During the morning court session this day, Emperor Kangxi directly issued imperial edicts conferring titles upon several princes.
Every prince who received the title was very happy, especially the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince, since they had only been working for a short time and they never expected to be among those being honored.
The most unhappy was the Eighth Prince, who never expected that he would be just a Beizi, like the Ninth and Tenth Princes. He was unwilling to accept this; he had worked diligently and conscientiously all these years, never daring to slack off, so how could he only be a Beizi?
"From now on, you should do your best in your duties, and the rewards that the Crown Prince has sought for you will not have been in vain!" Kangxi said to his sons.
"Your Majesty, we will obey your decree!" the princes replied.
The Eighth Prince immediately understood what was going on. No wonder he was only a Beizi (a princely title in the imperial family). It must have been the Crown Prince who secretly sabotaged him. The Crown Prince was worried that if he stood out, the Crown Prince would lose face.
The more the Eighth Prince thought about it, the more convinced he became, and his resentment towards the Crown Prince deepened.
Kangxi would not bring up the matter of the Eighth Prince and Ulanara Rouze in court, and since Ulanara Rouze was just a concubine, it could be left to Consort Liang to handle.
He might inquire about the Crown Prince's concubines, but the Eighth Prince wouldn't warrant his concern.
"Your Majesty, a large number of people have gathered in front of Chang'an Gate, preparing to knock on the city gate and request an audience with Your Majesty, begging Your Majesty to uphold justice for them and for the disaster-stricken people in the Jiangnan region!" A guard rushed in to report.
Upon hearing this news, the imperial court was in an uproar.
Knocking on the city gates—that's a capital offense of treason! Are these people courting death?
Emperor Kangxi frowned and asked, "Where are the people from the Infantry Commander's Office?"
"Your Majesty, the officers of the Infantry Commander's Office have already stopped them. The leaders are all unarmed disaster victims, and they have already incited many people in the surrounding area to join them."
They said if the people from the Infantry Commander's Office dared to arrest them, they would go and smash the lions at Zhengyang Gate!
“Your Majesty, we must not allow such unhealthy trends to grow, or the consequences will be unimaginable!” a minister stepped forward and said.
The reporting guard continued, "Your Majesty, those disaster victims are carrying the 'Book of Ten Thousand People,' and they..."
"What else? Tell me all at once!" Kangxi asked angrily.
"They also said that the Emperor really chose a good pot, and the disaster relief funds returned to your pocket intact!"
"You scoundrel!" Kangxi shouted in exasperation.
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" everyone knelt down and shouted.
"Your Majesty, I feel there might be something fishy about this matter. Let's bring the person in and ask them!"
The Jiangnan region is predominantly Han Chinese; if this isn't handled properly, it could give rise to criticism among the Han Chinese population.
"Prince Zhi, bring the person to me immediately, unharmed! If anyone tries to stop you, kill them without mercy!" Kangxi said to the eldest prince.
Emperor Kangxi knew that if the disaster relief funds were embezzled, it would likely implicate people in the capital, and he worried that someone might kill the disaster victims. That's why he sent his eldest son to bring the people to him personally.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey!" the eldest prince replied.
The Eighth Prince was extremely anxious inside, but he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface. The Crown Prince must have been behind this. He wondered if Guo Yunjin had handled the matters in Jiangnan well, otherwise he would probably be doomed this time as well.
"Your Majesty, this is all the information I have to present today!" The Fourth Prince took out a memorial and held it above his head.
"We'll talk about your matter later!" Kangxi said impatiently. [Why is this fourth prince getting involved at a time like this!]
"Father, the matter I am reporting is related to the disaster relief case in Jiangnan!" the Fourth Prince said.
"Bring it up!" Kangxi said to Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong immediately presented the memorial to Emperor Kangxi. As Kangxi read through the memorial, he grew increasingly angry and eventually slammed it onto the imperial desk.
"How did you learn about the events in Jiangnan?" Kangxi asked, staring at the Fourth Prince.
"Your Majesty, I was entrusted by my second brother to investigate matters in Jiangnan!"
"The Crown Prince? How did the Crown Prince know?"
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, my second brother saved someone, the sister of Xu Nanping, the prefect of Jiangnan!" The fourth prince could only tell the truth.
As for what will happen next, he couldn't predict. The rest was up to the Crown Prince, but he wouldn't agree if the Crown Prince couldn't handle Xu Yan's matter properly.
"Liang Jiugong, quickly summon the Crown Prince to court, and be quick!" Kangxi suddenly realized and said to Liang Jiugong.
The Crown Prince was planning to leave the city today. If we were late, we might not be able to catch him. Emperor Kangxi even suspected that the Crown Prince deliberately left the city today to leave this mess to him.
Everyone was puzzled as to why Kangxi was in such a hurry to find the Crown Prince. Judging from Kangxi's appearance, it seemed like it was too late and the Crown Prince had already escaped. Could the Crown Prince be involved in this matter?
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