Chapter 49 Consort Mi never expected this...
Consort Mi never expected that after so many years, the emperor would bring up the matter from back then again.
Kangxi pressed down on her wrist, preventing her from even struggling.
"What I like most about you is that you never lie to me."
Consort Mi shook her head in horror: "No, no one has ever taught me anything."
"If you are lying, then you are deceiving the emperor."
Kangxi released her hand, and his slightly rough fingertips brushed against her arm, sending a shiver down her spine.
Consort Mi's beautiful eyes were filled with tears: "Your Majesty, I don't know why you ask this, but when I was in Jiangnan, there were only a few nannies who taught me the rules of the palace, and nothing else."
Kangxi's tone softened, he patted her hand and closed his eyes again: "It's nothing, I was just asking casually."
Consort Mi breathed a sigh of relief; her back was already soaked with cold sweat.
How could someone who has been in the palace for so many years still be as innocent as when they first entered?
Several years ago, she learned that the aunt had taught her the manners of Empress Hesheri, and she also understood why the emperor was so infatuated with her at first.
Consort Mi continued to massage Kangxi's head. After a moment of silence, Kangxi asked, "I remember that during the Southern Tour that year, Consort Xuan accompanied him and managed the internal affairs."
Consort Mi whispered, "Yes, His Majesty's memory is accurate."
"In that sense, Consort Xuan did you a great favor by mentoring you."
Consort Mi's eyelashes trembled slightly as she softly said, "Noble Consort Xuan has been very kind to everyone in the harem, and I am naturally grateful for that."
Kangxi kept his eyes closed and spoke in a flat tone. Consort Mi couldn't understand what he meant, so she could only answer politely.
"Consort Xuan is indeed an upright and honest person, a rare honest person in the harem," Kangxi said leisurely. "Have you heard that the Empress Dowager asked me before her death to transfer one of Consort Xuan's three sons to her name?"
Consort Mi was truly terrified today, as one deadly problem after another arose.
"I've heard people mention it, but I don't know much about it."
Kangxi sat up and gestured for her to come forward and sit down.
"Then I'll tell you today, it's true. What do you think about this?"
Consort Mi was even starting to suspect that there was something wrong with today's almanac; her palms were constantly sweating.
These relentless questions were really putting her in a difficult position.
"Your Majesty, this concerns the Imperial Concubine and the Prince, so it is not appropriate for me to comment."
"You may speak freely."
Consort Mi sighed inwardly and could only honestly say, "Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important, and it is the Empress Dowager's last wish that should not be violated."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi laughed and looked at her, propping his left arm up.
"You're telling the truth."
Consort Mi asked cautiously, "Did I say something wrong?"
Filial piety is the most important virtue, so how could Emperor Kangxi say she was wrong? He simply waved his hand and told her to leave.
As soon as Consort Mi left, Kangxi's expression darkened.
"Liang Jiugong, keep an eye on Consort Mi and see if she contacts anyone."
In fact, it was a sudden flash of inspiration on his mind that connected many things. The similarities between Consort Mi and Empress Hesheli when Consort Mi first appeared, and Consort Mi's rare involvement in other people's business when the question of who would raise Yinxiang caused a great uproar. Today, seeing the lawsuit between Yinsi and Yinti, Kangxi, who had been emperor for many years, suddenly had an inconceivable idea in his mind.
Wen Shan certainly doesn't have the cunning and scheming nature, so what about her children?
Yinzhi was so young yet his words and actions were so impeccable. In the past two years, he had also stood out among the princes. Zhang Ying and Gu Badai would often praise the Eighth Prince in front of him for his intelligence, respect for teachers, and virtuous character.
At the time, he didn't take it to heart. He thought, what could a seven or eight-year-old child possibly be? He figured the tutors were exaggerating because they were princes. But seeing Yinzhi today, he was surprised to realize that eight years old was actually quite old.
He was already on the throne when he was eight years old.
Kangxi put this matter aside for a while and spent an hour reviewing memorials before Liang Jiugong came back to report that Consort Mi had returned to her tent as soon as she left, and then took a short nap and had not woken up yet. He had not seen anyone or sent any messages.
If you can still fall asleep at this point, then you must really have nothing to hide.
"I understand. You may leave."
Liang Jiugong respectfully responded and stepped aside.
