Chapter 106 The Death of Honghui These past few days, Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master have been at the Ministry of Revenue calculating…
These past few days, Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master have firmly established themselves at the Ministry of Revenue. At first, the group outside did disperse at night, and Fourth Master could even send men to bring back silver. But recently, that rabble has become even more brazen, guarding the main and side gates day and night. Even polite persuasion to go back is useless; they just keep shouting that they have no way to survive.
The Fourth Prince isn't the Emperor; he can't just wave his hand and forgive their debts. Besides, as a prince, he can't just step forward to explain every time someone blocks his way; what dignity would that leave him?
So things reached a stalemate.
The people from the Ministry of Revenue were completely stuck inside the yamen. It was hot, and dozens of them were sleeping on the floor. Although there was ice, they were all covered in sweat and would be disheveled in a few days.
Thirteenth Master spoke up: "Fourth Brother, this can't go on." The people are already restless, and if they are trapped for a few more days, their own people won't be able to hold on.
Fourth Master's face hadn't looked good since the incident began; it was as if ink had been smeared on it. He said, barely containing his anger, "Wait a little longer. I don't believe those people outside are made of steel." His temper was flaring; he was determined to settle things with them. The yamen had plenty of food and water; weren't they more resilient than them? If they could just weather this storm, they could crush them.
Thirteenth Master sighed, thinking that it was fortunate that it was the height of summer. He would have someone fetch water from the well later and wash everyone off so that they wouldn't smell so bad that they would have to cover their noses when looking at the account books.
As the two were talking, Su Peisheng rushed in looking flustered. Fourth Master frowned: "What is it now?"
Su Peisheng lowered his head and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, something has happened at the manor. Princes Honghui and Hongshi were attacked on their way back from the palace!"
"What did you say?"
Su Peisheng answered in a rapid-fire manner: "Someone came to cause trouble in front of the mansion, but they startled the horses of the carriage!"
The Fourth Prince's eyebrows shot up instantly, his temper flaring. He kicked Su Peisheng to his knees, cursing, "You bastard!" and strode out. But as soon as he emerged from the yamen, the guards outside swarmed around him, forming a dense, impenetrable blockade. Su Peisheng and several guards managed to stop them from rushing towards the Fourth Prince, but even then, they struggled to move.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Fourteenth Prince arrived with a group of guards and managed to separate the group. Fourteenth Prince, who had been glaring like an angry Vajra, suddenly looked troubled when he stood before Fourth Prince and called out in a choked voice, "Brother."
Fourth Master was surprised by his arrival and asked, "Why are you here?"
But Fourteen didn't give a direct answer. He hesitated for a long time, unsure of what to say, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, take care. Honghui...he...is dead."
Fourth Master unconsciously took a step forward, "You said...say it again?!"
Fourteen stammered as he repeated the news of the death, his eyes reddening: "Honghui is gone. He was startled by the horse and fell out of the carriage..."
Speaking of this, Fourteen was also deeply saddened. His residence wasn't too far from the Fourth Prince's mansion. He heard about the incident at his brother's mansion not long afterward. The news from outside was that someone had rushed to the gate of Prince Yong's mansion, pretending to hang himself and crying loudly. Unfortunately, they ran into two princes who were returning from their holiday in the palace, and they all rushed to stop their horses.
Upon hearing this, the Fourteenth Prince was immediately enraged. A prince of the Qing Dynasty, bestowed the title of Prince by the Emperor himself—how dare someone cause such a disturbance in front of his palace? He hadn't been idle at home these past few years; he immediately mustered his guards and led his men to the scene. When they arrived, they found the horses had gone mad, rampaging through the street. His eldest nephew had been thrown from the horse, while his younger nephew clung tightly to the corner of the carriage to avoid rolling out, though his face was filled with terror.
After finally managing to kill the horse and send his injured nephews back to the manor, Fourteenth Prince and his men were dealing with the troublemakers when news came from inside the manor that the eldest prince, Honghui, had died and could not be saved. Fourth Prince's wife and his sister-in-law collapsed from shock, and the concubine fainted upon seeing the injured third prince, Hongshi. The entire Yong Prince's manor was in chaos.
