The imperial court dispatched a swift messenger, and even the Ninth Prince, far away on the frontier, received the imperial edict from the Fourth Prince. "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Ninth Prince is hereby granted a cup of poisoned wine and his name changed to Saiqihei!"
Ninth Master took the imperial edict and laughed loudly, "Saiqihei, the Emperor is calling me worse than a pig or a dog! Since we're brothers, isn't the Emperor insulting himself? Hahahaha..." Anyway, he's a dying man, so whether he behaves properly or not doesn't matter!
"You...you dare to insult the Emperor! Guards, seize him!" The guards stepped forward, grabbed him, and forced him to kneel on the ground.
Ninth Master could no longer hold back and began to berate Fourth Master for his ruthless methods.
When the eunuch delivering the imperial decree saw him insulting the emperor, he ordered the guards behind him to step forward and punch him several times.
“You’re a prisoner, yet you dare to insult the Emperor! I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!” the eunuch said, pointing at Ninth Master.
Ninth Master's mouth bled from the beating, but he didn't back down. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said sarcastically, "Usually a servant, you actually want to be a master today? That's laughable!"
Seeing that Ninth Master was ungrateful and trying to stall for time, the eunuch said, "Ninth Master, stop struggling in vain. Today, no matter how much you plead, you're still going to die. It's better to end it quickly than suffer a long one. Just drink this cup of wine now!"
I don't want to die... Yes, a short pain is better than a long one, I should drink it now. But... "Cough cough cough... Eunuch, how is Eighth Prince?" Although Ninth Prince himself was indifferent, he hadn't stopped worrying about Eighth Prince since arriving at the frontier. Eighth Prince was right beside the Emperor, unlike himself who was far away at the frontier.
The eunuch chuckled and said in a shrill voice, "Eighth Prince, he's already waiting for you on the road to the underworld. You should hurry down and join him." He then ordered someone to bring the poisoned wine. "This is a wine that comes along only once in a hundred years, you must savor it..."
Upon hearing that Eighth Master had already left, Ninth Master burst into tears, crying, "Eighth Brother, don't worry, I'm coming to join you..." Ninth Master picked up the wine in his cup and drank it all in one gulp, vowing that even in death he would not regret following you through this ordeal...
News of the Emperor's decree ordering the deaths of the Eighth and Ninth Princes quickly spread throughout Beijing, causing the imperial relatives to scatter and creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. In a courtyard house in the capital...
News of the Eighth Prince's death arrived early in the morning, and all the maids and servants in the mansion wept bitterly.
The maid Xiao Cui tried to persuade Hong Wang, "Brother, you should leave. You are the only pillar of the family. Before Madam left, she asked me to take good care of you. What should we do?" Xiao Cui was so anxious that she wanted to cry.
It turns out that after Chen Shi left the Eighth Prince's mansion with his two children, she had been living here ever since. Not long ago, Chen Shi fell seriously ill and passed away.
Hongwang comforted her, "What's the point of escaping? This world belongs to the Emperor. If he wants me dead, where can I escape? Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. Xiaocui, you should leave quickly, otherwise... when the people from the palace come later, things might get complicated..."
"Where are the Eighth Prince's children?" Guards carrying knives burst into the mansion, and the maids and servants all knelt on the ground, not daring to speak. Hongwang heard the commotion outside and came out.
“I am Hongwang, the son of Eighth Master. Take me away! Don’t hurt them!” Hongwang stepped forward and said.
He is now 12 years old and is the backbone of the entire household, already in charge of the family at such a young age.
"Your Highness has misunderstood. I have come today on His Majesty's orders to deliver a message to you. His Majesty decrees that Your Highness should live well," the eunuch said.
It turned out that Lanqin learned that the Fourth Master had ordered the Eighth Master to be executed. She knew she couldn't stop it, but she still pleaded for Hongwang.
The Fourth Prince achieved his goal: to make an example of someone, and no one in the court dared to mention the Eighth Prince's matter again. All the remaining followers had also been dealt with.
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