The old fox's combination punch
The old fox's combination punch
Compared to the front lines, the situation in the rear was much calmer. Ever since the new arrival of the Yuqing Palace, everyone had been gripped by a strange emotion. Regardless of whether they had a favorable impression of the Crown Prince's family or not, everyone had to admit that in such a situation where they were fighting a decisive battle on the front lines, the arrival of this child was an exciting and great thing.
The palace was also busy preparing for this child. When a child was born, the proper procedures had to be followed, regardless of anything else. Although the child's grandfather and maternal grandfather were both engaged in a somewhat unpleasant business dealings, the child's parents were still alive, and all the necessary rituals were still observed, such as the third-day bath and the full-moon banquet, which were carried out in strict accordance with the rules.
Even though Kangxi was hundreds of miles away, he still wrote a letter to Yinreng, instructing him on how to hold a full-month banquet for his child, how many tables to set up, where to hold it, and asking the Empress Dowager for permission, as she was the eldest elder of the royal family, and so on.
And then, after all, things got a bit less lively. Yinreng was extremely dissatisfied with this, feeling like he owed his son so much. He had a son, and yet everyone else was having problems! (Hey!) Kangxi was still fighting on the front lines, so it wasn't appropriate to make a big fuss. The most important thing was—over 80% of the male members of this child's nine immediate relatives had followed his grandfather into battle, so even if he made a big fuss, not many people would show up.
Because he felt his son had been wronged, Yinreng was very supportive of his wife's various attempts to pamper him. This kid was truly well-nourished; he was quite heavy when he was born, reportedly weighing over eight pounds. Newborns are all red and wrinkled, and he was also red and wrinkled. But within a few days, he grew white and plump, a delightful sight. No wonder he was so beloved.
In addition to the child's father, the old lady in Ningshou Palace also liked him very much. Because the child was not even a month old and could not be taken out to see the wind, the old lady came to see him twice herself, and then looked forward to the child growing up a little bit more, until he was old enough to run around, so that she could play with him for a while longer.
The arrival of the Empress Dowager brought with her a bunch of concubines to see the child, and the father's heart was in his throat. He couldn't see the concubines when they came, but he had seen the Empress Dowager with the concubines once, and his heart was frightened.
When people care about others, they won't tolerate them getting hurt in the slightest. So when the prince saw the old ladies wearing long nail covers reaching out to tease his son, he said nothing, but his heart was filled with anxiety: "My son is so tender, please be gentle and don't scratch him!"
His Royal Highness remembered that Shujia always took off her nail caps when visiting her son, and recently, after the birth of her child, she even cut all his nails. He finally understood! Now he wanted to put a sign around his son's neck: "No nails cut, no holding!"
The prince couldn't bear it any longer, so he stepped forward and stopped the empress dowager: "He is too young. He will play with you when he grows up..." Before he could finish his words, the child started crying and he peed!
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "It's okay. I was the one who took care of your aunt before." This was referring to Princess Duanmin. It seemed that she still had to change the child's diaper.
Yinreng shuddered and tried to stop her: "You'd better go back and change your clothes. You don't look very presentable like this." Lu Yun and others joined in persuading her, and finally they got the old lady back. Yinreng wiped his sweat. At least the old lady was gone. He couldn't help but envy the mother who had just given birth. According to custom, mothers had to stay in their rooms for a month. Exposure to wind after childbirth can easily lead to various diseases and is not good for the body.
Since she was confined to her room, she couldn't leave unless someone came in, so she missed out on many things. She didn't even have to attend events like the third day of her birth. With her biological mother taking care of her during the confinement period, it was probably one of the few comfortable days after her marriage.
But the mother herself doesn't think so.
Xiluo Te forbade her to leave her bed easily; she would only do so to relieve herself, and then return to her bed. Since entering the palace, her greatest wish had been to sleep until she woke naturally. This month, that dream had come true, but Shujia was far from happy.
Mothers who have just given birth should avoid being exposed to wind or cold. They can forget about taking a bath or washing their hair, but washing their face and rinsing their mouth is ok.
Shujia was devastated. Manchus had long hair, and only in mourning could it be cut. Her hair, which had been growing long for over a decade, was practically dragging on the ground. She couldn't wash it, and it was killing her! Luckily, the palace had a secret method—dry cleaning! Even that didn't work. Without water, it always felt unclean and itchy, so she combed it. Finally, she had to wipe it with a wet towel. Xiluo Te refused to let her wash it!
The Crown Princess was now a caged tiger, no one listened to her, only serving her according to Xiluo Te's orders. Shujia could only be thankful that the child was born in late March, in late spring, when it was already quite warm and she was allowed to rub it with hot water. If it had been in autumn or winter, she was afraid that even this treatment would not be available.
