Chapter 41 Wen Shan hears Yinxiang speak…
Wen Shan was so startled by Yin Xiang's words that she almost dropped what she was holding.
Yinxiang started speaking a month later than Yinsi, but I never expected that he would be able to say so many words so soon after he learned to speak!
Could it be that Xiao Shisan is a late-blooming genius?
Yinxiang was also teased by Yinsi to no end, but his small body was completely powerless to resist. When he saw Wenshan come in, he instinctively cried for help.
It wasn't until Wen Shan ran over, picked him up, and kissed him that he realized what he had just said.
He so naturally blurted out "Empress Xuan" as his mother.
Yinzhi also sat up, looking at him with a half-smile.
Wen Shan didn't notice Yinxiang's little quirk. Just like when Yinsi had just learned to speak, she doted on Yinxiang for a while and then carried him to Jingren Palace to find Consort Min.
When Wenshan and Yinxiang returned, Yinsi had already been reading by himself for quite a while, while Yinzhen had not yet returned from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Although Yinzhi's main purpose in going out this time was to meet with his officials, he also accompanied the Crown Prince and the others when they inspected the fields. Many people's lands had been seized by some officials or wealthy merchants, but they were good at hiding it. Although Yinzhi saw through these tricks at a glance, the Crown Prince and the First Prince, who were dealing with these things for the first time, obviously did not notice anything amiss.
Moreover, it seems that someone bribed the eldest prince.
Yinzhi originally wanted to talk to Yinzhen privately, but then he thought that if his fourth brother knew about this oppression of the people, he would definitely report it to his father, the Emperor.
When the Fourth Prince was a prince, he never considered the balance of interests or the gains and losses in his actions. He was single-mindedly aiming to be a loyal minister, which is why he was called the Cold-Faced King by the officials. This meant that if you committed a crime, it was impossible to ask the Fourth Prince for leniency. Instead, he would personally send you to prison.
If the Fourth Prince finds out, he will probably not let this matter rest until it is thoroughly investigated. Yinzhi knows best how difficult it is to deal with this kind of collusion between officials and merchants. The First Prince is also involved. If the Fourth Prince insists on taking the lead, he will offend the Crown Prince. Wouldn't that make the Crown Prince look incompetent and foolish?
The injustice that even the Crown Prince couldn't see was discovered by the Fourth Prince with his keen eyes.
So Yinzhi thought for a long time that it was better to avoid trouble. Since the matter had been suppressed, he decided to pretend he didn't see it. He could still find a handle against these people in private, which might be useful in the future.
This was also his usual style of doing things in his previous life.
However, he had been raised by Wen Shan for the past few years, and it was Yinzhen who had raised him. Wen Shan was kind-hearted, always considerate of others and the palace servants, and liked to be kind to people.
Yinzhen had always cared deeply for the common people since childhood. When he was studying, he was often taught how wise rulers throughout history had taken the well-being of the people as their own responsibility. Only then did Yinzhen realize that his fourth brother's philosophy had never changed since childhood, and he often said that the people were more important than the ruler.
So, without realizing it, his thoughts were changed a lot, and he felt a pang of pity when he saw these oppressed and forced laborers.
I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night, put on my clothes, and went out for a walk. I happened to find that there were still tenants working in the fields at this hour.
Yinzhi, accompanied by Xiao Shunzi and another personal eunuch, Xiao Luzi, stopped at the edge of the field. The tenant farmers, who were busy with farm work, were quite surprised to see a young master from a wealthy family appearing in the field in the middle of the night. After whispering among themselves, some bolder farmers stepped forward.
"Whose young master are you? Why are you playing here so late? Be careful of mosquitoes and insects, or you might fall."
The tenants, seeing that Yinzhi was only six or seven years old, naturally assumed that the child was just being mischievous and had run out to play. They were also wondering why the adults in the family were so unreliable, given that the child was dressed in such rich clothes. Although they had two servants, it was nighttime in the fields, and they wouldn't dare let their own children, who were that age, come to help in the fields at this time.
After nodding his thanks for the kindness, Yinzhi asked, "Uncle, why are you working at this hour?"
"Sigh, they said some important people are coming, so they don't let us work in the fields during the day. They only let a few people pretend to work. But we can't not do the work in the fields, so they make us work at night."
