Not long after, Su Peisheng led his men to invite the Seventeenth Prince from outside the palace.
Walking through the palace where I grew up, every tree, flower, door, and corridor felt both familiar and comforting, yet also strange and indifferent. This palace was no longer the same; my father was gone, my fourth brother had ascended the throne, and I had no reason to stay here any longer.
The Seventeenth Prince had been thinking about how to plead his case before the Fourth Prince. He didn't want to be a lazy prince; he wanted to do something for the Qing Dynasty.
Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Seventeenth Prince hesitated to enter. Su Peisheng waited for a long time, but seeing no movement from the Seventeenth Prince, he had no choice but to bow and repeatedly remind him, "Seventeenth Prince, His Majesty and the Thirteenth Prince are both waiting inside. You should go in quickly..."
Seventeen glanced at Su Peisheng, took a deep breath, and after making a decision in his mind, stepped across the threshold.
The first person the Seventeenth Prince saw was the Fourth Prince sitting behind the imperial desk. He involuntarily slowed his pace, glanced at the Fourth Prince, and then lowered his head.
He walked to the imperial desk, paused for a moment, and then knelt down in the middle of the palace with a thud, his voice loud and powerful: "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The Fourth Prince quickly got down and personally helped his seventeenth brother up. Only then did he take a closer look at this younger brother whom Emperor Kangxi had favored during his lifetime. Although he was young, his features were very handsome. From his clear eyes, the Fourth Prince saw a strong and unyielding spirit and an overbearing charisma, somewhat like his own younger self. He secretly marveled that they were indeed blood relatives.
"Seventeenth Brother, no need for formalities..." Fourth Prince said with a smile, "Don't be too sad about Father's affairs. Father will be gratified that you can come back to fulfill your filial duties..."
The Thirteenth Prince happily approached, patted the Seventeenth Prince on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, look, isn't our Seventeenth Brother much stronger than before?"
The seventeenth brother smiled awkwardly, already behaving with utmost respect.
Fourth Master nodded and asked, "Seventeenth Brother has been in Ganzhou. Now he's returned to the capital to offer condolences. How is the situation there?"
Seventeenth Prince was taken aback by Fourth Prince's questioning so quickly. He hesitated for a moment, then looked up and hurriedly replied, "Duolong is guarding Ganzhou. I just came back to visit and will be back soon..."
Thirteen glanced at Fourth Prince's expression, then turned back and shoved Seventeen with a smile, teasingly saying, "Now that you're back, why not help the Emperor in the capital? Why rush back? Right, Emperor?"
Thirteenth Prince looked at Fourth Prince, and Seventeenth Prince was startled, not understanding the meaning behind Thirteenth Prince's words, and remained silent for a moment.
Fourth Prince knew he had never had much contact with Seventeenth Prince, so he had always held back in his heart. But this time the situation was urgent, Fourteenth Prince's army was about to arrive, and the defense of the capital needed to be handled by his trusted confidants. He couldn't find anyone he could completely trust right now, and it seemed that only this younger brother was the most suitable.
The Fourth Prince gave the Seventeenth Prince a meaningful look, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Seventeenth Prince, before Father Emperor left, he instructed me to take good care of you brothers. Would you be willing to stay in the capital and help me?"
Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's words, Seventeen immediately patted his sleeves and knelt down again, saying, "Your Majesty's favor is something I would gladly die for! However, there is a significant age difference between Seventeen and Your Majesty, so we did not grow up together. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I have no ill intentions towards Your Majesty."
Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master exchanged a glance, and then he smiled and helped Seventeenth Master up.
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