After the morning court session, the Fourth Prince returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation from the Qianqing Palace and began reviewing memorials. Su Peisheng served him tea, and Yongzheng took a sip of tea while holding a vermilion brush and making corrections on the memorials.

The room was quiet; the only sound was the scratching of the red brush on the memorial.

Su Peisheng suddenly entered from outside and said, "Your Majesty, the Seventeenth Prince requests an audience."

Fourth Master didn't look up, nor did he stop writing. He said in a gentle tone, "Seventeenth Brother, call him in."

Su Peisheng hurriedly went out and called Yunli in.

Yunli strode forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Fourth Prince then put down his pen, looked up at Yunli, and a hint of relief appeared in his eyes. "Seventeenth Prince, get up!"

Yunli stood up. He was still young, but he did not look old in his loose official robes. He had a dignified air about him and the noble air of a royal family was natural.

Of all the princes now, the Fourth Prince trusts the Thirteenth Prince and Yunli the most, and has even issued an edict to place the Imperial Guards of the capital under Yunli's command.

"I have heard from my ministers that since you took command of the Imperial Guards, the security of the capital has been excellent, and I am very pleased." The Fourth Prince leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and at ease.

The Fourth Prince respectfully replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. It is Your Majesty who does not look down on me and entrusts me with such an important responsibility. I will certainly do my best to fulfill my duties."

Yongzheng nodded, a slight smile on his face.

However, Yunli could not laugh. He looked at the Fourth Prince's expression and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report. I just received a report from the servants in Changping District who are in charge of the Fourteenth Prince. The Fourteenth Prince... has disappeared."

The Fourth Master instantly wiped the smile from his face, staring at him expressionlessly. His voice was low and menacing, as if a storm was brewing, "Disappeared? What do you mean, 'disappeared'?"

Yunli said, "The guards who were watching over Fourteenth Brother noticed yesterday that he hadn't left the room all day. They became suspicious and went in to check. When they arrived, they found that he was no longer in his room."

Fourth Master was taken aback, his face turning ashen. Yunli, who knew his temperament well, remained calm and composed, not daring to overstep his bounds in any way.

Fourth Master then asked, "What about the others?"

Yunli reported the truth: "The Fourteenth Prince's wife, the other concubines, and the Fourteenth Prince's children are all still there."

Fourth Master frowned, on the verge of a fit of rage. He suddenly clenched his fist into a fist, his hand on his lap tightening. "Did you search the courtyard thoroughly?"

"Before I arrived, the guards watching over the Fourteenth Brother had already searched the entire villa, but they couldn't find him. This morning, as soon as I received the news, I rushed over immediately. I led my men to search again, but we still couldn't find any trace of the Fourteenth Brother."

"No trace of him found! Did he hide, or did he escape?" Fourth Master's tone suddenly rose, his loud voice echoing in the room.

Yunli hurriedly knelt down, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent, please forgive me!"

After a long silence, the Fourth Prince slowly spoke, "It was I who made the Fourteenth Prince live in the Changping Villa. He was disrespectful to me back then, which is why I had to resort to this measure. If he had behaved himself, I could have kept him safe, but he insisted on defying me!"

"He and I are not only brothers, but also ruler and subject. His escape shows that he has disobeyed the imperial decree and shown no respect for the emperor!"

As Yongzheng spoke, he raised his hand and slammed it on the table a few times. The ink and brush on the table trembled, as if striking Yunli's heart.