Chapter 34 The Nightmare Suppression Incident Third Master blurted out all his words at once…
As soon as the Third Master finished speaking, the Emperor suddenly stood up, then clutched his chest and fell heavily backward. Luckily, there was a heated brick bed behind him, otherwise, he would have been in serious trouble. However, this startled the Third Master, who hurriedly shouted, "Father Emperor!" This shout woke up all the servants.
Imperial physicians were immediately summoned from Qingxi Study. Under the acupuncture treatment of several physicians, Kangxi finally opened his eyes. Yinreng was attending to him at the time, and was about to kneel and leave the garden when this unexpected event occurred. As for the Third Prince, he was still kneeling below.
"Father," Yinreng had already learned the gist of the matter from the Third Prince. Seeing that Kangxi had woken up, he immediately spoke with concern and gentleness, "Please don't be angry. There might be something fishy going on. I believe that even if Prince Zhi dislikes me, he would never resort to such despicable means."
Kangxi's eyes were hazy, but slowly they narrowed, gleaming coldly. The next second, he raised his hand, and Yinreng and Liang Jiugong rushed forward to help him up. Then, he said in a deep voice, suppressing his anger, "Investigate! Investigate for me!"
The Third Prince's heart had been in his throat, but seeing that Kangxi was unharmed, he quickly knelt forward and said in a tearful voice, "Father Emperor."
This sound immediately drew Kangxi's attention. A fierce, menacing gaze locked onto him, and the Third Prince instantly turned pale and trembled with fear under that gaze.
"Third son, you've really done a great job," Kangxi said, though no one knew whether he was genuinely praising or mocking him.
For a moment, the Third Prince dared not utter a sound, his head pressed tightly to the ground. Finally, it was Yinreng who spoke up: "Third Prince, get out and kneel down. Don't get in Father's way." Only then did the Third Prince hurriedly kowtow and say, "Father, please take care of your health. Your son... pays his respects."
After the Third Prince left, Yinreng turned to comfort Kangxi and said, "Father, even if it is just rumors, it involves witchcraft, which is a serious matter. No wonder the Third Prince reported it in such a hurry. However, I believe that the truth will come out. Whether it is a complete fabrication or someone deliberately instigating it, we will definitely clear the name of the Prince Zhi."
Kangxi took a deep breath and then waved his hand at him. Yinreng knew that the emperor definitely didn't want to see anyone at this time, not even him, so he softly said "Yes," took two steps back, and left Qingxi Study.
The Third Prince knelt outside for a moment, only daring to stand up after Yinreng came out and nodded to him. Yinreng and the Third Prince walked out together, with Yinreng saying, "Third Prince, it's a good thing you knew to avoid people. But where did you get all this information?"
The Third Prince pursed his lips. The commotion he had just witnessed had startled him. If something had really happened to the Emperor, he would have been a sinner for all time. He stammered, "I only overheard the rumors by chance." Then he secretly ordered his men to keep an eye out, and sure enough, they saw the lamas frequently coming and going from the Prince Zhi's residence.
When Yinreng heard him say that, he didn't ask any further questions and sighed, "Never mind."
Third Master secretly glanced at Yinreng's expression under the moonlight.
No, Prince Zhi and you have been at odds for a long time, and the target of his bewitching was you. Why don't you show any signs of anger on your face? But he dared not say this, and vaguely said, "Your subject is guilty."
Just then, a young eunuch serving at Qingxi Study ran over, bowing his head and saying, "His Majesty said it's getting late and asked the Second Prince to stay at Daohe Hall for the time being."
Yinreng said he understood, and the Third Prince bowed to him and said, "Your subject takes his leave."
After arriving at Daohe Hall, Yinreng finished washing up and said to Chen He, "Send someone to the West Garden to tell you that I'm not going back today, and that Master Cheng should go to bed early and not wait for me."
Even after such a big incident, you still remembered to inform Princess Cheng. Chen He thought to himself as he quickly said "Yes" and went to give instructions to the eunuch.
After washing up, Yinreng hurriedly changed into his pajamas and lay down on the bed, but he was still in high spirits and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
He was happy; he was pleased with himself.
When he learned that the third prince had accused Prince Zhi of using witchcraft against him, only one thought occupied his mind: the day when the truth would finally come to light had arrived. He almost cheered with extraordinary joy, thinking: Father Emperor, do you see? This situation is all because of your indulgence! It is your indulgence that has emboldened others to harbor rebellious intentions, it is your indulgence that has led to brothers cursing and tearing each other apart today.
A slow smile crept onto his lips. He felt certain of victory; he had defeated Prince Zhi, and for a moment, he even felt he had defeated the Emperor.
Yinreng hadn't returned for several days, and Cheng Qianyue's initial joy gradually turned into worry. Of course, half of it was worry, and the other half was curiosity. What on earth had happened at Changchun Garden? Why wasn't he home?
As Cheng Qianyue pondered, her imagination ran wild. For example, what might have triggered Yinreng's madness at Changchun Garden that led Kangxi to keep it a secret and forbid the transmission of messages? Or perhaps Kangxi suddenly died, and Yinreng, the deposed crown prince, was about to ascend the throne. Just as she was lost in these random thoughts, Ruoyun entered from outside, her eyes gleaming with an unreadable expression.
Whenever this happened, Cheng Qianyue knew that Ruoyun had something to say to her. Sure enough, Ruoyun came over in a small step and whispered, "Princess, I heard some rumors outside."
