The eldest prince, Honghui, passed away on the 23rd day of the ninth lunar month in the 43rd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

When the message reached the Fourth Prince, they were leaving Baoding Prefecture and heading towards the capital. The letter was personally delivered to Emperor Kangxi by the emperor's secret agents, who then summoned the Fourth Prince and had Liang Jiugong present the paper to him.

Fourth Master stared at the few words written on the narrow strip of paper, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his brows furrowed tightly.

For a moment, even Emperor Kangxi couldn't bear to urge the Fourth Prince, and the entire procession stopped in place until the Fourth Prince came to his senses.

"Go ahead, I'll let these few guards escort me back to the capital. You take your family and go back first." Although Kangxi didn't act like the Fourth Prince, Honghui was still his grandson and the Fourth Prince's eldest son. Seeing the Fourth Prince in that state, he felt sorry for him.

"Father is all alone outside, how dare I return to the capital alone!" The Fourth Prince suppressed his great fear and forced out these words through his clenched teeth.

"Go with peace of mind. I'm keeping a low profile, so no one will recognize me. Besides, my spies are all around, so there won't be any problems." Kangxi felt a warm current flowing through his heart. Seeing that the Fourth Prince was still putting him first at this moment, he was satisfied as both an emperor and a father.

The Fourth Prince bit his lip, as if struggling intensely with his emotions. When he first saw the note, he had a fleeting hope that it was just a joke, that Honghui hadn't left and was still alive and well. But as time passed, that hope faded. Reality forced him to bravely overcome his immense grief. Protecting Kangxi's safe arrival in the capital was his duty as a subject and a son. When Kangxi told him to return first, the Fourth Prince received a gesture of fatherly affection from Kangxi.

"Then, I'll take my leave now." The Fourth Prince patted his sleeves and gave Kangxi a deep bow.

Meanwhile, Lanqin and Yanyu had already been informed that they should immediately prepare to return to the capital with the Fourth Master.

"What happened?" Nianxue couldn't help but ask.

The maids and Lanqin sat in the same carriage, while Li Shubao rode outside with the men.

"I don't know, they seem to be in a hurry!" Xi Cha interjected.

Lanqin simply lifted the carriage door and looked out. She saw that the Fourth Prince was riding a horse from the direction of Kangxi. His face was as cold as frost in the dead of winter, so cold that it seemed as if one would thaw it if one looked at him.

When Lanqin thought that the Fourth Master was going to tell her what had happened, he unexpectedly rode his horse past Lanqin's carriage, seemingly without even seeing her.

"You all stay put, something important must have happened. Otherwise, the Fourth Prince wouldn't have left the Emperor to return to the capital first." Lanqin's expression also turned cold as she spoke to stop the maids' chatter.

Seeing that Lanqin's expression was not good, the maids dared not say anything more and each squatted in a corner of the carriage.

After waiting a while, the carriage noticeably increased its speed, and the entire carriage began to shake violently. The people inside had to cling tightly to the carriage shaft, otherwise they might have been thrown around inside.

"Princess, come here, you'll feel better leaning against my arms." Nianxue saw Lanqin swaying from side to side in the carriage, even though she herself might not be comfortable leaning against the corner of the carriage wall.

“Okay. Xicha and Ziran sit together, and Nianxue and I will sit here. It will be more comfortable this way.” Lanqin nodded and moved closer to Nianxue.