Chapter 55 Thus, the three brothers, Yinzhen…
So when the three brothers, Yinzhen and his brother, returned, the scene was quite awkward.
Father Emperor was clearly already half full, while Mother Mother sat to the side with a look of utter disgust.
"Since you're back, please sit down and have a meal with me and your mother." Kangxi said calmly, not feeling that anything was amiss. He was the emperor and a father; how could he wait for his sons to eat?
Yinxiang muttered under his breath, "I think Father has almost finished eating, does he still need us to keep him company?"
This is a meal that Mother has finally found the time and inclination to cook for them!
These are all foods that they like to eat!
Wen Shan pulled them down to sit, looked at the dishes that were already mostly laid out on the table, sighed, and said, "Why don't Your Majesty and Yinzhen sit for a while? I'll have the kitchen prepare some more dishes."
I don't know where Kangxi got such a good appetite today. She prepared enough food for three adults.
"No need to bother anymore, I've used up almost all the land." Kangxi waved his hand, not wanting Wen Shan to have to serve these brats after he finished serving her.
They eat here every day with their mouths greasy, so it's okay if they eat a little less occasionally.
Wenshan was speechless, thinking to herself that she herself had eaten and drunk her fill and then stopped caring about the children.
As expected, all that talk about self-reflection and feeling sorry for Yinzhen and his brothers was just empty talk and lies.
Wen Shan ignored Kangxi's advice and went to the small kitchen to cook some quick dishes so that Yinzhen and the others could fill their stomachs.
I went out in this freezing weather and came back with nothing to eat.
Kangxi smiled as he watched Wen Shan's departing figure, then raised an eyebrow at his three sons who appeared somewhat reserved in front of him: "Your mother loves you dearly. When you grow up, remember to be filial to her."
Is there even a question?
Although Yinzhi was inwardly complaining, he still respectfully replied, "Yes."
Emperor Kangxi was very fond of Yinxiang. He was also fond of seeing Yinxiang dressed up like a New Year's picture doll by Wenshan. He patted Yinxiang's head and asked him gently how he was doing lately. Yinxiang was still very shy in front of Emperor Kangxi. Unlike Yinsi, he did not adjust his mindset quickly. To be honest, he still had feelings of filial piety towards Emperor Kangxi. After all, Emperor Kangxi had truly loved him when he was young.
Therefore, even today, Yinxiang still finds it difficult to accept his father's later ruthless betrayal.
Emperor Kangxi also noticed that his youngest son seemed both close to and wary of him, his father, and privately asked Wen Shan what was going on.
Wen Shan could only say that Yinxiang was still young and they hadn't seen each other often before, so it was inevitable that they were a little unfamiliar with each other.
Kangxi nodded seriously and said that he should spend more time with Yinxiang to cultivate their father-son relationship.
Wen Shan felt her hair stand on end upon hearing this, and silently shed a tear for Yinxiang.
It seems I've really messed up my youngest son.
"Next year, Yinxiang will be three years old, and it's time for him to start his studies at the Imperial Study." Kangxi teased Yinxiang, saying, "Your two older brothers are both very diligent, and the Crown Prince will also return to the Imperial Study next year. You should get closer to them, understand?"
Yinxiang nodded: "Your subject will follow your father's teachings."
Kangxi smiled and turned to look at the two older ones beside him.
"What are you all doing sitting there while you eat?"
I haven't touched a single bite since I sat down.
Yinzhen and Yinsi exchanged a glance and silently picked up a plate of barely touched stir-fried vegetables and ate a couple of bites.
As Yinzhi ate, he pondered why his mother was so annoyed with his father. Mealtimes were usually the happiest time for the family, but his father's arrival always ruined it, making everyone feel uneasy.
Recently, Emperor Kangxi has been thinking about getting closer to his sons. He had neglected the others because he had only focused on the crown prince. While the younger ones were easy to talk to, it was the older ones that were proving difficult for Kangxi to communicate with.
Everyone was like a mouse before a cat when they saw him. Only Yinzhi was slightly better, but even he was far less at ease in front of him than he was in front of Wenshan.
"Yinzhen, I heard that your elder brother has recently had another argument with the Crown Prince. Do you know what happened?" Kangxi suddenly asked.
The Crown Prince has gone to study at the Wenhua Hall and doesn't see them often anymore, but the First Prince is always trying to run into the Crown Prince. In the end, they will eventually run into each other in the Forbidden City.
When Kangxi brought up this matter, alarm bells went off in all three of them.
