"Good, good! He truly deserves to be my crown prince!" Kangxi said, his face full of disappointment.
"Liang Jiugong conveys my imperial decree: Ling Pu, as the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, has been found guilty of hoarding tribute and embezzling silver. He shall be executed on a selected date!"
The wet nurse, Lady Ling, was expelled from the capital for her service in caring for the Crown Prince, never to set foot in the capital again. All others, regardless of gender, were exiled to Ningguta!
As soon as Kangxi finished speaking, the Crown Prince immediately said, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your mercy!"
"The Crown Prince's injuries have not yet healed. He is permitted to remain in Yuqing Palace to recuperate, and no one is allowed to disturb him during this time!" After saying this, Kangxi flicked his sleeves and left with a dark face.
"Dismiss the court!" Liang Jiugong said with a flick of his whisk before chasing after Kangxi.
Everyone witnessed once again Kangxi's attitude towards the Crown Prince; no one could match the Crown Prince's position in Kangxi's heart.
The eldest prince helped the crown prince up, saying, "Why did you do this? To anger Father Emperor for a servant who deserved his punishment!"
"Brother, I know the wet nurse is not innocent, but I can't just watch her die!" the prince said with a bitter smile.
"Second Brother, I'm sorry, I couldn't help!" The Eighth Prince stepped forward and said to the Crown Prince with a guilty look on his face.
"It's alright, I appreciate your kind intentions, Eighth Brother! When Eighth Brother and Princess Tana get married, I will definitely send you a generous gift!" the Crown Prince said with a smile.
"Thank you, Second Brother! I have to take my leave now!" the Eighth Prince said through gritted teeth.
"There's something lurking in the way that the Eighth Prince is saying today!" the First Prince remarked, watching the Eighth Prince's retreating figure.
“Eighth brother has grown up and has his own thoughts now!” the Crown Prince said meaningfully.
"Second Brother, let us take you back to Yuqing Palace!" the Third and Fourth Princes said as they walked over, followed by the Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Princes.
"Alright! Thank you for your help!" the Crown Prince said, looking at his younger brothers beside him.
"Your Highness, please rest well in Yuqing Palace this time. Don't run around unnecessarily. You can take this opportunity to read scriptures and calm your mind!" Su Hetai said to the Crown Prince with a displeased expression.
"Second Prince, what did you do? Why does Suhetai seem a bit unhappy with you today?" The First Prince had spent time with Suhetai before, and he was a very easy person to get along with!
"I don't know!" the Crown Prince said, both amused and exasperated. "Brother, wait for me! I have a few words to say to Jing Shu!"
The Crown Prince saw Jing Shu standing nearby and walked directly towards him.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry! I couldn't help you this time!" Jing Shu said to the Crown Prince.
"It's nothing! I brought this on myself!" the Crown Prince said nonchalantly. "You must take good care of He Xue. Wherever He Xue goes, take Qing Dai with you. Be careful of the Eighth Prince and don't let him appear in front of He Xue!"
The Crown Prince was worried that the Eighth Prince would take advantage of his absence to deliberately get close to He Xue.
"Don't worry, I know what to do!" Although Jing Shu didn't know how the Eighth Prince was involved, he knew that the Crown Prince wouldn't harm He Xue.
"Your Highness, my father didn't mean to target you today. He just found out that you're going to marry He Xue!"
The crown prince then understood why Suhetai had treated him that way earlier.
Jing Shu suppressed a laugh and said, "My father specifically told me to keep an eye on He Xue and not let this old man like you get close to him!"
"An old man? Is he an old man?" The prince's expression cracked.
When the Crown Prince returned, he looked utterly dejected.
"Second Prince, are you alright? How come you're like this after just a few words with Jing Shu?" The First Prince was curious about what Jing Shu and the Crown Prince had talked about, and why the Crown Prince was acting this way!
"It's nothing!" the crown prince said, shaking his head.
"Brother, how does your sister-in-law's father treat you?" the prince asked curiously. Is it true that all men dislike the man who wants to marry their daughter?
"Of course it's great! You have no idea how much my father-in-law likes me!" the eldest prince said smugly.
The Crown Prince looked at the eldest prince and felt increasingly that he could not believe what the eldest prince said.
After the court session, Emperor Kangxi went directly to Chengqian Palace.
Seeing Kangxi's expression, the Imperial Noble Consort knew that he was unhappy. She didn't want to upset him, so she continued doing what she was doing.
After she finished what she was doing, she looked at Kangxi and asked, "Cousin, are you feeling better now?"
Emperor Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief and told the Imperial Noble Consort about the Crown Prince's situation.
The Imperial Noble Consort chuckled lightly, "Cousin, you raised the Crown Prince yourself, don't you know what kind of person he is?"
The Crown Prince is a filial son, and he didn't mean to contradict you. He might regret it now!
But Ling was his wet nurse who raised him; how could he have no feelings for her at all? It's only natural for him to plead for Ling!
If the Crown Prince doesn't plead for Lady Ling, you should be worried!
Kangxi felt a little better after hearing what the Imperial Noble Consort said. "Cousin, there is something I want to discuss with you!"
"I intend to hold the weddings for my third son and the others before the end of the year!"
"They've all been held before the New Year?" the Imperial Noble Consort asked in surprise. There were less than two months left until the New Year, and the weddings of five princes, from the Third Prince to the Eighth Prince, had already been held. Wasn't that a bit rushed?
"Yes, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department had already made preparations, so it won't be too rushed."
"We should start preparing for the Crown Prince's wedding after the New Year!" Emperor Kangxi planned to set the Crown Prince's wedding for around next autumn. The Crown Prince's marriage was a major event for the Qing Dynasty and could not be taken lightly!
The Imperial Noble Consort knew that Kangxi had already made his decision, and there was nothing she could do to change it. "Very well, everything will be as my cousin wishes!"
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