The Fourth Prince, usually rule-abiding, acted enthusiastically in the game, convincing everyone of his ‘loyal’ identity, forcing Fang He to reveal hers to keep going.
Fortunately, it was everyone’s first time playing, so they weren’t fully serious.
Fang He, holding the good Haha Pearl role, barely survived by relying on loyalty and immortality, ultimately protecting the Eighth Prince’s ‘Crown Prince’ identity and turning the tables on werewolf Yinreng, lasting until the end.
The game ended with the Eighth Prince, Fang He, Tenth, and Eleventh Princes remainingāthe Crown Prince’s Faction won.
Yinreng’s eyes flashed with a smileāhis deliberate foolishness was worth it.
He wanted his brothers to know: no one could beat the Crown Prince, even if he was fake!
Just then, Eunuchs Chen and Liu, along with two from the Imperial Kitchen, brought out the cooked meat.
Everyone could only watch helplessly as Yintang, Yin’e, and Yinci dug in.
Fang He held a skewer of grilled water bamboo, sitting beside Kangxi, snacking as the two devoured meat voraciously.
What had been a nearly unbearable aroma turned into food rich in flavor, sight, and smell, making everyone’s stomach grumble.
Yet some ate with such gusto they didn’t even look up.
The princes usually maintained good manners during meals.
Yintang was still okay, but the Tenth Prince, Yin’e, looked like he’d never eaten before, making those who couldn’t eat it even hungrier.
Yinreng watched as Yinxiang, who normally had a weaker appetite, chewed on a lightly seasoned skewer, his cheeks bulging, eyes curved in a smile, face flushed.
Truly…
Noble Consort Yi was already beautiful; Yin Tao and Yinxiang resembled her even more.
Because Yinxiang was frail, it wasn’t usually so obvious.
But now, his delicate brows and features were even more stunning than a woman’s.
Yinreng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, stomach growling.
Suddenly, he thought maybe the Crown Prince’s Faction losing once wasn’t so bad.
After all, it wasn’t like he’d give up.
It was said that half-grown boys eat their fathers into poverty.
Even though Kangxi didn’t fear poverty, apart from the youngest sons, the rest truly made his heart anxious.
By the time Yinreng and the others finished eating, the palace lanterns were lit.
The Imperial Kitchen had delivered meat to Jiayin Hall multiple times.
Everyone was so full they could barely move, finally having the leisure to watch Kangxi and Fang He.
The exquisite ginger-colored round fan stayed in Father’s hand, seemingly fanning himself, but each wave was directed toward Noble Consort Zhaoyuan.
Noble Consort Zhaoyuan was even more relaxed than Father, leaning close to him, winking and whispering.
The rear hall, including the Crown Prince, princes, their attendants, and Jiayin Hall’s servants, was nearly full.
Yet everyone felt no one could intrude between these two.
Their calm yet warm interaction was touching.
Though the most honored couple in the world, they acted like an ordinary husband and wife.
Yinreng’s gaze was complexāhis fullness couldn’t hide the shadows and emptiness inside.
He’d heard Father and his mother had a good relationshipāhad Father ever interacted with her like this?
Unfortunately, Mother was gone.
No one protected him now; he had to fend for himself.
Earlier, Suo’etu said he could smuggle wild ginseng from Shengjing to Jiangnan and even Hu Guang by sea, bringing in vast sums of silver to bribe officials.
Yinreng had initially disapproved; he didn’t want Qing to become full of parasites after he ascended.
Now, he suddenly realized that when Fifteenth Prince grew up, he might become like Prince Rong in Shizu’s era.
Then, this Crown Prince might become a joke.
He had to secure his future reign first…
Yinreng clenched his fist.
It could wait to reform the bureaucracy later.
Seeing everyone finished eating, Kangxi said, “Full? If full, go back and rest early.”
Fang He had just told him that no guests came empty-handed but stuffed themselves so much they had to lean on the wall to leave.
All were his sons, and their debts were his debtsāhis private treasury would take a hit.
Sometimes having many sons was a real burden.
He didn’t bother discerning the Crown Prince’s true mood, only wanting to avoid trouble and go discuss with Fang He how to eat better and lose less.