What's even worse is that Shujia's belly originally had a baby in it, but now that the baby is out, her stretched belly is drooping with wrinkles on her body, which is so ugly!
Mrs. Xiluote comforted her: "It will be better after the confinement period. You are still young and you will be fine in another half year." Shujia secretly made up her mind to intensify her exercise after the confinement period and get her figure back!
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Yinreng was delighted, and many people benefited. Everyone in Yuqing Palace was rewarded, and even the imperial physician, whom he had threatened to kill that day, received a generous reward. He also summoned Huashan and Qingde. Of course, they couldn't enter to see the Crown Princess and her son, but they could share in the Crown Prince's joy. Oh, and the Crown Princess' sisters and sisters-in-law could also come.
In this way, after getting married, Shujia met most of her family members at one time.
Yinreng also took this opportunity to build a good relationship with his Yue family. Speaking of which, Yinreng did not have any useful staff around him. He was trained by Kangxi as a future emperor. Kangxi had people at his disposal when he was handling state affairs, and he was able to get things done well. However, it was a bit difficult to keep a dedicated advisor in Yuqing Palace.
Although the Crown Prince is surrounded by people, the only person who could come up with a bad idea was Soetu. Now there is not even a blade of grass around him.
It so happened that Kangxi's imperial edict reprimanding Tong Guowei and others had been issued in the Ming Dynasty, so Yinreng, who was far away in the capital, also knew about it. Suo'etu's name was also listed in it. When Yinreng first saw it, he thought Tong Guowei had been reprimanded. But when he saw Suo'etu's name, he suddenly remembered something: an old rogue once vowed, "Suo'etu will give birth to a soft egg."
It's clear that the old rogue has some skills. But then again, those without skills can only be cannon fodder, not rogues. Roguery is a profession that requires all kinds of qualities. Does this incident count as Soetu being unmanly? It's true that His Royal Highness trusts Soetu, but psychologically, he's closer to the Yue family right now. Since they're about to meet, he might as well ask.
Huashan was already very old, his braid mostly white with little black, and he wore a pair of crystal glasses from the Imperial Household Department. Qingde was still young and strong, and from time to time he would support Mafa, and from a distance, it was clear that there was a deep affection between the grandfather and grandson.
What is the reality?
"Just wait a minute and I'll talk, don't interrupt."
"I know, Mafa, you've said it over a hundred times. When you choke the prince, I'll kneel down and apologize, saying that you're old and your words are unreliable..."
"Shut up!"
“!@#￥…”
"Speak properly!"
"You told me to shut up..."
"I'll beat you!"
The Crown Prince, unaware of the plot, was eagerly anticipating the meeting with Yue's family. Even if the old rogue wasn't reliable, as long as he was capable, it would be fine. His second brother-in-law, on the other hand, looked like a reliable young man (big mistake!), and they could discuss matters together. It would be foolish not to use such a valuable resource.
The prince first sent Surt and Sarbanga, his attendants, with waist badges, to pick up Hua Shan and his grandson at the palace gate. The two flattered Hua Shan all the way: "Pine and cypress are evergreen and strong." Hua Shan also smiled and said: "Not bad, not bad. You two are also very handsome." He teased them slowly, and Qingde almost laughed his intestines out, and finally arrived at the front star gate.
The Crown Prince personally met Hwa-sun at the entrance of his main hall, a gesture of high standard. After greeting each other in the main hall, Yinreng led them to the East Warm Pavilion, where they lived, and served them tea. Yinreng first offered a polite greeting, asking after Hwa-sun's health: "I see you look well."
Hua Shan trembled and stood up to thank him. Then the grandfather and grandson congratulated the prince on the birth of his son. Yinreng smiled with his eyes curved: "Congratulations, too."
Of course we are happy together.
Yinreng then said to the two, "I received a letter from Khan Ama the other day saying that everything is fine at the front. Shi Wenbing, Shi Wenying, and Fu Dali are all well. You don't have to worry."
With this as an opening, the conversation moved on to the situation on the front lines. Then, they talked about Kangxi's unwavering resolve and his unwavering belief in maintaining national unity. Hua Shan sighed, "Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler, not betraying Fei Yanggu. If a ruler is so loyal and righteous, how dare a minister not fight to the bitter end?"
Seeing that the topic had been brought up, Yinreng didn't need to beat around the bush: "You said before that Soetu was going to change his ways. Could it be that persuading Khan Ama to avoid danger? I think Tong Guowei was the first to do so. Or is there something else going on?" The last sentence was what he cared about.
Hua Shan squinted his eyes in thought, a pair of lecherous flashes flashing through his glasses, yet he sat still. Yinreng suddenly had the illusion that a wicked advisor was sitting before him, head tilted, one foot raised, one hand twirling his beard, plotting something sinister.
