Marriage Crisis Part 1
Marriage Crisis Part 1
The prince and his wife's life in the Forbidden City was exemplary. Life was getting smoother and smoother, and they had come to understand each other's temperaments. Shujia increasingly discovered Yinreng's many strengths, and Yinreng became more tolerant of his pregnant wife. Overall, they got along well.
Kangxi returned in September, and another item appeared in Yinreng's daily schedule: being mushy with his father in person.
Kangxi was in a good mood. His son was becoming more and more sensible. He had been writing letters constantly, and his letters were full of love and affection. Now he came every day to ask about his well-being. Kangxi's life was instantly complete. Yinreng was also very satisfied. Kangxi was still close to him. As soon as he came back, he would put others aside to chat with him first.
The father and son held a small meeting behind closed doors.
From the moment he met him, Kangxi began to reassess his son. He was still as pleasing to the eye, as worry-free as ever. The good impression he'd accumulated over months of correspondence suddenly surfaced. He seemed more composed, his features still the same, but his presence was different. Comparison is the key to discernment. For the first time, Kangxi felt that the prince was evolving into a mature man, no longer a child.
Sigh.
Yinreng never showed fear in front of Kangxi, to the point that he never even tried to guess his thoughts. He simply thought, "I think this is the best way to do it, I think it's what you like." He rarely put himself in other people's shoes, including Kangxi. Therefore, a normal family life can be very instructive.
Kangxi Man first talked about business: "Is everything all right in Beijing?"
Yinreng's expression grew serious as he recounted various details, from state affairs to the palace, most of which were written in memorials and letters. Kangxi listened, mentally noting the key points. When Yinreng mentioned something not mentioned in the memorials or letters, Kangxi would ask in detail, "When did this happen?"
Yinreng replied, "It was three days ago. I didn't know the consequences, so I didn't submit a memorial."
Kangxi nodded: "Go on."
…
…
…
There are always so many things to say when we meet again after a long separation, and there is never enough time.
It was time for dinner, and Yinreng naturally stayed. He really didn't treat himself as an outsider and said directly to Kangxi: "Father, give me another pair of chopsticks."
Kangxi replied casually: "Can't you give them orders yourself?"
Yinreng smiled innocently: "Those who eat for free naturally have to wait for your approval. You are not so cruel, are you?"
Kangxi laughed and said, "You are already sitting here, and you are still asking such unnecessary questions."
The eunuch who followed Yinreng saw that the situation was settled, so he immediately returned to Yuqing Palace and told the Crown Princess: "The Crown Prince is staying in Qianqing Palace."
Just as he finished speaking, he looked up and saw that the Crown Princess's face was still as gentle, but it felt... a little lighter. Don't worry, the Crown Prince accompanies you for dinner every day, so it's only right that he accompanies the Emperor for a while.
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He guessed wrong. The Crown Princess was not depressed because of the good relationship between the Crown Prince and the Emperor. She was worried about something else.
Shujia was in a dilemma. She and Yinreng were both worried about the fact that life wasn't just about the two of them; there were other concerns. Kangxi had returned, and naturally, his attendants had returned too. When the Third and Fourth Concubines came to talk, the topic of gift-giving came up. They had originally wanted to ask the Crown Princess for advice.
October 3rd is the Empress Dowager’s birthday!
What should I give him? Yinreng was a married man, so he couldn't be as careless as before. For married people, these matters are left to the wife to handle. The husband only needs to tell his wife after she has prepared everything, and he will make the final decision.
Shujia had been preparing for this matter for a long time, and now she spoke out: "Don't be ridiculous, this is the first time I've encountered such a big thing. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the two palaces were separated, and the emperor was away. Any slight problem could be concealed due to the distance and the emphasis on affection. If they were all together, I wouldn't have to be so careful. I could have asked my sister-in-law, but she's not feeling well. I did ask around, and the gifts for the Millennium Festival and the Longevity Festival are given separately by each family. The women give clothes, and the men give treasures and the like."
The Third Lady asked, "So that's how it is?"
Shujia nodded. "I don't know when this rule was established, but the gifts from each family must be divided into several parts. For example, at the head of the family, there are already several daughters, and each niece, no matter how old, must contribute a share. When the time comes, they must make a list and hand it over together with the gifts."
