To make wedding clothes for others
Kangxi's trip to the grasslands was fruitful. This reflected not only his hunting success but also his established relationships with the various Mongol tribes. He even had his sons perform archery demonstrations with him, which drew widespread applause. Consequently, upon his return, Kangxi was in high spirits for several days. He met not only the fat boy but also his cousins, Hongsheng and Hongyu. He examined the remaining princes' academic performance and, after assessing their passing, inquired with concern about their well-being.
Likewise, upon returning from the grasslands, Kangxi brought back a wealth of grassland specialties, a significant portion of which were furs. Perhaps to compensate Yinreng for not being able to accompany him and instead having to look after the household, Kangxi generously allowed him to choose first. Ahem, he simply didn't use compensation as an excuse; when presented with good items, he often let the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince choose first, only allowing him to take the rest.
Yinreng only said one sentence: "I want two more lynx fur clothes, and you can take care of the rest." Before raising his foot, he added: "You and the children should also add some more." He didn't care whether he had already made six complete sets of fur clothes this year. If he liked something, he would just make more.
He finished his sentence and went back to work on the year-end summary. Shujia had to deal with these matters again. According to previous years' practice, the Crown Princess's treatment was always good, and the two in Xiefang Palace were given extra. "Wu Mingli, go and find out what kind of leather the Third and Fourth Concubines use." They didn't want the concubines in Yuqing Palace to be superior to the legitimate wives of other families.
Of the three boys, the fat one was still too young to use much, but he needed something very light and soft. He couldn't get a thick cotton coat, but several thin ones, layered on top of each other. His arms couldn't even touch his sides, but hung out at the sides. His legs were also held together by his cotton pants, making him look like a giant cotton ball.
Hongyang and Hongxi were fine. They each divided the furs among themselves, having their respective seamstresses quickly craft a new set of clothes for the Lunar New Year. They also selected some of the best and medium-quality furs and put them in the warehouse for future use. When they said they were selecting, they didn't mean looking at a pile of furs that might even have a slightly unpleasant smell. Instead, they simply checked off a list and sent someone to pick them up.
Next, she had to take inventory of items needed for the New Year. She was only responsible for Yuqing Palace and Xiefang Palace. A list of rewards was drawn up, with each person receiving a certain amount of silver and a set of clothes according to their rank, all meant to celebrate a happy New Year. There weren't many places to go for New Year gifts, mostly just "rewarding" certain people. The bulk of the money went to Kangxi and the Empress Dowager, followed by gifts exchanged with the other princes.
These were all things we'd done in previous years, so there was no need for major changes; we were already familiar with the process. Also in November, the Third Lady gave birth to the Third Prince's eldest son, and the Fifth Prince's concubine, Nala, gave him a daughter, bringing another round of busyness.
By the end of December, Kangxi was busy writing the character for "Fu," the legendary one he'd used to pray for Empress Xiaozhuang. Quite a few had been received not only within the palace but also outside it, with each recipient receiving a few, ranging from one or two to ten or eight, depending on their status and level of respect. He was busy posting them again.
After all this work was done, it was time to put on formal attire and go to the New Year's Eve dinner. Sitting at the table, Shujia couldn't help but sigh: women, once married, can never have a peaceful day.
Be content, girl. Just being busy like this is still happiness!
And now, trouble had arrived. As Yinreng started to establish his own family and career, Kangxi increasingly delegated many tasks to him. Not only did he command the rear during his own campaigns, but he sometimes even entrusted him with such daunting tasks as sacrificial offerings. It seemed he had great confidence in him.
In Shujia's opinion, there wasn't much she could find wrong with Yinreng. If she hadn't known he'd been deposed in history, she'd almost have labeled him a "model crown prince." Look, this guy lives a very regular life, and he's a world away from being "debauched and greedy." Even though she was initially worried about him getting too close to Soetu, things are looking much better now. She often asked Eunuch Cui, "Who did the crown prince meet today?"
