Chapter 41: Wen Shan heard Yinxiang speak…

Wen Shan nearly dropped the item in her hands.

Yinxiang had been talking for a month longer than Yinsi, but she hadn't expected him to be able to speak so many words the moment he learned to speak!

Could it be that Thirteenth Little Thirteen was a late bloomer?

Yinxiang was also deeply teased by Yinsi, but his small body was powerless to resist. Seeing Wen Shan enter, he instinctively cried for help. It

wasn't until Wen Shan rushed over, picked him up, and kissed him that he realized what he had just said.

He had so naturally blurted out "Empress Xuan" (Empress Xuan), "Empress."

Yinsi sat up, looking at him with a half-smile.

Wen Shan didn't notice Yinxiang's slight awkwardness. Just like when Yinsi first learned to speak, she pampered him for a while before Yinxiang carried him to Jingren Palace to find Concubine Min.

When Wen Shan and Yinxiang returned, Yinsi had been reading alone for a while, and Yinzhen hadn't returned from the Yangxin Palace yet.

Although Yinsi's main purpose on this trip was to meet with his officials, he also accompanied the Crown Prince and his companions when they inspected the fields. Many common people's land had been seized by officials or wealthy merchants, though they had concealed it well. While Yinsi saw through the scheme immediately, the Crown Prince and the eldest prince, new to the situation, apparently didn't notice anything amiss. It

also appeared that bribes had been offered to the eldest prince.

Yinsi initially considered discussing this with Yinzhen privately, but then he realized that given his fourth brother's personality, he would undoubtedly report this oppression of the people to the Emperor.

As a prince, his actions were unconcerned with personal interests and trade-offs, his unwavering determination to be a loyal official. This was why he was known to officials as the "Cold-Faced King." This meant that if you committed a crime, you wouldn't be able to seek leniency from the fourth prince; he would instead personally send you to prison.

If Fourth Brother knew about this, he would likely investigate thoroughly. Yinsi knew firsthand how difficult it was to handle such collusion between officials and businessmen. With the eldest prince implicated, if Fourth Brother intervened, he would only offend the Crown Prince, which would make him appear incompetent and incompetent. The

Fourth Prince's sharp eyes had detected the injustice that the Crown Prince hadn't noticed.

So Yinsi pondered for a long time, figuring it was better to avoid further trouble. Since the matter had been suppressed, he might as well ignore it. He could secretly find a handle on these people, which might be useful later.

This was his usual style in his previous life.

However, in recent years, he had been raised by Wen Shan, who had been single-handedly brought up by Yinzhen. Wen Shan was kind and considerate, always understanding others and empathizing with the palace residents, and she valued kindness.

Yinzhen, from a young age, had always cared deeply about the people. While still in school, he often taught Yinsi how wise rulers throughout history had taken the people of the world as their own responsibility. Yinzhen then realized that his fourth brother's philosophy had remained unchanged throughout his childhood, constantly emphasizing the importance of the people over the ruler.

Unconsciously, his own perspective had also been profoundly altered, and the sight of the oppressed and forced labor of the people had a pang of sympathy.

He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, and woke in the middle of the night, dressed and decided to go out for a walk.

He happened to find tenants working in the fields at that hour. Yinsi, accompanied by Xiao Shunzi and another personal eunuch, Xiao Luzi, stopped at the edge of the field. The tenants, busy with their farmwork, were surprised to see a young master from a wealthy family in the fields so late at night. After a few whispers, a bold farmer approached.

"Whose young master are you? Why are you playing out here so late? Be careful of mosquitoes and falling."

Seeing Yinsi was only six or seven years old, the tenants naturally assumed he was a mischievous child out playing. They wondered why the adults in his family, dressed so richly, were so unreliable. Although he had two servants, it was late at night and they didn't dare let their own children help in the fields.

Yinsi nodded in thanks and asked, "Old man, why are you working at this hour?" "

Ah, they said an important person was coming, so they didn't allow us to work in the fields during the day. They only let a few people in for show. Since we couldn't avoid the work, they asked us to work at night."

Yinsi watched the tenants toiling in the fields under the dark, their hands chapped and their temples graying, their faces marked by years of hard work.

