The young palace maid who was dragged out by Deshun confessed everything in no time.
Being able to openly show one's face at Yuqing Palace and even having the audacity to flirt with Yinreng clearly shows that one is not truly stupid.
She had something to rely on, which is why she dared to be so fearless in her seductive advances.
When Yinreng learned that the person behind the little palace maid was Emperor Kangxi, he immediately threw down the memorial he was reviewing.
Didn't Father Emperor give up on his harem? Why did he suddenly send a young palace maid over as a hint that he was sending women to his son again?
The Crown Prince, who was known for his willful and reckless behavior, rushed off to the Qianqing Palace to cause trouble for his father.
Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed the moment he saw his beloved son, and his serious face quickly transformed into one filled with fatherly love.
"Baocheng is here? Look at this memorial. He says that the people are living in peace and contentment, with no worries about food or clothing. My Great Qing is becoming more and more prosperous!" Kangxi was eager to share with his son the wonderful land he had governed.
Yinreng sat calmly, ignoring Kangxi's agitation.
Yinreng's rare display of temper flustered Emperor Kangxi.
"Who upset you? I'll settle things for you!" Kangxi thought carefully. Yinti hadn't offended Baocheng recently, so it couldn't be a sibling feud. As for the others, he could scold them as much as he wanted.
Yinreng looked at Kangxi with resentment: "Father, that girl named Cuiyu is really ugly."
"What jade?" Kangxi asked, bewildered.
"A palace maid with narrow eyes, a short nose, thin lips, a long, thin face, and a flat figure, just like the blue stone bricks outside the door. When she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was as hoarse as the coarsest sandpaper," Yinreng said.
Kangxi pieced together the description and exclaimed in shock, "Are there really such ugly palace maids in the palace?"
"It was you, Father Emperor, who gave this to me, hoping I would favor him. How could you bear to let someone else defile your incomparably handsome son?" Yinreng was so aggrieved that he was almost crying.
Kangxi quickly explained, "I know you've loved beautiful women since you were little. Even your wet nurse was extremely beautiful back then, let alone the one I've chosen for you now. Someone must have forged an imperial edict or misunderstood my meaning. I'm going to investigate!"
"My son has already had her brought here bound? That palace maid spoke with such certainty, why don't you take a look for yourself?" Yinreng said.
Since there was nothing else to do, Kangxi had the patience to coax his son. Coincidentally, he wanted to see when the requirements for the appearance of palace maids in the Forbidden City had become so low.
Out of Kangxi's curiosity, the young palace maid was taken to a side hall.
The main hall was where court officials were received; a mere palace maid like her was not allowed to go there.
"Is this the ugly person you were talking about?" Kangxi recognized the person clearly and vaguely remembered him.
Yinreng looked at Kangxi in surprise: "Father, do you think this little palace maid is pretty?"
Emperor Kangxi thought to himself, "She is indeed quite charming." He happened to see her picking jasmine buds when he was strolling in the Imperial Garden that day. Her plain blue dress, worn by a palace maid, made her look incredibly graceful.
"Although it's a bit flimsy, it's small and exquisite." Kangxi tried his best to communicate with Yinreng about their aesthetic preferences.
Yinreng rejected Kangxi's recommendation, sticking to his own opinion: "Ugly beyond belief. Not only is his appearance dull and uninteresting, but his mind is also vulgar and empty."
“Father, look at her. First of all, her hair isn’t smooth and black enough; secondly, her face is rough and her features can’t be examined closely; thirdly, her hands are deformed and calloused, and her fingernails aren’t smooth and rosy.” Yinreng found fault with the little palace maid in every way.
Following his words, Kangxi re-examined the young palace maid and inexplicably felt that she was uglier than before.
The delicate, ink-wash style of Jiangnan in March has been completely transformed into crudely made, broken tiles, an eyesore.
"This time it was my oversight; I chose the wrong person for you. But those ministers are always watching our backyard, father and son, and calculating whether we have many children. Lady Tongjia gave birth to twins for you, which is a great achievement. But a year has passed, and you still only have two children, which is inevitably worrying," Kangxi said.
Yinreng disagreed, saying, "You know how clever and quick-witted Hongzhao is, Father. It's not that I'm being arrogant, but besides you, Father, only my children are as intelligent as you."
Yinreng shamelessly boasted about himself, and Kangxi nodded repeatedly in agreement.
He asked himself honestly, and he knew that Yinreng was truly good, and Hongzhao was truly good too; no one else was as good as the two of them.
"In that case, wouldn't it be better if you had a few more children as intelligent as Hongzhao?" Kangxi said.
“It is precisely because Hongzhao is destined to be an outstanding person that I do not wish for him to have a brother who is very close in age to him. If the two brothers are equally excellent, there will inevitably be competition. If the latter becomes ordinary, how will he conduct himself in the shadow of Hongzhao’s brilliance? It would be better to wait a few years, so that they can be more harmonious and respectful as brothers,” Yinreng said.
Seeing that Kangxi's expression had softened, Yinreng continued, "Besides, Father Emperor is in the prime of his life, and it's enough that you have many children. I'm still a child. What's the point of having so many children? Are they going to compete with me for your favor?"
His childlike yet possessive words delighted Emperor Kangxi.
That's for sure. He's still in his prime. Why are those ministers so worried about his grandchildren? Are they thinking of taking the path of a maternal relative and seizing the credit for the emperor's ascension to the throne?
After much deliberation and analyzing the women in Yinreng's harem several times, Emperor Kangxi finally decided that Tong Wanyan was the best choice.
All the Tong family members are good, and Tong Wanyan, the lucky star chosen by the master, is also good.
"Fine, if you don't have that in mind, I won't play the villain. Besides, you're still young, so I'll take care of you for a few more years and let you enjoy yourself for a while," Kangxi said casually.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The young palace maid, who had been left to her own devices, suddenly pulled out a plain silver hairpin from her hair and thrust it toward Kangxi's chest, its blade gleaming coldly.
Because they had just been observing the young palace maid's appearance, they were standing very close together, and with a chair blocking their way, they were in a dilemma.
Those who are determined to die are not easy to avoid.
Even though Emperor Kangxi had a good foundation in martial arts, he was still unable to resist the specially trained assassins.
At this point, it was too late to call for protection.
At the critical moment, Yinreng stepped forward and blocked the knife with his own body, giving Kangxi the opportunity to capture the assassin.
The incident happened so suddenly that by the time the secret guards and the outer guards came to protect the emperor, the palace maid who was actually the assassin had already committed suicide by poison.
With a silver hairpin tied around his chest, Yinreng said to Kangxi before fainting, "Father, look how ugly this hairpin is."
"Summon the imperial physician!"
Yinreng fainted on the ground, causing Kangxi's tense nerves to collapse in an instant.
He roared with eyes wide open, terrified that the child he had raised would die because of him.
How wide could the small dagger at the end of the silver hairpin be? Unless it pierced the heart, a wound that size would not make someone faint quickly.
There is only one explanation: the hairpin was poisoned.
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