Chapter 185 People’s hearts are finally in turmoil...

finally……

She looked stunned. She had known this day would come since the crown prince was deposed, but because she didn't know the exact time, she had been a little nervous all these years, fearing that she would cause the matter to change and implicate Yinzhen.

Now that the sword of Damocles hanging over her head has finally fallen, and Yinzhen and her four children are still staying in isolation, her first reaction is actually relief.

Before she could feel relieved, she heard a muffled groan from beside her. She turned her head and saw Thirteenth Lady holding her stomach with a pale face.

"What's wrong with you!" Qi Buchen was startled and hurried over to support the man. He was about to shout for the servants outside to call the imperial physician.

The Thirteenth Lady seemed to know what she was about to do. She grabbed her hand and said with difficulty, "Fourth Sister-in-law, don't..."

Qi Buchen frowned. "What else? Never mind. I'll get someone to call the imperial physician first."

"Don't go..." The Thirteenth Lady gripped her hand even tighter, "Don't go... You can't go at this time..."

After saying that, she looked at Yin'e, who had stood up worriedly, and asked, "Tenth Brother, did the Emperor... did he... did he... say anything about my grandfather..."

The Tenth Lady said angrily, "You're still worrying about these things at this time. You should take care of your stomach first."

The Thirteenth Lady seemed not to hear and looked at Yin'e stubbornly.

Yin'e looked slightly puzzled. "Thirteenth brother? The Emperor didn't mention the Thirteenth brother. Why are you asking?"

Qi Buchen was probably the only one at the scene who understood what Mrs. Thirteen was worried about. He reassured her, "You heard me. Thirteen is fine. He's staying in isolation. Don't worry, he's not involved."

The Thirteenth Lady then took a deep breath and collapsed into the armchair like someone who had come back to life after drowning.

Qi Buchen supported her with all his strength and said, "In your current condition, even if you don't call the imperial physician, you should at least call a doctor. Otherwise, if something happens, how will I explain it to Thirteen when he comes back?" He added, "Don't worry, I'll ask someone to find a doctor I know and make sure it won't disturb anyone."

The Thirteenth Lady nodded with difficulty.

After everything was arranged, Yin'e said goodbye: "Fourth sister-in-law, I have to go back to see my wife. Fu Jin, you stay here and help take care of Thirteenth Fu Jin."

After Yin'e left, Qi Buchen asked the Tenth Concubine to look after the Thirteenth Concubine first, and she called Lin Changqing and told him to meet Yinzhen and Yinxiang in person to inform them of what had happened.

Lin Changqing returned before curfew. Qi Buchen summoned him for a private talk for half an hour before he went to see the eagerly awaited Thirteenth Lady and comforted her.

The next day was the first day of October.

This day will surely be recorded in history.

Kangxi issued an imperial edict in red ink to the court: "Since his reinstatement, Crown Prince Yinreng has shown no regard for his past, shows no repentance, and is even more perverse and violent than before. How can such a man be entrusted with the affairs of state? ... I now depose him and will never reinstate him again."

Of course, the above is just Qi Buchen’s own summary after reading the imperial edict. Kangxi’s original text is more heartfelt, and the image of an old father who was heartbroken by his rebellious son is vividly portrayed on the paper.

What Qi Buchen did not expect was that the court, which he had thought would be in uproar, was actually calm. There were certainly undercurrents, but almost no one spoke for the prince openly. Although some ministers submitted memorials to persuade Kangxi to think twice, they were all empty talk, and no one made a decisive appeal in court.

The dethronement of the Crown Prince was like the wind blowing across the lake, leaving no trace at all. Compared to this matter, the former court and the harem seemed to be more interested in the Empress Dowager's birthday.

On the fifth day after the second dethronement of the crown prince, Qi Buchen stood at the gate of Ningshou Palace, looking at the crowd of people surrounded by flowers. It was as if he was watching a pantomime again, with a sense of unrealistic comedy.

