Su Peisheng first described to Yinzhen the expressions and mannerisms of Honghui drinking "plum wine," which greatly pleased Yinzhen.

Seeing that his master was in a good mood, Su Peisheng handed over the note with both hands: "Princess Niohuru threatened to kill herself and handed you a note."

Niohuru clan? Yinzhen took it and unfolded it. There wasn't much inside, only two lines of text.

Do you want to be emperor? I can help you!

After reading the note, Yinzhen held it close to the candle and watched it turn to ashes: "Replace two female guards at the gate for Niohuru, and make sure no one sees this note along the way."

"Yes." Su Peisheng lowered his head, not daring to look at Yinzhen's expression. Just from his voice, one could tell that he was no longer as happy as before.

Yinzhen stared at the ash, thinking about Niohuru's previous lapses, and doubts arose in his heart. Without understanding the situation, Yinzhen did not intend to see Niohuru.

The longer she's confined, the more anxious she'll become, and the more clues she'll reveal. That's when I'll be able to seize her advantage.

She thought she could be led by the nose with a few seemingly plausible words; what a joke.

Do you want to be the emperor?

At this moment, Yinzhen was starting to miss the "plum wine" he had just sent away.

Before the incident involving Honghui riding a horse, Yinzhen considered himself a good younger brother, always following the Crown Prince's lead and being as obedient as possible to his second brother without going against his father's wishes.

But the crown prince was not satisfied. He wanted to completely submit to him and become a model for how brothers should treat each other.

He did not allow Honghui to receive the Emperor's favor, and even secretly encouraged Yihua's second pregnancy.

Yihua, Honghui, and Liuliu—the Crown Prince had hurt them directly or indirectly. Yinzhen knew he wasn't some kind of saint, and he didn't have a temper.

Of the older brothers, Prince Zhi is now at odds with the Crown Prince because of Consort Hui, and they are practically irreconcilable enemies. Prince Cheng is all talk and no action, and now he prefers to write books. He is sinister and cunning, and might shoot an arrow at any time, so we must be wary. As for the fifth prince, he is a truly indifferent observer who does nothing about anything.

As for the other brothers, the seventh prince was not a good-for-nothing and withdrew from the political arena early on, living a comfortable life behind closed doors. The eighth prince appeared to be attached to Prince Zhi, but in reality, he was shrewd and cunning, and might not remain subservient to anyone forever. As for the ninth and tenth princes, they seemed to be attached to him, but it was hard to say how much he could be trusted when it came to the struggle for the throne.

The position of Crown Prince seemed secure, but his brothers had long been eyeing it covetously. With this in mind, Yinzhen wrote a large character on the imperial edict.

Fight!

******

In the Imperial Study, Hongqing was showing Honghui her preparations for venturing into the martial world.

"Look, this is a hidden dart I made myself." Hong Qing said excitedly, raising her arm towards the shooting range. "With just a light press, the dart hits the bullseye. How about that? Aren't I amazing?"

Honghui looked at the crooked arrowhead and expressed doubt about the power of the arrow.

“And look at this, it’s just a simple bamboo, isn’t it?” Hong Qing took out a thin bamboo from her bosom. “Actually, there’s sleeping gas hidden inside. I just need to blow it gently, and everyone here will fall down.”

"Wait, wait, wait." Not wanting to listen to Hongqing's nonsense any longer, Honghui stopped him. "How did you get this sleeping gas?"

“I bought it from a wandering Taoist priest, and he was honest and reliable.” Hongqing gestured with a pained expression, “This little bit cost five taels of silver.”

You've definitely run into a scammer," Honghui thought with a headache. "You think you can make your way in the world like this?"

"Are you really sure?" Honghui asked again to confirm.

Hongqing patted his chest and said, "If this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will. Rather than staying in the manor and being disliked by my father, I'd rather learn from my thirteenth uncle and roam the world."

“Thirteenth Uncle went on a study tour, and he kept in touch with letters wherever he went.” Honghui rolled his eyes.

"Fine, do whatever you want." Honghui felt exhausted. "How about this: we've been brothers for a while now, and after today we may be worlds apart, never to see each other again. How about I see you off?"

Hong Qing's eyes lit up: "This is how brothers should act! How do you suggest we put it into practice?"

“Simple. I brought a pot of wine from home. Let’s each have a cup.” After saying that, Honghui pulled Hongqing back to the room. Seeing that no one was around and everyone was at the horse farm, he felt relieved.

Drinking from a large bowl aligned with Hongqing's yearning for the martial world, so he downed it in one gulp without noticing Honghui's somewhat apologetic look.

During the latter half of the archery lesson, Hongqing visited the latrine every ten minutes. At first, the archery instructor thought Hongqing was slacking off, but when he saw that his face had turned pale, he immediately sent him to Consort Rong's palace.

Consort Rong looked at her grandson with great distress: "Summon the imperial physician, what happened?"

The eunuch following Hongqing was about to suggest that Prince Honghui might have poisoned her, but Hongqing immediately stopped him, saying, "Mother, it was my son who ate something bad. I am an unfilial son."

"Stop talking, the imperial physician is coming soon, don't be afraid," Consort Rong coaxed Hongqing.

Because he had used the outhouse several times, Hongqing had accidentally gotten some filth on his body. Consort Rong instructed her maid to personally change him into the set of clothes that princes wore.

By the time Hongqing realized something was wrong after she took off her outer garment, it was too late.

"Hongqing, explain to me what you're wearing all over your body?" Consort Rong asked, pointing to the items Hongqing was wearing from neck to toe that were essential for his adventures in the martial world.

Besides the hidden arrows and smoke bombs shown to Honghui, there were also ropes, chains, silver needles, and other concealed weapons, which did not look like proper items.

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