Salary withdrawal alliance
The Eighth Prince had a new relative, a blessing for others but definitely bad news for Yuqing Palace. The Crown Prince, realizing that the Eighth Prince was clearly closer to the First Prince than to himself, grew increasingly unhappy the more influential the Eighth Prince became. The Crown Princess, reflecting on the Eighth Prince's potential as a contender for the throne, and the fact that her arrival would have no chance of defeating Butterfly, the "Eighth Wise Prince"—they had only met a handful of times—became increasingly uneasy as the Eighth Prince's network of connections grew.
In this world, there are differences between men and women, which means that men and women each have their own responsibilities.
Yinreng, at least for now, still considered Yinsi to be on Yinzhi's side, rather than an independent competitor. Therefore, upon hearing that Maerhun was going to have a new wife from the Tonggiya clan, he focused on how to deal with Yinzhi.
The Crown Princess's power was quite limited, but she had found a roundabout way to save the country. Wasn't the Eighth Brother close to his brothers? She had no choice but to find a way to break them up. Her husband had no way of cooperating in this matter.
The Crown Prince now had to resort to using Duan to win over his brothers, who had already moved out of Zhaoxiang House. This task was truly too daunting. He could have flirted with Kangxi, reconciled with Yarjiang'a, courted Confucianists, and even forced Soetu to retreat. He gave in step by step, lowering his line step by step, yet still held on to some childish persistence.
Shujia said to him, "Good things are coming to the ninth and tenth princes soon. The ninth prince has the Yikun Palace Consort Mother to take care of him, so it's no problem. But the tenth prince... his mother passed away early, and now there are no concubines in the palace who have the grace to raise him, and their status is not as high as that of the Wenxi Imperial Noble Consort back then. The status of the Empress Dowager is enough, but she doesn't have the energy. Are you...?"
Before he could finish his words, Yinreng's brow furrowed. He was more casual with his wife, and with Shujia's second pregnancy, Yinreng and her became even closer. "Doesn't he have his good brother?" I've already made so many concessions, and you still won't let me be willful for once?
Shujia glared. She didn't know that Yinreng and Yin'e had a minor conflict. It wasn't a big deal, but neither party had forgotten it. Back then, Yin'e was still young, and as a little boy, it was understandable that he was a little sickly.
By then, Yinreng had grown into a teenager, learning to handle government affairs and preoccupied with other matters. He didn't take the occasional illness of one of his many younger brothers seriously. He simply ordered Cui Yuzhu, the eunuch in charge at the time, to pick out a gift and send it to him. Imperial Noble Consort Wenxi was still alive at the time, and Yinreng had his mother to care for him, which might have left Yinreng with a bit of a sour taste in his mouth.
If it were just that, it would be fine. Unfortunately, Yin'e was of the highest social status, aside from the Crown Prince. He had always been spoiled, and even now, he had a rather bad temper. However, he was still young, so when he really got into it, it was quite a tantrum. He remembered exactly who treated him well and who didn't.
Because of their age, he was closer to the Eighth and Ninth Brothers. The Eighth Brother came to see him several times. Yin'e felt that his Eighth Brother was a really good person. In comparison, that dead prince was too unlovable!
The Tenth Prince was ill, and Kangxi wanted to offer his condolences. Yin'e was still young at the time, and Kangxi insisted on being not only a strict father to help his sons succeed, but also a loving father to help them feel the warmth of the family. He spoke to his son briefly, "Are you feeling better today?"
"Much better."
Imperial Noble Consort Wenxi said, "Many people came to see him today, and they were overwhelmed by his beauty."
Kangxi became interested: "Oh? Who came to see you?" He was definitely looking forward to hearing about his son's family who were all friendly and respectful to each other.
The tenth prince just said, "My eighth brother is good to me." He didn't say anything about Kangxi's beloved prince.
Kangxi still had a very good impression of Yinreng at this time. The next day, he privately reminded Yinreng to pay attention to the love between brothers and sisters, for example, to visit his tenth brother. The eighth and ninth brothers were younger than you, and they made a point of visiting the tenth brother. You should not neglect your younger brothers either.
