Chapter 74 Consort Hui's Deal
Until May of the 47th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, it was a time of clear skies, lush grass, and soaring birds.
Emperor Kangxi once again toured the northern frontier, this time accompanied by his sons Baoqing, the Crown Prince, and eight princes from the thirteenth to the eighteenth rank.
The crown prince continued to act arrogantly, only caring about his own pleasure.
Hunting on horseback is permissible.
He would not go to meet with Mongolian princes or nobles.
Baoqing, being very familiar with the Mongolian territory, fully demonstrated his elder brotherly demeanor, leading the crown prince and his younger brothers on a fun-filled day.
But the happiness didn't last long. The eighteenth prince was young and perhaps couldn't adapt to the new environment, so he suddenly fell ill.
The illness came on suddenly and dangerously. The older brothers couldn't bear to leave their younger brother alone, so they all crowded together inside the yurt to express their concern.
The eighteenth prince lay on the couch covered with a thick brocade quilt, his face flushed, and he was so weak that he could barely speak: "Brothers, don't worry about me. It's a rare opportunity to come out, have fun."
The crown prince was not very familiar with his younger brothers who were ranked lower in the family.
Thirteen and fourteen were a bit better off; one was often mentioned by the fourth brother, and the other was often mentioned by the eldest brother, so he also had a vague impression of them.
There's nothing that can be done about the lower levels. The Imperial Study and Yuqing Palace are like parallel lines that never intersect. Even if he occasionally sees them at banquets, his attention is mostly focused on his father and elder brother, while the other brothers only appear in his peripheral vision at most.
However, he was not a cold-blooded person. Seeing that his seven-year-old brother, who shared the same bloodline as him, was not doing well, the crown prince's mood inevitably fell as well.
This feeling of being down turned into anger after the Emperor deliberately picked a fight, and something deeper that was hard to explain.
The imperial tent, made bright yellow, was brightly lit by candles.
The Crown Prince knelt below, expressionless: "Since Father Emperor is disappointed in me, then let me be deposed as I suggested before."
Baoqing, who had been standing quietly watching the show, suddenly knelt down beside the Crown Prince upon hearing his words, pinching his thigh hard to prevent himself from making any strange expression that might displease his father.
I finally know the truth from two years ago!
He said that his father wasn't that petty, so why would he suddenly faint from anger? It turns out that the Crown Prince had provoked his father beforehand!
Wouldn't he be wronged to be confined to his home?
Baoqing suddenly realized what was happening.
That time, I was completely scapegoated by the Crown Prince!
After two years, Kangxi had become more composed and did not lose his temper or show any obvious anger. He simply asked the Crown Prince, "Are you ready?"
The Crown Prince has been the Crown Prince since he was one year old. This identity is the most profound mark on his growth. Is he really ready to give up this identity?
This time, Bao Qing not only pinched his own thigh, but he also secretly reached out and pinched the thigh of the prince next to him, trying to keep the prince awake with pain.
Second brother, calm down, second brother.
This is the identity of the crown prince, are you just going to throw it away like that?
It's not that I'm narcissistic, but this hot potato is something I don't really want either!
Caught off guard, the Crown Prince was pinched hard, causing him to gasp in pain. However, not wanting to show weakness in front of his father, he gritted his teeth and maintained a cold expression. "Your subject was prepared long ago."
No, Baoqing thought it was unacceptable.
He disregarded any impropriety in front of the emperor, threw himself on the crown prince and covered his mouth, speaking on the crown prince's behalf: "Take it back, take it back, Your Majesty, I need to discuss this further with you."
No one expected Baoqing to take such a step.
The Crown Prince stared wide-eyed, trying to pull Bao Qing off him, but Bao Qing's reckless strength was something he couldn't budge, especially since the Crown Prince's current position made it difficult to exert force.
He even heard his father, the Emperor, chuckle very faintly.
When Emperor Kangxi did not ascend the throne, things were quite good. He mercifully released his two sons, saying, "Come and tell me when you have discussed it."
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Bao Qing and the Crown Prince pulled and tugged their way back to the Crown Prince's camp in Xinghuang.
The guards outside the tent saw that the two were behaving strangely, but they dared not ask any questions. They knew the more they knew, the faster they would die, so they just stood there with their heads down, pretending to be blind.
Just entered the tent.
"Brother," the Crown Prince gritted his teeth, "can you remove the arm from my throat now?"
Bao Qing chuckled and withdrew his hand: "I forgot, I forgot."
The Crown Prince waved for the servants in the tent to leave, then pulled out a jeweled dagger from somewhere and brandished it under the lamplight, as if he would use the dagger to stab his elder brother if Bao Qing didn't give a reasonable explanation.
Bao Qing said with a serious expression, "How could you speak to Father Emperor like that?"
The prince paused, his hand holding the dagger in a gesture of anticipation.
Baoqing patiently argued with the Crown Prince, saying, "Based on my years of experience in outwitting and outmaneuvering Father Emperor, you're going to lose out by trying to reason with him like this. You won't gain anything at all."
It doesn't seem to be what he thought?
Recalling Bao Qing's past achievements, the Crown Prince found it very convincing, sheathed his dagger, and humbly asked, "Then what do you think we should do, elder brother?"
Baoqing muttered something to the Crown Prince.
The crown prince nodded thoughtfully.
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