Chapter Thirty-Eight

  There is not much news from the front line, only knowing that the two armies are at war. The Qing soldiers are brave and invincible, and it is said that the eldest brother performed very bravely and was praised many times. The crown prince who was in charge of the capital city was no longer as calm and leisurely as before. At that time, Tang Taizong Li Shimin had more military achievements than Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, because he had many talented people under his command, seized the opportunity to rebel and force the palace, and finally became a wise emperor, leaving behind a good reputation.

  Following Kangxi's Xinre, he soon received a message from the Crown Prince: "Restrain the Eldest Prince."

  It was warm yesterday, but today it's snowing. There is a shortage of food and grass, let alone coal for heating. Only the high-ranking officers have some, while the lower-ranking soldiers can only gather firewood to keep warm. Mr. Qing sat opposite Emperor Yongzheng, both wrapped in fox-fur coats, their faces rosy from the warmth of the charcoal brazier.

  "The crown prince is getting anxious."

  Yin Zhen furrowed his brow: "How can I control...?" He paused for a moment: "Quan Pei and Bao Ge are all in the capital, if the Crown Prince really wants to coerce me, what can I do about it?"

  The howling wind blew in through the gaps of the tent, and Yongzheng subconsciously wrapped his cloak tighter around him, his eyebrows furrowing deeper, as if carved by a knife.

  "The mistress is not an ordinary woman in the harem, perhaps there's no need for you to worry, just handle the current situation well."

  His furrowed eyebrows remained unrelaxed: "I'm worried about the unusual, these things should be solved by me, why does she have to show up, can't I rely on this grandfather?"

  Mr. Qing was stunned, seeing the expression of regret and despair on Yongzheng's face, as if he understood a little. Outside, a guard came in to pass on a message: "The Emperor ordered that the coal from General Camp be distributed evenly, so that the soldiers wouldn't freeze."

  Yin Zan responded by getting up, lifting the thick door curtain and walking out. The biting wind made Qing Sheng shiver, but Yin Zan took big strides forward without hesitation. Qing Sheng was a bit dazed - could it be that Fourth Master was so devoted to his work because of the Fourth Lady behind him? The Crown Prince worried about Eldest Brother, but perhaps before long, these younger brothers growing up behind him would become another hidden threat if the Emperor lived long enough. Suddenly, Qing Sheng felt all the blood in his body boiling up, and he almost didn't feel the cold outside - maybe Heaven really did love him...

  The scene in the Forbidden City was quite the opposite of that outside, with warm spring days and blooming peach blossoms. The imperial concubines and palace maids, dressed in light attire, were as lovely as the peach blossoms themselves. The weather being fine, the Empress Dowager, who rarely showed enthusiasm, called for a banquet to be set up in the Peach Blossom Forest to admire the flowers. It was probably because she had been feeling stifled for too long that when her invitation came out, almost everyone in the palace attended.

  The Crown Princess and the Honorable Consort were the most eye-catching due to their different attire and status, and they were undoubtedly the center of attention. The third lady had lost a lot of weight after giving birth and was dressed very elegantly, smiling as she whispered to Quan Pei: "...... Both are still young, but look at what they're wearing, it seems like they're much older......"

  Wu Fu Jin saw Mang busy and also came forward: "What are you saying?" San Fu Jin just smiled, but didn't tell Wu Fu Jin, pulling Quan Pei: "Go inside and take a look, it seems that the flowers in there are blooming more luxuriantly."

  Wu Fu Jin pouted and followed, while San Fu Jin had something to say but didn't want to talk to her much. She didn't mind and caught up with them on the other side, holding Quan Pei's arm: "I'll go with you too!"

  Just a few steps away, the Crown Princess turned from one side and several people paid their respects. The Crown Princess smiled and said: "I came to invite Fourth Brother's wife to go inside and take a look at the flowers."

  The Crown Prince's consort said it was Guan Pei who had called out, and the Third and Fifth Ladies Fu did not want to stay in front any longer, so they made an excuse to go aside together.

  A gentle breeze blew, and the peach blossoms fell softly. Before her eyes, a woman with delicate features and light makeup wore a pink dress that almost blended into the endless peach blossoms, making her nearly invisible. The crown princess was slightly dazed for a moment before smiling and saying, "It's been a long time since I've had a good talk with my fourth brother and sister."

  "Really?"