Yinzhi watched as the tenants toiled in the fields in the dark, their hands chapped, their temples gray, and their faces bearing the marks of years of hard work.
Yinzhi initially thought that the officials here had oppressed the people to such an extent that even elderly people of this age were still doing manual labor.
To my surprise, the old man was only in his forties.
Yinzhi remained silent, standing at the edge of the field for a while before returning.
"The people's lives are full of hardship," Yinzhi said softly.
Although these four words were always on the lips of various officials, and one or two of them seemed to truly care about the people, Yinzhi knew that sometimes showing compassion for the people was just a means, not an end.
He had seen people in far worse condition than this before, but only today did he truly understand what it meant for people's lives to be filled with hardship.
Xiao Shunzi said from the side, "The master is kind-hearted, which is a blessing for all the people in the world."
Yinzhi chuckled. He had heard this kind of talk countless times in his previous life, and it seemed that after hearing it so many times, he had actually fooled himself.
The next day, Yinzhi told Yinzhen about it. Sure enough, Yinzhen's face darkened immediately upon hearing it. Yinzhi deliberately concealed the fact that the eldest prince might be involved, fearing that the fourth prince would clash with the eldest prince in person. He only said that he couldn't sleep last night and went out for a walk, which is how he stumbled upon the matter.
After his anger subsided, Yinzhen scolded Yinsi for going out alone late at night.
That's incredibly audacious. How will he explain it to his mother if something happens?
As it turned out, Yinzhen's reaction was much calmer than Yinsi had expected. Yinzhen really couldn't pretend he hadn't seen it. After thinking for a moment, he said that he should report to the Crown Prince first, since the Crown Prince was the nominal person in charge of their trip this time.
Moreover, after telling the Crown Prince about this matter, Yinzhen did not rush to charge into battle and recklessly take the lead. Although he was worried about it, he still did not overstep the Crown Prince's authority in any matter.
Knowing the Crown Prince's temperament, Yinzhi worried that the Crown Prince would also act rashly and not want to cause trouble, so he secretly told the Crown Prince about the First Prince accepting bribes. This piqued the Crown Prince's interest, and he vowed to investigate thoroughly. So, as soon as he returned to the palace, he dragged everyone to see Emperor Kangxi.
Yinzhen had privately discussed this matter with him, expressing his deep regret. The eldest prince, needless to say, directly colluded with these corrupt officials and tyrants. The crown prince, as the heir apparent, didn't prioritize the country's well-being but only sought to maintain a facade of peace. He only used the guise of acting in the people's interest to attack his political enemies when involved in power struggles. Yinsi grew increasingly uneasy, feeling that his fourth brother had also implicated him.
In particular, Yinzhen praised him afterwards, saying that although he was young, he had the world in his heart and was an upright and kind person.
Yinzhi gladly accepted the assessment, and thought to himself that being such a person in this life might not be so bad.
Just as Wenshan was thinking about this, she and Yinxiang returned. Seeing that Yinzhen had not yet returned, Wenshan asked him about it, and Yinxiang looked over with bright eyes.
Yinzhi said that he had indeed found something out during this trip, so his fourth brother and the others had to go and discuss it with their father. They hadn't returned by this time, so they probably wouldn't make it for lunch.
As expected, Yinzhen did not return until dinner time, and he brought back news that the eldest prince had been punished.
When Emperor Kangxi heard about this, he was furious, but after all, the eldest prince was the eldest son and had just entered the court. He was also getting married next year, so it was not appropriate to punish him in a big way at this time. He had to save face for him.
So Kangxi simply punished him by confining him to his quarters for a month, exempting him from attending court and forcing him to reflect on his actions at home.
It can be said that it was raised high but then gently put down.
He then praised the Crown Prince for his thoughtfulness, decisiveness, and selflessness in serving the public.
Wen Shan sighed as she listened to these stories, but fortunately, it was these princes who had run into her this time.
Soon, the palace began to discuss the matter. Consort Hui was naturally unhappy that the eldest prince was punished, while Consort Ping finally felt relieved after Consort Hui had been boasting about how Emperor Kangxi had arranged a good marriage for the eldest prince. The eldest prince was punished, and the crown prince was praised. This time, the crown prince had won big.
Today, Consort Niohuru invited everyone in the harem to admire the flowers. Wen Shanhua didn't quite understand the flowers, but she enjoyed listening to Consort Hui and Consort Ping's sarcastic remarks.
