Chapter 67 Final Conclusion

On the third day after Yinzhi fell from his horse, the bored Yinzhen brothers were finally released and allowed to move around freely.

"Finally, I can go out." Yinzhen stretched and yawned. Although his living conditions hadn't worsened while he was locked in the tent, he was still deprived of freedom, and he was getting lazy.

"Has this been investigated? Why hasn't Father Emperor summoned us?" Yin asked curiously, seeing the camp outside the tent restored to its original state.

"It's a good thing they're not summoning us; it means it has nothing to do with us," Yinzhen said lazily, hooking his arm around the tenth prince's shoulder and leaning half his body against him.

"So, what's going on with this, brother?"

Yinzhen peeked out, but after being comforted by Yinzhen and his other brothers, he had long since recovered from his panic. His curiosity was piqued again, and as soon as he was released, he was eager to find out more.

"Want to know?" Yinzhen raised an eyebrow at the curious Yinzhen and said with ill intent, "Little Fourteenth, if you want to know, ask your good Fourth Brother. He's the oldest among us."

Knowing that the Ninth Prince was up to no good, Yinzhen said no more. But he couldn't hide his longing gaze as he tried to look at Yinzhen furtively.

"I'll go inquire about the upcoming itinerary." Yinzhen seemed moved by the Fourteenth Prince's gaze and found a very suitable reason. As the person in charge of coordinating this imperial tour, Yinzhen's reason for meeting the emperor was impeccable.

So, after watching Yinzhen leave, the remaining brothers simply stayed in their tents to rest and wait for the latest news.

Although the camp appeared to have returned to normal, no one knew what the Emperor's attitude was. They didn't want Yinzhen to have official duties on this trip. If he happened to run into trouble while out for a stroll, it would be a huge loss.

They've already stayed in the tent for three days, what's a little longer? Regardless of the personalities of these princes, none of them are fools.

Yinzhen came to Kangxi's tent to request an audience. After waiting for a while, someone lifted the curtain and came out. It was Liang Jiugong, the chief eunuch by Kangxi's side.

At this moment, Liang Jiugong looked somewhat weathered, with a cautious expression on his face. He looked at Yinzhen, hesitant to speak, and said, "Prince Yong, please."

"The Emperor's authority is immense; Prince Yong, please be extremely careful." As they brushed past each other, Liang Jiugong couldn't help but whisper a reminder.

Others might have let it go, but seeing that it was the filial and upright Fourth Prince, Liang Jiugong, who already had a good impression of him, made an exception and reminded him. On the one hand, it was to establish a good relationship, and on the other hand, it was for the Emperor's sake. The Emperor was already angry because of his eldest son, and he didn't want any other sons to upset him.

Yinzhen accepted Liang Jiugong's kindness, but didn't say much. He nodded gently, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

The tent was much cooler than outside. Liang Jiugong did not come in. Only Kangxi, who was sitting at the head of the table, had his head down as if he were reviewing memorials.

Yinzhen didn't look at it much; as soon as he entered, he bowed and greeted Kangxi.

"Yinzhen greets Father Emperor. May Father Emperor enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"I am uneasy..." Kangxi casually tossed a memorial onto the table, looking expressionlessly at Yinzhen kneeling below. After a pause, he asked, "What brings you here?"

"Your Majesty, I have come here to discuss the arrangements for the journey ahead," Yinzhen replied respectfully, his expression unchanged.

"You are indeed diligent... Let's return to the capital." Kangxi tapped his fingers on the table. After such an incident, he had no intention of continuing his tour.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey the decree."

"Get up." Seeing that Yinzhen hadn't made any further move for a while, Kangxi's rebellious streak rose. He was particularly impatient with others trying to find out about Yinzhi's situation. But seeing that Yinzhen showed no interest in inquiring, Kangxi wanted to let his cold-faced fourth son know the truth and see if he would break down.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yinzhen stood up and suddenly received a stack of papers thrown to him by Kangxi. He looked up, his eyes showing some surprise.

"Take a look, and tell me your thoughts after you've read it."

"Yes." Yinzhen nodded and carefully looked through the contents in his hand, while Kangxi watched Yinzhen's changing expressions.

After about fifteen minutes, Yinzhen stopped turning the pages, his expression somewhat indescribable. Kangxi, unusually pleased, asked, "Well? What are your thoughts?"

"Your subject..." Yinzhen was at a loss for words, as if he was shocked by the behavior of the eldest prince, Yinzhi, and didn't know what to do for a moment. "Elder brother must have been deceived..."

"Heh," Kangxi sneered, seemingly directed at no one in particular. Looking at Yinzhen, who had been pausing for a long time, he sighed, losing interest, and said indifferently, "Never mind, Fourth Prince, your temperament... you still lack experience..."

"Your subject knows his mistake." Yinzhen lowered his head, obediently admitting his mistake without arguing.

Kangxi shook his head. Yinzhen was simply too rigid, seeing things in black and white, intolerant of any imperfections. Naturally, he couldn't understand Yinzhi's actions and schemes. But this was fine too. He didn't intend to groom Yinzhen as his successor anyway; having flaws would make it easier to control him later. The only exception was Suo'etu; he couldn't let him get involved any longer…

Thinking of this, Kangxi waved his hand, losing interest in teaching his son, and said, "You may leave. I'll leave the arrangements for returning to the capital to you."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave."

Yinzhen bowed and took his leave. Before leaving the tent, he heard Kangxi's instructions: "If your brothers ask, just say so. Don't hold back for the eldest son..."

The reason why Kangxi didn't want to give Yinzhi any face at all can be traced back to when he was furious after learning that Yinzhi's scheme had backfired and ordered Mukeden to continue the investigation.

Mukeden was quite capable, and he uncovered another clue. But at the same time, he also confirmed that all of this was orchestrated by Yinzhi himself.

According to various pieces of evidence, when Yinzhi became famous, Suo'etu did indeed want to take action against Yinzhi, just as Kangxi had thought, and even planned to kill two birds with one stone by implicating Yinzhen.

According to the guards in the camp, Songgotu had an unpleasant argument with Yinzhen at a banquet for some unknown reason. Perhaps this is why Songgotu wanted to harm Yinzhi and frame Yinzhen.

In any case, Kangxi was furious when he saw the evidence and wanted to kill Suo'etu. But the key point was that Suo'etu's plan had not yet been implemented when Yinzhi got into trouble. No matter how they investigated, they could not find the blame on Suo'etu, so Kangxi could only endure it for the time being.

Meanwhile, according to Nara Yuetuo's investigation, Kangxi learned of the growing arrogance of the First Prince's faction in the capital. Seeking further advantage, the Nara family bypassed Mingzhu and wrote to Yuetuo, requesting his help in maintaining Yinzhi's reputation as the "First Warrior" for future use. This led to the subsequent events…

At that moment, looking at the four characters "to await the future" on the letter that had been found, Kangxi's gaze was deep, and he suppressed his anger. This made Liang Jiugong and Mukedeng, who were present, not dare to breathe.

Looking at the evidence presented this time, Kangxi remained silent for a long time before announcing that this was the end of it.

The factional disputes and Suo'etu's schemes were concealed, and what Yinzhen ultimately saw was that Yinzhi, in order to win a moment of anger, adopted Yuetuo's plan and ended up harming himself.

As the Emperor returned to the capital, news of Yinzhi's "self-inflicted wound" spread through the ranks, and no one knew what Kangxi was thinking. But everyone could foresee that the balance of power in the capital had been broken, and an even greater storm awaited them in the court…