The Fourth Lady asked, "I wonder if there are any fixed rules? A birthday celebration must be different from other celebrations. What are the common rules?"
Jia sighed, "It's just the norm... Since we moved into the Forbidden City, my sister-in-law is the first prince's wife to live here, so naturally we have to follow her example."
The Third and Fourth Fujins looked at each other in bewilderment. The Third Fujin asked, "Isn't there a precedent in the Imperial Household Department?"
Shujia shook her head: "In the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they pierce your ears as soon as you get into the sedan chair. If there was a precedent, I wouldn't be so anxious."
The Third and Fourth Concubines were becoming increasingly familiar with each other, so they immediately asked, "Did you hear any rumors when you were at your mother's house?"
The father of the Fourth Lady, Fei Yanggu, married the great-granddaughter of Chu Ying, and the Fourth Lady, Ulanara, was Fei Yanggu's youngest daughter. Perhaps she knew something about the inside story, and her aunt was the stepmother of the renowned Empress Duanjing.
The Fourth Lady also shook her head: "I haven't heard anything about it."
At this moment, Shujia suddenly remembered something: "Oh, Khan Ama also wants to celebrate the birthday of the Empress Dowager, so the gifts he prepares must not conflict with those in the Qianqing Palace."
She regretted it right after she finished speaking. She was the only one who should have paid attention. Only the things in her storehouse were better than those in the Qianqing Palace. Only she would search through the storehouse to find something. Before Yinreng, she would just give orders casually without paying attention.
The Third and Fourth Concubines had not thought of this yet, probably because they did not know the financial situation of Yuqing Palace. They just thought: This is a big problem. It is normal to give duplicate gifts. They are all birthday gifts, and there are only a few of them. But it is true that there cannot be conflicts with the gifts from Qianqing Palace. What if they give exactly the same gifts as Qianqing Palace? This can be said to be a tacit understanding, or it can be said to be a lack of tact.
The two chatted for a while about their travels and thanked each other for the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. Shujia smiled and said, "I used the things you brought me, and they're very good. Why should we be so polite?"
The purpose of communication was achieved, and the two left together, leaving Shujia behind and starting to worry: she couldn't make the same thing as Kangxi, nor could she go past Kangxi, which meant that many of the good things prepared before would be useless. Some of Yinreng's things were only different from Kangxi's collection in quality or quantity - the ones in the East Palace were good, and the ones in the Emperor's were inferior.
Shujia's share of needlework was easy to handle; Kangxi wouldn't be so unpredictable as to gift her with all sorts of needlework. The problem was Yinreng's share. Kangxi could only use what he gave him, or keep it sealed. The Imperial Household Department's supplies were best used by him, with a few pieces given away as rewards to his subordinates. How about... going outside the palace to procure them?
Then, a long-standing and ignored problem was brought to the table again: the couple was short of money.
After thinking about it, Shujia remembered a person - Dezhu whom Yinreng mentioned.
It just so happened that Shujia's impression of him was not bad. It was undeniable that good-looking people always had an advantage in life.
Dezhu was considered an outsider, and despite Yinreng's previous words, Shujia still had a difficult time getting to see him. She first told Yinreng, "The third day of October is the Empress Dowager's birthday. I'm wondering if we should go outside the palace to buy some things. We have some here, but they were all made by the Imperial Household Department or brought in from outside. These are fine items, and they would be dazzling outside, but they're just commonplace in the palace. Who knows, other people might have them too, and it wouldn't look good if they were all the same."
Yinreng agreed generously: "We can ask our subordinates to do it, just issue a receipt."
Then Shujia sent the eunuch to summon Dezhu, and she personally ordered some things. Birthday gifts were mostly similar, but they would add special patterns to the existing gifts, such as longevity patterns, pictures of Magu offering longevity, or designs shaped like longevity peaches... The difficulty lay in putting in the right amount of effort, making sure they both reflected the characteristics of the birthday and looked original.
Shujia thought that since most people gave gifts like Buddha statues and scriptures, it would be better for Yuqing Palace to give ornaments like screens. After she had decided on one thing after another, she sent Eunuch Wang to Chuande to stay.
