Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Yinzhen and Yinsi were also…

Yinzhen and Yinsi were also speechless.

"If Soetu knew, he'd be furious," Yinsi teased.

Yinzhen shook his head. "Falling twice in the same place is indeed a headache."

How could the Crown Prince be so unable to control himself in the presence of women?

Yinzhen asked Yinsi if the Crown Prince had been like this in his previous life. Yinsi

pondered for a moment and said, "Power, money, and women—perhaps all men in the world crave some or all of these, and the Crown Prince is no exception."

"But the Crown Prince's actions before were far less absurd."

It could only be said that this life had made the Crown Prince feel fear and pressure prematurely, and under such pressure, he naturally sought out entertainment.

And women were probably the least likely entertainment for the Crown Prince. It was unclear whether to say the Crown Prince was just unlucky or simply blinded by lust; he always got into big trouble.

It was simply human nature, nothing much to say.

Yinzhen thought for a moment and said, "Have someone keep an eye on Wang. Given Soetu's style, he'll definitely eliminate both Wang and the child."

Just like how Soetu didn't want to keep Princess Yundai alive, let alone Wang, now the daughter of a traitor.

Yinsi said leisurely, "That's natural. After all, the child in that woman's womb is our nephew. As uncles, we have to take care of her."

After Yinzhen and Yinsi returned to the capital, their subordinates reported that someone had indeed attempted to sneak in at night to assassinate Wang, but they had intercepted them.

"This way, Soetu will know the plot has been exposed," Yinzhen and Yinsi said on the way to the palace.

Yinsi said, "It's just that he doesn't know whether it was you, me, or the eldest prince who did it."

Yinzhen pondered for a moment. "With Nuomin as a nexus, it's natural that I'd be the first to suspect."

"So Nuomin can't be involved in this matter." Yinsi raised an eyebrow and said, "Let Longkodo and Tong Guowei handle it. They've been pretty idle lately."

Yinzhen: "...You really can't think of anything good. You always throw this mess to Tong Guowei."

Yinsi feigned innocence. "You can't blame me for this. Tong Guowei, that old fox, wants to swim through a thousand flowers without getting a

single leaf on him. How could such a good thing happen?" "But he's now drinking from a thousand rivers." Yinzhen rarely teased Yinsi.

"..."

"Fourth brother, you're making me want to vomit." "

Three thousand rivers, drinking from a single scoop"—was that something Fourth Brother said?

Married people are truly different.

Upon entering the palace, Yinzhen and Yinsi's first order of business was to pay their respects to Kangxi at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Kangxi, preoccupied with cleaning up the Crown Prince's mess and preparing for the expedition against Galdan, had no time for them. After a brief exchange, he sent them to Xianfu Palace to pay their respects to Wenshan.

Yinzhen and Yinsi were overjoyed and headed all the way to Xianfu Palace. When they arrived, Zhenzhu and Baoquan were directing the palace attendants watering the courtyard to cool down the sweltering heat.

"Fourth Prince, Eighth Prince! You two masters are finally back," Zhenzhu said with a beaming smile. "You've been talking about me constantly. I'll go and tell you right away. You'll be overjoyed."

Wenshan saw Yinzhen and Yinsi's genuine delight and hurriedly asked them if they were tired from their journey, while asking Zhenzhu to fetch some chilled fruit.

"Mother, we're fine," Yinsi said with a smile. "We're coming back slowly, so it's okay."

Yinxiang was in the Shangshufang at this hour, not in Xianfu Palace. Yinsi looked around. There were two large vats of ice in the palace, but it was still warmer than usual.

"Mother, you're afraid of the heat. Have someone put out more ice. If the Imperial Household Department doesn't provide enough, I'll have some brought in from outside," Yinsi said.

Besides the official cellars, the dignitaries of the capital naturally had their own ice storage facilities, and Yinzhen and Yinsi were no exception. As soon as the weather got warmer this year, they had their staff ready.

"It's okay, everything's fine now," Wenshan excitedly showed them the instructions for making an ice machine she'd written down a few days ago.

Well, the content was actually quite abstract.