Hua Shan only said, "No. Suo Etu is confused but not stupid."
"?" Yinreng certainly felt uncomfortable when he heard such comments, but he still showed his demeanor of greeting the crown prince without any hesitation.
"Since the master has openly reprimanded him, he won't rebel again. From now on, he will only do his best to do his master's job on this matter."
"That's good."
"That's not necessarily true," Hua Shan said slowly. "What good is it to be a different person?"
"A country will not perish if it has loyal ministers. By doing this, isn't Soetu wise and prudent? He's considered the difficulties and decided to back off. Isn't that a loyal minister? When the Holy Lord orders us to do what we can, what's wrong with that?"
"My prince, every time he opposed the master, it turned out that he was wrong!"
"Huh?"
"If you think about it, isn't it?"
"Well……"
"Being stubborn once is fine, being stubborn twice is fine too, but if he's wrong every time he's stubborn, isn't that a joke? Besides, what kind of honest minister is he? The most important thing for an honest minister is to have good judgment. You can't argue for the wrong thing, and you can't be too wrong, right? A watermelon is round, but you insist on saying it's square! What good is a good honest minister like that! He's a minister of the court, but he's wrong every time he says something important. What kind of minister is that? Admitting mistakes and correcting them is a good thing, but after making a mistake, he's the fastest to turn around. Isn't that just a fence-sitter? Tell me, if you were in his shoes and met someone like that, after three or five times, would you still treat him as a person? Would you still be willing to listen to him?"
Yinreng was speechless.
"It would be fine if he insisted on it, at most he lacked vision, but he was still a real man. He was determined to stick to a path, which is admirable. In the end, he turned around. Yes, he saved the situation, but he also lost his integrity."
Yinreng listened carefully at first and thought Huashan was right. But when Huashan started to criticize Soetu, he became angry again. After all, he had trusted and relied on this man for so many years. "According to you, Soetu was useless yet served as a minister for so many years. Is it Khan Ama's fault? I trusted him for so many years, am I wrong?"
Qingde was about to doze off, his eyelids drooping, but he was awakened by these bland words and quickly knelt down: "My servant Mafa is old, confused, and can't speak. Please don't argue with him..."
Pah! A kick on the butt. Qingde thought, my part for today is over, I can go back to my room.
Hua Shan glanced at him sideways: "You're the one who's confused." He began to talk to Yinreng, taking advantage of his seniority. As he talked, he walked towards the other person, his voice getting lower and lower, mysterious, making Yinreng think that he had just been putting on a show and now had something to say. He suppressed his displeasure and leaned forward to listen. He thought to himself, you're still trying to do this on my territory? You're really cautious.
Hua Shan whispered, "It's fun to be tickled by small matters, but it's really shortsighted to be against big matters. Master, on several major matters, captured Oboi, pacified the Three Feudatories, took Taiwan, and now Galdan. Except for the first one, where he was right, he went against two of the next three. When it came to taking Taiwan, he didn't care. If he were still the Minister of the Imperial Guard, do you think he wouldn't object? Wouldn't that have caught Master's eye again?"
No matter how unhappy Yinreng was, he had to admit that Huashan was right. This old fox was incredible! Was he a fortune teller in his past life? Yinreng was still young when the plan to retake Taiwan was first proposed. Over ten years later, he couldn't remember the specific details, but he still had this impression: Soetu's influence was almost wiped out. He had no role in the resolution, but he did have a say—he did say some sour words, but they were definitely not supportive.
Yinreng suddenly felt as if his thoughts had been led astray by this old fox. If this continued, he would think Soetu was a fool. Why did he have to show his folly in every wise and powerful decision of the Hui Khan? If he met such a person, he would also think he was unreliable. No, after all, he was a relative who had helped him for many years. Quickly calming down, Yinreng decided to change the subject.
Hua Shan immediately sensed it and quickly finished what he wanted to say today: "The master can see that this person has no vision for major issues. If it were you, would you think the same? Would you still let him take charge in the future? It's okay to be a little confused about small things, but you must not be confused about big things~"
Yinreng had to admit that the old man was sincere. He not only told him the results but also the method of argument. He also had to admit that the old man's words made a lot of sense. No matter how reluctant he was to admit it, he realized that compared to Soetu's constant comments like "so-and-so is bad," "so-and-so is attached to Mingzhu," or "so-and-so is not on the same page with us," Huashan's approach was more straightforward and more like a discussion. Most importantly, the old man's analysis was clear and logical, and he felt refreshed and not confused.
Hua Shanxin said, "I'm telling you my thoughts now. It seems so frank, you can't help but believe it." As for the reason why Suo Etu acted foolishly, the old fox decided to let his grandson-in-law figure it out for himself. "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, and slow cooking is the best way to make a good soup, right?"
