Chapter 38 Yinzhi threw something down from the ground...
Yinzhi suddenly dropped a thunderbolt, knocking Wenshan unconscious.
"What did you say?"
Wen Shan went straight to touch Yin Si's forehead. Was the child delirious with fever? Why was he starting to talk nonsense?
I still vividly remember his previous attitude of "either the thirteenth prince is better than me, or he's better than the thirteenth prince."
Now they actually want to put the thirteenth prince directly next to Yinzhen?
Yinzhi said helplessly, "Mother, I'm serious."
During this period, Yinzhi also calmed down and thought about this matter carefully. Since he was already going to get involved in the upbringing of the thirteenth prince, he might as well go all the way and put him under his watchful eye, so as to prevent him from seducing the fourth prince.
"..."
Wen Shan recalled the day Kangxi told her that if Consort Min gave birth to a princess, he would bring her to Xianfu Palace. At the time, she had righteously refused, but now it seemed like a boomerang had come back to haunt her.
“Consort Min is not capable of raising the Thirteenth Prince. Even if we don’t bring him to our palace, he will be sent to Consort Duan’s place,” Yinzhi said.
They helped her so much at Xianfu Palace, so Consort Min should show her gratitude.
Wen Shan didn't agree, rubbing her head, still feeling it was inappropriate. Wouldn't that be like taking advantage of someone's kindness?
Moreover, she knew that even if Yinzhi didn't let the thirteenth prince be raised in Xianfu Palace, Yinzhi would still help him.
As expected, when Yinzhi saw that he hadn't been able to persuade Wenshan, he just pouted and didn't say anything.
Don't be fooled by how easily Yinzhi makes it sound; it's actually quite difficult to do. Mother already has two sons under her name, which is more than enough. If we were to add another thirteenth prince, Father Emperor probably wouldn't agree.
Since Mother isn't enthusiastic about this either, let's just forget about it.
Consider it as him doing his fourth brother a favor; from now on, this matter will be attributed to his fourth brother.
There was still some time before Consort Min gave birth. Since the birth of Consort Niohuru's princess, Consort Min was naturally not as anxious as before, and seemed to be in much better spirits.
After giving birth, Consort Niohuru stopped interacting with Consort Yi and Consort Wenshan as often as before.
After this ordeal, Consort Niohuru realized that her close association with these two men was inappropriate and had already displeased Emperor Kangxi. Thinking of her beloved tenth son, Consort Niohuru made her decision almost without hesitation.
Yinzhen and Yinsi were initially worried that Wenshan would be sad, but Wenshan simply waved her hand and said very casually that all good things must come to an end, especially in the harem.
Yinzhi regretted his poor decision. If he had known that Consort Niohuru was so pragmatic, he wouldn't have bothered with all this. He could have simply used some means to make Consort Niohuru sever ties with his mother, and that would have settled the matter.
Just before Consort Min gave birth, Consort De became pregnant again, which made the water in the palace murky again, making it easier for Yinzhi to do things.
First, the Hesheli family and the Crown Prince had a series of minor incidents that made Consort Ping quite anxious. She was too busy to keep an eye on Consort Min's pregnancy. Then, Yinzhi hinted to the Hesheli family through some officials that Consort Niohuru had already given birth to a daughter and could not conceive again. If they insisted on adopting another prince, the Emperor might become dissatisfied with the Crown Prince.
They also went along with it and stirred up trouble at the Niohuru family's side. The Niohuru clan was already holding a grudge about this matter, and the Hesheli family was clearly targeting the Imperial Concubine and the Tenth Prince in the palace. Now that the Imperial Concubine had given birth to a princess and was also injured, the Niohuru family was already unhappy. If the Hesheli family continued to press their advantage, the Niohuru clan would not be easy to bully.
The information Yinzhi leaked was true, but he embellished it slightly and stirred up some minor conflicts between the two families.
Emperor Kangxi naturally had no dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince at the moment, but Empress Heseri was making too many small moves, and her schemes almost hit Empress Niohuru's head, causing a melee between the two sides in the court, which displeased Kangxi.
