After breakfast, Kangxi said to Liang Jiugong, "Go and convey my decree to the Eighth Prince. I am going on a tour of Jiming Mountain with Consort Cao. He is to temporarily take charge of all matters. No one is allowed to leave without permission. Also, let the Fourteenth Prince accompany me with fifty guards."
Consort Cao stood beside Emperor Kangxi with an impeccable smile, watching Liang Jiugong withdraw in response. She gazed at the old emperor's profile, watching him fall step by step into the trap she had woven.
Once the sedan chair curtains were ready and the accompanying palace attendants were arranged, the Fourteenth Prince was already waiting outside the tent with fifty soldiers. Emperor Kangxi, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe embroidered with golden dragons in multicolored silk threads and a dragon hat inlaid with rubies and sapphires, emerged from the imperial tent alongside Consort Hui, who wore a peach-colored brocade cheongsam. Each of them carried a sedan chair, four men carrying each of them. The Fourteenth Prince rode behind on a tall horse, with the fifty soldiers following in unison. Because no one had been summoned, the others remained in their own tents and were unaware of the commotion outside.
After Kangxi and Consort Hui had gone some distance, the Eighth Prince immediately went to gather five hundred soldiers. Peach Blossom Nine, unaware of the reason, followed behind him, asking incessantly, "Eighth Brother, tell me quickly, what's going on? What did Father Emperor order you to do?"
Without saying a word, the Eighth Prince took out Emperor Kangxi's edict, showed it to the soldiers, and then immediately put it away. He then said, "Listen up, all of you. I have been ordered by the Emperor to specially dispatch five hundred men to accompany me and hide behind the Emperor. We must not let anyone discover our whereabouts. Do you all understand?"
The guards only obeyed the emperor's orders. Upon seeing Kangxi's edict, they naturally followed the Eighth Prince's commands. The Ninth Prince, standing to one side, anxiously asked, "What are you trying to do, Eighth Brother? Don't you consider me a brother anymore?"
Eighth Master turned and glanced at Ninth Master, saying in a deep voice, "You stay here and listen. If you find anyone who is disloyal, kill them without hesitation."
After saying this, the Eighth Prince personally selected five hundred men and then headed in the direction that Kangxi had gone.
Following the example of the Eighth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince selected a thousand men and took them away.
In the end, only a thousand men remained. The Ninth Prince felt particularly uncomfortable. His father had assigned tasks to each of them, but he felt as if he had been forgotten. However, he dared not disobey the words the Eighth Prince had left him. So, after they all left, the Ninth Prince gathered the remaining soldiers and ordered them to guard the surrounding area carefully to prevent any sneak attacks.
Meanwhile, Emperor Kangxi and his entourage continued along the mountain road toward the valley mentioned by the locals. Although the scenery along the way could not compare to those famous mountains and rivers, it was still beautiful and tranquil. Emperor Kangxi would occasionally get out of his sedan chair to admire the view, and Consort Hui would naturally follow behind him.
"Your Majesty, I've heard there's a hot spring over there. It's said that the hot springs in these mountains are the most nourishing. Why don't we go and take a look?" Consort Hui said, pointing to a spot in the mountains.
"Oh, Consort Hui actually knows there are hot springs in Jiming Mountain?" Kangxi said with a half-smile.
"I have been here before, back when I was still a young woman waiting to be married. So I know a little about it, which is why I invited Your Majesty to visit Jiming Mountain," Consort Hui said, suppressing her inner panic.
The bright sunlight shone on her snow-white face, but upon closer inspection, an unnatural ashen pallor could be seen—caused by extreme tension and fear. From the moment she entered the palace, she had been plotting to lure Kangxi to that hot spring. With her delicate beauty and gentle nature, she indeed won Kangxi's favor. She and Holland were granted the title of Noble Lady one after the other, and then she went to great lengths to please Kangxi, coaxing him into taking her along.
"I see. Let's go then. I also want to see the places my Consort Hui has been before." Kangxi said, affectionately taking Consort Hui's hand.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince, leading five hundred men, had traveled day and night and finally caught up with the Imperial Carriage. The Ninth Prince, having replaced the Eighth Prince, was currently patrolling on horseback. Finally, with Kangxi absent, the Fourth Prince absent, the Eighth Prince absent, the ever-daring Thirteenth Prince absent, and even the Fourteenth Prince absent, he was able to command his father's entourage. But when he saw the Fourth Prince appear before him with five hundred soldiers, kicking up a cloud of dust, he looked as if he'd seen a ghost, muttering, "Fourth Prince, why are you back again?"
The Fourth Prince saw the entire imperial entourage stationed at the foot of the mountain. He rode his black, smooth, satin-like steed galloping over. In front of the Ninth Prince's horse, he suddenly raised his front hooves, neighed for a while, and then stopped.
"Where is Father?" Fourth Prince asked coldly, staring at Ninth Prince. He had always looked down on this Ninth Prince, who always followed Eighth Prince around like a tagalong.
Seeing that the Fourth Prince was still speaking to him aggressively, the Ninth Prince, who had always been resentful of him, and now that his father and other brothers were not present, could not help but speak in a defiant tone: "Father Emperor ordered me to guard this place, but he did not tell me that he was to tell you his whereabouts."
"Stop talking nonsense and speak up, or I'll slap you!" Fourth Master's face was so cold it could freeze everything. His simple words seemed to choke Peach Blossom Nine, making her dare not disregard him anymore.
"You dare! I'm not seven or eight years old anymore. If you dare hit me again, I'll..." Tao Hua Jiu remembered the time when he was a child when the fourth master kicked his butt so hard that it hurt for days. He had always hated him, but he never had a chance to get revenge on the fourth master.
"Father is in grave danger. If you dare to utter another word and delay my rescue, what awaits you will be far more than just a beating." The Fourth Prince spoke as quickly and ruthlessly as ever. The Ninth Prince was so angry that he wanted to curse, but he was helpless.
"Father Emperor went to Jiming Mountain, right? That's the mountain. Eighth Brother and Thirteenth Brother have already gone there with their men, you don't need to rush to take pictures..." Before Peach Blossom Nine could finish speaking, Fourth Prince kicked his horse and galloped away. The five hundred soldiers beside him immediately followed. They were all seasoned and experienced soldiers, and marching day and night was a basic skill for them.
"You, I haven't finished yet!" Peach Blossom Nine's face flushed red with anger, her hatred for Fourth Master intensifying. She gritted her teeth and said, "What are you so smug about? Wait until Eighth Brother... deals with you later!"
He spoke very softly, but coincidentally, Peach Blossom Nine was standing right next to the Thirteenth Prince's carriage, and her words reached Luo Ge's ears perfectly as she sat in the carriage. The Thirteenth Prince instructed her to stay here carefully, and that once he had finished helping his father with that matter, he would petition his father to grant her the title of Princess.
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