It was dusk when Yinreng finally woke, the dimming light casting long shadows across the Hall of Mental Cultivation. From behind a carved sandalwood screen, the faint rustle of paper broke the quiet.
Yinreng sat up, pushing aside the heavy silk blankets. He rounded the screen, his face darkening with instant displeasure. Kangxi was sitting up in bed, a stack of imperial memorials resting on his lap.
Without a word of greeting, Yinreng marched over and snatched the memorial right out of the Emperor's hands. "Imperial Father, you literally collapsed from exhaustion. Why are you reading these? Leave the state affairs to the Grand Secretariat. Your only duty right now is to rest."
Kangxi let out a light, breathy laugh, raising his empty hands in surrender. "I was idle and couldn't resist. Alright, Imperial Father won't read anymore."
Yinreng gave him a look that clearly said 'That's better,' and neatly stacked the reports on a nearby side table.
Amused by his son's bossiness, Kangxi's gaze shifted to the side of Yinreng's face. "Is it still red?"
Yinreng turned slightly to glance into a bronze mirror. "The swelling has gone down significantly. It will fade in a day or two. It's just a superficial sting, Imperial Father. The imperial physicians gave me a cooling ointment. It doesn't hurt anymore."
His face didn't hurt. But knowing how much fear his careless words had caused his father still made his chest ache.
Kangxi patted the edge of the bed. Yinreng stepped closer, sitting down and leaning comfortably against his father's side.
For a long moment, the Emperor was silent, seemingly weighing his words. Finally, he sighed. "Baocheng, tell me the truth. Why did you insist on sending Songotu to manage the rubber plantations in the south?"
"The rubber plantations are a massive, vital industry," Yinreng replied smoothly. "Su Hetai cannot manage a project of that scale alone. With Grand-Uncle Songotu overseeing it, I feel secure. To be honest, aside from him, I don't have anyone else capable of handling such a massive undertaking."
Kangxi blinked, momentarily stunned. He mentally reviewed the Crown Prince's faction. It was true. Despite his supreme status, Yinreng's actual roster of capable, administrative loyalists was surprisingly thin.
"And the folk tales circulating outside the palace," Kangxi continued, his tone probing. "The stories praising the 'immortal father and son' bringing blessings to the empire. You orchestrated those, didn't you?"
Yinreng didn't bother denying it. If the Emperor asked, it meant the Emperor's spy network had already found the answer. Denying it was pointless. He nodded.
Kangxi's lips parted, but no sound came out. 'How old was Yinreng when those stories started? Was he building his reputation back then?'
Sensing the shift, Yinreng huffed, crossing his arms like a petulant child. "I just hated that the scholars and commoners were only praising me for the new inventions, leaving you out. Why shouldn't they praise you? Yes, I came up with the ideas, but without Imperial Father's authority and resources, how could those tools ever reach the common people? You are the one who actually benefits the empire!"
Yinreng paused, a sly, affectionate gleam in his eye. "Besides... I like it when our names are praised together."
The tension drained from Kangxi's shoulders, replaced by a warm, bubbling laughter. 'Have I sat on the throne so long that my mind rots with suspicion?' he thought, mentally chastising himself. Yinreng wasn't building a cult of personality; he was just a fiercely loyal son sharing his toys.
"Then answer me one last thing," Kangxi asked softly. "Why did you want to move out of the palace to build a private estate?"
"Because it's freer outside the palace walls!"
"Baocheng," Kangxi said, his voice lowering with sudden, heavy gravity. "Throughout history, there have been Crown Princes who lived outside the imperial palace. But the most famous was Li Ying, the son of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. We are bound by the deepest blood and love. You are not Li Ying, and I will never be a tyrant like Li Longji. You do not need to walk on eggshells around me."
Yinreng froze.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place. The fainting. The doctors citing a 'sudden spike of extreme emotional distress.'
'Good heavens.' Yinreng stared at his father. 'I didn't anger him. I scared him!' Kangxi hadn't collapsed from rage. He had collapsed because his hyper-active, paranoid imperial brain had connected Yinreng's casual request for 'space' to the tragic historical precedent of paranoia, betrayal, and civil war between Emperors and their heirs!
