The atmosphere inside the room was unusually tense. Fourth Master sat in a chair with a taut face.
The Fourth Prince suddenly remembered a saying that Emperor Kangxi had told him before his death: "Remain calm in the face of danger." Yes! He had endured humiliation and suffered countless injustices to achieve what he had achieved today. He could not afford to make a mistake in handling the Fourteenth Prince's rebellion, lest things spiral out of control in the end.
The problem facing the Fourth Prince was one that he could neither avoid nor shirk. He had to find out about the matter immediately, but the Empress Dowager pleaded with him again and again, and the Fourth Prince was forced to accept it.
"Your Majesty has never begged you before. This time, I'm begging you, if you can forgive your brother, I promise he will never do it again!" Consort De looked at the Fourth Prince with pleading eyes and said, her voice choked with sobs.
The Fourth Prince remained silent, so Consort De continued, "Your Majesty, grant the Fourteenth Prince a fiefdom and let him become a vassal king. He will surely be grateful and obedient to your arrangements..."
As soon as Consort De finished speaking, the Fourth Prince stared incredulously at the person in front of him, the mother who had given birth to him, seemingly unwilling to believe it.
"Empress Mother, what did you say?" Fourth Prince asked.
Su Peisheng was startled in the corner of the room. He knew that the Fourth Prince would never agree to the proposal of making a prince. Consort De had clearly hurt the Fourth Prince's feelings. After looking at the Fourth Prince's expression, he carefully stepped forward to help Consort De.
While helping her up, he comforted her, "Your Highness, this servant sees that you seem tired. Why don't you go back and rest? His Majesty will surely handle the Prince's matter well..."
With a "smack," Consort De slapped Su Peisheng across the face, causing him to kneel on the ground in a panic and beg for mercy.
"You dog of a servant, who do you think you are? I am talking to the Emperor, how dare you interfere?" Consort De angrily pointed at Su Peisheng's head and cursed.
Su Peisheng quickly retreated, not daring to say another word.
The Fourth Prince knew that Consort De was speaking to him. Seeing Su Peisheng's timid expression, he angrily waved his hand, signaling Su Peisheng to leave: "Get out..."
“Empress Dowager, do you know that the Qing Dynasty has never had the concept of enfeoffing princes? Besides, how much effort did Father Emperor put into eliminating the three princes? How can you make such a request at this time? I will never agree to it…” The Fourth Prince replied to Consort De with firm resolve.
Consort De's face turned pale, and she pleaded through gritted teeth:
"Your Majesty, if you still acknowledge me as your Empress Mother, then release the Fourteenth Prince. He cannot remain in the capital, much less in the palace. I will absolutely not allow you to harm him in the slightest!"
Consort De was already somewhat exhausted.
Seeing this, the Fourth Prince, fearing she might do something rash again, hurriedly got down and reached out to help Consort De: "Empress Mother, please calm down, take care of your health..."
Unexpectedly, Consort De retreated repeatedly, bracing herself against the edge of the table, staring at the Fourth Prince with fear in her eyes. Her gaze pierced the Fourth Prince's heart, so he withdrew his hand and turned his back.
"Your Majesty, please return..."
"If you don't agree, I won't move to Ning Shou Palace, and I won't ask you to honor me as Empress Dowager. I can no longer be your mother!" Consort De left Yang Xin Hall, leaving behind these words.
After Consort De left, the palace maids and eunuchs dared not enter. Only a series of crashing sounds could be heard. Su Peisheng shook his head and ordered his men, "Go to the Imperial Household Department and inform them to quickly replace the Emperor's tea set with a new one... sigh..."
The Fourth Prince slumped behind his desk, his face extremely pale!
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