Soetu's name rarely appeared on the list, and even when the two met, their conversations were brief. Eunuch Cui's responses occasionally included references to "our old master" (referring to Hua Shan, who was trying to be more approachable with the Crown Princess), "our commander-in-chief" (referring to Shi Wenbing), and "our uncle." The danger seemed much less severe.
Everything seemed so good, but that didn't mean they could really relax. This was because someone had pointed out a small flaw of Yinreng to Kangxi: the people around him had bad morals, which would affect the prince's reputation.
Here, I'd like to solemnly introduce the art of speaking. For example, Yinzhi merely used the excuse of "caring for his younger brother" to accuse the crown prince of his misdeeds. Mingzhu's words were much more subtle, and more likely to impress Kangxi. He capitalized on Kangxi's son-obsessed nature and pursuit of perfection, and with a slight twist, he transformed Yinzhi's words into a statement of deep concern for the crown prince: "I'm only afraid that this may damage your reputation."
Kangxi had been mulling over this for a long time. He wanted to cultivate a crown prince who was incompetent in every way, so he certainly couldn't tolerate such a thing happening. After investigation and collecting evidence, it was clear that Eunuch Cui did have some bad habits. Kangxi also attributed some of the crown prince's other minor shortcomings, such as his occasional temper and beating of eunuchs (although Kangxi didn't care, he wouldn't admit that this was a good thing), to the result of Eunuch Cui, a servile fellow, adding fuel to the fire without trying to dissuade him.
By comparison, it can be seen that after the Crown Prince got married, the Crown Princess was virtuous and kind, which made his temper much better, and no one had died in Yuqing Palace for a long time.
The more Kangxi thought about it, the angrier he became. No, this was not possible. The son he had raised and the prince he had taught with great difficulty could not be led astray because of such a small matter. This was a matter of one ant causing the dam to collapse. He would absolutely not tolerate this.
So, after the New Year, Kangxi finally took action against Eunuch Cui.
When Shujia heard that the imperial edict had arrived from the Palace of Heavenly Purity, she was momentarily stunned. Early in the morning, Yinreng had been summoned by Kangxi for a conversation. This had happened so often, and she had simply dressed Yinreng and sent him out. But now, Yinreng hadn't returned yet, and the imperial edict had arrived. What was going on?
She had no time to think about it and had to quickly prepare to receive the order.
This decree wasn't addressed directly to her, but rather to Yinreng's replacement eunuch. Shujia felt relieved upon hearing this. She knew about Eunuch Cui's affair, and had deliberately concealed it from Yinreng. During the New Year holiday, when Xiluo Te and others came over, she had informed her family through Xiluo Te, asking them not to reveal their knowledge of the matter.
Now, Kangxi's punishment decision has been made. Shujia estimated that based on the few things Eunuch Cui was accused of, he would not be punished too severely, but there is a greater possibility that he would be transferred from his current position and demoted.
The one who came to announce the decree was Liang Jiugong. He simply mentioned that Eunuch Cui had not served his master diligently. His crime was secretly withholding the Crown Prince's allowance and even reselling two antiques from the Yuqing Palace. If you abuse someone's son, his father will punish you. Comrade Cui, pack your bags and move!
Where was it thrown? To the laundry.
There were so many good things in Yuqing Palace that Yinreng had no way of counting them all. Later on, his wife would take care of these daily necessities, but in the early days, they were all handed over to Eunuch Cui. Eunuch Cui could make a fortune by simply leaving out some false information when submitting applications so that Yinreng wouldn't know - the Crown Prince only used good things!
Eunuch Cui regretted his actions to the point of falling to his knees, digging his nails into the cracks between the tiles. Did someone who knew about my actions report me? Or was someone trying to get rid of me? Was it the Crown Princess?
Shujia, fully prepared and listening, called out, "Qiao'er." Qiao'er, alert, pulled out a red lacquer tray with a purse and several gold and silver ingots. Liang Jiugong glanced at them and knew they were all special gifts from the Imperial Household Department for New Year rewards, and they were of excellent quality.