Now that the Consort has given birth to a princess and is unlikely to conceive again, the Hesheli family should know when to stop. Why do they seem to be pushing their luck?
The matter of Consort Ping adopting Consort Min's child caused Emperor Kangxi to lose interest and never mention it again. Consort Ping took the opportunity to bring it up in front of Emperor Kangxi once more to test his attitude, but Emperor Kangxi did not respond and simply brushed it off.
After that, Consort Ping dared not bring it up again, and waited until Consort Min gave birth before bringing it up again.
Since Yinzhi said she was confident about the matter, Wenshan stopped worrying about it and continued to feed the fish, play with the dog, and give Yinzhen and Yinzhi a treat every day.
Yinzhi was busy strategizing for the custody battle of his thirteenth son, and he was so busy that he didn't have time to rest. Soon, Yinzhen also noticed that his younger brother was acting strangely lately.
In the Imperial Study, he neither instigated his fifth and sixth brothers to fight, nor stirred up trouble between the Crown Prince and the First Prince. Instead, he studied diligently and would quickly return to Xianfu Palace after class. Sometimes, when he went to Xianfu Palace to dine with his mother in the evening, Yinzhi would be a little late.
This was also a test for Yinzhi to see how capable the team he had secretly assembled over the past few years was. He had to make arrangements for both the court and the harem. In particular, dealing with the two powerful clans, the Niohuru and Hesheli, right under the Emperor's nose was quite a challenge.
So these past few days, Yinzhi has either been secretly meeting people in his room or staying up late thinking about operational plans. In the end, he met Yinzhen's frowning face with dark circles under his eyes.
"What have you been busy with lately?" Yinzhen's tone was ominous. "Judging from the dark circles under your eyes, you haven't had a good night's sleep for several days, have you?"
Yinzhi had just gotten up from a short nap and yawned sleepily.
“My mother recently told me a very interesting story, so I stayed up a little later.”
Yinzhi righteously shifted the blame to Wenshan.
Wen Shan, who was serving soup to the two brothers, said, "..."
Fine, considering that Yinzhi was doing something important, she'll take the blame.
Wen Shan nodded and said that she had indeed been telling Yin Si stories recently, but the stories were a bit long, so she had spread them out over several days.
Then Yinzhen scolded both Yinsi and Wenshan with a stern face.
Wen Shan and Yin Si, who dared not retort, secretly exchanged glances.
Quickly, try to sweet-talk your fourth brother and make him stop scolding you!
Yinzhi helplessly shrugged; if he went over there now, he would be scolded even more severely.
There was nothing they could do; after all, Yinzhen was at the top of the food chain in Xianfu Palace. Whenever Yinzhen became serious and gave a cold look, Wenshan and Yinsi could only cower in fear.
Wen Shan finally breathed a sigh of relief when Yinzhen said goodbye and went back to Qianxi Wusuo. She leaned back on the bed and casually grabbed a cushion and stuffed it behind Yinsi.
"Look how tired you are. No matter how busy you are, you must take care of your health. You're not allowed to stay up late anymore," Wen Shan also reminded her.
After eating his fill, Yinzhi became even sleepier. He lay down on Wenshan's lap, squinted, and said, "Mother, don't worry, we're finishing up."
Although the process was somewhat bumpy, it was generally considered a success.
Now all that's left is to arrange for the Emperor to receive some "pillow talk" (a euphemism for a romantic relationship) as well.
This person was naturally chosen because of Yinzhi's favor and the great favor bestowed upon Consort Mi.
Consort Mi has been in the palace for some time now, and the shrewd people in the palace have long since figured out what kind of person she is.
He has no family background, no allies, and no vested interests with anyone. He is also quiet and doesn't like to talk much.
Therefore, after Kangxi's initial favor towards Consort Mi was due to his longing for Empress Hesheli, he still frequently visited Consort Mi's residence, also because he felt that Changchun Palace was a rare quiet place in the palace.
