Seventh Master stepped forward, gently patted Seventeenth Master, and advised, "Seventeenth Brother, you are still young and there are some things you may not be able to think through. Perhaps Fourteenth Brother did meritorious service in suppressing the White Lotus Sect, but all these things were caused by him! If he were an ordinary person, it would be fine, but as a prince of the Qing Dynasty, he is truly disloyal and unfilial. Seventh Brother also feels heartbroken and regretful for him, but I will never tolerate him because of my own feelings!"
The Seventeenth Prince, in a state of panic, looked pleadingly at the Thirteenth Prince. The Thirteenth Prince had no choice but to step forward and bow to the Fourth Prince: "Fourth Brother, what the Seventeenth Brother said is the truth. Although the Fourteenth Brother made a mistake, he ultimately saw the error of his ways and helped us successfully besiege the island. Zhu Wanqing took the Seventeenth Brother hostage, intending to die with him, but it was the Fourteenth Brother who stepped forward at the crucial moment and sacrificed himself to persuade Zhu Wanqing to release the Seventeenth Brother. In any case, he ultimately did it for the Qing Dynasty..."
Everyone else remained silent. Fourth Master took a deep breath, and Seventeenth Brother knelt down, pleading, "Fourth Brother, I beg you, please stop chasing Fourteenth Brother, just let him leave this place..."
The Thirteenth Prince also knelt on the ground, pleading, "Fourth Brother, for the sake of Fourteenth Brother's final sacrifice for the Qing Dynasty, please don't punish his family. They are all innocent..."
The power of life and death rested entirely in the hands of the Fourth Prince. He narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "I will not blame the family of the Fourteenth Prince's residence. I will treat them well... The Fourteenth Prince is gone, and they are all alone now. I will not make things difficult for them... Thirteenth Prince, issue the order that if the family of the Fourteenth Prince's residence wants to return to their original family, they will be pardoned from their status as slaves... and the Fourteenth Prince's wife will be properly settled, and everything will remain the same..."
The Seventeenth Prince was finally relieved and happily kowtowed three times to the Fourth Prince.
Now that the Fourth Prince had spoken, no one else dared to object. They immediately switched sides and began to sympathize with the Fourteenth Prince, all agreeing to treat his family well. The Seventeenth Prince, however, disapproved and, using his drunkenness as an excuse, took his leave and went home.
As the banquet drew to a close, Fourth Master brought up the matter of Eighth Master's confinement. Everyone knew perfectly well that Eighth Master had tampered with Hongshi's affairs, and they also knew that Fourth Master had always been dissatisfied with Eighth Master's style, so no one dared to voice their opinions.
The Fourth Prince said with slight anger, "The Eighth Prince secretly colluded with Hongshi and single-handedly caused the drought in Geshan Village. His crime is heinous. I have already placed him under house arrest for life as a warning to others!"
Everyone tensed up and remained silent, afraid of being implicated by the Eighth Prince and displeasing the Fourth Prince!
After calming down for a while, the Fourth Prince continued, "And the Ninth Prince is also restless and unruly. I have given him chances time and again. I thought he would cherish them, but unfortunately, he is arrogant and unrealistic. I have already transferred him to Xinjiang to handle some matters, hoping that he can make a difference there!"
The Fourth Prince has dealt with two princes in succession, indicating that he has truly begun his actions. The Eighth and Ninth Princes were the most opposed to the Fourth Prince's ascension to the throne and were his biggest rivals in the struggle for succession. Everyone expected that the Fourth Prince would not tolerate the two, but no one expected him to deal with the Eighth and Ninth Princes so quickly after resolving the White Lotus Rebellion.
Seeing that no one spoke, the Fourth Prince sighed and said, "I also bear responsibility for what happened to Hongshi. It is because I failed to raise my son properly that I indulged this unfilial son. Although Hongshi is my legitimate son and was raised by the Empress, I will never condone my own son, and therefore I will not care about the Eighth or Ninth Princes..."
A chill ran down everyone's spine. The atmosphere in the palace was oppressive and uncomfortable, and the group exchanged glances in secret.
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