At first, Yinsi thought the officials had oppressed the people to such an extent that even old men of their age were still doing forced labor.

Unexpectedly, when asked, the old man turned out to be only in his forties.

Yinsi was silent, standing at the edge of the field and watching for a while before going back.

"How difficult the people's lives are." Yinsi said softly.

Although these four words were always on the lips of various officials, and one or two of them seemed to really care about the people, in fact, Yinsi knew that sometimes sympathy for the people was just a means and not an end.

In fact, he had seen people who were even more miserable than this before, but it was not until today that he truly experienced what it meant to have difficult lives.

Xiao Shunzi said on the side: "The master is kind-hearted, which is a blessing for the people of the world."

Yinsi sneered. He had heard such words countless times in his previous life, and it seemed that he had really deceived himself after hearing them so many times.

The next day, Yinsi told Yinzhen about this matter. Sure enough, Yinzhen's face suddenly darkened when he heard it. Yinsi deliberately concealed the fact that the eldest prince might be involved, for fear that the fourth brother would conflict with the eldest prince in person. He only said that he couldn't sleep last night and went out for a walk and discovered this matter.

After Yinzhen was angry, he scolded Yinsi with a stern face for going out alone late at night.

This guy was really too bold. If something happened, how would he explain it to his mother?

As a result, Yinzhen's reaction was much calmer than Yinsi expected. Yinzhen really couldn't pretend not to see this. He thought about it and said that he would report it to the prince first. After all, the prince was the nominal leader of their trip this time.

Moreover, after telling the prince about this, Yinzhen did not rush to charge forward. Although he was worried, he still did not cross the prince's path.

Yinsi knew the prince's temper and was worried that the prince would be too arrogant and not want to cause trouble, so he secretly told the prince about the eldest prince's acceptance of bribes. The prince was now in high spirits and vowed to get to the bottom of it. So he took everyone to see Kangxi as soon as he returned to the palace.

Yinzhen had privately discussed this matter with him, heartbroken. The eldest prince, needless to say, had colluded directly with these corrupt officials and bullies, while the crown prince, as heir apparent, hadn't prioritized the country over the people, instead preoccupied with maintaining a semblance of peace. Only when power struggles arose did he, under the guise of serving the people, actually attack his political enemies. Yinsi felt increasingly guilty as he listened, feeling that his fourth brother had included him in the criticism. This was

especially true since Yinzhen had later praised him, saying that despite his youth, he had a heart for the nation and was a man of integrity and pure goodness.

Yinsi readily accepted the assessment, musing that living like that in this life might be a good thing.

Just as he was pondering this, Wenshan and Yinxiang returned. Seeing that Yinzhen hadn't returned, Wenshan questioned him, and Yinxiang's eyes lit up.

Yinsi explained that his absence had indeed uncovered something, and that his fourth brother and his companions needed to discuss it with the Emperor. If he hadn't returned by then, he probably wouldn't be able to make it to lunch.

As expected, Yinzhen didn't return until dinnertime, bringing news that the eldest prince had been punished.

Kangxi was furious, but after all, the eldest prince was the eldest son and had just entered the court, with a grand wedding next year to come, so he couldn't punish him so blatantly at this time. He had to save him some face.

So, Kangxi simply confined him to his room for a month, exempting him from court duties and allowing him to reflect on his actions at home.

It was a matter of raising it high and then letting it go gently.

Then, she praised the Crown Prince for his thoughtfulness, his decisiveness, and his selfless dedication to public service.

Wen Shan sighed as she listened to these stories. Fortunately, it was these princes who had caught her up.

Soon, the palace began to discuss the matter. Concubine Hui was naturally upset about the eldest prince's punishment, but Concubine Ping finally felt a sense of relief after Hui's boasting about Kangxi's arranged marriage for the eldest prince.

With the eldest prince punished and the Crown Prince praised, the Crown Prince had won big this time. Today, Noble Concubine Nianhulu invited everyone in the harem to enjoy the flowers. Wen Shan didn't quite understand the flowers, but she was delighted to hear Concubine Hui and Concubine Ping exchanged sarcastic remarks.