"Imperial Father!" Yinreng exclaimed, utterly exasperated. "You are an enlightened ruler! You should compare yourself to the great founders like Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Taizong. Li Longji isn't even worthy to polish your boots!"
Kangxi chuckled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Taizong of Tang... I have no desire to follow their paths. Emperor Wu forced his Crown Prince, Liu Ju, into a bloody rebellion. Emperor Taizong drove his heir, Li Chengqian, to treason. In the end, they destroyed their own flesh and blood."
Yinreng rubbed his temples. His father's historical anxiety was severe.
Though, in a tragic twist of irony, Kangxi's fears weren't entirely baseless. In Yinreng's previous life, they *had* ended up exactly like that—a father and son tearing each other apart.
But not this time.
"They are them, and we are us," Yinreng said firmly, looking directly into Kangxi's eyes. "You are not Emperor Wu. You won't listen to treacherous whispers. And I am not Liu Ju, nor am I Li Chengqian."
Yinreng paused, choosing his next words with razor-sharp precision. "Li Chengqian rebelled because Emperor Taizong visibly favored his younger brother. Li Chengqian lived in constant terror of being deposed."
Yinreng leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Kangxi's waist. "I won't do that. I know you favor me, and that is my greatest fortune. But I am your son, and my brothers are also your sons. It is only natural that you love them too. If, one day, you love them more than me... that is fair. I have monopolized your favor for years; eventually, it should be someone else's turn."
Yinreng rested his chin on Kangxi's chest, his voice dropping to a quiet, earnest murmur. "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Kangxi prompted, his heart in his throat.
"Unless you truly grow to despise me," Yinreng said, looking up. "But even if that happens, I would never raise a sword against you. You gave me the title of Crown Prince. If you ever want it back, I will simply hand over the seal. It's no big deal."
He offered a wistful smile. "I'll just pack my bags and go south. I have the Humble Administrator's Garden in Jiangnan, after all. And if... if my presence in the empire still offends you, I'll sail overseas and never return."
Kangxi's breath hitched violently.
The realization struck him like a physical blow. Yinreng didn't covet the throne. He didn't care for absolute power. He valued his freedom far more. A Crown Prince who didn't covet the crown would never rebel.
But the sheer casualness with which Yinreng spoke of leaving—of vanishing south or disappearing across the ocean—terrified Kangxi far more than any historical rebellion.
'He really would just leave me.' Kangxi vividly remembered gifting Yinreng the deed to that Jiangnan garden. 'Can I take it back?' he panicked internally. He could not accept a future where he forced his son into rebellion, but a future where Yinreng abandoned him entirely, never to be seen again? That was equally unbearable.
Seeing the moisture welling in Yinreng's eyes, Kangxi's heart twisted in pure agony.
"Are you still angry with me?" Yinreng whispered, playing his part to perfection. "I know I made a mistake. Do you... do you want to depose me?"
"Nonsense!" Kangxi blurted out, a panicked, bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Stop letting your imagination run wild!"
Yinreng raised an eyebrow. 'Who is the one with the wild imagination here?'
"Then why bring up Emperor Wu and Taizong?" Yinreng pushed, turning his face away in mock indignation. "Why compare me to Liu Ju and Li Chengqian? Does Imperial Father truly think I am a treacherous, unfilial son plotting to usurp the throne?"
"I didn't mean that! It's my fault! All my fault!" Kangxi backpedaled furiously, practically pleading. "I misspoke. I won't say another word about it!"
Yinreng kept his back turned, giving a quiet, stubborn hum.
Kangxi poked his son between the shoulder blades. "I was just rambling. My Baocheng is the most filial son in the world. How could you ever be compared to Li Chengqian?"
Another stubborn hum.
'Oh no,' Kangxi thought, cold sweat prickling his neck. 'I forgot how stubborn he gets when he's genuinely offended. How do I fix this?'
Desperate, Kangxi clutched his chest and let out two harsh, entirely theatrical coughs.
