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wangsejabin · 2 years ago

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Chapter 107

If Zong Cong had stayed with her for the night, Pan Er hadn't thought much about it.

But the next day, she had already planned to go back to the Eastern Pal xace, but he still had no intention to let her go back, so Pan'er guessed that there might be some deeper meaning here.

She couldn't ask him if he didn't tell her, but when she saw that he had brought back all the folders to read and had asked Fulu to bring her some books to pass the time, she had no choice but to take them and read them.

There was a kang bed by the window, and Pan'er sat on it.

At first she thought that this was the Qianqing Palace and that she had to be more or less respectful, but gradually she forgot about it and became more and more indolent. She was originally sitting, but gradually she became reclined, and then she became lying on her back.

On the side of the table, in addition to the pastries, there were two fruit trays with dates and pomegranates, and a plate of grapes.

The grapes had already been eaten by Pan'er, so she began to nibble on the dates again.

The dates were particularly sweet at this time of year, with thin skin and plenty of flesh, fragrant and crisp, but the only bad thing was that they made a noise when eaten.

Standing by the door with his head down, he listened to the rustling of the pencil and paper in the room, and then suddenly there was a sound in the middle that made his teeth sink.

Click, click, click ......

When he looked up, he saw that Master Su was lounging on the bed, eating dates and reading a book. He glanced at the end of the book, saw that his master had stopped writing, and glanced over there too.

He looked but didn't say anything, and naturally Fulu didn't dare to say anything.

Click bzz, click bzz ......

After clicking and sizzling for a while, Zong Cong put down his vermilion pen and came to sit on the edge of the bed.

"So tasty?"

"Sweet, don't believe me, try it." She passed her hand over, only to realise that she had taken a bite out of this one and was about to shrink back to get a whole one, who knew that he had taken his hand and eaten that date.

"It's quite sweet indeed." He said.

He reached for one and shoved it back into her hand before saying, "I'm going to redo those courtyards between Ning Shou Palace and Yan Xi Palace, and give them to Wan Yin and the girls to live in when the time comes. Zong Yue and the others will not live in the Fifth House of Qianxi, but in the Third House of South, which is close to Ning Shou Palace, and the Fifth House of Qianxi will be reserved for my younger brothers, who are not yet adults, and will be close to Father's Hall of the Nurtured Heart."

Pan'er knew where the South Third House was, but did not know that there were several other courtyards between the Yanxi Palace and the Ning Shou Palace, probably because in her previous life she had lived in the West Sixth Palace and was not very clear about some of the corners of the East Sixth Palace.

"Down the east a long street out is, there is a spacious place, from the Ning Shou Palace is also close, I let Zhang Laishun lead you to take a look, just so you can also pick a courtyard for Wan Yin, and see how to decorate it."

As soon as this was mentioned, Pan'er's interest was aroused, her daughter would be living there in the future until she got married, so she naturally had to take a look.

Looking at it, she still gave him a look, "Do you think I'm making a lot of noise here?"

Zong Cong chuckled and rubbed her forehead, "Knowingly."

"You can't blame me for that, eating dates makes noise."

Why did you eat them if they made a sound? Making an indecent sound in front of the emperor was a breach of etiquette before the imperial court.

Pan'er had done it on purpose, but instead of falling for the trap, he had used something else to get rid of her, and she had been willingly supported.

When she left the main door of the palace and walked towards the Dragon Gate, Pan'er walked with extra restraint.

She didn't know most of the people in the Qianqing Palace, and since Emperor Cheng'an hadn't moved away yet, she felt constrained at the thought of it.

She could not help but breathe a sigh of relief when she left the Dragon Gate, and Zhang Laishun had a smile on his face as he moved forward and said, "Master Su, this way."

The group consisted of Pan'er and Xiang Pu, Zhang Laishun and two eunuchs accompanying her. When they passed by Jingren Palace, Pan'er could not help but glance at them.

Zhang Laishun said, "The people inside are being moved out. His Majesty has ordered that when the people inside are moved out, the inside will be completely renovated to ensure that the master will have a new look when he moves in."

Hearing the words, Pan'er could not help but ask, "Who is the lady who lives here?"

"It's Her Highness Consort Gao, but it's not Her Highness anymore, it's Her Ladyship Consort Gao."

Pan'er's mind dawned on her, no wonder it was said to be completely renovated, it was indeed to be renovated.

The refurbishment was just a superficial word, I guess they had to dig into the ground and check it out before they could live in it with confidence. After all, there are a lot of strange ways to harm people in the palace, since they let Gao Guifei move her palace, she must have guessed that it was for the new emperor's concubines to live in. If something harmful is left behind, it is crucial that the people who live there do not notice it, and then there is no telling what will happen.

As they spoke, the group had crossed the Yanxi Palace and reached the far end of the long street.

There is a door, the most numerous in the Forbidden City, some doors are named and some are not, and this door is the one without a name.

According to Zhang Laishun several courtyards here used to be empty and were later given to some of the imperial emperor's unpopular concubines to live in. So not only was the door nameless, but the courtyards inside were also unmarked, with several people living in one courtyard, so it was no wonder that Zong Cong said it needed to be repaired.

There are exactly six courtyards, not as big as any of the palaces in the Six Eastern Palaces, but they are not too small, and there is enough room for the county princesses.

There are six courtyards running from south to north, so Pan'er didn't pick and chose the second courtyard and went in to have a look. Naturally, the main body of the courtyard did not need to be touched, but it was the details that needed to be repaired, including the bricks in the courtyard, which had to be dug up and replaced.

Pan'er made a mental note of the overall structure of the courtyard, intending to go back and decorate a boudoir for her daughter.

Yes, a boudoir.

When Pan'er was young, what she wanted most was to have a boudoir of her own.

At that time, the Su family's house was not big enough for her to live in, so she slept with Yao Jinzhi when she was young, but when she got older, it was a headache. One of the reasons for sending her to foster care later was that there was no room for her at home. After all, the Su family has two sons, Su Jiang and Su Hai still live in the same house, so we can't let Pan'er go and live with her two brothers.

This is also why Pan'er has a great interest in decorating the house.

When they returned, Pan'er went to work, but after an afternoon of work she only managed to create a prototype. She was a good painter, but only in the abstract kind of landscape painting, so when it came to the more detailed ones, she was a bit confused and had to take her time.

However, it gave her a lot of time to kill, and in the afternoon Zong Cong also went out, and according to Zhang Laishun

Zhang Laishun said he was going to the imperial study, after all, this was only the place where the new emperor was staying for the time being, so it was natural that he could not be here to see the minister.

In the evening, Zong Cong came back at almost eleven o'clock, and was still a little surprised to see that Pan'er had not taken her meal.

" I ate a snack and wanted to wait for His Majesty to return to use it together."

Obviously this person was used to thinking too much, and her eyes only went to Fu Lu. But Fu Lu was innocent too, he had been following his master's side, and he didn't know about Master Su's side of things.

"Go and ask Zhang Laishun."

Fu Lu busied himself and went down.

Pan'er explained, "I really just wanted to wait for you, I didn't expect you to come back so late."

"I had a discussion with the minister and lost track of time for a moment."

I'm afraid it wasn't just this once, the Jianping Emperor had been like this a lot in the past, or else he wouldn't have become ill with strain later.

Pan'er gave him a look and did not say so explicitly, but said, "Busy as you are, you must have your meal. Don't blame Zhang Laishun, he asked if the meal should be served, and it was I who wanted to wait for you together. Don't blame Zhang Laishun, he asked if he would pass the meal, but I wanted to wait for you." "Xiang Pu, tell Eunuch Fu to arrange for someone to pass the meal."

"Yes."

Zong Cong was obviously hungry and ate much more than usual.

Pan'er saw it in his eyes and took it to heart, and when the two of them had finished eating after the meal, they rested, and Pan'er talked to him about the ideas she had for how to arrange the courtyard after seeing it.

It was all trivial, and Zong Cong was obviously a little distracted, but he answered her one by one.

He told Fulu and Zhang Laishun to make arrangements once they had decided. If you want furnishings or anything else, you can go to the House of Internal Affairs and have them take note of it. The other side of the palace is that it will be a while before it is rebuilt, so you can think about how you want to fix it and arrange it in advance.

Pan'er was really tired for him, he had to think about calming her down after all the work outside.

She buried herself in his arms and stroked his chest, which had lost so much weight recently that she could almost feel his ribs underneath, and said, "Go to sleep, I know you must be sleepy, and I'm sleepy too."

The night went on without a word.

Early the next morning, before it was even light outside, Zong Cong woke up.

Pan'er was still asleep, so he didn't call her. He put her away and got up gently, and was about to go to the outer room to change and wash up, when Pan'er yawned and sat up too.

"I will serve Your Majesty to change."

"You can sleep a little longer, it's still early."

"It's not early, I should go back to the Eastern Palace after accompanying His Majesty to breakfast."

Zong Cong was pulling on his outer shirt when he suddenly stopped moving, he made a gesture and Fu Lu and the others retreated in a line of fish. He turned around and came to sit in front of the bed.

"I haven't kicked you out, you're in a hurry to go back."

Pan'er smiled and said, "I can't stay just because Your Majesty hasn't expelled me, it's not in order after all."

Zong Cong looked at the top of her hair and sighed slightly for a long time, and his tone lowered considerably.

