Chapter 63 Wen Shan never expected this...
Wen Shan never expected that the aftermath of this matter would be so explosive.
All the low-probability events just piled up and happened.
Wen Shan and Consort Yi rushed back to the palace and went directly to Consort Niohuru's palace. Consort Niohuru looked worried, and several other consorts had already arrived.
"You're finally back! We've been waiting for you two." Consort Niohuru hurriedly had a maid lead Wen Shan and Consort Yi to their seats as they entered.
Consort Yi looked around, and the expressions on everyone's faces were quite interesting.
Consort Ping saw that the person was still sitting there, but in reality, they had been gone for a while.
Consort Hui couldn't suppress the urge to smile, as if she could immediately see the Crown Prince about to be deposed.
Consort Rong and Consort De were merely there to join in the fun and watch the show; their expressions were completely relaxed.
"What exactly happened? I heard the princess is pregnant?" Wen Shan asked hurriedly as soon as she sat down.
Consort Niohuru sighed and nodded.
There's really nothing to say, it just happened in one go.
"Your Highness, didn't you give the princess a contraceptive soup that day?" Consort Yi asked in confusion.
How could there be such a huge oversight? The medicine should have been given that very day.
Wen Shan continued, "My sister Niohuru and I thought of this and sent some medicine to the princess, but she wouldn't drink it, so we didn't force her."
Consort Niohuru nodded in agreement: "Who would have thought that she would actually get pregnant?"
Putting aside how shameful this child's arrival was, he was indeed Kangxi's first grandson.
The eldest prince had just gotten married not long ago, and there was still no news about his wife and concubines in the mansion.
“This princess’s baby might be the emperor’s eldest grandson. After all, the imperial offspring are of utmost importance,” Consort Rong said. “We can only take good care of her and make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Consort De had remained mostly silent until Consort Niohuru addressed her directly: "Consort De, what do you think?"
Consort De smiled and said, "Consort Rong is right. After all, it is a happy occasion. His Majesty will surely be delighted when he finds out."
Wen Shan didn't know whether Emperor Kangxi would be pleased, but it was clear that Consort Ping was gradually recovering.
yes!
With the Emperor approaching middle age and still without a grandchild, it's certainly a good thing that the Crown Prince has an heir first; his position might even be more secure.
It would be even better if the princess were carrying a boy, but it wouldn't matter if it were a little princess. The emperor would definitely dote on his first grandchild, and then who would care how the child came to be?
Then Consort Hui's smile shifted to Consort Ping's face.
Consort Ping thought about it more and more and felt that she had really turned bad luck into good. A few days ago, Suo'etu sent a message saying that the Crown Prince's ridiculous act was difficult to deal with. The difficulty was that the First Prince had seen it, and it was impossible to let it go. The only thing to do now was to admit his mistake and wait for the Emperor to return so that the Crown Prince could personally apologize.
Suo'etu thought that this matter could be big or small. If it was small, it was just two young people who couldn't control their feelings and were young and impetuous. Moreover, the man was unmarried and the woman was unmarried. If the emperor were to betroth the princess to the crown prince as a concubine, it would not be a bad match.
Of course, more importantly, there was really no room for maneuver in this matter, and there was no point in trying to argue. So after thinking it over, Suo'etu decided to honestly admit defeat, at least in front of the emperor he could have a reputation for genuine repentance and courage to take responsibility.
Therefore, Consort Ping was also informed to keep a close eye on Princess Yun Dai and prevent her from causing any more trouble during this period.
Unexpectedly, this really caused a "big problem".
Consort Niohuru really didn't have any other options. What's done is done, so she could only do as Consort Rong had just suggested: provide the princess with good food and drink and wait for the emperor to return.
"His Majesty has already returned to the capital, and I estimate he will arrive in about half a month," said Consort Niohuru. "Before His Majesty returns, it is strictly forbidden to discuss this matter in the palace. Everyone should keep a close eye on their own people. If even the slightest bit of information leaks out, don't blame me for disregarding our years of sisterly affection."