It worked instantly. Yinreng spun around, his fake anger vanishing into genuine alarm as he grabbed his father's arms. "Imperial Father! I'll call the imperial physician!"
"No need," Kangxi said quickly, grabbing Yinreng's wrist. "I am fine. Just a passing ache."
Yinreng quickly poured a cup of warm water, handing it over. Watching Kangxi sip it, and noting his steady color, Yinreng let out a long breath.
Kangxi offered a sheepish smile. "Are you still angry?"
Yinreng hesitated, then sighed dramatically. "Considering you are still an invalid, I will reluctantly forgive you."
Kangxi swallowed a laugh. 'I'll take it.'
***
After sharing a quiet dinner with the Emperor, Yinreng prepared to leave.
Kangxi glanced at the fading red mark on his son's cheek. "Why not stay the night here? Walking out with your face looking like that... it isn't ideal."
"Now that you are awake, the news has surely swept through the inner palaces," Yinreng reasoned, shaking his head. "The various Consorts will be arriving soon to pay their respects. It is highly inappropriate for me to be lingering here when they arrive."
Kangxi considered the harem politics and silently agreed.
"I already sent a eunuch ahead," Yinreng explained, pulling a heavy, dark cloak from a nearby stand. "Xiao Zhuzi is waiting outside. I'll pull the hood deep over my face. However, Imperial Father, I won't be able to attend morning greetings for the next few days. Please, listen to the physicians and rest."
Yinreng rattled off a list of instructions to Eunuch Liang Jiugong regarding Kangxi's diet and medicine, sounding more like a nagging mother than a Crown Prince.
"Yes, yes, I know," Kangxi waved him off, though his eyes were fond. "Go back. Nurse your knee and your face. I don't need you fussing over me."
Yinreng lowered his eyes, bowing deeply.
As he slipped the cloak over his shoulders, his expression hardened. He understood exactly why the Grand Empress Dowager had slapped him so fiercely. He hadn't built this trap, but since his Great-Grandmother had already set the stage, it was his duty as the Crown Prince to act his part. If he stayed the night comfortably in the Emperor's chambers, he would ruin her masterful political theater.
Stepping out into the cool night air of the Qianqing courtyard, Yinreng spotted Xiao Zhuzi rushing forward.
The young eunuch caught a glimpse of the angry red welt on the Prince's face in the lantern light. His breath hitched. "Your Highness?"
Yinreng pulled the heavy hood down, entirely obscuring his features. He took two steps, intentionally letting his gait falter, before gesturing to the eunuch. "Support my arm."
Xiao Zhuzi immediately rushed to his side, practically carrying the Prince's weight as they walked back to the Yuqing Palace. The eunuch's heart was pounding against his ribs. The Crown Prince was limping. That meant he had been forced to kneel on the cold stone for hours. Combined with the slap... what catastrophe had occurred?
"Your Highness," Xiao Zhuzi whispered, terrified. "Did His Majesty..."
In the Forbidden City, the Emperor's favor was the only currency that mattered. If the Crown Prince had truly lost the Emperor's heart, their entire household was doomed.
Yinreng cast a single, freezing glare sideways from under the hood.
Xiao Zhuzi's knees hit the pavement instantly. "This slave spoke out of turn!"
Xiao Zhuzi was utterly loyal, but Yinreng knew better than to spill state secrets. 'Conspiracies succeed through silence and fail through loose lips.'
"Get up. Order the servants to prepare hot water. I am bathing and retiring for the night," Yinreng commanded smoothly. "And send Aunt Fang to the Cining Palace. Have her formally apologize to my Great-Grandmother on my behalf. Tell her my body is unwell, and I must be excused from morning greetings for the next two days."
Xiao Zhuzi scrambled up, bowing furiously before running to execute the orders.
Alone in his inner chamber, Yinreng dropped the cloak and groaned, massaging his bruised knee.
He understood the strategy. The Grand Empress Dowager forced him to kneel and take a slap to make the hidden monsters in the court think he was bleeding. It was a brilliant move to lure them out of the shadows.
But heavens, his face stung. Was this really a tactical victory, or just friendly fire?
