In the early part of the forty-fifth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, a new concubine of high rank and power was added to the Eighth Prince's household. This concubine was someone whom the Kangxi Emperor personally decreed to replace the current Princess Consort in terms of power. In a sense, she was not much less powerful than the Eighth Prince's wife.
Moreover, her surname is Nalan, the Nalan of Nalan Mingzhu.
Because of Consort Hui, the Nalan family was naturally aligned with Prince Zhi.
This is a bond brought about by blood ties, which cannot be severed or broken.
The Eighth Prince didn't know whether the Emperor's choice was intentional or unintentional. However, the choice was quite ingenious; it was simply a matter of close blood relatives, and he and the Nalan clan could also be chosen!
After suffering a series of setbacks recently, the Eighth Prince has become clear-headed. Although the departure of the Ninth and Tenth Princes has caused him great losses, both emotionally and financially, he has also realized that the departure of the Ninth and Tenth Princes has resulted in significant losses for him.
However, his main enemies now are not the Fourth Prince's faction. After all, the Crown Prince is still standing, and the title of Prince Zhi is becoming more and more prestigious. Compared with them, the Fourth Prince is not worth mentioning.
If one wants to become the crown prince, one must proceed gradually; acting impulsively will only create more enemies.
Perhaps she should take a cue from His Highness the Crown Prince and focus on having children; that would be a good option.
Prince Cheng made it clear that he had gone to focus on compiling the dictionary, and his power base was quickly divided up by the Crown Prince and Prince Zhi.
Yinzhen remained inactive; he preferred not to hire anyone he hadn't carefully selected. In short, he preferred to have none rather than hire the wrong one.
The wheels of history keep turning, and although they may occasionally veer off course, they will eventually continue in the predetermined direction.
In March of the same year, the Dzungars invaded the Qing Dynasty's borders again. Due to the suddenness of the war, the borders were lost one after another, and countless people lost their lives.
When the news reached the capital, Emperor Kangxi was furious.
This was the first war since the great victory over the Dzungars in the 29th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. The new Khan was young and ambitious, and had been conserving his strength for a long time before launching this surprise attack.
In the imperial court, the officials were completely silent.
"The Dzungars are still harboring evil intentions and have rekindled their flames. This time, we must nip them in the bud and wipe out this rabble completely!" Kangxi said in a deep voice.
After their superiors made their stance clear, the officials knew what to do and began to launch a righteous and indignant verbal attack.
Ultimately, it was decided that Crown Prince Yinreng would lead the expedition in place of the Emperor, with Fei Yanggu in overall command of the military affairs, and they would set off at an auspicious time to quell the rebellion.
At the Prince Zhi's Mansion
Prince Zhi smashed countless vases. His scimitar lay on the table, and no one dared to approach, fearing they would be killed by a single blow and suffer an undeserved calamity.
When Mingzhu arrived, this was the scene that greeted him; Prince Zhi looked like a trapped beast raging.
"Your Highness, please calm down. In my opinion, it is not necessarily a bad thing for the Crown Prince to leave the capital."
"What's so good about it? When assessing the unparalleled achievements of the Dzungar Khanate, Father Emperor's first thought is to glorify his good crown prince. What about all these years of my life!"
Mingzhu was not angry. He spoke slowly and calmly, which made people feel comfortable: "Let me analyze this for you, Your Highness. First, the Crown Prince has been by the Emperor's side since he was a child. The Emperor has always thought of him as that helpless baby who lost his mother and needed him wholeheartedly. Only by being far enough away can the Emperor see him clearly."
"Secondly, the Crown Prince is indeed well-read, but he only studies theory and has no practical experience. Such a person is the most unsuitable to be a commander-in-chief."
"His Majesty may think that Fei Yanggu is the Fourth Prince's man, and the Fourth Prince has always supported the Crown Prince, so he can definitely back him up. But the brothers have long been at odds because of Prince Honghui. Fei Yanggu certainly wouldn't have any selfish motives, but does the Prince think the Crown Prince will believe him?"
"This is the third point: the two leaders have conflicting ideologies, so whose opinion should be followed?"
"Therefore, this expedition may not be a good thing for the Crown Prince. Let's wait and see."
Prince Zhi remained silent, his eyes filled with contemplation, and he did not continue smashing the cup.
In Yuqing Palace,
Tong Guining was busily preparing things for the Crown Prince's expedition. She looked very happy, with a contented smile on her face.
The Crown Prince saw that the Eastern Palace was engulfed in flames and the ground was shaking, but he didn't say anything.
He was finally able to leave the palace and live freely without his father's supervision, something he had dreamed of for many years.
It suddenly came true, and I still can't quite believe it. It's good that the Eastern Palace is lively; it means it's real.
When Tong Guining saw the Crown Prince, her smile faded slightly: "Your Highness, the journey has been arduous, and the battlefield is extremely dangerous. I am truly worried about you."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
The crown prince wiped his hands, then a thought crossed his mind: "Then you can come with me instead of going."
"What?" Tong Guining was stunned for a moment, and her tears stopped flowing.
This is a trip to war, not a tour of Jiangnan. What's the point of bringing her, the Crown Princess, along?!
"Of course we can't go openly. How about you disguise yourself as a eunuch and come with me?" The more Crown Prince Yinreng thought about it, the better he felt. "We don't know how long this trip will take. Our son hasn't arrived yet. The war is important, but the eldest son is equally important. Anyway, it won't cause any delay. It's just that the Crown Princess will have to suffer. What do you think?"
What do you think? Tong Guining wanted to beat the Crown Prince in front of her, but she didn't dare.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid if Father finds out about this," Tong Guining said softly.
"Don't be afraid, as long as the legitimate son is here, Father Emperor won't hold it against you." The Crown Prince laughed and touched the Crown Princess's lower abdomen, thus finalizing the matter.
Tong Guining's fingernails were almost broken inside her wide sleeves, but she didn't feel them.
No, she had to find a way out of this predicament, otherwise, she would completely lose face as the Crown Princess. She wouldn't even know when it would vanish without a trace, just like the previous Crown Princess.
The Fourth Prince's Residence
When Yi Hua received the news that her father was going to the battlefield, she panicked for a moment.
Although she was not the real daughter of the Ulanara family, Fei Yanggu had only met her a few times during the more than ten years she had been in this world. However, he was a kind old man who gave her all his fatherly love.
Putting herself in his shoes, she hoped that Feiyangu would spend his later years in peace.
Especially since he was going to accompany the Crown Prince on the expedition, if anything happened to the Crown Prince, would his father still be alive?
Thinking this, Yi Hua fell into a state of extreme panic.
She tidied up the storeroom, packed up a large quantity of precious medicinal herbs, and hurriedly returned to her parents' home.
The Ulanara residence was also in a mess. Yihua was next to her mother, and the two of them were whispering to each other.
"Don't panic. For your father, dying on the battlefield wrapped in a horse's hide is the most satisfying thing. Your mother has already made up her mind, and you should too." Lady Ulanara spoke with such composure, but who knows how many tears she shed behind the scenes to have such a determination.
"Your father came back quite late today, so you probably won't be able to see him. Come again tomorrow."
"These days, because of the eldest princess, I've noticed you haven't been wanting to come home much." Lady Ulanara was relieved to see her daughter's rosy complexion, which showed she was living a comfortable life.
"Don't worry, as long as Prince Beilang agrees, the marriage will not change." Lady Ulanara spoke casually, seemingly unaffected by Feiyangu's advanced age and departure for the expedition.
Yi Hua's anxious heart gradually calmed down.
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