"Brother, have you thought of any ideas?"
To be honest, Nian Yunrong had always been wary of Geng Youran.
She didn't know it when she first married into the family, but she soon discovered that the prince treated Geng Youran differently.
When the prince gave gifts, he always thought about what Geng Youran liked first, rather than just randomly choosing something from his private treasury. He didn't visit Geng Youran's courtyard often, but he frequently ate there. He not only built a separate small kitchen for a princess, but also allowed her to bypass the Fujin (principal wife) and directly obtain ingredients from the steward.
All of this demonstrates that Geng Youran is a special person to the prince.
This 'special' quality made Nian Yunrong very jealous.
"Brother, let your sister handle this matter."
But Nian Yunrong was still just a teenage girl, and the schemes she came up with were nothing more than chance encounters.
Geng Youran quickly guessed what she was thinking.
And so, with summer fast approaching, Yinzhen was drinking plum juice at Geng Youran's place.
Suddenly, Geng Youran knelt down beside him.
"My lord, I have a request."
"What is it that requires you to kneel down? Get up and speak."
However, Geng Youran did not get up, but continued to speak:
"My lord, I dare to ask for a favor for Xinyi."
Yinzhen put down the bowl in his hand, glanced at Amut standing outside, and said in a serious tone:
"Then tell me."
“I have known Xinyi for many years, and as she grows older, I do not wish to hold her back any longer. I think Amut, who is by your side, is quite good, and I would like to betroth Xinyi to him.”
Actually, Geng Youran knew she had been too hasty in this matter. Ever since she guessed what Yun Rong was thinking, she knew that Xin Yi wouldn't stay by her side for long.
Since she has already given birth smoothly and Hongzhou is growing up safely, she might as well be bold and have the prince act as guarantor, which can be considered a gift for Xinyi.
"Alright, get up. I already know about Amut and Xinyi."
"How would you know, sir?"
Yinzhen looked speechlessly at the woman standing in front of him, thinking to himself, how could there be such a stupid woman in this world?
“Amut is the master’s personal bodyguard. Do you think he would have gotten into your courtyard to help with the kitchen if the master didn’t know?”
Geng Youran said guiltily:
"I know about this too."
Yinzhen glared at her. Only this woman had the audacity to dare to have her personal guard help her cook.
"My lord, please have mercy and grant my request."
Yinzhen didn't speak, but pointed to the empty bowl with his finger.
"Xinyi, bring the prince another bowl."
Yinzhen finally couldn't hold back and gave a slight smile:
"Alright, for your sake, I agree. This matter will be handled by Gao Wuyong."
"Yes, sir."
With a huge weight lifted from her heart, Geng Youran was finally relieved.
Xin Yi chose to get married after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Before the wedding, Geng Youran and Xin Yi talked all night.
On the first night after Xinyi's marriage, Yinzhen made a special trip to keep her company.
While Yinzhen deliberately kept himself confined to the Prince's residence, the people of the First Prince and the Eighth Prince were scrambling to collect evidence against the Crown Prince.
Not long after, the "Tuoheqi banquet case" broke out.
"Father, I have something to report."
"speak."
"Your Majesty, I hereby impeach the Infantry Commander Tuoheqi and others for openly defying the prohibition, gathering a crowd for drinking, and engaging in corrupt activities such as embezzlement and bribery. The evidence is conclusive and is all in this memorial."
After Kangxi received the memorial, every word on it shattered his last bit of patience with the Crown Prince.
"Guards, imprison Tuoheqi, Qi Shiwu, Geng'e, Eshan, and others in the Imperial Clan Court to await their fate!"
Just two months later, Kangxi issued an edict abolishing the position of Crown Prince.
On the first day of the tenth month of the fifty-first year of the Kangxi reign, Kangxi deposed Yinreng from his position as crown prince on charges of "tyranny, forming cliques, and transgressing the rules of etiquette," and declared that he would never be reinstated.
After the crown prince was deposed, others became even more covetous, especially the eldest prince and the eighth prince.
"Your Majesty, I have my own foundation."
"speak."
"I hereby impeach the First Prince Yinti for using witchcraft in his own palace in an attempt to 'spell the Crown Prince' and seize the position of Crown Prince."
"Yinti, do you have something to say?"
Yinti realized he had fallen into a trap; these people already possessed evidence. He knelt down and said:
"Your subject has nothing to say."
However, Kangxi did not publicly criticize him, and everyone else was uneasy.
Yinti was the emperor's eldest son, and he had twice accompanied the emperor on campaigns against Galdan, achieving great military exploits.
The Emperor's attitude in court today truly made it impossible for these people to guess what he was thinking.
Because Geng Youran had served in Consort Hui's palace for a period of time and had a relationship with the First Prince, Yinzhen told her about it after returning to the mansion.
Geng Youran frowned and paced back and forth in the room.
Although she had no feelings for the eldest prince, he and Consort Hui had indeed taken good care of her back then, and even saved her life. She felt she had to repay them in some way.
"My lord, I know that you may be displeased if I say this. But I still have to say it. I beg you, Your Highness, to find a way to persuade the Emperor to spare the life of the First Prince."
"Geng Youran, do you know what you're saying?"
Yinzhen's tone remained as cold as ever, and Geng Youran truly couldn't guess his current mood.
"Your Highness, when I was in Consort Hui's palace, the First Prince saved my life. I am willing to give up all my shares in the shops in exchange for your plea."
"Get up."
Yinzhen was not angry. On the contrary, he had long expected Geng Youran to plead for the eldest prince.
In fact, he didn't really believe his older brother would do such a vicious thing.
After thinking everything through, Yinzhen went to the palace again in the afternoon.
No one knows what Kangxi and Yinzhen said to each other.
All that everyone knows is that the eldest prince, Yinqi, was stripped of his title and imprisoned in his own palace for life, but he was spared his life by the ruthless Emperor Kangxi.
With the eldest prince imprisoned and the crown prince deposed, the overwhelming voices of the court officials were directed towards the eighth prince, Yinzhi.
"Fourth Brother, this is a good opportunity. Father is already furious, and these people still dare to interfere. If we impeach Eighth Brother now, we might be able to cut off all of his arms at once."
Yinzhen, however, did not think so.
He always felt that his father had a backup plan, and that now might not be the right time to take the initiative.
Compared to those directly involved, he suddenly became curious about how Geng Youran, an observer, viewed the matter.
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