Chapter 59 A Plea to Show Loyalty Not long after, the Third Prince, now a prince…
A few days later, the Third and Fourth Princes, who had become Princes of the First Rank, the Fifth and Seventh Princes, who had become Princes of the Second Rank, and the Ninth and Tenth Princes, who had been granted the title of Beizi, all arrived at Yuqing Palace. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess had prepared generous gifts for them in recognition of their titles, so they had come to express their gratitude.
A banquet had already been set up inside Yuqing Palace. After they bowed and expressed their gratitude, Yinreng invited them to sit down and dine. During the meal, the Third Prince was the most lively, toasting Yinreng and saying how apprehensive he was of being granted the title of Prince, and how he would definitely follow the Emperor and the Crown Prince's lead in the future.
Fourth Master, unusually, echoed his third brother, saying in a deep voice, "Third Brother is absolutely right."
The two princes above had said so, and the other gentlemen below also chimed in.
Yinreng smiled and said, "Father bestowed titles upon you in the hope that you would become talented and make great contributions. Don't let him down." As he spoke, he picked up his wine cup and pointed it towards the direction of the Qianqing Palace, continuing, "To show our filial piety and loyalty, let's drink a few more cups."
After finishing his cup of wine, Yinreng began to reminisce about the past, mostly about the embarrassing incidents his younger brothers had when they were studying in the Imperial Study. He recounted stories of the Third Prince secretly reading comic books, the Fourth Prince falling flat on his face while practicing martial arts, and then the Fifth and Seventh Princes started talking about the embarrassing incidents involving the Ninth and Tenth Princes.
Ninth Master: ......
Tenth Master: ......
Oh dear, everyone above them is either the Crown Prince or a prince of the first rank. The two of them have the lowest titles at the banquet, so how could they not be made fun of? What's more, Fifth Master is Ninth Master's own brother. His own brother personally exposed his true colors, so what can he do but accept it?
In any case, the atmosphere at Yinreng's banquet was quite good, and the guests were very enthusiastic. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful, with everyone chatting, laughing, and drinking.
By noon, the banquet was almost over, and everyone rose to bow and take their leave. However, when the Fourth Prince stood up, he was clearly unsteady on his feet. His face was pale, and his legs wouldn't obey him after a slight movement. He then tripped over a chair. A quick-thinking eunuch rushed forward and managed to catch him before he fell to the ground. The other servants hurried over to help him up, but they couldn't lift him up; instead, several of them were knocked down by the Fourth Prince.
Third Master rested his hand on the table, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Fourth Brother, what are you up to? Or is there some wine?"
Yinreng had also drunk a lot at the banquet, and his face was flushed. He interrupted the Third Prince's teasing and directed the people next to him, saying, "Quick, help him up."
With Yinreng's permission, the Fourth Prince was slowly lifted off the ground by his arms. He slurred, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Your Highness. I was drunk."
Yinreng said, "Let Prince Yong go to the side hall to sober up." Then he said to his younger brothers, "Don't force yourself. I'll have someone bring a sedan chair."
After a while, the servants carried the sedan chairs and took all the princes out of the hall. Yinreng watched them stagger out of the gate of Yuqing Palace and then asked about the Fourth Prince in the side hall. Chen He hurriedly replied, "We helped the Fourth Prince to the kang in the west side hall. It seems that the Fourth Prince is asleep in there."
Yinreng lifted his leg and went to the west side hall. He immediately saw the Fourth Prince sitting cross-legged, leaning against the cabinet behind the couch with his head tilted back. He walked over and gently woke him up, saying in a low voice, "Fourth Prince, you've had too much to drink." Just then, a servant brought in some hangover soup. Yinreng handed him a bowl and said, "Drink this hangover soup quickly."
With bleary eyes, Fourth Master murmured "Yes," his hands trembling as he took the bowl and, ignoring the heat, gulped it down. A moment later, he covered his mouth and frowned. Jing Shun quickly brought over a spittoon, and Fourth Master began vomiting large mouthfuls of yellow liquid into it. After vomiting, Fourth Master's complexion improved considerably, and he knelt on the kang (heated brick bed): "Your Majesty, I have lost my composure."
Yinreng knew that the fourth prince's behavior was most likely an act, but it was better to act than not to. He said, "I'm used to seeing you as mature and composed, but I didn't expect you to break that facade here today."
The Fourth Prince smiled sheepishly: "Your subject regards you as the Crown Prince and also as an elder brother. I am not afraid of losing face in front of my elder brother."
This is a way of showing loyalty. Yinreng sat down, sighed, and said, "It's rare that you think this way."
Not long after the Emperor ascended the throne, several princes died in the Forbidden City. To protect the imperial heir, the eldest and third princes were sent outside the palace to be raised before returning. For a long time, he was the only prince in the Forbidden City. Later, Consort De, a concubine, gave birth to the fourth prince. This fourth prince was not sent out of the palace but was raised by Empress Xiaoyi. Empress Xiaoyi would occasionally bring the fourth prince to the Qianqing Palace, where he would see the infant prince and realize he had a younger brother.
Later, when the eldest son returned from outside the palace, he was very critical of the crown prince. Compared to the eldest son, the fourth son, although dull, was obviously more likable. So, he and the fourth son grew closer and closer.
But could his brotherly bond with the fourth prince be greater than that with the emperor?
Ah, no one in this world can stop the Emperor's will. The Emperor quelled the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, fought Galdan... no matter how great the difficulties along the way, he accomplished everything. So if the Emperor wanted to manipulate the princes, it would be an extremely simple matter.
Thinking of this, Yinreng smiled faintly and said in a deep voice, "Fourth Prince, what are you afraid of?" The Fourth Prince raised his head in surprise. Yinreng continued, "Are you afraid that you can't shoulder the heavy responsibility entrusted to you by the Emperor, or are you afraid that I will become jealous of you?"
