The 47th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign was destined to be an extraordinary year. From the beginning of the year until now, from the border regions to the capital, major events have been happening constantly, and there has never been a moment of peace.
Not long after the Crown Prince was deposed, the eldest son, Yinzhi, believed that if Emperor Kangxi failed to establish a legitimate heir, he would definitely establish the eldest son as heir, so he actively campaigned for succession.
Many voices arose in the court, all saying that since there was no crown prince, he should be appointed as soon as possible, and they all strongly recommended the eldest son of the emperor, namely Prince Zhi, Yin Zhi, as the new crown prince.
Mingzhu did not recommend such behavior, but she could not stop the arrogant Yinzhi from courting disaster. She could only watch helplessly as the calls for Prince Zhi to become the crown prince grew louder and louder.
Yinzhi clearly misjudged the situation. Kangxi was already wary of his sons because the crown prince had been deposed. Now, seeing Yinzhi's erratic behavior, he immediately announced: Yinzhi is impetuous and foolish, and should not be made crown prince.
Seeing that he had no hope of seizing the throne, Yinzhi immediately turned to recommend his close friend, the eighth prince Yinsi, to Emperor Kangxi. He also blinded by greed and petitioned Emperor Kangxi to kill the deposed crown prince Yinreng.
Not only that, he also said that he could do it on behalf of his father, and if Kangxi couldn't bring himself to do it, he could do it himself.
These words made Kangxi realize that if Yinzhi and Yinsi formed a faction to seize the throne, the consequences would be unimaginable. Moreover, his eldest son had been locked in a life-or-death struggle with his second son for years.
While heartbroken, Kangxi had no choice but to take action and implement necessary preventative measures.
Soon after, Kangxi discovered that Yinzhi was associating with a person who practiced witchcraft and was attempting to use witchcraft to suppress Yinreng. Under these circumstances, Kangxi finally had an excuse to order the removal of Yinzhi's title of Prince Zhi and his strict confinement.
It's just unclear whether the charge of using witchcraft to bewitch others against Yinzhi is valid, whether it's true or just a frame-up.
Only Emperor Kangxi knew the truth behind all this.
After the eldest prince, Yinzhi, lost power, the eighth prince, Yinsi, gained power rapidly. Ministers who had previously sided with Prince Zhi now flocked to his side.
Aside from those recruited by Mingzhu, most of the ministers behind Yinzhi were maintained by Yinsi.
Given Yinzhi's temperament, even with Mingzhu around, he wouldn't have had so many supporters. It was thanks to Yinsi that he won over many people with his approachable and gentle nature.
The historically famous Eighth Prince Yinzhi was shrewd and capable from a young age. Although he was subordinate to Yinzhi, he immediately became a new force after Yinzhi's downfall. He had many followers in the court, a great reputation, and a certain level of prestige.
Yinzhi was very active in his pursuit of the crown prince position, but he was a shrewd man and his methods were relatively mild, unlike Yinzhi's aggressive approach.
Emperor Kangxi discovered some of his son's actions and also discovered his wolfish ambitions.
It was also because of the chaos in the court that Kangxi realized that the court could not function without a crown prince as a pillar of stability. Without a crown prince as the rightful heir, the hearts of all the princes were in turmoil.
However, his preferred successor had not yet been chosen, and in order to maintain political stability, Kangxi had no choice but to release his second son.
In the first month of the 48th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Kangxi Emperor issued another decree appointing a new crown prince and announced to the world that the second prince, Yinreng, had been reinstated as crown prince, and that the crown prince's family had been released again.
However, having been deposed once, Yinreng had lost his former favor and authority, and was unable to control his restless younger brothers.
Moreover, at this time, Kangxi almost added fuel to the fire by bestowing titles upon his princes.
Yinzhi changed from Prince Cheng to Prince Cheng, and Yinzhen changed from Prince Yong to Prince Yong.
Like Yinqi, Yinyou, and Yinsi, they were all promoted from Dorobele to Prince Heng, Prince Chun, and Prince Lian, respectively.
The next nine and tenth princes, namely the brothers Yin Tang and Yin Yi, were Prince Yu and Prince Dun, respectively. It is unknown whether it was because they were uneducated and incompetent, but Emperor Kangxi did not grant them the title of prince.
The promotion of princes ended here. The twelfth, thirteenth, and fifteenth princes were only granted the title of Dorobele due to their age.
These princes could only be granted the title of Beile. The princes who came after them were even younger and were still studying in the Imperial Study. They were not yet of marriageable age and therefore had no titles to be granted.
After the Crown Prince was reinstated, Yinzhen continued to follow the Crown Prince's lead and remained a staunch supporter, just as Kangxi had taught him since childhood.
But he knew in his heart that he had changed. He had lost the respect he once had for his second brother, the Crown Prince, and had begun to have different thoughts about that position.
The three brothers, Yinzhi, Yinxiang, and Yinxiang, had always followed their fourth brother, so they quickly noticed his changes. They weren't surprised; instead, they felt that this was how it should be.
If you ask them who is most suitable to sit in that position, of course it would be the fourth brother. Among all the brothers, the fourth brother is the most serious and meticulous about court affairs. He doesn't have the arrogant thoughts of a prince, but instead cares the people the most.
Although the second brother was taught by the Khan from a young age and is recognized as a qualified crown prince, judging from his actions in recent years, he no longer has the qualifications or possibility to inherit the throne.
Of all the remaining people, the fourth brother seems to be the most suitable.
With this idea in mind and the support of his younger brothers, Yinzhen felt a warm glow in his heart and became even more determined to pursue it.
Although the crown prince has been reinstated, the princes who harbored ambitions to seize the throne will not give up their ideas. However, with the crown prince now in the lead, their actions have become more restrained, and they are not as arrogant as before.
Yinzhen used the same method, pretending to have no desire to seize the throne. He spent his days doing his own thing, returning home to raise his children after his official duties, and spending his free time discussing Buddhism with masters at temples, farming and fishing at his estate, appearing leisurely and carefree.
While other princes tried their best to befriend court officials, Yinzhen did not form cliques or engage in private affairs, and rarely had private conversations with the officials.
Moreover, his upright and rigid nature not only prevented him from befriending ministers, but also offended many people.
Prince Yong's demeanor lulled everyone into a false sense of security, including the most suspicious Emperor Kangxi, who began to view this son in a different light.
Even so, it would be a big mistake for anyone to underestimate Yinzhen.
Even with Consort De hindering him in his previous life, Yinzhen was still able to successfully ascend to the throne using this method.
Now that Consort De is gone, and the annoying Fourteenth Prince is gone, with Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia helping him, it would be strange if Yinzhen didn't succeed.
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