Chapter 32 Chapter 32 As soon as the Sixth Prince said this, Yin... As

soon as the Sixth Prince said this, Yinzhen's expression became more serious, and he said with a stern face: "We are all brothers, and there is a hierarchy between brothers. You judge closeness based on blood relationship and still try to use this to threaten and protect us. It shows that the teachings of the Emperor and the masters are in vain. If you continue like this, I am afraid you will be mediocre all your life and nothing can comfort the Emperor."

The eldest prince was a little embarrassed after hearing what happened, because no matter how you look at it, it was indeed the Sixth Prince who acted inappropriately. If you put it in a bigger way, it can be regarded as robbing the things given by the emperor. The eldest prince originally wanted to find a way to get rid of the matter quickly, but he didn't expect that the Sixth Prince would dare to mention Concubine De in front of his fourth brother.

Everyone in the palace knew that although the Fourth Prince was the biological son of Concubine De, they had not been in contact for a long time. He was raised by the Imperial Noble Concubine before and then went to the palace of Concubine Xuan. He had never been raised in Yonghe Palace for a day. Moreover, Concubine De had always been indifferent to this son. Since the Imperial Noble Concubine had found a way to ask Emperor Kangxi not to let Yinzhen go to Yonghe Palace to pay respects every day, the mother and son had almost no contact.

Occasionally, when they met at the palace banquet, the Fourth Prince would ask a question and Concubine De would nod and pass by without saying a word.

Especially after the Seventh Princess was born, Concubine De was busy taking care of this son and daughter, and had no energy to spare for the Fourth Prince.

Although they were biological mother and son, they looked no different from strangers.

The Sixth Prince's head buzzed as he listened to Yinzhen's barrage of scolding. Then, a surge of grievance and anger washed over him. Even the little bully in Yonghe Palace lost his temper, crying, "No wonder Mother said you're not my brother. You're the one Mother abandoned, a debt collector, someone else's child!"

"I want to find Mother! You're all bullying me!"

The Sixth Prince cried out, and the other princes in the Shangshufang gasped, standing there in stunned silence, not daring to say a word.

Even the Seventh Prince, usually the most insignificant, opened his mouth wide enough for an egg.

Yinzhen hadn't expected the Sixth Prince to say such words, and it was clear he'd been told them by Concubine De.

So, in Mother's eyes, he was just that kind of person:

a debt collector abandoned by her.

Yinzhen said nothing, his eyes lowered slightly.

Yinsi clenched his fists at the fleeting look of dejection on his fourth brother. This Concubine De was as partial as ever, now favoring the Sixth Prince, and now the Fourteenth Prince. In her heart, the Fourth Prince was like an adopted child.

So many concubines' children in the palace were raised in other palaces, and none of them were like her.

She took her anger out on her own children.

And she said such... harsh and cruel words.

Now that she'd said it in front of so many other princes, how could the Fourth Prince handle it?

"What are you talking about!"

The Fifth Prince, another bully in the Cining Palace, couldn't stand it anymore. He jumped off his chair and ran to the Sixth Prince, giving him a shove.

"What are you talking about with Fourth Brother? Ask me first if you want to bully him!"

Wen Shan often brought Yinzhen and Yinsi to the Cining Palace, and Concubine Yi and Wen Shan were close, so in this life, the Fifth Prince was the closest to Yinzhen and Yinsi. The Fifth Prince also claimed to be Yinzhen's in-law, further strengthening the relationship.

The Sixth Prince had been pampered, and so had the Fifth Prince. Unable to tolerate Yinzhen being humiliated by the Sixth Prince, he confronted him through the middle gate.

Seeing the two brothers about to fight, the Third Prince quickly separated them. The Fifth Prince, still shaking his fist at the Sixth Prince and muttering to him to be careful,

finally intervened. The Crown Prince sternly demanded, "Who taught you to say those things, Sixth Brother?"

Though spoiled and domineering, the Sixth Prince was no fool. After he had spoken, he realized his careless words had led to misfortune, and his demeanor softened, returning to the docile and sweet demeanor he had shown before Kangxi.

"I'm sorry, Fourth Brother. I... I just slipped my tongue. I just said it casually," the Sixth Prince said timidly.

Yinzhen remained silent, only looking at him coldly.

The Crown Prince felt a headache at the scene before him. He rubbed his forehead and acted as a peacemaker.

"Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother is young and ignorant. I think it must be some unruly servants gossiping that Sixth Brother heard. Since Sixth Brother knows he's wrong, please forgive him this time."