Wen Shan had no knowledge of mechanical things, and only after the heat had finally reached her limit did she rack her brains to come up with a rough idea. Luckily, she'd always found freezing ice in the freezer annoying, and just for fun, she'd bought a small ice maker, so she had some experience.

Yinzhen and Yinsi naturally didn't understand it, but Yinsi carefully put it away and said with a smile, "I'll have someone take it out later."

Wen Shan, beaming, rested her chin on her hand as she looked at her son, whom she hadn't seen for two and a half months, and sighed, "You've gotten a tan from being out."

"It's nothing I can do. My fourth brother and I are out all day." Yinsi began to play nice and pitiful, and Wen Shan knew from his expression that he was about to order something. She

'd been doing this trick since she was little, and Wen Shan fell for it, it never failed.

Wen Shan agreed to make everything he wanted, but just as she was about to head to the kitchen, Yinsi frowned and grabbed her again.

"Forget it, mother. It's too hot. Don't go to the kitchen. Let the servants prepare it." Despite

the scorching heat and the smoky kitchen, Yinsi still felt sorry for his mother.

"It's okay. You've just returned, so you should have a proper welcome," Wen Shan said with a smile. Turning to Yinzhen, she asked, "Yinzhen, would you like your wife to join you for dinner?"

Fucha hadn't seen Yinzhen in over two weeks. During that time, she'd often brought Ma Jia and Ulanara to Xianfu Palace to chat with her. At least she liked all three of her daughters-in-law.

After all, they were newlyweds, and Yinzhen had just returned and couldn't be apart, so it was best for them to have a lively meal together.

"No need, mother. Fucha just sent a message saying that her son can have dinner with you in Xianfu Palace," Yinzhen said.

Wen Shan exclaimed, "How considerate!"

When Yinxiang returned from the Shangshufang, he jumped directly into Yinzhen's arms.

"Fourth brother, eighth brother, you're finally back!"

Yinxiang was now eight years old and quite heavy. He threw himself into Yinzhen's arms like he had when he was little, causing Yinzhen to stumble and almost fall.

Yinsi saw this and pulled him out.

"You're so old, yet you're throwing yourself at fourth brother? Don't you see how much you weigh now?"

Yinxiang made a face. "Eighth brother, you're scolding me as soon as you get back."

Yinsi rubbed his head. "Nothing's happened in the palace these days, has it?"

"Yes, the Emperor sent the Fifth Princess to be raised by Mother in the Yanxi Palace."

"As expected," Yinsi said. "How could the Fifth Princess be allowed to stay in the Yonghe Palace when it's sealed off?"

"She can't be in the Yanxi Palace either."

Yinxiang was still furious when he mentioned this, and began to complain to Yinzhen and Yinsi about how the Fifth Princess was acting tyrannically and committing crimes in the Yanxi Palace.

Yinzhen shook his head and said, "You're exaggerating. Concubine Min is still there. How could she allow the Fifth Princess to be so arrogant and domineering?"

Yinxiang touched his nose guiltily. Okay, he admitted that what he said just now was a little bit fictional, but the arrival of the fifth princess did make the Yanxi Palace feel a lot more uncomfortable.

Yinsi chuckled and said casually: "Old Thirteen, I think you have been living too comfortably in the past few years. If you have any problems, just come to me and my fourth brother and find a solution yourself."

Even for such a small matter, he had to wait for the two of them to come back. Old Thirteen was really lazy.

Yinxiang just gave up.

"Everyone in the palace is in your hands, Eighth Brother. It's just a matter of your words. Why should I bother with this effort?"

Who would want to work hard with Yinzhen and Yinsi around?

Let him live freely for a few more years, and then work for them when he enters the court.

Yinzhen glanced at Yinsi and knew that he didn't really not want to help Yinxiang, but he just had other ideas.

As expected, Yinsi continued, "You'd better ask Concubine Min's opinion first, and don't be so impulsive."

Yinxiang thought it made sense, so he nodded and planned to ask Concubine Min and Wen Kedunke's opinions tomorrow. If they also disliked the Fifth Princess, he would find a way to move her to another place.

Wenshan soon came to call them for dinner. Yinxiang responded crisply and took Yinzhen and Yinsi out.

