Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Soon, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince…

Soon, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince arrived, followed closely by the Eldest Prince and the Fourteenth Prince.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Yinzhen and the others greeted the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince raised his hand: "No need for formalities between brothers."

The Crown Prince naturally took the main seat. Yinzhen and the Eldest Prince sat on either side of the Crown Prince. Yinsi leisurely sat next to Yinzhen. Yinxiang, due to his younger age, had been taken off to the side by the Fifth Prince. The Crown

Prince felt a headache looking at his brothers, all grown up and with their own distinct mindsets, and sighed.

"Your Highness, why are you so worried? We brothers have finally gathered together today, so we should have a drink together," the Eldest Prince said immediately upon noticing.

The Crown Prince quickly composed himself and said with a smile, "Nothing. I just thought that now that my eldest brother has left the palace and established his own residence, it's becoming even harder for us brothers to get together like this." "

So we have Fourth Brother to thank even more." The eldest prince pulled Yinzhen in again: "If it weren't for Fourth Brother, how would we have the opportunity to get together?"

Yinzhen didn't respond.

Yinsi said, "Look at what you're saying, eldest brother. Are you blaming the younger brothers for not coming to my residence to get together?"

The eldest prince, rebuked by Yinsi, thought to himself, "That's just how Eighth Brother is. Who knows how much he hates Fourth Brother in his heart, yet he pretends to be a brotherly friend. "

The tenth prince, growing tired of the Crown Prince and the eldest prince's back-and-forth, asked blankly, "Why did the Crown Prince and eldest brother happen to be here together?"

They had decided on a whim to have dinner at Chonghua Palace today, so why did the Crown Prince and the eldest brother happen to be here too?

The ninth prince glanced at Yinzhen. It seemed that everyone knew what was going on in Fourth Brother's Chonghua Palace.

"Ah, what a coincidence," said the eldest prince. "I had intended to come to discuss the expedition against Galdan with my fourth brother today. When I was paying my respects to the Empress Dowager, she mentioned that my fifth brother had arrived at Chonghua Palace, so I called my fourteenth brother along."

"It's just that Your Highness the Crown Prince and my third brother did run into each other at the gate."

The third prince remained silent for a long time before saying, "I've heard a bit about how many people were at Chonghua Palace, fourth brother. I had to join in the fun."

The Crown Prince and the eldest prince hadn't made an appointment; they only met at the gate. The moment they met, they knew something was amiss. They had each come with their own agenda, but the arrow was on the string and had to be shot, and now that everyone was there, they had no choice but to go in.

Thus, nine princes suddenly filled Chonghua Palace.

Even Fucha felt something was amiss tonight. At first, when the Fifth and Eighth Princes arrived, she hadn't thought anything of it. They all had a good relationship with the Fourth Master. The Ninth and Tenth Princes wouldn't cause any trouble with the Eighth Prince around. But the four who followed were different.

Everyone in the imperial court and harem knew that the four most prominent princes were the Crown Prince, the Eldest Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Eighth Prince. The Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince, in particular, looked upon Yinzhen like a black-eyed chicken, eager to devour him alive. What sense of brotherly love remained?

"Go to Xianfu Palace and inform Mother," Fucha instructed her personal maid.

Although she knew nothing, she had a vague feeling that tonight might be a bloody and sleepless night.

The maid responded and hurried to Xianfu Palace. Unfortunately, Kangxi was in town today, so she didn't go in, instead passing the message to Zhenzhu. Even so, Kangxi still found out.

"Did anyone come from Chonghua Palace just now?"

Wen Shan was trimming the candles when she heard Kangxi ask.

Turning her head, she saw Kangxi reclining on the couch, reading, his head barely raised.

Kangxi had arrived early today, barely getting to the sun. His mood was only average, and he didn't say much.

Wen Shan thought Kangxi's ears were too sharp. Yet, he pretended to be oblivious to what was happening, leaving the palace's mess once to Consort Wenxi and now to the young Tong Jia.

"Yes, Fucha sent someone to ask me for some dishes, saying that the Crown Prince, the eldest prince, and other princes had gone to Chonghua Palace for a small gathering."

Kangxi knew the people from Chonghua Palace probably already knew about the princes' gathering, so Wen Shan didn't hide it.

The more you talk, the more mistakes you make. Sure enough

, Kangxi just uttered an "oh," then changed his posture and said slowly, "It's rare for these guys to get together."

