Yinsi's worries
Yinsi's worries
Socializing is always a grueling endeavor. The host is exhausted from the hustle and bustle of preparation and reception, and the guests are also exhausted, especially when entertaining the emperor. Guests also have the added task of providing amusing and eulogizing the emperor's achievements. Both hosts and guests are exhausted, yet such events are unavoidable, and they can't be skipped. Unless you're someone who's accustomed to the glamorous atmosphere or someone who's grown numb to it, it's a real chore.
The Third Prince's hundred-day celebration at Yuqing Palace had finally concluded. Both the host and the guests were exhausted, and the palace maids and eunuchs were also busy for a long time. The eunuchs in charge urged the younger eunuchs, "Hey, put this away and put it in the register. Don't return that one yet. In two weeks, the eldest prince's hundred-day celebration at the East Fourth Office is coming up. Send it there first so you don't have to wait until later to collect it, which would be even more troublesome..."
The palace maids were also very busy, with all kinds of clothes to be sent for washing and retrieved. Although they followed an order, they were inevitably hurried in their actions.
Some people had other things to attend to, such as the hundred-day banquet for the Fifth Prince's eldest son. While it certainly wasn't as lively as the Third Prince's hundred-day celebration in Yuqing Palace, it certainly wasn't deserted. Although the child was a bastard, he was his father's firstborn. Furthermore, the Fifth Prince was Concubine Yi's eldest son, raised by the Empress Dowager, and held a distinguished position.
The Crown Princess also hinted that everyone who could arrive in half a month had to be present.
Compared to the busyness of the palace, the busyness outside the palace is another kind of tormenting busyness. After returning, everyone has congratulated him, the eldest prince has also returned, and even the hundred-day banquet of the third prince in Yuqing Palace has been celebrated... Isn't it time to reward him according to his merits?
But the emperor remained silent. Memorials praising the emperor's achievements were submitted, and Kangxi seemed pleased, but that was all. He ignored his ministers' hints that the war was over, and it was time to distribute the rewards. Everyone started thinking about all sorts of things. Today was your grandmother's birthday, tomorrow was his grandson's full moon, and they would gather together to discuss or take the opportunity to send gifts to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Grand Secretaries.
It would have been fine in the past, but this time it was a bit awkward. The two leaders of the faction struggle had both been demoted and were waiting to be promoted back. Yisan'a had been demoted again because of his close relationship, and the Minister of War had been replaced. There was no one suitable person to give gifts to, so they had to desperately try whoever they thought was reliable. There was no clear goal as before.
Among them, the most anxious one was probably Yarjiang'a. Unlike others, in addition to his desire to get a real job to prove his ability, he had another more important and urgent need: to prove himself with military merits, so as to leave a good record with Kangxi in the hope of getting a status - he had not yet been officially canonized as the prince, and was not yet considered the future Prince Jian!
To outsiders, as the eldest son of Prince Jian, the son of his first wife, and without even a half-brother, Yarjiang'e was a guaranteed heir. But Yarjiang'e didn't see it that way. His biological mother had passed away, and Kangxi couldn't let Prince Jian remain a widower, so he appointed a new wife for him. Yarjiang'e then had a stepmother.
Concubine Ji's family background wasn't high; the daughter of a top-ranking imperial guard, she bore a prestigious surname: Borjigit. Worst of all, Concubine Ji had three sons. The youngest was born in April this year, two days before the Fifth Prince's son, and the oldest was ten years old.
Yarjiang'a's mother had originally given birth to two sons, but tragically, the second son, Yangdan, died at the age of seven. Yarjiang'a had no one to help her in a fight. Furthermore, the sons of the concubines and the second wife were all growing up and ready to marry, and Yarjiang'a, now twenty years old, had yet to be officially canonized. Seeing that Prince Jian hadn't yet requested a title, everyone's concerns grew.
Yarjiang'a was really anxious. He had no mother to speak for him. There were a bunch of women in his father's backyard, and each of them could whisper in his father's ear, especially the stepmother. Seeing her giving birth to children one after another, it should be known that Yabu liked her very much. How could the stepmother not make plans for her own son?
