Chapter 123
Fortunately, at this moment, the good brother Lao Shi quickly stepped forward to help the mynah bird explain.
"Father, this is all my fault. I was deceived by that quack Zhang Mingde and brought him into the palace, harming my dear."
"Your Majesty, please be advised. That quack, who was trying to gain power and spread rumors for a few bucks, has already been apprehended by Myna."
Emperor Kangxi remained indifferent to the princes' explanations, neither saying whether he believed them nor whether he did not.
[Eighth Prince: ???]
[Where did these idiot teammates come from? The Eighth Prince is so miserable. Forgive me, I don't want to laugh either, hahahahaha.]
[Misfortune strikes from the sky, Eighth Prince: Have I ever offended you, brother?]
Thank you for listening to me.
The audience didn't expect that this matter was not over yet.
After deposing the crown prince, Kangxi placed him in the palace and then appointed the fourth son to take care of the deposed crown prince together with the eldest son. However, due to the eldest son's previous remarks, the old father became extremely distrustful of the eldest son.
Obviously, the old father knew his sons better. The fourth son was sent by him to supervise the eldest son. The fourth son found out that his eldest brother had been secretly abusing the prince. When the servants around the prince's second brother wanted to meet the emperor to seek justice, the eldest son refused to pass on the message.
The eldest brother asked the fourth brother to block the news with him. The fourth prince Yinzhen had two choices. One was to block the news with the eldest brother to retaliate against his second brother who had beaten and scolded him. The other was to report to his father in time to seek justice for his second brother.
Hitting me in front of so many people is such a huge loss of face. If it were me, I would definitely choose one.
[Choose two. As a Youtian person, I always feel that things are not that simple. There must be a big pit behind one.]
[That's right. The old father asked the fourth child to help supervise the eldest child. If the fourth child dared to go along with the eldest child, wouldn't the old father hate him as well if he found out?]
Faced with the choice, the Fourth Prince, contrary to the expectations of the interstellar audience, chose the third option. Before making a decision, he went to ask the Ninth Prince for his opinion.
[Ancient Research Institute No. 5: Gao Liang, pay attention. The fourth child's choice here is very meaningful. It kills five birds with one stone.]
[Where did the Five Eagles come from? Please guide me, and tell me more about it. ]
[Ancient Research Institute: The Fourth Prince's petition to depose the Crown Prince first earned the Emperor Kangxi's trust and admiration, as he was considered magnanimous for redressing the Second Prince's mistreatment. Second, the Second Prince developed a fondness and a hint of gratitude for the Fourth Prince's willingness to lend a hand in a difficult situation. Third, this action deepened his father's dislike for the First Prince.]
The last two points are both important. Fourthly, because the Fourth Prince consulted the Ninth Prince before submitting his memorial, the Eighth Prince's faction naturally felt that the Fourth Prince was close to them and was considered a member of their small group, not a competitor.
[Finally, the Fourth Prince is a man of many talents, so doesn't he have any ambitions? Of course not, he just knows he has no chance right now, so he wants to push the deposed Crown Prince back out to compete with the other factions, muddying the waters.]
[I understand this. It's easier to fish when the water is muddy.]
[There seems to have been a scene before where it was mentioned that the Fourth Prince was the least skilled in martial arts among his father's sons. I didn't expect his bow skills to be so good (bushi)]
"Ninth brother, Fourth brother is stupid, look at this..."
This was the right person to ask. The Ninth Prince was a member of the Eighth Prince's faction, and the Eighth Prince had been betrayed by the eldest brother before. The Eighth Prince's faction definitely didn't want to have anything to do with such a foolish boss again. With a glance, the Ninth Prince gave the Fourth Prince some advice: "It seems like we should submit a memorial."
Facts proved that the fourth son's choice was right, and he received rare praise from the emperor's father. You know, the old father was quite harsh to his sons before.
"When Yinreng was detained, no one spoke up for him. Only the Fourth Prince, with his extraordinary character and deep understanding of righteousness, repeatedly spoke up for Yinreng before me. With such intentions and actions, he is truly a great man."