During dinner, Yinxiang also discussed the Crown Prince's situation, which was now the most exciting event.

"The Emperor's intention is to make a big deal out of a small matter. Big brother is furious and can't understand why the Emperor doesn't pursue the matter." Yinxiang scoffed. Big brother needs to

work on his mental toughness. Such a small matter made him so angry that he threw a lot of things around the palace. It is said that he almost accidentally injured Irgen Jueluo who came to mediate.

Wen Shan asked, "What is the Crown Prince doing now?"

"There's no punishment, so he's doing what needs to be done," Yinsi said as he walked around. "But the Crown Prince will probably be busy soon."

Yinxiang, keenly sensing a hidden agenda, chased after Yinsi to find out what was going on.

Wen Shan's curiosity was piqued, and she and Yinxiang stared eagerly at Yinzhen and Yinsi.

Knowing Wen Shan loved to hear such gossip, Yinsi recounted the Crown Prince's affairs with Wang Shi in vivid detail.

Wen Shan gasped.

"The Crown Prince has another child?"

It had only been so long since the Yun Dai incident, and the Crown Prince clearly only remembered the good things and not the punishments.

Yinsi spread his hands and said, "We didn't expect that either. Besides, the Crown Prince has already replaced her. Yaerha just found a scapegoat."

Wen Shan has been busy lately preparing the Crown Prince's wedding with Tong Jia and Rong Fei. The Crown Prince's wedding is a major event, and Kangxi attaches great importance to it, even allowing Guaer Jia to be carried into the palace through the Qianqing Gate on the wedding day, a privilege reserved for the Empress.

So, Wen Shan felt that if Kangxi found out about the Crown Prince's pregnant mistress, he would be irritated by this precious child and his life would be shortened by several years.

"The Crown Prince's wedding is already underway. Now..." Wen Shan sighed, "Can't the Crown Prince just hold back? After the wedding, he can have as many concubines as he wants." There

's no need to be so secretive and cause himself trouble.

"There's a saying in folklore: A wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a secret lover. It's the same principle," Yinsi said with a smile.

Yinzhen held his forehead and said, "Eighth brother, Thirteenth brother is still here."

Yinsi glanced at Yinxiang. This wasn't really an eight-year-old child, so what was there to be afraid of?

The Crown Prince had committed such a serious mistake, so Yinzhen and Yinsi naturally wouldn't let it go so easily. However, Yinxiang was a little worried.

"The Crown Prince's missteps in the Shaanxi disaster relief effort were fueled by the eldest prince. The Emperor, with his keen eyes and understanding, naturally understands that if we expose this matter now, given the Emperor's suspicious nature, we'll probably end up in trouble."

The Crown Prince's mistakes were one thing, but the fact that the other princes were so anxious to expose the Crown Prince's faults to Kangxi one by one was another.

The eldest prince still didn't understand this, which was why he was always confused as to why he ended up in such trouble even though it was the Crown Prince who committed the crime.

"Don't worry, everything will be arranged naturally." Yinsi smiled slightly and said: "What you should worry about now is how to solve the problem of Yanxi Palace."

"My fourth brother and I will not help you."

Yinxiang: "..."

Eighth brother's malicious intentions are really getting more and more!

Wenshan covered her mouth and laughed. Yinsi was a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. In fact, he loved Yinxiang more than anyone else. How could he not care?

He just liked to tease Yinxiang.

After dinner, he chatted with Wenshan for a while. After seeing that it was getting late, the three brothers left.

Yinsi and Yinxiang now lived in Ganxi Wusuo. Yinxiang even moved into the house where Yinzhen used to live and became Yinsi's neighbor. Naturally, Yinzhen returned to Chonghua Palace.

Yinzhen and Yinsi still had to discuss the matter of the crown prince, so Yinsi prepared to sneak into Chonghua Palace under the cover of night. Yinxiang claimed that he had to think about how to deal with the fifth princess, so he did not go with his two brothers and returned to Ganxi Wusuo alone.

Yinzhen watched Yinxiang leave angrily and shook his head helplessly. "Why do you always like teasing Thirteenth Brother?"