"I was going to give you the position of Imperial Noble Consort, but the position of Imperial Noble Consort is the same as Deputy Empress, which has never been established before in this dynasty, and it is also the beginning of my ascension to the throne, the Emperor is still alive, the Prince of Qi and other people have a hundred feet of worms that are dead but not stiff, if you are made Imperial Noble Consort, it will make people think that the position of the Empress is unstable, and there will be chaos, which is not in line with the overall situation. Rest assured, after two years, I will ......"

"Alright, Your Majesty, I understand." She buried herself in his arms.

From the moment he had called her to Qianqing Palace without complying with the system, she had understood what he meant, including keeping her here for two days, including choosing a palace for her, choosing a place for Wan Yin to live, and so on, all to compensate her.

The compensation he thought he was making. In fact, Pan'er didn't even think that he wanted to make herself an Imperial Noble Consort at first, after all, in her previous life she was made an Imperial Noble Consort in large part because Emperor Jianping wanted to suppress Empress Chen and because she gave birth to Little Sixteen.

Because he wanted to make her Imperial Consort, but had to give up the idea for the time being in order to keep the overall situation in mind, he felt guilty and put her in a position of great favour as soon as he ascended the throne.

The two nights she was summoned to the Qianqing Palace before she was even given a proper name, no one would dare to neglect her in the following days, whether it was the Eastern Palace or the Forbidden City.

"I really understand that there is actually no difference between a noble consort and an imperial noble consort." She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered.

Zong Cong had long known that she was understanding, but for the first time her kindness made him feel a little inhibited, and he didn't know what to say, he could only rub and pat her back.

After breakfast, Zong Cong had to go to court.

This was the first time Pan'er (in this life) had seen him dressed so formally, the bright yellow dragon robe made him look very majestic, diluting the gentle aura and adding a bit of sharpness that made people not dare to look directly at him.

"It's still light outside, you can sleep a little longer before you go back."

Pan'er did not refuse, and when Zong Cong had left, she turned her head back to sleep. After all, he had helped her erect the stage, and there was no reason for her to stop halfway.

She slept until six o'clock, and when she got up, Pan'er went back to the Eastern Palace, still on the same sedan she had been on when she had arrived.

When she returned to the Eastern Palace, she was greeted by Aunt Qing with her people, all with happy faces, except for Aunt Qing, who was a little hesitant to speak.

When she returned to the house, she was about to talk when someone came to report that the decree of the Grand Seal had arrived and that the Crown Princess had summoned everyone to the Hall of Virtue.

At this moment, the Hall of Virtue was also full of joy and even a little excitement.

The decree was issued by His Majesty, and as this was his wife and concubine, the eunuchs did not have any attitude, and when they arrived at Jide Hall, they let slip the news that the Crown Princess was to be crowned.

The ceremony was not to be taken lightly, and incense was laid out and preparations were made.

The second concubine was not fit to be present, so she had to stay in the house. After all the concubines in the Eastern Palace had arrived and knelt down in order to receive the decree, the eunuch unfolded the bright yellow decree and read it out.

"By the Emperor's decree, the Crown Prince Consort Chen is diligent and meek, graceful and pure, with a gentle nature ......"

First the Crown Princess, then Pan'er, then Hu Liangdi and the others.

The Crown Prince Consort was, without surprise, crowned Empress, Pan'er was Noble Consort, Hu Liangdi was Consort Shu, Xu Liangyuan was Consort De, and He Liangyuan was Consort Xian. Li Liangyuan and Zhao Xiyue were made Imperial Concubines, Ma Fengyi and Qian Fengyi and Qiao Fengyi were made noble ladiees, and none of the concubines of the Eastern Palace were removed.

Li Liangyuan was slightly surprised that she was treated like a Concubine, but she did not dare to say anything on this occasion.

#mtl #yingchong

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gilthairpins · 3 months ago

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Book 2 Chapter 7: Good or Bad Fortune is Never Expected

When the plum blossom bloom, it is the 53rd year of Kangxi’s reign.

I was giving instructions to two eunuchs holding axes and machetes when Fourteenth came over from afar. We greeted him.

“Such a big show! What are you doing?” He asked with a smile.

“Picking plum blossoms.” I replied.

He scoffed. “I thought you were going to chop down the entire plum tree!”

I instructed the eunuchs to put away the ladder and I tilted my head. “This is why you are so narrow minded. Usually, plum blossoms are placed on tables, but the vase is limited in size. My vase is much bigger now, how could it not match?”

“A vase that is too big would be too clumsy and not necessarily worthy of the plum blossom.” He said.

“How about the pair of vases that Ryukyu sent as tribute at the end of last year?” I asked with a smile.

Fourteenth thought a moment and then grinned. “It’s worthy of it! Although it is large, it has an elegant shape and crystal-clear and a mellow color. Even the emperor liked it very much. He has kept it in his room since it was presented as tribute and enjoys it every day. The emperor’s idea is really fresh and unique!”

“It wasn’t the emperor’s intention. It was my own idea.” I said smiling. I made a square with my hands and looked at the plum blossoms through the square. I gestured a while before making a decision. The two eunuchs quickly chopped it down as I said.

I went to look for another suitable plum tree. As I was checking it out, I asked Fourteenth, who had been following me, “Aren’t you going to be busy with your own work?”

“I have nothing to do. I came to pay my respects to the emperor. Anyway, it’s on the way. I’ll go with you later. The warm room is so small. One plant is enough. Two plants will be unsightly.” He said.

“I plan on giving one to the empress dowager. The emperor had said a few days ago, ‘I should take a vase and send you to Ningshou Palace. Wouldn’t it be beautiful with the plum blossoms?’” I said.

I pointed to the plum tree and asked, “Is this one good? I don’t know how to choose in this moment. Please help me Master Fourteen!”

He looked closely and said, “The one in the back looks a bit better.”

I tilted my head to study the branches. “The branches in front are more elegant; the branches in back are more sharp and sturdy.” After a pause I said, “Let’s go with the one in the back!”

He watched without saying a word, smiling, and then quietly told the eunuch how to cut it.

The two eunuchs carried each a tree and followed us until we reached Qianqing Palace where they waited outside. I followed Fourteenth into the warm room.

After paying our respects, I bowed to Kangxi saying, “I have cut down two plum trees and plan to place them in these two vases. When the emperor is reviewing memorials, he can also enjoy the plum trees while appreciating the vases. The vases and plums complement each other.”

Kangxi glanced at the vase and told me to go. After paying my respects, I went to instruct the eunuchs to fill the vase with water and insert the plums. Kangxi stood and paced around for a while. Pointing at the vase on the left he smiled. “Both are good choices! I like this one better.”

Fourteenth smiled at me and I grinned back. “I dare not take the credit for this. This plant was picked by Fourteenth.”

Kangxi glanced at Fourteenth and said, “It’s just that these two plums in the room make it seem a bit crowded and undermines the elegance and elegance of the plum blossoms.”

“The empress dowager also likes plum blossoms. Why not send a vase over there?” Fourteenth said.

Kangxi sighed, “I forgot for a moment! That makes sense.”

Li Dequan, who was standing by, quickly asked someone to prepare this. He bowed and asked, “Your majesty, which vase do you want to send?”

Kangxi smiled and pointed to the one I had picked. Li Dequan quickly ordered someone to carry this out.

He smiled and took a copy of a memorial from the table and handed it to Li Dequan after reading it. “Take a look.” Kangxi said.

Fourteenth took it and handed it back once reading it.

“Should it be banned?” Kangxi asked.

“In my opinion, the ministry of revenue’s request to ban small coins is unnecessary. If something is beneficial to the people, the people will follow it; if it is not beneficial to the people, even if enforced by law, it will not last long.” Fourteenth said.

Kangxi nodded and said, “Everything must be done to benefit the people. If it is not convenient for the people, and we only talk of enforcing law, what is the strict use of prohibitions?” As he spoke, he wrote down on the memorial with one stroke.

I stood quietly to the side thinking that Kangxi must really like Fourteenth very much now. The father and son have similar temperaments. Thinking of this, I suddenly felt uneasy. Yutan brought over tea and I quickly suppressed my thoughts. I stepped forward to take the tray and replace the slightly cold tea on Kangxi’s table.

The eunuch who had gone to deliver the plum blossoms returned.

“The empress dowager was delighted with the flowers and vase. It was so great that he quickly sent people to invite the empress to come and enjoy the blossoms together. She also rewarded the servants generously and asked them to convey the message, ‘thank you very much for your filial piety, your majesty!’”

Kangxi smiled and nodded. He waved his hand to signal him to leave.

As time went by, the situation gradually became clear. In addition to Third, who had always been trusted by Kangxi and participated in the decision making affairs of court, Fourteenth was increasingly valued by Kangxi. Gradually the court officials also began to agree with Fourteenth, changing their ‘wait and see’ attitude.

Eighth was still friendly and graceful. Fourteenth still put Eighth first in everything. I couldn’t guess what Eighth was thinking in the face of Kangxi’s completely different attitude, and I didn’t want to guess.

Fourth acted as if everything had nothing to do with him and he knew nothing. He came to pay his respects to Kangxi every day, but rarely talked of state affairs. No one could be more pure minded and indifferent than he.

When the autumn wind stated in August, Kangxi went out to hunt. He left Fourteenth in the capital to assist with affairs of state accompanied by Third, Fourth, Eighth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth.

Fiftheenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth had no interest in competing for the throne, nor did they have the ability to do so. Fourth had the image of a hermit who was detached from the mundane world. Although Third had ambitions for the throne, he had always been on the sidelines. Eighth was under the strong suppression of Kangxi and acted much more cautious and low key.

