back."
Yinzhen...
Consort De took a piece of pastry and gave it to the Sixth Prince, saying, "Didn't your mother tell you not to have too much contact with your Fourth Brother? He holds a grudge against your mother, so naturally he takes it out on you."
When Consort De heard the eunuch point out that the trouble was caused by the Sixth Prince wanting to exchange the imperial brush with the Eighth Prince, she knew that this matter could not be made a big deal out of it, so she could only coax the Sixth Prince.
"But, but Fourth Brother is my own brother! We were both born to Mother!" Sixth Prince blinked his eyes, eating pastries as he asked in confusion.
"But he protected my eighth brother, bullied me together, and even cursed at me!"
Upon hearing this, Consort De immediately frowned: "He insulted you? He was born from my womb, how could he help an outsider... Never mind, I've already pretended that this son was never born."
"Yinzhuo, remember this: you only have one younger sister, Wenxian, and no older brother." Consort De stroked the Sixth Prince's hair. "Yinzhen is already Consort Xuan's son, so naturally he doesn't remember his mother's kindness in raising him. Just ignore him from now on."
"But there's one rule: you must appear close to your father, do you understand what your mother means?"
The Sixth Prince nodded obediently and said, "I've remembered it all."
Consort De put him down and straightened her clothes: "Alright, go play. Later, I'll ask the Eighth Prince what kind of writing brush he has and find you one."
"Two, no, three!"
Consort De smiled indulgently: "Alright, you can have as many as you want. Ruizhu, take the Sixth Prince downstairs to wash his face and change his clothes."
The palace maid responded and led the Sixth Prince away.
"This Yinzhen is indeed born to bring me trouble. From the moment he was born, he has never stopped causing me any worry." Consort De slowly stood up, supported by her personal maid. The crabapple blossoms outside the window were in full bloom.
This is a rare breed that Consort De liked and was specially bestowed upon her by Emperor Kangxi.
Seeing that Consort De's expression was not good, Ruijin, Consort De's personal maid, said, "Your Majesty, why should you be angry for the Fourth Prince?"
Ever since the Imperial Noble Consort interfered and even exempted the Fourth Prince from his daily greetings at Yonghe Palace, Consort De's affection for the Fourth Prince has grown even weaker.
Ruijin had accompanied Consort De from her beginnings as a palace maid to her current position, so she naturally knew why Consort De disliked the Fourth Prince so much.
When Consort De was pregnant with the Fourth Prince, she was still a low-ranking concubine. Fortunately, the Emperor favored her greatly at that time, and as soon as Consort De became pregnant, she was promoted from a low-ranking concubine to a Noble Lady.
At that time, Consort De was very happy with the child in her womb. With this child, she could finally establish a firm foothold in the palace.
She eagerly awaited the birth of her child, only to later learn that the child was conceived by Consort Tongjia, who was then a Noble Consort.
From the day she became pregnant, Consort Tongjia had already pleaded with the Emperor to bring the child, regardless of gender, to Chengqian Palace to comfort her empty knees.
Consort De's rank at that time was not high enough to raise a prince, and it would be even less important if it were a princess, so Kangxi agreed.
Therefore, this position of nobility is not a reward for her, but rather compensation.
She was merely a tool, a tool for Consort Tongjia to bear children.
Especially after Yinzhen was born and brought to Chengqian Palace, Consort Tongjia's hostility and wariness towards her intensified. The torment she endured as a mere concubine was far beyond what she could bear. During those days, she was suppressed to the point of being unable to lift her head, and every concubine in the palace dared to mock and ridicule her.
She thought that giving birth to a prince would allow her to rise to great heights, but now she's just become a stepping stone for Consort Tongjia.
Then one day she suddenly thought that if she hadn't had this child, if Yinzhen hadn't been born, would her path have been less difficult? Consort Tongjia wouldn't have deliberately targeted her. Even without the child, she was confident that she could climb up step by step through her own means. The mere rank of a Noble Lady was not worth it, not worth it at all.
From this perspective, what Yinzhen brought her was not good fortune at all, but rather bad luck.
...
When it was time for dinner, Yinzhen finished his studies. Wenshan saw that he looked normal and did not bring up what happened in the Imperial Study that day. She simply asked him as usual if he was hungry and if there was anything he wanted to eat.
Yinzhen nodded: "I want to eat shrimp and egg custard."
"Okay, Mom will make it for you." Wen Shan pinched his little face. "Your little brother is waiting for you to play chess in the room. Go play with him."
When Yinzhen entered the room, he indeed saw Yinsi fiddling with a pile of glass beads. The chessboard was not a square Go board; it was covered with many tiny holes.
This is the checkers game that Wen Shan taught them. With the intelligence of Yinzhen and Yinsi, playing this game is naturally a piece of cake. So, apart from playing it intensely for a while when they first started learning, they only played it occasionally.