After putting up a screen to separate them, Shujia asked the eunuch to pass the list to Dezhu and asked, "Can you complete it?"
De Zhu said: "I will definitely do my best, but life is a little tight."
Shujia bit her lip. She knew the schedule was tight. She'd been thinking about the big day when everyone was together, so she'd only considered the good stuff. Now, preparing all over again was going to be tiring.
But he couldn't let go: "I want to see the things by the end of the month." Bureaucratic style is not something we haven't seen before. Dezhu didn't run around looking for things alone. He also had a large number of people under his command. Yinreng brought him to him, which showed that Yinreng was well aware of the matter.
Dezhu had already made up his mind. Ever since the Crown Prince had asked him to meet the Crown Princess, he had prepared all sorts of things, just waiting for the Crown Princess's order. He had already prepared six or seven out of the items on the list. It just so happened that he had the idea for the jade peach tree, which he had thought of as a novelty and had never seen anyone give it before. He had hidden it away, intending to present it as a treasure. Even if he didn't have the rest, it wouldn't be difficult to find; most of it could be purchased. The only thing he needed now was the screen, which was a bit more difficult. Where had he seen it last time? How could he get it?
It's better to fool the Crown Princess first. A woman in the deep palace, no matter how shrewd she is, what can she do? First, let her know that this matter is difficult to handle. Then, if we do it well, she will know that we can get things done.
Dezhu's plan was very clever. He originally followed the prince and had some competition with Eunuch Cui, but it was not obvious. After all, one was in charge of external affairs and the other was in charge of internal affairs, so the conflict of interest was not serious.
Now that the Crown Princess had arrived, she couldn't be said to be in charge of everything, but at least the Crown Prince had no objection to her being in charge of internal affairs. Thus, Eunuch Cui's greatest power and interests were stripped away. Even if the Crown Princess didn't say anything, she still used him. Gradually, Eunuch Cui's influence within the government became less pronounced, and the words of the several shrewd maids around the Crown Princess became more and more influential. Judging from their actions, everyone also respected the Crown Princess as their master a little more.
Eunuch Cui's living space has been squeezed, and he must seek a breakthrough. There are two ways to go: 1. Kill the Crown Princess and continue to control internal affairs, which is impossible; 2. Kill Dezhu and seize his opportunity to make extra money, which is possible.
With the rules of the family, the Crown Prince's affection for her, and the support of the two palace masters, the Crown Princess was as stable as a rock. Dezhu, on the other hand, was different. While he was close to Yinreng, could he rival the eunuch Cui, his personal servant? Dezhu's duties were divided into two parts: one, working hard to advance himself, and the other, collecting illicit profits and conducting shady business. These were matters that Soetu likely couldn't interfere with.
Dezhu gradually began to feel that Eunuch Cui, this androgynous creature, was about to rebel and was beginning to extend his hand into his own business. When he spoke to his acquaintances in the palace, Hua La and E Chu, they also thought so.
Echu was a handsome young man. He curled his lips and said, "There has never been a eunuch who didn't love power and money. Without the lower-class, there is no fun anymore. The only thing he can do is to scheme for personal gain. You better be careful."
Hua La was thin and slightly younger than Echu. "If you ask me, he's unkind, and I'm unrighteous. He held onto the Crown Prince when he was in the palace, and he didn't let go even when the Crown Princess came. He wanted to please both sides, but it wasn't up to him."
Dezhu narrowed his eyes and said, "The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are getting along very well now. He has turned to the Crown Princess... this..."
Echu sneered, "What big things can a eunuch accomplish? If the Crown Princess really has something important to do, he will definitely not be able to accomplish it. Then won't you be exposed? If you can do it beautifully, the Crown Princess will naturally look up to you. Masters always need people who can get things done."
The idea was a good one, and overall, it worked. Dezhu managed to gather all the items and bring them to Yuqing Palace by the end of September, earning praise from the Crown Princess. The next day, Yinreng also said, "The Crown Princess told me that you've been working very hard. If you continue to do so, I won't treat you unfairly."
Seeing the bitter face of Eunuch Cui, Dezhu felt happy and told you to compete with me!
