Chapter 126

Chapter 126

Geng Shuning's handwritten letter was not intended for Yun Ti.

In this era, a future sister-in-law writing to her brother-in-law could become a scandal that would ruin her reputation.

That evening, at the height of the fiery sunset, the letter was personally delivered to the Fourteenth Princess Consort, Wanyan, by the female guards from the Ninth Guard.

Wanyan was puzzled, "Female Official Suining is sending me a letter?"

Although she had already submitted to the Emperor, she had always been proud since childhood, and even after marriage, her temperament hadn't changed much. She hadn't interacted much with Geng Shuning.

At most, through the wife of Prince Yi, Zhao Jia, she had subtly conveyed the message of the Fourteenth Prince's submission to the Emperor, and she had also been quietly obedient in the palace.

The female guard, dressed as a peasant woman and brought into the main courtyard, replied respectfully but firmly—

"My master said that this letter concerns the life and death of Wanyan and everyone in the Fourteenth Prince's residence. Please, Fourteenth Princess Consort, think twice before acting."

Wanyan, suppressing her pounding heart, opened the envelope with trembling hands. In just half a cup of tea's time, her delicately maintained hands trembled more and more violently.

Finally, she couldn't hold the letter anymore, her face turned pale, almost translucent, with a hint of gray.

How could Yun Ti dare?!

He is leading Wanyan to her death... no! Even the families of his concubines might not escape. How dare he!

The maidservant, ignoring the scattered letters on the floor, exclaimed, "Mistress—"

Wanyan suddenly pushed the maidservant away, leaning forward, and fell to the ground without feeling any pain, only frantically crumpling the letter papers into a ball.

No one else could see this letter but her.

She threw the letter into the still-uncleared exquisite furnace, watching it burn to ashes.

Then she stumbled outside, "Quick—quickly help me to the master's study!"

The maidservant was even more panicked, "Mistress—"

"Shut up! Call for a palanquin! Now! Immediately! Take me to the study!!" Wanyan shouted in a hoarse voice.

*

After the Qingming Festival, rumors of Geng Shuning being a femme fatale spread even wider in the capital, even reaching the outskirts with children's rhymes.

"Fourth Prince, Fourth Prince, favoring his concubines, forgetting his mother, neglecting his duties, sleeping in the high hall, angering his mother, doomed, doomed..."

The catchy rhyme even made its way into the palace.

More and more censors and ministers were advising at court, and the consorts in the rear palace frequently found opportunities to encounter Geng Shuning, making sarcastic remarks to her face and behind her back.

The glory of the Emperor's personal expedition lasted less than a month before collapsing under the weight of swirling rumors.

Everyone knew who the Fourth Prince was and where the high hall was.

Everyone was waiting for the Emperor to be forced to punish the unfaithful seductress, or to become even more foolish, prompting the retired Emperor to execute the enchantress.

But contrary to the expectations of many nobles and ministers in the capital, whether involved or not, His Majesty remained exceptionally composed.

Even Geng Shuning stayed unharmed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and despite her attendants' increasingly cautious service, her good mood remained unchanged.

She was also waiting, waiting for a particularly crucial person to create some small items, to launch the first salvo in her war.

Just as everyone thought the Emperor was determined to suppress all rumors, even at the cost of his reputation, to protect the so-called "troublemaker," the little gadget Geng Shuning had been waiting for finally arrived.

*

"Boom—"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Earth-shattering blasts resounded in the outskirts of the capital, even rattling the city's residents.

Many thought it was an earthquake, screaming and scrambling for cover. The entire capital was thrown into chaos, with smoke and chaos engulfing the city.

Especially among the Manchu and Han nobility of the Eight Banners, the imperial clansmen and ministers' residences were even more panicked than the common people because... none of the household heads were home.

Where were they?

At the drill field in the outskirts of the capital, densely packed with officials of at least the fourth rank or higher.

Even the former Emperor and a nearly seventy-year-old first-class duke of the Gioro clan, as well as Zhang Yushu, the most revered top-ranking Han scholar among the students, were present.

