Chapter 82 In the end, Consort Yi still didn't listen...
Consort Yi ultimately ignored Wen Shan's advice and attempted to arrange for the Fifth Princess to be registered under the name of Consort Min or another concubine without children. As expected, she was caught by Emperor Kangxi.
Fortunately, Consort Yi did not do anything to harm the Fifth Princess. Emperor Kangxi, considering that Consort Yi was innocent and had been wronged, summoned her to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and reprimanded her, and that was the end of it.
Subsequently, an official decree was issued ordering the Fifth Princess to move to Yanxi Palace, where she would be raised by Consort Min until her marriage.
Frustrated by her unsuccessful attempt, Consort Yi came to speak with Wen Shan.
Wen Shan said helplessly, "I told you long ago that the Emperor would definitely have a backup plan, but you wouldn't listen."
On the surface, this incident appears to be a power struggle between two concubines, Uya and Consort Yi. In reality, it's a battle over their respective children. If Consort Yi wins and Uya loses, Emperor Kangxi will naturally worry about whether Consort Yi will retaliate against the Fifth Princess and the Fourteenth Prince.
So this scheme was actually tailor-made for Consort Yi, and as a result, she fell right into it.
Consort Yi was also somewhat surprised: "I never imagined that the Emperor would love the Fifth Princess and the Fourteenth Prince so much, and consider their needs so thoroughly."
Wen Shan shook her head: "The Emperor treats every prince and princess the same way."
Especially in recent years, after Kangxi's attitude towards the crown prince was clearly not as affectionate as before, he showed significantly more love for his other children.
Even though the Emperor doesn't favor the Crown Prince as much as he did in his childhood, the Crown Prince still holds a unique position in his heart.
In Yinxiang's words, the Crown Prince was unique in Kangxi's heart. He could have easily ascended the throne by simply clinging to Kangxi's coattails, but he insisted on making trouble for himself, getting closer and closer to Suo'etu and losing sight of the difference between the two princes.
No matter what, Consort Yi had the reputation of being the victim and hadn't done anything excessive, so Kangxi's reprimand of her was indifferent.
Looking back now, it was Wen Shan's words that made her restrain herself a bit. At first, she didn't intend to let the Fifth Princess and the Fourteenth Prince off so easily, especially since the Fifth Princess was raised in the palace and it would be very easy for her to cause trouble.
Fortunately, Wen Shan's words calmed her down and made her realize that she couldn't be too impulsive, so she restrained herself. If she had really followed her previous ideas, she probably would have ended up like Wu Ya Shi.
Consort Yi, completely disregarding her status as an outsider, had Pearl serve her two bowls of plum juice. After drinking them down in one gulp, she said, "Alright, Your Majesty is right, the child is innocent. Let it be."
Immediately, Consort Yi also thought about the changes in Kangxi over the years. Now that the princes are gradually growing up, everyone's thoughts are becoming more active.
"Speaking of which, His Majesty has become somewhat estranged from the Crown Prince over the years," Consort Yi said.
Wen Shan: "It's not that we're estranged. The Crown Prince is all grown up now, so naturally we're not as close as when he was a child and was raised by the Emperor every day."
The Crown Prince was raised in the Hall of Mental Cultivation during his childhood. Kangxi took care of all his needs, from food and lodging to transportation. He acted as both father and mother to the Crown Prince. This is why Wen Shan always understood why Kangxi favored the Crown Prince.
Apart from the Crown Prince, which other prince or princess could have had such close contact with Emperor Kangxi for such a long time?
Even as Consort Yi fanned herself, she was still sweating a little, so Wen Shan quickly had someone move the ice basin next to her.
Consort Yi is sensitive to heat, and this year's weather has been exceptionally harsh, making things difficult for her.
“It doesn’t seem to me that the Crown Prince has become estranged because he’s grown up,” Consort Yi said. “Does Your Majesty know that a few days ago, an official whom the Crown Prince had strongly supported went wrong after taking office? Not only did he embezzle public funds, but he also dared to steal the disaster relief funds allocated by the court.”
Wen Shan really didn't know about this. She didn't care much about these court affairs. Usually, Yinzhen and a few others would pick out some interesting stories for her to listen to. Since Yinzhen and Yinsi weren't in the palace, naturally no one told her.
Yinxiang, still under the protection of his two older brothers, was unaware of his battle of wits with Zhang Ying in the Imperial Study.
