In the thirty-ninth year of Kangxi, summer.
Just after Qingming, Kangxi bestowed titles upon the princes during court.
The eldest prince, Yinzhi, was conferred as Prince Zhi of the Second Rank, the third prince was granted the title Prince Cheng of the Second Rank, and the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth princes were all titled as Princes of the Third Rank.
Princes nine through fifteen all received the title of Prince of the Fourth Rank.
The two youngest princes, who were only seven, did not receive any titles.
The civil and military officials weren’t surprised, since they were still so young.
Even the fifteenth prince being made Prince of the Fourth Rank was seen as reasonable by all; after all, the Fifteenth Prince was only ten years old, yet received the same rank as the ninth prince who had already reached eighteen.
This alone proved the Emperor’s great favor towards the Imperial Noble Consort.
But what truly stunned all the nobles and ministers was that after all these promotions were announced, Liang Jiugong brought out yet another imperial edict—this time, for the Crown Prince.
Crown Prince Yinreng had repeatedly asked to be relieved of his status, and his health was failing.
He was specially granted the title Prince Li of the First Rank and gifted a prince’s residence.
The Crown Prince had not attended court for several years now.
After the edict was announced, Liang Jiugong had to deliver it to Danningju, so that the Crown Prince… so that Prince Li and his wife could move together into the newly reassigned Prince Li Residence, which was converted from the former Shunhe Palace.
After Liang Jiugong finished reading the edict, all the ministers gathered in Jiugong Sanshi Hall fell into a long silence.
Just like that, the Crown Prince was gone?
So why was the fifteenth prince made Prince of the Fourth Rank?
Was the Emperor not planning to establish another Crown Prince?
So many questions swirled through everyone’s minds, leaving them dazed.
Someone, confused, even stepped forward and instinctively pleaded with the Emperor to reconsider, “Though the Crown Prince is frail, he has never erred over the years, and is recognized by the people of the empire. I beg Your Majesty to summon the best physicians for him. There’s truly no need to abolish the position of Crown Prince!”
Others reacted and, whatever their intentions, began to echo the sentiment.
“I earnestly beg Your Majesty to think carefully. The Crown Prince has always performed admirably as regent and is the legitimate heir of the late Empress, truly the most suitable candidate for the position!”
“I second this! Please, Your Majesty, reconsider. The Crown Prince is the foundation of the empire’s succession. If the position is abolished, the world will be thrown into chaos, Your Majesty!”
Even Mingzhu and Chen Tingjing, the current leaders of the court, offered a few polite words of agreement.
When Kangxi’s edict reached Danningju and the Crown Prince and his wife received it with a surprising calmness, there were still ministers who went to the Imperial Study, pleading with the Emperor to revoke his decision.
Cui Wei carried the fruit tea her mistress wanted from the Imperial Tea Room, and as she passed beneath the covered walkway, she saw many ministers gathered outside Chunhui Hall.
After entering the main hall, she whispered to her mistress, “The Crown Prince hasn’t attended court for nearly four years. Why didn’t these old officials care so much about him before?”
At this, Fang He, lounging on the soft divan and nibbling on fresh bayberries from the imperial estate, couldn’t help but chuckle, “Other than those few stubborn old fools, none of the others are truly protesting for the Crown Prince’s sake. This is, of course, a show for the Emperor.”
Cui Wei looked puzzled, but Fang He merely smiled in silence.
She may not understand politics, but she understood how the mind of a boss worked.
A boss can make a mistake, admit it, and correct it, and that’s the boss’s wisdom but if a subordinate really says, ‘Boss, you finally figured it out; you were foolish before,’ then that subordinate isn’t far from being fired.
Those old foxes like Mingzhu know perfectly well that the abolishment of the Crown Prince is set in stone.
They can’t change the Emperor’s mind, so they put on all this effort to show the Emperor that they always supported the decision to make Yinreng Crown Prince and his prior favor—it’s just that Prince Li himself let everyone down.
Yinreng surely understands this too.
The Great Qing’s navy has yet to be established; if he wishes to go to sea, he’ll need to wait a few more years.
So for now, as long as he’s in Jingcheng, he still has to do things according to his father’s wishes.
Seeing Cui Wei’s bewildered expression, Fang He smiled and said, “How about we bet? I wager the Emperor won’t see them, and Prince Li will certainly come to the Imperial Study and admit his own faults to the ministers. There’s bound to be a good show to watch then.”
Energized by the idea of her own, Fang He immediately sat up, changed into the newly made palace maid uniform, and dragged Cui Wei—who had also changed—off to the Imperial Tea Room.
Cui Wei couldn’t stop her mistress, so she could only follow, both helpless and eager, to bring tea cups and stand quietly outside the Imperial Study.
