Tong Cheng'er and the Third Prince's wife entered the palace together. Emperor Kangxi was in the Imperial Study, so the two of them went directly there.
Looking at his grandsons standing in a row, Emperor Kangxi inquired about the reason and, to be honest, he was indeed very disappointed.
It's not hard to see through a child's trick; it was just that someone had provoked Hongxi with a few words, which led him to start a fight with his cousins.
This was truly outrageous. Kangxi looked at Hongxi, who was already half-grown up, and wondered how he could feel at ease about the future of the Qing Dynasty in this state.
The idea that had been in his mind before became more and more firm. Kangxi thought of Yinzhen, and then turned his gaze to Hongzhao. He was a man with courage, just like his father. He was a good man.
Kangxi spoke up: "Tell me, who made a mistake today?"
No one spoke. Kangxi frowned: "What's wrong? Didn't you all take action just now? Now you're all silent. Do you expect me to call out your names one by one? In that case, Hongxi will go first!"
He is the son of the Crown Prince, and the eldest of them all, so he should be the first to speak.
At this moment, Hongxi began to feel afraid. Although his father was the crown prince, he was depressed all day long due to his health. Although he had never mistreated him, he could not be said to have disciplined him strictly. He knew that his situation was not very good.
Moreover, his own mother was a deceased concubine's child. Even if his father was the crown prince, he was still afraid of the legitimate sons of two princes.
"Grandpa, your grandson... your grandson knows he was wrong."
At this point, admitting his mistake, his mind did return to normal somewhat.
However, this was not what Kangxi wanted to hear.
"What's wrong with it?"
Hong Xiwen felt quite aggrieved. He had already admitted his mistake, yet he still had to explain in front of so many cousins and servants what he had done wrong, a public execution. His face turned red, and he stammered, unable to give a coherent explanation.
Emperor Kangxi sighed inwardly. Hongxi had been quite clever when he was young, but now he had become increasingly dull and slow-witted. It was all because the Crown Prince had neglected him too much.
The Crown Prince is currently preoccupied with his decadence and has no time to care about his son. It's not without reason that Hongxi is like this.
Kangxi sighed and said, "Never mind, Hongqing, you tell me."
Hongqing wasn't small-minded. He felt he was in the right, so he gave a fair account of what had happened.
"...The incident happened suddenly. It was my recklessness to fight with Brother Hongxi. I hope Grandfather will forgive me."
After listening to Hongqing's words, Kangxi was somewhat satisfied. What he said was not far from the truth, and he was indeed a good child.
Upon hearing this, Hongzhao lowered his head and said, "Grandfather, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have hit Brother Hongxi."
Hongzhao was the youngest of the three. Kangxi had high hopes for Yinzhen and liked Hongzhao's bright and adorable personality. Today's incident shows that Hongzhao was of good character.
At this moment, Liang Jiugong came in and said, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince's wife and the Fourth Prince's wife have arrived."
Emperor Kangxi was not surprised to hear this, as he calculated that the emperor should be arriving soon.
Thinking this, Kangxi realized that no one in Yuqing Palace was paying attention to Hongxi's affairs at this time, and they really didn't care about Hongxi.
Speaking of which, Hongxi is now in a situation where his father doesn't care, his mother has passed away, and the Crown Princess doesn't need to take care of him. It's really not a good situation.
Although Hongxi made a mistake today, his situation still made Kangxi feel sorry for him. In fact, Hongxi was the one he had hoped to be born.
When Tong Cheng'er and the Third Princess entered, they saw Kangxi sitting at the head of the table, with three children standing in front of him with their heads bowed, surrounded by servants who served Kangxi.
Tong Cheng'er and the Third Prince's Wife: "Daughter-in-law greets Father Emperor. May Father Emperor enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Kangxi: "Get up."
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
The Third Princess Consort spoke first: "Father, Hongqing is usually unruly. It's my fault. I will definitely discipline him strictly in the future."
Tong Cheng'er added, "It's my fault for neglecting to discipline Hongzhao. I will definitely keep a close eye on him and teach him proper manners in the future."
Kangxi said, "Alright, it's normal for children to be naughty and fight. It's not a big deal. I've already asked around, and all the children were at fault. As punishment, each of them will copy the Thousand Character Classic fifty times. That will be the end of it."
Kangxi's tone wasn't too harsh; he sounded much like a grandfather mediating a conflict between his grandson and granddaughter in an ordinary family.
For a moment, Tong Cheng'er had a vague feeling that Emperor Kangxi was actually quite kind.
This is truly bizarre.
However, she understood what Kangxi meant: to turn a big problem into a small one and a small problem into nothing.
Tong Cheng'er and the Third Prince Consort said, "Father is right."
Finally, Tong Cheng'er and the Third Princess led Hongzhao and Hongqing out of the study.
No one came to Yuqing Palace; Hongxi was still standing in front of Kangxi.
When Kangxi saw the envy in Hongxi's eyes as he looked at Hongzhao and Hongqing, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Hongxi was the eldest son of the Crown Prince, and Kangxi truly couldn't bear to see him in such a predicament.
"Hongxi!"
"My grandson is here." His voice was choked with emotion.
Kangxi found it quite distressing to hear.
"You are the elder brother. Only when brothers are friendly can they be respectful to each other. Do you understand?"
"Grandson understands, grandson knows he was wrong."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi nodded: "A child who can admit his mistakes and correct them is a good child."
After saying that, he instructed Liang Jiugong: "Liang Jiugong, you personally escort Hongxi back to Yuqing Palace, tell the Crown Prince what happened today, and also replace all the people around Hongxi who have ulterior motives."
Hongxi's expression changed upon hearing this, but he said nothing.
When the Crown Prince was found to have moral failings, Emperor Kangxi believed that others had corrupted him. Now that the Crown Prince's son was also found to have misbehaved, Emperor Kangxi similarly believed that others had corrupted his grandson.
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