And to everyone's surprise, Concubine De was also there.

She had rarely left Yonghe Palace since the Sixth Prince's death, and she looked much more haggard and thinner, but she seemed to be in good spirits.

Wen Shan didn't bring Yinsi and Yinxiang with her today, leaving them to play together in Xianfu Palace.

Like Yinsi, Yinxiang, once he'd said his first sentence, the rest flowed smoothly, and he was soon able to speak fluently.

Since Wenshan wasn't around today, Yinsi had sent all the palace servants away. Yinxiang knew from this that Eighth Brother was about to speak to him about something serious.

Yinsi also figured that now that Thirteenth Brother could speak, it was time for them to have a serious conversation.

"Eighth Brother, do you want to talk to me? Do you want to discuss business?" Yinxiang asked first.

Yinsi took a sip of tea, and instead of joking around with Yinxiang as before, he returned to being Eighth Prince Yinsi.

"Thirteenth Brother, I still remember that day when Fourth Brother issued an edict to strip us of our titles and imprison us, it was you who came to see me and Ninth Brother off. I never thought we'd have the chance to live again."

Yinsi suddenly brought up the past, and Yinxiang felt a little dazed. He was used to seeing Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother so close and friendly, and now the mention of their life-and-death struggle in their previous life made Yinxiang feel a strange sense of awkwardness.

But now that Yinsi had mentioned it, Yinxiang recalled the day when his fourth brother had completely wiped out the Eighth Prince's clique. The eighth and ninth brothers were stripped of their titles, demoted to commoners, and even had their names changed, imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.

He had been the one to announce the imperial decree that day.

The eighth brother had given himself a new name, Aqina.

Wenshan had actually asked Yinsi about this, because the most widely circulated rumor in later generations was that Yinzhen had deliberately changed the names of Yinsi and Yin'er to mean pigs and dogs, specifically to humiliate them.

Yinsi was left in a state of amazement, wondering how such a rumor could be so outrageous.

While his fourth brother could be harsh, they were brothers after all, and even expelling them from the imperial clan wouldn't have humiliated them so severely.

Aqina was a name he had given himself, meaning "fish to be slaughtered," a self-deprecating expression of imprisonment and the hopelessness of his life.

The ninth brother's name, Saisihei, was given by the third prince Yinzhi, which means annoying.

Yinsi brought up these things again after many years because he met an old friend, and these dusty memories came to light again.

"Eighth brother." Yinxiang was silent for a while, not knowing what to say. Finally, he could only say: "That's because you did too much. Fourth brother couldn't stand it anymore, so he took action against you."

"When Fourth brother ascended the throne, he also wanted to appease and reuse you. He made you Prince Lian and the head of the Minister of General Affairs. He also raised the banner of your mother's family so that you were no longer born of a Xinzheku woman. Isn't that enough?"

Yinsi smiled.

"Thirteenth Brother, how could the struggle for the throne be as simple as you make it out to be? From the moment I decided to seize the throne, my fourth brother and I have been locked in a feud. He wouldn't tolerate me, and the preferential treatment he showed me then was simply a matter of necessity, due to my numerous connections within the court and the need to curry favor with his newly ascended, precarious position. Didn't you immediately attack me after Nian Gengyao's victory in Qinghai, once his throne was secure?"

Yinxiang, feeling Yinsi's suspicions were malicious, hurried to defend Yinzhen.

"Fourth brother isn't that kind of person!"

Yinsi couldn't help but pat Yinxiang's head. Yinxiang was also taken aback. Yinsi smiled and said gently, "It seems fourth brother really treats you well. He hasn't told you these dirty tricks. You're probably the only one among us brothers who naively believes we're brothers. Even if we're broken bones, we're still connected." In reality, the notion

of father and son as brothers had long been forgotten.

"So what about now?" Yinxiang, realizing that the past was impossible to explain, simply decided not to try to disentangle. What mattered most now was what Eighth Brother thought.

Yinsi rested his hands behind his head and leaned back on the pillow.

"Now...now of course, fourth brother and I are of one mind. After fourth brother ascends the throne, I will go and enjoy myself."

