Chapter 94: Old Ten's Lazy Plans for Moving
Eleven years ago, Emperor Kangxi ordered that the Fourth Prince, who was less than a month old, be sent to be raised by Empress Tongjia. In the whole affair, the biggest victim, the most unfortunate, and the one who was wronged the most was actually the Fourth Prince.
Emperor Kangxi successfully appeased Empress Tongjia, who had been unable to conceive for a long time, with just one son. The presence of a prince not only alleviated the loneliness of living alone in the deep palace and comforted her heart, but also made her position as a Noble Consort (at that time) more secure.
Needless to say, Consort De rose from a bondservant background to become a Noble Lady De, and was separately promoted to the rank of Consort even though the six Consorts had already been chosen. After giving birth to the Sixth Prince, she raised the prince as a Consort, all because she sold the Fourth Prince.
Even after the Sixth Prince died from overwork under her care, Consort De was able to make a comeback and give birth to the Twenty-Third Prince, Yinzhen, thanks to the influence of the Fourth Prince and the Ninth Princess.
But the Fourth Prince, before he was even a month old and knew nothing, was sent to be raised by Empress Tongjia.
With Emperor Kangxi and Empress Tongjia's attitudes clear, no one in the palace dared to reveal the Fourth Prince's true parentage. It was always assumed that the Fourth Prince believed Empress Tongjia was his birth mother and had never suspected anything.
In the year Empress Tongjia passed away, everything changed. For the Fourth Prince, it was as if the sky had fallen; everything had become unrecognizable.
Empress Tongjia was not his biological mother, but his adoptive mother. After Empress Tongjia passed away, the Fourth Prince not only lost his closest relative, but his adoptive mother's family also treated him as an outsider and wanted to fight with him for his adoptive mother's inheritance.
After the death of her adoptive mother, Empress Tongjia, Consort De also had no feelings for the Fourth Prince, who had been separated from her at a young age.
Although she had gained many benefits from the Fourth Prince over the years, after losing the Sixth Prince, Consort De only wanted to raise Yinzhen and did not want to spend time raising the Fourth Prince, who was not close to her.
Consort De's actions forced Emperor Kangxi to decide on the fourth prince's wife so early and to bring Fei Yanggu's daughter into the palace for upbringing, so that the fourth prince would be taken care of by his wife after his marriage.
The Tongjia clan coveted Empress Tongjia's inheritance. The Fourth Prince, who already knew he was not Empress Tongjia's biological son, did not intend to compete with the Tongjia clan for anything. He was willing to share his adoptive mother Empress Tongjia's private savings and personal belongings with the Tongjia clan.
While the Fourth Prince was willing, Emperor Kangxi could not tolerate the Tongjia clan bullying his son. No matter how close the Tongjia clan was to his mother's clan, it was not as important as his son. Kangxi had always been protective of his own, and between his mother's clan and his son, he protected his son.
Moreover, leaving all her inheritance to the Fourth Prince was a decision made by Empress Tongjia before her death. Emperor Kangxi had deep feelings for Empress Tongjia and respected her greatly, so naturally he would not go against her wishes.
However, Emperor Kangxi did not punish the Tongjia clan, nor did he issue an edict reprimanding any members of the Tongjia clan who had contested the inheritance with the Fourth Prince. On the contrary, after the death of Empress Tongjia, Kangxi extended favor to her biological father, Tong Guowei, by promoting him to the rank of First-Class Duke, clearly demonstrating his bias towards his maternal clan.
On the first morning of the mourning period for Empress Tongjia, Yin'e knelt for two full hours. At that time, he felt that his legs were going to be ruined and that he was about to die.
Compared to the Fourth Prince, he was nothing but a small fry, and his life was much easier. As the adopted son of Empress Tongjia, the Fourth Prince had to wear the heaviest mourning clothes during the mourning period. Not only did he kneel and weep for long periods every day, but he also had to keep vigil for Empress Tongjia every night.
