Chapter 47 "Sochoro is always there,..."
"Is everything arranged properly, right, Suochuoluochang?"
Yinzhen and Yinsi were playing chess, while Yinxiang was idly playing with the shuttlecock that Wenshan had just made. He looked up at his eighth brother, who was deep in thought, and casually asked a question.
Consort Suochuoluo was the same Consort who denounced Consort Rong for her friend.
Yinzhi placed his piece, his gaze still fixed on the chessboard: "Don't worry, everything has been arranged. She will definitely be safe and sound in the palace for the rest of her life."
Yinzhen pondered the chess game and, upon hearing this, remarked, "He is indeed a man of great loyalty and righteousness, willing to stand up for his friend who passed away many years ago and expose Consort Rong's crimes."
Yinzhi discovered that Consort Rong had harmed the imperial heirs while flipping through a book left to him by the Empress Dowager. Yinzhi keenly sensed that this was a good opportunity to bring down Consort Rong, who was currently the most likely person to take over the custody of the thirteenth prince.
At that time, Wen Shan hadn't even entered the palace yet, so no matter what, it wouldn't involve her.
And it just so happens to be something like harming imperial heirs. Even Yinzhi couldn't help but sigh that it was like a pillow being delivered when one is sleepy—he had stumbled upon everything!
Yinzhi always avoided getting involved in matters himself, so Consort Suochuoluo thought that her friend's spirit in heaven had finally helped her find the truth of what happened back then. She gritted her teeth and rushed to the Qianqing Palace, kneeling directly in front of the door to plead her case.
The only variable in this situation is whether Consort Suochuoluo will offend Consort Rong for the sake of her friend who has been dead for many years.
Originally, Yinzhi had prepared a follow-up plan to push Consort Suochuoluo to report the matter. However, since more than ten years had passed, Yinzhi could only find Consort Suochuoluo in the palace as a suitable person to report the matter.
As a result, Suochuoluo rushed to Emperor Kangxi as soon as she heard the news and tearfully pleaded her innocence.
Since she was kind and righteous and had helped them a great deal, Yinzhi, unusually, took pity on her and helped her out, ensuring her lifelong peace.
"Father hastily concluded this matter. If it weren't for Consort Suochuoluo's sake, Consort Rong would probably seek revenge once she recovers." Yinxiang accidentally plucked a feather from the shuttlecock in his hand and immediately hid it behind his back to try and cover up his crime.
So much time had passed that Kangxi couldn't even remember the concubine's name or appearance. Consort Rong had been relatively stable over the years, and the Third Prince had grown up, so Kangxi could only appease her and let it go, only punishing Consort Rong with a year's salary and ordering her to reflect on her actions behind closed doors, chanting sutras and copying scriptures to pray for the prince she had killed.
Then, Suochuoluo Changzai was promoted to Guiren, and the matter was considered closed.
"As expected."
Yinzhi, multitasking, saw through Yinxiang's little scheme and reached behind him to pull out the shuttlecock: "Tsk tsk tsk, Thirteenth Brother, you're in trouble. Mother collected feathers for a long time to make this."
I had only cherished her for a few days when Yinxiang plucked her fur.
Caught red-handed, Yinxiang was furious: "Eighth Brother, you weren't taking the game seriously, no wonder you lost to Fourth Brother."
"..."
This really hit Yinzhi's sore spot, and the two immediately started fighting.
Yinzhen sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. His eighth brother, who was usually so composed, lost his composure when he was around his thirteenth brother.
Wen Shan had just returned from Consort Niohuru's place. Consort Rong's affair had brought up a whole host of other matters, and this was used as a pretext to begin a thorough investigation of the entire harem. After all, many princes had died young in recent years, and miscarriages were rampant. Consort Niohuru acted swiftly and decisively, saying that she would conduct a thorough investigation to rectify the harem's discipline.
Then he convened a meeting of the entire harem.
