When Kangxi went to see the Grand Empress Dowager, his finger was wrapped in bandages.

The Grand Empress Dowager was startled at first, but when she heard that Kangxi's finger had been bitten by Yinreng, her expression became indescribably complicated.

Kangxi sighed. "I really need to discipline Baocheng properly."

The Grand Empress Dowager said expressionlessly, "You stuck your finger in his mouth again while he was sleeping, didn't you? Why do you never learn your lesson?"

Kangxi's gaze drifted away. Cough. So he hadn't managed to fool her.

The Grand Empress Dowager sighed. "Xuanye, you're already a grown man. How are you even more mischievous than Baocheng?"

Kangxi thought to himself, How am I more mischievous than that brat?

"Imperial Grandmother, has there been any conclusion regarding the smallpox matter?" Kangxi quickly changed the subject to serious business to avoid her nagging.

The Grand Empress Dowager frowned deeply. "See for yourself."

Sumalagu handed the testimonies to Kangxi. Some of the pages were even stained with blood.

As Kangxi read through them, his expression grew darker and darker.

When he first learned that someone had concealed the smallpox outbreak in the palace, Kangxi had already prepared himself for the worst.

Remnants of the former Ming? Dorgon's followers? The White Lotus Sect? The Three Feudatories?

Kangxi even mentally prepared himself to cleanse the entire imperial harem in blood.

But after reading the testimonies, although he felt some relief, he became even more furious.

The concealment of the smallpox outbreak stemmed from nothing more than an old corruption case within the Imperial Household Department.

Back when Shunzhi died of smallpox, everything he used should have been burned to prevent the disease from spreading. But while handling the large number of valuable items that had belonged to him, members of the Imperial Household Department secretly embezzled many of them instead of completely destroying them.

These people clearly knew how terrifying smallpox was, but greed clouded their judgment.

They thought that as long as the items were washed, there would be no problem. As long as they were wrapped in cloth before being sold off, it would be fine.

At the time, Kangxi was still a child, while the Grand Empress Dowager was occupied struggling against the regents. The Imperial Household Department was in chaos, and a large number of contaminated items were circulated.

At first, people didn't dare use them. But after several years, even more than a decade, when the matter had faded from public attention, they started using them again.

In truth, smallpox could not survive that long outside a host. But over those years, people had continued catching smallpox one after another, covering for each other so that the truth would never surface. Kangxi had known nothing about it.

The palace servants protected one another naturally because they feared that their theft of palace property would be exposed or they would be implicated during epidemic investigations.

Smallpox cases became "ordinary fevers," deaths from illness became "accidents"… and so the outbreak continued wave after wave.

Their luck had been astonishingly good. The disease never erupted on a large scale, nor did it infect any important nobles in the palace, so it remained undiscovered all this time.

The belongings of those who survived or died after contracting smallpox were also passed down to others.

Again, it was greed that clouded their judgment.

When Yinreng came down with smallpox, the group panicked for a while. But he recovered quickly, and no one else fell ill afterward, so Kangxi never thoroughly investigated the palace servants. With that, they managed to muddle through again.

Only when Yinreng sensed that the "curse" was about to erupt and divided the entire harem into isolated sections did the hidden culprits finally get exposed.

"A child has been infected with smallpox," the Grand Empress Dowager sighed. "Zhang-shi's daughter likely won't survive."

Kangxi currently had three living daughters: the Third Princess, born to Consort Rong, the Fourth Princess, born to Concubine Zhang, and the Fifth Princess, born to Noble Lady Zhaojia.

Kangxi had some affection for Zhang-shi. She had borne him two daughters. The first had died at age three, and now this second daughter likely wouldn't live to see four. Kangxi couldn't help feeling sorrowful.

The Grand Empress Dowager, however, snorted coldly. "What are you grieving for? Even her own mother doesn't care!"

Kangxi frowned. "What happened? The testimonies didn't mention this."

The Grand Empress Dowager replied, "I had that part removed. These records are meant for the archives. How could we write down imperial scandals? Baocheng ordered everyone to be confined to their quarters and forbidden from leaving, but Zhang-shi bribed a steward so one of her trusted servants could leave the palace to deliver money to her worthless younger brother. That servant happened to be the Fourth Princess's wet nurse."

Kangxi's brows knitted tightly.

The Grand Empress Dowager continued, "Later, Baocheng discovered it and sealed that loophole. But her luck was simply terrible. The wet nurse happened to encounter someone in the palace infected with smallpox. Everyone around Zhang-shi was fine, only the Fourth Princess, who was weak-bodied, became infected. Sigh."

