Chapter 93 Wen Shan immediately knew that...
Wenshan immediately knew that something was about to happen.
"Are you alright?" Wenshan asked.
Yinzhi: "It's nothing serious."
Seeing Yinzhi leisurely playing with the dog, Wenshan felt that there shouldn't be any major problems.
Moreover, any problems are matters of the previous dynasty. As Yinzhi said, if it happens to her, she will at most stay in Xianfu Palace for a while, and Yinzhen and his brothers will handle these matters.
"Now that your father is gone, the palace will definitely be much quieter. Finally, we can have a few months to rest properly." Wen Shan stretched and prepared to enjoy this hard-won leisure time.
Yinzhi wholeheartedly agreed: "That's right, you should rest well."
Wenshan was just about to discuss with Yinzhi how to move the flowers that Kangxi had planted during his torture when Pearl came in through the curtain.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has sent someone with Lord Tian Wenjing's wife to pay their respects to you."
Wen Shan asked in confusion, "Tian Wenjing's wife?"
She doesn't know her.
Wen Shan looked at Yin Si, who explained, "Tian Wenjing's wife is Dai Zi's only daughter, and it was my fourth brother and I who acted as matchmakers."
Wenshan suddenly realized what had happened.
Pearl continued, "The Fourth Prince wants Lady Tian and Lord Dai to meet, but it is against the rules for the women of the palace to enter the palace and not come to pay their respects to their masters."
Dai Zi's improved firearms were of great benefit to the country. Although he had repeatedly declined the offer of an official position, Emperor Kangxi still appointed him as a sinecure of the third rank. He had little to do but received a salary. These days, Dai Zi was also summoned to the palace and stayed in the firearms workshop.
Tian Wenjing brought his wife along on his trip to the palace, hoping that the father and daughter could meet and ease the wife's homesickness.
Upon hearing that Lady Tian was coming, Yinzhi took Laifu's hand and left first.
Wen Shan stuffed a lot of Lai Fu's favorite snacks into Yin Si's hands before letting him leave with the dog.
"Let Madam Tian in."
Soon, Pearl led in a woman with a very cheerful and magnanimous appearance, whose attire gave her a rather heroic and dashing air.
Wen Shan was momentarily distracted and felt that she resembled Princess Yun Dai. However, Princess Yun Dai had a more charming and delicate air than Madam Tian, while Madam Tian had a clear and transparent quality, like a spring.
"This humble woman greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort."
Wenshan quickly had someone help her up: "Please rise quickly, Pearl, please take a seat."
Lady Tian smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. This is my first time entering the palace. I hope Your Highness will forgive me if I have been impolite in any way."
"I've never been one to pay much attention to these formalities, so please feel free to do as you please." Wen Shan looked at Madam Tian and thought to herself that Dai Zi had truly given birth to a beautiful and intelligent daughter, who was a delight to behold.
"I've met your father a few times. You and your father don't look alike. I never expected Master Dai to have such a beautiful daughter," Wen Shan joked.
Madam Tian smiled and said, "I look just like my mother. I often say that it's impossible for a beauty like my mother to have fallen for my father. If she had chosen a handsome young man, their daughter might have been even more beautiful."
Wen Shan: "..."
Wen Shan couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Dai Zi's expression when she heard what her daughter had said.
What a generous girl.
“But your personality is just like your father’s,” Wen Shan said.
This child is truly blessed with good looks; she resembles her beautiful mother and has inherited her father's carefree and generous nature. She's a wonderful girl.
"Others often say that this is why I haven't been able to get married for so long," Lady Tian said with a bright smile. "I also want to thank the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince for acting as matchmakers, and of course, I also want to thank the Noble Consort."
"I was worried that these two children would mismatch them, but seeing how harmonious you two are, I'm relieved." Wen Shan looked at her slightly protruding belly and asked with concern, "I heard you're almost six months pregnant?"
This was something Pearl had specifically mentioned to Madam Tian before she came in. The size of her belly didn't look like she was more than six months pregnant, so she probably wasn't showing much.
Mrs. Tian lowered her head and touched her belly: "Yes, I'm more than six months pregnant."
Wenshan: "Is the journey long and tiring enough?"
“We’ve already taken such good care of her. If she can’t even endure this little bit of hardship, wouldn’t she be too pampered after she’s born?” Madam Tian said with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
Madam Tian came to the palace to meet Dai Zi, so Wen Shan didn't chat with her much. When Amber came over and said that the gift for Madam Tian was ready, Wen Shan let her take the things and leave.
