On Emperor Kangxi's side, he had the imperial physician examine the crown prince's pulse and learned that the prince's condition was indeed not optimistic.
The imperial physician said that the Crown Prince had taken strong medicine for a cold, which damaged his health. He would need to recuperate for several years. During these years, he should avoid strenuous activity, pay attention to his diet, and most importantly, refrain from sexual activity.
When Kangxi learned of this, he was not in good spirits. The Crown Prince was the heir apparent, and his poor health was not good news for Kangxi.
The crown prince had done many things that disappointed him, but at this critical juncture, Kangxi could not bring himself to depose the crown prince.
Emperor Kangxi was troubled for a while because of the Crown Prince's situation, and all his three thousand concubines in the harem seemed indifferent. After thinking for a while, Kangxi decided that no matter what, he should let the Crown Prince be raised first. What else could he do?
Although the news of the Crown Prince's illness was not widely publicized under Emperor Kangxi's control, those with good connections knew about it.
The Crown Prince was ill and weak. If anyone was the happiest, it would definitely be the eldest prince. Because of this, he even had a hangover, missed court, and was severely reprimanded by Emperor Kangxi.
Yinzhen never expected that the Crown Prince would suddenly become ill from a cold.
He wasn't without doubts about its authenticity, but all indications suggested that the Crown Prince was indeed ill and frail, and this couldn't be faked.
In Yinzhen's view, this was not a bad thing for the Crown Prince. Yinzhen could somewhat sense Kangxi's attitude towards the Crown Prince. The fact that the Crown Prince was made to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors in Jiangnan showed that Kangxi was running out of patience with the Crown Prince.
If the Crown Prince can remain calm and focus on recuperating during this illness, he might have a chance to recover. However, the Crown Prince might not be able to remain calm, as Emperor Kangxi is almost fifty years old.
It was once thought that emperors rarely lived long lives, so why shouldn't the crown prince be afraid?
If an unexpected accident were to befall Emperor Kangxi, given the Crown Prince's frail health, Kangxi would certainly not feel comfortable entrusting the heavy responsibility of the nation to him before his death.
The crown prince was impatient; he had no ability to foresee the future and was truly afraid.
So the recovery from this illness hasn't been very peaceful.
Emperor Kangxi initially felt great affection for the Crown Prince because of his illness, but seeing that the Crown Prince was restless even while recuperating, he became increasingly impatient with him.
After all, in Kangxi's eyes, he had done everything he could for the Crown Prince.
Seeing his antics, the Crown Prince let him be. With so many important matters to attend to in the court, how could he have the time to concern himself with the Crown Prince's trivial matters every day?
In the imperial court, after the eldest prince was reprimanded, the third prince was also reprimanded by Emperor Kangxi on some pretext.
The two troublemakers quieted down, and the entire court became much more peaceful.
Yinzhen diligently performed his duties and lived his life in a down-to-earth manner. In his spare time, he would play with his wife and son, and his life was very leisurely and carefree.
The Eighth Prince originally cared a lot about Yinzhen, and since their residences were next to each other, he thought that if someone had the ability to rise to a high position, they would not give up such an opportunity. However, after careful observation, he found that Yinzhen's actions did not show any ambition.
He was very capable, but his interactions with court officials were always proper and polite, and he never took any further steps to get closer to them.
He has even offended quite a few people.
The Eighth Prince knew that to compete for the throne, he would have to win people over and gain the support of the court officials, but Yinzhen's appearance showed no intention of doing so.
Furthermore, he was a man of his word. Working in the Ministry of Justice, there were many things that required him to turn a blind eye to, but he always followed the law. Many spoiled sons of powerful families suffered at his hands.
I indirectly offended quite a few people.
However, no one in the court impeached him, and he almost never made a mistake.
The only noteworthy thing is that there seems to be quite a lot of business.
This person doesn't seem like someone who aspires to a high position at all.
This made the Eighth Prince suspect that he was overthinking things, but he always felt that something was wrong, yet he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Yinzhen noticed the Eighth Prince's prying intent and admired his keen insight.
How can I let him notice if something is wrong?
Not long after, the New Year arrived. After the New Year, Kangxi ordered the establishment of a navy. This was no small matter. A navy is also an army, and it cannot be built just like that. Therefore, the court was divided into two factions: one advocated building it and the other advocated not building it.
Those who advocate against building it say it's a waste of manpower and resources.
Emperor Kangxi inquired about the Ministry of Revenue's finances and found that the national treasury was well-stocked. Using this as a reason, he rejected the proposal. However, with his insistence, the preparation for the establishment of the navy was officially put into action.
But who would train the navy was also a problem. After much debate, the tenth prince, the twelfth prince, the thirteenth prince, and the fourteenth prince were chosen.
There was one more prince than Yinzhen had initially said: the twelfth prince.
Yinzhen didn't have any particular thoughts. Of course, if you asked Yinzhen, the Twelfth Prince's personality was more suited to working in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works.
However, it's not impossible to go to Guangzhou to help out, but it would mostly involve doing logistical work.
The Tenth Prince and others were quite pleased with this.
The tenth prince, the thirteenth prince, and the fourteenth prince were very interested in swordsmanship and spear fighting. They all hoped to enter the Ministry of War and make a name for themselves in the future. However, the Ministry of War was headed by the eldest prince, who had been deeply rooted there for many years. He could not possibly relinquish his power.
Therefore, training the navy in Guangzhou is actually a good way out.
The navy is also an army, and Kangxi even said that the navy would not be under the Ministry of War for the time being, but would be directly responsible to him.
This made several people extremely happy.
The Ninth Prince was more perceptive in this regard. He was clever and knew a bit about everything in business. Moreover, he had a keen eye and vaguely knew something. So he went to Yinzhen's residence and asked him, "Fourth Brother, was the naval matter your idea?"
Yinzhen didn't expect him to ask that.
Kangxi did not mention Yinzhen's involvement in the establishment of the navy.
Why would you ask that?
The Ninth Prince said, "It feels like something the Fourth Prince would do."
Since he had already asked, Yinzhen didn't hide anything and nodded, saying, "It was indeed my suggestion to Father Emperor."
The Ninth Prince said, "I knew it. So, the Tenth Prince and the others were also suggested by the Fourth Brother?"
Yinzhen said, "No, twelfth brother. I thought twelfth brother was a member of the Ministry of Rites. I didn't expect Father to send twelfth brother along. However, twelfth brother is cautious and reliable, so he is good at handling logistics."
The Ninth Prince smiled and said, "I thank the Fourth Brother on behalf of the Tenth Brother."
Yinzhen laughed and said, "Why thank me? He's the right person. I just suggested it. It's good to do something you like."
Ninth Prince: "Fourth Brother, you don't know, when Tenth Brother got this news, he was so excited that he couldn't stop laughing. He used to be all smiles, but now he's almost going crazy with joy."
Yinzhen's lips twitched: "Then you'll have to keep an eye on him and make sure he takes it easy."
The Ninth Prince agreed, "Okay."
Finally, Yinzhen added, "Don't tell the Tenth Prince and the others about this, especially the Tenth Prince. He can't keep secrets, and I don't want to cause trouble."
The First Prince was furious because the establishment of the navy was not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War! He didn't want to provoke the First Prince.
The Ninth Prince readily agreed: "Of course, Fourth Brother, don't you believe me?"
Yinzhen smiled; it was indeed difficult for him to believe the words of a businessman.
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