Kangxi closed his eyes. After a long silence, he finally said, "If the Fourth Princess cannot survive this, send Zhang-shi back to her family."

The Qing harem's rules were not especially strict. Concubines without favor or children could be sent home, and widowed consorts with sons could live with their children.

Zhang-shi's crime did not merit death, but Kangxi no longer wished to see her again.

The Grand Empress Dowager nodded lightly. "Your Majesty is merciful."

Yet inwardly, she mocked coldly. Zhang-shi had a gambling-addicted younger brother. Once expelled from the palace, her fate might not be much better than death.

After discussing Zhang-shi, the Grand Empress Dowager moved on to the punishment of others.

Petty theft among palace servants was normal. Both Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager usually turned a blind eye unless matters became excessive.

They simply didn't have the energy to manage every individual.

Who could have imagined that this chain of corruption and mutual cover-ups would nearly allow smallpox to spread through the palace, escalating into a matter requiring family exterminations?

"What about the servants found harming Consort De's child?" Kangxi asked. "Were they related to this case?"

The Grand Empress Dowager sighed. "No relation. She became favored after becoming pregnant with an imperial heir, and some people simply grew jealous."

Consort De had been neglected in the palace for four years. Palace people always fawned on the powerful and trampled the weak. Before entering the palace, she had been a pampered young lady unused to hardship, so she had suffered greatly during those years.

Now that Consort De had suddenly risen in status, those who once bullied her became terrified that she would seek revenge.

When people panic, they tend to do irrational things. Even a few middling servants joining forces could make life difficult for a consort.

Kangxi said indifferently, "Execute those who deserve execution. Confiscate what should be confiscated. Exile those who should be exiled. Make the punishments severe enough to serve as a warning."

The Grand Empress Dowager nodded. That was reasonable.

Many major incidents in the palace were not born from some grand conspiracy, but from countless small matters accumulating over time.

Embezzlement followed by mutual concealment. Snobbery followed by desperate retaliation…

So-called palace intrigue was often nothing more than a collection of seemingly trivial acts that eventually produced catastrophic consequences.

As Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager spoke calmly, countless lives and the fates of entire families were decided. Among the three chief ministers of the Imperial Household Department, Hailasun and Garu had their salaries docked, Tuba was demoted, and Feiyanggu took Tuba's place.

A sweeping purge of the Imperial Household Department began. Everyone in the palace lived in fear, and even the consorts hardly dared step outside.

The discussion continued until sunset, painting the sky red. Only then did the Grand Empress Dowager hesitate before saying, "Fulin, he…"

Kangxi sighed inwardly. Compared to Baocheng, the Grand Empress Dowager truly cared more about his father. Even though Baocheng was still sick, the first thing she asked about was Emperor Shunzhi.

Kangxi said, "I invited Daoist Master Zhang and Master Dehai."

He repeated everything the Daoist priest and Buddhist monk had said, omitting no details.

After hearing the account, the Grand Empress Dowager judged from the details that the monk and priest were speaking the truth.

Kangxi frowned. "Imperial Grandmother, can you persuade Father Emperor?"

The Grand Empress Dowager sighed. "When have I ever managed to persuade him?"

Kangxi said, "If Baocheng falls ill, there are imperial physicians. But if something happens to Father Emperor… I wouldn't even know what to do."

He deliberately changed the way he addressed himself, speaking not as emperor but as a grandson opening his heart.

Since the Grand Empress Dowager cared most about his father, approaching the matter from Shunzhi's perspective would better draw her to his side.

The Grand Empress Dowager sighed again. "Why not ask Baocheng whether his grandfather has any unfulfilled wishes? If it concerns Consort Dong'e, then just let him have his way."

After learning that Shunzhi's defiance toward her had not truly been because of Consort Dong'e, much of her resentment toward Consort Dong'e had faded.

Kangxi said, "I don't think Father Emperor cares most about Consort Dong'e. That boy Baocheng mutters in his sleep every night about Grandfather becoming an eternal emperor. Father Emperor probably wants to see the Qing flourish under my rule."

The Grand Empress Dowager slapped the table. "So he doesn't intend to leave at all?!"

Who knew how many years that would take!

Kangxi said helplessly, "Grandmother, is there really no solution?"

The Grand Empress Dowager frowned. "Let me think… let me think… sigh…"

Just as the two sat facing each other in shared worry, lively children's laughter suddenly rang out from the side hall.

Their expressions relaxed at the same time.

