Chapter 95 Upon hearing this, Yinzhi frowned...
Yinzhi frowned upon hearing this: "What?"
Consort Yi threw down the cards in her hand: "This is outrageous! What is the Fourteenth Prince doing? Does he disregard the Emperor's decree and palace rules?"
Consort Min and Consort Mi exchanged a glance but remained silent.
Wen Shan thought to herself that it was fortunate that she had let the Fifth Princess leave earlier, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble would have occurred.
"How is the situation now?" Wenshan asked.
If blood comes out, things will get a bit complicated.
Pearl said, "Consort Tong has already rushed to Yonghe Palace and sent someone to inform Your Highness that since he is a prince, Your Highness should also go there."
Consort Yi said from the side, "Your Majesty the Noble Consort and I will go over there. Consort Min and Consort Mi, please stay here and look after the princesses."
Wen Shan nodded and turned to ask Yin Si if he wanted to go together.
Yinzhi thought for a moment and nodded.
When they arrived at Yonghe Palace, they saw a pool of blood on the ground before even entering the palace gate. Blood was splattered all over the vermilion palace gate, and the dripping blood along the crevices was horrifying to Wen Shan.
There were no guards at the gate; the palace gates were wide open. Wen Shan glanced inside and saw that there were quite a few people standing there; they must have all gone to the courtyard.
Yinzhi gave Xiaoshunzi a wink, and Xiaoshunzi immediately understood and ordered someone to clean up.
Consort Yi covered her nose with a handkerchief and said, "Isn't this outrageous? The Emperor has only been gone for a few days and the Fourteenth Prince dares to draw his knife in the palace?"
Consort Tong arrived earlier than them and was in the courtyard when she heard Consort Yi's voice and hurried over.
"Your Highness, you've finally arrived." Consort Tong also looked like she had a headache: "No one could stop the Fourteenth Prince. He even injured two guards, and they were just carried away for treatment."
Most of the imperial bodyguards were sons of officials from the Eight Banners, and those serving Emperor Kangxi were all from prominent families, so injuring a bodyguard was no small matter.
Fortunately, those assigned to Yonghe Palace were mostly from relatively ordinary families; otherwise, it would have been troublesome if the scions of powerful families like the Niohuru and Hesheli clans had been harmed.
Wen Shan looked around the courtyard, which was extremely desolate. Although she had only been to Yonghe Palace a few years ago, she still had some impression of it. However, it had become like this in just a few months, which showed that Wuya had indeed suffered a lot.
"You're not in any danger, are you?" Wen Shan asked.
Consort Tong: "The imperial physician is still treating him. Your Highness, you know that the Fourteenth Prince is a prince after all. The guards only dared to stop him, not to actually make a move. So when the Fourteenth Prince grabbed the knife, they could only stand in front and try to stop him, and that's when they got injured."
The guards were indeed loyal and brave, but the Fourteenth Prince…
Consort Yi looked around several times but couldn't find the Fourteenth Prince. She asked, "Where is the Fourteenth Prince? Why can't I see him?"
"The imperial physician is inside treating Wuya, but the Fourteenth Prince insists on going in. He has a knife in his hand, which looks quite frightening," Consort Tong said with difficulty.
There was really no other way. The Fourteenth Prince had acted like a madman just now, so she didn't dare to go forward. Since she had already let him in, she might as well take another look at Lady Wuya.
Consort Yi rolled her eyes: "This is simply outrageous."
While the ladies were talking, a guard quietly circled around to behind Yinzhi.
"Eighth Prince, we servants followed your instructions and let the Fourteenth Prince in without much difficulty, but two of his brothers were seriously injured."
Yinzhi nodded slightly: "Understood, the rest will be arranged by someone."
Upon hearing that the Fourteenth Prince was still holding a knife, Wen Shan understood why Consort Tong was staying in the courtyard and not going in.
"What happened with Uya's agreement?"
Judging from how crazy the Fourteenth Prince is today, if something happens to Lady Uya, wouldn't he rush out and stab her twice by himself?
Wen Shan's thoughts began to wander, and Yin Si, who was standing to the side, immediately knew what his mother was thinking.
Mother really... did you think he was dead here?
Consort Tong replied, "The imperial physician hasn't come out yet. The palace servant who brought the news said that Consort Wuya hasn't been able to eat for several days and doesn't look well."
"Have you sent a letter to the Emperor?" Consort Yi suddenly asked.
Consort Yi is clearly enjoying the spectacle; it would be a huge loss if the Fourteenth Prince didn't find out about his outrageous actions.