The reason is simple: this conflict between the eldest prince and the crown prince is indeed somewhat related to them.
The matter wasn't serious; it involved the appointment of an official in the Ministry of Personnel. Although the Crown Prince hadn't officially entered the court, with Songgotu acting as his go-between, many officials had already gathered under his patronage. This time, a position as a vice minister in the Ministry of Personnel became vacant, and both the Crown Prince and the First Prince had their protégés who wanted to promote him, which led to the dispute.
Yinzhen and Yinsi have begun to gradually grasp the situation in the palace, thanks in large part to the people left to them by the Empress Dowager. Those who can work under the Empress Dowager are naturally capable people, and Yinsi finds them very easy to use. In the past year or two, they have integrated with his previous people and formed a network of relationships that covers the entire harem.
They receive news of even the slightest disturbance, and when they occasionally have the opportunity to instigate a conflict between the Crown Prince and the First Prince, they readily add fuel to the fire.
They were all things that came easily to me.
For example, this time.
Although the matter was not serious, it was significant. The prince's relentless pursuit of the crown prince not only annoyed the crown prince but also gradually made Emperor Kangxi dissatisfied, feeling that Yinti was too impetuous.
Although Emperor Kangxi intended to use other princes to temper the Crown Prince's temperament, the eldest prince was indeed being too restless and unruly, so Emperor Kangxi gradually got a headache and deliberately gave the eldest prince a warning, hoping to calm him down.
Then they brought out the Third Prince, who had always been somewhat unknown and followed behind the Crown Prince, and recently he has been very favored.
Thus, with the encouragement of Yinzhen and the others, the Crown Prince of this generation felt the pressure from his brothers eight years earlier.
In his previous life, it wasn't until after the three campaigns against Galdan ended in the thirty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign that the Crown Prince's disregard for father-son relationships and the absurd things he did with his subordinates finally made Kangxi lose his patience.
After returning to the capital in triumph, he killed several of Yinreng's close attendants and began the first major conferment of titles upon the princes that same year.
From that time onward, the Crown Prince seemed to awaken from a dream and began to treat Kangxi with utmost caution and trepidation.
Although the Crown Prince hasn't reached that point yet, it's clear he's starting to feel agitated, and given his temperament, once he becomes unsettled, he's bound to make a mistake.
After all, the crown prince is only fifteen years old and is full of youthful vigor, so he immediately took the bait when the eldest prince provoked him.
While Yinzhen was still pondering how to reply, Wenshan came in to their rescue. Worried that they were hungry, Wenshan made a pot and brought it up. The contents of the pot had been simmering in the small kitchen that morning, originally intended to be simmered overnight for lunch the next day. Now, she brought it out for them to eat something to warm their stomachs.
Wen Shan didn't care about the princes' infighting; she only focused on getting her good sons healthy. As soon as Wen Shan came in, Kangxi stopped mentioning these things and urged them to finish their meal quickly so they could go back to their respective places to sleep.
Wen Shan helped Kangxi change into his nightgown. Seeing that it was still early, he didn't go to bed immediately. Liang Jiugong brought over some memorials, and Kangxi leaned on the couch to read them for a while.
Wen Shan was idly playing with beads on the side. Ever since Yin Zhen and Yin Si started operating outside the palace, the two of them stopped taking money from her private treasury. Instead, they filled her storeroom to the brim, with several boxes piled high with jewelry and jade. Since it wasn't very interesting to just leave them there, Wen Shan took some out to make some pendants and necklaces herself.
Emperor Kangxi was indeed in a good mood today. He received a report early in the morning about the internal strife in the Khalkha Mongols. The Dzungar Khanate had always been a major concern for Kangxi. Many ministers in the court who understood Kangxi's thoughts had also submitted secret reports, hoping to take this opportunity to reclaim the Dzungar Khanate.
Seeing that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived, Kangxi was now full of ambition. After finishing processing the memorials, he saw Wenshan still stringing those jade beads by candlelight. In a good mood, he strolled over with his hands behind his back and watched her for a while.
"Your Majesty, you are blocking my light."
Wen Shan looked up helplessly.
Now that she spends more time with Kangxi, she has gradually figured it out. When Kangxi is in a good mood, he is actually quite easy to talk to. Even if she speaks a little recklessly, he won't mind and will think it's a sign of closeness.
As expected, Kangxi was not annoyed. He simply said "oh" and moved the palace lantern closer to Wenshan.
