Fourth Prince walked silently and quickly toward the prince's residence, with Su Peisheng following closely behind him, not daring to make a sound.
Good heavens! The Crown Prince is having an affair with one of Emperor Kangxi's concubines!
Su Peisheng was filled with anxiety, realizing that he and the Fourth Prince had discovered the Crown Prince's secret.
The two walked all the way to the Fourth Prince's residence. The Fourth Prince did not give any instructions, and Su Peisheng immediately and obediently helped the Fourth Prince change his clothes, fetch water, and wash up.
Before going to bed, Fourth Master finally said to Su Peisheng, who was standing guard beside him, "What you saw today, keep to yourself. If I hear any rumors, I won't be able to save your head."
Su Peisheng shuddered and quickly knelt down, saying, "This servant is the master's servant. Even if this servant bites off his tongue, he will not speak. Please rest assured, master."
Fourth Master nodded and lay down on the bed to sleep. Su Peisheng kept watch for a while, then went to sleep on the couch outside, fully clothed.
The Fourth Prince tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He was shocked; the Crown Prince's affair with the concubines was a scandalous and disrespectful act, contrary to Confucian principles. Should he secretly report this to his father, the Emperor?
Yes, for the first time, the Fourth Prince truly felt his desire for the Crown Prince's downfall. Although he hid it extremely well, when he discovered a secret that could shake the Crown Prince's position in the Eastern Palace, even the usually self-controlled Fourth Prince could not remain calm as his heart stirred.
The Fourth Prince spent almost the entire night pondering how to handle this matter. Should he report it to Emperor Kangxi? If so, how? Would it only arouse his father's suspicions?
The next day, the Fourth Prince woke up late for the first time ever. Su Peisheng called him several times, but the Fourth Prince did not get up. Su Peisheng silently instructed the palace maids in the Fourth Prince's quarters to fetch water and breakfast, ready for the Fourth Prince to get up at any time.
Around 7 AM, the Fourth Prince opened his eyes and shouted for Su Peisheng. Seeing the white light shining through the window, he felt a surge of fear, wondering if he was about to miss the morning court session.
"Why don't you call me 'Master'!" Fourth Master roared.
"This servant has called for Master several times, but Master has not woken up. This servant is guilty!" Su Peisheng knelt down with a bitter face.
"Foolish boy, hurry up and put on your shoes!" Fourth Master yelled at him, but he was too lazy to punish him.
Su Peisheng quickly helped the Fourth Prince change his clothes and put on his shoes. After a quick wash, he ate a few bites of breakfast and hurriedly went to the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
Fortunately, when the Fourth Prince arrived, the morning court session had not yet begun, but it was about to start.
The Fourth Prince stood in the line of ministers, unusually quiet. He could hear the ministers reporting important matters to the Crown Prince, who gave them all proper and standard replies.
"Fourth Prince, what's the status of the list of grain donations from officials at all levels? When will it be implemented? I've already sent word to Father Emperor about this grain-raising plan. Our progress here cannot be halted for a moment." Seeing that the Fourth Prince was unusually silent today, the Crown Prince took the initiative to ask.
The Fourth Prince paused, stepped out of the ranks, and said to the Crown Prince, "Your Majesty, I have prepared the list of officials of the sixth rank and above in the capital and Yanjiao yesterday with Minister Chen and Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue. Please review it!"
After speaking, the Fourth Prince took out a piece of paper from his pocket, folded it into several pages, and presented it to Xiao Bao, the eunuch who had stepped down from beside the Crown Prince.
After the Crown Prince finished reading the list quickly, he put it into Xiao Bao's hands and said to the Fourth Prince with satisfaction, "Very good. This list should also be sent to Father Emperor. Fourth Brother, do you have a copy?"
The Fourth Prince nodded, and then the Crown Prince said, "From today onwards, Fourth Brother, together with the experts of the Ministry of Revenue, may go to Shuntian Prefecture to arrange manpower to begin collecting grain one by one."
The Fourth Prince looked at the Crown Prince and said, "I think that collecting grain in this way is too time-consuming and laborious. It would be better to set up a grain collection point in each region. Then, the Shuntian Prefecture can issue a document, and you gentlemen will have to use your own vehicles to deliver the grain to the designated location."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was immediately embarrassed, realizing that his own proposed method for collecting grain was indeed less reasonable than the Fourth Prince's.
“Very well, then let Fourth Brother handle this matter. I hope we can raise 50,000 dan of grain as soon as possible,” the Crown Prince said gently.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost." The Fourth Prince cupped his hands and bowed to the Crown Prince.
After the court session ended, the Crown Prince specially asked the Fourth Prince to stay behind, and the two brothers went into a side hall of the Hall of Preserving Harmony to drink tea.
"Fourth brother seems to have arrived later than usual today. Were you busy with this list last night?" The Crown Prince's face was rosy, and he seemed to be in excellent spirits.
"Your Majesty, I was just worried about the grain procurement, which caused me some insomnia and made me sleep late this morning. Now it seems I was worrying unnecessarily; the officials everywhere are very supportive of the court's grain donation this time," the Fourth Prince said, looking at the Crown Prince. Could it be that the Crown Prince is aware of his every move? Impossible. If the Crown Prince knew that he already knew about his affair with Consort Zheng, he wouldn't be having tea with him like this now.
"Fourth brother is truly diligent. I will speak to Father Emperor on your behalf. This time, the successful collection of 100,000 dan of grain is all thanks to your ingenious idea," the Crown Prince said with a smile.
"Your Highness flatters me. I am merely fulfilling my duty. Your Highness governs the country skillfully, and everything is handled with proper order under your guidance. With Father Emperor personally leading the campaigns abroad, there are no worries about the rear," the Fourth Prince said modestly.
The crown prince smiled gently once again, rubbing his hand against the jade thumb ring on his thumb, as if he had something to say but didn't know how to say it.
The Fourth Prince naturally noticed the Crown Prince's hesitation and immediately bowed his head respectfully, saying, "Is there something you need, Your Highness? Please tell me. I will do my best to help you."
The Crown Prince seemed quite pleased with Fourth Brother's words, saying, "Fourth Brother has always been appreciated by me, and you are considered one of my men. Therefore... in the future, I will certainly not mistreat Fourth Brother."
The Crown Prince paused for a long time before finally uttering those words. The Fourth Prince was deeply shaken, feeling a strange mix of emotion—a sense of being moved and a touch of mockery.
Crown Prince, Second Brother, you must consider me one of your own to say such things.
"Your Majesty, I am loyal to the Emperor and Father, and naturally I will also be loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince." After a moment's thought, the Fourth Prince solemnly uttered these words.
“Good, very good. You deserve credit for having someone write a memorial to Father Emperor right now. However, I need this to refute the remarks of a group of ignorant fools. Do you understand?” The Crown Prince spoke with some difficulty.
Fourth Prince was astonished. Did this mean the Crown Prince wanted to steal the credit? The Crown Prince wanted to claim all the credit for the grain procurement, and was only informing him now, even promising him that he would not treat him unfairly in the future.
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