With a swollen backside, Yinreng lay sprawled on the soft couch, while a circle of shamans danced around him, chanting "ao ao ao."

Behind them, the Grand Lama stood waiting with ritual implements in hand.

Yinreng sniffed. Hold it in. Your soul is an adult. You can't just cry like this.

Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager sat at the head of the room, both visibly tense.

The Grand Empress Dowager closed her eyes as she murmured Buddhist prayers, her fingers turning the prayer beads as they trembled slightly.

She was afraid. Afraid that these shamans and lamas might be powerless to solve the problem, and equally afraid that if they did have power, it might harm Fulin.

But if the curse was real, then she had to find a way to deal with it.

Kangxi looked tense on the surface, but inside, he was perfectly calm.

Unlike the Grand Empress Dowager, he didn't believe that these shamans or lamas would be of any use, whether for good or bad.

Shamanism had been designated the state religion when the Manchus first founded their dynasty, but starting from Hong Taiji, it wasn't taken seriously.

For emperors after Nurhaci*, religion was merely a tool to support politics.

Hong Taiji promoted Tibetan Buddhism to win over the Mongols, who shared that faith. Meanwhile, Shunzhi bestowed honors on the Fifth Dalai Lama, recognized the leaders of Zhengyi Daoism, and also practiced Chinese Buddhism. He may have leaned toward Chinese Buddhism personally, but he remained impartial to other religions.

By Kangxi's time, his attitude toward religion was pretty much the same as Shunzhi's, though he particularly disliked the shamanic practice of "consulting spirits on political matters" and worked to weaken Shamanism's influence over the imperial family.

This exorcism, strictly speaking, should have been handled by Shamanism as part of a royal ritual. But Kangxi had summoned lamas instead.

His pretext was that he personally studied Tibetan Buddhism, understood its teachings deeply, and strongly agreed with them. The Grand Empress Dowager also believed in Tibetan Buddhism, so it made sense to have lamas perform the ritual.

He also sent people to invite a Zen master and a Zhengyi Daoist priest.

He didn't want to put all of his eggs in one basket, so he intended to try everything.

Still, Kangxi had no real faith in any of these religions. If religion truly worked, why bother being emperor? Throughout history, rulers who leaned heavily on religion often lost their realms, while those who suppressed it tended to be wise sovereigns.

Did the gods of these religions enjoy being oppressed?

Religion could be believed in, but not relied upon. Kangxi only wanted to compare their attitudes and make his own judgment.

Kangxi's face was as still as water. Then he suddenly saw his tiny-dumpling son lift his small head, stick out his tongue at him, and mutter under his breath. Clearly, anything but nice.

Kangxi could read a bit of lip movement. Looking closer, he saw the boy repeatedly mouthing "tyrant" and "bad Father," over and over.

Well now. The calm surface of Kangxi's expression immediately churned into a storm.

His hands were itchy again.

This brat was seriously asking for a beating!

Kangxi let out a cold laugh. Yinreng instantly lowered his head and covered it with his short little arms.

You can't see me. You can't see me.

Just as the Grand Empress Dowager finished her prayers and opened her eyes, she caught sight of this interaction between the most exalted father and son in the world, and nearly lost her sense of tension.

She shot Kangxi a glare, but her grandson just calmly lifted his teacup to hide his expression.

With a helpless smile, she said, "How are you not nervous at all?"

"I know this is useless," Kangxi replied. "I just want to hear what they have to say."

The Grand Empress Dowager sighed. "That's true."

Though she devoutly trusted the lamas, she didn't think they could do much either.

If they were truly that powerful, why fight wars at all? Just have them compete in magic.

Half a day passed, and both the shamans and lamas completed their rituals.

Kangxi summoned their leaders separately to ask about the so-called "curse on heirs."

The imperial lineage had been thin, and both Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager had long suspected foul play. They had already purged the palace multiple times and previously invited shamans and lamas to perform rites.

This time, they didn't provide any hints. They wanted to see if these people could perceive anything on their own.

To their disappointment, the answers were the same old clichés, which were the talk of disrupted dragon veins due to the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. Clearly just parroting current political conditions.

After dismissing them, Kangxi picked up Yinreng, sighed deeply, and gave his little backside a few smacks.

Yinreng: "???"

Yinreng: I'm going to cry… I really am…

Yinreng: "Waaah! Great-grandma, save me!"

The Grand Empress Dowager was both distressed and annoyed as she flicked Yinreng's forehead. Despite his loud wailing, not a single tear fell.

"Serves you right! Why stir up trouble? Couldn't you tell us first?"

Yinreng howled, "You didn't ask!"

Kangxi's hand started itching again.

He resolved that from now on, he would discipline Yinreng strictly. No more letting him run wild.

Next time for sure! Tomorrow for sure!

..

A few days later, the Zen master and Daoist Zhang* of the Zhengyi sect arrived.

Setting aside Daoist Zhang for the moment, the Grand Empress Dowager bore a slight grudge against Zen Buddhism.

Shunzhi had once been devoted to Zen, closely associating with Master Yulin Tongxiu*.

After Consort Dong'e's death, when Shunzhi's health began to decline, he even considered becoming a monk.

At that time, Yulin Tongxiu had the sense to dissuade him, redirecting the plan into having other monks ordained in his place instead.

