Compared to the spotlight surrounding little Hongzhao, the Nalan family's child in the Eighth Prince's mansion looked like a pitiful little thing.
Although Emperor Kangxi didn't care, the Eighth Prince did. He was already quite old, and not to mention his older brothers, even his younger brothers had children, some of whom were princesses.
He had had enough of being talked about behind his back. Now, looking at his sweet, soft, and healthy son every day, the Eighth Prince's feelings for Nalan, which were originally only three-tenths genuine, had now reached five-tenths.
On this day, the Eighth Prince came to visit his son. The child slept more and was awake less, but he could watch his son's sleeping face for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
After visiting his son, the Eighth Prince went to the room where Lady Nalan was confined after childbirth.
When Nalan saw the Eighth Prince arrive, she was very happy: "Your Highness, the First Prince has not yet been named by the Emperor, but you see, Fourth Sister-in-law has given their Second Princess the nickname Liu Liu. How about we give the First Prince a nice name to call him for now?"
Hearing this, the Eighth Prince felt much more relaxed, and he didn't mind the milky smell in the room: "Alright, I wonder what good ideas Qing'er has."
Nalan smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "I have indeed thought of one, how about Red Bean?"
The Eighth Prince's heart stirred. He wished that the prince would gather more of these, for they were the most evocative of longing. Qing'er was expressing her love.
He chuckled softly, then patted Nalan's hand: "As you wish."
So the nickname "Red Bean" started being used in the Eighth Prince's residence. The Eighth Princess muttered it to herself a few times, her eyes filled with coldness.
She had been educated since childhood, and she knew about red beans, an extremely common symbol of longing and yearning. The Nalan family was truly talented, but they used all their literary skills to compete for favor.
Thinking of that child, the child who was always on the mind of the Eighth Prince, the Eighth Princess Consort had a plan in mind, and a look of resentment flashed in her eyes.
******
Prince Yu was the first to submit a memorial of apology, along with 200,000 taels of silver and a box of land deeds and house deeds. Emperor Kangxi waved his hand and wrote in vermilion ink, "What crime has he committed?" He then gently handled the matter and gave Prince Yu a secret edict, which was the tax reduction favor that Yinzhen had previously mentioned to Prince Yu.
Although the imperial decree stipulated a three-year period instead of five, it was still a very good result, and Prince Yu's worries were finally put to rest.
With Prince Yu as an example, as long as the imperial relatives and nobles weren't truly reckless, they gradually paid back the money within two or three days.
Even if someone genuinely doesn't have the money, a repayment schedule and interest rate have been agreed upon.
The disaster relief funds for the Yellow River flood were sent to the front lines immediately, relieving the Yellow River's urgent needs. Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed and bestowed a large cartload of rewards upon the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince changed his previous ambition and began to consult the Emperor on everything. He ate with the Emperor every day and sometimes even brought little Hongzhao with him. The relationship between the three generations of the family improved rapidly.
Whenever ministers came to the council, they could see the Crown Prince's bright yellow robes; in the past, this position had mostly belonged to Honghui. Therefore, everyone would subtly observe Yinzhen.
Yinzhen was always particularly sensitive to other people's opinions, and he understood everyone's desire to watch the show. However, he was always cold and unsmiling, so no one dared to be presumptuous in front of him.
The Ninth Prince was the first to voice his dissatisfaction. In the study of the Fourth Prince's residence, he crossed his legs and slammed his fist on the table: "Fourth Brother investigated the accounts, raised the issues, and even came up with the solutions. Why should the Crown Prince get the credit in the end!"
"Yes, he is the ruler, and we, his younger brothers, are his subjects. But if he eats meat, shouldn't we at least get some soup? He didn't even mention our fourth brother's contributions. How can this be..."
The Tenth Prince suddenly lost his balance and fell on his backside. He had clearly been sleeping and was now awakened, looking somewhat bewildered: "Fourth Brother, is it time for dinner?"
The Ninth Prince was only halfway through his sentence when he realized his mistake and swallowed it back. Upon hearing the Tenth Prince mention food, he became angry again: "All you ever think about is eating! Why don't you ask Father Emperor for some chores instead of just loafing around all day?"
"Am I not in the Ministry of War? My eldest brother was so prominent recently that I was ostracized and looked pitiful in the Ministry of War. Only recently, my second brother, the Crown Prince, has risen to prominence, and that's when I can finally breathe a sigh of relief," the Tenth Prince defended himself.
Yinzhen remained silent, but seeing his brothers standing up for him made him very happy. He looked at his thirteenth brother, who had been silent all along, and asked, "Thirteenth brother, is there anything you want to say?"
Yinxiang said unhurriedly, "In my opinion, this matter is not over yet. Everyone rushed to repay the money, but how much silver has actually been deposited into the accounts and how much has been allocated to the front lines? There are many different versions of the story. Fourth Brother, have you sent someone to keep an eye on this secretly?"
Yinzhen smiled without saying a word. Having been rooted in the Ministry of Revenue for so many years, he understood one principle well: all accounts can be balanced; it all depends on how skillful the accountant is.
Will the Crown Prince be tempted by this amount of silver? It's not just tens or hundreds of thousands of taels; it's tens of millions of taels.
Sure enough, under Yinzhen's careful surveillance, he discovered something amiss. The Crown Prince couldn't resist and transferred at least this amount to the Eastern Palace. What did he need so much silver for?
Yinzhen had a vague guess in his mind.
"Thirteen, are there any secluded places near the capital where a large number of people can be hidden?"
"How many people is Fourth Brother referring to?"
"Several thousand men." Private armies are about quality, not quantity. The more people there are, the easier it is for information to leak out. Besides, the cost of maintaining an elite army is not something that can be easily afforded.
The Ninth Prince wasn't stupid; he understood what Yinzhen meant at this moment: "The Crown Prince wants?"
“It’s not impossible.” Yinzhen nodded. “We just need to be aware of this. This is not something we can get involved in right now.”
"They've gone mad, they've all gone mad," the Ninth Prince muttered.
Yinzhen smiled. It was understandable that the Crown Prince was under a lot of pressure. While he was still studying in his study, the other princes were taking turns serving in the Six Ministries. The Emperor was keeping an eye on the Crown Prince while delegating power to the other princes.
This approach inevitably leads to a struggle between several parties. What Yinzhen needs to do is ensure that he is the ultimate beneficiary, rather than the one who fights on the front lines.
The Tenth Prince yawned. He had never been interested in these things. Seeing that his brothers had finished speaking, he suggested, "A new restaurant recently opened in the capital. They've hired a pipa player to entertain the guests, and Lady Qin holds a service every three days. It just so happens to be today. Why don't we brothers go check it out?"
"You've fallen back into your old habits again, haven't you?" Ninth Prince frowned.
"Who said that?!" The Tenth Prince almost jumped up. "I've been keeping myself very clean lately. I don't know who it was that sold themselves into servitude to bury their father on the street a few days ago and just took them in."
"You!" The Ninth Prince was a little breathless. That girl was indeed beautiful, which was why he had the idea. He didn't take advantage of her for nothing; he made proper arrangements for the whole family.
Yinzhen wasn't interested in listening to the pipa, but he was happy to have a meal with his brothers. So he got up and the group left the mansion, heading towards the restaurant.
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