Chapter 52 And at this moment, still immersed in the auxiliary...
Meanwhile, Longkodo, still basking in the glory of his role in helping the eldest prince seize the throne, was unaware that he had already been kicked out of the game by Yinzhen and the others.
“Now that Songgotu and Mingzhu have both left the cabinet, Tong Guowei is in charge.” Yinzhi tapped the table casually.
It's likely that even the cunning old fox Tong Guowei never imagined that his son, whom he had carefully cultivated and personally planned to pave his way to an official career, would be so bold as to plan to overthrow the Crown Prince together with the eldest prince as soon as he entered officialdom.
Yinxiang, rubbing his head, said, "And there's Ma Qi too. Mother said that the Fucha family has produced many capable people in later generations, supporting half of Hongli's life."
Ma Qi's full name was Fucha Ma Qi. Empress Fucha, the first empress of Emperor Qianlong, was his niece. Fu Heng, the chief Grand Councilor of the Qianlong era, and Empress Fucha were born of the same mother, making him his nephew. From then on, the Fucha family produced many talented individuals, such as Fukang'an and Mingrui, who were brave, loyal, and commendable.
Yinxiang thought to himself that Hongli was really lucky; his fourth brother had chosen a wife for him and also sent him a group of useful ministers.
However, it's still a long time before Fu Heng and the others are born, so they can't count on them. But the status of the Fucha family has indeed been elevated in their minds.
"If Longkodo can't be used, who will replace him?" Yinxiang picked up an orange and played with it, tossing it back and forth with a very dashing gesture, but it looked quite comical against his still somewhat chubby face.
After finally finishing up the palace affairs and secret reports of the past two months, Yinzhi lay back and casually picked up his favorite rabbit pillow and put it in his arms. He squinted and said, "Tuoheqi is still in the position of Commander of the Nine Gates. He won't fall until the Crown Prince falls. There's no need to worry."
Tuoheqi was a follower of the Crown Prince, and a trusted confidant at that. As long as the Crown Prince was still alive, he was untouchable.
Yinzhen nodded, but he already had someone in mind.
"Never mind all that now, I'm going to take a nap." Yinzhi yawned. He was exhausted from the long journey back and from cleaning up the mess that had taken him several hours to make.
Yinzhen nudged him: "Then go back to your room and sleep."
No matter what position you adopt, you can't sleep comfortably on the soft couch in the main hall.
Yinzhi was too lazy to move and complained that he was tired, so he decided to take a nap.
Yinxiang, however, was not tired and was full of energy. He deliberately played a trick on Yinsi, whispering a story that his mother had recently told him in his ear.
"Speaking of which, both Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother were in love with that woman, and guess what? That woman's older sister was Eighth Brother's concubine, and to make matters worse, she was forcibly taken and separated from his lover. Now he's set his sights on that woman's younger sister, tsk tsk..."
Yinxiang got more and more excited as he talked, vividly describing and exaggerating what Wenshan had told him, successfully annoying Yinsi.
Yinzhi sat up abruptly and looked at him menacingly: "Thirteenth brother, if you keep making noise, I won't be polite."
Yinxiang wasn't afraid of him even in both his lifetimes combined. He made a face and even prepared to add fuel to the fire.
"Who knew that the woman would fall for Fourth Brother? Ah, as expected, the descendants have good taste. It's the steady Fourth Brother who's popular with girls. Eighth Brother, on the other hand, who falls in love with every girl he sees, is obviously unreliable. And what's with all this 'sister flowers' stuff? Does he think he's the Emperor?"
Yinzhen quickly rubbed his forehead, unable to listen any longer.
Why do later generations love to fabricate stories about him and his eighth brother fighting over a woman?
This was already the umpteenth similar story they had heard from their mother.
"Thirteenth brother, let eighth brother rest. Fourth brother will take you out to play." Yinzhen tried to pull Yinxiang away before Yinsi could jump up and beat him.
Yinzhi was no longer sleepy from his noise and said, "Fourth Brother, don't worry about it. Let him come over to me and talk."
Seeing that the two were about to roll up their sleeves and start fighting again, Yinzhen had no choice but to use the most effective but also the least original move.
"Mother—!"
Wen Shan was tending to the flowers that Yinzhen and Yinsi had gone to great lengths to bring back for her from Mongolia when she heard Yinzhen shouting at the top of his lungs, and she knew something had happened.
Sure enough, when they entered the room, they found that Yinzhi and Yinxiang were arguing again.