As for the purse...it was probably filled with silver bills. According to Liang Jiugong, the denomination would be no less than fifty taels.
Liang Jiugong didn't act pretentiously and quickly said, "Thank you, Master, for the reward." Then, to show that he wasn't taking the money for nothing, he also gave a piece of information, "Your Majesty seems furious. You haven't seen it before. If Your Majesty were furious, there might be room for a turnaround. If he's so quiet, it's obvious that he's already made up his mind. He's just so angry that he doesn't want to talk about it anymore."
Shujia nodded very understandingly. It was just like a couple living together. If they could quarrel, it meant there was still a possibility of improvement. Both parties' emotions were affected by the other party and could also affect each other's emotions. If one of them didn't even want to talk, then their life would really be over.
"I know all about this," Shujia extended her hand, pointing to the two rows of chairs below. "An Da, please sit down. I just need to ask a few questions. An Da, just give me a cup of tea. It won't interfere with your work." She also offered a cup of hot tea to each of the accompanying eunuchs. "It's so cold, and it's not easy to come all this way. Warm yourself up. You don't have to go far. There's a place to have tea down in the corridor."
Liang Jiugong was short-tempered because he took advantage of someone. Of course, the main reason was that the other party was the Crown Princess. He then sat down at an angle, sitting only on the edge of the chair: "Master, just ask."
Xiuniu and Xiaoman, one on each side, helped the Crown Princess sit down. Shujia finally spoke: "It's not a big deal, and you don't have to worry about it. First of all, is our Crown Prince still talking to Khan Ama in the Palace of Purity? Do you think they are getting along? Second, just tell me the truth. The Crown Prince and I don't know everything about what this servant did. How did Khan Ama know?"
Eunuch Cui was still lying on the ground with his ears perked up because he was awaiting punishment.
Lin Si'er personally brought the tea tray and served it: "Master, please have some tea." Liang Jiugong's eyes flashed as he accepted it. Indeed, Lin Si'er was his apprentice. You must know that in the eyes of the public, the Yuqing Palace was a lucrative position. Besides the Qianqing Palace, it was the most important place, and everyone was eager to get in. Those who could get a job here were invariably talented or well-connected. Of course, that was before Yinreng consumed one or two eunuchs a year. Even after things quieted down considerably, there were still those who tried hard to squeeze in, adhering to the principle of high risk for high reward.
Then, the Crown Princess arrived. According to various rumors, she was a very easygoing person. Even if a woman was a bit ruthless, what could she do? The Crown Princess couldn't be more ruthless than the Crown Prince. The Crown Princess's position was lucrative, so naturally, she couldn't let just anyone in.
A clever man like Liang Jiugong wouldn't want to miss out on such a good job. He chose Lin Si'er, who was both capable of serving others and not so shrewd as to kick out his master, and quietly slipped him in. He had been with Kangxi for a long time, and although it's hard to say about other things, he was still very knowledgeable about these little things.
Furthermore, Lin Si'er had been serving him tea and water for a long time and was very respectful to him. So Liang Jiugong agreed to put him on the list. Coincidentally, he also won. Today, he appeared again.
Meeting someone familiar made things easier, so Liang Jiugong didn't insist. With a knowing smile on his face, he accepted the tea, took a sip respectfully, and then put it down. He then answered the first question: "When this servant came out to announce the decree, the Crown Prince was still in the Qing Palace. There was no one else in the East Warm Pavilion, just the Emperor and the Crown Prince, talking privately. I didn't catch much of what they said. However, before I left, I only heard one sentence... The Emperor told the Crown Prince not to worry."
Shujia nodded: "I have accepted An Da's favor for this one. What about the other one?"
