Ultimately, Emperor Kangxi could not withstand the pressure and, in April of the 50th year of his reign, stripped Prince Yinti of his title of Prince of the First Rank and issued an edict to the world, confining Yinti and his family and children to their former princely residence. He was stripped of his princely status, all official positions and powers he held, and the right of his descendants to inherit his title without fail.

This decree silenced the whispers and the impeachments leveled against Yinti by officials both inside and outside the court. Although Kangxi punished the eldest prince Yinti, he was not truly happy. After all, what father in the world would want to see his sons fighting and vying for power? His punishment of one son only temporarily quelled their conflict.

Inside Zhongcui Palace.

Consort De smashed almost all of her belongings. The palace maids couldn't stop her; she was like a madwoman, smashing whatever she could touch.

"Your Majesty, please calm down! If others see this, who knows what they'll say to the Emperor. You must protect yourself now!" said the palace maid Huijuan.

"Let them talk, what do I have to fear now? My son has been deposed by the Emperor and reduced to a commoner. A commoner. I will be all alone from now on. I can't go out and live with my son, and I will soon be trampled underfoot and barely survive in this palace." Consort Hui's hair fell loose, and strands of white hair could already be seen.

The saying "beauty fades and the emperor's favor ends" probably describes someone like her perfectly.

"Your Highness, please don't do this. You are still Consort Hui! Who would dare to step on you!" Huijuan continued to persuade her.

"Consort Hui? Haha, it's just a title. Those sycophantic servants in the palace are always looking to curry favor with those they like. Just you wait, soon, things here will get worse every day. Who told my son to be deposed by the Emperor! I'm just a decoration, why would they need to fawn over me?" Consort Hui had lived in this deep palace for nearly forty years, and she had long since seen through all the ways of the palace.

“Your Majesty, even so, the private savings you’ve accumulated over the years are enough for you to live comfortably in this palace in your old age. Your Majesty, you can’t give up on yourself like this now; they might be laughing at you.” Huijuan said.

“They’ve already seen it. But I’d like to see just how good their fate will be,” Consort Hui said.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" At that moment, a young palace maid suddenly rushed in from outside.

"What are you yelling about? I'm not dead yet, why do you need to come here and shout?" Consort Hui said.

"Your Majesty, Consort De has arrived!" The young palace maid said, still shaken.

"Her! Why is she here?" Consort Hui was astonished. She and Consort De had never interacted much, just like Yinti and the Fourth Prince had no connection. On the surface, Consort Yi was the one with whom Consort Hui was most at odds, but in reality, it was her old rival, Consort Rong.

"Your Highness, please put it down quickly. This servant will tidy up the place right away," Huijuan said.

"Wait a minute, help me comb my hair and change my clothes first!" Consort Hui suddenly said.

"Yes, yes!" Huijuan replied quickly.

As she helped Consort Hui to wash and change, the palace maids quickly and efficiently cleaned up everything Consort Hui had thrown.

Consort De strolled along the way. She had known for a while that Consort Hui had been throwing a tantrum in the palace, so she came to check on her.

"Where is your Lady?" Consort De asked as she walked into Consort Hui's main hall but did not see her.

"Your Highness, the Consort is combing her hair. Please wait a moment," the maid said.

"Oh, who do we have here? It's Consort De, my dear sister." Consort Hui had changed her clothes, and the hair that had fallen down her head was now all combed up. She seemed to have regained the bright and cheerful Consort Hui.

"I heard that you are not well, and that the Emperor has stripped you of your title and status as Prince Heshuo. You must be very sad. So I came to see you," said Consort De.

"I have never had any contact with Consort De. I wonder what's going on with Consort De?" Consort Hui asked.

“Sister, what are you saying? I have lived in the Forbidden City with you for almost thirty years, how can you say we have no interaction?” Consort De said.

“Then if you say there is some overlap, then there is,” Consort Hui said.

“Sister, actually, I came here because there’s something I want to tell you,” said Consort De.

"Is there anything else?" Consort Hui asked dejectedly.

"Why don't you take this opportunity to plead with the Emperor to send you away to live with your son?" Consort De said.

Consort Hui had actually considered doing this, but she still hesitated. First, Emperor Kangxi might not agree, and second, if she went along, it would be equivalent to losing her personal freedom.

"Good sister, you're so thoughtful. Once I leave the Forbidden City, I'll never be able to return. The sky's the limit," Consort Hui said mockingly to Consort De.

"If you don't want to leave the Forbidden City, then just pretend I never came and never said anything." With that, Consort De stood up, preparing to leave.

"Do you really want to help me?" Consort Hui asked.

"Whether it's sincere or not, it's up to you, sister, to judge. If you've made up your mind and want to reunite with the First Prince, then I can ask for your help," said Consort De.

"Very well, as long as you can plead for me and let me leave the palace to live with Yinti, then you will be my benefactor," Consort Hui said.

"You speak first, do you want to or not?" Consort De asked again.

"Of course I want to reunite with Yinti, but if I were to bring it up with His Majesty at this time, I'm afraid he would refuse," Consort De said.

"Sister, there's no need to worry about that. I'll speak to the Emperor about it. You can stay here and prepare your things, and then you can live a carefree life with the First Prince," said Consort De.

Meanwhile, at the Prince Heshuo's residence, Yinti was sitting in his front courtyard, drinking alone and quite happily. There seemed to be no resentment or bitterness on his face.

"My lady, that's good now. From now on, I will stay with you and our child every day." After hearing Kangxi's pronouncement, Yinqi felt relieved.

"Alright, Your Highness will accompany me to read, write, and paint every day. Is that alright?" Lady Jue Luo said with a faint smile.

"Of course it's good. Your paintings are always quite good," Yinti said, embracing his wife, Lady Jueluo.

“Your Highness, no, Yinti, let’s live a peaceful and honest life from now on, and never think about things that don’t belong to us again,” said Lady Jueluo.

“Yes, I won’t have to listen to those people’s nagging anymore,” Yinti said. “If I can be released from here one day, I will definitely be reborn.”

“Your Highness, why wait for the next life? Why not start now?” said Jue Luo Shi.

"Yes. It's just a pity that Mother will never see me again." Yinti said with a bitter smile.