“It concerns the prince, so we can’t make a decision. We have to listen to His Majesty,” Consort Yi added.
Everyone in the palace knew that Consort Yi and Lady Uya were sworn enemies, so it was perfectly normal for her to kick someone when they were down. Therefore, Consort Tong only said that the incident happened suddenly and she didn't have time to react. However, after Consort Yi's reminder, she also felt that it should be left to Emperor Kangxi to decide.
Wenshan felt a headache coming on as she looked at the messy scene before her.
What kind of mess is this?
However, no one was sure what the Fourteenth Prince's condition was, so no one dared to go in rashly. Therefore, they could only stay in the courtyard for the time being.
Yinzhen, who was inside Xianfu Palace, also received the news. His expression remained unchanged as he simply nodded and said, "I understand. You may leave."
The young eunuch who came to announce the arrival bowed and withdrew.
While Dunke and Wenke were happily playing with Yinxiang, Yinzhen and the Fifth Princess went to the window to talk.
"Fourth Brother, what happened?"
The fifth princess felt somewhat uneasy.
Yinzhen: "It's nothing, just a little thing at Chonghua Palace."
"Hmm." The Fifth Princess hesitated for a moment before saying, "Fourth Brother, someone just came to report that Mother is ill, did you know?"
Yinzhen: "...I knew nothing about this."
The Fifth Princess pursed her lips, her voice soft and low: "Fourth Brother, I know Mother has wronged you, but after all, she gave birth to you. Now that Mother is in such a predicament and seriously ill, I want to beg you to help Mother."
After gazing at the falling leaves outside the window for a moment, Yinzhen turned his gaze away and asked, "Do you know where this is?"
The Fifth Princess was somewhat surprised that Yinzhen would suddenly ask about this. She looked around and said, "It seems to be the Thirteenth Brother's bedroom."
“This was originally where I lived. Later, I moved to the Fifth Palace in Ganxi. My thirteenth brother came to Xianfu Palace, and he moved into this east side hall.”
Yinzhen's tone was flat, revealing no emotional fluctuation. The Fifth Princess was somewhat confused, wondering why Yinzhen had suddenly brought this up.
“I still remember the first time I came here… back then, Wuya was still my mother. Now it seems like it was a long time ago.” Yinzhen frowned and pondered: “I never lived in Yonghe Palace. My sixth brother was still alive then. Every time I went to pay my respects, he would hug my mother’s neck tightly. My mother would gently coax him and fulfill all his requests.”
The Fifth Princess naturally remembered these things as well. She was three years younger than the Sixth Prince and had witnessed how Lady Uya doted on him since she was a child. She had also seen how Yinzhen was ignored or even hated by Lady Uya.
"Fourth Brother, Mother...she may have her reasons." The Fifth Princess stammered as she spoke, knowing full well the powerlessness of her words. But in her heart, even though Lady Uya favored the Sixth and Fourteenth Princes, she was still loving.
"Is that so? What about Ninth Sister's matter?" Yinzhen turned to look at her.
The Fifth Princess felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave; her hands and feet were ice-cold.
She has been avoiding the truth about the Ninth Princess and refused to admit that it was her mother who killed her younger sister.
"Ninth Sister... Mother said that Ninth Sister didn't have much time left..."
"So you're going to personally send her on her way?" Yinzhen looked at her and said, word by word, "As her biological mother?"
The fifth princess lowered her head, unsure of what to say.
Yinzhen sighed and said, "Perhaps I should really thank her for not personally sending me off like she did with Ninth Sister."
"Fourth Brother..."
Yinzhen interrupted her: "Perhaps she really did think that way, but Empress Xiaoyi and my mother have always protected me, so I haven't had the chance."
Yinzhen had never talked about the Uya clan so much with anyone, not even Yinsi, Yinxiang, or Wenshan.
Wen Shan was afraid of upsetting him, so she never mentioned anything about Yonghe Palace in front of him.
But today, facing his blood-related sister, Yinzhen suddenly felt like tearing open his heart and reopening old wounds.
Perhaps he had long needed such an opportunity to vent.
The Fifth Princess was speechless. Her mother had indeed made a huge mistake regarding her Fourth Brother and Ninth Sister.
She felt ashamed to recall the words that Lady Uya had spoken about Yinzhen in Yonghe Palace when the Sixth Prince was still alive when she was young.
Looking back now, how could such cold words come from a mother's mouth?