Kangxi's warning was entirely well-intentioned, but it took on a different meaning when it came to Yinreng. "You little bastard, you actually dared to tell me about my crimes?" And so, a feud was born, over such a trivial matter.
Once people have a fixed impression, it's easy to follow that pattern. Watching as the Tenth Prince and the Eighth Prince grew closer, and then, like all the other princes, he became less and less close to the Crown Prince, and the relationship only got worse.
Yinreng had already reflected on this and decided to be kind to his younger brothers, limited to those thirteen and fourteen and younger. He couldn't bring himself to treat these grown-ups well. He figured it out, and it wasn't worth it to break up with the Tenth Brother. The Tenth Brother's maternal uncle, the Niuhuru clan, was a descendant of one of the Five Founding Ministers, a seemingly prestigious family, but... his own brothers weren't even in the picture yet, so dragging them in would be an eyesore. Yinreng only needed a few capable men who could be of use in crucial moments, without having to brag about himself and attract attention. If he had the time, he could just treat any of his younger brothers well, and they would earn him even more loyalty than the Tenth Brother.
As for the tenth brother, he was stubborn at first. If you ignore me, I will ignore you. What can you do to me? After his mother died, he stopped being a spoiled child, but his temper still didn't change. After the death of Imperial Noble Consort Wenxi, the tenth brother became lonely, and it was the eighth and ninth brothers who comforted him.
Because Yinreng had his own agenda, and Shujia didn't know it, so she racked her brains but couldn't figure out why Yinreng didn't like the Tenth Prince. Now it seemed that the Eighth Prince hadn't set up a new family, and there was still the Eighth Prince between the Tenth Prince and the eldest prince. No matter how you looked at it, he was a potential target!
"Even if he had ten eighth brothers, they couldn't compare to one second brother. The eighth brother cares about his brothers, but that's the eighth brother. He can't take your place. Tell Khan Ama that the fourth brother has finished his homework today, so you don't have to do yours and give it a try."
Yinreng seemed moved and frowned, saying, "You have no control over this matter. There is no one in the palace who can take charge! The concubines and mothers have all stopped moving, so how can you do it? You have never been very close to them. Look, did the Eighth Prince move? Did the Zhongcui Palace move? It is better to be still than to move. Say less, do less, and observe more. After all, you are the daughter-in-law of this palace. So many things are not decided by you."
Shu Jia was surprised and said, "Who wants to be his boss? We're just looking to see if we can help. Even if Lao Ba has been looking after him, we don't mind helping him even though we live far away from him. We may not be close at first, but we're still brothers. We can only help him if we can."
"You want to try? Let me tell you first, you are not allowed to show off! As long as you get the message, it's fine. He is Khan Ama's son. He is of the same generation as us."
Shujia said, "Forget it, forget it. I just said one word, and you've already said so much. I'm not going to do anything about it, okay? I'll just go over with the Empress Dowager and take a look. I'll give him some help if I can. Anyway, I won't push him."
Yinreng said: "Why not tell the Empress Dowager and I won't tell Khan either. Let's do it quietly and don't be so rude." Do good things without asking for praise, and you will get more. The prince thought far ahead.
Shujia nodded and secretly calculated in her heart that as the Tenth Prince took the concubine, she could just watch from the sidelines, see if there was anything missing, make up for it secretly, and send it over in the name of Yinreng, so that the Tenth Prince would receive a favor from her family.
Moreover, since the Tenth Prince was taking a concubine, there was bound to be some slight oversight. Taking a concubine wasn't a big deal in the first place, and secondly, the Eighth Prince would soon marry, making it seem even less important. Another point was that the Ninth Prince had a mother to look after him, while the Tenth Prince didn't. Even if the Imperial Household Department treated everyone equally, there were still some details that women needed to consider that they might not be able to take care of. It's like the Grand Selection. Everyone knows there's a preliminary selection, then a re-selection, and then an overnight stay. What's the point? If you don't tell her: don't eat strong-smelling food, don't look ugly for a long time, don't drink too much water, she'll encounter all sorts of seemingly minor but very detrimental things while taking care of the child.
Soon, Shujia found a place to perform.