Kangxi rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Why is that Baocheng's voice? Wasn't he at Qianqing Palace?!"

The Grand Empress Dowager rose. "Let's go take a look."

The two entered the side hall of the Cining Palace where the First and Third Princes were staying. Sure enough, Yinreng was there.

After waking up and discovering Kangxi gone, Yinreng touched his forehead. When he confirmed that his fever had broken, he immediately ran to the Cining Palace to play with his brothers.

He was on the verge of going crazy from boredom.

Every day's entertainment consisted only of chess. Was that really a child's life?

The moment Yinreng entered the hall, the First Prince rushed over and hugged him tightly.

After Yinreng spent a long while coaxing him, the Third Prince crawled over and hugged him too.

The floor of the side hall was covered with thick carpets. In the end, the three children piled on top of one another and started playing games on the floor.

Their laughter was loud enough for both Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager to hear.

"Baocheng, why did you run over here?!" Kangxi immediately began scolding the child as soon as he stepped inside.

"My fever's gone. Came to play with big brother and little brother." Yinreng waved at Kangxi. "I originally wanted to greet Great-Grandmother and Father Emperor, but since you were discussing important matters, I came to find my brothers first."

"You could still have come in even if we're discussing serious matters," Kangxi said as he ordered someone to carry the Third Prince back onto the couch while he himself lifted Yinreng up.

Yinzhī patted his backside and stood on his own. "Greetings to Great-Grandmother. Greetings to Father Emperor."

"Come. Let me test your studies," Kangxi said, carrying Yinreng onto the couch and nodding at him. "Let's see whether your lessons have slipped while I was away these past few days."

Yinzhī: "???" You know perfectly well that I haven't been studying lately. You're deliberately bullying me in front of my younger brother, aren't you?

How could Kangxi deliberately bully his eldest son? He was such a good father. A good father naturally cared about his son's education.

Yinreng shot Yinzhī a sympathetic look.

Big Brother, just surrender and admit fault quickly. As sons, we can't stop an old father's dirty urge to bully his children. The sooner you give in, the less suffering you'll endure.

Though Yinzhi feared Kangxi, he was also stubborn.

If Kangxi wanted to test him, then he would answer directly. "Father Emperor knows I haven't studied these past few days, so what lessons are you testing?"

Kangxi: "…" This brat really wants a beating, huh?

Yinreng quickly tried to smooth things over. "Father Emperor, Third Brother just started walking! Why don't we teach him to walk?"

Kangxi shot his son a glare.

Yinreng always addressed him formally as "Father Emperor" in front of outsiders, which made Kangxi uncomfortable.

His own Crown Prince. Why should he care about anyone else's opinions?

"Father… Emperor? Father… Emperor!" Yinreng tugged on Kangxi's sleeve, calling him rhythmically.

"Pfft." Yinzhī covered his mouth. "Father Emperor, I'm not laughing. And I definitely didn't think of 'sweating blood horses.'"

Kangxi: "…" He never should have let the eldest and second sons spend time together! One was foolish, the other wicked. They existed solely to ruin his peace of mind!

"Baocheng!" Kangxi said sternly.

Yinreng lifted his little face. "Father Emperor, please speak. Your son is listening with both ears perked up!"

"How are your ears perked up? You're not a rabbit!" Kangxi pinched Yinreng's ears. Across from them, Yinzhī (still being punished by standing) looked openly disapproving, which only irritated Kangxi more. "Baocheng! You are the Crown Prince! Fooling around with your brothers like this violates propriety! Even if they are your brothers, they must still respect you!"

Yinreng's eyes went dead.

Ah. Here comes the beginning of the nightmare again.

Baocheng You're the Crown Prince Getting too close to your brothers damages your dignity as Crown Prince They mustn't disrespect you

Heh. Yinreng sneered inwardly.

Beside him, Yinzhī also sneered in his heart and shot Kangxi a disdainful look.

Heh. Just admit you're jealous because little brother likes me more. Father Emperor, are you really a sore loser?

Yinreng patted Kangxi's arm earnestly. "Alright, alright. Since their initiative to play with me undermines my status as Crown Prince and harms my dignity, I'll take the initiative to play with them instead. If the mighty Crown Prince seeks out his brothers and they ignore him, then that is disrespectful to the Crown Prince. What do you think, Father Emperor?"

Kangxi: "…" I don't think so.

"Xuanye, enough already. Stop teasing the children." The Grand Empress Dowager, who had been watching the drama unfold, finally laughed aloud.

