Before the Fourteenth Prince established his own residence outside the palace, he frequently had free access to and from the Forbidden City. The so-called palace rules applied to those without connections. The Fourteenth Prince, however, could often leave the palace even after the gates were locked.
He knew, of course, that the palace gates were already locked at this time, making it impossible to enter through the main gate. So, he went alone to the back gate of the Forbidden City, which he used to frequently pass through.
Meanwhile, Consort De was still tending to her Buddhist prayers in the West Buddhist Hall. She was praying to the Bodhisattva not to let her two sons kill each other, and that after receiving the message from the person she had sent, the Fourteenth Prince would leave immediately under the cover of darkness.
Once upon a time, Consort De was proud to have two sons, but now she has to pray to the Bodhisattva day and night not to let her two sons repeat the mistakes of the royal family.
"Mother!"
A familiar yet seemingly unfamiliar voice called out.
Consort De was startled. She naturally recognized the voice; it belonged to her youngest son, whom she had always worried would never grow up and who was now worried about his excessive ambition.
"You, how did you get here?" Consort De turned around and looked at Fourteen in surprise. Although she had been missing him, she absolutely did not want to see him at this place and time.
"It's been almost half a year since your son left. Doesn't Mother miss him?" Fourteenth Prince looked at Consort De, his eyes filled with disappointment. His mother, who once loved him most, and his father, who once doted on him, now seemed to want to see him no longer!
At this moment, it was hard for the Fourteenth Prince to accept that Consort De and Emperor Kangxi seemed to be on the opposite side of him. Looking at Consort De's surprised face and her disappointment just now, he felt even more strongly that he not only had to fight for that position, but also had to compete with the Fourth Prince for his mother's love and his father's favor.
"Yinzhen, you shouldn't be here right now. If anyone sees you, they'll surely report you to the authorities," Consort De said, frowning.
"Who would impeach me? Only Fourth Brother's men!" Fourteenth Brother said sarcastically.
“Yinzhen, no matter what, you are no longer the bald prince, you are the Grand General of the Pacification Army, commanding 200,000 troops. If the enemy in the northwest finds out that our Qing commander-in-chief is not there, will they launch a war?” Consort De’s heart grew heavier and heavier. She regretted spoiling her son too much in the past, which had allowed him to be so willful and reckless.
"Mother, I came back secretly. They didn't know I wasn't there. I've already instructed them to do their jobs, and no one knows I wasn't here," Fourteenth brother argued.
"Yinzhen, you have disappointed your mother. Can you disregard the safety of 200,000 troops just to come back? Why did you come back? Is it really just to see your father?" Consort De took a step back and looked at her youngest son with disappointment.
Fourteenth Prince had never been reprimanded by Consort De like this before. Coupled with his talent in leading troops, his pride and arrogance had been growing in recent years. Now, seeing his own mother speaking to him like this, how could he bear it? He stepped forward and said, "Mother, why do you only have eyes for Fourth Brother now? What happened to the mother who used to love me so much?"
Consort De looked at the fourteenth prince, who had grown a beard, with surprise, and shook her head, saying, "Yinzhen, what nonsense are you talking about? What your mother is telling you is that you shouldn't have been so reckless at this moment, running back on your own without your father's decree."
"If I hadn't come back, I'm afraid Fourth Brother would be running to Mother's every day, and Mother would have forgotten about her son, only caring about enjoying family time with Fourth Brother," Fourteenth Brother said loudly. "Besides, I have clearly made so many military achievements, in which way am I inferior to Fourth Brother? Father Emperor also values me highly. But, if one day Father Emperor's health deteriorates, who will take over the empire? Fourth Brother has been scheming all along, and he will never let me go. It would be better to let Father Emperor decide on the Crown Prince as soon as possible, so that our Great Qing can be spared from turmoil." Fourteenth Brother said, word by word.
Hearing these words, Consort De felt her heart pound with fear and wished she could shut Fourteenth Prince up.
"You are incredibly audacious! Your imperial father is still in good health. If he finds out what you are saying, he will surely punish you for disrespect and for speaking out against the state!" Consort De shouted.
“Mother, your son is determined to fight for that position, you should support him,” Fourteenth said.
Consort De was furious that the Fourteenth Prince was so disregardful today, uttering such treasonous words right in front of her. She pointed at the Fourteenth Prince and said, “Go back immediately and don’t set foot in Yonghe Palace again, or I will go and tell your father. Your father has already forgiven you once. If you continue to be stubborn, even your mother will not be able to plead for you.”
At this moment, the Fourteenth Prince seemed to have completely lost his mind. He only knew that the Fourth Prince was not only going to take the position from him, but also his mother and his father, which he absolutely could not allow.
"I'm not leaving. I want to see Father Emperor and tell him in person," Fourteen said fearlessly. "Father Emperor might not blame me."
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