Chapter 66 Chapter 66 It wasn't until midnight...

It wasn't until midnight that news broke: the Crown Prince had been confined to

his house. While confinement wasn't a severe punishment, it was a first for the Crown Prince.

Besides Kangxi's fondness for his son, he also deliberately sought to protect the Crown Prince's status, so no matter what offense the Crown Prince committed, he received no more than a reprimand.

Wen Shan had already sent Yinzhen and Yinsi back to Ganxi Wuso to rest. The sight of both of them, with their panda eyes, was heartbreaking, and Wen Shan urged them back to bed. Yinxiang, young and prone to sleep, forced himself to wait for news, even dozing off beside Wen Shan. He

only woke up after hearing the outcome.

"Then this isn't a frame-up by my eldest brother," Yinxiang said.

They had no hand in this matter. If it had been the eldest prince's doing, Kangxi would have discovered it with an investigation. Since the Crown Prince had been punished, it meant he had indeed sent someone to do it.

But this was so outrageous that even Wenshan found it hard to comprehend. Why would the Crown Prince cause himself such trouble?

It was getting late, so Wenshan thought about it and gave up the fuss. She and Yinxiang packed up and went to bed.

It had been a while since Yinxiang and Wenshan slept together, so he slept soundly next to her all night and woke up late the next day.

"When did Mother get up?"

Yinxiang climbed out of bed. The seat next to him was already empty. Hupo, hearing the noise, came in to help him dress and wash.

"The Master woke at dawn. The Fourth and Eighth Princes just arrived and are talking to the Master in the outer room."

Upon hearing the Fourth and Eighth Princes, Yinxiang quickly packed up and ran out. Seeing him up, Wenshan ordered the palace maids to serve breakfast.

"Fourth Brother, Eighth Brother, did you hear the news this morning?"

Yinxiang sat down and poured himself a glass of plum juice.

"You're being punished for multiple crimes. You'll be confined to your room for three months and required to copy the Three Character Classic and the Book of Rites three hundred times," Yinsi said coldly.

Wen Shan served the three of them porridge and asked, "How did the Emperor come up with the idea of making them copy the Three Character Classic?"

Even Wen Shan could sense the deep humiliation in this punishment.

The Three Character Classic is the first book a child learns, so the significance of forcing the Crown Prince to copy it is self-evident.

The Book of Rites is even more targeted.

It's undeniable that Kangxi was unrivaled in his ability to deliver a sarcastic and heartbreaking message.

However, Yinsi still found it somewhat strange: "Even if the Crown Prince is foolish, he shouldn't do such a thing."

He had a nagging feeling that something was fishy going on, and Yinzhen nodded in agreement.

Yinxiang pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps the Crown Prince has been losing his mind because of his recent bad luck."

After all, the Crown Prince was known for his impulsive nature, often making impulsive decisions when provoked.

Yinsi pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "Could it be Tong Guowei?"

This was perfectly in line with the old fox's style of going all out. With the Crown Prince

caught up in this turmoil, not only did the eldest prince want to take it easy, but Tong Guowei, now aligned with the eighth prince, certainly wouldn't let him off either.

Speaking of Tong Guowei, Wen Shan casually remarked, "A few days ago, the Emperor announced his intention to take Tong Guowei's second daughter into the palace. He'd already decided to give her the title of consort and to give her residence in Empress Xiaoyi's Chengqian Palace." It

was assumed

to be happening in the next few days. This wasn't a big deal; they had always known that the young Tong Jia family would enter the palace. After the death of Concubine Niuhuru in her previous life, the young Tong Jia family had been in charge of the harem. Until Kangxi's death, the young Tong Jia family remained in charge of the harem as a noble consort, leaving the four concubines largely focused on their respective sons.

Yinsi nodded, saying he'd send someone to investigate further when Kangxi issued another decree.

"The Emperor has sentenced three of the Crown Prince's closest attendants to death with sticks, and Lin Jiang, the Left Vice Minister of Works, has been dismissed and detained." Baoquan, having inquired about the situation, came in and reported, "It's said that they incited the Crown Prince to commit misconduct with ulterior motives."

