This trip to the frontier left a psychological scar on almost everyone.
Emperor Kangxi lost his beloved, and his illusions about the Crown Prince shattered. Overwhelmed with grief and anger, he fell ill. Prince Zhi stayed by his side to attend to him, making the emperor appear exceptionally glamorous.
Honghui had not been summoned these days, so he was unaware that the imperial court had undergone a major reshuffle.
After the Crown Prince spied on him that day, Emperor Kangxi was fine during the day, but at night he could not extinguish the candles. If any unlucky soul's shadow was reflected on the imperial tent and Emperor Kangxi discovered it, he would be dragged away and beaten to death immediately.
Liang Jiugong has been burying several dead people every day lately, and his aura has become tainted with killing intent.
As for the Crown Prince, he was ordered by the Emperor to be kept in his tent and not allowed to go out. His meals were delivered to him by the Thirteenth Prince every day.
Yinxiang reluctantly accepted the task, but he did not mistreat or neglect the Crown Prince. He brought him good food and drink every day, and then routinely asked, "Does the Crown Prince know his mistake?" He did not listen to the Crown Prince's answer and personally fed him.
Why did he have to feed him? Because the Crown Prince had to kneel for six hours every day in front of the Emperor's tent. After several days, the Crown Prince, who had been pampered for a long time, had ruined his knees and could only support himself with his hands to keep from falling down, so eating became a problem.
Yinxiang couldn't bear to see the Crown Prince in such a state, but he also knew that his father was furious and that Prince Zhi was constantly egging him on. The Crown Prince was in for a lot of trouble.
It only took Yinreng a few days to go from being resentful at the beginning to being calm now. He looked at Yinxiang without any change in his eyes. After finishing his soup, he suddenly asked, "How are Hongxi and Hongjin? Father Emperor did not make things difficult for the two young ones, did he?"
“My two nephews have not been restricted in their freedom. They pleaded for my second brother before the Emperor, but Liang Jiugong persuaded them to return. I haven’t seen them these past few days,” Yinxiang said truthfully.
"Second brother, I have a favor to ask of you."
Yinreng looked up at Yinxiang. At this moment, he, the dignified Crown Prince, was kneeling, while the Thirteenth Prince was standing. How ridiculous!
Yinxiang avoided the direction where Yinreng was kneeling: "Your subject dares not. Whatever your second brother commands, I will do as long as it is within my power."
Tell them not to plead for me, and that their own safety is paramount.
"Your subject obeys."
Yinxiang first took a long detour to run errands for Yinreng. He saw the restrained expressions on his two nephews' faces and knew that they were unwilling to watch the Crown Prince suffer like this, but he did not try to persuade them. He knew that his two nephews might not listen to him, their uncle.
He then went to the Ninth Prince's tent. Before he even entered, he heard the sound of glass breaking on the ground, as well as a man's angry shouts. Fortunately, the Fourth Prince had replaced all the guards there, so no one had discovered it yet.
However, this is not a long-term solution. If Ninth Brother does not appear in public for a long time, it will inevitably arouse speculation.
He shouted loudly outside the tent, "Thirteenth Brother, please come in," and then waited for a while before lifting the curtain and going in.
Yinzhen was bound to the bed with ropes. Deep marks were left on his arms, legs and other parts of his body where the ropes had come into contact with the ropes. He was panting with his head half-raised, and there was a dark bloodstain on the corner of his mouth, which looked like it had been bitten.
The Ninth Prince's wife sat far away, covering her ears with a handkerchief. Rice was scattered all over the floor beside the bed, some of it already crushed.
Yinxiang remained expressionless and looked at Ninth Princess Consort: "Ninth Sister-in-law, we haven't had lunch yet. Why don't you go and rest first? Your younger brother is here."
Ninth Princess nodded without saying a word and walked straight out.
“Ninth Brother, Thirteenth Brother has come to see you.” Yinxiang squatted in front of Yintang’s bed, looking at the man who had become extremely thin in just a few days, and cursed the mastermind behind it all a thousand times in his heart.
Yinzhen's eyes were unfocused, but he moved slightly to indicate that he had heard.
“Ninth Brother, I know these past few days have been tough, but as long as we get through them, we’ll win.” Yinxiang tidied up the room and put all the sharp objects away in the cabinet. “I know you can hear me. Ninth Sister-in-law has been having the hardest time these days. If you’re still conscious, please don’t get angry at her.”
Yinzhen remained silent, only closing his eyes as if he had fallen asleep.
Yinxiang straightened his clothes and tightened the rope a little more. He didn't leave until Ninth Prince's wife returned.
After working for most of the day, he went to find Yinzhen again.
"Fourth Brother, I just went to see Ninth Brother. He's much better than he was a few days ago. He's finally not as ferocious as a wild beast anymore."
Yinzhen nodded. He had also gone to see him and he had calmed down, perhaps because he was much weaker. "These past few days, I asked someone to find some of this harmful stuff. It's alright if Father Emperor doesn't remember Ninth Brother, but if Father Emperor summons him, we can only give him a little bit first."
“This…” Yinxiang frowned, unable to think of a good solution.
"My elder brother suddenly asked me today, saying that he hadn't seen his ninth brother for a long time," Yinzhen continued. "Even if Father Emperor can't remember, my elder brother will make him remember."
"How about we find something for our older brother to do?"
"Don't act rashly!" Yinzhen glanced at Yinxiang. "Big brother is jumping around so excitedly right now, it's definitely not a good thing. We can't follow his lead."
"yes."
******
Honghui has been wandering around the city these past few days, buying a lot of little trinkets for his younger siblings to play with when they go back.
Yi Hua has lost the joy she felt when she first left home; now she is eager to return and misses her two little ones almost every moment.
"Those two heartless children! Liu Liu can write now, but they don't even know to write a letter to her mother." Yi Hua couldn't help but complain to Yu Xue and the others.
“What you’re saying, Madam, is not right.” Yu Xue massaged Yi Hua’s shoulders. “The Second Princess and the Fourth Prince are both so young. How would they know what writing a letter is? Madam, why don’t you write a letter home and tell them that you want the Second Princess to reply?”
Yi Hua was somewhat tempted, but considering the current situation, she rejected the suggestion. At this time, as a prince's wife, sending a letter home to the capital was risky; who knew what was written inside? If Kangxi became suspicious, it would be disastrous.
"Forget it, let's go paint today and record the scenery here, then take it back to show Liu Liu." Yi Hua thought for a moment and found herself a way to make a living.
Thirteen and fourteenth princesses, together with Yihua, splashed ink, which had a certain rustic charm.
Seeing that Ninth Princess Consort was still missing, Wanyan asked with a quick glance, "Fourth Sister-in-law, I'll send someone to invite Ninth Sister-in-law over right away. She can't stay in the tent all day while recuperating. Coming out and having some fun will make her feel much better."
“Oh, you can’t go,” Yi Hua said directly.
"Huh?" Wanyan thought she had misheard.
“We’ve come out with the men, so naturally we have to listen to them. The Fourteenth Prince told you, right? Don’t go to Ninth Princess’s tent.” Yi Hua spoke very bluntly. She was too lazy to make excuses. It was understandable that Wanyan was curious, but the fewer people who knew about this matter, the better.
Wanyan tugged at her handkerchief unhappily, but became even more curious.
"Fourteenth sister-in-law, everyone has things they don't want others to know, don't you think? How about we give Ninth Princess some respect?" Yi Hua's words were pointed, and Wanyan felt a little guilty, so she didn't mention the matter again.
The Thirteenth Princess Consort seemed not to hear anything and began discussing the coloring issue with Yihua, which was quite pleasant.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