Yinzhen raised his hand and patted her shoulder, saying with a rare gentleness, "Fifth Sister, I have long since repaid the debt of giving birth to her. Whether it is on the imperial genealogy or in my heart, there is only one Mother. From now on, do not address Uya Consort that way in front of me."
The Fifth Princess bit her lip tightly and said with a trembling voice, "Fourth Brother, I have no one else to turn to but you."
Yinzhen is now the regent, wielding immense power. If he wishes to save Wuya, he certainly can.
Yinzhen didn't say anything more; he understood and comprehended the Fifth Princess's thoughts.
Uya had given her life and raised her, so it was only right for her to worry about her; it was the least she could do to be filial.
"Where is the fourteenth brother? Isn't the fourteenth brother perfectly fine?"
Yinzhen then turned the conversation to the Fourteenth Prince.
Why don't you ask your fourteenth brother for help?
The mention of the Fourteenth Prince made the Fifth Princess even more dejected.
"Fourth Brother, you should have already delivered Thirteenth Brother's message. Fourteenth Brother came to see me a few days ago."
Yinzhen: "Hmm, what did you say?"
"Fourteenth brother said... said..." The Fifth Princess's mouth seemed to be tied in knots, and she couldn't open her mouth no matter what she did.
"It's alright, just say what you have to say." Yinzhen patted her shoulder. "No matter what Wuya agrees to, we're still siblings."
"Fourteenth Brother told me to find a way to get rid of... to get rid of Consort Xuan." The Fifth Princess finished speaking quickly, staring intently at Yinzhen, observing his expression.
Meanwhile, Yinxiang, who had been watching the commotion from the side, jumped up first.
"What did you say?!"
He grabbed the Fifth Princess by the collar, his temper flaring like a little lion's: "Say that again!"
The fifth princess was terrified and couldn't speak, struggling desperately.
Yinzhen took a deep breath to calm himself down and reached out to restrain Yinxiang.
"Thirteenth Brother, let go of Fifth Sister and let her finish speaking."
When Wenke and Dunke saw this, they ran over and told their older brother and sister not to fight.
The Fifth Princess, still in shock, quickly said, "My Fourteenth Brother gave me medicine, but I dare not... Consort Min and Noble Consort Xuan have been very kind to me, I... I can't bring myself to do it."
Yinxiang breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it was just a false alarm.
But then I thought about it again and realized that the Fourteenth Prince was really ruthless. The Fifth Princess was being raised by Consort Min. If the Fifth Princess really made a move, Consort Min would also be implicated. Moreover, who would have thought that the Fifth Princess would be the one to make the move?
A princess murdering a concubine is simply unheard of.
Wen Shan frequently visited Yanxi Palace, giving the Fifth Princess plenty of opportunities to make her move.
And they won't be on guard at all.
Unexpectedly, my mother had a brush with death. If it weren't for the Fifth Princess still having some conscience, things would have been really troublesome.
The Fifth Princess was initially startled by the Fourteenth Prince's words, but the Fourteenth Prince told her that as soon as Consort Xuan died, the palace would be in chaos, and Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinxiang would lose their support. At that time, the Crown Prince would make a comeback and release Wuya Shi so that their family could be reunited.
The Fifth Princess remembered that the last words Uya Shi said to her before she was sent to Yanxi Palace were to take good care of the Fourteenth Prince...
But this time, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to use the bottle of poison.
This is insane! Fourteenth Brother is going completely insane right now.
Sooner or later, his actions will kill his mother and himself.
Yinzhen pondered for a moment: "We understand. Fifth Sister, this matter has nothing to do with you. You stay here with Wenke and Dunke. Thirteenth Brother and I will go to Yonghe Palace."
"Fourth Brother!" the Fifth Princess pleaded, looking at him. "Although Mother and Fourteenth Brother have done many wrong things, at least spare their lives."
“These matters can only be decided when Father Emperor returns,” Yinzhen said. “I cannot make the decision.”
The Fifth Princess slowly loosened her grip and whispered, "I understand."
Yinzhen and Yinxiang rushed to Yonghe Palace. When they arrived, Wenshan and Consort Yi and Consort Tong had already entered the main hall. Yinsi was waiting for them alone in the courtyard.
"You're here. Is Fifth Sister alright?"
Yinxiang couldn't keep it to himself and blurted it all out.
"Eighth Brother! You have no idea what the Fourteenth Prince is up to, he actually ordered Fifth Sister to poison Mother!"
