Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Wen Shan

was tinkering with an ice maker when she received the news that Yinzhen and Yinsi were about to return.

There was no other way; the weather was too hot, and this summer would be too miserable if she didn't come up with a solution.

She tried to recall how the ice maker worked, wondering if she could give the experts living in Yinzhen's villa a little inspiration to help them build one.

She wondered if she would be able to figure out air conditioning in her lifetime.

Yinxiang was counting on his fingers when Yinzhen and Yinsi would arrive, thinking about how to welcome his two brothers.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was dejected, drowning his sorrows in alcohol in Yuqing Palace.

Seeing the Crown Prince's dejected look, Soetu hurried over to offer him some advice.

But his words of advice were also tinged with a hint of blame.

"Your Highness, how could you recommend a man like Wang Kuo for the position of Minister of Disaster Relief?"

"And in Shaanxi? You know the Governor of Shaanxi is the eldest wife's uncle!"

Soetu hadn't anticipated that his momentary inattention would allow the Crown Prince to cause such a calamity.

The Crown Prince was dejected and had nothing to say.

"Uncle, you don't know, I was also deceived by this Wang Kuo. I thought he was an unsung talent, and…"

He offered another thirty thousand taels of silver.

Soetu knew what the Crown Prince was about to say even before he finished.

When Soetu first heard the news, he was completely baffled. Thirty thousand taels of silver might be a huge sum for most people, but it was nothing to the Crown Prince.

Or rather, no amount of money should have tempted the Crown Prince.

For a crown prince to engage in such acts of selling official positions and titles was absurd.

The Crown Prince knew that recommending Wang Kuo was no serious matter, so he did it secretly and privately, not telling Soetu. It was common for the Crown Prince to recommend ministers, and Soetu didn't take it personally. Thinking back on it now, Soetu felt a surge of regret. He should have paid more attention to the selection process for such a crucial position.

He truly hadn't expected the Crown Prince to choose such a fool after all his careful selection. But

the matter was done, and Soetu couldn't really reprimand the Crown Prince. He could only say, "Fortunately, the Emperor still cares about you, Your Highness, and has suppressed this matter. Otherwise, if the eldest prince had insisted on your position as Crown Prince, your position as Crown Prince might have been in jeopardy."

The Crown Prince panicked even more upon hearing this: "Uncle, Wang Kuo's confession is still in the eldest prince's hands..."

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Soetu said. "The Emperor has spoken, so the eldest prince can't cause any trouble."

After all, the Emperor still protected the Crown Prince, so the Crown Prince couldn't fall.

But now, Soetu had to wonder how much of the father-son bond between him and the Emperor would be eroded if the Crown Prince continued his absurd behavior. The Crown

Prince breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively asked, "What about Wang Kuo..." "

The Emperor has already decreed Wang Kuo's immediate execution. A dead man cannot speak," Soetu interrupted.

But the Crown Prince was clearly still worried. After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "I wonder if Wang Kuo's family will be implicated."

Soetu: "..."

Something was wrong.

The Crown Prince looked like he had accepted more than just a bribe from Wang Kuo; otherwise, why would he be so concerned about them?

"Your Highness, tell me the truth. Do you have any leverage over Wang Kuo?"

Soetu pondered rapidly. Could Wang Kuo be so audacious as to not only bribe but also threaten the Crown Prince?

The prince waved his hands hurriedly, "No, no, you're overthinking it."

Soetu breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

Then he felt something was wrong. What had the prince been so flustered about?

Under Soetu's probing, the prince finally confessed the truth.

"Wang Kuo has a daughter of extraordinary beauty, and he intends to offer her as a gift... so..."

Soetu nearly lost his breath, his head spinning.

Already an elderly man, he could hardly handle the prince's relentless outbursts.

"It's only been so long since the incident with Princess Yundai, Your Highness, how come you always lose control of yourself when it comes to women?"

The prince's face turned pale at the mention of Yundai. It was truly humiliating.

Fortunately, Yundai had tactfully avoided a commotion, and after the child was lost, she married back to Mongolia, and gradually, no one mentioned the matter again.

Soetu thought Wang Kuo was treacherous, using not only money but also beauty to win over the Crown Prince. No wonder the Crown Prince had been so insistent on recommending him as Minister of Disaster Relief.

Wang Kuo's crimes would inevitably implicate his entire family, otherwise the public outcry would be unsettled. All the adult males in his family were sentenced to death, and the remaining children and female relatives were exiled to Ningguta.

Soetu pondered this, took a deep breath, and asked, "The female members of Wang Kuo's family have been exiled to Ningguta. Your Highness, do you intend to secretly keep this woman?"

Even as Soetu asked, he already considered the Crown Prince's idea implausible.

How could he cause trouble over a woman at this moment?

The Emperor was still willing to protect the Crown Prince. If he knew that the Crown Prince had disregarded state matters for not only money but also women, and had even gone so far as to switch wives, he would surely be deeply disheartened.

So, no matter what, he had to convince the prince to break up with the woman, ideally sending someone to finish her off and put this matter to rest forever.

But Soetu hadn't expected the prince to have a surprise in store for him.

"Not really," the prince pondered for a moment, then tentatively said, "I've already taken this woman away and secretly placed her in a courtyard in the capital. Now..."

"What?!"