In name, Shunzhi became a monk, but not in reality. He took Yulin Tongxiu as his teacher and granted him the title of Imperial Preceptor.

For a time, Imperial Preceptor Yulin Tongxiu's prestige was unmatched.

Though Shunzhi had been persuaded to stay, the Grand Empress Dowager still disliked Zen Buddhism. Only after she learned that many within Chinese Buddhism denounced Yulin Tongxiu as a fraud, saying true Buddhist disciples did not behave that way, did her impression improve slightly.

Later, when Yulin Tongxiu overstepped his bounds, seized others' ancestral property, nearly brought disaster upon himself, fled the capital, and died of fever, she finally let go of her bias against Zen and against Chinese Buddhism altogether.

The Zen master invited this time, Dehai*, was a disciple of Master Zhixu*, the ninth patriarch of the Pure Land school, who had once openly scolded Yulin Tongxiu as "a mere brat, daring to call himself a patriarch."

When Kangxi addressed him as a Zen master, Dehai felt helpless.

His own teacher had recognized the flaws of Zen, studied monastic discipline, and ultimately turned to Pure Land practice. But in the eyes of the Great Qing emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager, all Chinese Buddhism was the same. Zen, Pure Land, no distinction at all.

Still, many monks studied multiple traditions, choosing the one they believed in to delve deeper into. Dehai had some background in Zen, so he could barely pass as a Zen master.

After consoling himself, he chanted a Buddhist phrase. "Your Majesty, this humble monk is not like Master Yulin Tongxiu. A monk who keeps the six senses pure should not linger in places steeped in dragon-qi, as it harms cultivation. As for the supposed curse in the palace, this humble monk truly cannot perceive anything."

"I know your lineage prefers not to meddle," Kangxi said. "That's precisely why I had you brought here."

Dehai fell silent. Invited, Your Majesty? Or kidnapped here? Don't you feel a little guilty saying that?

While Dehai was speechless, Daoist Zhang was sweating profusely too.

Who would dare meddle in imperial secrets? Especially since they, practitioners of a Han Chinese religion, were Han people themselves.

In the past, when your Great Qing bestowed favors on Daoism, you balanced things between the Zhengyi and Quanzhen sects equally. Why summon only us, the Zhengyi sect now, and not bring those Quanzhen people too?

This is unfair! We of the Zhengyi sect strongly demand that Quanzhen share both the joy and the sorrow!

But no matter how reluctant they were, both Dehai and Daoist Zhang had no choice but to brace themselves as Kangxi "urged" them to examine Yinreng, the supposedly cursed little dumpling.

Yinreng looked up at the monk and the Daoist curiously, wondering if they truly had any abilities. Could they see that he was a transmigrator?

These two seemed to actually have some skill.

The moment they saw him, both men's expressions changed drastically, startling Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager.

"What did you see?" Kangxi clenched his fist, imperial authority radiating from him, which snapped them back to their senses. Their cold sweat only worsened.

The two exchanged a glance.

You first?

No, no, no, you go first.

"Master Dehai, please," said the Grand Empress Dowager as she looked at the elder one.

Master Dehai sighed inwardly.

Oh well, what's done is done.

"This humble monk observes that the Crown Prince's vital energy is fluctuating, sometimes strong, sometimes weak. When weak, it matches his age; when strong, he resembles an adult. Yet the two auras are very close, somewhat like the people this humble monk has seen before, who were protected by the heroic spirits of their ancestors. This humble monk's cultivation is shallow, so I cannot see clearly. If my master were here, he could likely see more clearly. Alas, eminent monks of his caliber are rarely seen even once in a century."

Dehai closed his eyes and recited a Buddhist phrase.

Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager both relaxed slightly.

Protected by the heroic spirits of their ancestors?

As expected of Master Zhixu's disciple. He had some real ability.

They turned their gaze to Daoist Zhang.

Daoist Zhang said, "This humble Daoist also sees that the Crown Prince is protected by his ancestors, and perceives no curse."

Master Dehai snapped out of his reverie. Right, right, how did I forget to say that!

No matter what, deny the curse first. Then leave the palace and flee far away. Even if something happened to the Crown Prince later, they wouldn't be able to find him.

"This humble monk has seen no curse either. The Crown Prince enjoys deep fortune and ancestral protection. How could there be a curse?" Dehai said.

Daoist Zhang felt a jolt. This monk was not an honest one either. Even slipperier than himself.

Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager finally relaxed.

But Yinreng watched them curiously.

Where did this ancestral-spirit protection come from? Did these two plant informants in the palace?

Uh… probably not.

Could it be that what they saw, the shifting aura, was just his adult mind popping in and out?

Yinreng decided to test them.

He raised a hand and pointed toward the gates of Qianqing Palace. "Don't you see the dark thing? It just appeared over there. Can't you all see it?"

He was just pointing randomly, trying to see if they were bluffing.

But as everyone followed his finger and looked toward the palace gate, a eunuch came running at full speed, dropping to his knees with a thud at the entrance even as the gate eunuchs tried to stop him.

"Your Majesty! The lady of Zhongcui Palace has gone into labor! She's about to give birth!"

Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager: "…!!!"

Dehai and Daoist Zhang: "???!!!"

Yinreng =□=: "!!!!!!!"

Uh… What are the odds?! Emperor-dad, please let me explain!!