"Alright, alright." Wen Shan quickly stepped forward and picked up Yinxiang, smiling helplessly, "Your fourth brother and eighth brother just came back from a long trip, why are you bothering them?"
Yinxiang snorted and snuggled closer to Wenshan.
He just missed his fourth and eighth brothers, so he wanted to play with them.
Although it seems very childish, he now has the same feeling as Yinzhi back then; the reaction brought about by a child's body is just too great.
They unconsciously became childish.
Yinzhi wasn't really angry with Yinxiang, and the two of them were just joking around without actually fighting. Otherwise, the age difference between Yinzhi and Yinxiang would have been enough for Yinzhi to beat Yinxiang up.
Yinxiang was also fearless because he knew that Yinsi wouldn't really do anything to him, which is why he frequently provoked him.
The greatest joy of his childhood, which is now beyond his ability to do many things, was to provoke the usually unmoved myna bird into a frenzy.
"Mother, what story are you telling Thirteenth Brother again?" Yinzhi sat up, scratching his slightly disheveled braid, and looked at Wenshan with a deep gaze.
Wen Shan coughed twice and began to change the subject: "I still have soup simmering on the stove, is it going to burn?"
Then he accurately tossed Yinxiang to Yinsi, leaving the two of them staring at each other in bewilderment.
Oh no! Mother actually abandoned him and threw him into the hands of the myna bird.
Yinzhi smiled warmly: "Thirteenth Brother, let's continue talking about the story you just told."
Yinzhen sighed, thinking, "These two are going to cause trouble again."
Yinzhi was no longer sleepy after Yinxiang's antics. After arguing with Yinxiang for a while, he realized that he couldn't let the thirteenth prince off so easily. So he grabbed him and started to teach him how to handle things in the palace.
Yinxiang was initially serious about learning, but after listening for a while, he became unwilling to do it. This kind of superficial and indecisive behavior was completely incompatible with him, and he couldn't do it!
Yinxiang wanted to strike, but Yinzhen forcibly stopped him.
"That sounds wonderful."
"I can't do these things, Eighth Brother, please let me go. This is worse than killing me." Yinxiang said with a bitter face.
Yinzhen picked up a book to read and glanced over to support Yinsi: "In a few years, my eighth brother and I will be too busy to manage these things. You will have to take on these responsibilities."
Mother is going to stay in the palace forever; someone has to protect her.
Upon hearing this, Yinxiang became obedient. Since it involved Wenshan, he could only obediently listen to Yinsi's earnest instructions and continue learning.
Today, both Yinzhen and Yinsi didn't need to go to the Imperial Study after returning to the palace, so they could rest for a day. The three brothers rarely had time to spend together again. Yinzhen was reading and practicing calligraphy on the side, while Yinsi was teaching Yinxiang how to handle official business. Wenshan ran to Jingren Palace and Yanxi Palace to deliver things to Consort Wei and Consort Min. When she returned, Yinzhen was just about to go out to visit the Imperial Noble Consort.
"Go on, spend some time with your Empress Mother." Wen Shan personally helped Yinzhen put on his cloak, and the prepared food was already heated up and carried by Jinbao.
Yinzhen nodded and left with Jinbao.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang's little lesson for the day has temporarily ended, and they are both looking over here with eager eyes.
Wen Shan sat down next to them and patted Yinxiang's head: "How's it going with your eighth brother?"
Yinzhi shook his head and sighed, "Rotten wood cannot be carved."
Yinxiang puffed out his cheeks and remained silent.
He could have gotten the job done just as well by following his method, but the myna bird just wouldn't have liked it and was practically ready to grab him by the ear and yell at him.
He strongly suspected that the myna bird was settling a personal score.
Yinzhi sat down next to Wenshan and said with emotion, "Although things were a bit awkward before, the Imperial Noble Consort is truly good to Fourth Brother now."
"That's a good thing," Wen Shan said gently with a smile. "Your mother hopes that more and more people will love the three of you."
Children who live in happiness and love are different; just look at Yinzhen (the Yongzheng Emperor).
Yinxiang also ran over to stay with the two of them: "I was there when the Imperial Noble Consort mentioned that she wanted to help register Fourth Brother under Mother's name. The Imperial Noble Consort really put in a lot of effort."
“It’s a pity about her illness…” Wen Shan stopped halfway through her sentence, “Never mind, I won’t say anymore.”
Yinzhen didn't stay away for long; he returned in less than half an hour.
