Chapter 46 Upon hearing this, Yinzhen frowned instantly…
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen immediately frowned.
Do you know what you're saying?
Eighth Brother has lived his whole life this way, and he knows better than anyone that this path is a dead end.
Ultimately, the Emperor would not allow a son who could threaten his absolute imperial power to emerge.
If a prince wants to be recognized by his father as the next heir after being deposed, there is only one option: to become a loyal subject like Yinzhen in his previous life.
According to the thirteenth prince, even though he and his thirteenth brother only interacted in private and dared not show any intimacy in public, he only managed to satisfy his father, the emperor, by doing so much.
Yinzhi remained calm, gentle yet firm: "I've been thinking about this ever since Mother Wuku passed away. When the three of us brothers grow up a bit more, Xianfu Palace will be too conspicuous, and Father will definitely be wary. So why don't we pretend to go our separate ways and govern on our own to put Father's mind at ease?"
Moreover, this is the most fundamental way to stop the Emperor from having any intention of sending the thirteenth prince away.
The three brothers could never be of one mind, at least not in the Emperor's eyes.
“But you will surely suffer a lot of injustice, and even be imprisoned.” Yinzhen firmly disagreed with Yinsi’s idea. This path was too dangerous, and he would be a thorn in the side of his father and the crown prince.
Yinxiang once secretly told Yinzhen about the cruel treatment and evaluation his father had given him after Yinsi's complete defeat. It can only be said that at that time, his father no longer regarded Yinsi as a son, but as an enemy who threatened his imperial power.
Therefore, he did not want Yinzhi to go through all of this again, no matter what.
Yinzhi wanted to reason with his fourth brother and explain the logic, saying that this was the best solution at present, but Yinzhen had a stern face and an expression of having nothing to talk about, and told him to go back to Xianfu Palace to rest.
It was rare to see Yinzhen so emotional, and Yinsi was helpless. Seeing that it was indeed late, he put the matter aside for the time being, thinking that he would bring the thirteenth prince along to discuss the matter the next evening when the two of them returned to Xianfu Palace from the Imperial Study.
The next day, when Yinzhi arrived at the Imperial Study, he hadn't even had a chance to say two words to Yinzhen before he was surrounded by the eldest prince, who seemed particularly enthusiastic that day.
"Fourth brother, eighth brother, I heard that Father Emperor went to Consort Xuan's place yesterday. I wonder if he has some good news to share with us brothers?" The eldest prince, true to his nature, couldn't contain himself and was the first to jump out first thing in the morning.
The Crown Prince was busy organizing books and ignored them.
The Third Prince was also sitting in his seat, but he couldn't help but stick his ear out this way.
The remaining children were still somewhat confused, but their mothers had told them not to get involved.
Yinzhen was a little impatient with this kind of probing. Yinsi smiled and said, "Father's visit to Xianfu Palace is a matter of the inner palace. How could my fourth brother and I know about it? Why don't you tell us some good news, eldest brother, so we can all be happy together?"
The eldest prince awkwardly chuckled and brushed it off.
Zhang Ying and Gu Badai arrived shortly afterward.
Today's class was originally scheduled for Gu Badai, so the princes were quite surprised to see Zhang Ying there as well.
Zhang Ying came today with an imperial decree from Emperor Kangxi. Kangxi said that he had come to check on the studies of several princes yesterday and felt that Yinzhen's Chinese studies were somewhat lacking. Therefore, he specially appointed Zhang Ying as Yinzhen's Chinese studies teacher and also specially assigned Zhang Ying's second son, who is fifteen years old this year, to be his study companion.
This person was Zhang Tingyu, who would later become the only Han Chinese official to be honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple during the Qing Dynasty and was also a trusted and favored minister of Emperor Yinzhen.
Yinzhi thought to himself, “Father Emperor is really something else. If he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it to the extreme. He’s really putting on a good show by praising me to the point of killing me.”
