Kangxi learned of her words from Jinghao.
Turning around, he immediately wrote an imperial edict granting titles to all his sons.
Yinreng, Yinzhi, and Yinzhen became Prince Zhi of the Second Rank, Prince Cheng of the Second Rank, and Prince Yong of the Second Rank respectively.
The Fifth through Tenth Princes became Princes of the Third Rank, and the rest became Princes of the Fourth Rank.
These titles caused quite a stir in the court, particularly from the Niu Guogong Mansion.
The Tenth Prince was the son of a Noble Consort, yet he was ranked as a Prince of the Third Rank behind the sons of mere consorts.
This simply didn’t make sense.
Kangxi followed the advice and directly moved Yinzhen’s name in the Genealogy
Record to the name of the late Empress Xiaoyi, making him a legitimate son.
The Niu Guogong Mansion got what it wanted and fell silent.
Besides, Duke Ailing’a of the Niu family was afraid of being ambushed by the Crown Prince’s faction.
Consort De fainted when she heard the news in Yonghe Palace.
Upon waking, she had a long crying fit and has been bedridden with illness ever since.
Consort Hui, sensing the Emperor’s warning after Concubine Liang moved out, has been staying very quiet.
Consort Rong, due to the Ma Jia clan’s involvement in the plot to frame the Crown Prince, also became quiet after the Ma Jia members were exiled to Shengjing; she was now confined to her palace, focusing on Buddhist prayers.
Otherwise, more than just Noble Consort Tongjia and Consort Yi would have come.
The two had come specifically to probe the situation because Kangxi’s drastic changes had caused the court to groan in misery and the harem to tremble like frightened birds.
Consort Yi tentatively asked, “Since Noble Lady Lan has such a unique fate, why not let her help us organize this selection?”
Tongjia Wanying tightened her grip on her handkerchief. She had been recuperating at the detached palace because she wanted to heal her body from a previous scheme and give birth to a little prince.
Now that the Fourth Prince was under Empress Xiaoyi’s name, although the Crown Prince hadn’t been deposed, the officials were already guessing who the Emperor wanted to succeed him.
The Tong family was ecstatic.
They didn’t care about Wanying having a child anymore and were urging her to enter the palace to get close to the Fourth Prince.
But she didn’t want the Fourth Prince to rise.
Instead of letting Consort De become the Empress Dowager while she remained a mere Dowager Noble Consort, she would rather have Yinzhen send her own child to the throne.
Once she realized this, she immediately changed her tune and chimed in, “Your Majesty values Noble Lady Lan. It must be due to her unique destiny. Perhaps she can help pick some good wives for the princes.”
“The households of the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince don’t have many heirs. We must trouble Sister Lan to pick a few blessed ones to send into their manors.”
Tongjia Wanying had already prepared medicine that would hinder fertility.
She just hadn’t figured out how to get it into the Prince Yong Mansion.
Fang He’s presence was like a pillow being offered just as she was falling asleep.
Given the Emperor’s regard for Noble Lady Lan, she and Consort Yi could simply let Fang He choose the girls.
She could then use Fang He’s hand to target Yinzhen, avoiding getting her own hands dirty.
When it all came to light, this ignorant Noble Lady Lan would become the scapegoat, and Wanying could avenge the insult she suffered today!
Kangxi looked at Fang He, and she agreed with a smile.
Consort Yi’s eyes flickered.
She wasn’t entirely unaware of Noble Consort Tongjia’s plans or Consort De’s secret provocations, but… this was beneficial to her and caused her no harm, so why should she interfere?
After the two left, Fang He chuckled at Kangxi, “Now does Your Majesty believe what I said?”
The Kangxi of this timeline underestimated women far too much.
Although he had driven the princes to work under Fang He’s constant ridicule, he still held onto his own views.
He wasn’t in a hurry to deal with the Crown Prince or move against Consort De, merely keeping them under secret surveillance.
Fang He had made a bet with him.
“Did you know that before the Great Qing fell, the one holding the reins of power was a woman? The hundreds of millions of people in the Great Qing were oppressed for nearly a century by an allied force of barbarians, suffering a shame that would be etched into the bones of future generations. Part of the reason was the contempt and oppression of women by those in power.”
She had previously said, “When a woman becomes ruthless, she is no less fearsome than the officials of the court. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see. See if they can use this selection and those common domestic schemes you’ve seen to subvert the court.”
Recalling this, Kangxi’s expression darkened slightly, but he didn’t grow angry.