As one of only two imperial concubines in the palace, Wen Shan also had to put on an act. Fortunately, the other concubines in the harem all knew that Consort Xuan was someone who didn't care about anything and was always cheerful like Maitreya Buddha. Therefore, Wen Shan played the role of a mascot throughout the meeting.
Consort Niohuru wouldn't assign her any tasks. Instead, she summoned Consort Yi, Consort Ping, and Consort Hui to thoroughly investigate the miscarriage cases of the past few years, and then strengthened security for the two pregnant women in the palace, Consort De and Noble Lady Min.
Naturally, this meeting was also filled with sharp words and veiled insults. Although Consort Rong was not present, she had already been the subject of much ridicule from the other concubines.
Wen Shan listened and listened, but it was all the same old story. The only new thing was that Wang Shi, who had entered the palace during the Southern Tour a few years ago, was still one of the favored concubines in the palace after only two or three years. She had already been promoted to the rank of Consort.
Consort Mi is beautiful but clumsy with words and quiet by nature. Moreover, she entered the palace late. The matter discussed today actually had nothing to do with her, but she was still dragged into the meeting.
Unfortunately, some people were jealous of her favor and bullied her because she couldn't speak properly, subtly belittling this poor, innocent girl.
Wen Shan couldn't stand it anymore and rolled up her sleeves to join the fray.
"Consort Qin, when Consort Mi entered the palace, Consort Nara had already miscarried for over a year. How could it be related to her?" Wen Shan spoke up for Consort Mi, saying that Consort Qin was just making things up. Any normal person would know that such nonsense was being attributed to Consort Mi.
Upon hearing this, Consort Mi looked at Wen Shan with teary eyes. Wen Shan felt a tingling sensation in her heart from the beautiful woman's grateful, tearful gaze. She thought to herself, "No wonder Emperor Kangxi likes her. If she were the emperor, she would like her too."
Even Consort Xuan, who doesn't care about anything, couldn't stand it anymore, which shows how absurd Consort Qin's words were. Moreover, no one would think that Wen Shan and Consort Mi had any private relationship, since Wen Shan would speak up for justice when someone was being bullied so much.
Soon, other concubines echoed Wen Shan's words. Consort Qin's face flushed red and then turned pale. After stammering for a long time, she finally said, "Your Majesty, I only acted rashly because I felt sorry for Noble Lady Nara..."
Consort Niohuru replied, "Alright, just be careful with your words in the future, and apologize to Consort Mi."
Consort Qin and Consort Mi apologized, and Consort Mi, somewhat flattered, whispered that it was no problem.
When Wen Shan finally returned to Xianfu Palace after the conference ended, Yinxiang had an unusually sour face. He ignored both Yinzhen and Yinsi and sat down to repair the shuttlecock.
"What happened to our little thirteenth? Oh dear, he looks so pitiful." Wen Shan walked over and glanced at Yinzhen and Yinsi, who were reading a book nearby. "Did your two older brothers bully you?"
Yinzhi quickly protested his innocence: "Mother, it was my thirteenth brother who broke your shuttlecock. My fourth brother and I are having him fix it."
"He's still so young, it's not normal for him to break things." Wen Shan picked up the aggrieved Yinxiang and coaxed him, "It's okay, it's just a shuttlecock, if you like it, Mother will make you another one."
Yinzhi sighed, thinking how much his mother doted on the thirteenth son. No wonder the elders said that the youngest son and the eldest grandson were always the most favored.
Yinxiang obediently apologized to Wenshan, saying that he only picked up the shuttlecock because it was pretty, and he didn't expect to accidentally tear off a feather. It wouldn't have been a big problem, but when he was playing with Yinsi, he held it in his hand and somehow pressed it down, causing the shuttlecock to fall apart.
Wenshan glanced at it and said it was fine; she would re-dress a few more for Yinxiang to play with tomorrow when she had time.
Yinxiang then beamed with joy.
Yinxiang doesn't like being held anymore. He only sits still in Wenshan's arms, behaving as obediently as a baby.