"Fourth sister-in-law, why don't you go in?"

Qi Buchen turned around and saw that it was the Third Lady. He smiled slightly and said, "Look at the stone lions at the door. They are interesting."

It was clearly a perfunctory gesture, but the Third Lady didn't respond with sarcasm as usual. Instead, she glanced at him and said casually, "Yes, it is." She then smiled slightly and said, "Let's go in together. Don't keep the Empress Dowager waiting."

Qi Buchen raised his eyebrows slightly, did not object, and silently followed the Third Lady inside.

"How are the vaccinations going for the ones in your family?" asked the Third Lady casually.

Qi Buchen calmly replied, "It's not bad. It's starting to scab over. It should be gone in a month or so."

The Third Lady said somewhat dejectedly, "How lucky." If her Hongqing hadn't given birth so early, they would have been married by now.

Qi Buchen was keenly aware of her emotions, but did not say anything. The two of them walked into the hall in silence, and the sisters-in-law who had arrived earlier stood up and greeted them.

Now the First Wife is imprisoned outside the palace with Yinzhen, and the Crown Princess... Oh, no, the Second Wife has also been sent to Xian'an Palace to be imprisoned with the Crown Prince. Among the princes' wives, the Third Wife and Qi Buchen are the oldest, highest-ranking, and most experienced.

After the greetings, Qi Buchen was about to ask about the Thirteenth Lady's situation, but found that the Third Lady did not sit in her seat, but walked with her.

As if she noticed Qi Buchen's gaze, the Third Lady smiled and said, "I heard that the Thirteenth Lady is pregnant, but I haven't congratulated her yet."

Qi Buchen glanced at her and said, "It's not even three months yet, so she didn't tell anyone."

So, how did you know this?

The Third Lady maintained her smile and agreed, "A prudent move."

Qi Buchen lowered his eyelashes and did not ask any further questions. After the two of them left, the Third Lady behaved normally, not overly enthusiastic, and only offered a few words of congratulations.

After the two of them sat back in their seats, the Third Lady started chatting with the Fifth Lady, and she didn't act at all unusual.

But this is the biggest anomaly. Although the Third Lady is not arrogant or rude, she has a condescending attitude. Except for the Crown Princess, she doesn't take the other princes' wives seriously. Although she doesn't express ridicule openly, she will never be as friendly and polite as she is today.

For example, the First Concubine, because she was the second wife who was married later, although the Third Concubine observed all the etiquette in her daily life, she never showed respect to her eldest sister-in-law; and Qi Buchen, the two of them had been at odds for a long time, and the Third Concubine would hardly talk to her on her own initiative except for being sarcastic, let alone chatting about family matters; and the Fifth Concubine, the Third Concubine had always looked down on her dough-like temperament, and was bullied by Yinqi's backyard. In the past, even when she spoke to her, she would not smile as warmly as she does now.

Qi Buchen glanced at everyone in the room calmly. While the Eighth Concubine was talking to the Seventh and Ninth Concubine, she did not forget the Tenth Concubine next to her. However, the Tenth Concubine looked uninterested and only agreed occasionally without joining them.

Later, Fourteenth Concubine was also talking to Thirteenth Concubine, but not only did the listener look absent-minded, but she herself also glanced at Eighth Concubine's group from time to time, and it was obvious that her mind had already flown away to who knows where.

In the whole audience, only Qi Buchen and the twelfth concubine sat alone.

Qi Buchen lowered his eyelashes, gently blew the tea leaves floating in the tea bowl, took a sip carefully, and the slightly bitter taste filled his mouth and gradually turned into sweet fragrance.

The crown prince was deposed, and people are in turmoil...

"The Emperor has arrived!"

The sound of whips could be heard from afar. Qi Buchen and the others quickly stood up, adjusted their clothes, and then filed out. They stood in designated positions and knelt on the ground when Kangxi approached. "Welcome to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Stand up."