Consort Mi was a grateful person. Yinzhi did not come forward in person, but conveyed the message through the palace maid who taught her. Although Consort Mi did not know which important figure in the palace was behind her, she still agreed without hesitation. She found an opportunity to mention it to Emperor Kangxi and subtly persuaded him to leave Consort Min's baby in Jingren Palace for Consort Duan to raise.
"Who have you met recently, and what have you heard?"
Emperor Kangxi was somewhat surprised that Consort Mi, who had always stayed out of the palace intrigues, would get involved in this matter.
Consort Mi bit her lip and shook her head: "Your Majesty, I only met Consort Min in the Imperial Garden today. Seeing how hard she was working during her pregnancy, I was momentarily soft-hearted and spoke carelessly. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Kangxi remained noncommittal, but while Consort Mi was taking a bath, he asked Liang Jiugong whether Consort Mi was telling the truth.
"Your Majesty, what Consort Mi said is true. Today, Consort Mi met Consort Min at Fubi Pavilion, and the two consorts talked for quite a while."
Kangxi nodded, but after a moment he still felt something was amiss, and ordered, "Keep a close eye on Changchun Palace and see who is coming and going there."
Emperor Kangxi noticed that someone in the harem was competing with Consort Ping, but he didn't expect it to be Yinzhi and thought it was Consort Niohuru.
If Kangxi guessed the wrong person, he was destined to return empty-handed. Moreover, Yinzhi was very clever. Apart from sending someone to find Consort Mi earlier, there was no further contact. Even if the palace maid was really unlucky and Kangxi found out about her, Yinzhi had already made arrangements. By following the clues from this person, he could only find Consort Ping.
After all, she was a palace servant of Empress Hesheri.
Yinzhi kept himself completely hidden, manipulating the entire situation from behind the scenes.
As things unfolded as Yinzhi had predicted, Kangxi made two unexpected arrangements in order to appease the Niohuru clan and to give a warning to the Hesheli clan, who had become increasingly agitated due to the downfall of Suo'etu.
The first point is that they do not intend to hand over the prince born to Consort Min to Consort Ping for upbringing.
The second thing surprised many people: Kangxi reinstated Songgotu, but he did not return to the cabinet. Instead, he was appointed as the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, a first-rank official. Songgotu's return to the court was of far greater help to the Crown Prince than that of an adopted prince.
However, Kangxi's two actions in succession were so clever that no one could figure out his thoughts.
The adoption of a prince, which was supposedly a big deal to protect the crown prince and the Hesheli family, ultimately came to nothing, but it also allowed Suo'etu to return to officialdom.
The officials of the previous dynasty couldn't figure out Kangxi's intentions and didn't dare to make a fuss. The Hesheli family, having received benefits, naturally stopped pressing the matter. Niohuru was also somewhat satisfied, at least preventing the Hesheli family from successfully adopting a prince after so long of maneuvering.
Wenshan felt relieved that the matter was finally settled and that after all the trouble, there was finally a good result.
It can be considered that Yinzhi's many sleepless nights were not in vain.
Unexpectedly, one evening Emperor Kangxi came over and casually dropped a bombshell.
"What? You mean you want me to raise Consort Min's child?"
Wen Shan's face was full of bewilderment and shock. How did this all end up involving her again?
"Weren't you upset about Yinzhen moving to the Western Fifth Palace a while ago? Wouldn't it be better if I gave you another prince?"
Consort Min's pregnancy caused quite a stir, so the imperial physician diagnosed her early in the morning that she was carrying a prince.
Kangxi raised an eyebrow, seemingly indicating that he had only given Wenshan a child to comfort her.
"Your Majesty, please don't joke around." Wen Shan said with a bitter face, "How can I raise this child?"
"Why can't he be raised?" Kangxi said. "A prince born to a noblewoman should be raised in the palace of a high-ranking concubine."
"You have raised Yinzhen and Yinsi very well, and I am very relieved to entrust them to you."
Kangxi spoke frankly, but Wenshan felt something was amiss. The next day, she quickly pulled Yinzhi aside to discuss the matter before Yinzhen arrived.
