Chapter 165: The Nian Family's appearance and the departure of Yinzhen and Yinzhi did not...
The departure of Yinzhen and Yinzhi did not cause much stir in the capital. The Eighteenth Prince was now eight years old, and there were countless children of this age who suffered sudden illnesses, so it was not a cause for concern.
Qi Buchen, who did not have a thorough understanding of history, did not know how big a fuse this ordinary thing in people's eyes could become.
She handled her personal relationships and household affairs as usual, and sent people to the next door every day to ask if there was any news from Kangxi.
Mulan Paddock was not too far from the capital, and it would only take a few days to go back and forth, so she soon received the news that the Eighteenth Prince's condition was under control, and Kangxi also set out to return to the palace. Although the Eighteenth Prince's illness meant he could only travel twenty miles a day, he was still slowly approaching the capital.
But suddenly one day, the person Qi Buchen sent to inquire next door did not bring back any news. The next day, the atmosphere in the capital became a little weird. A few days later, martial law suddenly began in the capital. Although people were still allowed to go out on the streets, the number of guards patrolling the streets was obviously two or three times more than usual.
Qi Buchen felt uneasy and went to look for Baya next door. "What happened?"
Baya smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you asked me this out of the blue. I don't know what you're talking about."
Qi Buchen looked at her deeply, turned around and left, going directly to Yinqi's residence to ask Wu Fujin: "Did your master say anything to you?"
The Fifth Lady dismissed the servants and whispered, "Since the second day of the first lunar month, there has been no news from the Emperor, and none of the people sent over have returned."
Qi Buchen's heart trembled: "Thank you." This is a big deal.
He hurried back to the mansion and first sent someone to tell Honghui to stay in the palace on his days off and not run around. Then he disciplined the servants, closed the door to visitors, and even quietly instructed Jin Bao to strengthen the patrols and guards in the mansion.
Compared with the cautious and low-key Prince Yong's Mansion, the Eighth Prince's Mansion next door is much more lively.
Qi Buchen was certain that Yinsi and Baya must have known more specific information, which allowed them to act so recklessly. Could it be that...
She didn't need to guess too much, but five or six days later, Emperor Kangxi entered the capital. Qi Buchen waited and waited in the mansion, but Yinzhen did not come back.
Jin Bao asked whether to send someone out to find out the news, but Qi Buchen flatly refused.
At times like this, it is better to be still than to move.
But this wait lasted for four days. Just when Qi Buchen couldn't help but want to send someone to inquire about the news, an imperial edict was announced to the world.
Crown Prince Yinreng was deposed.
The world was in an uproar, and people were discussing the crimes committed by Yinreng as recorded in the imperial edict.
Qi Buchen didn't care about these things. She just wanted to know where Yinzhen was and why he didn't come back.
Now that the big thing has been decided, she finally dared to send someone out to inquire about the details.
Before the servants could bring back any useful information, Yinzhen finally appeared.
When Qi Buchen arrived, Yinzhen was already changing his clothes. He dismissed the servants, hugged Qi Buchen, and patted his back to comfort him: "Are you not scared?"
Qi Buchen hugged him tightly: "No, I'm just worried about you, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm doing fine." Yinzhen let go of her and turned around for her to see.
Qi Buchen looked at his body again and saw that there were no scars on it. Only then did he feel relieved: "What happened? When did you return to Beijing?"
"I came back with the Emperor. I had some business to attend to elsewhere these days." Yinzhen pulled her to sit down and spoke slowly, "I rushed over with my men and stabilized Eighteen's condition. Only then did I realize that the atmosphere in the imperial entourage was not right. Later, Eighteen's condition relapsed, and many other things happened..."
He briefly recounted some of the circumstances: "On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Eighteenth became critically ill again, and all my brothers went to visit him. Only Second Brother and the Emperor were away. Shortly thereafter, the Emperor summoned everyone and announced that he would depose Second Brother. From that day on, Second Brother was detained, and only the eldest brother, who was in charge of his care, was allowed to see him. Thirteenth, for some unknown reason, had angered the Emperor, and he was also placed under guard. I went to plead for mercy, but the Emperor would not see me."
