Chapter 66 Consort Hui is confined to her quarters
Because he assaulted the Crown Prince in the Qianqing Palace, Baoqing was confined to his quarters for half a month upon returning to the capital.
The Crown Prince's supporters were overjoyed, believing that the Emperor valued the Crown Prince and was weakening the prestige of the Zhili Dynasty to establish the Crown Prince's authority.
Correspondingly, Mingzhu was left only with heartache.
Thinking that Prince Zhi would not be sent out for a while after returning to the capital, he had made a series of preparations to expand his power and stabilize people's hearts, and was just waiting for Prince Zhi to make his appearance.
Who would have thought that I would be placed under house arrest as soon as I returned to Beijing?
Mingzhu just wanted to yell at Prince Zhi, "It's one thing if you don't work hard to develop your power, I understand you don't have the brains, but why are you dragging us down?"
He suspected that if Prince Zhaozhi continued down this path, he would never be able to defeat that old scoundrel, Suo'etu, in his lifetime.
That way, he would never close his eyes before he died!
The other princes were simply curious.
Just how badly did the eldest brother beat the crown prince to be confined to his quarters?
So, is the Crown Prince now bruised and battered, or does he have two dark circles under his eyes?
Oh dear, they were really curious about how badly the dignified and elegant Crown Prince had been beaten.
The news spread among the princes in less than half a day.
Seeing his younger brothers, led by the Fourth Prince, appear in the courtyard of Yuqing Palace under the guise of visiting him, the Crown Prince laughed, "Are you here to laugh at me?"
The Fourth Prince stood at the bottom of the steps, his face dark and ugly. "They insisted on coming along; it has nothing to do with me."
Behind him, the nine, ten, thirteen, and fourteenth princes stood ramrod straight, saying, "Greetings, Second Prince."
The crown prince remembered his younger brothers and didn't mind showing elder brotherly concern. "Have you finished your studies?"
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince are eighteen years old this year. Following in the footsteps of their older brothers, it's time for Emperor Kangxi to assign them jobs.
Unfortunately, Emperor Kangxi seemed to have forgotten about this matter and did not mention it at all. As a result, the two eldest princes in the Imperial Study continued their studies and, at some point, became friends with the thirteenth and fourteenth princes, who were still growing up.
The Fourteenth Prince, in particular, was practically in cahoots with his two older brothers, forming what seemed like a new iron triangle within the Imperial Study.
The Ninth Prince, very lively, asked, "Second Brother Crown Prince, I heard you got beaten by Eldest Brother?"
The Tenth Prince chimed in, "Was it in front of Father Emperor that you were beaten?"
The Fourteenth Prince understood: "Big Brother must have used those tactics he summarized on the battlefield, right?"
Each of the three princes spoke in one sentence, perfectly summarizing the entire incident.
The Crown Prince leaned against the door of the study and raised an eyebrow: "Should I suggest to the Imperial Study that we add more lessons for you? I feel you're living a bit too leisurely these days."
He never cared about such trivial matters when he was in the Imperial Study.
The Thirteenth Prince silently defended himself: "I have something to discuss with the Fourth Brother. If there is to be extra homework, please don't include me."
Before the crown prince could say anything, his four younger brothers started fighting amongst themselves.
Listening to my three younger brothers bickering and chattering about things like, "Thirteenth brother is so cunning," "I don't want extra homework either," and "Why bother writing? At worst, I'll get a beating!"...
The Crown Prince was at his wit's end. He straightened up and mediated, saying, "Alright, I'm fine. Fourth Brother, you can stay. The four of you can all go back to the Imperial Study to study."
He still holds considerable authority as the second eldest brother.
Except for the Thirteenth Prince, who whispered something to the Fourth Prince before leaving, the other three left without any hesitation.
They came here during their lunch break to catch up on gossip, but since the Crown Prince was alright, there was nothing more for them to see.
I might as well go back and take a nap.
The crown prince felt that they were there to cause trouble.
"What do you want with me?" The Crown Prince went into the study on his own, poured himself a cup of tea, and didn't even look at the Fourth Prince.
“Father Emperor plans to send me to the Ministry of Revenue,” the Fourth Prince said, following behind him with a cold and solemn expression.
"No need for formalities, sit down and talk. Pour your own tea," the Crown Prince said indifferently. "Just go when I assign you a task. What do you have to say to me?"
