Kangxi had quite a few gray hairs, and his posture was no longer as straight as before.

Even the sight of his eyes, blurred by the candlelight, was distorted from years of staying up all night revising memorials.

He's getting old, and his most beloved child is far away from him.

“Liang Jiugong, since childhood, has always sent me a share of whatever Bao Cheng had. Even if I didn’t need it or couldn’t use it, he said it was out of his good intentions. But why is he ignoring me this time?” Kangxi felt somewhat helpless.

He began to feel afraid, afraid that his crown prince would no longer want him as his father.

"I ascended the throne at a young age and have endured countless hardships and tribulations to reach where I am today. But Bao Cheng is different. He grew up under my protection and is simple and straightforward. How can an emperor grow up smoothly without setbacks? I did all this for him, for the Qing Dynasty." Kangxi said to Liang Jiugong, but he was actually speaking to himself.

He defended himself, saying that everything he did was not intended to harm his son. However, he was the emperor, the ruler of all people, and he had a responsibility to his subjects, and he had to cultivate a better successor for the Qing Dynasty.

Yinreng, who was in the back garden, could not possibly have been unaware of the news of Kangxi's arrival.

After waiting for a long time, Tong Wanyan asked him, "Master, aren't you going to see Father Emperor?"

Yinreng stopped slicing the venison into thin slices, the charcoal beside him still burning: "There's no need to go see him. Perhaps, Father Emperor has simply taken the wrong path."

"No, I came here specifically to see you."

When Emperor Kangxi arrived, he happened to hear this.

He spoke up hastily, seemingly unwilling to hear Yinreng misunderstand him any longer.

Kangxi only took Liang Jiugong to the back garden, where the crackling of the charcoal fire masked their footsteps.

Yinreng's fingertips trembled slightly. He composed himself, turned around with a gentle smile, and bowed.

He was so respectful, so peaceful, and so unfamiliar.

"Yinreng greets Father Emperor." Yinreng didn't even refer to himself as "your subject" anymore; he was now a bald prince, so what kind of subject was he?

"Baocheng, enough of this commotion. I will reinstate the crown prince in a few days, shall I?" Kangxi said in a gentle tone.

Yinreng remained unmoved: "Yinreng cannot bear this responsibility."

"You are my son! My legitimate son!" Kangxi stepped forward and grabbed Yinreng's arm.

As they got closer, Kangxi clearly saw the indifference in Yinreng's eyes.

"Father, I really don't want to be the Crown Prince anymore. Whoever wants the position can have it," Yinreng said disdainfully.

After all, he was his own father. Although there was some heartbreak between them, there was no deep-seated hatred between them.

Yinreng stopped arguing with Kangxi. He helped Kangxi sit down and earnestly said, "I have lived for the Qing Dynasty for more than 30 years. Now I only want to live for myself. No matter how good the throne is, I am not tempted."

"Can you entrust the Qing Dynasty to someone else? My Bao Cheng has the world at heart and the ambition to create a prosperous era; he is not a detached person. Moreover, are you willing to grovel before anyone other than me? Are you willing to let your children bow down to others and become idle members of the imperial clan after a hundred years?" Kangxi asked.

If it had been said a month earlier, Yinreng might have wavered. But it's too late now.

Yinreng remained unmoved: "The royal bloodline is vast, and it's only a matter of time before I'm relegated to a collateral branch. As for me, when the time comes, Father Emperor will dote on his son and issue an imperial edict allowing me to leave the capital and travel by sea. The world is far more than just the Qing Dynasty; perhaps I'll have another opportunity?"

Emperor Kangxi was speechless. From deposing the crown prince to wanting to reinstate him, he had searched for Yinreng countless times and confirmed the matter countless times, but Yinreng's heart remained as firm as a rock and unwavering.

"I understand. I was wrong. It was I who failed you, which led to this situation between us, father and son." Kangxi resigned himself to his fate.

Yinreng never imagined that he would hear Kangxi utter such weak words in his lifetime.

The elderly father looked full of regret. Yinreng held Kangxi's hand, which was covered with calluses, wrinkles, and age spots that had appeared at some unknown time.

A wave of sadness washed over Yinreng, and he choked out, "Father Emperor has never made a mistake. You are the Emperor."

“But my son does not want to be the emperor anymore,” Kangxi said.

The complete chapters of "The Crown Prince's Beloved Consort in the Qing Dynasty" will continue to be updated on the Shuhaige Novel Network. There are no ads on the site, so please bookmark and recommend Shuhaige Novel Network!