Because Lady Fucha was also pregnant, there were many items suitable for pregnant women in Xianfu Palace. Tian Wenjing was also the right-hand man of Yinzhen and Yinsi, so Wenshan directly asked Amber to prepare a gift exactly the same as the one given to Lady Fucha last time and give it to Lady Tian to take away.
"I really like Madam Tian's personality, but she's pregnant, otherwise I could let her come to the palace more often," Wen Shan said with a sigh.
It just so happened that Emperor Kangxi was not in the palace, making it convenient for Lady Tian to enter the palace.
Pearl served Wenshan a bowl of sweet soup and said with a smile, "Is Your Highness feeling a bit stifled lately?"
“That boy Yinxiang is never home,” Wenshan said. “The other day, Consort Min told me that she has been going to Consort Mi’s Changchun Palace a lot lately. When Yinxiang went to Yanxi Palace, he played with the Fifth Princess and a few others. By the time she returned to the palace, they were all gone.”
In the past few years, Consort Mi gave birth to the Fifteenth Prince and the Sixteenth Prince. The two children are close in age and are at a time when they are both lively and prone to illness. Consort Mi is a little overwhelmed by the children, so Consort Min often lends a hand.
Consort Min sighed repeatedly, noticing that while Yinxiang was going to Yanxi Palace more often, she actually saw him less frequently.
At this moment, Yinxiang was completely at a loss, surrounded by his three sisters.
Although Dunke and Wenke used to cling to him, the two girls were very obedient and sensible. Consort Min told them that they couldn't keep bothering their brother to stay, because their brother still had to go to school and return to Xianfu Palace, so they shouldn't make things difficult for him.
Although the two little girls didn't quite understand, they still listened to their mother. When Yinxiang came, they had a lot of fun, and when it was time for him to leave, they didn't cry or make a fuss, even though they were sad.
However, the situation changed dramatically after the Fifth Princess arrived.
The Fifth Princess was never one to suffer injustice. Seeing the disappointed looks on Wenke and Dunke's faces every time Yinxiang left, she was exasperated and told them that if they liked the Thirteenth Prince, they could let him come here to play more often.
At first, Wen Ke hesitated a bit: "Mother said I shouldn't disturb my brother's studies."
“Thirteenth Brother also has plenty of free time,” the Fifth Princess asserted.
Yinxiang was notorious for skipping classes and slacking off. The Fifth Princess had heard the Fourteenth Prince mention it many times. Especially now that Emperor Kangxi was busy with the affairs of the court and had no time to take care of the younger princes' studies, the tutors in the Imperial Study were at their wits' end with the Thirteenth Prince, this little devil.
Who could blame him? This little devil has a face that resembles the emperor's, and he's also incredibly intelligent. Although he seems to be lazy and doesn't study properly all day, he always stands out when the emperor checks the princes' homework.
In the end, Emperor Kangxi had no choice but to say that as long as it didn't interfere with his studies, he would let him be.
Ultimately, it was because Emperor Kangxi favored his youngest son.
Zhang Ying and Gu Badai were both helpless against him, so they could only turn a blind eye.
Therefore, Yinxiang had much more free time than the other princes who studied hard.
Dunke bit his finger and listened to what was said. The next time Yinxiang came, Dunke hugged Yinxiang's arm with tears in his eyes and asked, "Brother, can we play a little longer?"
Seeing that Yinxiang was too soft-hearted, he agreed.
Consort Min was initially angry and scolded Wen Ke and Dun Ke. When Yinxiang found out, he rushed over to protect them, saying that he knew what he was doing and wouldn't delay important matters.
The younger sisters are still young, and when they grow up they won't have many opportunities to cling to him. So they might as well spend more time together while they still have time.
Yinxiang visited more often and inevitably had more contact with the Fifth Princess. At first, Yinxiang was indifferent to the Fifth Princess, but Wenke and Dunke really liked this beautiful older sister. Especially after the Fifth Princess started playing with them, she became extremely affectionate. After observing for a few days, Yinxiang also felt that the Fifth Princess was not a bad person at heart, just a little spoiled. As a royal princess of noble birth, this did not seem to be a problem.
Yinxiang convinced himself in this way, and his attitude towards the Fifth Princess improved considerably.
