Chapter 82: Concubine Yi ultimately refused to listen...

Concubine Yi ultimately ignored Wen Shan's advice and planned to have the Fifth Princess directly registered under the name of Concubine Min or another childless concubine. As expected, Kangxi caught her. Fortunately,

Concubine Yi ultimately did nothing to harm the Fifth Princess. Kangxi, mindful of her innocence, summoned her to the Yangxin Palace for a reprimand and let the matter rest. He

then issued a formal decree ordering the Fifth Princess to be moved to the Yanxi Palace, to be raised by Concubine Min until her marriage.

Frustrated with her failure, Concubine Yi approached Wen Shan.

Wen Shan said helplessly, "I told you the Emperor had a backup plan, but you didn't listen." While

this incident might appear to be a tit-for-tat confrontation between Concubine Yi and Uya, it was actually a fight over their respective children. If Concubine Yi prevailed and Uya lost, Kangxi would naturally worry about her retaliating against the Fifth Princess and the Fourteenth Prince.

This situation was essentially tailor-made for Concubine Yi, and she ultimately jumped into it.

Concubine Yi was also somewhat surprised: "I never thought the Emperor doted on the Fifth Princess and the Fourteenth Prince so much, and was so thoughtful about them."

Wen Shan shook her head: "The Emperor treats every prince and princess this way."

In recent years, Kangxi's attitude towards the Crown Prince has clearly declined as much as before, and his affection for his other children has become noticeably greater.

Naturally, even if he's not as favored as he was in his youth, the Crown Prince still holds a unique position in the Emperor's heart.

In Yinxiang's words, the Crown Prince is truly special to Kangxi. He could have simply clung to Kangxi's support and ascended the throne smoothly, but he insisted on acting on his own, growing closer to Soetu and blurring the lines between the lesser and greater princes.

Concubine Yi, after all, had earned the title of victim and hadn't done anything excessive, so Kangxi's reprimand wasn't particularly painful.

Now, it seemed Wen Shan's words that had helped her to restrain herself somewhat. Initially, she hadn't intended to let the Fifth Princess and the Fourteenth Prince off so easily, especially since the Fifth Princess was kept in the palace, making it easy for anyone to cause trouble for her.

Fortunately, Wen Shan's words calmed her down a bit, and she felt she shouldn't be too impulsive, so she restrained herself somewhat. If she had followed her previous plan, she might have ended up in the same predicament as Uya.

Concubine Yi, completely unconcerned with herself, allowed Zhenzhu to serve her two bowls of sour plum soup. After gulping them down, she said, "Well, Your Majesty, what you said is innocent of the child. So be it."

Concubine Yi then reflected on the changes Kangxi had undergone over the years. Now that the princes were growing up, everyone's minds had become more active.

"Speaking of which, the Emperor has become somewhat distant from the Crown Prince over the years," Concubine Yi said.

Wen Shan: "Not really. As the Crown Prince grows older, he's naturally not as close to him as he was when he was little."

The Crown Prince had been raised in the Yangxin Palace, where Kangxi provided for his food, shelter, and transportation, acting as both father and mother. This was why Wen Shan had always understood Kangxi's partiality for the Crown Prince.

Besides the Crown Prince, which other prince or princess had enjoyed such close contact with Kangxi for such a long time?

Concubine Yi was sweating even as she fanned herself, so Wen Shan quickly had the ice basin moved closer to her.

Concubine Yi was terrified of the heat, and this year's weather was particularly scorching, making it difficult for her.

"It doesn't look to me like the Crown Prince is getting older," Concubine Yi said. "Your Majesty, did you know that a few days ago, an official whom the Crown Prince strongly supported took office and ran into trouble? Not only did he embezzle the people's money, he also had the audacity to divert relief funds allocated by the court."

Wen Shan hadn't really known about this. She didn't pay much attention to these court affairs. Usually, Yinzhen and the others would pick out some funny stories for her to tell them, and since Yinzhen and Yinsi were away from the palace, naturally no one told her.

Yinxiang, still under the protection of his two brothers, was even less aware of his battle of wits with Zhang Ying in the Shangshufang.

