Chapter 103 The Deposed Crown Prince

On the fourth day of the ninth month, the eighteenth prince, Yinxi, passed away.

"Fourth Brother..."

Yinzhen was in charge of the defenses for the emperor's journey. By the time he received the news and rushed over, most of his brothers were already standing outside the imperial carriage.

Hearing the wailing and shouting from inside the tent, Yinzhen frowned slightly. Seventeenth Brother, who was standing nearby, saw this and stepped past Thirteenth and Fourteenth Brother to come over first, whispering, "Fifteenth Brother and Sixteenth Brother are inside."

The fifteenth prince, Yinwu, and the sixteenth prince, Yinlu, were the eighteenth prince's biological brothers, so it's no wonder they were able to enter the imperial tent at this time.

Seeing the sadness on Yinli's face, Yinzhen gently patted his shoulder to comfort him and quietly joined the ranks.

Ignoring the murderous glare from his fourteenth brother, Yinzhen, Yinli smiled shyly and silently moved closer to Yinzhen's back.

To be honest, it would be a lie to say that all the princes present had any real bond with the Eighteenth Prince. Most of them were too far apart in age from him and had barely met, so where would the deep brotherhood come from?

There might be a touch of sadness, but it was only because Kangxi valued the Eighteenth Prince that he made a special trip over, stood there, and showed his deep sorrow.

However, not everyone is willing to put on an act.

"Where is the Crown Prince?"

After a while, most of the princes arrived. Yinzhen looked at Yinxiang, who had just arrived and was frowning, and asked quietly.

"Crown Prince..." Yinxiang hesitated, looking at his fourth brother's concerned eyes, too embarrassed to say it, it was just too absurd.

Fortunately, he didn't have to worry too much. With red eyes, Kangxi lifted the curtain and came out.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Come in and see your eighteenth brother off on his final journey." Kangxi's voice was slightly hoarse; the death of his eighteenth son had indeed dealt him a heavy blow.

Everyone lowered their eyes, naturally not daring to provoke him at this time. One by one, they walked in with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, their grief solemn. Seeing Fifteen and Sixteen lying prostrate beside Eighteen's body, weeping uncontrollably, even the most hard-hearted person couldn't help but be moved.

After bidding farewell to the Eighteenth Prince in silence, Kangxi sent people to send the Eighteenth Prince's body back to the capital for burial, and had Yinli accompany the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Princes, who had cried until they fainted, to rest in a tent nearby.

Then, the atmosphere in the imperial tent instantly became tense. All the princes heard Kangxi's barely suppressed anger as he questioned, "Where is the Crown Prince? Where is the Crown Prince?"

Yes, from the time the princes gathered until the eighteenth prince left, a period of more than half an hour, Crown Prince Yinreng never appeared.

Faced with Kangxi's wrath, everyone fell silent, heads bowed, no one daring to speak. Especially Yinxiang, who knew the situation, was filled with trepidation and dared not move an inch.

"Thirteen, you speak."

Unfortunately, what you fear most is what happens. Kangxi's voice boomed in Yinxiang's ears, and Yinxiang immediately knelt on the ground without saying a word.

"Um?"

"Your subject does not know," Yinxiang replied with difficulty, his head bowed under Kangxi's oppressive presence.

"You don't know?" Kangxi questioned. "I ordered you to follow the Crown Prince, and this is how you follow him?"

Kangxi suddenly flew into a rage at Yinxiang. Yinzhen stepped in front of Yinxiang and knelt down with a thud, saying, "Father, please calm down."

Upon seeing this, Yinzhen knelt down beside Yinxiang. Soon after, Yinsi, Yintang, Yin, and the other princes knelt down one after another, saying in unison, "Father, please calm down."

Seeing his sons kneeling on the ground, Kangxi closed his eyes, trying to control his anger, and turned to Liang Jiugong beside him, ordering, "Liang Jiugong, send someone to see what important matter my Crown Prince is busy with. Bring him to me."

"Yes, sir." Liang Jiugong, who was already terrified by the atmosphere in the imperial tent, immediately accepted the order and cautiously walked out of the tent.

After Liang Jiugong left, Kangxi stopped speaking and did not allow the princes to get up. The atmosphere in the tent was tense, and everyone was on edge with a bad feeling.

The anxious crowd lost track of time, feeling only immense torment. Among them, Yinxiang, who knew of the Crown Prince's absurdity, was even more miserable. Before long, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and his fearful appearance even caught the attention of the usually carefree Yinzhen.

After an unknown amount of time, Liang Jiugong lifted the curtain and walked in. Even though he tried his best to hide it, a hint of silent panic and unease still showed on his face.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived."