Yinzhen and Yinsi put away the chessboard and asked, "Mother, did no one dare to cause you any trouble today?"
"Why would anyone cause me trouble?" Wen Shan said with a smile. "Although the matter of the Emperor's appointment of an Empress caused quite a stir a few days ago, there has been no follow-up. If you ask me, it's just that the court has been too busy lately and the Emperor hasn't been visiting the harem much, so everyone has started to find something to do for themselves again."
The previous dynasty was indeed very busy. Songgotu and Tong Guogang had already set off for the border between Qing and Russia to conduct negotiations and would soon bring back the Treaty of Nerchinsk.
The three princes, including Yinzhen, were naturally aware of this matter and were happy to see it happen.
Soetu's great contribution as the person in charge of this matter naturally benefits the Crown Prince. Kangxi's appointment of Soetu also took this into consideration. The more stable the Crown Prince's position is, the more advantageous it is for them in the current situation.
After chatting for a while, Wen Shan suddenly remembered that the cake she had just made that afternoon was still frozen in the ice chest. It wouldn't taste good if left until tomorrow, so she quickly took it out.
Outside the window, the bright moon hung high and fireflies twinkled. Wen Shan had planted wisteria trellises and grapevines in the yard, waiting for the cool summer nights to come. So, the group sat in the yard, eating snacks, and then Wen Shan pulled them in to play cards.
Hanging beside them were portraits drawn by Yinzhen and Yinsi, palace lanterns made by Wenshan, candlelight flickering, the fragrance of peonies carried on the breeze, and above them were blooming flowers and green leaves, and a sky full of stars; beside them were their mother and brothers. The three of them couldn't help but wish that time could just stop at this moment, for this was probably what a perfect life was all about.
...
The inner hall of Yanchun Pavilion, which had not seen any concubines for many years, was unusually filled with gifts of all sizes. These were all gifts of comfort and congratulations sent by the women of the harem.
The owner clearly didn't care and just casually tossed it aside without paying any attention.
There were faint lights shining through the courtyard, but they weren't palace lanterns; instead, they were burning paper money.
“My lord, although His Majesty has made the decision for Consort Chang, burning paper money in the palace is still very disrespectful. Why don’t we burn it inside the house?”
Xiao Yun, the personal maid of Consort Suochuoluo, looked left and right in fear, terrified that someone might come in.
"What's there to be afraid of? There's no one else in Yanchun Pavilion besides you and me. Today is the anniversary of Sister Chang's death. Besides, Sister Chang loved this vast world the most. What's wrong with burning it inside the house?"
A few days ago, when the news of Consort Rong's plot to murder Consort Chang first came out, several concubines came to visit her. However, when they realized that the Emperor wanted to suppress the matter, they gradually stopped coming, and Yanchun Pavilion returned to its usual quiet.
Noble Lady Suochuoluo, with a plain face, didn't care about rules or etiquette. She watched as the paper money she had folded herself burned in the flames and turned into wisps of smoke that drifted upwards in the wind, and a joyful smile appeared on her face.
So, my sister should have received it by now.
Although the Emperor did not severely punish Consort Rong, the truth was finally revealed. My sister and her unborn child were no longer left in a state of mystery, and my sister's spirit could finally rest in peace.
Xiaoyun was still terrified, and quickened her pace, trying to finish burning it as soon as possible.
"My lord, we have now offended Consort Rong, so we must be more careful in everything we do in the future."
"Would I be afraid of her?" The firelight illuminated the noblewoman's eyes and brows, making them flicker in and out of focus. She said calmly, "Now that my great revenge has been achieved, I am content. I ask for nothing more, whether I live or die."
From the moment she decided to expose Consort Rong, she had already disregarded her own life and death.
One of the guards outside Yanchun Pavilion couldn't help but peek inside, nudging his brother beside him and saying, "It seems that Noble Lady Suochuoluo is burning paper money inside."
"Don't worry about it, just pretend you didn't see it." The other guard kept his eyes straight ahead. "Remember your master's words and do your job well."