Wen Shan could tell from his gloomy mood that the Imperial Noble Consort was probably really in bad shape.
So Wen Shan didn't ask what Yinzhen and the Imperial Noble Consort had talked about. She just said, "It's so late. Hurry up and go back to the Fifth Palace in Ganxi to rest. Why did you come back here?"
Yinzhi and Yinxiang didn't know how to comfort Yinzhen either. Only those who have experienced separation by death know how painful it is; it's not something that can be explained to outsiders.
"I'm fine, Mother." Yinzhen forced a smile and walked over to Yinsi and Yinxiang.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang were playing chess on the bed. Strangely enough, Yinzhi, who was the most cunning and manipulative of the brothers, could not beat Yinzhen at Go, but he could not beat Yinxiang at chess.
If Yinzhen had taken a few more steps before returning, Yinsi would have been executed.
Yinzhi was completely baffled. Looking at the smug look on the thirteenth prince's face, he couldn't figure out what went wrong. He was indeed not very good at chess. It was one thing if he couldn't beat the fourth prince, but surely he could beat the thirteenth prince?
After all, the thirteenth prince is known for his straightforwardness and quick thinking, but he can be a bit reckless and impulsive. With this kind of personality, he shouldn't be good at chess.
Then Yinxiang showed Yinsi what it meant to be prejudiced, and his bold and decisive approach completely stunned Yinsi.
Yinzhen could tell at a glance that Yinsi was about to lose, not to mention there was a sycophantic boy next to him who was practically raising his hand to say, "Praise me!"
Yinzhi pondered for a while with a serious face, and then solemnly announced: "From now on, I will only play chess with my fourth brother, and only Go with my thirteenth brother."
He figured it out: the reason he kept losing was because he had chosen the wrong track!
Wen Shan: "..."
Wen Shan couldn't help but give Yin Si a thumbs up, thinking to herself, "As expected of you, since you can't change the strength, then change the rules."
Then I started seriously considering the possibility of playing Ludo with them in the future.
After all, she's incredibly lucky, which explains why she's always number one.
Yinxiang immediately said that Yinsi was being unreasonable, and shouted that Yinsi was afraid of him and his fourth brother.
Yinzhi put away the chessboard and said with a slight smile, "This is called finding the right path for yourself. You can't walk a path that's wrong and will only leave you with blisters and blood."
Yinzhen surprisingly expressed his support for Yinsi's statement, praising him for being flexible in his actions.
Yinxiang was left alone, sulking and muttering that his fourth brother was biased towards his eighth brother.
Yinzhi pulled Yinxiang close and pinched his cheek: "What are you muttering to yourself over there? You little ingrate, your fourth brother and I both love you the most."
Yinzhen watched them play around for a while before bringing up what had just happened at Chengqian Palace.
He told the Imperial Noble Consort not to worry about her and to focus on recovering, but she insisted that she already had a solution and had already started working on it.
"It's already started?" Yinzhi looked up. "What has the Imperial Noble Consort done?"
Yinzhen shook his head: "My mother didn't tell me, and seeing that she was indeed ill and weak, I didn't press her for an answer."
That's a bit troublesome.
Yinzhi thought to himself that their plans should be put on hold for now. He wondered what the Imperial Noble Consort had done behind the scenes, and if something went wrong, it would be difficult to control.
If Father Emperor knew that they were now extending their reach into the court and interfering in the matter of the imperial genealogy, he would surely have all three of them executed right now.
Yinzhen and Yinxiang thought the same way, and the three of them almost immediately reached a consensus: to hold back and wait and see.
From that day on, Yinzhen often visited the Imperial Noble Consort at Chengqian Palace. Perhaps knowing that her life was nearing its end, the Imperial Noble Consort no longer avoided Yinzhen. The Imperial Noble Consort never expected that she and Yinzhen would experience the joy of maternal love and filial piety in the last period of her life.
What Wen Shan didn't expect was that the Imperial Noble Consort, despite looking like she was on her last breath, kept going as if she were holding on by a thread, while Kangxi suddenly fell ill.
About half a month after the Emperor returned from the Mulan Hunting Grounds, Kangxi suddenly fell ill. The illness looked severe but was not actually a serious one, though he needed to rest in bed for a few days. In addition to the concubines who went to attend to him, several of the older princes also went.
