Chapter 721: Fourth Brother wishes you all the best.
But Thirteen knew that this was nothing but wishful thinking.
The 39th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign was the last year of peace between the brothers. After this year, they were all pushed onto the bloody road of succession, which continued until the fourth brother ascended the throne.
"Longevity, how many days are left until the New Year?"
Thirteen suddenly asked lightly.
Changshou Benben next to him was watching with great interest the masters playing with the little prince over there.
Hearing this, he laughed: "Master, you are so happy that you are confused. Today is the 28th. After tomorrow, it will be the new year. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory also said that the 40th year of the Kangxi Emperor is a good year. The next year will surely be prosperous and rainy."
Thirteen was stunned: "So it's only two days?"
Yes, it’s almost been forty years, and we can’t live in peace for many days.
Perhaps, this year will not be peaceful.
When everyone is together, you can see that fathers are kind and sons are filial, and brothers are friendly and respectful to each other.
However, something was wrong since Gao Shiqi reported Soetu in early October this year.
Soetu was the uncle of the prince's biological mother, Empress Xiaochengren. The prince and Soetu had a close relationship in their early years, which was well known to everyone.
According to the Emperor's usual preference for the second brother, he would definitely investigate thoroughly. However, the Emperor simply kept it secret.
He even kept Gao Shiqi by his side and hired him as an exception.
Gao Shiqi was a retainer of Soetu in his early years. It was said that he was not well-received in Soetu's household. It was said that Soetu had raised a poisonous snake himself to kill him.
In Thirteen's previous life, he still didn't understand the emperor's intentions. He didn't even have time to think deeply about it at that time. It was not until the 42nd year of Kangxi's reign that Soetu was sentenced to death and his second brother was seriously injured. Only then did he realize that the emperor might have wanted to take action against Soetu for a long time.
Later, Gao Shiqi became very close to Mingzhu's gang. No one knew how long they had been secretly colluding with them, and no one knew whether the emperor knew about it.
Mingzhu has always supported her eldest brother's lineage. Could it be that at this moment, the emperor is deploying a strategy of checks and balances?
Thinking about it carefully, I will go to the frontier after the New Year next year. This trip will be the beginning of the intensification of conflicts. In my previous life, my fourth brother was left in Kyoto by the emperor, and my eldest brother, second brother, third brother, seventh brother, eighth brother, ninth brother, tenth brother, fourteenth brother and myself followed him.
During the journey, the emperor's father was assassinated once, and the second brother became a suspect. At the same time, the eldest brother took control of the military power, the eighth brother made a name for himself during the trip, and with the help of the ninth and tenth brothers, his position was already solid by the time he returned to the capital.
The second brother, however, had a falling out with the emperor over the Soetu incident, and was repeatedly reprimanded by the emperor for not doing his job properly. In the 41st year of the Kangxi reign, the second brother fell seriously ill. At that time, things gradually fell on the fourth brother's shoulders, but compared to the eldest brother, the eighth brother, the ninth brother, and the tenth brother, they were always weaker.
In the 42nd year, Suo Etu was sentenced to death. The ministers around the second brother were demoted or killed. The fourth brother pleaded for his second brother and was severely punished as well.
That year, my fourth brother’s eldest son, Honghui, passed away, and the business was in recession for a long time.
It was not until the Southern Tour that the fourth brother risked his life to block an arrow for the emperor, and the emperor's attitude towards the fourth brother began to change. At the same time, Nian Gengyao also began to show his talent, and the situation improved slightly.
However, the blow he struck against the Emperor had left him with a legacy of illness. For the next few years, he suffered from a persistent, dull pain in his chest that never subsided. He found it difficult to breathe with even the slightest movement, and his martial arts skills were completely wasted.
So much so that later, when people mentioned the Fourth Prince, they all thought that he was not outstanding in riding and shooting.
Little did he know that before he blocked the sword for the Emperor, his fourth brother was extremely skilled in martial arts and no one could match him.
Thinking of this, Thirteen's gaze subconsciously fell on his fourth brother.
Looking from a distance, Fourth Brother had a straight back and a clear face, and was now leisurely fiddling with the barbecue on the plate.
Although he was doing kitchen work, his smooth and flowing movements gave him an air of elegance.
Fourth brother's current appearance can be described as a gentleman as beautiful as jade.
If he hadn't rolled up his sleeves for his fourth sister-in-law who was eating happily beside him, his temperament might have been even better.
No one could have imagined that such a fourth brother would ascend the throne in the next few years with a broken body and a reputation for being sinister and cruel?
On the Fourth Master's side, after helping Wen Jiu roll up his sleeves, he looked up inadvertently and saw Thirteen staring at him blankly.
I couldn't help but laugh, so I waved at him.
Thirteen was startled, then stood up and walked over to the Fourth Master with his glass of wine in hand: "Fourth Brother, I wish you all the best."
"It's not even the end of the year yet, and you're wishing us well early." The Fourth Master smiled upon hearing this and pointed to the seat next to him: "Sit down and talk. I see you've been busy drinking for a while, so eat something."
As he spoke, he divided half of the freshly baked food into the plate in front of Thirteen.
Thirteen looked at it and couldn't help but be stunned. Then he reached out and picked up a bunch of mushrooms. After taking a bite, he nodded and said, "Fourth brother's cooking skills are superb again."
The Fourth Master also laughed: "After spending so much time with her, it's hard to imagine that her skills wouldn't be exquisite."
The Thirteenth Master couldn't help but glance at the warm wine beside him. It had been a while since he last saw the Fourth Master's wife, and she seemed to look even better than before.
Looking over here, she was holding up her head, as if she didn't notice that she and her fourth brother were staring at the children over there.
The faint sunlight sprinkled down, as if casting a layer of light on her.
I have never seen anyone wear the court dress that an ordinary concubine wears so beautifully.
Even though I can't see her face from this perspective, I can still imagine the breathtaking beauty in her eyes and eyebrows.
Thirteen took one look and immediately looked away. He took a sip of the wine and said with a smile, "Fourth brother is right. I've been eating too much of your and Little Fourth Sister's food. My taste has become quite picky."
Thirteen thought, after all, it is different from the previous life.
Fourth Brother has more than one child. Moreover, the nephews born to Fourth Brother's wife all have very good personalities and are deeply loved by the Emperor.
Fourth brother now plays an important role in the court and is no longer that empty-headed prince.
Thinking of this, Thirteen couldn't help but curl his lips slightly. His own life also became more and more hopeful.
At this time in his previous life, his mother had already passed away due to illness. But now, his mother is still well.
From the moment he was reborn, he had called him to help his mother recuperate and never let her suffer from illness again.
Now, my mother's health has recovered a lot.
Everything is moving in a good direction. Thirteen thought that this life might not be as difficult as the previous one.
He immediately raised his glass and clinked it with the Fourth Master's: "Fourth Brother, we must all be well. Stay healthy and free from illness and disaster."
The Fourth Master felt that Thirteen was a little strange today, but since it was rare that his younger brother was in a good mood, he sat here and had a few more drinks with him.
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