"I suppose Yinzhen is tired. I'll apologize to him!" Wanyi bowed to the Imperial Noble Consort.
"It's nothing, why would I hold a grudge against a child?" The Imperial Noble Consort suddenly found the child so annoying, looking disgusted at such a young age. Did she think she couldn't see it?
"Alright, let's continue! Liang Jiugong, take the princes down and make sure they are all taken care of!" Kangxi instructed Liang Jiugong. For such a long time, the princes usually did not eat the food served at the banquet, since it would get cold and they might get diarrhea. Therefore, they had to eat separately in the side hall.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Liang Jiugong beckoned to his wet nurses and other maids to go to the side hall.
"Consort Chen is the most blessed. She has the Fourth Prince and is now pregnant. If she gives birth to a son, she will truly be one of a kind in the harem!" Consort Jing said, somewhat envious and jealous of Consort Wan, deliberately stirring up trouble.
"The imperial physician said that the child in my womb is a princess!" Facing the piercing gazes of everyone present, Wanyi remained unfazed and smiled.
"Look at that pointed belly, it looks like a prince!"
The Imperial Noble Consort didn't believe in princesses at all. As long as someone was jealous and harmed her child, that was the only right thing to do. The other concubines echoed her sentiments, all convinced that it was a prince. Those with designs on their children couldn't suppress their restless hearts.
Meanwhile, the princes were eating together. The eldest prince took the initiative to lead them, but the crown prince was very dissatisfied with him. Naturally, the servants all respected the crown prince and listened to his words.
"You can't eat pastries right after dinner! It'll give you cavities!" The eldest prince's childish voice rang out, making the little eunuch beside him a bit nervous.
"I, the Crown Prince, am going to eat, so what? In this palace, besides Father Emperor, I am the most powerful!" Emperor Kangxi had often said this since Yinreng was a child, and Yinreng had taken it to heart.
"Mother said that I am the eldest brother, so it is my duty to take care of my younger brothers and sisters!" the eldest prince said, looking like he was the eldest brother and that everyone should listen to him. Meanwhile, the princesses were much quieter and more obedient.
"Hmph, I'll only eat one. Father Emperor said that as long as I eat, I can be rewarded with pastries. Otherwise, why would they give me any?"
Previously, he refused to eat, and Kangxi had no choice but to coax him to eat by offering rewards.
"Alright! Since Father Emperor agreed, I'll let you have one!" The eldest prince wasn't particularly fond of pastries, but the third prince started making a fuss.
"Granny, I want to eat too, I want some~" Yin Zhi, who was pampered and doted on by Consort Rong, immediately said with a sob in his voice when he saw the nanny's troubled look.
"There are still many here, you can have one!" Yinreng said lovingly to his younger brother when he saw him crying.
"No, Your Highness, these pastries are yours. If the Third Prince wants some, you can bring them back!"
The eunuch was so nervous that he was afraid others would also ask the crown prince for food, so he brought out another plate and gave each prince and princess a piece. It was one thing for the crown prince to die, but if several princes in the palace died at once, that would be a big deal. How could his master protect his family?
As for today's protagonist, he was speechless, finding the childish scene before him quite amusing. These two little brats, apparently, had a peeing problem at such a young age. Ha, he was dying of laughter. Suddenly, his smile froze. Damn it, he was younger than both of them...
After the banquet, Wanyi picked up her beloved son and returned to her palace.
"Your Majesty, the matter has been settled. In addition, we have discovered other people who were involved, but we do not know who they are yet," Furong said cautiously to Wanyi after everyone had left.
"We haven't been discovered, have we?" Wanyi didn't find it surprising at all. If it weren't for Kangxi's tight protection, how could the Crown Prince have grown up safely to this age? The banquet was the most chaotic place, which was perfect for taking action.
"We've thoroughly investigated, and no one has noticed anything. Granny Xianglan will take care of that little eunuch."
The eunuch was a spy for Bayar Haojie, but Wanyi didn't quite believe him, so she appointed Xianglan, the head maidservant by Kangxi's side.
"Alright, since this was a scheme set up by Consort Xi, she'll have to bear the consequences!" Wanyi said in a good mood. She wasn't that magnanimous and wouldn't harm Kangxi's child, but she didn't dare to easily harm anyone unless she had a foolproof plan.
"Give me a bath!"
Wanyi thought that she hadn't bathed for several days. Tonight, Kangxi would be staying in her palace, so the lazy Wanyi wanted to take a bath, which was rare. In winter, she usually bathed every few days, and at other times she would just wipe her body.
"Since he managed to dodge it, that bastard's son is really lucky!"
Consort Xi had been waiting for news but hadn't heard anything yet, which made her so angry that she swept the teacup next to her to the ground with a "bang".
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is very protective, and with the connections in the palace that the Prince and his men have, it doesn't matter if we can't succeed. We can just find another opportunity."
When Dai Tao first learned that Consort Xi was trying to harm the Crown Prince, she was terrified. Although she was unwilling, she had already boarded the pirate ship and had no choice but to obey. She was on tenterhooks all day and only felt relieved after receiving no further news.
"Since the Crown Prince didn't eat the pastry, it seems the Emperor already knows about it and has alerted the enemy. It will be even harder to find an opportunity in the future!"
Consort Xi sighed, unsure if she had done the right thing. She wavered on her initial decision, but the thought that she couldn't even be a mother to her made her guilt vanish.
"What if they trace it back to us?" Dai Tao's heart tightened. That was the Crown Prince! The crime of exterminating nine generations of his family was no joke.
"Don't worry! They won't trace it back to us!"
Consort Xi used her own eunuch in the palace to poison the Crown Prince. Everyone thought she used an ordinary drug, but only Dai Tao knew what kind of drug it was, since she was the one who obtained it. After tonight, that eunuch will be shut up forever. As for Dai Tao, she can be dealt with when the time comes.
"Then this servant will serve you while you sleep?" Oblivious to the fact that she was being watched by her mistress, Dai Tao still served Consort Xi diligently.
"Hmm!" Consort Xi replied wearily, and Dai Tao immediately got to work.
Meanwhile, Consort Rong of Zhongcui Palace and Consort Hui of Yanxi Palace were also silently watching the Crown Prince. Although she did not take direct action, she still reached out to avenge her dead children, believing that children should pay for the sins of their mothers.
The concubines who had taken action thought the matter had been stopped, but they did not expect that a few days later, on a sunny day, a shocking message came from the Imperial Study: the Crown Prince suddenly collapsed and was bleeding from all five orifices. He died before the imperial physician arrived, which alarmed Emperor Kangxi, who was holding court. He left his ministers behind, looking shocked and panicked, and rushed to the Imperial Study.
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