Chapter 113: The Fifth Princess Consort

Chapter 113: The Fifth Princess Consort

After Yinqi led the group of brothers on a brief tour of the residence, everyone couldn't help but wonder. There was nothing particularly special about this place; it was not much different from their own mansions.

In fact, the Fifth Prince's mansion seemed somewhat simpler, lacking a theater and the elegant pavilions and gardens reminiscent of Jiangnan. It had no extravagant buildings or decorations, falling far short of the residences of the Elder Brother Prince and Third Prince. It even paled in comparison to the Fourth Prince's mansion, which they previously considered too plain.

So, where did those rumors in the Imperial City come from?

The Tenth Prince, known for his straightforwardness, voiced everyone's doubts: "Fifth Elder Brother, isn't your mansion a bit too simple? I heard from Ninth Brother that you spent all twenty-three thousand taels. Where did all that money go?"

Could it be that the servants in the Ministry of Finance embezzled the funds?

Of course, the Tenth Prince didn't say this aloud; he wasn't that foolish. After all, the current person in charge of the Ministry of Finance was one of the Crown Prince's men. Speaking such words would be tantamount to slapping the Crown Prince in the face publicly.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's expression grew serious.

He wasn't stupid and knew that the establishment of new residences for the princes was a significant matter. Since his people were responsible for the Ministry of Finance, they wouldn't dare to meddle with the funds. Otherwise, if discovered, his father, the Emperor, would surely misunderstand him as being intolerant of his brothers.

Especially the Fifth Prince, who had the Empress Dowager and Concubine Yi backing him. In other words, even if the Crown Prince wanted to interfere, he wouldn't choose the Fifth Prince as a target.

Could it be that someone under his command acted without his knowledge?

The Crown Prince's thoughts raced, and he prepared himself for the worst.

Unexpectedly, Yinqi smiled and said, "Tenth Brother, don't worry. The money was indeed spent where it should have been."

Everyone was taken aback by his mysterious demeanor, their curiosity piqued.

Without further ado, Yinqi led them through the back rooms. Behind these rooms lay a vast and surprising space.

As the door opened, a rustic and pastoral atmosphere greeted them, as if they had instantly stepped into a countryside landscape.

The sign above the entrance read six large characters—Green Fragrance Farm.

Putting aside the name Green Fragrance, the word "farm" was self-explanatory. However, everyone was still surprised to find a farm within a mansion.

They didn't need to guess; they knew it must have been An Qing's idea. And indeed, it was her idea.

However, An Qing's farm was more like a small agricultural experimental field. Unlike the one at the Royal Manor, which focused on agricultural research, this one also had an element of recreational enjoyment, resembling a leisure farm—a vacation farm.

The entire area was divided into six sections: experimental zone, general cultivation zone, vegetable garden, nursery, orchard, and mulberry garden. This essentially transformed half of the mansion behind the back rooms, explaining why so much money was spent.

The Elder Brother Prince glanced at Yinqi and hesitated, "Fifth Brother, aren't you spoiling your Princess Consort a bit too much?"

A mansion is only so big, yet he had given half of it to An Qing for her experiments. This seemed unreasonable.

Apart from the Fourth Prince, the Crown Prince and Third Prince also disapproved, clearly showing their dissatisfaction.

However, the Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince weren't concerned about spoiling the Fifth Princess Consort. They simply thought that if one wanted to grow crops, buying more land outside the city would be more practical. After all, this was the inner city, where every inch of land was valuable. It seemed wasteful to use it for farming.

As for the Fourth Prince, he felt there might be a deeper meaning behind An Qing's actions.

Indeed, the Fourth Prince had seen through An Qing. Her farm was modeled after modern agricultural experimental fields, with certain intentions, but mainly because she enjoyed it.

Going to the Royal Manor took over an hour each way, and she couldn't make daily trips. With Yinqi's duties requiring him to attend court, living permanently outside the city wasn't practical. Thus, having a farm within the mansion was more convenient.

If one thinks about it, building theaters in their mansions could also be seen as wasteful since one could just go to the theater outside. So, one's own residence should be arranged as one pleases, without worrying about cost-effectiveness.

Yinqi didn't argue, merely smiling, "I apologize for any embarrassment, but there's no question of spoiling. My mansion has few people, and the space would otherwise be unused."

Everyone understood the underlying message.

