"Your Highness, Ninth Prince has arrived!" A eunuch dressed in a blue robe bowed as he entered Fourteen's inner room and addressed Fourteen, who was reading a book.
"Please come in quickly!" Fourteen looked up and saw that he was wearing a dark blue brocade robe and was sitting behind a long table reading a book. When the servants reported that Ninth Master had come, he immediately looked up and said.
Before long, Ninth Master, draped in a black cloak, entered. He wore a hood over his head, revealing only his eyes.
"Ninth Brother!" Fourteenth Master gestured for the man to pour tea, then put down his book, walked around from behind the long table, and personally greeted Ninth Brother.
“Fourteenth Brother.” Ninth Master took off his hood, revealing his face.
"Why didn't you give me any notice before coming here, Ninth Brother? If you had sent a message by carrier pigeon earlier, I would have come to greet you!" Fourteenth Brother said, putting his arm around Ninth Master's shoulder.
"I dressed like this precisely so you wouldn't greet me." Ninth Master gestured for silence. "No one knows I'm here yet. Don't make a sound!"
Seeing Ninth Master's reaction, Fourteenth immediately suppressed his smile and said to the eunuch who brought in the teapot, "Don't reveal a word about Ninth Master's visit. Arrange accommodations for Ninth Brother, saying he's a friend of the master. If anyone asks, go!"
After that person left, Ninth Master sat down with Fourteenth Master, the host and guest.
"Ninth Brother, what brings you here? Did you receive my letter?" Fourteenth Brother personally poured Ninth Brother a cup of tea.
"It was after receiving your letter that Eighth Brother sent me here in person. Fourteenth, there might be spies around you, and that batch of silver has probably been robbed!" Ninth Master said.
Fourteen frowned, staring intently at Ninth Master with an expression of disbelief.
"Fourteenth Prince, if that person in the capital finds out about what we're plotting and reports it to Father Emperor, we'll both be in danger. So we can't be careless about this; we must be extremely cautious. If you have his spies around you, they'll know everything about your actions," said Ninth Prince.
"I have thousands of men here. Finding a spy among them is like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Fourteen.
“Since he knows I’m secretly transporting silver to you, he must at least have access to this room of yours. Otherwise, how would people outside know?” Ninth Master said.
Fourteen lowered his head and pondered for a few moments. There weren't many people who had access to this matter, so the scope for finding the spy was now quite limited.
"Are you clear on this? This spy must be eliminated, or there will be endless trouble." Ninth Master took a sip of tea and said, "Fortunately, that batch of silver was not from my salary, but from the profits of the shops, and it did not have the words 'official silver' on it. Otherwise, if he had found the evidence, Father Emperor would have questioned us." Ninth Master said.
Fourteen pursed his lips, mentally going through everyone who might have access to this top-secret matter. Aside from a few trusted servants, no one else knew. Fourteen didn't know if any of his people were among them; he'd have to start by investigating which banner they belonged to and how they came to serve him.
Besides them, there were also his own capable subordinates and two advisors. They were either generals who had fought alongside him for many years and would never betray him, or they were insightful people he had personally invited to help him. They had all been his guests for many years. So, were there any of the fourth brother's people among them?
“I’ll start investigating immediately. I’ll investigate everyone who has any contact with this matter. Besides telling me about this, did Ninth Brother come here for something else?” Fourteenth asked.
"Hehe, I've come to deliver the silver to you personally. That batch of silver couldn't be found, so I've raised some for you right away and brought it here personally to ensure everything is in order, understand?" Ninth Master sighed and said, "Fourteenth, hide all those soldiers well for me. Don't let even a trace of them show, otherwise if someone finds fault with us, they'll report us to Father Emperor."
"Yes, I know," Fourteenth said. "They're all underground, hidden deep in the mountains. Who would know? Ninth Brother, how is Father Emperor?"
Ninth Master then suppressed his smile and said, "His health is deteriorating day by day, and he doesn't let us see him easily anymore. Last time, I only managed to see him once because I stayed in my mother's palace. I'm afraid he won't last much longer."
Fourteen's expression shifted, and he said, "Father's health is like this, how can there still be no clear diagnosis? This will only lead to turmoil in the Qing Dynasty."
Ninth Prince said, "I don't know. How could Father Emperor, such a shrewd man, not think of this? But it's better that he doesn't establish him, so you'll have a chance to fight for it later. Otherwise, if Father Emperor had already established him, you would have no legitimate reason to fight for it when the imperial edict is issued."
"How do you know Father Emperor didn't choose me? Or perhaps Eighth Brother?" Fourteenth said unwillingly. "If he had chosen me directly, we wouldn't have had to resort to swords."
"Judging from the current situation, your fourth brother has a better chance. By the way, doesn't your mother always love you very much? Why didn't she give you any news at a time like this?" Ninth Master said.
Upon hearing this, Fourteenth Prince's dissatisfaction and stubborn prejudice against Fourth Prince intensified, and he said, "Mother seems to be looking at him differently now."
Seeing the forlorn look on the Fourteenth Prince's face, the Ninth Prince said, "It's because you're always trying to please your mother. You've been away from the palace for years, so naturally you've grown distant. Let your wife visit Yonghe Palace more often; maybe she can get some information from her."
When Shi Si recalled the quarrel with Wanyan Shi, he lost the mood to talk to her and simply shook his head, saying, "If Mother wants to tell me, she will. If she doesn't want to, even if we send Wanyan Shi, it will be in vain."
"Fourteenth, I did get some information from my mother, but I don't know if it's true or false," Ninth Master said.
"What news?" Fourteen asked, seeing Ninth Master speaking in segments. "Since Ninth Brother is in such a bad mood today, can you tell me everything at once?"
"I was actually hesitant about whether to say it or not, which is why I didn't say it," Ninth Master said.
"Since you've already said it, you might as well hurry up and say it!" Fourteenth saw that Ninth Master was hesitant and stammering, which was really unlike the usually energetic and decisive Ninth Master.
"My mother said that Father Emperor placed the edict regarding the chosen heir apparent behind the 'Zhengda Guangming' plaque in the Qianqing Palace." Ninth Prince craned his neck, put his hand to his mouth, and whispered to Fourteenth Prince.
Fourteen was greatly surprised, his brows furrowed, and he said in a low voice, "Isn't this the most important thing you came here for?"
Ninth Master chuckled, nodded, and said, "Eighth Brother told me not to say it, but how could I keep such a thing from you? So I came in person to hear your thoughts."
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