Songgotu was indignant.
“Sharpening the axe won’t delay chopping wood. Your Highness has never fallen behind in learning the principles of governance. How can you allow the First Prince, a mere son of a concubine, to get ahead of you?”
“In my opinion, Your Highness should bring the Third Prince and Fourth Prince to your side, winning over the Ma Jia and Tong Jia clans.
Firstly, this would demonstrate brotherly unity. Secondly, it would show everyone that following you means having benefits. The ministers will naturally know where to place their loyalty.”
As for winning over the princes, the Third and Fourth Princes were not difficult to deal with.
As long as the Hesheli clan provided enough benefits to the Ma Jia and Tong Jia families, they would surely take the bait.
As long as the Crown Prince’s power surpassed that of the First Prince, no matter how cunning the old fox Nalan Mingzhu was, he could never overcome the rightful and legitimate heir to the throne.
At first, Yinreng found such tactics too calculated.
As the Crown Prince, he had always been the one others flattered—how could he lower himself to win over his brothers?
But after Songgotu persuaded him repeatedly, he eventually brought the Third Prince, Yinzhi, and the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, into his circle, acting the part of an affectionate elder brother.
Yet, this alliance soon led to trouble.
During the midday banquet, the Crown Prince took Yinzhi and Yinzhen to toast the Ma Jia and Tong Jia families, including Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei.
Regardless of their true feelings, they maintained a friendly front with the Crown Prince—after all, he was the heir.
The First Prince, Yinti, saw this and burned with anger.
Despite Concubine Hui repeatedly reminding him to mind his manners in such a formal setting and not provoke their father, seeing Emperor Kangxi shower praise on the Crown Prince was too much for him to bear.
Yinzhi and Yinzhen were his brothers, so why should the Crown Prince, as their younger sibling, be the only one to win them over?
Why couldn’t he, the eldest, do the same?
As soon as the evening banquet began, Yinti pulled Yinzhi and Yinzhen to his side, insisting on sharing drinks and bonding as brothers.
The Crown Prince was furious.
Drinking and chatting—without including him?
Did Yinti forget about seniority and respect?
Yinti wasn’t about to back down.
Seniority, huh?
Well then, let’s see who can drink more!
Last time, the Crown Prince got so drunk he broke his leg.
Does he dare drink again?
Before long, the palace servants couldn’t stop them, and Prince Gong, Changning, who enjoyed stirring up trouble, egged them on.
The concubines couldn’t get close enough to intervene.
Even before the feast officially began, both princes were already drunk.
In the chaos, Yinzhi and Yinzhen were also dragged into the drinking contest by Changning, their faces turning as red as monkey’s backsides as they grew more and more intoxicated.
One of them staggered around the hall, loudly reciting poetry.
The other one, teetering unsteadily, chased after his older brother, repeatedly reciting palace regulations.
Kangxi entered the hall, supporting the Grand Empress Dowager, just as Yinzhi nearly crashed into him.
Walking beside the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, Kangxi couldn’t dodge and ended up taking a full-on headbutt.
Yinzhen, stumbling over, added even more force to the collision.
If Kangxi hadn’t instinctively bent down at the last second, his ability to produce heirs might have been permanently compromised.
Changning, completely drunk, let out a loud laugh.
Following behind the Empress Dowager, the Seventh Prince, Yinli, whined, “Why didn’t you invite me to drink—mmmph!”
Concubine Yi, her face pale, rushed forward and clamped a hand over her son’s mouth, dragging him away as if she were about to sacrifice him.
Kangxi swept his gaze across the hall.
Among the kneeling concubines, all except for Concubine Hui wore expressions of detached amusement, as if this mess had nothing to do with them.
Prince Fuquan, who had managed to raise a proper heir in his son, Baotai, knelt to pay respects while still clutching a wine jug with a grin.
The Second and Third Princesses, struggling to pull Yinti and Yinreng apart, were so anxious they were crying.
And there were still two sons entirely oblivious to their surroundings, shouting and arguing over their drinking contest…
Kangxi’s face turned black on the spot, his temples throbbing with anger.
The Grand Empress Dowager, unwilling to let blood be spilled on such a joyous day, chuckled, “You mischievous little rascals—what’s so interesting about a bunch of drunk troublemakers?”
“Hurry and drag them all out to sober up. Once they’re awake, then the real entertainment begins.”
A round of awkward laughter rippled through the hall.
Eunuch Liang Jiugong braced himself, leading a group of attendants to haul away the drunken princes.
Despite receiving a flurry of sluggish punches and kicks, they finally managed to carry them all out.
Kangxi, unable to suppress his fury, turned to scold Fuquan and Changning, the two elders who should have kept things in check.
They couldn’t lift their heads under the emperor’s harsh reprimands.
It was only when the Empress Dowager mentioned that she was hungry that Kangxi reluctantly calmed himself and ordered the dishes to be served.
Still, the festive Mid-Autumn atmosphere had been all but ruined.
The Grand Empress Dowager was exhausted from the day’s events, the Empress Dowager’s Mandarin was limited, and Kangxi had no interest in further conversation.
While the three highest-ranking figures fell into silence, the rest of the hall couldn’t afford to let the night end on such a sour note—it wouldn’t do to leave the “Three Great Mountains” displeased.
The ailing Imperial Noble Consort had not been in charge of the evening banquet; instead, it was Noble Consort Niohuru who had taken care of the arrangements.