Although the fourth brother was groomed to be his right-hand man, he currently has no important tasks for his henchmen to perform. The power is all in the hands of the Emperor, so how could they refuse to do what he asks?
He is the crown prince, but he is only the crown prince.
A shadow crossed the prince's eyes.
However, when the Fourth Prince looked over, he regained his arrogant demeanor: "If you encounter any difficulties, go to your great-uncle. For my sake, he won't make things difficult for you."
With his long tenure as Grand Secretary and Minister of State Affairs, concurrently managing the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites, Songgotu was well-positioned to take care of the future Crown Prince.
-
Because of this matter, Emperor Kangxi visited Yanxi Palace again in the evening, wanting to discuss Baoqing's education with Consort Hui. Every time Baoqing angered him, he would come to Yanxi Palace.
Yunyun was tired of hearing these old clichés.
“Baoqing and Baocheng were so close when they were young. I remember they even built snowmen and watched ice skating together. How come their relationship has deteriorated so much now?”
Yun Jun wanted to roll her eyes. Did the snowman refer to the time when Bao Qing was wronged and returned to Yanxi Palace?
"The first time Bao Cheng got rid of the palace servants was when he was with Bao Qing."
"Baocheng also gave Baoqing a rabbit lantern."
"Baocheng..."
As they talked, the topic of Kangxi's conversation turned entirely to the Crown Prince.
He genuinely cares about the Crown Prince, knowing everything about him from childhood to adulthood, including the current situation.
Yun Jun listened calmly, and the more she listened, the more she felt that the Crown Prince was really pitiful, and the Emperor's desire for control was indeed a bit too strong.
Now the Emperor knows exactly what the Crown Prince eats and uses every day, and even how many concubines and princesses are in Yuqing Palace.
The Crown Prince truly has absolutely no privacy or secrets in front of his imperial father.
In the end, Kangxi forced the conversation back to Baoqing: "Baoqing is a father now, how can he not understand my good intentions?"
What else could Yunyun say but to comfort Kangxi with the same old cliché: "Baoqing has always been like this since he was a child. When he gets impulsive, he doesn't consider the occasion. I've had a lot of headaches with him. Fortunately, he's only like this in the palace. I've heard that he's reliable when it comes to handling official duties."
Emperor Kangxi spoke like an old father determined to belittle his child: "Baoqing has made quite a few minor mistakes in his duties, like when I was inspecting the Yongding River..."
He rattled off a long list of Bao Qing's shortcomings in handling his duties, pointing out even the minor issue of the tea Bao Qing drank. Yun Jun felt that he was just making trouble for no reason.
Unfortunately, this was her superior, so she could only listen obediently and nod in agreement from time to time. "Bao Qing did not do a good job. The Emperor's confinement can also make him reflect on his actions."
Originally, it was thought that Kangxi would be satisfied with this statement, but unexpectedly, he began to defend Baoqing, saying that Baoqing had many merits in handling official duties, and that his flaws did not outweigh his merits. Baoqing was still his excellent eldest son.
Yunyun really needs to empty her mind.
So you got to say all the good and bad things by yourself?
Is everything she says wrong?
So why did Your Majesty come here tonight? Is she looking for a place to confide in?
There were very few concubines in the palace who could get Kangxi to talk about these things. It was mainly because of the conflict between Baoqing and the Crown Prince. Only by confiding in her could he avoid causing others to have other ideas.
At least at this moment, he and she viewed Baoqing as parents, not as emperors.
-
Because of Baoqing's confinement, the Eighth Prince went to the palace to pay his respects to Consort Liang and then came to Yunyun to inquire about the situation.
He grew up in the main hall of Yanxi Palace. His mother, Hui, treated him well and did not stop him from spending time with her. He also took good care of her. His elder brother was also good to him. Every time Hui sent something to the Imperial Study, he would share it with him. Logically speaking, he should ask about his elder brother's confinement.
Consort Liang also instructed him in the same way: "The Empress and the Prince are both well. Mother is doing well in the palace. You should also do your job well outside the palace. I have heard the Empress say many times that the Prince is straightforward. If he says something that is not pleasant to hear, just listen to it and let it pass. Help him out if you can. We are not the kind of people who forget kindness, you know?"
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