The Fourth Prince suddenly came to his senses, and then kowtowed heavily, saying, "Your subject... dares not..."
Yinreng shook his head and said with a smile, "You've been with me since you were little. Whether it was when I entered the Imperial Study or when I was the Crown Prince and overseeing the country, you were always by my side. Even when I was deposed as Crown Prince, you were the only one who spoke well of me in front of the Emperor. So no matter what you do, I always remember you as my younger brother."
He let out a long sigh and looked out the window into the distance: "The Crown Prince is a living target. But I'm not afraid of others shooting arrows at me, because I have a clear conscience. So, Fourth Prince, you don't need to be afraid of me. Do whatever you want."
The Fourth Prince was startled by what he heard, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth and continued to kowtow.
"Alright, you're sober now, it's time to go back." Yinreng patted his shoulder.
The Fourth Prince got off the kang (heated brick bed) and knelt down again. He wanted to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked. Finally, he said, word by word, "Your subject takes his leave."
When the Fourth Prince left Yuqing Palace, a sedan chair was already prepared outside. He got into the sedan chair, left the palace, and then got into the carriage to return to his residence. In the carriage, the Fourth Prince closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
If he had any ulterior motives before, he certainly did, but after seeing the Crown Prince like this, all his delusions vanished. The Crown Prince was truly different from before. Having experienced being deposed and reinstated, the Crown Prince had shed his former arrogance and impetuosity and become exceptionally composed.
Moreover, he could tell that the Crown Prince was not faking it.
Although the Emperor now wanted someone to rebel against the Crown Prince, he knew that as long as the Crown Prince remained as steadfast as a stone, neither fighting back nor arguing, the Crown Prince would ultimately remain the Crown Prince, and no one could shake his position. Faced with such a calm and composed Crown Prince, he had no desire to rebel at all.
But the Crown Prince was right; the Emperor did indeed place high hopes on him. The Third Prince had probably already been disliked by the Emperor because of his accusation against Prince Zhi, the Fifth and Seventh Princes were useless, and the remaining younger ones were not qualified enough.
Fourth Master sighed, feeling his stomach churning again.
What did the Crown Prince mean? Did the Crown Prince just say something to make him pretend to rebel, or was he warning him not to rebel?
The Fourth Prince pondered this all the way back. Upon returning to the Yong Prince's Mansion, he went straight to the Fourth Prince's wife's quarters in the main courtyard. Seeing him arrive reeking of alcohol, the Fourth Prince's wife hurriedly ordered someone to fetch water and then invited him to sit down and rest.
After sitting down, the Fourth Prince said in a deep voice, "Have someone pack up and let us go to the estate for a few days." He thought to himself, let whoever wants to rebel against the Crown Prince do so. As a prince, he only recognizes the legitimate line—he is loyal to both the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
He thought about it all the way and finally figured it out.
If he were to actually become the villain who opposes the Crown Prince, regardless of whether the Crown Prince would truly not hold a grudge against him as he just said, the Emperor might not be so happy either. In the long run, the Emperor would definitely think of him as a treacherous person who disregards his own brother!
The example of Prince Zhi and his third brother serves as a stark warning...
Within two days, Yinreng heard about the Fourth Prince's movements; the Fourth Prince had taken his entire family to live on an estate. He glanced outside the palace and smiled slightly, wondering, "What does the Fourth Prince mean by this? Is he hiding?"
Eighth Prince had just hosted a banquet at the restaurant for Ninth and Tenth Princes, and when he returned home after noon, he heard about Fourth Prince's whereabouts. He slowly sipped the hangover soup that his wife had brought him, his eyes gradually narrowing.
Since the Crown Prince's reinstatement, the Eighth Prince's situation has been far from ideal. First, he was dismissed from his position as the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department. Then, the Emperor didn't take him with him when he went to the Mulan Hunting Grounds. Finally, after the New Year, the Emperor bestowed titles upon the princes, but while his brothers were promoted and the Ninth and Tenth Princes were granted the title of Beizi, he was conspicuously overlooked. This inevitably leads to speculation that the Eighth Prince might have fallen out of favor with the Emperor due to his connection with the Prince of Zhi.
Eighth Prince was extremely discouraged. He realized that the Emperor wanted people to rebel against the Crown Prince, but the Emperor seemed to have forgotten about him and only picked a few others, so he felt extremely frustrated.
Sometimes he wondered, did the Emperor think he was only fit to be an appendage to a prince or duke, and not qualified to take on any major responsibilities? But why? He was also the Emperor's son!
On the day the Emperor bestowed titles upon the princes, he returned home and drank all night, to the point that his wife, Lady Guoluo, clung to his arm and wept bitterly. At that moment, Lady Guoluo said sharply, "This is nothing! If they dare to underestimate you, they'll suffer a terrible fall sooner or later."
Thinking of this, the Eighth Prince looked at his Eighth Princess and smiled gently.
Seeing that he was in a good mood, the Eighth Prince's wife said softly, "You're so happy that Prince Yong went to the estate."
Yes, how could it not be a happy thing? The fourth prince clearly doesn't want to rebel against the crown prince; otherwise, he wouldn't have moved his entire family to the estate after visiting Yuqing Palace. As for the other princes, it's not that the Eighth Prince looks down on them, but rather that they simply don't have the guts to become a second Prince Zhi. Only he is different; he knows what the emperor wants and dares to risk everything for his future.
The Eighth Prince put down his bowl and said softly, "Only when everyone else hides can my abilities be shown." But it's too early to say that now; he still needs an opportunity, an opportunity for the Emperor to see him.
He believed that day would come soon.
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