The Eldest Prince and his wife would never hold their heads up again.
Even if the Imperial Noble Consort elevated the Women’s Academy to the heavens, if talented women ran away due to the selection reforms, all the ministers and officials would rise up in anger.
The Emperor himself couldn’t sit idly by.
After Xu Bao left, Yinreng smiled gently and stood by the window trimming a newly acquired evergreen bonsai.
The window was half-open, the early summer sun shining on his pale jade-like face, turning his light mood into delight.
He let Suo’etu handle things in the Imperial Garden, then repeatedly lost his temper and retaliated childishly.
Even his brothers thought he was spoiled by Kangxi.
After the selection reform, he couldn’t sit still knowing Fang He had been granted Imperial Noble Consort, conspiring with Suo’etu to act foolishly was reasonable.
Kangxi thought his actions unbecoming of a Crown Prince, repeatedly reprimanding him.
He outright forbade Suo’etu from causing further trouble, ordering him to stay indoors.
Throwing a tantrum inside his palace was normal, right?
Even if Fang He didn’t believe he would give up so easily, with so many things happening, they’d surely underestimate him and focus on him and Suo’etu, waiting for their next move.
The smile on Yinreng’s lips deepened, but his eyes carried a sharp coldness that sunlight couldn’t penetrate.
He cut off a particularly beautiful branch of the bonsai without hesitation, leaving the plant slightly imperfect.
He was the Crown Prince.
How could he be too perfect!
The older Kangxi got, the dumber this Crown Prince seemed—didn’t that put Kangxi’s mind at ease?
But everyone, including Kangxi, forgot that he had once been praised by the masters for showing signs of a wise ruler, lecturing at thirteen flawlessly in front of civil and military officials.
He had to deal with the Imperial Noble Consort and the Fifteenth Prince.
How could he use methods that were easily traced back to him?
Earlier attempts to smear the Women’s Academy, sending people to attack talented women, were only to focus attention on himself.
When Abukai’s daughter worshiped at the temple, he bribed maids to arrange suspicious encounters and slipped her copies of “The Talented Scholar and the Beauty” to make it look like fate.
His officials and their female relatives subtly guided the conversation, praising scholars who tried to climb ranks through connections and gave some yellow and white gifts to help them get to the capital—no evidence was left.
It was Abukai’s daughter’s own indiscretion that gave her the thought to elope.
The Crown Prince’s reputation couldn’t be stained, so why act personally?
Even Hesheri wouldn’t be involved.
May arrived quickly.
Concubine Jing received the evidence from the Tong Family and, after reading a few lines, couldn’t help but click her tongue.
Ling Pu’s influence outside was more powerful than even imperial clans.
He bought a secret villa in the suburbs for private meetings with officials, larger than the famed Shangmei Garden of Prince Yu’s Mansion.
The scripts didn’t describe things in such detail, but the evidence from the Tong Family was thorough.
Ling Pu was substituting tributes with inferior goods and selling them for huge profits… that wasn’t even the worst part.
He used the Crown Prince’s connections to issue counterfeit money in and outside the capital.
Not only that, Ling Pu and corrupt officials gave loans to court officials and officials traveling to the capital, controlling them through debt.
Even when Concubine Jing was a female minister, she had never seen such insidious tactics.
This was tantamount to mortgaging the nation’s fate.
If this continued, the longevity of the Great Qing would be a joke.
Frowning, Concubine Jing carefully examined correspondence regarding Ling Pu’s villa and quickly found the list of Zhili officials.
She copied the list and handed it to Nanny Wu and said, “Take this to Jiayin Hall. Ask the Imperial Noble Consort to investigate these officials and the scholars associated with them. Confirm the scholars’ whereabouts.”
Nanny Wu was completely loyal to Concubine Jing now, and even the two State Dukes heeded her orders.
She dared not utter a word of dissent and hurried off.
Concubine Jing continued reviewing the evidence, increasingly amazed.
She had to say, when it came to the Crown Prince, she had felt from the scripts that if Kangxi hadn’t lived so long, no other princes might have matched him.