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It was the Empress Dowager's birthday. It wasn't a full birthday, so there wasn't any grand ceremony, but it was still very lively. Seeing her children and grandchildren all around her, she was naturally very happy.
Of course, there are also discordant notes, such as the undercurrents between the Crown Prince and the eldest prince.
The clothes given by the first wife were said to be made of furs hunted by the eldest prince himself. The empress dowager smiled and said, "Very good, very good." The prince's heart was full of running beasts! You go to have fun, I'm watching the house! Asshole, I don't have anything I hunted myself!
The gift from the Crown Prince was truly unique. The Empress Dowager, upon seeing the peach tree, requested it be immediately displayed: "It's winter now, and seeing this brings me joy." Green leaves and red peaches—isn't that a vibrant sight? A gust of wind blew up in the Gobi Desert of the eldest prince's heart! You didn't carve it yourself! What's there to show off?
The Crown Prince and the eldest prince have already had a Pavlov reaction with each other.
Yinreng's eyes rolled as he praised Yinzhi highly, saying, "Your skills are extraordinary." Then, feeling deeply regretful and aggrieved, he asked Kangxi, "Will there be a son next year?" Seeing Yinzhi's behavior, his teeth almost clenched: "You're pretending to be cute! You're even pretending to be aggrieved! Who did you learn that from?! Who asked you to praise me?!"
Kangxi glanced at him sideways, his eyes devoid of any sharpness. Yinreng touched his nose, and Kangxi laughed. This interaction made the eldest prince's nose crooked with anger.
Yinreng was in a good mood, and then his mood became even better. When he returned to Yuqing Palace to rest, he heard that his son could move. He put his hand on his wife's belly, and the baby kicked him twice through her belly. The future father was so happy that he spun around.
After turning around, he reached out to kick it, but... I missed it, fell asleep, and didn't move.
Yinreng was very disappointed: "Why isn't he moving?" The implication was that he wanted to be hit a few more times, and he even had the urge to ask the imperial physician: What happened to my son?
Shujia laughed: "Maybe he's tired. No one can move all the time."
When Yinreng slept that night, he kept his hands on his wife's belly.
When he woke up, Yinreng said, "He moved."
Shujia said: "I know, I was woken up by him..." Her face was expressionless. People who don't sleep well will also be in a bad mood.
Yinreng put his ear close to it and said, "I seem to hear something..."
Shujia: "Maybe a heartbeat?"
After much tossing and turning, Shujia finally woke up. She looked at Yinreng, a little incredulously, grinning like all the other expectant fathers and apologetic fathers in the world, and a faint warmth welled up in her heart. As Yinreng reluctantly prepared to get dressed, Shujia suddenly felt a sense of loss. Her stomach had been clear when he'd leaned in, but now that he'd left, it felt a little cold.
Shivering, Yinreng said, "Why don't you give the Crown Princess more clothes? They are useless."
Shujia wrapped herself tightly in her clothes and said, "I'm not cold either."
Yinreng, believing a pregnant woman must be feeling cold, insisted she put on more clothes. Shujia warmed up again and smiled as she watched him leave. Such simple happiness, like a dream.
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It is indeed like a dream, because beautiful dreams are meant to be broken.
Two days later, after Ning Hui and Yarjiang'a's wedding, Kangxi began to take action.
Kangxi sent Mingzhu and Suo'etu out together, with the mission of inspecting Galdan. He wasn't afraid of a fight between the two, so he could just pick one off right away.
Yinreng was in a bad mood: This was a great opportunity to make a contribution. If he did well, Kangxi would take him along when he personally led the army to fight. If he could provide some useful suggestions, he would surely achieve great success. Having Soetu was enough, so why did he have to bring Mingzhu along?
The eldest prince was also dissatisfied: "Suo Etu is a useless thing. He is not good at fighting. What is he for? If we run out of dry food on the road, we can kill a sheep and eat it. Bringing him is a waste of food!"
In short, Yinreng was very upset. If this matter hadn't involved Soetu, he would have been able to see it. The problem was that he had a close relationship with Soetu. He was so focused on defending Soetu that he forgot to analyze the situation. When he was in a bad mood, his outbursts became particularly violent, and he beat three eunuchs in a row.