When Yinxiang arrived today, he noticed that the Fifth Princess seemed somewhat absent-minded and would often drift off when talking to her.
"Fifth Sister, what's wrong?" Yinxiang thought for a moment and then asked.
Judging from their appearance, something must have happened.
Wen Ke and Dun Ke were playing with a jigsaw puzzle and didn't notice them. The two little girls were having a great time, chatting and laughing.
The Fifth Princess bit her lip and whispered, "Thirteenth Brother, Fourteenth Brother came to see me yesterday."
Yinxiang looked up and immediately sensed something was wrong. If it were just a normal meeting between siblings, why would the Fifth Princess be so hesitant?
"My fourteenth brother said that Mother is having a hard time in the palace, and asked me to beg Consort Min to take better care of her."
Yinxiang: "Since Mother neither assists in managing the six palaces nor is she a high-ranking concubine, what can she possibly do to care for Uya?"
The Fifth Princess naturally knew that Consort Min couldn't be of much help, so it was obvious who could.
Let Consort Min go and plead with Consort Xuan again.
Consort Min and Consort Xuan have always been on good terms. If Consort Min asks for help, Consort Xuan will never refuse. Even if she doesn't help, she will treat her less harshly.
Yinxiang didn't want Consort Min and Wenshan to get involved in the Uya clan's affairs, so he said coldly, "Although Mother has the power to assist in managing the six palaces, all matters, big and small, are handled by Consort Tong. If Fourteenth Brother really cares about Mother, he should go and beg Consort Tong."
The Fifth Princess's feelings towards Uya are quite complicated. To be fair, although Uya values the Sixth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince more, the Fifth Princess was born when Uya was at the height of her power and influence, so she couldn't possibly mistreat her daughter. There is still a mother-daughter bond between them. Therefore, the Fifth Princess cannot really watch Uya suffer without caring about her.
"Thirteenth Brother, I know this request may be a bit abrupt, but could you please let me see Fourth Brother?" the Fifth Princess said hesitantly.
Yinxiang keenly sensed that the Fifth Princess hadn't told him everything; there were some things she still wanted to tell her own brother, the Fourth Prince.
"I will pass on the message, but Fourth Brother must be very busy now that he is overseeing the country." Yinxiang did not give a definitive answer.
Even so, the Fifth Princess was already very happy. After thanking Yinxiang sincerely, she was pulled aside by Wenke and Dunke to play.
Yinxiang bid farewell to Wenkedunke, then knelt down and hugged the two little girls.
"Thirteenth Brother has something to do and won't be able to play with you guys today."
Wen Ke nodded sensibly: "Mother said that Father Emperor is out now, so Thirteenth Brother will be very busy. We will wait obediently for Thirteenth Brother to come."
Yinxiang smiled and patted their heads. When he saw the Fifth Princess looking over, he nodded gently to her before leaving Yanxi Palace.
Yinxiang's personal eunuch, Lu Bao, was waiting at the door. When he saw Yinxiang come out, he quickly put a cloak on him.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine instructed that you should wear more clothes to avoid catching a cold, as the autumn winds have started to blow."
Yinxiang hummed in agreement and then asked, "Where are Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother?"
"I suppose the Fourth Prince should be in Chonghua Palace. As for the Eighth Prince, I don't know."
Yinxiang nodded slightly and headed towards Chonghua Palace. On the way, he happened to run into the Fifth Prince, who was bringing his wife to the palace to see the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi.
"Thirteenth Brother!"
The Fifth Prince spotted Yinxiang from afar, called out to him, and excitedly ran over to pat him on the shoulder: "It's been a while, what have you been up to lately?"
Yinxiang shrugged: "Wen Ke and Dun Ke, those two little girls, have been very clingy lately, insisting that I play with them."
"You should be secretly happy to have two such adorable younger sisters." The Fifth Prince punched him.
"Fifth Brother came to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager?" Yinxiang looked behind him and asked, "Why didn't you bring Fifth Sister-in-law with you?"
Fifth Prince, with his arm around Yinxiang's shoulder, walked forward: "I just paid my respects to Mother with my wife. Mother asked her to stay and talk, but I felt bored, so I came out for a walk. I was thinking of going to find Fourth Prince, but I ran into you on the way."
"I was just thinking of going to Chonghua Palace to see Fourth Brother," Yinxiang said with a smile. "It seems that it would be unreasonable for Fourth Brother not to host a banquet for us today."