Fourth and Eighth treated each other the same as they treated their other brothers, without the slightest difference. The one who was as gentle and still as water, the other as a warm and still spring breeze. At first glance it was unexpected that there was harmony and no disputes. Zuoying and Minmin didn’t come this year. Yutan suddenly caught a cold before leaving, so she had to stay in Beijing. I couldn’t even find anyone to talk to in such a big camp.

Lying on the grass and staring at the starry sky, my mind was a mess. Fourth was cold and distant to me from the outside to the inside. Eighth was gentle on the outside, but he was cold to the bone on the inside. They actually had the same goal. I felt bitter in my heart and smiled bitterly.

The horse beside me neighed loudly startling me. I sat up suddenly and looked around. Not far away a man responded and turned around catching sight of me sitting up. Our eyes met and he turned and walked away. I felt extremely wronged and on impulse, jumped up to chase after him.

Stopping Fourth, I asked him, “Am I a scourge? Why are you…?”

As I spoke, my heart ached and I suddenly wondered what I was doing. There was no result, so why bother? I shook my head, no longer looking at him. I walked away quickly to the side of my horse. The horse snorted and rubbed its head against me. I reached out and hugged the horse’s neck, resting my head on its mane, tears falling silently.

I embraced the horse for a long time. Eventually it became impatient and tried to shake me off. I let go, muttering, “Even you despise me.”

A low sigh came from behind me and in an instant my whole body froze like a stone pillar. There was a hint of joy and sadness in my heart. I slowly turned to face him. Fourth stared at me and reached out to wipe away the tears on my face. I couldn’t hold it back any longer and cried in his arms. He held me tightly in his arms, but he was stiff.

After crying for a long time, the grievance and sadness in my heart gradually faded away, and my rationality slowly returned. I knew I shouldn’t do this, but I was greedy for his embrace. After struggling for a while I felt that things couldn’t get any worse. I have nothing now, so why am I still weighing it? I tiptoed and kissed his cheek. His body stiffened.

I whispered softly in his ear, “I haven’t forgotten you yet, and you are not allowed to forget me!”

I was in a good mood after saying this. It turned out that this is what I really thought in my heart. Even if you cannot marry me, you are not allowed to forget me. At least you’re not allowed to forget me before I forget you! I know that I am selfish and willful, but we only have some thoughts about each other in our hearts.

He stared at me for a while and said, “There is heavy dew at night and your legs can’t get cold, hurry back.” He then turned around and walked away quickly.

My legs can’t get cold? How do you know? Looking at his back, I felt a bit sweet in my heart.

I picked up the cloak from the ground and led the horse, following him at a distance. He never looked back, but he slowed his steps, matching my pace so I wouldn’t fall too far behind. We returned to camp one after the other.

As the second anniversary of concubine Liang’s death was approaching, Eighth asked emperor Kangxi for permission to leave, saying that he wanted to go pay tribute to his deceased mother. Emperor Kangxi granted his request and Eighth took his people and left on his own.

Soon after he had left, Kangxi ordered camp to move back to Beijing. Kangxi had gained a lot with this hunting trip and all the princes and ministers praised him, “Your majesty is still as vigorous as he was in the past and we cannot compare to him!”

Old people always like to be praised for their youth and strength. Kangxi was no exception. He was very happy to hear this, so on November 26, when he arrived at the temporary palace to rest, he held a banquet for all to enjoy together.

As everyone was chatting and laughing, Wangxi came in and said, “Eighth has sent someone to pay his respects to the emperor!”

Kangxi smiled and called them in.

An old eunuch and a young attendant came in, each carrying a large bird cage covered with black cloth. They knelt down and said to Kangxi, “The prince came to ask after the emperor’s health. As he was too late to come, the prince has said he is waiting for the emperor to return to the capital together at the hot spring. He specially ordered servants to bring two Gaker Falcons to present to the emperor.”

Kangxi laughed and said, “It’s rare that he is so filial. Let’s lift the curtain and have a look.”

The two eunuchs untied the knot and prepared to lift the cover.

Third smiled and said, “This gift from my eighth brother is very thoughtful.”

The emperor had wrote “Haidong” not long ago. The Qing poem praising “there are sixty out of three hundred feather insects, the most handsome is the Haiding Qing, who’s nature is golden and has the virtue of fire, and material reflects the amount of Yao…” the voice of Third reciting visibly froze.

The whole room was suddenly silent as death and everyone’s face turned pale. I stared at the eagle lying in the cage, dying. My mind went blank and my heart seemed to have stop beating. A moment later, my heart was beating wildly, as if it were about to jump out of my chest. I was so shocked and frightened, I didn’t dare look at Kangxi’s face.

In the panic, time passed extremely slowly. It may have only been a moment, but it seemed like a long time. It was so long that I felt I had been staring at the two blue seas for a century. There was a loud noise and tables in front of Kangxi were overturned to the ground. With the sounds of cups and plates falling to the ground, everyone in the room huffed and fell to their knees. Usually Kangxi would get angry occasionally, but never this angry. And usually there was a brother or minister to persuade the emperor to calm down and to give mercy. At this stage, no one dared speak out to persuade him now. Although Kangxi is open minded, the meaning behind a dead eagle made even the bravest and most eloquent ministers dare not speak.

I knelt on the ground with only one thought on my mind: Eighth would never do this. Absolutely not! Although Kangxi didn’t like him, he would never curse Kangxi to death. The most important thing was he would never be this stupid.

Kangxi said, word by word, to Eighth’s attendants- still kneeling on the ground and trembling, “Go back and tell him: from now on, Lian and Huang Shi will be separated and the love between father and son ended!”

The two men were shaking all over and didn’t respond.

“Get out!” Kangxi shouted angrily.

Terrified, the two kowtowed and stumbling, ran out.

Kangxi’s words completely drained my strength, I could no longer kneel properly. His dreams of becoming emperor were over, completely over! It ended with a falling out between father and son.

Kangxi glanced at the ministers and princes kneeling on the ground. He ordered Li Dequan to prepare a letter of decree and Third to draft it. He said slowly, “Yinsi was born to a lowly woman in the Xinzheku, and he has been arrogant and sinister since young. When I was ill before, the ministers recommended Eighth, and I was helpless, so I released Yinreng, who could not be enthroned. For several years, I was extremely depressed. Yinsi still wanted to fulfill his original intention and formed a gang with traitors and villains, secretly doing evil and treacherous things, saying I was old and didn’t have many years left. When it came to the truth, he had been protected by someone, who dared to argue? So he said that he could be protected without any doubt!”

The words spoken in black and white, and without even a basic inquiry, Kangxi did not even give Eighth a chance to explain. An imperial edict sealed off all Eighth’s escape routes. I glanced at the ministers who were kneeling with their heads on the ground. You were full of praise for Eighth, pushing him to the top of the wave, but now, no one is speaking.

“I’m afraid that in the future, there will be brothers who behave like dogs and pigs, relying on my kindness, raising troops for me, and causing trouble. If someone forces me to abdicate and establish Yinsi, I will die with a smile on my face. I am deeply angry especially regarding principles. You all, elder brothers should remember my kindness and obey my will and then be in harmony with the principles of my sons and ministers. Otherwise, when I die in the future, I will be placed in Qianqing Palace and you will fight for it…”

I gritted my teeth and made up my mind. I tried to stand up and move forward, but Wangxi, who was beside me, immediately grabbed my arm and whispered to me.

“You still have a father and brothers and sisters. They are not the princes and grandchildren.”

I paused, staring at Kangxi’s back. My mind was a mess and my body was shaking.

“If you go forward, it will only make the emperor hate Eighth more, and even suspect you as a pawn he had placed besides the emperor to monitor him day and night, which is also a serious crime.”

My heart was completely frozen. I pressed my head to the ground, eyes tightly closed. Tears were falling.

Because Kangxi’s mood suddenly changed, the joy and happiness during the hunting trip to the frontier disappeared. The atmosphere was extremely cold and solemn. Fifth and Fourteenth came to greet him. Both were cautious in their words and actions.

Fifth reported back cautiously, “Eighth fell ill in Tangquan. We sent people to visit him but they were all refused. The other attendants were dismissed, leaving only a few who serve him on a daily basis. They are now on their way back to the capital.”

“Have you sent anyone to check it out?” Kangxi asked Fourteenth.

Fourteenth replied, “I also sent people to visit him, but my brother avoided them.”

“People with dishonest intentions will act in sneaky ways. I’m worried about him. Yinzhen, you go and bring him back yourself.” Kangxi snorted coldly.

Fourteenth bowed and responded. Kangxi ordered him to return to the palace and the guards left immediately. I stared at Fourteenth who was bowing to Kangxi, seeing him off. He got in a carriage and left.

Eighth was ill at home. He returned with Fourteenth. In the past, when princes were ill, Kangxi would allow an imperial physician to report their conditions from time to time, but he ignored Eighth.

I was filled with sorrow, but could only watch helplessly. I often asked myself privately, who did it? I thought about it repeatedly, but couldn’t come to a conclusion.

I heard a knock on my door and got up to answer it. Fourteenth was standing outside the gate. I quickly tried to close the door, but his arm blocked me and he stepped in.

“Let me in. If you have any grievances, let’s talk it out face to face.”

We both stared at each other, stubbornly. This stalemate wasn’t a solution, so I walked away and he came in, closing the door behind him. After entering the house, he opened the window and asked, “Do you hate me for not defending him?”

How could I blame you for something I haven’t done myself?