"The Emperor was furious. Not only did he dismiss that man and investigate him, he also lectured the Crown Prince in front of all the court officials," Concubine Yi said slowly. "This is the first time in so many years."

Regardless of how Kangxi lectured the Crown Prince privately, he always gave him face in public. Even when the Crown Prince ignored his letters during his first personal expedition against Galdan, Kangxi was only furious when he returned and summoned the Crown Prince to the Yangxin Palace to scold him. In court, he still praised the Crown Prince for his effective stewardship.

It seemed this matter was so serious that Kangxi had to reprimand him in court.

As expected, Concubine Yi continued, "Your Majesty, you may not know this year. Shaanxi has been suffering from a severe drought for over a month

due to the hot weather. The Emperor intended to select an imperial envoy to provide disaster relief, a matter of vital importance to the lives of millions of Shaanxi residents. The Crown Prince strongly supported one, but things went awry." "It nearly caused widespread resentment and rebellion in Shaanxi," Concubine Yi said coldly. "Fortunately, the Shaanxi Governor discovered this and arrested him on the spot, averting a major uproar."

The victims, seeing how court officials had embezzled relief funds, were prepared to do anything.

Chaos could have erupted throughout Shaanxi and Gansu. Wen Shan gasped, "How could such a major issue as disaster relief be treated so lightly?"

No wonder Kangxi was furious. This was truly excessive.

The story clearly wasn't over yet. Concubine Yi continued, "You'll never imagine what happened next. After being captured and interrogated, this man confessed that he had given the Crown Prince 30,000 taels of silver to get him to become the Imperial Commissioner."

"If you spend money to buy an official position, you'll naturally have to get it back after you take office."

"..."

This was indeed the Crown Prince's own fault.

For such a big matter, he recommended such a clueless person for 30,000 taels of silver. No wonder Kangxi was angry.

However, Wen Shan reflected that if the Crown Prince's selling of official positions and titles had caused such a disaster, it would be more than just a reprimand. There were many princes and ministers in the court who were not on the Crown Prince's side. How could they stop until they had denounced the Crown Prince to death?

But she hadn't heard of any punishment for the Crown Prince recently.

Wen Shan then asked, "Did the Emperor also tell all the ministers about this?"

"How could that be?" Concubine Yi raised an eyebrow and said, "This was a serious crime, but the Emperor still protected the Crown Prince. He suppressed it and quickly beheaded the man."

Wen Shan thought, as expected, Kangxi's protection of the Crown Prince remained unchanged.

But even the deepest feelings couldn't withstand the Crown Prince's repeated misdeeds.

But then she thought again, feeling a little puzzled: "Then how did you know all this?"

And such detailed information.

Concubine Yi smiled and said, "The current Shaanxi Governor is from the Irgen Gioro clan."

"..."

She understood. The eldest prince's people.

Even if Kangxi had suppressed the Crown Prince's case, it wouldn't be a problem for the eldest prince to spread the news.

A gust of wind blew through the hall, lowering the temperature a few degrees. Concubine Yi narrowed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Majesty, do you think the Shaanxi governor is deliberately allowing the Crown Prince's men to embezzle, waiting for the public outrage to become unmanageable before arresting them? He might even use this moment to show off his ability and ability to turn the tide."

It was hard to say.

In short, no matter how these princes fought, the people would suffer in the end.

Concubine Yi had now acquiesced that the Fourth and Eighth Princes were both vying for the throne, so she paid even more attention than usual to their archrival, the Crown Prince. After finishing her discussion about the Crown Prince, Concubine Yi turned to some casual conversation.

"The weather is truly scorching this year! I wonder when the Emperor will take us to the gardens to escape the heat."

While it wasn't the usual summer heat, the weather was steadily getting hotter, and many of the concubines were already feeling the heat. This was

especially true for Concubine Uya, who was still under house arrest. Concubine Yi had removed all her ice, and it was clear that Yonghe Palace must be sweltering right now.

Kangxi, however, ignored Concubine Yi's actions against Uya, and Wen Shan only learned of this through reports from Yinsi's agents.

Wen Shan thought for a moment and said, "The Emperor hasn't mentioned it yet. It seems he's been preoccupied with the military campaign against Dzungar and hasn't had time to think about it."

