As expected, before the Eighth Prince could react, Zhang Mingde, the fortune teller living in the newly purchased four-courtyard house, was arrested and thrown into prison. Emperor Kangxi ordered the Court of Judicial Review to immediately try him.
When the Eighth Prince arrived at the courtyard he had bought for Zhang Mingde, the gate was wide open, and the servants inside looked terrified, clearly greatly frightened.
"Where is Mr. Zhang?" the Eighth Prince asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.
The steward in the courtyard was originally a man of the Eighth Prince, and it was he who sent the letter.
"Your Highness, Orondai personally led men to arrest Mr. Zhang, carrying an imperial edict. We servants were truly unable to stop him." The steward was covered in dust and dirt, and it seemed he had been pushed to the ground earlier.
The Eighth Prince's lips, usually smiling and gentle, were now pressed into a straight line, his gesture revealing his suppressed and irritable emotions.
"You were told to go to Longkodo if you had any problems?" the Eighth Prince said in a deep voice.
The steward, his hands and feet ice-cold, hurriedly kowtowed and explained, "This servant sent people, but they were all stopped."
"Oh? How did you receive the message, sir?" After saying that, the Eighth Prince frowned, realizing that he had said something foolish.
What other reason could there be besides Orondai deliberately letting him know?
"You stay here for now, and we'll send you to the estate in a few days." The Eighth Prince was exhausted; he needed to get to the palace as soon as possible to explain to his father, the Emperor.
What can be explained? Kangxi wouldn't listen to a word now; he was furious, and all the servants in the Qianqing Palace trembled with fear, not daring to make a sound.
"I never imagined that Yinzhi would actually harbor such aspirations for the throne," Kangxi said through gritted teeth.
Liang Jiugong and Wei Zhu stood on either side of Kangxi behind him, their thoughts remarkably aligned.
Wasn't it Your Majesty who instigated the Eighth Prince's ambition? Now, he's blaming everyone else. The Eighth Prince is truly pathetic.
Wei Zhu tucked his sleeves in, thinking to himself that he should stay away from the Eighth Prince.
Liang Jiugong lowered his eyes like an old monk in meditation, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. Although he was the one who delivered the message without leaving a trace, he was also the one who, with just a few words, further fueled Kangxi's anger.
Having served Emperor Kangxi his entire life, Liang Jiugong's abilities and influence on Kangxi far exceeded anyone's imagination.
"Your Majesty, the Prince Zhi, the Ninth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince have come to pay their respects."
"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince has entered the palace."
When the two pieces of news arrived at the same time, the wrinkles between Kangxi's brows deepened to the point where they could almost form a knot.
"What's going on in Baocheng?" Kangxi asked.
He looked at Liang Jiugong, who bowed and said, "Everything is fine with the prince. I heard that he is currently restoring the score of Guangling San."
"Is this all he does? All the principles of governance I taught him were for him to use to restore musical scores? He's oblivious to everything else, how carefree he is." Kangxi laughed in exasperation, but his heart was filled with sorrow and distress.
His crown prince shouldn't be like this. Bao Cheng was born to command the court and have all the officials bow down to him.
His guarantee must be that he becomes the future emperor of the Qing Dynasty!
He was only willing to pass his position to his child with Empress Hesheri!
"Bring them in," Kangxi said, having calmed down and returned to his seat behind his desk.
Outside the Qianqing Palace, Prince Zhi, Ninth Prince, and Fourteenth Prince stood together, while Eighth Prince stood alone on the other side. The brothers of the same family stood in a clear and distinct manner.
Ignoring where he was standing, Prince Zhi sneered, "How come I don't see any great fortune in Eighth Brother?"
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