On the day of the ceremony, when the Fourth Master left the East Courtyard early in the morning, it was still dark.
It was already late February, and the weather in eastern Beijing was gradually warming up. However, the morning fog was heavy, and the journey from the mansion to the Forbidden City by the Fourth Prince still felt somewhat chilly.
The Fourth Prince first went to Yonghe Palace to have breakfast with Consort De.
Half past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), His Majesty, dressed in formal attire, set off from the Forbidden City for the Temple of Agriculture, with princes and ministers following behind on horseback.
Unlike the Third Prince, who squeezed behind the Emperor's carriage, the Fourth Prince actually stayed closer to the Crown Prince during the journey.
The Crown Prince's heart didn't seem to be with His Majesty; instead, he frequently glanced at the scenery along the roadside, appearing quite content.
Upon arriving at the Temple of Agriculture, everyone naturally had to change into their robes.
His Majesty naturally changed his dragon robes alone in the Hall of Robes, but before going to the Hall of Robes, His Majesty called out to the Crown Prince.
"Baocheng, go with Father Emperor to the Dressing Room to change your clothes."
The princes were naturally quite envious, especially Prince Zhi, whose smile was almost gone.
When it was past midnight, everyone went to the Temple of the God of Agriculture to worship the God of Agriculture.
Everything went very smoothly.
The ceremony of personally plowing the fields begins after lunch, around 11:30 PM.
Because the Crown Prince was in charge of the ceremony, the Ministry of Rites arranged an extra viewing area at the site of the ceremony.
The ceremony of personally tilling the land begins.
Guided by his attendant and the Minister of Ceremonies, the Crown Prince walked to the place where he would personally plow the fields.
Then, at the command of the official from the Court of State Ceremonial, "Bring the plow and hoe," the Crown Prince took the plow and hoe in one hand and led the oxen forward.
Everything seemed to be going as smoothly as expected.
Until the Crown Prince suddenly stopped moving, or more accurately, the oxen stopped moving.
The Fourth Prince, like everyone else, was watching from the sidelines when he saw this, and his brow furrowed deeply.
Oh no, something went wrong.
The ministers' murmurs could already be heard from the crowd. Among the princes, apart from the unreliable third brother who exclaimed "Ah!" loudly, no one dared to speak first.
Emperor Kangxi slowly stood up, his voice deep and resonant: "How has the Ministry of Works been handling its duties?"
The Minister of Works immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
Nalan Mingzhu spoke slowly from the crowd: "Your Majesty, oxen are animals, and the Minister of Works naturally has limitations in taming them. However, today is the ceremony of the emperor personally plowing the fields, and if the ceremony is interrupted, it is probably—an ominous sign."
Soetu naturally couldn't sit still either: "What the Prime Minister said is wrong. The sage said, 'The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' If the ceremony of personally tilling the fields is not completed, the fault naturally lies with the officials. How can it be judged as an inauspicious omen?"
Mingzhu sneered: "Since Prime Minister Suo says the fault lies with the officials, then he should say which official is at fault."
The Minister of Works, still kneeling, dared not utter a sound.
Songgotu prostrated himself on the ground and said, "The ministers are naturally distinguished as either good or bad. His Majesty is wise and discerning, so there is no need for us to speak presumptuously."
"I only wish to share Your Majesty's burdens," Songgotu declared loudly, expressing his loyalty.
In just a few words, what should have been the blame for the Crown Prince was cleverly shifted by Suo'etu to the issue of loyalty.
Emperor Kangxi stood at the head of the table and suddenly smiled: "Since the oxen are disobedient, order the Imperial Kitchen to behead them at Donghua Gate and distribute them to the people, symbolizing a good harvest this year. Let Bao Cheng personally plow the fields with the plow. With me here, the ceremony of personally plowing the fields will not be incomplete."
Songgotu bowed again: "Your Majesty is wise."
