Chapter 106: Since Guo Luoluo has arrived…

Since Guo Luoluo has arrived, this gift must be presented, and Yinsi cannot be ignored. Wen Shan glanced sideways at Kangxi. Kangxi's expression remained unchanged, with a faint nod, but he didn't call out.

A nearby palace maid handed over a long, rectangular gift that looked like a painting or calligraphy.

"On behalf of the Eighth Prince, your son presents this birthday gift to the Emperor. May the Emperor live forever."

Kangxi glanced at Liang Jiugong, who nodded slightly before turning and accepting the gift, holding it in both hands as he approached Kangxi.

Just as he was about to open it, Kangxi waved his hand, saying, "No need to open it. Yinsi is a criminal, unkind and unfilial. I don't even bother to look at his gift."

Liang Jiugong was stunned. Kangxi had clearly told him to bring the gift, so he naturally assumed he wanted to open it. Instead, he realized he was just trying to humiliate the Eighth Prince and his wife.

Guo Luoluo's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she bowed deeply, saying, "Your son is guilty. Today is the Emperor's birthday. If your son and I have disturbed his spirit

, it would be a grave offense." The Ninth and Tenth Princes were naturally present in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Seeing Kangxi's disparaging remarks about Yinsi, they were furious, but they couldn't speak up on his behalf.

Yinzhen and Yinxiang exchanged a glance, their eyes tinged with resentment. Wen Shan almost lost her composure. Guo Luoluo was already so far along, and publicly humiliating a pregnant woman was no big deal.

Wen Shan was about to speak when Kangxi sighed and said, "Forget it, get up! You're pregnant, so don't perform such a grand ceremony."

Guo Luoluo was pregnant and a member of the imperial family, so Kangxi didn't intend to do anything to her. He sarcastically remarked and told her to return to her seat.

Guaerjia, watching from the side, sneered, "Fourth brother's wife, why don't you try to persuade Eighth brother's wife? She's already so far along, why bother coming all this time?"

She raised her glass to conceal her feelings.

Fucha followed suit, and the two of them seemed to be chatting and jokingly toasting each other.

"Eighth Prince is still a prince, and Eighth brother's wife is naturally the Emperor's daughter-in-law. Why wouldn't she come?"

Guaerjia said nothing more. Fucha spoke cautiously, and since she couldn't gain any advantage from her, she lost interest after a few words.

Aside from the minor incident involving Guo Luoluo, this birthday banquet went on as planned, much like previous years. However, near the end, Kangxi suddenly mentioned Prince Li's name, stating that he had been largely inactive for the past few years and, starting tomorrow, would be in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and participate in court discussions.

Tong Guowei and Longkodo, as imperial relatives, were naturally present. Having observed Guo Luoluo's gift earlier, they had already sensed the Emperor's deep prejudice against the Eighth Prince, making ordinary means of overcoming his predicament impossible.

"Father, the Emperor has truly revealed his true intentions," Longkodo muttered.

Tong Guowei snorted coldly, "The Ministry of Personnel... is a good place."

Tong Guowei, known as "Half the Emperor," had students and former officials throughout the country, making the Ministry his core. Putting Prince Li in charge of the Ministry was a clear-cut plan.

He intended to gradually reinstate the Crown Prince while simultaneously eroding the Tong family's influence.

"Have arrangements been made with the Imperial Clan Court?" Tong Guowei asked softly after a sip of his wine.

Longkodo hesitated: "Father, it's a bit risky to go see the Eighth Prince now, why don't we wait a little longer?"

"How can we have so much time to wait?"

As soon as Tong Guowei finished speaking, the Minister of Personnel came over with a wine glass.

"Lord Tong, you have been ill for a few days, are you much better now?"

The Minister of Personnel was also a member of the Eighth Prince's party. After Yinsi got into trouble, he went to Tong Guowei several times but never met him.

Tong Guowei practiced Tai Chi and talked with him, while Longkodo drank two glasses of wine in a depressed mood.

Father always said that he was impulsive, but now it has become Father who does things without considering the consequences.

Why must he hang himself on the Eighth Prince's tree?

At the birthday banquet, Kangxi even had Prince Li's legitimate son, Hongzhao, brought up. He examined his grandson carefully for a moment and said, "He does bear a resemblance to your grandmother."