Liang Jiugong still wanted to talk: "This one——"
"An Da, there are no outsiders here. You don't have to tell me about the 'Emperor's Enlightenment'. I have always known that Khan Ama is enlightened. You have to tell me where the mistake is so that I can correct it in the future. It's impossible for me to not know about the trouble of my servants and then trouble Khan Ama." The brisk tone and laughter were in the voice, as if he was gossiping about family matters with a group of noble ladies, saying, 'Oh, our little fat boy pulled his father's braid yesterday.'
Liang Jiugong was startled for a moment, then recovered: "How could that be." Liang Jiugong took a closer look. The Crown Princess was wearing a dark blue silk mink coat embroidered with a golden dragon, with a hairpin and kingfisher feather jewelry on her head, and a pair of oriental pearl pendants on her ears that slightly reflected the warm light of the winter sun. She had a smile on her lips, waiting for his reply.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, she didn't rush. She just smiled and looked at his face, a eunuch in his forties, as leisurely as if he were admiring an orchid. Liang Jiugong's heart skipped a beat. This look, this attitude, was so confident that he felt like he was seeing a palace mistress who had already attained enlightenment.
After collecting his thoughts, Liang Jiugong whispered, "This servant also seemed to have heard something... Ahem, this kid's matter was indeed investigated by His Majesty."
Shujia remained silent. Liang Jiugong swallowed hard, as if he had made a great decision, and then he said carefully, "It's true. When we were on the grassland, the Emperor sent people back to Beijing to investigate."
Eunuch Cui, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly stiffened. He looked up and saw Liang Jiugong gesturing to the Crown Princess, drawing a line in the air: "This person said something to His Majesty. His Majesty summoned Hailason tonight."
Shujia smiled and said, "Thank you, An Da. You said it, and we'll just listen to it. Cui Yuzhu's case was investigated by imperial order, so who could possibly be suspicious?" Shujia knew that Liang Jiugong's answer was so straightforward not only because of her response, but also for two main reasons: first, she was the Crown Princess; second, her husband's position was still quite stable. Without pointing it out, she thanked him verbally before saying, "Does An Da know Lin Si'er? Lin Si'er, please see An Da off."
Lin Si'er obeyed, leading Liang Jiugong out. Liang Jiugong knelt and said, "One more thing. Please, Crown Princess, have mercy on me. I have received orders to take this boy away." He pointed at Eunuch Cui. Shujia said, "Even so, he served in Yuqing Palace. At least asking him to take a few clothes with him is a gesture of gratitude from Yuqing Palace."
Liang Jiugong said, "Crown Princess, please be merciful," nodding his head in agreement. He walked to the door and told the eunuch to go with Eunuch Cui to pack some clothes. Once outside the palace, he winked, and Lin Si'er understood, telling him to visit Liang Jiugong that evening.
After Liang Jiugong finished his tea and collected a generous reward, he returned with the eunuchs to report to the emperor. The eunuchs, after warming themselves up with their hot tea and snacks, shared the few leftovers Liang Jiugong had left behind and left feeling quite satisfied. After all, they weren't the ones suffering, and they had benefited, so what was there to be dissatisfied about?
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Shujia was dissatisfied. She felt she had been betrayed by Kangxi. Eunuch Cui had clearly done bad things before, and she had restrained him after her arrival. This meant she had done nothing wrong, but Kangxi's decree to punish Eunuch Cui under such pretexts did not harm Yinreng's reputation, but it made her look incompetent.
She was still considered lucky. The worst off was Eunuch Cui. Someone had to carry a spittoon to him when he woke up this morning. He was about to be taken to labor reform. Although the Crown Princess sent two bags of silver coins to her before she left, Lu Lu said, "My master said I'll give you the big ones, but I'm afraid they'll attract attention. You can use these first. Be a good person from now on."
Eunuch Cui was escorted away with tears and snot, and he did not forget to give each of the eunuchs escorting him a silver coin on the way, which saved him a lot of trouble. When they arrived at the place, the person sent by Kangxi announced that he would receive another twenty strokes of the cane, and then he would be assigned to guard the laundry.
