When Yin Yi was granted the title of Prince Rui, he was still quite calm. However, after learning that many of his brothers had subsequently received similar honors, he and An Ning were both quite unsettled.
Both of them had a premonition that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the selection of a crown prince was a sure thing.
In the spring of the fifty-ninth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Kangxi first conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort on Anning, and then conferred the title of Crown Prince on Yinyi. Yinyi was not yet twenty-five years old that year.
At the same time, Kangxi began to vigorously promote new planting methods and improved rice varieties. He did this in action and also did a good job in publicizing his achievements. As soon as Yin Yi was established as the crown prince, his position was basically secure.
It can be said that as long as Yin Yi doesn't contemplate rebellion, his position as crown prince will be very secure.
The Fourth Prince resigned himself to his fate. There was nothing he could do unless Yin Yi suddenly died. He had no chance to murder the Crown Prince, but he couldn't, dared not, and was incapable of doing so.
There was no personal grudge between him and the Left and Right Princes. As for the struggle for the throne, their interactions were mostly positive, and they even admired each other.
Although the Fourth Prince was somewhat unwilling, he was still convinced.
As for the Fourteenth Prince, he was completely stunned when he received the news. He was still fighting on the front lines when the Crown Prince was decided. His position was so secure. How could he possibly compete for it?
Who could have imagined that the power struggle that began with the deposed crown prince and the eldest prince would ultimately end with Yin Yi emerging victorious? Keep in mind, Yin Yi wasn't even born when the two started their rivalry.
It can only be said that life is unpredictable. Unfortunately, Yin Yi's position as crown prince was very stable, and no one would be so foolish as to depose another crown prince. Kangxi would not easily depose another crown prince.
After Anning was conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort at Changchun Palace, Emperor Kangxi came over that very evening.
Anning is over forty years old, but time has been exceptionally kind to her. It is said that as time goes by, beauty fades, but Anning has become even more outstanding with age.
Emperor Kangxi: "So many years have passed, and my beloved concubine still looks the same. I have grown old."
Emperor Kangxi could not stay young forever. Although he had Empress Dowager Anning with him, she was not omnipotent, and the years left their mark on his face.
"Your Majesty is not old. In my eyes, Your Majesty is as majestic as ever."
"Is it because I haven't made you empress?"
An Ning shook her head and said with a smile, "I feel unworthy of the title of Imperial Noble Consort. Your Majesty, please don't make me feel so bad."
"Over the years, my beloved consort has always been humble. I know your character, so there is no need to be afraid. I originally wanted to make my beloved consort empress, but I am afraid. I have lost three empresses. I want my beloved consort to stay with me for a long time."
Emperor Kangxi felt that he was somewhat unlucky in his marriages, and he was afraid that bestowing the title of Empress would destroy his peace and tranquility, which he would then regret.
"Your Majesty, I, the Imperial Noble Consort, am extremely content!"
——
In Yikun Palace, Consort Yi couldn't sleep. Thinking about the scene of her bowing to Anning during the day, she woke up her trusted nanny.
"I thought this was how the harem would be for the rest of my life, but I never expected that a Noble Consort would suddenly appear and take away all the power I had held in the palace for half my life!"
Yes, because Anning became an Imperial Noble Consort, Kangxi gave her the Phoenix Seal and all the power in the palace.
Although the four consorts were reluctant to give up their power, she was the Crown Prince's birth mother, so no matter how reluctant they were, they had to give it up readily, and the handover went very smoothly.
"Your Majesty, you can look on the bright side. The Emperor is now over sixty, and the Crown Prince's position is secure, so Your Majesty can have less to worry about. In the past few years, when our Ninth Prince followed the Eighth Prince, you were quite worried about him during those years."
Now that the Crown Prince has been chosen, and Ninth Prince has a good relationship with him, especially in the last two years, the two families have had frequent interactions. Perhaps, in the future, the Empress will even be able to leave the palace and live with the two princes.
Consort Yi thought it made sense.
Having been in the palace for decades, Consort Yi must have longed for freedom. If she could leave the palace and live with her son in the future, that would be a good thing.
Moreover, she felt that this was very likely, because Kangxi's harem had too many people, and when Kangxi passed away, the harem might not be able to accommodate all the concubines.
That night, Consort Yi secretly harbored a rebellious idea: she hoped that Emperor Kangxi would die soon.
She's had enough of being in the palace all these years. As for her relationship with Kangxi?
She might have had some feelings for him when she was young, but Kangxi is old now, and the people serving him are all young girls. Consort Yi isn't stupid; how could she possibly place her affections on the emperor?
Yonghe Palace, where Consort De resides.
Compared to Consort Yi's relatively calm demeanor, Consort De appeared less composed. She had a significant conflict with Anning, and besides, the position of Empress Dowager was very likely to have been hers if Anning hadn't interfered.
Consort De favored her youngest son, the Fourteenth Prince. Although she did not understand that the Fourteenth Prince had no chance of succeeding to the throne, in her view, Kangxi's final choice was between the Fourth Prince, the Fourteenth Prince, and the Sixteenth Prince.
The Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince were both her sons, but it was Yin Yi who was chosen as the Crown Prince. The greater Consort De's hopes were before, the greater her disappointment is now.
That was the position of Empress Dowager, a position to which even the emperor had to show filial piety, the most honored woman in the land.
But the matter was already settled, and she couldn't even show her displeasure. Moreover, the thought of having to pay her respects to Anning in the future made her hate her even more.
Thinking of this, Consort De couldn't help but vent her anger on Fourth Consort Dong E. If it weren't for the incident during the imperial concubine selection, how could things have turned out this way? Her daughter-in-law had become a troublesome opponent, and this was Dong E's fault.
Next, Consort De began to find fault with Consort Dong'e.
As for Lady Dong'e, she was quite surprised when she learned that the Sixteenth Prince had become the Crown Prince, but she quickly calmed down and thought that Anning was really lucky, born with the destiny of a phoenix!
She even lived a better life in this one than in her previous one. The Empress could not compare to the Empress Dowager. In fact, it was the Empress Dowager who made things possible. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed to be about starting over. How could it not be ridiculous to be a wedding dress for someone else?
Once Yin Yi became the Crown Prince, he had to move into the palace, specifically the Yuqing Palace. If he could, Yin Yi wouldn't really want to move, but he had no choice; he had to move.
After moving into the palace, Anning began to teach Jinyao how to handle palace affairs. Honghui practically lived in Changchun Palace. Kangxi, Yinyi, and even Jinyao's mother all approved of Anning's approach to raising Honghui.
As for not raising children in the hands of women, that's just a later custom.
Yin Yi's position was secure, but that did not mean he would necessarily ascend the throne. In fact, the existence of the crown prince would, to some extent, dilute the emperor's power. Kangxi liked Yin Yi, but he did not like anyone sharing power.
Furthermore, Emperor Kangxi is now wholeheartedly committed to "benevolent governance," but this "benevolence" does not extend to the common people, and he is very lenient towards corrupt officials, which is unacceptable to Yin Yi.
In this respect, Yinyi was similar to Yinzhen; both of them could not tolerate these corrupt officials.
Since Anning became the Imperial Noble Consort, Kangxi visited Changchun Palace less often. If Kangxi had lived another ten or twenty years, Yinyi would probably have become the second deposed crown prince. At that time, the Qing Dynasty's officialdom would have become even more corrupt.
Yin Yi frowned deeply.
Anning also felt that Kangxi had become senile.
Some people don't want to retire, so Anning has to help them out.
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