But by sheer luck, Zhang Tingyu ended up in their lives.
Yinzhen had obviously heard Yinzhen and Yinxiang mention Zhang Tingyu, and was now somewhat curious about this future confidant whom he had never met.
From then on, Yinzhen had one more Chinese studies class than the other princes. At this time, Zhang Tingyu was still a slightly thin but very bookish young man, but he did have the demeanor of "a gentleman does not form cliques" as Yinxiang had described.
After school, Yinzhen and Yinsi returned to Xianfu Palace together. Yinzhen still didn't want to bring up their conflict the night before, and Yinsi had no choice but to think he would talk about it when he saw the thirteenth prince.
Yinxiang's biggest problem recently is how to walk smoothly. Strangely enough, Yinsi learned to walk very quickly. He could walk steadily almost as soon as he could stand up. But Yinxiang is different. His legs are always weak and he gets weak after walking for a while. So Wenshan made him a walker and put him in it to let him get used to it slowly.
Tonight, Wenshan went to Cining Palace to dine with the Empress Dowager. Before leaving, she prepared dinner for them and kept it warm on the fire.
As soon as Yinzhen and Yinsi returned to Xianfu Palace, the palace servants began to busy themselves serving the two young masters their evening meal. Yinxiang walked around the courtyard pushing his walker with great vigor, followed by his two little tails, Fuqi and Laifu.
As soon as Yinzhen and Yinsi entered Xianfu Palace, Yinxiang sensed that something was wrong.
Fourth Brother had a cold face, looking like he was unapproachable to strangers and even more unapproachable to acquaintances. Eighth Brother, on the other hand, seemed as warm and friendly as ever. After greeting the palace servants, he took Laifu aside and played with him for a while.
But neither of them spoke.
Did you have a fight?
Yinxiang pushed the baby walker closer to Yinsi, who was sitting on the porch playing with the dog, and poked him, asking, "Eighth Brother, did you and Fourth Brother have a fight?"
"No," Yinzhi said with a smile, "it's just that we have some differing opinions."
"Tell me what happened, and I'll be your judge." Yinxiang considered himself a fair and impartial younger brother and would never favor his fourth brother.
Yinzhi combed Laifu's fur and put it aside to play. Then he turned around and took Yinxiang out of the walker.
Yinxiang was startled and then began to struggle: "I can walk by myself..."
Don't separate him from the walker. He's really fed up with being carried around and can't resist anymore.
"Didn't you come here to settle this matter? Come on, let's go find Fourth Brother."
Since Yinzhi began practicing horseback riding and archery, he has become much stronger and more robust, and it is more than enough for him to carry Yinxiang.
Yinzhi was leaning against the couch reading a book when he saw the two of them coming in, bickering. He waved his hand, and the palace servants bowed their heads respectfully and withdrew to begin serving dinner.
During the meal, Yinzhen and Yinsi didn't exchange many words. Yinxiang's eyes darted between the two of them as he ate the baby food that Wenshan had specially prepared for him, wondering what could have caused his fourth brother and eighth brother, who were now so close they were practically inseparable, to quarrel.
It wasn't until after dinner that Yinzhi brought up the matter.
As expected, Yinxiang also jumped up to object.
"No, absolutely not!" Yinxiang resolutely stood with Yinzhen: "Fourth Brother is right, we absolutely cannot let Eighth Brother take this risk."
Having experienced the perilous struggle for the throne with Yinzhi, Yinxiang understood even better than Yinzhen the consequences of vying for the crown prince's position through political maneuvering or by cultivating relationships with court officials.
"It's just a pretense." Yinzhi said helplessly, explaining again, "I will keep an eye on it, and I am very familiar with these matters."
"The three of us can't possibly hug each other after all. If I'm not going to do it, am I supposed to let the thirteenth brother do it?" Yinzhi joked.
Yinxiang said with certainty, "I will go, but I will never abandon you to protect me and my fourth brother."
