Chapter 78 Before long, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince…
Before long, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince arrived, followed closely by the First Prince and the Fourteenth Prince.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Yinzhen and the others greeted the Crown Prince.
The crown prince raised his hand: "There's no need for such formalities between brothers."
When the Crown Prince arrived, he naturally sat in the main seat. Yinzhen and the First Prince sat on either side of the Crown Prince, while Yinsi sat leisurely next to Yinzhen. Yinxiang, being too young, was taken away by the Fifth Prince to sit to one side.
The crown prince looked at his brothers, who had all grown up and had their own thoughts, and sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
"Your Highness, what troubles you? We brothers have finally managed to get together, we should have a good drink today," the eldest prince said immediately upon noticing.
The Crown Prince quickly composed himself and said with a smile, "It's nothing. I was just thinking that now that my elder brother has left the palace to establish his own residence, it will be even more difficult for us brothers to get together like this."
“So we should thank our fourth brother even more.” The eldest prince pulled Yinzhen in again: “If it weren’t for our fourth brother, would we have had the opportunity to gather here?”
Yinzhen did not respond.
Yinzhi said, "Look at what you're saying, elder brother. Are you blaming your younger brothers for not coming to your residence for a gathering?"
The eldest prince was rebuked by Yinzhi, thinking to himself that this was just how the eighth prince was, probably hating his fourth brother to a great extent in his heart while pretending to be a brother.
The Tenth Prince, getting a little tired of the back-and-forth between the Crown Prince and the First Prince, asked bluntly, "Why did the Crown Prince and my elder brother happen to come here together?"
They came to Chonghua Palace for a meal on a whim, and it just so happens that the Crown Prince and the First Prince are also here.
The Ninth Prince glanced at Yinzhen, it seemed that everyone knew about what was going on in the Fourth Brother's Chonghua Palace.
“Oh, what a coincidence,” the eldest prince said. “I originally came to discuss the matter of personally leading the expedition against Galdan with my fourth brother today. When I paid my respects to the Empress Dowager, I heard her mention that my fifth brother had come to Chonghua Palace, so I called my fourteenth brother to come along as well.”
"It's true that His Highness the Crown Prince and my third brother met at the door."
The Third Prince remained silent for a long time before saying, "Fourth Brother, I've heard that there are so many people in Chonghua Palace, so I had to come and join in the fun."
The Crown Prince and the First Prince hadn't actually arranged to meet; they only bumped into each other at the entrance of Chonghua Palace. The moment they saw each other, they knew something was wrong. They both had their own agendas, but since the die was cast, they had no choice but to go in.
As a result, nine princes were suddenly seated in Chonghua Palace.
Even Lady Fucha felt that something was off tonight. At first, when the Fifth Prince and the Eighth Prince came, she didn't think anything of it. These were all people who had a good relationship with her Fourth Prince. The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince wouldn't cause any trouble with the Eighth Prince present. But the later four were different.
Now, everyone in the imperial court and harem knows that the four most outstanding princes are the Crown Prince, the First Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Eighth Prince. In particular, the Crown Prince and the First Prince look at Yinzhen like a black-eyed chicken, wishing they could devour him alive. Where is there any brotherly affection between them?
"Go to Xianfu Palace and inform Mother," Empress Fucha instructed her personal maid.
Although she knew nothing, she had a vague feeling that tonight might be a bloody and sleepless night.
The palace maid responded and hurried off to Xianfu Palace. Unfortunately, Emperor Kangxi was there that day, so she didn't go in but only relayed a message to Pearl. Even so, Emperor Kangxi still found out.
"Did someone from Chonghua Palace just now?"
Wenshan was trimming candles when she heard Kangxi ask her a question.
Turning his head, he saw that Kangxi was leaning against the couch reading a book, without even raising his head.
Kangxi arrived early today, just as it was getting dark. He was in a so-so mood and didn't say much.
Wen Shan thought to herself that Kangxi's ears were too sharp. Even so, he pretended not to know what was going on and dumped the mess in the palace on Consort Wenxi before, and now he dumped it on Xiao Tongjia.
"Yes, Lady Fucha sent someone to ask me for some dishes, saying that the Crown Prince and the First Prince and other princes went to Chonghua Palace for a small gathering."
Kangxi knew that the people who came to Chonghua Palace might also know that so many princes were currently in Chonghua Palace, so Wenshan did not hide anything from him.
The more you say, the more mistakes you make.
As expected, Kangxi simply said "oh," then changed his posture and said slowly, "It's rare to see these people all together."