The emperor arranged marriages in the palace, first securing the beautiful Guaerjia clan for his harem. Next, he arranged marriages for the princes, and this time, they were all concubines. The ninth prince married Wang Da's daughter, Wanyan clan, and the tenth prince married Yuanwailang Yongbao's daughter, Guoluoluo clan. The rituals for consorting princes were well-established, and the Imperial Household Department had already conducted them several times, so they began preparing with familiarity.
This is going to be lively.
The three princes celebrated their weddings one after another, and while the courtyards were divided into different roles, they were still a whirlwind of activity. The tenth prince's courtyard was especially busy; the eunuch in charge wasn't very effective, having never experienced anything like this. The ninth prince's courtyard was fine with Concubine Yi in charge, but with the tenth prince, it was often a doorway where everyone entered and I exited, banging into each other and scattering things everywhere. Sometimes, by some luck, they didn't collide, and were stuck together.
If this matter were left to Yinsi, he would have already taken matters into his own hands. Yin'e, who had never been one to worry about things since childhood, couldn't give orders. He was busy as a headless fly.
Shujia saw this and when the Empress Dowager said, "The palace is bustling with activity, but they spend less time with me because they are busy preparing for their son's wedding," she began to persuade the Empress Dowager, "I heard that their three courtyards are connected together, and it's all bright red, which is very festive. It's a pity that they haven't married yet, so I can't go over to see them."
The tone of regret piqued the Empress Dowager's interest, who was currently bored. She decided, "Let's go and take a look." The Crown Princess took a ride and went to Ganxi Wusuo together.
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Old Ten was furious. Na's side had originally been free of leave, but with so many people working at the same time, and so much to do, everyone was a little distracted. He asked for leave, and was granted it. As soon as he entered the room, everything was in chaos—of course, this was an exaggeration. But it gave him the feeling of chaos, the kind of chaos that comes from people without a leader.
The neighbors were also bustling with activity, but they were bustling with activity. The contrast between everyone else's seven sons and eight sons-in-law celebrating their birthdays, and you, a single old man, making your own longevity noodles, only intensified Old Ten's anger. What was the point of having the same portion? What was the point of having your uncle give you a more expensive gift? What was the point of having your concubine's father be a well-off man?
I'm not happy!
The feeling of being abandoned, thrown into a corner, and exiled to the ends of the earth began to sprout in the heart of Yin'e, a rebellious teenager who was not yet eighteen years old.
His eighth brother was back on the job, having been granted a title and a lieutenant. He had to take over first, familiarize himself with the affairs, and at least know what kind of people were available under his command—he was very busy! He was getting married again, and he also had to maintain relations with the Prince An's Mansion. Even when he found time, he would say to the Tenth Brother, "You haven't been assigned to the mansion yet. If there's anything you need that's inconvenient, tell me and I'll find it for you."
Although this sounds pleasing, it doesn't mean that you won't feel suffocated when you return home and see a yard with no other owner except yourself.
Yin'e glared at the eunuch who had served him scalding tea (actually, the temperature was fine; the Tenth Master was just mad and looking for trouble). He swallowed the words, "Drag him out and have him beaten," back at him. His wedding day was approaching, so he hoped there wouldn't be any bleeding.
At this moment, the Queen Mother arrived.
The Empress Dowager wasn't noticed until she was already at the door. Unlike the legendary "Emperor/Empress/Empress Dowager...Arise!", where the emperor's orders were passed down one level at a time, if all the masters had been called out like this, the Kangxi Emperor's palace would have been a market with its sheer number of masters. Wouldn't that easily disturb the masters?
When the master sets out, he always does so quietly, with a young eunuch leading the way in front, who would clap their hands or use a thin whistle to tell those in front that the master is coming, and those who should avoid should avoid, and those who should kneel should kneel.
Compared to the bustle of Ganxi, this little commotion was quite small. It was only when they reached the gate of Ganxi's third house that a servant saw it and hurried in to report it.
Yin'e was no longer angry and ran out to see his grandmother. He accidentally saw a protected animal next to him - the Crown Princess. He had been holding his head high, and after paying his respects, he heard the Queen Mother say, "Get up." He was about to get up and help the old lady. But when he saw the Crown Princess with a big belly, he lowered his head.
