When the Crown Prince learned that Yinzhen's household had gained another legitimate son, he remained silent for a long time before going to the Crown Princess's courtyard and spending most of the day with her.

Tong Guining was already quite far along in her pregnancy, and after dealing with the Crown Prince for a short while, she became exhausted and fell asleep.

The Crown Prince didn't want to see Lady Li Jia, because lately she would only look at him with resentful eyes whenever he went there, which was really unpleasant. So, taking advantage of the good night, he carried a jar of wine and strolled around the Imperial Garden.

He was upset and didn't let his servants follow him; he just wandered around by himself.

There is a plum grove in the Imperial Garden, and it is now in full bloom. Under the moonlight, the Crown Prince drinks wine while gazing at the moon, expressing the bitterness in his heart.

The Emperor, for some reason, has developed a prejudice against him. Lately, aside from still being able to read memorials, he has almost completely stopped handling state affairs. He spends his days reading with his younger brothers and nephews, who are about the same age as his son, and has long since forgotten about saving face.

As the crown prince of a nation, Yinreng could only read some classic texts every day. The servants who served him were replaced one after another by his father for various reasons. Looking at the almost unfamiliar Yuqing Palace, Yinreng felt a deep sense of sorrow.

Father Emperor, are you going to depose your son?

Such questions linger in my mind almost every day, but I can't bring myself to ask them or talk about them with anyone.

The woman who claimed to be from the Niohuru clan said that he would be deposed as crown prince next year. That's ridiculous. Does she think he can be deposed a second time?

Confucius said, "I do not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits." We cannot completely disbelieve what this woman of unknown origin says, nor can we believe everything she says.

Having served as the crown prince for so many years, Yinreng was a confident man who wouldn't sit idly by and wait for his doom. Regardless of whether what that woman said was true or false, he had to be prepared for both possibilities.

Father Emperor, if you can't give me that position, then don't blame me for taking it by force.

Yinreng's thoughts were racing. He had already finished the whole jar of wine. Perhaps it was the wine that made him drunk, but he felt dizzy. He sat on the stone bench, supporting his head with his hands, his eyes slightly closed, his head spinning.

Yinreng felt as if he were walking on clouds, his feet light and airy. He smiled, feeling as if he had become an immortal.

Hey, is that a fairy in front of me?

Yinreng strained to open his eyes wide and saw a beautiful woman standing on tiptoe picking plum blossoms by the plum grove.

Hearing the noise, the woman turned around. Her unadorned face, set against the backdrop of pink plum blossoms, made her look like a fairy descended from heaven. Yinreng staggered over in the moonlight, muttering, "Fairy sister?"

The woman recognized the person in front of her and immediately tried to avoid him. As the emperor's concubine, she was required to keep her distance from the princes. If the two of them were seen alone at this time and place, she would definitely not survive.

The woman was filled with remorse. Why couldn't she sleep tonight? She had to come out to pick plum blossoms and collect dew. To make matters worse, her maid had an upset stomach today. On a whim, she ran out on her own. Who knew that she would run into the Crown Prince so late at night!

Yinreng opened his arms and pulled the woman into his embrace. He wondered if he was dreaming, dreaming of a fairyland where there was such a beautiful fairy sister.

If that's the case, then we must indulge ourselves properly.

The woman's screams were the best aphrodisiac, and her resistance was seen by Yinreng as a flirtatious act of feigned reluctance. Men are naturally stronger than women, and with the help of alcohol, Yinreng finally won the beauty's heart.

Amidst the fragrant plum blossoms and the icy snow, the warmth of their embrace remained undiminished. Satisfied, Yinreng held onto the fairy from his dream, refusing to let go, and fell asleep with his eyes closed.

He was woken up by the cold; the ground beneath him was cold, and his arms were cold too.

With a splitting headache, Yinreng opened his eyes to find himself holding a woman in his arms. Everything that had happened last night flashed through his mind, and he frowned, wondering how to explain it to his father, the Emperor.

All the women in the palace, whether they were imperial concubines or palace maids, were the emperor's women. He did not bestow any favors upon them, and even the crown prince could not lay a finger on them.

"This must be a palace maid from the Plum Garden," Yinreng pushed her away, straightened his clothes, and suddenly felt something was wrong.

First, the woman's clothes didn't resemble those of an ordinary palace maid; they seemed more like those of a mistress. Secondly, the woman didn't move even after being pushed away; even if she was sound asleep, she should have woken up by now.

Yinreng leaned over and turned the woman over, revealing a pale, ashen face. His heart skipped a beat. He reached out to check her mouth and nose, but she was no longer breathing.

Thinking about how he had slept with a corpse all night, Yinreng couldn't help but gag. Since he hadn't eaten breakfast, he vomited some acid, which finally made him feel a little better.

The commotion was so loud that it attracted the attention of the palace maids and eunuchs who came to clean up early in the morning. They couldn't help but scream when they saw such a shocking scene, completely breaking the silence of the Forbidden City in the morning.

******

Yinreng has not changed his clothes or eaten breakfast, and has been kneeling in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation for three or four hours now.

Liang Jiugong had watched Yinreng grow up by the Emperor's side since he was a child, and he was not without feelings for him. However, this time, he did not dare to send him water or pastries.

The Crown Prince is too muddle-headed. He can't stand any woman he doesn't want. Even if he sleeps with a palace maid, that's one thing, but how could he go after the Emperor's woman?

That woman was a Han Chinese woman with no good family background, but she was born with a beautiful face. The emperor liked her gentleness and kept her like a pet. It was a time when she was receiving some favor from the emperor.

It was Liang Jiugong who went to collect the body. The woman had not been treated gently last night; her body was covered in bruises. The cause of death was suicide by biting her tongue. It must have been that she knew she was going to die soon afterward and chose to end her life.

When Emperor Kangxi returned from court, he calmly reviewed the memorials.

The eunuch grinding the ink was a little slow. Kangxi glanced at him, a sweeping look devoid of any emotion, which made the eunuch's hand tremble and make a sound.

Liang Jiugong glanced at the Emperor and immediately ordered the little eunuch to be dragged away, taking his place himself.

"Is that rebellious son still kneeling outside?" Kangxi asked.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has not eaten or drunk anything, and this servant thinks he is about to collapse," Liang Jiugong replied cautiously.

"Let him in here." Kangxi slammed the memorial on the table, trying to calm his anger.

Upon hearing his father's summons, Yinreng limped inside, saying, "Your subject pays his respects to Your Majesty. Your subject is unforgivable. Your Majesty, your subject truly doesn't know if yesterday was a dream!"

Yinreng was filled with fear. That woman was nothing more than a plaything to his father, but she was not someone he, as her son, could touch. He had really drunk too much and thought he was in a dream, which is why he did whatever he wanted.

"Dreaming?! What else did you dream about? Did you already sit on my throne?!" Kangxi said coldly, breathing heavily, looking at the Crown Prince as if he were an enemy.

"Father, I really didn't mean it. Please believe me." Yinreng said, tears streaming down his face, his voice filled with anguish.

Kangxi looked at the Crown Prince's demeanor, but was unmoved: "I will not punish you for this, nor will I have to cover for you. Do you want to announce to the world that the Crown Prince is a lewd person?!"

"Go back and reflect on your actions!"