While drinking his porridge, Yinzhi almost choked when Wenshan told him that Kangxi was going to bring the thirteenth prince to Xianfu Palace.
Wenshan quickly patted his back: "Drink slowly, what's the rush?"
Was he in a hurry because he was drinking porridge?
Yinzhi rinsed his mouth. He thought that his father would entrust the thirteenth prince to a high-ranking concubine with a stable position to raise, but he did not expect that he would be given to his mother.
“The thirteenth prince was caught up in the conflict between the crown prince and the tenth prince even before he was born. It would be inappropriate for him to be raised by Consort Duan. We need to find someone who can rival Consort Niohuru and Consort Ping to raise him,” Yinzhi said.
This way, it can be ensured that no one will have designs on the Thirteenth Prince again, and it can be considered that Kangxi's strategy of keeping both sides hanging can be carried out to the end.
"The best candidate is actually the Imperial Noble Consort." Yinzhi picked up a steamed bun and continued eating, while Wenshan sat opposite him, ready to listen to the lesson.
“With the Imperial Noble Consort’s rank here and the Tongjia clan behind her, supporting the Thirteenth Prince will not only put everyone else at ease,” Yinzhi counted on his fingers. “It will also comfort the Tongjia clan, who have been deeply affected by the death of their prince, the sending away of their fourth brother, and the Imperial Noble Consort’s serious illness. Incidentally, it will also drag the Tongjia clan, who have been watching from the sidelines, into this mess. The more turbulent the waters of the court are, the more Father Emperor wants to see it.”
Giving the thirteenth prince to his mother would undoubtedly undermine the Emperor's plans. Although his mother doesn't like to compete for favor and doesn't have any biological sons, she is a genuine member of the Khorchin Mongols, the daughter of a Prince of the First Rank, and her nephew has just become engaged to the eldest princess.
In terms of maternal family background, her mother was no less powerful than the Imperial Noble Consort and the Noble Consort Niohuru. It's just that the Khorchin clan was far from the capital, so their influence was not as great as those families in the capital.
Moreover, Mother already has two sons, so having another one would be inappropriate. Logically speaking, Father Emperor should also consider balancing things out.
Taking all factors into account, supporting the Imperial Noble Consort aligns with Yinzhi's understanding of his father's penchant for manipulating the court and scheming against the grain.
Wen Shan could only sigh at how these people's brains were structured.
How can someone think so much and be so insidious?
She felt a chill run down her spine just listening to it.
The usefulness of each person was calculated meticulously.
Yinzhi thought and thought and still felt that there must be some kind of trap, but no matter how he deduced it, he couldn't find it. It wasn't until the thirteenth prince was born and sent to Xianfu Palace that Yinzhi had to admit that it seemed that his father was simply biased towards his mother this time.
Or perhaps the Emperor's seemingly perfunctory reason that day was actually the truth, simply to comfort Mother who was heartbroken because Fourth Brother had moved away.
Although it sounds outrageous, it seems to be true.
Yinzhi's gaze was complicated. Did his father really favor his mother?
You wouldn't notice it on a normal day.
However, Yinzhi quickly put the matter out of his mind. The reason was simple: the thirteenth prince, Yinxiang, acted strangely after arriving at Xianfu Palace.
Yinzhi gazed at the exceptionally well-behaved baby lying in the cradle and fell into deep thought.
She is usually very quiet, only stretching out her arms and crying a little when she is hungry or wet, and immediately stops crying when her mother and the palace servants come over.
How should I put it? It feels kind of familiar.
Taking advantage of the opportunity when Consort Yi came over and her mother went to the main hall for a talk, Yinzhi dismissed all the palace servants in the room.
Yinxiang was sleeping soundly in the cradle when Yinsi reached out and poked his soft little face with his finger.
It's a bit soft but very bouncy, and feels great to the touch.
Yinzhi got a little addicted and poked him again, finally waking Yinxiang up.
Yinxiang opened his eyes and saw his myna bird perched on the fence watching him. He pursed his lips, feeling a little annoyed.