Yinxiang was a little unconvinced: "Such a deep hatred, eighth brother, you just let it go so easily?"

It doesn't seem like eighth brother's style.

Yinsi laughed: "What do you mean by letting it go easily? I have been asking fourth brother for several years. Now, let's just

assume that he has paid it back." Yinxiang inexplicably heard a bit of pride in Yinzhen's words.

And feelings can't be faked. He has been here for almost a year, and he sees that fourth brother and eighth brother get along with each other sincerely. Maybe they are different because they have been together since childhood.

And if eighth brother really still has bad intentions towards fourth brother and is thinking of turning against him in the future, then mother will be heartbroken.

Eighth brother is really close to mother.

Ever since calling Wenshan "mother," Yinxiang felt he'd slowly adjusted. Having two mothers, like his eight-year-old brother, seemed like a good thing. He could return to Jingren Palace often without alienating his biological mother, especially since they were both close.

"So, let's make peace," Yinsi said with a smile. "Let's help Fourth Brother ascend the throne. Ideally, earlier than in the last life, or we'll have to wait another thirty-plus years. Tsk, tsk."

The thought of this made Yinsi anxious. If things continued like this, he'd be forced to work under the Emperor's thumb for thirty more years, waiting until Fourth Brother ascended the throne before he could even have a chance to go out and play with his mother.

Yinxiang: "..."

Could they just do that?

The Emperor wasn't the type to abdicate prematurely. Unless they rebelled and forced him to abdicate, they'd have to wait until the Emperor's death.

Kangxi, conferring state affairs with his ministers in the Qianqing Palace, was completely unaware that his sons were already considering his own death in the prime of his life.

However, Yinxiang felt relieved after having a frank talk with Yinsi, otherwise he would still be a little uneasy from time to time.

After figuring it out, he asked Yinsi if there was anything he could do, or if there was anything they could discuss together.

After all, he had been the executive vice emperor for so many years in his previous life, and he was still very good at handling government affairs.

Yinsi held his chin and thought seriously: "Old Thirteen, your most important task now is to drink milk well, sleep well, and try to walk as soon as possible, otherwise it will be very hard for your mother to hold you every day. You see, you are as fat as a pig."

"..."

Ahhh, my dear, my dear, you are so annoying!

After the two finished talking about the business, Yinsi returned to his previous appearance like a cat who had to poke Yinxiang to make him angry. The two were about to quarrel again when Pearl's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Fourth Prince, why are you standing at the door instead of going in?"

Yinsi and Yinxiang were stunned and turned to look at the door. The door slowly opened and Yinzhen stood at the door with an expressionless face, his thin lips tightly pursed and his fists clenched tightly.

Zhenzhu didn't know what was going on. She thought Yinzhen had just arrived. The two young masters had just sent them away, and the two brothers were playing inside. Zhenzhu had come because the pear soup Wenshan had prepared before she left was ready. Yinsi had been having a cough recently, so she had specifically asked Zhenzhu to bring it to him. As Zhenzhu arrived with the soup, she saw Yinzhen standing at the doorway, unmoving.

Yinzhen glanced at his two stunned brothers inside, saying nothing.

He then turned to Zhenzhu and said, "Give it to me." The three brothers had always been close, so Zhenzhu didn't suspect anything. She gave Yinzhen the pear soup and bowed before leaving.

Yinsi and Yinxiang quickly separated and sat upright. As they watched their fourth brother enter and close the door, they both shuddered. They exchanged glances, each feeling the end of their lives.

"Brother, how long have you been here?"

Yinsi finally spoke cautiously.

Yinzhen placed the bowl of pear soup on the table, startling the two guilty brothers again.

"Not long, starting from when you said you wanted to talk about some serious matters."

"..."

That's it, didn't he hear everything then!

Yinsi felt his head buzzing, why did his fourth brother come back at this time? It was clearly not time for the class to end yet?

Otherwise, he wouldn't be chatting about these things with his thirteenth brother.

