In May, the night wind howled in the northern frontier. Honghui slept in Kangxi's tent that night. Kangxi slept on the bed, while Honghui lay down fully clothed on the footstool beside the bed.
Since Emperor Kangxi did not allow him to return, Honghui himself did not dare to leave on his own initiative at this time. After all, at this moment, any casual action could provoke Emperor Kangxi's sensitive nerves.
Liang Jiugong gave Honghui an extra thick quilt: "Brother Honghui, if you need anything tonight, just call me anytime. I'll be waiting at the door."
Honghui thanked him and placed the quilt under Kangxi's feet. The Grandfather had been overwhelmed with grief and anger during the day, and had been in frequent contact with his eighteenth uncle these past few days. In this place where the temperature difference between day and night is so great, it was too easy for him to catch a cold. Putting an extra layer of quilt on him would prevent the Grandfather from suffering from the cold.
Lying at Kangxi's feet, Honghui mumbled something incoherently.
He was awakened by Kangxi's angry shout. Opening his eyes, Honghui looked up and saw Kangxi half-sitting, half-sitting, wrapped in the quilt: "Who's outside?! Who's there?!?"
Upon hearing the sound, Liang Jiugong immediately came in, lit an oil lamp, and in the candlelight, the shadows of the guards standing at the door were cast on the tent, revealing their tall figures.
Kangxi carefully examined them, as if trying to find the person who had just woken him from his sleep.
That intense feeling of being spied on was absolutely true; someone had just been peeking through the tent.
A strange sense of panic welled up in Kangxi's heart as he wondered who was looking at what.
Honghui got up, took the oil lamp, and lit all the candles in the room. As long as the light was bright enough, the shadows would have nowhere to hide.
With the distorted shadows outside no longer visible, Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief. Honghui poured him a cup of warm water, which Kangxi drank most of from his hand, finally calming his mind completely.
Perhaps it was only then that Kangxi noticed Honghui's presence. He felt the weight of the quilt on his body and looked at Honghui, who was dressed in thin clothes. He was moved for a moment: "Good child, I'm sorry to have frightened you so late. Liang Jiugong, send someone to take Honghui back."
After saying that, she personally took her cloak and covered Honghui with it: "Go on, you must have been tired yesterday. Spend more time with your mother these days."
Honghui agreed, and came out carrying a lantern. At the door, he saw the Crown Prince being pressed to the ground by armored guards. He didn't look at him, as if he hadn't seen him, and quickly walked out.
When Yi Hua saw Hong Hui return late at night, her heart was in her throat. However, thanks to her years of self-control, she was able to remain calm and gave the somewhat familiar eunuch in front of the emperor a generous purse.
Although Yinzhen was fast asleep, he woke up at this moment. Seeing that Honghui seemed to have something to say, he got up and put on his cloak.
Seeing that there were no outsiders in the room, Honghui lowered his voice and said, "Father, Mother, when I was accompanying the Emperor, my grandfather woke up in the middle of the night and found that my second uncle, the Crown Prince, was spying on the imperial tent. He has been captured. When I came out, I saw my second uncle kneeling in front of the tent."
"Father, is it the Crown Prince?"
Yinzhen shook his head: "Remember, you didn't see anything, you didn't hear anything, and you didn't say anything to your father today."
"Go to sleep. You don't need to come to pay your respects tomorrow. The Emperor probably won't remember you these next few days, so don't try to get close. Just have some fun and keep a low profile. Your eighteenth uncle just passed away, so don't let anyone find fault with you."
"Yes," Honghui replied. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly took off his cloak: "Father, this must be returned to Grandfather."
Looking at the garment, Yinzhen once again thought to himself, "It's better to be a grandson than a son: Put it down."
After watching Honghui return to his tent, Yihua was completely wide awake. Looking at Yinzhen's burning gaze, her heart skipped a beat. She had an epiphany: the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, which would be talked about by later generations, had finally reached its crucial moment.
Yinzhen took a sip of water and patted Yihua's hand: "Go to sleep. This is not something we can interfere with."
******
The events that occurred in front of the emperor late at night are currently known only to a small group of people, with Prince Zhi being the one who reacted the most strongly.
Ever since he learned that the Crown Prince had been watched by the Emperor's men, Prince Zhi was overjoyed. He knew that his chance had come.
He immediately contacted Mingzhu, and the two devised a meticulous plan. Mingzhu contacted court officials to begin attacking the Crown Prince. Over the years, how many of the Crown Prince's retainers had used his name to bully men and women and oppress the local people? Regardless of whether the Crown Prince was completely unaware of these things or intentionally condoned them, these were now accusations that could not be washed away.
On the other hand, Prince Zhi was responsible for winning over the emperor's heart. Yes, his main task was to take advantage of the situation when the emperor was heartbroken by the crown prince. He did not seek to replace the crown prince in the emperor's heart, but he also wanted to become his "dream lover".
When Prince Zhi requested an audience, Emperor Kangxi was alone in his tent reviewing memorials. With that troublesome brat Honghui not around, he was able to act freely.
"Father, this place is not like the capital. The weather is cold. Please take care of yourself." Seeing that Kangxi looked as if he had aged ten years overnight, Prince Zhi was moved by his genuine feelings and his words were especially heartwarming.
Kangxi put down the mirror in his hand, looked at his eldest son with a sincere expression, and beckoned to him: "You assist in the management of the Imperial Guards, so you must know what happened last night."
Prince Zhi sat below Emperor Kangxi: "Father, the Crown Prince was probably reprimanded by you during the day and is now filled with fear. He came to apologize to you, which is why he disturbed Your Majesty."
"You don't need to cover for that good-for-nothing!" Kangxi's eyes were blazing with anger. "It's one thing to have no brotherly affection, but he's actually secretly spying on me! What is he trying to do?!"
Prince Zhi, sensing Kangxi's anger up close, decided not to add fuel to the fire: "Father, please calm down. It's rare for you to come here, so why don't I accompany you for a walk?"
"By the way, where is Honghui? I haven't seen him today," Prince Zhi suddenly said.
Kangxi looked up at him and said, "Honghui went back with his father yesterday morning."
Prince Zhi's heart skipped a beat, knowing that his father was telling him not to involve Honghui in the matter of the Crown Prince, and he quickly said, "I misunderstood."
At this moment, Honghui was beside Yihua. He leaned closer to smell the black ointment he had taken from Ninth Prince Consort: "Mother, I think I've seen this shape somewhere before. Father must be very busy lately. I'll ask someone to ask him quietly."
Yi Hua nodded: "You shouldn't smell it either, it doesn't seem like a good thing."
Honghui smiled and replied, "Mother, I heard there's a temple fair in town tonight. Would you like to go and see it?"
Yi Hua was very tempted, but it was best to stay quiet and not move around lately. If she had remembered this matter earlier, she would never have come out with Yin Zhen.
"I won't go, but you can go and have some fun. Just be careful, things aren't peaceful right now."
Honghui nodded to indicate that he understood.
He didn't want to go out for fun; he just wanted to find a doctor to identify the medicines, preferably not their own. A temple fair, a place where all sorts of people mingle, would be best.
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