Kangxi's funeral proceeded as scheduled, and officials from all directions gathered daily at Changchun Garden. The entire garden was filled with weeping. The Fourth Prince, leading his relatives, knelt before Kangxi's coffin. Suddenly, the usually composed Eighth Prince lost his composure, kneeling before the coffin, trembling violently, his heart pounding. He cried out, then collapsed to the ground, sobbing, "Father, how could you leave like this? Wake up..."
The Eighth Prince's tears were heartfelt. The Ninth Prince tried to comfort him, but the Eighth Prince continued to cry with great emotion. It was unclear whether he was truly crying for Emperor Kangxi or for his own fate.
The group of people who used to follow the Eighth Master also started to cry loudly, and the entire Changchun Garden was filled with the sound of weeping.
Fourth Master couldn't stop Eighth Master, knowing that Eighth Master was unwilling, so he could only let him do this in front of the coffin.
However, the Thirteenth Prince couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he secretly moved behind the Fourth Prince and muttered in a low voice, "Your Majesty, isn't he just making things difficult for you? The throne has already been decided, what else could he possibly be unwilling to accept?"
The Fourth Prince, with a gloomy face, gestured to the Thirteenth Prince not to say anything more, so the Thirteenth Prince had no choice but to step aside.
With his eyes closed, Fourth Master knelt reverently on the ground, kowtowed three times, and, suppressing his grief, rose to preside over the funeral.
The clansmen went forward to pull Eighth Master away, but even several people couldn't pull him away. Fourth Master glanced at him sideways, said nothing, and tacitly allowed him to go his own way.
On the way back, Fourth Master asked Thirteen, who was still grumbling indignantly, as they walked, "Is there any news about Fourteenth Brother?"
The Thirteenth Prince whispered, "He's still standing still. Father's funeral is about to end, and the burial will begin soon. If the Fourteenth Prince doesn't realize this soon, he might not even get to see Father one last time. I really don't know what he's thinking, neither taking action nor retreating."
"He's still waiting for an opportunity! I just don't know if he's waiting for an opportunity given to him by me, or an opportunity he's just fantasizing about..." the Fourth Prince said with a gloomy face.
Thirteen shook his head, saying helplessly, "I told you, Your Majesty, you're too kind. He's so ungrateful, and you still let him have his way! And Eighth Brother is the same, just delusional..."
The Fourth Prince waved wearily, signaling the Thirteenth Prince not to follow him anymore, and walked away alone, exhausted.
Thirteenth Prince watched Fourth Prince's retreating figure. In just a few days, his Fourth Brother seemed to have aged considerably, his brows and eyes filled with sorrow and suppressed resentment. He sighed with heartache, his anger and resentment towards Eighth Prince and Fourteenth Prince growing even stronger.
When news of Kangxi's funeral reached the Fourteenth Prince's tent, he flew into a rage and smashed everything within sight and touch.
The Fourteenth Prince was filled with anxiety and resentment. As a son, he couldn't even attend his father's funeral; it was truly unfilial! The Fourteenth Prince understood this, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
Just then, a letter from Consort De arrived. Wanyan dared not open it herself and ultimately delivered it to the Fourteenth Prince. The Fourteenth Prince eagerly opened it, hoping to glean news about the capital or related to Emperor Kangxi's funeral.
But after reading Consort De's letter to the Fourteenth Prince, he remained silent for a long time, holding the letter blankly. Consort Wanyan, growing anxious, pulled on the Fourteenth Prince's hand and asked, "Prince, what did Mother say? Did she give us a time to act?"
With a dejected look on his face, the Fourteenth Prince found a random place to sit down.
Wanyan sat down next to the Fourteenth Prince, her heart burning with anger: "Your Highness, please say something!"
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