Why did the myna bird wake him up when he was sleeping soundly?
Babies are naturally sleepy, and if they don't get enough sleep, they will feel dizzy and groggy all day.
Yinzhi saw his thirteenth brother give him a seemingly casual glare, then try to turn over but finds he can't move at all and can only helplessly close his eyes and go back to sleep. He was certain that there was something wrong with his thirteenth brother!
Could it be someone who, like him, has been reborn?
"Wake up, don't sleep." Yinzhi continued to reach out his wicked little hand to harass Yinxiang.
Disturbing people's sleep time and time again, the myna bird is still so annoying!
Yinxiang was somewhat annoyed, but when he opened his mouth, he could only make a babbling sound.
"Pfft."
Yinzhi was amused by him.
"Oh dear, I forgot that you, thirteenth son, can't speak yet."
Yinzhi smiled and poked Yinxiang's cheek again, despite Yinxiang's murderous glare: "Can you hear your older brother now, Thirteenth Brother?"
Yinxiang: "..."
"May the Fourth Prince be blessed."
Suddenly, a palace maid's voice came from outside the door. Yinzhi quickly withdrew his hand, and Yinxiang, with a quick dart of eyes, burst into tears the moment Yinzhen pushed the door open.
Sure enough, when Yinzhen heard Yinxiang crying and saw Yinsi standing next to his small bed, he said helplessly, "Eighth brother, are you teasing the thirteenth brother again?"
Since Yinxiang arrived at Xianfu Palace, Wenshan and Yinzhen have caught Yinsi secretly harassing Yinxiang several times.
They've clearly become habitual offenders.
Upon hearing Yinzhen's address to him, Yinsi gritted his teeth inwardly. Ever since Yinxiang came, in order to distinguish between his two younger brothers, Yinzhen no longer called him "younger brother" in private, but instead called him "eighth brother".
This caused Yinzhi's attitude towards the thirteenth prince to worsen. He had just arrived and had already taken away the title that was unique to him, which infuriated Yinzhi.
Yinzhen stepped forward and picked up the crying Yinxiang. As soon as Yinxiang was in Yinzhen's arms, he stopped crying and waved his little hands, babbling.
Yinzhi blinked innocently and cried out that he was wronged.
Anyway, the thirteenth prince can't speak now.
Yinzhi said, "Perhaps the thirteenth brother is hungry."
Yinzhen skillfully checked Yinxiang's diaper and found that it wasn't wet. He then checked the time and realized it was almost time to feed Yinxiang.
Yinxiang was a little shy. He struggled for a moment, tilted his head to look at Yinsi, who was standing to the side, looking smug and thinking he had fooled him. Then he kept waving his little hand and pointing in Yinsi's direction.
"Ah—ya ah—"
It's a myna bird! The myna bird is bullying him!
"Hey, do you want my brother to carry you?" Yinzhi smiled and spread his arms to show him his now very thin body. "But my brother can't carry you right now."
As expected of that glib-tongued, deceitful myna bird!
It's unbelievable how treacherous things were even when I was a child.
Seeing the anger in Yinxiang's eyes, Yinsi sighed in a mocking manner: "Alright, alright, since Thirteenth Brother likes me so much, then I'll give him a hug. Brother, give Thirteenth Brother to me."
Yinxiang: "..."
shameless!
Just as Yinxiang was about to resist, Yinzhen said, "Alright, how can you carry the thirteenth brother? You two will fall together again."
Just as Yinzhen was about to call the wet nurse in, Wenshan returned after seeing Consort Yi off.
"Yinzhen is back." Wenshan beamed with joy when she entered the room and saw all three brothers. "He got out of school early today."
Yinzhen nodded and said, "Father, please let the tutors speak first and we can disperse."
Wenshan took Yinxiang from her and saw his red face from crying, asking him what happened.
“Thirteenth Brother might be hungry.” Yinzhi climbed onto the couch and leaned against Wenshan, giving Yinxiang a defiant look.
He is the child that Mother loves the most in this Xianfu Palace!