She was the most furious about the First Prince and the Crown Prince’s lack of discipline.
Immediately, she cast a sharp glance at Concubine Hui.
“I overheard the First Prince saying something in his drunken ramblings—he sounded dissatisfied with the Crown Prince? I wonder how you educate your son, Concubine Hui. Best not to say inappropriate things in front of the children.”
Concubine Hui, one of the earliest consorts to have served Kangxi, was not to be trifled with.
She responded coldly, “Brothers roughhousing—of course, as mothers and concubines, we shouldn’t interfere.
“Now, Ninth and Tenth Princes will soon have their first birthday ceremonies. Noble Consort, I’m sure you’ll be setting a good example.”
Who didn’t know the truth?
Did they really think people were blind and deaf about how the Crown Prince broke his leg last time?
Concubine Yi was displeased.
They were arguing, but why drag her little Ninth Prince into it?
She retorted sarcastically, “If you ask me, the First Prince truly takes after His Majesty’s valor. They say brothers fight side by side in battle.
Since my little Ninth Prince and the others aren’t competent enough, perhaps Concubine Hui should give birth to a few more sons for His Majesty. If they all turn out like the First Prince, they could assist the Crown Prince in the future, wouldn’t that be better?”
The moment she said this, Concubine Rong and Concubine De both felt irritated.
The Imperial Noble Consort, recalling her own son, Yinzhen, who had just been carried out drunk, felt even more displeased.
Once the battle of words between these women began, the sharp blades were hidden beneath layers of veiled remarks.
The princes’ consorts and concubines watching from the sidelines found it quite entertaining.
Kangxi, having taken a few extra drinks, grew increasingly annoyed.
Seeing that even the Grand Empress Dowager’s expression had darkened—clearly troubled by the tension between the Crown Prince and the First Prince—he was about to order them all to shut up.
Before he could speak, a sudden retching sound came from the side.
He didn’t even have to intervene—the hall instantly fell silent, all eyes turning toward Consort Tong, who was seated beside Concubine An.
Consort Tong turned sideways in embarrassment, covering her mouth as she dry-heaved several times, her eyes brimming with tears as she knelt in apology.
“Your Majesty, I have lost my composure. Please punish me! It’s just that I suddenly felt nauseous from the smell of fish…”
As soon as she spoke, the expressions on the other concubines’ faces became quite interesting—most of them were cursing her foolishness in their hearts.
This had to be intentional.
She must have known she was pregnant and waited until this grand occasion to reveal it, hoping to win the favor of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Sure enough, the Grand Empress Dowager’s expression softened.
“Could it be that you’re expecting? It’s been almost a year without any good news. It’s about time for some joyous tidings. Summon the imperial physician at once!”
Kangxi’s face also eased, and he ordered Liang Jiugong to personally fetch Physician Qin from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
After examining her pulse, the results were unexpected—Physician Qin’s expression wasn’t as jubilant as one might expect.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. Consort Tong is indeed pregnant—over a month along. However, she has consumed some cold-natured substances, which have made the pregnancy somewhat unstable.”
The hall fell into silence.
So… Consort Tong really was that clueless?
Her face turned deathly pale as she clutched her stomach in horror.
She had never knowingly consumed anything cold or harmful—how could this have happened?
No wonder she had failed to conceive after so many years in the palace… Had someone been scheming against her?
Kangxi’s expression darkened.
He clearly had the same thought.
His voice was heavy as he commanded, “Personally take the Imperial Medical Bureau and investigate Chongcui Palace. Find out if anything improper has been used.”
Concubine Rong, the mistress of Chongcui Palace, furrowed her brows and quickly signaled her attendants to rush back and make arrangements.
Inwardly, she cursed Consort Tong’s stupidity.
Which concubine in the palace didn’t have a few secrets of their own?
Everyone knew to be cautious.
Yet, Consort Tong had been foolish enough to fall victim to someone’s schemes.
Seeing Consort Tong’s distress, the Grand Empress Dowager, concerned about the unborn imperial child, spoke gently, “You need not worry, Consort Tong. With the imperial physicians—”
“Ugh!”
Another retching sound interrupted her.
This time, across from Consort Tong, Noble Consort Niohuru suddenly stood up in alarm, covering her mouth as she dry-heaved and bowed apologetically.
“Forgive me, Grand Empress Dowager! Your Majesty! I… ugh… it wasn’t intentional… the smell of—ugh—the herbal medicine was too strong…”
Now, forget about the scent of herbs—the sour stench of nausea was filling the hall.
Could the Noble Consort also be pregnant?
The Imperial Noble Consort, who had been sitting listlessly, suddenly snapped to attention.
Her eyes turned icy as she looked over at Noble Consort Niohuru’s abdomen.
Her Tenth Prince wasn’t even a year old yet!
If His Majesty had time to visit the Noble Consort’s chambers, why couldn’t he give her another child?
The Grand Empress Dowager, however, did not chastise Noble Consort Niohuru.
Instead, she smiled and instructed her to cover her nose while summoning Physician Qin to check her pulse as well.
After the diagnosis, Physician Qin’s expression was noticeably brighter.
“Congratulations, Grand Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, the Noble Consort is over three months pregnant, and the pregnancy is quite stable.”
Yet, the moment these words left his mouth, both Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager’s smiles faded noticeably.
The two of them, in unison, lowered their gazes, masking the deep, unreadable emotions in their eyes.
The hall fell into complete silence.
Good heavens, now there was someone truly playing dumb.