As the conversation became more animated, the Crown Prince brought up recent events in the court and carefully instructed Yinzhen, just as he had taught Yinzhen to write and read when he was a child.
The Crown Prince's horizons were broadened by Emperor Kangxi; a single word from him made Yinzhen feel as if he had studied for ten years.
The art of governing ministers cannot be taught by outsiders, and Yinzhen remarked that he was truly lucky.
So, Yinzhen, whose heart was warmed, clenched his fist and vowed in his heart: My second brother, the Crown Prince, treats me with all his heart and soul, and I will repay him with my life and loyalty!
Yinreng was unaware of the changes in Yinzhen's mind, but he knew that Yinzhen was a meticulous person.
He's good to whoever treats him well, but he can hold a petty grudge against those who dislike him for a lifetime.
Such a temperament left Yinreng speechless.
Fortunately, he was his younger brother, so his left-leaning nature was not a big deal. If used properly, he could be a very capable minister.
At this time, Yinzhen was already showing signs of a life of hard work, dealing with government affairs by lamplight and candlelight in the future.
Tong Wanyan initially sat to the side, listening with great interest.
After all, the opportunity to eavesdrop on the Crown Prince and other princes discussing important matters of the court is truly rare; ordinary people don't have this luck.
But as she listened, she became sleepy.
Those who could enter the imperial court as officials were all exceptionally shrewd and intelligent. There were too many intricate relationships between them, and Tong Wanyan was glad that she hadn't been reincarnated into a Qing Dynasty man.
Otherwise, unless she's lucky enough to become a spoiled rich kid and live a life of leisure, if she's unlucky enough to end up in an ordinary family, she'll probably never be able to step into the circle of the top elites.
"Your Highness, Fourth Prince, I must take my leave now." Tong Wanyan yawned repeatedly; if she didn't leave soon, she might end up sleeping there.
If she started drooling, grinding her teeth, or snoring, wouldn't her image as a peerless beauty be completely ruined? How could she then remain a favored concubine?
Tong Wanyan wisely chose to take her leave, but Yinzhen knew even better how to advance and retreat.
His sudden arrival and subsequent separation of people is utterly sinful.
Yinzhen left in a hurry, secretly leaving behind a thank-you gift before he left.
The gift wasn't anything expensive; it was a small, spirited pony that Yinzhen had personally carved.
"This wood carving should be a gift for our children."
Yinreng played with the polished wood carving and explained it to Tong Wanyan.
Tong Wanyan gave birth to her child in 2029, which happened to be the Year of the Horse.
To be honest, if Yinzhen (the Yongzheng Emperor) had given him some gold, silver, or antiques, Yinreng could have refused them. After all, he didn't care for them and didn't need them. But he couldn't refuse such gifts that carried significant social importance, and he was more inclined to keep them.
As Yinzhen stepped outside, he felt somewhat uneasy.
He asked Su Peisheng nervously, "Su Peisheng, do you think the Crown Prince might look down on the little pony that I carved?"
Su Peisheng led the way, laughing, "The Crown Prince has no shortage of money; the true friendship of my brothers is the most precious thing."
When Yinreng was mentioned, Yinzhen immediately smiled and said, "I think so too. The Crown Prince is different from others."
Su Peisheng clicked his tongue inwardly. It wasn't that the Crown Prince was different from others; it was clearly that his master treated the Crown Prince differently.
Yinzhen's good mood continued until he arrived at the Prince's residence, where he saw a palace maid lingering at the door beside Tong Wanle, and his face instantly turned cold.
"What bad luck!" Su Peisheng cursed inwardly.
"My lord, you've finally returned home. Princess Tongjia has fainted from blood loss. Please fetch a royal physician for her. I'm worried that if we're any later, her life will be in danger!"
This palace maid was just as stupid as Tong Wanle; she actually started wailing and crying at the door.
Anyone who didn't know better would think the Fourth Prince was slaughtering a pig here!
Su Peisheng thought to himself, "This is bad! Quickly cover her mouth and drag her back. Can't we talk things out back there?"
Su Peisheng was so anxious that his voice cracked, sounding like a male duck being choked.
Yinzhen frowned and walked into the courtyard with a depressed expression.
Who did he offend? What terrible things did he do to end up with Princess Tong Wanle?
He is eager to marry a virtuous wife, and he can't wait to have a capable wife to manage his household affairs.
At a young age, Yinzhen began to look forward to Emperor Kangxi bestowing a marriage upon him.
Tong Wanle lay on the bed, her face pale and bloodless, which looked quite frightening at first glance.
The white bandage on her wrist was wrapped around and around, and blood was seeping out.
"What's going on?" Yinzhen suppressed his urge to question and asked in as calm a tone as possible.
The palace maid kneeling on the ground felt ashamed to talk about this matter.
"Your Highness heard that Consort Tong recited Buddhist scriptures for the Imperial Noble Consort, which improved her health. So, Your Highness cut your wrist to let your blood flow, intending to use your blood as ink to write a blood sutra to pray for the Imperial Noble Consort. However, Your Highness was not careful when you cut, and the knife went a little too deep." The palace maid racked her brains before speaking cautiously.
Yinzhen was completely speechless. After holding back for a long time, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Fool!"
When Tong Wanle slowly woke up, she looked at Yinzhen sitting by the bed and was too excited to speak.
"My lord, I am not wronged. I am willing to do anything to help the Imperial Noble Consort recover," Tong Wanle said, her eyes brimming with tears.
She was certain that Yinzhen would be moved by her actions!
Yinzhen laughed in exasperation. How could this person be so good at patting himself on the back?
"You are not wronged at all, it is I who am wronged!" Yinzhen said angrily.
Tong Wanle trembled with fear at the sight of Yinzhen's dark expression.
"My lord, what have I done wrong?" Tong Wanle didn't understand. She had even followed the Buddhist practice of cutting off her own flesh to feed the eagle. Wasn't this affection enough?
Yinzhen looked at her coldly, wishing he could drag her out and beat her to death right now.
“If you’re truly a coward, then stay quietly in the backyard. What do you gain from causing trouble all day?” Yinzhen said sternly.
Tong Wanle's eyes were red, she hadn't expected Yinzhen to react this way.
Her eyes flashed with madness: "Sir, I want you to like me! What Tong Wanyan can do, I can do too!"
"What is there to fight between you and Consort Tong?" Yinzhen laughed angrily.
“I didn’t argue with her, she argued with me!” Tong Wanle retorted, head held high.
"Compete with you? What are we competing with you for? Lady Tongjia, ask yourself honestly what Consort Tong has taken from you. If you continue to insist on this, the death of a princess in the prince's quarters is no big deal. I'm leaving my words here; you can decide for yourself what to do."
Tong Wanle repeated, "Master, you don't understand. She will take everything away from me. It's been like this since I was little, and it will be the same in the future."
After so much time, Yinzhen had a pretty good idea of what kind of person Tong Wanle was.
Selfish, greedy, gloomy, cowardly, foolish, self-righteous, and envious—such a person doesn't need others to fight for them; they will naturally squander everything they originally possessed.
Tong Wanle's affair had indeed blown up. It was probably something that had never happened in the Forbidden City before, and everyone came to watch the show.
They'd heard of blood-written letters, but the thought of blood-written Buddhist scriptures was terrifying.
Is this truly a prayer for blessings, or a malicious curse?
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