Hongzhao, now two years old, was at the peak of his adorable youth. Although he had never met Kangxi, he sat adorably in his arms, blinking his large eyes.

Wen Shan took a few glances, and perhaps because her filter was too strong, she still felt that Hongxi and Yi'an were naturally prettier.

Guaerjia stood up and said, "It's a blessing for the child that Hongzhao bears some resemblance to Empress Xiaocheng."

"Hesheli is Hongzhao's biological grandmother; blood ties naturally distinguish them." Kangxi smiled and said, "You've also given me a fine grandson."

Guaerjia quickly declared her disapproval.

"I find Hongzhao quite kind. If you and Yinreng are willing, please leave him in the palace and I will educate him for a while."

Prince Li was naturally overjoyed: "It is a great blessing for Hongzhao to be taught by the emperor himself."

Kangxi waved his hand: "Come on, get up! Stop kneeling so often. You weren't so well-behaved in front of me when you were little."

Prince Li was quite moved: "I am the emperor..."

Wen Shan: "..."

Who is this father-son love performance for?

After finally making it to the end of the birthday banquet, Wen Shan returned to Xianfu Palace without stopping for a moment.

"This banquet makes me sick to my stomach," Wen Shan complained, holding Zhenzhu's hand.

Zhenzhu: "Master, don't worry. The Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince just sent a message saying that they will come to Xianfu Palace to talk to you later."

Wen Shan nodded, and then thought of something: "Then let's not go back to Xianfu Palace for now. Let's go to Ganxi Wusuo to see Guo Luoluo. This child has been wronged today."

Unexpectedly, Guo Luoluo's pace was faster than them. When Wen Shan arrived at Ganxi Wusuo, she said that Guo Luoluo had just come back, changed her clothes, and left again.

But the palace servants didn't know where Guo Luoluo had gone.

Wen Shan was a little worried and was about to ask someone to tell Yinzhen and Yinxiang when they rushed over.

"Mother, my fourth brother and I heard that you came to visit Eighth Sister-in-law, so we stopped by to see you." Yinxiang stepped forward, took Wen Shan's arm, and whispered: "Eighth Sister-in-law went to see Eighth Brother."

Wen Shan looked at them both in surprise and quickly adjusted her mood.

"I wanted to come and see your eighth sister-in-law, but she was out. Well, let's go back to Xianfu Palace first."

Wen Shan couldn't help asking when they arrived at Xianfu Palace: "Why did you let your eighth sister-in-law go to see Yinsi at this time?"

"This is the right time." Yinxiang said: "After the palace banquet, it's time to relax. The emperor, Prince Li and Hongzhao are enjoying family happiness together. They have no time to care about us."

Yinzhen took a sip of tea and said: "Don't worry, mother. The clan government has made arrangements. Your eighth brother will not be at ease if he doesn't let them meet."

Wen Shan breathed a sigh of relief when she knew everything was arranged: "It's time for the couple to meet. It's been half a year since they last saw each other."

Especially when Guo Luoluo was pregnant, the young couple had gone through many hardships and obstacles.

"Tong Guowei also wants to meet with my brother privately," Yinxiang said, playing with his teacup. "He's found a way to get to one of our people."

It seems they're both trying to take advantage of this opportunity.

Yinzhen pondered, then said, "Let him go. Let's see what Tong Guowei is up to."

Wen Shan listened for a moment before asking, "How confident are you now?"

This was a risky matter, and even if she believed Yinzhen and the others' claims that she wasn't worried, it was impossible.

"It was 70% before, but now it's at least 90%, if not 100%," Yinxiang said.

"The Emperor is foolishly trying to reinstate the Crown Prince. This gives us a rare opportunity to purge the court."

Regardless of Yinsi's behind-the-scenes instigation, the Crown Prince's rebellion was inevitable. He even took advantage of the army's provisions without authorization, resulting in the massacre of many people. Soetu, Togazi, and others were executed.

Therefore, even the most nonpartisan officials in the court, such as Zhang Tingyu and Shi Lang, opposed the Crown Prince's reinstatement.

Kangxi's momentary overwhelm had left them vulnerable.