Eunuch Cui saw that the Crown Princess had gone to the Ningshou Palace to discuss dinner with the Empress Dowager. No one was stopping the Crown Prince from getting angry. If he continued to fight, he would be beaten. Finally, he made up his mind. Something he had been thinking about for a long time finally came to fruition.
Eunuch Cui has been having a hard time lately.
Eunuch Cui was torn. On the one hand, the Crown Prince was his true master, so of course he had to please him. On the other hand, the Crown Princess oversaw every aspect of Yuqing Palace. The Crown Prince was busy with state affairs, leaving the household to the Crown Princess, who was now in charge. Should he flatter the Crown Prince? Or should he, for the Crown Princess's own benefit, avoid tempting the Crown Prince to favor someone else? He was wavering, still believing that the current position was better than the current management. What if the Crown Princess helped to persuade him, spoke well of him, and took away Dezhu's lucrative position?
Then he realized that something was wrong.
There were a lot of things he could do and a lot of things the palace could do. The intelligence he originally had had almost been gathered by the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess's maids went out and won over a large number of people. Among them was a taciturn maid who was very shrewd at calculating accounts.
The Crown Prince had Dezhu, along with Huala and Echu, whom he had befriended at some unknown time, constantly surrounding him. Eunuch Cui felt that if he didn't do something, he would be out of a job. Many of the younger eunuchs and maids no longer looked at him with the same respect they once did.
Can't just sit there and wait for death! Eunuch Cui was reflecting. No, this isn't right. Have I been stupid lately? I should be sticking to the Crown Prince, not the Crown Princess. Look at Liang and Gu in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. They serve the Emperor well, and everyone in the palace, except the Crown Prince and the Empress Dowager, has to fawn over them! Wrong! Wrong! I did it wrong!
How could I have forgotten the Crown Prince while only caring about the Crown Princess? The backyard belonged to her, but the job of making money in the front had to be approved by the Crown Prince! I was just trying to impress the Crown Princess and help her with the pillow talk! I really deserved it! Didn’t that bastard Dezhu also try to please the Crown Princess?
This won’t work!
Why do we have to take sides? Why can't we not offend both sides?
Especially since they were a couple, it wasn't a big deal. Pleasing the Crown Prince and pleasing the Crown Princess didn't conflict, did they?
How could we not ignore the prince?
Eunuch Cui didn't need to take sides. He was the head eunuch of Yuqing Palace, and serving both masters was his duty. Abandoning the Crown Prince for the Crown Princess was a foolish idea, as his immediate superior was the Crown Prince.
Eunuch Cui began to ponder...
On the surface, the Crown Prince and his wife seem to be in perfect harmony, as loving as the eldest prince and his wife. Looking at the third and fourth princes, they're also inseparable from their first wives. It makes people in the palace sigh: "The princes are such good people!" Couples in the palace are so damn harmonious! He doesn't even hug his concubines, but hugs his first wife every day. He's truly a role model.
This is just the surface, there are also discordant notes in the dark -
The Crown Prince had been holding it in for months, which was a rare opportunity. However, someone who hadn't had sex was indeed a little restless.
But it's inconvenient for the Crown Princess! And the Crown Prince, for some reason, always lives with the Crown Princess, which is just asking for trouble. The worst part is, he's very peaceful when he's with the Crown Princess, and very friendly when he meets with foreign officials, but he takes all his anger out on the eunuchs.
The reason was analyzed. He was still hesitant at first, but when Dezhu got the Crown Princess's choice, the balance in Eunuch Cui's heart was tilted. Then, the Crown Prince's temper became worse and worse, and Eunuch Cui completely surrendered to the Crown Prince.
However, his wishful thinking was wrong!
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When people are hungry, they need to eat. Adults naturally have sexual needs; this is the law of nature. Even in monogamous societies, men who cheat on their wives or have thoughts of cheating while they are pregnant have never disappeared.
What's more, Yinreng was the crown prince.
As a crown prince, his self-discipline is still very good. Under the combined effect of various factors, he has been able to endure until now. It seems that God has made the crown princess a real mother. Of course, the crown princess's personal efforts are also indispensable. Successfully keeping the crown prince by her side does not mean that no one will come to steal her away.
