"What's wrong with Hongshi?" Yinzhen asked, frowning.
Jinzhong had already kowtowed until his head was bleeding, and he dared not raise his face, fearing that the Emperor would find him unsightly: "The Third Prince has had a high fever all night and has been talking nonsense. I beg Your Majesty to send a royal physician to take a look at the Third Prince!"
Yinzhen chuckled, knowing that Hongshi was frightened. He was utterly spineless, so easily scared, daring to do something but not daring to admit it; truly despicable.
He said in a deep voice, "Su Peisheng, have Doctor Zhou take a look at Hongshi, lest he die."
Su Peisheng obeyed and went to deliver the imperial decree. Jinzhong kowtowed several more times, wanting to go back to see Hongshi, but was stopped by someone sent by Yinzhen: "Tell me, what other good deeds has your prince done?"
At first, Jinzhong really didn't know what the emperor wanted to ask, but he was left aside to listen to Wanxia's report. In less than a quarter of an hour, he couldn't stand up anymore, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, trembling and unable to say a word.
"...It's actually in Fengxian Hall! What a wonderful place!" Yinzhen laughed angrily. "Fine, fine, fine. Since Hongshi likes Fengxian Hall, let's move him there. Let him pray and chant sutras for the ancestors of my Aisin Gioro family day and night, so that he can cleanse his mind and ask the ancestors to forgive his disrespect!"
Jinzhong wanted to plead for Hongshi, saying that Hongshi was still ill, but he opened his mouth several times but could not utter a word.
He, too, never imagined that the prince he served would commit such an audacious and depraved act in the harem...
"Jinzhong, I chose you to serve the Third Prince back then, and this is how you have served him all these years?" Yinzhen's voice was neither happy nor angry, but it frightened Jinzhong so much that he almost wet his pants.
He lowered his head, wanting to beg for mercy, but didn't know where to begin. Of course, Yinzhen didn't need his answer and said directly, "You have failed to serve the prince faithfully. Take him out and beat him to death."
"Your Majesty!" Jinzhong cried out in grief, but he had nothing to say. He was dragged out, listening to the Emperor's series of orders, which included the idea of dragging all the servants in the Third Prince's courtyard to be beaten to death.
At this moment, even the usually loyal Jinzhong felt a slight resentment towards his master. He naturally understood that as the emperor's son, the Third Prince did not have to die, but since the Third Prince had done wrong, it was they, his servants, who would die in his place in the end.
Jinzhong's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth, but before he was tied to the bench, he could only plead with the young eunuch carrying out the execution: "Please, sir, pass on a message to my father outside the palace: tell him not to wait for my monthly allowance..."
...
People were coming and going at the Prince's residence early in the morning, and screams and wails were heard everywhere. Hongzhou couldn't stay in his own courtyard any longer, so he came to find Hongli: "Fourth Brother, what happened to Third Brother here...?"
Hongshi shook his head, looking even more puzzled than Hongshi himself: "I don't know what happened... This prince's quarters is too noisy today. I'm going to pay my respects to Mother and stay there a little longer."
"That's fine then. My younger brother also happens to be going to pay his respects to my mother. I hope my fourth brother can convey my regards to the Imperial Concubine." Hongzhou showed his usual honest smile and did not ask any more questions.
The two chatted for a short while before parting ways. Hongzhou's mother, Consort Yu, of the Geng clan, lived in Jingyang Palace, which was now the only palace in the Eastern Six Palaces that was still open. As Hongzhou walked there, before he even entered, he was greeted by his head maid, Qiao'er, who smiled and said, "Aunt Qiao'er."
"Your Highness has arrived! The Empress is waiting for you!" Qiao'er greeted Hongzhou with a smile as she welcomed him inside.
As soon as Geng saw him, she asked, "Was your journey here smooth?"
“Mother, what are you saying? The Eastern Six Palaces aren’t some dragon’s den or tiger’s lair. What could possibly go wrong?” Hongzhou said with a smile.
Madam Geng still felt it was inappropriate: "Yesterday, the Emperor went to Chengqian Palace, and then the news spread that Consort Hua was pregnant but had miscarried. After that, the Emperor sealed off Zhongcui Palace, reduced Consort Qi's rank, and then reprimanded the Third Prince..."
"Mother is worried..."
"You haven't told anyone else about the things you talked about with your mother before, have you?" Madam Geng looked at her son with some concern, without mentioning the fact that the Emperor hadn't favored the Eastern Palace for a long time.
Hongzhou shook his head: "Son must not talk about such things with others."
"If your father asks..."
"I just came to pay my respects to Mother. I only encountered two sneaky eunuchs on the way. Father Emperor is so busy with state affairs, how could he know about such a trivial matter?" Hongzhou chuckled and shook his head. "Mother, you don't need to worry too much. Father Emperor is wise and must have known everything long ago. I don't need to testify for you."
"That's good." Madam Geng was relieved. Looking at Hongzhou, who had grown up, she was filled with mixed feelings. In the end, she only said one sentence: "From now on, learn everything from the Fourth Prince. Don't be like the Third Prince."
"Don't worry, Mother, I understand."
On the other side, as soon as Hongli entered Yongshou Palace, he bumped into Foerguochun, who was running back from outside with a big smile.
He frowned, adopting the air of an older brother: "Where have you been playing so early in the morning?"
"Oh my, Fourth Brother! You scared me!" Foergu Chun patted his chest, then stuck out his tongue with a smile. "I won't tell you, hehehe."
After saying that, she returned to her east side hall, as if she had something urgent to attend to.
Hongli frowned slightly, then relaxed and continued walking towards the main hall.
Qian Shengyan had just finished breakfast and was delighted to see her son. Hongshan was playing with the Huarong Road puzzle she had just made behind her, and upon seeing Hongli, he rushed over without even calling him "brother," exclaiming, "Hongshan can't get past this hurdle..."
Hongli took the wooden board from his younger brother, quickly fixed it for him, patted his head, and told him to go outside and bask in the sun.
The mother and son sat facing each other, exchanging knowing smiles.
Qian Shengyan asked first, "You had someone act as a go-between for Hongshi and Hongwang to deliver a message, but you didn't leave anything behind, did you?"
"Mother, don't worry. Even if I used two people from Third Brother's courtyard, if anyone wants to investigate, they'll investigate Third Brother's courtyard," Hongli said with a smile. "They're eager to find a way to contact the outside world. As their younger brother, what's wrong with me lending a hand? Who knows what they're up to?"
Qian Shengyan shook her head with amusement. Hongli continued, "It's just a pity about Xiaochunzi. He's a clever one. He talked a lot of gossip about Uncle Ba, Uncle Jiu, and Father Emperor in front of Third Brother. I'll try to save his life later."
"Alright, be careful." Qian Shengyan nodded. She knew that Yinzhen had ordered all the servants in Hongshi's courtyard to be beaten to death, but—it wasn't impossible to spare a servant's life and give him some silver to live outside the palace.
It wasn't until yesterday, when Consort Hua announced her pregnancy, that Hongli realized his third brother's close relationship with Consort Hua wasn't due to any desire to curry favor with the Nian family, but rather because of their affair. Even Hongli had to give his third brother a thumbs up for his audacity.
Therefore, Hongli, who was still clueless about love, began to wonder about another matter: "Mother, has Father Emperor mentioned any candidates for my consort?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
