Chapter 85 The Crown Prince

Before the aftermath of Songgotu's starvation had subsided, Prince Yu of the First Rank, Fuquan, passed away on June 28th.

Emperor Kangxi was deeply grieved and ordered his eldest son, Yinzhi, his third son, Yinzhi, his fifth son, Yinqi, his seventh son, Yinyou, and his eighth son, Yinsi, to all wear mourning clothes and mourn on behalf of Prince Yu.

Emperor Kangxi shed tears several times in public and generously rewarded Fuquan's sons Baotai and Baoshou. His health, which had just recovered, was hit again, and he grew a few more strands of white hair amidst the great sorrow and joy.

Not long after Prince Yu's death, the emperor was still immersed in grief, and no one dared to provoke him at this time.

But then a rumor started to spread—

It is said that before his death, Prince Yu recommended the Eighth Prince Yinzhi to Emperor Kangxi, praising his "virtue".

With the tragic death of Songgotu and the demotion of key members of the Crown Prince's faction, such news undoubtedly undermines and questions Yinreng's position as Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, rumors spread that the Crown Prince was arrogant and disrespectful to his elders. The reason given was that Prince Yu, as the Emperor's own brother, had not recommended the Crown Prince but instead recommended the Eighth Prince, which must be because the Crown Prince had acted outrageously in the past and was not recognized by Prince Yu.

Rumors, originating from an unknown source, flew around and soon reached Yinreng's ears.

Then, some informants learned that the Crown Prince had thrown a tantrum and smashed a lot of things in Yuqing Palace.

Moreover, one doesn't need to be particularly perceptive; just by looking at the Crown Prince's dark face during court sessions these days, and his hostility towards the Eighth Prince, one can sense the Crown Prince's anger and fury.

Unfortunately, regardless of their true intentions, all the court officials present had a history of urging the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. Therefore, before clearly understanding Kangxi's attitude, naturally no one dared to stand up and speak for the Crown Prince.

For a time, the Crown Prince became an isolated and helpless "poor little thing," and the Emperor remained unmoved, which made those who wanted to take advantage of the situation dare not make any moves.

After some time, Yinzhen, who had been missing for so long, finally finished his recuperation. Although Kangxi wanted to keep it a secret, a small number of people knew that Prince Yong's left arm injury was too severe and seemed to have barely recovered.

After Prince Yong was restored to his former glory, he stepped out of his residence for the first time to pay his respects at the palace, attracting the attention of many along the way. Strangely enough, so much time had passed, and Prince Yong had shared hardships with the Emperor; why hadn't he received any reward?

"Your subject greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace."

"Get up, Liang Jiugong, bring a stool for Prince Yong."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yinzhen bowed and, under Liang Jiugong's careful supervision, sat down below Kangxi.

Kangxi's gaze swept over Yinzhen, lingering a moment longer on his left arm. He frowned slightly and said, "Why the rush to pay your respects? Have you recovered?"

"Thank you for your concern, Father. I am all well now." Yinzhen cupped his hands, and on his face he seemed to be completely fine, but Kangxi still noticed the slight stiffness in his left arm.

Since Yinzhen was unwilling to speak, Kangxi would not force him. Looking at his fourth son, who remained as stern as ever, Kangxi unconsciously recalled the disheveled, anxious, and desperate state Yinzhen had been in for those seven days, and a wave of tenderness washed over him.

If Kangxi valued Yinzhen in the past, one part was because he was a prince raised by his cousin, and the remaining nine parts were because of his abilities.

Having gone through life and death, at least for now, Kangxi's high regard for Yinzhen is entirely because Yinzhen is his son, out of fatherly affection.

So… after gazing at Yinzhen for a moment, Kangxi said, seemingly with concern but also with a hidden meaning, “He has been seriously injured. He should rest and recuperate.”

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Father Emperor."

...

As Yinzhen walked out of the Qianqing Palace and reached the steps, he coincidentally encountered Crown Prince Yinreng, who had come to pay his respects.

"Yinzhen greets His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Fourth Prince, are you all better now?" Yinreng's face was gloomy. He didn't call for him to get up, but instead bowed to Yinzhen. Only when he saw that Yinzhen's left arm was trembling slightly did he slowly ask.

