Seeing that He Yue was about to go crazy with anger, Thirteen helplessly hugged her tightly: "What nonsense are you talking about? Fourth Brother... shouldn't do that."

Even Thirteen himself wasn't confident about these words, so he didn't say anything more, thinking he should tell Fourth Brother first.

The next day, after entering the palace and attending the morning court, Yongzheng summoned the thirteenth prince for a private audience.

"Your Majesty, I, your younger brother Yunxiang, pay my respects."

Yongzheng stepped over the imperial desk, took the thirteenth brother's hand, and smiled, "We are brothers, why stand on ceremony? From now on, in private, the thirteenth brother can still call me fourth brother."

Thirteen shook his head: "Your subject is terrified. There is a distinction between ruler and subject, and we must not break the rules."

Yongzheng sighed helplessly: "You are just so cautious. These days, I've seen so many people groveling and pretending to flatter me. I miss the days when we brothers drank and laughed together, without any restraint or worries. We were so close and comfortable."

Since I became emperor and you became my Prince Yi, we have grown distant, and you are no longer the cheerful and unrestrained thirteenth brother you once were.

Thirteen was slightly moved, his expression relaxed, and looking at Fourth Brother's lost and nostalgic expression, his lips moved a few times, and finally he called out "Fourth Brother".

Emperor Yongzheng looked pleased and pulled the thirteenth prince to sit on a couch covered with bright yellow cushions, ordering Su Pei to serve tea.

"You're heading to the Northwest next month. Has Heyue been bothering you these past few days?"

Thirteen chuckled: "It's possible that Heyue would quarrel with my brother over a woman's matter, but Heyue naturally wouldn't have any objections to this."

Yongzheng smiled slightly: "Indeed, Heyue has never been the kind of petty woman. Have you told Tongxuan and Tongya about it? It's been a long time since I've seen the two little girls. I wonder if they've grown taller. I miss them quite a bit."

Thirteen, who had been hesitant to speak, relaxed and gave a bitter smile: "Fourth Brother knows Heyue's temper. He dotes on the children like crazy, so we naturally feel at ease entrusting them to him. It's just that Heyue is worried that the palace rules will restrict the two children, and she's afraid that they might cause trouble by speaking inappropriately. So she's thinking about whether we should just not let them enter the palace."

Yongzheng paused for a moment, then shook his head and smiled: "That's Heyue's temperament. However, Tongxuan and Tongya did live in my residence for a while, so their manners are quite good. You don't need to worry about the children causing trouble in the palace. Besides, with me here, who would dare to say a bad word about them?"

At this point, he gave a cold laugh, displaying the majesty of an emperor.

Thirteen hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but seeing the cold smile on Fourth Brother's face, he ultimately said nothing.

"Then I will try my best to persuade Heyue. I know that Heyue is really stubborn. She really can't bear to part with her child. She misses her child terribly if she doesn't see him for a few days."

Thirteen didn't mention his concern about the child being sent to Fumeng, for fear of angering Fourth Brother.

The person before him was now the emperor, no longer the fourth brother with whom he used to share everything.

Thinking of this, Thirteen couldn't help but feel melancholy.

No matter how close we are, there is still a distance between us, and we can no longer speak freely.

Yongzheng knew Heyue's temperament all too well. He had already guessed what Heyue was thinking and also noticed the thirteenth prince's hesitation. He snorted coldly, "Don't think I don't know what she's thinking. She's worried that I'll use the child to appease the Mongols, isn't she?"

Seeing that his fourth brother had already guessed, the thirteenth brother hurriedly got up and was about to kneel down when Yongzheng grabbed his arm and said with a stern face, "What? Are you going to follow those people's example?"

Thirteen then refrained from kneeling down, and smiled bitterly: "Your subject dares not, but I am worried that Fourth Brother will blame Heyue. Please forgive me, Fourth Brother. Heyue is only a loving mother. After all, she is just a woman."

Yongzheng sat down at the thirteenth position and snorted heavily: "Tell Lady Zhaojia that I will not use your child to govern Mongolia if the child does not agree. I have also brought the sixth daughter of the deposed crown prince and the eldest daughter of the sixteenth prince into the palace and made them princesses, all for the purpose of governing Mongolia in the future. It will never be your child's turn!"

Thirteen was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly stood up to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Fourth Brother!"

Seeing his barely suppressed joy, Yongzheng shook his head and chuckled, "You've really fallen for her tricks in this life. She doesn't want the child to enter the palace, and you actually came to me for help. If it were any other matter, no matter how difficult it was, you would never have asked me for help."

Thirteen chuckled: "Fourth Brother, please don't make fun of your younger brother. All my life, I've been afraid of Heyue getting angry with me. As long as Heyue isn't angry, everything in my household will be fine."

That's an exaggeration.

However, Yongzheng had always known that the thirteenth prince favored Heyue, so what he said was not untrue.

The two stopped talking about it and changed the subject.

Yongzheng's face darkened, and he said, "Yuntang is truly arrogant and rebellious. Even now, he is still associating with the Eighth Prince. After you go to the army, I plan to have someone send Yuntang and several sons of the imperial clan to serve in Ganzhou, so as to cut off Yunsi's arm."

"Back then, Consort Yi harmed your birth mother, Lady Zhangjia. Now that Yun Tang has arrived at the army camp, you are in charge of dealing with him. As long as he doesn't die, I will not interfere."

These words were extremely cold, showing absolutely no brotherly affection for Yun Tang.

Thirteen was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and knelt down: "Your subject thanks Fourth Brother for his grace."

Yongzheng reached out to help him up, his expression softening: "I know you hate Consort Yi, which is why I entrusted Yuntang to you. With Yuntang being sent to the army, Consort Yi must be feeling uneasy. Her most beloved son is suffering, yet she is powerless to help. I imagine Consort Yi will not be feeling well either. You have avenged yourself."

I also intend to posthumously confer the title of Consort Min upon your birth mother, Lady Zhangjia. Consort Min never enjoyed any favor during her lifetime, but now that she knows your current status, she will surely be at peace. As for those who bullied you and Consort Min, I will not let them get away with it.”

Thirteen's eyes were already filled with tears, deeply moved, and he choked with emotion, unable to speak: "Thank you... Fourth Brother..."

Yongzheng patted his shoulder and comforted him: "Between you and me, brothers, there is no need for thanks. I once doubted you, and that was my fault. Now I understand that Father Emperor was far-sighted and had made a decision long ago. Before Father Emperor passed away, he had a long talk with me and expressed his concern that if another crown prince was established, he would become the target of criticism like the deposed crown prince and follow the old path of the deposed crown prince. That's why he kept the matter of the crown prince a secret until the last moment before announcing the new emperor."

Thirteen stood there stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

Looking at him like this, Yongzheng couldn't help but sigh: "You don't need to hold a grudge against your father. He told me that he truly cares for you and feels guilty towards you. He did this to train you so that you can become my right-hand man in the future. Your father has always trusted you, which is why he left you with me. After all, the other brothers have their own thoughts, and I will inevitably face many obstacles since I have just ascended the throne. I need someone I can trust. Your father chose you, and I also hope it is you. Don't let down your father and my expectations."

Thirteen laughed and cried at the same time, her expression was desolate, and her lips trembled: "Fourth brother, I always thought that Father Emperor was heartless to me. I also hated Father Emperor and resented the injustice. Even though I comforted myself that Father Emperor was first and foremost the emperor, and only then a father, this is the tragedy of the royal family, I still longed for Father Emperor to have even a little bit of love and pity for me. I thought that was just wishful thinking, but it turns out that Father Emperor still has me as his son in his heart."