When the truth was laid bare before him, Kangxi could not believe it.
His son is so indifferent to women, could he have some other preference?
The slightest clue is the most dangerous thing for people to overthink. Kangxi recalled the layout of Yuqing Palace, and then looked at Deshun waiting outside the door, whose face was handsome.
It seems that all the servants in Yuqing Palace, regardless of rank, are good-looking.
Kangxi didn't care before, but now he feels more and more scared the more he thinks about it.
Is the Crown Prince gay?
Kangxi's eerie gaze sent chills down Yinreng's spine.
“Father, your son is still young. There’s no rush for him to have an heir. It’s more important for me to share your burdens,” said Yinreng with a pure heart.
Emperor Kangxi affectionately stroked Yinreng's head, just as he would when Yinreng was a child.
“You are different from others. If the crown prince has no children, it will be easy for others to have ulterior motives.” Kangxi was thinking of Yinreng with all his heart.
Yinreng said reassuringly, "With Father Emperor here, I have nothing to fear. Besides, the Crown Princess is not yet married, and I dare not let anyone conceive first. What if she has an illegitimate son...?"
The relationship between Yinti and Yinreng is quite a headache.
Yinreng kept his words to himself, but Kangxi couldn't bear to pretend he didn't understand.
Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh. Although the palm hurts more, can we ignore the flesh on the back of the hand?
"Many children bring many blessings. Whether it's the eldest son or the eldest daughter, what matters most is the father's heart. Too much worry is bad for your health. With me here, you don't need to worry about these things." Kangxi gave Yinreng a firm guarantee.
By imperial decree, she was ordered to give birth to an illegitimate eldest son; this was something Yinreng had planned for Tong Wanyan.
He couldn't give her a lifetime of monogamy, so he could only try his best to gain more benefits for her.
With a child in her womb, the future Crown Princess cannot disrespect Tong Wanyan.
Emperor Kangxi saw through his ulterior motives but paid no attention to them.
He was sentimental in his youth too. But later, it all faded away like smoke.
"Baoqing got a princess yesterday," Kangxi said abruptly.
The First Consort just gave birth yesterday to another princess. She's clever and adorable, but unfortunately, she's not what Yinti wanted.
Yinreng's hand holding the teacup froze, and he said sincerely, "Brother is so lucky, you already have a pair of princesses."
Seeing his youthful spirit, Kangxi couldn't help but chuckle: "You little rascal. That's fine too. Go back and work harder. I believe in you."
Yinreng puffed out his chest confidently: "I am Father Emperor's son, you can rest assured!"
The father and son, holding hands, began to reminisce about the past and dream about the future.
Tong Wanyan waited and waited at Yuqing Palace, but the main person never showed up. Instead, she was summoned by the Imperial Noble Consort.
Before leaving, Tong Wanyan specifically instructed, "Xia Zhu, keep a close eye on those two in the northwest corner. I heard they almost came to blows last night; I wonder what Master did."
Her gloating expression was really beautiful.
The Chengqian Palace was filled with the bitter smell of medicine.
Starting in June, the Imperial Noble Consort's illness suddenly worsened, and her health deteriorated day by day.
The Fourth Prince wished he could stay away from school so he could spend all his time by the Imperial Noble Consort's side, protecting her from illness and disaster.
Tong Wanyan stood at the door, took a deep breath, and put on a bright smile.
"The Imperial Noble Consort looks much better today, it must be the joy brought by the First Princess!" Tong Wanyan smiled, her bright eyes crinkling.
The Imperial Noble Consort liked her cheerful appearance: "If I could have your joy, I would surely recover much faster."
The Imperial Noble Consort looked at Tong Wanyan's flat stomach with amusement, covering her mouth and laughing.
Tong Wanyan chuckled and took the Imperial Noble Consort's arm: "That depends on the Crown Prince's efforts. The abbot of Mount Wutai predicted my fate, saying I will have many children and much happiness."