If this matter were brought to the attention of the Emperor and the influential Consorts, such as the Imperial Noble Consort, Consort Xuan, and Consort De, were involved, it would be troublesome. As the Crown Prince, it was his responsibility to look after the princes in the Shangshufang. It was better to keep things simple.

"Sixth Brother is young. It's nothing to say something wrong. After all, he's still ignorant," Yinsi took over and said with a tilt of his head.

The Crown Prince was a little embarrassed.

It was indeed ironic that Yinsi, the youngest person present, was the one saying this.

Finally, Yinzhen looked at the Sixth Prince's timid and evasive eyes and finally gave the Crown Prince a face and nodded.

The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief and told everyone to disperse and stop gathering here.

The Sixth Prince pouted and asked the eunuch to pack up his things. He wanted to go back to the palace to see his mother.

Unexpectedly, Yinzhen blocked his way again when he was about to leave.

Although the Sixth Prince had just spoken wildly to Yinzhen, it was just a moment of anger. Now that he has calmed down, he is still afraid of the Fourth Brother who has always been cold and serious.

"Fourth, Fourth Brother, is there anything else?"

Yinzhen stretched out his hand with his palm facing up: "Give back Eighth Brother's brush."

The Sixth Prince has also been honest now. He took out the brush aggrievedly and handed it to Yinzhen before running away.

Yinzhen handed the brush to Yinsi, patted his head, and said, "Next time, if you're embarrassed to refuse someone who asks for something from you, tell me, brother. Don't let people bully you all the time." The

Third Prince, passing by, wondered how deeply his Fourth Prince misunderstood his Eighth Prince.

He'd seen his Eighth Prince smilingly setting traps for others to fall into several times.

So, he'd known from the beginning that he was someone who appeared approachable but was actually difficult to mess with, the so-called "smiling tiger."

Yinsi lowered his eyes to look at the brush. Seeing he didn't budge, Yinzhen extended it forward again, urging, "Take it."

"Brother..."

Yinzhen interrupted him. "Hurry back to the palace. Mother is waiting for you for lunch."

He rubbed his head again and said, "I'm fine. Go back."

As he finished speaking, Baoquan was already peering out the door of the Shangshufang, carrying the lunch Wenshan had prepared for Yinzhen, and had also come to fetch the Eighth Prince.

Seeing that Yinzhen didn't want to talk much, and Shangshufang was not a place to talk, Yinsi could only go back to Xianfu Palace.

As soon as Yinsi came back, Wenshan noticed that Yinsi was not in the right mood today, a little depressed and a little angry. In short, something must have happened.

Yinsi didn't want to hide it from Wenshan, so he told her what had just happened.

Wenshan's heart skipped a beat after hearing it. Yinzhen looked cold but he was actually the most sensitive. Although the mother-son relationship between him and Defei was already weak, it was unacceptable for an ordinary person to hear his own brother talking about how his biological mother hated him.

"Defei, how could you say these things to the Sixth Prince?" Wenshan got angry after hearing it.

Then she thought about how many more unpleasant things Concubine De might have said in Yonghe Palace, and she became even angrier.

The Sixth Prince's eyes were filled with tears as soon as he returned to Yonghe Palace. When Defei saw his aggrieved look, she quickly put down the Seventh Princess who she was coaxing to sleep, stepped forward, took out a handkerchief to wipe the Sixth Prince's tears, and asked: "What's the matter, who bullied our Yinzuo? Tell mother, and mother will help you vent your anger."

The Sixth Prince hugged Defei's neck and sobbed. Defei coaxed the Sixth Prince while glaring at the little eunuch beside her: "Tell me, what's wrong with the Sixth Prince?"

The little eunuch naturally couldn't say anything wrong about the Sixth Prince in front of Defei. After hesitating for a while, he said: "Today in the Shangshufang, the emperor rewarded the princes with brushes. The Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince exchanged one brush. Later, the Eighth Prince was a little unhappy,

so the Fourth Prince scolded our prince." The little eunuch covered up the Sixth Prince's mistake with this hasty answer.

When Concubine De heard that the incident was caused by the imperial brush, she understood what was going on and waved her hand to let the eunuch go.

Concubine De picked up the Sixth Prince and coaxed him, "Okay, baby, don't cry. It's just a brush. Mother will find you whatever you want."

The Sixth Prince sat in Concubine De's arms, acting coquettishly and clinging, "I want the brush that Eighth Brother has. Eighth Brother has agreed to trade it with me. Fourth Brother wants to go back again."

Yinzhen...

