The Fourteenth Prince left somewhat dejectedly, nearly collapsing, but fortunately Feng Zhong, who came in from outside, was quick-witted enough to catch him.
It's no wonder that the Fourteenth Prince was so distraught after learning that the Eighth and Ninth Princes were the ones who assassinated the Fourth Prince.
This is different from the Third Prince's situation. The Fourteenth Prince and the Third Prince's relationship was already pitifully shallow. But the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince were different. After the Fourth Prince left the palace and lived separately, the only ones in the palace who could talk to the Fourteenth Prince were the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince, who went to and from school with him.
However, later on, because the Fourteenth Prince and the Tenth Prince didn't get along very well, and with the Thirteenth Prince being close to him and the Fourth Prince keeping an eye on him, his relationship with the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince gradually faded.
At this moment, Fourteen still felt a dilemma, and at the same time, a slight chill ran through his heart.
It turns out that the so-called fratricide isn't so far-fetched after all.
Fourteen was in a daze for half a day, and didn't even know how he got back to Yonghe Palace from Baohe Hall.
Consort De had just returned from Cining Palace and was quite tired. She had already sent He Zhongyi to check on the Fourth Prince earlier, and now that she saw the Fourteenth Prince, she beckoned him to go into Yonghe Palace.
Although she knew that no vital organs were injured, Consort De still pulled Fourteenth Prince aside to ask if he had gone to see the Fourth Prince. Fourteenth Prince nodded blankly, revealing an expression that was even more unsightly than crying.
Consort De waved her hand to dismiss everyone. She brushed the snow off Fourteen's shoulders and gently pulled him into her arms, as if he had been wronged when he was a child.
"You went to see your brother?"
The fourteenth prince was too embarrassed to bury his face in his mother's arms and wail loudly. He quickly switched to supporting Consort De and wiping his tears with his sleeve: "I'm just... a little worried about my brother."
Consort De couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat as she listened to her youngest son's tone. She understood perfectly: "This whole thing is caused by... the vacancy of the Crown Prince's position."
There weren't so many problems when Yinreng was still the crown prince.
Even if everyone's thoughts were in turmoil, they wouldn't do something like this that could cost a brother his life.
Consort De knew perfectly well that His Majesty's delay in deciding on a Crown Prince was either because he didn't yet have a suitable candidate in mind, or because he already had someone in mind but didn't want the Crown Prince to be pushed into the limelight like Yinreng.
However, with this series of events unfolding one after another, it seems that even if His Majesty doesn't have a candidate in mind, he will have to quickly decide on one.
Fourteen understood his mother's meaning. He thought of something, paused slightly, and didn't dare to make a sound.
Consort De beckoned the Fourteenth Prince to sit down in the inner palace: "You've been kneeling for half a day. Have your lunch here with your mother first. As for the rest, you're a carefree child, and it's good that you value relationships... Nobody has it easy. Your friendship with the Eighth and Ninth Princes may have been genuine in the past, but what about now? Can you really say for sure?"
Consort De did not completely deny that Fourteenth Prince had gotten along well with Eighth and Ninth Princes in the past. She also did not dislike Eighth Prince from the time he was born. Eighth Prince was a good child when he was young. It was just that as he got older, he gradually became less close to Consort Wei and instead became closer to Consort Hui.
This is the reason why Consort De disliked the Fourteenth Prince and the Eighth Prince getting too close.
As for the ninth prince, there's even less to say. It's just that her relationship with Consort Yi wasn't very good in her early years. Plus, both she and Consort Yi had two sons. At that time, her fourth prince wasn't around, and given Consort Yi's personality...
The two were not on good terms in their early years.
But even with her good temper, Consort De couldn't tell her son about these old stories, especially her reckless and impetuous youngest son.
Fourteen had never considered the possibility of his fourth brother becoming the crown prince or even going further. At this moment, he no longer thought about brotherly affection; he was somewhat dizzy.
If the fourth brother becomes the crown prince, wouldn't he, as the younger brother, also benefit from the success of his brother's rise to power?
Fourteen opened his mouth wide, and finally couldn't help but swallow hard: "Next time, next time I will definitely stand in front of Fourth Brother!"
Consort De was amused by Fourteenth Prince's words: "Don't say those things. Your mother just hopes that you two brothers and Wenxian can all be well and free from disasters and pain. Your mother will be very satisfied."
After Consort De and Fourteenth Prince had lunch, Consort De asked Fourteenth Prince to deliver some ginseng soup to the Fourth Prince on the way.
Just wait and see, there'll be some excitement tonight, with the eighth and ninth brothers...
Consort De couldn't handle the two princes, so why couldn't she handle Consort Yi? As one of the four consorts, Consort De's ability to maintain her position was no small feat.
As the Fourteenth Prince was carrying the ginseng soup box to the Qianqing Palace after leaving Yonghe Palace, he ran into the smiling Third Prince. The Fourteenth Prince suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, nodded, and prepared to walk forward.
Unexpectedly, his third brother stopped him: "Fourteenth brother, are you going to see your fourth brother? Perfect, shall we go together?"
Seeing that his hands were empty, Fourteen smirked and said, "Alright, let's go together then."
He saw that his third brother was getting smug again.
Indeed, Third Master knew he could prove his innocence and turn his life around. The humiliation of the past two months had been washed away, and now he found everyone extremely pleasing to the eye.
Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, the Third Prince wandered around aimlessly, while the Fourteenth Prince ignored him and went straight to see the Fourth Prince.
It just so happens that the Fourth Prince was awake at this moment. The tears that the Fourteenth Prince had managed to suppress in Yonghe Palace suddenly burst forth again as he looked at his pale and haggard Fourth Brother.
Fourth Master never knew that his younger brother could cry so much.
He helplessly took out a handkerchief to wipe away Fourteen's tears.
Fourteen took a breath, not wanting his fourth brother to wipe his tears, so he took the handkerchief and silently wiped his own tears.
Fourth Master, fearing that Fourteenth Prince would continue crying, gave him something to do to prevent him from overthinking.
The matter was simply to have the Fourteenth Prince send a message to his residence.
The fourteenth naturally responds to everything.
With teary eyes, she left, turning back every few steps.
The Fourth Master found it quite amusing.
All those worries were instantly forgotten.
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