"On our way back to the capital that day, the Emperor gave orders, halfway through, for my eldest brother and I to take my second brother to the Shangsi Courtyard for custody. I've been there for the past few days, and only today, when the imperial edict was issued, was I able to leave the palace."
He said it simply in a few words, but Qi Buchen could read the thrilling feeling at that time from his straightforward tone, and his heart trembled.
"Then you..." Qi Buchen hesitated, "...will you still go later?"
Yinzhen squeezed her hand to comfort her: "Yes."
Qi Buchen squeezed his hand tightly, weighing for a long time without knowing what to say, and stood up and said, "I'll go prepare something for you."
"Don't worry." Yinzhen said in a deep voice, "Come with me to Thirteen's residence first. Thirteen is also in the Shangsi Courtyard now. Go and tell Thirteen's wife and pack some clothes for him."
At Thirteen's residence, even though Qi Buchen's words were quite tactful, Zhao Jia still burst into tears and even knelt down before Qi Buchen in the courtroom: "Please ask Fourth Sister-in-law to speak for Fourth Brother and save my master."
"What are you doing? Get up quickly." Qi Buchen pulled him up. "Don't worry, my master will definitely not ignore Thirteenth Brother. But you should also know the important things happening now. The emperor is furious. Now is not the right time to intercede. For now, we have to wait."
"I know, I know." Zhao Jia cried, "I'm not trying to force Fourth Brother and Sister-in-law, but I just ask that you don't give up on my master."
"No." Qi Buchen could only find other things to distract her. "My master won't stay long. Go and pack some things for Thirteen. My master will take them in with him."
"Okay, okay, I'll pack it up right away." Zhao Jia's staggering back as she left made people feel very sad.
After returning from the Thirteenth Mansion, Yinzhen had a good sleep and got up early in the morning to prepare to enter the palace.
"Don't be afraid." Yinzhen held her and clapped his hands. "Be good at home. I'll come back when I have time."
"Yeah." Qi Buchen agreed gently, ordered the servants to prepare things, and called the triplets to send their father off.
Yinzhen warned the triplets, "Father has something to do outside, so he might not be able to come back often these days. You three are adults now. You must take on your responsibilities and protect your mother, understand?"
The triplets puffed out their chests, their faces showing the pride of having grown up with their parents' approval. "Don't worry, Dad, we will protect Mom."
Yinzhen looked at Qi Buchen again: "Wait for me to come back."
Turn around and leave without any reluctance.
After Yinzhen left, Qi Buchen continued to implement the policies before he returned and kept a low profile at home.
At the same time, the matter of deposing the crown prince became more and more serious. Kangxi issued an edict almost every day. Deposing the crown prince was a state affair and could not be resolved with just one edict. Sacrifices had to be made to heaven and earth, the Taimiao, and the country. In addition, the crown prince's remaining followers had to be purged.
While the outside world was in chaos, Qi Buchen was surprised to find that the house next door, Yinsi's, was becoming more and more lively.
This is not right. Even if the crown prince fell, if everyone wanted to make things lively, they should have rushed to Yinzhi's mansion. But the servants said that Yinzhi's mansion was not as lively as Yinsi's mansion.
When Qi Buchen was puzzled, Yinzhen returned and gave her the answer: "I also just found out. When my eldest brother was detained, he petitioned the emperor to personally execute my second brother. A few days ago, the emperor scolded him in front of everyone for not knowing the righteousness between the monarch and his subjects, and for not remembering the father-son relationship. He made it clear that my eldest brother was not fit to be the crown prince."
Qi Buchen understood and didn't understand: "What about next door?"
Yinzhen said disdainfully, "Big brother is a fool. Having lost all hope, he decided to support the Eighth Brother. He even submitted a memorial saying that someone had read Yinsi's fortune and said he would be a noble in the future. Now Mingzhu and her group are all trying to flatter the Eighth Brother."
"Just watch, the more they act like this, the angrier the Emperor gets."
As the prophecy came true, just when the news of the Eight Wise Kings' return to heaven was spreading, Emperor Kangxi issued an imperial decree, ordering the Ministry of Justice to arrest Zhang Mingde and others and thoroughly investigate the face-reading case.