If Yinreng hadn't lost his mind, he should have been warned: Kangxi doesn't trust Soetu as much anymore. What do you think is the reason? I'll tell you, it's not just because of Mingzhu, the "villain," but Soetu himself has made mistakes. What foolish thing did Soetu do? This is the topic neither of them discussed today—the factional strife, the Ming-Suo rivalry. Even if Soetu truly supports the crown prince, his actions will only make him increasingly disliked by the emperor.
The old fox believed that next time, Yinreng would ask him for advice on how to deal with the "villain Mingzhu".
Hua Shan was very happy. Why would he deal with Mingzhu? He would chop off Soetu and make Mingzhu tremble! See if your father can still sit still! He doesn't understand this! Soetu was punished so severely at the beginning. The list of crimes was enough for him to retire directly. Why was he reinstated? Wasn't it because Mingzhu's power was too great? Then the old man beat Mingzhu and cut the eldest wife's father into a white board. Now if Soetu is gone, your father will have to find someone to fight for him if he doesn't go into battle himself! How can one party be allowed to dominate the court? The emperor is neither incompetent nor stupid. On the contrary, he is very smart!
Of course, we can't just say it straight away; we have to take it slow. Today is just the beginning; there's still a lot of work to do.
Hmm, the prince has had no advisors since childhood. Tsk tsk, as expected, how can this be possible? The prince is not stupid, it's just that no one has told him that he can think this way. No one has ever taught the prince the ways of the underworld. Kangxi naturally wanted his son to be upright, so how could the instructors dare to teach him carelessly? As for Soetu, I guess he hoped that the prince would only listen to him, right?
Tsk tsk, Suo Etu, you're so stupid! The Crown Prince is the leader, and you won't let him figure it out on his own. You're relying on yourself? You want to remotely control the Crown Prince? In the end, you'll both fail! Isn't Zhuge Liang good enough? Even if he met Liu Chan, he wouldn't be any use! You have to let him become Sima Yan. Ugh! The Crown Prince can't be Liu Chan! My granddaughter is marrying him.
The Crown Prince had waited for the old fox with great anticipation, and sent the old charlatan off with great bewilderment. But he felt more confident, and Yinreng had a vague feeling that there seemed to be another, smoother path for him to take. All he needed now was to break through that layer of window paper and see a smoother path.
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"Mafa, you kicked me too hard just now." The grandson rubbed his buttocks after leaving the palace.
"What's wrong with kicking you?" The grandfather with a slanted look and a full hooligan value.
"It's okay, you kick it."
"Tsk~ Let's go home." The old man was thinking about something and didn't bother to pay attention to his grandson who was showing off.
Well, Soetu is already disfavored by the Emperor, and if the Crown Prince gets involved with him, it'll be a disaster. You know, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Crown Prince is too closely tied to Soetu, and many people are connected to the Crown Prince through Soetu. The Crown Prince, in the Eastern Palace, has very few direct contacts with useful people.
Taking a step back, the Emperor clearly knew that the factional strife between the two factions implicated both the Crown Prince and the eldest prince, so why didn't he simply remove one of them? There was a lot at stake here. Even a seasoned scoundrel like Hua Shan would have to go back and ponder this before daring to speak to the Crown Prince. He still hadn't quite grasped this.
Before, I just wanted to stay out of trouble and be a "clean official" without thinking too much. Now that I'm involved, I really need to think hard.
In the bedroom, Xiluo Te, her daughter, and her daughter-in-law had not yet left. Shujia still couldn't get out of bed. Seeing her family was of course joyful. When she heard that even her grandfather and brother had been summoned, she was surprised. Why was Yinreng so homely?
It wasn't until she heard Xiaoman come back, "The Crown Prince is talking to the old man," that she realized there might be another reason. After some thought, when Xiluotai saw that it was getting late and signaled to leave, Shujia said to her, "Mother, you've been very tired lately. Go back and check on your family." Xiluotai glanced at Shujia, then came over to smooth her hair. Then, she said, "Mother, give me a message for Mafa and Ama—the Crown Prince is just a deputy." She hoped her family would understand.
There are some things that not only the Crown Prince needs to understand, but everyone around him needs to understand as well. For example, if Yinreng understands but Soetu doesn't, then the tree attracts the wind, which is not easy to deal with. The same applies to one's own family. What if everyone misunderstands? Shujia added, "The Emperor is so wise and enlightened. He has watched the Ming and Soetu fight for so many years. He understands everything."
That should be enough. He himself knew the "second-in-command theory," so there was no reason why a family of men with official careers wouldn't understand it.
Xiluo was shocked and took note of her daughter's words. Then she took her confused daughter-in-law home.
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