"That can't be right," Wen Shan said doubtfully. "We just fed him milk."
Yinzhi hugged Wenshan's arm and said, "Oh, it's alright, Mother. Children just drink milk, sleep, and cry every day."
“Who said that? You didn’t cry much when you were little.” Wen Shan tapped Yinzhi’s forehead. “Just like the thirteenth prince, you only cried when you were hungry or wet, so well-behaved…”
Wenshan suddenly stopped, as if she understood something.
Then he looked at Yinzhi in disbelief.
Yinzhi thought to himself that his mother had finally realized what was happening.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Yinzhen asked, "What's wrong, Mother?"
There's nothing surprising about the eighth and thirteenth brothers looking so alike.
Yinzhen had never seen what a newborn baby should look like, and since Yinsi was intelligent from a young age, he naturally didn't think there was anything wrong with the thirteenth prince.
Yinxiang, nestled in Wenshan's arms, darted his eyes around, seemingly sensing that something was amiss.
"It's nothing." Wen Shan put Yinxiang back on the bed and changed the subject. "Let's go eat first. Mother made your favorite dishes today."
Wen Shan called Pearl in to look after Yinxiang, then took Yinzhen and Yinsi to the main hall for dinner.
During the meal, Yinzhen still felt that something was off between his mother and eighth brother, as if they were hiding something from him.
With Yinzhi present, Yinzhen couldn't get any information out of him. When the time came, he returned to Qianxi Wusuo. After Yinzhen left, Wenshan grabbed Yinzhi and asked if the thirteenth prince was like him, someone who had been reborn.
“I’m not sure yet, but I feel it’s somewhat similar.” Yinzhi thought for a moment and said, “How about this, I’ll go and test the waters with my thirteenth brother later, and then I’ll tell Mother what I find out.”
Wen Shan rested her chin on her hand and sighed softly.
"I should have thought of that sooner."
“You and Xiao Shisan are different from before, both of you have been sent here to me, there must be something wrong.”
While eating fruit, Yinzhi said, "We can't generalize, can we? Fourth Brother is different from before."
But Fourth Brother is perfectly normal.
Wen Shan thought about it and felt that it made sense, so she urged Yin Si to hurry up and go to the side hall to see what the Thirteenth Prince's plans were.
After Yinzhen moved to the Fifth Palace in Qianxi, the East Side Hall where he lived in Xianfu Palace became empty. Originally, Wenshan planned to keep it for Yinzhen so that he could come back and stay for one night occasionally. However, unexpectedly, Yinxiang was sent to Xianfu Palace.
So Yinzhen took the initiative to suggest that Yinxiang live in the East Side Hall, and if he wanted to come back in the future, he could squeeze in with Yinsi.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhi raised both hands and feet in agreement.
Therefore, Xiao Shisan was placed in the east side hall.
As Yinzhi walked past the corridor, Fuqi and Laifu, who were playing in the courtyard, came up to him and acted affectionately. Yinzhi patted each of their heads and then told Baoquan to take them out to play.
"Eighth Prince, have you come to see the Thirteenth Prince?"
Pearl had just put Yinxiang to sleep when she saw Yinsi arrive, so she quickly stood up and bowed.
Yinzhi raised his hand to indicate that she did not need to be so polite.
"Sister Pearl, I'll stay here with Thirteenth Brother for a while. You can go out and do your work now."
Pearl nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, then just call me if you need anything."
Pearl left, closing the door behind her, leaving only Yinzhi and Yinxiang in the side hall.
"Wake up, don't sleep." Yinzhi pinched Yinxiang's cheek.
If you spend eight out of twelve hours a day sleeping, what if you become mentally impaired from sleeping like this?
Yinxiang had just been woken up by Yinsi before dinner and wasn't very sleepy, so he wasn't sleeping soundly. He woke up as soon as Yinsi entered the room.
He opened his eyes with displeasure and saw the myna bird staring at him intently, then revealing a hypocritical smile that he knew all too well.
"Thirteenth Brother, it's been a long time."
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