It was not a pleasant topic to talk about the Crown Prince and the Princess, and the palace kept it a closely guarded secret. However, it was impossible to keep it from Kangxi. Soetu made a decision and immediately sent a message to Kangxi, but he worded it very tactfully, mixing it into the daily greetings and reports, only saying that the Crown Prince and Princess Yundai were interested in each other.
Then the news of the princess's pregnancy almost made the nearly sixty-year-old Suo'etu so angry that he couldn't breathe.
"How could she be pregnant!" Soetu looked at the Crown Prince with some anger. "Didn't the Crown Prince send medicine over after that day?"
The Crown Prince was young and had only just begun to understand things. Moreover, the incident happened suddenly that day, and the First Prince witnessed it. In his panic, he couldn't remember these things.
"Aunt Ping said that Consort Niohuru and Consort Xuan sent people to deliver it, but Yun Dai herself refused to drink it."
Without a second thought, the Crown Prince shifted the blame onto Princess Yun Dai.
"Foolish, foolish!" Soetu paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, slamming his hand on the table several times. "With Consort Niohuru and Consort Xuan each having a prince, they are naturally waiting to see the Crown Prince make a fool of himself. How could we entrust this matter to them!"
Consort Ping had already explained the theory of "the prince being the first grandson" to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince found it quite reasonable, so he wasn't in a hurry at the moment.
"Grand Uncle, please don't be anxious." The Crown Prince stepped forward and helped Suo'etu sit down, saying, "Aunt Ping is right. Yun Dai is carrying Father Emperor's first grandchild. I think this child is a good arrival!"
"Maybe our predicament will be resolved soon."
Soetu had already analyzed the matter with the Crown Prince. They had fallen into a trap and had no choice but to accept their fate. Although the Crown Prince agreed verbally, he was still very agitated. He never expected to stumble over a woman.
The saying "lust is a knife above one's head" certainly holds some truth.
He was initially panicked when he heard that the princess was pregnant, but after Consort Ping came to see him and relayed what Consort De had said, the Crown Prince felt that it made sense and thought that he had turned misfortune into good fortune.
After hearing this, Songgotu's expression did not relax like the Crown Prince's.
"It's hard to say," Soetu said after a moment's thought. "Given the Emperor's temperament... he can't tolerate any nonsense."
"But we have no better options now." The Crown Prince was also troubled. "Grand Uncle, we can only leave it to fate."
What Suo'etu disliked most was the Crown Prince's attitude of trying to get by without any fighting spirit.
"His Majesty will arrive in the capital in half a month. To be on the safe side, let's find a way to abort this child." After thinking for a while, Suo'etu still felt that the child could not be kept.
Without this child, many things could still be covered up, since the news was being kept under wraps. But if this child were born, it would become a stain on the Crown Prince's reputation for life. The Crown Prince hesitated, after all, this was his first child.
"I don't think it's that bad. After all, they are my own flesh and blood. Why don't we wait for Father Emperor to return and then see how things go..."
Seeing the Crown Prince's reluctant expression, Songgotu felt helpless. How could someone with such womanly sentimentality achieve great things in the future?
So Suo'etu didn't discuss it with the Crown Prince anymore, but instead went directly to Consort Ping and asked her to find a way to get rid of the child.
Consort Ping was also completely confused when she received the letter.
It's true that many concubines in the harem have done things to harm imperial heirs, but getting rid of the crown prince's child is too inexplicable.
"Has Father lost his mind?" Consort Ping put the letter on the table and rubbed her temples. "This is the Crown Prince's first child, the Emperor's first grandchild. How can we get rid of him ourselves?"
Consort Ping's maid, Yingliu, who was also her confidante, chimed in, "Your Majesty is right. Didn't you see Consort Hui's face today? It was as black as hell. When I heard that Consort Hui had returned to Yanxi Palace, I summoned the First Consort and the Second Consort and gave them a good scolding for not being the first to give birth to a grandson of the Emperor."
Consort Ping sneered, "As expected, the First Prince is an unlucky man. Although the Crown Prince has not married, he has already surpassed him in terms of offspring."
"The royal family values having many children the most; how could they possibly harm this child?"
“Your Majesty is right.” Yingliu massaged her shoulders and said, “His Majesty is getting older and probably hopes to see his grandson soon.”
