Yin led Qingyan into the Cining Palace. He sensed that the atmosphere inside the hall was different. She was stunned. What... happened?
After the respectful greetings, the Empress Dowager's attitude truly worried Yin. Could this be a conspiracy by the Empress Dowager, merely to lower their guard?
When Emperor Kangxi released Yin out of the palace to protect Qingyan, she had a long private conversation with Yin. Yin was aware of some of the Empress Dowager's actions back then, which frightened her. She believed that the old lady was only trying to deceive them.
"Little darling, come here to me!" The Empress Dowager quickly told Yin and Qingyan to get up, and she beckoned Qing to come closer to her.
Empress Dowager Qingyan looked at Dong E beside her, bewildered and troubled. For a moment, she didn't know what to do.
"Alright, Third Prince and Lady Dong'e, get up as well." The Empress Dowager shook her head helplessly and finally decided to let the two go for now.
Yin turned and nodded to Qingyan, and only then did she get up and approach the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager couldn't help but find their little antics amusing. Qingyan's excessive reliance on Yin was fine for a woman, but not for a primary consort.
"Little Fourth, Qingyan is still young, you should let her practice more." The Empress Dowager had also heard about the struggle between Dong Eshi and Qingyan.
Yin respectfully agreed, and Qingyan was held on the Empress Dowager's lap as she was fed cream puffs.
Although the cream inside the cream puffs wasn't as delicious as hers, it was still a novel food for the people of the Qing Dynasty.
Dong Eshi couldn't help but purse her lips. If Qingyan appeared in front of her, she was sure it wouldn't be anything good.
Yin and Yinzhi sat beside their mother. Yinzhi felt annoyed. The two of them were about the same age, and Dong'e and Qingyan were even younger. Who would have thought that Qingyan would become more and more favored.
The Empress Dowager, who had always opposed the marriage between Yinzhi and Qingyan, finally relented, which gave him a headache. His father had prepared everything for the fourth prince, and even if the fourth prince was very busy and lacked ability, Kangxi would still give him a high position.
Just as his mother said, as long as Consort Tong was alive, Yin was always the most favored. From a young age, he understood that he could not compare with the Crown Prince, who was the Emperor's legitimate son. However, he could not even compare with Yin.
Yinzhi glared at Yin. When he came over, he and Dong Eshi were kneeling in the main hall. When Yin and Qingyan came in, he only bowed and greeted them before quickly telling them to get up. The contrast between the two made him feel particularly uncomfortable.
His own mother couldn't compare to Consort Tong, and his father had long since lost his favor towards her. If his third sister hadn't personally gone on a marriage alliance with the Mongols in the north, he probably wouldn't have been valued by his father either.
A few years later, the third sister was to get married. Originally, Emperor Kangxi did not want his daughter to be married off to a foreign land.
Since Galdan's suicide, the Oirat Mongols were in a state of panic. Initially, the Emperor planned to choose a daughter of a court official for a marriage alliance. However, Dong Eqi persuaded Guo Luoma to convince his mother to let his third sister request the marriage alliance herself. Unfortunately for the third sister, her petition was overheard by an outside official, and in the end, the Emperor reluctantly agreed.
Yinzhi harbored deep resentment towards the Dong'e clan. For his own benefit, he sent his third sister to that distant place. That same day, Kangxi summoned him to the Qianqing Palace to analyze the situation of the Oirat tribe. The Dzungar tribe had been completely eliminated, and Galdan's power had been divided among the other princes. The newly enthroned Oirat prince's heir was also capable, but having gained power, it was hard to guarantee he wouldn't harbor ambitions...
Thinking of this, he glared angrily at Dong E Shi. In front of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, she could not save face for her mother. In private, she was even more scheming.
"Yinzhi hasn't visited his mother in the palace lately. Look at the fourth prince, he's given up his freedom outside the palace and come back to keep Consort Tong company." The Empress Dowager disapproved of Consort Dong'e's domineering ways. Previously, Consort Dong'e had monopolized Shunzhi's...favor...now, Consort Dong'e was preventing Yinzhi from entering the palace, making it impossible for him to even perform his morning and evening greetings to Consort Rong.
Doesn't this make everyone think that the Third Prince doesn't even have filial piety?
Regardless of which prince has a bad reputation, it is the Aisin Gioro family that loses face. Therefore, the Empress Dowager will not criticize Yinzhi at all.
These words were clearly a warning to Consort Dong'e, and Consort Rong also felt that the Empress Dowager looked down on her.
Consort Rong felt increasingly saddened by her daughter-in-law's situation. Every day, she mingled among the other concubines, some of whom mocked her, saying that she had given birth to so many princes, but only one had survived to adulthood, and even if he had been recognized, he was still being manipulated by the Fujin (the wife of the emperor).
The matter concerning the Third Princess further infuriated Consort Rong. Dong'e had schemed against her only daughter, and even Emperor Kangxi's affections for Dong'e Qishi were waning. With such a primary consort, could Yinzhi possibly be valued by Emperor Kangxi?
Seeing the situation between Consort Rong, Yin Zhi, and Consort Dong'e, Yin simply smiled. This wasn't over yet; their little darling had been bullied by Consort Dong'e. Consort Dong'e was merely relying on the power of Consort Dong'e Qishi; which of the next generation of the Dong'e family could compare to E'shuo and Saituo?
Kangxi was merely trying to appease his old ministers. The generals who led the expedition against Galdan were basically those whom Kangxi would heavily rely on in the latter half of his life. Fei Yanggu had been cured of the poison and should not die young. Kangxi would value his future even more.
"You may all leave. Consort Tong, Consort Rong, and the four little ones, please stay!" The Empress Dowager, seeing the desolate scene, dismissed the concubines.
During this period, Consort Rong and Yinzhi rarely met. The relationship between the mother and son in the royal family was not very good to begin with, and members of the Dong'e clan were constantly moving back and forth between the two.
Yin Zhi sat listlessly to the side. The Empress Dowager's words had made him lose face. Lately, he had been wanting to speak up and tell Dong Eqi that he was preparing to return to the palace.
Before he could finish speaking, Lady Dong'e looked at him with teary eyes.
From a young age, he had always been a man who cherished women, and seeing the delicate Dong E Shi, he kept her in his mansion.
"Yinzhi, how are you doing at the Dong'e residence?" The Empress Dowager looked at Yinzhi's gloomy face and was somewhat worried. Outside, one often encounters problems. Yinzhi is of noble status, yet Kangxi kept him at the residence of a subject. Whether the other party was concerned or using him, it was easy to tell.
Comparing Dong E at seventy with Fei Yanggu, one is pragmatic, the other is dedicated.
"Grandma, I'm fine!" Yinzhi smiled wryly. He certainly couldn't compare to his mother's side, but Dong Eqiqi was still taking care of him.
The struggle within the backyard intensified, and he could see that Lady Dong'e and her half-sister were using underhanded tactics to gain his favor.
As a prince, he didn't care much about these things. Women were just for the princes to enjoy. His teaching methods differed from Yin's. Yin was willing to give up other women for Qingyan. Qingyan was not only envied by the other wives, but Yin was also regarded as an object of loyalty by many officials.
Perhaps this scene would make Yin nervous. Kangxi was happy to see his son show weakness. For the first time in two generations, Yin decided to show weakness from the very beginning.
The crown prince, just like in his previous life, was deposed, which ironically made him more likely to catch the eye of Emperor Kangxi. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