Eunuch Cui hated the eldest prince to death, cursing him for being unrecognizable. After being beaten and lying on the hard bed, with no one even offering a cup of cold tea, his hatred only deepened. Having no choice but to spend some money, he bribed a young eunuch to bring him a pot of hot water and some medicine. The medicine intensified the pain. When had Eunuch Cui ever endured such torture before? Gradually, the pain tormented him to the point of becoming a psychopath.
You're accusing me of something bad? I won't let you off easy either! Don't think I don't know, the Crown Prince hates you. I'll find something to hold against you, and the Crown Prince will be happy to punish you! Just wait!
The other person may not feel as aggrieved as the two above, but his feelings of being offended and his anger towards his natural enemy are no less severe.
Yinreng was very depressed. He was fine early in the morning. The father and son were discussing that after Galdan was completely killed, they would tour the northern frontier and the south of the Yangtze River together to make up for the regret of not being able to have fun together.
Kangxi then changed the subject and addressed Eunuch Cui: "This servant is no good," he said, throwing a pile of documents at him. "He did such a thing behind his master's back. It's your youth, and it's my fault too. I was so busy teaching you about politics and explaining the hardships of life that I forgot to tell you to be wary of villains!"
Kangxi became more and more excited as he spoke, and then he called Liang Jiugong over: "Go to Yuqing Palace and fork Cui Yuzhu out."
Before Yinreng could recover from the count of Eunuch Cui's land and property, Liang Jiugong had vanished. He blinked, listening to Kangxi's earnest exhortation: "I never employ eunuchs who are clever, careless, or treacherous. I employ eunuchs only for those who are diligent, honest, quiet, and steady in their duties. Even Liang Jiugong, a man of considerable intelligence, I always exercise caution whenever I send him on a mission. Now, I see that the Yuqing Palace is dominated by young men, with no older men. If they engage in violence, violence, or arson, it would be a serious matter."
Yinreng waited for Kangxi to pause for breath and drink his tea before quickly interjecting, "My son finds Eunuch Cui easy to use, and he's also very honest in front of me."
Kangxi was furious: "This kind of villain is the best at deceiving their master. You spend your days discussing politics, studying, and practicing martial arts. Why would you bother to keep an eye on a eunuch? How much can you know about him? These are all true! Look at this, the copied land deeds, they can't be fake, right?! How could a eunuch like him have such wealth? If he had such wealth, he wouldn't be a eunuch. Only poor people would enter the palace."
Yinreng finally came to his senses. It turned out that this was all... embezzlement of my money under my name! But Kangxi refused to return the stolen money to the victim. Instead, he offered consolation: "I've used this excuse to erase the fact that he extorted money under your name," removing his son from the case of eunuchs demanding red envelopes and occupying land. "It's just that your wife has been wronged. Go back and talk to her properly. I'll send someone to do it."
Shujia then welcomed Zhang Qilin, the eunuch from the Palace of Heavenly Purity, who delivered her imperial edict. Along with Zhang Qilin came a slew of gifts from Emperor Kangxi. It was almost the end of the first lunar month, so this was clearly compensation. Ruyi, silk, gold and pearls...
Shujia had no choice but to accept it, and Kangxi gave her enough face.
Over there, Kangxi was making personnel arrangements for his son: "Although Gao Sanxie's speech is dull, he is honest in his judgment, cautious in his words, and can read Manchu characters. He can be the chief leader. Jia Yingxuan and Zhao Guoshi, although a little weak, have good personalities and are cautious and honest in their words. They can be used in the palace. Lü Yougong and Guo Chaoyong, regardless of their location, can be leaders. All of them can be used."
Then tell Yinreng to have a meal here, call his wife over, and comfort her in person.
Yinreng was perplexed and confused. Why would Khan Ama suddenly investigate Cui Yuzhu? When Shujia arrived and received a calming look, he finally calmed down.
