Two days later, after Imperial Physician Yuan confirmed Yinzhi's illness, Kangxi was furious. He summoned all the princes and their primary wives to the courtyard. Except for Li Dequan, all the other servants were dismissed. Consort Tong sat beside Kangxi with a gloomy expression.

Everyone knelt on the gold-brick floor, even the female members of the household. When Yinzhi arrived, he made preparations in advance to prevent any issues from arising on the day of the banquet. He confidently walked into the main hall, having calculated the timing perfectly.

An hour later, Qingyan could no longer kneel. She shifted slightly and felt a sharp pain coming from her knees. She heard Consort Tong cough twice and immediately knelt down obediently.

Emperor Kangxi sat on the dragon throne, flipping through the memorials, showing no intention of paying them any attention.

Qingyan was very annoyed; this... was really too bad.

Another half hour passed before Kangxi finally woke him up.

Qingyan stood up with sheer willpower, feeling a bit numb in her knees. After everyone was seated, the women used their skirts to cover themselves and gently rotated their knees.

For a moment, the hall was very quiet; no one spoke, only the sound of Kangxi turning the pages of memorials could be heard.

Qingyan kept glancing at Yinzhi, who was two seats away. After taking his seat, Yinzhi's face turned pale, and he gripped the armrests tightly with both hands.

Emperor Kangxi was very patient and wanted to see what was going on with Yinzhi. He expected that Yinzhi would fall ill within two hours, as predicted by Imperial Physician Yuan.

As Yin observed the situation inside the main hall, he became slightly worried. It seemed that Kangxi was preparing to embarrass Yin Zhi.

"Father, I have acquired a fine item, said to be a painting by Emperor Huizong of Song. I will personally retrieve it for you to appreciate!" Yinzhi stood up first to speak.

Kangxi looked up from the memorial and saw the pleading look in Yinzhi's phoenix eyes.

"Send the servants to fetch it!" Kangxi had no intention of letting Yinzhi off the hook. If he could get rid of his addiction, even being confined would be a good thing.

"No need," Yin Zhi quickly refused. "Those servants are clumsy, and I didn't even tell them to go anywhere. Besides, I'm too busy."

Qingyan's face showed understanding; Yinzhi was probably at his breaking point and wanted to find an excuse to solve the problem.

Kangxi and Yinzhi looked at each other for a while, and finally sighed.

"Go!" Kangxi waved his hand, and Yinzhi quickly left the main hall.

Qingyan watched Yinzhi's departing figure with a heavy heart, feeling that he had been abandoned.

"Crown Prince!" Kangxi called out to the Crown Prince. Yinzhi's heart skipped a beat. Some time ago, Yinzhi said that the Crown Prince had made a move against him.

The Crown Prince was constantly under Kangxi's surveillance, who feared he would harm his brothers again. The destruction of Yinzhi served as a lesson.

"Your subject is here!" The Crown Prince was terrified. Yin Zhi's condition was no secret among his brothers, and everyone had begun to speculate about what had happened to him.

"Tell me, when did you get in touch with Li Xu?" Kangxi asked the Crown Prince.

opium!

This was a heavy burden on Kangxi's heart. In the past, opium addicts were found along the coast. Looking at their appearance, Kangxi regretted it. If Li Xu had been eliminated earlier, Yin Zhi would not have become addicted to these things.

"Your subject has no connection with Lord Li!" The Crown Prince understood that if he answered, the matter of Yin Zhi being poisoned would definitely be pinned on him.

Yeah?

Kangxi's casual remark made Yinzhen nervous.

"Father, I really haven't had much contact with Lord Li!" the Crown Prince quickly said.

When the princes saw Imperial Physician Liu, who was in charge of Yinzhi's condition, walk in from outside, with several bloodstains on his face, they all knew what was going on. His Majesty had ordered Yinzhi to leave and had even sent Imperial Physician Liu over to take care of Yinzhi.

"This servant greets Your Majesty!" Imperial Physician Liu had Miao blood and had witnessed the effects of these things.

Emperor Kangxi glanced at Imperial Physician Liu and understood that Imperial Physician Yuan's diagnosis was correct.

Both of them were his trusted imperial physicians, and even if they encountered these things, they would not be silenced, as both of them were very tight-lipped.

"Let's get ready. How's the situation over there?" Kangxi was eager to know if Yinzhi's condition was not good.

Imperial Physician Liu hesitated. If he said these words, wouldn't that be speaking ill of the princes? He was truly hesitant.

"Tell them the truth, let them see what really happened." Kangxi wouldn't hide anything. "You all know the truth about this matter, but if I hear any rumors, you... you'd better be prepared!"

Emperor Kangxi was very disappointed with the Crown Prince. He could understand the infighting, but he disapproved of such methods used to obstruct his younger brothers.

Based on his experience, Imperial Physician Liu described Yinzhi's condition. He said that although Yinzhi was dependent on these things, his dependence was not very deep yet.

"You all heard that!" Kangxi's deep voice rang in everyone's ears.

Everyone knelt down again, and the Third Princess Consort cried even more bitterly.

"It's the daughter-in-law's fault for not keeping a close eye on the master!" The Third Princess Consort was troubled, wondering who had done it!

"You admit your mistakes quickly, but lately, have you really cared about the Third Prince?" Consort Tong exchanged a glance with Emperor Kangxi and asked directly.

The Third Princess smiled bitterly. Yin Zhi never went to her courtyard. Every time she went to Yin Zhi's courtyard to find him, she could only see the head steward by Yin Zhi's side, and could not see Yin Zhi at all.

"I'm helpless, Master won't see me at all!" The Third Princess knew this was a serious matter and had no choice but to tell her. "Ever since Xilian entered the courtyard, I haven't seen Master at all. Even when I go to the study, Xiao Xizi stands outside to block my way!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the wives all felt sorry for the Third Princess Consort, who had truly suffered an undeserved misfortune.

“Before, when Consort Dong’e was favored, although I couldn’t compete with her, I could still see the Master occasionally and learn about his life together. Now, everything has changed. The courtyard of the Master’s study is entirely at Xi Lian’s beck and call, and I have no say in it!” The Third Consort had been reprimanded by Yin Zhi many times, and in the end, she chose to compromise.

Snap!

Emperor Kangxi slammed the memorial on the imperial table. His wife couldn't even take care of the residence properly. He half-closed his eyes.

"How do you manage the inner quarters? You let the third prince do as he pleases. The primary consort should do her best to persuade him." Kangxi was very annoyed with the third consort. His son had come into contact with these things, and now, no one was there to restrain him.

"It's my fault!" The Third Prince's wife was also desperate. Since Kangxi thought that the Third Prince had been led astray, then let's find the culprit. It has nothing to do with her.