After thinking for a while, he relaxed his expression and asked tentatively, “Question: when the crown prince was deposed, you threatened the emperor with death in order to plead for Eighth, causing the emperor to draw my sword to kill you. I don’t understand why you didn’t say a word this time.” He continued, “Did you save my brother when you did that? Not only that, but because of your impulsiveness, the emperor feared Eighth’s influence on us brothers. He no longer respected my father, but followed my elder brother. The imperial edict also scolds him. ‘I’m afraid in future there will be brothers who behave like dogs and pigs, relying on my grace, raising troops and causing trouble for me, forcing me to abdicate and establish Yinsi.’ How can my brother bear such a charge now? Six years have passed. Am I still the Yinzhen who impulsively made things worse? Besides, this matter is completely different from last time. Last time the emperor punished my brother only because of the recommendation of the officials angering my father and my brother did nothing wrong. But this time he was disobedient and unfilial, cursing the emperor! Father’s great sin!”

He was silent for a while, he then lowered his head. “The eunuch and attendant who sent the eagle have committed suicide. With the wisdom of the emperor, could it be that he really not see that there was something suspicious in the matter? It took half a year to convict the prince, but why did the emperor convict Mynah without even conducting an investigation? And he issued an imperial decree to inform all civil and military officials in the court?”

I frowned and shook my head.

Fourteenth did not look at me. He lowered his head and stared at the ground and whispered, “The two major charges against the prince when he deposed him for a second time were reported by Eighth Fujin’s uncle, Duke of Zhenguo Jingxi. At that time, we thought we had a good plan to make the emperor depose Second. But now I understand that the emperor had been planing to depose the prince for a long time. We took great pains to collect evidence and report the prince just to please the emperor. The emperor borrowed our power and started investigating the prince with sufficient reason. The emperor was getting older and after the incident with the prince, he hated the court officials for forming factions in the extreme. The emperor, who always acted as a benevolent monarch, showed no mercy to the prince’s faction. Qi Shiwu was nailed to death with iron nails, and Toheqi’s body was ground and ashes were scattered. He was not allowed to be buried. Others were beheaded or exiled. The emperor had deposed the prince from the beginning. After the death of the emperor he has always been on guard against Eighth. The crown prince was gone and Eighth had the upper hand in the second dethronement. The ministers of the court still hoped that the emperor would make Eighth crown prince. Now the only person that the emperor was afraid of was Eighth. The emperor had been trying to weaken Eighth’s influence in court and even issued an edict to forbid ministers from helping elder brothers seek the position of crown prince. However, Eighth’s influence in court should not be underestimated. Because he was respectful to the wise and humble, and was kind and filial, he was the most popular among the scholars in Jiangnan. It can be said that these directly threatened the emperor’s imperial power. Eighth never made any big mistakes in his daily behavior. This killing of the eagle was a good opportunity to strike at Eighth.”

Fourteenth smiled bitterly at me and asked, “Filial piety is most important virtue. If my brother cannot even do the most basic human nature of ‘filial piety’, how can he be praised as the ‘Eighth Sage King’? How can the officials recommend a person who cursed their father? How can the scholars believe him?” Fourteenth said sadly, “Even my brother’s illness due to grief over his mother’s death has become a big joke and a complete hypocrisy. From now on, no matter what my brother does, it will be covered with the words fake. Hypocrites are more despised than real villians. I’m afraid the person who played the trick didn’t expect such a good effect. The emperor easily took advantage of the situation and destroyed the reputation that my brother had worked hard to build for many years.”

I collapsed on a chair. The royal family is ruthless! No wonder Eighth never made any rebuttal from beginning to end. He even confessed his feelings to Kangxi for the recommendation of officials, but this time he just fell ill quietly despite such a serious crime. Because it didn’t matter to Kangxi whether he did it or not. If Kangxi determined that he did it, then he did it.

Kangxi actually treated his own son like this. For the sake of his reputation as a benevolent monarch, he always acted cautiously, and was lenient towards corrupt court officials, but he didn’t even hesitate to destroy his son’s reputation before and after his death.

The bad reputation has already been established. If he does it well, it can be said that he is hypocritical. He pretends to be nice in order to gain false reputation. If he makes a mistake, it will reveal his sinister nature. Fourteenth can think of this and Eighth can certainly think of this. Eighth’s illness is not only out of anger of being framed, but also the chill of Kangxi, the grief of his life’s hard work going down the drain, and the helplessness and despair of being cursed in the world a hundred years later.

After a while, Fourteenth said, “The emperor is determined to make a fuss about this matter and make sure that Eighth will no longer have the power to challenge the throne. In the current situation, the only way to protect Eighth is to protect yourself. Otherwise, if we all collapse at the same time, we will all be doomed together!”

I thought about it for a while, staring at Fourteenth and asked, “How could the eagle sent by Eighth have been dying? It must have been fine when it was sent out. It could have only been tampered with along the way. But the people sent were all people who had been under Eighth for many years and trusted by him. Who could have arranged for such people to be by his side and let those heartless servants do such a big thing behind the scenes? And who could benefit from this?”

Upon hearing this Fourteenth’s face turned pale and he stared at me in disbelief for a long time. He pointed at me angrily with his hand trembling slightly. Finally he shouted, “I misjudged you!” He abruptly got up and slammed the door and left.

I was extremely sad. Was it he who did it? Was he pretending to cover up or was he really disappointed and angry? Fourteenth was now the favorite of Kangxi, no longer the Fourteenth who chased onto the grasslands. The complete downfall of Eighth was very beneficial to him. The original interest group will definitely push out another person. Considering Kangxi’s current love for him, it must be. In this way, the original Eighth’s power can be used for his own use. Faced with the huge temptation of the throne, it’s not impossible for him to give up his brotherly love.

Actually, what is the point of pursuing the matter now? All the people involved have committed suicide, so there can be no witnesses or evidence. But I’m not willing to give up. I want to find out the truth and see how cruel this palace can be!

I would even rather that it was Fourth who did this. Since Thirteenth was imprisoned, Fourth and Eighth have not only been in opposition for the throne, they also have hatred and grudges. They are enemies. Fourth’s actions can only be described as an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But whether from the perspective of the opportunity or the final profit, Fourteenth is more suspicious. Fourteenth, you are Eighth’s close brother since childhood! How could you be so cruel!

#tw: sui mention #tw: suicide

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dinglinewmaterial · 4 months ago

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newkittypoom · 9 months ago

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jin li: silently coughing blood and about to pass out

mo qianqing: rambling about luo jianqing and getting angry that jin li isnt responding

jin li: alright peace out a town

#b reads 反派有话说

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zouyousims · 5 years ago

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sakuraflora · 5 years ago

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Part of our new collection with my friends.

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lam-z · 3 years ago

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Happy Halloween🎃🎃🎃!!!

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psjmj · 4 years ago

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哇，为什么那么好看😍

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canayams-art · 1 year ago

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not me thinking about lqq ascending and meeting mq for the first time now 🥹 for lqq meeting a god he worshiped and prayed to face to face and for mq this being the first time in a long while since someone has looked at him with so much admiration and jdjdjdiejed

ngl i kinda feel like mq's brain would just stop working for a while when he meets lqq, he would have no idea what to do lol

I can’t help thinking mq would have mixed feelings upon meeting lqq and I’m INTO IT.

Like— can you imagine? Mq has no strong affection for Yong’an or its people— not as the new dynasty that overthrew his former home and uprooted his way of life. And what he did in Yong’an was intended to be a kindness to the ghosts of Xianle, not to the living of Yong’an. But!!!! It was still a kindness! And a kindness lqq would recognize even if he didn’t know mq’s origins or the context of mq’s actions. Lqq would be grateful. Mq would be at a total loss.

And that’s!!! Incredibly interesting to think about !!!! Because mq didn’t do it for Yong’an and the spirits of his home probably wouldn’t have thanked him,,,, so why of all people is a prince of Yong’an— a newly made god— so thankful? Mq is always scrutinized and made suspect and his prickly disposition doesn’t help that image. But lqq believes him to be kind and honorable and mq is not used to others seeing that in him.

ALSO!!! The proximity of their ascensions is rattling around in my brain. Lqq was the prince of Yong’an just a few generations after the war so mq by comparison is still a young god by the time lqq joins the heavenly court. Mq is probably respected but not fully trusted by others around him given his history as a servant to xl followed by his assumed betrayal of him in order to secure a place in he heavenly court. But lqq doesn’t know that when he ascends! He only knows the good Xuan Zhen did for his homeland! Mq would be so stumped by the immediate gratitude— how do make prickly retorts at someone who is so direct and sincere with you?

(Side note but meeting lqq might’ve made mq regret how he wanted to strategize against Yong’an during the war. Hard to justify his previous means to an end when someone descended from those he wished to harm is standing there thanking him for all he’s done for them.)

Anyway—!!! This got out of hand and turned into word vomit but my god I am Thinking !!!!!

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luxesims · 2 years ago

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wangsejabin · 2 years ago

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Chapter 114

The Empress Dowager Fu moving the palace this matter was according to Zong Cong's arrangement.

Originally, before the Dragon Boat Festival, the Empress Dowager's things were all packed up, but he said it was close to the Dragon Boat Festival, so it would not be too late to move them after the festival, and also had the Qintian Supervisor calculate an auspicious date.

He had already given the word, so naturally no one else dared to say anything.

I don't know if Empress Chen found out about this, but Pan'er guessed that she might have, because there were a few days when Empress Chen didn't seem too happy.