In sharp contrast to the fourth prince was the eldest prince. Seeing that the eldest prince was disliked by Emperor Kangxi, the third prince Yinzhi jumped out and added insult to injury, dropping the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"Father, I have something to report."
"Oh? You have something to say too. Tell me."
The eldest prince, who had just been scolded by his old father in the hall, was kneeling on the ground when he met the gaze of the third prince Yinzhi, and his eyelids suddenly twitched.
Before the eldest prince could react, Yinzhi quickly said:
"Your Majesty, I have discovered that Yinzhi is colluding with Lama Bahangelung and intends to use nightmare magic to harm the Crown Prince."
[An essential skill for elementary school students has emerged: telling tales.]
[Boss, does this scene look familiar?]
It seems that the film also knows that some viewers will raise questions. Several shots in the film flash by, which not only confirms the boss's crimes, but also quickly introduces scientific knowledge to the audience.
To sum it up simply, nightmare magic is usually called piercing a villain, which is a vicious curse.
Even after listening to the master's advice, the eldest prince went to the prince's mansion in person and hid the villain in the prince's room.
I don’t know if the nightmare spell really worked, but the eldest prince’s behavior has been a bit crazy during this period.
Emperor Kangxi summoned the other princes again and even asked them, "Do you have anything else to report?"
Several princes looked at each other, not knowing whether it was really nothing or if they had some other plan, but no one stood up at this time.
In the imperial family, nightmare magic was also a taboo. With irrefutable evidence, Emperor Kangxi added another comment to his evaluation of the eldest prince: "Yinzhi is vicious, a traitor and a traitor!"
After deposing the crown prince, Emperor Kangxi ordered the eldest prince Yinzhi to be imprisoned. From then on, the eldest prince became the first of the nine princes to be eliminated.
As for why the eldest prince was the first to go out instead of the crown prince, Huan Dao told everyone not to be anxious, as there would be changes later.
[The boss's actions tell us that one should not visit a temple unless there is something important to do.]
【Take advantage of Big Brother's illness to kill him√.】
[Big Brother, are you surprised? Are you surprised? Does this scene look familiar? That's right, you just sued someone else, and now it's my turn to sue you.]
【As expected of a good brother. 】
[Deposed Crown Prince: Big Brother, you are here too?]
[Wait, there's more. Good (close) brothers must be in good order.]
[I'm just curious about who's next? ]
After punishing the eldest brother with "evil intentions", Kangxi turned around and looked at the eighth brother who had "dragon-like appearance and phoenix-like grace" and "democratic look". Yes, the vengeful old father had not forgotten the "good words" that the eldest brother said for the eighth brother.
Although after investigation, no evidence was found that the eldest brother Yinzhi and the eighth brother Yinsi colluded with each other to frame the prince or intended to rebel.
But as I said before, who made the princes' fathers so sensitive?
If there is no reason, then create one. Anyway, the old father has noticed that the eighth brother is not in a good mood recently, especially since the eighth brother has been "making friends with many ministers."
Therefore, on the second day after the eldest prince was imprisoned, in the hall, the old father Kangxi openly scolded the eighth prince in front of all the ministers.
"Colluding with his followers, intending to murder the Crown Prince!"
There was a hint in his tone that he wanted to arrest the person and bring him to justice.
The eighth prince was like a mute eating coptis, unable to express his grievances. He could easily find excuses to accuse him of a crime. Moreover, he also coveted the throne and wanted to have a try.
Knowing that their eight brother was being targeted by their old father, the ninth prince Yin'er and the fourteenth prince Yin'zhen could no longer sit still. They walked out of the palace and went to court with poison, intending to threaten the emperor by committing suicide and swearing to protect their eight brother at all costs.
As mentioned before, because of Emperor Kangxi's parenting method of "selecting the right person to raise", the princes were raised by different people since childhood. The eighth prince, the ninth prince, the tenth prince, and the fourteenth prince all grew up together, so they were naturally closer and belonged to the same faction. To them, the eldest prince, the crown prince, and other princes who were rarely seen were very unfamiliar, and the eldest prince among them was their real boss.
This is also the reason why the Fourteenth Prince and the Fourth Prince Yinzhen, although they have the same father and mother, are not close and are even distant from each other.
