Chapter 18 Unlucky Su Peisheng
In the 38th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, he made his third southern tour.

The Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and the fourth prince Yinzhen accompanied the emperor. Emperor Kangxi brought a few Han concubines with him, and the royal princes all brought princesses with them.

Officials in Suzhou specially built a temporary palace for the emperor to rest during this southern tour. They had long ago inquired about the emperor's preferences, and the palace was decorated with lights and colors, making it much more magnificent than the previous two southern tours.

Kangxi couldn't stop smiling at the sight of this peaceful and prosperous country, but Yinzhen still had a stern face and cursed the officials of the Ministry of Revenue for the umpteenth time in his heart.

Behind this grand reception, there are who knows how many dirty things are hidden. If he could hold power one day, he would definitely wipe out all these parasites in the court.

Prince Cheng had been well versed in poetry and literature since childhood. He felt like a fish in water when he arrived here. He made friends through literature with his followers and established his own reputation among literati and poets.

Yinzhen followed the Crown Prince Yinreng on his errands, and it wasn't too hard. The officials here really knew how to serve, and fortunately no one was bold enough to lead the prince to a place like a brothel.

Yinzhen couldn't help laughing as he thought about his wife's worries before she left. They came here with the Emperor this time, and if they really had an affair with some prostitute from a brothel, that would be ruining their own future.

Since Li knew that she could follow Yinzhen on the southern tour, she was overjoyed.

For some unknown reason, Yinzhen became much more distant from her during this period. Although he remained the same to the eldest princess, red lights were already on in Li's heart.

There is only one wife and two princesses in the Fourth Prince's mansion now. Judging from the temper of the Empress in the palace, it is estimated that she will reward princesses to move into the mansion soon.

When the new bride comes, the master will have to treat her with care for a few days. She must take advantage of this southern tour to regain his favor. It would be best if she could have a child. If not, she must win back the master's favor and strive to be promoted to concubine before the new bride enters the mansion, so that her position can be stable.

Thinking this way, Li behaved much more properly under the guidance of Nanny Jin. She stayed in the house obediently every day, and from time to time brought some cakes and soup to Yinzhen to make her presence felt. After putting away her willful nature, Li seemed to have turned back into the gentle Li Gege when she first entered the mansion.

After several days, Yinzhen finally entered Li's room.

The next day, Li was beaming as she rewarded her servants. Yesterday, she had finally used her actions to make Yinzhen see her true heart.

Su Peisheng carefully glanced at Yinzhen, who had been emitting a low pressure since early in the morning, and wondered in his heart: "I clearly ordered water last night, and Li Gege seemed very happy, why does the master look like this?"

"Could it be... that it's no longer possible?"

Yinzhen didn't expect that Li would dare to drug him. Although the dosage was very small, he had seen it before. With his sensitive sense of smell, he could smell it at the first time.

He deeply hated himself for being weak-willed and not being able to control his impulse under such circumstances and favoring this woman.

Yinzhen returned to his study and began to write big characters to calm himself.

Li still thought that her behavior had not been exposed. She was afraid that she could not succeed, so she used local materials and asked someone to buy a little bit from her local.

Fortunately, she was not so stupid as to use her personal servants.

Otherwise, the princess in the Fourth Prince's mansion actually used aphrodisiac incense. This scandal would directly nail Yinzhen to the pillar of shame.

******
Yinzhen, with a sullen face, checked the account book with the crown prince.

The accounts appear flawless on paper, but one can tell at a glance that they are fake.

The person who made this account book is too arrogant. It's like saying, "I know you suspect that this is a fake account, but you can't find any evidence."

Yinzhen turned the Buddhist beads on his wrist faster and faster, showing his inner restlessness.

The prince felt much better. He drank his tea and smiled, "Why are you so angry, fourth brother? The emperor asked us to check the accounts just to have a clear idea, not to get to the bottom of it. Otherwise, most of the officials here would lose their heads. Under the emperor's magnanimity, such large-scale collective punishment will probably not happen."

"These evil spirits are in collusion with each other, but they are only doing this because the emperor has no intention of pursuing the matter. Humph!" Yinzhen patted the account book, wishing he could go in and take a look.

"Okay, okay, the soil and water in Suzhou are good for health. You should find something to do instead of focusing on these things all day long." Yinreng knew Yinzhen's upright character and had always been on good terms with him.

In the end, the two reported to Kangxi, who had obviously known the matter for a long time and did not pursue it too much. Kangxi was satisfied when he saw his two sons. After Baocheng inherited the throne, the fourth son was a capable minister who could govern the country. The relationship between the monarch and his ministers was very good.

Kangxi did not let the princes get involved in what happened afterwards. He simply executed several officials who were the main culprits and publicized it widely among the people.

For a time, the emperor's reputation became increasingly prosperous in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

******
Li came to the door of the study carrying cakes, ready to invite Yinzhen in person.

She felt that they had broken the ice yesterday, and now they should strike while the iron is hot and press on.

Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng reported to Yinzhen.

"Let her go back." When Yinzhen heard the three words "Li Gege", a cold light flashed in his eyes and he glared at Su Peisheng.

Su Peisheng's heart tightened as he looked at Li Gege who was smiling. What a fool! She didn't even know she had offended him.

"Please go back, Gege Li. I have important matters to attend to today. I will visit you another day." Su Peisheng spoke much more tactfully.

Li Gege looked at the closed door unwillingly, but she didn't dare to act rashly. "Then please, Eunuch Su, bring some snacks for me to try. Just say I made them myself."

"She made it herself?" Yinzhen repeated, "Did you see her kneading the dough with your own eyes?"

Su Peisheng:......

"I admit my mistake." Su Peisheng quickly took the snack box away and knelt down to apologize.

"Ten strokes of the cane will do you justice." Yinzhen heaved a long sigh of relief, and the anger that had accumulated yesterday was finally released.

He couldn't punish Li at this time, otherwise it would easily cause speculation from all sides.

He couldn't touch the corrupt officials in Suzhou and Hangzhou at this time, because most of the money was used to build a palace for the emperor's practice.

The anger that had been suppressed for several days was finally borne by Su Peisheng, the personal eunuch.

Su Peisheng received the board and limped over to express his gratitude.

Yinzhen wrote a few long characters: "Keep an eye on Li, don't let her contact with outsiders."

Su Peisheng's heart moved. Could it be that Li Gege accepted the gift money from outside? This would violate the taboo of the master: "Yes."

"Has the Fu Jin received any letter in the past few days?"

Su Peisheng's expression relaxed: "I receive letters from Prince Honghui every day. This is today's."

Yinzhen took it and looked at the beautiful small handwriting. It was written by Yihuan, and the whole article was written in Honghui's tone.

Only at the end did he add, "The queen is well, everything is fine in the mansion, and the master is away from home, please take care of yourself, don't worry."

What a carefree person.

Yinzhen read Honghui's childlike family letters over and over again, and carefully read Yihuan's signature. Finally, he carefully placed them in a box on the bookshelf, which contained several letters of varying thicknesses.

Obviously, the owner treasures it very much.

(End of this chapter)