But the unhappiness did not last long, and Empress Chen returned to her normal self.

It was business as usual, but this time she was keeping an eye on the progress of the renovation of the Six Eastern Palaces and where the princesses were staying. Pan'er did not see her trying to explain anything to the Empress Dowager, nor did she have any intention of going to Qianqing Palace to apologise.

In fact, Pan'er knew that she was right to react in this way. If she showed her weakness and shortness of breath at this time, didn't she show that she had done wrong before? Only by continuing to do so could she save face and honour.

It was probably because Pan'er knew there was so much going on behind the scenes that she was inevitably a little surprised by Empress Chen's reaction, and she even had a vague feeling that her earlier thoughts might have come true.

Empress Chen had indeed thought so.

These days of being the Empress might not have been long, but they had had a tremendous impact on her.

Especially during those days of the New Year festival, as there was no moving palace, she could only follow Empress Dowager Fu, thus triggering a lot of insights. Some of these insights came from envy, others from her own thoughts. Once upon a time she had been confused about how to go on in her own way, but now there was a ready-made example.

This year's festival is also the most beautiful day for Empress Dowager Fu, being an empress is not the end for women in the palace, being an empress dowager and having a son who is the emperor is the true end, the ultimate in life.

The Empress Chen was also unpopular, and even in a more difficult position than she was, with only Su Guifei as a major threat, while Empress Fu had two rivals, Gao Guifei and Zhou Xianfei, as well as a palace full of concubines. Yet she raised the crown prince's and allowed him to succeed to the throne and became the Empress Dowager herself.

Why did Empress Dowager Fu finally win and sit on the phoenix throne and receive worship from everyone? It was because she had a son who would become the Crown Prince.

So she is now just short of having a son who will be the Crown Prince.

After the Empress Dowager moved to the Ning Shou Palace, Empress Chen did not rush to move in.

Instead, she had the House of Internal Affairs simply refurbish it as well. By this time, the Six Eastern Palaces and the Princess's Courtyard had been repaired, and it only took the House of Internal Affairs about ten days to concentrate on it.

An auspicious day was chosen and the Empress officially moved her palace to Kunning Palace.

Because the empress moved the palace, the momentum is extraordinarily different, specifications than the Empress Dowager moved the palace only the next level, Pan'er and other concubines dressed in auspicious clothes, line in front of the Kunning Palace Hall, to welcome the empress as the mistress of the harem.

After the Empress had moved her palace, it was time for the other concubines. It was planned to be the same day, but as there were too many things in Pan'er's courtyard, it took three or four days to complete the move, so naturally it could not be the same day.

Pan'er didn't know how the others felt, she couldn't care less at the time, but when she went to the Kunning Palace to pay her respects after the move, she saw that Concubine Hu looked at her with a slightly foul expression.

It was only when she heard the eunuchs below her discussing that the emperor was going to remove the Jingzhi Division that she realised that secretly the emperor and empress Chen had already crossed paths several times.

Presumably the situation was such that since Empress Chen had entered the Kunning Palace, she had taken on the duties and responsibilities of being the Empress.

The concubines' routines, the spending of the palaces, all these things were managed by the House of Internal Affairs, and she only had to know what was going on and who should be rewarded or punished to send out a message, which was also known as not caring about the accounts.

The new emperor's concubines were already few and far between, so naturally there was nothing to reward or punish, so Empress Chen was thinking of finding herself something else to do when the eunuchs from the Ministry of Worship came to her door.

It was only because the concubines hadn't moved to the palace yet that the eunuchs came to her...

The palace has not yet been moved and is relatively less formal. Now that the palace has been moved, it is time to hang up the green token of each palace.

It was only after this reminder that Empress Chen remembered that she had forgotten about the honorary chamber. It's also because since Pan'er entered the Eastern Palace, the rules she set for the bedside service have become as if they were a sham, and over time she had no face to make them, so she simply didn't care about anything, probably because this thought carried over and she forgot about it.

This is a customary rule in the palace, and Empress Chen naturally had no reason to disagree, so she allowed the respectful service room to endorse the matter. After the Chamber of Honour had made the green tokens and gone to each palace to ask the concubines about their menstruation dates, the green token was put up and presented to Zong Cong.

At this time, Zong Cong was worried that a river in Henan had broken its banks and flooded a large area of farmland, causing many people to leave their homes and flock to the north of the river, and some had even come to the capital.

He had not invited Pan'er to the Qianqing Palace for a few days, and Pan'er thought he was busy. The board of tokens was brought up by the minister's office, and Zong Cong tossed the tray on which the green tokens were placed.

The minions knelt on the ground, and the Buddha beads on his wrist snapped loudly.

"Get out, all of you!"

He lowered his voice and said, not very loudly, but Fulu was so frightened that he hurriedly shooed everyone out. But he couldn't leave, he still had to go in, and when he did, he didn't know what would happen to him. Fu Lu then remembered Su Guifei, and was busy giving his godson Zhang Laishun a wink.

"Go quickly, go and invite your master Su to come and go."

Zhang Laishun responded, busy and intent on leaving, when a voice came from the door, "What's the point of inviting your master Su here? To help a bunch of you useless things to clean up after yourselves?"

His Majesty had never been like this before, and now Fu Lu was not prepared at all and he and Zhang Laishun fell to their knees with a swoop.

"A bunch of useless things, all of them corpses, taking my salary, but not even able to do a single thing!"

Obviously this was a bit of a double entendre, and Zong Cong realised that he had slipped up and glanced at Fu Lu: "Who told them to bring that up?"

It was no wonder that Zong Cong had reacted so strongly, he had been on the throne for more than half a year and had never seen this before. In fact, it's not just anger, but also the subconscious reaction of people who come from the palace.

This is the subconscious reaction of people who come from the palace. This is something that Fu Lu knows a little better, after all, the action of the respecting room is not small.

The new Emperor and the chamber have not been used for half a year because of this matter, and the eunuchs' expenses are all depending on this money.

This full palace up and down in addition to the Qianqing Palace, also the Kunning Palace is qualified to intervene in this matter, the group of eunuchs do not dare to come to the Qianqing Palace, this is the Kunning Palace was caught making efforts.

Anyway, according to Fu Lu's understanding was that the people of the Jingzhi Division had given a lot of benefits to the palace maids and eunuchs of the Kunning Palace, so that the words could be delivered to Empress Chen.

And Empress Chen took charge of it.

When he thought of this, even Fu Lu had to sigh, the Empress was unlucky, for at any other time, His Majesty would not have been so angry, but at a time when he was on fire, and combined with what Empress Chen had done when she was the Crown Prince's Consort, His Majesty was probably thinking too much again.

As a matter of fact, Zong Cong had thought too much, and he sneered, but did not say anything.

He just turned around and was about to step inside before dropping a sentence.

"Whenever I am displeased, you want to find your master Su, in the future, if you do this again, go and receive the plank yourself."

"Yes."

So Pan'er had no idea that Zong Cong had thrown a couple of fits in the middle, let alone that this time Zong Cong didn't give Empress Chen face, that one day he had lifted the tray of the green headplate, and the next day he had someone go and remove the honorary chamber.

When they heard the news, it was as if the sky had fallen. They were the ones who usually had the authority to act main office, and even the various court ladies had to respect them, so if they were removed, it would undoubtedly cost them their lives.

The Empress said that they should had put up the green tokens of all the ladies according to her orders, but somehow they had annoyed His Majesty!

#mtl #yingchong

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gilthairpins · 3 months ago

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Book 2 Chapter 5: How Can We Deal With The Grudges On Both Sides?

My body felt like it was on fire, and like I was in an ice cave. My lips were dry and I was struggling.

“Water is here, Sister.” Yutan said softly.

It turns out I had been murmuring for water unconsciously. Yutan helped me sit up and fed me a few sips. I looked at Yutan who was full of joy, and suddenly came to my senses. I looked around the room and then at Yutan suspiciously.

“The emperor has pardoned my sister.” Yutan said with a smile.

I felt relieved, but when I thought about Thirteenth, I immediately felt sad again.

Yutan brought over some porridge and I felt extremely hungry after smelling the rice. After I had eaten half a bowl that Yutan had fed me, she said, “Sister has been in a coma these last three days. Your body was as hot as charcoal. It was really scary!”

“Three days?” I asked in surprise. I realized my voice was hoarse as soon as I said this, and I coughed several times before stopping.

Yutan nodded and said, “I don’t know why, but Fourteenth was also punished to kneel down. According to the eunuchs on duty outside the palace at that time; they had only heard the voices of Fourteenth and the live long lord arguing. They kept mentioning Thirteenth. Fourteenth knelt outside Qianqing Palace from the afternoon until end of court next day. Later, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth went to beg for mercy and knelt together. The other elder brothers also went to beg mercy. The live long lord finally spoke and asked Fourteenth to get up, and forgave my sister. When we went to find you, you were already lying in the rain, unconscious and cold. We were so scared…!”

I interrupted in disbelief, “Fourteenth knelt in the rain for a whole day and night?”

Yutan nodded vigorously.

“Is he okay?” I asked quickly.

“Fourteenth is a martial artist, so his physique is better than an ordinary person’s, but he wasn’t as strong as my sister. He was kneeling for a long time, I heard he was a little uncomfortable. I guess he is almost well now.” Yutan said.

I was in a daze for a while. Yutan put down the bowl and chopsticks and said, “The imperial physician had told me that you had been hungry for a long time. If you are sick, you should moderate your diet.”