And surprisingly, Consort De also came today.
Since the death of the Sixth Prince, she has hardly left Yonghe Palace. Today, she looked much thinner and more haggard, but she seemed to be in good spirits.
Wen Shan didn't bring Yin Si and Yin Xiang with her today; she left them at Xianfu Palace to play together.
Like Yinzhi, once Yinxiang uttered the first sentence, he could speak fluently and quickly became able to speak very smoothly.
Since Wenshan wasn't home today, Yinzhi sent all the palace servants away. Yinxiang could tell from this scene that his eighth brother was probably going to have something serious to say to him.
Yinzhi also thought that now that the thirteenth prince could speak, it was time for the two of them to have a proper talk.
"Does Brother Ba want to talk to me about something serious?" Yinxiang asked first.
Yinzhi took a sip of tea, no longer joking and playing with Yinxiang as before, and switched back to his usual self as the Eighth Prince Yinzhi.
“Thirteenth brother, I still remember the day when Fourth brother issued the decree to strip us of our titles and imprison us, it was you who came to see Ninth brother and me off. I never thought that you and I would have the chance to live a second life.”
When Yinzhi suddenly brought up the past, Yinxiang was also a little dazed. Having grown accustomed to the brotherly affection and close relationship between his fourth and eighth brothers, the mention of their life-and-death struggle in their past life made Yinxiang feel a little awkward and inexplicable.
But since Yinzhi brought it up, Yinxiang also recalled the day when his fourth brother completely wiped out the Eighth Prince's faction. His eighth and ninth brothers were stripped of their titles, demoted to commoners, and even had their names changed. They were imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.
He was the one who announced the imperial decree that day.
The myna bird gave itself a new name, Aqina.
Wen Shan actually asked Yin Si about this, because the most widely circulated story in later generations is that Yin Zhen deliberately changed the names of Yin Si and Yin Tang, Aqina and Seshehei, to mean pigs and dogs, in order to humiliate them.
When Yinzhi heard this, he was both amused and exasperated. How could the rumors from later generations have become so outrageous?
Although the fourth brother was a bit harsh on people, they were still brothers, and even if he was expelled from the imperial clan, he wouldn't be so humiliated.
Aqina was the name he gave himself, meaning a fish waiting to be slaughtered; it was merely a self-deprecating remark after he found himself trapped and unable to escape.
The ninth prince's nickname, Seshei, was given to him by the third prince, Yinzhi, and it means "annoying ghost."
The reason why Yinzhi brought up these things again after so many years was because he met an old friend, and these long-forgotten memories were brought up again.
"Eighth Brother." Yinxiang was silent for a while, not knowing what to say. Finally, he could only say, "That's because you went too far. Fourth Brother couldn't bear it anymore and took action against you."
"When Fourth Brother first ascended the throne, he also thought of appeasing and giving you important positions. He bestowed upon you the title of Prince Lian and made you the head of the Minister of General Affairs. He also elevated your entire maternal family to a higher status so that you were no longer born to a woman from the Imperial Household Department. Isn't that enough?"
Yinzhi smiled.
"Thirteenth Prince, how could the struggle for the throne be as simple as you say? From the moment I decided to vie for the throne, my fourth brother and I have been sworn enemies. My fourth brother couldn't tolerate me. The preferential treatment he received back then was only because I had many powerful allies in the court. My fourth brother had just ascended the throne and his power was unstable, so he had no choice but to win me over. Look at how my fourth brother immediately turned against me after Nian Gengyao's great victory in Qinghai and once he had secured his throne."
Yinxiang felt that Yinsi was making malicious assumptions and busied himself explaining things to Yinzhen.
"Fourth Brother isn't that kind of person!"
Yinzhi couldn't help but pat Yinxiang's head. Yinxiang was also taken aback. Yinzhi smiled and said gently, "It seems that your fourth brother really treats you well. He has never told you about these sordid things. Among us brothers, you are probably the only one who still naively thinks that we are blood brothers, that we are still connected by blood even if we are broken."
In reality, the concepts of father, son, and brothers have long been forgotten.
"And what about now?" Yinxiang saw that talking about the past was impossible to explain, so he simply stopped trying to figure it out. The most important thing now was what his eighth brother was thinking.
Yinzhi rested his hands behind his head and leaned back on the pillow.