"Liang Jiugong, send them a pot of wine as a token of my appreciation."
Liang Jiugong responded and then left.
After reading for a while, Kangxi got bored and patted the seat next to him: "Come here, I have something to tell you."
Wenshan obediently sat down next to her.
"I will soon issue an edict to bestow a marriage upon the Crown Prince. Since Lady Hesheli has been gone for so long, I will have to trouble you to make the preparations."
Wen Shan looked troubled and said, "Your Majesty, you know me. I am the least capable of handling such delicate matters. The Crown Prince's wedding is a major event of the country. It would be better to leave it to Consort Rong or Consort Tong."
Firstly, she found it troublesome, and secondly, she genuinely had little experience in organizing weddings. Even with Yinzhen's help, Yinsi's wedding kept her incredibly busy; wouldn't the Crown Prince's wedding be even more draining?
And it would be troublesome if something went wrong.
Emperor Kangxi was not angry; he naturally knew that Wen Shan was telling the truth.
"You are now the only Imperial Concubine in the palace. It would be inappropriate for you not to step forward. I will have Consort Rong and Consort Tong assist you. You just need to keep an eye on things," Kangxi said, patting her hand.
It seemed there was no way to avoid it, so Wen Shan reluctantly agreed.
At this moment, I miss Consort Wenxi terribly.
"Have you heard about what happened at Yonghe Palace?" Kangxi suddenly asked again.
Wen Shan nodded: "I'm afraid no one in the entire palace doesn't know about it."
Consort De conducted a thorough investigation, searching every palace servant from the Imperial Hospital to Yonghe Palace. The palace maid who was sent to the Department of Cautious Punishment endured torture for an entire afternoon but seemed to have confessed nothing.
Kangxi: "What do you think? Who do you believe did this?"
"..."
I always felt there was a hidden meaning in what he said.
Kangxi laughed when he saw Wen Shan's wrinkled face: "It was just a casual remark, you can say whatever you want, I'll just take it as a casual remark."
"Your Majesty, why make things difficult for me?" Wen Shan said bitterly, "There's no evidence right now, isn't this just making things up as a frame-up?"
Kangxi asked Wenshan on a whim, since the only person Wenshan had any real grudges with in the palace over the years was Consort De. So Kangxi wanted to hear what this kind-hearted Wenshan had to say.
Emperor Kangxi was truly enraged by the murder of the Seventh Princess. Ever since Consort Rong's past was brought to light many years ago, at least outwardly no one in the palace dared to lay a hand on the imperial heirs. Now, another audacious person had emerged.
"Today, Consort Tong went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see me and said that Consort Hui wanted to release a group of palace maids on the anniversary of the Empress Dowager's death." Seeing that Wen Shan really didn't know what to say, Kangxi changed the subject.
“Didn’t you already agree?” Wen Shan said. “Consort Tong has already started making preparations.”
Kangxi hummed in agreement, rubbed his fingers for a moment, and then said, "Consort Hui... never mind, let's not talk about her anymore."
"..."
They're all riddle tellers.
Fortunately, Kangxi didn't say anything more that would make her uncomfortable, and started reading again.
Wenshan found an excuse and tiptoed out the door, where Amber and Jade were waiting.
"What did the people from Chonghua Palace say?"
Amber whispered, "It was the Fourth Prince's wife who sent someone to inform Your Majesty that the Crown Prince and the First Prince have both gone to Chonghua Palace. The Fourth Prince's wife seems to have felt something was amiss, so she sent someone to Xianfu Palace."
Unexpectedly, Emperor Kangxi happened to be there, so the palace maid who was supposed to deliver the message did not come in.
Wen Shan thought that there was no point in looking for her. Since Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinxiang were all in Chonghua Palace, there shouldn't be any trouble. She guessed that Fucha was just going through the motions.
Fortunately, since Kangxi is with her, she will know immediately if anything happens to him tonight.
Chonghua Palace
"Yesterday, Father Emperor specifically instructed that since Third Brother and Fourth Brother have both been married, we brothers should visit each other more often in the future." The Crown Prince played with the teacup in his hand and said, "Father Emperor has always wanted to see a kind father and filial sons, and brotherly love and respect. We sons should also strive to do our best."
The Fifth Prince chuckled and said, "Second Brother, I heard from the Empress Dowager that Father has already chosen a woman from the Guarjia clan as your Crown Princess. It seems we'll soon be going to Yuqing Palace to celebrate with you."