This is not like the royal family, where if you don't become emperor, you can still become a prince. Although it is the difference between the monarch and the minister, it is only one or two levels lower. In Prince Jian's family, if you can't become the crown prince, the lower titles must be awarded by the emperor at his pleasure. The difference is huge. How could Yaerjianga bear this grievance?
Yarjiang'a was the eldest son, and he held both the title of legitimate and the eldest son. The reason for his anxiety was because his second wife's son was also a legitimate son. If Prince Jian accuses him of a crime like disobedience, Kangxi will have to consider Prince Jian's opinion, and there will be a ready-made replacement.
You can't blame him for being suspicious. Who can blame him? He's twenty years old, has a wife and children, and has fought on the battlefield. It's obvious that all the conditions are ripe, but he hasn't been appointed as the crown prince. One has to suspect that there is someone behind this.
He is really similar to Yinreng, but Yinreng's status was determined long ago, so he didn't suffer as much as he did.
Therefore, Yaerjiang'a is now trying very hard to show his ability. He went to fight Galdan through the prince's way, and returned home to serve Prince Jian earnestly. However, Prince Jian is just like Kangxi, and he just won't give in.
Yarjiang'a thought that the reason he had been able to join the army was because the Crown Prince had spoken to him. After some serious interaction, he realized that the Crown Prince wasn't a difficult person to talk to—just a bit on the low end of his emotional intelligence. But once he got along well with the Crown Prince, he didn't find him annoying anymore. It would be better to continue getting along with the Crown Prince. While the request for the title of Crown Prince would be made by Prince Jian, if there was a Crown Prince inside, it wouldn't be a problem for him to put in a few good words.
To take a step back, even if Concubine Ji is more capable, but she is in love with the prince - this does not seem difficult at the moment, as Yuqing Palace has released enough goodwill - things will change over time, and the prince has ascended the throne, so it will not be difficult for him to get the throne back.
Yarjiang'e reciprocated the kindness shown by Yuqing Palace. While he was away on military campaign, he had already warned Ninghui to be attentive and considerate. Not only did he and Ninghui personally prepare a gift, he even wrote a letter in advance, full of brotherly affection, to be replied to at the appropriate time. Yinreng, though not a particularly intelligent individual, was delighted to receive the letter, and in his reply to Kangxi, he included information about Ninghui's situation to Yarjiang'e. As time went by, the two began to speak more and more, a sense of shared sympathy and mutual support.
This time, the crown prince's eldest son was celebrating his 100th day, so naturally, Yarjiang'a meticulously prepared a variety of generous gifts. Yinreng didn't notice, but Shujia was aware of it and said to Yinreng, "He doesn't have a title yet, so these things are probably not easy to come by." Of course, she said the same thing to Ninghui at the time.
When Ning Hui returned home, she had to greet her stepmother before returning to her own room to have a small meeting with Yaerjiang'a and his wife, who had also returned from Yabu's study. Like the prince and his wife, at this point, they understood what it meant to be one as husband and wife.
Ning Hui carefully recounted her experiences of the day. Yarjiang'a first picked out the parts that were useful to her, then asked, "Did the Crown Princess say this?" Ning Hui nodded. "With so many people here, the Crown Princess taking the time to say a few words to me is quite a favor. How could I not remember it?"
Yaerjiang'a said to himself, "I wonder if the prince thinks so?"
Ning Hui was tired after a long day. She sat down and drank some tea before asking, "Haven't you seen the Crown Prince these days? What did he say?"
Yarjiang'a smiled bitterly: "He said that I worked hard and Khan Ama would definitely make arrangements. But I still feel uneasy."
Ning Hui said, "This matter needs Father to submit a memorial and get the Emperor's approval. The Emperor will certainly not want to offend Father. Father or the Emperor, without the approval of either, it will not work."
Yaerjiang'a sighed, "Yes—tomorrow..." He decided to go and test the prince's reaction. As long as one could do good to others, one would not easily offend them. It was better to make friends than enemies, especially when the other party was the prince, and showed kindness and actually helped. Why bother making such an enemy?