Pulling the focus back to the screen, in order to rescue the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince and the Eleventh Prince came forward to threaten him, but can the old father be easily manipulated?
"Well, well, I have given birth to some good sons. If you didn't know them, you would think they were heroes from Liangshanpo, strong-willed and righteous!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the old father raised his hand and slapped him twice.
The kid is a hero like Liang Shanbo, and I am even more so. Do you really think I don’t have a bad temper?
[Hiss, it hurts just to hear it, he's worthy of being my dad.]
[Old father: What? You think I was raised to be scared? If you dare to threaten me, I'll have a fight.]
Seeing the Ninth Prince being beaten, the Fourteenth Prince's face became more and more dissatisfied: "Your Majesty, I don't accept it!"
I guess my father would say he's not convinced.
The audience guessed correctly. Faced with the Fourteenth Prince's continued threat of death to persuade his father, the old father simply prepared to send him on his way.
"Our bodies and hair are given by our parents; filial piety is the beginning of all things. Who gave you the right to threaten me with your own life?"
"Okay, okay."
"Since you want brotherly love today, I will grant you that."
The angry old father snatched the sword hanging from the guard's waist and was about to chop at the Fourteenth Prince.
There was chaos in front of the palace. Several old ministers rushed forward to dissuade them, shouting, "Your Majesty, calm down! Your Majesty, calm down!"
The fifth prince Yinqi hugged Emperor Kangxi's thigh and begged bitterly, and finally Emperor Kangxi only punished Yinzhen with twenty lashes of the cane.
Afterwards, the old father was obviously still upset and issued an imperial edict to warn him again: "The country has only one master, and the ultimate power lies with him. How can we divide the good and the bad?"
This is not only a response to the previous incident, but also a warning to a group of careless sons: The country has only one center and only one object of loyalty, and that is the imperial power symbolized by your biological father. Put away your little thoughts, and if anyone makes trouble again and gets caught by me, don’t blame me for being rude!
After two farces in succession, Emperor Kangxi felt a little headache when he saw the chaotic court and his sons who were about to fight to death. He vaguely regretted his decision to directly depose the prince.
With Yinreng sitting on the throne of the crown prince, he could at least serve as a target, and the other sons would not become too distracted.
Emperor Kangxi looked down at the ministers below, who were bickering and almost cross-eyed. How could this be a court? It was even more chaotic than a street vendor.
At this time, Emperor Kangxi once again had the idea of setting up a target, no, establishing a crown prince.
The old father said that he was also a good emperor who was willing to listen to other people's opinions, so he signaled the ministers to speak freely.
The emperor had the idea of re-appointing the crown prince. The court officials looked at each other and each had their own plans.
The next day in the court, ministers represented by Tong Guowei and Ma Qi unanimously and loudly nominated the "Eighth Prince" as the new crown prince.
[No wonder they say that Lao Ba has many good friends among the ministers. This is true.]
How should I put it? My father had already harbored feelings about the Eighth Prince. Although his sons intervened last time and prevented him from being thrown into prison, he must still be unhappy. Now that these ministers are recommending him, they truly don't care about my feelings at all.
They might have considered it, but the temptation was too great, and the Eighth Prince had often given them so many benefits. Even though they knew it might displease the Emperor, they still wanted to give it a try. Furthermore, the law doesn't punish everyone. If everyone spoke out together, even if the Emperor got angry, he wouldn't be able to kill everyone.
[Checks and balances. It seems that during the imperial era, the imperial power and the court sometimes also maintained a state of checks and balances.]
It is obvious that for the sake of their own interests and the interests of the entire group, even though the ministers knew that the emperor might be displeased, they still wanted to take this opportunity to "force the emperor to abdicate."
For Emperor Kangxi, the candidates proposed by the ministers were not what he wanted to hear.
Before asking his ministers to nominate a candidate for the crown prince, Emperor Kangxi actually hinted that, according to his idea, he actually wanted to reinstate the second prince Yinreng.
Why don't you just say it directly? Is there any need to ask?
As the emperor, you can be sympathetic and listen to the wishes of your ministers, but you cannot go back on your word.
[I understand. If there's a problem, it's not the boss's fault. It's impossible for him to admit it, and it's even worse to slap himself in the face. Employees need to take the initiative to back down.]