In recent months, outsiders might not know why Kangxi suddenly favored Yinqi less, but the princes, including the Crown Prince, were aware of the incident in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Yinqi refused to take another concubine, leading to a dispute with their father, the Emperor. It was said that even the Empress Dowager was involved. In the end, their father tacitly agreed, but Yinqi lost the Emperor's favor.

They truly wondered if it was worth it.

The Elder Brother Prince was dismissive. A woman, no matter how capable, was not worth losing the Emperor's favor. Any man with ambition would know how to choose.

Moreover, having multiple wives and concubines was a common practice. Yinqi was being shortsighted; he would regret it someday.

The Crown Prince and Third Prince shared similar views. Even the Eighth Prince, known for his loving relationship with his princess consort, disapproved of Yinqi's actions.

The Eighth Prince believed Yinqi was too inflexible. He could have accepted the women sent by the Emperor and decided whom to favor later. After all, he could afford to support them.

However, Yinqi's loss of favor was beneficial to them. Although Yinqi never sought power, his actions with An Qing had significant impacts. The increasing grain production in the Ministry of Finance and An Qing's agricultural school had already produced several capable individuals, earning the Emperor's favor. Their future potential was uncertain.

After all, people's hearts are fickle. Not seeking power today doesn't mean they won't seek it tomorrow.

But now, Yinqi's actions eliminated this threat. No matter how confused the Emperor might be, he wouldn't risk the Great Qing's stability.

Yinqi sensed that this was intentional on the Emperor's part, a warning to prevent others from following suit.

The Empress Dowager had privately assured him not to worry, and Yinqi didn't mind. Even when publicly reprimanded by the Emperor, he remained unperturbed.

However, while he didn't care, others did. Recently, the Emperor cited the Eighth Prince's lack of heirs and sent two princesses to his household. The Eighth Prince spent a month with them, and somehow, the Eighth Princess Consort didn't protest.

In summary, everyone has their own path.

Meanwhile, after the Crown Princess and the princess consorts arrived, An Qing led them around the mansion. They finished their tour slightly earlier than Yinqi's group and were heading back.

Their residence inauguration banquet was kept low-key, inviting only the princes and their princess consorts, excluding royal relatives and family members from both sides.

The banquet for female guests was held in An Qing's Cloud Rest Pavilion. As they entered the courtyard, they passed by a children's playground castle that An Qing had specially built for Xiao Bao. She drew the blueprints based on her memories and had the craftsmen from the Ministry of Finance construct it, complete with slides, climbing frames, ball pits, and colorful hand-painted animals and plants.

Xiao Bao, Hongsheng, and Honghui were playing inside, and their reactions showed that the castle was a hit among children. While Xiao Bao was naturally lively, the fact that the usually shy Honghui and Hongsheng were enjoying themselves demonstrated its appeal to children.

"Knowing that Fifth Sister-in-law has such a place, I would have brought the children from the mansion to play. They would have been very happy." The Eldest Princess Consort said with a smile.

The Crown Princess and others also chimed in their agreement, and An Qing welcomed everyone to visit anytime with a smile.

But she knew these were just pleasantries. Regardless of their relationships, among those present, only she, the Fourth Princess Consort, and the Seventh Princess Consort had children at their knees. The others did not have any children yet, and even if they were as generous as they claimed, they wouldn't bring the children of their concubines over to play.

An Qing led everyone back to the courtyard. As the hostess, it was natural for her to warmly entertain her guests.

But for some reason, the Eighth Princess Consort seemed particularly quiet today. She hadn't spoken much since arriving and now sat there lost in thought.

Noticing her odd behavior, An Qing, out of courtesy, approached and asked, "Eighth Sister-in-law, I see you haven't been talking much. Is something bothering you?"

The Eighth Princess Consort had been deep in thought and was taken aback by An Qing's words. She then managed a forced smile and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Fifth Sister-in-law. I'm fine."

An Qing could tell something wasn't right, but given their distant relationship and the other party's clear reluctance to talk, she didn't press further.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Eighth Sister-in-law. If there's anything lacking in our hospitality, please forgive us."

The Eighth Princess Consort smiled and responded, "Fifth Sister-in-law is too kind."

After exchanging pleasantries, An Qing left, but before doing so, she couldn't help but look back curiously.