After calming down, Kangxi thought about it a lot. Even if Yinzhi had the mindset now, he was only three years old when the emperor made his southern tour. Now it seems that he was indeed overthinking things.
After leaving Kangxi's camp, Yinzhen and the others had free time. They could go hunting or relax.
"Third brother, fourth brother, would you like to go hunting in the northern forest with me?" The Crown Prince enthusiastically invited the Third Prince and Yinzhen.
Seeing Yinzhi standing next to Yinzhen, Crown Prince Yinsi raised an eyebrow and said, "Eighth brother is still young, so we brothers won't take you hunting."
The claim that he was still young was simply because the Crown Prince was rejecting him because of what had just happened.
However, this also shows that he has been doing a good job recently.
I didn't see the eldest prince, nor did I receive an invitation.
The eldest prince was only punished by Kangxi by not being allowed to go hunting the next day, but he was not confined to his quarters, so the crown prince simply ignored the eldest prince and paid him no attention.
The eldest prince naturally had no interest in going hunting with the crown prince.
"Hunting is only fun when the opponents are evenly matched. Since Your Highness is so good at choosing people, I won't go with my brothers to avoid spoiling everyone's fun."
Who wants to go hunting with a bunch of noobs like you?
Although the eldest prince had just been scolded by Emperor Kangxi, he still wouldn't let it go when he came out.
The prince smiled and continued to ignore him.
The eldest prince left in a huff and puff.
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince were too young to ride horses or go hunting, so they came here to enjoy the scenery and get some fresh air with their mother.
So apart from the eldest prince, only Yinzhi was actually left.
The Third Prince couldn't refuse the Crown Prince's warm invitation, so he had to accept it, but Yinzhen remained silent.
"I'll go keep Mother company later, Fourth Brother, you go ahead," Yinzhi said with a smile.
Yinzhen frowned and tried to refuse, but the Crown Prince suddenly put his arm around Yinzhen's shoulder.
"Fourth brother, since eighth brother has other plans, let's set off."
Yinzhi nodded slightly at him.
Yinzhen sighed, and then left with the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the others.
He was quite comfortable being alone. Yinzhi stretched and prepared to pick some pretty flowers to please Consort Wei. Unexpectedly, when he wandered to the outermost camp of the emperor's tent, he saw a familiar figure.
"Longkodo?"
Yinzhi was surprised in a low voice, and quickly wondered in his mind how Longkodo had appeared around his father at this time.
Longkodo is Tong Guowei's son. He recently joined the Kangxi Emperor's service as a first-class bodyguard. This morning, he happened to be at this camp leading everyone in preparing for tomorrow's hunt.
Yinzhi's appearance quickly attracted their attention.
"May the Eighth Prince be blessed."
Longcodoli made a clean sweep of the score.
Yinzhi snapped out of his daze and raised his hand: "Get up."
"Who are you? I've never seen you before."
Yinzhi began to ask questions he already knew the answer to.
"Your servant Longkodo has just been transferred to serve the Emperor," Longkodo said respectfully.
Yinzhi nodded, pretended to think for a moment, and said in surprise, "Longkodo, is he Lord Tong Guowei's son? I seem to have heard Father Emperor mention him."
Longkodo had just arrived at Kangxi's side and hadn't had much close contact with him yet. When he heard from the Eighth Prince that the Emperor had actually mentioned him in front of him, he was overjoyed.
Longkodo quickly replied, "My father is indeed Tong Guowei."
Yinzhi glanced around at the people around him, grunted in response, and then said, "Then you all get back to work."
Then he continued to wander off to the side.
Longkodo watched Yinzhi's departing figure thoughtfully. He had also heard of this Eighth Prince. Although he came from a humble background, he was raised by Consort Xuan from birth. Moreover, he was naturally gifted and had a reputation for virtue. The Emperor once said in public that he was the most beloved prince besides the Crown Prince.
Before he entered the palace as a guard, Tong Guowei had a long talk with him all night. Now that the princes in the palace have grown up, the Tong family has to start thinking about how to continue after the emperor's death. The Tong family's current status is due to the fact that Longkodo's aunt, Empress Xiaokangzhang, gave birth to a good son - Aisin Gioro Xuanye. However, the Imperial Noble Consort in the harem, who is also Longkodo's own sister, Tongjia, has no children. The only adopted son, the Fourth Prince, was taken away in a moment of confusion.