He looked down at the ground, bent over, and extended his hand to lead the way: "Old Ancestor, it's too chaotic here, please be careful, go this way."
The Empress Dowager held the young eunuch's hand and reminded Shujia: "You should be careful too, Hongxiu, and hold your master well."
Yin'e's impression of the Crown Princess was abstract. The number of times they had met could be counted on one hand. In his mind, she was a model wife, dignified and proper. On Yin'e's birthday, he always received a suitable gift, and he even received a share of the Yuqing Palace's special snacks. While their friendship wasn't a gentleman's, it was true that it was as pure as water.
What was she doing here with such a big belly? The Tenth Master broke out in a sweat. If she got hurt, we couldn't afford to pay for it. He didn't like the Crown Prince very much, but they weren't his mortal enemies yet, and he didn't want anything to happen to the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess wasn't trying to extort money. A quick glance revealed the red flowers on the wedding tent were crooked, so she adjusted them. The furnishings in the room were complete, though their placement wasn't harmonious, and there were other minor issues. She knew what was going on and listened attentively to the Empress Dowager.
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "I saw that they couldn't get in anywhere else, so I came to sit with you."
Yin'e felt so sad. Eighth brother's biological mother and adoptive mother were both there, and his eldest sister-in-law was a wallflower. Ninth brother's biological mother and her biological sister-in-law were cleaning up the mess, leaving him as pitiful as a small cabbage. He didn't even consider that, except for the Empress Dowager, no other woman in the palace had the right to legitimately interfere in his backyard, right?
He was touched and choked up a little: "Thank you for your concern, ancestor." He stopped talking about "Of course it's more lively there than here", lowered his head and led the way for the empress dowager.
But the Crown Princess whispered, "Even if they can get in everywhere, won't the ancestor come to see the tenth brother?" Pregnant women are easily sentimental. Suddenly she realized that the tenth brother was also a child without a mother. Compared with the two east courtyards where a group of people were taking care of him, the tenth brother's place was surprisingly deserted. Her motherly love was a bit excessive.
Her tone was gentle and kind. The Crown Princess spoke with great skill, not only in her choice of words and sentences, but also in her tone and demeanor. With these words, Yin'e felt a little better at this moment.
The Empress Dowager said, "Oh, that's not what I meant. You know I'm not as eloquent as you young people..." She looked at the Tenth Prince anxiously and explained incoherently.
Yin'e suddenly laughed: "Grandson knows that the old ancestor loves me."
"Yes, yes, yes."
No matter how clueless the Empress Dowager was, she was still a woman, a woman who had seen a lot. Women are naturally sensitive to display; even if they don't know the ropes, they can sense when something is out of place. Unfortunately, she didn't know how to direct things, so she simply passed the buck to the Crown Princess. "I see this," she pointed at the antique shelf, "it doesn't look good. Take a look at it, how can I put it in a nice way? A happy occasion always needs to be neatly arranged."
Shujia had already prepared something and said, "This pair of bottles are not bad. Why not put them on the table over there?" As soon as she said that, someone started to work on it. After they changed the position, they looked much better.
The Empress Dowager was relieved: "I told you, that place..." Yin'e stared blankly at the two women discussing his house. Does this count as letting him be the master of his own house?
Finally, something even more outrageous happened. The old lady, who loved all the ideas her granddaughter-in-law came up with, said, "You do it! Come on, Old Ten, talk to me. It's not proper for a man like you to watch over these household chores."
When Yin'e's brother-in-law saw his sister-in-law, he felt awkward and didn't dare to raise his head: "Crown Princess..."
Shu Jia also lowered her head and said, "As long as Master Shi doesn't think I'm meddling in other people's affairs."
The Empress Dowager said, "If there's going to be a commotion, I'll do it. Let them handle it in a lively and exciting way. No, you can only watch and give orders, but don't take action. Let them do it, and you just sit back and relax."
Yin'e said: "Grandfather, there are rules..."
The Empress Dowager looked at the Crown Princess and said, "Tell him that it has to be done in a nice way."
