Chapter 115: Chapter 115

As the new year began, the entire Forbidden City was on edge due to the Crown Prince incident. Emperor Kangxi completely abandoned his usual benevolent image, showing no mercy toward his sons and wielding his blade ruthlessly against the Imperial Household Department.

Yet after several days, there was still no progress regarding the Crown Prince's poisoning case. Instead, the investigation uncovered...

Holding a thick ledger filled with records of "ill-gotten gains," Yin Tang couldn't help but laugh in anger:

"Who would have thought? All these years I prided myself on being financially astute, only to discover my family's wealth doesn't even compare to these lowly bondservants?"

To be fair, the Ninth Prince was exaggerating somewhat. While the bondservants' influence was significant at this time, it hadn't yet reached its later rampant levels. Still, this discovery was enough to infuriate Yin Tang.

Despite his reputation for idleness, years of imperial education had instilled in him a sense of ownership over the Aisin Gioro dynasty's legacy. Discovering his family's coffers had been plundered naturally provoked his wrath.

Moreover, flipping through the account books revealed that while his own household hadn't been looted as severely as some of his brothers', the embezzled amounts were still substantial.

"So they've been digging under my walls too..."

With a cold laugh, Yin Tang couldn't wait another moment. He immediately gathered the account books and boarded his carriage for the palace...

This outcome didn't surprise her in the least.

Given her nominal husband's financial acumen, it was only a matter of time before he discovered the truth. Besides, the Imperial Household Department had merely been a secondary target this time - achieving this effect was already satisfactory.

"Host, if you don't want Yongzheng to ascend the throne, why not deal with him directly? Why take such a roundabout approach?"

"And with the Crown Prince in his current state, wouldn't it make little difference whether he's deposed or not?"

An Ning thought the difference was enormous.

A Crown Prince who hadn't completely broken with his imperial father could still play a tremendously useful role.

"Not bad, System! You're actually making progress!"

An Ning expressed genuine surprise.

She hadn't expected it to deduce her intentions so quickly.

In her consciousness, the dog-shaped system rolled its eyes disdainfully.

This didn't require any deduction - given its host's vindictive nature, unless the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful, she would always seek retaliation when possible.

What it didn't understand was why she didn't take the simpler route if she wanted to prevent Yongzheng's ascension. Wouldn't dealing directly with the Fourth Prince be easier than scheming against the Crown Prince?

Better yet, why not follow Zhang Jiashi's approach from the first life - eliminate Kangxi in one move and let the Crown Prince succeed directly? Then the Fourth Prince wouldn't even be a factor!

Hearing this, An Ning: "..."

So much for thinking the system had changed its ways.

Pulling her chattering little one into her arms, An Ning sighed helplessly:

"Setting aside how cautious Emperor Kangxi is - with habits and preferences he rarely reveals, making attempts on him exponentially more difficult except by close associates - what's my relationship with the Crown Prince anyway?"

Why go to such lengths for his succession? Kangxi was at least the nominal father of her husband and grandfather of Yu Ludai. Even if he didn't particularly favor his granddaughter, having him around for another dozen years would bring more practical benefits than any uncle on the throne.

Admittedly, due to her daughter's appearance, Yinreng did show some fondness for the child, always sending generous gifts.

But in the eyes of those in power, such affection was too insubstantial - An Ning doubted it could translate into any tangible benefits.

Truthfully, her motivation for intervening to prevent Yongzheng's succession stemmed only partly from past grievances. Her primary goal was eliminating future threats - for herself and her daughter.

There was no helping it - their future Yongzheng Emperor was someone who loved or hated everything associated with those he favored or despised.

Given his longstanding feud with her nominal husband, it was entirely possible this resentment might transfer to her daughter.

Hadn't the previous life demonstrated this? Even a ruler's mild displeasure could spell disaster for those beneath them.

For men, the consequences might merely mean a mediocre existence, but at least their lives would be safe. For daughters though...

An Ning looked down at the drowsy child in her arms.

She wouldn't risk even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of harm.

As for improving relations between the Ninth Prince and the Fourth Prince - this thought had never crossed An Ning's mind.

While political enemies had contributed to their antagonism in the previous life, their fundamentally incompatible personalities played no small part.

Moreover, the Yongzheng Emperor truly held grudges - the kind meticulously recorded and remembered for decades. Just consider how he never forgot the childhood incident of the Ninth Prince cutting his dog's fur, or Kangxi's early criticism of him being "moody and unpredictable" - a remark for which the poor Ninth Prince also bore some responsibility!

This enmity had been deeply rooted from the very beginning.

If this man ascended the throne, what hope would their household have?

As for the system's suggestion of dealing directly with Yin Zhen himself - there was simply no need yet. If they eliminated him, what if the Fourteenth Prince or, worse, the Eighth Prince ended up benefiting?

Too frustrating to contemplate.

"But Host, are you certain the Crown Prince's faction can recover and ultimately prevail?"

The system asked curiously.

"Actually... I'm not certain at all."

Ignoring its surprise, An Ning stated matter-of-factly:

"Succession struggles are inherently unpredictable. Until the very end, no one knows the outcome! With my current limited capabilities, all I can do is introduce another strong competitor into the mix - nothing more."

If all else failed, she always had contingency plans.

One shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket, after all.

That said, personally she considered this plan quite feasible.

Gazing at the heavy snowfall outside the window, An Ning sighed inwardly - whether the Crown Prince or that successor from the first life, both were truly intelligent men...

Events unfolded exactly as An Ning predicted.

Just as Emperor Kangxi prepared to unleash his wrath upon the Imperial Household Department...

One day during court assembly, Yinreng - his face visibly pale from recent illness - suddenly dropped a bombshell before all the assembled nobles and officials...