Chapter 56 New Year's Banquet
Time flies. Before New Year's Eve, Yixiu and Qi Yuebin worked together to eliminate all the spies of the Wuya clan in the Yongjun Prince's Mansion, including one of the maids who served the First Prince.
Although she wasn't serving him personally, it still gave Yixiu a fright. In return, when she accompanied Yinzhen to the palace for the New Year's banquet, she entrusted the banquet arrangements in her residence to Qi Yuebin.
"You've been getting along quite well with Yuebin lately?"
On the carriage to the palace, Yinzhen casually mentioned it, but Yixiu's heart skipped a beat. Observing Yinzhen's expression, she put on a dignified and generous smile and said, "Among the remaining people in the manor, Sister Qi has the highest rank. Moreover, Sister Qi is indeed intelligent. I am at ease entrusting the banquet to her."
“Indeed, the affairs of the household are busy, it would be good to have a helper.” Yinzhen nodded, seemingly not too concerned, and quickly changed the subject, “After entering the palace, if Consort Wuya comes to you again, you don’t need to humble yourself, I’ll be there for you.”
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness." Yixiu was relieved and grateful for Yinzhen's concern. However, ever since she learned that Wuya was going to harm her child, Yixiu had no intention of avoiding Wuya. How could she find an opportunity to retaliate if she didn't make contact?
Therefore, Yixiu looked at Yinzhen with tenderness, but when she turned her head away, her eyes flashed with hatred for Wuya. "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. She is, after all, my aunt, your... I can't tarnish your reputation. I won't suffer any loss..."
"You've worked hard, Xiao Yi..." Yinzhen reached out and held Yixiu's hand, and the carriage was filled with warmth.
Yixiu concealed her true feelings well, using the opportunity to reveal her sincerity. Yinzhen appeared oblivious, and unusually, showed genuine emotion, displaying his gratitude. The two leaned against each other, like the closest of married couples…
The New Year's Eve banquet this year was as lively as ever. Even princes and ministers who were not on good terms with each other in the past wore smiles and chatted politely with each other.
Of course, all of this began only after everyone observed that Kangxi's expression was relatively cheerful. After all, the Tongjia clan, who had recently fallen, was the emperor's maternal clan. Although it was the emperor who was punishing them, what if he regretted it or was in a bad mood? No one wanted to jump out and provoke him at this time.
However, the Emperor did not seem to be in a bad mood at all. Thinking of how the Emperor had always praised Tongjia to the skies in the past, everyone couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts and could only sigh at the ruthlessness of the Emperor.
But no one knew what Kangxi had gone through during this period. He didn't regret dealing with Longkodo. But later, seeing Tong Guowei's aging and the decline of the Tongjia family, Kangxi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
After all, they were his own maternal clan. Seeing the Tongjia clan in such a state of decline, Kangxi saw it as others kicking him while he was down, showing that they didn't take him seriously.
However, whenever he felt even a little regret, he would unconsciously recall how the little eunuch in front of the emperor was afraid of Tong Guowei's power and forgot who his master was, how Longkodo was unruly and disrespectful to the crown prince, and the meal that was exactly the same as, and even tasted better than, the palace banquet...
The thought of it deeply offends me, because my mother's feelings for her maternal clan have faded.
A few days later, when he received news from the Tongjia family and felt a pang of regret, the forgotten image suddenly reappeared, triggering another wave of trauma. The regret then receded like the tide...
After several such incidents, Emperor Kangxi, who was already the Son of Heaven, gradually hardened his heart. When he thought of the Tongjia clan, he could only recall the feeling of being deceived and betrayed. Everything that made the emperor uncomfortable would eventually be forgotten, and the same was true for the Tongjia clan.
So, Tong Guowei, who had been deliberately playing the victim and using all his cunning, realized that the Emperor had not made any move and that he had truly been abandoned by Kangxi. Only then did he panic.
Yinzhen, who silently orchestrated all of this, kept his achievements hidden. After all, the emperor is the most prone to taking his anger out on others, so to avoid making himself uncomfortable, Yinzhen chose to use a small tool to "enhance memories." Whenever Kangxi had any regrets, the scenes of the Tongjia clan's offenses against his imperial power would constantly resurface in his memory.