Fourteen had no choice but to bring his wife over to handle the arrangements, while he himself led a group of people to the Ministry of Revenue to announce the death.
Upon hearing the devastating news, Fourth Master felt dizzy and nearly fell backward, clutching his chest, but was fortunately caught. Thirteenth Master, not expecting such a thing to happen, hurriedly supported Fourth Master, saying, "Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, please accept my condolences."
Fourth Master gasped for breath, forced himself to stand up, and the next second he drew the knife from Fourteenth Master's waist, ready to slash into the crowd. But he twisted his ankle after only a few steps, and Thirteen and the others quickly surrounded him to prevent him from falling.
Fourteen rushed over in a hurry and first took the knife from his brother's hand.
Fourth Master's eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted with a ferocious rage, and he roared in a low voice, "Kill them! Kill them!"
Fourteenth Prince also felt guilty for not arriving in time, so he said "good" heavily and then ordered the guards to arrest all the people at the door.
Fourth Master was carried into the yamen. Once inside, he came to his senses and burst into tears, wailing and beating his chest: "Honghui, Honghui, my son!"
As he cried, Fourth Master suddenly became ruthless, his face turning fierce and malevolent: the hatred for killing his son was irreconcilable, and he would make them pay with their blood! Pay with their blood!
——
Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Fourth Prince knelt down, weeping bitterly.
Kangxi had just scolded him, saying that he had gone mad these days and that the memorials impeaching him for abusing his power could fill a whole table. Then, seeing him crying pitifully, he said in a deep voice, "I have already issued an edict that Honghui will be buried with the honors due to a prince's heir."
The Fourth Prince bowed and sobbed, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness." But just as he was about to raise his head, he heard Kangxi say, "As for the matter of recovering the debts, you don't need to worry about it. Go back to your residence and cultivate your character. Look at the state you're in now."
Although the Fourth Prince had prepared himself mentally, he was still shocked when he heard the order. He trembled all over, his head slowly sliding to the ground, pressed tightly against the cold tiles. After a long while, he answered slowly and deliberately, his lips trembling: "Your subject obeys."
Before long, the Fourth Prince was escorted out. After his son left, Emperor Kangxi on the dragon throne slowly exhaled and looked out with a deep gaze.
A moment later, he stood up and walked into the hall, where he slowly and deliberately practiced a series of Tai Chi movements, letting go of his emotions with each breath. This was a good habit of his; whenever things went wrong, he would practice Tai Chi, which made him feel much more balanced, as if he could accept everything.
Liang Jiugong, who had been preparing since Kangxi started practicing his boxing, first gave a wink to the side when he saw the emperor stop, then stepped forward to offer a handkerchief. Soon after, a line of eunuchs and palace maids carrying basins and water entered.
Kangxi wiped his face, feeling slightly better, and asked in a deep voice, "Has Prince Yong left the palace?"
Liang Jiugong hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, Prince Yong has not yet left the palace; he is currently in Yuqing Palace."
"oh?"
Liang Jiugong nodded and said softly, "This servant thinks the Crown Prince might be trying to comfort the Prince. I heard that the Princess Consort of Prince Yong has been taken to the Xiefang Palace by the Crown Princess."
Kangxi paused in wiping his face, and after a while, slowly said, "The brothers have a good relationship, and they should be comforted." He slowly exhaled, thinking that this matter had truly wronged the fourth prince, and that he would bestow two titles upon them after some time.
The Fourth Prince immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness upon entering Yuqing Palace. He had just come from Qianqing Palace, and the sun outside had cleared his head, finally bringing some clarity to his hazy mind. He thought the Emperor had halted the mission because he felt he had gone too far. However, he didn't regret his actions. If a descendant of the Aisin Gioro family had to be bullied to this extent and still have to put on a smiling face, they might as well be dead. But he still had to beg for forgiveness, because he had ruined the Crown Prince's plans, and the Crown Prince might even suffer reputational damage because of him.
"Your subject is guilty." The Fourth Prince bowed heavily. He thought that if the Crown Prince reprimanded him, scolded him, or even punished him like the Emperor, he would accept it. But to his surprise, the Crown Prince personally helped him up.
