Secrets of Yuqing Palace

Shi Wenzhuo frowned and said, "But Father, if Soetu wholeheartedly supports the Crown Prince, wouldn't he also want to increase the power behind the Crown Prince?"

"With the power of his wife's family, the prince's position will be more secure."

"As the leader of the Prince's Party, Prime Minister Suo wouldn't be so narrow-minded, right?"

Shi Huashan sneered, his eyes full of disdain.

"It's true that Soetu values ​​the interests of the crown prince, but he cares more about the interests of the Hesheli clan."

"If the prince was not a prince, but just an ordinary prince, Soetu would still value him."

"But there must be some reservations. We won't devote all our strength to this."

"Just like how Mingzhu treated the eldest prince, do you think Mingzhu would drag the entire Yehenara clan into this just because of the eldest prince?"

"Mingzhu is so on the side of the eldest prince in the court and is against Suo Etu. It is not only out of selfish motives, but also the emperor's intention."

"What does the Emperor mean?!" Shi Wenzhuo exclaimed in shock, "How could it be?!"

"The Emperor loves the Crown Prince so much, how could he allow the eldest prince to threaten the Crown Prince's position?"

Shi Huashan said quietly, "Parents who love their children will always have far-reaching plans for them."

"The Crown Prince has been appointed as the heir apparent since childhood, and is highly regarded by the Emperor. All matters concerning him, big or small, are arranged by the Emperor."

"The prince's path has been too smooth, and the emperor has his concerns."

Shi Wenzhuo was puzzled: "Concerns?"

Shi Huashan nodded, "That's right."

"It's because everything the Crown Prince has had has been too smooth and easy. The Emperor is worried that the Crown Prince won't be able to shoulder the heavy responsibilities that come with that position."

"So we need to give the prince a whetstone to constantly whip him so he doesn't dare to relax."

"Let the prince know that someone is always watching his mistakes, and if he makes a mistake, someone will pull him down and take his place."

Shi Wenzhuo understood and asked, "Father, do you mean that the eldest prince is the whetstone that the emperor arranged for the crown prince?"

Shi Huashan nodded, "Not only did I see it clearly, I'm afraid that Suo Etu and Mingzhu, the two old foxes, also saw the emperor's intentions."

Shi Wenzhuo frowned: "Since they have seen through the emperor's intentions, how could someone as smart as the Prime Minister still stand behind the eldest prince?"

"When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, isn't Mingzhu afraid of being liquidated?"

Shi Huashan glared at him.

"Father just said that, that's the Emperor's intention. Do you think that old fox Mingzhu can still hide away?"

"And the emperor also needs Mingzhu and Suo'etu to form an opposing force in the court."

"To achieve a balance between the two forces, this is what the emperor wants to see."

"The Emperor is an old hand at manipulating people's hearts and balancing power. He played this move beautifully, killing two birds with one stone."

"Now that Mingzhu has seen clearly, she will definitely not devote the entire family's strength to the eldest prince. She will still hold back."

Shi Huashan said in an enigmatic manner, "And Mingzhu is probably willing to do so herself."

Shi Wenzhuo: "Why is that?"

Shi Huashan said: "The eldest prince has the title of eldest son, the harem has the support of Hui Fei, and the former court has the support of Ming Zhu."

"Except that he is not as favored by the Emperor as the Crown Prince, the power behind him is no less than that of the Crown Prince."

"Although the Emperor meant to use the eldest prince as a whetstone to polish the rough jade that is the Crown Prince."

"But if this piece of jade breaks, or if it is polished and found to be a piece of hard stone, it will no longer pose a threat."

"Then do the other jade stones placed aside have a chance to rise to the top?"

After listening to his father's analysis, Shi Wenzhuo finally understood for the first time how cruel the reality of the previous dynasty's struggle was.

[I never thought that the Emperor would go to such lengths to scheme for the Crown Prince, even though they were both his own sons.]

[But considering that this involves the inheritance of the Aisin-Gioro throne, it is only natural that the emperor values ​​it.]

If the Crown Prince can survive the eldest prince, his future will be smooth sailing.

If the Crown Prince is truly corrupted by the eldest prince, he might lose his chance at the throne. He might even be wary of the eldest prince because of his status.

[...But has the Emperor really never thought of this?]

Shi Wenzhuo didn't dare to think about it any further.

Shi Huashan felt a little uncomfortable looking at his son's absent-minded and stupid look.

