Consort De stumbled backward and fell to the ground!

Mother!

The Fourth Prince swiftly caught Consort De, but she pushed him away, saying, "Do you have to do this? I have given birth to two sons, and you have been separated from me since childhood."

"I know you've always resented me! But back then, I was just a concubine, without even the right to raise my own child. What was I supposed to do?"

The Fourth Prince stood there, stunned, as the emotions he had kept hidden deep within him and suppressed for so long surged forth. His usual humility in front of Consort De was shattered by her words.

"I know you favor the Fourteenth Prince and have never opened your heart to me, your son. You also blame me for the Sixth Prince's death. If it were possible, wouldn't Mother have preferred it if I had died back then and the Sixth Prince had come back to life?" The Fourth Prince's eyes reddened, and he roared at Consort De for the first time in such a loss of composure.

"What are you saying?" Consort De sat there heartbroken, supporting her forehead with one hand.

"Mother, in your heart, what kind of person do you really see your son as? Father Emperor hasn't even passed away yet, and you're already rushing to say these things to your son. You're just trying to force me to swear an oath before Father Emperor that I won't punish him in the future, aren't you?" Fourth Prince questioned loudly.

"You!" Consort De gasped, "He is, after all, your own brother. Your imperial father does not want you brothers to kill each other, which is why he repeatedly instructed me to do so."

The Fourth Prince gradually calmed his agitated emotions and said to Consort De, "Mother, even if you didn't say anything, I wouldn't do anything to him. If he obediently accepts Father's arrangements, I will never do anything to him. However, if he dares to disregard the safety of the Qing Dynasty for his own selfish reasons, then don't blame me for not showing brotherly affection."

After saying this, the Fourth Prince bowed to Consort De and then withdrew.

Meanwhile, Consort Yi was leaving Kangxi's bedroom, her eyes red, as if she had just been crying. She looked tired and listless, and was helped by a palace maid to another side room to rest.

The Fourth Prince glanced at the dark sky outside. It seemed even the heavens knew the Qing Emperor was about to pass away, hence the persistent lack of clear weather. While speaking with Consort De, the Fourth Prince himself was deeply grieved. However, neither Consort De's pain nor the Fourth Prince's pain could undo the pure kindness that once existed between mother and son.

"Father!" Hongli walked to the Fourth Prince's side. "Mother is still worried. How can her son go out?"

"Did your mother send you?" Fourth Prince turned around and asked Hongli.

“Yes, Mother said Father was summoned and left in a hurry without sending a message back, so she was worried about Father and sent her son to come and see him. Mother also said she was worried about Grandfather, and I didn’t expect it to be true…” Hongli said, his eyes filled with sadness and bewilderment.

Emperor Kangxi was not only a father and a grandfather, but also the Son of Heaven, beloved by all. Now that the Son of Heaven is about to pass away, the people of the world feel lost and helpless. The Fourth Prince is no exception. Although he knows he is capable of supporting a country, his reverence and reliance on Kangxi still makes him feel like a child about to lose his father.

"Father, what did the Imperial Ancestral Master say to you?" Hongli asked.

"It's nothing!" That was all Fourth Master could say.

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