Wen Shan privately found it strange and asked Yinzhen a few times what Kangxi was thinking. This man always dragged not only himself but also his sons into it. He had been sick in previous years. If it were said that the Crown Prince and the eldest prince were old enough to come and serve their father, the emperor, they would have been able to come and take care of him long ago. However, Kangxi never thought of calling his sons to serve him at his bedside. When he occasionally came to visit, he would only tell them to focus on their studies.
Why did they suddenly make such a big fuss and arrange for all their older sons to be included this time?
"Perhaps it is because of the passing of the Empress Dowager that Father Emperor has become even more appreciative of the value of family ties," said Yinzhi.
As they grow up, so too does their father, the Emperor, grow old. In a few years, he will reach the age of forty. Although he is still physically strong, the passage of time always makes people sigh.
The emperor, in particular, was no exception.
Yinzhen and Yinsi were among the princes attending to the sick. In any case, they wouldn't really be expected to take care of the patient. They would just keep him company, chat with him, and serve him medicine. Apart from the Crown Prince, the rest of them were in pairs. In order not to interfere with their studies, they would come in the morning and afternoon in turn. Even when they came, they would only stay for about half an hour. In the evening, it was mostly the concubines who were there.
Consort Hui also made some sarcastic remarks, such as the Emperor often visiting the Imperial Noble Consort, which caused her to suffer from illness. Consort Niohuru then severely reprimanded her and sent her back to the palace, no longer needing to attend to her illness.
Yinzhen and Yinsi were bound together to care for the ailing prince, and it just so happened that today they were the ones taking over the prince's shift.
In the morning, the Crown Prince was talking with Emperor Kangxi in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. When Yinzhen and Yinsi arrived, they happened to run into Longkodo, who was on duty.
Longkodo bowed to them respectfully, just like an ordinary guard, and then watched them enter the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Yinzhen glanced at him a few more times and quietly asked Yinsi, "Was Longkodo really so bold as to tell my elder brother about Father Emperor's affairs in private?"
These matters include both private and political affairs.
Since Longkodo took office, Kangxi has been quite fond of him because of their close blood ties. In addition, Longkodo is not a complete fool and has some ability, so Kangxi often keeps him by his side.
A few days ago, a secret letter was delivered saying that Longkodo had begun to pass on the Emperor's messages to the First Prince, but had not yet found any solid evidence. When the three princes, including Yinzhen, learned of this, they were all greatly shocked.
Longkodo hadn't even established himself in Kangxi's eyes yet, and he was already so eager to show his loyalty to the First Prince. He even leaked information about spying on the Emperor's whereabouts. If this were a serious matter, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to execute him.
The two waited in a side room of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The palace maids served tea and then withdrew. Yinzhi glanced outside and could still vaguely see Longkodo's figure.
"This person doesn't leave himself any way out when he does things; it's quite like he's burning his bridges." Yinzhi took a sip of tea and smiled slightly. "Unfortunately, he did something foolish."
It would be good to have such a powerful figure by the side of the First Prince.
He could be blown up at any time.
After waiting for a while, the two suddenly heard the sound of porcelain breaking from the inner room, followed by Kangxi's angry shouts, but they were too far away to hear clearly.
Yinzhen asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why is Father so angry while he's ill?"
There haven't been any major events in the court or the inner palace lately.
Yinzhi also shook his head. The two of them couldn't go in to check rashly, so they could only continue to wait here obediently.
Kangxi was furious for about a quarter of an hour before the noise inside gradually subsided. Liang Jiugong hurriedly came over, bowed to them, and said, "You two princes, please go back first. His Majesty is not feeling well today and wants to rest."
How can someone who's not feeling well still have the energy to yell at others?
Yinzhen and Yinsi exchanged a glance, sensing something was amiss, but they could only go back to investigate further. So they left the Hall of Mental Cultivation and happened to run into the Crown Prince, who looked dejected. Yinzhen and Yinsi greeted the Crown Prince, who casually waved them up and then, in a daze, staggered away.
The two of them quickly realized that the commotion inside was likely related to the Crown Prince.
The message that followed confirmed their guess.
Sure enough, the Emperor was scolding the Crown Prince inside.
Yinxiang looked at the secret report from left to right. He recognized every word, but when put together, it seemed very strange.
"Is the Crown Prince distracted in front of his father, showing no concern for his illness?"
Yinxiang asked a profound question: "Has the Crown Prince lost his mind?"
How careless must one be when attending to a sick father to make him so angry?
“Hasn’t the Crown Prince always been this filial?” Yinzhi was the one who accepted it the best. “Thirteenth Prince, have you forgotten that when Father Emperor personally led the expedition against Galdan and the Crown Prince was in charge of the country, Father Emperor sent letter after letter back to the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince didn’t reply to a single one.”