After the meal, the couple went back with a bunch of eunuchs. As Kangxi said, Gao Sanxie became the chief leader and was in charge of Yinreng's affairs. Zhao Guoshi was added to Shujia's place, Lu Yougong was placed in Xiefang Palace, Guo Chaoyong was transferred to Xiaopangzi (Xiaopangzi is currently with the Crown Princess), and Jia Yingxuan worked in Dunben Palace.
At night, the couple wanted to talk away from others, but it happened to be the time when eunuchs were not allowed to enter and the palace maids were all Shujia's own people.
After lowering the curtain, Yinreng asked what was going on. Shujia said, "I heard Liang An'da say this is what was said." She still drew a line.
Yinreng was furious! He nearly threw off the covers and went straight to Yinzhi to settle the score! Yinreng knew full well that Yinzhi had undoubtedly accused him of many crimes before, but none had been as effective as this one. Furthermore, Kangxi's treatment was like a slap in the face, as if implying that he was lax in his management of his subordinates, that he lacked the foresight to detect their crimes. For a crown prince, this was a fatal blow.
Thus, the anger at being cheated out of money by Eunuch Cui and used as an excuse was replaced by this kind of shame and annoyance. He even turned his anger on Shujia and said, "How come you don't know?"
Shujia said, "I'm also confused. How did that person know something I didn't even know?"
This was a really good question. Yinreng began to think, is there a spy around him? Thinking this way, everyone seemed like a spy. Finally, he said bitterly: "Go to sleep. Be careful what you say and do in the future. Everyone here must be honest! Tell the people below tomorrow that if something goes wrong again, even if Khan Ama forgives him, I won't! I'll find a way with the boss!"
He's rebelling. I was just waiting for him to set up a place to attack me, but he's already set one up here, right?
After being angry all night, the next day, he received news that Eunuch Cui was exposed because he was too conspicuous outside. Yinreng was speechless for a long time before asking Shujia: "Have we become blind and deaf? The outside world has spread like crazy, and we didn't know about it? Soetu didn't say anything, and your mother's family didn't send any news in! We should ask them to find out more!"
Meanwhile, Yinzhi was overjoyed and said to Mingzhu, "Your idea was brilliant. Tell them outside that Eunuch Cui from Yuqing Palace is doing evil. Now everyone outside the palace knows about it. My brother will no longer suspect that I heard it from someone else."
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The masters were scheming against each other, and the servants were inevitably forming alliances. Lin Si'er carefully recalled his conversation with Liang Jiugong and secretly resolved to always take the lead.
Why did Liang Jiugong send his apprentice here? Wasn't it to leave himself a way out? If he could take advantage of the fact that Eunuch Cui, who wasn't one of them, was gone, and let his apprentice have more influence in Yuqing Palace, why not?
Liang Jiugong, who understood people's minds very well, warned his apprentice last night: "Eunuch Cui has stepped down, and even though he doesn't dare to bear a grudge against His Majesty who executed him, won't he also bear a grudge against the one who replaced him?"
"Oh, my good master, dear father, what should I do?"
"Look at your little ambition! Just wait, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have been summoned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity for dinner. They will definitely return with a new chief eunuch. His Majesty values the Crown Prince the most. Now that something like this has happened, how can he still let the Crown Prince choose someone?"
"Then I get nothing?"
"You know shit! The chief eunuch of the Palace of Heavenly Purity is just an advisor. Your master is just a deputy chief, but who can look down on me?" He said this sourly. "It's enough to be useful in front of the master."
"well……"
"Why are you sighing? It's harder than farting! You seem smart, but why are you so stupid now? I sold out my eldest brother for you today, and you're still sighing?!"
"?"
"People who get the benefits are more likely to be hated, aren't they? If you want to make Eunuch Cui bear a grudge against you, he's the prince's favorite. He'll find a chance to pass on a message, and you'll suffer. But now, make him hate the eldest prince! Make him jealous of Gao Sanxie! Wouldn't you be safe then? You fool!"
"Can……"
"Fool, serve the Crown Princess well. She will definitely have the final say in Yuqing Palace! I saw her today and I understood everything. You won't be blamed."