He knew his Eighth and Thirteenth Brothers had both been reborn, and were likely more mature mentally than he was. He could accept Yinsi's precocious intelligence from a young age, but Yinxiang had always looked like a normal child, seemingly simply enjoying the opportunity of a new life. Therefore, Yinzhen had always found it difficult to treat Yinxiang and Yinsi as adults. He

was clearly a mischievous and playful child.

With his hands behind his back, Yinsi said slowly, "Fourth Brother, don't worry about him. Thirteenth Brother is just too lazy to think. Find him something to do so he doesn't spend all day in the Shangshufang irritating Master Zhang."

Yinxiang was born with good looks. As he grew older, his resemblance to Kangxi, originally 23%, now reached 45%. Kangxi was even more captivated and doted on his youngest son.

As the two of them were taking a short path to Chonghua Palace, Yinsi suddenly remembered he had some intel at Ganxi Wusuo, so he went back there to pack some things. Unexpectedly, he ran into Longkodo on the way.

"Your humble servant greets the Eighth Prince."

Yinsi squinted his eyes and looked at him. "Longkodo?"

"Get up! It's so late, and you're still in the palace. Are you on duty today?"

Yinsi continued walking towards Ganxi Wusuo. Longkodo had clearly been waiting for him on this necessary route, and soon caught up with him. "Yes, your humble servant is on duty today. I heard that the Eighth and Fourth Princes had returned to the palace, so I thought I'd come and pay my respects."

Yinsi gave him a half-smile and said, "Come on, there's no outsiders here. Just say whatever you want."

As they spoke, they had already reached Yinsi's residence. The eunuchs saw Longkodo follow him in, but they weren't surprised or curious. They just went about their business, guarding the gate.

This was the first time that Longkodo had come so boldly to meet Yinsi in Ganxiwu. The dealings between the Tong family and Yinsi were all private, and Tong Guowei often told him not to appear too close to the Eighth Prince in the palace. However, this time the matter was sudden and urgent, so he didn't care about so much.

He also hadn't expected the usually cautious Eighth Prince to bring him into the Ganxi Fifth Residence. The Eighth Prince's compound was indeed as secure as an iron barrel, presumably meaning he wasn't afraid of any news leaking out.

Yinsi, however, was sweating profusely, constantly lamenting his return. Otherwise, Longkodo wouldn't have been waiting for him all night, and if he found out he hadn't returned to the Ganxi Fifth Residence, it would have been difficult to explain.

"Lord Longkodo, is there something you need so late?" Yinsi sat down at the table and gestured for Longkodo to sit down as well.

Xiao Shunzi served them tea and then left, closing the door behind him and guarding it outside.

"Have you heard, Eighth Prince, about the disaster relief minister recommended by the Crown Prince accepting bribes?" Longkodo asked.

Yinsi took a sip of tea and smiled faintly, "Of course. Even outside the capital, news of such a major event would have spread."

"The Shaanxi Governor is the eldest prince's ally. This time, it was the governor and the eldest prince who deliberately allowed the disaster to spread to this extent. I have some evidence. Eighth Prince, do you think we're catching the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole waits behind?"

Longkodo confidently thought he had offered Yinsi a good strategy.

"Is this also what Tong Guowei meant?" Yinsi asked.

Longkodo continued without comment, "Eighth Prince, you may not know this. The Crown Prince recommended Wang Kuo for more than just thirty thousand taels of silver. Wang Kuo also offered his daughter to the Crown Prince. Now, Wang Kuo is pregnant and the Crown Prince is secretly hiding her in a courtyard in the capital."

Longkodo's words were filled with confidence, as if he felt they demonstrated the Tonggiya clan's extraordinary abilities.

Yinsi felt a headache. When would Longkodo stop talking to himself?

"Oh, is that true?" Despite this, Yinsi appeared to be quite cooperative and surprised.

But in reality, it was he who had leaked the information to the Tong family.

"It is indeed true," Longkodo said. "I have verified that the Crown Prince, through the Minister of Justice, Yaerha, smuggled Wang, the daughter of a convicted official who was originally exiled to Ningguta. Eighth Prince, if the Emperor learns of this, it will be a serious crime." "

Trying to bring down the eldest prince and the Crown Prince in one fell swoop?" Xinsi said with a smile, "Prime Minister Tong has a truly formidable appetite."