"His Majesty was furious. He not only dismissed that person and investigated him, but also reprimanded the Crown Prince in front of all the court officials," Consort Yi said slowly. "This is the first time in so many years."
Regardless of how Emperor Kangxi privately educated the Crown Prince, he always gave him face in public. Even when the Crown Prince ignored the letter he sent back during his first campaign against Galdan, Emperor Kangxi was so angry that he exploded. After returning, he summoned the Crown Prince to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and scolded him, but still praised the Crown Prince for his effective oversight of the country in court.
It seems that this matter is so serious that Emperor Kangxi had no choice but to reprimand him in court.
As expected, Consort Yi continued, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but this year, Shaanxi has been suffering from a severe drought for over a month. His Majesty intends to select an imperial envoy to provide disaster relief. This is a matter of life and death for millions of people in Shaanxi. The Crown Prince strongly supported one of them, but things went wrong as a result."
"It almost caused public resentment in Shaanxi to boil over, leading to an uprising." Consort Yi said coolly, "Fortunately, the governor of Shaanxi noticed in time and arrested him on the spot, thus averting a major upheaval."
If the disaster victims see that government officials are capable of anything by embezzling disaster relief funds, the entire Shaanxi and Gansu region could easily descend into chaos.
Wen Shan gasped in shock: "How can such a serious matter as disaster relief be treated so lightly?"
No wonder Emperor Kangxi was furious; this was indeed excessive.
The matter was clearly not over yet. Consort Yi continued, "You wouldn't believe what happened next. After this man was captured, he confessed during interrogation that he had given the Crown Prince 30,000 taels of silver to secure his appointment as Imperial Envoy."
"If you spend money to buy an official position, you naturally have to recoup it after you take office."
"..."
This was indeed the crown prince's own doing.
Such a momentous matter was entrusted to someone who didn't know the importance of things, all for the sake of 30,000 taels of silver. No wonder Emperor Kangxi was angry.
However, Wen Shan thought that if the Crown Prince's selling of official positions caused a major disaster, it would be more than just a reprimand. There were many princes and ministers in the court who were not part of the Crown Prince's faction, and they would not stop until they had thoroughly attacked the Crown Prince.
But she hadn't heard anything about the Crown Prince being punished recently.
Then Wenshan asked again, "Did the Emperor mention this in front of all the ministers?"
"How could that be?" Consort Yi raised an eyebrow and said, "This is a serious crime, but the Emperor was still protecting the Crown Prince, so he suppressed it and hastily beheaded that person."
Wen Shan thought to herself, "Just as I thought. Kangxi's protection of the Crown Prince remains unchanged."
But even the deepest feelings can't withstand the Crown Prince's repeated tantrums.
But then Wen Shan thought about it again and found it a bit strange: "Then how did you know?"
And you know so much detail.
Consort Yi smiled and said, "The current governor of Shaanxi is from the Irgen Gioro clan."
"..."
I understand, it's the First Prince's men.
Even though Emperor Kangxi managed to suppress the matter for the Crown Prince, it was still possible for the First Prince to spread the news.
A gust of wind blew through the hall, lowering the temperature slightly. Consort Yi squinted and took a breath before saying, "Your Majesty, do you think the governor of Shaanxi might be deliberately allowing the Crown Prince's men to embezzle, waiting for public resentment to spiral out of control before taking them down, so that he can appear capable and turn the tide?"
That's hard to say.
In short, no matter how these princes fight each other, it is the common people who suffer in the end.
Consort Yi has now tacitly accepted that the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince are both vying for the throne, so she pays more attention to their main rival, the Crown Prince, than usual. After finishing discussing the important matters concerning the Crown Prince, Consort Yi started chatting about some casual matters.
"The weather this year is so scorching. I wonder when His Majesty will take us to the garden to escape the heat."
Actually, it's not yet the time of year for people to go to escape the summer heat, but the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and many concubines are already finding it unbearable.
Especially since Consort Yi had taken some tricks and removed all the ice from Uya's body, it's easy to imagine that Yonghe Palace must be as hot as a steamer right now.
Kangxi did not intervene when Consort Yi took action against Lady Wuya, and Wenshan only learned about it through a report from someone left behind by Yinzhi.
Wen Shan thought for a moment and said, "His Majesty hasn't mentioned it yet. It seems he's been busy with the military campaign against the Dzungars lately and doesn't have the time or inclination for such things."