"You are quite calm. I see you've been stringing these beads for several days now," Kangxi said, fiddling with a few jade beads. "If you like these, I'll pick out some jewelry for you from the storeroom."
Wen Shan doesn't actually lack jewelry, but adhering to the principle of "why not take it if it's free," she happily agreed.
Consider it payment for the meals that Emperor Kangxi used to come and freeload.
"You must reciprocate by taking my things," Kangxi reminded her.
She's made so many little things these past few days, surely one of them is for him?
Wen Shan blinked, initially not quite understanding, until Kangxi tapped the sandalwood box on the table with his finger and she suddenly realized.
"These are all things for women to use. What does the Emperor want with them?"
Wen Shan was speechless. Everything she did was extravagant and luxurious, gaudy and jewel-encrusted at first glance. Could it be that Kangxi actually liked this kind of thing?
Could it be that Emperor Qianlong inherited his aesthetic sense from his grandfather?
Kangxi knew that Wenshan liked to do handicrafts, especially the things that Yinzhen used, which were all made by her own hands. Many of the decorations in Xianfu Palace were also made by her bit by bit. Although they did not look as exquisite as those made by the Imperial Household Department, the sentiment behind them was incomparable.
“Making a fan pendant isn’t too much trouble for you, is it?” Kangxi said, then remembered the terrible state of Wen Shan’s embroidery that year, and teased her, “I wonder how well the Imperial Concubine’s needlework is doing now, I still need a sachet.”
Hanging so many things, how come you don't sink to your death!
"Let's make fan pendants instead. My embroidery skills haven't improved much and are not suitable for formal occasions," Wen Shan quickly dispelled Kangxi's terrifying idea.
She stopped practicing embroidery a long time ago; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't improve, so why make things difficult for herself?
Unexpectedly, Kangxi insisted on making one, saying it didn't matter what style it was, which made Wenshan so angry that she almost wanted to punch him.
I'm speechless. They can't understand human language.
Kangxi stopped just before he annoyed Wenshan. After they lay down to sleep, Kangxi said, "I may have to personally lead an expedition against the Dzungars in a while. I need something you made yourself, but you're not willing to do it. It's a shame I've spoiled you so much."
A personal expedition against the Dzungar Khanate?
Wen Shan suddenly opened her eyes and mentally processed the situation, realizing that it was indeed time.
I didn't realize it when I read those lines of history before, but now that I've experienced it firsthand, I've discovered that Emperor Kangxi had the potential to be a warmonger.
There has been continuous fighting for the past few years.
Almost immediately after the suppression of the Three Feudatories, Taiwan was taken over. After a hard-won three to five years of rest, war broke out with Tsarist Russia again, leading to the second campaign against Yaksa. The treaty had just been signed when preparations began for a personal campaign against the Dzungars.
"Are you scared? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Kangxi turned over to look at her, thinking that Wenshan was frightened by his words about personally leading the expedition.
Wen Shan thought to herself, what's there to be afraid of? Even if he really went to the front line, he wouldn't be fighting on the battlefield. He would just be commanding from the camp. Even if he lost, he could retreat in time and there would be no danger to his life.
So Wen Shan laughed it off and brushed it off, then told Yinzhen and the others about it the next day.
Emperor Kangxi received news early in the morning that he needed to deal with it urgently, so he did not have breakfast at Xianfu Palace but took away the two steamers of xiaolongbao steamed by Wenshan.
When Yinzhen arrived, she, Yinsi, and Yinxiang were talking about what happened last night.
"It'll be next year, not so soon," Yinzhi mumbled after taking a sip of porridge.
Just then, Yinzhen lifted the curtain and came in. After sitting down, he asked, "What do you mean by 'going back to the New Year'?"
Yinxiang quickly replied, "It was Father Emperor who mentioned to Mother yesterday that he wanted to personally lead an expedition against Galdan."
Yinzhi and Yinxiang had already told Yinzhen about this important matter, so Yinzhen was not surprised. After thinking for a while, he said, "If I remember correctly, it was my elder brother who accompanied me on this expedition?"
The eldest prince will be nineteen next year, so naturally he can be taken out.
After finishing his porridge, Yinzhi pushed the steamer of steamed buns that Wenshan had made in front of him.
"These past few years have been the most triumphant time for my eldest brother."
Not only did the Emperor reward him for his military achievements, but many ministers also came to visit him after hearing about his deeds.
Yinzhen and the other two princes did not intend to interfere in these important matters. In Yinxiang's words, the eldest prince and the crown prince had brought this situation upon themselves, especially the eldest prince, who was naturally arrogant and proud, so he had to be allowed to make contributions.