***
In the Zhongcui Palace, the atmosphere was a volatile mix of relief and predatory anticipation.
Kangxi's recovery meant the immediate crisis was over. For Consort Hui, the timing for a sudden succession crisis had been terrible anyway. Her faction wasn't fully prepared. For First Prince Yinzhi, he was genuinely relieved his father wasn't dead.
Yet, the taste of what could have been lingered in their mouths. A world where Yinreng fell and Yinzhi rose was intoxicating.
"Mother," Yinzhi said, pacing the room, his eyes bright with adrenaline. "It's the end of the second month. The weather is warming up. No one wears heavy winter cloaks anymore. Yet yesterday, the Crown Prince left the Qianqing Palace wrapped head-to-toe in a hooded mantle."
He stopped, leaning over the table. "I have ears out there. When the Prince walked back, he was leaning heavily on his eunuch. A gust of wind blew his hood back, and a sweeping eunuch saw it clearly—a massive, swollen handprint across his face!"
Consort Hui's eyes narrowed, processing the data.
"Furthermore," Yinzhi pressed on, "Yinreng is obsessed with filial piety. He never misses his morning greetings to the Grand Empress Dowager. Rain or snow, he goes. But for the past two days, he has claimed illness and locked himself in the Yuqing Palace. The Emperor hasn't summoned him once. Mother, he isn't sick. He's hiding his disgraced face!"
Yinzhi laughed, a harsh, victorious sound. "Who else in this entire palace dares to strike the Crown Prince besides the Emperor or the Grand Empress Dowager? He spent over an hour inside after she left. He was definitely being punished!"
Consort Hui remained calm, her mind working through the political calculus. "The Emperor loves him deeply. If this was just about Yinreng causing a scene at the palace gates during the lockdown, the Emperor wouldn't be this furious. The Grand Empress Dowager arrived in time to stop any real damage. He wouldn't physically strike him for just that."
"It goes back to the Imperial Study!" Yinzhi realized, slamming his fist onto the table. "Whatever Yinreng did in the study before Imperial Father fainted... it had to be a colossal disaster! He caused Imperial Father's collapse!"
The pieces fit perfectly in Yinzhi's mind. "He stormed the gates because he was terrified! He knew his mistake caused the fainting, and he wanted to be the first one beside the bed to beg for mercy and cover it up!"
Yinzhi's chest heaved with excitement. "If only we knew exactly what treasonous thing he said in that study!"
"We won't," Consort Hui said flatly. "The Emperor is awake. The Qianqing Palace is sealed tight. If he and the Crown Prince keep their mouths shut, the truth will never leak."
"Then we have to force the issue!" Yinzhi argued desperately. "Mother, we have waited *years* for a crack in his armor. If we let this slip away, who knows when we will get another chance?"
Consort Hui hesitated.
Hesitation, in the palace, was merely the prologue to action.
"Uncle Mingju thinks we should stay still while the Emperor recovers," Yinzhi urged. "But we don't have to launch a direct assault. We just need to test the waters! We leak the timeline. We let the court know Yinreng angered the Emperor right before the collapse. We highlight his violent behavior at the palace gates. It is a Censor's exact job to impeach a Crown Prince for unfilial, violent conduct!"
Consort Hui looked at her son, seeing the raw, burning ambition in his eyes.
"You are right," she finally nodded, her hands gripping the silk of her skirt. "Opportunities like this are rare. But you will not show your face. I will make the arrangements."
Yinzhi smiled. The hunt was on.
***
Three days later, inside the Yuqing Palace.
Yinreng wiped his face with a steaming towel and checked the mirror. The red welt was completely gone, and his knee no longer ached. He tossed the towel to Xiao Zhuzi. "How many days have I been confined?"
"Three days, Your Highness."
"Did Imperial Father attend the morning court today?"
"He did."
Yinreng adjusted his collar. "Have someone wait near the Great Hall. The moment court is dismissed, tell me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Less than an hour later, Xiao Zhuzi returned with the news. Yinreng immediately set off for the Imperial Study.
