The princes and grandsons rushed to the scene overnight. Yinti was under house arrest, but Prince Hongyu was granted a special pardon and allowed to arrive.

His Majesty was in poor health, and Yinreng, along with the Third and Fourth Princes, were attending to him day and night, tending to his medicine. It was really difficult to get any information from the imperial physicians.

On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Emperor was unusually lucid for a while. Early in the morning, he ordered Liang Jiugong to summon all the princes, Manchu and Han scholars, the Nine Ministers, the Grand Chamberlain, and others.

The Third Prince was originally quite confident before the southern tour, but after seeing his father, the Emperor, treat Yinreng with the same esteem as before, and with the Fourth Prince overseeing the country perfectly, he no longer had any unrealistic ambitions.

His heart was somewhat calm, yet also somewhat sad.

Looking around, he could still faintly hear sobbing, and he couldn't help but cry too.

His Majesty coughed and called out first, "Baocheng..."

Bao Cheng knelt beside the Emperor's bed: "Your son is here."

The Emperor looked at him, his somewhat aged hand grasping Yinreng's, and called out again, "Where is Hongxi..."

At this moment, when the Fourth Prince heard his father, the Emperor, call out to Yinreng, he felt a profound silence around him, an indescribable feeling. He lowered his head slightly, already considering his future.

The Fourth Prince and Yinreng had no enmity and had a good relationship. If the Emperor favored Yinreng, it would be acceptable to the Fourth Prince. However, the past plans... Now that things have come to this, the Fourth Prince still feels a bit upset.

He was lost in thought until his father called him, at which point he instinctively knelt before his father.

He hadn't heard what his father had said, so he just lowered his head and remained silent.

"I have over a hundred descendants. I am over fifty years old and old. Although I will pass away soon, I am still happy. Prince Yong, my fourth son, Yinzhen, is of noble character and closely resembles me. He will surely be able to inherit the throne. I hereby bestow upon Yinzhen the imperial seal and establish him as Crown Prince, to sit in the Eastern Palace. He shall succeed me on the throne and ascend the throne as Emperor. He shall immediately follow the rites and observe mourning for twenty-seven days. After the mourning period, the announcement shall be made throughout the country and beyond so that all may know."

The Grand Secretary beside him had already personally recorded everything the Emperor said.

Once again, all was silent. The only sound that could be heard from the Fourth Master was the deafening pounding of his heart. He subconsciously looked up, but his mind was still in a daze.

His Majesty's voice was somewhat deep, punctuated by occasional coughs; he was getting old.

"You may all leave. I have something to say to Yinzhen."

This was one of the very few times in the Fourth Prince's memory that his father called him Yinzhen. When he was young, he was not particularly outstanding. He was not as brave as Yinti, nor as dazzling as Yinreng. Later, when he was raised by Empress Xiaoyiren, his father called him Yinzhen. As he grew older, he was mostly called the Fourth Prince.

Fourth Master knelt even more upright.

His father had issued a personal edict, and he was now the rightful crown prince. His heart was still pounding, but he appeared unusually calm.

The Emperor was actually quite satisfied with his son over the past few months. He coughed again, and the Fourth Prince stepped forward to help him catch his breath.

The Emperor grabbed him: "Yinzhen..."

...

After the Fourth Prince came out of the inner hall of Wuyizhai, everyone's gaze towards him changed noticeably. However, what surprised everyone the most was the Third Prince, who was the first to cup his hands to the Fourth Prince and ask, "How is Father Emperor?"

The Fourth Prince's eyes were slightly red, as if he had been crying: "Father Emperor has more to say, so please go inside."

Everything settled down on July 13th, before dawn, when His Majesty passed away.

Upon receiving the news, the lady of the house busied herself with changing everything that had been prepared beforehand. She herself had also changed into mourning clothes, with only a silver hairpin and white flowers adorning her headdress.

She was still somewhat dazed. She had been in a daze since the news of the Fourth Prince being named Crown Prince reached her a few days ago. This was completely different from what she had expected. If the Fourth Prince became Crown Prince, then her Honghui...