Therefore, the group didn't discuss the matter of Emperor Kangxi personally leading the expedition against Galdan much, and decided to wait until the following year when Emperor Kangxi left Beijing to make a more detailed discussion.
After Yinxiang finished eating, he went to Wenshan's side to massage her shoulders and legs and asked her if serving the Emperor was hard work. After all, the Emperor's ambiguous personality truly lived up to the saying that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.
Wenshan almost held hands with Yinxiang and looked at each other with tears in her eyes. Serving the leader is never comfortable.
However, Wen Shan occasionally found amusement in her misery, thinking that Kangxi was now thirty-five years old, and she should take advantage of him while he was still young and strong, and catch the last train. It would be a real disaster if he were to turn forty or fifty in a few years.
However, Wen Shan naturally wouldn't tell the children these things, but thinking of this, she also subtly mentioned that she wanted the Imperial Hospital to privately prescribe some contraceptive medicine for her.
Although records state that Consort Xuan was childless throughout her life, it is hard to say for sure. What if she had been pregnant but miscarried? That would be troublesome. Besides, it is unlikely that Emperor Kangxi favored Consort Xuan so frequently before.
Therefore, she needs to make plans early. Although she is not considered an older mother yet, she still prefers not to have children.
So Physician Zhang was brought to Xianfu Palace.
By the way, he should now be called Judge Zhang. Last year, he successfully took over the vacancy from the previous judge and became the head of the Imperial Medical Academy.
However, Wen Shan still habitually called him Physician Zhang. After Physician Zhang finished taking her pulse and put away the pulse pillow, Wen Shan couldn't wait to ask, "How is it? Is there anything wrong with my body?"
"Your Majesty is in good health and well."
Physician Zhang replied tremblingly. He glanced up and saw the Eighth Prince looking at him with a half-smile. He glanced at the Fourth Prince, whose face was cold and gloomy. Although the Thirteenth Prince was young, he felt a lot of pressure when the Thirteenth Prince looked at him with his chin in his hand.
When he came in, he was so frightened by the scene that he thought Consort Xuan had fallen ill with some kind of sudden illness. Only after taking her pulse did he feel half relieved.
Consort Xuan is in good health and has no ailments whatsoever.
Wen Shan grunted in response. Since there were no outsiders in the room, she said directly, "Today, in addition to having Physician Zhang come to check my pulse, I also want Physician Zhang to prescribe a contraceptive formula for me."
Physician Zhang: "...!"
My heart, which had been half relieved, is now hanging in suspense again.
Prescribing contraceptive formulas for imperial concubines?!
Regardless of whether this is a serious crime, just hearing those words had already caused half of Physician Zhang's brain to shut down. Usually, the ladies of the palace would come to him seeking remedies for conceiving, but this was the first time someone had actively asked for a contraceptive remedy.
Was it not for his own consumption but for the use of other concubines?
That makes sense now.
The next second, Yinzhen frowned and said, "The medicine must be mild and harmless, and absolutely cannot harm Mother's body."
Physician Zhang's anxiety completely died down; well, it really was prescribed for Consort Xuan to drink herself.
After the Fourth Prince finished speaking, the Eighth Prince slowly said, "You should carefully consider and prescribe a good remedy."
The Thirteenth Prince grinned and said, "If anything happens to Mother, we will hold you responsible."
Physician Zhang's back was soaked with sweat, and he could only nod and agree repeatedly.
Wen Shan thought about it and realized that drinking bitter medicine every time was not a solution. So, after pondering for a while, when Physician Zhang was carefully writing the prescription, she asked again, "Is there a way to solve this problem once and for all, so that I don't have to drink medicine every time?"
Physician Zhang's hand trembled so much that he almost dropped his pen in fright.
To render Consort Xuan infertile?!
How many heads does he have?!
Fortunately, as soon as Wen Shan said this, Yinzhen and the others jumped out to object.
"Mother, all medicines are harmful to the body. If you want to never conceive again, you must take strong medicine. You absolutely cannot do that." Yinzhen's face was tense, and he refused to agree no matter what.
Yinzhi also said, "Fourth Brother is right. Besides, what if Mother changes her mind in the future and wants a child?"
That's absolutely impossible.
Yinxiang also held Wenshan's arm and firmly disagreed with her approach of cutting off the root of the problem.
Physician Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "What the Fourth Prince said is true. If we want to cure infertility, we must use strong medicine, which will not only harm the body but also be extremely painful."
