While Geng Youran and Madam Geng had a near-perfect day, Yinzhen was on pins and needles in the palace.
"Fourth brother, tell me about it."
"Your Majesty, the situation in Sichuan has been largely resolved, and Nian Gengyao is already on his way back to Tibet."
“Nian Gengyao handled this matter well. As for the reward, we’ll discuss it when he returns to report on his work.”
"yes."
Emperor Kangxi's health is declining day by day. He only spent an hour reviewing memorials in the morning before his body began to give out.
"Fourth Prince, have you gone to see the Empress Dowager?"
"Reporting to Father Emperor, I already visited Grandmother Emperor before coming here."
Emperor Kangxi nodded in satisfaction:
“Your royal grandmother has always loved children, so you should visit her more often when you have time.”
"Your subject obeys the decree."
Kangxi waved wearily toward Yinzhen, who then withdrew.
"Your Majesty, please have your meal first."
Liang Jiugong approached Kangxi with concern, urging him to eat something. However, Kangxi had little appetite and only drank a few mouthfuls of porridge.
"What did the imperial physicians say about the Empress Dowager?"
"Your Majesty, the imperial physicians say the Empress Dowager is in good spirits. She even took a few steps in the courtyard yesterday afternoon. The imperial physicians are currently on duty there in shifts, so you can rest assured."
As he spoke, Liang Jiugong helped Kangxi into the inner hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Since the beginning of autumn today, Emperor Kangxi's health has deteriorated significantly, especially his dizziness, which has become increasingly severe.
Even though those around Kangxi tried their best to conceal it, they couldn't fool the clever fellows in the court.
"Myna, are you really going to give up?"
"Ninth Brother, don't you think it's time?"
Upon hearing Yinsi's answer, Ninth Prince Yintang first slumped into the chair behind him, then smiled knowingly, and then burst into laughter.
"Ninth Brother, why are you laughing?"
Yinzhen laughed for a while in his seat, then sat up straight:
"It's nothing, it's just that we suddenly laughed at how we've been scheming for so many years, only to end up doing all the work for someone else."
Yinzhi, on the other hand, was quite philosophical about it. Now that his power had waned, he had few capable men left, most of whom had been killed by the deposed crown prince and the fourth prince.
"But, myna, they are brothers."
Yinzhi smiled. So what if they were brothers? He wasn't much younger than Yinzhen. Yinzhen's childhood was vastly different from that of his fourteenth brother.
Now that the fourteenth brother is far away in Tibet, holding considerable military power, this is their biggest bargaining chip for their last gamble.
"Send a message to our people in the palace, telling them to take action immediately."
"Understood."
At the end of the year, several thunderous bells rang out from the majestic Forbidden City, marking the passing of Empress Xiaohui at the age of 77 in the Ning Shou Palace.
She was Kangxi's second legal mother. She had no biological children of her own, but she always regarded Kangxi as her own son, and their relationship was exceptionally deep.
The death of the Empress Dowager was a great blow to Emperor Kangxi and, to some extent, aggravated his illness.
"Eunuch Liang, how is Father Emperor?"
On this day, after Yinzhen and Yinxiang finished observing mourning for the Empress Dowager, they came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Just as they were about to go in to pay their respects, they were stopped by Liang Jiugong at the door.
Having no other choice, they had to try to extract information from Liang Jiugong.
"Your Highnesses, His Majesty has finally fallen asleep. Let's find another place to talk."
The three of them walked a few steps to the side before Liang Jiugong told the Fourth Prince Yinzhen and the Thirteenth Prince Yinxiang about Kangxi's health condition.
"Your Highnesses, His Majesty has been sleeping for less than two hours a day these past few days, and the imperial physician has been waiting by his side the whole time."
Upon hearing this, the two princes felt a complex mix of emotions.
The ambition for that chair, the entanglement of father-son relationships—this is the royal family: ruler and subject come first, then father and son.
With heavy hearts, Yinzhen and Yinxiang parted ways at the palace gate and returned to their respective residences.
As soon as Yinzhen entered the room, the steward rushed over in a hurry.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"
What happened?
"Consort Li has fainted and hasn't woken up yet."
Yinzhen hurriedly sent Gao Wuyong to the palace to fetch the imperial physician, while he himself rushed to Li Jingshu's courtyard.
"What happened?"
Just as he was about to ask for clarification, he heard the maid's voice coming from the inner room:
"The concubine has woken up!"
Yinzhen rushed in and saw Li Jingshu bursting into tears.
"Jing Shu, what's wrong? What happened?"
"Sir, our daughter is gone. My daughter, my child!"
The daughter Li Jingshu mentioned was her eldest daughter, who was later betrothed to Xingde. Unfortunately, Xingde later died in battle, leaving her daughter to fend for herself alone.
Since the death of her husband in battle, the princess has been depressed all day long. Because of her status, Li Jingshu could not visit her and could only meet her once during festivals.
She had her suspicions when she didn't see her daughter at the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner this year. Little did she know that just a few months later, her eldest daughter would pass away.
"What exactly happened?"
While holding the heartbroken Li Jingshu, Yinzhen questioned the servant beside him.
"Your Highness, an hour ago, someone from the Princess's residence came to say that the Princess had passed away. This morning, the maid called out several times from outside, but there was no response from inside, so she went in to check, and when she went in, the Princess was already gone."
Yinzhen gritted his teeth and suppressed his grief. He held Li Jingshu in his arms without saying a word until Li Jingshu fell into a deep sleep, and only then did he leave Li Jingshu's courtyard.
He didn't go anywhere, not even to the study; he just kept wandering around, with Gao Wuyong silently following behind.
Yinzhen couldn't understand why this kind of tragedy—the white-haired burying the black-haired—kept happening to him time and time again.
Huai Ke is his only daughter now. She has been gentle and sensible since childhood. Although she was not satisfied with Xing De at the time, she still married him.
Unexpectedly, her husband died on the battlefield a few years later, and she single-handedly supported the princess's mansion.
"Gao Wuyong, do you think I did something wrong? Heaven has made me lose my children time and time again."
"Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but matters of life and death are mostly arranged in advance. Since the death of the Prince Consort in battle, you have been sending things to the Princess from time to time. But the Princess and the Prince Consort were deeply in love, and she tends to overthink things. You don't need to blame yourself for all the mistakes."
Yinzhen was well aware of this principle, but the feeling of watching his children die one by one before his eyes was truly unbearable.
"Gao Wuyong, do you think I'm getting too old?"
"Sir, what are you saying? The young princes are only a few years old. You, on the other hand, will live a long life."
Yinzhen suddenly hated this feeling. Seeing his father and Li Jingshu overwhelmed with grief, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: he didn't want to die.
The next day, Geng Youran also heard the news and brought Niu Hulu Wanru to Li Jingshu's place.
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