"Hey~"
All right, serve the Crown Princess well, be her eyes and ears, and report any bad things that might happen to her. Keep a close eye on the people in Xiefang Palace, and serve our Third Prince well. Any bad news about the First Prince must be reported promptly...
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Life never gives people time to stop and think. If you can't improve your own quality and think three steps ahead, you will be eliminated. Yinreng didn't want to be eliminated, so he worked hard recently, studied seriously, and was more active in going to Kangxi to act cute.
Kangxi felt that he had offended Yinreng, which was not good after all, and he was very willing to make amends to him. Afterwards, he had another long talk with him: "I shouldn't have executed Cui Yuzhu at this time, but I still have to lead the army myself. If I don't do it now, it will be too late. I have executed him and I have to clean up the mess. I want others not to underestimate my prince."
Yinreng was so moved that he burst into tears.
However, to outsiders, the fact that Kangxi had beaten the eunuch, who was also the chief eunuch of the Yuqing Palace, to a point where he was half-crippled, seemed to be a sign that the emperor was beginning to dislike the crown prince. In particular, some people felt that this was due to their own lawsuit.
"Eighth brother."
"Greetings, big brother."
"We are all brothers, why be so polite? Come, sit down."
At the Gandongtou station, a scene that seemed to be a friendly and respectful scene between brothers appeared.
Yinsi sat still, both out of courtesy and knowing that Yinzhi would speak first. Otherwise, why would he be called over? How many tea leaves were there in the cup?
"How are you, Eighth Brother? I heard that Fifth and Seventh Brothers will be celebrating their deaths this year, and yours is also coming soon. If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Brother, since you said so, I would like to thank you in advance."
Yinzhi cleared his throat and said, "Have you seen Prince An recently? He is the uncle of my future sister-in-law. We can't be too distant with him."
"Big brother is right in reminding me." He looked like a good younger brother with his head lowered and his face pleasing to the eye.
"Ahem, it's not just Prince An. Other elders can also speak, such as the uncle prince... the uncle prince."
Yinsi understood that Yinzhi was asking him to run errands. His uncle, Prince Gong Changning, had a daughter who was now the eldest princess of the family. His uncle, Prince Yu Fuquan, was Kangxi's most trusted and closest brother.
They all had a bad relationship with Yinzhi.
Chang Ning was angry because Yinzhi was not good to his brother and was not polite to her.
Fuquan's hatred for Yinzhi was as deep as a mountain. He was punished despite winning a decisive battle against Galdan, largely because of Yinzhi. How could the battle continue when the deputy commander challenged the commander? You wouldn't dare back down to such a power-hungry bastard! Finally, when Tong Guogang died, Yinzhi suspected Fuquan was behind it. In the end, Yinzhi played a role in the tragedy, and he took all the blame.
It is really against the will of heaven that Fuquan does not hate Yinzhi.
But Yinzhi needed Fuquan's support, especially when his biggest rival was the Crown Prince. He was clearly unpopular, and he couldn't bring himself to continue to flirt with Fuquan. This was precisely the moment when his younger brother came into play.
Yinsi was a kind and courteous person, treated everyone with respect, and no one disliked him. Even someone as hateful as the Crown Prince couldn't find fault with his courtesy. If he were to win over Fuquan, it was likely that their similarly humble temperaments would be a good match.
Aren't the people that Lao Ba is friendly with my influence? Yinzhi happily assigned the task to Yinsi.
Being a bride for someone else? Yinsi's toes dug into the soles of his boots. He bitterly resented the fact that he had to squeeze money year after year, only to be a bride for someone else. How could he accept this?! Especially... when he thought about using the good relationships he'd earned through his self-restraint and temper suppression to clean up this guy's mess, how could he accept this!!!
"That's right, big brother," he said, his voice soft and pleasant, smiling. "I'm going to visit the wife of Prince An tomorrow, and I'll pay my respects to Prince Bo on the way."
The author has something to say: I suddenly found myself drifting past the daily updater...
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