"Liang Jiugong, send a pot of wine over as a token of my appreciation for their happiness."

Liang Jiugong responded and withdrew.

Kangxi read for a while, feeling somewhat bored, and patted the seat beside him. "Come here, I have something to tell you."

Wen Shan sat down obediently.

"Soon I will issue an edict granting the Crown Prince a marriage. Since Hesheli has passed away, I'll have to trouble you to prepare for it."

Wen Shan's face sank. "Your Majesty, you know me well. I'm the worst at such detailed matters. The Crown Prince's wedding is a matter of national importance. It would be better to leave it to Rong Fei or Tong Fei."

She was bothered by the hassle and by the fact that she had no experience in organizing weddings. Yinzhen's wedding, with Yinsi's help, had left her completely bewildered. Wouldn't the Crown Prince's wedding be even more taxing?

Plus, if anything went wrong, it would be troublesome.

Kangxi wasn't angry; he knew Wen Shan was telling the truth.

"You are the only imperial concubine in the palace now. It would be inappropriate for you not to show up. I'll have Rong Fei and Tong Fei assist. You just need to keep an eye on it," Kangxi said, patting her hand.

Seeing no escape, Wen Shan grimacely agreed.

Missing Concubine Wenxi deeply, Kangxi suddenly

asked. "Have you heard about the Yonghe Palace incident?" Kangxi suddenly asked.

Wen Shan nodded. "I'm sure everyone in the palace knows about it."

Concubine De had launched a full-scale investigation, questioning everyone from the Imperial Hospital to the Yonghe Palace. The maid sent to the Ministry of Punishment, tortured all afternoon, seemed to have confessed nothing.

Kangxi asked, "What do you think? Who do you think was responsible?"

"..."

He sensed a hidden agenda.

Seeing Wen Shan's wrinkled face, Kangxi smiled. "It was just a casual remark. You said it, and I took it as a passing comment."

"Your Majesty, why do you have to embarrass me?" Wen Shan said bitterly. "There's no evidence now. This would be a random accusation."

Kangxi's question to Wen Shan was a spur-of-the-moment impulse. After all, the only person Wen Shan had a grudge against in all her years in the palace was Concubine De, so Kangxi wanted to hear what this kindhearted Wen Shan had to say.

Kangxi was truly enraged by the murder of the Seventh Princess. Ever since the events of Rong Fei's early life were uncovered many years ago, at least publicly, no one in the palace had dared to attack the heir apparent. Now, another one had appeared who was so audacious.

"Today, Concubine Tong came to see me in the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said that Concubine Hui wanted to release a group of palace maids on the anniversary of the Empress Dowager's death." Seeing that Wen Shan really didn't know what to say, Kangxi changed the subject.

"Haven't you agreed?" Wen Shan said, "Concubine Tong has already started preparing."

Kangxi hummed, rubbing his fingers for a moment, and then said, "Concubine Hui...never mind, let's not talk about her."

"..."

They were all riddles.

Fortunately, Kangxi didn't bring up any more difficult topics for her to continue and returned to reading.

Wen Shan found an excuse to tiptoe out, with Amber and Feicui waiting at the door.

"What did the people at Chonghua Palace say?"

Amber whispered, "The Fourth Concubine sent someone to inform the Empress that the Crown Prince and the eldest prince had gone to Chonghua Palace. The Concubine seemed to think something was amiss, so she sent someone to Xianfu Palace."

Unexpectedly, Kangxi was there, so the maid who delivered the message didn't come in.

Wen Shan figured it was pointless to call her. With Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinxiang all in Chonghua Palace, there shouldn't be any trouble. Fucha figured it was just a formality.

Fortunately, Kangxi was with her, so if anything did happen tonight, she'd be the first to know.

In Chonghua Palace,

"Yesterday, the Emperor specifically told my third and fourth brothers that they have already gotten married, and that we brothers should visit each other more often in the future." The prince played with the teacup in his hand and said, "A loving father and a filial son, and brothers are

friendly and respectful to each other are what the Emperor has always wanted to see. We, his sons, must encourage them." The fifth prince smiled and said, "Second brother, I heard from the Empress Dowager that the Emperor has already chosen Guaerjia as your Crown Princess. It seems that we will have to go to Yuqing Palace to celebrate with you soon."

Guaerjia had long been Kangxi's chosen Crown Princess. This was no secret. It's just that the marriage had just been put on the agenda. Kangxi meant to arrange the Crown Prince's marriage after this personal expedition.