It wasn't her fault for being suspicious; the Eighth Princess Consort's behavior today was indeed unusual. Given her usual flamboyant demeanor, whenever the sisters-in-law gathered, she always appeared cheerful and content. This time, however, was different, and even the Crown Princess and others had glanced over frequently.

There must be something strange going on when someone acts out of character. An Qing had to be cautious, but then again, she and the Eighth Princess Consort had no deep connection or enmity. There was no reason for her to cause trouble on this day.

Could it be her period?

Hmm, it's possible. After all, it's common for women to feel down during their periods.

Feeling she had figured out the truth, An Qing didn't pay much more attention to the Eighth Princess Consort, knowing the Ninth Princess Consort would keep an eye on things.

The Eighth Princess Consort watched An Qing leave, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.

She lowered her lashes and stared quietly at her feet, her mind replaying the farm she had seen earlier, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Ever since she married into the imperial family, people inside and outside the palace had said that the Eighth Prince treated her well, showing deep affection.

It was often said that the Aisin Gioro clan produced many romantic souls. Emperor Taizong and Hailan Zhu, the late emperor and Dong Efei—many whispered that the Eighth Prince was the romantic soul of his generation.

The Eighth Princess Consort used to believe this and felt proud of it. But today, she suddenly realized that compared to the Eighth Prince, the Fifth Prince might be the true romantic.

Regarding the Fifth Prince losing the Emperor's favor, the Eighth Princess Consort knew some of the details. When the Emperor suddenly sent two Princesses to their residence, the Eighth Prince confided in her.

When she heard that the Fifth Prince had angered the Emperor by refusing to add more people to his harem, her first reaction was shock, followed by uncontrollable envy.

The Eighth Prince said the Emperor was warning him, but the Eighth Princess Consort had no choice. Despite her frustration, she had to endure for the sake of the Eighth Prince, watching him visit the courtyards of those "little vixens" every day.

Even when the Emperor used Cao Yin to send people to their residence in Jiangnan, the Eighth Princess Consort could convince herself it was because of An Qing's success with the ghost wheat, not related to the Fifth Prince.

But this time, she had to admit that a man could refuse the Emperor's favor for the sake of his beloved woman, even at the cost of power and future prospects.

But what good did it do? For a woman, what grand plans or imperial favor could compare to the love of her partner? If given a choice, she wished the Eighth Prince would have refused, but he didn't.

The banquet went smoothly, and although the number of guests was small, everyone enjoyed themselves.

As the guests prepared to leave, An Qing and Yinqi came out to bid them farewell. Unexpectedly, they ran into Liang Jiugong at the entrance.

"Fifth Beile, Fifth Princess Consort, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have sent me to bestow some gifts upon you."

Everyone was stunned. The Crown Prince and the Elder Brother Prince exchanged glances, both seeing envy in each other's eyes.

What kind of luck did the Fifth Prince have? Even after losing the Emperor's favor, he still received special gifts during his mansion-opening banquet, delivered personally by Liang Jiugong, the Emperor's trusted eunuch. This was clearly a message to the court and the palace: the Emperor could ignore his son, but others should not.

This was a show of support for the Fifth Prince.

Of course, they weren't foolish. Liang Jiugong mentioned that it was by the order of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, indicating that the Empress Dowager was likely behind this gesture.

That's why the Crown Prince and others envied him. With the Empress Dowager's support, the Fifth Prince could always count on someone to stand up for him, unlike them.

After sending off the guests and Liang Jiugong, Yinqi and An Qing looked at the lavish gifts on the table, exchanging puzzled glances.

"What does the Emperor mean? Does he favor you or not?" An Qing asked, bewildered.

She couldn't understand the complexities and thus couldn't guess Kangxi's intentions.

Yinqi remained composed but understood more deeply.

It seemed his previous guesses were correct. Half of the Emperor's displeasure stemmed from anger over the incident, which had now subsided after several months. The other half was to deter his brothers, which is why the Empress Dowager was involved in the gift-giving, reminding them that his special treatment was due to her favor.

"Favor or not, I am still the Emperor's son, and he won't truly harm me. We should focus on living our own lives," Yinqi said with a smile.

An Qing raised an eyebrow, agreeing inwardly.

Amidst the world's chaos, peace is hard to find.

Regardless of the turmoil outside, they would close their doors and live their lives in their secluded mansion.