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

"Hmph, you're lucky." As if he had given up all hope, Yinreng glared fiercely at Yinzhen.

As if unwilling to engage in pretense with the Crown Prince, and after waiting for a long time without being called upon by the Crown Prince, Yinzhen stood up on his own, unfazed by the Crown Prince's angry glare, and calmly replied, "Thanks to Father Emperor's protection."

"Heh," Yinreng sneered, "Do you even have the right to stand up straight in front of me? Let me help you wake up."

After saying that, Yinreng dusted off the dust on his robe, and suddenly kicked Yinzhen down the steps in full view of everyone.

"Prince Yong!"

The guards at the gate of Qianqing Palace were going crazy, unable to believe what they were seeing. The Crown Prince was attacking Prince Yong in public—no, kicking him! Anyone who saw this would go insane.

A young eunuch serving the emperor rushed into the hall to report the news, and the surrounding guards, no longer caring about the Crown Prince's presence, scurried down the steps to check on Prince Yong's condition.

Yinreng coldly watched Yinzhen fall, standing on the steps without saying a word, completely unconcerned about the gazes of others. Looking at Yinzhen, who was unable to dodge in time and lay unconscious on the ground, for a moment, Yinreng truly wished that he would just die like that.

Why did Yinzhen have to come back alive...?

When Kangxi received the news and rushed out, he saw that Yinreng remained unmoved. Enraged, he slapped Yinreng across the face, yelling, "You unfilial son!"

"Liang Jiugong, go and summon the imperial physician."

Kangxi stared at Yinreng, whose head had been knocked to the side, yet who remained silent and showed no remorse. He suppressed his rage, turned away, and ordered his men to carry Yinzhen into the palace. He then turned to leave.

"Take the Crown Prince back to Yuqing Palace and confine him to his quarters."

"Father...Father...Do you want the fourth prince and not me?"

Suddenly, a dejected and disappointed voice called out from behind. Kangxi paused, but ultimately ignored it and ordered the Crown Prince to be taken away.

"Fortunately, Prince Yong was not injured in the head. His unconsciousness was caused by the pain of his wounds reopening. The wounds have now been treated. As for Prince Yong's left arm... now that it has been damaged again, it will be even more difficult to fully recover. Furthermore... according to our diagnosis, Prince Yong has been injured multiple times in a short period of time, which has damaged his heart meridian. I'm afraid his lifespan will be affected..."

"I don't want anyone else to know about this."

"yes."

"Do everything in your power to save Prince Yong. Wang Hesheng, from now on you will be Prince Yong's personal physician. I am entrusting Prince Yong to you."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust." Imperial Physician Wang Hesheng was an old acquaintance. Last time, he couldn't withstand the pressure from the prince. Could he withstand the pressure from the emperor this time? He could only accept the mission in a time of crisis.

Since taking over the treatment of Prince Yong, his medical skills have improved considerably. Now, under Emperor Kangxi's orders, he has become Prince Yong's personal physician, and he truly entrusts all his life and fortune to Yinzhen, daring not to be negligent.

...

Confined to Yuqing Palace, Yinreng remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the servants' panic. After an unknown amount of time in his bedchamber, his personal eunuch rushed in.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, news has arrived from the Imperial Palace. The Emperor has punished the guards in the palace, saying that their negligence led to Prince Yong's accidental fall. Your Highness, the Emperor is not blaming you; he is protecting you..."

Seeing the little eunuch's flustered yet barely concealed joy, Yinreng suddenly wanted to laugh. Then, under the little eunuch's astonished gaze, he burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

"Hahaha……"

Think of Aisin Gioro Yinreng, the crown prince raised with the utmost care and privilege. Now he's even resorting to underhanded tactics, using such a weak and vulnerable maneuver against his imperial father... From the court to his brothers, playing the role of an isolated, helpless, and bewildered crown prince, Yinreng discovers for the first time that he's quite the actor.

She clearly wanted her father's pity, but she couldn't help but test him.

Yinzhen, Yinzhen… Father Emperor isn’t protecting him, he’s clearly protecting Yinzhen!

If he's unhappy, no one else can be happy either. In this partisan struggle, how could he allow his father, the Emperor, to exclude Yinzhen?

"Hahaha……"