Yinzhen and Yinsi were both quite familiar with Lin Jiang, a die-hard member of the Crown Prince's faction, promoted by Soetu.

"Could it be that this Lin or something instigated the Crown Prince to do this foolish thing?" Yinxiang asked, eating a bun.

Yinsi seemed lost in thought. Yinzhen paused and said, "This Lin Jiang has always been fond of flattery and fawning. He has little talent, but he has managed to endear him to the Crown Prince."

Yinzhen had seen this person many times recently, while accompanying the Crown Prince on political affairs.

Yinsi still suspected Tong Guowei's hand in this. Just as he was about to send Xiao Shunzi down to investigate, a palace attendant arrived to announce that Kangxi had bestowed a reward on Yinzhen, delivered personally by Longkodo.

Longkodo had been imprisoned in the palace for a month and had recently been released to serve as Kangxi's first-class guard. However, his interactions with the eldest prince had indeed decreased significantly, a fact the eldest prince had naturally noticed. He sensed something was amiss when Longkodo suddenly took a month-long sick leave.

Furthermore, Longkodo's apparent distance after resuming his duties further convinced him that Tong Guowei must have looked down on him and therefore prevented him from getting too close to the already designated next generation leader of the Tong family.

However, he himself hadn't been credited with any significant contributions in the campaign against Galdan, so he could only tolerate it.

But he showed no kindness towards Tong Guowei.

Tong Guowei naturally wouldn't take the eldest prince's attitude towards him to heart. The eldest prince was now a lone commander. Although he had some cronies in the court, there were not many powerful people. Most of them were low-ranking officials and were not to be feared.

Longkodo was indeed much more honest now. He also began to keep a low profile and no longer had close relationships with any of the princes. It seemed that he really listened to his father's words and was ready to be a loyal minister who was only loyal to Kangxi.

Kangxi had some rewards, so the few people had to stop eating and go to the main hall to receive the gifts. Longkodo stood in the front holding a sandalwood box, and behind him were several young eunuchs holding trays covered with red cloth. I don't know what they were.

"Greetings to the Queen Consort Xuan, the Fourth Prince, the Eighth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince."

Longkodo greeted them politely.

"Get up," Wen Shan said with a smile. "I heard the Emperor has something to offer Yinzhen?"

"Your Highness, the Emperor has orally decreed that this Dragon Tiger General Sword be bestowed upon the Fourth Prince as a reward for his services as regent."

Longkodo stepped forward and opened the box. Inside lay a rather plain-looking sword, but Yinzhen's three brothers gasped and exchanged glances of shock.

"This sword belonged to our ancestor Nurhaci. It's so precious I can't accept it." Yinzhen gathered his composure and said, "Please, Lord Long, take it back. I will personally apologize to the Emperor later."

Without even looking up, Longkodo said respectfully, "The Emperor has instructed that if the Fourth Prince refuses, I'll send a message."

"The Emperor has ordained that it's merely a sword. If I say you can bear it, then you can."

This meant Yinzhen had no choice but to accept it.

Given this, Yinzhen had no choice but to accept it, feeling the weight of a hot potato in his hands.

As for what the young eunuch was holding in the back, it was more normal, but not quite normal.

It was not the four treasures of the study or jade and antiques usually given to princes, but rather some jewelry and brocade and silk.

After delivering the gifts, Longkodo left without lingering.

Yinsi suddenly said, "Mother, I'll go see Lord Long off."

Wenshan glanced at him and nodded.

Longkodo didn't refuse, and they left together.

"Zhenzhu, put all those things away and take them back to Ganxi Wusuo for the Fourth Prince later," Wenshan said.

Zhenzhu suppressed a smile and said, "My lord, these jewels are clearly given to you by the Emperor in the Fourth Prince's name. Please accept them."

The two had been in a cold war, or rather, Kangxi's one-sided cold war, for over a month, and this was Kangxi's first attempt to make peace.

Wenshan played dumb and said, "Yinzhen will be married in two years. Who knows, the Emperor might have given him several wives. I dare not keep them."

