Returning from Yonghe Palace with his biological energy fully replenished, Crown Prince Yinreng encountered an uninvited variable: Consort Ping.
Since their return from the hunting grounds, Consort Ping had made several attempts to establish contact. Yinreng had systematically ignored her, citing academic workload or filial duties at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. As the pampered daughter of the Hesheli clan, accustomed to deference, her patience had clearly reached its limit.
Suppressing her innate arrogance, Consort Ping extended a wooden box. "This is a set of ink and brushes your late mother, my elder sister, used before her marriage. Keep it as a memento, Your Highness."
Yinreng did not reach for the item. "I possess numerous artifacts belonging to the late Empress. One more will not alter the equilibrium. However, since it was hers, I will accept it. Though..." He narrowed his eyes, calculating his next words. "It would be highly efficient if Your Ladyship gathered 'all' remaining artifacts in your possession and delivered them simultaneously. It would save you the physical exertion of running daily errands to my quarters."
The implication was clear: 'Stop using my mother's items as a daily excuse to seek an audience.' Consort Ping's expression stiffened. "You misunderstand. I am not using these items to curry favor."
"Then you are merely acting out of pity for a motherless child," Yinreng countered logically. "If that is the case, as the Emperor's consort, you should not demean yourself by acting as a courier. A single, bulk transfer is the optimal solution."
Consort Ping took a deep breath, abandoning her diplomatic facade. "Crown Prince, dismiss your attendants. I require a private conversation."
Yinreng raised an eyebrow. "Protocol dictates otherwise. I am nine years old."
It took a moment for Consort Ping to process the implication. Her face flushed with anger. "I am your aunt!"
"Biologically, yes. Chronologically, you are only five years my senior," Yinreng replied seamlessly.
Realizing Yinreng would not compromise, she settled for a perimeter defense. "Order them to the courtyard. Keep the doors and windows open."
Yinreng analyzed the security parameters and nodded, waving his staff away.
"I know you dislike me," Consort Ping began, adopting a pragmatic tone.
"My personal preferences are irrelevant," Yinreng stated. "You are the Emperor's consort. His favor is the only metric that dictates your survival."
Consort Ping pressed forward, laying out her strategic position. "Let us be transparent. I utilized calculated methods to enter the palace out of necessity, not ambition. Following my father's death, my mother—a woman of low birth—and I were targeted by the primary wife's faction. Our physical resemblance to the late Empress made us a threat. They plotted to eliminate me before the drafts. Entering the palace and securing the Emperor's favor was my only viable defensive maneuver to ensure my mother's survival."
She looked directly at Yinreng, offering terms. "I seek an alliance. You associate with Consort Cheng and Consort De to build your network, but they are mothers first; their loyalties will ultimately default to their biological sons. I am different. I share your bloodline. I pledge not to conceive for the next five years. By the time I do, and even if I produce a male heir, you will be an adult actively participating in state affairs. A newborn cannot threaten your consolidated power. Support my position in the inner court now, and in the future, grant me permission to leave the Forbidden City to live peacefully in my child's manor."
Analysis: Her logic is structurally sound, but her behavioral data contradicts her narrative. Yinreng remembered the naked ambition radiating from her at the hunting grounds. She was attempting to project the image of a desperate victim, but she was an opportunist.
"You miscalculate my motives," Yinreng rejected the proposal smoothly. "I care for the Seventh and Fourth Princes because they are my brothers; it is my duty. I respect Consort Cheng because of her dedicated service to my great-grandmother. I visit Consort De's Yonghe Palace because the culinary output perfectly aligns with my nutritional preferences."
Consort Ping's face darkened. She had laid her vulnerabilities bare and offered a logical pact, only to be rebuffed with an excuse about food.
"Your Highness," she warned, her voice tight.
"An alliance with a consort is a liability with zero return on investment," Yinreng concluded coldly. "I possess the absolute backing of the Emperor. Seeking secondary alliances implies a lack of faith in his support. Furthermore, your request for future relocation implies predicting the Emperor's demise. If he were to hear this, your carefully constructed survival plan would terminate immediately. Return to your quarters."