Yinxiang: "..."
He had almost forgotten about it.
At that time, the Emperor was still showing off to the ministers that he had a deep father-son relationship with the Crown Prince. He was worried that the Crown Prince would miss him, his father, while he was far away in the capital, so he often wrote letters back. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince slapped him in the face and did not send back a single letter.
This infuriated Emperor Kangxi, who wrote back to scold him for being heartless.
“It would be one thing if it were any other prince, but this is the Crown Prince, on whom Father Emperor has devoted the most effort. How could Father Emperor not feel disheartened by such behavior?” Yinzhen said.
As the three were talking, Wen Shan returned from Consort Niohuru's place.
"I heard the Emperor was angry today. It wasn't because of you, was it?" Wen Shan asked hurriedly.
She was being pulled away by Consort Niohuru to discuss the funeral arrangements for the Imperial Noble Consort with Consort Yi and Consort Hui when she unexpectedly received this news that the Emperor had been furious and sent all the princes who were attending to the ailing princes back home. Wen Shan calculated that it was Yinzhen and Yinsi's turn today, so she hurried back.
Yinzhen said, "Mother, it's not me and my eighth brother, it's the Crown Prince."
Wenshan breathed a sigh of relief: "As long as he doesn't get angry at you."
Then he asked, "What's wrong with the Crown Prince now?"
Yinzhi told Wenshan what had just happened. Wenshan was speechless. The Crown Prince had been spoiled by Kangxi since childhood. Other princes would at least put on an act in front of Kangxi, but he didn't even bother to pretend.
However, Kangxi's scolding of the crown prince did not actually have a significant impact on him. After all, he only received a scolding and was not punished in the slightest. The next day, when the crown prince went to apologize to Kangxi, he was allowed to enter after kneeling in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation for only a quarter of an hour.
It was Suo'etu who came up with the idea for him. On the very day the Crown Prince was scolded, Suo'etu quickly received the news and found a way to meet with the Crown Prince privately.
After learning the whole story, Suo'etu was so angry he almost jumped up and down.
"Your Highness, the Emperor summoned all the princes to attend to him during his illness, intending to foster filial piety and family harmony. How could you possibly cause a blunder at such a time!"
The Crown Prince now felt very remorseful: "I was out of my mind. You don't know that recently my elder brother's actions and suggestions have been very well received by Father Emperor. He is about to enter the court to listen to the government, leave the palace to establish his own residence, and be granted a princely title. How can I not be worried?"
Although he was born of the legitimate wife, the eldest prince was the eldest son, and the eldest prince was clearly not content with just being a wealthy prince. Among all his brothers, he was the one he feared the most.
Now, the addition of his young but cunning eighth brother has given him even more trouble.
Hearing this, Suo'etu sighed and could only earnestly advise him: "Your Highness, Mingzhu has now fallen from power and the First Prince is no longer a threat. Moreover, among all the princes, the Emperor has shown you the most affection. You should be grateful to the Emperor and be filial and respectful. As long as the Emperor protects you, what do you have to fear?"
Soetu pointed out the key point: as long as Kangxi wanted to protect him, no one could touch his position as crown prince.
But at this point, the crown prince was clearly anxious and couldn't listen to anything.
Finally, after much persuasion from Suo'etu, the Crown Prince was persuaded to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to apologize to Emperor Kangxi. He knew that as long as the Crown Prince sincerely apologized, the matter would be over. After all, there had been no substantial punishment so far, which showed that the Emperor still favored the Crown Prince.
However, this matter made the ministers in the court, who were already observing the situation, even more hesitant. They couldn't help but wonder if the emperor really favored the crown prince.
Then Yinzhen and Yinsi seized this opportunity to persuade a group of officials who were riddled with problems and lacked common sense to side with the eldest prince.
Yinxiang watched the two of them plotting and discussing and sighed, "You know what, Fourth Brother, you and Eighth Brother are really a perfect match, complementing each other. If we had Eighth Brother's help in the past, we wouldn't have had so many troubles."
A moment later, he seemed to realize something: "I forgot, eight out of ten of these troubles are caused by the myna birds."
"..."
Yinzhi pulled him over: "Stop making sarcastic remarks, come and get to work!"
Yinxiang struggled, he didn't want to work at all. His fourth and eighth brothers were enough, why should he be forced to work?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
