Prince Zhuang, Yunlu, was the sixteenth prince of Emperor Kangxi. He originally held considerable power in the Ministry of Revenue, but after Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he revoked Yunlu's authority in the Ministry of Revenue on the grounds of Yunlu's advanced age and replaced him with Hongzhou.

Emperor Qianlong's move was clearly a deliberate attempt to suppress these royal relatives and nobles. Prince Zhuang was resentful, and Hongxi seized the opportunity to win him over, and the two grew closer.

Previously, Hongxi had been eager to make a move, but Prince Zhuang advised him to wait and wait for the perfect opportunity.

This time, Hongxi proposed to take action again, and Prince Zhuang finally nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this news, Hongchang, who was also in the secret room, was overjoyed.

He had always disliked Emperor Yongzheng and his son. Yongzheng gave his younger brothers the titles of Prince and Prince of the Second Rank, while he, the eldest son, was only a Beile. He couldn't help but feel resentful.

He was always thinking about overthrowing Hongli's regime and putting Hongxi on the throne. Hongxi had long promised him that if he could successfully ascend the throne, he would be made a prince.

Hongchang has been waiting for this day for a long time, but Hongxi was too cautious and had not made a move. Now that he is finally ready to make a move, Hongchang can't wait any longer!

With his knuckles tapping idly on the table, Hongxi gave a prior warning: "This matter is of utmost importance. Once you embark on this path, you will either be adorned in imperial robes and enjoy glory for your entire family, or you will suffer a complete defeat and meet again on the road to the Yellow Springs."

Have you all thought it through? Ahead lies a narrow bridge; those who do not wish to cross it are free to withdraw now. I will not force anyone.

That's easy to say. If someone were to back down now, they probably wouldn't even be able to leave this secret room.

However, Hongchang had no intention of backing down. He said nonchalantly, "Life and death are predestined, and wealth and honor are determined by fate. It's a rare opportunity to come into this world, so it would be a pity not to take a chance! No matter the outcome, I am willing to follow Your Highness and will never regret it!"

"Your fates are all in my hands. I am under immense pressure and would never dare to gamble with your lives."

"I have been preparing for this for many years. The martial arts figures and secret guards are all in position. I hope this time we can strike decisively and bring Hongli down!"

At this point, Hongxi looked at Prince Zhuang and said, "However, the palace gates are not so easy to break through. We still need to rely on my uncle to clear the way inside the palace."

The Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard was a man of Prince Zhuang, and Hongxi was drawn to this fact, which is why he tried to win over Prince Zhuang.

After a moment of silence, Prince Zhuang solemnly replied, "Very well, leave the affairs of the palace to me. I will certainly cooperate with you."

Prince Zhuang was a man of his word and very trustworthy, so Hongxi was very reassured that he had his promise.

He had been keeping a low profile for so many years, biding his time, all for this moment.

Without further hesitation, Hongxi resolved to rebel at the next palace banquet!

He had planned his scheme flawlessly, but unexpectedly, at this moment, someone impeached Prince Li Hongxi, saying that he had treacherous intentions, had arbitrarily imitated the national system, and had privately established accounting and ceremonial departments, and requested that Prince Li be removed from office.

This was unexpected by Hongli. He had planned to wait for the palace banquet, pretend to fall into the trap, and then take advantage of Hongxi's rebellion to wipe them out in one fell swoop. However, Ortai suddenly reported this matter in the court!

Ortai meant well, but his good intentions ruined Hongli's plans. All the ministers heard about it, and Hongli had no choice but to investigate and change his strategy.

He first ordered Hongxi to be taken to the Imperial Clan Court for questioning, and then sent Prince He, Hongzhou, along with officials from the Ministry of Justice and two Grand Councilors to investigate the matter.

Prior to this, the Sticky Rod Office had been secretly investigating Hongxi for many years. Hongli had already planted spies around Hongxi and knew the location of his secret room.

However, he could not say it outright. He pretended to send people to search for several days before finally pinpointing the location of the secret room and conducting a thorough search. They not only found some secret letters, but also a dragon robe in the secret room!

When the dragon robe was thrown in front of Hongxi, Hongxi cried out that he was wronged, saying that it was just an ordinary secret room for storing treasures, and that he had not hidden the dragon robe. He was sure that the emperor was framing him!

No matter how he tried to explain, it was useless. Hongli directly convicted him, saying that he had flattered Prince Zhuang, had close ties with Hongchang, Hongsheng and others, and harbored treacherous intentions.

Hongchang and Hongsheng refused to plead guilty, insisting that they had little contact with Hongxi.

Hongxi thought that as long as they didn't admit it, Qianlong wouldn't be able to convict him.

But to his utter surprise, Prince Zhuang confessed everything during interrogation and implicated him!

This Prince Zhuang clearly hates Hongli, so why did he compromise with Hongli at the crucial moment?

Hongxi secretly regretted that he had misjudged him. He thought that Prince Zhuang would support him wholeheartedly, but he never expected that Prince Zhuang would be such a coward who was afraid of death!

What Hongxi didn't know was that Prince Zhuang was Hongli's spy planted next to him.

After Hongli ascended the throne, he deliberately distanced himself from Prince Zhuang. Prince Zhuang showed dissatisfaction with Hongli, but this was all an act for Hongxi to see, so that Hongxi would see hope and then win over Prince Zhuang.

Prince Zhuang initially refused sternly, but then pretended to be moved by his sincerity. It took several years before he finally won Hongxi's true trust.

Hongxi told Prince Zhuang all his plans, and while Prince Zhuang outwardly shared his hatred for the enemy, he secretly informed Hongli of every detail.

Hongli was aware of everything, including Hongxi's plan to rebel at the palace banquet.

Unfortunately, before Hongxi could rebel, an accident occurred.

Fortunately, the dragon robe was found in the secret room, along with other corroborating evidence. Hongli could still convict Hongxi, but how to convict him, and whether to impose a lighter or heavier sentence, was the question.

The recent thorough investigation into Hongxi's case has left Hongli exhausted, and he has spent far less time with Yushan.

Yu Shan knew he was busy with important matters, so she didn't mind. Even if he didn't come, she would still cook soup and send it to him.

That afternoon, Su Yushan cooked soup again and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, only to find Hongli with his brows furrowed, as if he were pondering something.

Su Yushan took the initiative to come behind him and massage him to help him relax for a while.

Hongli's head was throbbing with pain. She massaged him with just the right amount of pressure, and after about fifteen minutes, he felt a little better. He raised his hand and took hers, letting her rest.

Her soft body leaned slightly forward, resting on his shoulder, her slender, white arms draped casually over his shoulder, as she spoke softly.

"If Your Majesty has any worries, please feel free to speak them to me. Perhaps I can offer some guidance?"

As it happened, Hongli did indeed encounter a problem, so he told her about the current situation and then asked her...

"How do you think I should deal with Hongxi? Death or punishment?"