“Is the Fourth Prince really that good? He’s not the Crown Prince!” said Lady Irgen.
“What do you know! You're just a woman!” Halqi said. “The current political situation is quite unusual. Although the Crown Prince has been reinstated, the Fourth Prince is clearly gaining more and more favor from the Emperor. Now, the Emperor has even taken the Fourth Prince’s sons into his own care and is personally raising them! Even the Crown Prince’s sons haven’t had this privilege!” Halqi said, “The Fourth Prince’s future is truly extraordinary!”
"So what! Our Jin'er has been pampered since she was a child. If we send her to that inner quarters now, she'll be eaten alive! She's so innocent. I didn't raise her to be a concubine; I'm raising her like a wife!" Irgen said worriedly.
“But being Prince Yong’s concubine is actually better than being Grand Secretary Chen’s granddaughter-in-law. Grand Secretary Chen is Prince Yi’s man. Judging from the current situation, it’s impossible for Prince Yi to be with him,” Harqi said.
“Alas, we don’t understand the affairs of the court, but I only know that I am still a concubine. I’m afraid Jin’er’s personality won’t be able to stand up in the Fourth Prince’s harem!” Irgen said.
“There’s still time to teach him! You can hire a nanny to teach him properly! I’ll go talk to Father! Although he is the tutor of the Prince of Heshuo, the Prince of Heshuo doesn’t have any brothers, so he won’t be valued by the Emperor for that reason,” Harqi said.
Although Fucha Fuheng is already seventy-two years old, as the tutor of the Prince of Heshuo and a second-rank General of the Cavalry, he was a figure who was on par with Fei Yanggu when he was young!
Like Fei Yanggu, the old man was also one of Kangxi's more capable military generals in his early years! Prince Yinti of the First Rank was trained under his guidance.
"Father!" Halqi stood respectfully in front of Fu Heng's room and called out to the inner room.
"What are you doing here?" Fu Heng seemed to dislike this son very much, probably because he disliked him for not having martial arts talent and failing to inherit his mantle.
"Father, I have something to discuss with you, it concerns Jin'er." Harqi knew that the old man doted on this granddaughter, and he was always willing to listen to her affairs.
"Come in," Fu Heng said.
Harqi pushed open the door and entered the room, where he saw the old man sitting in a grand chair, flipping through a rather ancient book.
"Jin'er is going to be selected for the palace selection this time, right? You all want her to be rejected and sent home. I've already spoken with Prince Heshuo. As long as Consort Hui finds a reason, Jin'er can be rejected," Fu Heng said to his son as he entered. Actually, Harqi wasn't Fu Heng's eldest son, but his second. His eldest son was a martial arts prodigy who resembled him greatly, but unfortunately, he died young from a serious illness. His eldest son's death saddened Fu Heng greatly for a time. His second son, Harqi, had never been his favorite.
“Father, your son has come to discuss Jin’er’s matter with you. She just told you that she doesn’t want to be left out of the selection. Not only that, she is also determined to break off the engagement with the Chen family.” Harqi didn’t beat around the bush and spoke directly to the old man.
"What? Jin'er wants to break off the engagement with the Chen family!" Fu Heng was slightly surprised to see his son bring this up.
"Yes, it was Jin'er herself who told her mother. She wants to marry Prince Yong and become a princess." Harqi secretly preferred to befriend the Fourth Prince.
"Nonsense! You clearly know our relationship with Prince Heshuo, so why do you insist on marrying Jin'er to Prince Yong?" Fu Heng was even angrier now and stood up from his armchair.
Harqi quickly lowered his head. He had always been afraid of his father, so in Fu Heng's eyes, he was also a spineless son, and therefore he never liked him much.
“Father, I think Jin’er’s decision is good. Grand Secretary Chen is Prince Yi’s man, and he’s not on the same side as you. The future of the Chen family is uncertain, while Prince Yong’s side is rising in status. I’ve heard that many people want to marry their daughters to Prince Yong, all because they see his future potential,” Harqi said.
"You brat! All you ever think about is giving harsh punishments. Everyone else wants to marry off their daughters to others as concubines, and you're already so eager to marry your own daughter off as a concubine?" Fu Heng said.
“Father, don’t just think about your relationship with Prince Yong and decide the fate of the entire Fucha clan. If Jin’er marries Prince Yong, it will be very beneficial for the Fucha clan in the future. Prince Yong is of high rank and great power, and his son is now being raised by the Emperor’s side. Who has ever had such an honor?” Harqi said. “I believe that Prince Yong’s future is limitless.”
"Short-sighted! Prince Heshuo is the Emperor's eldest son, and has made outstanding military achievements. He has already been appointed Prince Heshuo by the Emperor. Isn't he more noble than Prince Yong?" Fu Heng retorted angrily.
“Father, even though Prince Heshuo is of noble birth, I think he has a fatal flaw,” Halqi said.
“Father, do you not know? Prince Heshuo has no son. No matter how outstanding his military achievements are, without a legitimate son, he will not occupy an important position in the Emperor’s heart,” Harqi said.
Fu Heng's heart skipped a beat. In fact, what Harqi said was exactly what he thought of the Prince of Heshuo. The Prince of Heshuo certainly wanted a legitimate son, but his primary wife had never given birth to one. Even his concubines hadn't produced many princes. Now, it seemed that the Prince of Heshuo only had one young son, and even that was a child of unknown parentage.
Seeing that Fu Heng indeed remained silent, Harqi knew that he had hit upon the most well-known flaw of the Prince of Heshuo, and immediately said, "Father, Prince Yong is different. He did have a legitimate son. Although the legitimate son did not survive, he still has six sons born out of wedlock. This is completely different from the Prince of Heshuo. Now anyone can see that the Emperor's attitude towards Prince Yong is becoming more and more subtle."
Fu Heng remained silent. In truth, he was increasingly losing confidence in his position as Prince Heshuo in Kangxi's eyes. However, as Yinti's tutor, he could not abandon him. Moreover, Fu Heng had always been a man of principle and unwavering loyalty; even if Yinti lost his hope of becoming crown prince, he would continue to support him.
“Father, this time it wasn’t your son who made Jin’er do it; she insisted on doing it herself. Even a young lady like her can see the logic behind it, so do you think Father can’t see it?” Halqi said, pressing on.
"Let me think about it!" Fu Heng finally relented a little.
“Father, actually, who Jin’er marries has no impact on your relationship with Prince Heshuo. You are getting on in years and should have been enjoying your retirement long ago. Why should you still be serving Prince Heshuo? I think it’s time for you to retire,” Harqi said.
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