Chapter 163 Rumors
With something to look forward to, the days naturally passed faster, and before we knew it, it was the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.
The group rode tall horses in a grand procession from the palace. At the head of the procession, guards led the way, followed closely by eunuchs carrying incense burners. Hongzhao, dressed in an apricot-yellow court robe, rode a horse with jade bridles, walking proudly at the front. Hongshi followed behind, followed by Hongzhou and Hongyan.
It's said that it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, but Hongzhou, sitting on his horse, wasn't affected much. However, he couldn't hold the reins, and his hands could only hang at his sides, letting the guards lead the horse for him. Hongyan was even worse off; he wasn't old enough to ride a horse on his own, especially since they were passing through the market. This time, it was only with the help of a guard that the Seventh Prince was able to stay steady on his horse.
The long procession seemed to follow endlessly out of the palace gates. The road to the temple was not short, and the people in the streets were blocked on both sides by human walls of guards who knelt down to pay their respects.
Hongzhao tightened his grip on the reins to control the speed of the jade-bridled horse, just to hear if there was anything interesting besides the sounds of greetings on both sides of the street. And sure enough, he did hear something.
"Hey, you say the emperor has three thousand concubines in the harem, how come he only has a few sons? And they all look so big and small."
"Well, having more has its advantages, and having less has its advantages too. Look at how much the princes fought over back then."
"Tsk, you're right. Hey, didn't you always say you had connections in the palace? Do you know all these gentlemen?"
"Of course, who do you look down on? Look at the one in the yellow robe at the front, that's the Crown Prince. More than half of the ceremonial guard behind him is his. He's the Emperor's eldest son! He's the fifth among all the princes."
The person who spoke looked back and said, "The eldest one behind is the Third Prince, the one who is calling for someone to lead the horse is the Sixth Prince, and the youngest one is the Seventh Prince."
"Hey? Why aren't the First Prince, Second Prince, and Fourth Prince here?"
He raised his voice a bit when he asked the question, and their conversation wasn't just being listened to by each other; everyone around them was listening intently, waiting for what would follow.
The first person to speak said with great certainty, "Raising children in the palace is not the same as raising them outside. Not all of them can survive. Those who don't are naturally dead."
"Oh—he's dead."
...
Such remarks, though seemingly different, spread throughout the entire street. Hongzhao's muscles ached from laughing so much that he had to maintain his composure.
It wasn't just Hongzhao's smiling muscles that were aching; the roots of the teeth of the Fourth Prince Hongli were also sore.
His entire demeanor was incredibly tense, his fists clenched tightly as he sat in the room with a sinister expression—"It's that Hongzhao again! Why is Father Emperor so biased!"
Hearing the servants' gossip, he felt like he couldn't catch his breath. He coughed several times, his face turning red, "He's only hurting me a few times because of the Emperor's favor, and now he's spreading rumors that I'm dead! It's outrageous!"
Hongli gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table twice. The two loud thuds corresponded to his red palms. His voice was extremely hoarse, and he had been coughing badly earlier, so his voice was slightly trembling. His eyes were twisted as he stared intently ahead—"I don't believe you're some kind of auspicious creature. You were just born with a good mother. Sooner or later, I will pull you down and take your place."
Thinking of this, he stood up angrily, walked to the table, picked up his most ordinary pen and ink, and angrily wrote.
"I remember that fleeting glimpse of something on the artificial rockery years ago..."
People are angry, but the words they write are nauseating.
There was no other way. The last time, the Cuju incident almost aroused Qingying's suspicion. He was in Yuanmingyuan, and it was really inconvenient and easy for people to discover that he was communicating between the two places. It took more than a month to get people to lower their guard again. So he had to maintain this relationship all the time, because he would need her in the future.
After the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the next major celebration is the Crown Prince's birthday.
In the past, Hongli always had the opportunity to be brought into the palace during festivals. He thought this time would be no exception. Hongli dressed himself up and stood at the gate of Yuanmingyuan, waiting for the people from the palace to pick him up. He had already thought about how to sincerely confess to his father, the Emperor, and how to be kind and friendly to the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the Sixth Prince.
With everything in place, he had rehearsed countless times in his mind over hundreds of days and nights, just waiting to enter the palace and use all his skills.
As the carriage from the palace drew closer, Hongli raised the resolute posture he always displayed in front of others, smiled humbly at the unfamiliar face of the person in the lead, and was about to walk back to the carriage when a pair of hands suddenly blocked his way.
"Fourth Prince, please wait. This servant did not come to escort you to the palace." A eunuch bowed and poked his head out from the carriage, his tone sounding humble. However, his every move seemed to show that he did not respect the prince at all.
"This year, the snow disaster in the south was severe. It was only thanks to the Crown Prince's quick thinking and early preparations that the damage was not too great. The Crown Prince is concerned about the people in the south. He said that they are still struggling in the snow and that it is not appropriate to hold any more celebrations in the palace. He will set an example by starting with himself."
The eunuch spoke with such sincerity and empathy, as if he were truly moved to tears by the Crown Prince's kindness, but Hongli's expression grew increasingly stiff.
"This servant is here on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress to inform you, Your Highness. Not only do you not need to come to the palace for the Crown Prince's birthday, but His Majesty has also said that the New Year's Eve banquet will be held in accordance with the Crown Prince's wishes, and only a small family banquet will suffice. Your Highness, you don't need to make the trip back and forth."
"Oh, right." He patted his forehead, as if he had just remembered—"Her Majesty the Empress said that she would certainly not let you suffer. Whatever kind of banquet is served in the palace, she will make sure that you can eat it at the Yuanmingyuan. This is Her Majesty's special care for you."
Hongli felt that his teeth had truly suffered because of him. Once he bit down, it was as if he couldn't let go. He was still too young to be calm and composed. He forced out an extremely ugly smile, cupped his hands and bowed towards the direction of the Forbidden City, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your concern."
He could tell from his own dry voice whether it was due to his own conscience or not. He knew perfectly well whether Hongzhao was deliberately targeting him.
Now he truly realized that Hongzhao had completely ignored his previous petty squabbles, and that he had probably really angered him last time. With just a few words, Hongzhao could keep him from seeing his father for a year. If he couldn't see him, all his efforts would have been in vain!
His most pressing task now is to get into the palace first, and he can no longer be held back by others in this matter.
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