Even now, just thinking about it makes Yinxiang furious; he wants to rush in and beat up the Fourteenth Prince.
Yinzhi stopped him: "Don't go in yet, Mother and Consort Yi and Consort Tong are inside."
Yinxiang sensed something was wrong with Yinsi's calm demeanor.
"Myna, did you already know?"
Yinzhen also looked over.
Yinzhi smiled and said, "How could Mother let the Fourteenth Prince and his men succeed so easily when it concerns her?"
It would be too difficult to pull off these tricks under Yinzhi's nose without him noticing. He had already woven a net around the entire harem, and it would be difficult for even the slightest movement to escape his sight.
"After we caught the Fourteenth Prince and Suo'etu having a secret meeting last time, I sent people to keep an eye on him."
Yinzhi said, "I have already replaced the medicine in the Fifth Princess's hand with a non-toxic one, so there is no need to worry."
Yinxiang was even angrier after hearing this: "Well, Eighth Brother, why didn't you tell Fourth Brother and me sooner? You almost scared us to death!"
Yinzhen also silently condemned him, his lips pressed together.
Yinzhi shrugged: “Telling you would only cause you more trouble. One of them is my fourth brother’s own sister, and it also involves Consort Min. I don’t know how to bring it up. I just heard from the thirteenth prince that the fifth princess wanted to tell my fourth brother in person, so I will naturally not mention it for now.”
Thankfully it was a false alarm.
Yinzhen said, "Don't tell Mother about this."
Yinzhi nodded in agreement: "In short, if they fail, they shouldn't make Mother worry."
Yinxiang looked into the hall: "What's the situation inside?"
“Wuya just woke up, and the Fourteenth Prince is staying by her bedside and won’t go out. Mother, Consort Yi, and Consort Tong have no choice but to go in and check on her,” Yinzhi said.
Yinxiang asked in bewilderment, "What is the Fourteenth Prince up to now? He's stormed the palace and injured the guards. Won't he be in trouble when Father Emperor returns?"
Putting aside everything else, the position of crown prince that he has always coveted is unlikely to fall into his lap.
“Perhaps he’s betting that Father Emperor won’t come back?” Yinzhen suddenly said.
"...Fourth Brother, what are you saying?" Yinxiang turned his head in shock.
Has he been spending too much time with his sisters lately? He can't keep up with his fourth and eighth brothers' train of thought anymore.
After learning that Yinzhi had switched the Fifth Princess's medicine, Yinzhen immediately understood what Yinzhi wanted to do.
"Wuya suddenly fell seriously ill, was that your doing?" Yinzhen looked at Yinsi.
Yinzhi nodded: "Leaving aside other things, the Fourteenth Prince is still quite filial. After thinking about it, I think this is his only weakness."
However, since Lady Uya was Yinzhen's biological mother, Yinsi thought it over again and again but still did not inform Yinzhen in advance, and planned to do something big on his own first.
Yinxiang quickly understood: "Great, Eighth Brother, you've done so many things behind our backs!"
"How can I explain this to you when it involves both the Uya clan and Consort Min?" Yinzhi sighed.
He didn't intend to hide it; he just wanted them to find out gradually.
Yinzhen beckoned, and his personal eunuch Jinbao stepped forward.
"What are your orders, Master?"
Yinzhen: "Summon Mingzhu to the palace and have him wait in Chonghua Palace."
"Remember, be discreet."
Jin Bao received the order and quickly left.
"The Fourteenth Prince wants to harm Mother Mother and create chaos before the end of the month so we're too busy to do anything else," Yinxiang said. "Should we send people to keep a close watch on Yuqing Palace?"
"No need," Yinzhen said. "That's exactly what I want them to do."
The three of them did not stay in the courtyard for long. After entering the main hall, they saw Wen Shan and the others standing to the side looking very embarrassed. The Fourteenth Prince was guarding Wu Ya's bedside. His knife had been removed, and now he was just glaring at Wen Shan with hatred.
Wen Shan was completely confused. She had never had any contact with the Fourteenth Prince, so why was he looking at her like that?
Uya had also woken up, her eyes half-open and panting heavily.
The imperial physician was still administering acupuncture to her.
"Mother, are you alright?" Yinzhen stepped forward and asked.
Wen Shan was somewhat surprised to see that all three of them had come.
"It's alright. Although Wuya's illness came on rather suddenly, it's at least under control," Wen Shan said. "It's just that the Fourteenth Prince wants to stay here with her."
This puts them in a difficult position.