"Brother, you're back." Yinzhi looked up and said with a smile, "Come on, I'm almost done setting it up."
Yinzhen sat down opposite Yinsi, and the two brothers played chess while waiting for dinner.
Wenshan and Zhenzhu had recently made several long cushions, and Yinzhi casually picked one up; it even had a pleasant floral scent.
There were many trinkets on the table. Yinzhi glanced at them and immediately took a liking to a small woven bag that Wenshan was almost finished making. It had a blue cat with a round head embroidered on it, which looked very cute.
"I want this, brother, don't try to take it from me."
Yinzhi made the reservation in advance.
He will take this small bag to the Imperial Study.
Yinzhen said helplessly, "Fine, I won't fight you for it."
Pearl brought up the washed fruit and said with a smile, "The mistress made two, so the young masters don't need to fight over them."
A moment later, Wen Shan came in. The shrimp and egg custard that Yin Zhen had specifically requested was golden and fragrant. Yin Si looked at it and was also a little tempted, so Yin Zhen shared half with him.
"Today I played cards with the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager lost and then cheated, so she owed me more than twenty gold beans on credit," Wen Shan complained to her two sons.
Now that Wen Shan has taken them out to eat, Yinzhen and Yinsi no longer need anyone to serve them. There are no rules about not speaking while eating or sleeping in Xianfu Palace, so usually the mother and her two sons eat and chat at the same time.
Yinzhi said with a smile, "Mother, you must have won too much and angered Mother Huangwuku."
"Nonsense, the Empress Dowager clearly won the most land."
Yinzhi asked curiously, "Why doesn't the Imperial Uku Mama pay the Imperial Grandmother on credit?"
Yinzhen nodded in agreement.
"I bought them on credit, more than thirty of them."
"..."
Good heavens, both Yinzhen and Yinsi fell silent. How much had Huangwuku Mama lost?
Wenshan said she would drag Consort Yi to play cards next time, because Consort Yi had recently gained favor with the Emperor and received many good things from him, so she should bleed a little.
Wen Shan and Yin Si tacitly avoided mentioning the Sixth Prince's matter today. After observing for a while and finding that Yin Zhen was acting normally, Wen Shan secretly told Yin Si not to mention it in front of Yin Zhen, as the more she talked about it, the more it would upset him.
Yinzhi sighed and said, "Mother, do you think I'm such a clueless person?"
Just because Wen Shan and Yin Si didn't mention it doesn't mean the matter is over.
According to the eunuch in Yinzhen's room that night, Yinzhen barely slept, which made Wenshan very distressed.
A few days later, Consort De received news that her father had been accused of embezzlement, bribery, and oppressing the people, and that her brother had forcibly taken a woman and driven her entire family to their deaths.
The people's petition written in blood was delivered directly to Emperor Kangxi's desk.
After investigating, Emperor Kangxi naturally could not tolerate the concubines' families abusing their power by relying on their imperial relatives. He demoted Consort De's father by three ranks and imprisoned her brother.
Consort De in the palace was also implicated. Although she was not punished, Emperor Kangxi was clearly keeping her at arm's length. Once Consort De fell out of favor, Consort Tong and others who had always been at odds with her seized the opportunity to take revenge for the bullying they had suffered at Consort De's hands.
The nominal power in the harem still rested with the Imperial Noble Consort. Although she was in poor health and rarely went out, and most of the palace affairs were delegated to Consort Niohuru and Consort Wenshan, she still had a voice in the palace. A few days ago, the Imperial Noble Consort had heard about the Sixth Prince's affair, so she was too lazy to care about Consort De's matter and simply suppressed it so that Emperor Kangxi wouldn't know. In any case, Emperor Kangxi hadn't seen Consort De recently.
Consort Niohuru and Consort De were rivals vying for the Emperor's favor, so Consort Tong and the others wouldn't care about their antics. Wen Shan wouldn't interfere either. As a result, Consort De was having a very difficult time. Her home was in complete chaos, and she was struggling to make ends meet in the palace. Emperor Kangxi wouldn't see her, and she couldn't even plead for her father and brother.
Yinzhi coldly watched as Consort De was in a state of utter distress, but he was still quite satisfied with the work done by his subordinates.
It's at times like this that the advantages of living a second life become apparent. He knows exactly who he can use, whether in the harem or the court. Moreover, when he wanted to secretly develop his own people, Wen Shan gave Yinzhi the key to the treasury. To win people's hearts and develop connections, besides using his royal status, money is also indispensable.
Wen Shan generously told Yin Si to spend the money as he pleased, since Yin Zhen and Yin Si were still young and she would save another portion for Yin Zhen.