"Alright. The eldest prince in Yuqing Palace is having his birthday soon, so why not send him something this year?"
"Well, of course. But don't make it too ostentatious. After all, it was Khan Ama who ordered the hundred-day banquet, so it's only natural that it should be grand. There's no need to be too formal about this birthday... By the way, did Step-Family say anything today?"
"There were too many people, so she only greeted the Empress Dowager and the Crown Princess at the beginning, and then she spoke with the old wives."
"That's not bad..."
The two discussed it again before going to rest.
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For the Yuqing Palace, a major event had already concluded. The next major events to prepare for were the Empress Dowager's birthday and Chinese New Year in October. Although the Second Prince of the Yuqing Palace had his birthday on the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, and the Eldest Prince of the Yuqing Palace had his birthday in December, the celebrations were relatively minor, as the Eldest Prince had been frail and sickly since childhood, and they feared it would shorten his lifespan. With precedent in place, Shujia didn't have to worry too much. At most, she would prepare two gifts befitting her status and childlike.
Shujia saw that the little fat boy had fallen asleep, and Yinreng went to the Qianqing Palace for an internship and began to work. He counted the gift list and analyzed the relationships between the gifts given by each family. Then he sorted the storeroom and reclassified the items into several categories—to facilitate gift giving, rather than classifying them by material. Gifts for children, weddings, birthdays... each one was picked out separately. When needed, just take it directly, very convenient. As long as the design and meaning of the gifts were correct, it was enough for the Yuqing Palace—nothing that could enter the Yuqing Palace was inferior, so there was no need to worry about quality issues.
This arrangement made her nervous again - there were still several gifts to prepare. Shujia asked Eunuch Wang, "Where are all the gifts I asked you to prepare for the Eighth Prince?"
Eunuch Wang bowed, his hands lowered, and quietly stepped forward. "This portion is for the master's order to congratulate the Eighth Master on his new home." He took two steps and pointed to another pile. "This portion is for the Eighth Master to marry a concubine." He took a few more steps and said, "This is for the hundredth day of the eldest prince of the Fifth Master's family..."
Yes, there are no major events in the palace next, but there are a lot of small things, all of which test patience and memory.
The palace is a magical place. One thing may drag on for several years - this thing is not insignificant, but it can be prepared back and forth countless times due to the wrangling of all parties - such as the discussion about the wedding ceremony of the crown prince, and the determination of the wedding dates for the fifth and seventh princes.
However, sometimes, it suddenly became swift and efficient, with astonishing efficiency. For example, several things happened recently. First, the eighth prince Yinsi, who had just returned from the front, had his own residence and could move in almost immediately. However, since he was immediately taken to Changchun Garden and his return coincided with the little fat man's hundred-day banquet, he didn't have time to celebrate his new home.
Shujia had only sent some decorations in advance, with a message that the Eighth Prince was unmarried and that it was inconvenient for her to come over unless she had other matters to do. She would congratulate him on his new home after he had settled down. Now that everything was done, the princes, whether they meant it sincerely or not, would meet at Ganxitou to formally congratulate the Eighth Prince.
Yinreng also said he would take it seriously under Shujia's persuasion -
"Come on, come on, you're just such a good-natured person! I'll just listen to you, okay? You've just spouted off a bunch of brotherly and respectful talk." This was a husband who didn't want to go, but wanted to prevent his wife from nagging him. He had originally planned to show up and come back, but his wife stopped him and told him to stay a little longer and smile more.
"Didn't I say that?" The loyal girl completely ignored her husband's hostility and disregard for her eighth brother. "Eighth brother is eldest brother's younger brother, isn't he your younger brother? Khan Ama said that eighth brother can only call eldest brother brother?" Can you be serious? The eighth brother is very lethal!
"Humph, doesn't he only have eyes for the boss? He only treats me with courtesy for show, but in reality, he's very cold!"