"I wonder if there's any future for us brothers who were assigned here to look after this long-lost nobleman." The guard also looked away and muttered to himself.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll report to the leader and have you transferred elsewhere."
"No, no, of course I am willing to serve my master. My master has treated us well, and I, Tu Haibu, know how to repay kindness."
The Yanchun Pavilion was quiet, and Consort Rong's Zhongcui Palace was also unusually quiet.
Consort Rong was confined to her quarters for a year and had to repent before the Buddha every day, burning incense, praying, and copying scriptures. She was extremely bored, and the palace servants dared not utter a sound when they saw that their mistress was in a bad mood.
"I wonder if this matter will implicate Yinzhi." Consort Rong knelt before the Buddha, but her mind was not on worshiping the Buddha; she was preoccupied with her son, whom she had not seen since the incident.
"I heard that the Third Prince pleaded for the Empress in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but the Emperor refused to see him. It was only after Princess Rongxian went that the Third Prince was persuaded to return."
The palace maid Suqin helped her up, saying, "Your Highness has been kneeling for a long time, please rest for a while."
There were no outsiders in Zhongcui Palace, and no one knew whether Consort Rong was repenting for her sins before the Buddha.
Consort Rong rose and sat down on the soft couch beside her. Looking at the cold and deserted state of the palace, she sighed and said, "Although Yinzhi is a filial child, he is too impulsive when things happen. Fortunately, Rongxian is outside and can take care of him, so I am more at ease."
She was confined to her quarters, and half of the palace servants were also dismissed.
"Our princess is the most favored by the Emperor among all the princesses. The princess just sent someone to tell Your Majesty not to worry about her and the Third Prince, and that the princess will do her best to help Your Majesty," Suqin said with a smile.
Consort Rong rubbed her sore knees, and Suqin quickly knelt down and gently lifted her clothes to apply the medicinal wine.
"Suqin, do you think this was really an accident?" Consort Rong found it increasingly suspicious.
More than a decade has passed since this incident, which was a foolish thing she did not do until shortly after she entered the palace. She was young and did not know the consequences. After she did it, her second son, Saiyinchahun, suddenly fell ill and died before he was three years old. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth to her youngest son, Changhua, in great grief. He also died before he was a month old.
After losing two children in succession, she believed it was divine retribution for the sordid things she had done. Consort Chang also died soon after suffering a miscarriage. To atone for her mistakes, Consort Rong secretly set up a longevity tablet for the mother and child outside the palace, and people still offer incense to them to this day. Moreover, after Consort Chang, she never tampered with the imperial heirs again.
I never expected that this first and only mistake would be brought up again one day.
“Your Majesty, you have been kind to everyone these past few years, focusing solely on raising the Third Prince and Princess Rongxian. You have long since stopped vying for favor. Who could possibly harm us?” Suqin said hesitantly.
Consort Rong's intuition was based on years of experience in the palace, so after thinking for a while and finding no suspicious points, she could only close her eyes and say, "So be it, so be it. It's all my fault. It's good that I've paid for it. Over the years, I've worried that the retribution would fall on my Yinzhi and Rongxian whenever I thought about this matter. Now it's fine, I can bear it all by myself."
Not only did Consort Rong find it strange, but Emperor Kangxi also found it strange.
Why did Consort Rong have to have an accident at this particular time?
It all seems too much of a coincidence.
Consort Rong has been very well-behaved in the palace all these years and has not had any conflicts with other concubines. Therefore, Kangxi knew after a little thought that if it was done by someone, it was very likely that it was Wen Shan who did it.
She guessed that he would hand Yinxiang over to Consort Rong to raise, so she simply gave up on his idea.
But Wen Shan... doesn't seem like the kind of person who would resort to such scheming tactics.
Moreover, this incident occurred in the thirteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, before Wen Shan had even entered the palace. Consort Rong was very discreet at the time, and if it weren't for the imperial physician she left behind, no one would have noticed. It would have been too difficult for Wen Shan to make a fuss about this.
