Chapter 89 Conferring of the Title of Crown Prince
Yinzhen, holding him, froze, watching him casually utter two words that were enough to knock him unconscious, before slowly closing his eyes again and remaining motionless.
He sat down slowly on the couch in the main hall, deep in thought. He watched as Consort Xian, with tears in her eyes and still feeling lingering fear, examined the child in her arms from head to toe. Yinzhen himself watched intently as well. After a moment, both of them looked surprised, but they also breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Despite the perilous situation in the fire, Hongzhao had no noticeable burns, except for a visibly swollen and bluish-red discoloration on his left leg, which looked terrifying against his delicate skin.
Yinzhen pondered what Hongzhao had said before he fell into a deep sleep. He said he had dreamt of the late emperor, who was already three years old when the late emperor passed away, and that the late emperor had personally given Hongzhao his name. Could it be that the late emperor, unable to bear seeing his descendants dwindle, had personally manifested his divine power to preserve the auspiciousness of the Qing Dynasty and his own grandson?
The empress holding the plum branch... Thinking of those faint calls of "Fourth Prince," Yinzhen's gaze became even more resolute. It must be Chun Yuan! Chun Yuan was kind and compassionate. She was protecting this child so much. Could it be... that their Second Prince had returned to my side?
Hongzhao is only five years old, so he certainly wouldn't lie. Besides, the fact that Chun Yuan loves plum blossoms is probably only known to the Empress and Consort Duan in the harem.
Recalling that unusual green space in his mind, Yinzhen's resolve grew stronger. It must have been his father and Chun Yuan who protected him, allowing this auspicious child to escape the fire safely. Otherwise, judging from the charred remains of others and the ropes binding Hongzhao, he would have found Hongzhao's corpse upon entering.
Everyone in the room, whether masters or servants, lowered their eyes and dared not speak easily. Everyone had gone in and could see clearly that the rest of the place was charred, but the place where Prince Hongzhao was staying was very safe. The Fifth Prince must be a person with great fortune.
Zhou Qi, carrying a medicine box, was urged by Xia Xiazi to hurry into the room. What she saw was a room full of people who dared not look up, kneeling with trepidation and astonishment on their faces. The Emperor sat alone on the couch, looking down lovingly at the little person who had fainted in his arms. Consort Xian and Consort Rou stood by with their hands at their sides.
"No need for all that formality, come quickly and let Hongzhao take a look." Yinzhen looked up when he heard the voice, frowned and raised his chin at him.
When Zhou Qi arrived, he had heard that a fire had broken out in the Cold Palace and no one could put it out, burning the Emperor's beloved son, Prince Rui. Now he had made ample preparations, filling a whole box with burn medicine, determined to snatch the man back from the brink of death, for as long as he was alive, there would always be hope.
However, as he knelt down and took a closer look, he saw that Prince Rui's face was still fair and clean. There wasn't a single scratch or chafing on any exposed area. He suddenly realized that public opinion shouldn't be taken too seriously.
The emperor refused to let go of his son, holding him tightly in his arms. Zhou Qi naturally couldn't speak and could only examine him in this position. He placed his fingers on the pulse, stroked his beard, and his face immediately turned bitter.
What can he say about this pulse diagnosis? He can say your son is as strong as an ox, and that his blood and energy are even better than yours.
He sighed softly, his eyes darting around as he began to fabricate a story: "Prince Hongzhao was so frightened and exhausted that he fell into a deep sleep. The smoke in the fire was choking, and although the prince had no obvious injuries on the surface, he had inhaled some. I will write down a prescription, and the prince, being young, will recover in a month or two."
"Imperial Physician, look at Hongzhao's leg, it's swollen quite badly." Consort Xian said worriedly, clutching her sleeve. Yinzhen cooperated by lifting the hem of the child's clothes in his arms, revealing the injury.
In Zhou Qi's eyes, this was just a common fall injury. However, he noticed a faint mark on the prince's wrist just now, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "This was caused by a heavy object. It seems to me that it was caused by someone. Someone hit the prince with a stick or threw him from a height, which caused this injury."
Yinzhen's face was so dark that no one dared to look at him. He tightened his arms around Hongzhao, saying, "Go quickly and write up the prescription. Give it directly to Su Peisheng. Hongzhao will stay in Yangxin Hall for now."
As he spoke, he stood up, pulled out a thin summer blanket folded up beside the couch, and wrapped Hongzhao up in it, tucking it around his neck to keep out the wind.
"Xiao Xiazi, escort Consort Xian back to Yongshou Palace first, and Consort Rou should go with her. Zhongcui Palace is nearby and too hot to stay there for now. I will definitely get an explanation for Hongzhao regarding today's matter." After saying this, he weighed the child in his arms, and without looking back, he led Su Peisheng out of Zhongcui Palace.
——
"How could this be! The Fifth Prince and the Noble Consort are both safe and sound?"
Yixiu was somewhat flustered today. She only remembered that the Empress Dowager had already retired for the night when she arrived at the entrance of Shou Kang Palace. She had no choice but to return to Jingren Palace. The two palaces were not close to each other, and the round trip wasted a lot of time.
She had barely returned to the palace and hadn't even had a sip of hot water when she heard news that made her eyes widen in horror.
“Your Majesty, it’s absolutely true. Many people saw the Emperor carrying the Fifth Prince in his sedan chair back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and quite a few people also saw it and said…” Jiang Fuhai hesitated, glancing at Yixiu’s expression.
"What did you say?" Yi Xiu didn't know what else could make Jiang Fuhai stammer, so she asked impatiently.
"Everyone in the Cold Palace was burned to death, but the prince was unharmed. People said that the prince was indeed blessed with good fortune and was protected by the ancestors of the Aisin Gioro clan."
"Crack—"
Startled, she took two steps back and frantically searched for something to steady herself. In her haste, she knocked a jade ruyi she had been playing with on the soft couch to the ground, where it shattered into pieces, scattering fragments everywhere.
"Then...the Consort Xian didn't fall?" Her whole body was tense, her lips trembled involuntarily, and her eyes were fixed on Jiang Fuhai.
Jiang Fuhai, under immense pressure, shook his head with a bitter expression.
"Useless!" Yi Xiu shouted angrily, then collapsed onto the soft couch, his eyes filled with deep resentment.
She couldn't understand where she had gone wrong, despite her meticulously planned and interconnected schemes. Could it really be some kind of divine mandate or auspicious omen? She didn't believe in that.
If there truly is cause and effect, what did Honghui do wrong?
——
Yinzhen sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the child's peaceful sleeping face on the couch. He reached out and gently touched the child's forehead, his brows furrowing even more upon feeling its slightly warm temperature.
“Nian Gengyao has deeply disappointed me. I have tolerated him many times, but he has only become more and more outrageous. Now he has almost delayed the fire in the palace and caused a great disaster. I can no longer tolerate this. I hereby order Nian Gengyao to be removed from his post as Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, stripped of his first-class merit title, and demoted to a minor official.”
Su Peisheng cautiously bowed his head in response and turned to draft the imperial edict.
"etc."
When Yinzhen suddenly spoke, Su Peisheng stopped in his tracks, thinking that the emperor was going to revise the decree he had not yet issued.
To everyone's surprise, Yinzhen's gaze never left Hongzhao. He lowered his voice and said, "I want to appoint Hongzhao as the Crown Prince. Go and draft a plan based on the examples of previous dynasties. I will personally write the edict."
"Have Xia Yi investigate today's events thoroughly. Bring out the Empress, Consort Hua, and all the servants and eunuchs who should be interrogated. I want to know who in this harem has such a vicious heart, repeatedly trying to kill my children!"
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