"Isn't it? I heard that the Eighth Prince is a considerate person, polite and friendly to everyone he meets. How could he——"
"Bah! He can be eight feet away from me when he's talking! I showed up with the boss, so he must be two steps closer to the boss than to me."
Have you measured all this? Shujia was speechless, then said patiently: "Then why don't you take two more steps closer and try to see what he is like? Isn't that enough? In the future, you can tell Khan Ama that it's not that you don't want to be close to him, but that he doesn't want to be close to you - don't forget, Eighth Brother's biological mother is still under the roof of Zhongcui Palace." Why don't you show some expression first and let him come to you regardless of his mother's living conditions?
"That does make sense."
"That's right, people, filial piety comes first. When you think someone is bad, you should always first see if they have any difficulties. Then again, if you do this now, you will seem petty and can't stand others doing what Gan Dongtou likes. Just take a few steps and see if that person will get angry."
"He must be in a bad mood!" Yinreng concluded.
It’s okay as long as the boss is unhappy, he went happily.
He went happily, smiling sincerely, and then smiled at the surprise and embarrassment on the face of the eighth brother, whose young face was still not good at concealing it, smiled at the wide-eyed surprise of the ninth and tenth brothers, and smiled at the constipated face of the eldest brother. As for the eighth brother, holding the wine cup, with that little look in his eyes, Yinreng couldn't bear to bully him anymore, and turned to connect with the third and fourth brothers.
It's really funny. With Big Boss's temper, even if he didn't suspect Old Eight, he'd still seem unhappy. And Old Eight is a thoughtful person, so he's bound to overthink things. I've become close to Old Eight, and if I show any signs of it, Big Boss is bound to be unhappy, and Old Eight has no way to defend himself. Over time, the two of them will eventually break up.
Yinreng decided that even if the eighth prince took a concubine, he would come over, and he came with a smile.
Yes, Yinsi still wants to marry a wife.
The palace's women moved because of promotions and demotions. Princes generally experienced only one thing: growing up. Once they had grown from being children to becoming "adults," they were required to move out of Zhaoxiang House. This was done to facilitate sexual intercourse for the older brothers, and also to prevent minors from accidentally catching a glimpse of their brothers' "entertainment" and being exposed to erotic material.
The other brothers before the Eighth Prince, with the exception of the Crown Prince, had always lived in Yuqing Palace. All of them had moved out for the same reason—they had wives (not counting the Sixth Prince, who moved into the tomb after his death), and the Eighth Prince was no exception. Kangxi had long ago designated a concubine for the Eighth Prince, and now, with the house renovated, he could move in and live there.
After Yinreng came back, he laughed and said, "Today is really interesting. In two days, the eighth prince will take a concubine, and I will go there again. You should prepare the things. The things must be of the best quality. The ninth and tenth princes will also take place in the next two years. Prepare everything first, and I will go there in person."
Shujia said, "Are you very happy today?" Don't be so focused on your own happiness that you build your happiness on the suffering of others and inadvertently make a few enemies.
"Yeah~" Yinreng was quite proud and told everyone's performance at the table, but he hadn't told them his own plan yet. A man always has his own secret thoughts, right?
It would have been fine if Yinreng didn't mention it, but as soon as he mentioned the ninth and tenth brothers, Shujia thought of the legendary "Eighth Master Party".
Now that the princes were growing up, even though she didn't know exactly how many lines there were in the "Nine Dragons Struggle for Succession," counting the houses was enough to stun her. Counting on her fingers, Yinreng was in Yuqing Palace, and the five eastern mansions were quite typical: five identical row houses. The first house was for the eldest prince, the second for the third prince, the third for the fourth prince, the fourth for the fifth prince, and the fifth for the seventh prince. The five western mansions were the same as the five eastern mansions, except that only the first house was occupied by the eighth prince, with a row of empty houses next to it. The ninety-fourth and tenth princes were the same age as the ninth prince, and they would soon fill up most of the five western mansions, and then...
As for the Eighth Prince, it's hard to praise or criticize him. If you ignore him, he'll definitely follow the eldest prince, be influenced by him, and who knows if he'll even fight for the throne himself. But if you get too close to him, Yinreng is the second in command, and being too popular isn't a good thing.
