He Xue followed the Crown Prince and the others out. They didn't go anywhere else, but waited outside.

He Xue sat down directly on the steps, and the Fourth Prince, seeing this, also sat down next to her.

When the Crown Prince saw that He Xue and the Fourth Prince had both sat down, he didn't stand on ceremony and sat on the other side of He Xue.

Looking at the three people sitting in a row, He Zhu really didn't know what to say. Why was His Highness the Crown Prince sitting on the steps? If others saw this, what would become of His Highness's dignity?

However, he wisely kept quiet. She knew it would be pointless for him to speak, so she simply shut up.

"Fourth Brother, Aunt will handle it!" He Xue said, looking at the Fourth Prince with his head down.

"Yes!" the Fourth Prince responded.

He Xue rested her head on the Fourth Prince's shoulder. "Fourth Brother, we will all be by your side. You need to know that you are not alone. You still have all of us!"

The Fourth Prince looked up at He Xue, "Fourth Brother knows!"

He Xue didn't say anything either, just leaned against the Fourth Prince and stayed by his side.

The Crown Prince looked at He Xue leaning on the Fourth Prince's shoulder and found it a bit of an eyesore, so he reached out and lifted He Xue's head off the Fourth Prince's shoulder.

He Xue was confused by the Crown Prince's action. She looked at him in bewilderment, wondering what he was doing.

The Fourth Prince had no idea what the Crown Prince was up to.

The Crown Prince said awkwardly, "He Xue, Fourth Brother is in a bad mood. Let him be by himself for a while!"

"Is she feeling sorry for Fourth Prince? She's only leaning on him for a bit, it shouldn't hurt him!" He Xue wondered to herself. She had read a novel before where the Fourth Prince was raised by the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince gradually developed different feelings for him. No wonder some unofficial histories say that the Crown Prince was fond of men! Could this be what they call a "raising a boyfriend" relationship?

She had previously observed the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, but hadn't noticed anything. If that were really the case, she probably wouldn't be able to look the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince in the eye again!

The Crown Prince felt a little uneasy under He Xue's gaze. He Xue's eyes seemed to hold a hint of excitement and elation. What was going on?

"He Xue, if you're tired, you can lean on your brother's shoulder!" the Crown Prince said.

"No, no need!" He Xue quickly refused; she didn't want to be passed around like that anymore.

When the Crown Prince saw that He Xue refused, he assumed it was because of what happened last time. He thought he would definitely explain things to He Xue once his fourth brother's matter was resolved.

Because of He Xue's idea, the Crown Prince's pursuit of his wife became even more complicated.

"Fourth Brother, do you want to know what they said inside?" He Xue asked, pointing to the door behind her.

Although the Fourth Prince really wanted to shake his head, he was also very curious to know what Consort Tongjia and the others would say. After struggling for a moment, he finally said truthfully, "Yes!"

"Fourth Brother, let's go eavesdrop!" He Xue said eagerly.

"This isn't right! Mother specifically asked us to come out because she doesn't want us to listen!" The Fourth Prince felt that he was still a good child who listened to his mother.

"Fourth Brother, I'm just worried about Auntie. I'm afraid she'll be bullied!" He Xue said with a worried expression.

He Xue's words were like the last straw that broke the Fourth Prince's back, "Alright!"

He Xue looked at the Crown Prince, as if to ask if he wanted to join them.

The crown prince nodded without hesitation; of course, he would follow his wife's lead!

He Xue thoughtfully left space for the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, letting them sit together while she moved to the other side of the Fourth Prince.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince became even more certain that Xue was avoiding him, and he was extremely anxious.

After the Crown Prince and the others left, Consort Tongjia said directly, "Consort De, the reason I sent Yinzhen away was because I didn't want him to know that his birth mother could use him to exchange for a higher rank."

"I know that Yinzhen has always longed for your attention, but have you ever shown him any concern?"

"Your Highness, have you ever given me the opportunity to visit the Fourth Prince?" Consort De stopped pretending to be pitiful. Anyway, there were only two possible outcomes today: either the Fourth Prince would be taken back, or he would stay with Tong Jia Qing Wan for good.

"Back then, you knelt before me with your pregnant belly and said that no matter whether the child in your womb was a boy or a girl, it would be my child after it was born, and you would have no relationship with it!"

After you gave birth to Yinzhen, I said I would wait until Yinzhen was a month old before bringing him to Chengqian Palace, but you did not hesitate to let me take Yinzhen away that very day.

Do you still remember what you said to me back then? You hoped to exchange this child for your rank, so that your ten months of pregnancy wouldn't have been in vain, and it would also be considered a way to buy out the bond between you as mother and child!

Although I brought Yinzhen back to Chengqian Palace, I never prevented you and your son from seeing each other.

Didn't I tell you that you could come to see Yinzhen anytime, after all, you are his birth mother?

"Do you dare say to the Emperor's face that I never said such a thing?"

Faced with Consort Tongjia's aggressive questioning, Consort De stiffly replied, "Your Highness, you have said so!"

Kangxi did not speak; he simply watched from the side. He had never imagined that his cousin had asked for a higher rank for Consort De because of this. He had even thought that Consort De was like his mother, who had no choice but to give away her child for the sake of the child's future.

Now it seems that Consort De gave away the child for her own future, but she was doing it for her own future. He was really disappointed in her. Today he wanted to see how many secrets Consort De still had that he didn't know!