In the thirty-eighth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, he made his third southern tour.
The Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Fourth Prince Yinzhen accompanied the Emperor. Emperor Kangxi brought several Han Chinese concubines, while the princes all brought princesses.
Suzhou officials specially built a temporary palace for the emperor's rest during this southern tour. They had already inquired about the emperor's preferences and decorated it with lanterns and colorful decorations, making it far more magnificent than the previous two southern tours.
Emperor Kangxi beamed with joy at the sight of the prosperous and peaceful nation, while Yinzhen remained stern-faced, inwardly cursing the officials of the Ministry of Revenue for the umpteenth time.
Behind this grand reception, who knows how many sordid things are hidden? If he ever comes to power, he will surely wipe out all these corrupt officials.
Prince Cheng had a keen understanding of poetry and literature since childhood, and he thrived here. He brought his guests to make friends through literature and established his reputation among literary figures.
Yinzhen accompanied Crown Prince Yinreng on his official duties, and it wasn't too arduous. The officials here were indeed very attentive, and fortunately, no one was bold enough to lead princes to brothels or similar places.
Yinzhen couldn't help but laugh as he thought about his wife's worries before leaving. They had come with their father, the Emperor. If they were to get involved with any prostitute, they would be ruining their future.
Lady Li was overjoyed when she learned that she could accompany Yinzhen on his southern tour.
For some reason, Yinzhen had become much more distant from her during this period. Although he treated the eldest princess as usual, Li Shi was already worried.
The Fourth Prince's residence currently only has one wife and two princesses. Judging from the temperament of the empresses in the palace, it is estimated that the princesses will be granted a place in the residence soon.
With a new concubine arriving, the master will surely be enamored with her for a few days. She needs to take advantage of this southern tour to become a secondary favorite, and it would be best if she could have a child. If not, she must win back the master's favor and strive to be promoted to a secondary consort before the new concubine enters the mansion, so that her position can be considered secure.
With this in mind, under the guidance of Granny Jin, Li Shi became much more proper in her actions. She stayed quietly in her room every day, occasionally bringing Yinzhen some pastries and soup to make her presence known. The willful Li Shi seemed to have returned to the gentle and beautiful Li Gege when she first entered the mansion.
After several days, Yinzhen finally entered Li's room.
The next day, Lady Li, beaming with joy, rewarded the servants. Yesterday, she had finally shown Yinzhen her true feelings through her actions.
Su Peisheng cautiously glanced at Yinzhen, who was radiating a low-pressure aura early in the morning, and wondered, "He clearly ordered water last night, and Consort Li seemed very happy, so why does Your Highness look like this?"
"Could it be... that he's not going to make it?"
Yinzhen never expected that Lady Li would dare to drug him. Although the dosage was minuscule, he had seen it before and his keen sense of smell detected it immediately.
He deeply regretted his weak will, realizing that he had failed to control his impulses under such circumstances and had taken advantage of this woman.
Yinzhen returned to his study and began to write large characters with a calm mind.
Li thought her actions hadn't been exposed, but fearing she wouldn't succeed, she used what she had locally to buy a small amount of materials.
Fortunately, she wasn't completely stupid; she didn't use her own personal servant.
Otherwise, the fact that a princess in the Fourth Prince's mansion would use aphrodisiac incense would be a scandal that would directly nail Yinzhen to the pillar of shame.
******
With a dark expression on his face, Yinzhen and the Crown Prince were checking the account books.
The accounts appear flawless on paper, but it's obvious they're fake at a glance.
The person who made this ledger is too arrogant; it's practically saying, "I know you suspect this is a fake ledger, but you can't find any evidence."
Yinzhen twirled the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, the speed increasing, revealing the turmoil in his heart.
The Crown Prince, much more at ease, sipped his tea and smiled, “Fourth Brother, why are you so angry? Father Emperor asked us to audit the accounts simply to have a clear understanding of the situation, not necessarily to get to the bottom of things. Otherwise, most of the officials here would lose their heads. Thanks to Father Emperor’s magnanimity, such widespread collective punishment is unlikely to have occurred.”
"These demons and monsters are in cahoots, only doing this because Father Emperor doesn't care about pursuing the matter. Humph!" Yinzhen patted the account book, wishing he could crawl inside and take a look.
"Alright, alright, the environment of Suzhou is good for people. Find some entertainment and don't spend all your time worrying about these things." Yinreng knew Yinzhen's upright and incorruptible nature and had always been on good terms with him.
The two eventually reported to Emperor Kangxi, who was clearly already aware of the situation and did not pursue it further.
Emperor Kangxi was satisfied with his two sons. After Baocheng inherited the throne, the fourth son was a capable minister who could govern the country well. The relationship between the emperor and his ministers was very good.
After that, Kangxi did not let his princes get involved. Instead, he directly beheaded several officials who were the ringleaders and then spread the news widely among the people.
In a short time, the emperor's reputation flourished even more in Suzhou and Hangzhou.
******
Lady Li carried the pastries to the door of the study, intending to personally invite Yinzhen.
She felt that the two of them had broken the ice yesterday, and now she should strike while the iron was hot and press her advantage.
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng reported it to Yinzhen.
"Let her go back." Upon hearing the name "Princess Li," Yinzhen's eyes flashed with a cold light as he glared at Su Peisheng.
Su Peisheng's heart tightened. Looking at the smiling Li Gege, he thought, "She really is a fool. She doesn't even know she's offended me."
"Please return, Princess Li. I have important business to attend to today. I will visit you another day," Su Peisheng said, his tone much more tactful.
Li Gege looked at the closed door with some reluctance, but in the end dared not make a move: "Then I'll trouble Eunuch Su to bring the pastries to the master to try, and say that I made them myself."
"She made it herself?" Yinzhen repeated, "You saw her kneading the dough with your own eyes?"
Su Peisheng: ...
"This servant knows his mistake." Su Peisheng quickly took the pastry box away and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"Ten strokes of the cane myself." Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief, finally releasing the anger that had been building up since yesterday.
He cannot punish Li at this time, otherwise it will easily arouse speculation from all sides.
He couldn't touch the corrupt officials in Suzhou and Hangzhou at this time, because the majority of the money was used to fund his father's palace construction.
The anger that had been building up for days was finally borne by Su Peisheng, the personal eunuch.
Su Peisheng accepted the beating and limped over to express his gratitude.
After Yinzhen finished writing several large characters, he said, "Keep an eye on Li Shi and don't let her have any contact with outsiders."
Su Peisheng's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that this Consort Li had accepted gifts from outside? This was a taboo subject for the master: "Yes."
"Has the Princess Consort sent any news these past few days?"
Su Peisheng's expression relaxed: "Prince Honghui sends letters every day, this is today's."
Yinzhen took it and looked at the delicate handwriting. It was written by Yihua on his behalf, and the whole thing was written in Honghui's tone.
Only at the very end was a sentence added: "May Your Majesty be well, everything is fine in the manor. Please take care of yourself while you are away, and do not worry."
What a carefree person.
Yinzhen read Honghui's childlike letters several times, and carefully read Yihua's signature again. Finally, he carefully placed them in a box on the bookshelf, inside which were several letters of varying thicknesses.
Clearly, the owner treasures it very much.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