Yinzhi thought to himself that the thirteenth prince was indeed still the same chivalrous and righteous king who was quick to avenge wrongs.
Of the three, Yinzhen would never do such a thing. The safest course of action for him to become emperor in the future would be to do the same thing as before: support the crown prince and be a loyal subject.
As for the thirteenth prince... Yinzhi really couldn't imagine what the thirteenth prince would look like as the Thirteenth Wise Prince.
That's something only he can do.
Yinxiang naturally knew he couldn't do it, but that didn't mean his brother had to.
"Why don't you support our eldest brother, Eighth Brother? That would be fine too," Yinxiang said after thinking for a moment.
Anyway, all we need to do is separate the three of them. If he and his fourth brother support the Crown Prince, and his eighth brother supports his eldest brother, we can achieve the same effect.
Yinzhi didn't speak, so Yinxiang hurriedly pulled Yinzhen: "Fourth brother, please persuade the eighth brother again."
Both Yinzhi and Yinzhen knew in their hearts that supporting the eldest prince would not work. First of all, Yinzhi had little contact with the eldest prince, and secondly, none of the princes were on the eldest prince's side; it would be too deliberate.
"No matter what, neither my thirteenth brother nor I agree to this matter." Yinzhen remained silent for a long time before insisting, "We brothers are in the same boat. At worst, it will just be a bit more difficult to travel."
Yinzhi sighed: "You all think this is too serious. I know what I'm doing. In my previous life, Father Emperor only stripped me of my title and didn't imprison me. Besides, I am still a prince and will not be humiliated. It will be fine when Fourth Brother ascends the throne."
"The sooner Fourth Brother ascends the throne, the sooner Mother and I can live in peace. As for the gains and losses among us brothers, we don't need to worry about them."
Yinxiang was stunned for a moment, not expecting his eighth brother to say such heartfelt words.
He deeply felt that they were now blood brothers, bound by blood and sharing weal and woe.
Although he sometimes finds this group strange when he's alone, he's fine as it is now.
Yinzhen knew Yinsi's temperament; once he made up his mind, it was hard to change it. Yinzhen was worried that he would do something earth-shattering behind their backs to announce that he wanted to establish his own independent faction. So he could only loosen his stance a little for now. Anyway, they hadn't entered the court yet, so there was still some time to adjust.
The three of them chatted for a short while before Wen Shan returned from Cining Palace.
"They're all back?" Wen Shan smiled and picked up Yinxiang. "How's it going, Little Thirteen? Is your walking smoother today?"
Yinxiang nodded, hugged Wenshan's neck, and said that he had been able to walk more than ten steps faster today.
Since Yinzhen and Yinsi spent most of their days in the Imperial Study, Wenshan and Yinxiang's relationship quickly warmed up and they became extremely close.
None of the three wanted to tell Wen Shan about their argument, so when Wen Shan asked what they had been talking about, Yin Zhen brought up Zhang Tingyu.
Wen Shan was still very curious about this "First Secretary of the Qing Dynasty" and excitedly asked Yinxiang and Yinsi if Zhang Tingyu could really write down the emperor's words simultaneously and with such speed and clarity, and with such detailed and meaningful words.
Yinxiang had seen Zhang Tingyu draft imperial edicts many times, and upon hearing this, he nodded vigorously, proving that Zhang Tingyu was indeed a capable and formidable man.
With a flick of his sleeve, Fourth Brother finished writing the imperial edict as soon as he finished speaking, and every word was neat and the wording was appropriate.
Yinzhen pondered to himself, "My mother and thirteenth brother both speak so highly of Zhang Tingyu, it seems that Zhang Tingyu is truly a capable and talented individual."
Wen Shan nodded repeatedly: "No wonder Zhang Tingyu was the only Han official to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
"What?!"
Yinxiang and Yinsi both stared wide-eyed as if they had heard something unbelievable.
