Chapter 65 Falling from a Horse

Soetu's face was gloomy, much worse than when he retired.

"Prince Yong and Prince Zhi have a good relationship..."

"We are brothers, so there's no need for Lord Hesheli to say more," Yinzhen said indifferently, not intimidated by Suo'etu's questioning gaze.

"Very well, now that you've become a Prince, you don't even respect me anymore. You've forgotten who promoted you!" Soetu was furious, looking at Yinzhen as if he were a petty person who had become arrogant after gaining power.

"Everything Yinzhen has is given to him by his father, so he would never dare to fail in his duty to the emperor."

Soetu's disdainful gaze did not anger Yinzhen at all. On the contrary, he was furious at Yinzhen's solemn demeanor as he bowed to the distant Kangxi Emperor to express his gratitude.

"Very well, what a Fourth Prince you are, what a Prince Yong you are, I will definitely expose your true colors to the Crown Prince..."

Matters of the court are never straightforward, especially when it involves the struggle for the throne. Naturally, Suo'etu dared not speak openly about it, not even in a secluded corner. But his inability to speak frankly didn't mean he didn't hold a grudge. He simply felt that the Crown Prince's sincere devotion to Yinzhen had been betrayed, and Suo'etu was determined to teach him a lesson for the sake of the Crown Prince…

“Song'etu, for the sake of your second brother, I'll only remind you of one thing: don't do anything unnecessary. Since Father Emperor was able to so easily remove your title of ‘Prime Minister Song,’ you should be more aware of this…”

When Yinzhen's reminder reached Suo'etu's ears, he didn't see it as well-intentioned, but rather as a threat and a sign of contempt. He glared at Yinzhen's departing figure, his gloomy gaze falling on the radiant Yinzhi, a flash of murderous intent crossing his face.

For the sake of the Crown Prince and the future of the Hesheli clan, Suo'etu was willing to risk his old life...

On June 19th, the Emperor stayed at the Helaidunnustai area. The Khorchin Doroi Prince Chuyihaoqite and Doroi Prince Yamubil came to pay homage and spread the Emperor's good reputation for "diligent governance and love for the people" and "effective education of his children".

On June 28, the Emperor stayed at the border of Shangdu Turgen Yizhar. The Duke of Kharachin, Shanbalaxi, paid his respects and specially invited Prince Zhi, Yinzhi, to compete with the Kharachin warriors. The Emperor agreed, and Yinzhi went to the arena again and won once more. The title of "First Warrior" was recognized by Shanbalaxi.

On the fifteenth of July, the Emperor arrived at Balin, at the residence of Princess Rongxian. Princess Rongxian attended a banquet, during which she praised Yinzhi's bravery, stating that his "renowned reputation was widespread"...

Kangxi's procession traveled from June to September, and wherever they went, Yinzhi's reputation grew more and more outstanding. The Mongol tribes knew both Emperor Kangxi and the exceptionally brave Prince Yinzhi.

The Prince of Yinzhi was riding high, and the news reached the capital, whereupon the First Prince's faction also became complacent and their power surged. Fortunately, Nalan Mingzhu, the leader of the First Prince's faction, was clear-headed enough to know that the faction's excessive influence was not a good thing. But before he could sort out the trivial matters in the capital and send a letter to the First Prince to remind him, a piece of bad news arrived unexpectedly.

Prince Zhi, Yin Zhi, was seriously injured after falling from a horse during a race!

Before Mingzhu panicked and rushed to send people to investigate the truth, the inspection team on the grassland had already fallen into a deathly silence.

"Investigate! Investigate everything for me!"

The emperor's wrath could cause the deaths of millions. In his tent, the furious Kangxi smashed cups all over the floor and berated the guards of the vanguard camp. The group of people kneeling below dared not move an inch.

“Mukden, I’m giving you one day. I need to know the whole truth.”

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey." Fucha Mukeden dared not object. Under the protection of the vanguard battalion he led, the Prince Zhi had fallen from his horse and was injured, and he bore inescapable responsibility. Even if it was only for a day, he had to find out the truth and see who was behind it all.

