He is not ruthless enough in handling matters and is too sentimental, but when asked a question, he appears somewhat indecisive and seems unable to make up his mind.
This made Kangxi feel that if he shook his head, he could directly agree to execute both the Crown Princess and Consort Li.
It also appears quite ruthless.
If he had dealt with the person secretly, Kangxi would have been somewhat gratified, since a qualified emperor does not need to be indecisive or hesitant.
This made Kangxi wonder if such a crown prince was truly capable of being the emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
"Do you know that what the Crown Princess did this time almost cost Yinzhen's wife her life?"
The Crown Prince was taken aback upon hearing this: "The Crown Princess probably only wants Fourth Brother's sister-in-law's blood, not her life."
The Crown Prince meant that the Crown Princess was sensible and would not be harmed.
But these words took on a different meaning when they reached Kangxi's ears. Yinzhen cherished his wife like a precious gem, afraid that she might get hurt. Although he sometimes felt a bit nauseous, Yinzhen's situation was special.
If anything were to happen to Yinzhen's wife, Yinzhen would never be able to touch a woman again in his life.
That's a case of falling into the water. It sounds nice, but there are plenty of people who can't be saved from the water. If something were to happen to Yinzhen's wife, Kangxi simply couldn't imagine the scene.
When Yinzhen finds out the truth and it leads back to the Crown Princess, even if Yinzhen knows it wasn't the Crown Prince's intention, will the two brothers still be able to remain brothers?
In Kangxi's view, the bond between brothers was more important than romantic love. The fact that the Crown Prince protected the Crown Princess and Consort Li and treated them leniently was seen by Kangxi as a lack of respect for brotherhood.
After thinking for a moment, Kangxi said, "You know how much Yinzhen values his wife. We need to give him an explanation for this incident. Either the Crown Princess or Lady Li should be held accountable. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the crown prince began to feel conflicted.
Although he didn't particularly like the Crown Princess, the two of them got along well. The only thing he was unhappy about was that they didn't have children; otherwise, the Crown Princess did a good job.
Adding to the Crown Princess's family, the Crown Princess has already lost the support of Suo'etu. If she also loses the support of the Shi family, she doesn't know what she will have left.
Lady Li was able to become his concubine because of her good family background, and she was also the mother of his son. The two had shared tender moments, so he couldn't bear to part with her.
A difficult choice.
Looking at the Crown Prince's appearance, Kangxi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing that he hadn't taught him well.
After thinking for a moment, Kangxi said, "Li will be confined to her quarters for life, stripped of her title as a secondary consort, and will be relegated to the status of a concubine for life. She will also be barred from raising her children."
The Crown Prince was taken aback upon hearing this, realizing the gravity of the situation. However, looking into Kangxi's eyes, he could only nod and say, "Yes."
"The Crown Princess has violated moral principles, so she will be confined to her quarters for now. I will select a better one for you during the imperial concubine selection next year."
The Crown Prince was stunned again upon hearing this. "Choose another person? Yes, the Crown Princess cannot have a scandal, but she can die of illness!"
The crown prince felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"Father, the Crown Princess acted impulsively and did something wrong. Please forgive her."
"You really want me to spare the Crown Princess?"
"Your subject believes that her crime does not warrant death."
She survived the conflict that Li Shi stirred up, so why should the Fourth Prince's wife die?
The crown prince couldn't understand.
Kangxi looked at the Crown Prince, feeling utterly disappointed.
He spared Li's life because her survival wouldn't have much impact, and the punishments were enough to make her wish she were dead; living would be worse than dying.
But the Crown Princess is different. Husband and wife are one, and the Crown Princess is also one of the Crown Prince's representatives. She can be confined for a while, but not for a lifetime.
If Yinzhen knew the truth, wouldn't he feel heartbroken? Would he still care about the brotherhood?
Furthermore, and most importantly, as the Crown Princess, she could be ruthless, but not foolish or vicious; her actions were unfit to be the future Empress of the Qing Dynasty.
"Have you considered whether Yinzhen and his wife would feel uncomfortable keeping the Crown Princess here?"
The Crown Prince said, "Your subject will personally visit your fourth brother and his wife to apologize, and I promise that such a thing will never happen again."
Kangxi glanced at the Crown Prince with a complicated expression. The Crown Prince, kneeling and bowing his head, did not see the serious and complicated look on Kangxi's face.
After thinking for a moment, Kangxi thought to himself, "Very well," and said, "You can decide what to do, Crown Princess. As for Yinzhen, you should think it over carefully."
"Your subject understands."
Emperor Kangxi waved his hand: "Go out."
Kangxi spoke the last three words weakly.
The Crown Prince returned to Yuqing Palace with a dark face. Inside Yuqing Palace, the Crown Princess thought everything was over and was dealing with trivial matters, while Consort Li was holding and comforting her son.
As for Tong Yunyao, she clutched her aching back, seething with anger, muttering, "I told you my stomach wasn't feeling well, why didn't Master come to see me? And that little bitch Tang, all she does is play the victim all day, how can Master not see through her true colors? What kind of rubbish did the kitchen send? I'm pregnant with Master's child..."
She mumbled a whole bunch of things, criticizing this and cursing that; nothing she said was good.
The Crown Prince first went to Consort Li's place. When Consort Li saw him, she looked surprised and shy, saying, "Why have you come, Your Highness?"
The Crown Prince remained silent, staring intently at her. Her face was delicate and charming, with a pitiful appearance and a pair of innocent-looking eyes. No one could tell that she was a vicious person. Yet, it was this very person who had schemed against the Crown Princess.
He said to the eunuch beside him, "Take Hongxi out."
"yes."
Consort Li sensed something was wrong at this moment. The Crown Prince hadn't smiled once since he came in, which made Consort Li very uneasy.
Hongxi was taken away, and the Crown Prince then dismissed everyone else in the room.
Consort Li grew increasingly uneasy.
"My lord, who has spoken ill of me in front of you? I am innocent!"
"I only wish to live peacefully in this courtyard and hope for your pity. I have no ambition to compete. If any of the other ladies have said anything, I hope you will investigate!"
This isn't the first time she's acted this way.
In the past, when the Crown Prince saw her like this, he only felt sorry for her. Consort Li never complained to him and always swallowed her grievances alone.
The crown prince thought she was strong, understanding, and that she genuinely loved him, not because of his status...
But this time she miscalculated; it wasn't her "sisters" who complained, but Emperor Kangxi.
The Crown Prince simply couldn't bear to see him suffer.
"You arranged for Tong's fake pregnancy, didn't you!"
Consort Li looked shocked upon hearing this, then her expression changed instantly: "What did you say, Your Highness? I don't understand."
They're still pretending at this point.
The crown prince was disappointed.
"It wasn't me who found out, it was Father Emperor who found out."
Consort Li fell silent, and then fear began to creep in.
If His Majesty investigated, then His Majesty probably also knows about her scheming against the Crown Princess.
The Crown Prince said, "You should stop raising Hongxi and don't let him go out anymore."
Saving his life was the best he could do.
After the Crown Prince finished speaking, he left. After he left, Consort Li went limp and collapsed to the ground, her eyes red and swollen, looking truly heartbroken.
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