Wen Shan touched her head, almost forgetting that Zhang Tingyu hadn't been granted the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple when the two of them passed away. So Wen Shan explained that this was Yinzhen's dying wish, leaving a great gift for his old minister.
Then Yinxiang and Yinsi both looked at Yinzhen.
Yinzhen had only been in the Yongzheng Emperor's court for a short time and did not know how Zhang Tingyu, a civil official or Han Chinese minister, had managed to bewitch his fourth brother so much that he was sent to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The way Zhang Tingyu stroked his chin and scrutinized him made Yinzhen's scalp tingle.
Is Fourth Brother really that wild? He dares to do something like this.
“Zhang Tingyu is indeed a capable and loyal minister, but…” Even Yinxiang was a little surprised that his fourth brother would allow Zhang Tingyu to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Although there was no ancestral rule prohibiting Han officials from entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple, this was still an outrageous act. No wonder they had to wait for the Emperor's last edict before his death; if this matter had been discussed in the court, it would most likely have failed to pass.
Yinzhen pondered for a while, trying to understand his future self's thoughts. In the end, he could only think that Zhang Tingyu must have made great contributions to the court and been extremely loyal. The relationship between the emperor and his subject was very deep, which is why he overruled the objections of others and allowed Zhang Tingyu, a Han official, to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Even so, Yinzhen himself still found it difficult to understand his future self.
That's definitely a bit... excessive.
Looking at Yinzhen's bewildered expression, Wenshan thought to herself, "This is nothing. You've done far more things that violated ancestral rules."
If I told them everything, they'd be scared to death.
Forget it, let's save face for the child first.
When the topic of Zhang Tingyu's entry into the Imperial Ancestral Temple came up, Wen Shan couldn't help but start criticizing Yinzhen's eldest son, Emperor Qianlong, who was a regular guest in their mother-son rants. There was no way around it, since many of Yinzhen's ministers lived into the Qianlong era, so it was impossible to avoid talking about them.
"Speaking of which, Zhang Tingyu's end was not exactly peaceful. Before he passed away, he was stripped of all his titles and his family property was confiscated. Moreover, he thought he would not be able to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The old man worked hard for the Qing Dynasty his whole life, and this was how he ended up," Wen Shan sighed.
Yinzhen, Yinxiang, and Yinsi: "?"
Especially Yinxiang, who had worked with Zhang Tingyu for more than seven years and had a deep affection for him, immediately asked what had happened when he heard that Hengchen was in a miserable old age. Could it be that Hengchen had done something foolish in his later years that angered Hongli?
“That shouldn’t be the case. Even if it was a bit much for Fourth Brother to let Zhang Tingyu into the Imperial Ancestral Temple, it was still Fourth Brother’s last decree. How could that brat Hongli dare to do it?” Yinxiang said.
Moreover, based on his understanding of Zhang Tingyu, he shouldn't be capable of committing any serious crimes that could disrupt the court. This man is extremely cautious, never forms factions, and is solely dedicated to serving his fourth brother.
Yinzhen's expression was also a bit unpleasant. Regardless of whether Zhang Tingyu could enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple, this was, after all, his dying wish. Unless Zhang Tingyu had committed some serious mistake, Hongli really needed to be taught a lesson.
Moreover, after Wen Shan relayed the information, they learned that Zhang Tingyu had indeed not committed any major crimes. It was just that the old man was getting on in years and had worked hard all his life, and he kept thinking about the ultimate honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He had petitioned several times, which annoyed Emperor Qianlong. This young man was already unhappy that his father had allowed Zhang Tingyu to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple, so he started to torment the old man. He found a pretext that Zhang had too many students all over the country, which was considered forming a clique for personal gain, and had the Zhang family's property confiscated. In the end, the matter ended in an embarrassing situation where nothing was found.
These two men, with their clean hands and impeccable integrity, were a slap in the face to Emperor Qianlong.
Finally, Emperor Qianlong was so angry that he made a point of having all his ministers discuss whether Zhang Tingyu was worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple during the morning court session.