It was no secret that Lady Guarjia was already the Crown Princess chosen by Emperor Kangxi, but the marriage was only just being put on the agenda. Kangxi's intention was to arrange the marriage for the Crown Prince after this personal expedition.
Yinzhi smiled slightly and said, "As the younger brothers, we should naturally go to congratulate His Highness on his wedding. We just don't know what kind of gift His Highness would like us to prepare in advance."
The Ninth Prince chimed in, "The Crown Prince has been deeply favored by his father since childhood, so he lacks nothing. His brothers are racking their brains trying to figure out what to give him to please him. If His Highness has anything he likes, he must tell us."
"The best gift is that my brothers can come and join in the fun. We don't stand on ceremony among brothers." The prince raised his wine cup and said, "Come, let's have a drink first."
"Eighth Brother, you take Ninth and Tenth Brothers and Thirteenth Brother to drink tea. You younger ones don't need to drink alcohol."
The Crown Prince directly assigned Yinzhi to the children's table, which Yinzhi gladly accepted.
“Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, and Thirteenth Brother are still young and need someone to look after them. Since His Highness the Crown Prince has said so, I will take on the responsibility of an elder brother and keep a close eye on the three of you,” Yinzhi said with a smile.
The youngest, Yinxiang, received the least attention. He glanced at the eldest prince's face and saw that it had indeed darkened.
The eldest prince, being the elder brother, should be looking after the younger brother. Unexpectedly, the crown prince's attempt to exclude Yinzhi backfired, allowing Yinzhi to take advantage of the situation and humiliate the eldest prince.
Of all the people present, only the Fifth Prince seemed genuinely waiting for the meal to begin, as his stomach was growling as his brothers chatted back and forth.
"Fourth Brother, when can we have our meal?" Fifth Prince looked at Yinzhen expectantly.
Yinzhen pursed his lips and said, "If you are hungry, have some snacks first. I think the meal will be served soon."
With so many people suddenly added, we naturally need to prepare for a while longer.
Although these people weren't there for a meal, it was still necessary to maintain appearances.
Unexpectedly, before the meal was even served, Liang Jiugong arrived with the wine bestowed by Emperor Kangxi.
"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and all the princes."
The crown prince personally stepped forward and helped him up.
"Eunuch Liang, what brings you here at this hour?"
Liang Jiugong calmly surveyed the scene in Chonghua Palace, taking in all the princes who were influential in the palace.
"His Majesty was delighted to hear that the princes were having a small gathering here, and has specially bestowed a pot of wine upon them to add to their enjoyment."
Liang Jiugong waved his hand, and the little eunuch behind him placed a pot of wine on the table.
The Tenth Prince, with his feet crossed, glanced at the scene and muttered under his breath, "Father Emperor is so stingy. He only gave us a pot of wine for all of us."
It's unlikely that anyone will get a cup.
The Ninth Prince quietly kicked him to shut him up.
"Is Father Emperor in the Qianqing Palace? I was thinking of going to pay my respects to Father Emperor later," the Crown Prince asked.
Liang Jiugong replied with a smile, "Your Highness, the Emperor is currently in Xianfu Palace. If you have any urgent matters, I will inform him."
"No need, it's nothing serious. Since Father is summoning Consort Gui, I won't disturb you."
The Crown Prince's eyelids twitched when he heard that Kangxi was in Xianfu Palace.
Liang Jiugong responded to this, and then left without lingering. The Crown Prince looked at the wine pot and suddenly laughed.
Is the Emperor backing up his fourth brother? Is he telling them not to act recklessly?
"Since this wine was bestowed by Father Emperor, we brothers must have a drink with it."
The eldest prince took the initiative to pick up the wine and personally poured a cup for each of them.
Just then, the food in the small kitchen was ready, and everyone started chatting and laughing again, raising their glasses.
However, after only a quarter of an hour, a palace servant announced that someone from Yikun Palace had come to request an audience with the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince.
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince immediately said, "Then let them in..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yinzhi interrupted him.
"Fifth Brother, Ninth Brother, His Highness the Crown Prince is here, so please don't spoil the fun."
The Ninth Prince instantly understood and pulled the still somewhat bewildered Fifth Prince out to meet the people.
The eldest prince couldn't help but smirk, so he picked up his wine cup to hide it.
The Crown Prince also sensed something was amiss, wondering if the First Prince and the Fourteenth Prince had suddenly come for the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince.
Or perhaps it was because of Consort Yi?
The Third Prince said in a low voice, "Consort De and the Seventh Princess..."