[No wonder it's said to be adapted to the tastes of the stars, in the ancient workplace, workers suddenly empathize. ]
[It seems like now is the best time. At least I don't have to worry about losing my head when trying to find a way out or taking the blame.]
Emperor Kangxi himself was well aware of the thoughts of the so-called "Eighth Master Party" including Tong Guowei in the court.
Not long ago, he had warned these people that the country had only one voice, but now they were doing this to him again. Regarding these employees who insisted on going against him, the emperor, the only person in charge of a family business, said: I can't tolerate it.
Emperor Kangxi, who was angry again, convened a court meeting with only one purpose: to fire all the disobedient employees!
Tong Guowei and Ma Qi, two important officials of the Eighth Prince's party, were directly dismissed. Emperor Kangxi, who wanted to make an example of someone to scare the monkeys, once again revealed his attitude at the small meeting and reinstated the crown prince. As for the candidate, you ministers should go back and think about it carefully.
As for the consequences of making mistakes, the lessons of the past are right in front of us.
In addition to the ministers, the princes headed by the fourth prince Yinzhen also understood what their old father meant. In addition, at this time, they also realized that the ministers who were bribed by the eighth prince with money still had considerable power.
Since the position of the crown prince could not fall into their hands, they fortunately went with the flow and followed their old father's wishes, re-nominating the second prince as the crown prince.
Compared to a difficult opponent, a prince with stains on him who is obviously not favored by the emperor would be easier to bring down in the future, right?
After the crown prince was reinstated, his status was much lower than before, which also shows that his old father restored his status as crown prince not because he had any expectations of him, but because he needed such a tool to sit in the position of crown prince.
Here, Director Huan also rigorously added a few shots to explain why the ministers in the court were close to the eighth prince.
Although the Eighth Prince's mother's family is not as powerful as those of the other princes, his external image is that of a gentle, polite, and kind person.
His younger brothers who assist him wholeheartedly also have their own strengths.
The ninth son, Yinzhen, although not good-looking, was good at making money and scheming. The tenth son, although of average talent, was born into the Niuhuru clan and had a noble family background.
With the help of these two people, the eighth prince's purse became fuller and fuller.
Be kind to people and be kind to money. With the double blessing, you can gradually increase your popularity in the court.
[That is to say, there is no love without reason, and there is no hate without reason. ]
[These ministers in the court are all shrewd people. Without the motivation of interests, it is hard to imagine them charging into battle.]
[With the original favorability boost and the allure of the merit of following the dragon, it's no wonder that Lao Tong and Lao Ma were confused.]
[I'd be confused too.]
Attention once again turned to the Ninth Prince himself. Under the suppression of his old father, the strength of both the Prince's Party and the Eighth Prince's Party had been weakened.
The two sides are still fighting each other.
At this time, perhaps because they saw the old man’s real thought of “not liking a jumping son”, the third prince and the fourth prince chose to keep a low profile.
Seeing that his old father disliked his brothers making friends with ministers, the Fourth Prince regarded himself as a lone minister and concentrated on being a solitary minister who did not form factions.
At that time, the third prince Yinzhi also figured out his father's thoughts together with the fourth prince and mastered the code to seize the throne. The fourth prince usually devoted himself to studying Buddhism in private, while the third prince focused on compiling the calendar.
Seeing that the third and fourth princes were so sensible and obedient, the old father finally felt a little comforted.
Just when the old father thought that he had stabilized the court by reinstating the crown prince, he didn't know that while the other princes and ministers were stable, problems arose with the crown prince himself.
Yinreng is making trouble again. After experiencing the last abolition storm, Yinreng gradually realized one thing, that is, his old father Kangxi is the biggest obstacle to his ascension to the throne. As long as the old man is not dead, he will not be able to live a peaceful life.
[No, isn't this awakening a little wrong?]
[His ideological awareness is really ahead of its time.]
But if you think about it carefully, putting aside ethics and morality, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it.
So you're planning a rebellion?