Upon hearing that there was gossip, Cheng Qianyue immediately straightened up, gestured for everyone else in the room to leave, and then called Ruoyun to her side to ask in detail, "What's wrong? What did you hear?"
Ruoyun whispered, "I heard that Prince Zhi has been stripped of his title and imprisoned!"
"Huh?! This is big news!" Cheng Qianyue was immediately stunned.
Ruoyun lowered her eyes and continued in a low voice, "I heard from the eunuch in charge of purchasing supplies for the garden that the infantry, along with a large contingent of soldiers, went to the Prince Zhi's residence early the day before yesterday. Then, that same day, they surrounded the Prince Zhi's residence—oh, now it can't be called a Prince's residence anymore, it's more like a Prince's residence—and then rumors spread that Prince Zhi..."
Her body trembled three times, and the words cursing the Second Prince seemed to peek out from between her lips, barely audible unless you listened carefully. After a moment, she said, "It's already spread all over the place."
Cheng Qianyue's eyes widened immediately. "You mean Prince Zhi cursed the Second Prince?"
"My goodness!" Ruoyun quickly shushed her, "Keep your voice down, this is a taboo subject."
Cheng Qianyue murmured, "No way." The term "curse" was probably a euphemism; it was more likely something like sticking pins into effigies. What was that called in ancient times? Something like "the art of cursing." But in Cheng Qianyue's eyes, this was just like drawing a circle to curse someone—purely psychological comfort. However, ancient people seemed to have extreme reverence for ghosts and spirits, especially a prince who had been cursed with a curse; that would be a grave crime.
Ruoyun whispered, "Maybe Second Master was crippled because of this..."
Cheng Qianyue subconsciously said, "Impossible." If this thing worked, there would definitely be a flood of rag dolls in the world, okay?
Ruoyun said softly, "How is it impossible? The rumors are quite detailed. They say that a small doll with the Second Master's birth date and time was found in the Buddhist hall of the Prince Zhi's mansion. The lama who often chants sutras in the Buddhist hall also confessed that it was the Prince Zhi who instructed him to pray to heaven, praying that the Second Master would go mad and become unconscious."
Oh, is the information really that detailed?
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "Gossip really is gossip. In just two days, everyone already knows about it."
The very afternoon after she learned of this, Yinreng unexpectedly returned from Changchun Garden. Cheng Qianyue hurriedly ordered someone to serve him tea. Yinreng took off his boots, climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed), let out a long sigh, and then said that he had just taken advantage of this break to rest, and would be returning to Changchun Garden later.
Cheng Qianyue immediately blurted out, "Is it because of the Prince Zhi's curse on you?"
Yinreng paused in his tea-serving hand. "You knew everything?"
Cheng Qianyue wanted to slap herself right then and there. How could she say such a thing in front of the person in question? She stammered, "Well, I overheard it."
Yinreng said, "I never expected my good elder brother to do such a thing behind my back." He snorted coldly, patted Cheng Qianyue's hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Seeing that he didn't seem to mind, Cheng Qianyue said, "It spread really fast. I found out yesterday, and they say it's all over the place."
Yinreng hummed in agreement and asked, "What's the rumor going on outside?"
Cheng Qianyue repeated Ruoyun's words from yesterday, "Prince Zhi has really lost his mind, how could he do such a thing?"
Yinreng slowly exhaled, but his brows quickly furrowed, becoming more and more tightly furrowed, and Cheng Qianyue's voice grew softer and softer.
Finally, Cheng Qianyue quickly stopped talking and whispered, "Your Majesty, I was wrong. I really shouldn't have said those things in front of you." She saw Yinreng shake his head, suddenly get up and put on his boots. Cheng Qianyue felt that he was acting like this because she had just said something wrong, so she hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and wanted to apologize again.
Yinreng said, "I'm not angry with you. I just have something important to discuss." He reached out and touched Cheng Qianyue's face, saying, "Stay put and behave. I'll be back in a few days."
Cheng Qianyue was relieved to hear him say that.
Yinreng arrived at Changchun Garden. After being announced, he entered the palace gate and knelt before Kangxi, recounting the rumors and whispers outside. "Your subject truly did not expect that the rumors would spread so widely in just a few days."
Kangxi glanced at him from left to right, and only felt slightly relieved when he realized that he hadn't stepped out of Changchun Garden these past few days. He said in a deep voice, "Since it's the truth, why are you afraid of what others will say?"
Yinreng lowered his head and said, "This matter concerns the dignity of the royal family, and I believe that we cannot allow outsiders to speculate."
After a long pause, Kangxi said, "It's already September, it's time to return to the Forbidden City." He slowly said, "This year's Golden Offering Festival cannot lack atmosphere because of treacherous officials."
Yinreng understood that this meant a grand ceremony to distribute gold, and respectfully said yes, then felt relieved.
He figured the messenger wouldn't dare spread rumors about the royal family, so the fact that the rumors had spread so widely in just a few days must mean someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Who is this person?
The third prince? He was already terrified the day he sued Prince Zhi, how could he possibly have the mind to spread this? If it wasn't the third prince, then who could it be? Was he trying to flatter him, or was he trying to harm him?
Yinreng fell into deep thought for a moment. However, since he couldn't figure it out, he decided to put it aside for the time being. In any case, no matter who did this, it couldn't be him! He came here to tell the Emperor that he absolutely did not do this.
Just as Yinreng was about to kneel and pay his respects, a servant came to report that the First Prince's wife had passed away!
-----------------------
Author's Note: I noticed quite a few typos, so I've made some urgent corrections. [laughing and crying emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com