A few days later, Kangxi issued a series of edicts to reprimand Yinzhi and Yinsi, scolding Yinzhi for his impetuous, foolish and stubborn character and being a traitor to the country, and scolding Yinsi for seeking fame and harboring lofty ambitions.
For this, Yinqi and Yinzhi pleaded for mercy to Yinsi in person. Yinzhi even said that he was willing to guarantee that Yinsi had no such intention. Kangxi was furious and wanted to execute Yinzhi in court. It was only when Yinqi hugged his legs and begged for mercy that Kangxi gave up.
Within two days, Zhang Mingde and others confessed that they had spoken nonsense for money. However, although they said that Yinsi had a noble appearance that day, they only referred to his long life and good fortune, and had no other meaning.
Not long after that, Kangxi stripped Yinsi of his title of Beile for spreading rumors that misled the people.
The above is the news that Qi Buchen heard from Yinzhen, who returned home after many days. In fact, a lot of news has been spread, but when it comes from Yinzhen, it always feels more true.
At that time, Qi Buchen asked Yinzhen hesitantly: "The emperor wanted to execute Fourteenth Prince, why didn't you beg for mercy?" She remembered this, which was later regarded by many people as evidence of Yinzhen's meanness and ingratitude.
Yinzhen sneered, "Why should I beg for favors? He has great ambitions and doesn't need a brother like me to be sentimental." He then cursed, "Who doesn't know what he's thinking? Isn't the ninth brother closer to Yinsi than he is? The ninth brother hasn't even patted his chest to guarantee it, so how can he jump out?!"
Qi Buchen sighed, understanding Yinzhen's resentment, which was probably similar to Yinqi's resentment towards Yin'er. However, if Concubine De knew about this, she would probably still resent Yinzhen.
"So, is your brother still with you now?" Qi Buchen asked.
Yinzhen pinched his eyebrows and said, "Yes."
Qi Buchen hesitated to speak. Although she did not remember the exact time, she remembered that not long after the crown prince was deposed, Yinzhen was also imprisoned because he was haunting the crown prince.
But there was no way to talk about this matter, so she could only say: "Be careful what you do, don't make the emperor angry."
This advice was in vain, as Yinzhen was more cautious and open-minded than anyone else.
At the end of October, news suddenly spread in the palace that Kangxi was ill. This kind of news was rare. It was not that Kangxi rarely fell ill, but even if he was ill, the news was kept secret and never leaked.
There must be a reason why it was spread so openly this time.
Sure enough, the next day Yinzhen returned and said, "My third brother has reported my eldest brother, saying that he has bewitched the crown prince and cursed his younger brother to death. The emperor has verified it. He then met with my second brother and ordered him to rest in Xian'an Palace. I don't have to guard him anymore."
Qi Buchen didn't expect this to happen so quickly. It had only been a month since the crown prince was deposed. "Then my eldest brother and my thirteenth brother..."
Yinzhen frowned. "Big brother, the Emperor hasn't said what to do with him yet. He's just been ordered to keep him under strict observation. Thirteenth brother..." he sighed. "The Emperor hasn't said to release him yet. He can only stay in the Shangsi Courtyard. You tell Thirteenth Lady, I'll find a chance to plead for him."
Although he no longer had to guard Shangsiyuan, Kangxi was ill, and as a son, Yinzhen could not wait at home, so he went to the palace to attend to him the next day.
He thought Kangxi would not see him, but not only did he see him, he also ordered him, Yinzhi and Yinsi to check the medicine.
Yinzhen was awed. Under such circumstances, the Emperor gave the medicine to the three of them. What was he trying to do? Who was he trying to test?
Yinzhen was even more cautious about this. He would personally monitor every medicine and every step. After the medicine was boiled, he would drink it first and wait for two quarters of an hour before personally serving the medicine.
Just as November began, the punishment for Yinzhen was announced. He was stripped of his title of Prince and imprisoned in his mansion. Half of the resources of the Bordered Blue Banner that he had been allocated were given to Yinzhen and the other half to Hongyu.