He calmly pushed the snacks Fang He liked toward her and asked, “If you were the Tongjia lady, what would you do?”
Fang He picked up a snack, hummed softly, and smiled, “If it were me, I would use Consort De’s hatred for Empress Xiaoyi to spread rumors of the Fourth Prince’s unfiliality. Then I would bribe the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to claim that the Fourth Prince has a cursed fate, and that he was the one who caused the deaths of Empress Xiaoyi and her eighth daughter.
“Afterward, I would poison the candidates selected for the Prince Yong Mansion to ensure the Fourth Prince has no heirs.
Then, I would plant the blame on the Emperor’s favorite, Noble Lady Lan.
Using the opportunity to cry for the Fourth Prince, I would gain the Emperor’s favor and give birth to a little prince of my own.
“Finally, I would have the Tong family cooperate with the Crown Prince to suppress and incite the other princes to fight among themselves.”
“Once the Tong family’s little prince grew up, I would have him expose the plots of the Crown Prince and Consort De. At that time, my son would naturally become the Emperor’s only choice.”
Fang He spoke of these poisonous schemes casually and then tapped her forehead, “Oh, and if I were Consort De, I would play along. Using the Uya clan’s influence in the Imperial Household Department, I would splash all the dirty water onto the Tong family, letting the Crown Prince and the Tong family tear each other apart like dogs. I would win over the Fourth Prince and push his biological younger brother to the throne.”
Kangxi’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
“In your… in their hearts, am I some kind of fool?”
Such easily exposed schemes—if even one link failed, the Shadow Guards would trace it back, and heads would roll.
Were these women brainless?
Fang He sneered, “I’m the one telling you. If I didn’t, they would always appear as your favorite, gentle companions. On the surface, they are all dignified and virtuous, while in the shadows, they spend ten or twenty years slowly realizing their plans. Would you find out?”
“Not to mention, people become muddled as they grow older. When you are old, can you guarantee you won’t let your subordinates run wild just because you don’t want to give up power?”
Kangxi’s breath hitched: “….”
“What did I do?”
Fang He thought for a moment then replied “Nothing much. Just spent millions of taels of silver on six southern tours and another million on two Thousand-Elder Banquets. I don’t understand it. You’re so stingy that you never mention raising the officials’ salaries, yet you’re so ‘kind’ that you allow them to borrow silver from the national treasury to live on, directly emptying the treasury. What? Is the silver in the treasury not yours?”
“You couldn’t bring yourself to make the officials pay it back. They were all fat and wealthy while the common people could only dream of having enough to eat and wear. You forced your son to go out and collect the debts. After he took the throne, he worked himself to death in front of the imperial desk within a mere dozen or so years just to fill the treasury, and he still left a bad reputation in history.”
As Kangxi listened, the colors of his face became quite vivid.
Every time he thought he could no longer be shocked by her words, she would recall a new ‘dream’ that shattered his composure.
Even the ‘other’ Kangxi was fuming, causing the current Kangxi—who was temporarily sharing the same brain—to feel his temples throbbing.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head on his hand, taking a while to recover.
After a moment of reflection, he looked at Fang He, a faint trace of tenderness appearing in his eyes, “If they… if it is truly as you say, I will have Yinreng go overseas as soon as possible. I will also establish a women’s academy. Once the Golden Grain has been promoted, I will set up a Long-life Spirit Tablet for you.”
Fang He: “…”
If her feeling wasn’t wrong, he was becoming interested in her.
After all, he had the exact same face and a very similar personality to her jerk.
She was all too familiar with the look he gave when he liked someone and was determined to have them.
Her heart stirred.
She sat up straight with interest and looked at Kangxi seriously, “Will it be in my name, Fang He?”
Kangxi saw no reason why not.
“If you are willing to stay, then naturally it can be.”
Fang He happily reached out her hand and said, “Pinky swear. If we pinky swear, you can’t go back on it.”
Kangxi paused, then reached out his hand to take Fang He’s.
But just as he raised his arm, his whole body swayed.
His brain felt a sharp pain, and his vision went black for a moment.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had changed.
He simply lowered his hand and looked at Fang He with a half-smile. “You really want to pinky swear?”
Fang He smiled brilliantly, “You jerk, what do you think?”
‘Kangxi’ didn’t change his expression.
“If you want my opinion, why don’t you first tell me about the origin of these dreams and your identity within them?”
Fang He sneered, “Fine. When I go back, I’ll tell you slowly, how about that?”