What could the ministers say under such circumstances? They could only come to a conclusion that Zhang Tingyu was not worthy of entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Emperor Qianlong was satisfied and issued an edict saying that Zhang Tingyu was not a particularly outstanding person and had no great achievements. Apart from writing imperial edicts well, he had no other merits. It was highly inappropriate for him to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple just because he was favored by the late emperor. Therefore, the matter of Zhang Tingyu being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple was completely rejected.
It's pitiful that Zhang Tingyu was almost eighty years old at that time, yet he ended up in such a destitute state. He passed away a few years later at the age of eighty-three.
Yinzhen took several deep breaths. Although he had not yet worked with Zhang Tingyu, he had met this frail young man today. After exchanging a few words with him, he could tell that he was a man of integrity. Yinzhen had a very good first impression of him. However, the person he had just appreciated during the day was told that evening that he had been tormented to death by his son. Yinzhen was so angry that he almost choked.
And it's all just pointless tinkering!
Isn't this the heart of the old minister Han?
Yinxiang, enraged, slammed his fist on the table: "Isn't this outrageous? It's absolutely despicable!"
Yinzhi thought to himself with a cool smirk, "I never expected my fourth brother to have such a petty son. Hmm... my fourth brother does hold grudges a bit."
But there's no question about the meritorious officials.
Wen Shan quickly said, "After Zhang Tingyu passed away, Qianlong still allowed him to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple and even went to pay his respects to Zhang Tingyu. He said that it was Yinzhen's last will and testament that he could not disobey, so he still allowed him to enter."
"..."
Yinxiang, with his straightforward temper, was almost driven to the point of vomiting blood by his good nephew's actions.
What good is a dead person?
Zhang Tingyu believed until his death that he would never be able to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
This kid is really good at killing someone by destroying their spirit!
Yinzhen's forehead veins were throbbing, and after calming down for a while, he said, "If Hongli could still be born in this life, he must be taught well."
At the very least, we must not allow ourselves to develop such a petty and narrow-minded personality.
As Yinxiang listened to his fourth brother's sinister words, he lit a candle for his nephew, who was still a child in this life. It was as if his fourth brother had already put his education on the agenda before he was even born.
Yinzhi stroked his chin and said, "Who does Hongli take after?"
Yinxiang thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be somewhat like you, Eighth Brother."
Mynah birds often do this kind of thing.
Yinzhi accepted the assessment with a smile: "Oh, so Fourth Brother sent me the wrong son. He should have sent me little Hongli as my son."
Yinzhen: "If you want it, then take it."
Yinxiang: "..."
No, this has no connection whatsoever.
The matter between Zhang Tingyu and that little rascal Hongli can be put aside for now, after all, Hongli is not even a shadow yet.
The most pressing issue now is that Kangxi has decided to send Yinxiang away.
Although Wenshan and Yinxiang managed to temporarily quell the matter yesterday, that alone is not enough.
So, after another half month or so, Kangxi picked up the matter again and discovered a big problem.
Where should we take Yinxiang?
Yinxiang was a prince who was involved in the struggle between the crown prince and the eldest prince from birth. The harem and the court fought fiercely over where he would go. Although things have calmed down now, there are only a few candidates who want to send her away from Wenshan: the Imperial Noble Consort, the Noble Consort Niohuru, Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and his biological mother, Noble Lady Min.
Of the four consorts, Consort De and Consort Yi were excluded because one was too unfamiliar with Wen Shan and the other was too familiar with her.
In fact, it was a bit of a stretch for Consort Hui and Consort Rong to even make it onto this list of candidates.
His rank was lower than Wen Shan's, and Wen Shan hadn't done anything wrong, so it would be impolite to take her adopted son over.
However, if Kangxi were to act unscrupulously, that would be a different story. If there weren't so few people left, Kangxi wouldn't have included the two of them.