Everyone here grew up in the palace and was very familiar with these tricks. The Crown Prince understood most of it in an instant.
It looks like tonight is going to be quite lively.
Sure enough, the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince both came in with sullen faces a short while later. The Fifth Prince went to find Yinzhen, and the Ninth Prince went to find Yinsi.
"Eighth Brother, Mother has been framed and falsely accused of harming the Seventh Princess." The Ninth Prince said through gritted teeth, "It's Consort De again, how despicable!"
Consort De and Consort Yi have been at odds for so many years, and the Ninth Prince, influenced by what he has seen and heard, naturally doesn't treat Consort De well.
The Fifth Prince was so anxious he was almost in tears. Yinzhen comforted him for a few words. Meanwhile, the First Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, who were watching the play, exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with triumphant smiles.
"Fifth Brother and Ninth Brother, what's wrong? Has something happened at Yikun Palace?" The eldest prince asked feigned concern.
The Fifth Prince didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, but the Ninth Prince did and was about to retort when Yinzhi stopped him in time.
At this time, we cannot afford to break ties with the eldest prince.
Putting aside the fact that the Crown Prince is still alive, we can't afford to break off relations just because of the wine that Father Emperor bestowed upon us.
The Crown Prince watched for a long time, and although he didn't know exactly what had happened, he could tell from the eldest prince's smug look that the Yikun Palace was probably in complete chaos.
Sure enough, a short while later, people from Yonghe Palace came to invite the Fourteenth Prince back.
"Fourteenth Prince, Sister Xia Yun has sent me to invite you back to the palace. There's been some progress on the matter of the Seventh Princess. Sister Xia Yun is worried that Consort De might not be able to hold on, so she specially sent me to invite you back, Fourteenth Prince."
The Fourteenth Prince stood up abruptly and asked, "There's been some progress on Seventh Sister's matter. Was it done by that audacious servant?!"
"This...this..." The little eunuch looked up at the princes several times, looking troubled.
The eldest prince said, "Just say what you have to say. Why are you hesitating? Can't you see how anxious the fourteenth prince is?"
"It seems to be related to... to Consort Yi."
The Ninth Prince immediately became agitated: "You dog servant, how dare you implicate Consort Yi!"
The Fifth Prince panicked: "Fourth Brother, Mother wouldn't do such a thing."
Seeing that the Ninth Prince was getting anxious, the First Prince also withdrew to the side to watch the show. It wasn't enough to just make Consort Yi lose face; her two precious sons also had to embarrass themselves along with her.
“Ninth Brother, my mother would never implicate Consort Yi for no reason. He’s just a servant, why are you scaring him?” the Fourteenth Prince said confidently.
The Tenth Prince also rolled up his sleeves to speak up for the Ninth Prince, and for a moment the situation became a little out of control. Taking advantage of the chaos, Yinxiang sneaked up to Yinsi and said, "Eighth Brother, what happened? Are you alright?"
Yinzhi nodded to him, meaning it was alright.
"Alright, stop arguing!" Yinzhen said in a deep voice. "What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket? His Highness the Crown Prince is still here, and none of you know any manners."
The Crown Prince, who was engrossed in watching the show, thought: "..."
Only after being pointed at by Yinzhen did he realize that as the crown prince, he hadn't taken the initiative to stop it, and Yinzhen had beaten him to it.
"Alright, matters of the inner palace are none of your concern, princes." The Crown Prince cleared his throat. "Fifth brother, ninth brother, fourteenth brother, since Consort De and Consort Yi have sent people to invite you, you should each return to your palaces and take a look."
The Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince left hand in hand, and before leaving, the Ninth Prince glared at the Fourteenth Prince and walked away with a cold snort.
The Fourteenth Prince found it ridiculous, exchanged a few words with the First Prince, and then left.
"I was just thinking of having a nice meal with my brothers, but I never expected something like this to happen."
As the eldest prince spoke, he looked at the crown prince, who poured himself another cup of wine. Seeing the eldest prince looking over, the crown prince poured him a cup as well.
"Hey bro, wanna grab a drink?"
The eldest prince laughed and said, "How can I not drink the wine that the Crown Prince has poured for me?"
As Yinxiang cracked melon seeds, he saw for the first time the words "colluding in evil" in these two people.
Once the Fifth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Fourteenth Prince left, the scene became clearly divided.
Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinxiang sat to one side, and it seemed that the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the First Prince had formed a brief alliance tonight.