Yinzhen and Yinxiang were never ones to exaggerate in matters like this, so their words were a sure thing. Wenshan felt a little relieved, and seeing Yinzhen reminded her of Hongxi and Yi'an.

"How are Hongxi and Yi'an's colds? Have you, as their father, checked on them?"

Yinzhen said helplessly, "Of course, these two children need to be seen every day, otherwise Yi'an will cause a huge uproar in Chonghua Palace."

"Ulanara is over five months pregnant now, so you should also spend more time with her," Wenshan urged.

After all, she was carrying a child for Yinzhen, so she needed extra care.

"Don't worry, mother, your wife is taking very good care of you," Yinzhen nodded. After

the mother and child had a conversation, Yinzhen's personal eunuch entered, whispered a few words in Yinzhen's ear, and then withdrew.

"Just now, the Emperor ordered Consort Tongjia to renovate Yuqing Palace," Yinzhen said gravely.

Wen Shan was unsurprised. "Your Emperor can't hide his desire to reinstate the Crown Prince anymore."

Anyone with a good brain could now see what Kangxi was up to.

However, the core figures behind the deposed Crown Prince had either died or been exiled, leaving few remaining. That's why Kangxi was hesitant to proceed slowly, gradually building up the Crown Prince's influence rather than directly reinstating him.

"Mother didn't want Yinsi to live in Yuqing Palace," Wen Shan said, frowning. "When the Emperor asked Yinsi to move in, I thought it was an unlucky place."

It seemed so.

Yinzhen smiled slightly and nodded. "Mother is right. I'll definitely choose a good residence for my eighth brother in the future." "

Well, I imagine you two didn't enjoy the banquet at the palace. Why don't you stay for dinner?" Wen Shan said.

Yinzhen and Yinxiang knew Wenshan also wanted to wait and see if the news from the Imperial Clan Court was going smoothly, so they naturally agreed to stay.

The Imperial Clan Court had already made arrangements, and someone was waiting to escort Guo Luoluo in.

"Madam, please keep your head down and don't make a sound. I will take you to the Eighth Prince."

Guo Luoluo's pregnancy was too obvious, so they had no choice but to disguise her as a palace maid delivering a gift, holding a basket to conceal it.

Several of Kangxi's trusted confidants were stationed at the Imperial Clan Court specifically to watch over Yinsi, but they were a bit troublesome. Fortunately, today was Kangxi's birthday, and the palace maids had received a reward and were entitled to receive a meal and gifts, so there was a gap in their shift that allowed Guo Luoluo to enter.

The person led Guo Luoluo into a small courtyard. It was small and deserted, and the front room was also locked.

The guards had been replaced by their own men, who hurried forward to unlock the room upon seeing Guo Luoluo arrive.

"Madam, you'll have to be out in half an hour at most."

Guo Luoluo nodded, "Thank you very much."

The man bowed and said, "Madam, you're too polite. The Eighth Prince is my savior, and I truly don't deserve your thanks."

Guo Luoluo pursed her lips and pushed the door open. The air was greeted by the smell of old, decaying wood. The house was empty and looked rather shabby, though at least it was kept tidy.

Yinsi was writing by the window. When he heard the door open, he looked up and saw Guo Luoluo. He was startled, then overjoyed.

"Why are you here?" Yinsi's surprise faded, then he frowned and helped her sit down.

Yinzhen and Yinxiang had wanted to give Yinsi a surprise, so they hadn't informed him in advance.

Guo Luoluo took Yinsi's hand and said, "Why have you lost so much weight?"

Yinsi smiled faintly and said, "It can't be helped. We have to live a hard life here."

Yinsi touched Guo Luoluo's belly, a look of affection in his eyes.

"It's been over seven months, and why are you still here?"

Guo Luoluo felt relieved to see Yinsi in person. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought to hold them back.

"My wife and I miss you so much. We need to see you."

Guo Luoluo said, "Thanks to my fourth brother and thirteenth brother for intervening."

Yinsi nodded. "With my fourth brother and thirteenth brother away, I can rest assured about you and the child."

"Has anyone been bullying you lately?" Yinsi's eyes flashed with a cold gleam.

The people in the palace were always flattering the powerful, so it was inevitable that some of them would bully Guo Luoluo.

