Now, in his quest for the throne, Yinqi resorted to underhanded methods to deal with his brothers and nephews. He invited the old hermit of the mountain and his disciple Gao Tan to his villa, but we'll leave that aside for now.
Emperor Kangxi had already decided to go to Rehe in June. At this time, he had already gone to Changchun Garden with several young noble ladies. The daily affairs of the palace were all handed over to the Crown Prince and several regents. The Fourth Prince had not been having a good time lately. Before, when the Crown Prince did not suspect him, he would discuss everything with him. But now that he was suspicious, he hesitated with the Fourth Prince on everything.
On this day, the Fourth Prince was at the Ministry of Revenue with other officials, checking the number of acres of land sown reported by various prefectures and counties.
"We should plant as much arable land as possible across the country. Last year was a year of disaster, so we must preserve our grain reserves this year," said Fourth Master.
"Yes, I have already written an official document to the officials below, ordering them to make sure they properly supervise the sowing situation in various places," said Minister Cao of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Lord Cao, please take good care of things! This year's spring planting and summer sowing must be done well, otherwise two consecutive years of poor harvests will cause a major famine, and the resulting changes in the lives of the people will be no small matter," said Fourth Master.
"Yes, Your Highness is right. I will certainly supervise the local officials in charge of this matter," said Lord Cao.
Fourth Master nodded and then began to look at other things.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was in his Yuqing Palace discussing with his confidants how to amass wealth.
"Your Highness, the salt transport is the fastest way to get silver. And the people in charge of these two areas are the Emperor's men; you cannot touch them. Nowadays, officials from all over the country, seeing the Emperor's favor towards Prince Yong, are very opportunistic. Those who used to feel obligated to offer silver are no longer coming!" Shi Debing said. He was the Crown Princess's father, the Duke of Jing, and the Chief Censor of the Censorate.
"Hmph, they're all just watching the fourth prince gain power!" the crown prince said, squinting his eyes.
"Your Highness, the Fourth Prince is becoming increasingly influential with the Emperor. This servant believes we must find a way to curb his momentum!" Shi Fenyong said. He was the younger brother of the Crown Princess and held the rank of Second-Class Imperial Guard.
“Yes, the young Duke is right. Now Prince Yong is showing his face before the Emperor, and he's even more dangerous than Prince Heshuo!” Gertai said. He was Songgotu's nephew. Ever since Songgotu's family was raided by Emperor Kangxi, the Song family had fallen from being imperial relatives and the Crown Prince's maternal family to the mud. Although Songgotu's two sons were not killed, they were stripped of their official positions and barred from taking the imperial examinations for five generations. However, Emperor Kangxi did not punish the entire family; apart from Songgotu's main family, other branches were not implicated. This Gertai was the grandson of Sony's cousin.
“I know what you’ve said. But he’s always been very cautious, and I can’t find anything wrong with him,” the Crown Prince said.
“Your Highness, if he has no leverage over him, why not create some leverage for him?” Gertai said.
“That’s right, it’s a mix of truth and deception. I don’t believe he’s completely clean without any problems,” Shi Fenyong said, looking around.
"Then tell me, what can we use to capture him?" the prince asked.
"Father, you are the head of the Censorate. Go through all the officials connected to Prince Yong, and I refuse to believe they have nothing to hide." Shi Fenyong is the Crown Prince's brother-in-law, an absolute nepotism. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, their Shi family will be the most prominent imperial relatives.
“You think I didn’t investigate? I investigated long ago.” Shi Debing sighed. “Prince Yong is cautious in his actions, yet we couldn’t find anything unclean.”
The crown prince's expression darkened, and he said quietly, "Since we can't strike him head-on, we have to come from the side."
Seeing the Crown Prince's words, the group exchanged glances and asked, "Does Your Highness have a good plan?"
The Crown Prince smiled slightly and said, "I have already discussed this matter with the Crown Princess. You all just wait and see. This matter should not be publicized; the fewer people who know, the safer it will be. Although Father Emperor has entrusted state affairs to me, there are people watching me in everything I do. You must all restrain your words and actions and not give anyone any leverage. Prince Heshuo is also keeping his eyes on me at all times. However, he may not be able to keep an eye on me for much longer."
Shi Debing said, "The Prince of Heshuo is still not giving up."
The crown prince glanced at him and said, "My dear elder brother has never given up. Since he is so stubborn, then don't blame me for not showing brotherly affection."
Shi Debing asked, "Does the Crown Prince have a way to deal with Prince Heshuo?"
The Crown Prince nodded and said, "It's not appropriate for us to handle this matter ourselves. It would be best to find someone else to do it. What do you think, Father-in-law?"
Shi Debing stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "This matter needs further consideration. I will go back and think it over carefully before reporting back to Your Highness."
Just as numerous conspiracies were being plotted in Yuqing Palace, the Fourth Prince had finished discussing the day's events. He originally wanted to discuss things further with the Crown Prince, but the thought of the Crown Prince actually attacking Hongli made him feel somewhat uneasy.
The Fourth Prince stood in the courtyard of the South Fifth Palace, looked at the clouds on the horizon, and sighed, "Perhaps I have no choice but to fight for it!"
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