How could Yin'e dare to answer his sister-in-law? Uncles and sisters-in-law had to avoid suspicion, so he fled in panic, escorting his grandmother to tea and chat. Since the death of Imperial Noble Consort Wenxi, he hadn't had many opportunities to meet the Empress Dowager. In fact, his name appeared less often in her presence than anyone else's. Other mothers would bring up their sons in passing, and his mother wasn't around, and he wasn't in the same position as the Crown Prince, and the Empress Dowager had many grandchildren.
The Empress Dowager discovered that her tenth grandson had so many anecdotes to tell! He'd feign illness to skip class (don't tell Khan-Ama), his hand got all ink on a eunuch's face while writing... all sorts of mischievous things. Of course, if you piled up all those days' worth of anecdotes, there was bound to be a lot to talk about.
After all, Yin'e was a prince and not stupid. After talking with the empress dowager for a while, he naturally started to ask questions: "How did the ancestor think of coming here?" It was impossible for him to be so crazy. With the empress dowager's emotional intelligence, she would not take into account such details.
"I come when I want to."
"How did you remember that?"
"When I thought about how lively your place was, I felt I should come." The Queen Mother was baffled. She couldn't understand a word her grandson said. Could she have misunderstood something? She began to reflect silently, but she couldn't come up with anything. She could only stare blankly.
Yin O was silent. Seeing the atmosphere was getting cold, he tried to make conversation: "The Crown Princess is in a very important condition right now. I'm afraid of tiring her out."
"It's okay, it's okay. She also said that your place is lively, but it's a pity that she can't come to see you."
Yin'e: "..." An unexpected result has grown into a beautiful forest.
After the grandparents and grandchildren had finished catching up, they came out to see that the house hadn't lost anything, but it had become much more lively. Even the wedding tent seemed brighter.
I have to thank my sister-in-law even if it is polite.
"It's because of the old ancestor's honor. Otherwise, without my sister-in-law, I wouldn't dare enter your house. Today, the old ancestor wants to see his grandson, and I am here to wait on him. Since you are the groom, I won't bother you any more."
After saying this, he left with the Empress Dowager. From beginning to end, Yin'e only saw her lotus-colored dress, her slightly protruding belly, and heard a pleasant voice. He didn't even hear what she looked like now, and the debt of gratitude was already owed. This debt was still accumulating. The Empress Dowager seemed to feel that she had neglected her tenth grandson. The eighth and ninth grandsons had their mother's care, and the tenth grandson was pitiful, so she sent people to comfort him when she had time.
The Crown Princess never appeared again, and the Crown Prince didn't take credit for it. The timing was also good, as Yin'e was more vulnerable than at other times and lacked comfort. As a result, Yin'e felt much better about the Crown Prince's family.
Favorability can also be accumulated.
Before the wedding, Eight, Nine, and Ten finally found time to reunite. While the two younger brothers were celebrating with their neighbor, they discussed the current situation. Nine congratulated Eighth: "Eighth Brother is getting married, and with an in-law like Prince An's, your life will be much better in Zhongcui Palace. Who knows, you might even become the head of a palace soon."
Yinsi smiled reservedly: "It depends on the grace of Khan Ama." He said it with full confidence.
Yinzhen was quite angry: "Khan Ama shouldn't have listened to the prince, saying that the eight-bird is close to the eldest brother. The noble lady is still in Zhongcui Palace. If the noble lady had been promoted earlier, who would play with the eldest brother?"
The tenth brother said for the first time: "Eighth brother, eldest brother is not an easy person to get along with either. I think he is even worse than the crown prince. Wasn't it him who started this trouble? He offended the prince, and now he asks eighth brother to be humble and subservient. Who doesn't know what his intention is?"
"I am a junior of the Bo Wang, so there is nothing wrong with being humble..." The seed of discomfort was still planted in his heart.
The author has something to say: Jinjiang, what on earth are you trying to do? ! ! !
I can't reply to any comments... I replied to ten comments, but only two were shown, and they were under the same message.
Speaking of the so-called iron triangle of Eight, Nine, and Ten, Eight and Nine are the real iron. During the Yongzheng era, they all changed their names together. However, although the Tenth Prince had a good relationship with them, they did not share the same hardships as the first two. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the Tenth Prince's mother's family was very prominent.
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