Shujia's girlfriend was not pried open by a woman. Prying open someone's girlfriend is heavy physical labor, and such labor should of course be reserved for men with good physical strength.
Eunuch Cui came up with a plan, but he didn't want to antagonize the Crown Princess, so he kept asking about her schedule, appearing incredibly concerned. He was a relatively high-ranking eunuch in the palace, with several adopted sons and numerous apprentices. Though his current situation was less fulfilled, his influence remained. Eunuch Cui's goal: to find a time when the Crown Princess wasn't paying attention and subtly curry favor with him. Unaware, the Crown Princess assumed he was a good person.
Unfortunately, the Crown Princess didn't know, but Dezhu found out first. Eunuch Cui was looking for someone from Xiefang Palace, and since Yuqing Palace was right under his nose, he was worried about the Crown Princess getting the news. Dezhu couldn't roam around the palace, but his friends were able to get a lot of information. Huala and Echu worked in the kitchen, and they had a friend named Yatou who worked in the tea room. Dezhu couldn't enter the inner court, but he was able to mingle with these servants. People can't live without food and water, and the people who come and go in the kitchen and tea rooms are extremely well-informed.
Yatou told Huala, and Huala hurriedly said to Dezhu, "Eunuch Cui is making a move."
De Zhu sneered, "He's such a clueless bastard after all. He can only guess the first day, but he can't even guess the fifteenth!"
Echu asked: "What do you mean? Do you know what he is going to do?" They lived together with De and shared the benefits equally. They could not let Eunuch Cui gain power again and dilute the profits.
"How big is the eunuch's heart? He just wants to please the prince. Think about it, he is useless in state affairs, so he has to take action on small matters. The princess is pregnant now... Prince, I'm afraid she is holding it in and he will find out again." One of the two concubines had a sick son to take care of, and ended up getting sick from exhaustion. The other one was originally sick, and it was inconvenient for all the wives in the prince's family!
"Wouldn't that let him succeed? The Crown Prince doesn't care about anything else except state affairs. He's never been short of money. If Eunuch Cui makes him happy, the meat in our bowls might just fly away..."
De Zhu shook his head and said, "I know our Crown Prince best. He looks upright and modest, but in his heart he is a man who can't help himself. He loves novelty and curiosity. If Eunuch Cui can control him, then he is no longer the Crown Prince! How can he please the Crown Prince with a clay puppet? Do you think I haven't thought about the Crown Prince these past few months-"
Hua La understood the underlying meaning: the Crown Prince disliked those who acted too virtuous in bed. But… "Can the Imperial Household Department's selection process allow voluptuous women in?" Kangxi preferred gentleness and decorum; the palace maids had to behave virtuously. The Crown Prince would turn his head away at the mere sight of them, and after a few encounters, he'd forget about them.
There is only one comment to make about Eunuch Cui bringing in such a person: he is incapable of doing things.
"How about telling the Crown Princess?" Yatou couldn't help but speak.
"That's inappropriate," Echu rejected the idea. "The Crown Princess is a virtuous person. She treated Xiefang Palace so kindly. If Eunuch Cui gets lucky and she doesn't get angry but thinks it's right, then we would be in vain! We can't offend the Crown Princess either."
Hua La lamented, "It's a pity we can't use this method..."
Dezhu looked at him, then looked around, his eyes rolling: "I have an idea..."
At this time, the Crown Princess did not know that her husband was being targeted by two groups of people.
The two groups of people who wanted to avoid offending both sides offended the Crown Princess at the same time.
The author has something to say: Moving is such a pain! My right hand is swollen from moving, and my typing is slow. I haven't slept for 12 hours in two days combined.
Here are some explanations: 1. When will the steamed buns be released? I originally said that it would be around five chapters, under normal update conditions. Uh, when I was speaking, I was planning to have a steamed bun in each chapter, but because I suddenly had to move, so...
Ahem, the next three chapters of Baozi getting fatter are out.
Second, regarding the previous chapter where Kangxi had already returned, and the previous chapter mentioning his return again. Originally, these two chapters were about the same chapter as the beginning of this one, about the Second Lady setting a trap for the Second Prince. I finished the draft, but didn't have time to adjust it, so I edited and posted the first half, and didn't notice when I posted the second half...
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