The Fourth Prince was not surprised by this answer, as the only family that could implicate the Crown Prince was the Hesheli clan.
After Su Peisheng finished speaking, he glanced around cautiously before saying in a very low voice, "I heard that Lord Gerfin is also involved this time... and quite significantly so..."
Gerfen, the eldest son of Soetu, was a fairly honest and upright man.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master blurted out, "Has he lost his mind?"
Su Peisheng shook his head and said, "I heard that since last year, Prime Minister Suo has been restricting the clansmen, and everyone in the clan has been tightening their belts to live a frugal life. It is difficult to go from luxury to frugality... This morning His Majesty sent someone to investigate, and there were ten whole chests of gold... His Majesty was furious. He ordered Prime Minister Suo to go back and reflect on his mistakes in the morning court session, and also ordered the Ministry of Personnel to investigate the matter thoroughly."
It's not that Suo Xiang was wrong to restrain his clansmen, but the people were already corrupt at their core. Even if he restrained them on the surface, it was difficult to prevent them from doing so in private.
The Fourth Prince's brows furrowed again, seemingly out of nowhere.
That's the truth. The Emperor has also found evidence of the crime, so it's a done deal and very difficult to break the deadlock.
This time, Hesheli is likely to have to bleed heavily.
As for the Crown Prince...
The Fourth Prince thought, "It all depends on Father Emperor's attitude now."
Fourth Master stood with his hands behind his back, deep in thought. After some time, he suddenly heard two shouts.
"Fourth Brother!" "Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother! What brings you here?"
The Fourth Prince knew who it was without even hearing the voice: "It's raining so hard, slow down... If you catch a cold, Mother will worry again. Why do you look thinner? Is the Imperial Kitchen treating you badly?"
The first half of the sentence was naturally addressed to the Fourteenth Prince, and the second half was addressed to the Thirteenth Prince.
The Thirteenth Prince smiled somewhat shyly. Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's voice, he greeted the Fourth Prince in the rain.
Fourth Master beckoned him to come into the pavilion first: "School's over?"
The Fourteenth Prince had already darted in like a monkey: "It's raining! The Grand Tutor said our minds aren't on studying, and that we don't know when the rain will stop, so he told us to go home early."
Fourth Master pushed him away expressionlessly: "Behave yourself. Wipe your face with a handkerchief, it's all wet."
Both the thirteenth and fourteenth princes had water droplets on their faces at this moment.
The Fourteenth Prince casually wiped his face and chattered, "Didn't you say you were at the Qianqing Palace? I was saying I'd come find you after school..."
Fourth Master felt a headache coming on: "Go back first. If you keep going like this, I'll send you to your third brother's place..."
The thirteenth prince also tugged at the fourteenth prince's sleeve.
Upon hearing what the Fourth Prince said, the Fourteenth Prince couldn't help but shrug his shoulders. His Third Brother's nagging was even more frightening than his mother's.
The Fourth Prince asked a few more questions. He noticed that the Thirteenth Prince had lost some weight. Although the Emperor Father would occasionally think of the Thirteenth Prince after Lady Zhangjia had been gone for several years, it was hard to guarantee that the servants below would not outwardly comply but inwardly disobey.
Fourth Prince led the thirteenth and fourteenth princes to the Fourth Palace in Ganxi like children, mainly dragging along the mischievous fourteenth prince.
The three brothers had just stepped out of the pavilion when they spotted a small figure in the distance.
The Fourteenth Prince still couldn't resist blurting out: "It's Hongxi..."
That small figure was none other than Prince Hongxi. He had just come out of the Imperial Study. It was unclear whether his servants had informed him of the Crown Prince's matter, but judging from his dejected appearance, he probably already knew.
The Thirteenth Prince sighed, then quickly seemed to realize he shouldn't have done it and raised his hand to cover his mouth.
Fourth Master didn't say anything, but only glanced at Su Peisheng.