After Empress Tongjia fell seriously ill, the Fourth Prince, who had already lost a lot of weight, suddenly learned about his true parentage. The mourning period was even more arduous, and he became extremely thin. He was not just skin and bones, but emaciated. His mourning clothes were so light on him that they seemed like a person could crawl inside.
The fourth prince was not the only one who suffered greatly during the mourning period. After the mourning period for Empress Tongjia ended, Yin'e, who had already lost some weight due to the summer heat, also lost a lot of weight.
The baby fat and soft skin on Yin'e's fair face had completely disappeared, and his features, which resembled those of the Imperial Concubine, were finally clearly revealed.
Yin'e has double eyelids, and his round almond-shaped eyes always look innocent when he looks at people. He has a small dimple on his right cheek, which is not visible when he smiles slightly, but only when he laughs heartily, showing his happiness and joy.
Yin'e did not resemble Emperor Kangxi much, and did not inherit his long face, light eyebrows and thin eyes.
He resembled the Imperial Concubine, both possessing elegant and handsome features, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. Although he was held back by Emperor Kangxi's genes, he would still grow up to be a handsome and sunny young man.
After the difficult month of July passed, the atmosphere in the imperial court and the inner palace remained gloomy, and did not improve even after the mourning period for Empress Tongjia ended.
Firstly, mourning for more than half a month during the hot summer is really exhausting. Everyone's health is damaged, and they urgently need a period of rest and recuperation.
Secondly, after the death of Empress Tongjia, who was both his wife and cousin, Emperor Kangxi was so grief-stricken that both the court and the harem wisely kept a low profile at this time, not daring to cause any trouble that might attract Kangxi's attention and provoke his wrath.
However, not everyone is smart enough to understand the situation. Hong Sheng, a student at the Imperial Academy, bumped into the Emperor Kangxi, who was in a bad mood, thus incurring his wrath and being severely punished.
After Empress Tongjia passed away, Hong Sheng, who wrote the play "The Palace of Eternal Life," gathered actors and performers at his private residence to perform "The Palace of Eternal Life."
Hong Sheng's actions violated taboos and were impeached by Huang Liuhong and others. At this time, it was the anniversary of the death of Empress Tongjia, and Emperor Kangxi was already deeply grieved. Hong Sheng's actions angered Emperor Kangxi, and he imprisoned Hong Sheng on charges of "great disrespect".
Not only was Hong Sheng himself punished, but the actors who performed the play at his private residence and his friends who watched "The Palace of Eternal Life" were also persecuted, either imprisoned or fined; no one escaped. Although Hong Sheng was later released from prison, he was stripped of his status as a student of the Imperial Academy, thus losing all his decades of academic achievements.
Hong Sheng used his own experience to tell everyone how formidable the current Kangxi Emperor was, and how much he resembled a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.
In the months following Empress Tongjia's death, both the imperial court and the inner palace maintained a consistent silence. No one dared to cause trouble at this time or try to discern whether Emperor Kangxi was in a good or bad mood.
The somber atmosphere in the palace persisted until the Banjin Festival in October. Only then did the tense atmosphere in the palace improve somewhat, becoming less severe than in the previous two months.
Yin'e had already turned six, and the Ninth Prince had long since turned six. They could no longer continue living in the Western Six Palaces; it was time for them to move to the Western Three Palaces.
As early as June, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince had already made an agreement with Emperor Kangxi: Yin'e would live in the Third Palace, the Ninth Prince in the Fourth Palace, and Yin'an would move into the Fifth Palace after he turned six.
Emperor Kangxi was in a bad mood, and Yin'e and the Ninth Prince dared not be too impulsive at this time. As agreed, they moved from the Western Six Palaces to the Western Three Palaces in a very low-key manner.
The Western Third Palace was located on the outer western road, very close to the Western Six Palaces. The journey for Yin'e and the Ninth Prince to move was not far, unlike the Fifth Prince's last move, which required walking a long way from Cining Palace and through the Imperial Garden to reach the Northern Fifth Palace, which corresponds to the Western Third Palace, also known as the Eastern Fifth Palace.