  As you walk deeper into the peach blossom forest, there are fewer and fewer people. The dense flowers not only confuse your eyes but also make it hard to find the small path. People seem to have become one with the flowers, indistinguishable from each other.

  "The war situation on the front line is tense, are you worried about your fourth brother?"

  Yes.

  The crown prince's consort sighed: "Our family's young master has not been feeling well for several days, I don't know how much medicine he has taken. You should be worried that your fourth brother will also pay attention to his own body and the child's body."

  The eunuch's voice was slightly surprised: "Is the imperial physician so useless?"

  The crown princess was taken aback, and it seemed she had not expected that Quan Pei did not understand the meaning behind her words. She also smiled along with him: "This world is like this, there are too many things that can't be said, even if the imperial physician's medical skills are excellent."

  Quan Pei seemed to have fallen silent, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of the Crown Prince's mouth.

  "What exactly do you want to say?"

  "The prince and I have always considered the fourth brother and sister as our own, outsiders also see it this way. The eldest brother's power is too great, it's not good for us, so joining hands is the most right thing to do."

  The crown princess was not in favor in the crown prince's palace and had no children, but so far the crown prince has always given the crown princess enough face, except for the crown princess's family background, another reason should be that the crown princess is devoted to the crown prince and is willing to do anything for him.

  A combination of soft and hard tactics, intimidation and temptation?

  Qian Wan let out a soft sigh, like delicate flower petals gently falling.

  The crown princess suddenly saw a green skirt corner, and she glared at the palace maid who knelt down innocently: "I just happened to come in to pick flowers, I don't know anything else!"

  The crown princess spoke coldly: "Which palace are you from?"

  "Slave, slave is in the palace of Concubine Hui..."

  What a coincidence, running into someone from the Hui Fei Palace? If Hui Fei heard this, then Da A Ge would also know, and Da A Ge would be on guard against Si A Ge. This side of the chessboard would become a dead end...

  The woman beside him still had a light and gentle appearance, but her eyebrows were bright and clear, shining with a different light. She looked at everything that was happening with a faint gaze, as if it had nothing to do with her. The crown prince's consort clenched her fists in frustration, took a deep breath, and heard the sound of laughter coming from not far away. It seemed that someone had already passed by. This palace maid couldn't be dealt with now, and the news was bound to leak out. When the crown prince found out, who knew how he would blame her...

  The imperial concubine listened to the palace maid's account of what the crown prince's consort had said, and a self-satisfied smile involuntarily rose to her lips: "Have someone hurry to deliver a message to the eldest prince, warning him about the fourth prince. I'm afraid that if the crown prince finds out we've obtained this information, the fourth prince will be finished." She also nodded slightly in satisfaction at the maid kneeling beside her: "You're clever; from now on, you'll attend me personally." The palace maid's eyes flashed with delight as she kowtowed to thank her.

  Xiao Yue said softly: "...... That girl is a climber, I pointed out this path to her and she was very willing at the time. Now she has probably already spoken with Concubine Hui."

  All that is needed is someone who can come up with a suitable plan to break through, and everything will be resolved on its own, resolving the crisis for both Quan and Bao, as well as for Yin Zhen. However, the prerequisite is being able to foresee everything and take precautions beforehand, which seems simple but is not something that ordinary people can do.

  The Eldest Brother and the Crown Prince can fight, but they cannot bring the flames of war to their own bodies. Quan Pei supported her chin with her hand, gazing out the window, where she could vaguely see a figure moving in the window that Li Shi had opened. In an instant, Wu Ruoxue walked out from inside, lowering her eyebrows and eyelids, like a delicate and lovely jade orchid.

  Li's confinement ended, and Wu Ruoxue's foot-binding period was over. During those few days, among the several gege (imperial sisters), apart from Li, Wu Ruoxue was the most favored, almost on par with Li. Wu Ruoxue indeed wasn't a simple character.

  The crown prince looked at the crown princess with a cold face in the bedroom: "Do you know that what you said is important, and there isn't even anyone around to guard against it?"

  "Nowhere to be found, yet a palace maid pops up out of nowhere. Who knows if it's Concubine Hui intentionally sending someone to eavesdrop? I originally said it would be best to call over Fourth Brother and Sister, but you insisted that we can't let anyone see our weakness... Today is the most suitable day..." The Crown Princess muttered under her breath for a few sentences. The Crown Prince let out a heavy hum, and the Crown Princess immediately stopped talking, falling silent for half a moment. The Crown Prince stood up to leave, and the Crown Princess hastily followed: "You're going to..."

