"Did that guard reveal who was behind it all?" the Crown Prince asked.
Emperor Kangxi looked down at the Crown Prince with an unclear expression.
"That guard won't say that I ordered him to do it, will he?"
After the Crown Prince finished speaking, Kangxi looked at him with a hint of wariness and scrutiny.
The Crown Prince looked at Kangxi with a shocked and surprised expression. "Father, don't you also suspect your son?"
"Father, you doubt your son based on what a guard said? Is your son so unworthy of your trust?"
The prince spoke these words with an air of profound sorrow.
"I summoned you back to the palace to find out that I... have no doubts about you!"
"Heh! Heh! Father, do you even believe what you're saying? You've already begun to doubt your son!"
Because, Eighth Brother, this is the second time you have doubted your son!
"Father, I was raised by you, and I never imagined that the trust between us would be so fragile!" the Crown Prince roared.
"You actually believe the words of a mere guard? Is your son so worthless in your eyes? To disregard family ties and harm your own brother?" The Crown Prince's eyes were filled with hurt as he spoke these words.
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Kangxi felt a pang of pain in his heart. He knew the Crown Prince's temperament well; such agitation must mean he had suffered a great injustice.
“Your Highness, I did not intend to doubt you. I simply wanted to understand the situation clearly,” Kangxi attempted to explain.
However, the Crown Prince remained immersed in grief, unable to pull himself out. "Father, do you now have no trust in me whatsoever?"
"Father, I implore you to confront that guard. I want to ask him why he framed me and who instructed him to do so?"
"I've already ordered that guard to be dealt with! I can't let him..."
"Haha, haha! Father, you've already decided in your heart that I did this! Otherwise, you wouldn't have been in such a hurry to silence them. What's even more ridiculous is that you're acting as if you're doing this for my own good!" The Crown Prince laughed and then tears welled up in his eyes.
"Baocheng, you are the Crown Prince, you cannot have any blemishes!" Kangxi said earnestly.
"Crown Prince? Is it because I am the Crown Prince that you doubt me?"
If this crown prince makes you doubt me or makes you uneasy, then I will not be the crown prince.
"Father, I'm tired. I don't want to be a crown prince anymore. I just want to be your son! A son you won't doubt! Please grant my request!" After saying this, the crown prince kowtowed heavily to the ground.
Each sound seemed to strike Kangxi's heart like a blow, and the Crown Prince's cry of "Father" made Kangxi feel even more remorseful and guilty.
He hurriedly came over and helped the Crown Prince up. "Bao Cheng, you are my legitimate son, you should be the Crown Prince. How could you say such a thing?"
The Crown Prince raised his head, his eyes red as he looked at the Emperor. "Father, if my being the Crown Prince makes you doubt me and causes discord between us, then I have truly had enough of being the Crown Prince."
"Father, do you believe in your son?"
Emperor Kangxi frowned. He trusted the Crown Prince, of course, but he needed to find out the truth. "Baocheng, do not act rashly. Once I have investigated this matter, I will give you justice."
The Crown Prince stared at Kangxi, a flicker of despair in his eyes. "Fairness? Trust? Ha! These don't exist in the palace!" With that, the Crown Prince rose and left, leaving Kangxi standing alone, his expression somber.
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