Tong Guowei explained in detail the strengths and weaknesses of the Crown Prince, the First Prince, the Eighth Prince, and even the Tenth Prince. In his view, these were all people who had the potential to ascend the throne in the future. Although the Emperor was in his prime, everyone must die one day, so they had to plan ahead in advance.
However, the situation was indeed unclear at the moment, so Tong Guowei only analyzed it with Longkodo. His final advice was for Longkodo to serve the emperor well, maintain good relations with the princes, and neither be too close nor too distant, so that he could choose a wise ruler when the situation became clearer in the future.
Although Longkodo outwardly agreed with his father, he secretly had different plans from Tong Guowei.
In his view, Tong Guowei's plan was too conservative. "No pain, no gain," he thought. "What value is there in waiting for the situation to become clear before taking sides? To those in power, it's just going with the flow. It's better to support him when he's still in a weak position. That's what it means to be a hero."
However, the Crown Prince's position is still secure and he is highly regarded by the Emperor. It seems that the Crown Prince has the highest chance of succeeding to the throne. But Longkodo is unwilling to join the Crown Prince's inner circle. The reason is simple: there are too many people who want to join him. As an unknown nobody, he can't possibly get close to the Crown Prince. Moreover, the Crown Prince's most favored family is definitely his own maternal family, the Hesheli clan. The Tongjia clan would have to be ranked later.
Therefore, on his first day at Kangxi's side, Longkodo carefully observed the princes and decided to support one of them who was virtuous.
□□ is a kind of wisdom, but it is clear that Longkodo does not have it.
No matter how grand his ambitions were before, he ultimately chose the eldest prince.
Yinzhi strolled to the stream to pick flowers, with Xiao Shunzi following behind to catch them for him.
Yinzhi patted the dirt off his hands and said casually, "Go and investigate what Longkodo has been doing since he entered the palace."
The way he looked at this kid today was a bit off.
Xiao Shunzi: "Yes, Master, should we send a message back to the palace to inform the Thirteenth Prince?"
Yinzhi shook his head: "Let's behave ourselves lately. Why do I feel like Father Emperor is starting to suspect us?"
He was all too familiar with Kangxi's suspicions; in fact, no one understood them better than him. So, when they parted this morning, he keenly sensed that something was amiss.
Thinking about it carefully, there have indeed been too many actions in the past two years, so it's normal for the Emperor to notice. Perhaps it's better to play dumb for a while.
While Yinzhen and Yinsi were busy at the Mulan Hunting Grounds, Yinxiang stayed in the palace, enjoying a leisurely life.
Although the Imperial Noble Consort is still in the palace, she has been ill for many years and has long since closed herself off. Therefore, Wen Shan is actually the one with the highest rank in the harem now.
With Emperor Kangxi away from the palace, the concubines no longer had to fight and scheme for his favor. For once, they all became peaceful and harmonious. Wen Shan couldn't help but sigh that there was indeed world peace without Emperor Kangxi.
Yinxiang is still too young to study in the Imperial Study, which is the happiest time of his life. Especially when Kangxi is not in the palace, he is even more carefree. Yinxiang is the most lively and restless person. Ever since he could run and jump, he has volunteered to take care of walking Fuqi and Laifu. After the Mulan hunting team set off, Yinxiang began to take the two dogs to the Imperial Garden every morning and evening. Yinxiang was so enthusiastic that he exhausted Fuqi and Laifu.
The dog is walked for nearly four hours every day at a high intensity, and even the dog shakes its head at the thought.
Especially Laifu, the dog who couldn't get enough of being walked every day and always wanted to run outside, was afraid of Yinxiang's energy. He came back from outside with a huff and puff and lay down on the ground, seemingly having lost all his strength and ability.
So, after only three or four days, fortune and luck left Yinxiang, and he found a place to lie down and recuperate.
Yinxiang searched everywhere for the two of them, and said in bewilderment, "Mother, Laifu and Fuqi are too weak. They got tired after running around for only two days. They need to be trained properly."
Wen Shan was unusually focused on palace affairs. These matters were usually handled by Yin Si. Fortunately, several troublemakers were currently at the Mulan Hunting Ground, so things were quite simple, and Wen Shan could barely manage.
Seeing Wen Shan racking her brains, Yinxiang stepped forward, patted his chest, and said that he could handle these things too, and that he should do it.