The Hall of Mental Cultivation and the Palace of Heavenly Purity were meticulously designed during their construction, ensuring optimal temperature and wind direction, making them much warmer in winter and cooler in summer than other palaces.
Upon hearing this, Consort Yi sighed and said that she couldn't live like this anymore. She was sweating profusely every day and felt extremely sticky.
Wen Shan had no other choice but to discuss with Xiao Tongjia about allocating more ice to each palace.
“It’s really too hot this year.” After hearing Wen Shan’s purpose, Xiao Tongjia said, “But we’ve already taken the ice out of the official cellar earlier than in previous years, and we’re afraid that if we allocate more, it won’t be enough.”
The ice used in the palace during the summer is all stored from the winter. After being cut, it is stored in several ice cellars. Even with insulation, about half of it usually melts by summer, not to mention that it melted even more this year due to the exceptionally hot weather.
Another method is to make ice with saltpeter, but the quantity is small and it is more troublesome. The ice used in summer is mainly obtained through large-scale storage in winter.
Wen Shan understood Xiao Tongjia's concerns. It was only the beginning of summer, and they really had to consider what would happen if there wasn't enough ice when it got even hotter.
At times like this, Wenshan especially misses air conditioning.
When discussing the ice-making process in the palace, Consort Tongjia also subtly mentioned the matter of Consort Yi reducing the allowances allocated to Yonghe Palace.
"Although Consort Wuya is still under house arrest, the Emperor has not stripped her of her title. According to the monthly allowance for consorts, ice is still sent to her every month. However, now that the Fifth Princess has moved to Yanxi Palace, Consort Wuya is left alone in Yonghe Palace, and that little bit of ice is probably not enough."
Xiao Tongjia obviously didn't want to get involved in this matter either; she only told Wenshan about it so that Wenshan would be aware of the situation.
Wen Shan nodded upon hearing this and said, "We can talk about our adults, but there are so many princes and princesses in the palace that we can't neglect them. It would be bad if they got sick from the heat. If someone reports that the princes and princesses are feeling hot, then we should allocate more supplies."
"That's natural," said Xiao Tongjia with a smile. "The ice supply in the five palaces of Ganxi has never been interrupted. Now, the three princesses in Consort Min's Yanxi Palace have also received a few extra portions. If the princes and princesses in other palaces feel uncomfortable, we can adjust it a bit more."
Although Xiao Tongjia was a bit domineering, she was quite capable in handling palace affairs, which suggests that Tong Guowei had put a lot of effort into this daughter when she was in the Tong family.
Inside Yanxi Palace, Wen Ke and Dun Ke also felt that the weather had been unusually hot lately.
"Mother, it's too hot. Please put more ice in my and my sister's room," Dunke said in a spoiled tone.
Wen Ke and Dun Ke had slept together since they were little, and the two sisters had an exceptionally good relationship. Consort Min also doted on her two daughters, and all the food, clothing and daily necessities in Yanxi Palace were prepared with these two little princesses in mind. She immediately patted her daughter's head and said gently, "Good, the Imperial Household Department sent some extra a couple of days ago, so let the palace servants add another basin of ice for you."
Consort Min felt sorry for Wen Ke and Dun Ke, seeing how hot they were, so she restricted them from going to the Imperial Garden so often.
Every time they go out to play, they come back covered in sweat and complain about the heat. Consort Min is worried that if the two of them get heatstroke, it will be troublesome.
Wen Ke sat obediently to the side and asked, "Should we send some over to Fifth Sister's palace as well?"
Wen Ke and Dun Ke lived in the East Annex Hall, while the Fifth Princess lived in the West Annex Hall. Since arriving at Yanxi Palace, the Fifth Princess rarely went out. Apart from coming to the main hall to pay her respects morning and evening, she basically stayed in the West Annex Hall.
Consort Min originally wanted to have the Fifth Princess dine with them to get closer to her, since it would be another four or five years before the Fifth Princess got married. Consort Min felt uncomfortable with them living in such an awkward situation for so long.
As a result, the Fifth Princess refused without even thinking about it.
Consort Min couldn't force her, so she could only have people serve her meticulously.
Thinking of this, Consort Min could only smile and say, "Of course, your fifth sister is raised in our palace just like you two sisters."
Wen Ke nodded and silently fiddled with the toys for a moment.
