Yinzhen ultimately failed to bring Qin Xiaomei's body back to the capital.
The severe drought in Shandong and the sweltering heat accelerated the decomposition of her body. Left with no other choice, Yinzhen personally cremated her, which could be considered as giving her a clean end.
Brother Qin did not receive such good treatment. Prince Zhi ordered that his head be cut off and hung in front of the government office as a warning to the local people not to follow in his footsteps.
Yin would stare at that withered head for a long time every day, lost in thought.
Prince Zhi, under the pretext of finding the remaining fugitives, completely took over the military and political power in Shandong. He was busy with all sorts of things, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. The two brothers returned with a full load of spoils.
When Emperor Kangxi received the memorial from Prince Zhi, he was overjoyed and praised him lavishly during the morning court session. He also handed over the task of hosting the welcoming banquet to the Crown Prince.
The crown prince accepted it without changing his expression, and then returned to Yuqing Palace, smashing a pile of vases on the ground.
The first thing Prince Zhi and Yinzhen did after returning to the capital was to go to the palace to meet the emperor.
When he saw his two sons, Kangxi was somewhat puzzled.
The eldest brother was in high spirits, boasting of his achievements, and spoke eloquently.
In contrast, there was the tenth brother, who was rather sullen, as if he had something on his mind.
To his dismay, Prince Zhi discovered that Emperor Kangxi seemed inattentive as he listened to his heroic deeds, his gaze frequently drifting towards the Tenth Prince.
"Father, my tenth brother did a lot of good work in this campaign. Why don't you tell me about it?" Prince Zhi showed himself to be a loving elder brother who was willing to give away the credit.
Yin knelt on the ground: "Father, I have a question."
This was the first time Kangxi had seen the Tenth Prince so serious, and he rubbed his teacup to signal him to continue.
Yinzhi couldn't hold back any longer. He recounted the origins of the rebellion in detail, and finally emphasized: "Father, this is a case of officials forcing the people to rebel. Sister Qin is completely innocent. I feel that this should not be done."
Kangxi stopped laughing. He stared at Yinzhen for a long time, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness: "You sympathize with those who plot rebellion?"
"Your subject dares not." Yinzhen said impulsively, and then regretted it. At this moment, he broke out in a cold sweat under Kangxi's gaze.
So, news came from the palace that day that Prince Zhi had brought back a cartload of things from the last time, while the Tenth Prince, Yinzhen, had received twenty strokes of the cane. This was quite interesting.
When Yinzhen received the news, he took Yintang to visit him.
Yinzhen was lying on the bed, unable to move, while his tenth wife sat beside him, watching the show with a maidservant serving her grapes.
After paying her respects to Yinzhen and his entourage, the Tenth Prince's wife tactfully withdrew, saying that she would prepare a good meal for her two elder brothers to dine with.
Yinzhen leaned closer, lifted the blanket, and gently poked him with his finger. Yinzhen screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
"Ninth Brother, don't touch it, it hurts so much!" Yinqi grimaced, clearly the blows were quite severe.
Yinzhen sat in the seat that had just been occupied by the Tenth Prince's Consort, casually ate a grape, and found it very comforting to be chilled.
"I heard that our Tenth Prince pleaded for the rebels in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. You've not only gained more skills but also more courage since you went out there."
Yin covered his face with his hands: "I acted on impulse."
"If you weren't surnamed Aisin Gioro, even if Father Emperor ordered your execution on the spot, no one could say a word against it." Yinzhen was furious and punched Yinzhen's wound hard.
"Ouch!!!" Yin screamed in agony.
"It's good that it hurts. If it doesn't hurt, you won't learn your lesson." Yinzhen took out a medicine bottle from his bosom. "This is a secret palace medicine that Mother Consort gave me when she heard you were beaten. It's very effective. I'll have your sister-in-law apply it to you later."
Seeing Yinzhen enter, Yinzhen stood silently by the window and asked, "Fourth Brother, do you also think your younger brother did something wrong?"
Yinzhen looked back at Yinzhen. This younger brother had a pure heart, what a pity.
“The sage said that the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.” Yinzhen said, “Only bookworms believe this. In Father’s eyes, the imperial power is actually greater than heaven. You contradicted Father in public and only received twenty strokes of the cane before being let go. This shows how much Father loves you.”
Yinqi's gaze fell on the porcelain vase by the window, his lip bleeding from biting it: "What does men's power struggles have to do with a twelve-year-old girl!"
"Fourth Brother, it's clear that Eldest Brother's primary mission on this trip is to suppress the Crown Prince's faction. The Shandong Governor is still in custody, so everything he does will be seen as being at the Crown Prince's behest," Yinzhen said in a muffled voice, burying his head in the pillow.
“My younger brother isn’t stupid; he can see that his elder brother wants to become the crown prince.”
"If anyone can become the Crown Prince, Fourth Brother, would you like to be one?"
Yinzhen twirled the thumb ring on his hand: "My second elder brother, the Crown Prince, is the legitimate son of the Empress Dowager. He has been worshipped by Heaven and Earth. He cannot be deposed unless he has committed a major mistake. It is no exaggeration to say that he is one of the foundations of the nation."
"As long as the Crown Prince remains the Crown Prince, we will be loyal to him." After saying this, Yinzhen glared at Yinzhen. "If you still can't get rid of this habit of talking nonsense, then give him a few dozen more lashes!"
Yin's expression instantly changed: "Fine, my brother won't say anything more!"
Yinzhen stayed to keep Yinzhen company and relieve his boredom, while Yinzhen, worried about Honghui, made an excuse to return home.
******
After drinking medicinal diet for so many days, Honghui has given up struggling. He even noticed pimples on his face when he washed it in the morning, which was clearly due to overdoing it.
Honghui didn't even think it was a problem if he woke up with a nosebleed one morning.
Having received his mother's meticulous care, Honghui followed Yinzhen back to the front courtyard and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
From head to toe, Honghui felt that his mother wanted to strip him naked; it was terrifying.
Yinzhen glanced at Honghui, nodded, and said, "Hmm, nothing unusual."
"Your tenth uncle was beaten in front of the emperor, what do you think?" Yinzhen held a book in his hand, opened it but did not read it.
“I heard that Feng Liqing, a protégé of the Nalan clan, is temporarily serving as the governor of Shandong,” Honghui began, but then brought up another matter: “I think that my uncle will not be able to get what he wants.”
Yinzhen nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Grandpa Huang likes Western learning, especially the concept of balance. Uncle's successful suppression of the bandits was already a great achievement. If Uncle Shi hadn't been punished, there would have been a better chance."
Yinzhen smiled and said, "You mustn't be rude to your tenth uncle."
"What do you think about the Qin siblings?"
Honghui remained silent for a long time before looking up at Yinzhen and saying, "Father, although my uncle's methods are not honorable, speed is of the essence in war, and those in power should be wary of women's compassion."
"But the grievances among the people are as numerous as the sea, and there are very few people like Brother Qin who dare to resist. I admire his courage." After Honghui finished speaking, he glanced at Yinzhen again, afraid that his father would be angry.
Yinzhen did not comment on Honghui's remarks. He waved his hand, signaling Honghui to leave: "Remember to drink a bowl of ginger soup before bed. Go now."
Upon hearing this, Honghui went out with a mournful face.
His courtyard was next to Hongyun's.
Seeing his elder brother emerge from their father's courtyard looking dejected, Hongyun asked with obvious empathy, "Brother, did Father scold you?"
Honghui shook his head, beckoned him over, and the two brothers shared a pot of ginger soup, chatted for a few minutes, and then went to sleep.
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