Yinsi smiled slightly and said, "As his younger brothers, we naturally have to go and congratulate His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on his wedding. We just don't know what gift His Royal Highness would like, so we've prepared it in advance."

The Ninth Prince also said, "The Crown Prince has been deeply loved by the Emperor since he was young, so he naturally has everything he needs. We younger brothers have racked our brains to figure out what gift to give that would please the Crown Prince. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has anything he likes

, please be sure to ask us." "The fact that you brothers can come and have some fun is the best gift. We brothers don't care about these things." The Crown Prince raised his glass and said, "Come, let's have a drink first."

"Eighth brother, you can take your ninth, tenth, and thirteenth brothers to have tea. You younger brothers shouldn't drink."

The Crown Prince directly moved Yinsi to the children's table, and Yinsi gladly accepted.

"Ninth, tenth, and thirteenth brothers are still young and need someone to look after them. Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has said so, I will also take on the responsibility of being an older brother and keep a good eye on you three." Yinsi said with a smile.

The youngest, Yinxiang, received the least attention. He glanced at the eldest prince, whose expression had indeed darkened.

As the eldest brother, he should have looked after the younger ones, but the Crown Prince, in an effort to marginalize Yinsi, had instead allowed Yinsi to take advantage of the situation and embarrass the eldest prince.

The fifth prince was the only one in the room who seemed genuinely eager for dinner. His stomach rumbled as his brothers chatted back and forth.

"Fourth brother, when can we have dinner?" the fifth prince looked at Yinzhen eagerly.

Yinzhen pursed his lips and said, "If you're hungry, have some snacks. I think dinner will be served soon."

With so many people suddenly arriving, preparations naturally took some time.

Although these people weren't there to dine, they still had to be considerate.

Unexpectedly, Liang Jiugong arrived before dinner was even served, bearing the wine gifted by Kangxi.

"Your servant greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and all the princes,"

the Crown Prince personally stepped forward and helped him to his feet.

"Eunuch Liang, why are you here at this hour?"

Liang Jiugong calmly glanced around, taking in the entire situation at Chonghua Palace. It was clear that every prince who had a say in the palace had come.

"The Emperor heard that the princes were very happy to have a small gathering here, so he specially granted you a pot of wine to cheer you up."

Liang Jiugong waved his hand, and the eunuch behind him placed the pot of wine on the table.

The Tenth Prince, standing on his feet, took a look and muttered softly, "The Emperor is too stingy. He only granted us one pot of wine for so many of us."

It was hard to get one cup per person.

The Ninth Prince quietly kicked him to silence him.

"Is the Emperor in the Palace of Heavenly Purity? I was thinking of paying my respects to the Emperor later," asked the Crown Prince.

Liang Jiugong replied with a smile, "Your Highness, the Emperor is currently in Xianfu Palace. If you have any urgent matters, I will inform you."

"No need, it's nothing serious. Since the Emperor is here to announce the Imperial Concubine, I won't bother you."

The Crown Prince's eyelids twitched when he heard Kangxi was in Xianfu Palace.

Liang Jiugong nodded in agreement, then quickly left after putting down his wine. The Crown Prince looked at the pot of wine and suddenly laughed.

Was the Emperor supporting his fourth brother? Telling them to stop messing around?

"Since this is a gift from the Emperor, we brothers must have a drink."

The eldest prince took the initiative, took the wine and personally filled each cup.

Just then, the dishes in the small kitchen were ready, and everyone resumed their lively conversation.

But within two quarters of an hour, a palace servant announced that someone from the Yikun Palace had requested to see the Fifth and Ninth Princes.

Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince said, "Then send someone in..."

Before he could finish, Yinsi interrupted him.

"Fifth brother, ninth brother, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, please don't spoil his fun here."

The Ninth Prince understood instantly and pulled the still confused Fifth Prince out to meet people. The eldest

prince couldn't help but curl up his lips, so he had to pick up the wine glass to cover it up.

The Crown Prince also felt something was wrong, and thought that the eldest prince and the fourteenth prince suddenly came here, maybe they were targeting the fifth prince and the ninth prince.

Or maybe it was targeting Concubine Yi? The

Third Prince whispered: "Concubine De and the Seventh Princess..."

Everyone grew up in the palace and was familiar with these tricks. The Crown Prince also understood everything instantly.

It seems that tonight is really lively.

