Lanqin had originally planned to stay at the Changping estate with the Fourth Prince for a while and return after the Lantern Festival. However, before they could set off, news suddenly came from the palace that the Crown Prince was about to be deposed.
At the same time, a concubine suddenly disappeared from the harem—Zheng Chunhua. She seemed to have vanished overnight, along with all the palace servants who had served her. She was nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead! The furnishings in the Shufangzhai (Hall of Fragrant Breeze) were also completely removed overnight by Kangxi's orders, and the main gate was locked with a copper lock.
After learning from the Fourth Prince, Lanqin had a vague sense of unease. She feared that Zheng Chunhua had been silenced by Kangxi, and that it was a secret execution, along with her palace servants, without leaving a trace.
Emperor Kangxi suddenly brought the matter of deposing the crown prince into formal discussion. Immediately, the officialdom of the capital was thrown into turmoil. Those officials who had initially supported the crown prince suffered varying degrees of suppression from Kangxi; some were transferred, some were demoted, those who hadn't participated were relieved, and those who had were filled with dread, fearing that one day they would lose their official hats.
Moreover, the Crown Prince's confidants had their homes confiscated by Emperor Kangxi, and some were exiled. Niohuru Zheng, who only made a brief statement, only received criticism from the emperor and a reduction in his salary, which was considered a very light punishment.
After court that day, the Fourth Prince was turning to leave the Hall of Preserving Harmony with his hands behind his back when Lingzhu called out to him from behind.
"Fourth Prince, please wait!" Lingzhu walked up quickly and bowed to the Fourth Prince.
"Is there anything wrong, Father-in-law?" Fourth Master had accompanied Lanqin back to the Ling residence once, and his relationship with Lingzhu was quite good. At that time, Fourth Master had told Lanqin's elder brother not to get involved in the Crown Prince's affairs, but unexpectedly, he still got involved.
"This humble official is unworthy of such praise. If it weren't for the Fourth Prince's reminder, my son might have brought disaster upon his family. Here, this humble official must bow to the Fourth Prince three times," Lingzhu said.
"It was just a few words, Father-in-law, you're being too serious. The eldest son only had his salary reduced, which is quite fortunate. Father-in-law, you must keep a closer eye on him in the future, so he doesn't repeat such a mistake." Fourth Master was bothered by Lanqin's elder brother's involvement in protecting the Crown Prince. Lanqin must have mentioned it before, but he still went, showing he didn't take his words to heart. His ability to stand out from the many successful candidates and become a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy was also due to his connections.
Lingzhu naturally saw the Fourth Prince's expression and attitude, and felt that his son was disappointing. He quickly said, "It's all because my son is ignorant of the times. Please forgive him, Fourth Prince."
When the Fourth Prince returned to the manor, he saw Shui Ling waiting in the front yard of the South Courtyard. As soon as she saw the Fourth Prince return, she immediately stepped forward and reported: "Your Highness, the Consort said that she would like you to go to the South Courtyard as soon as you return."
The Fourth Master hesitated for a moment, then became too lazy to go into the front yard to change his clothes, since Lanqin had some of his clothes anyway.
In the South Courtyard, after hearing about Kangxi's recent series of actions, and because her elder brother was still implicated, Lanqin sent Shuiling to the front courtyard to invite someone.
“Master, didn’t I say that the eldest young master was only fined, and nothing else happened? You don’t need to worry too much.” Seeing that Lanqin had been worried these past few days, Cui Niang comforted her.
"Sigh. I hope this turmoil will pass soon, and I still hope to return to normal life as soon as possible," Lanqin said. Although her own life was not affected by Kangxi's purge of the Crown Prince's supporters, the Fourth Prince was not as relaxed as before, and the atmosphere in the capital had also changed. No one was sending invitations anymore. Even without going out, Lanqin could feel that everyone was hiding in their own residences, waiting for this political turmoil to pass quickly.
When the Fourth Prince entered, he happened to hear Lanqin's words and said, "You don't need to worry about your brother. He's just a minor scholar and won't be implicated."
When Lanqin saw the Fourth Master arrive, she immediately went to greet him, bumping her head into his arm and saying, "I was just worried about you, Master."
With the help of the maids, the Fourth Master changed into a light blue robe. He had already taken off his thick cotton coat, and although it was still February, it was no longer so cold.
"What are you worried about, Master?" Fourth Master scooped up Lanqin and held her in his arms, asking.
“Now is the time when Father Emperor is most suspicious. If you, Your Highness, go and talk about that matter, it will naturally arouse Father Emperor’s suspicion as well,” Lanqin said. Although Lanqin did not easily let the Fourth Prince mention Zheng Chunhua and the Crown Prince to Kangxi, she also knew that sooner or later Kangxi would find out about her affair with the Crown Prince, so she did not resent the Fourth Prince for talking about it.
"Why does Father Emperor suspect me? I didn't say anything!" Fourth Prince asked, staring at Lanqin's surprised eyes. He knew what the young woman was worried about, but he really hadn't mentioned that matter.
"If the master didn't tell, how did Father Emperor know? Has Consort Zheng already...?" Lanqin made a throat-slitting gesture.
The Fourth Prince nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Consort Zheng and her maids have all disappeared, and no one knows their whereabouts. They must have been secretly executed by Father Emperor. I've also been wondering who told them about this."
Lanqin stared in surprise, her mouth slightly agape. Many possibilities flashed through her mind, but it wasn't Fourth Master's words, and someone else had discovered Zheng's secret.
"At the morning court session this day, no one dared to speak to the Crown Prince anymore. The Crown Prince's Grand Tutor and Grand Protector have both been demoted, and the Crown Prince's confidants have been punished one by one. It seems that Father Emperor is determined to depose the Crown Prince this time," said the Fourth Prince.
"Your Majesty, has Father Emperor shown you any special treatment?" Lanqin asked.
"It's nothing, but Father always makes me accompany him to review memorials," the Fourth Prince said.
"Your Majesty, this is a very good performance. Did Father Emperor show it to anyone else?" Lanqin asked.
"Yes, Prince Zhi, the Third Prince, and the Eighth Prince all went. Some people in the court have already started recommending the Eighth Prince." Fourth Prince sneered, "It seems that the reputation of the Eighth Prince is not useless. It comes in handy at this time."
"Master, why don't you try to see the Crown Prince? After all, he's still your second brother," Lanqin said. Based on her understanding of this period of Kangxi's history, she knew that although Kangxi had deposed the Crown Prince, he had not appointed anyone else as Crown Prince, and had even suppressed the Eighth Prince's hopes.
Fourth Prince looked at Lanqin in surprise. He knew that the little woman's words were never spoken lightly; they must have their own basis. So he asked, "Now everyone avoids the Crown Prince like the plague, fearing that they will be implicated. Yet you want me to go see him?"
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