The eldest prince, Yinti, was completely jolted awake by the scalding water. His lips trembled uncontrollably, and he collapsed to the spot. He didn't even know when he would return; he only remembered his father's words, "I do not wish to make Yinti the crown prince..."
With the First Prince's faction suppressed by Kangxi, the court became much quieter. Other princes, even if they wanted to, dared not expose themselves under their father's methods, and could only secretly win over officials and develop their power.
Yinzhen also deeply understood the advantages of a slow and calculating approach to development. He understood his father's thoughts and also considered the remaining grown brothers. He had never taken the Crown Prince and his eldest brother seriously from the beginning. His eldest brother might be good as a general, but he lacked the talent to be an emperor. The Crown Prince was ruthless and heartless, and without his mother's guidance, his father would definitely become more and more disappointed and suspicious over time. And that's exactly what happened. The remaining princes were either too weak or had obvious flaws. Yinzhen understood that as long as he could hold on, he would be the ultimate winner.
The turbulent times, coupled with Yinzhen's exclusive favor towards his wife and his refusal to take concubines, did indeed dispel some of the princes' suspicions and reassured everyone that Yinzhen only wanted to be a carefree prince, including Emperor Kangxi. Therefore, he was happy to entrust important matters, whether from the Ministry of Revenue or other more difficult and important issues, to his fourth son.
In the months since, Kangxi had just quelled Yinti's ambitions to become emperor, and the Eighth Prince's faction was gradually gaining momentum. What angered Kangxi even more was that the persistent Yinti had begun supporting Yinsi again. This time, he showed no mercy, directly deposing the Eighth Prince and imprisoning the First Prince, Yinti. This completely suppressed the fervor surrounding the selection of a crown prince.
Yinzhen never openly revealed his ambitions, only occasionally taking all his children to the palace to visit his mother and the Empress Dowager. His children were practically the most favored figures in the palace, beautiful and beloved by both Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager. It must be said that the royal family was somewhat superficial; the rule of holding sons but not grandsons in the palace had long been broken by Kangxi, especially the fairy-like Yilejia, whom he held the most. The rewards given to little Yilejia had already filled her treasury, prompting Rouyin to expand the treasury separately for the children. If Yilejia's appeal to Kangxi was purely based on her looks, then Hongyi's resemblance to him and his abilities brought him great satisfaction. Later, Kangxi learned from his sons that the quadruplets and Honghui were all born with superhuman strength. Excited, he took the children to the archery range to test their abilities. Seeing their extraordinary abilities, he exclaimed several times, "Heaven blesses my Great Qing! Heaven blesses my Great Qing!"
As soon as this happened, Emperor Kangxi immediately spread the word, and the people believed it wholeheartedly, thinking that the Qing Dynasty was truly protected by a heavenly dragon, otherwise how could such divine power appear among the current emperor's offspring?
Popular praise made Emperor Kangxi even more fond of Yinzhen because of the children. This led Yinzhen to complain to Rouyin upon returning home, lamenting that the children were his own, yet the credit was given to his father. "Could this be considered winning by relying on the children?" he thought. Yinzhen teased his wife, raising an eyebrow, which earned him a glare from Rouyin. "You really don't know how lucky you are!" she thought. She gave him a coquettish glare, but to Yinzhen, that glare was incredibly alluring. He unconsciously swallowed, his voice hoarse, "Yin'er, a moment of spring is worth a thousand pieces of gold..." Before he could finish, he pounced on Rouyin. Before she could dodge, Yinzhen bit her cheek a few times. Inside the gauze curtains, her soft breaths mingled with a few low, husky sounds, causing the maids waiting outside to blush deeply. The prince and his wife were truly too affectionate...
In recent years, things have become much quieter both inside and outside the palace.
Rouyin now goes wherever there's excitement, and conveniently, she doesn't have to take care of her children. The children have all grown up and been left in the palace to study, so Rouyin spends her free time playing with the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Prince's wives. Yes, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes are now married, and although their families aren't particularly powerful, they're quite content. They live a happy life, and have even followed their Fourth Brother's example, exclusively favoring their wives and never entering the concubines' quarters until they have a legitimate son.
Therefore, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes poured all their gratitude for Prince Yong into the Fourth Prince's wife. They never considered the truth of the rumor that they would fall in love with the Fourth Prince upon meeting her. They thought the rumor was too outrageous. They had also heard that the Fourth Prince was as beautiful as a fairy, but they couldn't imagine how beautiful she could be. However, when they met for the first time, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes' eyes were practically glued to Rouyin. "Holy crap, what good fortune the Fourth Prince has to marry a fairy!" They had to invite Rouyin to every banquet. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes couldn't compare to Rouyin's invitations. Every time they saw Rouyin, they dressed up more elaborately than when they saw the princes.
This time, the Thirteenth Prince's wife invited Rouyin to see the peach blossoms in full bloom, citing the blossoms in the manor as the reason. Rouyin thought about it and agreed to the invitation. Upon hearing the news, the Fourteenth Prince's wife immediately sent a visiting card, which made the Thirteenth Prince's wife roll her eyes at this little tagalong behind Rouyin's back several times. The Fourteenth Prince's wife glared back, not to be outdone, and occasionally took Rouyin's arm in a show of defiance. Rouyin was treated like a toy by the two little girls, who fought over her. She nodded helplessly at the two little girls' heads, "You are both married people, yet you are still so childish. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
The lively Fourteenth Princess, hands on her hips, exclaimed, "Let's see who dares! This intimacy with Fourth Sister-in-law is a blessing that others can only dream of! It's all thanks to my loveliness that I'm so lucky!"
These narcissistic words made even the more reserved Thirteenth Prince's wife laugh.
"You!" Rouyin chuckled as she sat down in the pavilion. Indeed, the courtyard was filled with peach trees, their pink blossoms blooming in clusters. A gentle breeze blew, and the blossoms drifted slowly in the air, some landing on Rouyin's head. The scenery was beautiful, and she was even more beautiful.
The two were so captivated by Rouyin's beauty that they couldn't tear themselves away. Rouyin, seeing their infatuated expressions, chuckled again. In the distance, the Thirteenth Prince, Yinxiang, dressed in white robes, stood dazedly in a corner. He didn't know why he was standing there. He dared not think too deeply about it and fled in a disheveled manner when Rouyin seemed to be looking at him.
Rouyin didn't miss that burning gaze. She remained silent, but simply stopped going to the Thirteenth Prince's residence. Yinzhen sensed something was amiss. His eyes darkened at this younger brother who had always respected him. He didn't say anything, but secretly gave Yinxiang a push over the matter of the flood in the south, and it would take at least a month for him to return.
Yinzhen kept the secret flow of the spring water from Rouyin. In his view, treasures would inevitably attract others to plunder them, especially since he possessed a priceless treasure. If anyone dared to reach out, he would cut off the sharp claws of any wild beast that extended them.
As Yinxiang walked up the cliff, he witnessed the suffering and cruelty of the flood victims. Even though he knew that his fourth brother had played a role in this dispatch, he couldn't bring himself to hate him. He had grown up in the magnificent royal family and had never seen such poverty and horror. What he saw most clearly was a family of four who had been swept away, leaving only an old man with white hair and withered body. The old man knelt in front of his carriage, trembling, begging him to save his family. Yinxiang could not help but be moved, nor could he remain unmoved.
During this flood, he realized that responsibility was more important than love, and from then on, Yinxiang worked even harder, even more so than the historical Yinzhen. Of course, that's a story for later.
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