Chapter 213 When Everyone is Reborn: The Legend of Zhen Huan - The Prince's Mansion Chapter 8
With the machinations of an emperor who has lived two lives and a group of powerful princes who have also lived two lives, the grand drama of "Good Grandson" officially begins.
[The First Act of the Grand Drama - The Crown Prince is Poisoned and His Lineage Ends Without an Heir, and the Ambitions of the Bondservants Emerge]
In Yuqing Palace, when Emperor Kangxi learned that the Crown Prince would have no more children, he was instantly enraged. It's important to understand that at this time, Yinreng only had two sons and one daughter, a number far too few compared to Kangxi's. In those days, the infant mortality rate was very high, and Yinreng could easily have his lineage wiped out.
Therefore, Kangxi suppressed the news, increased the number of people guarding Yinreng's existing children, and then ordered a thorough investigation.
The Crown Prince being poisoned was no small matter. Kangxi recalled Yinreng's unexplained coma, and the explanation that he had "fainted from anger" was just a cover-up for the problem. Now he wondered if Yinreng had been poisoned back then.
Were the eldest and third brothers also poisoned? It seems the eighth and ninth brothers had similar symptoms before…
The more Kangxi thought about it, the more serious he became. He immediately sent the imperial physicians to re-examine his sons.
At this moment, he dared not trust anyone and could only send out his secret guards to investigate.
Kangxi's secret guards were not like the Flying Daggers of the fat orange tree, nor were they the kind of absurd individuals whose leader could be killed by a mere eunuch with some rudimentary martial arts skills.
If he wanted to, his secret guards could find out anything. So they easily uncovered the bondservant's ambition and greed, and also found out that his sons had been secretly and "unobtrusively" leaking information.
"Eldest brother, third brother, fifth brother, seventh brother..."
Kangxi looked at the long list in his hand. Except for his fourth son, who hadn't participated, all the other sons had been involved to varying degrees. They hadn't done anything wrong; on the contrary, they had helped him learn about the ambitions and methods of the bondservant more quickly.
But here's the problem: putting aside others, just look at the eldest son, Yinzhi. Wasn't he a man who could tolerate things? Knowing that the bondservant were secretly trying to seize the throne, how could he not have reacted?
Moreover, how did his son manage to keep quiet about the fact that everyone knew the wrong of being a bondservant?
The fourth prince seemed completely unaware, perhaps because he was born into a bondservant family and was feigning ignorance for the sake of personal gain. But how could the fourteenth prince, his own flesh and blood, be so righteous as to betray his own family and reveal information about the Uya clan?
According to what his subordinates found out, after the Crown Prince was poisoned and fell into a coma, a group of princes, except for the fourth prince, from the eldest to the fourteenth prince, often gathered in the ninth prince's restaurant for secret talks.
What exactly were they discussing in secret? Sure enough, his sons were all acting strangely.
As a test, Kangxi entrusted the handling of the bondservant issue to the Eighth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince. To his surprise, he discovered that the Eighth Prince no longer maintained his reputation as a "wise prince" and was more ruthless than anyone else.
Fourteenth Brother didn't just give me a few hints; he really did plagiarize from his maternal grandfather's family!
Seeing the national treasury overflowing and the countless bondservant families being raided in less than half a month, and seeing Yinreng naturally join his brothers in cleaning up the bondservants after waking up, without showing any of his former "high and mighty" arrogance, Kangxi's suspicions deepened.
Wave after wave of secret guards were dispatched, yet their tracks could still be found. The reason remained a mystery; they only vaguely sensed that everyone was targeting the fourth prince, and that additional men were being sent in, seemingly searching for something else entirely.
So what exactly happened? What did the fourth brother do? And what were they looking for?
[Yin Si's comment: Those who play politics are all corrupt, especially the old man. He won't believe what we show him; he'll only believe what he finds out himself. The harder it is to investigate, the more he'll believe; the more he believes, the more suspicious he becomes; and the more suspicious he becomes, the less likely he is to take any action.]
[The second act of the grand drama—A meteor falls in the west, the imperial star wanes.]
"Let's add some spice to this drama." Unexpectedly, the first to respond to Yin Tang's crazy idea was the usually silent Twelfth Prince, Yin Tao. As the Zongling who managed all matters of the imperial clan in his previous life, Yin Tao had a deep memory of what had happened.
"In my previous life, on the third day of the twelfth month of the second year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, a shooting star fell from the sky as a sign of imperial celebration. Calculating it, that would be this year if nothing unexpected happens. How could a shooting star not be a warning from heaven?"
So, on the third day of the twelfth month of the fiftieth year of Kangxi's reign, in the quiet night, those who had not yet fallen asleep all witnessed the sight of a meteor falling in the west, and they discussed it extensively.