Although Consort Ping thought this way, she did not dare to directly refuse Suo'etu's arrangement. After thinking for a moment, she asked Yingliu to go and ask the Crown Prince what he thought.
Yingliu quickly made a round trip.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince said that this was Prime Minister Suo's own idea, and he shares the same view as you: to save the child."
Consort Ping was relieved and replied to Suo'etu, saying that since Yuhua Pavilion was under strict guard by Consort Niohuru, there was really no opportunity to make a move, so she just let it go.
Wen Shan was still a little incredulous when she returned to Xianfu Palace; it was just too much of a coincidence.
When Yinzhen and Yinsi returned for dinner that evening, Wenshan brought up the matter and marveled, saying that Princess Yundai's wishes had come true.
Yinzhi smiled upon hearing this, and slowly ladled a bowl of soup, saying, "Mother, sometimes we can't rely solely on fate; we have to rely on human effort."
Wenshan: ?
"You didn't send men into Yuhua Pavilion, did you?"
Yinzhen (the three emperors) said, "..."
Mother's way of thinking is always so absurd and laughable.
"Mother, what are you saying?" Yinzhi was both amused and exasperated. "How could we possibly do such a thing?"
Wen Shan scratched her head. Wasn't it said that someone did it?
"We only sent the princess a few bowls of fertility-enhancing soup," Yinxiang said. "She asked for it herself, and we were just doing a good deed as usual."
Although Yuhua Pavilion was under strict guard, it was still quite easy for Yinzhen and his men to place people or send things in.
A while ago, the three brothers watched a play for a while, and Yinzhi stroked his chin and made this suggestion.
Why not take advantage of the chaos and add fuel to the fire to completely escalate the situation?
Yinxiang was the first to raise both hands in agreement. He had never seen such a lively event in his two lifetimes, so he had to add fuel to the fire.
Yinzhen was initially worried that things would escalate and be difficult to handle, and that if something unexpected happened, it would be hard to control. However, in the end, he was forced to satisfy the desire of Yinsi and Yinxiang, these two amusement-loving people, to watch the excitement.
It was fate, as it actually happened.
Moreover, Kangxi returned even earlier than expected, arriving back in the capital in just ten days.
The Crown Prince personally led civil and military officials and princes out of the city to welcome them, with impeccable protocol and etiquette. Kangxi's expression was indifferent, revealing no emotion. Upon returning to the Qianqing Palace, he summoned the Crown Prince and the eldest prince for a private talk.
Now the entire imperial harem and the imperial court are watching closely what's happening inside the Qianqing Palace.
With Yinzhi, the king of intelligence, around, Wen Shan usually gets firsthand juicy gossip, and this time was no exception.
I learned immediately that Kangxi had talked with the Crown Prince and the First Prince for half an hour before letting them leave. When they came out, the Crown Prince looked dejected, while the First Prince was beaming with joy.
Although we don't know exactly what they talked about, we can roughly guess from their expressions.
Yinzhi said that this was all expected. His father, the Emperor, was such a person who cared about his reputation that he would not be happy that the Crown Prince had such a romantic affair that resulted in a death. He imagined that the Crown Prince had been severely scolded.
However, after that, Kangxi made no further moves. He neither summoned anyone nor issued any decrees. He only went to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager at dinner time, and after about fifteen minutes, he left Ning Shou Palace and went directly to Xian Fu Palace.
Kangxi didn't even give any prior notice, so Wenshan was caught off guard. She didn't expect that Kangxi would come to Xianfu Palace on his first day back.
Yinzhen and the others were always good at reading the room. Kangxi was clearly in a bad mood today and didn't have much to say to them. After dinner, he wisely took his leave and returned to the Qianxi Fifth Palace, taking Yinxiang with him as well.
It was still early, so Kangxi didn't go to bed immediately, nor did he read memorials or pick up a book as usual. Instead, he leaned against the couch, turning his thumb ring and looking out the window at the flower garden that Wenshan had recently tended. It was in full bloom, and the flowers were splendid and beautiful.
“These flowers seem to be unique to Mongolia,” Kangxi suddenly said after looking at them for a while.