She beckoned to Yinzhī, pulled him into her arms protectively, and said, "Brotherly harmony is a good thing. You children should play together as much as you like. Great-Grandmother supports you. Don't listen to your Father Emperor."

Kangxi: "…" Imperial Grandmother, could you please stop making things worse? I'm not joking. I'm being really serious!

"Fa…ther… Emperor?" Little Yinzhǐ crawled over and looked up at Kangxi.

Yinreng immediately exclaimed, "Little Third can say 'Father Emperor' now! He knows Father Emperor is Father Emperor! Little Third and Father Emperor are connected heart-to-heart! Father Emperor, are you touched?!"

Kangxi clenched his fist and thumped Yinreng on the head. "Not touched. Go away."

He disdainfully tossed Yinreng toward the Grand Empress Dowager.

Yinzhī quickly pulled Yinreng to his side protectively, staring at the bump on his head with heartache.

What's wrong with Father Emperor? Little Brother had only just recovered from illness, and he was already hitting him!

Kangxi rolled his eyes at his eldest and second sons, then carefully picked up his third son.

"Yinzhǐ has already grown this much," Kangxi said with a smile.

Little Yinzhǐ nodded.

And then a distinct smell spread.

Kangxi: "…"

The Grand Empress Dowager turned her face away.

Yinzhī and Yinreng both covered their noses.

The wet nurse immediately rushed forward and took Little Yinzhǐ from Kangxi's arms.

Covering his nose, Yinreng said, "Little Third pooped."

Yinzhī also pinched his nose and added, "The moment Father Emperor picked him up, he pooped. Truly, father and son are connected heart-to-heart."

Yinreng rammed his shoulder into Yinzhī. "Big Brother, please shut up! Stop getting Little Third into trouble!"

Yinzhī said carelessly, "Father Emperor is a wise and mighty ruler with a broad mind. How could he possibly hold a grudge against a son who can't even walk yet? Even if Little Third pooped on Father Emperor himself, Father Emperor definitely wouldn't mind."

Yinreng: "…" He definitely would mind.

The Grand Empress Dowager: "…" Was this great-grandson clever or not clever? Forget it. Whether he was clever or not, she couldn't save him anymore.

Kangxi's expression twisted.

He realized it now. The First Prince talked this much because he simply had too little schoolwork and too much free time!

Maintaining his stern expression with difficulty, Kangxi grabbed Yinzhī and dragged him away.

Before leaving, he shot Yinreng a vicious glare.

Yinreng scratched his head and asked the Grand Empress Dowager in confusion, "Great-Grandmother, I wasn't the one who pooped, so why did Father Emperor glare at me?"

The Grand Empress Dowager smiled. "Probably because you're the older brother, and His Majesty thinks you should have stopped the Third Prince from pooping."

Yinreng's eyes went wide with disbelief. "I'm supposed to stop Third Brother from pooping?! Father Emperor is being completely unreasonable!"

The Grand Empress Dowager finally lost it and burst into laughter so hard that her old back nearly gave out.

-----

Kangxi truly meant what he said.

Those in the palace who deserved execution were executed, those who should be burned were burned. Once the epidemic passed, Kangxi held another ancestral ceremony at the imperial shrine. The harem restrictions were completely lifted, and the First Prince returned to Consort Hui's side.

The moment he returned, Kangxi's verbal decree arrived as well: several new tutors were assigned to him, his workload doubled, and his favorite riding, archery, and wrestling lessons were all canceled.

Consort Hui clutched her handkerchief with trembling hands. "First Prince… what exactly did you do this time?"

Why had the emperor's decree arrived the instant the First Prince came back?!

Yinzhī scratched his head. "Probably because I skipped all my classes during this period?"

Probably because of that.

Surely Father Emperor wouldn't increase my schoolwork because Third Brother pooped, right? Father Emperor's brain isn't broken. He can't possibly think reading more annoying books would stop Third Brother from pooping.

Yinzhī thought to himself in an old-fashioned, world-weary manner.

"I see…" Consort Hui let out a sigh of relief. "Did the First Prince live well at Cining Palace? Let Mother take a look. Ah, you've grown thi…"

Looking at the noticeably rounder Yinzhī, she ultimately couldn't force herself to finish the words "grown thinner."

Awkwardly, she changed course. "The First Prince must have lived very well at Cining Palace. You've even gotten chubbier."

Yinzhī pinched the soft flesh on his arm proudly. "Of course. Whenever I lived with Crown Prince Little Brother, he personally took me to choose what to eat every day. He always knows what's delicious and what isn't. After Little Brother got sick, I couldn't eat much for a while and even lost some weight."