I nodded casually, indicating I would follow her arrangements. She helped me clean and comb my hair.

“My knees hurt so much. Can you give me some hot water to apply to them?” I asked.

Yutan quickly prepared hot water and towels. “I have sent word that my sister has woken up. Doctor Li will come to see you in a while.”

“Doctor Li?” I asked in surprise. He was an old doctor who specialized in treating the emperor!

She snorted coldly and twisted her handkerchief. “Those people who were secretly gloating over other people’s misfortune are really being too enthusiastic. This was the order his majesty gave, himself. Not many people in the palace can have this honor.”

I listened to this without much joy. The heart of an emperor is must unpredictable. Favor doesn’t necessarily mean joy and punishment doesn’t necessarily mean disgust.

I was applying a massage to my legs when there was a knock on the door. Yutan quickly helped me put on my clothes and half closed the curtains before answering.

Tenth and Fourteenth came in with Doctor Li. I quickly stood to greet them, but Tenth stopped me. They moved aside to let the doctor come forward and check my pulse.

I coughed a few times and asked, “Why are Tenth and Fourteenth together with Doctor Li?”

Tenth said, “We just happened to meet at the door.” He fell silent after responding since we were in the presence of an imperial physician.

Doctor Li took my pulse for a long time. After taking my right hand, he asked me to stretch out my left. He took it for a long time with his eyes closed and then asked for my right hand again. Tenth and Fourteenth looked at each other in surprise. They both took a few steps forward asking, “What’s wrong?”

Doctor Li shook his head slightly and signaled them to be quiet. After a while he half opened his eyes and asked, “Does the young lady sleep well at night?”

I said, “Most of the time I’ve not been well, and I feel like I’ve been sleeping less and less over the past year. I wake easily with noises and it’s hard to fall asleep again.”

“What about your daily diet?” He then asked.

“I don’t eat as much as I had in the previous years. I often feel hungry, but I quickly feel full after eating a little.” I said.

While taking my pulse and inquiring about my eating habits, he finally closed his eyes to ponder.

“I heard that the young lady had a serious illness last year. It seems that she didn’t take good care of herself resulting in a qi and blood imbalance. Judging from your pulse the young lady has been worried and fearful for a long time which often damages the yang qi and qi stagnation turns into fire, which consumes the liver yin. So that the yin cannot restrain the yang and the liver, spleen, and kidneys are all damaged. This time the evil cold invaded and all five of the internal organs were damaged. And the yin…”

I became impatient and interrupted him with a smile, “Doctor Li, please don’t speak nonsense to me. I really don’t understand. Just tell me directly, is it serious? How do I treat this?”

“It is both serious and not serious. The girl is in her prime. If she takes good care of herself, she will recover within two to three years. If she doesn’t pay attention, it’s fine as she is young, but in the future…” He said slowly and trailed off.

I nodded and said, “My knees hurt so badly. When will they get better? Is there any pain killer?”

Doctor Li said, “That is arthritis. Because the wind, cold, and dampness block the blood vessels and the resulting blood blockage caused joint pain and difficulty walking in severe cases. The girl was kneeling on the bluestone ground for so long and soaked in the rain for a long time. These are the combined causes.”

I thought about it and this made sense. It was rheumatism.

He continued, “Fortunately, the girl is young and it’s not serious now. Apply plasters and take a few days to relieve it. Supplement with acupuncture and it will be fine in a few days. However, it may still hurt in cold and wet weather. This is something you will need to pay attention to from now on, otherwise it will be quite troublesome when you are older. I will go back and give the girl a detailed list on how to regulate this and what you should pay attention to.”

After saying this, he stood up and bowed to Tenth and Fourteenth to take his leave. They quickly stopped him and said politely, “Doctor Li is old, no need to pay respect.” Doctor Li smiled and thanked them. He motion for Yutan to follow him and get the medicine. Yutan also bowed and followed him out.

Fourteenth approached the bed and stared at me for a long time and then said, “Have you been worrying about your fear for a long time? What on earth are you thinking about all day long?”

I smiled and said, “The imperial physician said that if I take good care of myself, I can get well. It’s not a big deal. Thank you very much for this.”

“What is there to thank for? I owe you two favors for what happened on the grassland. Which one was not more risky than this?”

Tenth pulled a stool and sat down. “What’s the matter with you? You’ve been worried and fearful for a long time. If it wasn’t for Doctor Li’s diagnosis, I would have called him a quack, talking nonsense, and exaggerating.”

I glanced at him angrily and just as I tried to change the subject, he pulled me back. I had no choice but to say perfunctorily, “This was not for the crown prince and Thirteenth’s business!”

Fourteenth snorted coldly, “Doctor Li was talking about long term. The longest is no more than half a year. How can you develop a chronic illness without three to five years?”

Speaking of Thirteenth made me feel uncomfortable again. I didn’t want to say anything more and stared at the ground depressed.

Fourteenth waited for a while, and seeing that I was sitting there with my head down, scolded me angrily. “You have this bad habit! You keep everything to yourself. Even when I ask you questions, you will change the subject or just remain silent.”

Tenth patted the table. “Okay. She’s still sick! If she doesn’t want to talk, forget it. The more you force her, the more annoyed she will be. But you should be happy today. Fourteenth has already done what you wanted to do.”

“Ah!” I exclaimed and looked at Fourteenth, but he turned his face away and ignored me.

Tenth said, “The emperor has allowed Lu Wu to be a maid, but her name and origin had to be changed. Fourteenth has ordered a housekeeper in the mansion to adopt her as a daughter and send her to Yangfeng Alley in a few days and tell outsiders that she is from Fourteenth’s mansion.”

I was so overjoyed I was speechless. I stood quickly and kowtowed to Fourteenth. I had kowtowed once and wanted to kowtow again, but Fourteenth held me back and said, “I’m not doing this for you to kowtow to me.” He placed a cushion back and had me lean back.

I leaned against the cushion, feeling both happy and sad at the same time. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes and I quickly wiped them away with a handkerchief. Tenth and Fourteenth turned their eyes away and the room fell silent. I calmed down after a long while.

Tenth said, “Eighth was afraid I would get into trouble, so he kept it a secret from me and didn’t let me know of your affairs. Fourteenth did what he wanted as a result. Otherwise, if I had gone with Fourteenth to beg together, he wouldn’t have had to kneel for so long.”

“It’s not the case. The more people there are, the more sympathetic the emperor will be.” Fourteenth said.

“How did you beg the emperor?” I asked.

Fourteenth smiled, “I didn’t mention you. I just pleaded for Thirteenth and told him in detail about the misery of beekeeping. I also said that although Thirteenth had made a big mistake and violated brotherly love, he had lost his mother at a young age and was more attached to the emperor. I picked out some things that Thirteenth had done in the past to be filial to the emperor. I said that the emperor’s punishment of him was the law of the country and etiquette between a monarch and his subjects. I asked the emperor to allow Lu Wu to be a maid so that Thirteenth would have someone to talk to. It was all about father- son love.”

I sighed in my heart. What kind of grudge was this? They were the ones who sent the person in, but now this matter resolved by them. The three of us were silent. Yutan came in with the medicine and greeted us. Tenth and Fourteenth went to leave, but I stopped them.

“Wait a moment. I would have to trouble the two young masters.” I signaled Yutan to put the medicine aside and took out a key from under my mattress. I asked Yutan to take out the three mahogany boxes. She placed them on the table

“Open all of them.”

She opened the boxes and suddenly it was filled with jewels and precious stones. I glanced at the open courtyard door and nodded to Yutan who quickly shut it.

Tenth and Fourteenth looked at each other in surprise and Tenth sighed. “You are such a rich man.”

“I’ve been in the palace for seven years. These are the rewards from the emperor and the concubines over the years. There are also some silver notes underneath, which are the savings of the past few years. I can take these things with me when I am released from the palace. I have asked Li Shuda a few days ago and he allowed me to send them out of the palace first. I would like to trouble you two to send these to Thirteenth’s residence and give them to Lady Zhaojia.”

“These are your all private money! How can you give it all away?” Tenth asked.

“Thirteenth’s manor has always relied on Thirteenth’s salary and there is no income from the farm. He never spends his mind on these mundane things, so it wasn’t well off to begin with. Now he is stripped of his title and imprisoned. He has lost his financial resources, and there are more than a hundred mouths to feed in the family. And even if there is some money, it can’t stand that all the money going without money, so that he would suffer less grievance and less anger. I am alone deep in the palace, these are just sitting idly in a box. It is better to take them out and put them to use.” I said.

Fourteenth was silent a while and then said, “How about this? You keep one box for yourself and we’ll take the other two boxes away?”

“I still have some! I kept everything my father and sister gave me and I’ve kept some silver too!” I said.

“Just do as I say, otherwise I won’t be in charge of this matter.” Fourteenth said.

I looked at Tenth and he said, “I’ll listen to Fourteenth on this.” “That’s it!” I said helplessly.

“Anyway, I’ve pleaded for Thirteenth in front of the emperor. I have had suspicions for a long time. It doesn’t make a difference if it is one or two things. I will try my best to take care of everything for Thirteenth in the future so that they won’t be bullied by those snobbish people. You don’t have to worry about the money anymore. What you have is enough for a while. I will take care of the rest. In a few years when the little princes are old enough to work, everything will be fine.” Fourteenth said.

Tenth also said, “I’m not afraid either. First, Thirteenth and I have always had different personalities and we seldom interacted. Second, I am a rough man and the emperor won’t suspect that I have any improper thoughts. Fourteenth and I will take care of them and not let anyone bully them.”

