Chapter 114: News
The Ninth Prince had been feeling deeply uneasy lately. Even though accompanying the Kangxi Emperor on his southern tour had broadened his horizons and deepened his appreciation for the Emperor's generosity toward the common people, he found the situation in Dezhou overwhelming. When they stopped there, the local officials, the gentry, and the commoners swarmed the area in a sea of humanity—easily numbering over a hundred thousand.
Kangxi was clearly pleased with the reception from the Shandong officials and the populace, and with a stroke of his brush, he remitted all the taxes and grain arrears from previous years. Although the Ninth Prince did not know the exact figures owed, seeing the ecstatic expressions of the Shandong officials told him it was no small sum, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache on behalf of the imperial treasury.
However, the Ninth Prince’s unease did not stem from the state of Kangxi’s coffers, nor would he ever admit it arose from missing his family. If Kangxi were to learn of such sentimentality, he would surely reprimand him for being overly attached to domestic affairs. And if the Emperor discovered that the object of his concern was Yan Yan, even with her past act of saving the Emperor’s life, she would likely face a grim future.
What frustrated the Ninth Prince even more was that he had to be on guard not only against Kangxi but also against the Thirteenth Prince. Unlike the Fourteenth, whose cleverness was often superficial and who at least shared some camaraderie with him, the Thirteenth was deceptively cunning. Lately, the Ninth Prince felt the Thirteenth’s gaze was filled with a peculiar, pitying quality, which only served to irritate him, causing him to return the favor with cold glares.
One evening, more carrier pigeons arrived at the temporary palace. The Thirteenth Prince excitedly dragged the Ninth along to collect the letters. The Ninth Prince shot him a look of disdain; the man had completely abandoned all decorum befitting a prince. Even if he were eager for news, there was no need to act with such haste—the servants would deliver them once sorted.
"I’m not going!" the Ninth Prince uttered coldly, returning his focus to the feasibility of greenhouse vegetable cultivation in Shandong.
The Thirteenth paused, but instead of leaving, he sat down directly opposite the Ninth. "Tell me, Ninth Brother, when did you become so industrious? Didn't Father Emperor say there was no rush on these memorials?"
The Ninth Prince looked up again, smiling thinly. "Are you no longer in a hurry for your letters? You must be missing your wife dearly." He had expected the Thirteenth to blush—after all, the Thirteenth had been married shortly before being dragged away on this tour by Kangxi, and they were likely in the honeymoon phase where a single day apart felt like three autumns.
To his surprise, the Thirteenth showed no sign of embarrassment, smiling with an air of refinement. "I do miss her, yes. But I’ve been thinking: rather than pining for a concubine and risking the reproach of Father Emperor for favoring a mistress over a wife, it is far better to openly cherish one's primary spouse. Wouldn't you agree, Ninth Brother?"
The Ninth Prince stared coldly at the Thirteenth, gritting his teeth at the man's smug expression. He restrained himself—partly because he knew he couldn't win in a physical altercation. Lowering his head back to his documents, he thought bitterly that he *did* care for a concubine, and what of it? It was none of their business.
"Master, the messenger has arrived," Wang Quan’er reported cautiously. Seeing the Thirteenth present, he handed over the Thirteenth's mail as well. The moment the Ninth Prince saw the bold, flourishing calligraphy on his envelope, he recognized it as being from the Tenth Prince and immediately lost interest in reading it. He rested his chin on his hand, watching the Thirteenth open his letter with bubbling excitement, his face radiant, and felt a surge of indignation.
"Aren't you going to read your letter, Ninth Brother?" The Thirteenth, finally noticing the Ninth’s odd behavior, gestured toward the envelope. The Ninth Prince cast a glance at him before slowly opening the Tenth Prince’s letter. One look, and he stood up from his chair in shock.
The Thirteenth looked at him in surprise. "What is it? Has something happened? Isn't that from the Tenth Brother? What could possibly go wrong?" The Ninth Prince abruptly folded the letter and glared at the Thirteenth. "What could happen? He’s just helped himself to another few thousand taels from my bank, that's all."
The Thirteenth chuckled, thinking this was entirely in character for the Tenth Prince, so he wisely excused himself to avoid further annoying the Ninth. Only then did the Ninth Prince reopen the letter, reading it carefully again. It was true: Yan Yan had vanished, along with his three children, Cui’er, and Wu Tong.
Although the Tenth Prince had used the word "vanished," the Ninth knew that in such a situation, it must have been Yan Yan’s own doing. A wave of bitter frustration washed over him, and he longed to throw a fit. But he maintained a shred of composure, knowing that any suspicious behavior would be detected by Kangxi or the ever-present Thirteenth.
He quickly drafted a reply to the Tenth Prince, emphasizing one point above all: keep this quiet. She must be found before the palace heard a word of it, and under no circumstances should Concubine Yi or the Empress Dowager be informed. After burning the letter, he paced the room restlessly.
Minutes later, he picked up his pen again to write to the Tenth Prince, instructing him to search toward the Beiwu area, to take control of the hotpot restaurant, the vegetarian meal service at the Guanyin Temple, and the greenhouse vegetable business, and to check if Yan Yan had made any large withdrawals of silver.
Yet, half an hour after sending it, he regretted his instruction. He hastily wrote another letter telling the Tenth Prince *not* to restrict her funds; if they were out there and lacked silver, they would be in dire straits. He handed this to Wang Quan’er, ordering him to send it via pigeon post with all haste.
Thanks to the Ninth Prince’s efforts, the flow of correspondence between Shandong and Beijing became frantic. The Tenth Prince’s desk was soon piled with contradictory instructions that left him dizzy and confused.
Though the Tenth Prince was just as anxious as the Ninth, the search for Yan Yan made no progress. Lady Donggo had been persuaded by the Eighth and Tenth Princely Consorts not to go to the palace to alert Concubine Yi, but she had done little else to assist in the search, merely ensuring the matter wasn't broadcast further.
Within half a month, the Tenth Prince had sent men to scout the area around the Beiwu estate repeatedly, searching every possible location, yet there was no sign of them. Watching the Tenth Prince flutter about like a headless chicken, the Eighth Prince advised him patiently, "Tenth Brother, this is not the time to act on impulse. You should have the Ninth Brother confess to Father Emperor so he can return and conduct a proper search."
The Tenth Prince looked at the Eighth in surprise. "Why doesn't Eighth Brother tell the Ninth Brother himself instead of making me write the letters?" The Eighth Prince raised his eyebrows, offering a cryptic, inscrutable smile. The Tenth Prince sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling that this life was becoming truly unbearable.