With the crown prince deposed, Emperor Kangxi was quite troubled about which son to choose as his successor.
The third prince was too soft-hearted and could not control the civil and military officials in the court.
The fourth prince is indeed clever, but his birth mother is from the Tong family, which has already produced an emperor. He cannot be chosen, otherwise the power of the maternal relatives will be too strong, which would be detrimental to the stability of the country.
The fifth prince was born to Consort Yi. This child was far too dull and unsuitable for the position.
The sixth prince is shy and indecisive. His birth mother and adoptive mother are of low status and he is too young. He has not received any education from the crown prince, so it may be too late for him.
After thinking it over, no one seemed suitable, and no one seemed suitable either. In this vast country, it was impossible to find a suitable successor for the time being.
Enough, enough. I'll take another look and examine him carefully to see who's suitable.
With a sigh, Kangxi covered his forehead; there was nothing he could do.
In July, officials reported an epidemic in Fushan and Xizhou.
When the opportunity for investigation arose, Emperor Kangxi immediately decided to send Prince Cheng, Yinzhi, and Prince Yong, Yinzhen, to lead teams, with the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince accompanying them to assist in the fight against the epidemic.
Except for the Sixth Prince, who had not yet officially attended court, the other three princes all knew that their father's decision to send them out was a test.
Upon arrival, they all put in an exceptionally high effort to showcase their abilities.
Yinzhi and Yinqi were on the same team. On the surface, they appeared calm and respectful to each other, but in private, they were secretly vying for power and trying to determine a winner.
Yinzhen was in a team with his sixth brother. Yinrang was young and inexperienced, and did not understand the true meaning of this trip. In addition, he had always been an obedient younger brother, so he naturally followed his fourth brother's orders.
As someone who had been reborn and had even been an emperor in his previous life, this task posed no difficulty for Yinzhen.
With his experience and without anyone interfering, he completed the task smoothly and methodically.
In both teams, Kangxi assigned his own people to report on the four princes' performance from departure to return.
In September, the four princes returned. Emperor Kangxi gave each of them a score for their performance in this matter, and the results were clear: who was good and who was bad.
Kangxi kept all the results in mind but did not show them. To the outside world, he praised all four sons, but he especially praised the performance of the third and fourth sons.
Perhaps because his two older brothers had given up hope, and he suddenly became the eldest son, Yinzhi changed from his previous timidity to become more arrogant and smug.
Being praised by the Khan was a good thing, but he wasn't praised separately and the fourth prince was mentioned as well, so Yinzhi wasn't very satisfied with it.
With a complex mindset, Yinzhi regarded his fourth brother, Yinzhen, as his greatest enemy and targeted him at every turn in the court.
He didn't take these childish little actions to heart. Yinzhen was oblivious to everything else and focused solely on his duties, like an honest and pragmatic person.
His nonchalant attitude infuriated Yin Zhi, who was targeting him, but there was nothing he could do.
At first, Yinreng was not used to being the crown prince, but time is a magical thing. Gradually, he seemed to put down this burden and became much more relaxed.
Not being in that position, as an outsider, he observed his younger brothers' actions clearly.
Based on his years of experience as the crown prince, he was also observing which of his younger brothers was suitable to become the new successor.
In the thirty-eighth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, a cheating scandal in the Shuntian Prefecture's imperial examinations was exposed, shocking both the court and the public.
The imperial examinations are a legitimate way for countless candidates to cross social classes and become officials, and they have always been known for their fairness and impartiality. This time, the news of cheating has caused a national uproar.
Emperor Kangxi was furious. Cheating in the imperial examinations was always a serious crime, and if it was not dealt with properly, it would have a profound impact.
On that day, he ordered a thorough investigation into the matter and strictly commanded the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review to solve the case within a specified time.
Ten days later, the results came out, and the officials who supervised the examination were punished in various ways, including being dismissed, exiled, or demoted.
The mastermind behind it all is Prince Cheng, Yin Zhi, who has been quite pleased with himself recently.
Kangxi was disappointed in this son. He was not as outstanding as his older and younger brothers from a young age. After the crown prince was deposed, he did not restrain himself at all. Not only was he inefficient, but he also dared to get involved in the imperial examination cheating case.
How could someone so selfish and lacking in magnanimity possibly become the crown prince?
Shaking his head inwardly, Kangxi was disappointed in his son and removed the third prince from the list of candidates, issuing a decree to punish him.
The title of Prince Cheng is stripped, his salary is reduced for one year, and he is confined to his residence for one year to reflect on his actions.
Another prince has been eliminated, and the choice of the crown prince seems obvious. However, Yinzhen, who is at the center of the storm, still looks calm and obediently sits down and does what his father has told him.
This composed and unperturbed demeanor, unmoved by external things, earned Kangxi's secret approval.
After Yinreng, the fourth prince was the most outstanding and also the one who won Yinreng's heart the most.
But Kangxi was still hesitant and couldn't make up his mind for a long time.
At crucial moments, Yinreng understood his father best and knew what he was worried about.
On that day, Yinreng personally went to the Qianqing Palace and talked with his father for a long time, finally dispelling Kangxi's concerns and making him make up his mind.
After Yinreng left, Kangxi was filled with thoughts and sighed heavily.
Perhaps the second brother is right; the fourth brother is the most suitable candidate besides him.
As for the Tong family, given the Fourth Prince's character, he will surely suppress them and prevent the maternal relatives from becoming too powerful and threatening the imperial authority.
On the sixth day of the eleventh month of the thirty-eighth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, an imperial edict was issued, appointing the fourth prince, Yinzhen, as crown prince and granting him residence in the Yuqing Palace of the Eastern Palace.
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