Honghui entered the palace the next day with his left hand wrapped in gauze.
Kangxi noticed it immediately and asked curiously, "Honghui, what happened to your hand?"
Honghui first knelt down and kowtowed three times, then said with a face full of shame, "Honghui apologizes to Grandfather. That day, Honghui deliberately mentioned Mother in front of Grandfather. Yesterday, Father and Mother said that a gentleman treats others with sincerity. Honghui's dishonesty is contrary to that of a gentleman and makes him seem like a petty person."
“Honghui’s actions have hurt the Emperor’s loving heart. Please punish him, Emperor.”
Kangxi smiled knowingly, then gestured for Liang Jiugong to help Honghui up and beckoned Honghui to come to him.
"Did your father do this?"
Honghui nodded shyly: "Father said to hit his hand first, and then hit his younger brother after he is born."
Kangxi thought about it and realized that the fourth prince was worried about his wife and didn't want her to worry.
It's unexpected that the famously aloof prince of the capital would put so much effort into a woman; this shows how much he dotes on her.
"Grandfather, Honghui knows he was wrong. Can you forgive Honghui?"
Seeing the little boy's bright eyes, Kangxi pinched his chubby cheeks, which had faded a bit: "This is the only time, and there will be no next time."
"Honghui thanks His Majesty the Emperor." Honghui instantly broke into the warmest smile, which immediately infected Emperor Kangxi.
Emperor Kangxi's heart softened, and he continued to teach him to read and write, just as before.
Honghui passed the test smoothly and resumed his honeymoon period with Kangxi, while Yinzhen was somewhat troubled by that treacherous porcelain vase.
He didn't sleep all night yesterday; he had already found out almost everything about the owner of the porcelain vase.
One of Yinzhen's retainers was very knowledgeable about these imported goods. After studying them himself, he said, "Your Highness, although this perfume has only become popular in the capital in recent years, a batch of it actually entered the capital decades ago. Back then, it was a rare item and was sent to the palace."
"This servant vaguely remembers hearing that the ladies in the palace didn't like this taste, so they basically kept it locked away or gave it to their servants." This retainer was related to someone in the Court of Colonial Affairs and was most sensitive to these foreign things. "At that time, the palace's rewards were recorded, but so many years have passed, it's hard to say whether the records are complete."
This was very useful; the retainer had given a direction that, like the vague hints given by Consort De, pointed to the inner palace.
If anyone wanted to murder the Empress, all four concubines would have a motive, and Yinzhen believed that the mastermind behind it all was likely among them.
Su Peisheng, a servant of the Prince's mansion, quickly checked the situation again and found that a young eunuch who was sweeping the base of the wall had fallen into the dry well. If Su Peisheng hadn't been so observant, the man would not have been discovered.
Yinzhen felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He wondered how many eunuchs like this were in his Prince's mansion, and who their backers were. Thinking about this, he couldn't sleep at night.
The background of this young eunuch was quickly investigated. It was said that he had become a godparent to a palace maid in Yuqing Palace. However, such a relationship, which was obvious to everyone, could not be used as evidence.
The palace maid in Yuqing Palace was named Yu Hui, and she was a second-class palace maid of the Crown Princess.
Upon investigating this, Yinzhen had two guesses. One was that the Crown Princess was grieving the loss of her child and was taking her anger out on Yihua, who was about to give birth. If this was true, then the Crown Princess was insane and Yihua was the unlucky one.
Another possibility is that there is someone else behind Yu Hui who not only orchestrated the Crown Princess's miscarriage but also extended their reach to Yi Hua.
The only ones capable of doing this are undoubtedly the four concubines.
Yinzhen knew he couldn't investigate any further. The current master of the Forbidden City was Emperor Kangxi, and only he could touch the people living inside. He, as his son, couldn't.
******
The three-day period had arrived. Instead of wearing his princely court robes, Yinzhen changed into a prince's casual attire and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to pay his respects.
He was stopped at the door by Crown Prince Yinreng, who was dressed in a bright yellow robe and looked anxious as he grabbed Yinzhen's wrist: "Fourth brother, how is your investigation going? Is it true that someone killed the Empress Dowager?!"
Yinzhen immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects. I am incompetent and have not yet ascertained the truth. I am ashamed to appear before Your Majesty today to receive punishment."
Yinreng crossed his arms and looked at Yinzhen kneeling on the ground. After a long while, he said, "Fourth brother is very capable. I'm afraid it's not that he can't find out, but that he dares not say it."
"Your Majesty, I am dull-witted and do not understand your meaning."
Liang Jiugong looked at the scene before him with a calm expression: "His Majesty summons His Highness the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince to an audience!"
As soon as Yinreng entered the palace, he knelt down at Kangxi's feet, wailing and weeping. It was a heartbreaking sight: "Father, please do justice for Mother. Although I have always had questions about Mother's passing, I know that it is also a pain in Father's heart, so I have never dared to ask or think about it."
"Now that there is concrete evidence that Empress Dowager was murdered, Father Emperor, you must seek justice for your son and Empress Dowager. Empress Dowager was so young when she passed away. Your son could have had younger siblings and his own mother to keep him company."
"Since I was little, I've envied my younger brothers. They all have a mother, but I don't." Yinreng sobbed uncontrollably, clinging to Kangxi's leg and refusing to let go. "I often fantasize about what it would be like if my Empress Mother were still here. Please, Father Emperor, punish the real culprit severely!"
Yinzhen knelt at the doorway, keeping his eyes down and pretending to be mute and deaf.
Emperor Kangxi was so moved by Yinreng's tears that he pulled the Crown Prince aside and comforted him repeatedly. For a moment, the scene was one of fatherly love and filial piety. Yinzhen, on the other hand, watched coldly, his heart unmoved. He even thought that if Honghui had seen this scene, he wouldn't have said such a foolish thing as "Grandfather truly loves me."
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