If the sons born by Empress Wu had even half of Yinreng’s ruthlessness and cunning, Wu Emperor would never have sat on the Dragon Throne.
In his youth, he often clashed with the Eldest Prince and blindly followed Suo’etu’s advice, making foolish moves.
Kangxi worried about the Crown Prince’s weak resolve and repeatedly scolded him, even suppressing Suo’etu to try to bring Yinreng back in line.
Little did they know, many of Suo’etu’s actions were the Crown Prince’s own allowance.
Even Suo’etu’s demotion was expected by Yinreng.
He didn’t need a mother’s family that was too arrogant and forgetful of their place.
After Fang He entered the palace, the Crown Prince started to show friendliness.
Even when opposing, he was violent but savvy, ruthless but shallow—perfectly fitting a young Crown Prince.
If Concubine Jing hadn’t read the scripts, she might never have seen the Crown Prince’s deep backup plans.
Fang He had investigated the Wuyazi and bonded servant families through Qiao Cheng, knowing Qiao Cheng was capable outside the palace, unlike his dull silence inside.
Later, Wei Zhu revealed that Qiao Cheng’s godfather outside had few plans, only to ensure that after leaving the palace, Fang He could live peacefully with Nanny Xu and Fang He without being bullied by in-laws or capital nobility.
A son-in-law who entered the family.
After Nanny Xu passed and Qiao Cheng spent all his silver and efforts arranging more people, it was all to find Fang He a capable protector.
Qiao Cheng knew his niece was too soft-hearted and feared Fang He would be devoured alive if she left the palace before he could leave himself.
He dared not take it lightly.
Later, after Fang He stayed in the palace, these became her foothold.
But Qiao Cheng never showed any of this to Fang He.
In this palace, Fang He trusted no one more than her godfather.
Taking advantage of Kangxi’s court session, Fang He took Jiujiu for a walk.
After receiving the list sent to Jiayin Hall from Concubine Jing, she chose Qiao Cheng over the consultant and Kangxi without hesitation.
Qiao Cheng didn’t disappoint.
In less than ten days, he had Wei Zhu identify the scholar secretly placed by the Crown Prince, even recording his actions after arriving in the capital in great detail.
One morning, before the sun rose high, Fang He took Jiujiu and Erbao to Ruijing Pavilion.
Jiujiu had just had a tooth pulled.
The Imperial Physician warned of possible infection, prescribing medicine to clear heat and toxins.
They came to Ruijing Pavilion, where the Empress Dowager took advantage of Fang He’s difficulty managing elders to secretly feed Jiujiu flavorful snacks.
The Empress Dowager wouldn’t harm the child; the snacks were prepared by the Imperial Medical Institute, also clearing toxins, complementing Fang He’s stern and gentle acts to soothe Jiujiu’s inflammation.
Erbao was now on solid food too.
Usually not greedy, but whenever his sister ate something, he drooled and fussed to have some as well.
As soon as the two little ones arrived at Ruijing Pavilion, Seventh Princess Uxihan accompanied them, and the palace servants cheered, turning the quiet pavilion lively.
Soon, Concubine Jing and Consort Yi arrived, bringing Fourth Princess Yierha.
Fang He avoided the crowd, inviting Concubine Jing and Consort Yi to the pavilion’s small garden to admire the flowers.
Taking advantage of the privacy, she shared the discovered information with them.
“This person is asking where to buy a permit to enter the inner city and has been wandering near the North City Gate. Yesterday, he even went to Fa Yuan Temple.”
Fang He instinctively thought the worst, “Could he be planning to poison during the final selection?”
Consort Yi was puzzled, “Then why go to Fa Yuan Temple?”
Fang He was sure, “He must know he’s about to commit a sin and went to ask Buddha for forgiveness… Hiss, this is going big!”
Consort Yi’s eyes widened, and she gasped, playing it up dramatically.
“Heavens, what is this person planning? Those talented women are all descendants of high-ranking ministers. If discovered, the Crown Prince…”
But Fang He nodded fiercely, clearly not intending to keep the Crown Prince’s position.