Consort Ping's composure shattered. Trembling with rage and humiliation, she turned and left, vowing internally to carve her own path to power, with or without the Crown Prince's support.
Yinreng dismissed her from his thoughts entirely. She was a low-priority variable.
***
Financial Influx and R&D Funding
Winter suspended outdoor operations. Yinreng maintained correspondence with his operative, Ling Guang, regarding the establishment of his secret horse farm—a front for technological research and development in Shandong.
Simultaneously, Yinreng continued his covert extractions at Yonghe Palace. The "Spiritual Spring Water"—a system-generated resource that optimized biological functions and extended cellular lifespan—was silently transferred to the Grand Empress Dowager through Yinreng's visits. Consequently, the elderly woman remained remarkably healthy through the harsh winter.
As the year ended, Suo'etu, Yinreng's great-uncle, delivered the annual dividends from their commercial ventures. The wooden box contained a staggering 250,000 taels in silver notes.
Yinreng had previously restructured Suo'etu's monopoly on glass manufacturing. Instead of competing with the state, Yinreng pivoted their production toward high-margin consumer goods: decorative ornaments, reading glasses, and intricate mechanical toys. The market response was explosive.
Upon receiving the capital, Yinreng immediately proceeded to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and handed half the sum to Emperor Kangxi.
"Uncle sent the dividends. This is your share, Imperial Father," Yinreng stated.
Kangxi was surprised by the sheer volume of wealth generated by what he considered a minor commercial experiment. "This much?"
"The diversification strategy yielded maximum profits," Yinreng confirmed. He tightened his grip on his half of the funds. "But my share is locked. My research facility—the horse farm—requires heavy capital injection for raw materials and equipment fabrication."
Kangxi found it amusing that his heir was acting like a protective merchant. "Do you think the Emperor lacks silver?" On New Year's Day, Kangxi presented Yinreng with a red envelope containing an additional 200,000 taels, effectively subsidizing Yinreng's secret projects.
***
Supply Chain Disruption
The transition into spring brought infrastructure upgrades to the capital, including the implementation of cement roads. However, a critical issue arose in Yinreng's daily operations: the food at Yonghe Palace had degraded to standard parameters.
Consort De had clearly detected the depletion of her Spiritual Spring Water reserves and severed the supply to generic palace meals.
[System Alert: Host's parasitic extraction has been effectively neutralized by the target.]
"The flavor hasn't changed," Yinreng noted, analyzing a pastry. "It tastes identical, yet the physiological satisfaction is missing."
[Information Update: The Spiritual Spring Water does not alter molecular flavor profiles. Upon ingestion, it instantly optimizes the host's sensory receptors, creating the illusion of superior taste. Without the additive, your receptors are functioning at base capacity.]
Yinreng processed the data. "Based on the operational timeline, Consort De has possessed this cheat system for at least five years. Even with heavy usage, her reserves cannot be entirely depleted. She is likely rationing the remaining supply exclusively for her biological assets: Yinzhen and Yinzuo."
[Query: Host intends to abandon the extraction operation?]
"Negative. I am pivoting my strategy," Yinreng said, his mind calculating the optimal path of least resistance. He turned to his attendant. "Have the merchants bring in the newest, most complex mechanical toys from our shops."
[Query: Purpose of non-combat items?]
"Yinzuo is a pampered child," Yinreng analyzed coldly. "He frequently complains about being bored with his mother's food. Consort De will undoubtedly lace his private meals with the remaining Spring Water to ensure his health. Yinzuo will likely refuse to eat it all. I will utilize the novel toys to establish a barter system with him. High-value entertainment in exchange for his discarded, high-value nutritional resources."
[System Status: ...Processing Host's moral parameters. Error: Moral parameters not found. Host is actively scamming a toddler for system resources.]
"It is a consensual trade of assets," Yinreng corrected effortlessly. "Supply and demand."