‘Kangxi’ knew that this brat was feeling competitive again, thinking ‘if you ask me, I’ll ask you back.’
He couldn’t help but laugh, “Fine. Whether you say it or not, whatever you want to do, when have I ever not let you have your way?”
Fang He stared at him and asked, “Forever?”
‘Kangxi’ nodded with a smile, cooperating with her question.
“Past, present, and even the next life won’t change. Can that be considered forever?”
Fang He was satisfied. “It counts!”
‘Kangxi’ tapped her head and said, “Then the dream should end. If you don’t wake up, the other me might actually try to steal you away.”
What could he say?
Even if it were himself, he just wanted to say: ‘In your dreams!’
Fang He hummed and shook her head, “No. Earlier I wanted to wake up and you were hiding, but now I don’t want to. Not until I’ve finished watching all this drama!”
Kangxi: “….”
***
In the thirty-fourth year of Kangxi’s reign, during the selection, Yinzhen was granted two ladies, Lady Xitala and Lady Uya, into his manor.
Soon after, Yinzhen fainted at the Ministry of Justice.
The imperial physician took his pulse and discovered that the Prince had been poisoned with a drug that caused infertility; the catalyst for the poison was found on Lady Xitala.
Before the rumor could spread that the girl had been chosen by Noble Lady Lan, Noble Consort Tongjia was confined to Chengqian Palace due to ‘serious illness.’
Following this, Lady Uya of the Prince Yong Mansion died suddenly, and Consort De cried until she fainted in Yonghe Palace before heading to Shoukang Palace to plead for forgiveness for Yinzhen.
Rumors began to spread in the capital that Yinzhen’s cursed fate had killed Empress Xiaoyi and was now causing Consort De and the Fourteenth Prince to fall into incurable illnesses.
But before the rumors could fully circulate, evidence of Consort De murdering Empress Xiaoyi and the eighth princess, conspiring with the Hesheri clan to bribe the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and murdering Lady Uya was presented to the Emperor.
In the thirty-fifth year, after the three expeditions against Gualdan, Kangxi issued an edict demoting Consort De to a commoner and confining her to Yanchun Pavilion.
He also confined Suo’etu, Fubao, and Xin Yu to the Zongrenfu.
In the same year, Noble Consort Tongjia remained bedridden, and the Crown Prince died suddenly in the palace.
In the thirty-sixth year, Kangxi ordered Yinzhen to enter the Ministry of Revenue to promote Golden Grain.
A ship bound for the sea departed from Guangzhou Prefecture.
Yinreng stood at the bow of the ship, gazing toward the capital with a face full of gloom.
In the fortieth year, the Eldest Prince, Yinzhi; the Third Prince, Yin Xi; and the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, were promoted to Prince Zhi of the First Rank, Prince Cheng of the First Rank, and Prince Yong of the First Rank.
In the forty-fifth year, Kangxi ordered Prince Yong to perform the ancestral sacrifices on his behalf.
In the fiftieth year, Kangxi ordered Prince Yong Yinzhen to serve as the regent.
He himself retired to Changchun Garden, no longer attending to politics and instead focusing on the development of muskets and cannons, as well as researching overseas crops and high-yield rice.
In the fifty-fifth year, Yongzheng ascended the throne.
All the debts owed to the treasury were recovered, Golden Grain and high-yield rice were promoted nationwide, and the country was at peace.
In the fifth year of Yongzheng, the Emperor ordered Prince Zhi and Prince Chun to lead an expedition to Qinghai.
Using improved cannons, they killed Tsewang Araptan, completely wiped out the Jungars, and pursued the Luosha until they received a letter of surrender.
Kangxi lived until the eighth year of Yongzheng before passing away.
Before his death, he left an imperial edict for Yongzheng to secretly bury Consort Lan—who had passed away in the second year of Yongzheng—in the underground palace of Jingling.
Fang He had seen enough of the excitement.
Because the body of the Zashuhu Li girl was even weaker than her own, she had only lasted until the spring of the year the Empress Dowager passed away, dying of exhaustion while kneeling during the mourning period.
When she opened her eyes again, her own jerk was lazily leaning against the headboard, pinching her nose and shaking it.
No wonder she couldn’t breathe.
Fang He was so angry she kicked him and asked, “Are you trying to suffocate me now so you can hang my ashes on your waist and be buried together?”
Kangxi lay down and pulled her into his arms by saying, “If you’re not willing, I can put my ashes in your coffin instead.”
Fang He: “…”
‘Well, that’s not a bad idea.’
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