They gaped in astonishment at the mushroom cloud of smoke at the foot of the mountain and the straw targets shattered hundreds of meters away.

Though thousands stood there, an extreme silence fell over the crowd.

The well-known red-coated cannons, due to the court's lack of attention, had a range of only about 500 meters, with a maximum range of less than a kilometer.

But this cannon, far more impressive than the red-coated cannons... the foot of the mountain was at least four kilometers away from the drill field!

The matchlock guns, rarely seen outside, had been tested by many nobles, and their maximum range was barely a hundred meters.

It wasn't that they couldn't shoot farther, but beyond a hundred meters, they lost most of their force.

Yet those straw targets were at least two hundred meters away from the drill field.

Emperor Kangxi rose to his feet, stunned.

Even Liang Jiugong was so stunned that he almost dropped the iron brace on his leg, and it was Li Dequan who just managed to catch him.

Ignoring his own disarray, Kangxi turned to Yinzhen, "Fourth Brother, what is this—"

Yinzhen stepped aside, revealing Geng Shuning's smiling figure, "As Your Majesty knows, Sui Ning, blessed by our ancestors, has occasionally received dreams from our ancestors who have ascended to immortality, and thus created these little contraptions."

Everyone: "..." You call this a little contraption?!

Kangxi's gaze burned as he fixed it on Geng Shuning.

Geng Shuning touched her nose, "The ancestors said that the Dai family vowed a hundred generations of virtue in exchange for a lifetime of loyalty, but this was not to be revealed to outsiders, which led to widespread misunderstanding. So..."

The expressions of many ministers changed.

Especially Xu Risheng and Bai Jin, who had been promoted by Nan Huairen, immediately realized Geng Shuning was referring to Dai Zi.

Wasn't he already confined in Shengjing for colluding with barbarians?

Zhang Yushu, who had always abhorred excessive killing, demanded sharply, "Can Female Official Suining prove the truth of these ancestral dreams?"

"If the ancestors have truly ascended to immortality, they would surely value life. How could they instruct someone to create such a destructive weapon!"

Geng Shuning calmly looked at Zhang Yushu.

This chief compiler of the Kangxi Dictionary and Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall was also the leading figure among the old scholars from Jiangnan who had entered the court.

"The Qing Dynasty came from the grasslands, revering the Eternal Heaven. Minister Zhang, do you know what the Eternal Heaven holds sacred?"

Zhang Yushu frowned, "What does your question have to do with the dreams of our ancestors?"

His expression was mocking, unusually sharp, even with Emperor Kangxi and Yinzhen present—

"Are you implying that the ancestors, commanded by the Eternal Heaven, are urging you to repeat the sins of Dorgon's line?"

Geng Shuning calmly shook her head, "No, the ancestors have always sought the great unity of the world, the harmony of Manchu and Han. But how many detours has the Qing Dynasty taken over the years? Can you even count them?"

She stepped forward, raising her voice, "First, there were the foolish who sought only power and slaughtered the innocent, sparking unquenchable public resentment. How many innocents perished in the Manchu-Han strife?"

Emperor Kangxi's face darkened. He and Emperor Shizong had worked to integrate Manchu and Han and were well aware of the troubles left by Dorgon and Dodo, which even posthumous retribution could not undo.

"Then there are the Eight Banners members, who stand aloof, seizing lands everywhere, treating lives as worthless, utterly forgetting the original vision of our ancestors!"

Yinzhen also remained expressionless. The court-supported Eight Banners members paled in comparison to the Green Standard Army's military feats, yet the ranks of the fat and lazy kept swelling.

If this continued, future generations might rightly believe the Qing Dynasty's reign wouldn't last a century.

"None of you are naive. If we don't forge cannons, should we wait for barbarians to blast open our gates with theirs?"

The elderly clan leader, former head of the Red Bordered Banner of the Gioro clan, Zunghar's descendant, roared in anger—

"Mere barbarians—how can they compare to the Qing Dynasty! What could a woman like you possibly know!"