Yes, neither Emperor Kangxi nor Mukedeng believed that Yinzhi had truly fallen from his horse by accident.

"Liang Jiugong, go and spread the word that no one except the vanguard battalion is allowed to leave the camp, including... all the princes. Gather them all in one tent, increase the number of guards, and fulfill your duty of protection. Mukedeng, do not disappoint me again."

As Kangxi returned to his throne, his tone gradually softened and became more composed, his expression obscured by the shadows. However, Liang Jiugong and Mukedeng dared not relax for a moment, a chill running down their spines at the implications of Kangxi's words.

At Kangxi's signal, everyone left the tent, leaving him alone inside, his expression inscrutable. When Yinzhi got into trouble, his first suspect was Suo'etu. He was well aware of Yinzhi's dazzling performance these past few days, and he wasn't unaware that Suo'etu had deliberately indulged him.

He suspected that Songgotu might be wary, but would he be so bold as to directly attack Yinzhi? Could it be that Baocheng had given instructions? Or were other sons involved in this mess? Or was some Mongol tribe deliberately stirring up trouble in the court?

At this moment, Kangxi's mind was filled with suspicion towards everyone. Therefore, he wanted to keep everyone under his watchful eye. He wanted to see who was really behind the attack on Yinzhi.

...

"What does Father Emperor mean?" Yin Tang lowered the tent curtain, his face grim.

"Say less." Yinqi frowned and pulled his troublesome younger brother back to sit down. There were people watching outside, what was he doing making a fuss? Father Emperor was already angry, was he afraid that he didn't know?

"It wasn't me who did it." Yinzhen angrily returned to his seat, picked up his teacup, and gulped down a mouthful.

"Shut up." Yinqi sighed helplessly. He really dared to say anything. He looked around at his brothers, thankfully none of them were talkative.

"Fourth Brother..." Yinzhen was still young, and when he encountered something like this for the first time, he was a little flustered and moved closer to Yinzhen.

"It's alright, don't worry." Yinzhen patted his shoulder to comfort him.

Yinzhen, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand Yinzhen's calm demeanor and said irritably, "Tenth Prince and I don't know anything. Fourth Prince, you're so calm, you don't know something, do you?"

"Yin Tang!"

"Ninth Brother!"

Yinqi and Yinju both looked at Yintang with disapproval. Yintang looked slightly guilty and glanced around. Then he said confidently, "What's there to be afraid of? There are no outsiders here. I was just asking casually."

“I do know a little.” Unexpectedly, it was the usually silent Seventh Prince, Yin You, who spoke up at this moment.

He looked up at his brothers, some panicked, some curious, and some indifferent, pursed his lips, and said seriously yet hesitantly, "I was wandering around outside when I saw my brother making a bet with someone. It was a horse race, a forest race, and the person who found the flag hidden in the forest and was the first to come out and reach the finish line would win."

“I didn’t pay much attention at first, after all, quite a few people have challenged my brother to a duel these past few days. But when I turned around, I saw that my brother’s horse had gone berserk for some reason, charging out of the woods and throwing him to the ground in an instant…”

"Who was racing horses with my elder brother?"

"With the boss's abilities, how could he be thrown off by a runaway horse?"

As soon as Yin You finished speaking, Yin Zhen, who had perked up, and Yin Tang, who was curious, asked the question almost at the same time. The two looked at each other, disliking each other, and then turned to look at Yin You expectantly, waiting for his answer.

“I didn’t pay much attention, I only remember that one of them was Nasutu, the son of Wuertu, the Taiji of Khorchin. As for why my elder brother was thrown off his horse…” Yinyou hesitated slightly, looked into his brothers’ eyes, and slowly said, “When I saw my elder brother fall, I immediately rode over, and when I got close, I smelled a strong smell of alcohol…”

"The old racehorse drinks alcohol? Is he drunk?"

Yinzhi's question almost expressed the thoughts of all the princes present. Yinzhi should, perhaps, probably not be so arrogant, right?