“Your Highness, all the buildings here look too similar. Perhaps we should go back, or we’ll get lost,” Hook said.
“No, I remember the way. I wanted to wander around the palace during the day, but I was constantly followed by those people. It’s really annoying,” Indal said.
As they walked, Indall and Hooker unknowingly arrived at a palace that seemed deserted. Seeing that there were no guards at the entrance, he decided to go inside and take a look.
“Your Highness, this place looks rather eerie. Perhaps we shouldn’t go in. After all, this is someone else’s property, and it’s not appropriate to wander around like this,” Hook advised.
"Alright, let's not go in. Who knows what might happen if we run into someone?" Indal hesitated as well.
Just as the master and servant were about to leave, candlelight suddenly lit up the previously pitch-black palace, and a faint light appeared in the room.
“Your Highness, let’s go,” Hook urged when Indal stopped moving.
“Look, it was pitch black over there, how come there’s suddenly a light?” Indal said. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly became interested in this somewhat mysterious palace.
“Prince, this is the Qing Palace after all. You shouldn’t go looking for trouble,” Hook continued to advise.
“It’s alright, we’re just looking. Come on, let’s go take a look!” Indal insisted on going in. Hook had no choice but to follow Indal inside. They tiptoed up the palace steps and then walked to the large red door of the main hall, peering inside through the cracks in the door.
Inside, several figures were moving about, seemingly talking. Indal couldn't hear clearly, but he could see them discussing something. Indal leaned closer to listen to their conversation.
"His Highness the Crown Prince said that as long as one performs outstandingly in this operation, promotion and advancement are a given," one of them said.
“But if this rebellion fails, it will result in the extermination of nine generations of one’s family,” another person said.
"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" the man said.
Indal carefully peered through the crack in the door at the faces of those people, and saw that they were dressed as guards, so they must all be palace guards!
Although Indal didn't know what they were plotting, judging from their furtive behavior, it probably wasn't anything aboveboard!
Indal tried to see them clearly, but the crack in the door was too small. He strained to see, but could only make out a few profiles.
Seeing that they seemed to have finished talking, Indal quickly pulled Hook's sleeve and left.
The two didn't dare to stop and rest until they had walked more than a hundred meters away from the palace.
"Alright, Prince, let's go back! This place is too complicated; it's not a place for us to meddle!" Hook had also been eavesdropping through the crack in the door and had naturally overheard some of it.
“They’re clearly plotting something! What if their plot involves Tibet? We can’t just sit idly by. The Qing Dynasty is currently reporting the issue of all nations paying tribute. Perhaps those people were plotting this. We must speak to the Qing Emperor and warn him to be cautious, otherwise, if something happens, it won’t be good for Tibet. We are recognized by the Qing court, while others are not. That’s why Tibet enjoys long-term peace and stability. If someone is plotting something and disrupting this situation, can we just sit idly by?” Indal said.
"Your Highness, how do you know that what they were just plotting was a matter of great importance to the nation? Or was it just a power struggle among the women of the harem?" Hook asked.
“If it were just a few eunuchs, I might think it was something that happened in the inner palace. But look at them, they are all members of the Imperial Guard, and they even mentioned the Crown Prince. There must be some kind of conspiracy!” Indal said.
As it grew darker, Indal and his servant immediately headed towards the Cining Palace, wanting to return before the palace gates were locked.
Over there, several guards emerged from the uninhabited palace. They were the Imperial Guards responsible for patrolling the area that night.
They were all his own men, planted in the Imperial Guard by the Crown Prince. Their gathering here was because the place had been uninhabited for a long time, and none of them expected that a foreigner would overhear their conversation.
Inside the Eastern Palace, Lady Shi was having a drink with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, dressed in white robes, exuded an air of arrogance. He now only favored male lovers, seemingly losing interest in women. Lady Shi, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly masculine in bearing. She wore a rose-gold qipao, her hair styled in a large, elaborate updo. A full set of gilded jewelry accentuated her regal and dignified presence, giving her the air of an empress.
"Your Highness, this is an excellent opportunity. Have you made up your mind?" Shi asked.
“The old master has been wise all his life, and I don’t think he can be so easily defeated. On the contrary, if our plans are exposed, then we will face utter ruin!” the Crown Prince said.
“Your Highness, the old man has finally seen it. Are you really content to be the Crown Prince for the rest of your life? No one has held the position of Crown Prince for as long as Your Highness,” said Shi.
Beneath the Crown Prince's seemingly arrogant exterior, a sudden surge of extreme rage appeared. He had been the Crown Prince for thirty-eight years! No other Crown Prince had held the position for longer. From birth, he had been the Crown Prince. Apart from Emperor Kangxi, he enjoyed the most prestigious status and power within the palace. However, the Crown Prince felt increasingly insecure about his position. He had actively sought the opportunity to participate in the upcoming autumn imperial examination, but the Emperor had still entrusted it to the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince, whose status and prestige were growing ever stronger, was left with the insignificant task of receiving tributes from all nations—a slap in the face indeed.
"I've been doing this for too long; it's time to take action," the Crown Prince said, concealing the hatred in his heart.
“Your Highness has received so many foreign envoys this time. It’s quite possible that some of them are assassins!” Shi said. “As long as the Emperor passes away, Your Highness will be the rightful heir. Then you can eliminate those who covet your throne one by one and avenge the hatred that has lasted for so many years.”
“Very well, I’ll take this gamble. The old man’s health has been declining day by day, and he should have handed the throne to me long ago, but he has always been dissatisfied with me. Now the eldest son is trapped, the third son is disliked, and there is only the fourth son. If I ascend the throne, the first person I will deal with will be him,” the Crown Prince said.
"Is the Crown Prince still wary of Hongli?" Shi asked.
“Indeed. That child is truly awful. Father Emperor loves him so much, he dotes on him even more than his own son!” the Crown Prince said.
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