Of course, when Yinzhi got a little older, he stopped taking money out of Wenshan's private treasury and started putting money into it instead.
"Lord Urku sent word for your orders: what should be done next regarding the matter of Uyabulu?" Xiao Shunzi brought Yinzhi a bowl of almond milk syrup while handing him the news from outside the palace.
It's no doubt that Consort De told the Sixth Prince to say such things in the Imperial Study. To humiliate the Fourth Prince in front of so many people and then expect to make a big deal out of it and get away with it is simply a pipe dream.
Yinzhi had already collected a whole bunch of messy things about the Wuya family and was just waiting for the right moment to make a move. Wuya Baolu, the younger brother of Consort De, relied on his sister's love to back him up and preyed on the people, committing all sorts of evil deeds. Any one of his crimes could be a capital offense. The local officials turned a blind eye because Consort De was favored and had two sons and a daughter.
Yinzhi sent out a few words and someone took care of it, and within a few days it was reported to Emperor Kangxi.
Yinzhi then passed on some information about Yonghe Palace to Consort Tong and others. Caught between attacks from both inside and outside the palace, Consort De was soon unable to withstand the pressure.
"The execution will take place in a few days, so let's not make a fuss. Let him go as soon as possible, so that he will have someone to accompany him on his journey to the underworld," Yinzhi said casually.
"Yes, sir."
Yinzhi finished the almond milk drink in a few gulps, thought for a moment and then said, "Tell Urku to handle things neatly and get them done in the next few days. I'm waiting for news to use it."
Yinzhi's eyes darkened; he needed to bleed a little to make Consort De remember the pain.
He has no interest in taking action if it's just a minor skirmish.
After saying that, Yinzhi asked Xiaoshunzi to get him another bowl of almond milk. Xiaoshunzi looked troubled and said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine instructed that you should not use too much."
Yinzhi's face fell immediately, but he didn't say anything more and waved for Xiaoshunzi to go and do his job.
The matter of Consort De has been the talk of the town in the palace recently. Even Consort Wei, who is usually indifferent to worldly affairs and stays in the palace except for Lai Wenshan, has heard about it. One day, when she came to talk to Wenshan, she brought up the matter.
Wen Shan naturally knew that this was Yin Si's doing, but when she heard Consort Wei lamenting that Consort De was having a run of bad luck lately, with so many unpleasant things happening one after another, Wen Shan still pursed her lips guiltily. She couldn't very well tell Consort Wei that all of this was orchestrated by their beloved eldest son, Yin Si.
As the two were talking, Pearl came in from outside.
"Your Majesty, this morning Consort De's younger brother was sentenced to immediate execution, to be executed in the autumn."
Upon hearing this news, Consort Wei chanted Amitabha Buddha a few times: "Doesn't that mean the execution is imminent?"
Wen Shan hadn't expected Yinzhi to act so quickly and ruthlessly, and asked, "Does His Majesty know?"
Pearl nodded: "The Emperor himself issued the decree. Consort De fainted upon hearing the news, and the imperial physician is on his way."
By noon, the news had spread throughout the palace. Consort De removed her hairpins and waited outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation to plead for her brother. She was reprimanded by Emperor Kangxi and sent back to Yonghe Palace. She fell ill the next day.
Yinzhi stroked his chin as he looked at the medical records from the Imperial Hospital, while Physician Zhang swallowed hard and observed the Eighth Prince's expression.
"Is what this says true? He's seriously ill and won't recover?"
Physician Zhang hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, Consort De's illness this time was due to a combination of illness and excessive grief. It was inevitable that she would fall ill under such circumstances. Moreover, Consort De has been depleted by childbirth and has not yet recovered. If she is carefully cared for and avoids extreme joy or sorrow, she will need to rest for two or three months."
Yinzhi threw down the medical record and said, "I understand. You handle it as you see fit."
Physician Zhang wiped his sweat and repeatedly agreed. Just as he was about to take his leave, Yinzhi called him back.
"Is there anything else you need to tell me, Eighth Prince?"
Yinzhi smiled and said, "Since Physician Zhang is already here, please take a pulse for Mother before you leave."
This will also help to cover up the truth.
Physician Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to the main hall.
Yinzhi said listlessly, "Is my master that scary? Look how frightened he is."
He's always been known for his friendly and approachable manner.
Could it be that my skills have declined in this lifetime?
Xiao Shunzi smiled silently to the side. Doctor Zhang had only been following his master for a short time, and was probably not used to such a young child being so mature and composed, with such an imposing aura.
Consort De's fall from favor and subsequent illness meant she missed Emperor Kangxi's first southern tour. Meanwhile, Wen Shan, for the first time since entering the palace, led Yinzhen and Yinsi out of the Forbidden City and headed towards Jiangnan.
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