Chapter 24 Modifying the Imperial Genealogy
Latest gossip from the Forbidden City—Prince Yong was forced to kneel for half an hour at the entrance of the Qianqing Palace and then sent back to his residence for confinement—
Before anyone could find out the reason, the imperial edicts issued by the Qianqing Palace were like a drop of water falling into a boiling oil pan, causing a huge uproar.
The first imperial edict was sent to the inner palace, which was the closest to it and the first to be known by everyone.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Consort De, of the Uya clan, is stripped of her title and demoted to the rank of Noble Lady due to her lack of virtue and unkindness as a mother. She is to be moved to a side hall of Yonghe Palace and is not to leave without summons. So be it!"
Consort De—no, she should now be called Noble Lady Wuya—collapsed to the ground upon receiving the imperial decree, her face filled with disbelief. But no matter how much she disbelieved it, no matter how unwilling she was, she had to obey the decree and move out of the main hall.
What frightened her even more was that the Emperor hadn't written a decree confining her to her quarters, but instead said she couldn't leave without a summons. This meant she was to be trapped in the side hall forever.
“It’s impossible, how could the Emperor treat me like this…” Uya Shi sat on the bed in the side hall, looking disheveled and lost in thought as she gazed at the messy and cramped bedroom.
In just a few days, how could she have been demoted from the rank of concubine to the point of losing her title?
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, don't worry, there's still the Fourteenth Prince..." Zhu Xi, who was busy packing things and arranging servants, was also a little disheveled at the moment, but she still tried to soothe her mistress's emotions as soon as possible.
"Yes, yes, I still have fourteen, I still have fourteen..." Lady Wuya was like grasping at the last straw, hoping that her youngest son would rescue her, but she did not expect that Yinzhen, who had rushed over upon hearing the imperial decree, had already been blocked outside Yonghe Palace and could not even enter.
The decree demoting Uya was at most met with ridicule from the women in the harem. But the three decrees sent to the Yongjun Prince's residence next attracted everyone's attention.
Liang Jiugong personally carried the imperial edict to the Yongjun Prince's residence, demanding that all the masters and servants of the household come out to receive it. Yinzhen, accompanied by Yixiu, knelt at the front, followed closely by the two princesses Qi Yuebin and Song Wan'er, with the concubines kneeling at the very back.
Once everyone had arrived, Liang Jiugong, following Kangxi's instructions, began to proclaim the imperial edict: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Fourth Prince Yinzhen, being stubborn and incorrigible, and having committed misconduct, is hereby stripped of his title of Prince of the Second Rank and demoted to Prince of the Third Rank, and dismissed from his post in the Ministry of Revenue. He is to return home, confine himself to his quarters, reflect deeply on his mistakes, and repent. This is the imperial decree!"
"Your subject accepts the decree." Apart from Yinzhen, who calmly accepted the decree as if he had expected it, everyone else, including the servants who were listening in, was shocked. They couldn't understand why their prince had lost his title and official position after just one trip to the palace and had to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors.
"Your Majesty..." Yixiu, who was kneeling to the side, looked at Yinzhen with concern.
"Don't worry." Yinzhen patted her hand reassuringly, while Qi Yuebin, who noticed this scene from behind, couldn't help but feel disappointed and gloomy.
"Fourth Prince, this servant has two more imperial decrees." Liang Jiugong looked at the two of them with a smile, showing no intention of changing his mind just because Yinzhen had lost power. Those in the imperial court were better able to read the emperor's mind than anyone else.
"Please, Eunuch Liang."
Before the emperor's edict had finished being read, regardless of what everyone was thinking, they all knelt on the spot, not daring to move.
Liang Jiugong cleared his throat and produced the second imperial edict: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: There is now a concubine of the Fourth Prince Yinzhen, Lady Ulanara, who is virtuous, kind, and of outstanding character, and is greatly favored by the Emperor. Although she is not yet a primary consort, her virtue and talent make her truly capable of this position. Therefore, as an exception, Lady Ulanara is hereby conferred the title of primary consort to honor her virtue. This is the imperial decree!"
"Fourth Princess Consort, receive the decree." Liang Jiugong looked at the stunned Yixiu with a kind expression.
Looking at Yinzhen beside her, and considering the two imperial edicts, what was there for Yixiu not to understand? Filled with emotion and longing, Yixiu's beautiful eyes welled with tears as she earnestly kowtowed and accepted the edict.
"Your Majesty, I, Ulanara, accept the imperial decree and express my gratitude. Long live the Emperor!" Under the envious gazes of the other women behind her, Yixiu bowed sincerely to express her gratitude. Holding the decree that made her the Empress, Yixiu felt a sense of unreality, as if a beautiful dream had suddenly come true.