After the incident of Yinreng, Kangxi continued to recuperate, and he was not at peace even during his illness. He summoned ministers from time to time to tell them about Yinreng's recent changes, that he had gradually gotten rid of the nightmare, and how he regretted his past actions.
But when the ministers below tried to figure out his intentions and submitted a memorial to request the reinstatement of the crown prince, he simply dismissed the minister from his post, gave him forty lashes with the cane, and banished him back to his hometown.
This wave of operations directly explains what it means to be as unpredictable as an emperor's heart and as unfathomable as a needle in the sea.
This was not the end. Less than half a month later, Kangxi summoned all the ministers and said that the crown prince was the cornerstone of the country and was of great importance, so he ordered the ministers to discuss the succession.
In the following days, ministers submitted memorials one after another, but all of them were kept by Kangxi and not sent out, and no one knew the results.
At the end of November, Kangxi restored Yinsi's title of Beile for his meritorious service in tending to his illness.
During this period, Yinzhen had been taking care of the sick in the palace. He tried several times to plead for Yinxiang, but was scolded back by Kangxi as soon as he opened his mouth for a few words.
While sympathizing with Yinxiang, Qi Buchen couldn't help but ask Yinzhen who he recommended as the crown prince in his memorial.
Yinzhen hugged her: "Guess."
Qi Buchen said the historical answer: "Second brother?"
"No reward." Yinzhen touched her head, and then, not knowing whether to ask himself or her, "Then guess again, who was recommended the most this time?"
Yinsi, Qi Buchen spoke the answer of history in his heart.
Yinzhen sneered, "I guess it's the Eighth."
Qi Buchen suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Yinzhen laughed: "Don't believe it?" He put away his smile and said three names with a slightly cold expression, "Alinga, Orondai, Nalan Kuixu."
"They thought they were being very cautious, but they didn't realize that if they didn't want others to know, they had better not do it themselves. Now, those little tricks of theirs are probably on the emperor's desk."
Qi Buchen’s eyes widened even more. How did you know?
Yinzhen's face-reading skills were fully utilized tonight. He pinched her cheek and whispered, "You don't think it was me who reported their collusion to the Emperor?"
Isn't it? Qi Buchen's eyes were round.
"I'm not interested in getting covered in mud." Yinzhen laughed. "Besides, someone else is already impatient, so it's not my turn yet."
His sarcastic tone has recently been directed at only one person, the Fourteenth Prince, Yinzhen.
So, Yinzhen has already started to stab Yinsi in the back?
Qi Buchen seemed to be thinking about something, then asked curiously, "I remember you said earlier that Longkodo, Alinga, and Nalan Kuixu were close. Why is it that Longkodo is not here this time, but Orondai is here instead?"
Yinzhen's eyes were deep: "Tong Guowei is that old fox. Longkodo is his most valued son. Orondai? Tong Guogang is long gone."
Although Longkodo suffered setbacks in his early years because of the Li Si'er incident, it was ultimately just the unrest in the harem. He still had some abilities and skills. With the help of his biological father Tong Guowei, he, like Alinga, gradually returned to the court and was reused by Kangxi.
So this means that they are not optimistic about Yinsi, but just in case, they still send a less important person to cook the stove? Qi Buchen could only sigh. It turns out that you have to rely on your father wherever you go.
Yinzhen has been able to predict things recently. Not long after he said this, Kangxi issued an edict, saying that the matter of the crown prince is of great importance, and you should discuss it carefully and think it through thoroughly. The eighth prince Yinsi is treacherous by nature and has never done anything wrong. Moreover, his mother's family is not only humble, but she has also been convicted recently, so you can't worry about him.
Although the result of the ministers' discussion on the succession was not directly announced, it is not difficult to see what the result was from the fact that this edict only mentioned Yinsi.
Although Kangxi was only a step away from saying that Yinsi could not become the crown prince, the former eldest prince's party and now the eighth prince's party were obviously not going to give up. They continued to campaign, and Yinsi's reputation as a "virtuous" person in the outside world did not seem to be affected at all by the imperial edict.