Geng Shuning sneered, "Leaving aside the distant past, if Qinghai and northern Mongolia had such weapons, would the Dzungars dare to eye the Qing Dynasty?"

She stepped forward, her words becoming sharper—

"Without the Eternal Heaven's protection and our ancestors' revelations, could the Qing Dynasty sustain prolonged frontier wars?"

"How many lives were saved by the exquisite charcoal? How many of your descendants were saved from early death by cowpox?"

"Had we quelled the Yunnan border turmoil earlier, how many more years of stability might the Qing Dynasty have enjoyed? Can you calculate that?"

She strode up to Lin Fu, suddenly raised the musket, and aimed it at Zunghar.

Zunghar's face paled, instinctively stepping back a few paces, causing Emperor Kangxi's eyes to darken—

"Geng, you overstep!"

Yinzhen also intervened, "Ning'er..."

Geng Shuning swept her gaze around, interrupting him, "The clan elder asked me what I know?"

"I know that truth always lies within the range of artillery! Just like now, holding this musket, I can make you stop those filthy thoughts and start using your brains."

"Before you've even settled court affairs, you've mastered the art of gossip. How dare you ask me, a woman, what I know!"

Emperor Kangxi's temples throbbed with veins. This brat was trying to provoke everyone into uniting against her, wasn't she?

Zunghar, Zhang Yushu, and several other ministers present all looked extremely uncomfortable, but for a moment, no one dared to speak.

What if this troublemaker got startled, moved too much, and accidentally fired?

Their lives were worth much more than a female official's.

Yinzhen quickly stepped forward, took the musket from Geng Shuning's hands, his expression complex and somewhat amused.

The little fox's sharp tongue was even more cutting than his, making people's hearts ache.

He feigned a scolding tone, "You must not be so disrespectful to the elders, ministers, and imperial clansmen. Speak slowly; they can understand human speech."

Everyone: "..."

Emperor Kangxi's lips twitched in irritation. If it weren't for Fourth Brother's permission and indulgence, Dai Zi wouldn't have been able to create these... devices.

The Geng family wouldn't dare to be so bold either.

Stop pretending to be a bigwig.

He coughed lightly, "Young people must not be too impulsive, especially in public settings. Hurry up and apologize to the elders and ministers!"

Geng Shuning obediently knelt down, "As per the Emperor's command, if the rumors are not dispelled within half a month, this summer might be difficult. If I offend anyone by then, Sui Ning apologizes in advance to all the officials here."

Emperor Kangxi: "..." Was this the apology I meant?!

Seeing Yinzhen's calm expression, he felt a headache but decided not to bother anymore. After all, this girl probably knows her limits... right?

He took a deep breath and asked Yinzhen, "Fourth Brother, are you planning to send troops to Yunnan?"

Yinzhen replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, there's no rush. The cannons are still in the capital."

Everyone who heard Yinzhen's words felt a chill in their hearts. The "truth" within the Emperor's cannon range... was also in the capital?

*

After half a day of chaos, the rumors inside and outside the capital disappeared from the streets and alleys faster than they had spread.

Even though high-ranking families and commoners still whispered about it in private, the widely circulated songs were no longer dared to be sung.

It wasn't that everyone had suddenly become so well-behaved, even young children were as quiet as chickens. It was because the court had suddenly broken its previous silence and struck with heavy force.

Outside the palace, the blood at the execution grounds never seemed to stop flowing, and the mortuaries were overflowing every day.

Inside the palace, the arms of Wu Mama and the eunuchs from the Bureau of Works and the Imperial Punishment Bureau were swollen from carrying out punishments, and the floors of Anping Hall were filled with servants.

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Qiao He reported to Geng Shuning with a sense of vindication.

"You have no idea how quiet the streets and alleys were when the cannons entered through the North Gate and stopped outside the moat. All you could hear was the sound of breathing, but not a single spoiled young master dared to step forward."

Qiao Jing and Qingfang couldn't help but laugh at Qiao He's teasing.

Even Nanny Chen chuckled, "The consorts in the palace have become much more pious lately, all taking up the habit of copying Buddhist scriptures."