If it will hurt, then forget it.
Wenshan thought about the various TV dramas and novels she had watched before and suggested, "Are there any perfumes like musk that can prevent pregnancy if worn on the body?"
Isn't this much more convenient?
Physician Zhang was already numb: "Your Highness, if this is the case, it is necessary to wear it for a long time, and there is no guarantee that you will not get pregnant. Moreover, wearing it close to your body every day will eventually harm Your Highness's health."
Knowing that this medicine was for Consort Xuan, he had pondered deeply and carefully before deciding to prescribe it. After serving her in bed, she could simply brew the medicine and drink it. The medicine was mild, and if he added some nourishing ingredients to help her recover, there wouldn't be any major problems.
"Mother, we've already gone too far with making you drink these medicines every day, so please don't think of any other way," Yinzhi sighed.
Wenshan could only nod; taking medicine was better than getting pregnant.
After preparing the prescription, Physician Zhang left the main hall.
Yinzhi followed and waved to Xiao Shunzi, who came in carrying a small gilded box containing half a box of gold leaves.
Physician Zhang was flattered and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
“You know the gravity of this matter,” Yinzhi said calmly. “If word gets out, this box of gold would be more than enough to cover your family’s funeral expenses.”
"Eighth Prince, rest assured, I will keep my mouth shut. Consort Xuan's daily medicine will not follow the usual procedure of the Imperial Hospital. I will personally go and get it, and only say that it is a tonic."
Yinzhi nodded and said, "Then you can go back."
Only after stepping out of the gates of Xianfu Palace did Physician Zhang breathe a sigh of relief. His apprentice was waiting for him outside. As soon as he came out, the apprentice rushed up to him and, seeing the gold leaf in Physician Zhang's hand, said ingratiatingly, "It seems that Master has done a good job again today and has received such a valuable reward."
Physician Zhang glared at him but didn't say anything. He tossed the box of gold to the apprentice, who hurriedly caught it. Physician Zhang snorted and said, "Hold on tight. If you drop it, it could kill you."
The young apprentice was somewhat bewildered, unable to understand why his master looked so bitter and resentful after receiving so many rewards.
In Xianfu Palace, Yinxiang tried to persuade Wenshan again, after all, medicine is three parts poison. If Mother really was pregnant and gave birth, it wouldn't matter. He and his fourth and eighth brothers would naturally protect the child.
Wenshan stroked his head and said he didn't understand; taking medicine and giving birth are incomparable.
In modern times, this would be a brush with death, let alone in the Qing Dynasty.
“Thirteenth Brother, since Mother is unwilling, don’t try to persuade her anymore.” Yinzhi said as he entered, “Zhang Ming has repeatedly assured us that the medicine is mild and has also prescribed some tonics to nourish the body.”
Yinzhen nodded and said, "Let it be as Mother wishes."
Today, Wenshan took the opportunity to talk to them about modern medicine and technology. She rarely mentions these things because she is worried that they will not be able to accept them or will not understand them at all.
At first, Yinzhen and the others just thought it was ordinary conversation and didn't take it to heart, but the more they listened, the more serious their expressions became.
Is this really just a few hundred years later than the Qing Dynasty?
The difference was simply too great. According to Mother, it was an earth-shattering and unimaginable change. Machines replaced human labor, and as Mother said, electricity, the most common energy source in later generations, was something they couldn't even imagine how lightning could be used by humans.
Moreover, according to Wenshan, it was the West that first started the Industrial Revolution, which produced these amazing things, and this Industrial Revolution was only a few decades ago.
Does that mean they can start manufacturing these machines now?
The brothers became more and more excited as they listened. Yinxiang calculated the time his mother had mentioned and said excitedly, "If that's the case, then under Hongli's rule, our Qing Dynasty has undergone earth-shaking changes. No wonder that kid Hongli is fighting everywhere; it turns out that the country is rich and the people are strong."
Wen Shan: "..."
It was only then that Wen Shan remembered that she hadn't told them what happened afterward because she was afraid they wouldn't be able to accept that the Qing Dynasty had fallen so humiliatingly.
Then she kept putting it off and forgot about it.
After considering for a moment, she said, "Well, during the Qianlong era, the Qing Dynasty was closed off from the world, so these emerging technologies from abroad did not reach the Qing Dynasty."
Yinzhen's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Sure enough, Wen Shan's next sentence was
"Therefore, the Qing Dynasty later fell far behind Western countries, and was forced to open its doors by cannon fire, leading to its demise."
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