I was filled with mixed feeling and was silent for a moment. I felt like I had a lot to say, but it was stuck in my chest. When it got to my lips, the only thing I could say was “thank you.”

They both smiled at me and took the two boxes.

“These are top quality goods. No wonder the emperor always said you had collected the good things. She doesn’t look like an ordinary person and she has a way of making money! Logically, she should be able to talk to Ninth. But why do you hate each other?” Tenth said.

I quickly responded, “Who said I was annoyed by Ninth? I don’t have the courage. Does Ninth hate me?”

Fourteenth tilted his head and smiled without saying anything. Tenth smiled and said, “If you don’t, then don’t. Just treat it as nonsense.” They turned to leave after that.

Yutan came in and packed up my things and handed me the key back. She then helped me take the medicine. After rinsing my mouth out with water, she handed me the list written by Doctor Li. I read it carefully.

The matters to pay attention to were not difficult to deal with, but it was not easy to be at ease and avoid worry. If I could really let go of these people and things, why would it come to this? I couldn’t help but sigh and smile bitterly. I folded the list and stuffed it under a pillow.

Yutan brought me some rock sugar and pear water. I asked to the put it on the small table while I drank it. She sat beside me and waited until I finished. She cleaned up the bowls and spoons while saying, “Eunuch Wang was punished by Li An-Da with twenty strokes of a cane.”

“What’s the matter?” I frowned and asked.

��I’m not sure of the details, but it seems like from something I shouldn’t have said, concerning my sister’s matter.”

I thought to myself, I have really implicated him. After half a day of hard work I was extremely tired and distracted. So I asked Yutan to go see Wangxi on my behalf while I lay to rest.

The pain in my legs gradually eased after several days. Although I was still sick, I could walk. I asked Yutan to help me go see Wangxi. When I went in, Wangxi was lying on the bed. When he saw us coming he quickly moved to get up saying, “My sister is sick! You could have sent Yutan. Why did you come here yourself? I cannot afford this.”

I quickly said, “Just lay down properly. Do we still need to pay attention to these empty formalities?”

Hearing this he lay back down again. Yutan brought a stool and helped me sit down. She left and closed the door. I turned my head and coughed a few times and then asked, “How is your injury?”

Wangxi said, “It’s okay. It’s just itchy, but I can scratch it, so I feel anxious.”

I nodded and said, “Be patient. The itch will just cause new flesh to grow.”

He smiled and agreed.

I was silent a while and then asked, “What’s going on?”

Wangxi waved his hand, motioning for me to come closer. He lowered his voice and said, “I won’t hide this from you, sister. But you should keep this to yourself. Don’t tell anyone else. My master allowed me to leak the secret, but also ordered me to be beaten.”

I was shocked and stared at Wangxi. He nodded vigorously indicating what he said was absolutely true. I was thinking about the cause and effect, and I started coughing again.

“Sister, please go back! I am also sick, don’t worry too much.” Wangxi said.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble this time.” I said, nodding.

He laughed and said, “That’s too polite! My sister takes good care of me every day!” He then called out for Yutan. She pushed open the door and supported me in our walk back.

Not long after entering our door, someone came to Yutan and said the number of tea leaves she had recorded was incorrect. Yutan left to quickly follow him.

I leaned on the couch and pondered Wangxi’s words. “My master allowed me to leak the secret,” which meant that Kangxi allowed it. But why would he do that? Why did he let all the brothers know that I was being punished? Before I could figure it out, I heard the courtyard door creaking followed by two knocks.

“The door is not closed.” I called. My throat felt uncomfortable after and I started coughing again. Someone came to help gently massage my back. I looked up and saw Fourth standing by the couch. When I saw that I had stopped coughing, he straightened up and watched me silently. No trace of emotion in his dark eyes.

I was filled with grief. It finally came! We stared at each other for a long while. He turned around and walked to the table and opened the window. He stayed motionless with his back to me.

“I can’t ask the emperor to marry you.” He said slowly after a long pause.

I closed my eyes tightly and covered my chest, falling back against the pillow. After Thirteenth was imprisoned I had guessed he might say so. But hearing him say it, I still felt a thousand arrows piercing my heart.

“Whether you hate me or resent me, I am sorry for you. With the love that emperor father has for you, he will definitely find you a good marriage.” He said and started walking away. Before leaving, he paused. “Thank you for everything you have done for me, for Thirteenth.” He didn’t turn his head.

I lay there without moving, only hearing his footsteps fade away. Only the lonely and cold room was left and my tears dripped down onto my pillow.

“Sister?” Yutan timidly called out. She stood beside the couch. I quickly wiped away the tears and forced a smile, but the tears rolled down my cheeks again.

I wiped them away repeatedly but eventually gave up and cried with my head in my arms. Yutan sat beside me quietly. I cried for a long time before the tears gradually stopped.

I coughed and asked, “Yutan, why do you think women are always sacrificed? The strangest thing is that we don’t have the slightest complaint. Is it worth it?”

Yutan was silent for a long while. She then said quietly, “My father passed away when I was seven years old. Although our family wasn’t rich we had enough food and clothes. When my father fell ill we pawned everything we could to buy medicine. But he didn’t get any better. My mother cried every day and my brothers and sisters were still young and didn’t understand many things. I was so scared my father would abandon us. I heard that if you cut off your own flesh to cure your relatives, your sincerity and filial piety would move the bodhisattva and cure your relative’s illnesses. I secretly cut some flesh from my arm and boiled it in the medicine without telling my father or mother, but my father still passed away.”

I looked at Yutan’s calm face in shock. She smiled and continued, “People say that a long-term illness will lead to no filial sons, but I only know that a long-term poverty will lead to no relatives. After my father had passed, my mother washed clothes for others from morning to night and I did needlework for others, but the whole family could only eat half their fill. Later, because my mother often cried and her eyesight wasn’t good, she wanted to hide it from me. She pretended to be able to see even though she could not. We didn’t want her to be sad so we played along with her.”

I reached out and held her hand. Yutan went on. “I worked hard every day, but I still didn’t have the money to pay for my mother’s medical treatment. My younger brother fell ill because he didn’t have enough food for a long time. That winter was unusually cold. The accumulated snow had not melted yet and new snow fell. The snow on the ground was three or four inches thick. I wore a single pair of shoes and a thin coat that my mother wore when she was young and went to various relatives to borrow money. The mean ones even closed the doors immediately when they saw me. The ones who were a little better told me how hard this winter was before I even opened my mouth. I ran in the heavy snow all day but didn’t borrow a penny. I was cold, hungry and scared. It was already dark, but I didn’t dare go home. My mother’s illness and my brother’s illness, I was so afraid that they would leave me like father. I wandered around aimlessly outside and because I was absentminded I actually bumped into a carriage. The driver raised his whip was about to whip me.”

Although I knew Yutan was still sitting in front of me, I still tightened my grip. “What happened next?”

Yutan lowered her head and was silent for a while and then smiled at me. “Then the young master in the carriage stopped him and said ‘She’s just a little girl, so just bump into her!’ He also scolded the driver for not paying attention and rushing to find someone to blame when something happened. After that, he lowered the curtain and let the driver drive away, but I actually rushed forward to stop the carriage and knelt down to beg him to give me some money. I don’t even know why I was so bold at that time. Maybe it was because he spoke in the calmest, most pleasant way I had ever heard. Although he was scolding people, he didn’t have a trace of anger. Or maybe it was because I thought him a very rich man and that if he gave me some alms I could keep my mother and brother.

Seeing Yutan’s genuine warm smile, I knew she had gotten what she wanted, but I still was anxiously asking myself ‘and then?’

She smiled and looked at me. “The driver cursed ‘You really don’t know how to live or die. Do you know whose carriage you stopped?’ But the young man laughed from inside and lifted the curtain again and saw me kneeling in the snow and said, ‘Since I was a child, this is the first time someone dares to ask me for money so directly. Tell me, why should I give you money for no reason?’” She lowered her head and smiled.

“What did you say?” I shook her hand and asked.

Yutan said, “I said, ‘I want to treat my mother and my brother.’ ‘I don’t run a charity, so what does it have to do with me that they are sick?’ He said. I said, ‘If you can give me some money, I am willing to be your slave for the rest of my life.’ He said, ‘My family may be short on many things but there are many slaves and servants.’ I begged, ‘I am very capable and can do many things. Even if I can’t do it, I can learn it.’ He laughed and said, ‘There are many capable people who can help me do things.’ After that he lowered the curtain and told the driver to go. I was full of despair at that time, thinking that the carriage was leaving and taking away my mother and brother with it. Suddenly I got angry and ran forward to grab the rafters of the carriage to prevent them from leaving. The driver was furious and kept whipping me, but I refused to let go. When I was dragged a long distance by the carriage the young man suddenly shouted, “Stop! Stop the cart!” He leaned out of the carriage and looked at me. I was dragging my body in the snow with my hands still holding the carriage handle. He nodded and asked ‘How old are you?’ I replied, ‘Eight years old’. He smiled and said, ‘Good girl, here is your silver.’ He handed me a silver note after that. I took it in disbelief. Although I had never used a silver note, I knew that any silver note must have a lot of money. I kowtowed to him quickly. He pondered for a moment and then told his driver ‘Give her the silver you have on you.’ The driver quickly took out some silver and gave it to me. There was more than twenty taels total, enough for a whole family to eat for a year or two. I quickly handed the silver note back to him and he said, ‘The banknote is for you and the silver is also for you. You will definitely be in a hurry to go see a doctor later, but it’s already dark and the banknote is of such a large denomination. I’m afraid you won’t be able to find a place to exchange it for a while.’ I thought that what he had said made sense, so I kowtowed again and took the banknote and the silver. He praised me for being quick and efficient. After that he sat back and ordered the driver to go. I turned around and ran when he suddenly shouted at me to come back. I turned back quickly and he threw a cloak from the carriage onto the snow. ‘Wrap this around you.’ Only then did I realize that my clothes had been torn by the whip.”