The mere mention of Yinzhen hosting the Fifth Prince at Chonghua Palace brings to mind the previous Feast at Hongmen, a night that was nothing short of bloody and chaotic.
He still feels a bit scared when he thinks about it now.
"Fortunately, the Crown Prince is currently under house arrest, so he can't go out and cause trouble," the Fifth Prince said softly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Third Prince sauntered out from the front.
Yinxiang: "...Fifth Brother, you really have a jinx."
The Fifth Prince covered his mouth and his eyes darted around. Yinxiang said, "Don't say we're going to find the Fourth Brother. Just say we bumped into him on the way."
He originally wanted to see his fourth brother because he had important business to discuss, and it would have been fine to bring the fifth prince along. It would have been troublesome if the third prince had also come to join in the fun.
"Fifth brother, thirteenth brother, where are we going?"
The Third Prince was carrying a birdcage, inside which a bright green bird was chirping and hopping around, looking just like a good-for-nothing rich young master.
"I just ran into Fifth Brother after leaving Mother's," Yinxiang said with a smile. "Why is Third Brother in the palace today too?"
"We've also come to pay our respects to Mother." The Third Prince glanced at the two men and asked, "Where are you two brothers headed?"
"Let's just stroll around," the Fifth Prince said first. "The Imperial Garden has been quite beautiful lately."
The Third Prince, seizing the opportunity, laughed and said that he and his brothers would stroll around the garden together.
Yinxiang: "..."
I must have forgotten to check the almanac before going out today.
The Fifth Prince was quickly drawn to the bird in the Third Prince's hand.
"Third Brother, where did you get this kingfisher?" Fifth Prince leaned closer to tease it, and the bird was so fierce that it almost pecked his finger.
"Wow, he's so fierce."
The Third Prince moved his wrist and lifted the birdcage a little further away: "This was given to me by my eldest brother a few days ago. It's not tamed yet. Fifth Brother, please stay away from this beast so you don't get hurt."
The eldest prince sent a gift to the third prince...
Yinxiang understood; this was because they saw the Crown Prince was no longer capable and were trying to win over the Third Prince.
I just don't know what the Third Prince himself is thinking.
“Third Brother is now editing books at Chongwen Academy, and with this bird, he really does look like a romantic and talented scholar,” Yinxiang said, tilting his head.
The three princes in Xianfu Palace were: Yinzhen, who was cold-hearted and ruthless; Yinsi, who was shrewd and adept at making friends with court officials; and the youngest, Yinxiang, who seemed to have no outstanding qualities. He was young and spent his days eating, drinking and having fun, so the Crown Prince, the eldest prince, and the third prince did not pay much attention to him and regarded him as just a child who only knew how to play.
The Fifth Prince chimed in, while the Third Prince smiled and said to his two younger brothers, "Studying can enlighten one's mind, and there is a wealth of knowledge in books. Didn't our teacher teach us this principle?"
"Did Third Brother not bring Third Sister-in-law with him when he went to the palace today?" Fifth Prince asked.
The Third Prince teased the caged bird: "Fifth Brother, didn't you also forget your wife?"
Yinxiang: "Fifth Brother brought her along; she's currently in Yikun Palace talking with Consort Yi."
The Third Prince raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "After all, the Fifth Brother is newly married and can't bear to be away for even a moment."
Although the Fifth Prince was honest and simple, he was somewhat shy when talking about these things.
Yinxiang, standing to the side, sensed something was amiss. The Third Prince had never really interacted with them and didn't particularly enjoy talking to his younger brothers, yet today he had been going on and on about the same things for so long, as if he were deliberately trying to stall them.
Yinxiang recalled that the place where the Third Prince had appeared earlier seemed to be the Imperial View Pavilion.
He hadn't thought about it carefully before, but now that he thought about it, it was the northeast corner of the Imperial Garden, a place full of strange rocks. Few people usually went there, so how could the Third Prince have appeared there inexplicably?
Could it be that there's someone or something behind them that they can't see, so they're being deliberately lured away?
The Third Prince was indeed subtly guiding them in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, Yinxiang called out.
The Fifth Prince turned to look at him: "Thirteenth Brother, what's wrong?"
"I think I just saw Laifu."
Fifth Prince: "What's Laifu doing here?"
Yinxiang said helplessly, "After Fuqi was taken away by the fourth brother, Laifu always runs around everywhere. Sometimes he runs out and we can't find him for half a day, which makes Mother very worried."