But Yinsi hadn't expected that he had underestimated Tong Guowei's audacity.

"Eighth Prince, don't forget that Minister of Justice Nuomin is also the Fourth Prince's father-in-law. Although Nuomin's daughter is only a concubine, she is also a member of the Fourth Prince's team."

The more Longkodo spoke, the more impressed he was by his father's meticulousness. He had managed to tangle up the three remaining princes in the battle for the throne.

Yinsi frowned and asked calmly: "Oh, what does this mean?"

Longkodo said confidently: "Although the prisoner exchange was done by Yaerha, Nuomin, as the Minister of Justice, is also guilty of negligence. At that time, the censors will jointly petition the emperor to dismiss Nuomin from the position of Minister."

"Killing three birds with one stone, it is indeed a good plan." Yinsi nodded thoughtfully.

Longkodo said, "That's why I hurried to meet with the Eighth Prince at night. If we plan properly this time, the First Prince, the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Prince will all suffer heavy losses."

"Didn't Tong Guowei tell you there's another possibility?" Yinsi raised his head and said, "It's well known that the Emperor favors the Crown Prince. It's also possible that the

Emperor will suppress this matter as always." "Don't worry, Eighth Prince. As your humble servant

, I'm confident that this matter won't be suppressed." Tong Guowei meant that this time it was time to give it a try. If they could succeed, Yinsi's chances of ascending the throne would greatly increase.

Yinsi remained silent, but asked, "Have you sent anyone to protect Wang? I'm afraid Soetu won't let her survive."

"Eighth Prince is truly a master of foresight. Soetu has already sent someone to assassinate her once, but fortunately Wang survived. Otherwise, we would be missing a crucial witness."

Yinsi nodded and said nothing more before letting Longkodo leave.

A quarter of an hour after Longkodo left, Xiao Shunzi came in.

"Master, Lord Longkodo has gone back to his wing to rest."

Rest? He thought the kid would be too excited to sleep that night.

"Pack up and go to Chonghua Palace."

Yinsi was obviously much later when he arrived at Chonghua Palace than when he went back to get some things, but Yinsi didn't send anyone to inform him that he wouldn't be coming, so Yinzhen kept waiting for him.

"What took you so long?"

"Longkodo came to see me." Yinsi slumped down on the couch, put his arms behind his head, and tilted his head to look at Yinzhen, who was sitting upright, reading something.

"That old fellow, Tong Guowei, has a big appetite. He wants to devour the eldest prince, the crown prince, and you all in one gulp."

Yinzhen put down his food, thought for

a moment, and said, "Nuomin?" Yinsi nodded. "I did miss that trick. Tsk, what a hassle."

"Then we'll have to have Nuomin report this himself before Tong Guowei does," Yinzhen said. "If Tong Guowei's men actually accuse him of dereliction of duty, that'll be troublesome too."

"Not only that, but we'll have to have Nuomin speak privately to the Emperor," Yinsi said with a smile.

Yinzhen understood and immediately wrote Nuomin a private letter.

The next day, Nuomin hurriedly submitted a secret memorial to Kangxi.

After reading it, Kangxi summoned him to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Is this the truth?"

Nuomin immediately knelt and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. However, since this concerns His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I dare not act rashly and can only report this to the Emperor in secret."

Nuomin's memorial detailed the events in such detail that it gave Kangxi a headache.

"Get up! You've done well."

"I am guilty of negligence, allowing the prisoner to be lost, and therefore I dared not get up."

Kangxi rubbed his forehead and waved his hand, saying, "I told you to get up, so you got up."

Nuomin's ability to report this to him in secret had already averted a storm, so Kangxi naturally did not intend to pursue such a trivial matter.

"Have you found out where that Wang is now?" Kangxi asked.

Nuomin replied, "We are still investigating, but if it's the Crown Prince... I'm afraid it will be difficult to find."

"Don't worry about him. Find her for me."

"Yes."

Kangxi wanted to say something else, but he didn't say it, waving Nuomin away.

"Liang Jiugong, call the prince here. I have something to ask him."