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That night, Changchun was outwardly relaxed but inwardly vigilant, taking strict precautions to prevent the servants from passing on the news. All the gates were heavily guarded by secret guards, and many spies were caught in the process. Kangxi was even more annoyed when he heard Tulichen's report.
All the princes lived in Changchun Garden. Yin specially asked Su Peisheng to bring the twins over as well. Kangxi simply left the twins in his own courtyard, while Yin was sent to Ruizhu Palace.
"Fourth Brother, the scenery here is quite nice!" After a long and tiring day, Qingyan returned to Ruizhu Palace and held her little hand as they wandered around outside.
Ruizhu Palace was built according to the palace of the Han Dynasty. Each building has two floors and is connected by a corridor to form a square.
"This place hasn't been renamed. After the Yuanmingyuan was built, I took advantage of the mountainous terrain to construct the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. The Crown Prince lives in the Pine Breeze Pavilion in front, so he must be a bit unhappy about it." Yin left Su Peisheng and the others downstairs, took Qingyan's hand, and the two strolled together in the corridor.
Qingyan looked up at the corridor and saw that none of the parts were connected with nails; they were all supported by wooden pieces.
"The Crown Prince is ahead?!" The two stood on the second-floor corridor, and he pointed to the island in front of them. "Actually, there's another scenic spot ahead called Fanghu Scenic Area. Once it's completed, you'll be able to see the beautiful scenery of the Old Summer Palace."
Qingyan's lips curled up slightly. They could look down from their high vantage point. Songfeng Pavilion was a place of confinement. Kangxi's punishment of the Crown Prince surprised her.
Yin leaned against the railing, feeling somewhat agitated. The scenery of Changchun Garden had changed somewhat from its heyday.
While the two were deeply in love, the atmosphere in the Crown Prince's courtyard plummeted to freezing point. The Crown Princess was only thinking of dying, knowing that if she were gone, Consort Tong would not stand idly by and do nothing for Shulu.
"Why did you do this? You've completely disgraced me as the Crown Prince!" the Crown Prince demanded angrily.
The Crown Princess leaned weakly against the bed, a cold smile appearing on her face.
"Do you think you have any dignity? What you and Consort Li have done has already disgraced Yuqing Palace." Since the Crown Princess was stripped of her power, Consort Li has changed. She was raised as a concubine since childhood and has made Yuqing Palace very petty.
The palace maids are all shrewd; who doesn't know what's going on here? They're very respectful to your face, but behind your back, who isn't laughing at the Crown Prince?
Those who say they are blind to the truth believe that, in the eyes of outsiders, Yuqing Palace is nothing more than a stage for a theatrical performance.
"Shut up!" The Crown Prince was furious. The Crown Princess was no longer the noble lady she once was, and Consort Li always tried to please her. Therefore, the Crown Prince preferred to stay in Consort Li's courtyard.
Consort Li was very clever; she instigated the other concubines to speak ill of the Crown Princess in front of the Crown Prince.
Now that Consort Li is in charge of the affairs of Yuqing Palace, things appear very peaceful on the surface, but in private, the concubines are having a much better time. The Imperial Household Department knows that Yuqing Palace is a complete mess.
"Your Highness, I no longer care about power. As long as I can raise Shulu to adulthood, that's enough. I will also protect the reputation of Yuqing Palace!" Guarjia was completely disappointed in the Crown Prince. When she had the audience, she would ask her mother to tell her mother to choose a better prince instead.
She was incredibly grateful that she hadn't given birth to a legitimate son. If her family had been tied to the sinking ship of Yuqing Palace for the sake of a mere prince, her mood would have been even worse.
The Crown Prince sat on the edge of the bed, looking into the Crown Princess's unwavering eyes, and his mood instantly plummeted. The Guarjia clan began to slowly distance themselves, and Prime Minister Suo kept emphasizing that if they could have a legitimate son, the Guarjia clan would be completely bound to Yuqing Palace.
There will be no noblewoman from the direct line of the Guarjia clan in at least three selections, so the Crown Prince has no chance to choose another person.
"Why didn't your sister enter Yuqing Palace?!" Guarjia's half-sister was sent to Yinqi's backyard and did not enter Yuqing Palace. Otherwise, he would have had another chance to fight.
"Heh, it was Grandmother Empress who personally went to Father Emperor to request permission, what could I do?" The Crown Princess sneered, finding the Crown Prince's idea laughable.
The Crown Prince was speechless. The Empress Dowager rarely made requests, but she made one on behalf of Yinqi, which Kangxi would surely grant.
Originally, Consort Li had hinted to the Crown Prince that Lady Guarjia was worried about infighting within her own family, which was why she sent Lady Guarjia to Yinqi's backyard.
Now that the Crown Princess has directly exposed the inner workings of the imperial concubine selection, it's not that she's being inactive, but rather that the Empress Dowager had already set her sights on Princess Guarjia as soon as she entered the palace.
The Fifth Prince's wife had the lowest status among all the prince's wives. Emperor Kangxi had no choice but to suppress the status of Yinzhi's wife. As for the concubines, the Empress Dowager was in charge of everything, as long as they did not overstep the status of the Crown Prince's concubines.
"Lingpu, come and report that the accounts of Yuqing Palace are in complete disarray. How have you, as the Crown Princess, managed them?!" The Crown Prince vented all his anger.
“My health is very weak. Didn’t you hand over the reins of the palace to Consort Li? Since then, I haven’t looked at the account books again!” The Crown Princess would never take the blame.
When Consort Li started causing trouble, the Crown Princess simply acquiesced, keeping to herself as if it were none of her business.
The crown prince's face was extremely ugly. Wasn't the current situation just a way of saying that he was blind to talent?
The principal wife was sidelined, and the concubine was put in charge.
"Damn it!" The prince slammed his fist on the bed. "Why didn't you warn me?!"
The Crown Prince's eyes were bloodshot. His favoritism towards his concubine over his wife was what his father, the Emperor, found most distasteful. Back then, Emperor Kangxi's attitude towards Consort Hesheli and Consort Tong was quite different.
"I've told you, will you listen?" The Crown Princess looked coldly at the Crown Prince. Ever since Hongxi was born, their relationship had never been good. The arrival of Shulu brought their relationship to a freezing point.
To outsiders, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess seem to have a good relationship, but in reality, it's all just a facade.
"Enough, there's no point in saying more now. How do we balance things now?" The backyard of Yuqing Palace is out of control.
"You still know how to embarrass yourself? You should restrain Hongxi first." The Crown Princess disapproved of Hongxi's behavior. Yiken'e was still young, but he had already shown the demeanor of a ruler. Even the Crown Prince was not as magnanimous as Yiken'e.
Hongxi? !
The Crown Prince stared at the Crown Princess in astonishment, feeling extremely surprised. Initially, Hongxi had been raised by the Crown Princess for two years and had a very good temperament. However, since returning to Consort Li's courtyard, Hongxi's personality had changed drastically, making the Crown Prince feel that something was amiss.
"Did Hongxi do something wrong?!" the Crown Prince asked directly.
"Do you know how Hongxi treated Yiken'e? Can Yin still tolerate it?" The Crown Princess asked, glancing at the Crown Prince.
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