"Let that rebellious son get in here." Kangxi said coldly, looking at the figure standing outside the curtain.

Upon hearing his voice, Crown Prince Yinreng lifted the curtain and staggered in. He walked to the front of all the princes and knelt down before Emperor Kangxi.

"Yinreng... greets Father Emperor."

The eldest prince, Yinzhi, and the third prince, Yinzhi, who were kneeling right behind him, smelled the faint scent of wine and perfume. They exchanged a surprised glance. Had the crown prince gone mad?

Kangxi sized up Yinreng, who appeared to be obediently kneeling on the ground. He noticed Yinreng's disheveled appearance as he hastily straightened his clothes, the red marks on his collar, and the smell of alcohol that wafted from him as he approached. His face turned ashen.

"You unfilial son!" Kangxi's hand trembled slightly as he pointed at Yinreng. "Your eighteenth brother has just passed away, and I and your brothers are deeply grieving. What are you doing? Drinking or fooling around? Unfilial son! Unfilial son!"

"Father, please calm down." Seeing Kangxi's fury, the princes immediately knelt down.

Only Yinreng, perhaps due to being drunk, remained unmoved and instead sneered, "Father, the brothers and the Eighteenth Prince have only met a few times. What feelings could they possibly have? They are only trying to please you. How much grief could they possibly feel? I might as well be frank."

The crowd knelt even lower, wishing they could disappear into a hole in the ground. The Crown Prince was drunk and would say anything; why drag them into his argument with the Emperor? The truth is harsh, why speak such blunt truths!

"How dare you! Yinreng, how dare you!" Kangxi was furious. Seeing Yinreng's shameless and unrepentant behavior, his anger intensified.

"Your Majesty, I was just telling the truth. Please calm down."

Yinreng's flippant apology only angered Kangxi further. He gave the arrogant and unruly Yinreng a deep look and ordered in a stern voice, "Liang Jiugong, immediately summon all the princes, ministers, and civil and military officials to an audience."

When Kangxi suddenly changed the subject and summoned all his ministers in a grand manner, everyone was puzzled, but they sensed that a storm was brewing.

Before long, the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth princes arrived first. Sensing the tense atmosphere inside the tent, they knelt uneasily behind their elder brothers.

Immediately afterwards, a group of ministers rushed over and, seeing all the princes kneeling on the ground, knew that something big was about to happen. After paying their respects to Emperor Kangxi, they wanted to kneel with the princes, but Kangxi told them to stand up. They could only stand aside anxiously and hold their breath, waiting for the other colleagues to arrive.

The days dragged on endlessly, but finally everyone had arrived. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Kangxi suddenly unleashed a thunderous statement.

"Today I summon all my ministers to announce my intention to depose the Second Prince, Yinreng, from his position as Crown Prince!"

Ignoring the astonishment of the crowd, Kangxi continued, listing Yinreng's ten major crimes—

"They spy on my every move" and "They approach the city of Putrajaya every night, peering through the cracks inward." This is one example.

"He humiliated and killed all the princes, beile, ministers, and officials in the court." "Prince Ping, Narsu, Beile Haishan, and Gongpuqi were all beaten by him. Ministers, officials, and even soldiers were rarely spared his cruelty." This is the second point.

During his southern and western tours, as well as his hunting expeditions, he acted "arbitrarily and erratically, leaving no stone unturned," causing great distress to the people. This is the third point.

"They sent envoys to intercept those from foreign vassal states who were coming to pay tribute, and arbitrarily seized the imperial horses that were to be presented to the Mongols, which caused the Mongols to lose all respect." This is the fourth point.

"Born extravagant," "extremely extravagant," "everything he uses far exceeds what I have, yet he still feels it is not enough," this is the fifth point;

"When the Eighteenth Prince fell ill, everyone worried about me because of my advanced age. However, he was my own brother and showed no affection for me whatsoever." "He seemed intent on slaughtering all my sons." This is the sixth point.

"In the past, Songgotu helped him plot a great cause, and I knew all about it, so I had Songgotu executed. Now, Yinreng wants to avenge Songgotu and has formed a faction. I am constantly on guard day and night, not knowing whether I will be poisoned today or killed tomorrow." This is the seventh point.

"Yin Chu was born and killed his mother; such a person was called unfilial in ancient times," this is the eighth one;

"Extorting public funds at will and interfering in state affairs," "Abusing power and gathering cronies," "will inevitably ruin our country," this is the ninth point;

"Letting women from outside the palace enter and leave the palace" and "Making me ashamed to speak," these are the tenth.

"The achievements and hard work of Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Shizu, and the peaceful rule I have brought to the empire, absolutely cannot be entrusted to this person!"