What did the Fourteenth Prince do after his sudden departure? Did he just want to get away for a while, or... does he still covet the throne? Did he secretly run off to contact others, plotting against his rule?
The Fourth Prince suddenly couldn't sit still. Yunli said, "The most important thing now is to find the Fourteenth Brother as soon as possible. This matter is my fault. I am willing to volunteer to find the Fourteenth Brother to atone for my sins."
Fourth Master knew perfectly well that the longer Fourteenth Prince stayed outside, the harder it would be to find him.
So he said, "Very well, I entrust this matter to you. You must find the Fourteenth Prince as soon as possible!"
"Your subject obeys the decree," Yunli said, bowing his head.
After a moment's thought, the Fourth Master said, "This matter should not be made public. You take your men and search quickly."
Yunli nodded, "Your subject understands. Then I will take my leave." With that, he turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Watching Yunli's departing figure, Yongzheng rubbed his temples, recalling the events of that year.
The fourteenth prince had distinguished himself in military exploits and was favored by the late emperor and empress dowager, which put him in a different situation than I was. When I ascended the throne, the fourteenth prince had many complaints. Fortunately, I later imprisoned the fourteenth prince in time, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble the fourteenth prince would have caused.
The perilous struggle for the throne among the nine princes is still vivid in his mind. Although his throne seems stable now, there are still some rebellious and unwilling officials waiting for their chance.
Su Peisheng entered from outside and stood by the emperor's side. Seeing that Yongzheng looked listless, he said, "Your Majesty, do not worry. The Seventeenth Prince will surely relieve your worries."
Yongzheng closed his eyes to rest for a while, then opened them slightly upon hearing this. His wise eyes showed signs of weariness. "I naturally trust the Seventeenth Prince. After what happened back then, both Yinzhi and Yintang learned their lesson. But the Fourteenth Prince... he is equally guilty. However, to protect the Empress Dowager's feelings, I only imprisoned him. If he realizes his mistake and doesn't cause any more trouble, I will let him spend the rest of his life peacefully in the Changping Villa. But he just..."
Su Peisheng sensed the displeasure and anger in Yongzheng's tone and said, "This servant thinks that the Fourteenth Prince is skilled in martial arts. The people Your Majesty sent to guard him were all top-notch experts. However, the Fourteenth Prince escaped without alerting the guards. This is really strange."
The Fourth Prince remained expressionless; years in the palace had instilled in him a habit of concealing his emotions. "There must be someone outside helping him. Hmph, there are people in the court who are close to the Fourteenth Prince. I want to see which traitor it is!"
Su Peisheng stopped talking. The Fourth Prince sat for a while, temporarily putting the matter aside, and picked up his pen to review the memorials.
But just fifteen minutes later, he threw down the pen in his hand.
Su Peisheng hurriedly asked, "Does Your Majesty wish to drink tea?"
Fourth Master glanced at him, "Go to the Old Summer Palace!"
Su Peisheng was taken aback. The Fourth Master had been going to the Yuanmingyuan too frequently these past few days. He had prepared his casual clothes in case the Fourth Master suddenly felt like going.
There was someone he cared about in the Old Summer Palace. Although it was far away, his heart felt closer to that person because he wanted to see them. No matter how far the road was, it felt short.
No sooner had the Fourth Prince and Su Peisheng left the Hall of Mental Cultivation than a young eunuch serving outside the hall spotted them and then quietly left the hall for Yikun Palace.
This young eunuch was an informant bribed by Consort Nian; he was the cleaning eunuch outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. At that moment, the Fourth Prince and Su Peisheng had just left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and he knew they were definitely leaving the palace, because the Fourth Prince and Su Peisheng had both changed into civilian clothes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