Concubine Jing: “…”
The two of them were so in sync, they said everything for her.
She laughed softly, “Killing doesn’t have to take lives. To kill in the heart is the highest. The Crown Prince wants the Imperial Noble Consort disgraced, not to go mad.”
Consort Yi took sunflower seeds from her pouch and placed them on the stone table, nodding as she cracked seeds.
“Right. If he wants to ruin Guoguo’s reputation… could he be aiming at us?”
“If they let an outsider man rush at you, and it gets out, His Majesty’s head might turn a little green.”
And that would all be blamed on Fang He.
Fang He couldn’t help but grab some sunflower seeds.
“Makes sense, but something feels off. You all have many palace maids with you, and the princes are guarded by Imperial Guards. It wouldn’t be easy to break through so many defences to attack you…”
She paused, eyes wide in sudden realization, “Could this person be planning to expose himself in front of you???”
Ugh, the most disgusting exposure fetish!
But enough to shock those old-fashioned moralists and have them curse her to no end.
Consort Yi imagined that scene and frowned, cracking seeds faster to suppress the nausea.
Concubine Jing: “….”
‘… It’s not easy to get to us, but easier to get to others?’
She hated not being able to spoil the scripts.
They didn’t say which talented woman eloped, only that it caused a big stir but Kangxi suppressed it forcefully, sealing lips.
Everyone remained silent.
To have Fang He and Consort Yi’s people prepared, she could only hint indirectly.
“If he doesn’t want to be despised by the Emperor, this won’t be an open attack. There are many ways to ruin a woman’s reputation…”
Fang He didn’t react quickly—after all, where she came from, concepts like eloping and dishonor didn’t exist.
Consort Yi quickly understood, her face turning pale.
“You mean… luring talented women to elope?!”
If such a scandal broke, it would be strictly suppressed.
Otherwise, the families of talented women would be doomed.
Fang He would become the target of all the powerful who opposed the selection reforms.
If the Crown Prince succeeded, whether Fang He’s ceremony to be Imperial Noble Consort could even be held would be in question.
To appease the ministers, the Emperor would again reform the selection or even restore the old system.
No matter what, Fang He would become the scapegoat.
Even the concubines following her, and the six concubines who left the palace, would be purged… this method was extremely vicious.
She looked pale and turned to Concubine Jing and said, “No, we must kill this person immediately!”
“At least restrain him. There are no fewer than eight hundred talented women entering the capital. Outside the palace, rules aren’t strict. It’s impossible to guard all of them.”
Fang He remained calm, feeling as if the shoe had dropped.
Her earlier unease was right—the Crown Prince was indeed pretending to be foolish.
She exchanged a meaningful glance with Concubine Jing and said, “Catching him won’t help. Who knows if this scholar is an exception.”
“If we spook him, who knows if cousins, nephews, or servants might be involved? At least we now have a chance to change the future. Otherwise, we’ll be completely passive.”
Consort Yi couldn’t eat her seeds anymore.
“Then we can only screen the talented women one by one… No, making it so public would only alert them.”
She thought for a moment and said, “Why not ask the Emperor to have the Tidu Yamen heavily guard them, just like inside the palace, no freedom to move.”
Fang He shook her head and replied, “That’s just moving from one cage to another, betraying our original intention. Besides, how do you know the Tidu Yamen officers aren’t arranged by him?”
She rested her chin thoughtfully and said, “Since we know what he plans, it’s not entirely hopeless…”
Fang He and Concubine Jing spoke in unison—
“Tell the Emperor!”
At those words, Concubine Jing and Consort Yi both glanced at Fang He, who was covering her mouth.
Has the Imperial Noble Consort said something terrible?
Fang He coughed heavily twice and quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, strike first!”
She raised her delicate hand and clenched her fist.
“Let’s set a trap, invite the enemy in, and catch the turtle in the jar!”
Concubine Jing and Consort Yi: “…..”
‘Confirmed, she was definitely cursing the Emperor.’