He had just returned from Mongolia, so the flowers looked familiar, but in Mongolia these flowers were ravaged and trampled under iron hooves, unlike the delicate and beautiful flowers grown here.
Wen Shan brought over a bowl of mung bean and lily soup and said with a smile, "Your Majesty has a good eye. These were brought back to me by Yinzhen and Yinsi during the Mulan Hunt last year. They were just started growing outside this year."
It took her a lot of effort to keep these flowers alive. She didn't know if it was because they weren't used to the environment, but they just wouldn't grow well at first. Fortunately, Yinzhen and Yinsi brought back not only the flowers but also the seeds. It took her more than half a year to figure out how to grow them.
Kangxi withdrew his gaze, a smile appearing on his face, and pulled Wenshan to sit down beside him: "These three you raised are all filial, and I feel heartened to see them."
Wen Shan casually chimed in, "Yinzhen and the others naturally share the same filial piety towards the Emperor."
Then she wondered in her heart whether Kangxi would ask her about the Crown Prince, and if so, how she should answer.
Kangxi was wearing a royal blue casual robe today. He rarely wore clothes of this color. As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and he really looked a few years younger. Wen Shan was amazed that he had fought in battles for three or four months and still had such fair skin and tender flesh. It was obvious that he hadn't suffered much.
The claim that the emperor personally led the expedition probably means he just stayed in the main camp.
Kangxi was unaware that Wen Shan was already inwardly criticizing him for only pretending to go to the front lines, and he happened to ask why Wen Shan hadn't said a word of greeting when he returned.
Even the Empress Dowager, who was not usually close to him, asked him several times if he was injured.
On the contrary, Wen Shan seemed indifferent, as if he had just returned from a three-month trip to Jiangnan.
Wen Shan was speechless: "Hasn't the Emperor returned safely now?"
Emperor Kangxi chuckled and reached out to pinch her cheek.
Why is it so hard to hear you say something nice?
Wen Shan rubbed her face and didn't say anything.
What a bad habit it is to resort to physical violence at the drop of a hat.
After teasing Wen Shan for a while, Kangxi felt much better, and then he brought up the matter of the Crown Prince that had been bothering him that day.
"I met with the Crown Prince and the First Prince today and heard them talk about that absurd thing that happened a while ago."
It can only be said that Yinzhi and Yinxiang understood Kangxi too well. Sure enough, Kangxi felt no joy at all about this matter; he only felt ashamed.
Wen Shan didn't know how to respond, so she just said, "Your Majesty and Consort Niohuru also don't know how to handle this. We can only wait for His Majesty to return and make a decision."
Emperor Kangxi snorted: "I can't be bothered with such a shameful affair."
Wen Shan knew that Kangxi was just saying this out of anger; he would never ignore something that involved his beloved crown prince.
What troubles Kangxi now is not that the Crown Prince lost control and had physical intimacy with the Princess, but that after hearing the First Prince and the Crown Prince recount the events of that day in detail, he is now certain that although the Crown Prince is also incompetent, Yun Dai is also treacherous and indeed deliberately seduced the Princess, just as Consort Ping tearfully recounted.
The Crown Prince and the First Prince, his two eldest sons, had fallen into a young girl's trap and couldn't get out. How could he not be angry?
Seeing that Kangxi was silent again, Wen Shan had no choice but to ask how to settle Princess Yun Dai, since she was pregnant with the Crown Prince's child.
"You and Consort Niohuru handled this very well. Let her give birth to this child quietly on her own," Kangxi said in a deep voice.
Does this mean you're not planning to give Yun Dai a formal title?
Wen Shan was a little surprised that even with Yun Dai's status and the fact that she had a child, she still couldn't get a concubine position.
Even though the Crown Prince had done such a foolish thing, Kangxi could only cover for him. On the way back to the capital, he thought that if the Crown Prince and Yun Dai had just lost their temper and acted impulsively, then so be it. He could just appoint a concubine and have her marry Guarjia in a couple of years. But if Yun Dai's intentions were not right, he would naturally not put her by the Crown Prince's side.