The Fifth Princess's aloofness made the mother and her two daughters feel quite reserved, especially since Dunke was young and at an age where she loved to play. Knowing that there was another older sister in Yanxi Palace, she always wanted to go and play with the Fifth Princess.
"I haven't seen Fifth Sister much before," Dunke said in his childish voice. "But Fifth Sister is beautiful, and Dunke likes her!"
Wen Ke was a little jealous: "You've never praised me like that before!"
Dunke was at a loss: "Fifth sister... I don't see fifth sister often."
When the Fifth Princess was raised under Consort De's care, she didn't play with the other princesses much. In the palace, a child's status is determined by the mother's, especially for princesses. Several deceased empresses and Consort Wenxi did not leave behind any princesses, and the current Consort Xuan has no biological children. Therefore, the Fifth Princess considers herself, the Seventh Princess, and the Third Princess born to Consort Rong to be the most honorable princess in the palace.
Especially since Princess Rongxian had married into the Southern Mongolian steppe three years ago, the Fifth Princess believed that she was the highest-ranking princess still in the palace.
Not to mention that she was also born beautiful, and Emperor Kangxi always doted on her, so she didn't look down on the rest of her sisters who were either concubines or consorts.
She rarely interacted with her sisters, and the only one she was relatively close to was the seventh princess, who was born of the same mother. However, the seventh princess had now passed away, and Wuya had made a mistake and been demoted. The fifth princess, who was still holding on, seemed particularly lonely.
After arriving at Yanxi Palace, Consort Min treated the Fifth Princess quite well. All her food, clothing, and daily necessities were the same as those of Wen Ke and Dun Ke, without any favoritism or deliberate neglect. Sometimes, the Fifth Princess even felt that Consort Min was trying to curry favor with her.
However, the Fifth Princess still found it hard to accept the sudden and drastic change. Overnight, she went from being a beloved princess born of a concubine, a position she was proud of, to the daughter of a concubine who had made a mistake. This was something the Fifth Princess found difficult to accept.
Not to mention having to make a living from her two younger sisters, whom she used to find troublesome even to look at.
Consort Min, always perceptive, easily understood what was troubling the Fifth Princess, but instead of speaking out, she gave her ample space to be quiet.
Consort Min pulled her two daughters into her arms, one in each arm, and tapped their noses, saying, "Alright, you're all sisters. Wen Ke, don't be jealous of your fifth sister. The three of you should get along well and play together, understand?"
Wen Ke snorted: "Fifth Sister doesn't like me and my sister at all. Yesterday, I kindly went to deliver pastries to Fifth Sister, and she was still bossing me around."
Consort Min was slightly surprised upon hearing this: "You went to see the Fifth Princess yesterday?"
After the Fifth Princess arrived at Yanxi Palace, she stayed in her room except for going out for the morning and evening service. Consort Min didn't bother her, let alone Wen Ke and Dun Ke. They were already a little afraid of this somewhat domineering older sister and never took the initiative to approach her.
Therefore, Consort Min was unaware that Wen Ke had actually gone to the West Side Palace yesterday.
Wen Ke nodded and said crisply, "Thirteenth Brother came yesterday and brought a lot of delicious snacks, so I gave a portion to Fifth Sister."
When Yinxiang came to Yanxi Palace yesterday, Consort Min was not there. He went to Consort Mi's palace to talk to her. Yinxiang played with his two younger sisters for a long time. He had just left when Consort Min returned.
Wen Ke had been eager to befriend this beautiful but aloof older sister, but was turned away. When she returned, she pouted and looked like she was about to cry. Yinxiang noticed the change in his sister and went to the West Side Hall himself. No one knows what Yinxiang and the Fifth Princess talked about, but after Yinxiang came out, the Fifth Princess apologized to Wen Ke.
However, being a child, Wen Ke had a rather indifferent impression of this pretty older sister after that day, and no longer insisted on playing with her like Dun Ke did.
Wen Shan eventually found out about this, and she pulled Yinxiang aside and asked if he had gone to scare the Fifth Princess.
Yinxiang cried out that he was wronged.
"I just reasoned with her. Her mother and Wenke Dunke have both done their best for her. She can't be ungrateful, can she?"
After that day, Yinxiang became even more convinced of his previous idea: keeping the Fifth Princess in Yanxi Palace would cause trouble for Wenke and Dunke. The two of them, who used to play wildly in Yanxi Palace all day long, were now somewhat restrained.