The Imperial Noble Consort laughed so hard she almost fell over, leaning against Tong Wanyan: "What a shameless girl. Are the princesses in Yuqing Palace well-behaved? I tried my best to choose two fools for you, so you don't need to worry too much about them. I guess the Crown Prince wouldn't even look at them. But, the Consort Li who comes later was personally chosen by the Emperor, so you have to be careful."
The Imperial Noble Consort sighed: "My health may not hold out until then, and I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you for long. You are currently the most favored concubine in the harem, enjoying great power and prestige, but behind you are countless wolves. They all think you are clever, but who knows that you can be incredibly stupid at times."
Tong Wanyan's nose was blocked, and she forced back her tears.
"You mustn't talk nonsense. You yourself said I'm stupid. What would I do without you? And the Fourth Prince, he's still young, and it'll be a long time before he leaves the palace to establish his own residence. Consort De seems like a difficult person to deal with. What if you don't keep her in check, and she bullies the Fourth Prince because of her status as his birth mother?"
Tong Wanyan said whatever the Imperial Noble Consort was worried about.
She didn't want to say anything reassuring, fearing that if the Imperial Noble Consort felt too at ease, she would leave without any worries.
The Imperial Noble Consort's body was damaged when she gave birth to the little princess, and her body was completely depleted when the little princess died young.
Over the years, she has been kept alive by medicines that are priceless.
The Imperial Noble Consort playfully pinched Tong Wanyan's cheek: "You're stupid, not only stupid, but you also love to say hurtful things. Do you want me to die with my eyes open and not be reincarnated into a good family?"
Tong Wanyan pouted and didn't say anything: "The person you are in your next life after reincarnation is not the person in this life."
You might call her stupid, but she sees things more clearly than anyone else.
The Imperial Noble Consort had no way to deal with her: "You, I will ask for some honor for you before I die. Otherwise, given your dislike of calling yourself a servant, it's only a matter of time before someone finds something to use against you."
"When I was young, I was just like you, always thinking high and mighty. Who would want to be subservient to others and fawn over them? Emperor Shunzhi wronged my aunt, and the Emperor wronged me too. I don't want to see the Aisin Gioro family always bullying our girls. You must hold onto the Crown Prince for my aunt, so that our Tong family's daughter can also become a femme fatale."
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Noble Consort laughed heartily in a good mood.
People tend to be more carefree than usual when they are about to die.
Tong Wanyan's heart was pounding. The Imperial Noble Consort was even more unruly than her; it was terrifying.
"Beauty is a curse and her life is short, I'd better not," Tong Wanyan muttered softly.
The Imperial Noble Consort glanced at her with captivating charm: "You're hopeless."
The Imperial Noble Consort would complain every few days that Emperor Kangxi had wronged her, but Emperor Kangxi was oblivious to this.
He believed he treated his cousin extremely well, and after a long talk with the Crown Prince, he brought his men over.
As Tong Wanyan lowered her eyes to chant scriptures, the sound of the emperor's whip making her voice tremble slightly.
The Imperial Noble Consort patted her hand and said, "Don't be afraid, keep reciting for me. I have too much karma, let me clear it up and make me feel lighter."
Of the thousands of scriptures available, only the prayer scriptures could be openly recited by Tong Wanyan in Chengqian Palace.
When Kangxi was young, he was raised by the Empress Dowager. With her care, he learned a lot about Buddhism.
The soft, devout chanting of sutras lingered in Chengqian Palace, accompanied by the aroma of various medicinal herbs, which unusually did not cause any irritation.
Yinreng recognized Tong Wanyan's voice immediately, but Kangxi did not.
Emperor Kangxi stood with his hands behind his back under the eaves, quietly listening to the Buddhist chants.
Yinreng silently stayed behind, not disturbing them.
He knew a little about the Imperial Noble Consort's thoughts; she was probably protecting Tong Wanyan in the harem for the sake of the Fourth Prince. Therefore, he was willing to reciprocate by taking extra care of Yinzhen.
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