As soon as Emperor Kangxi entered the court, he announced to the ministers and princes present that the thirteenth prince would be imprisoned in Yangfeng Alley; the crown prince would be imprisoned in Minqing Palace; and that he intended to depose the crown prince.
The contents are as follows: The thirteenth prince is disloyal and unfilial to the emperor and his father, and is unworthy to be a prince. He is currently imprisoned in Yangfeng Alley and will never return without the emperor's pardon. The crown prince is treacherous, disloyal and unfilial to his father, and shows no love for his brothers. He is unworthy to be the crown prince. Therefore, I wish to select a virtuous, capable, loyal, and filial person to be the crown prince.
These words shocked the entire court. Those who supported the Crown Prince vehemently advised Kangxi not to depose him, while those who opposed the Crown Prince, or officials who claimed to have other loyalists, began to agree that Kangxi's decision was absolutely correct. The two factions began arguing in court.
Unexpectedly, the argument lasted all day. Fourth Master hadn't anticipated such a commotion, and he certainly hadn't imagined that Thirteen had been sent to the bee-keeping alley. It was a perpetually damp and extremely harsh place. He wondered where Thirteen was, and whether he could survive.
After court, the Fourth Prince left the palace with a somber face. The Thirteenth Prince had already been sent away, and he hadn't even had a chance to plead for him, but he could still take care of his family. The Kangxi Emperor had decreed that the Thirteenth Prince's residence be sealed off, with no one allowed to enter or leave, and daily household expenses to be transported in by special personnel. The Fourth Prince, fearing that the Thirteenth Prince's wife might be distraught, went to the Thirteenth Prince's residence specifically to speak with Lady Zhaojia; otherwise, she wouldn't know what the Thirteenth Prince had done wrong.
When the Fourth Prince arrived at the Thirteenth Prince's residence, Lady Zhaojia was already ill.
When she heard that the Fourth Master had arrived, she got up despite her illness to speak with him.
"Since you're ill, don't get up. I'm here to check on Thirteen. Is there anything the household needs? I'll help if I can." Fourth Master felt a surge of goodwill towards Lady Zhaojia upon seeing her sickly appearance. Thirteen and Lady Zhaojia hadn't had a very good relationship before, otherwise they wouldn't have remained childless until now, with one of Thirteen's concubines giving birth to a daughter first.
"Thank you, Fourth Brother, for coming to visit at such a time. I have nothing to lack, but I am worried about the Thirteenth Prince. What has he done wrong that Father Emperor wants... Is that place fit for a human being?" Lady Zhaojia was on the verge of tears.
"I haven't fully figured out what happened to Thirteen yet, and Father Emperor won't say much. But don't worry, I'll find an opportunity to get to the bottom of this and then try to plead for Thirteen's release before Father Emperor. But for now, you'll all have to suffer and stay in this mansion, unable to come and go freely," Fourth Prince said.
"Thank you, Fourth Brother. I have an idea. How can the Thirteenth Prince, a grown man, take care of himself in such a place? I would like to personally request permission from Father Emperor that I accompany the Thirteenth Prince to the Bee-Raising Alley to take care of his daily life. I am the Thirteenth Prince's wife; how can it be reasonable for a wife to enjoy comfort in the mansion while her husband suffers?" said Lady Zhaojia.
The Fourth Prince hadn't expected Lady Zhaojia to volunteer to accompany the Thirteenth Prince during his ordeal. It was truly a display of loyalty and compassion, for the Thirteenth Prince's presence there seemed to have no end, entirely dependent on the Emperor's mood. However, Lady Zhaojia's suggestion was also reasonable; the Thirteenth Prince did indeed need someone to care for his daily needs. The Fourth Prince thought of the woman named Luoge, with whom the Thirteenth Prince seemed to have a lingering connection. He wondered what her reaction would be now that she learned of the Thirteenth Prince's misfortune.
"Alright, you should recover first. I'll go and ask for permission. If you really have to go, see if you can bring a maid who knows a little medicine with you. That place is bitterly cold, so you must all take good care of yourselves." At this moment, the Fourth Prince's impression of Lady Zhaojia improved several degrees.
"Thank you, Fourth Brother. My wife and I will never forget your help to us at this moment." Lady Zhao was about to perform a grand ceremony when she was stopped by the Fourth Prince.
"Thirteenth is my own brother, sister-in-law, there's no need for such formalities. Sister-in-law, please take good care of yourself, otherwise you absolutely cannot go if you're not feeling well!" Fourth Master said solemnly.
After the Fourth Prince left, Lady Zhaojia was helped back to her room to rest by her maid Furong. At this time, the Thirteenth Prince's two princesses also arrived.
"My lady, don't mind them, let me help you to rest!" Furong said angrily. "You should have spoken to the Fourth Prince earlier and asked him to arrange for these two princesses for our master."
“They were all appointed to the master by the Emperor. Now that the master is in trouble, it is not honorable. How can we let the fourth brother manage the household affairs?” Zhao Jia’s illness was partly due to the shock she received after hearing about the thirteenth prince’s affairs, and partly due to the trouble caused by these two concubines.
"Don't go in! You are not allowed to enter without the Princess's permission!" came the maid's voice from outside. But they still couldn't stop Chen Gege and Xie Gege.
Ignoring the maids' attempts to stop them, the two forced their way into Lady Zhaojia's main room.
"How dare you! The Princess Consort hasn't even invited you in yet, how dare you barge in uninvited?" Furong rebuked angrily.
"We heard that the Fourth Prince has arrived, and we wanted to ask what crime our master has committed, since he has disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead?" Xie Gege, from a prominent Han Banner family, entered the manor with a more assertive air than others, while Chen Shi, relatively gentle and quiet, was favored by the Thirteenth Prince. She was the mother of the Thirteenth Prince's eldest daughter!
"Shut up! You're not allowed to curse your master!" Zhao Jia shouted angrily. "Slap him!"
"Yes, Rose, Yingchun, what are you two standing there for? It's better to slap Princess Xie than to give her a few slaps from the Fujin!" Furong ordered with a sense of satisfaction. Usually, because the Fujin was not favored by the Thirteenth Prince and had a mild temperament, Xie often acted arrogantly and domineeringly towards the Fujin. Since the Thirteenth Prince was often away from the mansion, and Zhaojia was weak, she was spoiled even more and became unruly.
At this moment, Lady Zhaojia changed her usual docile demeanor and put on the airs of a Fujin (principal wife), and she even became quite the imposing figure.
Rose and Yingchun walked up to Madam Xie. One of them blocked her maid, while the other walked up to Madam Xie and hit her twice, one on the left and one on the right!
Xie was used to being domineering, but she never expected to be hit twice by Zhao Jia's maid, leaving her completely stunned!
"Now that the master is in distress outside, if you all behave yourselves and stay in your own rooms, I, the wife, will not make things difficult for you. If anyone dares to have any thoughts at this time, I, the wife, will not be lenient with them. With the master away, I, the wife, am the ruler of this mansion. Xie Shi, who is usually arrogant and domineering and does not know manners, drag her out now and give her twenty strokes of the cane as a warning to others."
Furong immediately ordered the servants outside to come in and drag Xie Shi out. Chen Shi, who was standing to the side, saw that Zhao Jia Shi had dealt with Xie Shi in no time, and all her thoughts immediately disappeared.
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