When Yinzhen saw the Crown Prince again, he felt somewhat unfamiliar with him.

The disheveled, seemingly insane man before me was a world apart from the refined, elegant, and handsome second brother I remembered.

"Second Brother." The decree to depose the Crown Prince was issued overnight. Yinzhen cupped his hands to Yinreng, who was sitting on the ground. "If there is anything inconvenient, I will satisfy you within the limits of what is permissible. Prince Yu will come to question you at dawn. Take this time to rest well."

Yinreng raised his head, looked at Yinzhen and laughed heartily: "Fourth brother, fourth brother, I'm convinced of you now."

"Putting everything else aside, your woman came to me offering herself up, and I was able to hold back without making a move. It's no wonder I lost to you."

"What are you saying, Second Brother? I don't understand," Yinzhen said without changing his expression.

“That madwoman from the Niohuru clan isn’t wrong either; Father Emperor did indeed depose me for the second time.” Yinreng looked at Yinzhen and smiled even more eerily. “She said Honghui should have died long ago. Tell me, is the Honghui who is still alive now a human or a demon?”

“You can’t believe the words of a madman, what do you think, Second Brother?” Yinzhen asked in return. “To be honest, it took me a long time to understand that you are really jealous of Honghui, after all, he is such a unique person in Father’s heart.”

"You're talking nonsense!" Yinreng's face contorted as if he had been hit where it hurt.

"Second Brother, there's no need to be so agitated. Honghui is a lucky man, blessed by Heaven. With Father Emperor protecting him and his younger brother watching over him, he is bound to have a bright future," Yinzhen said with a smile.

Yinreng laughed until tears streamed down his face as he looked at Yinzhen's confident demeanor: "I, the first rightful crown prince of the Qing Dynasty, have fallen to such a state. I'll wait and see how long you can maintain your filial piety. I'll wait for the day when Honghui is even worse off than me."

Yinzhen didn't want to waste any more words with Yinreng. He was just following orders to make sure he didn't die, so he turned and left.

He and Honghui would never fall into such a predicament, not only because they share a tacit understanding as father and son.

Also because Yi Hua was among them.

******

In the evening, Honghui returned to the Yongqin Prince's Mansion with Su Peisheng, but Yinzhen did not come back with him.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has kept the Master in the palace. This servant has come to fetch some clean clothes."

"Okay, Father-in-law, go rest for a bit. Ah Bao, bring him some snacks and milk tea. I'll get ready as soon as possible."

"Your Highness, please don't be impatient. This servant can wait a bit."

Yi Hua wanted to ask something but then stopped herself. If Yinzhen wanted her to know something, he would naturally instruct Su Peisheng to say it. Since he hadn't brought any information, there was no need to ask.

Su Peisheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the princess hadn't asked anything.

Honghui was sent back to take a shower by Yihua first. He was covered in sweat and had no idea what he had been through. Let the child relax first.

Yi Hua packed the clothes and then brought over a small porcelain bottle: "If you don't have enough clothes, come back and get more. This was pickled with plum blossoms a few days ago. It's the flavor that the prince likes. He might not be used to the food in the palace right now, so add a little bit to every meal."

“When the prince gets busy, he doesn’t care about anything else. Eunuch Su should often remind him to eat on time.”

"Yes, this servant will certainly convey the message." Su Peisheng didn't need anyone else; he simply slung the package over his shoulder and hurried away.

After Honghui finished washing up, he returned to Yihua's place, and the mother and son chatted quietly while having dinner.

"Mother, where are my younger brother and sister?"

“I’ll send them both to stay at Ulanara’s house for a while. It’s not good for them to be away from the manor all the time. Little Wolf’s studies can’t be interrupted. I’m not comfortable with him staying alone, so I’ll have Liu Liu go with him,” Yi Hua said, bowing her head.

"Alright." Honghui understood Yihua's meaning. She was worried about what had happened a few days ago and wanted to leave a way out for the two younger ones.

“Honghui, you are the eldest son, and it is your responsibility to go to the Yong Prince’s Mansion. Your mother secretly hopes that you will go as well, but it is not possible.” Yihua dared not look Honghui in the eye, for fear that he would misunderstand.

“Yes, son understands.” Honghui served food to Yihua. “Mother, you don’t need to explain. I’m determined to follow Father.”

"Your father would be overjoyed if he heard you say that," Yihua said with a smile.

"Mother, Second Uncle is dying."

"Yes, tell Mother what happened that night."

Honghui recounted his story in detail, while Yihua stared at Honghui's chest for a while: "Where did you get so much money?"

Honghui suddenly stammered, worried he might have let something slip: "It was given to me by Uncle Jiu."

Of course, it's better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me.

“…Uncle Ten, Uncle Thirteen, and Uncle Fourteen all gave their son quite a bit,” Honghui added.

"It's one thing for others, but your tenth uncle is so poor that he has to ask your ninth uncle for help, and you take his money too?"

“Anyway, Uncle Ten spends money recklessly, so it’s better for our son to save it.” Honghui disagreed with the Tenth Prince’s spending habits.

"I hope Your Majesty wasn't frightened."

“No, Mamah has the air of a great general.” Honghui said jokingly, “She even gave her son a dagger. Mother, look, it’s very sharp.”

Honghui clearly liked the dagger very much; he even carried it with him after changing his clothes.

"Keep it safe, don't let the little wolf find it."

"You must be tired too, go back and get a good night's sleep. You've been staying at the manor these past few days, watching Hongyun study. Everyone in the manor is in a state of panic these days, he's probably terrified too, try to comfort him," Yihua instructed.

"Don't worry, Mother," Honghui nodded in agreement.

******

The second day is for the bi-weekly greeting.

The main courtyard welcomed guests early in the morning, but Consort Li was the last to arrive.

When Yi Hua came out dressed, she noticed that the expressions of the other princesses were quite different from usual.

Madam Li spoke first: "My lady, I don't know what's happening in the palace. The prince hasn't returned for several days, and he won't let anyone leave the mansion. My family sent a letter saying they have something to discuss and want to come to me for advice."

“No,” Yi Hua said firmly. “We haven’t been corresponding lately either. The Prince hasn’t told me what he’s doing in the palace, but we can’t let him down.”

"After all, nothing is more important than the prince's affairs."

Li sat down dejectedly; she knew it was hopeless.

Upon seeing this, Lady Nian stood up and said, "Your Highness, my second brother has recently returned to the capital on business and wishes to see Your Highness. I wonder if Your Highness is available?"

"Your question is ridiculous. I don't know if the prince is free now while he is in the palace. Lord Nian can go to the palace to request an audience."

Lady Nian pursed her lips. Her second brother couldn't get a chance to see the prince, so he came to her for help.

Her second brother had always doted on her since childhood, and this was the first time he had asked her for help. She was determined to help him no matter what.

"Geng, you've lost so much weight lately." Yi Hua noticed Geng frowning.

"Your Highness, I caught a cold from being exposed to the cold air, cough cough cough." As soon as Madam Geng spoke, her face turned red from holding it in.

"Why didn't you say so sooner? If you keep putting it off, it will become a serious problem." Yi Hua thought for a moment, "Yu Xue, let the imperial physician take a look at Lady Geng."

"These are turbulent times. We must obey the prince's orders and keep a low profile. Of course, if anything happens, come and tell me. There's no need to hold back."

"That's enough for today, everyone can go home."

Yihua gave a nudge to the restless concubine to prevent Yinzhen from having trouble in the harem at this crucial moment.