After all, both had served in the Tea Room before; acting deferential and inconspicuous came naturally, and so they smoothly took their place under the coiled dragon pillar outside the Imperial Study without being noticed.
By the time the two arrived, the sun was already rising high.
Though it was early summer and not the hottest part yet, there was no shade in front of the coiled dragon pillar.
The ministers standing outside, layered in their court robes, were soon drenched in sweat.
Even Fang He and Cui Wei were sweating by the brow when Yinreng appeared, dressed in a casual robe tied with a yellow sash, not even fully arranged, hair bare, face full of shame.
Seeing the ministers gathered outside, he paused at just the right moment, his eyes reddening as he bowed deeply and said, “Yinreng thanks all the lords here, but I truly am unfit to bear the burden of the heir apparent. I have suffered bouts of hysteria, lost track of day and night…”
“These years I’ve been ill, and it’s shown little effect. I dare not risk the fate of the Great Qing with my weak and useless body. I beg you all, do not trouble my Father Emperor any further!”
Fang He and Cui Wei exchanged a glance, both inwardly impressed.
The Crown Prince—no, Prince Li’s acting was quite something!
Without even wiping his eyes, his rims reddened instantly.
Cui Wei watched as, without waiting for the ministers to speak, Prince Li turned and knelt before the Imperial Study.
In an instant, tears flowed down his face.
He’s even better than my mistress at crying—my mistress still needs to pinch herself!
Fang He, however, eyed the prince’s collar and sleeves in suspicion and thought, ‘Was Yinreng really such a good actor? I had never heard of it…’
Just as she was thinking, the doors of the Imperial Study opened.
Liang Jiugong stepped aside, and Kangxi strode out, helping Yinreng up with his own hands he said, “I know you feel ashamed, but your health is poor—the Imperial Physicians have forbidden you to be exposed to the wind. Why put yourself through this?”
Kangxi gently brushed the dust from Yinreng’s knees, and hastily told Liang Jiugong to fetch his canopy to escort Prince Li back.
Fang He thought: ‘Understood—he takes after his father!’
Yinreng wept even harder, “It’s my fault, Father Emperor, for putting you in such a difficult position, and causing the world to misunderstand you—it’s all because I’m not worthy…”
Fang He and Cui Wei, engrossed in the spectacle, even forgot to lower their heads.
Liang Jiugong, noticing, quickly stepped aside to block the view.
Never mind Fang He and Cui Wei, even the ministers were stunned by the drama, but with the Emperor and Prince Li performing on stage, how could they not play their part?
Immediately, someone stepped forward, eloquently comforting both Prince Li and the Emperor, claiming it was fate’s injustice, that both were blameless, and it was Heaven that was blind.
Of course, that last bit was Fang He’s own translation in her mind.
With Liang Jiugong blocking them, Fang He dared to stretch her neck out for a better look.
Kangxi too was moved to tears, sighing repeatedly as he patted Yinreng’s shoulder to console him.
“I…,” Kangxi choked on his words.
He had half-turned and just caught sight of two small heads peeking out from behind Liang Jiugong’s sleeve, one of them tilted at an angle.
Other than a certain troublemaker, no other palace maid had ever been so bold before him.
He drew a deep breath, forcing down his emotion, pinched himself hard as he’d seen that troublemaker do, and let his own tears fall.
Then, heavily, he clapped Yinreng on the shoulder, “You have been Crown Prince since you were in swaddling clothes, skilled in both civil and military affairs. I truly cannot bear to part with you!”
“Father Emperor, your son is ashamed of your kindness!” At this, Yinreng finally used his ginger-dusted sleeve, and wailed once more.
He, too, had caught sight of the Imperial Noble Consort and couldn’t keep up the tears much longer.
Kangxi said firmly, “I will not name another Crown Prince. Once you recover, if—should the worst happen—the position of heir will be placed beneath the plaque of Upright and Bright for all to see.”
The ministers who had been comforting them were struck: ‘So this is what the Emperor had been waiting for!’
By not naming a Crown Prince, the fifteenth prince wouldn’t be endangered by the title, and the risks would be lessened.
And the Emperor would not bear the infamy of deposing the Crown Prince, nor would Prince Li naturally become a rival to any new heir.
Even if the other princes competed bitterly, as long as they couldn’t touch the Upright and Bright plaque in the main hall, it was all for nothing.
A triple win…
The ministers all marveled in their hearts— ‘truly, this was the Emperor, and none could match his cunning.’
Because Kangxi and Yinreng insisted on leaving the spacious, cool Imperial Study to stand outside under the blazing sun and weep, their story of deep father-son affection, with the Emperor forced to compromise for the empire, and Prince Li sacrificing the throne for the country, soon spread throughout Changchun Garden.
Yinreng and his wives did not move immediately and remained in Danningju for the time being, isolated from outside rumors.