The following day, an imperial edict was issued, shocking the entire court. The edict detailed the various misdeeds of Crown Prince Yinreng:
"I have inherited the great legacy of my ancestors, Taizu, Taizong, and Shizu for forty-eight years. During this time, I have worked diligently, showing compassion for my officials and caring for the people, striving to maintain peace and order throughout the land. However, Yinreng disregards the virtues of our ancestors and my teachings, indulging in unrestrained wickedness and violence, the likes of which are difficult to express. I have tolerated him for twenty years. Yet his evil has only grown stronger, slaughtering and humiliating princes, nobles, ministers, and officials in court. He monopolizes power, gathering a faction of followers. He spyes on my every move, listening to everything I do. I think the country belongs to one ruler; how can Yinreng arbitrarily rape, beat, and assault princes, nobles, ministers, and officials? Like Prince Ping..." Narsu and Beile Haishan Gong Puqi were both beaten by him, and ministers, officials, and soldiers were rarely spared his cruelty. During my tours of Shaanxi, Jiangnan, and Zhejiang, I stayed in simple dwellings or traveled by boat, daring not to venture out or disturb the people in any way. Yet, Yinreng and his followers acted recklessly and perversely, doing everything in their power, making it difficult for me to speak out. They even sent envoys to intercept tribute bearers from foreign vassal states, seizing imperial horses at will, to the point that even the Mongols were not convinced of their loyalty. The various misdeeds are too numerous to list. I still hope he will repent and reform, therefore I have been tolerant and forgiving to this day. Furthermore, I know that Yinreng is by nature extravagant, and I have appointed his wet nurse... Lingpu, the husband of the Prince Consort, was appointed as the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department to facilitate Lingpu's access to his belongings. However, Lingpu became even more greedy, causing resentment among the bondservant servants. From the time Yunreng was young, I repeatedly instructed him that all things used were made from the blood and sweat of the common people and should be used frugally. Yet he disobeyed my words, indulging in extravagance and debauchery, becoming even more vicious. He even threatened to kill my sons and their descendants. When the Eighteenth Prince fell ill, everyone worried about my advanced age. He, his own brother, showed no brotherly affection; when I reprimanded him, he became enraged. Even worse, every night he would approach the cracks in the city walls and peek inside. Previously, Songgotu had helped him plot... "I am fully aware of this matter and have executed Suo'etu. Now, Yinreng seeks revenge for Suo'etu, forming a faction that leaves me uncertain whether I will be poisoned today or murdered tomorrow. I am deeply troubled by this, and I cannot entrust such a person with the ancestral legacy. Moreover, Yinreng was born after his mother's death, a situation traditionally considered unfilial. Since my ascension to the throne, I have practiced frugality, wearing only worn-out bedding and cloth boots. Yinreng, however, uses far more than I do, yet he still finds it insufficient, recklessly seizing state funds and interfering in politics. He will surely ruin our nation and harm our people. If such an unfilial and inhumane person becomes ruler, how can we uphold the ancestral legacy?"
Two days later, after Lanqin finished reading the not-too-difficult-to-understand proclamation of the deposed crown prince, Shi Bingde and his cronies had naturally been rounded up by the Fourth Prince and others. They were now all loaded into prison carts, locked with heavy iron locks, and imprisoned in cells.
The fake Emperor Kangxi was injured, so he had been staying at the hunting grounds to "recover" for the past few days. The real reason was that Emperor Kangxi had sent a secret order for them to rest at the Xishan hunting grounds for a few days and return to the capital after receiving his imperial decree.
Shi Bingde and his entourage of prisoners have been secretly escorted back to the capital by carriage, and the Crown Princess and Lady Li, among others, have also been taken back. The whole situation has become incomprehensible, and the princes are overwhelmed by what is happening in the capital. All they know is that the Crown Prince has fallen again, and the entire Shi family is doomed.
"Master, when that **** and Prince Indal rushed over and saw you going to save Father Emperor like that, their hearts were in their throats." Lanqin nestled against the Fourth Master's chest as the two sat on a high grassy slope.
"That day, when I saw you riding up with Indal, I was furious," Fourth Master said, putting his arm around Lanqin.
"You're so petty, Master. Prince Indal has already been betrothed, and you're still jealous? Aren't you ashamed?" Lanqin kissed the Fourth Master's chin.
Fourth Master raised his hand and stroked Lanqin's neck, then kissed her deeply. Before Lanqin could struggle, Fourth Master's tongue had already penetrated between her teeth, and the two of them, with the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed, fell onto the grass and began to kiss deeply.
Lanqin blushed so much that the roots of her ears turned red. After all, this was during the day, in broad daylight, and she was being passionately kissed by the Fourth Master on the grass. If someone saw this, it would cause a lot of gossip.
"Master!" Lanqin uttered a single word, her voice filled with extreme shyness.
Fourth Master finally managed to restrain himself and slowly withdrew from Lanqin. The two, their faces flushed, returned to their previous sitting position on the ground. However, Lanqin dared not lean against Fourth Master again, fearing he might become passionate once more.
Lanqin could sense the Fourth Prince's inner joy and comfort, even though she didn't want to think so, it was indeed the case. The Crown Prince had been deposed once again, and everyone was secretly delighted.
Lanqin knew the Fourth Prince's ambitions. He was naturally pleased that the Crown Prince had been deposed, as it meant he had taken another step closer to the throne. Now that the First Prince was imprisoned, the Crown Prince deposed, and Prince Yi no longer pleased Kangxi, only the Fourth Prince remained. The Eighth Prince was out of the question; the only one who could rival the Fourth Prince was probably his own brother, the Fourteenth Prince.
"Master, accompany Qin'er to Jiangnan!" Lanqin said. "Master said that he would take Qin'er there when he has some free time. You must keep your word."
Fourth Master looked at Lanqin and said, "Alright, let's take Wuxiha, Bechuk, and Hongli with us to Jiangnan."
"Master, Master!"
Si Hua's voice came from afar behind me.
"They should have gone back, Master!" Lanqin said.
The two stood up from the ground. Fourth Prince took Lanqin's hand, looked at the drifting clouds in the sky, and revealed a heartfelt smile. That day, when he went alone to rescue "Kangxi" from the carriage that had been run away by mad horses, Fourth Prince was almost trampled by those horses. In the end, he decisively shot and killed the two horses that had been tampered with, saving "Kangxi".
When Lanqin arrived, the Fourth Prince had already had the horses harnessed back to the carriage, and was dragging the injured "Kangxi" back to camp. After Lanqin told the Fourth Prince and Kangxi about the pasture, Kangxi immediately sent men to arrest Shi Bingde and all the men he brought.
Although the evidence had not yet been fully collected, it was only a matter of time. As agreed with Kangxi, Liang Jiugong released the dove that misled the Crown Prince, luring him into revealing his true colors.
Although the Fourth Prince was unaware of the scheme orchestrated by Emperor Kangxi, he had a fairly good idea of what was happening in the palace and who exactly he had saved.
Subsequently, "Kangxi" returned to Beijing with his entire entourage, publicly claiming only that his old illness had flared up, and did not expose the disgraceful deeds of the Crown Prince and the Shi family. This was also the message from within the palace. Although the Crown Prince was unfilial and unkind, he was still a member of the Aisin Gioro clan, and his reputation had not been completely ruined. However, the Shi family did not receive the same treatment.
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