"Even Consort Xi has closed the gates of Yonghe Palace to copy scriptures for the third prince's birthday."

No one believed that Consort Xi had truly given up her ambitions or that she wouldn't resort to desperate measures.

But faced with Geng Shuning's influence and Yinzhen's iron-fisted methods, she could only follow the example of the Geng family's De Jin and temporarily avoid the sharp edge of their power.

Geng Shuning, however, showed no amusement. She leaned back on the soft pillow of the couch, slowly eating grapes.

After the reports were finished, she lazily asked, "Are all the items properly arranged?"

The reason she had waited a month without taking action, aside from letting the situation simmer, was to ensure that the necessary soda, baking soda, and alcohol were properly purified and stored in the right places.

This task had been handled by Qingfang, who softly replied, "Everything has been arranged. After nightfall, the *Zhan Ganjin Chu* will personally guard them, ensuring that the assigned personnel are well-acquainted with their duties."

"Good, then it's time to pay respects to the Empress Dowager," Geng Shuning said, wiping the juice from her hands with a handkerchief. She smiled as she saw Yinzhen striding in from outside.

"Today, His Majesty happens to have some free time. The Empress Dowager has been bedridden, and there hasn’t been much urgent business lately. It’s time for you to act the filial son for a few days, to put the court officials at ease, don’t you think?"

Serving her medicine might just frustrate the Empress Dowager so much that she suddenly comes back to life.

Yinzhen waved his hand, dismissing everyone.

He sat beside Geng Shuning and felt her forehead.

"The Empress Dowager is bedridden, and you’ve just recovered from a fever. Take a few more days to rest before going, or you might catch the illness from Cining Palace and end up troubling me again."

Lately, Geng Shuning had been busy with some purification process in the back hall, refusing to get a proper night’s sleep.

She only slept once she’d worn herself out.

Yinzhen had long noticed that this little troublemaker was even more ambitious about winning than he was.

But he quite enjoyed her enthusiasm, coaxing her to take charge several times, and even letting her dabble in the source of temptation.

As the weather got hotter, Geng Shuning suddenly remembered how to make ice using saltpeter. With all the tools ready, she managed to produce some crushed ice.

In high spirits, she used hot water and crushed ice to give Yinzhen a taste of the fire-and-ice contrast.

The first time was so intense that Yinzhen lost control and went too far, leaving her completely worn out.

The day after handling the rumor-mongers, she came down with a fever.

At night, she was restless, and during the day, even after taking medicine, she still made a fuss—not bothering anyone else, just him.

Feeling guilty, Yinzhen didn’t dare leave for the Summer Palace too soon, worried she might catch a cold.

Her cough had just gotten better yesterday, and now she was itching to stir up trouble again.

Yinzhen pinched her cheek. "Lately, Lady Wuya Baiqi has been in and out of the palace. The Empress Dowager must know what’s going on inside and outside the palace."

"Let her rest for a few more days, or she might get so angry she spits blood, and then the Empress Dowager will be scared."

...

Once this man starts going on, he doesn’t stop. Geng Shuning half-closed her eyes, leaning against him, growing drowsy.

Only when Yinzhen tickled her waist did she laugh and open her eyes, her clear gaze brimming with innocence.

"I wasn’t planning to do anything—just tag along to help serve the Empress Dowager. The Qing Dynasty rules through filial piety—isn’t that what Your Majesty should be doing?"

Yinzhen thought, it’s ruling through filial piety, not ruling by being filial to the point of death.

The Empress Dowager could be ruthless with herself; her previous critical illness, meant to spread the rumors, wasn’t entirely fake.

Imperial Physician Chang and Imperial Physician Zheng had submitted their reports. The Empress Dowager was still weak and couldn’t handle too much excitement.

Yinzhen was about to persuade the little fox to rest a few more days when Su Peisheng rushed in.

"Your Majesty, the Fourteenth Prince has headed to Cining Palace."

*

What?