When he walked in, the air was thick with residual tension. Kangxi sat behind his desk, his brow deeply furrowed, though his expression softened slightly at the sight of his son. "Are your injuries healed?"
"Completely healed," Yinreng smiled brightly. "Why is Imperial Father so angry today?"
Instead of answering, Kangxi picked up two memorials from his desk and tossed them toward the edge. Yinreng picked them up and skimmed the contents.
Just as he and his Great-Grandmother had predicted. They were impeachment memorials targeting him.
The accusations were beautifully crafted. The first accused him of reckless extravagance and wasting the people's blood and sweat to build a massive, lavish pleasure garden at Xiaotangshan. The second accused him of treasonous unfilial behavior for violently assaulting imperial guards and storming the Emperor's chambers while His Majesty was fighting for his life.
The prose was masterful—passionate, rhythmic, and dripping with righteous fury. If Yinreng didn't know the actual truth of his own actions, he would have thought he was reading the biography of a tyrannical, empire-ruining monster.
Without missing a beat, Yinreng closed the memorials, stepped back, and dropped to his knees.
Kangxi sighed, rubbing his temples. "Your knee just healed, and you're throwing yourself on the floor again. Get up."
"Imperial Father knows the truth about Xiaotangshan," Yinreng said smoothly, playing the role of the wronged, dutiful son. "I bought timber and stone, but I haven't even broken ground. I am using the profits from my own three merchant shops—shops that operate fairly, without extorting a single copper from the commoners. The accusation of wasting the public treasury is entirely baseless."
He lowered his head further. "But... I cannot deny storming the Qianqing gates. That was my sin. I accept the punishment."
"I already told you that matter is closed," Kangxi huffed. "Stand up."
"But the charges are severe," Yinreng insisted, deploying his finest political manipulation. "If you do not punish me, these righteous officials will not let it go. They will continue to harass you, and your anger will only harm your recovering health. Please, Imperial Father, punish me. Ground me, fine me, make me kneel—anything to appease the court."
Just officially penalize me, Yinreng thought. The moment you formally punish the Crown Prince, my enemies will think they've won and step out into the light.
Kangxi let out a cold, sharp sneer. "Not let it go? If they truly had the spine for a 'death remonstrance,' I might actually respect them!"
Kangxi leaned back in his throne. "I stripped both of those officials of their ranks and banished them from the court this morning. Let's see who else dares to open their mouth."
Yinreng blinked, entirely derailed. Wait. What?
He had prepared a whole routine! He had a carefully constructed, pitiful speech ready to manipulate the situation, and Kangxi just... nuked the board?
Seeing Yinreng kneeling there with a dumbfounded expression, Kangxi's mood finally lifted. He walked around the desk and personally pulled his son to his feet. "I showed you the memorials so you would know what was happening, not to interrogate you. Look closer at the names on the covers."
Yinreng glanced at the signatures and shook his head. He didn't recognize them.
"Of course you don't," Kangxi laughed dryly. "They are merely fifth-rank officials. They don't have the qualifications to stand in your presence. They are nothing but bricks, thrown over the wall by someone hiding in the shadows to test my reaction."
"Bricks?" Yinreng echoed. "They have a backer?"
Of course they do, Yinreng thought. A fifth-rank official doesn't randomly decide to commit political suicide by attacking the Crown Prince.
Kangxi looked at his brilliant, capable son. Yinreng possessed a genius mind for engineering and a deep empathy for the common people, but he seemed dangerously naive when it came to the venomous, factional warfare of the court.
Kangxi opened his mouth to explain the intricate web of court politics, but stopped himself. The reality of who was targeting Yinreng was too ugly.
"There is always someone behind the curtain," Kangxi said finally. "Don't worry about it. Imperial Father will handle it."
Yinreng nodded agreeably, making no attempt to press the issue.
Kangxi paused, waiting for the inevitable questions. When none came, he asked, "You aren't even going to ask who is trying to destroy you?"
Yinreng offered a bright, entirely unbothered smile. "You just said you would handle it, right? Whoever it is, I have Imperial Father to protect me! I just have to sit back and wait. You would never let me suffer a loss."