  The crown prince said in an ill-tempered tone: "This matter must be figured out!"

  Li patted the nonexistent wrinkles on her clothes and spoke softly to Liu Li: "Did Madam see it?"

  "The slave girl looked and saw exactly what she had seen..."

  Li sat up straight and let out a gentle sigh: "What do you think Madame Fu will think?"

  Luli shook her head honestly: "I can't guess what Madam Fu is thinking."

  The maids in the courtyard seemed to have a mysterious awe for Fugui, and Li Shi herself was no exception. She took a sip of clear tea and remained silent for a long time: "With Fugui around, I don't dare make any big moves. It's as if she can see through everything with just one glance. Where is our quiet rear courtyard like this?" Even Li Shi herself didn't know how to describe the situation in such a tone.

  "It's quiet now, at least Little Gigi and Little Brother are safe!"

  Luli said so, and Li smiled: "What you said is not wrong. With Fugui around me, I'm not afraid of others being too excessive, so it seems loose, but Wu Ruoxi... ... Although she was the one who had moved against her, she would do something to Wu Ruoxi, as long as it's not too out of line, wouldn't Fugui turn a blind eye?

  Yin Zhen received a letter from Quan Pei when the front line encountered Gerdan's cavalry. A few days ago, he had a confrontation with Da A Ge in front of the emperor, and now Da A Ge looked at him with a very cold expression. They used to be brothers, but gradually, there was not much affection left between them. Fortunately, Quan Pei's letter made him breathe a sigh of relief, as the crown prince did not expect him to make things difficult for Da A Ge, so he could focus on his own affairs with an easy mind.

  Mr. Qing smiled and said: "With Madam Fu behind you, you have nothing to worry about when you're away! This is the blessing of our family!"

  Someone wants to take advantage of the back house to threaten Yongzheng, but they have to get past Empress Dowager first. However, this hurdle is not easy to overcome. Yongzheng smiled and rubbed his hands: "Let's go, taking advantage of the fact that there are fewer soldiers in the camp now, let's take a look around and see if the daily necessities for the soldiers are being distributed properly, someone is not paying close attention." Mr. Qing smiled and agreed.

  Fourth Master is serious and meticulous in doing things, although it looks a bit strict, but also got a lot of good reviews, the ability to handle affairs is unquestionable.

  Except for the eldest brother, the emperor did not call out any other brothers to go on an expedition, but instead had them stay behind and guard the rear. In the end, the emperor was also worried about his sons and feared that something unexpected might happen, so he just managed internal affairs from behind.

  The days passed quickly and it was already the end of April. News came from the front that Galdan had been defeated and fled, and the Qing army had won a great victory. The whole country was jubilant, and the emperor's return to Beijing was imminent. Later, more accurate information emerged, revealing that the eldest prince had rashly advanced and scared away Galdan by attacking his grasslands. Although they had won a great victory, it was not thorough, and Galdan had preserved some of his strength. With limited food and exhausted troops, continuing to stay in Mongolia to fight a protracted war with Galdan would not necessarily lead to victory, so they could only return home.

  Daiyu's belly has grown bigger, but it is unknown who spread the news to Daiyu. As a result, Daiyu's body did not feel well and she always had to call for the imperial physician to keep an eye on her. Guan Ping and Sanfu Jin went over several times to visit, but they could not see her in person, only receiving apologetic responses from the maid: "Her spirit is not good, she just fell asleep, it's inconvenient to see people."

  It's said that Da Furen is very likely to have a son this time, and it seems reasonable for her to be so cautious.

  The flower stand in the courtyard already had a layer of flowers that were about to bloom, and it was expected that they would be in full bloom when Yun Chen returned in a few days. Early in the morning, Wu Ruoxi came to pay her respects to Quan Pei, but she fell from the steps and twisted her foot. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that there was a problem with the bottom of the flower pot, which made it unstable underfoot, and it would likely take more than half a month for the injury to heal.

  Yin Zhen returned and naturally lived with Quan Pei first, after seven or eight days, she gradually got to take turns with the other gege, Wu Ruoxi was injured and couldn't attend, the others weren't favored either, Li Shi was the undisputed beneficiary.