Yinreng did have this intention, not only this intention, he also had the courage to do so. He thought he had secretly accelerated the pace of seeking power and had won over a group of ministers to form a new prince's party. At this time, even if Yinreng did not have the intention to rebel, he already had the ability to rebel. Poisoning his old father or forcing him to abdicate was not a problem for him.
The actor who played Yinreng in front of the camera also uttered a classic line: "Has there ever been a crown prince who served for forty years in the world?"
Then these words reached the old father's ears. The imperial study was silent, terrifyingly quiet, with only the sound of the emperor writing with ink. The eunuch knelt in the hall again, cold sweat soaking his whole body, and he had a premonition that a storm was coming.
There's really no privacy at all.
[Tell a joke, I'm going to tell you a secret, don't tell anyone else.]
As expected, Yinreng was eager to take the throne, and his worried and suspicious old father could not ignore it.
Soon, a series of imperial decrees were issued in the court. With the old father's thundering measures, the prince's party was wiped out and the second abolition was announced, and Yinreng was imprisoned in Xian'an Palace.
After that, many people in the court proposed to reinstate Yinreng, but all were rejected by Emperor Kangxi.
At this point, the nine princes competed for the throne, and the second prince and former crown prince Yinreng was eliminated.
The crown prince was deposed for the second time, and the position of heir to the throne was vacant. The old father's plan to set up a target failed. Seeing that there was another chance to ascend the throne, the princes became restless again.
[Oh no, the princes are getting angry again.]
【Curious about who will get restless first?】
【Buy now and guess who will be the final winner? 】
After Yinreng was eliminated, under the gaze of the audience, the eighth prince Yinsi, who had the highest support in the court, was the first to request to enter the palace.
He carefully tested his father's attitude: "Father, everyone thinks I am suitable to inherit the throne. What do you think I should do? How about I pretend to be sick to avoid suspicion?"
However, this temptation was not very clever and instead offended Kangxi again.
The veteran actor who played the old father on the screen slowly raised his eyelids and looked deeply at his respectful, young and strong son in front of him. However, how could he not hear the deeper meaning behind the other's words.
This was threatening him with the ministers in the court, but as mentioned before, Emperor Kangxi's past experience showed that he was not someone who would compromise under threats.
In the close-up shot, the old father slowly revealed a kind smile and said softly, "Old Eight, you have grown up."
The grown-up eagle wants to spread its wings and soar into the sky.
The eighth prince's eyelids twitched. He understood the implication of his father's words, which was that he was pointing out that he was getting too independent.
He wanted to say something to make amends, but his old father just waved his hand, and the Eighth Prince was politely escorted out of the palace under the smiling gaze of the chief eunuch.
Standing at the foot of the majestic palace and looking back, the Eighth Prince reflected: It seems that he was really too impatient.
Emperor Father: You reminded me that everyone supports you because you are so powerful. Doesn't this threaten me? I will kill you right now.
【Old Eight is a little anxious.】
With the Crown Prince and the eldest brother both defeated, he seems to be the only viable competitor left. Although we can see that the fourth brother may still have some ulterior motives, he was previously quite close to the Eighth Master's faction, and since his strength was not obvious, he probably wasn't considered a rival. So this time, the Eighth Master felt that victory was certain and was not as patient as before.
[The thing you want most is right in front of you, so few people can remain calm.]
[This is the supreme power in the world, the pinnacle of power among all people! ]
【It's definitely not that simple.】
【A small mistake can lead to a huge disaster.】
After returning to his residence, the Eighth Prince waited for a long time for the Emperor's punishment and reprimand. The quieter his old father was, the more uneasy he felt. He believed that something must be wrong when things were abnormal. If he was simply reprimanded, the matter would have passed. However, his old father kept silent, fearing that there was a bigger trick waiting for him.
While his father hadn't made any move yet, the eighth prince was trying to salvage his impression and find ways to please his father.
He sent people to find a pair of top-quality falcons to present as tribute to his old father, responding to his father's previous metaphor and also wanting to express that his old father was still the sharpest-sighted falcon on the grassland in his prime, soaring across the sky and ruling the world.
Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. The eighth prince had a good idea and the process was implemented smoothly. However, an accident occurred when he took the last step of presenting the two falcons he had found to his father.
When the box was opened, the two falcons inside were dying.
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