Before anyone else could react, Liang Jiugong unfurled a bright yellow imperial edict, dropping a bombshell.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Lady Uya's conduct is unkind and lacks proper virtue. Considering the innocence of my fourth son, Yinzhen, I hereby transfer his name to that of Empress Xiaoyiren and record it in the imperial genealogy. From this day forth, Yinzhen is the son of Empress Xiaoyiren, of the Tongjia clan. It is hoped that Yinzhen will inherit the Empress's virtues and cultivate his character and aspirations. So be it!"
"Your subject obeys the decree."
Yinzhen kowtowed deeply to receive the imperial decree, and when he looked up again, his eyes were red. In Liang Jiugong's opinion, the Fourth Prince was truly moved, and the Emperor's loving fatherly heart had not been wasted.
"The decree has been read. Fourth Prince, please rise."
In Liang Jiugong's opinion, apart from the Crown Prince, only the Fourth Prince had captured the Emperor's heart. As the Emperor's personal eunuch, he certainly had to follow the Emperor's wishes and would never dare to offend Yinzhen.
"Thank you, Eunuch Liang." With Liang Jiugong's help, Yinzhen stood up, and the others followed suit.
"Your Highness is too kind." Liang Jiugong spoke to Yinzhen with a smile, appearing very approachable.
Of course, the two were also very tactful. They didn't chat for long before Liang Jiugong had to return to the palace to report the imperial decree. As Yinzhen saw the entourage delivering the decree off, Liang Jiugong felt that the cold-faced prince hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
"Yinzhen is reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors and cannot enter the palace. Please ask Eunuch Liang to convey my gratitude to Father Emperor. I am unfilial and have troubled Father Emperor with his worries. I will stay at home and diligently copy scriptures to pray for Father Emperor's well-being."
"Yes, Your Highness, this servant will certainly convey your message truthfully." Looking at Yinzhen's sincere eyes, Liang Jiugong nodded in satisfaction. The Fourth Prince was a genuine person who could understand the Emperor's fatherly heart, and Liang Jiugong was happy for the Emperor.
After Liang Jiugong left, news of Yinzhen's stripping of his title, dismissal from office, and alteration of the imperial genealogy spread quickly, causing an uproar in the Forbidden City and endless discussions. Under these circumstances, the news of Yixiu's promotion to the rank of Empress did not attract much attention.
They returned to the Fourth Prince's residence, and the group, still dazed from receiving all the news, went back to their courtyards, each with their own thoughts.
Yinzhen, who had returned to his study alone, smiled with satisfaction, letting the two systems cheer and celebrate in his mind.
[Host is amazing! Host is outstanding! Hooray for the host!]
[He changed the imperial register so easily; truly worthy of a great demon... truly worthy of his master.]
Glancing briefly at the stiff, pink bundle that had let slip the secret, Yinzhen happily decided to let it go for the time being. He picked up the silly, giggling kitten, which was twisted into a little pretzel.
While stroking his hair, Yinzhen asked, "Little Fifth, how's our fanfiction going?"
556 shuddered when 555 didn't reply, sensing that the Great Demon King had some wicked idea up his sleeve again.
[Things are going very well, host, look at our points, they've increased so much!] It was worth all the promotion points it invested in advance, 555 silly smile.
"Really? Can I see the fanfiction? I'm actually quite curious." Yinzhen said casually, stroking the kitten's fur with a smile.
[Ah, generally it's not recommended for the host to see fanfiction content that has been published...] The cat scratched its head, this... this is different from the system rules.
"Huh? Is that not allowed? But the content is automatically generated based on my actions. I'm a little worried that if everything is exposed in advance, it won't be exciting."
Yinzhen's words were a bit of a pity. In 556's eyes, the "white lotus" persona was almost thoroughly pickled. No way, no way, no one would believe that, right?
"That makes sense. No wonder you're my host. I'll find one for you to see. The rules don't explicitly forbid it, do they?"
556 is speechless. Well, 555's naive and innocent image remains unchanged.
"Okay, thank you for your trouble, Xiao Wu." Yinzhen smiled contentedly, opening the message 555 had sent, ostensibly reading the text. In reality, his mental energy stealthily traced the path they had come from; almost, almost, he would have captured a new world soon—
The pink dumpling looked at the still-smiling kitten and the undisguised demon king, glanced at the character score that had just quietly risen on the panel, and shook its head helplessly.
The future is so predictable; neither of those systems can escape the clutches of the Great Demon King.
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