Kangxi let out a helpless laugh. "Fine. Imperial Father promises you won't suffer a loss."
"Since I see you are well, I won't disturb your work," Yinreng said, taking a step back. "But even if you find me annoying, I must remind you—do not overwork yourself. Your health comes first."
Kangxi glanced at the mechanical clock. "Leaving so soon?"
"I must go to the Cining Palace," Yinreng replied. "I haven't paid my respects in three days. Now that my face is presentable, I must go formally apologize to Great-Grandmother for my reckless behavior during your illness."
Remembering the sheer force of the matriarch's slap, Kangxi immediately stood up. "I'll go with you."
"No, Imperial Father," Yinreng stopped him. "I am going to apologize. If the Emperor escorts me, it won't look like an apology. It will look like I brought my father to intimidate her into forgiving me."
Kangxi hesitated. That was true.
"Don't worry," Yinreng smiled. "She already punished me once. She won't punish me again for the same crime."
As Yinreng left, Kangxi still felt a knot of anxiety. He summoned Liang Jiugong. "Keep an eye on the Cining Palace. If the Grand Empress Dowager loses her temper and orders the Prince punished again, report to me instantly."
"Understood!"
Once alone, Kangxi's gaze dropped back to the impeachment memorials, his eyes turning cold and lethal. Yinreng didn't know it, but these documents were just the surface. Vicious whispers were circulating through the palace network—rumors perfectly timing Yinreng's exit from the study with Kangxi's collapse.
Someone was actively trying to frame the Crown Prince for the Emperor's near-death experience. The malicious intent behind this plot was unforgivable.
Inside the Cining Palace, the atmosphere was entirely different.
The moment Yinreng walked in, the Grand Empress Dowager pulled him close, her weathered hands gently framing his face. "Is it fully healed? Does it still hurt?"
"It's healed, Great-Grandmother. There's no pain at all," Yinreng reassured her warmly.
"My hand was too heavy that day," she sighed. "I hope you don't hold resentment in your heart."
"How could I? I was in the wrong, and I needed to be disciplined," Yinreng said, his tone shifting into something far sharper. "Besides, I know your actions carried profound intent."
Su Malagu quietly ushered the serving maids out of the room, closing the heavy doors and personally pouring tea for the two royals.
"Profound intent?" the old woman smiled, her eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence. "Enlighten me."
"There were three layers to your strategy," Yinreng began, his demeanor entirely losing the naive innocence he displayed in the Imperial Study.
"First, the cause of Imperial Father's collapse was a mystery, but my argument with him made me the prime suspect. By striking me immediately, you vented the anger that Imperial Father might have felt. When he woke up, seeing I had already bled for my mistake, his fury would turn to pity."
"Second, my actions at the Qianqing gates were technically treason. Those who know me understand I was just terrified for my father. But my enemies would twist it into an attempted coup. By publicly humiliating and punishing me on the spot, you closed the case. Imperial Father couldn't pursue it further even if he wanted to."
Yinreng took a sip of tea. "But the third reason is the most important."
The Grand Empress Dowager nodded encouragingly. "Go on."
"You struck me for an audience. It took time for you to arrive at the Qianqing Palace. Eunuch Liang is just a servant; holding back the entire royal harem and the princes was nearly impossible. While he was distracted at the front gates, the back doors of the palace were undoubtedly leaking information."
"By the time you arrived, the whispers had already spread. The timing of my argument and his collapse was too perfect. You knew they suspected me. So, you added fuel to their fire."
Yinreng smiled, a cold, calculating curve of his lips. "In the palace, servants are beaten with bamboo. Royals are almost never slapped across the face unless they commit an unspeakable offense. By publicly slapping the Crown Prince, you confirmed their wildest theories."
"They believed I committed an unforgivable sin that nearly killed the Emperor. They believed I had lost his favor. And with the Emperor incapacitated, they saw their golden opportunity. Even if they couldn't depose me immediately, they needed to strike while I was vulnerable, permanently ruining my reputation and driving a wedge between me and Imperial Father."