Concubine De took a piece of cake and gave it to the Sixth Prince, saying, "Didn't Mother tell you not to have too much contact with Fourth Brother? He's holding a grudge against Mother, so naturally he'll take it out on you."

When Concubine De heard the eunuch point out that the incident was caused by the Sixth Prince's attempt to trade the imperial brush with the Eighth Prince, she knew that this matter couldn't be made a big deal, so she could only coax the Sixth Prince.

"But, but Fourth Brother is my biological brother. We are both born of Mother," the Sixth Prince asked, blinking his eyes and eating his cake.

"But he protected Eighth Brother, bullied me together, and scolded me!"

Defei frowned immediately when she heard it: "He scolded you? After all, he crawled out of my belly, how could he help outsiders... Never mind, this son has long been treated as if mother had never given birth to him."

"Yinzuo, remember, you only have Wen Xian as your biological sister, and no biological brother." Defei stroked the hair of the Sixth Prince, "Yinzhen has long been the son of Concubine Xuan, so naturally he doesn't remember the grace of mother giving birth to him. Just ignore him in the future." "

But there is one thing, you have to appear close in front of your royal father, do you understand what mother says?"

The Sixth Prince nodded and said obediently: "My son remembers everything."

Defei put him down, straightened his clothes: "Okay, go and play, mother will ask what kind of brush the Eighth Prince has later, and find one for you."

"Two, no, three!"

Defei smiled indulgently. "Okay, any number you want is fine, Ruizhu, take the Sixth Prince downstairs to wash his face and change his clothes."

The maid responded and took the Sixth Prince downstairs.

"This Yinzhen is indeed born to be my nemesis. From the moment he was born, he has never failed to cause me trouble." Defei slowly stood up, holding the hand of her personal maid. The crabapple blossoms outside the window were in full bloom.

This was a famous variety that Defei liked, specially gifted by Emperor Kangxi.

Defei's personal maid Ruijin saw Defei's unhappy face and said, "Your Majesty, why do you have to be so angry about the Fourth Prince?"

Ever since the Imperial Noble Consort had interfered and even exempted the Fourth Prince from his daily visits to Yonghe Palace, Defei's feelings for the Fourth Prince had faded even further.

Ruijin had accompanied Defei all the way from being a maid to her current position, and naturally understood why Defei disliked the Fourth Prince so much.

When Concubine De became pregnant with the Fourth Prince, she was still a concubine. Fortunately, the Emperor already favored her, and upon her pregnancy, she was promoted from concubine to noble lady.

Defei was delighted with her unborn child, and with this child, she felt she had firmly established herself within the palace.

She eagerly anticipated the birth, but later learned that the child was with Tong Jia, then a noble concubine.

From the day she became pregnant, Noble Concubine Tong Jia had requested that the child, regardless of gender, be brought to Chengqian Palace to comfort her childless son.

Concubine De's status at the time precluded her from raising a prince, and a princess would have been even less important, so Kangxi agreed.

Therefore, the title of noble lady was not a reward but compensation.

She was merely a tool, a tool to bear children for Noble Concubine Tong Jia.

Especially after Yinzhen's birth and arrival in Chengqian Palace, Concubine Tongjia's hostility and wariness towards her intensified. The harassment from a concubine was more than a minor noble could bear. She was oppressed and humiliated, and every concubine in the palace dared to mock and tease her.

She'd thought giving birth to a prince would send her soaring to the top, but now she was nothing more than a stepping stone for Concubine Tongjia.

Then one day, she suddenly thought, if she hadn't had this child, if Yinzhen hadn't been born, wouldn't her life have been so difficult? Concubine Tongjia wouldn't have targeted her so deliberately. Even without the child, she was confident she could have climbed the ladder step by step through her own tactics. A mere noble position was not worth it, absolutely not worth it.

It seemed that Yinzhen had brought her no blessing, only misfortune.

...

When it was time for dinner, Yinzhen left school. Seeing that he looked normal, Wen Shan didn't bring up what happened in the Shangshufang that day. She simply asked him, as usual, if he was hungry and wanted to eat anything.

Yinzhen nodded, "I want shrimp and egg custard."

"Okay, Mother will make it for you." Wenshan pinched his cheek. "Your brother is waiting for you to play chess in the room. Go play with him."

As expected, Yinzhen entered the room to find Yinsi fiddling with a pile of glass beads. The chessboard wasn't a square Go board; it was densely packed with tiny holes.

This was the checkers Wenshan had taught them. With Yinzhen and Yinsi's intelligence, it was a piece of cake. So, after a few intense games at the beginning, they only played occasionally.