"Now... now of course, my fourth brother and I are of one mind. After my fourth brother ascends the throne, I will go and live a carefree life."
Yinxiang was somewhat incredulous: "Such a deep-seated hatred, Eighth Brother, you've just let it go so easily?"
This doesn't seem like the behavior of a myna bird.
Yinzhi laughed and said, "What do you mean by letting it go so easily? I've been asking Fourth Brother for a debt for several years now, so let's just say he's paid it off."
Yinxiang inexplicably sensed a hint of smugness in Yinzhen's words.
Moreover, feelings can't be faked. He's been here for almost a year and has seen that Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother's relationship is genuine. Maybe it's because they've been together since they were little that it's different.
Moreover, if the Eighth Brother really harbors ill intentions towards the Fourth Brother, thinking that he might betray and stab his mother in the future, then his mother will be the first to suffer.
The myna bird was incredibly fond of its mother.
Ever since he called Wen Shan "Mother," Yinxiang felt that he had gradually adapted. It seemed not bad to have two mothers like his eighth brother. He could often return to Jingren Palace without becoming estranged from his biological mother, especially since the two mothers had a good relationship.
"So, let's shake hands and make peace." Yinzhi said with a smile, "Let's help Fourth Brother ascend the throne together, preferably earlier than in the previous life, otherwise we'll have to wait another thirty years or so, tsk tsk."
Yinzhi was anxious just thinking about it. If things continued like this, he would be forced to do chores by his father for more than thirty years. He would only be able to find a chance to take his mother out to play after his fourth brother ascended the throne.
Yinxiang: "..."
Is this something they can just decide to do?
The Emperor was not the kind of emperor who would willingly abdicate early. Unless they rebelled and forced him to abdicate, they could only wait for the Emperor to pass away.
While Emperor Kangxi was discussing state affairs with his ministers in the Qianqing Palace, he was completely unaware that his sons were already considering his impending death while he was still in his prime.
However, after having an open and honest conversation with Yinzhi, Yinxiang felt much more at ease; otherwise, he would still feel uneasy from time to time.
After thinking it through, he asked Yinzhi if there was anything he could do, or if there was anything they could discuss together.
After all, he had served as the executive vice emperor for many years in his previous life, and he was quite adept at handling state affairs.
Yinzhi rested his chin on his hand and thought seriously for a moment: "Thirteenth Prince, your most important task now is to drink your milk well and sleep well so that you can walk as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be very tiring for your mother to carry you every day. Look how fat you are, like a little pig."
"..."
Ugh, those mynah birds are so annoying!
After the two finished discussing their business, Yinzhi reverted to his previous cat-like behavior of constantly provoking Yinxiang. Just as the two were about to start arguing again, Pearl's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Fourth Prince, why are you standing at the door instead of going in?"
Yinzhi and Yinxiang were stunned and turned to look at the door. The door slowly opened, and Yinzhen stood at the door with a blank expression, his thin lips tightly pressed together and his fists clenched tightly.
Pearl didn't know what had happened. She thought that Yinzhen had just arrived and that the two young masters had sent them out so the two brothers could play in the room. Pearl came over because the snow pear soup that Wenshan had stewed before she left was ready. Yinsi had been coughing a bit recently, so she specifically told Pearl to bring it to him. When Pearl brought the soup over, she saw Yinzhen standing at the door without going in or moving.
Yinzhen glanced at his two younger brothers, who were standing there dumbfounded, without saying a word. He then turned to Pearl and said, "Give it to me."
The three brothers had always had a good relationship, so Pearl didn't suspect anything. She gave the pear soup to Yinzhen, bowed, and left.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang quickly separated and sat upright on the ground. Watching their fourth brother enter the room and close the door, both of them shuddered and looked at each other, feeling as if their lives were about to end.
"Brother, how long have you been here?"
In the end, it was Yinzhi who cautiously spoke first.
Yinzhen placed the bowl of pear soup on the table, a commotion that startled his two younger brothers, who were feeling guilty.
"Not long after, when you said you wanted to talk about something serious."
"..."
Oh no, they heard everything!
Yinzhi's head was buzzing. Why was his fourth brother back at this hour? It wasn't even time for class to end yet!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have discussed these things with his thirteenth brother.