The Director of the Imperial Observatory rushed to the Qianqing Palace in the dead of night, his face filled with panic, and he knelt for a long time without rising.
"Your Majesty, a meteor falling in the west is a very ominous sign."
"What's the meaning?"
Emperor Kangxi, who was already anxious because he couldn't keep track of his sons' whereabouts, was awakened in the middle of the night by "bad news" from the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and he couldn't control his murderous intent.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty," the Superintendent trembled as he knelt on the ground, but had no choice but to speak: "Some time ago, I noticed that the auxiliary stars near the Imperial Star were dimming, which seemed to be an ominous sign. I was terrified and dared not report it, so I observed the stars every day to trace their origins. As a result, today I saw a meteor falling in the west. Even though His Majesty is in good health, I saw... I saw an omen of the Imperial Star falling to the side..."
After the supervisor finished speaking, everyone else in the hall knelt down, not daring to breathe.
Hearing this seemingly "curse" directed at him, Kangxi stared intently at the Director of the Imperial Observatory, his mind filled with suspicion: "Liang Jiugong, go and summon Zen Master Jiyuan, Daoist Master Xuanwei, and the shaman priest to the palace."
"Yes, sir." Liang Jiugong rushed over, sensing that something big was about to happen.
Soon, representatives of Buddhism, Taoism, and Shamanism, who had been hastily summoned to the Qianqing Palace, paid their respects to Emperor Kangxi.
"What interpretation do you three masters have of today's unusual meteor shower?"
"Please allow us to make a calculation, Your Majesty."
"Can."
So the three of them displayed their unique abilities and used their respective methods in the hall.
Xuanwei calculated with his fingers, his expression growing increasingly grim. Suddenly, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, but disregarding his own safety, he looked at Kangxi in panic: "Your Majesty, are there any children in the palace who have been lost outside?"
Seeing his miserable state, Kangxi was already somewhat convinced. He shook his head and asked solemnly, "No, why do you say that, Daoist?"
"No?" Xuanwei asked in surprise. "But according to the old Taoist's calculations, it is clearly a sign that the newborn imperial star has fallen into the wrong hands. This shooting star is a warning from heaven."
Hearing the same rhetoric used by the Director of the Imperial Observatory, Kangxi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he wavered somewhat, but he did not completely believe it. He then looked at the other two people.
The shaman performed a high-pitched ritual in the temple, then knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness from the sky. He turned to Emperor Kangxi and reported to him in Manchu: "This is a warning from the Eternal Heaven. The treasures of the Great Qing have been lost abroad. I hope Your Majesty will find them quickly."
At this point, Kangxi couldn't help but doubt himself. Did he really have a son who had been lost and wandering away? How come he didn't know?
“Zen Master Jiyuan”.
Kangxi, unwilling to give up, looked at the last person.
"Amitabha." Ji Yuan seemed much calmer than the other two, his face filled with compassion as he looked at Kangxi. "Your Majesty, judging from your appearance, the next emperor should have been personally taught and raised by you. But for some reason, the imperial star has not appeared. Your Majesty's appearance clearly indicates a usurpation of power and a sign of turmoil in the country."
Kangxi knew very well that, according to the Zen Master Jiyuan, the next emperor would not be Yinreng. But if he were to personally tutor a prince after Yinreng, it would not be an adult prince, but only a newborn or very young prince.
"A cuckoo taking over the nest?"
Emperor Kangxi was shocked. Could it be that someone had switched the crown prince with a cat, replacing his young imperial star?
"Master, do you know who the newly born Emperor Star is? And where he is now?"
“This…” All three of them looked troubled.
"For the sake of the country and the people, I earnestly request the assistance of the three masters."
Kangxi spoke sincerely, and the three looked at each other, gritted their teeth and agreed to his request. Each of them seemed to be pulling out their most secret skills to begin divination.
Judging from appearances, the oldest and most compassionate-looking Zen Master Jiyuan seemed to have the deepest spiritual attainment. In the end, it was he who suddenly turned pale, a trickle of blood slid from the corner of his mouth, and the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand shattered on the ground.
"Amitabha, Your Majesty, this old monk is incompetent and can only calculate that the newborn Emperor Star is the Crown Prince's third son."
"Yinreng's third son?!"
...
[Yin You's Commentary: The old man becomes increasingly superstitious with age, but superstition doesn't diminish his suspicion. One Imperial Observatory isn't enough, so he makes all the sects speak with one voice. Here, he'll believe half; after the twists and turns of finding the fourth prince, he'll believe the other half. After all, the fourth prince is powerful enough, and the old man is self-centered enough!]
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