Usually, if Kangxi said this, even the Crown Prince would have shrunk his neck and hurried away.
But this time, not one of them left.
The Crown Prince smiled, “Father, just now we were all hungry and failed to live up to your and the Shang Shufang masters’ teachings. We’ve made you and Noble Consort Zhaoyuan laugh.
“Why don’t you test us again?”
The Third Prince nodded vigorously, “This time I definitely won’t disappoint you, Father!”
He was upset at losing his first round so soon.
Ninth Prince, Yin Tao, rubbed his hands, smiling flatteringly at Fang He, “Noble Consort Zhaoyuan, we’re stuffedāplease allow us to digest a bit.”
Tenth Prince hurriedly agreed, “That was just a trial round. No winner yet. We owe the Crown Prince a favor, and we feel a little embarrassed.”
They had to ask for more promises so later they could shamelessly brag.
Fang He didn’t mind; she never intended to treat the game as mere fun.
Today was just to spread the game like the barbecue.
When the time came, she, Concubine Jing, and Noble Consort Yi would fully use it.
Less than a year remained until the selection of palace maids.
She smiled and asked, “Full stomachs, can you still think clearly?”
Everyone subtly implied that the sons followed their fatherāsmarter even when full than others.
Fang He thought to herself that their flattery was convoluted and twisted.
She clapped her hands, “Alright, let’s change the rules. Though divided into camps, in the end only one winner can remain. Werewolves can choose a leader. If the leader is killed, the werewolves can designate anyone except the Crown Prince to succeed him. The Crown Prince likewise can choose any Crown Prince faction member to succeed him before being killed, until only one remains. If the Crown Prince chooses a werewolf, that person automatically wins.”
“Let’s treat the last round as a test, not counting. The final winner can get a written and signed promise from everyone present, including the Emperor. How about that?”
Dirty tricks.
Fang He and everyone looked to Kangxi.
Kangxi didn’t answer directly, “Begin.
If Fang He wins, that’s naturally good.
If one of my sons wins, that’s another story.”
Though Kangxi didn’t give a clear answer, any chance to get his promise was enough to excite everyone.
Sure enough, once full, their minds worked faster.
This round, Fang He finally got the werewolf role, while the Crown Prince role went to Yinxiang.
Fang He smiledāthis was the real fun.
She was voted werewolf leader at once, and without hesitation, chose to kill Yin’e among the three werewolves: Yinyou, Yinci, and Yin’e.
Though Yin’e seemed less clever than his brothers, he wasn’t far behind.
He blew his ‘civilian’ role and began wildly attacking others with tricks.
Everyone’s earlier restraint vanished.
Fang He even felt they seemed more like veterans than herself.
Because of Fang He’s unexpected way of poisoning, no one suspected Yin’e was a werewolf.
Instead, they started slaughtering each other.
Listening to their reasoned nonsense and setting traps for one another, Fang He couldn’t help but send Cui Wei to fetch a plate of stir-fried pumpkin seeds, munching happily.
Finding the scene not lively enough, relying on her years of experience and studying tricky strategies, she quietly stirred the waters.
Kangxi watched as she finally succeeded in poisoning the ‘Crown Prince’.
Only one person remained at the end, achieving the “Most Poisonous Woman” feat.
For a while, he saw the complicated looks in his sons’ eyes.
He didn’t know if Fang He’s brain was too clever or if his sons were too dumb, especially the Crown Prince voted outāhe really didn’t want to admit he raised them this way.
If Fang He knew, she’d probably mock him: God’s-eye view people shouldn’t doubt others’ stupidity; if you have the skill, try playing yourself.
Neither Kangxi, the Crown Prince, nor the princes could believe a woman so easily manipulated them all.
After reluctantly writing their promises, they immediately demanded another round.
Fang He refused.
Having finally won a black-and-white promise, she didn’t have many strategies left and couldn’t guarantee victory over these crafty players.
Only a fool would continue.
“The night’s late, and the days are long. There’ll be plenty of chances to play later,” Fang He said with a smile as she rose.
“Compared to these skewers and meat buns, there are better things for this game.”
The Third Prince blurted, “Better than barbecue?”
Fang He recalled the legendary big bowls of spicy crayfish at summer night markets in later times, swallowed, and nodded firmly.
