The crown prince looked at the palace he had entered and exited countless times before, and tears welled up in his eyes.
With the Imperial Guards armed with weapons following behind him, the Crown Prince had never felt so confident.
He walked to the door and personally raised his hand to knock on it.
Finally, a voice came from inside: Who's outside?
"Your Highness! Open the door immediately!" The prince didn't hide anything and shouted loudly.
The voice inside hesitated for a moment before replying, "What business does Your Highness have? The Emperor is not here; no one is allowed to enter the Qianqing Palace!"
The Crown Prince said, "I have important business to attend to! Open the door immediately. If you delay this important matter, you won't be able to afford to lose a hundred heads."
There was no further response from inside. The Crown Prince said to the Imperial Guards behind him, "Prepare to break down the door!"
In no time, they found wooden posts for ramming the door and began to pound on it. The eunuchs guarding the door were terrified and all braced themselves against the bolt, but they were no match for the Imperial Guards outside.
The Crown Prince stood behind the Imperial Guards, gazing intently at the palace that symbolized imperial power. Since assuming personal rule, Emperor Kangxi had governed from the Qianqing Palace for over forty years. This was the very heart of the Forbidden City.
"What are you doing?" a woman's voice came from behind the prince.
The Crown Prince turned around in astonishment and saw that it was Consort Rong of the Ma Jia clan!
Consort Rong was supported by a round-faced palace maid, followed by two eunuchs, a matron, and three other palace maids. They were terrified as if they had seen a ghost, watching the Crown Prince and his entourage actually ramming the gates of the Qianqing Palace with wooden pillars.
The Crown Prince looked at Consort Rong with disdain. This woman, who once aspired to be the Empress, appeared gentle and virtuous, but behind the scenes she would do some underhanded things, pushing her Third Prince toward the Emperor.
"Consort Rong, you'd better go back to your Yanxi Palace right away, or don't blame me for disrespecting the Dowager Consort!" the Crown Prince said coldly, as if he could crush these once noble and arrogant women of the harem with just a flick of his finger.
Consort Rong stared at the Crown Prince, already fully aware of the audacity of his actions, and said, "His Majesty is out hunting, and His Highness the Crown Prince is behaving so recklessly. What will become of you, Your Majesty…?"
"My imperial father will never return. I just received news that he fell from his horse during a hunt and has passed away. I imagine there's chaos at the Western Hills hunting grounds right now. I think Consort Rong should hurry back and find the mourning clothes to prepare for the imperial father's passing!" The Crown Prince interrupted Consort Rong.
Consort Rong stared at the Crown Prince with disbelief and anger, saying, "Crown Prince, stop talking nonsense here. This is treason. If your father finds out, you will be punished again."
"Enough! You old woman, get back here and stop blocking my way, or I'll kill you right now!" The Crown Prince could no longer contain himself and suddenly burst out.
Consort Rong looked at the nearly insane Crown Prince, glanced at the Qianqing Palace, and then took a few steps back, asking, "What do you want to do here?"
The Crown Prince was convinced that Emperor Kangxi had died, because Shi Bingde had personally sent him a message by carrier pigeon, informing him that the plan had succeeded. Therefore, he had no doubt whatsoever and was even more smug, saying, "Naturally, I'm taking back what rightfully belongs to me. Today I am to ascend the throne, and I need the imperial seal to issue the edict. If you know what's good for you, you'd better first persuade the women in the harem to cooperate with me. If I'm pleased, I might let you enjoy your old age in peace. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Consort Rong watched as the Crown Prince threatened her with smug abandon, a stark contrast to his usual humble and amiable demeanor. She smiled disappointedly and said, "If His Majesty knew that the Crown Prince was such a disloyal and unfilial wretch, he would truly be heartbroken."
The Crown Prince was furious that Consort Rong dared to insult him at this moment. He walked up to Consort Rong, stared at her fiercely, and said, "Do you believe that I can kill you right now?"
Unfazed by his imposing manner, Consort Rong spoke righteously: "Your Highness, your father's life is hanging in the balance, yet you so eagerly barge into the Qianqing Palace. Aren't you afraid of being condemned by the world? The Emperor has devoted himself to his duties, and all the civil and military officials respect him. Can you possibly gain their approval?"
A glint of shrewdness flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes as he said, "I know that Father Emperor is a great emperor of all time, and I am no match for him. But I am the Crown Prince appointed by him personally, and naturally I have the right to inherit everything from him. Ma Jia, if you don't know what's good for you, I can grant you a complete corpse right now!"
The old nanny behind Consort Rong tugged at the back of Consort Rong's sleeve, advising her not to waste any more words arguing with the Crown Prince.
“Crown Prince, you are born of the Empress and the Emperor’s legitimate son. You must never do anything that will be condemned for all eternity,” Consort Rong said, unmoved.
"Enough! Who do you think you are? Are you the Empress, Father Emperor's wife? No! My mother is! You're all jealous of my mother, all wanting to be Empress and have your sons replace me, aren't you? Unfortunately, I was born to be Emperor. No matter how hard you try, it's all in vain. So, accept your fate. Only I am qualified to inherit the Qing Dynasty." The Crown Prince said, flicking his sleeve.
Seeing that the Crown Prince couldn't hear a word she said, Consort Rong had no choice but to step aside. She had just tried her best to persuade him, but he wouldn't listen to a word she said.
Consort Rong, supported by the old woman, retreated. Along the way, she held the old woman's hand so tightly that she almost scratched it.
"Your Highness, I was really afraid just now. I was afraid that the Crown Prince might not be able to control himself and might really do something bad to Your Highness!" the nanny said.
“No, he desperately needs to admit it now. How could he kill the Empress Dowager before even ascending the throne! I suspect something is amiss in the Qianqing Palace. Look, I argued with the Crown Prince outside for so long, but that door never opened,” Consort Rong said. “I’ve come all this way and said all this so that Prince Yi can have a better future.”
"Your Majesty is wise!" the nanny said.
“Every man for himself, or he will be condemned by heaven and earth. I did nothing wrong for my son,” Consort Rong said.
“That’s exactly right. Let’s see what the Crown Prince is doing barging into the Qianqing Palace!” said the nanny.
"What else could he have done? Didn't you hear him say that the Emperor has already passed away at the Western Hills hunting grounds? I don't believe it," Consort Rong said.
"Yes, what's wrong with the Crown Prince? Why did he suddenly say that the Emperor has passed away?" the nanny asked.
"Let him go. Anyway, His Majesty has already prepared the palace guards, and they are all in position, just waiting for the order from the Qianqing Palace," said Consort Rong. "The reason I came out to put on this show is simply to hope that His Majesty will treat Prince Yi better."
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