So it doesn't quite look like it.
Kangxi couldn't help but wonder if it was truly a coincidence? Was it a sign from Heaven that he should keep Yinxiang behind?
However, Kangxi quickly put the matter out of his mind, because the Battle of Yaksa in the previous dynasty had reached a decisive moment.
Because of the battle with Russia at Yaksa, many things were postponed. Yinxiang continued to recuperate in Xianfu Palace, and Kangxi no longer showed any special concern for Xianfu Palace. Empress Heseri was most concerned about the matter of changing the imperial genealogy. She found a pretext that the imperial mausoleum and ancestral temple were under renovation. The Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial saying that many princes and princesses in the harem would soon turn six and need to be formally ordered to add their names to the ancestral temple. However, when the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was calculating how to carry out the renovation, it also calculated that it was not advisable to move the ancestral temple until next year, otherwise it would ruin the feng shui.
Since no one can add to the order of seniority, naturally the imperial genealogy cannot be altered in the ancestral temple.
Emperor Kangxi never expected the Hesheli family to come up with such an idea. Although he did not believe in these celestial phenomena and their interpretations of fortune and misfortune, he had to admit that Suo'etu had found a good explanation. No one in the court mentioned the Empress Dowager's last wish anymore, since no one could bear the responsibility of ruining the feng shui of the royal ancestral temple.
So Emperor Kangxi readily agreed to the proposal.
Soetu also knew that the Empress Dowager's last wish was there and how difficult it would be to overturn it, so he could only delay, hoping that things might take a turn for the better, such as Consort Xuan making a mistake, passing away, or falling seriously ill, and then the matter would be resolved.
When Yinzhen and the other two learned of this news, they were both angry and amused.
"This Suo'etu really knows how to find a way." Yinzhi threw the report sent from below onto the table.
Yinxiang picked it up and examined it carefully, marveling, "It's not easy for him to find such a method."
“The excuse he’s using won’t last long,” Yinzhen said. “It would be quite difficult to postpone something like the ancestral temple’s feng shui until next year.”
This was a matter concerning the imperial ancestral temple and the fate of the Qing Dynasty. It took a lot of courage for Suo'etu to bring this up as a shield. Fortunately, Kangxi and he were on the same page this time, so he didn't pursue the matter and even granted Suo'etu's wish.
However, as Yinzhen said, this matter cannot be delayed for too long. If the celestial phenomena continue to be unfavorable to the ancestral temple, it will not be the right thing to do.
“That’s fine too. It will allow Father’s attention to shift away from us for a while. We can wait until next year.” Yinzhi stroked his chin and thought for a moment. “We deliberately didn’t stop them because we felt that now was not a good time. It would be better to wait until next year when Songgotu returns from negotiations with Tsarist Russia to proceed.”
"I just didn't expect Suo'etu to be so bold as to bring this up," Yinxiang said.
Yinzhen pulled Yinxiang over: "Alright, Thirteenth Brother, how's the birthday gift you prepared for Mother?"
"I've been ready for a long time." Yinxiang proudly puffed out his little chest.
Wenshan's birthday is in a month, and her three brothers have been preparing for it for half a month.
Yinzhi also came over: "What have you prepared?"
"I won't tell you."
Wen Shan has been summoned to Yongshou Palace for meetings every few days recently by Consort Niohuru. This time, Consort Niohuru is determined to use the Rong Consort incident to find a few typical examples in the palace. Wen Shan has no choice but to smile, nod, and agree with Consort Niohuru's wisdom.
But it also allowed Wen Shan to get a lot of gossip along with it.
For example, it seems that Consort Hui and Consort Rong, two veterans in the palace, did have an affair in the early days. Fortunately, it was too long ago and they covered it up for each other, so it all passed by in a muddled way.
Consort Duan, who seemed so honest and unassuming, had actually laid a hand on Consort De when she was pregnant with Yinzhen. When Wenshan heard that this had been discovered, her jaw nearly dropped in shock.