The Hall of Mental Cultivation and the Palace of Heavenly Purity had been meticulously designed during their construction, offering optimal temperature and wind direction, making them warmer in winter and cooler in summer than other palaces.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yi lamented that life was unbearable, sweating profusely every day and feeling incredibly greasy.

Wen Shan had no other options but to discuss with the young Tong Jia family about allocating more ice to the various palaces.

"It's really too hot this year," the young Tong Jia family said upon hearing Wen Shan's reason. "But we've already taken the ice out of the official cellars earlier than usual, and we're afraid more won't be enough."

The ice used in the palace during the summer was stored in the winter, cut and stored in multiple ice cellars. Even with insulation, it usually melted by about half by summer, and this year's exceptional heat meant it melted even more.

Furthermore, saltpeter can now be used to make ice, though the quantity is limited and more labor-intensive. Summer ice still relies heavily on the large quantities stored during the winter.

Wen Shan understood Tong Jia's concerns. With summer just beginning, it's important to consider what to do if the weather gets hotter and there's not enough ice.

Wen Shan especially missed air conditioning at this time.

Speaking of ice distribution among the palaces, Tong Jia also alluded to Concubine Yi's reduction in the allowance for Yonghe Palace.

"Although Concubine Wuya is still under house arrest, the Emperor hasn't abolished her title. He still sends her ice every month according to her promise. However, now that the Fifth Princess has moved to Yanxi Palace, Concubine Wuya is the only one left in Yonghe Palace, and the limited supply might not be enough."

Tong Jia clearly didn't want to get involved in the matter, and mentioned it to Wen Shan simply to give her some clarity.

Wen Shan nodded and said, "Our Lords, it's easy to talk about it. There are so many princes and princesses in the palace, we absolutely cannot neglect them. It would be terrible if they develop any illness from the heat. If anyone reports that the princes and princesses are feeling hot, we should just give them more."

"Of course," said the little Tong Jia with a smile, "There's always been ice in the five palaces in Ganxi. Now, there are three princesses in Minpin's Yanxi Palace, so we've given them a little extra. If the princes and princesses in other palaces feel unwell, we'll just adjust the amount."

Although the little Tong Jia had a somewhat domineering temper, she handled the palace affairs with great efficiency. It seemed that Tong Guowei had devoted a lot of attention to this daughter during her time at the Tong family.

In Yanxi Palace, Wen Ke and Dun Ke also felt that the weather had been unusually hot recently.

"Mother, it's too hot! Please put more ice in my and my rooms," Dun Ke said coquettishly.

Wen Ke and Dun Ke had slept together since childhood, and the sisters were particularly close. Concubine Min doted on her two daughters, and all the food, clothing, and other expenses of the Yanxi Palace were primarily for the two little princesses. She immediately patted her daughters' heads and gently said, "Okay, the Imperial Household Department sent some more the other day and asked the palace maids to add another basin of ice for you."

Wen Ke and Dun Ke were too young, and Concubine Min felt sorry for them because they were so overheated, so she forbade them from going to the Imperial Garden too often.

Every time they came back from playing, sweating profusely and complaining about the heat, Concubine Min worried that they would get a heat stroke again, which would be troublesome.

Wen Ke sat obediently aside and asked, "Should we send some to the Fifth Sister's palace as well?"

Wen Ke and Dun Ke lived in the East Side Hall, while the Fifth Princess lived in the West Side Hall. Since arriving at the Yanxi Palace, the Fifth Princess rarely left the house, and aside from visiting the Main Hall every morning and evening to pay her respects, she mostly stayed in the West Side Hall.

Concubine Min originally wanted to have the Fifth Princess eat with them to help build a closer relationship. After

all, it would take another four or five years for the Fifth Princess to get married, and Concubine Min felt uncomfortable with them living in such an awkward situation for such a long time. However, the Fifth Princess refused without a second thought.

Concubine Min couldn't force her, so she had someone serve her attentively.

Thinking of this, Concubine Min could only smile and say, "Of course, your Fifth Sister will be raised in our palace just like you two sisters."

Wen Ke nodded and fiddled with the toys silently.