As fate would have it, when the princes were practicing riding and archery in the afternoon, Kangxi took a moment to watch. He was pleased to find that his sons were skilled in both archery and horsemanship and were proficient in both literature and martial arts. So he gathered some of the imperial guards to compete with the princes. Of course, the main targets were the Crown Prince and the First Prince, since the Third Prince and Yinzhen were still a bit too young.
The Crown Prince was carefully nurtured by Emperor Kangxi from a young age, so he excelled in everything. The eldest prince was even more skilled in riding and archery and reading. So the two of them made Emperor Kangxi show off how outstanding his sons were. Emperor Kangxi was so happy that he waved his hand and gave them half an hour's leave in advance.
He then returned to Xianfu Palace, and as soon as he entered, he ran into Emerald. Emerald said that his mother had gone to Yongshou Palace to meet Consort Niohuru to admire the flowers, and only Yinzhi and Yinxiang were in the East Side Hall.
Without thinking much, Yinzhen headed towards the East Side Hall to see his two younger brothers. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to push the door open, he heard Yinxiang say in a childish voice that he wanted to talk to Yinsi about something serious.
Yinzhen almost burst out laughing when he heard this. What serious business could a one-year-old little sprout be talking about?
He was unusually interested in hearing what his thirteenth brother's serious business was—whether it was preventing his eighth brother from taking his toys or not pinching his cheeks.
Then he heard Yinzhi say a sentence
"...My fourth brother stripped me of my title and imprisoned me..."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhi frowned, thinking that Yinzhi was talking nonsense. Just as he was about to push the door open, he heard the second half of Yinzhi's sentence: he said that he and Yinxiang had both been reborn.
Having been reborn... No wonder all the strange things about Yinzhi since childhood have finally been explained. No wonder the Eighth Brother was so intelligent from a young age, unlike a child, and did things properly and flawlessly.
What the two said next made his heart sink even further.
From their conversation, he could piece together the story that in his previous life, he and his eighth brother were political enemies, even life-or-death rivals vying for the throne. His thirteenth brother stood with him to completely overthrow his eighth brother. He then ascended the throne as emperor, stripped his eighth brother of his title, imprisoned him, and even removed him from the imperial clan, forcing his eighth brother to change his name to Aqina before he died in confinement.
Just as Yinxiang said, this was such a deep-seated hatred.
How could this be? How could he treat his eighth brother like this?
He knew that his eighth brother was smarter and more shrewd than the other children since childhood. If his eighth brother wanted that position, he would never compete with him. How could they have fought to this extent?
Yinzhen couldn't help but doubt himself. Could it be that decades later, his desire for power had truly surpassed his brotherly affection for Yinsi? This was his own younger brother whom he had raised since childhood.
From his thirteenth brother's words, Yinzhen could tell that his thirteenth brother was on his side, saying that his eighth brother had made many mistakes because he wanted to seize power and profit, which led to his current predicament. However, Yinzhen still couldn't understand why, even if his eighth brother really changed in the future, he shouldn't have treated him so ruthlessly.
Otherwise, putting everything else aside, how could he explain it to his mother? Considering they grew up together in Xianfu Palace and for his mother's sake, he would never treat Yinzhi like this.
Therefore, compared to the strange rebirths of Yinzhi and Yinxiang, Yinzhen found it even more incomprehensible to his own actions towards Yinzhi.
When Yinzhen remained silent, Yinsi and Yinxiang were unusually flustered.
Yinzhi jumped off the bed and ran to Yinzhen's side: "Fourth Brother, what we were just saying..."
He paused halfway through his sentence. What should he say?
Are you saying they were just joking?
That obviously wouldn't fool Fourth Brother.
But with so many things to say, he didn't know where to begin.
Yinxiang is now realizing the advantage of his young age, and he sits innocently on the couch, pretending to be stupid in an attempt to get away with it.
Anyway, if there's a problem, let the myna bird take over first.
Yinzhen looked at Yinsi, who was looking up at him pitifully, and sighed.
"You and your thirteenth brother are both people who have been reborn?"
"……yes."
"In my previous life, I imprisoned you in the Imperial Clan Court, where you died in confinement?"
"……yes."
After saying that, Yinzhi hurriedly added, "But I, Fourth Brother, can't remember those things from before, really."
"I've long since stopped resenting you, and besides, the victor is king and the loser is villain."
Yinxiang thought to himself that his eighth brother had finally said something reasonable.
Yinzhen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then walked out.
"Let me calm down first."
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