Holding the umbrella, Su Peisheng nodded in understanding and waved to Fu Lu behind him with his free hand.
Fulu paused for a moment, then quickly stopped to watch the figures of the Fourth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince disappear into the distance. He waited until the figures of Prince Hongxi and his entourage headed towards Yuqing Palace before quietly following them.
Even though the Crown Prince is likely to be punished, Prince Hongxi is, after all, the most favored by His Majesty among all the imperial grandsons, and he will inevitably have many people following him.
However, the Fourth Prince was still somewhat uneasy.
After arriving at the Fourth Palace in Ganxi, Fourth Master asked about his two younger brothers' studies. At this point, Fourteenth Brother started to speak vaguely. Fourth Master didn't stand on ceremony and treated Fourteenth Brother the same way he treated Hongming and Honghui.
The Fourth Prince doesn't need to worry about the Thirteenth Prince.
By the time Fourth Master came out of Ganxi Fourth Palace, it was past noon. The rain had gradually subsided. The first thing he asked as soon as he came out was, "Has the Crown Prince returned to Yuqing Palace?"
Su Peisheng shook his head, and as he replied, he couldn't help but swallow hard: "I heard... I heard that His Majesty was furious when the Crown Prince pleaded for the Prime Minister. The Crown Prince is still kneeling outside the Qianqing Palace. I heard that the Third Prince was also scolded for pleading for the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince has already fainted and is now being placed in a side hall of the Qianqing Palace."
The Emperor did not send anyone to escort the Crown Prince back to Yuqing Palace, so there is still a chance for things to turn around?
Why would the Crown Prince plead for Prime Minister Suo? Even if he truly cared for Prime Minister Suo, he shouldn't have added fuel to the fire at this time.
The Fourth Prince's heart suddenly felt uneasy, and he asked again, "Has Hongxi returned to Yuqing Palace?"
Su Peisheng nodded: "Consort Li Jia personally came out to meet us halfway there, and there was no trouble."
The Fourth Prince was somewhat relieved after hearing this, and then left the palace in the rain.
Before he even arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, he sneezed a few times, which terrified Su Peisheng. He immediately ordered someone to boil ginger soup for the Fourth Master to ward off the cold.
The Fourth Prince was already sneezing while standing in the rain, so one can only imagine how much the Crown Prince, who had been kneeling in the rain for so long, was feeling.
No wonder the Crown Prince was temporarily placed in the Qianqing Palace; otherwise, he would have been exposed to the wind and cold on the way back to the Yuqing Palace.
However, the Ministry of Revenue is not free for the time being. In any case, the food and fodder that are in short supply at the front must be allocated and sent to the front.
When Fourth Master returned to the manor in the night, feeling chilly, he indeed caught a cold that night and fell ill again.
However, Fourth Master did not allow Su Peisheng to alarm anyone in the manor, and the next day, despite his illness, he still went to the Ministry of Revenue as usual.
He was able to catch his breath only after the provisions were prepared. Good news finally came from the front: the Yao people had surrendered. It was Prince Zhi who, after regaining his senses, devised a plan to trap them like turtles in a jar and captured the Yao leader alive.
When the news reached the capital, His Majesty naturally praised it highly.
They were just waiting for Prince Zhi to return to the capital to reward those who had contributed to the cause. However, as with rewards came punishments. The Crown Prince only stayed in the side hall of Qianqing Palace for half a day before returning to Yuqing Palace. His high fever persisted, and he became delirious from the fever.
He kept calling out, "Mother... Mother..."
The Emperor was unaware of these things at first, until Prince Hongxi let it slip. In the end, the Emperor was saddened and said that the blame did not lie with Bao Cheng, but with Suo'etu, the Crown Prince's tutor, for failing to set a good example and for not being strict with his family. He also stripped Gerfen of his official hat, punished Suo'etu with six months of quiet reflection, and dealt with and purged all those involved in the corruption.
For a time, everyone, both inside and outside the court, felt insecure.
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