The Grand Empress Dowager let out a low, deeply satisfied laugh. "Excellent."
"There is one more thing," Yinreng noted, looking at her with profound respect. "You took over the Qianqing Palace. Even after the physicians stabilized Imperial Father and declared him out of danger, you maintained a total, suffocating lockdown. You intentionally projected the illusion that the Emperor was dying."
She set her teacup down, her expression hardening into the iron will that had guided three generations of Emperors. "I did. When the Emperor is dying, the monsters in the dark cannot resist making a move. The prize is simply too absolute. When he woke up so quickly, their grand plans were ruined. They felt relief that they didn't commit treason, but profound disappointment that they missed their chance."
It was textbook psychological warfare.
"Having tasted that disappointment once," Yinreng concluded, "the moment they heard I was 'disgraced' and injured, they couldn't bear to let a second opportunity slip through their fingers. They threw the impeachment memorials to test the waters."
"Exactly," she nodded. "And everything I did was technically under the Emperor's final command to 'stabilize the situation.' Even if he reviewed my actions, he would never suspect I was baiting a trap. He would only see a Grandmother protecting his empire."
Yinreng stood up, stepping back to kneel formally before her. "It is Baocheng who caused Great-Grandmother to exhaust her mind. Truthfully, you didn't need to go to such lengths. I have always known First Brother and Consort Hui's ambitions. Since Uncle Mingju returned from overseas with great merits, their faction has grown arrogant. I just... I never cared enough to crush them."
The Grand Empress Dowager looked down at him, her gaze piercing. "I understand your philosophy of tolerance. But Baocheng, you must learn the oldest truth of ruling: To raise a tiger is to invite calamity."
Yinreng stiffened.
"You saw it clearly this time," she continued, her voice echoing in the quiet hall. "Your Imperial Father appears indestructible, yet he collapsed without warning. He survived today. Can you guarantee he will survive tomorrow?"
A chill swept through Yinreng's veins. He had grown complacent. Because he knew the historical Kangxi lived to a ripe old age, he treated Yinzhi's faction like a minor annoyance that Kangxi would always keep in check.
But this timeline was fracturing. Kangxi had nearly died from a panic attack.
If Kangxi died suddenly tomorrow, what would happen? Yinreng was a genius inventor, but in the brutal, blood-soaked arena of imperial factional warfare, Kangxi was the undisputed master. Without Kangxi's protective shadow, Yinzhi's entrenched, militarized faction would plunge the empire into a devastating civil war. Even if Yinreng won, the Qing Dynasty would be shattered from the inside.
Seeing the realization—and the horror—dawn on his face, the old woman smiled softly. "Do you understand now?"
"I understand," Yinreng said, his voice dropping an octave, solidifying with new resolve. "Thank you for the lesson, Great-Grandmother."
"Then get up off the floor," she instructed. "Sit with me. We will wait together."
Yinreng didn't ask what they were waiting for. He already knew.
Right around the time lunch was served, Aunt Fang entered the room, bowing deeply. "Reporting to the Grand Empress Dowager. His Majesty summoned Lord Mingju and Lord Yu Guozhu to the Imperial Study. He furiously condemned them for forming corrupt factions and stripped them of all official titles and duties."
The Grand Empress Dowager nodded placidly. "Understood. You may leave."
Yinreng's eyes flashed. Mingju. The First Prince's uncle and the absolute bedrock of his political power. He had just been elevated to a premier aristocratic rank last year, and now he was completely annihilated.
So this is what Imperial Father meant when he promised I wouldn't suffer a loss, Yinreng thought, a satisfied smirk touching his lips. Two first-rank ministers obliterated in a single morning. A brilliant counter-attack.
"This board is only half-played," the Grand Empress Dowager remarked quietly, sipping her tea.
Yinreng blinked, staring at her in bewilderment.
Half? Chopping off the First Prince's biggest political limbs was only considered a half victory to her? Just how ruthless were this woman's standards?
"You may go," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "I do not need you for the next phase. Return to your Yuqing Palace and go about your business."
Yinreng swallowed hard. "...Yes, Great-Grandmother."