The Fujin didn't think about how long she could enjoy the honor of being Empress. She only thought that since the Fourth Prince had become the Crown Prince, what awaited her, Honghui, would be even more bloodshed and turmoil. The Fujin dared not think about it.

The Fujin forced herself to remain calm: "Give the order that anyone in the entire mansion who dares to show joy should be thrown out. Where is the Fourth Master?" She still habitually addressed him as the Fourth Master.

Yu Ru quickly suppressed her joy: "Fourth Master is probably leading the funeral procession right now. There's been no news yet."

The Fourth Master is now officially in charge, so whether he calls him the Crown Prince or not doesn't really matter. He'll change his address soon anyway.

The Fujin asked again, "Is Honghui by the Fourth Prince's side?"

Yu Ru said, "Have you forgotten? Didn't Fourth Master invite several princes to Changchun Garden a few days ago?"

The Princess Consort had indeed forgotten; she couldn't quite recall what had happened a few days ago. "Let's not worry about what's happening outside. Just keep a close watch on the household and don't let anything go wrong. By the way, has Xianxin still not been found?"

Yu Ru shook her head.

The princess waved her hand. She was a little tired. She still had to go to the palace after the encoffining. Right now, the most important thing was the Emperor's funeral. Everything else had to be put on hold.

In the East Courtyard, Li Chenjiao was also somewhat incredulous after learning that the Fourth Prince had become the Crown Prince. Then she began to calculate her future salary.

She admitted that she might be a little cold-hearted, but she had only seen the Emperor a few times and had never truly received any favors from him. She was aware of the Emperor's great achievements, but apart from a tiny bit of regret, she shed a couple of tears at most, and nothing more.

The day after the minor encoffining, the major encoffining would take place. On the day of the major encoffining, all the princes, beile, beizi, and even civil and military officials would go to the Qianqing Gate to pay their respects to the Emperor's remains. The Fourteenth Prince had already rushed back on horseback. Yinti, who was originally under house arrest, was granted a special pardon by the Fourth Prince and allowed to see the light of day.

Subsequently, the late emperor was placed in his coffin, and the mourning hall was set up in the Qianqing Palace. The coffin was placed in the center. In addition to the small and large encoffining, there were also ceremonies such as the morning offering, the grand offering, the grand sacrifice, and the removal of mourning clothes. Among these, the most important thing was to issue the late emperor's last edict.

The imperial edict was to be issued on July 19th, after the Fourth Prince had repeatedly declined. This was a routine procedure that all emperors had to go through upon their succession, and he had to be invited repeatedly.

On July 19th, all Manchu and Han civil and military officials below the rank of prince, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt outside the palace to hear the imperial edict. Officials from the Ministry of Rites carried the edict out of the Great Qing Gate, where it was printed and then distributed to various regions. Provincial civil and military officials were required to remove their hats and ornaments, wear plain clothes, and kneel in the suburbs to welcome the edict, before returning to their offices to kneel and hear its proclaimed meaning. Thereafter, civil and military officials held mourning ceremonies twice daily, and for one hundred days, they were forbidden from marrying, engaging in entertainment, or shaving their heads; in short, all celebratory activities were to cease to express their grief.

The funeral arrangements have been finalized and implemented, which means the new emperor has ascended the throne.

On July 29th, a day chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the new emperor ascended the throne and changed his reign title to Yongzheng.

After the Fourth Prince was named Crown Prince, Yinreng moved out of the palace with his family, leaving Yuqing Palace empty. However, the Fourth Prince did not live in Yuqing Palace during this period; instead, he lived in a small, vacant palace next to it.

It was also close to the Qianqing Palace.

The Fourth Prince was still wearing his usual clothes from when he was a prince. He had been busy with affairs for the past half month, and Fulu had to go back to the mansion every other day to keep the Fourth Prince informed.

Li Chenjiao was fine; she only entered the palace the next day and knelt for almost the entire day, until her knees were swollen.

The princess's body couldn't take it; after kneeling for a few days, she fell ill.

The imperial physician said that the Princess Consort's health remained the same...

Fourth Master already had a plan in mind.

However, unexpected events sometimes happen more suddenly than he planned.