Chapter 238 Live Broadcast from the Sky (18)

Therefore, when the Eighth Prince reported the results of the investigation into Ling Pu's embezzlement to Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi angrily rebuked him for "not investigating thoroughly," "trying to gain a false reputation," and "another act of the Crown Prince."

Tsk tsk tsk, listen to what they're saying. In the end, they just feel that Yinzhi's behavior has infringed on their authority.

Then came the most intense power struggle between father and son during the Kangxi era.

After reprimanding Yinzhi, Kangxi first ordered the Ministry of Justice to arrest and interrogate Zhang Mingde, and then summoned all the princes.

In front of everyone, ask them for their opinions on recommending the crown prince.

Seeing Kangxi's state and the miserable state of the Eighth Prince, no one dared to speak. Kangxi then called out names one by one. Yinzhi was slippery and said nothing at all. But the Ninth Prince, Yintang, was different; he spoke his mind.

He directly said that since so many ministers recommended Yinzhi, then Yinzhi becoming the crown prince was the popular choice, which angered Kangxi. At this time, the tenth prince Yinzhi also chimed in, and his words were biased towards the eighth prince.

Emperor Kangxi was furious and immediately announced that Yinzhi would be handed over to the Council of State for trial, saying that he was "inherently treacherous and harbored great ambitions."

What exactly was the Council of State Affairs? In the early Qing Dynasty, it was a place for discussing important military and national affairs. However, by the Kangxi era, its status had clearly been replaced by the Southern Study.

At this time, the Council of State was more nominal than practical. However, who participated in the meetings? From princes, dukes, and beile (princes of the second rank) and other members of the imperial family to ministers, guards, and officials from various departments. Even the chief secretary of the prince's residence and unemployed officials from the banners were all participants in the council.

Emperor Kangxi listed ten major crimes committed by the deposed crown prince and imprisoned him in Yuqing Palace. He only reprimanded Yinzhi once, yet Yinzhi was condemned by everyone and interrogated by all the imperial relatives, civil and military officials, and members of the Eight Banners.

The key point is that at this time, the council of state was merely a formality; he was essentially having others interrogate Yinzhi, which was clearly a blatant humiliation. Kangxi didn't physically punish Yinzhi, but he was attacking his spirit.

"Tsk, how could someone like that have so many outstanding sons?" Zhao Zhen, who often lamented Emperor Kangxi's lack of humanity, shook his head, his heart filled with envy. If he were Kangxi, he certainly wouldn't treat his sons like that.

Everyone was shocked by this result and immediately pleaded for the Eighth Prince. The Fourteenth Prince, Yinzhen, was the most outspoken. He was already dissatisfied with Kangxi because the matter of deposing the Crown Prince had implicated Yongzheng and Yinxiang. Seeing Yinsi being humiliated like this, he rushed out to defend the Eighth Prince and said he was willing to vouch for him.

Emperor Kangxi angrily rebuked him and the other princes who pleaded for mercy, calling them "righteous like those from Liangshan Marsh," and asking if they harbored rebellious intentions for the sake of "serving the emperor."

Our stubborn Fourteenth Prince, however, was patient and immediately retorted, saying, "Wasn't it you who instructed everyone to recommend the Crown Prince? Now that he's been chosen, you're not acknowledging it."

He said that he "risked his life to remonstrate" today for the sake of justice and fairness.

If it weren't for Fourteen's audacity, who would have thought he would dare to say such a thing?

Emperor Kangxi was furious and said, "If you want to die, die now!" He drew his sword and slashed at Yinzhen.

Everyone was stunned. The Fourteenth Prince hadn't expected Kangxi to actually kill him, and he stood frozen in place, not knowing how to dodge. At the critical moment, Yongzheng rushed out and stood in front of the Fourteenth Prince, catching the blade with his bare hands. His hands gripped the blade tightly, and blood flowed freely.

At this moment, the older princes reacted quickly. The eldest and third princes grabbed Kangxi's arms, while the fifth and seventh princes grabbed Kangxi's legs. Together with Yongzheng, they could be said to have firmly restrained Kangxi.