Geng Shuning sat up straight, her face full of interest as she blinked at Yinzhen, "Oh! Looks like you won’t get to play the filial son after all, Your Majesty!"

Yinzhen: "..."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache brewing, and ordered—

"Have the Imperial Physicians prepare at Cining Palace."

Su Peisheng promptly acknowledged the order and hurried off to carry it out, though he couldn’t help but ponder the deeper meaning behind the emperor’s words. Was this preparation for medicine... or for something far worse?

*

Yun Ti had been deep in thought the entire way before entering his mother’s chamber.

At the gates of Cining Palace, he also quietly instructed Xu Chang to summon the Imperial Physician.

Xu Chang and Nanny Wu Ya exchanged glances but didn’t dare ask more. Xu Chang personally rushed to the Imperial Hospital.

Nanny Wu Ya and Nanny Zhou remained silent, one standing outside the door and the other inside, both tense, their hearts pounding as if ready to leap out of their chests.

They couldn’t shake the feeling that the Fourteenth Prince’s visit would bring major trouble.

Yun Ti’s footsteps were unusually heavy, a stark contrast to the confident stride of a seasoned warrior who had braved Tibet.

Lady Wu Ya, reclining against the headboard with her eyes closed, also heard her youngest son’s footsteps.

"Have you gone over the list your uncle sent to your mansion? Do you understand it now?"

The Uya clan, if nothing else, had ancestors who once headed the imperial kitchen during Emperor Kangxi’s great-grandfather’s reign. They had many dealings with the eunuchs of the previous Ming Dynasty, and some secret recipes related to food had been preserved.

Her rise to favor under Emperor Kangxi, bearing three sons and three daughters in thirteen years, owed much to these secret recipes. She climbed to the rank of consort over the corpses of the harem.

Her recent ‘critical illness,’ which posed no real threat to her life, also relied on Esen’s secret recipes.

When Emperor Shizong established the Thirteen Offices, many former Ming palace servants were kept on. However, after Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne, too many children died, leading to several purges.

A handful of eunuchs and many nannies and palace maids left the palace.

Many of them ended up serving noble households, with some descendants remaining as servants for generations.

The Uya clan lacked talent, but they couldn’t afford to hinder Concubine De or the current Empress Dowager. They had no choice but to plant their people early in certain ministers’ households to prepare for the future.

The Tong family had them, as did Guanyinbao’s mansion and even the Niohuru Duke’s mansion.

The Geng family originally had none, but Geng Jia De Jin’s second wife, Wanyan, had two capable servants now doing menial tasks in the household.

They couldn’t be linked to Geng Jia De Jin’s assassination, but using others to carry it out was still an option.

However, Bai Qiwen lacked skill in both literature and martial arts and couldn’t control those people. Some matters still required Yun Ti to handle.

He probably couldn’t stay in the capital much longer and needed to act quickly.

The Empress Dowager finished her question but got no reply from Yun Ti. She opened her eyes.

"Zhen'er?"

Yun Ti knelt with a bitter expression. Though only in his early twenties, he suddenly looked decades older.

He kowtowed and rasped, "Mother... please stop."

Lady Wu Ya’s gaze turned icy as she sat up straight. "Lift your head!"

Yun Ti slowly straightened up. The sides of his cheeks still bore unhealed redness and swelling, and there were obvious scratch marks on his chin. A cut on the tip of his nose was still oozing blood.

Lady Wu Ya’s anger flared up instantly. "Does Wanyan have a death wish? How could you let her act so brazenly!"

Yun Ti raised his head, his bloodshot eyes growing redder. "Mother, she only wants to survive, that's why she's acting this way."

"Geng Shuning holds many of my secrets. If she is pushed to the brink, it will be a fight to the death, endangering everyone in my household..."

*

Yun Ti indeed knew of the Empress Dowager's intentions to act first and report later as soon as she made her move.

No one knew his doting mother better than he did.

From a young age, she was never one to give up easily, and to achieve her goals, she would not hesitate to use ruthless means, whether against others or herself.

Yun Ti couldn't deny he was tempted by his mother's actions. As a prince, how could he not have thoughts of the throne?