Soetu nearly slammed the table in anger.

"Stupid, stupid!"

Soetu had never expected the prince to be so audacious. It was sheer audacity!

Daring to bring a criminal out at this time, under the watchful eyes of the eldest prince and his gang—wasn't that courting his own destruction?

The prince was still a little puzzled by Soetu's shock.

"It's just a woman. I don't think it matters."

In the prince's eyes, Wang Kuo's death was over. With hundreds of people working together, hiding a woman wouldn't be easy for anyone to discover.

Besides, few people would pay much attention to Wang Kuo's family.

"She's just a woman," Suo Etu lamented. "You know, Crown Prince, she's just a woman. Why risk it for her?"

The Crown Prince would have any woman he wanted when he ascended the throne, but how could he have been so captivated by this woman from the Wang family?

Not only did she recommend her father for the position of Minister of Disaster Relief, but she also had the Crown Prince commit such a crime right under the Emperor's nose.

The Crown Prince was troubled by the thought.

"Uncle, you don't know that the daughter of the royal family is already pregnant. I can't let her go to the cold and bitter Ningguta with my child."

"..."

Soetu felt like he was about to faint.

He couldn't understand how the prince could do so many ridiculous things under his nose!

The matter of Princess Yundai that was just mentioned appeared in front of his eyes again. How did the prince fall into the same trap twice!

The only difference might be whether the scandal was caught on the spot.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you are going to get married soon, why... why, alas!"

Soetu was speechless. He couldn't understand why the prince was so impatient and got a child every time!

The prince felt a little uneasy when he saw that Soetu's face was not right.

"Uncle, it shouldn't be a big deal..."

The Crown Prince thought that Wang Shi was different from Princess Yundai. Wang Shi was now an obscure daughter of a convicted official, unlikely to stir up any trouble. Unlike Princess Yundai, whose every move was under scrutiny in the palace, hiding Wang Shi shouldn't be a big deal.

"If it's not a big deal, why did you bring it up with me, your Highness?" Soetu was already furious with the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was helpless: "The Emperor will soon grant me a marriage with Guarjia Shi, and the child in Wang Shi's belly..."

"..."

So the Crown Prince was actually worried about this. Soetu was speechless and could only suppress his anger and inquire about the situation.

"Where is this woman now? When did the Crown Prince take her out? From the Ministry of Justice's prison?"

Luckily, the Crown Prince wasn't that confused. He quickly replied, "As soon as Wang Kuo got into trouble, I ordered her to be taken out. She's now being housed in a separate courtyard in the capital."

Soetu felt something was amiss: "Didn't the people from the Ministry of Justice check the number of people when they went to arrest her?"

An entire family would be rounded up, and how could there be no movement without Wang Kuo's daughter?

The Crown Prince's eyes wandered, and he coughed twice before saying, "Yaerha, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, went to do it."

"..."

Yaerha was the Crown Prince's man. It wouldn't be hard for him to rescue one person from among the hundreds of prisoners.

Soetu was completely speechless. How many handles had they left out?

"Your Highness, you're confused!" Soetu said. "Even if you rescue Wang, you can't keep the child she's carrying! The Emperor is about to arrange a marriage for you and the Guarjia family. If this child isn't legitimate, even if it's born, it won't be included in the imperial patriarchal record. Not to mention, the Guarjia family will undoubtedly complain."

"Besides, the Emperor will undoubtedly be furious."

The Emperor was already furious when Princess Yundai became pregnant, and now the appearance of a daughter of a traitor would surely infuriate him even more. The Crown Prince

hesitated, "It shouldn't be that serious. Once she gives birth, even if the child isn't officially recognized, she can be raised outside."

After all, it was his bloodline. If there was no way to include it in the imperial patriarchal record, then raising it outside wouldn't be a big deal.

The Crown Prince even thought that if Kangxi hadn't been dragging his feet on his marriage, he wouldn't have been tempted to look for a woman outside.

Soetu was at a loss for words. He was clearly doing his job well, nothing had happened, so why was he causing trouble for himself?

The Crown Prince, observing Soetu's dark complexion, wondered why he hadn't dared reveal the matter to him. If he had told him in advance, Soetu would have been in for a nagging fit.

He'd already grown up; there was no need for them to treat him like a child.

She was just a woman; keeping her as a concubine wouldn't be a problem.

Soetu sighed and reminded the Crown Prince, "The daughter of Minister of Justice Nuomin is the Fourth Prince's concubine."

That Wang Kuo was truly despicable. He had fallen into the hands of the First Prince, and his daughter had given the Crown Prince leverage over him. He was truly surrounded by enemies.

The Crown Prince paused, clearly not having given this much thought. He hesitated, "Yaerha did it secretly; Nuomin shouldn't know."

"I hope so." Soetu no longer expected the Crown Prince to do anything. He planned to summon Yaerha to discuss the matter thoroughly; no leverage should remain.

It would be best to get rid of that Wang girl. If

the Crown Prince couldn't bring himself to do it, he would be the only one to do it.

After all, Soetu was a political veteran with a keen sense of danger. As the Minister of Justice, Nuomin must have been extremely concerned about the case of Wang Kuo, a major case involving the Crown Prince.

Nuomin received the news as soon as Yaerha took the people away.

The next day, the news was delivered to Yinzhen.