Yinzhi's eyes fell on Mingzhu, who looked down and out.

But he was seen smiling fakely while dealing with his colleagues.

Yinzhi lowered his eyes and took a sip of wine with an expressionless face.

All the people in this hall are veteran officials who have worked in the court for many years. They have a keen sense of crisis and almost no one would take the risk for something they know is likely to leave traces.

But what about Mingzhu?

Knowing the consequences, he still insisted on doing it.

Isn't it just certain that he will swallow his anger for the sake of power?

Probably in Mingzhu's imagination, even if he found out that it was Mingzhu who did it, he would pretend not to know and let him frame the crime on Soetu.

In order to gain the emperor's pity and disappointment in the prince's party.

It's a pity that his idea is just an idea after all...

Yinzhi hated two things in his life: one was that others did not take him seriously, and the other was that he was not born a legitimate son.

Mingzhu has done both of these things to the extreme.

The moment Yinzhi looked away, Nalan Mingzhu looked over.

But he only glanced at Yinzhi, and then set his sights on——

On the body of the third prince Yinzhi.

Pearl is in this position.

Whether or not to participate in the fight for the throne is no longer something he can decide.

The Yehenara clan is not united as one, and there has been a long-standing grudge between the two branches, with one branch gaining while the other loses.

If he could turn the Yehenara people into his own powerful wife, Mingzhu, he would never switch to anyone else, given that he had already offended Yinzhi to death.

Those in power hate hedging their bets the most.

From the very beginning, the Nalan family followed Yinzhi.

Now, "for no reason", they want to switch allegiance to others. What do the civil and military officials in the court think of the Nalan family?

Mingzhu bit her back teeth and then smiled bitterly.

The current situation has forced him into a dead end, leaving him in a dilemma.

If only...

Never mind, that's all in the past.

The longevity banquet lasted for more than an hour. Kangxi probably drank too much and actually ordered the pardon of all the officials who had been exiled to Ningguta for three years.

When Yinreng heard this, he was shocked.

I'm afraid that Guo Luoluo Heshun's family hadn't even arrived in Ningguta when he casually said they would be pardoned?

"Your Majesty, you can't do that!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into dead silence.

Except for Kangxi, everyone looked at Yinreng in shock.

Even the sounds of music and stringed instruments stopped, and the dancers quickly huddled together, observing the development of the situation with timid faces.

Yinzhi reached out and tugged at the corner of Yinreng's robe, warning him not to be too presumptuous.

It would be strange if Yinreng listened to him.

When Kangxi heard that someone dared to refute him, he was immediately dissatisfied.

"What's wrong?"

His eyes were blurry with drunkenness, and he didn't even look at who was speaking, so he just asked back in a cold voice.

Yinreng did not indulge him and walked straight to stand under the imperial desk.

"My son feels that those exiled to Ningguta are all high-ranking officials who are greedy, disregard human life, and have committed countless evil deeds. If we pardon them so easily, there is no guarantee that they will not repeat the same mistakes in the future."

"They have already committed countless evil deeds, and countless innocent people have died because of them. Pardoning them will only bring disaster to more people. I understand that you are happy to celebrate your birthday today, but you can't just seek a temporary reputation for leniency and ignore the lives of the people, right?"

"Have you forgotten Guo Luoluo Heshun? I've always felt that the punishment you imposed on him in this case was inappropriate. I'm afraid Heshun's family hasn't even made it to Ningguta. This action of yours inevitably gives the impression of deliberately pardoning him!"

"So... my son feels it's inappropriate!"

This time, everyone's surprise turned into horror.

Sure enough, the next second——

"presumptuous!"

Kangxi's rage suddenly resounded throughout the hall.

Then there was a "bang!"

A wine glass fell at Yinreng's feet.

Yinreng, a bachelor, knelt down immediately.

All the other princes and ministers were so frightened that they knelt beside the table.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Kangxi threw a cup and his mind became a little clearer.

I also realized what a stupid thing I had just done.

Heshun was the criminal uncovered during the first major case after Yinreng returned, so he must have been very concerned about the verdict.

Why did he pardon Heshun without thinking?

Kangxi couldn't help but feel some regret.

But after regretting it, Kangxi suddenly realized a problem.

Didn't this guy just mention the words "punishment not commensurate with the crime"?

It turned out that she was dissatisfied with him for protecting Chang Ning.

Kangxi pursed his lips into a straight line and stared at Yinreng with a cold expression.

"So... Your Highness thinks that I am being partial and perverting the law?"

Even if he is dissatisfied, so what?

Could it be that he really wanted to make Chang Ning's crimes public and let the whole world laugh at his Aisin-Gioro family?

"No, son. I just think that you should put the interests of the people first."

Even when Yinreng was kneeling, his back was straight.

He doesn't think he's wrong.

A dozen or twenty years ago, the imperial court strictly controlled the corruption of royal family members and nobles, but in recent years, as Kangxi grew older, his requirements for nobles were repeatedly lowered.

The severity of punishment for corruption is far less than when he first came to power.

No matter what Kangxi thought, Yinreng was just dreaming if he thought the criminals found under his control wanted to turn the tables.

Kangxi narrowed his eyes. This kid is being stubborn with him!

"Then tell me, when did I not put the interests of the people first?"

Yinreng raised his head and looked directly into Kangxi's eyes.

"The Great Qing Code states that anyone who embezzles more than 40 taels of silver is punishable by death. The actual sentence can be commuted to a minimum of five years' imprisonment, depending on the severity of the corruption. Those who embezzle more than 1,000 taels of silver are punishable by death and imprisonment, with the possibility of a reduction if pardoned. Those who embezzle more than 10,000 taels of silver are punishable by death and imprisonment, with no pardon!"

"This case was investigated by my son. Guo Luoluo Heshun embezzled over ten thousand taels of silver and extorted over a hundred thousand taels of silver from the locals. The evidence is irrefutable. He should be executed...without pardon!"

"hiss……"

There were gasps of air everywhere in the room.

Is this prince crazy?

Today is the emperor's birthday. It would be a good idea to privately suggest to the emperor that Heshun be excluded from the list of those who will be pardoned!

Now that things have gotten to this point, how should we end it?

Kangxi was also so angry that he was panting heavily.

"Guo Luoluo Heshun followed me on my campaigns, pacifying the Three Feudatories and defeating Galdan. His military exploits were remarkable. Why shouldn't I, in recognition of his achievements, pardon his punishment?"

"Didn't you give him a promotion for his military achievements?"

Yinreng refused to give in.

After being promoted to a higher position, he still wants to use his merits to atone for his crimes. He is openly acting like a hooligan, right?

"you……"

"You rebellious son!"

Kangxi slapped the table and shouted to the door,

"Someone, come quickly! Take this rebellious son away and beat him to death!"

Liang Jiugong rushed forward to stop Kangxi.

"Your Majesty, this is impossible!"

All the officials followed suit and pleaded for mercy.

"Your Majesty, calm down! The Crown Prince drank a few more sips of wine today. Please forgive him for his young age!"

"Even if the Crown Prince is wrong, it is not appropriate to resort to force today. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"Your Highness, please admit your mistake..."

Someone whispered a suggestion to Yinreng.