This was clearly against Kangxi's orders, but since the Fourteenth Prince was in such a mad state and was a prince, they dared not force anyone to drag him out.
"Fourteenth Brother, now that Wuya has agreed that everything is alright, you shouldn't be so willful anymore. Go back first," Yinzhi advised.
The Fourteenth Prince had served Yinzhi for some time, and his attitude towards Yinzhi was arguably the most lenient.
"Eighth Brother, don't get involved in this." The Fourteenth Prince held Wuya's hand tightly: "Someone is trying to harm my mother, I need to stay here and protect her."
"Harm your mother?" Yinzhi asked in surprise, "Fourteenth Brother, are you confused? How could anyone harm Consort Wuya?"
“The Eighth Prince is right.” Consort Yi seized the opportunity to sneer, “Does the Fourteenth Prince still think she is the favored and well-loved Consort De? She’s just a lowly concubine who has made a mistake and is imprisoned. Who would harm her?”
Consort Yi was not intimidated by the Fourteenth Prince's glare. Everyone has a son to back them up, it's just that the Fifth and Ninth Princes are not here today.
The Fourteenth Prince, determined not to leave Consort Tong, looked at Yinzhen and said, "Fourth Prince, you should make the decision."
Now that Yinzhen is the regent, he can naturally manage all matters, big and small.
Just then, Aunt Heyu, who was by the Empress Dowager's side, arrived.
"Greetings to all the princes and empresses."
Wenshan quickly helped her up: "Auntie, what brings you here?"
Aunt Heyu smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager heard about what happened at Yonghe Palace, so she specially sent this servant to deliver a message."
“Wuya agreed to leave the imperial physician to watch over her, but the princes in the inner palace cannot stay for long. If the Fourteenth Prince is really worried, he can go to Baohua Hall to meditate and pray for Wuya’s well-being.”
Consort Tong breathed a sigh of relief after the Empress Dowager spoke: "Since the Empress Dowager has said so, Fourteenth Prince, you should leave now."
The Fourteenth Prince was still somewhat reluctant, and Yinzhen frowned and said, "Fourteenth Brother, if you don't get up, we'll have to let the guards in."
The Fourteenth Prince gritted his teeth and instructed the imperial physician to take good care of him before finally leaving.
Aunt He Yu curtsied and said, "The Empress Dowager has prepared Buddhist scriptures for the Fourteenth Prince to copy for him to calm his mind. This servant will go and deliver them to the Fourteenth Prince."
Wen Shan nodded and went out with Aunt Yu.
Consort Tong breathed a sigh of relief: "It's really difficult to handle some things when the Emperor isn't in the palace."
For example, they had no way to deal with matters involving princes.
"Fortunately, the Empress Dowager is still alive," Consort Yi said. "He dares not disobey the Empress Dowager's words."
After a busy morning, Consort Tong and Consort Yi were exhausted and took their leave to return to the palace. Wen Shan looked at the three of them and said, "Where are you three? Are you going back to Xianfu Palace with your mother for lunch?"
“We still have some things to discuss. We’ll go back to Chonghua Palace with Fourth Brother later,” Yinzhi said.
Wenshan didn't suspect anything: "Alright, then Mother will have Pearl send some food over to you later."
After watching Wen Shan leave, Yinzhen and the others entered the back gate of Chonghua Palace through a side path. Mingzhu, who was quick on her feet, was already waiting inside Chonghua Palace.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang stayed in the inner room, listening to Yinzhen and Mingzhu talking.
When Mingzhu saw that Yinzhen had secretly invited him to the palace, he knew it was probably not a good thing. Sure enough, Yinzhen didn't stand on ceremony with him and told Mingzhu directly about the Fourteenth Prince's instigation of the Fifth Princess to poison the palace and his unauthorized trespassing into Yonghe Palace.
Mingzhu: "..."
What a juicy story! The Emperor's palace is certainly bustling with activity.
However, Mingzhu was still intelligent and realized that things were not so simple.
"Fourth Prince, do you suspect that the Fourteenth Prince is conspiring with the Crown Prince to create chaos and then launch a rebellion?"
Yinzhen was somewhat surprised that Mingzhu, that old fox, would actually speak so frankly.
"It's not just suspicion; Lord Mingzhu already has evidence, doesn't he?" Yinzhen said calmly.
Mingzhu smiled but remained silent.
“In that case, let’s keep the Fourteenth Prince under control first,” Mingzhu said, stroking his beard. “Break off his arm first, and Suo’etu will surely lose his composure.”
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