After walking for a while, Hongli was still unwilling to give up, so he and his little follower turned back.

"It seems that something must have happened to my grandfather. I have to find a way to get in quickly. My mother is still waiting for my news at home..." Hongli looked up at the high courtyard wall, wishing he could fly over it. He sighed and blamed himself for not being capable enough.

"Fourth Prince, why don't we just shout at the gate? The gatekeeper only said we can't go in, not that we can't shout. Maybe the Emperor will hear your voice and issue an order allowing us to go in..." The servant was quite resourceful, but before he could finish speaking, Hongli gave him a muffled thud.

"Do you know how far Grandfather's courtyard is from this gate? We could shout until we were hoarse and they wouldn't hear us. If they call the wrong people, we'd be in real trouble..." Hongli scolded angrily.

The servant scratched his head and muttered, "What can we do? We can't just dig a dog hole and crawl in... Hey! Fourth Prince, I was the best at digging holes when I was a kid. Why don't you just bear with it and I'll dig it out for you..."

Hongli glanced at the servant and remained silent.

Just as Hongli was about to lose his mind, he suddenly remembered that he had once secretly gone out of Changchun Garden through the side gate to avoid some princes. He slapped his forehead and was overjoyed: "Look at my brain, how could I forget this place? Since we can't get in through the main gate, let's try our luck at the side gate..." After saying that, Hongli led his servant and horse and galloped around Changchun Garden.

Changchun Garden was located in the western suburbs of the capital. It was usually sparsely populated, and everyone knew it was a forbidden area for the imperial family. Since the Emperor was currently recuperating there, it was even less frequented. Hongli had been hopeful all along, and dismounted as soon as he turned a corner. A few steps further was a side gate. Hongli and his servant cautiously looked left and right, inching forward close to the courtyard wall.

"Fourth Prince, look..." The servant pointed ahead warily. Hongli followed the servant's hand and saw a team of fully armed guards standing guard at the side gate. Hongli's previous hopes were completely dashed. It seemed that he couldn't even get through this side gate.

“Damn it… all the entrances and exits are guarded…” Hongli muttered angrily.

Seeing this, the servant bowed and suggested, "Fourth Prince, let's try another side gate. This one is guarded, and the next one might be closed. If all else fails, let's find one with fewer people. I'll hold them off for you, and you can rush in..."

Hongli shook his head, knowing full well that all the entrances and exits of Changchun Garden were probably heavily guarded. Changchun Garden had never been so crowded before; the Emperor usually moved here to recuperate to avoid trouble. The current situation could only mean one thing: something must have happened to his grandfather. Hongli was unsure what had happened to Kangxi and dared not think too deeply about it, only able to worry inwardly.

Hongli calmed himself and thought carefully. He couldn't get in through the main gate or side gate, but was there another way? Suddenly, Hongli's eyes lit up. To make Changchun Garden a picturesque place, they had searched far and wide for flowers, trees, and shrubs. To make them realistic, they had even sent people to transport several artificial hills from Shanxi and place them on the west side of Changchun Garden. Although they were far away, when Hongli was a child and bored, Emperor Kangxi had taken him to see them. Hongli had even said that the artificial hills looked just like the real ones, only smaller, which greatly amused Emperor Kangxi…

Hongli remembered the location of the artificial hill; it was less crowded and close to the courtyard wall, so maybe they could climb over it and get into the garden. Excitedly, he mounted his horse: "All the entrances and exits are guarded! There are some artificial hills at the back gate of Changchun Garden, right next to the courtyard wall. Maybe we can climb over them and sneak in… Let’s go… quick…" Before the servant could react, he spurred the horse away, and the servant cried out in alarm, quickly chasing after it…

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