The Fifth Princess's indifference made the three of them feel very restrained, especially Dun Ke, who was young and at the age of loving to play. After knowing that there was another sister in the Yanxi Palace, he always wanted to find the Fifth Princess to play with.

"I've barely seen the Fifth Sister before," Dunke said in a childish voice. "But you're beautiful, and I like you!" Wenke,

a touch jealous, replied, "You've never praised me like that!"

Dunke faltered. "Fifth Sister... I don't see Fifth Sister often."

When the Fifth Princess was raised by Consort De, she rarely played with the other princesses. In the palace, the head of the family was considered superior to the mother, especially the princesses. The deceased empresses and Consort Wenxi had left no princesses, and the current Consort Xuan had no children of her own. Therefore, the Fifth Princess considered herself, the Seventh Princess, and the three daughters of Consort Rong the most honored in the palace.

Especially since Princess Rongxian had married off to Mongolia three years earlier, the Fifth Princess considered herself the most distinguished of the remaining princesses.

Furthermore, she was naturally beautiful, and Kangxi had always favored her. Therefore, she held the rest of the sisters, who were either concubines or the daughters of noble ladies, in the least disdainful of her.

She rarely interacted with her sisters. The only one she remained close to was the Seventh Princess, daughter of the same mother. But now that the Seventh Princess had passed away, and with Lady Uya's demotion, the Fifth Princess, still holding out, felt particularly lonely.

After arriving at the Yanxi Palace, Concubine Min had been truly kind to the Fifth Princess, treating her with the same care and attention as Wen Ke and Dun Ke, never showing favoritism or deliberately neglecting her. Sometimes, the Fifth Princess even felt that Concubine Min was trying to curry favor with her.

However, the Fifth Princess still found it difficult to accept the sudden change. She had gone from a proud, beloved princess of a concubine's rank to the daughter of a concubine who had made a mistake.

Not to mention having to support herself under the care of two sisters whom she had previously found troublesome even to glance at.

Concubine Min, always sensitive, easily understood the Fifth Princess's annoyance, but remained silent, simply giving her plenty of space.

Concubine Min took her two daughters into her arms, one in each hand, tapped their noses and said, "Alright, you're all sisters. Wen Ke, don't be jealous of the fifth sister. The three of you should get along well and play together, okay?"

Wen Ke snorted, "The fifth sister doesn't like me and my younger sister. Yesterday, I went to bring cakes to the fifth sister out of kindness, but she bossed me around."

Concubine Min was slightly surprised when she heard this: "Did you go to see the fifth princess yesterday?"

Since arriving at the Yanxi Palace, the Fifth Princess has been confined to her room, except for her daily morning and evening visits. Concubine Min didn't bother her, let alone Wen Ke and Dun Ke. They were already somewhat intimidated by their somewhat overbearing sister and had never approached her.

Consequently, Concubine Min had no idea Wen Ke had actually visited the West Wing Hall yesterday.

Wen Ke nodded crisply and said, "Thirteenth Brother came yesterday and brought a lot of delicious snacks, so I gave some to my Fifth Sister."

When Yinxiang visited the Yanxi Palace yesterday, Concubine Min wasn't there. He went to talk to Concubine Mi in her palace. Yinxiang spent a long time playing with his two sisters and had just left when Concubine Min returned.

Wen Ke had enthusiastically sought to make friends with this beautiful but aloof sister, but was turned away. Upon returning, he pouted, ready to cry. Yinxiang, perceptive to his sister's change, personally visited the West Wing Hall. No one knows what Yinxiang and the Fifth Princess discussed, but upon Yinxiang's return, the Fifth Princess apologized to Wen Ke.

But being a child, Wen Ke had a rather ordinary impression of his beautiful sister since that day, and he no longer clamored to play with her like Dun Ke did.

Wen Shan eventually learned of this, and she grabbed Yinxiang and asked if he had gone to scare the Fifth Princess.

Yinxiang cried out in injustice.

"I was just trying to reason with her. Mother and Wen Ke and Dun Ke are both devoted to her. I can't be ungrateful, can I?"

After that day, Yinxiang became even more convinced of his previous belief. Placing the Fifth Princess in the Yanxi Palace would only cause trouble for Wen Ke and Dun Ke. They usually played wildly there, but now they were somewhat restricted.