Sure enough, the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince came in with a sullen face. The Fifth Prince went to find Yinzhen, and the Ninth Prince went to find Yinsi.

"Eighth brother, mother has been falsely accused of raping the Seventh Princess," the Ninth Prince said through gritted teeth, "It's Concubine De again! Damn it!"

Concubine De and Concubine Yi had been at odds for years,

and the Ninth Prince, conditioned by this, naturally had no good feelings towards Concubine De. The Fifth Prince was on the verge of tears, and Yinzhen offered a few words of comfort. The Eldest Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, watching the spectacle, exchanged glances, their eyes lit up with triumphant smiles.

"Fifth and Ninth Brothers, what's wrong? What happened in the Yikun Palace?" the Eldest Prince feigned concern.

The Fifth Prince didn't understand the complexities involved, but the Ninth Prince knew and was about to retort, but Yinsi stopped him in time.

He couldn't fall out with the Eldest Prince at this moment.

Not only was the Crown Prince still around, but even for the sake of the jug of wine given by the Emperor, he couldn't afford to do so.

The Crown Prince watched from the sidelines for a long time. Though he didn't know exactly what was happening, he knew from the Eldest Prince's smug expression that the Yikun Palace was in turmoil.

Sure enough, someone soon arrived from Yonghe Palace to ask the Fourteenth Prince to return.

"Fourteenth Prince, Sister Xia Yun sent me to ask you to return to the palace. There's been some progress regarding the Seventh Princess, and Sister Xia Yun is worried that Concubine De will not be able to handle it, so she sent me to ask you to return."

The Fourteenth Prince suddenly stood up and asked, "There's some light on Seventh Sister's case. Was it that audacious servant who did it?!"

"This...this..." The young eunuch looked up at the princes several times, looking embarrassed.

The Eldest Prince said, "Just say whatever you want to say. Why are you hesitating? Didn't you see how anxious the Fourteenth Prince is?"

"It seems to be related to...to Concubine Yi."

The Ninth Prince immediately became anxious: "You dog servant, you have the audacity to bring up Concubine Yi!"

The Fifth Prince also panicked: "Fourth brother, Mother would never do such a thing."

Seeing the Ninth Prince's anxiety, the Eldest Prince retreated to the side to watch the fun. How could it be enough to just make Concubine Yi suffer? Wouldn't her two precious sons also be embarrassed with her?

"Ninth brother, my Mother would never bring up Concubine Yi for no reason. He's just a servant, why are you scaring him!" The Fourteenth Prince said confidently.

The Tenth Prince also rolled up his sleeves to speak up for the Ninth Prince, and for a moment the situation got a little out of control. Yinxiang took advantage of the chaos to sneak up on Yinsi and said, "Eighth brother, what's going on?

Is everything okay?" Yinsi nodded at him, implying that it was okay.

"Alright, stop arguing!" Yinzhen said in a deep voice. "What are you doing? His Royal Highness is still here, and none of you know how to behave."

The Prince, who was enjoying the show, said, "..."

Only after being called out by Yinzhen did he realize that as the Prince, he had not taken the initiative to stop the quarrels, but had been beaten to the punch by Yinzhen.

"Come on, the affairs of the harem have nothing to do with you princes." The Prince cleared his throat. "Fifth brother, ninth brother, fourteenth brother, since Consort De and Consort Yi have sent to invite you, please return to the palace first."

The Fifth and Ninth Princes walked out hand in hand. Before leaving, they glared at the Fourteenth Prince and sneered as they left.

The Fourteenth Prince suddenly felt ridiculous and said a few words to the eldest prince before leaving.

"I was expecting a good meal with my brothers, but I didn't expect this to happen,"

the eldest prince said, looking at the crown prince. The crown prince poured himself another glass of wine, and seeing the eldest prince looking over, he poured him one too.

"Brother, have a drink?"

the eldest prince said with a smile, "How could I not drink the wine the crown prince poured?"

Yinxiang, cracking melon seeds, saw for the first time the two men's collusion.

Once the fifth, ninth, and fourteenth princes left, the situation became clear.

Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinxiang sat to one side, while the crown prince, the third prince, and the eldest prince seemed to have formed a brief alliance tonight.

Naturally, in the eyes of the crown prince and the eldest prince, Yinsi was on the side of the ninth and tenth princes, and his ties with Yinzhen were merely a matter of face.

Yinsi leisurely poured wine for Yinzhen and the third prince as well.

