The Ninth and Tenth Princes, who had been silently observing the situation, exchanged glances. The Eighth Prince did not respond, so the two knew the outcome.
While working, the Eighth Prince was pondering something in his mind.
He wanted to stand out, but his father, the Emperor, had made it clear that he disliked him. He wasn't even allowed to see his mother one last time. He felt not only hatred, but also fear.
If he wanted to make a name for himself, he had no choice but to rely on his other brothers.
Even the once close Prince Zhi is not as good as before, especially since he has noticed that his elder brother no longer has the same ambition. Since the First Princess's health has been deteriorating, he has devoted most of his attention to taking care of her.
Moreover, the Eighth Prince himself understood that his father, the Emperor, had never placed his hopes for the crown prince on his eldest brother.
The reason I promoted him before was partly because I genuinely cared for him, but another reason was simply to find a whetstone for my second brother, the Crown Prince.
But ever since he heard that his father had sent the eldest princess of the Prince Zhi's mansion to pacify Mongolia, he knew his father's attitude: his elder brother was out of the question.
The only one they could rely on was the Crown Prince's second brother.
The Emperor is indeed very wary of the Crown Prince, because the Crown Prince holds the title of heir apparent and enjoys the moral high ground. Even he, if he were to depose the Crown Prince, would have to consider the opinions of the people and the reputation of the Aisin Gioro clan.
He naturally sensed the rivalry between father and son. Since he couldn't get along with his father, he could only place his sole hope on the next emperor.
Father Emperor, if you are unjust, you can't blame me for being unjust.
If I don't fight back and find a way to survive, am I just going to let my father discard me like trash and let me be trampled on?
He was truly fed up with living a life of subservience and constantly having to read other people's faces.
Therefore, his ideas and those of Songgotu were in complete agreement.
The biggest variable, however, lies with the crown prince.
Soetu has already been secretly making plans, but his health is not on his side, so he has to act as soon as possible if he wants things to succeed.
The subtle exchanges between the group did not escape Yinzhen's notice. He had never liked the Eighth Prince's tendency to delve into things, and he had no idea what kind of riddles he was playing with the Crown Prince; he simply felt that it couldn't be anything good.
He suddenly felt nauseous, as if he had swallowed a fly.
The Eighth Prince was disliked by the Emperor and had long fallen out of favor. If he wanted to get close to the Crown Prince, who was under the Emperor's tight control, he would have no chance in the palace and would have to leave the palace.
So his own estate was part of his plan, and wasn't he also becoming a pawn?
Yinzhen frowned. He had been planning to treat them well, and Changning had even said that she would prepare a new dish for tonight called Iron Pot Stew.
But seeing Lao Ba like this, what's the point of making any arrangements? He might as well starve!
The farm work was quick but also very tiring. The princes worked until dusk, then quickly went back to take a bath, change their clothes, and then came out refreshed for their meal.
Today's new dish is the iron pot stew that Changning arranged. Eunuch Ma brought out the whole big iron pot, which contained the authentic free-range chicken that Changning mentioned. It was rich in side dishes, including ribs and chicken feet. The stew was savory, tender, and the broth was thick. There were also big, golden-brown flatbreads stuck around the edge of the pot, and the bottom half of the flatbreads were soaked in the broth, looking very flavorful.
The entire large iron pot was filled to the brim, leaving the group of people speechless.
"Fourth Brother, the food here is too wild." The Fifth Brother was both amused and exasperated. Even the Manchus on the grasslands had never used such a large iron pot. It looked like you could take a bath inside it, and you could easily put two children in it.
Yinzhen explained, "When you come to the estate, you must try some local specialties."
That's true. The fourteenth prince worked the hardest today, sweating profusely and with a flushed face. Yinzhen was a little touched to see this. After all, he was his younger brother, so he personally picked up a chicken leg for him. But the brat grinned and said, "Fourth brother, I don't like chicken. Pick up a spare rib for me instead."
Yinzhen rolled his eyes at him, knowing he was taking advantage of him, but he still pretended to be disgusted and put a big piece of food on his plate.
After a long day, no one was in the mood for drinking or talking. They just ate rice, and surprisingly, they finished the whole pot.
Fourteen patted his stomach: "It smells so good! When you leave tomorrow, Fourth Brother, please bring me some food from the estate. It's really good, with a unique flavor. This fish stew in an iron pot is also delicious."
Indeed, after finishing this large pot of food, Eunuch Ma served another pot of stewed fish and a dozen or so plates of cold dishes, which were eventually mostly eaten up as well.
Seeing that his brothers were eating well, Yinzhen was also happy and said with a smile, "It was prepared a long time ago, and everyone got a share."
Prince Zhi clapped his hands and laughed: "Fourth Prince is really good at handling people. You must remember to give the Crown Prince an extra portion so he can take it back to show his respect to Father Emperor!"
This makes it sound like both Yinzhen and the Crown Prince love to flatter.
Yinzhen looked somewhat displeased, but the Crown Prince smiled gently and said, "Brother is right. Fourth Prince, take two of these fish with you. Father Emperor loves to eat peony fish slices."
The eighth prince joined in the fun: "Yes, I think these pickles here are quite flavorful. They'd be perfect for Father Emperor to have with his porridge in the morning."
As a result, everyone began to care about the emperor. Who wouldn't want to be a filial son or grandson? So, they all chimed in with their own ideas for the emperor's meals.
Prince Zhi cursed the Crown Prince for being cunning and the Eighth Prince for being sly. He had previously seen his younger brother as very respectful, but now it seemed he had turned into a wolf cub. He wondered if Yinreng would be willing to take in this stray dog.
After the meal, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Prince Zhi said meaningfully to the Eighth Prince, "Eighth Prince, your elder brother really underestimated you."
Lao Ba knew what he meant; it was just a veiled insult. So what? Even Han Xin had suffered the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs. A true man can bend and stretch. Besides, these were his own brothers. What was wrong with bowing his head?
The seventh prince was sincerely thanking Yinzhen for his hospitality, and also took the opportunity to talk about the children: "My eldest princess and the fourth prince's second princess are on good terms. The other day, she was saying that she wanted to invite her to play polo together."
When talking about his daughter, Hutuli, Yinzhen's expression softened even more: "Hutuli just loves to run and jump. Let her come to your mansion to play tomorrow."
The seventh brother was waiting for this very sentence. He knew that the fourth brother loved his son and that using the child as a breakthrough point was definitely the right thing to do.
Upon hearing this, the fourteenth prince chimed in, "Then I'll send Hongchun over too. He keeps asking to play with Hongzhao."
It's strange, but Hongchun, who is about the same age as Hongyan, prefers to play with Hongzhao, who is a few years younger. It can only be said that the two are birds of a feather.
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