Kangxi did not stop, leaving behind the princes and ministers who followed him and entered the hall alone.

After a while, he came out again, holding the empress dowager in his hand. The palace servants who had been prepared quickly arranged chairs on the steps in front of the Ningshou Palace Hall, and Kangxi personally helped the empress dowager sit down.

Afterwards, he descended the steps, stood before the ministers, and said, "Your son respectfully wishes the Empress Dowager a long life!"

"We congratulate the Empress Dowager on her birthday!" The ministers' voices shook.

"Grandson wishes the Empress Dowager a happy birthday!" The princes knelt behind Kangxi.

"The granddaughter-in-law wishes the Empress Dowager a happy birthday!" Qi Buchen praised.

After the birthday celebrations were over, the Queen Mother finally spoke: "People's lives are difficult these days, and I sympathize with them. Your Majesty, there is no need to hold a banquet today."

"As ordered by the Emperor."

"The Queen Mother is merciful."

In fact, the decision to stop the banquet had been made long ago. It was just a formality. After this formality was over, today's birthday celebration would be over. Except for Kangxi who stayed, everyone else would go back to where they came from.

Qi Buchen stood where she was, watching the ministers and princes retreat from afar, but she found a figure in the crowd that made her a little surprised and confused.

"Hongxi..."

Shortly after leaving the palace, several people gathered at the Eighth Prince's residence.

"My dear brother, what's going on with Hongxi?" Fourteen asked impatiently before he even sat down.

Yinzhen glanced at him, sat down and said nothing.

Yinsi also had his doubts in his heart, but he kept a straight face: "Isn't Hongyu here? The emperor loves his grandchildren, so it's not a big deal."

Fourteen was not satisfied with this answer: "Can he be the same as Hongyu?"

Yinzhen was imprisoned because of the nightmare of the crown prince. At that time, his eldest brother had only one grown-up son, Hongyu, so it was understandable that the emperor had pity on him. But what about Hongxi? Could his situation be the same as Hongyu? To put it bluntly, in the early years, when the crown prince's position was still stable, although it was not explicitly stated, Hongxi was trained as the crown prince's grandson! Although Hongxi was later implicated and married to a Mongolian wife because the crown prince was deposed, after the crown prince was reinstated, it was well known that the emperor valued Hongxi. And his wife, you can say she was from Mongolia, but it is not an exaggeration to say she was a member of the royal family, so the impact was not as great as one might think.

Therefore, even though the crown prince has been deposed, the emperor still keeps Hongxi by his side. It is hard to say what he is thinking. After all, passing the throne to a grandson instead of a son is not unprecedented in history!

"Myna, don't play dumb with me. In this situation, don't you really have any ideas?" Fourteen's tone was not very good, and he muttered, "Don't let a brat get the upper hand in the end."

Yinsi frowned and scolded: "Fourteenth brother, be careful with your words."

He glanced at Yinzhen, but Yinzhen just sat there calmly, as if he didn't hear their conversation.

Yinsi felt a slight surge of dissatisfaction, but he suppressed it and said in a gentle tone, "Now, during this precarious time, as princes, our most important task is to assist the Emperor in stabilizing the court and appeasing the people. As for those minor details, there's no need to worry about them. No matter what, everything must be based on the Emperor's will. Thunder, lightning, rain, and dew are all grace from the Emperor."

At the end, his tone held a hint of warning.

Fourteen curled his lips slightly, but his face remained honest: "I know."

Seeing that he had surrendered, Yinsi stopped talking and turned to Yin'er, who had been silent the whole time: "Ninth brother, how are you doing?"

Yinzhen put down his teacup and said thoughtfully, "Recently, my followers have received many requests in secret, most of which are to distance themselves from the matter, but there is one person who seems to be quite interesting."

"who?"

"Wu Cunli, the prefect of Yangzhou."