Yutan was lost in thought, as if she was still in that icy snowy place. I nudged her gently. “What happened next?”

Yutan was stunned for a moment. “There was no later. I have never seen that young man since then. The amount of money he had given me was very large. In addition, after my mother recovered from her illness, she continued to wash clothes and my sisters and I did needlework, which supported us until I got into the palace.”

“You only met once.” I said regretfully.

Yutan said faintly, “I was young at the time and had no idea where to ask. Later, when I entered the palace I couldn’t see outsiders.” She held my hand tightly and said, “Sister, whether everything is worth it or not depends on yourself. Only then could I understand. Many of my girlfriends now have many children around them. They think I am very pitiful, but I don’t think so. I just wanted my mother to not be immersed in cold water to wash clothes every day. I no longer have to worry about food and clothes. I can afford to see a doctor when sick and my brothers have all gone to school. I feel that my decisions back then were right. Everything I had done, worth it. Even if I had to choose again, I would. Still willing.”

With tears in my eyes, I murmured, “Whether it was worth it or not is only known to myself. From now on, I have to. You and I will be companions.” My tears fell as I finished speaking.

“Sister, don’t talk nonsense! The emperor will definitely find you a good marriage!” She smiled and said.

I smiled bitterly and left it to fate. I had used up the last of my strength and didn’t want to fight it anymore. I am too tired!

The disease was gradually getting better, but a sudden fever in the evening came. Yutan was so anxious that she held my hand and just cried. I thought vaguely that it was good like this. The fever made me confused and I didn’t feel the heartache. In the dreamlike state, there seemed to be a pair of dark cold eyes staring at me, making me feel that my heart and brain were full of stabbing pain. I tried to shake it off but it was still there. The pain was unbearable and I could only sob and cry. I felt like I would fall asleep forever and there would be no pain. There seemed to be a completely dark and quiet place not far ahead where I could rest completely.

Yutan seemed to be humming a ballad in my ear, over and over again, without stopping. It dragged me, not allowing me to fall asleep completely. The sound of ‘sister’ kept my consciousness from falling into that completely dark place.

When I opened my eyes Yutan was crying with joy, her tears fell on my face. My fever had subsided, but Yutan had lost weight and her voice was hoarse. She could only use gestures to talk to me. Thinking of her singing by my bed all night long, calling me sister all the time, I suddenly hated myself. I was sick in the palace and my sister would never be better off than me. I still have Yutan and my sister. How could I be like this?!

My illness gradually improved, but I was still too lazy to move. I spent most of the day lying in bed playing with a snuff bottle in my hands. There was either a smile or a sob on my face and I was in a daze.

Yutan pushed open the door and walked in. She sat on the side of the bed and said, “The emperor has detained the prince.”

I hummed and didn’t respond further.

She continued, “The emperor summoned all the elder brothers and said, ‘After restoring the crown prince Yinchu, he wasn’t cured of his madness and lost the support of the people. He definitely wasn’t a person who could be entrusted to carry out the work of his ancestors, so he was detained and guarded.’ My sister didn’t see the scene at that time. It was so scary! All the brothers had been stripped and their hands tied. Although the emperor looked gentle and had a smile on his face, his tone was extremely cold.”

I sighed softly and Yutan asked, “Why are you sighing, sister? I thought you would be happy to hear that?”

“When the ministry of justice investigated the “Drinking Party Case” and the “Hutan and Heshuo Case of Extorting Silver” this outcome was already determined, it was just a matter of time. Besides, my fate might be worse than his one day. What should I be happy about?” I said.

Yutan was shocked, “Sister is speaking nonsense again!”

I smiled and said nothing more. What is impossible in this palace?

By the time I had recovered from my illness, it was already October. On the surface, the turmoil of the deposed second prince had calmed down, a bigger struggle had just begun.

Fourth gradually withdrew from affairs of court and behaved more low key, and really started to live the simple idle life. He called himself a ‘worldly layman’ and spent whole days discussing scriptures with monks and taoists in his manor. He only went to the palace to greet Kangxi every day and rarely discussed state affairs.

When we occasionally met, his face was calm and peaceful. I smiled and greeted him never saying much, as if nothing had happened between us, and he was always the cold prince Yong. Only the pain in my heart kept reminding me. No, no, no! I suppressed the pain and warned myself. Nothing had happened.

One day he had come to pay his respects to Kangxi. When I went in to serve tea, he stood beside Kangxi displaying his paintings for him. I had just put the tea down and intended to leave when Kangxi smiled and said, “Ruoxi, come and take a look too.” I agreed and went to his side to look.

“Did you see anything?” He asked.

I tried to hide the bitterness in my heart and said with a smile, “Isn’t the man driving the ox to plow the field Fourth? And the one standing by the ridge is Fourth’s Lady!”

“What else?” Kangxi asked still smiling.

I understood in my heart but continued with a smile, “I can’t see anything else at the moment, but, I think the picture was well drawn, but the most valuable is the meaning.”

Kangxi turned his head and told Li Dequan, “Find the Southern Song Dynasty Lou Chou’s “Pictures of Farming and Weaving” that was printed two years ago.”

Li Dequan quickly gave the order. Not long after, a eunuch came in with the painting. Li Dequan took it and slowly unfolded it on the table. The two pictures were exactly the same except for the appearance of the characters.

I slapped my forehead and said, “I deserve to be beaten! I follow his majesty every day, but I’m so careless that I didn’t even think of the painting he likes!”

Kangxi looked at Fourth approvingly and smiled, saying nothing. He lowered his head and studied the two paintings carefully. Fourth’s eyes swept across my face. I stood quietly with a faint smile on my face. Kangxi carefully read the poem written by Fourth under the painting and nodded.

‘Food is the first priority of the people and agriculture is the first priority for food.’ Every spring I offer sacrifices to the gods of agriculture on the alter and personally guide planting of the imperial fields. I often emphasize to the officials in court that I hope they would pay attention to farming. It is the foundation of the country! Fourth bowed his head and replied, “I followed the example of my father and opened up a few plots of land in the old Summer Palace to experience the joys and hardships of farming firsthand.”

Kangxi nodded and said, “Tell me, where does happiness come from? Where does suffering come from?”

“Rural life is free and easy, not only does it make you feel relaxed, but it also reduces the worry of gain and loss. Compared with the heart, people become open-minded, and the body is also stretched and healthier when farming. These days, I am more happier when I harvested the fruits I planted with my own hands. I have already felt the hardship of planting a few plots. Today, I am afraid that the sun will be too strong and tomorrow I am worried about too much rain. Thinking of the common people working hard all year round exposed to wind and sun, if there is drought or flood, there may be no harvest and I can’t help but sigh.” Fourth replied.

Kangxi nodded and didn’t say anything. I bowed to Kangxi and quietly withdrew. He is now more and more secretive. He carefully observes Kangxi intention in everything and is extremely filial and never disobeys. Kangxi’s suspicion of him must not have disappeared, but in the long run, water dripped through stone. As long as nothing goes wrong, it is only a matter of time before he completely lets go. Even if Eighth wants to deal with him, he will definitely not find any fault.

But Eighth is trying to hide his edge. On the one hand, he is still interacting with the ministers of the court, and on the other, he told the ministers to not recommend him as the crown prince anymore. Otherwise he would ‘prefer to stay in bed’. Kangxi was very disgusted when he heard this and immediately reprimanded him.

“You are just a Bei’le. Why do you make such outrageous statements to test me? He also was very arrogant and didn’t know who I am. As a Bei’le, he had such an outrageous idea to test me and make such presumptuous statements, isn’t this a great treachery and evil?’

His careless behavior further deepened Kangxi’s dislike of him since the abolishment of the crown prince.

Sometimes I’m confused. He, Ninth, and Fourteenth are extremely smart people and they have many councilors around them. Why did they do something to anger Kangxi? Thinking about it carefully, I felt that Kangxi was afraid of him. A prince who formed a clique already made Kangxi extremely disgusted, but he was famous for making friends with court officials, so no matter what he did, it was wrong in Kangxi’s eyes.

When he came in, Kangxi scolded him for having unrealistic expectations and when he left, he was scolded for having a tentative heart. Unless he could learn from Fourth and completely change his behavior and distance himself from officials it would be possible to change Kangxi’s attitude towards him. But he has worked hard for so many years, how could he just give it up? Moreover, everyone has different personalities so it was indeed impossible for him to learn from Fourth’s calm and detached attitude, otherwise he would not be the “Eighth Wise King” who respects the wise and humble.

It seems the biggest beneficiary after the dethronement of the crown prince was actually Fourteenth. Fourth lived in seclusion and rarely asked about state affairs, Eighth was disliked by Kangxi and not trusted by him; only Fourteenth, who was punished to kneel because of Thirteenth’s matter, was unexpectedly treated differently by Kangxi afterwards. He often entrusted him to handle state affairs alone and often was summoned in private to accompany Kangxi.

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