The Fourth Prince frowned, admiring his father's decisiveness, while also glancing at the crowd.
Especially Prince Zhi.
However, Prince Zhi had his head down, so his expression was not visible.
When Fourth Master looked away, he met Eighth Master's eyes.
There was no obvious expression of joy or anger on Lao Ba's face.
Eighth Master noticed Fourth Master's gaze and smiled kindly at him.
Fourth Master quickly looked away.
Finally, their gaze fell upon the young master in the fields.
At this time of day, when the sunlight is at its strongest, the Crown Prince walks alone in the fields, his thin figure appearing utterly lonely.
The moment this thought popped into his head, Fourth Master cursed himself for being foolish.
With his father, the Emperor, protecting him from beginning to end, how could the Crown Prince be lonely?
After the ceremony of personally plowing the fields, the Fourth Prince had no time to return to his residence. He went back to the Ministry of Revenue first, accompanied by the Minister of Revenue.
During his tenure as Minister of Revenue, he only cautiously asked once: "I am ignorant about this matter, may I ask what Your Highness thinks?"
The Fourth Prince was truly exhausted, and at this moment he only glanced at the Minister of Revenue.
"The Minister is cautious in his words, and the ceremony of personally tilling the fields went smoothly. What trouble could there be?"
The Minister of Revenue naturally dared not refute: "Yes, Fourth Master is right."
But if the ox is killed, and someone really did something wrong, there will be no way to prove it.
In this way, the ceremony of personally tilling the land was completed, and those who were doing it in secret no longer needed to worry about being exposed.
This is why the Fourth Prince admired his father's decisiveness at the time.
The Emperor may not have known that it was someone else who did it, but he was not so stupid as to be completely unaware.
It was just that the Emperor preserved everyone's dignity.
Fourth Master didn't want to think too much about who was behind it all; for the twenty-year-old Fourth Master, all of this was terrifying.
The Crown Prince had done nothing, yet he was already at the center of the vortex.
After leaving the Ministry of Revenue, Fourth Master went straight to the East Courtyard upon returning to his residence.
With the weather warming up recently, Li Chenjiao wore only the spring clothes she brought when she entered the mansion last year in her own courtyard.
The pale yellow cheongsam was embroidered with golden osmanthus blossoms, a very bright color.
Li Chenjiao sat in a rocking chair, holding a small bowl containing lotus seed and lily bulb soup prepared by the kitchen.
The sound of the silver spoon hitting the bowl was exceptionally crisp and pleasant.
When Fourth Master arrived, Li Chenjiao was taking small bites, and the persimmon at her feet shrank further in when it heard the noise.
Li Chenjiao stood up: "Master is back."
That sounds even more pleasant.
The inexplicable gloom in Fourth Master's heart dissipated slightly. He excused Li Chenjiao from her formalities and walked into the inner room: "What did you eat?"
Li Chenjiao then followed her into the inner room: "The kitchen made lotus seed and lily bulb soup. This servant is craving it and can't wait to have some. Would you like to try some, Your Highness?"
Li Chenjiao put down the small bowl and ladled half a bowl of water from the small cup.
Fourth Master took it, and at the same time glanced at Su Peisheng.
The servants who had been standing in the room filed out at Su Peisheng's wave of his hand, leaving only Li Chenjiao and the Fourth Master.
Li Chenjiao then sat down on the other side of the small couch with a small bowl in her hand: "But—there are some issues with the ceremony of personally plowing the fields."
The Fourth Prince did not believe that women should not be involved in politics. On the contrary, he would occasionally tell Li Chenjiao about the exaggerated and laughable parts of the local officials' greetings.
Fourth Master stirred the silver spoon and said, "You were right."
Li Chenjiao couldn't immediately recall what she had said, but when she realized it, her eyes widened in disbelief: "How could that be?"
Li Chenjiao glanced at the Fourth Master sitting opposite her again, and suddenly relaxed: "I think in the end, we should all be at peace."
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