"Fourth Prince..." Yinreng sighed and asked him, "Look at the way you are now. If Honghui knew in the afterlife, how heartbroken he would be?" As he said this, he ordered someone to bring hot water and personally took a handkerchief to wipe the Fourth Prince's face.
Fourth Master raised his head in disbelief, looking at him tremblingly.
Yinreng said, "I know you are grieving, and I also think you did the right thing!" A solemn look appeared on his face. "Put yourself in their shoes. If Hongxi or Hongjin had suffered any mishap, I would have made sure their heads rolled and rivers of blood flowed. The descendants of the Aisin Gioro family are not to be trifled with."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Master's tense nerves relaxed, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Honghui..." he began hoarsely, his anger and sorrow overflowing, wailing, "My son, my grown son, my eldest son on whom I placed so much hope..."
He only had two sons, Honghui and Hongshi, who had been vaccinated against smallpox and were already grown up. Now, one of them had died, and it was due to human error. How could he not grieve and be furious? So, in the past few days, he went on a killing spree. First, he targeted the servants around Honghui and Hongshi; they had failed to protect their masters and therefore deserved to die. As for those who had been to the Ministry of Revenue or his residence, not one of them would escape. He arrested them one by one and subjected them to severe torture. Those who couldn't endure it and died were thrown into a mass grave; those who survived were subjected to further torture until they revealed the mastermind behind it all.
His son died, and he wanted all these people to be buried with him!
After crying for a while, Fourth Prince finally stopped and said willingly, "Second Brother, I should take responsibility for my own actions. I can't let you be implicated." He knelt down solemnly and said, "Your subject begs for punishment."
Yinreng reached out and pulled him up, slowly shaking his head. "Punishment? There's nothing to punish." A hint of contempt appeared on his lips. "Is the gratitude of a bunch of rabble more valuable than brotherly affection?" As he said this, he ordered someone to help the Fourth Prince to the side hall to rest.
Yinreng said, "Father also has his difficulties, don't overthink it."
It wasn't until he sat on the bed in the side hall that the Fourth Prince realized the Crown Prince truly didn't want to punish him, and even openly expressed his concern and respect for him. He was grateful but also preoccupied with his own worries, wondering what to do next. However, he was exhausted these past few days, and after drinking the calming soup, he lay down and soon fell asleep.
Upon hearing Chen He's reply, Yinreng nodded. To be honest, he didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong, but seeing the Fourth Prince's miserable state, he felt that not punishing him was the right thing to do. Over the years, who didn't know that the Fourth Prince was his man? Now, although the Fourth Prince had offended the court officials, he had also lost a son because of it. If he were to indiscriminately discard him after he had served his purpose, who would dare to be loyal to him in the future?
Besides, he is the Crown Prince, the heir apparent. In this world, apart from the Emperor, he would never bow his head to anyone else, let alone those outsiders who are nothing but a bunch of petty scoundrels. Ha, what loyalty could a bunch of scheming scoundrels have? They're nothing but opportunists who will sway whichever side is more advantageous.
Furthermore, what use is the loyalty of his court officials to him? He can win over his brothers as a sign of fraternal affection, but if he tries to win over his ministers, it will be viewed differently by the emperor.
Eighth Brother, humph, Eighth Brother is digging his own grave.
but......
Yinreng let out a long sigh.
The Emperor has indeed grown old. Looking back, one can only recall how ruthless he was in punishing the powerful and investigating corruption in the past. But now, for the sake of popular support, the Emperor has become increasingly benevolent, even tolerating bribery and corruption among his subordinates.
Yinreng thought that he was different from the emperor. He was still young and had unfulfilled ambitions. He was just enduring it for the time being. He could still bear it!
Thinking this, Yinreng revealed a confident smile and glanced at him, asking, "Has the Princess Consort of Prince Yong been brought in?"
Chen He hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, we have arrived at the Xiefang Palace. I presume the Crown Princess is comforting us."
Yinreng nodded and said, "Tell your mistress Cheng to go and comfort the wife of Prince Yong." He thought the Crown Princess was not the kind of person who would comfort people. Since he had decided to do a good deed for the fourth prince's family, he naturally wanted to do it perfectly.
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