While the Crown Prince was happy and the Crown Princess was worried, the eldest prince and the eighth prince were also worried, and the ninth prince and the tenth prince were confused.
The Crown Prince happily finished his drink and left. The eldest prince's forced smile instantly collapsed. The reason he was still smiling was definitely because he refused to show weakness in front of the Crown Prince. The eighth prince's happy day was ruined by the Crown Prince, and he felt a breath stuck in his chest.
This prince is definitely here to cause trouble for everyone! Yinsi thought bitterly, what are you doing here to mess with us? He had originally planned that the prince would come and visit and then leave, so that he could have a drink with the ninth and tenth brothers, deal with the eldest brother, and make his biological mother's life in Zhongcui Palace a little easier. Now, all the plans were disrupted. He didn't even have the mood to celebrate in the bridal chamber.
He signaled the ninth and tenth brothers to go first, forcing the eldest brother to take his hand. Yinzhi saw that Yinsi could manipulate the ninth and tenth brothers with a single glance, without even a single word or gesture. The ninth brother, however, often rolled his eyes at him, and he felt unhappy. The third brother wanted to go back to see his wife, so he took the fourth brother and left first. Yinsi got what he wanted and had a good chat with his eldest brother.
Yinzhi still had to maintain his composure: "Eighth brother, please don't send me off. It would be bad to neglect the newlyweds."
"There is one thing I don't understand. I was raised by my eldest brother, so if there's something I don't understand, I naturally have to ask him."
Yinzhi was a little happier: "What's the matter?"
"The prince is acting a little abnormal today..."
"What?" He also wanted to mention this matter, and it was just the right time to climb up the pole.
"The prince has always ignored me," the voice trailed off. "I'm afraid he looks down on me." The tone was self-deprecating, but at least eighty percent of it was genuine. "It's really strange to be like this today."
Yinzhi patted Yinsi on the shoulder: "We are all Khan Ama's flesh and blood, he is no nobler than anyone else! Don't pay attention to him... he is..." An idea flashed in his mind, "I'm afraid he is here to make things difficult for you, making me think that you are in a relationship with him so that he can show you his respect. He is trying to alienate us!" He finally got smart for once.
The villain in Yinsi's heart curled his lips: "Brother is the one who understands. So that's it... I just want to live a life of leisure and wealth, and he won't let me go?" Okay, okay, the boss has come to his senses, I'm safe. Go ahead and bite him, you annoying boss, and the even more hateful second brother!
Yinsi's evaluation of Yinreng dropped a few points. "This bastard, if I let you live comfortably, I will write my name upside down!" Yinsi resolutely set a goal in his heart, and suddenly felt a little melancholy: what can he do to this regent prince?
With a self-deprecating laugh, Yinsi saw his eldest brother, whose mother was noble, as a fool, always doing foolish things. The Crown Prince, meanwhile, always carried a smug air of arrogance in his every move. The suffocating struggle he felt between them was a vivid memory from his childhood. Concubine Hui treated them well, and no servant dared to treat him poorly. However, the feeling he felt because of his mother's upbringing lingered in his young heart, much like the shock he felt the first time he learned about the Xinzheku.
I've grown up in recent years, and I finally felt a deep sense of relief when I joined the army this year. But even so... it still can't compare to the Crown Prince, who puts so much pressure on him. No, if he looks down on me and teases me like this now, won't I be a monkey at his mercy when he ascends the throne?
But... the eldest prince is really unreliable! After all these years, he still hasn't achieved anything. Who else is there? Who can get rid of the prince? Anyone is fine, he just doesn't like the prince. As long as it's not this second brother, he will support him. But... the third brother is a nerd. I heard that he stuttered when he was brought back from outside the palace. The fourth brother... is a guy that even his own mother doesn't love. The fifth brother... can't even speak fluently. The seventh brother is disabled. The ninth and tenth brothers are useless and they are still following behind me...
Who is the right one? There is no one suitable. I have no one to support! Yinsi has a headache...
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