Yinzhen also said, "Then consider them as gifts from your son to you, Mother. Please accept them."

The gifts Kangxi gave were indeed quite impressive. This time, they looked carefully selected, all to Wenshan's liking.

"Okay, since it's a gift from Yinzhen, I'll accept it."

Wen Shan wasn't one to object to jewelry.

"Is this sword used by Nurhaci?" After accepting the jewelry, Wen Shan curiously touched the sword given to Yinzhen by Kangxi.

It looked quite old.

"This sword was given to our ancestor by the Ming government for his contributions in resisting the Japanese pirates, conferring the title of Dragon and Tiger General." Yinxiang stood on his toes to examine the sword.

Yinzhen examined it for a few moments and said calmly, "Back then, Dragon and Tiger General was the highest official title for us Manchus. It was from then on that Nurhaci's position in the clan was firmly established. Even until he rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, he treasured this sword."

Wen Shan nodded. "No wonder you all reacted that way just now."

This sword has been passed down through so many generations, seemingly making it one of the Aisin-Gioro family heirlooms.

"The Emperor gave this sword to my fourth brother," Yinxiang pondered. "The meaning behind this is quite complex."

"And the reason is to commend him for his service as regent."

Yinzhen closed the box and had a palace servant take it away for safekeeping.

"The regent is the Crown Prince, Fourth Brother," Yinxiang said. "The Emperor gave you this right after the Crown Prince was confined. What does that mean?"

Yinzhen smiled. "Who can truly fathom the Emperor's thoughts?"

"But don't worry. We've made thorough preparations. Nothing will go wrong."

Although Yinxiang wasn't heavily involved in matters outside the palace, he was somewhat aware of Yinzhen and Yinxiang's plans.

They already had arrangements in place, both in the capital and in the provinces. In a few years, when my fourth and eighth brothers entered the court and took charge of the six ministries, the network would be fully connected.

If they then wanted to challenge the Emperor, they wouldn't be without a chance of success.

It just wouldn't be necessary to go that far.

Wen Shan, having listened to them for a while, peeked outside. "Why hasn't Yinsi returned yet?"

"Eighth Brother has something to ask, so I guess it's almost time," Yinxiang mumbled, forking a piece of watermelon.

Yinsi and Longkodo walked to the corridor. Longkodo bowed and said, "Excuse me, Eighth Prince. I'll take you here."

Yinsi smiled faintly. "Okay, then, Lord Long, please."

Longkodo glanced up at Yinsi, took a few steps forward, then stepped back.

"Eighth Prince, can you please have a word?"

Yinsi sneered. This brat was still trying to show off in front of him, waiting for him to speak first.

It seemed Tong Guowei hadn't properly disciplined this son.

Yinsi gave Longkodo the benefit of the doubt and walked with him a few steps to the flower garden.

Longkodo glanced around, seeing the many other Xianfu Palace servants. "Eighth Prince, this..."

"It's okay," Yinsi said calmly.

Longkodo whispered, "Eighth Prince, your father has something to tell you."

"What did Master Tong say?"

Longkodo replied, "The Emperor's punishment of the Crown Prince indicates a wavering in his support for him, and you should understand why he's praising the Fourth Prince."

"The Third Prince also assisted the Crown Prince in governing the country, yet received no reward at all."

Yinsi didn't respond to his words, but abruptly turned the conversation to the Crown Prince: "You were the one who had the Crown Prince assassinate the Princess, weren't you?"

Longkodo was shocked. He hadn't expected Yinsi to ask about this, and his tone was so nonchalant and decisive.

He took a deep breath, thinking that his father was right. The Eighth Prince's intelligence was beyond compare.

"Eighth Prince, what do you mean by that? I don't understand,"

Longkodo said, following Tong Guowei's instructions, and stubbornly denied it.

"Okay, this is well done, very neatly, I understand what Tong Guowei means." Yinsi said with a smile, "The emperor cannot do without people around him, go back and serve him."

Longkodo returned to the Yangxin Palace in a daze, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

Originally, Tong Guowei asked him to test the Eighth Prince today, but it seemed that he was tested by the Eighth Prince instead.