"Brother, you're back," Yinsi said with a smile. "Come on, I've got everything set up."

Yinzhen sat down across from him, and the two brothers played chess while waiting for dinner.

Wenshan and Zhenzhu had recently made some long cushions, and Yinsi casually took one, which still smelled deliciously of flowers.

There were many small items on the table. Yinsi took a quick glance and immediately fell in love with a small woven bag that Wenshan had almost finished making. It was embroidered with a blue, round-headed cat and looked incredibly adorable.

"I want this one, brother, don't fight with me for it,"

Yinsi ordered immediately.

He would take the bag to the Shangshufang when the time came.

Yinzhen said helplessly, "Okay, I won't fight with you."

Zhenzhu came up with washed fruit and said with a smile, "The master made two. There's no need for you young masters to fight over it."

A moment later, Wenshan entered. The shrimp and egg custard that Yinzhen had specifically requested was bright yellow and fragrant. Yinsi, feeling rather greedy, gave him half.

"Today, I played cards with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother. When the Grand Empress Dowager lost, she cheated and gave me over twenty gold beans on credit," Wenshan complained to her two sons.

Now Yinzhen and Yinsi were taken to eat by Wenshan without being served. There was no rule in Xianfu Palace that they should not talk while eating or sleeping. Usually, the three of them would chat while eating.

Yinsi said with a smile: "Mother, you must have won too much and made the Queen Mother angry."

"Nonsense! The Empress Dowager clearly won the most."

Yinsi asked curiously, "Then why didn't Huang Wuku Mama give the Empress Grandmother credit?"

Yinzhen nodded.

"I did, over thirty."

"..."

Both Yinzhen and Yinsi were silent. How much had Huang Wuku Mama lost?

Wen Shan said she'd drag Concubine Yi out to play cards next time. She'd been favored by Emperor Kangxi lately, and Kangxi had given her many fine gifts, so she needed to spend some money. Wen

Shan and Yinsi tacitly avoided mentioning the Sixth Prince's incident. After observing Yinzhen for a while and finding he was acting normal, Wen Shan quietly told him not to bring it up in front of him, saying the more she talked about it, the more it would upset him.

Yinsi was helpless, saying, "Mother, do you think I'm so inconsiderate?"

Just because Wen Shan and Yinsi didn't mention it didn't mean the matter was over.

That night, the eunuchs in Yinzhen's room reported that Yinzhen hadn't slept much, which distressed Wen Shan deeply.

A few days later, Concubine De received news that her father had been accused of corruption, bribery, and oppression of the people, and that her brother had abducted a commoner woman and forced the woman's entire family to death.

These petitions, written in blood, were delivered directly to Kangxi's desk.

Upon verifying the facts, Kangxi naturally could not tolerate the family of a concubine abusing their royal status and abusing their

power. He demoted Concubine De's father three ranks and detained her brother. Concubine De's family members were also implicated. Although not punished, Kangxi clearly treated her coldly. Concubine De's fall from favor saw Concubine Tong and other consorts who had previously clashed with her seize the opportunity to exact revenge for their past mistreatment.

The nominal power in the harem remained the Imperial Noble Consort. Although her poor health had limited her presence, and palace duties had largely been delegated to Concubine Niuhuru and Wenshan, she still held considerable influence within the palace. The Imperial Noble Consort had also heard of the Sixth Prince's incident a few days earlier, so she disregarded Concubine De's affairs and simply suppressed them from Kangxi, who hadn't seen Concubine De for long.

Concubine Niohuru, already a rival for favor with Concubine De, naturally ignored the mischief of Concubine Tong and the others, and Wen Shan remained even more unwilling to intervene. Consequently, Concubine De's days were utterly miserable. Her family was in turmoil, and she struggled within the harem. Kangxi refused to see her, and even her attempts to plead for her father and brother were futile.

Yinsi watched Concubine De's woes with a cold eye, seemingly satisfied with the performance of his subordinates.

This was when the benefits of a new life became apparent. He knew exactly who was available, both in the harem and the previous dynasty. Wen Shan had given Yinsi the key to the treasury when he was secretly recruiting people. Winning over people and developing connections required not only royal status but also money.

Wen Shan generously told Yinsi to spend as he pleased, saying that while Yinzhen and Yinsi were still young, she would save a separate fund for him.

Of course, as Yinsi grew older, he stopped taking money from Wen Shan's treasury and began adding to it.