Naturally, in the eyes of the Crown Prince and the First Prince, Yinzhi was on the same side as the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince, and his relationship with Yinzhen was merely superficial.
Yinzhi slowly poured wine for Yinzhen and the Third Prince.
“Your Highness, it’s still early today, let’s talk for a while longer.”
People from Yonghe Palace also came to inform Xianfu Palace.
They said there was progress on the matter of the Seventh Princess, and asked Kangxi to go and take a look.
Wen Shan was already a little sleepy and wondered why they had to do this so late at night. Weren't they afraid that Kangxi would get upset if they woke him up after he had already gone to bed?
After hearing the report from the messenger, Kangxi rubbed his temples and glanced at Wen Shan, who was already somewhat dazed.
"Your Highness, come with me to take a look."
"..."
Damn it, you won't let her sleep either, right?!
On her way to Yonghe Palace, Wen Shan once again missed Consort Wenxi and began to ponder the possibility of making Xiao Tongjia a Consort.
Before even entering Yonghe Palace, Wen Shan could hear a commotion inside. Kangxi, obviously, also heard it, and frowned in displeasure.
Late at night, his harem was noisy and bustling, like a marketplace.
"His Majesty has arrived! Consort Xuan has arrived!"
The voices in Liang Jiugong's announcement subsided.
Kangxi strode in, and Wenshan almost couldn't keep up. When they entered the main hall, they found that everyone was gathered there.
Not only was Consort Yi summoned, but Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Tong were also present.
The rank of Consort is missing one Consort Ping, but then all the other ranks will be complete.
Even the Fifth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince were there.
"What are you all arguing about now that it's so late?"
Kangxi sat down in the main seat, his tone extremely unfriendly.
His expression darkened even more when he glanced at his three sons standing beside him.
Why involve the princes in the affairs of the inner palace? It's all a mess.
Consort De knelt down with a thud, crying and pleading, "Your Majesty, you must do justice for Xiao Qi!"
Wen Shan sat down next to Kangxi. Although she knew that the matter would eventually be pinned on Consort Yi, the palace maid from Yonghe Palace hadn't said anything specific when she came to report, so she had to pretend that she knew nothing, just like Kangxi.
"Get up first." Kangxi felt a headache coming on when he saw Consort De crying. "What happened earlier when you said there was progress on the matter of the Seventh Princess?"
Consort De sobbed without speaking, and Consort Tong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I was just discussing the list of palace maids to be released from the palace in the next few days with Consort Rong and Consort Hui. Unexpectedly, we discovered that the palace maid Dongyue, who made a mistake in Consort De's palace, is from the same hometown as a palace maid in Yikun Palace."
Consort Yi sneered from the side: "They're just from the same hometown. What's so strange about that? There are probably countless palace maids and eunuchs from the same hometown in the palace."
Consort Yi, who had received Wen Shan's warning early on, was not flustered knowing that this time the target was her.
Emperor Kangxi found this somewhat far-fetched: "Did that servant in the Imperial Prison vomit anything?"
“That servant is very tight-lipped, saying he knows nothing,” Consort Tong replied.
The Ninth Prince couldn't sit still any longer and said urgently, "Father, it's absurd to summon Mother for a confrontation based solely on a fellow villager without any confession!"
Consort Hui chimed in, "Your Majesty, although Dongyue has not confessed, the palace maid in Yikun Palace who is from the same hometown as Dongyue has confessed, claiming that five years ago Consort Yi bribed Dongyue to be placed in Yonghe Palace, the sister of Consort De, and that she has been passing on a lot of information over the years."
Emperor Kangxi looked at Consort Yi, his voice as cold as ice: "Is this true?"
The trouble lies in the fact that Dongyue is indeed Consort Yi's person, so no matter how Consort Yi tries to explain, she can't get away with it.
"Absolutely not." At this point, Consort Yi could only insist that she had no contact with Dongyue. "Your Majesty, my palace maid Gui'er is from the same hometown as Dongyue. It is normal for them to have some private interactions. Moreover, Gui'er is just a cleaning maid. I have hardly spoken to her. How could it be that I used her to win over Dongyue?"
Consort Yi recalled what the Ninth Prince had told her when he hurriedly returned earlier.
“Mother, my brother said you shouldn’t admit it. As long as you don’t give in, there’s a way.”
Now she can only trust the Eighth Prince.
Consort Hui and Consort De seemed unable to produce any conclusive evidence for the time being, and as they were at a stalemate, a palace maid suddenly ran out of the inner palace in a panic.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Seventh Princess... the Seventh Princess has passed away!"
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