Yinzhen came to Yuqing Palace, but failed to persuade anyone to change their mind, yet he accepted it.
It was all because Yinreng said at the end, "Don't I still have you, my fourth brother?"
The censor who framed Prince Zhi earlier only thought of his status as the legitimate son, forgetting that Yinzhen was also a legitimate son. Even if Empress Tong's son was only nominally born, he was still a legitimate son.
Moreover, Yinzhen was a strong-willed man, and there was no policy he couldn't implement. He was also a member of the Crown Prince's faction, making him the most suitable candidate to be the next Crown Prince.
However, those people might not be unaware of these things. They were just afraid of reminding Kangxi, which would completely eliminate the ambitious Eighth Prince's chance.
It's one thing to depose one crown prince, but we can't follow the example of the Tang Dynasty and depose one after another, can we? They are all capable princes, and it would be a waste to ruin them all.
On September 18, Emperor Kangxi sent officials to announce the removal of the Crown Prince to Heaven, the ancestral temple, and the altars of the land and grain, but allowed Yinreng to remain in Yuqing Palace.
This behavior left everyone completely baffled. How could a deposed crown prince still be living in the palace where the crown prince resided?
When the other princes reached a certain age, Kangxi was busy getting rid of them. Why was it that when it came to the deposed crown prince, he absolutely refused to let anyone move out?
It was said that the deposed crown prince had even packed his belongings, ready to be sent to confinement. However, Liang Jiugong and his men went over and put everything back in its place, much to everyone's amusement. Not only that, but Kangxi also bestowed upon him many items befitting a crown prince.
It seemed that everything was normal, except that the word "deposed" was added before the title of Crown Prince.
Indeed, that was the case. Even Shi Xiuzhu's Crown Princess title and seal were not taken back. It was like a stubborn farce between father and son who refused to admit defeat to each other.
The title of deposed crown prince could only be uttered in one's heart, never publicly. When ministers spoke of Yinreng, they could only say, "That one in Yuqing Palace."
Yinreng, who had been causing headaches for the emperor and his ministers, was fortunate enough to not have to get up before dawn to attend court or stay up late to review memorials.
Spending every day with your beloved, drawing eyebrows in the morning, taking a nap in the afternoon, strolling in the garden in the evening, reading or playing chess, occasionally playing the zither or flute, or practicing swordplay and painting. Such an idyllic life is truly captivating.
So engrossed in his pursuit of pleasure, Yinreng almost forgot about the diligent and responsible Eighth Prince, and his revenge was delayed by several days.
Recently, the Eighth Prince was in high spirits due to a happy event. Two of his concubines, who were maids, had given birth to children. One had a son and the other a daughter. In less than a month, he went from having no children to having both a son and a daughter.
With the crown prince finally deposed, the mountain weighing on his head eased, and his chances of climbing to that position increased.
The Eighth Prince was on a roll, constantly cultivating relationships with ministers. Longkodo also sided with him, and the Eighth Prince's wife even reluctantly gave Li Si'er a set of jewelry. This was quite unlike her previous self, who would look at concubines with utter contempt.
After hearing about this from the Duchess of Tong, Tong Wanyan chuckled and said, "The Eighth Princess Consort has truly given up a lot for the Eighth Prince."
That pride that even Emperor Kangxi couldn't break, yet she was able to compromise her principles again and again for the sake of the Eighth Prince, and afterwards she became almost no different from other noblewomen.
Just as the Eighth Prince was meeting with the fortune teller, rumors suddenly spread throughout the capital that "fortune teller Zhang Mingde predicts that the Eighth Prince Yinzhi will be very noble." Some ignorant beggar children even composed a nursery rhyme and sang it as they went from street to street.
Such a grand display reached Emperor Kangxi's ears immediately from the moment it began.
Emperor Kangxi was a Buddhist, but he also disliked fortune telling and the like.
The Eighth Prince, who was secretly plotting in his residence, had just decided to use physiognomy to unite the court officials to seize the position of Crown Prince when he discovered that the rumors had spread to an uncontrollable extent.
Before he could do anything, someone had already done what he wanted to do for him.
This is not a good thing.
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