While the court was busy with the imperial tour to the border regions, a major event occurred that instantly replaced the tour as the "headline" of public attention.

During a small court assembly, the Crown Prince's men were impeached, and the evidence against them was solid. In particular, his wet nurse brother was also implicated.

Emperor Kangxi, who had initially intended to give the Crown Prince face and handle the matter discreetly, flew into a rage after hearing and seeing the evidence.

In recent years, tax revenue in Jiangnan has remained stagnant, and has even decreased. Both the increased and decreased tax revenues have ended up in the pockets of the Crown Prince's cronies. Jiangnan is a major source of national revenue, accounting for more than half of the national treasury.

Regardless of whether the Crown Prince was aware of the greed of his subordinates, it is a fact that he was not strict in managing them. Moreover, if the Crown Prince did know, it would be an act of condoning his subordinates' embezzlement of the national treasury.

Haha, the crown prince is the heir to the country he himself chose. To dig into the national treasury like this shows a complete lack of the sense of responsibility of a future master of the country.

So, Your Highness, is that how you are?

The Emperor Kangxi, high above, stared intently at the Crown Prince, a fleeting look of disappointment quickly passing through his eyes, which was then overshadowed by anger. The deep disappointment in his heart became fuel for his rage.

For the first time in his life, the Crown Prince was severely reprimanded by Emperor Kangxi.

Yes, he was directly criticized by name, instead of being punished by his followers.

They criticized him for misjudging people, criticized him for lax management, criticized him...

This was the first time the Crown Prince had been so bluntly scolded by the Emperor Kangxi, who doted on him. He was stunned and forgot to refute him for a moment.

But in Kangxi's eyes, this meant that the Crown Prince was guilty and didn't even utter a word of rebuttal.

Disappointment suddenly welled up in his heart again, and for the first time, a thought flashed through his mind: Could it be that the wrong crown prince has been chosen?

Although it was only a fleeting moment, the seed of doubt had already been planted in Kangxi's heart.

In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi, frowning, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, stared at Li Dequan, and asked, "Tell me, how did my Crown Prince become like this?"

The words swirled in Li Dequan's mind many times. After considering them for a while, he finally replied, "My lord, perhaps the Crown Prince has been kept in the dark all along?"

Kangxi sneered, "Heh, he wouldn't know even the slightest thing?" The more he spoke, the angrier he became, furious at his son's lack of self-control. "If that's really the case, then how did he become the Crown Prince? A puppet? How can I entrust this empire to him with peace of mind!"

“Perhaps the Crown Prince knows something, but maybe he didn’t expect it to be so serious! Or perhaps,” after hesitating for a moment, Li Dequan went all out, “the Crown Prince has concerns!”

"He is the Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor. What could he possibly have to worry about!" The furious Emperor Kangxi said, but as soon as he spoke, he knew that this might actually be the truth.

This concern naturally stems from his own self-interest. Only he has the power to punish and execute his ministers. If the Crown Prince's subordinates cross the line, he can deal with minor figures, but he has no right to deal with ministers. As for his close associates, such as his "nanny" brother, perhaps the Crown Prince is too sentimental to bring himself to do it.

The Crown Prince was always Kangxi's most beloved child, and he had been raising him for decades. Although some problems had arisen, he was unwilling and reluctant to give him up.

Kangxi, deep in thought, pondered that the Crown Prince still needed further refinement.

He couldn't possibly give him more power. Hmm, it seems he still needs to create competition for the Crown Prince. Once the Crown Prince's subordinates are being watched and targeted, they'll probably behave themselves a lot.

But the Crown Prince is too sentimental, which is both good and bad. It's good to cultivate such an image for him, but it would be best to have a knife by his side so that anything that might damage his image can be dealt with. Hmm, the Fourth Prince is righteous and hates corruption, giving off a very cold and ruthless vibe—that's him.

This creates competition for the Crown Prince. Although there was already competition between the eldest son and the Crown Prince, both sides had reached a tacit understanding. This isn't good; perhaps...

The plan was to select several princes to compete for the crown prince's position, and to use them as whetstones to hone the crown prince's skills. This led to the scene where Emperor Kangxi visited the residence of the third prince, Yinzhi, before his trip to the border regions.

This is the first one among the princes!

The Third Prince, Yinzhi, even received praise from Emperor Kangxi, which was intentionally or unintentionally publicized.

Yinzhi was so proud of himself, showing off in front of his brothers. The Fourth Prince was envious of him, but at the same time, he also felt that something was wrong.

Sure enough, not only did Yinzhi frequently receive praise from Kangxi, but his eldest son did as well. This made Yinzhi increasingly complacent, and he even openly provoked the Crown Prince.

In the past, provoking the Crown Prince would have resulted in a reprimand from Emperor Kangxi, but after Yinzhi's provocation, not only was he unharmed, but he also received a few kind words from Emperor Kangxi.

To others, this appeared as the Crown Prince falling out of favor and his position being shaken, while some court officials began to curry favor with the Third Prince, Yin Zhi.

Faint voices could be heard coming from the study of the Fourth Prince's residence.

"The Emperor is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince's position is in jeopardy!"

Upon hearing this, Fourth Master blurted out, "Impossible!"

The aide who had just spoken continued, "Fourth Prince, the Third Prince Cheng openly provoked the Crown Prince and got away with it. Afterwards, he even received words of encouragement from the Emperor. Clearly, the Emperor is no longer protecting the Crown Prince like he would his own son. The Crown Prince's position is really not so stable anymore."

That was the truth, and the Fourth Prince had nothing to say. At the same time, he couldn't help but think that if his second brother became the crown prince, then all the other princes and princes would have a chance.

Fourth Master lowered his eyes to hide the excitement in them. Yes, he also longed for that position. Only the slightly trembling teacup left a trace of his attraction.

But then he remembered how good the Crown Prince had been to him. The Fourth Prince lifted his eyelids, loosened his grip on the teacup, and the ripples on the surface of the water gradually subsided as his mood returned to calm.

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