He was thinking about it when Liang Jiugong came out.

"Lord Long, the emperor asked you to come in."

Longkodo came back to his senses and responded quickly.

Kangxi was reading memorials in the palace, and when he heard Longkodo's greetings, he raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

"Have the things been delivered?"

Longkodo said: "Your Majesty, they have been delivered."

Kangxi said "Oh" and said lightly: "What did the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince say?"

Longkodo looked up and keenly noticed the mystery hidden in Kangxi's words.

It was natural for the Emperor to ask about the reward given to the Fourth Prince, but asking about the Eighth Prince was a bit suggestive...

"Your Majesty, as you expected, the Fourth Prince was initially hesitant to accept it. He asked me to bring it back and then personally apologize to you. I relayed the Emperor's words to him

, and he accepted it." "The Eighth Prince didn't say anything, and his expression remained normal."

Kangxi's expression remained unchanged. Longkodo quietly looked up at Kangxi, thinking, "Everyone says the Thirteenth Prince looks like the Emperor, but to him, the Eighth Prince looks the most like him.

" Kangxi then casually asked, "What did Noble Concubine Xuan say?"

Longkodo thought for a moment and replied honestly, "The Noble Concubine didn't say anything either."

"..."

He knew this little heartless person.

Everyone in the palace said Noble Concubine Xuan was the softest, but over the years, whenever he and Wen Shan had a cold war, she had never been the first to give in.

He truly owed her a debt from his past life.

"I have another imperial decree. You can take it back to the Tong family later." Kangxi handed the written imperial decree to Liang Jiugong.

Liang Jiugong took it in both hands and handed it to Longkodo.

Longkodo was a little confused, not knowing what the decree was.

"You have done a good job in the palace, and your father often praises you in front of me." Kangxi glanced at him and said, "If you want to take on the responsibility of the Tong family, you need more experience."

Instantly, Longkodo felt a chill run down his spine, and a cold sweat broke out.

What did the Emperor mean by this?

Did he know about the Crown Prince just like the Eighth Prince did?

Longkodo held the imperial edict like a hot potato, but since Kangxi had specifically designated it for Tong Guowei, he didn't have the courage to open it. He returned home trembling with fear, fearing that it would contain an order to censure him.

Only after he opened it with trembling hands did he finally relax.

It was an edict appointing his second sister as a consort, to enter the palace on the tenth day of the next month.

"Look at you," Tong Guowei glared at him unhappily. "The Emperor just said a few words and you've frightened you like this. What can I expect from you in the future?"

The Emperor used the empty city plan and easily discovered that Longkodo was up to something.

From then on, he was probably wary of Longkodo.

"Father, do you think the Emperor knows..."

Tong Guowei interrupted him, "If the Emperor knew you could even walk in standing today, he would have been carried back long ago!"

The Emperor's love for the Crown Prince was genuine. If he truly knew, even if Longkodo had been the one who had pushed him to succeed the Tong family, he would

still be severely punished. He could be dismissed, imprisoned

, or even executed. Longkodo wiped the sweat from his forehead and told Tong Guowei about Yinsi.

"Father, you are truly discerning in choosing the Eighth Prince," Longkodo sighed.

Ever since he returned to the palace to take up his duties after a month of confinement, he had been somewhat dissatisfied. It seemed as if every decision he made since childhood had been frowned upon by Father, and he had longed to achieve something to show his worth.

Tong Guowei had no choice but to finally tell him the truth and tell him to stop messing around.

Tong Guowei snorted, "Your Majesty is right. You still have a lot of experience."

"So, what do you think of the Fourth Prince now, Father?" Longkodo asked immediately.

The Fourth Prince seemed very popular now.

Tong Guowei stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Now, the only grown-up princes besides the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince are the Third and Fourth Princes."

The grown-up that Tong Guowei mentioned here refers to the princes who will soon be able to enter the court and govern.

"Third Prince, his ability is mediocre. If the Emperor wants to pick someone to compete with the Crown Prince, the only one left is the Fourth Prince," Tong Guowei said.

Longkodo thought about it and it seemed to be true.

