When Yinreng entered Kangxi's study, a group of ministers were having a heated discussion, but they all fell silent when they saw him enter.
Yinreng pretended not to see, and sat down next to Kangxi while holding Hongxi. He then casually put the child into Kangxi's arms, catching Kangxi off guard.
"I'm getting a little tired of carrying you." Yinreng leaned back lazily in his chair, while He Yuzhu, under the scrutinizing or annoyed gazes of the ministers behind him, handed his master a cup of hot tea.
Kangxi swallowed back all his words when he saw Hongxi's happy little face.
Oh, grandparents love their grandchildren more.
Who can blame them when this is Bao Cheng's child?
Kangxi skillfully held Hongxi in his arms, but his gaze did not linger on Yinreng for long. He looked at Zhang Tingyu not far away and asked, "What do you think should be done to clean up this mess?"
After a moment's thought, Zhang Tingyu said with some difficulty, "Logically speaking, Prince Yong was merely carrying out his duties according to the imperial edict and did not do anything excessive. At the same time, he has no personal relationship or grudge with Lord Wei Dongting, so there is no question of him taking revenge on this matter."
"However, considering the circumstances, Wei Dongting is the emperor's study companion, so we should at least give him a break."
Yinreng looked at Kangxi with some confusion, "What's wrong with Lord Wei Dongting?"
Emperor Kangxi sighed with a grim expression, "The fourth prince went to their residence to ask for money, and Wei Dongting argued with him because he couldn't pay it back, and eventually died of anger."
Wow, that's quite a temper.
Yinreng felt that Wei Dongting was getting older and more confused, but since this matter was caused by Yinzhen, he could not simply watch the joke.
"Father, how do you plan to punish the Fourth Prince for this?"
Emperor Kangxi was taken aback.
He knew that Yinreng and Yinzhen had the best relationship, and when he saw him come in, he thought he was there to plead for mercy.
Why is the first thing you ask is how to punish them?
After a moment's thought, Kangxi asked, "Why does Baocheng think the Fourth Prince should be punished? Just now, Lord Zhang also said that the Fourth Prince handled this matter impartially and did not overstep his bounds in any way. Wei Dongting's death from anger was his own business; what does it have to do with the Fourth Prince?"
[Wei Dongting wasn't angered to death by his fourth uncle. He had fallen from his horse a few days ago and injured his internal organs. Many imperial physicians said he wouldn't make it, but coincidentally, his fourth uncle died the day he went to collect a debt, so the blame was placed on his fourth uncle. It's true that his fourth uncle was unlucky, but it's hateful that the Wei family knowingly lied.]
Yinreng's eyes were dark.
Everyone knows that the fourth brother is a follower of his.
Scheming against the fourth brother is scheming against him.
But the Wei family still did it openly, which means they must have someone backing them up.
Who is it?
Eighth Brother?
The news that Lao Ba had been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court had already spread. How desperate must the Wei family be to do something that offends themselves for Lao Ba?
Could it be the third son?
Yinreng was pondering this matter in his heart, his expression unusually serious. Even Emperor Kangxi held his breath, afraid of disturbing his beloved son.
“Father, just as Lord Zhang said, Lord Wei is your study companion, and you should treat him with more respect just for that. Your Majesty entrusted this matter to the Fourth Prince because you value his integrity. But some things cannot be done by integrity alone. You must yield when necessary, otherwise it will cause unrest in the court and panic among the people.”
Emperor Kangxi opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Zhang Tingyu, however, seemed to understand the underlying meaning.
“Your Majesty, I think His Highness the Crown Prince is right. Now the Wei family is making a scene and demanding an explanation from Your Majesty. Why not take this opportunity to have Prince Yong not interfere in this matter for the time being, and at the same time send officials from the Ministry of Rites to prepare for Lord Wei’s funeral? We can continue to collect the debt after this matter is settled. What do you think?”
Kangxi glanced at Yinreng subconsciously.
Yinzhen is this kid's biggest supporter. If the fourth prince is really suspended from his post at this time, wouldn't that be a blatant slap in the face to Yinreng?
Yinreng nodded in agreement, "I think Lord Zhang's suggestion is good."
When there are difficulties, they use the fourth brother as a tool, but when something goes wrong, they don't protect him.
In the long run, he will only be able to remain a lone minister.
But he is clearly a prince, so why is Father Emperor treating him like this?
Yinreng was also angry. "I will return to the capital tomorrow to handle this matter personally, and also find out what exactly happened between the Fourth Prince and Lord Wei. How could a perfectly healthy person die of anger? After all, the Eighth Prince was imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, and he didn't die of anger. Why is Lord Wei so temperamental? Is it because he is dissatisfied with the way the Fourth Prince collects debts, or because he is dissatisfied with the Emperor not treating him differently?"
For a moment, the hall was silent.
Zhang Tingyu and the others all lowered their heads and remained silent, while Kangxi's mind raced with conflicting thoughts.
[Father is really amazing. Old man Wei is so wicked. He knows he doesn't have long to live, so he wants to use this opportunity to cling to Fourth Uncle and gain Grandfather's pity, so that he can secure some benefits for his descendants after he dies.]
Hongxi shifted his body. "It's a pity that apart from Old Man Wei, the rest of the Wei family are all useless. Especially his sons; they're good for nothing but drinking, gambling, and whoring. They have more concubines than maids and servants combined. If Old Man Wei hadn't embezzled while he was alive, how could he have possibly supported such a large family?"
Yinreng suddenly curled his lips and reached out to pinch Hongxi's little feet.
That brat really helped him a lot.
With these words, he naturally knew which direction to follow in his investigation.
Although Emperor Kangxi did not want his beloved son to return to the capital alone, this matter could indeed hurt his son's feelings if not handled properly.
Left with no other choice, Kangxi could only nod in agreement.
He secretly decided that once Yinreng had finished dealing with matters in the capital, he would set off to return to the capital.
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