In retrospect, this little prop really worked quite well. Just look at the New Year's banquet; Kangxi truly let go of the Tongjia clan, not even taking the opportunity to lift the ban on Tong Guowei, showing him absolutely no mercy.
The ministers, who were perceptive of the emperor's will, naturally knew that this meant the once glorious Tongjia clan had truly fallen out of the ranks of the top families.
...
After the Kangxi Emperor and Empress Dowager left during the latter half of the banquet, the atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.
The princes also left their seats and began to toast and chat with each other. The New Year's Eve banquet was the only opportunity for the princes and ministers to interact without offending Kangxi, so the "ambitious" princes and ministers naturally did not miss it.
Yinzhen was known for his serious demeanor, and few officials dared to toast him. After the incident involving Lady Tongjia, his image as a righteous and impartial ruler, capable of upholding justice even against family ties, became deeply ingrained in the public consciousness. There were even rumors that he was the reincarnation of Bao Zheng, able to spot corruption and other crimes with a single glance.
The rumors were absurd, but they couldn't stop some people with guilty consciences from being scared. So, let alone offering a toast, a large amount of space would mysteriously clear up around Yinzhen whenever he moved around.
He seemed to have very little popularity. Not to mention the throngs of beauties surrounding Crown Prince Yinreng and First Prince Yinzhi, even the Eighth Prince Yinsi, who rose to prominence that year, had more people around him.
Impatient with the insincere dealings with the ministers, Ninth Prince Yintang, unusually, distanced himself from Yinsi's social circle and dragged Tenth Prince Yintang to his younger brothers' group. He happily snatched their food, enjoying watching these little brats' angry but speechless expressions.
Yinzhen, sipping wine and enjoying a bite of meat, was feeling quite smug when he turned around and saw the "desolate" Yinzhen.
"Tsk, the fourth brother is a bit pitiful..."
"Ninth Brother, what are you saying?" Yin, who had just used the excuse that children shouldn't drink alcohol and the force to suppress others, snatched the wine pots from the thirteenth and fourteenth tables, didn't hear what his good Ninth Brother was saying.
“I say, these ministers are brainless. They avoid the Fourth Prince; anyone can see they're guilty,” Yinzhen shook his head repeatedly, clearly disdainful of those ministers who dared not approach him. “They really… believe such rumors…”
"Rumors? What rumors?" Yin asked curiously, handing the wine jug he had snatched to Yin Tang, his eyes filled with curiosity. Yin Xiang and Yin Zhen, who had been restrained, also stopped their commotion and unconsciously perked up their ears.
Glancing at his younger brother, who couldn't even eavesdrop, Yinzhen said flippantly, "Some people say that Fourth Prince is the reincarnation of Bao Zheng, that he can tell whether someone is corrupt or not with just one glance... Tsk, such an outrageous rumor, and people actually believe it. Why don't they say he's a Xie Zhi? It's one thing to be afraid of Fourth Prince's cold face, but to be afraid of rumors too..."
"No way? People actually believe this?" Yin Da's eyes were full of confusion, and the thirteenth and fourteenth boys behind him couldn't help but widen their eyes in disbelief.
As princes, they naturally could not comprehend the shock and intimidation that Yinzhen felt when he felled the Tongjia clan with a single axe stroke.
“However…” Yin glanced at Yinzhen, then at Yintang, and said slowly, “Fourth Brother has never been very popular…”
"Tenth Brother!"
"Tenth Brother!"
Before Yinxiang could even react to what Yinzhi had said, the thirteenth and fourteenth princes were already protesting. However, compared to the thirteenth prince, Yinxiang, the fourteenth prince, Yinzhen, was far less polite.
So when Yinzhen turned around, he grabbed her cheek and questioned, "Little Fourteenth, how dare you speak to your Tenth Brother like that?"
"Mmm..." Yinzhen struggled for a long time but couldn't break free. His face was pinched and he couldn't speak clearly.
"Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother, Fourth Brother is here! Let go..."
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