It was a coincidence today, when the princes were practicing horseback riding and archery in the afternoon, Kangxi took the time to take a look. He was very happy to find that his sons were skilled in archery and horseback riding and were both civil and military, so he pulled some imperial guards to compete with the princes. Of course, the main targets were the crown prince and the eldest prince, after all, the third prince and Yinzhen were still younger.

The crown prince had been carefully nurtured by Kangxi since he was a child, so naturally he was top-notch in everything. The eldest prince was even more proficient in horseback riding and archery, so the two of them showed off to Kangxi how good his sons were. Kangxi was so happy that he waved his hand and gave them half an hour's leave in advance.

He then returned to Xianfu Palace. As soon as he entered, he ran into Feicui. Feicui said that her mother had gone to Yongshou Palace to enjoy the flowers at the invitation of Concubine Nianhulu. Only Yinsi and Yinxiang were in the East Wing Hall.

Yinzhen didn't think much about it and walked towards the East Wing Hall to see his two brothers. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to push the door open, he heard Yinxiang's baby voice saying that he wanted to talk to Yinsi about some serious matters.

Yinzhen almost laughed out loud when he heard it. What serious matters did a one-year-old child want to talk about?

He was rarely interested and wanted to hear what his thirteenth brother's serious matters were. Was it about not letting his eighth brother take his toys or not pinching his face?

Then he heard Yinsi say,

"...Fourth brother stripped me of my title and imprisoned me..."

Yinsi frowned at the first sound of his words, thinking that Yinsi was talking nonsense. Just as he was about to push the door open, he heard the second half of Yinsi's words. He said that he and Yinxiang were both living a new life.

Reborn... No wonder all the strange things about Yinsi since childhood finally had an explanation. No wonder his Eighth Brother had been so incredibly intelligent, so thorough and flawless.

And what the two of them said next made his heart sink even lower.

From their conversation, he could piece together that in a previous life, he and his Eighth Brother had been political enemies, locked in a life-and-death struggle for the throne, and that his Thirteenth Brother had sided with him to completely overthrow his Eighth Brother. He ascended the throne, stripped his Eighth Brother of his title, imprisoned him, and even expelled him from the clan, forcing him to change his name to Aqina and then die in confinement.

Just as Yinxiang had said, what a deep-seated hatred.

How could he have done this to his Eighth Brother?

He knew his Eighth Brother had always been brighter and more cunning than the others. If his Eighth Brother had wanted the position, he would never have fought for it. How could they have reached this point?

Yinzhen couldn't help but doubt himself. Had his thirst for power, decades later, truly outweighed his brotherly love for Yinsi? This was his own brother, the one he had raised since childhood.

He could tell from his thirteenth brother's words that he was siding with him, arguing that his eighth brother's fate was the result of his own selfish pursuit of power and misdeeds. But Yinzhen couldn't understand why. Even if his eighth brother truly changed, he wouldn't have treated him so harshly.

Otherwise, how could he explain this to his mother? They'd grown up together in Xianfu Palace, and for his mother's sake, he wouldn't have treated Yinsi this way.

So, compared to the strangeness of Yinsi and Yinxiang's rebirth, Yinzhen was even more baffled by his own actions towards Yinsi.

Seeing Yinzhen's continued silence, Yinsi and Yinxiang were unusually flustered.

Yinsi jumped down from the couch and ran to Yinzhen's side: "Fourth brother, what we just said…"

He paused mid-sentence. What should he say?

Say they were all joking?

That obviously wouldn't fool his fourth brother.

But with so many things happening at once, he didn't know where to begin.

Yinxiang now felt the advantage of his young age, and he sat on the couch innocently and pretended to be stupid in an attempt to get away with it.

Anyway, let the eighth brother take over first.

Yinzhen looked at Yinsi who looked up at him pitifully, and sighed.

"You and thirteenth brother, are both people who have lived a new life?"

"...Yes."

"In the last life, I imprisoned you in the clan house and you died in confinement?"

"...Yes."

Yinsi said and added hurriedly: "But I, fourth brother, can't remember those things in the past, really."

"I no longer resent you, and the winners are kings and the losers are bandits, which doesn't matter."

Yinxiang thought to himself that the eighth brother finally said something pertinent.

Yinzhen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked out.

"Let me be quiet for a while."