We ate, drank, and played along the way, so it wasn't lonely at all, and we arrived at our destination in just half a month.
The weather in the border region is bitterly cold, and Yi Hua and her entourage had already put on cotton-padded clothes a few days ago. Ninth Princess Consort was not used to the weather here and contracted typhoid fever. She has been staying in her tent all this time, for fear of infecting others with the typhoid fever.
Thinking that she had brought a concubine with her, and wondering if she could focus on recovering, Yi Hua chose a time when the weather was still relatively warm around noon, and took Yu Xue and the prepared medicine to visit her.
When Yi Hua arrived, Ninth Princess Consort was lying down, covered with a thick brocade quilt and covering her mouth and nose: "Why did Fourth Sister-in-law come? Let's talk together in a few days when I'm better."
"It's alright, I drank ginger soup before I came, so I'm not worried." Yi Hua looked around and noticed that there weren't enough braziers in front of her. "Go and get some more charcoal for your master, the fire is about to go out."
The maidservant beside the Ninth Prince's wife was so anxious that her face turned red. She knelt down before Yi Hua and said, "Reporting to the Fourth Prince's wife, I beg you to save our mistress. The Ninth Prince got a prescription from somewhere and insisted that our mistress would be cured after taking it. Our mistress found the medicine strange and refused to use it. Who knew that the Ninth Prince would get angry? I secretly hid some of the medicine. Please find the imperial physician to take a look and see what kind of medicine it is?"
Ninth Princess Consort was surprised by her maid's recklessness and wanted to reprimand her, but all she could do was cough incessantly.
Yi Hua patted her back to make her feel more comfortable: "Yu Xue, bring some of our best charcoal over quietly, so no one will find out."
"You should rest and recover. You absolutely cannot take this medicine indiscriminately. I'll have someone take a look. If it's a good medicine, you must apologize to Ninth Master before taking it obediently. If it's not a good medicine, you should also remind Ninth Master not to harm his health. Do you agree?"
Ninth Princess nodded repeatedly, saying that Fourth Sister-in-law's actions were more than appropriate.
With a dark ointment tucked in her bosom, Yi Hua could smell its fragrance, but for some reason, she felt a sense of foreboding. She didn't plan to go directly to the imperial physician; it would be safer to tell Yinzhen first.
That night, however, she did not see Yinzhen, nor did Honghui return. Yihua stayed up for half the night before finally falling asleep.
When Yuxue woke up, she quickly came over to report: "Madam, Eunuch Su just came by and said that the Eighteenth Prince is seriously ill and the Emperor is furious. The Master and the First Prince cannot come back yet. He took a few clothes with him and left."
When Yi Hua heard that the Eighteenth Prince was seriously ill, her heart skipped a beat. Yes, it was now the forty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign. She was so focused on the joy of being able to go out that she completely forgot that this trip was about to involve a momentous event.
The trigger for everything was the sudden high fever of the 18th Prince.
Emperor Kangxi had more than twenty sons in his lifetime, and he loved each of them dearly. He especially doted on his youngest sons as he grew older.
For this trip, Xiao Shiba insisted on coming, and Kangxi reluctantly agreed.
However, the weather in the border region and the capital city is very different. Perhaps he didn't wear enough clothes, or perhaps he was exposed to the wind while sleeping at night, the Eighteenth Prince caught a cold and had a persistent high fever. The imperial physicians he brought and the local famous doctors took turns examining him and prescribing medicine, but to no avail.
Because he could no longer swallow.
Just when Kangxi was extremely anxious, he suddenly saw the calm and composed Crown Prince. This was because the Crown Prince was standing closest to him, and his expression stood out among the others who were worried, nervous, and sad.
The Crown Prince was actually lost in thought. He was thinking about Hongzhao. He had received a letter from the Crown Princess yesterday, saying that Hongzhao had begun to learn to speak, which made him very excited.
The eighteenth prince was at least thirty years away from him, and he had almost no interaction with his younger brothers, which meant they only had superficial relationships.
Besides, it was just typhoid fever. With so many imperial physicians present, the crown prince felt there would be no problem, so he appeared quite calm.
When Kangxi saw this scene, it deeply hurt him. Did his brother Baocheng have no love for his own brother at all?
The eighteenth prince's condition deteriorated rapidly, and he died within two days. The imperial physicians who accompanied him knelt before the emperor, not daring to move.
Seeing that Emperor Kangxi was overwhelmed with grief, the Crown Prince was even more concerned about his health. He advised, "Father, please take care of yourself. My eighteenth brother has suffered such a misfortune, and I cannot eat or sleep properly. Please do not grieve too much, for it will sadden him to see you like this."
Kangxi, his eyes bloodshot, stared at the Crown Prince and suddenly pointed at him, shouting, "Crown Prince! When the Eighteenth Prince fell ill, you showed no concern whatsoever. Now that he's gone, you show no grief whatsoever. All these years, you've learned nothing from the classics; you have no brotherly affection whatsoever. Ask yourself if you are fit to be the Crown Prince?!"
"Father Emperor?!" The Crown Prince was baffled. He hadn't killed Little Eighteen, nor had he stood by and watched her die. How could it be his fault?
Seeing that the Crown Prince still looked puzzled, Kangxi was furious and vented all the grief he had been holding back: "Go back to your tent and reflect on your actions!"
Prince Zhi was ordered to "escort" the Crown Prince back to his camp, leaving his personal guards to guard the area.
The court officials looked at each other in dismay. No one had expected that the death of a prince with little presence due to illness would implicate the crown prince.
Is he fit to be the crown prince?
These words carried immense weight, and everyone pondered them repeatedly. What did the Emperor mean by that? Did he intend to... depose the Crown Prince?
That night, the team that came to inspect the border region was almost always brightly lit, and no one slept.
When Yihua saw Yinzhen, she peeked out but didn't see Honghui, and asked with her eyes.
Yinzhen said in a hoarse voice, "Honghui has been left in front of the Emperor, and Su Peisheng is with him. Don't be afraid."
Yi Hua's eyes widened. Kangxi was so indignant that he even reprimanded the Crown Prince. Hong Hui was still young. What if he said something wrong and angered the Emperor?
"Don't be afraid," Yinzhen said again. "Trust him. Besides, I'm here. As long as I'm here, Honghui will be fine."
Yi Hua nodded and helped Yin Zhen change his clothes: "Are you going out again tonight?"
"No need for today. The Emperor has reprimanded the Crown Prince, and the area in front of the Emperor is guarded by guards. No one may enter without a summons. Just be more vigilant tonight."
Yinzhen hadn't slept for several nights, and Yihua didn't bother him with the matter of the Ninth Prince's wife. The two drank hot soup together to warm their stomachs, and then turned off the lights early so that Yinzhen could catch up on his sleep.
At this moment, Honghui was standing behind Kangxi, using his best skill to massage his shoulders.
There were some sounds outside the imperial tent, not very clear. Liang Jiugong lifted the curtain and came in: "Your Majesty, Prince Hongxi and Prince Hongjin request an audience."
"I won't see them. Let them go back and rest. Don't let them think too much about it." Kangxi closed his eyes, as if the kind and peaceful grandfather from a few days ago had never existed.
Honghui's intensity didn't change at all, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Kangxi slowly calmed his breathing. He felt angry whenever he thought of the Crown Prince. His brother had died, yet he showed no grief at all. What else was in his heart?
The position of crown prince?!
After I die and the crown prince ascends the throne, will my sons have any chance of survival?
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