The moving distance wasn't far, but there was a lot of luggage to move to Xisansuo. It was a big project, not something that could be done simply or casually.
The Ninth Prince was alright; the amount of luggage he brought when he moved was moderate.
Although Consort Yi was thinking that the Ninth Prince would be establishing his own household in the Princes' Quarters, she secretly added a lot of wealth to his estate. However, Consort Yi also needed to leave enough money for Yinzhi to move out of Yikun Palace in two years, so she didn't add much to the Ninth Prince's estate, just more than half of her private savings—she still had two years to accumulate wealth for Yinzhi.
Yin'e was different. When he moved from Yongshou Palace to the West Third Palace, the procession was really big, even exaggerated.
He was the son of a concubine. Because Emperor Kangxi divided his sons into different ranks and treated them differently, Yin'e received a higher reward each time than the sons of the four concubines. Over the years, he accumulated a very substantial fortune.
In addition, Yin'e's excessive love for jewelry and gold and silver meant that every time he met Kangxi, he would try to cheat and deceive, flatter and fawn over him to get a few valuable treasures in his hands. This long-term persistence greatly enriched Yin'e's treasury.
The Ninth Prince moved to the Princes' Residence to establish his own household. Consort Yi secretly provided him with a lot of private items, and Consort Gui did the same, secretly providing Yin'e with many fine things.
The Imperial Concubine only has one child, Yin'e. Now that Yin'e is moving out of Yongshou Palace, the Imperial Concubine is eager to empty her entire storeroom so that Yin'e can take everything with him to the Prince's Residence. She is afraid that Yin'e will not be happy living there, and that he will lack this and that and live an uncomfortable life.
When he saw the packing list that the Imperial Concubine had prepared for him, Yin'e, although he liked the dazzling jewelry and gold and silver, did not want to empty the Imperial Concubine's private coffers. He awkwardly handed the list back to the Imperial Concubine: "Mother, you have emptied the treasury. I am just moving to the Prince's Residence and will still live in the palace. There is no need to be so extravagant."
The Imperial Concubine looked casual, seemingly unconcerned about the extensive list. She shook her head and handed the list over again: "You can accept it as long as the storeroom isn't emptied. These are all things you'll need after you move to the Prince's Residence. It won't be convenient for you to live there without them."
Yin'e was both amused and exasperated, not realizing he could possibly use every single item on the list. For instance, he had no use for the exquisitely crafted five-piece incense burner set; it would have been better to leave it in Yongshou Palace for the Consort to use in rotation, as it was, after all, a top-quality tribute.
Seeing the deep reluctance and sadness in the Consort's eyes, Yin'e was speechless for a moment and swallowed back all his words of refusal.
The thought of moving out of Yongshou Palace and separating from the Consort filled Yin'e with reluctance. He buried his head in the Consort's arms as he always had, whining and pleading, "Mother, after we move to the Prince's Residence, I will come back to see you often."
"You're just trying to coax me again." The Imperial Concubine sighed with a smile. She hugged Yin'e tightly and stroked his smooth forehead, which had been shaved since he was six years old. "The studies in the Imperial Study are demanding, and we're not allowed to ask for help often. Why did you come to Yongshou Palace to see me?"
Although she knew that Yin'e's words were impossible to fulfill, the Consort was still very happy. The fact that Yin'e thought of her and cared about her was enough to satisfy her. As for Yin'e's promise to frequently return to see her, she didn't insist; the princes, after entering school, were far busier than the concubines.
Nestled in the Consort's arms, Yin'e's thoughts wandered: If the Imperial Study doesn't allow leave, then he can just skip class!
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-03-31 21:40:28 and 2023-03-31 23:54:02!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Most Love Ice Cream 49 bottles; Tongtong 2 bottles; ·w· 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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