Yinzhen adhered to the principle of observing from a distance and devoted himself to taking care of the emperor. Even when Kangxi occasionally summoned him to ask some ambiguous questions, he would directly bring up Yinreng, then first say a lot of good things about Yinreng, and then tentatively plead for Yinxiang.
Kangxi did not scold him, but he still turned a deaf ear to Yinxiang's affairs, as if he had not remembered that he had such a son.
Amidst the clamor, the 47th year of the Kangxi reign came to an end.
In the first month of the 48th year, Kangxi followed the custom and ordered the Empress Dowager to live in Changchun Garden on the third day of the first month. The princes and ministers went to stay with her.
Yinzhen was no exception. Qi Buchen originally wanted to take the children and stay in the mansion, but Yinzhen said, "There's no need. You'll feel more at ease with me." So the whole family went together.
But even after living in the Old Summer Palace, they couldn't see Yinzhen often. Kangxi was still ill, and his sons still had to stay with him to take care of him.
However, messaging is much more convenient.
On the day before the Lantern Festival, Emperor Kangxi suddenly summoned all his ministers to Changchun Garden and questioned them about who had proposed the appointment of Yinsi during the previous year's succession debate. The ministers were terrified and dared not speak. Finally, Emperor Kangxi called on Zhang Yushu to answer. Zhang Yushu mentioned Ma Qi's name, and Emperor Kangxi immediately reprimanded him. The next day, he listed Ma Qi's crimes, dismissed him from his post, and imprisoned him.
A few days later, Kangxi seemed to be getting angrier and angrier. He issued another decree, reprimanding all the ministers. In the middle of the decree, he scolded Yinsi, saying that he was a criminal in prison and his mother was from a low family. He wondered what the ministers meant by recommending him.
However, some people noticed that amidst the large amount of criticism, there were a few sentences praising Yinreng's filial piety and taking care of the sick. Although he appeared together with the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince and others, the appearance of this name already represented a lot.
So a wise man submitted another memorial, requesting the reinstatement of the crown prince.
This time, Kangxi did not dismiss anyone from his post. Instead, he issued an edict to praise Yinreng and attributed all the crimes committed when the crown prince was deposed to Yinzhen.
This attitude was almost short of a direct statement, so many ministers began to follow suit and submit memorials requesting the reinstatement of the crown prince.
After hesitating for a few times, Kangxi finally sent out a clear signal and ordered his ministers to check the ancient books for the ritual of restoration.
Before the spring examination, the prince was finally reinstated.
At the palace examination a few days later, Kangxi asked the question: A gentleman embodies benevolence, which cannot be said to be without good intentions.
The Eighth Prince's faction, which had been as powerful as thunder in the past few months, disappeared.
Yinsi and Baya even took advantage of the death of Prince An's concubine a month ago to close the door to visitors.
One day after the prince was reinstated, Yinxiang was taken out of the palace by Yinzhen and sent back to his house.
Although the outside world seemed to be calm, Yinzhen did not look relaxed.
Qi Buchen was a little puzzled. She knew that the crown prince would be deposed, but Yinzhen probably didn't know that. Why did his expression become even more solemn than when the crown prince was deposed?
Thinking of this, she asked directly.
Yinzhen only said four words: "The wall has collapsed."
Qi Buchen thought for a long time before he roughly understood what he meant. It should be said that in the past, the identity of the crown prince sat in the palace and no one could touch it. This time it was abolished and restored. It seemed that nothing had changed, but in fact the wall outside the palace had collapsed. As long as one had the courage to cross the collapsed wall, the person sitting on it could be pulled down and replaced by someone else.
Who could resist such temptation? And with so many wolves around him, how long could Yinreng, having lost Kangxi's trust and already treading on thin ice, hold on to this position?
The prince was deposed again, which was actually already destined.
The court is destined not to calm down just because the crown prince is reinstated, and the ensuing war will only become more bloody.
But most ordinary people can't notice it.
Qi Buchen couldn't help but sigh that children born into the royal family seemed to have a natural political sense far superior to others. If she didn't have the historical knowledge to support her, it would be impossible for her to figure out the reason behind it in a short period of time. However, Yinzhen noticed it as soon as the prince was reinstated.