"Lord Ulku has come in to ask for your order. What should be done with the Uya Baolu case?" Xiao Shunzi brought Yinsi a cup of almond milk and relayed the news from outside the palace.

It was obvious that the Sixth Prince had spoken such words in the Shangshufang, as it must have been from Concubine De. Humiliating the Fourth Brother in front of so many people and expecting to get away with it was simply a dream.

Yinsi had already accumulated a huge cache of the Uya family's messes, waiting for the right moment to unleash them. Concubine De's younger brother, Uya Baolu, relied on his sister's love to back him up, exploiting the people and committing all sorts of evil. Any few incidents could be levied upon him, punishable by death. Local officials, favored by Concubine De and having two sons and a daughter, turned a blind eye and dared not intervene.

Yinsi simply passed on a few words, and the matter was taken care of, and within a few days, it reached Emperor Kangxi.

Yinsi then relayed the news about Yonghe Palace to Tongpin and the others. Defei, under attack from both inside and outside the palace, was suddenly beginning to feel the strain.

"In a few days, the Emperor will be executed. So, don't bother with him. Let him go quickly. He'll have company on his way to the underworld," Yinsi said casually.

"Hmm."

Yinsi gulped down the almond milk syrup, then thought for a moment and said, "Tell Wuerku to do this quickly and get it done within the next few days. I'm waiting for the news."

Yinsi's eyes darkened; he needed some actual bloodshed to make Defei remember the pain.

He had no interest in engaging in any minor tampering.

With that, Yinsi asked Xiao Shunzi to get him another cup of almond milk syrup. Xiao Shunzi looked embarrassed and said, "Master, the Imperial Concubine has instructed you not to use too much."

Yinsi's face fell, but he said nothing more and waved Xiao Shunzi off to his work.

The story of Concubine De had been spreading like wildfire in the harem lately. Even Concubine Wei, who usually kept to herself and stayed at home except when she came to talk to Wenshan, had heard about it. One day, she brought it up while chatting with Wenshan.

Wenshan knew it was Yinsi's doing, but when she heard Concubine Wei lamenting that Concubine De had been unlucky lately and had been bombarded with so many troubles, she pursed her lips with a sense of guilt. She couldn't possibly tell Concubine Wei that all this was orchestrated by their beloved eldest son, Yinsi.

As the two were talking, Zhenzhu came in.

"My Lord, this morning, Concubine De's brother was sentenced to immediate death, and will be executed in the autumn."

Upon hearing the news, Concubine Wei chanted "Amitabha" several times: "Doesn't that mean the execution will be carried out soon?"

Wen Shan hadn't expected Yinsi to act so quickly, accurately, and cruelly. She asked: "Has the Emperor known about this?"

Zhenzhu nodded: "The Emperor personally issued the decree. Concubine De fainted upon hearing the news, and the imperial physician is on her way there."

By noon, the news was known throughout the palace. Concubine De took off her hairpin and waited for punishment outside the Yangxin Palace to plead for her brother. She was reprimanded by Emperor Kangxi and sent back to Yonghe Palace. She fell ill the next day.

Yinsi stroked his chin and looked at the pulse chart from the Imperial Hospital. Imperial Physician Zhang swallowed and studied the Eighth Prince's expression.

"Is what they say true? Seriously ill, can't get over it?"

Imperial Physician Zhang hurriedly replied, "Eighth Prince, Empress Defei has been struck by a cold and overwhelmed with grief. Her illness is inevitable, especially given the emotional and physical exhaustion she's endured. Furthermore, Empress Defei hasn't made up for the loss she's suffered from a series of children. If she's carefully cared for this time and avoids excessive joy or sorrow, she'll need at least two or three months of nursing care."

Yinsi threw the pulse diagnosis case aside and said, "I understand. You can do whatever you want. " Imperial Physician

Zhang wiped his sweat and nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to leave, Yinsi stopped him.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me, Eighth Prince?"

Yinsi smiled and said, "Since Imperial Physician Zhang is here, please check Mother's pulse before you leave."

This would keep things under wraps.

Imperial Physician Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to the main hall.

Yinsi mused, "Is the Master really that scary? Look how frightened he is."

He was known for his affability.

Could it be that his power has declined in this life?

Xiao Shunzi smiled and said nothing. Doctor Zhang had just been with his master for a short time and was probably not used to such a young child being so mature and serious, with an oppressive aura.

Defei's fall from favor and illness happened to miss Kangxi's first southern tour. Wenshan, for the first time since entering the palace, took Yinzhen and Yinsi out of the Forbidden City and went all the way to Jiangnan.