The Crown Prince and the Emperor enjoyed a brief honeymoon period. Upon learning that Honghui, that annoying brat, had once again been taken by Kangxi's side, Yinreng's gaze towards Hongzhao became somewhat subtle.

Father Emperor values ​​both legitimate and illegitimate children so much, so why does he still think of Honghui even after Hongzhao is born? The weight of a legitimate grandson is far less than he imagined.

Seeing that Yinreng's request was inappropriate, Tong Guining immediately had the wet nurse take Hongzhao away, saying, "Your Highness, Hongzhao should go do his homework."

Yinreng chuckled lightly: "What's there to be afraid of? Even a tiger won't eat its cubs. Everything I have will be inherited by Hongzhao. He's safe."

Tong Guining stiffened slightly when her thoughts were exposed: "I didn't mean that."

"Then don't let anyone secretly investigate my whereabouts," Yinreng warned. "If there is a next time, I won't hesitate to give Hongzhao a different birth mother."

"Your Majesty, I know my crime." Tong Guining hadn't expected that even though she was being careful, Yinreng would still find out. Her face turned pale as she begged for forgiveness.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince handled it gently. Tong Guining thought about the bits and pieces of information she had gathered during this period and made a preliminary guess about the Crown Prince's plan. This guess made her heart pound.

******

Hall of Mental Cultivation

When Honghui saw Kangxi, he was momentarily dazed. Was the person in front of him, who was afraid of the cold and had a face full of wrinkles, really the omnipotent Grandfather?

The daze lasted only a moment. Honghui suppressed all his thoughts and stood still in front of Kangxi: "Honghui greets the Imperial Grandfather."

Kangxi looked up and could only make out the blurry outline of the person in front of him. He stretched out his hand and said, "You've come."

Honghui moved two steps in the direction he was pointing, his nose tingling, and he blurted out unconsciously, "Grandfather, please take care of your health."

Kangxi was taken aback. He could feel Honghui's heartfelt concern and his heart warmed: "Grandfather will be able to watch Honghui marry and have children, and enjoy the joys of family life with his great-grandchildren. There is no need to worry about me."

Honghui poked at the stove, making the charcoal burn brighter: "Grandpa, you are like this, and so is Mother. We don't take care of our health. It's just a cold, but it cost us half our lives."

"Little Wolf exercises every day and almost never gets sick. Starting today, your grandson will accompany you for a walk after meals every day. Staying in the house all the time is not good for your health."

Kangxi listened attentively to Honghui's rambling without feeling annoyed.

Liang Jiugong breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the grandfather and grandson enjoying each other's company. This was a rare moment of peace in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he turned around and saw Prince Yu and Prince Yong escorting the Eighth Prince. He inwardly cursed his bad luck.

Yes, yesterday the Emperor granted the Eighth Prince's request for an audience, and today he bumped into Young Master Honghui. Could this be a coincidence?

When Liang Jiugong looked back at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he saw the same harmonious scene of grandfather and grandson, but he could no longer feel any warmth.

No sooner or later, Ninth Prince arrived. After Liang Jiugong finished reporting to Kangxi, Honghui got up to leave, but the Emperor stopped him, saying, "They are all family relatives. It's not some confidential matter. You've reached the age where you can listen to these kinds of things."

Honghui stood up and stood beside Kangxi, giving up the stage.

Yinzhi had been in prison for several days. Although Prince Yu did not make things difficult for him, the daily anxiety was enough to bother him. At this moment, he was kneeling on the ground with a stubble beard, a weathered face, and disheveled clothes.

Prince Yu spoke first: "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to interrogate the Eighth Prince twice, but he has refused to confess both times. I think there may be some hidden reason behind this, and the Eighth Prince also wants to explain it to you in person."

With tears streaming down his face, Yinzhi said, "Father, you have condemned me, and I dare not argue. But I absolutely do not admit that I was harming Your Majesty's health. Please, Father, investigate thoroughly."

"The so-called witnesses and physical evidence are said to be related to the son, but they are also inseparable from the Ninth Prince. Father Emperor, the Ninth Prince is willing to risk his life just to sow discord between us!"

Yinzhen sneered, "Father, Eighth Brother is cunning and eloquent, not to be trusted. I never imagined that it was Eighth Brother who stabbed me in the back. All that silver my brother sent to your mansion every year was wasted; it would have been better to throw it in the water and hear the splash!"

"Facts speak louder than words. The forbidden drug powder found in the Eighth Prince's residence is definitely not fake. If you say that Father Emperor's illness was not caused by you, why are you hoarding this at home?"

Yinzhi opened his mouth, unsure how to refute. Of course, there were no forbidden drugs in his residence. The smell of this stuff was very strong, and it was stored in a special place.

When Kangxi saw that Yinzhi had fallen silent, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Honghui, what do you think?"

"Replying to Grandfather, I believe the more important thing now is whether there is an antidote for this medicine. The royal family of the previous dynasty has many secrets, and perhaps such a prescription is recorded in some book. If Eighth Uncle can make amends, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?" Honghui thought for a moment and said, "This is just my humble opinion, Grandfather, please take it with a grain of salt."

Emperor Kangxi muttered two words: "Antidote".

Yes, everything in the universe has its counterpart; every poison has an antidote, and perhaps there really is a possibility of recovery.

This idea gave Kangxi a bright idea, and his tone softened considerably: "Eighth Prince, as long as you can produce the antidote, I will forgive you."

This time, Yinzhi was speechless, like someone swallowing a bitter pill. If there were an antidote for this stuff, would the previous dynasty have fallen so quickly? It's this stuff that corrupts people from the very core.

Yinzhi's face was ashen. He knew that if he could have saved himself before, now that there was no antidote, he was completely finished. His father would cling to this lifeline, and he couldn't imagine what he would go through then.

Yinzhen glared at Honghui and said, "Father, Mother has been talking about Honghui. Why don't we let him go and pay his respects to the Empress first, so he won't say anything nonsensical and make people laugh?"

"Prince Yong is quite the show-off. Teach your son a lesson and send him home." Kangxi glanced at Yinzhen with a half-smile, but in the end let Honghui go. "Go ahead. Consort De has indeed been talking about you. She says that now that you're grown up, you're not as caring as when you were a child. You can't see her for ten days or half a month at a time."

"Grandson takes his leave." Honghui breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes glazed by the sunlight as he left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Eighth Prince, I'm giving you three days. If you can't produce the antidote, then you'll have to taste this powder yourself." Kangxi's gaze turned fierce.

"Father, may I face Consort Huo and Manager Shen in person?" Yinzhi made a final attempt to persuade them.

Kangxi remained silent. Seeing this, Liang Jiugong spoke up: "Eighth Prince, Consort Huo, unable to bear the humiliation in the Imperial Prison, committed suicide by hitting her head against a pillar. Manager Shen, who had been subjected to castration, has also passed away."

Prince Yu's eyelids twitched when he heard about castration; even punishments had taken on a different meaning since the Emperor fell ill.

Yinzhi lowered his head and silently followed Prince Yu out of the palace: "Uncle, how is my mother?"

"Strip her of her title and demote her to the rank of Lady. Consort Liang has always been kind to others, so you won't worry about her situation." Prince Yu felt a pang of pity. He hadn't expected Honghui to be so ruthless and decisive, striking almost instantly and sealing the Eighth Prince's fate.

Regardless of whether he administered the drug or not, as long as there is no antidote, it will be a living hell.

Yinzhi gave a bitter smile and remained silent.