Who had ever seen such a scene before? Several of the younger princes were so frightened that they burst into tears on the spot, covering their mouths and not daring to make a sound.

Emperor Kangxi was also momentarily enraged, but he was restrained by his five sons. Once he calmed down, he stopped shouting for war. However, he was unwilling to communicate with his sons anymore and simply announced the outcome.

The fourteenth prince, Yinzhen, was flogged twenty times and sent back to his residence under house arrest; while the eighth prince, Yinsi, fared much worse. Emperor Kangxi uttered the words that the eighth prince would never forget: "Yinsi is a convicted criminal, and the son of a lowly slave from the Imperial Household Department; his virtue is unworthy of his position..."

A deathly silence fell over the area in front of the Qianqing Palace. The atmosphere had been heavy ever since the announcement under the canopy that Kangxi had handed Yinzhi over to the Council of State for trial. When Kangxi then announced that he would kill his son, calling Yinzhi "the son of a lowly slave from the Imperial Household Department," everyone held their breath.

Both Yinzhi and Yinzhen were visibly grieving, one with a deathly pale face and the other with red-rimmed eyes.

Kangxi closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he and his sons had come to that point, yet he had no choice but to accept it. No matter how much he tried to convince himself it was another world, their identical personalities made it hard for him not to believe that it could be his future as well.

“Consort Wei, being gentle and virtuous, is hereby promoted to the rank of Consort Liang. The Eighth Prince Yinzhi and the Fourteenth Prince Yinzhen shall enjoy the privileges of a Prince of the Second Rank.”

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

Yinzhi and Yinzhen knelt in gratitude, knowing this was Kangxi's way of appeasing them. But whether it truly appeased them, only they themselves knew.

After this incident, the court officials instantly realized that Kangxi was setting a trap; he had no intention of establishing a crown prince so soon. But it was too late; the memorials recommending him were already on Kangxi's desk, and the ministers were devastated.

To salvage the situation, they had no choice but to quickly sever ties with the Eighth Prince. As a result, the once bustling Eighth Prince's residence instantly became deserted.

At this time, the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng also learned of this news. In Prince Li's later records, this was the only thing he admitted to losing to Prince Zhi, namely that he understood the principle of "prioritizing the emperor over the father" later than Prince Zhi, Yinzhi.

Then, realizing what had happened, Yinreng fell seriously ill. Kangxi, who had received the news, still cared for his son and rushed over; no one knows what the father and son discussed in private.

In Prince Li's records, the content of this conversation was summarized in just four words: "showing weakness." We don't know how Yinreng showed weakness, but the result was that the next day, Kangxi moved the deposed crown prince and his family to Xian'an Palace for confinement, and Prince Yong was no longer responsible for their supervision.

The first thing Yongzheng did after leaving the palace was to visit his eighth son, Yinzhi, through a secret passage.

At this time, Yinzhi was seriously ill in bed, appearing lifeless and extremely fragile. We all know that Yongzheng was not a talkative person. However, according to the records in "The Secret History of Yongzheng," Yongzheng and Yinzhi talked a lot that day. Yongzheng, who was usually upright, even told him directly that he should regard Kangxi as a monarch, not his father.

The Eighth Prince finally couldn't hold back his tears and broke down in tears. In front of his beloved Fourth Brother, he dropped all pretenses and denounced Kangxi's ruthlessness. He could tolerate being scolded, but why did he have to involve his mother?

The reason why the Eighth Prince wanted to compete was largely because he wanted his mother to live a better life. However, because of him, his mother, who had served Emperor Kangxi for so many years, was still humiliated by her humble origins. Therefore, Yinzhi could not get over it for a long time.

From that point on, Yinzhi only regarded Kangxi as the Son of Heaven, and never called him "Father" in private again. Also from that point on, Yinzhi completely gave up any possibility of ascending the throne himself, focusing solely on pushing Yongzheng to the throne.