"They are just a bunch of scoundrels, they are no big deal." Guo Luoluo held Yinsi's hand tightly and said, "We still have mother and fourth sister-in-law to take care of us. Everything is fine in our palace."

Yinsi slowly stroked the back of Guo Luoluo's hand and said, "You don't have to take to heart what anyone said. I will naturally get them back for you one by one."

Guo Luoluo nodded, and after hearing what Yinsi said, the grievances deep in her heart began to surge up.

After calming down for a moment, Guo Luoluo continued, "It's just that the Emperor asked us to move out of Yuqing Palace. We're now living in Ganxi Wusuo. Mother specially cleaned up the place where you used to live."

Yinsi felt a little distressed: "You've suffered a lot following me."

"What's so hard about it? I didn't like Yuqing Palace in the first place. I was terrified to stay there. Now it's fine." Guo Luoluo smiled faintly and said, "It would be a good thing if our child could be born in the place where you lived when you were young."

Yinzhen and Yinxiang had already discussed the next steps with Yinsi in private, so Yinsi now had a clear idea.

He held Guo Luoluo's hand, patted it soothingly, and said with a smile, "I should be able to leave in less than two months. I hope to be able to leave in time for our child to be born."

Guo Luoluo was already nine months old at that time, and should be able to go into labor at any time. Yinsi said this because he was worried that the noise would be too loud and scare her.

Guo Luoluo understood, and looking at the somewhat bleak scenery outside the window, she smiled slightly and said, "My concubine and the child will certainly wait for Master to come out."

Guo Luoluo stayed inside with Yinsi for more than half an hour before pushing open the door and coming out. The man who had brought Guo Luoluo in had been waiting outside the door. When he saw Guo Luoluo come out, he hurriedly took her away from the clan residence.

Xianfu Palace also received the news.

Wen Shan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness, everything's fine."

Just as she was about to tell Yinzhen and Yinxiang to go back and rest, Baoquan arrived with another piece of news.

Kangxi had been keeping Prince Li to talk until now, saying it was getting late, so he was staying in the palace to rest. He was already in Yuqing Palace.

Wen Shan: "..."

Damn it, let him be.

She really couldn't be bothered.

Yinzhen and Yinxiang were clearly unimpressed by the situation.

"Mother, my fourth brother and I will be leaving first," Yinxiang instructed. "The harem might get increasingly chaotic. Just go about your life as usual and ignore them."

Wen Shan nodded. "Mother knows. You can just do your own thing without worrying about me."

She felt safest staying in Xianfu Palace. What

Yinzhen and the others were doing was far more dangerous. Yinzhen and Yinxiang didn't rest after leaving Xianfu Palace, but went straight to Chonghua Palace to await further news.

News of Yinsi's meeting with Tong Guowei.

The two waited until the hour of Xu before receiving word that Tong Guowei had left the clan residence. Half an hour later, Yinsi's letter arrived.

After reading it, Yinxiang marveled, "It's said that Mingzhu and Soetu were old rivals, but Tong Guowei is no less powerful."

He'd chosen the same path as Mingzhu, plotting a rebellion and forcing Yinsi to the throne.

"This isn't right. This doesn't seem like Tong Guowei," Yinxiang said, stroking his chin as he reflected on Tong Guowei in his previous life. "This old fellow has always been cunning and tactful, always cautious. He values the Tonggiya clan's legacy above all else. In his previous life, he also bet on the myna, but after that failed, he simply resigned and handed the Tonggiya clan over to Longkodo. Such a desperate fight doesn't seem like his style."

Could there be some kind of trick?

However, Yinsi's letter made it clear that Tong Guowei wasn't pretending this time; he was genuinely determined.

Yinxiang pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "In the past, Tong Guowei and Longkodo both bet on this old man to keep his composure. If he fell, there was still Longkodo, following your side, to fill in. But now, both father and son are in Eighth Brother's sight."

Tong Guowei had no way out.

"And Eighth Brother's crimes are very different from those in his previous life." Yinzhen set the letter aside and said, "Before, it was just a bunch of groundless rumors. It was only because the ministers nominated Eighth Brother as the new Crown Prince that the Emperor feared and disliked him. Ultimately, there was no real fault, so Eighth Brother was not imprisoned and continued to serve as a Prince. But now the situation is very different."