Kangxi took a sip of the mung bean and lily soup that Wenshan brought him, and he did feel much more refreshed after taking a sip. He looked up and saw Wenshan looking thoughtful, seemingly lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about? Just say what you have to say."
Wen Shan shook her head. She had nothing to say; she couldn't make the decision on this matter.
Kangxi thought that Yun Dai and Wen Shan were both of Mongolian origin, and assumed that she felt sorry for Yun Dai, so he said: "After she gives birth to the child, I will arrange a suitable marriage for her. As long as she keeps her mouth shut and does not cause any more trouble, I will not pursue the matter in consideration of her father who died on the battlefield for the Qing Dynasty."
Wen Shan: "His Majesty's considerations are very thorough."
Emperor Kangxi waved his hand, saying there was nothing he could do about whether it was thoughtful or not.
"Why does the Crown Prince seem like a completely different person these past few years? What's going on?" Kangxi asked, leaning back against the pillow and glancing at Wenshan.
"..."
How was she supposed to respond to that? This kind of topic was probably more appropriate to discuss with the Crown Prince's biological mother.
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi didn't expect her to give a coherent answer; she was mostly just talking to herself.
Even someone as oblivious as Wen Shan could sense Kangxi's dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince.
Especially since constantly cleaning up his messes would be annoying for anyone.
Fortunately, the matter of Princess Yun Dai was kept under tight control from the moment the First Prince caught her in adultery, and not a single piece of information was leaked out. Although many of the concubines in the palace knew about it, most of it was also leaked to their maternal families outside the palace, but surprisingly no one dared to impeach the Crown Prince. So the matter was quietly swept under the rug in an atmosphere where everyone pretended not to know.
Soetu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had already given a heads-up to the officials of various departments that this was the emperor's family scandal and anyone who dared to mention it was courting death. Seeing that there was no commotion in the palace and the emperor treated the crown prince as usual, naturally no one dared to bring it up.
Princess Yun Dai was clearly unable to accept the outcome. In her fear and anger, she lost her baby and miscarried after just over two months.
Many people breathed a sigh of relief when the child was gone.
Both those who hoped she would give birth and those who didn't, after learning that the child had been lost, had the same thought: it's not so bad after all, it saved them from a lot of trouble.
For Yinzhen and the others, this result was both expected and somewhat unexpected.
"Now I think there's some truth to what later generations have compiled," Yinxiang said, stroking his chin. "I never imagined that Father Emperor would actually favor the Crown Prince so much."
From this perspective, even if the Crown Prince's affair was indeed with one of the Emperor's concubines, the Emperor might actually have a good chance of covering it up for him.
Yinzhi rolled his eyes: "Thirteenth brother, wasn't it the same in the previous life? Father Emperor's affection for you, the Crown Prince, is still being questioned?"
If it weren't for the Emperor's extreme favoritism, they wouldn't have had to painstakingly erode Kangxi's tolerance and protection of the Crown Prince for so long.
"I don't think my elder brother will let this go so easily," Yinzhen said after thinking for a while.
Both morally and logically, the First Prince would not let the Crown Prince pass so easily.
"Fourth Brother is right," Yinzhi said with a smile. "I just don't know what good ideas Eldest Brother can come up with."
"Why don't I help him?"
Yinzhen said helplessly, "You'd better not speak. Let's just leave it at that and not get involved."
Yinzhi actually thought the same thing, but in this life, he didn't aim for that position, so he felt much lighter on his shoulders. With this relief, he always wanted to cause some trouble and have some fun.
But no one expected that the eldest prince would cause trouble for the crown prince in such a simple and brutal way.
He directly ordered one of his censors to submit a memorial impeaching the crown prince, thus exposing the matter.
After Yinzhen and the others found out, they all fell silent.
That's way too direct!
It's straightforward, but it's definitely useful.
This immediately put Emperor Kangxi in an awkward position.
Moreover, the censor who impeached the prince went to great lengths to explain how the princess, as the orphan of a meritorious official, should be treated and supported, and how the crown prince could do such a rebellious thing.
Soetu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot on one side.
The eldest prince really doesn't follow the rules!
Why is it being exposed so openly?
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