[This also needs to be polished! ]

"You are only a Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department now. You only need to assist the Minister of the Imperial Household Department in managing matters such as sacrifices, court meetings, and banquets to ensure the smooth running of the banquet."

"Don't worry about the fight between the princes for now. It won't affect you yet."

"Okay, let's get off topic. Just know what happened in the previous dynasty."

"Let's get back to the point, or let's talk about Hesheli's opinion of the crown prince."

Shi Wenzhuo nodded blankly.

Shi Huashan glanced at him and then continued the previous topic.

"You should understand that there are other concubines of the Hesheli clan in the harem."

"Based on the abilities of the Hesheli clan, it shouldn't be difficult to protect the Hesheli clan concubines and their offspring in the palace."

"Why did Prince Yinzhen, born to Concubine Hesheli, die within a month?"

"She is the younger sister of Empress Xiaocheng, the concubine daughter of Duke Cheng'en Gabula, and isn't she also the niece of Soetu?"

"It's because they feel the benefits aren't great enough. The two of them combined are not as important as a crown prince!"

"If the Hesheli clan hadn't put in a lot of effort to protect them, wouldn't they have survived?!"

Shi Wenzhuo gradually came to his senses and nodded repeatedly after hearing this. He had not thought of this.

Looking at my own father, I couldn't help but sigh, "It seems that the old ones are still the wisest."

Even though my father has been idle at home, he sees things more clearly than I do.

However, he felt that the emperor should understand the importance of the prince's choice of a concubine.

So he asked in confusion: "The emperor loves the prince so much, he won't agree, right?"

"As long as the emperor doesn't agree, even if Soetu has all sorts of ideas, it won't work."

Shi Huashan stroked his beard and shook his head.

"Don't forget that the Crown Prince has a close relationship with Soetu."

"And the prince also needs Soetu's support."

"If Soetu persuades the Crown Prince to express his preference for the Hesheli princess in front of the Emperor, His Majesty will be unhappy but will still consider the Crown Prince's opinion."

Shi Wenzhuo frowned, "This... the prince can't be that confused, right?"

"The Crown Prince has always been intelligent and politically savvy. Doesn't he understand the importance of his wife's family's influence?"

"No matter how clever the Crown Prince is, he's still less than twenty years old. How can he possibly defeat that old fox Soetu?"

"Besides, the eldest prince already has three legitimate daughters. I heard that the crown prince doesn't even have a concubine or a princess in his backyard. Perhaps the crown prince has been successfully bewitched by Soetu."

"You should know that even if she is the prince's concubine or a maid, she can win over a lot of power for the prince."

"Maybe that old fellow Soetu has already persuaded the Crown Prince to take a concubine after Princess Hesheli comes into the palace and gives birth to a legitimate son."

.......

The father and son didn't know that Shi Huashan had guessed most of Soetu's thoughts.

But Crown Prince Yinreng was not as they thought, an ignorant and easily deceived child.

Faced with Soetu's earnest advice, Yinreng was not fooled at all.

"Your Highness, although my uncle has selfish motives, he is doing this for your own good."

"Jiahui is your uncle Changtai's legitimate daughter. She was born in the 14th year of the Kangxi reign, only one year younger than you, making her exactly the same age as you."

"Not only is she your blood cousin, but she's also of noble status, making her the perfect match for you."

"Your uncle Chang Tai is your Guo Luomafa's eldest son. He inherited your Guo Luomafa's first-class dukedom and serves as the Minister of the Imperial Guard. His position in the court is also very important."

"Don't worry, Grandpa Uncle has specially arranged for someone to teach your cousin Jiahui since she was a child."

"And she was raised by a nanny who came from your Empress Dowager's palace."

"Jiahui has the demeanor of your former Empress Dowager. Having her as your Crown Princess will definitely not humiliate you."

"With her taking care of the backyard for you, you can feel more at ease in the front court, right?"

Yinreng smiled faintly and said, "I understand how outstanding my cousin Jiahui is and how much my uncle loves me."

"I also know that whether it's the Hesheli family or my great uncle, they all value me the most."

"But uncle, the Hesheli clan is already the most powerful force behind me. Now is the best time to win over other forces."

"Besides, the selection of the Crown Princess is decided by Khan Ama, so I can't interfere too much."

【Alas, the prince has grown up. 】

[As expected of a Crown Prince who was taught by the Emperor and the ministers and scholars of the Imperial Study, he is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with and fool.]