"But this also suggests that the Emperor still has some favoritism towards the Fourth Prince," Longkodo pondered. "Father, the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince were raised together by Concubine Xuan. Do you think there's any chance of getting the Fourth Prince to switch sides with the Eighth Prince..."

"Although the Fourth and Eighth Princes were raised together as brothers, now that they have the opportunity to ascend to that position, how could they willingly submit to someone less powerful?"

Kangxi

initially handled the Crown Prince's turmoil with some hesitation, but once he truly made up his mind, he handled it with swift and decisive action.

The Crown Prince was confined to his home, while the Fourth Prince was bestowed with the profoundly significant Dragon-Tiger General Sword by the Emperor. Furthermore, a significant event unfolded at court: Mingzhu was reinstated.

Although, like Soetu, Mingzhu was not reinstated to the Cabinet, at least he no longer had to constantly guard the palace gates.

Unlike Soetu, Mingzhu, after being disciplined by Kangxi, withdrew from the princes' factional strife and settled down to her duties as an official.

The eldest prince was naturally unhappy to see Mingzhu disembark like that, but Mingzhu, a seasoned veteran, was more than capable of handling the eldest prince, and he had to return home in defeat. The imperial

edict conferring the title of Concubine Tong Jia on the youngest sister caused a rare stir within the palace.

Concubine Nianhulu was deeply hostile to Concubine Tong Jia. She and Empress Tong Jia had always been at odds, and the fact that this young woman, like herself, had entered the palace as the late Empress's younger sister and was immediately granted the title of Concubine, put a rare strain on Concubine Nianhulu.

Although Chengqian Palace had not been vacant for long, it still needed renovations. Concubine Nianhulu assigned this task to Concubine De, who had the deepest grudge against Empress Tong Jia, effectively sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth.

Concubine De was also reluctant to undertake the renovations. The admission of Concubine Tong Jia was a major event, and she dared not be perfunctory about it, but it was also a disgusting undertaking.

She had not set foot in Chengqian Palace in years.

The Imperial Household Department completed its renovations after half a month, and Concubine De had to go and take a look for herself.

"This Chengqian Palace still looks the same as before." Concubine De took the hand of her personal maid Xia Yun, "The osmanthus tree is still there, but it's not as festive as before."

Xia Yun said, "Your Majesty, you have a good eye. Chengqian Palace was full of disease in the past few years, and now it has been vacant for two years. It's quite creepy to me."

Concubine De laughed, "What's there to be afraid of? The people are gone."

"By the way, did Yinzhen go to see the Eighth Prince today?" Concubine De suddenly asked, "Send someone to report back at any time and keep an eye on the Fourteenth Prince."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, our Fourteenth Prince went to visit the garden with the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince. They said they were going fishing together."

"What's the point of fishing in this cold weather?" Defei curled her lips. "I don't know what's so good about the Eighth Prince? Yinzhen, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince all love to hang around him."

Xia Yun smiled and said, "Fourteenth Prince is still young, just the right age to enjoy playing with his brothers."

Defei didn't comment. She entered the main hall of Chengqian Palace and was somewhat taken aback by the magnificent attire

. "Empress Xiaoyi advocates frugality, but I

've never seen Chengqian Palace so magnificent." This was Defei's arrangement, so she wouldn't be accused of perfunctory treatment while also offending Empress Tongjia and the young Tongjia family.

Defei had never strolled through Chengqian Palace so leisurely before, as if she had finally overthrown Tongjia.

She wandered around Chengqian Palace again, and after a moment's hesitation, she pushed the door open.

The interior had long been cleared out, leaving nothing behind except a brush washer that Yinzhen had once used.

De Fei touched it and found Yinzhen's name engraved on it. The brush washer was a bit old, so Yinzhen must have used it for a long time.

Xia Yun looked at De Fei's expression and said, "These servants are too careless. How come the Fourth Prince's things are still here? I'll have someone deliver them to the Fourth Prince."

De Fei looked around the side hall where Yinzhen had lived, knocked on the brush washer, and said lightly, "No need. I think the Fourth Prince has not used it for a long time. Take it out and throw it away."