Wen Shan was suspicious. Although Yinzhen and Yinsi were both adults who had experienced the ups and downs of life, Yinxiang and Yinsi were really too different in temperament. No matter how much Yinsi pretended to be a child, he did not have the pure and natural vitality that Yinxiang had.
“Mother, don’t look down on me. I’ve served as the Minister of State Affairs for so many years. Surely the affairs of the inner palace can’t be more difficult than those of the previous dynasty?” Yinxiang puffed out his cheeks, clearly dissatisfied with Wen Shan’s suspicious gaze.
Myna has never been involved in palace affairs before. If Myna can do it, he definitely can too!
As a result, the people in the harem noticed that Consort Xuan's style of managing the harem had suddenly changed drastically.
The gentle yet ruthless and decisive style of the past has transformed into a clean and efficient one, with a strong sense of hatred for evil and a clear distinction between reward and punishment.
Wen Shan looked at the little Yinxiang hunched over the desk, huffing and puffing as he reviewed official documents. She felt a strange sense of guilt, like she was employing a child laborer. But then she thought that Yinsi had also taken over palace affairs when he was about the same age.
Well, she's a repeat offender.
"Yinxiang, let's go to Yanxi Palace to see Consort Min later."
While Yinxiang was busy, Wenshan was also busy preparing some food to take to Consort Min later. This pregnancy was quite difficult for her, and her tastes changed every day. When Wenshan visited her last time, she said she wanted to eat sweets again, so Wenshan specially made some sweet and soft pastries to take to her.
After finishing his work, Yinxiang came over to help Wenshan tidy up.
"Mother, is there any news about when Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother will return?"
Wen Shan glanced at him and said with a smile, "They've only been gone a few days, probably just arrived at Mulan Hunting Ground. Why are you already missing them?"
"I miss Fourth Brother." Yinxiang's face was a little red. He didn't want to talk about this anymore and urged Wenshan to go to Jingren Palace to see Consort Min.
Min Guiren's due date is estimated to be another half month, but since she is in late pregnancy, she could be born at any time, so Wen Shan is paying extra attention and comes to visit every few days.
Consort Min was overjoyed to see Wen Shan bring Yinxiang over, and felt even warmer-hearted when she saw the palace maids behind her carrying many bags and packages.
"Your Highness always brings so many things when you come; I can hardly fit any more in here."
Wen Shan laid out the pastries she had brought for Consort Min to try. Consort Min indeed loved the taste and ate two or three pieces before putting them down.
Yinxiang ran to Consort Min's side and gently touched her belly.
Yinxiang's expression was somewhat sorrowful. This was Wen Ke, his poor sister who died in childbirth in her early twenties.
This time, he will definitely make thorough preparations in advance. If Wen Ke still insists on marrying into Mongolia, he will make sure she does not die during childbirth.
Consort Min patted Yinxiang's head and said softly, "You'll be able to see your younger brother or sister in a few days. Are you happy, Yinxiang?"
Yinxiang nodded.
He was naturally happy to see his sister again.
Wen Shan felt sorry for her, but after not coming for two or three days, Consort Min's face looked even more slender.
“Look how thin you’ve become. This won’t do. You won’t have the strength to give birth.”
Consort Min was also helpless: "This naughty little devil in my belly is making it impossible for me to eat anything."
Yinxiang touched Consort Min's belly again and said in a serious tone, "Sister, you must be obedient."
"How did Yinxiang know it was his sister?" Consort Min chuckled.
Yinxiang pursed his lips and whispered, "I can feel it, it's my sister."
Consort Min also hoped for a daughter so that she could raise her by her side, and having both a son and a daughter was something many people longed for.
Just as Consort Min was about to speak, her expression suddenly changed. She gasped and, clutching her stomach, looked at Wen Shan in a panic.
"Your Highness, I...I think I'm about to give birth."
Wenshan: !
Is it such a coincidence that it's today?
Fortunately, the midwife had prepared everything in advance, so although there was some panic, she managed to escort Consort Min into the delivery room in an orderly manner.
As Yinxiang heard Consort Min's cries of pain from inside the delivery room, his hands clenched tightly together, and he was so nervous that he forgot to blink.
Wenshan hugged him and comforted him, "It's alright. The imperial physician and the midwife both said that your mother's baby is in the right position and will be born soon."