But upon closer examination, Consort Hui was not an option either. Kangxi was well aware that the eldest prince was ambitious and restless, and Kangxi worried that entrusting the thirteenth prince to his mother, Consort Hui, for upbringing would only fuel his arrogance.
As for Consort Rong... we can consider it further.
The Imperial Noble Consort and the Noble Consort Niohuru can actually be crossed out. The Imperial Noble Consort is seriously ill, and just a few days ago, the imperial physician reported that her health was deteriorating rapidly. She is now nearing her end, which is estimated to be within the next two years.
Emperor Kangxi touched his remaining conscience and felt a little reluctant to drag his cousin, who had been in the palace for many years, into this mess. Since she was already nearing the end of her life, he decided to let her go peacefully and with dignity.
Consort Niohuru was promoted simply because of her suitable rank, but was immediately removed by Emperor Kangxi.
The Niohuru family had already been eyeing the position of crown prince, and now they were being given another prince?
Let's forget about it.
So, after counting them, there are actually only two people: Consort Rong and Noble Lady Min.
Unfortunately, Consort Min is currently pregnant and needs to rest. Sending the Thirteenth Prince back at this time is a bit unreasonable and too much of a stretch. Moreover, the reason why there were so many troubles in the first place was because Consort Min's rank was not high enough to raise a prince. Sending Yinxiang back would be like selling water by the riverbank, which is unnecessary.
So only Consort Rong remained.
The more Kangxi thought about it, the more he felt that Consort Rong was suitable. She had entered the palace early and was only one rank lower than Consort Xuan. Moreover, she had been born and raised in many places, which was suitable for raising princes. The Third Prince had always been close to the Crown Prince and was not as restless as the First Prince.
Just as Kangxi was about to find another excuse to get things done, Consort Rong had an accident in the palace.
This matter is neither too big nor too small. It happened in the thirteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, before Wen Shan even entered the palace. There was a concubine who had since passed away, and she had been secretly harmed by Consort Rong, resulting in a miscarriage. For some reason, this matter was suddenly brought up by a concubine who had been on good terms with that concubine back then.
This concubine had been out of favor for many years and rarely went out to socialize. There were probably few people in the palace who knew her. Yet, this little-known character actually managed to bring a complaint against Consort Rong to the Emperor's door.
The reason for this was that the imperial physician who served Consort Rong had let slip the secret when he went to check on this concubine's pulse every month according to the rules. This concubine had been living in the palace for a long time without children or favor, and had long lost interest in life. Her only friend was that concubine who died young. She had also died because she miscarried when her child was six months old, which ruined her body and spirit. She passed away just two months after the miscarriage, and there was no cure.
Unfortunately, this imperial physician was worried that Consort Rong would discard him after she had served her purpose, so he kept all the evidence from that time for future use. As a result, it became irrefutable evidence that Consort Rong had plotted to harm the imperial heir during this investigation.
Kangxi felt that this was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly. Consort Rong was the only suitable candidate, but at this crucial moment, she was accused of plotting against the imperial heir. Therefore, he could not entrust Yinxiang to her.
"Consort Rong, sigh!"
Emperor Kangxi frowned and slammed his teacup down. Liang Jiugong, standing to the side, quickly raised his eyes, thinking that Consort Rong's plot to harm the imperial heir was bad enough, but she had also disrupted the Emperor's arrangements. That was a serious crime.
After Consort Rong's incident, there was no suitable concubine in the palace to take over the care of Yinxiang. It could only be postponed until Consort Min gave birth and was promoted to the rank of Consort, at which point Yinxiang would be sent back.
At this time, the previous dynasty had won two great victories in the conquest of Yaksa and was preparing to negotiate and sign a treaty with Tsarist Russia. With such important national matters at hand, Kangxi could only postpone the matters of changing the imperial genealogy and sending Yinzhi for adoption.
Yinzhen and Yinsi needed these seven or eight months, enough time for them to do many things.
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