Consort Hui sighed in relief again. "That's good, that's good. Did the First Prince encounter any trouble while staying at Cining Palace?"

Yinzhi nodded. "Actually, yes."

Consort Hui's heart skipped violently, and she nearly tore her silk handkerchief apart.

I was just being polite! Why do you actually have something?!

Knowing her son well, Consort Hui first dismissed all the servants before asking carefully, "What happened? Does it involve the Crown Prince?"

Yinzhi nodded. "Mother knows about the Crown Prince attracting the curse, right?"

Consort Hui's heart pounded wildly. She knew it had to be this matter!

Forcing a smile, she said, "The smallpox matter… could it really be related to a curse?"

"Yes!" Yinzhī declared decisively after piecing together all the information with what he considered his own brilliance. "As soon as the epidemic ended, Crown Prince Little Brother fell sick! Very seriously sick!"

Consort Hui laughed stiffly. "It wasn't that serious. Don't talk nonsense. Isn't His Highness already fully recove…"

Before she could finish, Yinzhī interrupted her. "I'm not done talking yet. Mother should let me finish first. Interrupting people is very rude."

The Crown Prince had told him that interrupting others while they spoke was impolite when telling him stories. Yinzhī had remembered it ever since.

A string of question marks practically floated above Consort Hui's head.

Are you calling me rude? Do you still remember I'm your mother? Is this your idea of politeness?!

Seeing Consort Hui finally fall silent (because he had utterly choked her speechless), Yinzhī nodded in satisfaction and continued:

"When Little Brother was arranging palace affairs, it was like he'd been possessed by someone. I wanted to wake him up, but the Grand Empress Dowager stopped me. She even held onto Little Brother and cried, like she knew whoever possessed him… Ow! Mmph?! Mmff mmff!"

Consort Hui clamped a hand over Yinzhī's mouth, trembling from head to toe in fright. "Stop talking! You must never mention this matter again! Bury it in your stomach forever, do you hear me?!"

She was furious, anxious, and terrified all at once as tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing his mother cry, Yinzhī quieted down in confusion.

Consort Hui released him and pulled him tightly into her arms, choking back sobs. "Don't mention this anymore, alright? The emperor will care about the Crown Prince's matters. The Grand Empress Dowager will care too. But the two of us cannot get involved. We'll die!"

She bit especially hard on the word "die," sending chills crawling across Yinzhī's skin.

The little boy's heart was shaken. "Why?"

"There is no why." Holding him tightly, Consort Hui continued, "Since the Grand Empress Dowager knows what you saw, then the emperor definitely knows too. If neither of them did anything, then that means they allowed it to happen. You must not expose it. Do you understand? Pretend nothing ever happened. You're only a child. Forgetting things is normal. You must forget it!"

Yinzhī murmured blankly, "Allowed it…? But Little Brother got sick… Everyone says the Crown Prince is Father Emperor's most important child. Isn't he the most important?"

Consort Hui's heart tightened sharply.

Who said that? Were there still people around the First Prince with ulterior motives who hadn't been cleaned out?

"Baoqing…" Consort Hui loosened her embrace and rubbed the little bald head of her eldest son.

Yinzhī looked up.

Consort Hui rarely called him by his childhood name. Whenever she did, Yinzhī knew that what she was about to say was important, and he had to listen carefully.

"The Crown Prince is very important to the emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager," Consort Hui said cruelly. "But all of the emperor's children and all of his women combined together are certainly more important than the Crown Prince alone."

"Do you understand? Importance is relative."

Yinzhī carefully thought over her words. Then his body trembled as coldness spread down his spine.

He understood now.

Consort Hui said again, "Don't mention this matter anymore. Pretend you know nothing, alright?"

In a daze, Yinzhī nodded. "Mm… alright…"

Little Brother… Crown Prince Little Brother… his illness, his suffering… all of it had been silently permitted by Father Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager?

Did Little Brother himself know this?

Yinzhi remembered something Yinreng had once said.

"I don't have a mother. I only have Father Emperor and Great-Grandmother. I'm so jealous of Big Brother. Big Brother has a mother who loves him."

"Big Brother should treat Consort Hui well. She's only your real mother. To her, you are the most important person."

Real mother.

The most important person.

Little Brother was so smart… perhaps he already understood everything?

Yinzhī's mouth crumpled, and he burst into loud sobs.

Little Brother was so pitiful!