Chapter 196 Celebration Banquet (Part 1)
"Father, is he lying?"
Everything was going smoothly and safely in the inner palace, but in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinzhen still had to face Honghui's red eyes and the worried gazes of others.
"Of course, it's just wishful thinking about failure."
Yinzhen naturally pulled Honghui to his side and, just like when they were children, vigorously ruffled his hair, showing no respect for the crown prince in front of others.
"Since I knew about his scheme early on, I will do everything perfectly. If I didn't want to, how could Tong Guowei have obtained the case so easily?"
Yinzhen's explanation made a lot of sense, and his complexion and behavior were normal. Honghui breathed a sigh of relief, and most of the others were also relieved. Only Yunsi tried his best to suppress his hatred for Tong Guowei and his worry for his fourth brother. He maintained a calm and composed demeanor, not daring to let others see anything amiss.
"Alright, there's still a lot to take care of. Honghui, go see your mother."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave."
Yinzhen began to send people away one by one. After seeing Honghui off, he looked at Yunli.
"Seventeen, you're still injured. Don't push yourself. Go back and rest early."
“Your Majesty, I am fine. I would like to stay and help.”
Seeing that the Seventeenth Prince was stubborn and insisted, Yinzhen did not refuse: "Then go find the Thirteenth Prince and go with him to deal with the remaining members of the palace faction."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go right away." Knowing that his elder brother was worried about his health and had assigned him an easy task nearby, Yunli was naturally happy and happily accepted the order to go find Yunxiang.
"Tong Guowei and several other ringleaders of the rebellion were interrogated by Zhang Aiqing and Yue Xing'a."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey the decree."
"The second brother and the eighth brother should step in to appease the former dynasty and the imperial clan."
"yes."
Yinreng and Yinsi finally accepted the imperial decree and took their leave.
As they left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, neither of them showed any joy at the clearing of the clouds or the brightening of the sky; they remained silent the entire way. Just as they were about to exit the palace gates, Yinreng suddenly asked, "Is Your Majesty truly alright?"
Instead of answering his question, Yinzhi asked another: "If... Honghui were sitting on the throne, would Second Brother have any other thoughts?"
Yinreng paused, turned to look at Yinsi in disbelief, understood the deeper meaning in his question, and a trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes.
Yinzhi couldn't help but sneer, turning his head to gaze in the direction of the Qianqing Palace, and said in a low voice, "Does Second Brother still remember how long the steps at the entrance of the Qianqing Palace are?"
Yunreng closed his eyes in pain and frustration, standing there, feeling that it was difficult to take a step and that the cold was bone-chilling.
Yinzhi gave him a deep look, then turned and walked out of the palace without hesitation, leaving Yinreng standing there, unable to let go of his feelings for a long time.
Regardless of what Yinreng thinks after learning the truth—whether he feels guilty or remorseful—since his fourth brother wants Honghui to succeed to the throne smoothly, then Yinsi must remove all obstacles for him, and no one can become an obstacle. He wants Yinreng to wholeheartedly assist Honghui and not have the slightest thought of having other ideas.
Gazing at the gradually clearing sky, Yinzhi smiled. Having walked the righteous path so much, he almost forgot that the former Eighth Prince Yinzhi was most skilled at scheming and manipulating people's hearts.
...
To onlookers, the palace coup occurred and was explained in the same way. Apart from filling the prisons of the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Clan Court to capacity, there was no other damage or change whatsoever.
Seeing the Crown Prince and Prince Guo, who had arrived in the capital ahead of time, appear at the court assembly, the ministers were completely convinced that this was just a fishing trip orchestrated by the Emperor.
To be more precise, it should be said that the emperor cast a net, since it seems that the emperor had caught all the fish in the lake, big and small.
Fortunately, the emperor did not intend to implicate those involved. He dealt with the ringleaders and other participants who had already been imprisoned, and did not extend the punishment further.
Of course, this excludes the Tongjia clan, who were executed and exiled, apart from Tong Guowei, the ringleader of the rebellion.
This prompted many officials to remark that the Emperor had become much more lenient since ascending the throne, making them feel much safer in the officialdom.
With all affairs of the court and the inner palace settled, the New Year was fast approaching. Yinzhen, citing the successful peace talks with Russia and the thwarting of a rebellion plot, prepared a grand New Year's banquet.
As a celebration, before the New Year's banquet, Yinzhen once again bestowed titles upon the imperial harem.
Consort Hua, Nian Shilan, was promoted to Noble Consort Hua; Consort Shu, Song Wan'er, was promoted to Noble Consort Shu.
Consort Hui, Chen Meizhuang, was promoted to Consort Hui; Consort Xi, Niu Gulu Yuyao, was promoted to Consort Xi.
Consort Zhuang, An Lingrong, was promoted to Consort Zhuang; Consort Fucha was promoted to Consort Jin; Consort Jing, Feng Ruozhao, adopted the sixth prince Hongqing, born to Yuan Yuxiu, and was promoted to Consort Jing.
Everyone else received a reward, except for Consort Ning, Mei Qiyue, who was stripped of her title and demoted to Noble Lady for plotting against Fang Jiayichun, and was confined to Qixiang Palace.
At the same time, the younger brothers under the Crown Prince were no longer bald princes. The second prince, Hongyun, and the third prince, Hongshi, were granted the title of Beile, while the fourth prince, Hongli, and the fifth prince, Hongzhou, were granted the title of Beizi.
...
"Second brother."
"Big brother..."
At the lively New Year's banquet, Hongyun looked away as his elder brother Honghui walked towards him, his eyes filled with guilt and unease.
Honghui seemed oblivious to everything, patted him on the shoulder, and casually sat down next to him: "You'll be 11 after the New Year, let's have a drink together."
"Big brother..." Hongyun was a little stunned and at a loss when he saw the small wine cup handed to him.
“There’s only this one cup, there’s no more,” Honghui said, shoving the cup into Hongyun’s hand. “You mustn’t tell Father Emperor.”
"I won't..."
Cheers!
Honghui smiled and touched Hongyun's glass with his own. Hongyun met his gentle smiling eyes and slowly raised his glass: "This glass of wine should be for my elder brother."
"good."
Honghui watched as Hongyun tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass, then followed suit and drank the wine in his own glass.
"Cough cough..."
Hongyun, who was drinking for the first time, was so agitated by the spicy taste that he couldn't help but cough.
"Are you alright? This wine is a bit spicy." Honghui quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath.
"Yeah, this liquor is really strong..."
Whether it was the smell of alcohol or he simply couldn't hold back, Hongyun's eyes reddened, and he choked up slightly: "Big brother, I didn't mean to... I didn't know..."
Yinzhen did not hide the part of Hongyun's rebellion case that involved him. Hongyun had clearly done nothing, but he carried a heavy burden on his heart.
He didn't know what to say, what to say, but he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face, yet he still forced himself to say, "This wine is really spicy... it's so spicy it's making my eyes water..."
"Yes, it's too spicy, so I won't drink it."
Honghui put away his wine glass as he was told, and watched Hongyun awkwardly trying to stop his tears. He sighed and gently comforted him, "Hongyun, ever since you were little, I've been the one who took you to the front yard, took you to school, and looked after your younger siblings... This is the 11th New Year's Eve we've spent together as brothers, and we'll spend countless more together in the future..."
“Hongyun, we are brothers with blood ties, I will always be your elder brother.”
"Big brother..."
"I'm here, I've always been here. Cheer up during the New Year, second brother."
"Um."
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