"You, how did you know?" Prince Zhi was surprised that the Ninth Prince would suddenly mention Baoyue.

"How you know is none of my business, brother. Anyway, Princess Baoyue is a concubine of the Emperor, yet you took her away, and she even has a child. Brother, you've gone too far." Ninth Prince said mockingly, staring at Prince Zhi. He thought himself quite the ladies' man, but he never imagined Prince Zhi would be so, daring to lay a finger on the Emperor's woman—he was utterly audacious.

Prince Zhi and several of his confidants exchanged glances, and the surprise in their eyes gradually faded.

"Ninth Prince, I can make a deal, how about it?" said Prince Zhi.

"What?" Ninth Master smiled and said, meaning, "Let's see if you dare to compete again. You dare to steal the Emperor's woman. You've got some nerve!"

"I will go with you to plead for the Eighth Prince, but you must never reveal to Father Emperor what you said to me today!" said Prince Zhi. If the Ninth Prince were someone else, not his own brother, he might have killed him.

“Alright, I don’t want my elder brother to be disliked by Father Emperor either. As long as you plead for Eighth Brother, I promise to keep my mouth shut,” said Ninth Master.

Therefore, Prince Zhi had no choice but to go with Ninth Prince to Kangxi's tent to plead for Eighth Prince.

"Father, Eighth Prince is still your son. Could you please not strip him of his title of Prince?" Ninth Prince knelt before Emperor Kangxi and pleaded. He was willing to sacrifice all his dignity for Eighth Prince.

“Father, although the Eighth Prince has done many things excessively, he has done a very good job in the Imperial Household Department over the years. You can’t just see his mistakes and not his good points!” Prince Zhi knelt on one knee and said. The Ninth Prince had his weakness in his hands, otherwise he would never have pleaded for the Eighth Prince like this.

Emperor Kangxi was sitting behind his desk, reading a book, when he saw his two sons kneeling before him, pleading for the Eighth Prince. He was quite surprised.

"Ninth Prince, I could have foreseen that you would come to plead for the Eighth Prince. But why did you come back to plead for the Eighth Prince?" Kangxi first glanced at the Ninth Prince, then turned to ask the Prince Zhi.

“Father, my eighth brother was raised in my mother’s palace. My eighth brother and I are brothers, so why can’t I plead for him?” said Prince Zhi.

This reason was quite convincing, but Kangxi still didn't believe it. At this time, Prince Zhi and the Eighth Prince were both eyeing the position of Crown Prince. Now that the Eighth Prince had been dealt with so severely by him, Prince Zhi would only watch from the sidelines and would never offer any help.

Looking at Kangxi's suspicious gaze, Prince Zhi must not reveal anything that might arouse Kangxi's suspicion.

Kangxi squinted and scanned his two sons, trying to find something unusual about them.

“Father, Eighth Brother has always been diligent and conscientious in his work. He is well-liked, so is that wrong? How can you say that he is forming cliques or engaging in secret activities?” Ninth Prince has never been very proper in front of Kangxi, because he has never coveted that position. On the contrary, he can speak freely in front of Kangxi.

"Hmph, the Eighth Prince is always good at dealing with people. His good reputation is all for his own benefit, building his own network. Don't think I don't know what he's been up to behind the scenes. Ninth Prince, and you too, I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and you still dare to plead for him!" Kangxi said, abandoning his usual doting attitude towards the Ninth Prince. However, he was actually still biased towards the Ninth Prince, and naturally wasn't as harsh on him as he was on the Eighth Prince.

"What's wrong with your son? Please explain, Father!" the Ninth Prince said coquettishly.

"Do I need to tell you about all the good deeds you've done? Humph, don't think that no one knows about the good things you and the Eighth Prince have done together." Kangxi glared at the Ninth Prince rebukedly.

Upon hearing these words, the Ninth Prince felt a pang in his heart. He had always been uninterested in court politics, preferring matters related to business. Kangxi had never placed any hope in him, nor had he ever cared about the things he had done.

“Prince Zhi, what else do you have to say? Although the Eighth Prince was raised in your mother’s palace, you have never been close to him. Why are you here with the Ninth Prince to plead for the Eighth Prince? I have serious doubts about your motives. Is there something the Ninth Prince has gotten you into?” Kangxi turned to Prince Zhi and asked.

It must be said that Emperor Kangxi knew his sons very well, so his predictions were always accurate!

Prince Zhi felt a pang in his heart and dared not say anything more. Ninth Prince was also rendered speechless by Kangxi's words.

"Alright, you may all go back now. I need to rest. Are you disturbing my sleep by kneeling here any longer?" Kangxi said.

Ninth Prince had no choice but to take his leave, and Prince Zhi naturally didn't say anything more and immediately withdrew as well.

After the two men left, Kangxi ordered water and had someone help him wash his face, hands, and feet. Then, with the help of servants, he took off his clothes and prepared to go to sleep.

"That girl Mei'er is quite clever; she even knows how to run away. Even my personal guards couldn't catch her and bring her back," Kangxi said, lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

"Your Majesty," Liang Jiugong said, "this servant feels that Mei'er has become increasingly strange since she began serving Your Majesty. This old servant will definitely investigate her thoroughly when I return." Having two traitors within his jurisdiction was a huge matter; it was only because he was still able to continue serving Kangxi unscathed that he was able to continue serving him. Anyone else would have been dismissed long ago.

"Hmm. Today, Prince Zhi came to plead for the Eighth Prince, which really surprised me. Tell me, what is his motive?" Kangxi asked.

"In my opinion, Prince Zhi seems to think that he has no hope of success, so he thinks it's better to let the Eighth Prince take the position than the Fourth Prince?" Liang Jiugong said.

"Hehe, old man, your brain works better than most people's. Now that you mention it, I find it rather interesting," Kangxi said. He could never have imagined that Prince Zhi and Baoyue would have an affair, so naturally he couldn't guess what incriminating evidence Prince Zhi had given the Ninth Prince.

“This old servant is unaware of His Majesty’s intentions. This old servant only thinks this way in his own heart,” Liang Jiugong immediately retorted.

"Alright, you old fool, are you afraid I'll rebuke you? I've been thinking about who should be made to continue as crown prince after I depose him. But no matter how much I think about it, there's no one I can convince me to make a decision to appoint a new crown prince." Kangxi could only speak his mind to Liang Jiugong.

"Alas, as the saying goes, they are all flesh and blood. The Emperor's sons are all handsome and skilled in both literature and martial arts. It is difficult for the Emperor to choose the most outstanding one to inherit the Qing Dynasty!" Liang Jiugong said truthfully.