Before the hunt was even over, Yinzhen received some incredibly good news!
There was once a man named Meng Guangzu who, under the guise of the Third Prince Yinzhi, swindled people in five provinces, accepting "tribute money for Prince Cheng" from many officials.
This matter involved a wide range of people. When Yinzhen's men learned of it, they secretly sent the news to the capital.
"The Governor-General of Zhili, Zhao Hongkui, is upright and incorruptible, and he detests this matter the most. Let him know about it," Yinzhen instructed. Since it concerns Yinzhi, it would be bad if his people were to expose this matter. It would be better to find someone who is not involved with either side.
Soon, the matter reached the Emperor's ears, and Kangxi was greatly shocked. However, he did not reprimand Yinzhi at the moment, but only wrote back to Zhao Hongkui, saying that this matter had seriously damaged the Third Prince's reputation and ordered him to investigate it quickly.
Originally, Yinzhen was going to stand aside and watch the matter, but he never expected that the detailed list Zhao Hongkui found showed that when Nian Gengyao was the governor of Sichuan, he had colluded with Meng Guangzu many times to bribe Yinzhi with a lot of silver.
"Nian Gengyao, what a Nian Gengyao!" Yinzhen slammed his hand on the table, and the room fell silent. After a long while, one of the advisors mustered his courage and said, "Your Highness, that was in the past. Now..."
Yinzhen closed his eyes briefly to calm himself: "Yes, the key point of this matter still lies with Meng Guangzu..."
No matter how much Yinzhi protested his innocence and claimed he knew nothing about it, Kangxi readily accepted the situation and did not punish his son harshly. However, once this incident came to light, everyone knew that Yinzhi's chances of succeeding to the throne were slim.
In October, everyone returned to the capital, and there was also a happy event in the Prince's mansion - Lady Nian gave birth to a son safely, named Fu Hui according to the nickname Yinzhen had given her before he left.
Meanwhile, Princess Zhong, the daughter of Hongshi, also had good news. Li was so happy that she didn't care about Nian Shi giving birth to a son, and only showed off her upcoming grandson every day.
However, under Yinzhen's high pressure, the joy of the entire Prince's Mansion became quiet, and no one dared to do anything outside the marriage. The more turbulent the times, the more low-key the entire Prince Yong's Mansion became, and so did Yinzhen.
In November, on the winter solstice, by order of Emperor Kangxi, Yinzhen offered sacrifices to Heaven at the Altar of Heaven.
In the same month, Yinzhen returned to the capital to request an imperial decree, citing the importance of advancing troops the following year.
In an instant, all eyes in the capital were on the two brothers.
Yinzhen was older and skilled in politics. He was very effective in controlling floods and droughts in his early years. In the past two years, Yinzhen has been increasingly valued by Kangxi. In this year alone, on the grand celebration of Kangxi's 60th anniversary of his ascension to the throne, Yinzhen went to Shengjing to perform a grand sacrifice. He was also ordered to perform sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the rear hall. When candidates who failed the imperial examinations caused trouble due to unfair selection, Yinzhen was ordered to handle the matter. He was even ordered to perform sacrifices to Heaven on behalf of his father at the Altar of Heaven.
Looking at Yinzhen, he is young but has made outstanding military achievements. He has managed the military affairs in the entire Northwest region well and has also made contributions to pacifying Tibet. Now, at such a sensitive time, he has returned to the capital, which makes people think a lot.
In the twelfth lunar month, a long line of people came to pay their respects at the gate of Prince Yong's mansion. Yinzhen was so annoyed that he took his family to Yuanmingyuan instead of staying there because of the cold weather. Meanwhile, Yinti went to the palace every day and was in a very popular position.
According to Qian Shengyan, Yinzhen was actually quite confident at this time. He led the children to read, till the soil, and write poems in the garden, appearing quite leisurely.
If this was all an act, then every evening in front of Qian Shengyan, Yinzhen still appeared to have no ambition whatsoever. If it weren't for the fact that he spent the entire morning chatting with his staff and subordinates at Wanfang Anhe every day, Qian Shengyan would have truly believed that this man was so calm and collected.
