"If you can get rid of someone, then they are useless," Yinzhen said calmly.
Hongshan almost wanted to cry out loud. The lessons he had learned from Qian Shengyan, the reprimands from Yinzhen, and the punishment of kneeling in the Fengxian Hall were nothing compared to the deep regret he felt at this moment.
"It's...it's the servants' fault...Brother, brother, get up quickly..." Wan'an cried out anxiously as he was being beaten.
It's not worth it to disobey the Emperor for the sake of a few servants!
Hongshan's small shoulders trembled, yet he stubbornly remained kneeling before Yinzhen, struggling to keep his voice from being drowned out by sobs: "Father, it's fine if you hit them, but please, please don't send them to the Imperial Prison..."
Yinzhen looked down at him for a moment, and finally said, "Get up."
Hongshan was overjoyed, knowing that his father had agreed to his request. He happily stood up from the ground, but having already knelt for a long time, he stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, a pair of warm hands caught him.
Yinzhen held the child in his arms and said to Wan'an and the others, "Since the prince has pleaded for you, I will spare you this time. But if you fail to serve the prince properly again next time..."
He raised his hand to cover Hongshan's ears, his voice low but undeniable: "I want your lives."
Wan An and the others trembled in fear, not daring to think any further. They immediately tumbled off the bench to the ground, prostrated themselves, and kowtowed in agreement.
Yinzhen nodded slightly, picked up Hongshan and walked into the house, saying to him, "I heard from your mother that you want to be a great general in the future, which is good. But if you become a great general, what is tied to you is not only your own life, but also the lives of millions of people. Just like now, you are a prince. Making some small mistakes may not be a big deal, but everyone around you will be punished, and may even lose their lives."
"Son knows," Hongshan said in a hoarse voice.
Yinzhen couldn't help but pat his little head. Seeing that he was covered in sweat and had tears on his face, he couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted. However, he still firmly instructed him: "It's not shameful if you can't learn it. As long as you study hard, you're doing a good job."
"Hmm!" Hongshan pursed his lips, full of ambition. "I can learn that. I also want to study military strategy books!"
"Alright." Yinzhen smiled, patted his head, and put him on the ground. "Go check on your people, and those few of your 'Haha Beads' have been waiting for you in the Imperial Study all morning and were terrified when they didn't see you."
"Yes." Hongshan paused for a moment, then bowed deeply to Yinzhen. "Thank you for your guidance, Father Emperor. I understand."
When he came out of the South Third Palace, the corners of Yinzhen's lips were slightly curved.
Before poor Hongshan could even catch his breath, he was surrounded by his older brothers and sisters who had come to hear the news.
Knowing that he had already been disciplined, punished by kneeling, and his servants had all been beaten, Hongli and Foerguochun mainly resorted to verbal education. One of them talked incessantly, while the other spoke in an extremely high-pitched voice. The sound of them talking together gave Hongshan a headache, and he almost wished he could go back to the Fengxian Hall and kneel before his ancestors for another half an hour.
After the two left, Hongshan received a 3,000-word self-criticism and the good result of being checked on his homework by his older brother or sister every morning and evening and being picked up and dropped off at school.
"Brother." Wan'an limped in. Thanks to Hongshan's desperate pleas, he only received less than ten strokes of the cane and was still able to move, so he didn't have to stay in bed.
Hongshan felt saddened when he saw him like this, and he couldn't help but say, "It's all my fault for dragging you all down with me."
“How can you say such a thing, Your Highness? It is our blessing to serve you.” Wan’an’s words were sincere, but Hongshan felt even more ashamed.
Seeing this, Wan'an quickly changed the subject: "Has the prince not had lunch yet? This servant will go and fetch him."
"Wait a moment, I'll go find Feng Peilun and the others to have a meal together. Take some silver with you and have the kitchen prepare some good food," Hong Shan said. Feng Peilun was the eldest among his Haha Beads, and the four Haha Beads implicitly regarded Feng Peilun as their leader.
Wan An agreed and went to make the arrangements. Hong Shan took a deep breath, took two eunuchs to the Imperial Study, found the anxious Haha Zhuzi, explained the situation, asked his masters for the afternoon off, and then took the four Haha Zhuzi back to the South Third Palace.
After hearing everything at Yongshou Palace, Qian Shengyan couldn't help but laugh at how a little boy like Hongshan could invite people to dinner. She also felt that Hongshan had really grown up a lot this time. She sighed and said, "Qingxue, go and have the kitchen prepare a dish of fried four colors and a roasted lamb leg to send to Hongshan."
"Yes." Qingxue accepted the order and left. Qian Shengyan sat for a while, but she didn't feel like sleeping. After thinking for a moment, she sent someone to see if Hongli was busy. If he was free, he could come to Yongshou Palace.
Hongli arrived very quickly.
Qian Shengyan gestured for him to sit down and then asked, "Are you fluent in Mongolian?"
"Your son is not very talented, but he has learned a little bit," Hongli said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Qian Shengyan nodded: "Then help your mother understand what these words mean."
She tried her best to imitate the words Lan Yun had heard, but Lan Yun had a strong memory, and Qian Shengyan also had difficulty learning them. Perhaps her pronunciation was a little inaccurate. After she tried several times, Hongli frowned and said, "It sounds like the name of a fragrance."
"Fragrance?" Qian Shengyan was puzzled. Why would Aruhan go to such lengths to get a fragrance?
"It's incense used to fumigate the room, but I don't know if it's spice or stick incense. Where did Mother hear about this?" Hongli asked.
Qian Shengyan had nothing to hide from him, so she told him everything Lan Yun had heard about Aruhan and Qiqige. Hongli's expression changed after hearing it: "The medicine that poisoned Mother was from Mongolia. Both of them are from Mongolia, so it is possible that there was some poison mixed in the spices."
“You’re right.” Qian Shengyan nodded. “They’ve plotted against your Emperor Father’s birthday again. We must be on guard against this. Hongli, what are your thoughts?”
Hongli pondered for a moment, but even if he knew about such a despicable method in advance, he could only prevent it. He couldn't just arrest and take the two away now, since there was no evidence.
Qian Shengyan laughed. In fact, Lan Yun had given her the inspiration for this matter. She smiled and said, "Never mind, you can go back now. Mother knows the meaning of these words and can rest assured."
"Yes." Hongli was still a little ashamed, as he couldn't think of a way to stop the women in the inner quarters from causing trouble. Qian Shengyan, however, thought it was alright. The inner quarters were managed by the Fujin (principal wife), and as long as Hongli could distinguish right from wrong, there was no point in him learning some women's tricks.
She tapped her fingers on the table, and after a moment, she called Qingxue over and gave her a few instructions.
After that day, Hongshan went to school peacefully for a few days. Moreover, it was said that his memory had improved a lot. He could answer questions about what he had learned yesterday. Teacher Zhang's dislike for him gradually disappeared. One day, after accidentally learning that Hongshan reviewed his lessons every morning, Teacher Zhang couldn't help but sigh with admiration.
Yinzhen was pleased to hear the praise for his son, and seeing the harmonious atmosphere throughout the palace, a message arrived from Changchun Palace saying that Empress Ulanara had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was unable to get out of bed, and wished to see the Emperor.
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