The next day, the Eighth Prince brought only one personal attendant, a carriage covered with oilcloth, and several servants who carried his clothes and belongings, all riding horses behind the carriage.
Before leaving, the Eighth Prince came to the outside of Kangxi's tent, knelt down, kowtowed three times to the tent, and then knelt silently for a quarter of an hour before getting up and leaving.
Ninth Master insisted on seeing him off, and Eighth Master, seeing that he seemed to have something to say, let him go along as well.
Emperor Kangxi was reading memorials sent from the Forbidden City inside his tent. He knew that the Eighth Prince was kneeling outside, but he didn't send anyone to say anything. After the person left, he lost interest in reading the memorials.
"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince has already left. Alas!" Liang Jiugong personally placed a cup of tea on Kangxi's desk.
"He's gone, so why are you sighing?" Kangxi said, frowning.
"This servant saw that Your Majesty was clearly reluctant, but still had no choice but to do so, so this servant felt sad for Your Majesty," Liang Jiugong said.
"Although the Eighth Prince is talented, I cannot support him to the throne. His birth is too lowly, and those who support him are mostly Han officials. Once he ascends the throne, I fear the balance between the Manchus and Han will be disrupted, and the court, which has finally stabilized, will fall into internal strife again. That would be a disservice to my ancestors," Kangxi sighed. "The person I choose must not only be talented and have the ability to win over officials, but also be able to manage the relationship between the Manchu and Han factions."
Liang Jiugong was deeply shocked. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty is far-sighted. This servant is only short-sighted. This servant dares not make any further comments on the successor of the future destiny of the Qing Dynasty."
Emperor Kangxi picked up the tea book, gently stirred the floating tea leaves in the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Let me take another look. There's no rush!"
Meanwhile, Eighth Master and Ninth Master walked south for about ten miles before Eighth Master said to Ninth Master, "Go back now. I'm returning to the capital, not being exiled."
“Eighth Brother, yesterday I used that matter to blackmail Prince Zhi, and made him come with me to Father Emperor to plead for you,” Ninth Prince said.
"It's all in vain. Father Emperor has listed thirty-eight major crimes against me, and no matter how much you plead, you can't erase them. Ninth Prince, we still need to support Prince Zhi, otherwise the position of Crown Prince will fall into the hands of Fourth Prince, and our future will be difficult. At least Prince Zhi doesn't have any deep grudges against us, and I once raised him in Zhongcui Palace," said Eighth Prince.
Ninth Prince looked at Eighth Prince in disbelief. The Eighth Prince, who was always patient with everything in his mind, seemed to have been completely defeated by Kangxi's accusations.
"Eighth Brother, do you really think you'll never have another chance?" Ninth Master asked in a low voice.
"Unless the Prince of Zhi and the Fourth Prince commit something even bigger, I'm afraid there's no hope," the Eighth Prince said dejectedly.
Upon hearing this, Ninth Master felt a deep sense of loss. They had planned for so long, but in the end, it still ended like this. He was truly unwilling to accept it.
After the Eighth Prince left, Kangxi quickly issued an edict to confer the title of Prince Heshuo on the Prince of Zhi. Needless to say, everyone else was rewarded according to their merits. Of particular note was Nian Gengyao, who had fought on the western front, and was promoted to Second-Class Duke by Kangxi, instantly becoming a well-known general in the army.
Prince Zhi, still harboring a deep desire to fulfill Bao Yue's long-cherished wish, sent men to assassinate their Khan, Finie, in the Keerke tribe. The various tribes of the steppe were now immersed in the joy of victory after the great battle, and peace reigned everywhere. Although Finie's assassination caused a slight ripple, everyone quickly forgot about him.
After bestowing the rewards, Kangxi ordered the army to return to their original garrisons according to their respective formations. After Kangxi pacified the various tribes of the grasslands and negotiated with them on the annual tribute schedule, the quantity of tribute, and matters concerning intermarriage, it had been almost a month since the Eighth Prince left.
Autumn has arrived on the grasslands, and the grass is gradually turning from green to yellow. These past few days, Emperor Kangxi has been ordering his men to pack their belongings, preparing to return to the capital.
When Ban Gu saw that Prince Zhi had been granted the title of Prince of the First Rank, while the Eighth Prince had been demoted back to the bald-headed prince, he naturally began to reconsider the situation within the Qing court. He planned to send a few more beautiful women from the Khorchin to Emperor Kangxi to take back with him, so that he could keep some for himself and distribute them among the princes or members of the imperial family.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply saddened to see you about to depart. I have specially sought out ten beautiful women from the grasslands to present to Your Majesty and take them back with you. This is my small token of my respect," Ban Gu said to Emperor Kangxi in his tent.
"Ban Gu, you are being far too polite. I understand your intentions, but please keep the beauty." Kangxi thought to himself, wondering what his cousin was planning this time.
"Your Majesty, these ten beauties are skilled in singing and dancing, and are gentle and affectionate. They will surely be able to relieve Your Majesty's worries and troubles. Please do not refuse them." Ban Gu became even more anxious when he saw that Kangxi was unwilling to accept them. In fact, he was sending these beauties to Kangxi as his spies within the Qing court, so that he would know immediately if anything happened.
Emperor Kangxi was well aware of his intentions, and after a moment's thought, he no longer refused and accepted everything.
When Kangxi set off, Ban Gu led a small entourage to escort him back to Beijing for fifty li. Kangxi then promised to marry two more imperial daughters to the Khorchin to strengthen his relationship with the Khorchin.
Although the Eighth Prince had been traveling for almost a month, he had not yet reached the capital and had fallen ill on the road. When they reached ********, the Eighth Prince suddenly developed a high fever. His personal servants had no choice but to immediately enter the city, find an inn to stay in, and send someone to fetch a doctor.
The Eighth Prince fell ill and remained in bed for four or five days. After his fever finally subsided, fearing a relapse, he dared not leave. Therefore, the servants attending to him pleaded with him to stay in the area for about half a month until he recovered. Meanwhile, upon learning of the Eighth Prince's demotion, his wife immediately went to the palace, pleading with Consort Yi and then with the Empress Dowager, but to no avail in intervening on his behalf with Emperor Kangxi. After learning of the Eighth Prince's wife's actions, Lanqin gradually understood why the Eighth Prince favored her so much.
The Fourth Prince already knew in the palace that the Eighth Prince had been demoted and that Emperor Kangxi would be returning to the capital soon. Although the Fourth Prince disliked the Eighth Prince, seeing that Kangxi had listed thirty-eight crimes against him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. The Fourth Prince couldn't help but think about himself, what kind of image did he really have in Kangxi's eyes? Was he really as the outside world perceived him—a cold and indifferent prince?
To welcome Emperor Kangxi, the Fourth Prince had put a lot of thought into it, trying to avoid the lavishness of the previous reception for the Crown Prince, while still maintaining a grand ceremony. Therefore, he had been pondering how to properly welcome Kangxi for the past few days.
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