Wen Shan said helplessly, "Your mother has her own ideas, and the Seventh Princess incident happened not long ago. You'd better behave yourself."

Yinxiang spread his hands and said, "Mother, I know what's going on, don't worry."

He felt like he had lived in vain if he couldn't handle that little girl, Wen Xian.

But let's wait for the return of the fourth and eighth brothers before discussing whether there's any way to relocate Wen Xian.

Not to mention Dunke and Wenke, even he felt he couldn't get along with this proud sister.

Thinking of this, Yinxiang asked, "Mother, are the fourth and eighth brothers coming back soon?"

"Soon," Wenshan thought for a moment and said, "They should be on their way back."

Two days ago, Yinzhen and Yinsi had sent a message saying they were about to return. Wenshan estimated that they should be near the capital by now, probably arriving tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

Yinxiang nodded and said, "It's been scorching hot these past few days. When the fourth and eighth brothers return, I'm going to take my eighth brother to Chonghua Palace for a nice soak."

Chonghua Palace had a hot spring pool with running water. Putting some ice in it beforehand was the best way to cool down.

But Yinzhen wasn't around right now, so it wasn't convenient for Yinxiang to go there alone; his sisters-in-law were still there.

"I heard from Concubine Yi today that the Crown Prince was reprimanded?"

Wen Shan offered Yinxiang some shredded cold chicken, which he devoured with relish. He nodded when Wen Shan asked, "It happened a few days ago. The Crown Prince sold official positions and caused a huge mess. But in the end, the Emperor simply said he misjudged people and nearly botched important matters. He scolded him, but didn't impose any punishment."

As soon as this happened, Yinxiang sent a pigeon to inform Yinzhen and Yinsi. Before they left, they knew about the Crown Prince's plot. At the time, the corrupt official was scouting the country, hoping to buy a high-ranking position. As they were leaving, Yinzhen and Yinsi happened to learn that this man had contacted the Crown Prince.

They hadn't expected the Crown Prince to treat human life so lightly, handing over such a crucial position as Minister of Disaster Relief to someone with ulterior motives.

Upon receiving the news, Yinzhen felt a surge of remorse.

"We should be more cautious," Yinzhen said. "No matter what, we can't let the prince send such a person to provide disaster relief!"

Isn't this sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth? This must be extremely greedy.

Although Yinsi was also a little angry about this, he was not as indignant as Yinzhen.

"Fourth brother, there are more than just one or two corrupt officials in the court. It is impossible to clean them out." Yinsi said.

Everyone knows the truth that clear water will have no fish.

Not to mention the local areas, even in the capital, there are a lot of corrupt officials. It's just that some are more greedy and some are less greedy.

Yinsi was also comforting Yinzhen, even if there was no such person who bought the official position, there would be others to take his place.

Disaster relief has always been a lucrative job.

But this idiot is really too ignorant of restraint. He dared to commit crimes in Shaanxi, which is under the tutelage of the eldest prince. He is really bold.

Yinzhen's brow remained furrowed. "I wonder how many more people will starve to death and suffer this time."

Yinzhen and Yinsi knew the secrets of the eldest prince and the Shaanxi governor without having to send anyone to investigate. They were probably just waiting for the man recommended by the crown prince to mess up the disaster relief efforts, sparking public outrage, before exposing the issue.

The more serious the incident, the harsher the reprimand for the crown prince.

The eldest prince simply hadn't expected Kangxi to be so protective of the crown prince.

"Since that's the case, we can only work harder and select the most capable people," Yinsi said, patting Yinzhen on the shoulder.

"Isn't it about time for Zhang Tingyu to take the next imperial examination?" Yinsi pondered, realizing that Zhang Tingyu was already close to entering the government.

Yinzhen nodded. "The official examination in three years."

Yinzhen and Zhang Tingyu had always had a good personal relationship, so he naturally knew a little about him.

Yinsi nodded repeatedly. When Zhang Tingyu entered the government, many things would be much more convenient.

"We should hurry back to Beijing." Yinsi smiled and said subtly, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a great gift waiting for us."