Upon hearing this, the Fifth Prince immediately asked, "Where did you look for it? Let's go find it."
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince quickly stopped them: "Just let the guards help look for it, why do you two have to go yourself?"
“Let the guards go and find Laifu. They might frighten him again. Laifu is not young anymore, so let’s not bother him.” The Fifth Prince rolled up his sleeves. “We are familiar with Laifu. Maybe we can lure him out by calling his name. We won’t have to make a fuss.”
Seeing that he couldn't stop them, the Third Prince could only follow closely behind the two of them to search for the dog.
While the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince were not paying attention, Yinxiang kicked a stone towards the direction of Yujing Pavilion.
Upon hearing the commotion, the Fifth Prince indeed headed in that direction.
"Could Laifu have crawled into these rocks?" The Fifth Prince wondered, looking at the holes.
Dogs can squeeze in, but they can't.
The Fifth Prince called out twice but received no response. The Third Prince panicked and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "In that case, let the servants search. There's no one around here, so let's hope nothing goes wrong."
"Isn't that the Imperial View Pavilion behind us?" Yinxiang stood on tiptoe and looked back. He could clearly sense the Third Prince's nervousness at the mention of the Imperial View Pavilion.
The Fifth Prince scratched his head, stretched his neck, and looked back: "It really is. Yujing Pavilion is on high ground. Let's go up and take a look. Maybe we can see where Laifu is."
"Fifth Brother!" The Third Prince quickly stopped him, "It's getting late, and the mountains are rocky, so we shouldn't go any further."
In his haste, the Third Prince couldn't come up with a good explanation, and even the Fifth Prince noticed that something was wrong with him.
"Third Brother, why are you acting so strangely today? Why won't you let us go up and take a look?" Fifth Prince asked bluntly.
The Third Prince was sweating profusely, and just as he was wondering how to smooth things over, Yinzhi's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Why is everyone here? It's so lively."
Yinxiang turned around and saw that it was Yinsi leading Laifu behind them, watching them.
The Third Prince felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Seeing the dog that Yinzhi was holding, he hurriedly said, "Isn't it in the Eighth Prince's hands? You don't need to go any further and risk getting hurt."
Fifth Prince stepped forward and patted Laifu: "Thirteenth Brother just said he saw Laifu. So it was you, Eighth Brother, who brought it out to play."
Laifu barked twice and wagged its tail at Yinxiang.
Yinzhi replied flawlessly, "I let Laifu run around here for a while just now, and you probably saw him."
The Third Prince became increasingly anxious as more and more people gathered, especially with the arrival of the Eighth Prince. Yinzhi, being a shrewd and astute individual, immediately noticed the Third Prince's unusual behavior.
"What's wrong, Third Brother? You don't look well," Yinzhi said with a smile.
The Third Prince's face was indeed a little pale. The Fifth Prince said, "If you're not feeling well, Third Brother, you should go back to the manor to rest."
The Third Prince is obviously still unable to leave, but it's not right for everyone to be gathered here.
Yinxiang glanced at the Yujing Pavilion, thinking that the people inside were also trapped and unable to get out.
The Fifth Prince stepped forward and spoke to the Third Prince with concern. Yinxiang seized the opportunity and whispered to Yinsi, "Eighth Brother, there are people in the Yujing Pavilion."
Yinzhi understood immediately and beckoned to the Fifth Prince: "Fifth Brother, let Third Brother rest. I was just about to go talk to Fourth Brother. Would Third Brother like to come with us?"
The Third Prince was surprised that it was Yinzhi who had come to his rescue. He quickly said that he had other matters to attend to and watched the three of them leave.
The Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief; he was finally gone.
When the three princes were halfway there, Consort Yi sent someone to call back the Fifth Prince, who had slipped away halfway. The Fifth Prince, with a bitter face, said that he could only go to Chonghua Palace for a free meal next time, and was then dragged back.
Seeing that no one was around, Yinxiang said, "Who is in the Yujing Pavilion that has Third Brother so anxious?"
“Whoever it is, we’ve alerted them a bit,” Yinzhi said. “I’ve already had people keeping an eye on them, and we’ll talk again once we have some information.”
As they were talking, a guard came up and whispered a few words to Yinzhi.
"Heh." Yinzhi looked at Yinxiang with a subtle expression. "Inside are the Fourteenth Brother and Suo'etu."
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