In short, while Kangxi was busy negotiating with Tsarist Russia in the court, he was also busy negotiating in the harem. It was only at this time that Wen Shan realized that Consort Niohuru wanted to purge the harem. She wanted to take this opportunity to start a comprehensive purge, and she wanted others to purge her as well. The harem was immediately thrown into chaos.
Wen Shan was shocked by new gossip every day and would run back to ask Yin Si which side was telling the truth.
Even Yinxiang, who had never witnessed such a large-scale brawl between concubines in both his lives, was almost dumbfounded.
Wen Shan and Yin Xiang were in charge of watching the drama unfold, while Yin Zhen and Yin Si were busy with their duties in the imperial court and the inner palace. They also had to spare some time to protect Consort Min, since she was pregnant and her plot to harm the imperial heir was currently in the spotlight.
A few months later, in the autumn, Consort De gave birth to her third son, the Fourteenth Prince, Yinzhen.
After Yinzhen was born, even Wenshan, who did not often interact with Consort De, could sense that Consort De's concern and care for this youngest son even surpassed that for the deceased sixth prince, Yinzuo.
It seems that she poured all the love she had for the Sixth Prince into this youngest son. If she could teach Yinzhuo some principles while still being affectionate towards him, then her love for Yinzhen was truly boundless and unconditional.
Even Yinzhen sometimes shook his head when he mentioned this, saying with a serious face that he was saddened that his fourteenth brother would become so arrogant in the future, because he had been endlessly pampered since childhood.
Yinzhi's feelings for his fourteenth brother were also hard to explain. Wen Shan and the others knew that the fourteenth prince was different from the ninth and tenth princes. After Yinzhi completely declared that he had no chance of the throne, he became the one who competed with Yinzhen for that position. Later, even the ninth prince turned to support him.
Yinzhi took this matter in stride; at that time, he had already lost power, and it was normal for his brothers to seek their own way out.
However, the fourteenth brother does have more ulterior motives compared to the ninth and tenth brothers.
The birth of the Fourteenth Prince was a joyous occasion in the palace, while a major event also occurred in the imperial court at that time.
Grand Secretary Mingzhu was dismissed and investigated.
Within a few years, two consecutive Grand Secretaries, Songgotu and Mingzhu, were dealt with one after another, which made many officials somewhat uneasy. In their fear, they also realized one thing: if the emperor wanted to deal with a minister, no matter how powerful he was, he would be powerless to resist.
As a result, many court officials quietly gave up their plans to bet on the next emperor as the princes grew up.
Mingzhu was dismissed and investigated for two reasons: firstly, he had indeed accepted bribes and sold official positions; secondly, he had secretly supported the eldest prince's struggle against the crown prince. Kangxi saw through this and was furious. When he could no longer tolerate it, he naturally took action against Mingzhu.
Therefore, in the twenty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign, Kangxi officially stripped Mingzhu of all his titles and official positions. In that same year, at the age of fifty-four, Mingzhu went from being a powerful Grand Secretary to a prisoner.
Moreover, Kangxi's subsequent treatment of Mingzhu was nothing short of cruel and morally reprehensible.
After Mingzhu's crimes were determined, Kangxi, moved by the loyalty of his old minister, released him from prison. He then issued an imperial edict appointing Mingzhu to the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard for appropriate appointment.
Who is this Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard?
This refers to Suo'etu, who once petitioned to have Mingzhu beheaded and displayed to the public, but whose position as chief minister was later taken over by Mingzhu.
When Wenshan heard the news, she thought to herself, "Good heavens, this isn't just sending sheep into the tiger's den, it's sending a whole roasted lamb into the tiger's den!"
And Songgotu did not disappoint, assigning Mingzhu a good job—to guard the palace gate.
"Now I know who Hongli takes after," Yinxiang said seriously, resting his chin on his hand. "That wicked trick of his, it turns out, he inherited it from Father Emperor!"
This is a ruthless and psychological attack, truly a saintly grandson!
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