But surviving in the palace required more than just luck. He knew... the hope was too slim, and he was well aware of the depth of his mother's obsession, which would not allow him any chance to retreat.

He locked himself in his study, pretending to know nothing, forbidding anyone from bringing him any news, forcing himself to make a choice.

Night after night, he lay awake, unable to halt his mother's madness or face his subtly terrifying fourth brother.

Until Wanyan, looking as pale as a sheet, stumbled into the study and slapped him hard, her voice low and frantic.

"You warned me not to provoke the Emperor, yet here you are, ready to drag us all to a dishonorable death. Are you out of your mind?!"

Yun Ti was startled and somewhat annoyed. "What do you know—"

"I know everything!" Wanyan trembled and sobbed.

"I know that the Emperor never intended the throne for you, that his so-called favor was merely indulgence towards his youngest son. I know your inflated sense of destiny has always made you strive to be first, never second!"

Tears streaming down her face, she cried, "I know the throne isn't yours. The dragon may have nine sons, but only one can be Emperor, and it will never be you!"

Yun Ti's anger flared as he glared at his wife.

"Wanyan! Who gave you the right to look down on me? It seems I've spoiled you too much, making you lose your mind—"

Too weak to argue, Wanyan suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, cutting him off as her tears flowed even more.

"Who has lost their mind? Aisin Gioro Yun Ti, the eminent monk gave you those six words of wisdom: know your fate, follow your fate, cherish your fate. They weren't meant for you to scheme for the throne!"

She screamed, "They were meant for you to think clearly, not to disgrace your descendants and the Qing Dynasty!!"

"How do you know about the six-word mantra?" Yun Ti stood up in shock, quickly covering her mouth.

"Walls have ears! Do you have a death wish?"

Wanyan cried so hard she could barely breathe.

In his heyday, this fool had scrawled those words repeatedly in the main courtyard after one too many drinks. She, like him, had clung to hope, keeping it all tightly guarded.

But Geng Shuning's letter—her attempts to sway officials, embezzle funds, secretly amass Gushi Khan's troops, and forge edicts—finally made Wanyan realize the Emperor had always known, treating his brother's schemes as a joke.

Her hand trembling, she clutched Yun Ti's, "Yun Ti, I just want to survive. That's why I'm telling you this."

"I don't want to be branded a traitor to the Wanyan clan, a traitor to the Qing Dynasty. Why can't you understand... that throne was never meant for you."

"My lord, you must accept your fate, live by it..."

From that day on, until Wanyan forced him to the palace, their study became a battleground for countless arguments.

The growing despair in Wanyan's eyes was etched deeply into Yun Ti's memory.

With tears in his eyes, he looked pleadingly at the Empress Dowager Mother: "Mother, please spare me, spare Lady Wu Ya!"

"If you continue to be deluded, how will you and I face our ancestors in the future, Mother?"

The Empress Dowager Mother's heart ached sharply, as if a knife had been viciously thrust into it, the pain left her eyes blank.

She stared into Yun Ti's eyes: "I am already a member of the Aisin Gioro family, and even in death, I will be buried in the Aisin Gioro tomb. Why should I explain anything to our ancestors?"

Her voice was unusually calm as she asked: "Yun Ti, are you also going to betray your mother?"

Yun Ti had already made his decision before coming. With tearful eyes, he kowtowed.

"Please forgive me for being unfilial and cowardly... I have already submitted a memorial to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, confessing my crimes and begging the Emperor to demote me to a common soldier, confine our family in Qinghai, and never return to the capital without military merit."

"With a sudden gasp—" The Empress Dowager Mother's pupils contracted, and she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing backward.

All her strength left her, leaving only those hollow eyes, gradually gathering deeper hatred.

Throughout her life, she, Lady Wu Ya, had given birth to six children. Apart from the timid and useless Wen Xian, some had died, and those still alive... might as well be dead!

She had fought all her life, resented all her life, almost giving everything, yet she had failed. She hated it!!

Even in death, she would drag someone down with her!!!