Although Wen Shan comforted Yinxiang in this way, she herself was also very anxious and hanging on by a thread. Over the years, she had witnessed many concubines giving birth, but she was always terrified every time.
After waiting for almost half an hour, Baoquan suddenly came in and whispered that the Imperial Noble Consort had arrived.
Wen Shan thought she had misheard in her nervousness and asked, "Who did you say came?"
Baoquan was also somewhat surprised and repeated, "The Imperial Noble Consort is on her way and should arrive in a little while."
...
Mulan Hunting Ground
After parting ways with Yinzhi, Yinzhi happily picked out flowers and plants by the stream, while Yinzhi, who was hunting with the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, seemed somewhat distracted.
He was not skilled in riding and archery to begin with, and now that he was worried about his eighth brother, his skills naturally seemed even worse.
The Crown Prince was greatly encouraged after shooting a deer. He turned around and saw Yinzhen's nonchalant appearance, sighed, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Fourth Brother, it's rare to go hunting, why do you look so unhappy?"
"Is Fourth Brother worried about Eighth Brother?" The Third Prince's riding and archery skills were even comparable to those of the First Prince. In just a short while, he had already hunted two roe deer and several rabbits.
Yinzhen was too lazy to draw his bow, so he tossed it to the little eunuch and rode his horse behind them. Hearing this, he said, "Eighth Brother is young. Before he left the palace, Mother specifically instructed us to take good care of him."
The Crown Prince expressed his understanding: "After all, they were raised together since childhood. But Fourth Brother, I don't think Eighth Brother necessarily thinks the same way you treat him as your own brother."
Yinzhen's face immediately turned cold: "What do you mean by that, Crown Prince?"
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince exchanged a glance. The Third Prince smiled and said, "Fourth Brother, don't tell me you can't see through Eighth Brother's thoughts. He's even better than the Eldest Brother now."
Yinzhen, however, still kept a straight face and said that Yinsi was young and didn't know any better.
In front of the Crown Prince, Yinzhen still had to maintain an image of uprightness and integrity, valuing brotherhood.
The Crown Prince had lost interest in hunting. He glanced at Yinzhen and said, "Did he tell you about how he maneuvered between my elder brother and Bandi yesterday?"
Yinzhen thought to himself, "Of course, he said it right in front of me."
But his expression remained calm and silent, as if he had been told the truth.
"Fourth brother, I'm only saying this to you because I consider you and third brother to be family. I don't mean to sow discord between you brothers. I just want to remind you to be wary of eighth brother in the future. That kid has quite a few tricks up his sleeve."
At first, the Crown Prince also suspected that Yinzhen and Yinsi were putting on an act, after all, the two had been raised together since childhood and their relationship was known to be very close. However, after Yinsi began to show his talent, the two were not so close in the Imperial Study. Yinzhen was closer to Zhang Tingyu, while Yinsi was with the Ninth and Tenth Princes. Occasionally, Yinsi would steal the limelight from him, and Yinzhen would scold him a couple of times.
Everyone in the palace knew about Yinzhen's temper; he was a straightforward, cold-blooded man who didn't care about feelings when it came to right and wrong. So later, the Crown Prince also realized that Yinsi did have ulterior motives, but Yinzhen might not necessarily go along with him.
They're just raised together; they're not blood brothers after all. It's not surprising that even siblings from the same mother could turn against each other.
Therefore, the Crown Prince seized every opportunity to try to bring Yinzhen to his side and distance himself from Yinsi.
Yinzhen still didn't respond to him, only saying, "I don't quite understand what the Crown Prince is saying. Since we're hunting, let's focus on hunting."
After saying that, he spurred his horse forward.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince didn't rush to chase after them, but chatted leisurely behind them.
"Your Highness, don't worry, Fourth Brother has taken it to heart," said the Third Prince.
The Crown Prince chuckled and said, "Fourth Brother is a very good person, but he has a younger brother with impure intentions. I think Fourth Brother must be having a lot of trouble. However, Fourth Brother will definitely not act recklessly with Eighth Brother. We can only keep an eye on him and make sure that Eighth Brother doesn't drag Fourth Brother down with him."
That night, Yinzhi physically dragged Yinzhen into the mess.
The two of them went to soak in the hot spring pool together.
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