Yinreng emerged from the Qianqing Palace with a grin on his face and without a trace of dirt, while those secretly watching him frowned in bewilderment.
Once Yinreng's figure disappeared from the corridor, the person hiding in the shadows tiptoed down another path, heading towards the inner palace.
A short while later, a plain-looking eunuch returned from outside and gave a reply to Liang Jiugong, who was waiting at the gate of the Qianqing Palace.
Inside the hall, Emperor Kangxi sat on a large chair, expressionless.
“Consort Hui.” Kangxi twirled the jade thumb ring on his index finger, his expression unreadable.
Liang Jiugong stood quietly in the shadows in the corner, his body hunched over.
He remained silent, as if the person standing there wasn't even there.
Yinreng strolled from Qianqing Palace back to Yuqing Palace with a relaxed expression, casually picking some pretty flowers. He ended up with a large bunch, which looked quite impressive.
Just then, the black bird, having grown tired of playing outside, flew back with a flower in its beak and bumped into Yinreng.
One is a solitary flower, the other a cluster of blooms; the eyes of the black bird and black bean seem to be glistening with tears.
The male owner is really going too far, actually competing for attention with a bird.
The black bird flew angrily over Yinreng's head, heading to see Tong Wanyan first.
Otherwise, if it's too late, its beautiful flowers won't be pleasing to the eye.
The black bird shook the pale yellow feathers on its head, picked up a flower, and placed it in Tong Wanyan's hand: "Fresh flowers for a beauty, may you become more and more beautiful."
Tong Wanyan smiled and said, "You study with Tana all day long, so you learn just as much as anyone else."
"The little beauty is clever, and so is the bird." After being pounced on and having its feathers plucked by Tana a few times, the black bird had no choice but to change its tune.
"My beauty, someone's been philandering outside." The black bird gripped the small iron bar in its cage with its tiny claws, deliberately lowering its voice to complain.
It's fabricated out of thin air, lacking any basis whatsoever.
Tong Wanyan's ears twitched slightly. She heard Yinreng's footsteps and the fragrance of the peony that only existed in the Imperial Garden.
"You can't learn the upright morality taught by the Master, but you've become a self-taught expert in nonsense. You're like a bird that has become a spirit, not walking the right path, but instead learning crooked ways. Be careful, one day I'll have someone pluck all your feathers and boil you to feed the fat cats in Ning Shou Palace." Yinreng pushed open the door, holding flowers in one hand, looking absolutely charming.
Tong Wanyan, her eyes glazed over, got up in a daze and went to him, hugging and cuddling him, then giving him a massage on the waist.
Xuan Niao looked on in disbelief. Could it be that people could be this good-looking?
It's a beautiful bird too!
"I saw some beautiful flowers along the way and wanted to pick them and show them to you. But as we walked, I saw countless beautiful ones, and before I knew it, I had gathered a huge bouquet." Yinreng handed the bouquet to Tong Wanyan and said with a smile.
Her voice was gentle and tender, as sweet as honey.
Tong Wanyan's cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, and she said sweetly, "The flowers that Master picked are indeed the most beautiful."
"Not even half as good as you," Yinreng said.
The black bird angrily cracked the melon seeds in the small bowl with a crisp snapping sound, then flew away in a huff.
The palace is so vast that it has many places to go.
However, before flying away, it mischievously flipped the copper basin containing sunflower seed shells off with a wing, making a small commotion.
"It's only the size of a palm, but it has quite a temper," Yinreng said with amusement.
Tong Wanyan took the bouquet and asked Chunque to bring a white porcelain vase and a smaller, long-necked, smoky blue porcelain vase.
The flowers sent by Xuan Niao and Yinreng were each placed in a separate vase, and neither was shown favoritism.
"I heard from Fourth Sister-in-law that Father Emperor urgently summoned you to the Qianqing Palace?" Tong Wanyan pulled Yinreng to sit on the chaise longue in the inner room: "Your Highness looks really tired."
Yinreng kicked off his boots and lay down on the couch.
The relaxed demeanor he deliberately projected outside only masked his exhaustion.
"Song'etu made another foolish move, infuriating Father Emperor. Luckily, I'm quick-witted and have done impeccable work in recent years. Otherwise, this anger would have been directed at me." Yinreng pinched the bridge of his nose. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger; even though he was Father Emperor's own son, he still had to be just as careful.
Tong Wanyan's heart skipped a beat. This year was the thirty-third year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Historical records say that Kangxi's intention to depose the crown prince took root in this year.
“Your Highness and Father have always had a deep father-son relationship, and they would never be harmed for the sake of foreign officials,” Tong Wanyan cautiously probed.
Yinreng, without suspecting anything, asked directly, "You know about the sacrificial rites at the Ancestral Temple, right?"
Tong Wanyan nodded, then applied some kind of ointment to her hands, rubbed it together, and placed it on Yinreng's eyes. It felt cool and comfortable, and the scent was refreshing and pleasant.
"Song'etu has the Ministry of Rites submit a memorial proposing that my kneeling mat be placed inside the hall along with Father's during the sacrificial ceremony. For years, my kneeling mat has always been placed outside the threshold of the main hall, but this year he came up with this idea. What does he mean? Is he trying to remind Father that I have achieved great power and have an heir, so I can succeed Father? Not to mention that Father has grand ambitions to realize, I am not capable of taking that position now. Father is willing to be emperor, and I am willing to be crown prince; how wonderful it would be if we lived in peace and harmony, with a loving father and filial son. He interfered, and who knows, he might think he has done me a great favor, and I have to repay his kindness," Yinreng said.
He had a clear plan for his future: whenever Kangxi abdicated, he would take the throne. As long as he didn't cause trouble, his younger brothers wouldn't be able to surpass him, and his position as crown prince would be secure. If he was unlucky and died before Kangxi, there was still his son Hongzhao, who resembled his elder brother, and the throne would still belong to him in Yuqing Palace.
Since he's already a cooked duck in the pot, why should he bother to scheme and create an image of someone eager to usurp the throne?
Yinreng was resolute, but Suo'etu was not.
Suo'etu wanted to help Yinreng ascend to the throne, so that he could once again gain merit by supporting the emperor and ensure the family's prosperity for a hundred years.
Moreover, he did not believe that Yinreng could rise to power overnight and resist the temptation of holding great power.
Tong Wanyan used her tenderness and children to wear down Yinreng's eagerness for quick success and instant benefits, while Suo'etu's memory of Yinreng was still that of the arrogant and domineering Yinreng of yesteryear.
He and Yinreng had long since gone their separate ways.
"Officials and ministers always dream of leaving their mark on history, reaching the pinnacle of power, and protecting their families. Soetu is the patriarch of the Hesheli clan, and he has been taught these things since childhood. Naturally, his thoughts are different from yours. You were personally taught by your father from a young age, and your heart is set on the stability of the world and on filial piety and loyalty to your father. Father and son, ruler and subject, stand at different heights, how can their perspectives be the same?"
“Xiao Yan is absolutely right. Look, even a woman like you understands this, yet the ministers in the court, who receive the emperor's salary, don't understand these things. They always think about using my name as the crown prince to do things that will bring them glory. They're thinking of taking a gamble to gain wealth and status, without even considering whether I want to follow their wishes.” Yinreng's words were full of disdain for the petty schemes of the court officials.
Tong Wanyan smiled gently: "I don't seek fame or fortune, I only hope for family harmony and prosperity."
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