Tong Wanyan had said both good and bad things, leaving Yinreng unsure how to respond.
Suddenly, he stared at Tong Wanyan's fair and tender face, a mischievous smile creeping across his face.
Before Tong Wanyan could even raise her alarm bells and dodge, he pounced on her and kissed her on the cheek.
"You little rascal, all you do is annoy me," Yinreng said.
After a moment, he frowned: "Bitter?"
Tong Wanyan pushed him away in disgust, wiping the drool off her face: "I haven't washed up yet. I got some new face powder from Consort Yi today, and it looked pretty good, but you ruined it like this."
Pushed aside, Yinreng pitifully picked up a teacup to rinse his mouth: "I knew it! Your breath tastes weird, not as sweet as it used to. It's just face powder, I'll buy you a big box tomorrow. You can use mine, not other women's."
With that domineering tone, Yinreng felt he must be shining brightly right now.
Tong Wanyan glanced at him: "This was made by Consort Yi herself."
Well, Yinreng is deflated.
Consort Yi possessed the secret to maintaining her youthful appearance; countless people begged for the makeup powder she made herself.
"Why did Consort Yi take the initiative to seek you out?" Yinreng asked, embracing Tong Wanyan.
Those women in the harem never come to the Three Treasures Hall unless they have something to ask.
Tong Wanyan whispered in his ear and told Yinreng everything Consort Yi had said.
Yinreng closed his eyes: "I guessed it. Officials led by Mingzhu's faction have always disliked Suo'etu. It's normal that he was targeted because he didn't conceal his actions enough. You were frightened today, weren't you?"
"Yes, it's terrifying!" Tong Wanyan patted her chest, pretending to be scared.
The acting was so fake that Yinreng found it hard to believe it against his conscience.
He sighed: "Luckily, the person you met was me."
Otherwise, if it were this stupid, it would have been eaten alive in someone else's backyard, leaving only bones and a tall, overgrown grave.
Yinreng was the one who made Tong Wanyan feel most at ease; with him around, she could fall asleep quickly.
By the moonlight filtering through the gauze window, Yinreng carefully traced the face of the person beside him.
"My beloved is so beautiful, and even for your sake, I would not make a mistake." Yinreng's smile was full of satisfaction.
With a beloved partner and intelligent children, Yinreng was no longer as arrogant and domineering as he had been in his youth. He had truly restrained himself because he knew what he valued.
Regardless of what rumors circulated among the court officials, Yinreng's refusal to accept the twin sisters proved his virtue.
The Han officials who had previously harbored some doubts became even more loyal to Yinreng.
Compared to Kangxi's superficial claim of Manchu-Han unity, Yinreng, who received Confucian education from a young age, had a more heartfelt appreciation for Han culture.
No matter how many Manchu officials there were, they still couldn't compare to the naturally intelligent Han Chinese.
From the perspective of selecting talent through the imperial examinations, it was a source of great pride for Manchus to pass the provincial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examinations). For Han Chinese, although it was difficult, it was not something they dared not aspire to.
With the quiet assistance of the Han officials, Yinreng found it increasingly easy to manage the government. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was thriving.
Kangxi's reply quickly reached the palace, and he also took away Yinzhi, who was under house arrest.
Emperor Kangxi was worried that this son would cause trouble for his beloved eldest son, so he simply placed him in front of him to avoid being unable to reach him from a distance.
For this, Yinreng shed tears of emotion once again.
When Yinzhi went to the imperial palace where Kangxi was recuperating, he first made himself look travel-worn to show his filial piety.
When Kangxi saw his behavior, he couldn't help but sneer.
The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other. He never imagined that his sons would all be outstanding and so filial to him.
However, he lacked both filial piety and ability, which displeased Emperor Kangxi.
Emperor Kangxi could accept Yinzhi putting on an act in front of him, but he could not accept that Yinzhi's acting skills were inadequate or that he was not cunning enough.
Yinzhi cried and wailed in front of Kangxi, hoping to win his father's loving smile, but when he looked up, he only saw a cold gaze.
"Father, I'm relieved to see that you're feeling much better," Yinzhi said, sniffling.
Emperor Kangxi was leaning to one side, his face was rosy, and he did not look like someone who was seriously ill.
When he looked unwell, he didn't let many people see it. He wouldn't allow anything to disrupt the morale of the troops.
“You have always been sensible,” Kangxi said.
Yin Zhi said with delight, "Thank you for the compliment, Father Emperor."
"You know how to be obedient and sensible in front of me, but what about in front of your second brother?" Kangxi's gentle expression suddenly changed, startling Yinzhi into a daze.
Yin Zhi asked, feeling wronged, "Did the Crown Prince complain to you?"
"Do you think I don't know what's going on in the capital just because I'm not here? Are you so lustful? Is Lady Li Jia more beautiful than a celestial being, making it impossible for you to control yourself for even a moment?" Kangxi was so angry that he wanted to kick Yinzhi away.
Yin Zhi lowered his head and mumbled, "You're just biased towards the Crown Prince. My son has only taken a fancy to the daughter of a minor official in the Han Banner Army. Is that worth your raging anger?"
Yin Zhi felt wronged; he felt he must be an adopted orphan.
Back in the day, if the Crown Prince said he disliked any woman who wasn't good-looking, his father, the Emperor, would search the entire Forbidden City for beautiful palace maids and eunuchs. That kind of grand fuss was how one would treat their own son.
Kangxi didn't need to look to know that Yinzhi had gone astray.
Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne at the age of eight. Although he was an emperor, his father died early, and this experience made him extremely fond of all his children. Despite his biases, he loved them all.
"Are you deliberately trying to anger me? Bao Cheng is my son, and aren't you? You know she's just the daughter of a minor official. It's a blessing for your whole family that she can become your princess. Do you need to use the Crown Prince's name? What if I betroth her to the Crown Prince? What will you do then?" Kangxi said.
Yin Zhi really didn't think too much about it: "My son didn't say he was the crown prince back then."
"So you've denied it?" Kangxi glanced at him.
Seeing Yinzhi's cowardly appearance, Kangxi was no longer so angry. He had no desire to vie for the crown prince position, and that was enough.
"You and your mother should both be quiet for a while. You both made a mistake. If I don't give Bao Cheng an explanation, how will the people in the court respect him in the future? When you return to the capital, I will betroth Li Jia to you."
Emperor Kangxi made the final decision, and Yinzhi dared not object.
Even if he was unwilling, could he really disobey his imperial father? As both emperor and father, neither of these identities allowed him to disrespect his father.
After being scolded and kicked out by Emperor Kangxi, Yinzhi went to find Yinti in a depressed mood.
Unexpectedly, Yinqi scolded him mercilessly: "Are you stupid? Why did you have to provoke the Crown Prince? Don't you know he's Father Emperor's darling? Don't think that just because Father Emperor praised you recently, you can become his number one person. Whenever it comes to the Crown Prince, we all have to step aside."
“Brother, don’t you usually give way to the Crown Prince?” Yin Zhi retorted.
Yinti sneered, "You think you can compare to me? Every time I argued with the Crown Prince, it was for matters of state. I had a legitimate reason to do so!"
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