And it is impossible for him not to have thought of what Kangxi and Yinzhen had thought of, but he seemed to be indifferent to it and even wanted to give it a push?
It’s no wonder Qi Buchen thought this way, Kangxi’s actions were just too bold.
The crown prince had just been reinstated, and it should have been time to give him time to recover, but he chose to confer titles on his sons at this time.
Yinzhi, Yinzhen and Yinqi were promoted to princes, Yinyou and Yin'e were promoted to county princes, and Yin'er, Yinzhen and Yinzhi were conferred the title of Beizi.
Not only did he promote his sons, he also went a step further and enfeoffed his sons into the Eight Banners, with each of them receiving a large number of assistant commanders.
These are not just empty titles, these are real rights. The able-bodied men under these captains are an important source of soldiers for the Eight Banners Army.
This division of fiefdoms would be a blow to the crown prince, but it would probably not require the crown prince to be deposed.
Why was the crown prince hostile to Yinzhi, and why did Yinzhi dare to covet the position of crown prince? This is not unrelated to the fact that Yinzhi was conferred into the Bordered Blue Banner at an early age. Even most of his influence in the army came from this.
With this precedent as a lesson, what would Yinreng think when faced with eight new "Yinzhen" at the beginning of the restoration?
Qi Buchen felt that it was no wonder that Yinreng and Kangxi were alienated. Which prince could tolerate this? If it were her, she might have rebelled long ago.
Although he felt that Kangxi was ill, he had to smile and thank him, and then hosted a banquet to celebrate Yinzhen's promotion to prince.
On the day of the banquet, almost every family of the newly assigned White Banner subordinates to Yinzhen had guests, and the huge Prince Yong's Mansion was almost unable to accommodate them.
Qi Buchen's face froze with smile, but even in this situation, she noticed a surname.
"I'm here to pay my respects to the Fourth Lady. I'm surnamed Su. My father-in-law was the governor of Huguang, and my husband is a cabinet scholar." The woman who spoke didn't look very old, only about twenty years old.
Qi Buchen's expression changed slightly, and he asked inconspicuously, "Do you know the name of your husband's family?"
It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to ask this. Nian Su knew there would be many people here today, many with the surname Nian, so she smiled and said, "My father-in-law's name is Xia Ling, and my husband's surname is Nian Geng Yao, also known as Liang Gong."
It’s you!
Qi Buchen was shocked, but smiled as usual, "So it's Lord Nian. I heard the prince mention him, saying that Lord Nian is quite talented."
In fact, Yinzhen never said it at all, otherwise Qi Buchen would not have heard about Concubine Nian for the first time today.
"Mrs. Nian, are you here alone today?" Qi Buchen greeted calmly.
"Yes, my sister-in-law is ill and cannot come to congratulate you. Please forgive me, Princess." Nian Su was unaware of this and was even happy that Qi Buchen said these two words to her. She was a second wife, young, and had no children. She had no say in the Nian family. If she could be valued by the wife of Prince Yong today, she would have some support in the Nian family.
Qi Buchen smiled and said, "It's okay, Madam Nian, don't worry about it." Not being able to see the person she wanted to see, she lost interest in dealing with it. "I'm busy right now, Madam Nian, please take a seat at the table first. When I'm free in the future, I'll invite Madam Nian to come over and get close to me."
This was just polite talk, but Nian Su seemed to take it seriously and said happily, "Okay, if the princess invites you, I will come."
After saying this, he happily followed the servant to the banquet.
Lan Hui took the opportunity to serve her tea and asked curiously, "Is there anything special about the Nian family?" The concubine had been busy entertaining guests for half a day, but she only said a few words and sent them away, unlike Nian Su who did not exchange pleasantries.
Qi Buchen paused while holding the tea and said with a smile, "Nothing special, but this lady is so cute and lovely."
So what if you are Concubine Nian? In this life, as long as I am here, you are destined to have no chance with Yinzhen.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: 10,000 yuan a day, I’m shamelessly asking for a wave as a reward, thank you all my little cuties!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
