Half a month later, the war was nearing its end when Emperor Kangxi unfortunately twisted his back while riding a horse and had to retreat from the front line.
"I am getting old after all!" His voice was low and trembling, which frightened Liang Jiugong so much that he wanted to lower his head to the dust. He didn't want to answer, nor dared to. When His Majesty needed to summon the Blood Droplets (the emperor's exclusive force), he consciously withdrew. The cold, biting east wind hit his face, stirring up gusts of wind, and he slowly exhaled.
"How is things in the palace?"
The commander of the Blood Droplets, dressed in all black, respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, after hearing about your incident, the Crown Prince made no move. However, Minister Longkodo has been increasingly recruiting officials in the court, and more and more people in the court are siding with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has no objections, and apart from the First Prince's faction, a few people have not taken sides."
Hearing this, Kangxi's chest heaved violently, and the muscles in his face trembled with anger. He suppressed his rage, "While I was away, Longkodo acted arrogantly and formed cliques for personal gain. How could I tolerate such a villain!" In truth, he was even more furious than Longkodo at the Crown Prince's inaction. He was injured, and not only did the Crown Prince do nothing, but he also condoned Longkodo's outrageous behavior! How could he allow another to snore beside his bed? The Crown Prince had overstepped his bounds!
The angrier Kangxi became, the calmer he became. "Send men to thoroughly investigate Longkodo's residence. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find out who he is!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Commander Wang disappeared without a trace, just as silently as he had arrived.
Upon receiving news of his father's injury at the Yongqin Prince's residence, Yinzhen pondered for a moment before saying to Su Peisheng, "Pack your bags and go to the border to visit your father immediately."
Su Peisheng asked in confusion, "Your Highness, aren't the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince all by His Majesty's side? Why go there again?"
"Father's injury is unusual. It's just a minor injury, yet the news is spreading like wildfire. There's something fishy going on. I must react!"
Su Peisheng said in a panic, "It was my stupidity that almost delayed your important business, Master!"
"Go and explain things to the Fujin first, I'm leaving now!" Yinzhen waved his hand, glanced reluctantly in the direction of the Fujin's East Courtyard, and headed straight for the stables. He planned to ride to the border overnight.
By the time Rouyin found out, Yinzhen had already been gone for a while. She glanced at the vibrant plum blossoms blooming amidst the swirling snow at the doorway. The weather had changed, Your Highness…
Now that only Princess Song and Princess Li remain in Prince Yong's residence, Rouyin has few worries. However, the increased number of children is causing her headaches. When the Prince was alive, she could leave her two older children with him, but now that he's gone, she has no choice but to take care of them herself.
Two older children were chattering away, teaching their four younger brothers to call them "brother" and "sister." The children were all talking in their own languages, none of them understanding each other, but they seemed to be having a great time. Rouyin watched the chubby babies with amusement, but just thinking about how the four of them would be when they could walk, she could already imagine the annoyance that would follow.
When she gave birth to her first child, the Empress Dowager and the other concubines actually wanted to visit the palace. However, she was pregnant with her second child, quadruplets, and the babies were too young for her to go to the palace. During this time, the children grew a bit older, but unfortunately, during this turbulent period, the Empress Dowager and the other concubines could not summon them. (She could no longer abandon her children!) No, she had to send her children to cling to their powerful figures.
When Kangxi returns in a while, he will probably depose the crown prince. She needs to prepare in advance and remind her family members to restrain their descendants so as not to implicate the family. Rouyin thought for a moment, "Liu Qing, bring paper and pen."
"Yes, Madam." Liu Qing knew that Madam was going to do something secretive, so apart from the confidants who were taking care of the children, everyone else withdrew.
Rouyin finished writing the letter with the juice of the phoenix tail flower, then traced it over with an ink brush. After confirming that it was correct, she handed it to Liu Qing.
"Remember to keep things quiet and don't make a fuss."
"Yes, Madam." Liu Qing responded calmly and then withdrew.
Rouyin didn't hide anything from the children throughout the entire process. Honghui and Yilejia were clever children, and they watched quietly as their mother finished everything. Yilejia whispered, "Mother, why did you use this ink that can't leave a mark to write on first?"
Honghui, who was also young, asked with a mixture of doubt and understanding, "Mother, is there a way to tell the difference between the characters written with that kind of juice?"
Rouyin patted the two children's heads. She had to admit that Honghui was already clever, and after taking the Enlightenment Pill, he was even smarter than his younger sister. She gently explained, "This juice is made from chopped and ground phoenix tail flowers. It can be seen by holding it in a fire. Mother will write with it first, and then write with regular ink to cover up any suspicions. Even if someone opens it, it will be difficult to know the contents. However, this is not foolproof. Honghui and Yilejia should know that anything that is produced will leave a trace, so don't listen to one side and believe one side. You should observe carefully."
Honghui and Yilejia nodded as if they understood. Rouyin looked at the two babies' innocent little faces and couldn't help but pinch their soft flesh, instantly waking them up. "Ah, Mother, you pinched me again!" Yilejia exclaimed angrily, putting her hands on her hips and leaving Rouyin with a pouty little princess facing away from her. Honghui stood to the side, staring at his mother with a mixture of indulgence and reproach. Seeing the two older babies' reactions, Rouyin couldn't help but chuckle and burst out laughing. This time, Wang Mama, Shiliu, and the others couldn't hold back either and laughed in unison.
Perhaps it was the infectious laughter, but several of the infant princes also chuckled, causing the previously annoyed Yilejia to bury her face in her mother's arms and say in a muffled voice, "Mother, my brothers are laughing at me too!"
Rouyin cupped Yilejia's round, adorable little face in her hands. "How could that be? My Yilejia is so cute and sensible, how could your little brothers laugh at you? When they grow up, how about you and your brother teach them to read and write together?" As she spoke, Rouyin took the hand of the composed Honghui. Honghui, who had initially been a little disappointed that his mother was only coaxing his little sister, immediately blushed and excitedly said, "Mother, when my little brothers grow up, I'll teach them to write and play together!"
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