"Your Highness, it's still early today, so there's no need to rush into further conversation." Someone

from Xianfu Palace and Yonghe Palace arrived to pass on the message.

They said there was some progress on the Seventh Princess's case, and asked Kangxi to go and take a look.

Wen Shan, already feeling a little sleepy, wondered why they had to choose this late at night for this, fearing Kangxi would be in bed and get angry if they woke him up.

Kangxi rubbed his forehead after hearing the report, glancing at Wen Shan, who was already dazed.

"Noble Concubine, please come with me to take a look."

"…"

Damn it, he wouldn't let her sleep if he didn't sleep himself, right?

On the way to Yonghe Palace, Wen Shan once again yearned for Noble Concubine Wenxi and began to wonder about the possibility of Tong Jia being promoted to Noble Concubine.

Arriving at Yonghe Palace, even before entering, Wen Shan could hear the commotion inside. Kangxi, evidently aware of it, frowned in displeasure. It was a

strange sight to have his harem so noisy and bustling like a market at night.

"The Emperor has arrived, and the Noble Concubine has arrived!"

The voices only died down after Liang Jiugong's announcement.

Kangxi strode in. Wen Shan almost couldn't catch up with him. When they entered the main hall, they found that everyone was gathered there.

Not only Concubine Yi was called in, but also Concubine Hui, Concubine Rong and Concubine Tong.

The concubine position was missing one Concubine Ping, so all the concubines were present.

Even the fifth prince, the ninth prince and the fourteenth prince were there.

"It's late at night, what are you arguing about?"

Kangxi sat down on the main seat with a very unfriendly tone.

He glanced at his three sons standing next to him and his face became even worse.

Why did they involve the princes in the affairs of the harem? It was really a mess.

Concubine De knelt down with a plop, and said with tears in her voice: "Your Majesty, you have to make a decision for Xiaoqi!"

Wen Shan sat down next to Kangxi. Although she knew that this matter would eventually be blamed on Concubine Yi, the palace maid of Yonghe Palace had just reported nothing specific, so she had to pretend to know nothing like Kangxi.

"Get up first." Kangxi, watching Concubine De sob, felt a headache. "What's with that news about the Seventh Princess?"

Concubine De sobbed silently. Concubine Tong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I was just discussing with Sisters Rong and Hui about the list of maids to be released from the palace in the next few days. I unexpectedly discovered that the maid Dongyue, who caused the trouble in Concubine De's palace, is from the same hometown as a maid from the Yikun Palace." Concubine

Yi sneered, "They're just from the same hometown. What's so strange about that? There are probably countless maids and eunuchs from the same hometown in the palace."

Concubine Yi, who had received Wen Shan's warning earlier, knew that this time they were targeting her, but she remained calm. Kangxi

also felt that this was a bit far-fetched: "Did that servant from the Ministry of Punishment confess anything?"

"That servant is very tight-lipped and claims to know nothing," Concubine Tong replied.

The Ninth Prince, unable to sit still, spoke hurriedly, "Father, since she hasn't confessed, summoning my mother for a confrontation based solely on a fellow villager is truly absurd!"

Concubine Hui chimed in, "Your Majesty, although Dongyue hasn't confessed, a maid from the same village as her in the Yikun Palace has. She claims that five years ago, Concubine Yi bribed Dongyue to plant her in the Yonghe Palace, belonging to Concubine De's sister, and that she's passed on a lot of information over the years."

Kangxi looked at Concubine Yi, his voice as cold as ice: "Is this true?"

The problem was that Dongyue was indeed Concubine Yi's supporter, so no matter how Concubine Yi argued, she couldn't make sense.

"Absolutely not." Concubine Yi could only firmly insist that she had no dealings with Dongyue. "Your Majesty, Gui'er, the maid in my palace, is from the same village as Dongyue. It's normal for her to have some private interactions with her. And Gui'er was just a maid sweeping the floor. I haven't even spoken to her once. How can it be assumed that I used her to win over Dongyue?"

Concubine Yi recalled what the Ninth Prince had told her when he hurried back.

"Mother, Eighth Prince told you not to admit it. As long as you don't give in, there's a way."

Now she had no choice but to trust Eighth Prince.

Concubine Hui and Concubine De seemed to have no solid evidence for the time being. As they were in a stalemate, a palace maid suddenly ran out in panic from the inner hall.

"Mother, it's bad, the Seventh Princess... the Seventh Princess has passed away!"