"Hmph, Father Emperor has gone too far! He actually made the Fourth Prince pray for rain on his behalf! What does this mean?" Prince Yinqi slammed his hand on the seat in anger and sat down. Several trusted confidants sat quietly below, not daring to utter a word.
"What's wrong with you all? Why aren't you saying anything?" Yinti asked angrily when he saw that none of them were speaking.
“Your Highness, we still don’t know why the Emperor asked the Fourth Prince to pray for rain. Your Highness, the Emperor has already made his decision, and no matter how angry you are now, it will be in vain.” The Tenth Prince, Fu Heng, stroked his beard and said, “The Emperor specifically sent someone to tell our Ministry of Rites today that this rain prayer must be held with the Emperor’s ceremonial procession and formation.”
"What?! The emperor's entourage!" Yinti jumped up, staring at Fu Heng in disbelief.
Da Hui and Duo Dun Gun exchanged a glance, both of them utterly shocked by Fu Heng's words.
“That’s right, this is what Liang Jiugong personally conveyed. The Emperor will personally go to the Temple of Heaven. To the outside world, it will still be said that the Emperor will personally pray for rain, but in reality, it will be the Fourth Prince who will do it on his behalf, while the Emperor will be in charge inside,” Fu Heng said.
Yinqi clenched his fists, his expression finally calming down. He slowly sat down and said, "It seems I underestimated the power of the fourth prince. Without realizing it, he has already gained such favor in front of Father Emperor."
Fu Heng slowly stroked his beard and said, “Your Highness, it seems that we have been focusing too much attention on the deposed crown prince in the past. Your Highness’s brothers are all eager to fight. First it was the Eighth Prince, then the Third Prince, and now the Fourth Prince has also emerged. Your Highness, it seems that your future opponents will not only be the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince.”
Yinti nodded and said, "The fourth prince has always been calm and collected. He never shows his face in any matter. Everyone used to think he was the deposed crown prince's man, but now that the deposed crown prince has been deposed, he has suddenly appeared."
"Your Highness, I don't know what His Majesty is thinking. In terms of status, you are a Prince of the First Rank and the eldest prince. Why not let you perform the rain-praying ritual on his behalf?" Duodungun said indignantly.
“Yes, why should the Fourth Prince get the honor? You are a prince!” Da Hui also said.
"What's the use of saying all this now? Father has already decided on him. What we need to do now is figure out how to make the fourth prince rise to power, and make his fall even more devastating!" A glint of light flashed in Yinti's eyes as he spoke.
"Your Highness and I have the same idea. Now that the Emperor has already decided on the Fourth Prince, it's impossible for Your Highness to contest it. After all, the Emperor is unlikely to change his mind. But think about it, if the Fourth Prince prays for rain, not only will it not bring rain, but it will also incite public anger!" Fu Heng said.
“The teacher is right. Why should the fourth son be able to pray for rain? Isn’t there a demon star?” Yinti said.
“Your Highness, I do know a little about the message. It’s related to a concubine in the Fourth Prince’s household,” Da Hui said after thinking for a moment.
"Speak!" Yinti turned and stared at Dahui. He now hated the Fourth Prince intensely, and he desperately wanted to know everything about him.
"As far as I know, the 'demon star' that the disaster victims are talking about is related to the Fourth Prince's concubine," Da Hui said.
"Oh? What connection does the 'Demon Star' have with his concubine?" Yinti asked anxiously.
"They say this concubine is pregnant with twins. And the evil star is in her belly. They say that while she was pregnant, she often encountered ghosts and even attracted poisonous snakes. They say that the evil star is in her belly," Da Hui said.
"Oh? Is that so?" Yinti asked in surprise.
"Your Highness, perhaps we can use this ominous star to cause some trouble for the Fourth Prince!" Fu Heng said.
"Teacher, please speak, I am all ears!" Yinti said.
"Your Highness, the Emperor has now ordered the Fourth Prince to pray for rain. However, his concubine is carrying a harbinger of misfortune, which directly caused this severe drought. If we can ignite this belief among the disaster victims, those mindless victims will surely believe that our Fourth Prince can successfully pray for rain for them." Fu Heng nodded, stroking his beard.
Yinti opened his eyes wide, nodded, and said, "Alright, the fourth prince suddenly appeared, so it's unreasonable for me, as his elder brother, not to send him a generous gift! His concubine is carrying a jinx, which directly caused this drought. Teacher, should we talk to Father about this? It would be best if we didn't let the fourth prince do it for us?"
Fu Heng shook his head and said, "Your Highness, let's not talk about the Emperor. First of all, it's hard to say whether the Emperor believes such rumors. Secondly, the Emperor has already said what he wanted to say; can he take it back?"
Fu Heng was deeply worried about Prince Heshuo's thinking; compared to the composed Fourth Prince, he was far inferior. If he weren't Prince Heshuo's teacher, he might not even be able to stand by his side.
Prince Heshuo nodded and said, "Teacher, let's discuss how to spread this rumor among these disaster victims."
Meanwhile, because the Fourth Prince was to pray for rain on behalf of Emperor Kangxi, he stayed at the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites, where he and Ji Changming observed the changes in nebulae and learned the etiquette and rituals of praying for rain.
Lanqin's belly was growing bigger and bigger. Every day, she would walk around the south courtyard with the help of Cui Niang and Nianxue, hoping to give birth smoothly. Fourth Master sent someone back to tell her that he wouldn't be back for the next few days and that she should take good care of herself during her pregnancy.
"Master, Master is really something, getting busy at a time like this." Cui Niang and Nian Xue helped Lan Qin walk around the courtyard. Because she was a twin, Lan Qin now had difficulty even walking. She felt like she was a ball, her belly unusually large.
To be honest, Lanqin was a little scared at this point. There were no ultrasound scans in the Qing Dynasty. What if the baby's umbilical cord was wrapped around its neck three times? That would lead to a difficult delivery.
May God bless you, may Buddha bless you, may the Virgin Mary bless you!
Lanqin silently cursed in her heart, rolling her eyes a few times at the culprit. But what could she do? She had transmigrated into this patriarchal society full of men with long, crescent-shaped haircuts and braids!
What Ling Lanqin didn't expect was that her child had been the target of a scheme from the very beginning, and that conspiracy was gradually turning its blade towards the child in her womb. While the Fourth Prince was busy preparing for the important rain-praying ceremony in the palace, the inner quarters were temporarily peaceful. But who knew how much resentment and jealousy lurked beneath this seemingly calm surface!
The government issued a proclamation, setting a rain-praying ceremony at the Temple of Heaven on the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, with the emperor himself in attendance. This temporarily quelled the sudden uprising of displaced people in the capital who were rioting and demanding water. Ordinary people are generally easy to calm down; the riots were only stirred up by those with ulterior motives.
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