“More delicious!”
Those thinking hard suddenly felt less disgruntled and somewhat hungry.
Just promised begrudgingly, now itching to make more promises.
Not long after, barbecue and grilled meat spread throughout Changchun Garden.
In the elegant royal gardens of pavilions and terraces, thick smoky barbecue aromas floated during mealtime, making everyone both curse and crave.
Kangxi no longer mentioned promoting Fang He to Imperial Noble Consort; the scheming princes and ministers breathed a sigh of relief.
Yin Hui’s hundred-day banquet ended smoothly in Baohedian Hall.
The most shocking was Fifteenth Prince’s name.
The character “Hui” originally referred to the grand ceremonial robes worn by ancient kings’ main wives during sacrifices, and also represented the court dress of queens.
The Emperor giving this name to the Fifteenth Prince was a clear sign of favor comparable to an Empress for Noble Consort Zhaoyuan.
Though Kangxi didn’t mention promoting Fang He, the attending princes and ministers strangely felt this Noble Consort would soon climb to Imperial Noble Consortāand maybe beyond.
Because of Fifteenth Prince’s name, unrest stirred again in the previous dynasty’s harem.
But before they could act, Werewolf Kill spread further.
Yinzhi regretted it bitterly, feeling isolated and excludedāhow could Father think of him this way?
Even if not craving barbecue or interested in the game, he gritted his teeth, threw pride aside, and joined the Crown Prince and princes by clinging to little brother Yinxiang.
This was a disaster!
The Crown Prince and Eldest Prince didn’t get along well to start.
In this openly adversarial game, they fought even more fiercely.
Perhaps venting some anger in the game made them more civil afterward, surprising ministers and favored consorts.
Afterward, the Crown Prince and princes spread the game into the harem and even to the court, leading both front and rear courts to imitate each other, drawn to play.
Today was Concubine Jing’s turn to get promises from the harem consorts; tomorrow, Suo’etu would gnash his teeth and threaten Mingzhu not to go too far.
At noon, the Crown Prince beamed at his brothers, but at night, he’d be crying to Father.
Teahouses and brothels outside the palace even reserved private rooms for the game favored by palace nobles.
When the crayfish raised in Jiangnan arrived in the capital, Fang He eagerly ordered them to prepare the famous thirteen-spice and spicy crayfish dishes.
Young Yin Hui was already craving; Fang He didn’t want the chubby, drooling Jiujiu princess to cry on the soft couch.
She was dragged off to Ruijing Pavilion.
At lunchtime, from the Empress Dowager and Kangxi to all consorts who smelled the aroma, none were sparedāeveryone was drawn to Ruijing Pavilion.
This time, the Empress Dowager hosted.
Consorts and princes split into two factions, starting a large-scale team battle.
The twelve-person setup doubled, with the werewolves’ identities and poisoning methods further subdivided, drawing the full attention of Changchun Garden.
After Kangxi’s children, Suo’etu, Mingzhu, and several ministers came to watch.
From lunch to dinner, nearly sunset, dozens of crayfish were devoured, and everyone reluctantly dispersed.
After mutual promises canceled each other out, Kangxi and Mingzhu were shocked to find that the harem consorts had far more promises than the princes.
They were puzzled and quietly spread the game to the Noble Ladies’ Residence, unaware of how many promises had been lost.
For a time, the capital’s makeup and jewelry shops did booming business.
Consorts, taking the silver from Fang He, had arranged people outside the palace at the start of the year.
When Werewolf Kill swept the capital, they subtly dispersed people among powerful nobles and commoners.
Winning or losing, they secured many written promises.
Approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival, Concubine Jing and Noble Consort Yi gathered again in Jiayin Hall.
Cautious Noble Consort Yi eagerly asked, “When does the Noble Consort plan to have people fulfill those promises?”
If too late, palace maids from other provinces would be ready to enter the capital.
Even though the harem consorts had lost favor, Yi didn’t want to see fresh blossoms of maids entering one after another.
Fang He and Concubine Jing exchanged smiles.
Concubine Jing said, “Better to strike while the iron is hot…”
“Then let it be Mid-Autumn!” Fang He said with a cheerful smile.