On the second and fifth days of the first lunar month, Emperor Kangxi summoned a total of 680 people, including civil and military officials from the Eight Banners, Manchuria, Mongolia, and Han armies, as well as retired officials aged 65 and above, to the front of the Qianqing Palace for a banquet. He also ordered princes, beile, beizi, dukes, and other members of the imperial clan to be granted titles and encouraged to drink, and to be given food.
On the 22nd day of the first lunar month, Emperor Kangxi inspected the capital region, passing through Xincheng to Zhaobeikou where he boarded a boat to view the river. He did not return to the capital until the 21st day of the second lunar month. During this period, Yinzhen accompanied him.
After inspecting the capital region, Kangxi stayed at Changchun Garden. In March, Yinzhen hosted a banquet for Kangxi, who gladly accepted and took Hongli with him.
Qian Shengyan: ...
Missing his son so much, at the end of March, at the urging of Qian Shengyan, Yinzhen hosted another banquet for Kangxi. Kangxi did not refuse and even talked about the matter of suppressing Tsewang Arabtan.
After the banquet, for some reason, Qian Shengyan could sense that Yinzhen had truly relaxed and spent less time talking to his advisors. In fact, when he toured the border regions in April, Yinzhen only brought two advisors with him. Although they said they were discussing matters, Qian Shengyan guessed that they were just chatting.
Before even reaching Rehe, Yinzhen left the caravan as instructed by Emperor Kangxi and headed southwest to rejoin the army.
With Yinzhen's departure, almost everyone understood what was going on.
Emperor Kangxi was already 68 years old, and his health had been deteriorating in recent years. Under such circumstances, if Yinzhen was truly his preferred successor, how could he possibly send him to the far southwest?
Now, among the princes around Kangxi, only one has the potential to succeed to the throne.
In July, Yinzhen hosted a banquet for Kangxi at the Lion Garden. During the conversation, Kangxi talked about the time when he was looking after the fields there, and then said to Hongli with emotion: "The taro that grew there was so big, almost the same size as Hongli's head. Now, Hongli has grown up too."
"Grandpa Emperor," Hongli said in a serious yet affectionate tone, "Hongli is still a child."
This amused Kangxi, who burst into laughter, but then coughed. Yinzhen and Hongli looked at him with some concern, but Kangxi waved his hand, patted Hongli's head, and got up to walk away slowly, supporting Liang Jiugong's forearm.
In October, following an order from Emperor Kangxi, Yinzhen led Hongsheng, Yanxin, Longkodo, and others to Tongzhou to inspect the granaries.
On the seventh day of the eleventh month, Emperor Kangxi fell ill and returned to Changchun Garden from Nanyuan.
On November 9th, Emperor Kangxi suddenly summoned Yinzhen to Changchun Garden for an audience. The following day, Yinzhen went to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices on behalf of Emperor Kangxi.
November 13th.
Qian Shengyan got up early and stood under the corridor of Peach Blossom Pavilion, gazing at the direction of Changchun Garden for a long time.
Since Yinzhen went to Tongzhou in early October, Qian Shengyan has only seen him once, and it was only a brief meeting. Yinzhen didn't even have time to change his clothes. He only told her to take good care of the garden and the children before leaving in a hurry.
Qian Shengyan knew what he was doing; she had been waiting for this day as well.
Qian Shengyan only ate a little bit for breakfast and lunch, as she was preoccupied with other things and couldn't eat much.
After lunch, she summoned Hongli and Foerguochun to Peach Blossom Village. She originally thought of calling everyone else over as well, but then she realized that she couldn't explain how she knew about it later.
After wandering around Peach Blossom Village countless times, and seeing that the sky outside was gradually darkening, Qian Shengyan almost thought she had remembered the date wrong. Suddenly, she heard a rumbling sound of footsteps.
Hongli accompanied Qian Shengyan outside, only to see Li Bao rushing in with his men. Upon seeing the two, Li Bao knelt and exclaimed, "Your Highness, Fourth Prince, the Emperor... he has passed away!"
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