"Framed the Crown Prince, for treason," Yinzhen said slowly. "The Emperor will definitely eliminate the Tong family. Isn't the example of the Hesheli family a lesson right before our eyes?"

Tong Guowei, looking at the Hesheli family's current plight, must have been unable to sleep that night.

"My eighth brother means that we should pretend that we don't know and let Tong Guowei start a rebellion, and then we can wait for the opportunity to take advantage of the situation

." Yinxiang held his chin and said, "Then we will take over the palace in the name of rescuing the emperor, and let the emperor write the abdication edict, which is also legitimate." Yinzhen nodded: "It can be regarded as helping us."

"But, my eighth brother told us to be careful of Longkodo." Yinxiang hesitated for a while, "Could this kid want to turn against us?"

"My eighth brother knows this father and son better than the rest of us. Since he said so, he must have his reasons." Yinzhen said: "Send someone to keep an eye on him and don't let him do anything bad."

It can only be said that Yinsi really understood Longkodo's pulse. He was indeed thinking about how to get off the boat of Tong's family and his father, which was about to capsize, and he even chose the deposed prince as the person to surrender.

Longkodo had some basic political sense. Kangxi now openly supported the deposed crown prince. Even though many court officials openly and covertly opposed his reinstatement, Kangxi continued to push forward, single-handedly pushing the deposed crown prince to take over important government affairs, overshadowing Yinzhen.

Kangxi was clearly eager to find political support for the deposed crown prince, and now was the best opportunity to woo the emperor and the crown prince.

Then Longkodo was arrested and brought before Tong Guowei.

"Where are you going?" Tong Guowei said coldly. "Didn't I tell you not to go out for the time being?"

Longkodo said with a shy smile, "I'm just going out for a walk after being at home for so long. Father, why did you lock your son up?"

Two servants restrained Longkodo, and he struggled unsuccessfully.

Tong Guowei waved the servants away, and Longkodo stretched his arms, wondering if Tong Guowei had learned anything.

"Alright, now that we're just the two of us in this room, let's be frank." Tong Guowei stared at him intently and said, "You want to join Prince Li?"

"...Father, where do you get that?"

Tong Guowei said, "I'm here to tell you right now,

while I still have the energy to do it. Stop playing those little tricks." Knowing he couldn't hide it anymore, Longkodo laid it all out.

"Yes, you're right. I do want to join the Crown Prince, Father. I've tried to dissuade you many times, but you won't listen." Longkodo stiffened his neck and said, "Are you going to drag the entire Tonggiya clan down with you? How are you going to face our ancestors in the future?"

Tong Guowei, seething with anger, slapped Longkodo in the face.

"Rebellious son! You're the one who ruined the Tonggiya clan!"

"Father has told you countless times that we have no other options. Even if we manage to survive, the day the Emperor formally reinstates the deposed Crown Prince will be the day our Tong family dies. Do you think you can survive by relying on him? I'll still kill you!"

Longkodo was clearly still unconvinced, but Tong Guowei didn't bother to argue with him. He simply had him taken away and kept under guard, not allowing him to leave his room.

"Master, we can't keep the Second Young Master locked up forever. After all, he's the Commander-in-Chief of the Nine Gates. If he hasn't been seen for a long time..." the housekeeper said apprehensively.

Tong Guowei: "It's almost time. Delays could lead to trouble. Have Yaershan and the others come to see me."

Tong Guowei acted swiftly. The next day, Yinzhen and Yinxiang received word that Tong Guowei was taking action, tonight.

"He knows how to choose his time. Today is truly a godsend," Yinxiang said.

Another major event happened today. Kangxi formally proposed to establish a new crown prince in the court and asked the ministers to recommend him. He also praised the deposed crown prince to hint to the ministers.

However, he was criticized by some straightforward ministers. They said that the deposed crown prince had rebelled and destroyed the army's food and grass, and his moral character was not worthy of being appointed as the crown prince. They also scolded Kangxi in a roundabout way, which made Kangxi, who was very proud, so angry that he lost his breath and felt dizzy on the spot. He fell ill when he returned to the Yangxin Palace.

The palace is in chaos now, which is indeed a good time.