Wen Shan said helplessly, "Your mother has her own ideas, and the matter of the Seventh Princess has only just passed. You'd better behave yourself."
Yinxiang shrugged: "Mother, I know what I'm doing, so don't worry."
If he can't even handle that little brat Wen Xian, then he's truly wasted his life.
However, let's wait for Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother to return before discussing whether there's any way to move Wen Xian elsewhere.
Putting aside Dunke and Wenke, even he himself felt that he couldn't get along with this arrogant younger sister.
Thinking of this, Yinxiang asked, "Mother, will Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother be back soon?"
"Soon," Wen Shan said after thinking for a moment. "They should already be on their way back."
Two days ago, Yinzhen and Yinsi sent a letter saying they were about to return. Wenshan estimated that they should be near the capital by now, and should arrive tomorrow or the day after.
Yinxiang nodded and said, "It's been so hot these past few days. When Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother come back, I'm going to take Eighth Brother to Chonghua Palace to soak in the pool."
There is a hot spring pool in Chonghua Palace with running water. Nowadays, it is best to put some ice in it beforehand and soak in it to cool off in the summer.
However, since Yinzhen was not present, Yinxiang could not go there alone, especially since his sisters-in-law were still there.
"I heard from Consort Yi today that the Crown Prince was reprimanded?"
Wen Shan put some cold shredded chicken on Yin Xiang's plate. Yin Xiang ate it with relish. When Wen Shan asked him, he nodded and said, "It happened a few days ago. The Crown Prince sold official positions and caused a huge mess. But in the end, Father Emperor only said that he misjudged people and almost ruined a big deal. He was scolded but not punished."
As soon as this happened, Yinxiang sent a message by carrier pigeon to inform Yinzhen and Yinsi. The two knew about the time bomb planted by the Crown Prince before they left. At that time, the corrupt official was looking all over the country for ways to buy his way into a high-ranking position. Yinzhen and Yinsi just learned about this incident when they left, and the man had made contact with the Crown Prince.
I never expected that the Crown Prince would treat human life as a joke and give such an important position as Minister of Disaster Relief to a person with a wicked heart.
Upon receiving the news, Yinzhen felt quite guilty.
“We should be more cautious,” Yinzhen said. “No matter what, we can’t let the Crown Prince send someone like that to provide disaster relief!”
Isn't this sending lambs to the slaughter? They're just asking for a huge windfall.
Although Yinzhi was also somewhat angry about this, he was not as indignant as Yinzhen.
“Fourth Brother, there are more than just one or two corrupt officials in the court; the Qing dynasty cannot clean them all up,” Yinzhi said.
Everyone understands the saying that "if the water is too clear, there will be no fish."
Not to mention local areas, there are plenty of corrupt officials even in the capital. It's just that some are more corrupt than others.
Yinzhi was also trying to comfort Yinzhen, saying that even if there was no one who bought the official position, someone else would take his place.
Disaster relief has always been a lucrative job.
This fool is just too unruly. He dared to commit a crime in Shaanxi, under the tutelage of the First Prince. He must have a death wish.
Yinzhen's brows remained furrowed: "I wonder how many more people will starve to death and suffer this time."
The eldest prince and the governor of Shaanxi were clearly aware of the ulterior motives of Yinzhen and Yinsi without needing to send anyone to investigate. They were probably just waiting for the person recommended by the crown prince to make a mess of the disaster relief efforts and incur public wrath before they would come forward to expose them.
The more serious the matter, the heavier the reprimand the crown prince would receive.
The eldest prince simply hadn't expected that Emperor Kangxi would still be so protective of the crown prince.
"In that case, we can only work harder and carefully select some capable people to take the position," Yinzhi said, patting Yinzhen on the shoulder.
"Isn't it about time that Zhang Tingyu will take the next imperial examination?" Yinzhi thought for a moment and suddenly realized that Zhang Tingyu was about to enter officialdom.
Yinzhen nodded: "The official examination in three years."
Yinzhen and Zhang Tingyu had always had a good personal relationship, so he naturally knew some things about Zhang Tingyu.
Yinzhi nodded repeatedly, thinking that things would be much easier once Zhang Tingyu entered officialdom.
“We should hurry back to the capital.” Yinzhi smiled, his tone subtle. “His Highness the Crown Prince has a great gift waiting for us.”
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