After learning about these things, Jiaming couldn't help but wonder why the Heaven and Earth Society would go to such lengths to deal with the Fourth Prince after getting rid of the Crown Prince.
As for why she was also targeting Hongxuan, she figured it was also aimed at the Fourth Master. Otherwise, how would a mere kid like him know who was who?
But why is it that the other princes don't seem to be making any moves, while the Fourth Prince is causing such a commotion?
Could it be that there is something special about you that makes them so wary of you?
Upon thinking about this, an idea suddenly flashed into Jiaming's mind.
They know that the Fourth Prince is the next emperor, which is why they are now targeting him.
Just as Jiaming thought, a time-traveling man did indeed appear on the side of the Heaven and Earth Society, but unfortunately, he brought about his own demise not long afterward.
However, some of the words he left behind, though few, were still useful. For example, he said that the next emperor would be the fourth prince, who was a diligent emperor; and that the fourth prince of the Yongzheng Emperor would become the emperor after that, thus creating the Kangxi and Qianlong era of prosperity.
This gave the Heaven and Earth Society an opportunity to disrupt the Qing Dynasty: to eliminate these two potentially capable emperors ahead of time.
Perhaps the next emperor, and the emperor after that, will be easier to deal with.
Jiaming didn't know that the time-traveling man was already dead, so she was worried at first.
But thinking about the commotion in the capital these past few days, her heart calmed down again.
Even if they were targeted, so what? Xuan'er and Fourth Master both managed to evade them, didn't they? Besides, those people have already been exposed and can no longer operate in secret.
On the surface, Hongxuan and the Fourth Prince were always accompanied by many guards, which worried Jiaming.
Moreover, after realizing that someone was targeting him, given his intelligence and resourcefulness, he must have thought about how to deal with it.
After figuring it out, Jiaming stopped worrying about Fourth Master and Hongxuan. However, she was concerned about her youngest son, Hongjing. Although she hadn't targeted him before, things might change in the future.
So when Hongjing returned to Taoyuan on his day off, she specifically instructed him to take guards with him wherever he went in the future.
Before Jiaming could explain where the danger came from, the little guy interrupted her, saying, "Mother, I know and understand what you're trying to say. Don't worry, Father has also told me."
"It's good that your father told you!" Jiaming patted Hongjing's head and continued, "Then you can't forget what your father said."
"No, that won't do." Hongjing looked at Jiaming, speechless. "Mother, do you think I'm the kind of person who wouldn't value my own life?"
"Oh dear, Mother has misunderstood you!" Jiaming quickly apologized to Hongjing.
"Then Mother, you'll cook later. I'd like to order a couple more dishes," Hongjing quickly said, seizing the opportunity.
“…You…” Jiaming poked Hongjing’s forehead with her slender index finger and said helplessly, “If you can finish it, then you can order.”
Hongjing chuckled and said, "It's alright. If we can't finish it, we can give it to Sister Hongtao and Sister Lvliu, and then Xiao Hezi and the others can eat it too! Mother's cooking is delicious, and they like it too."
Red Peach and Green Willow, standing nearby, quickly nodded in agreement: "Our master's cooking is indeed excellent." They weren't flattering; it was the truth. Moreover, although they were eating their master's leftovers, in reality, these leftovers were far tastier than the meals they, the servants, were served.
Jiaming knew what the servants ate, but it wasn't as refined and delicious as what she specially made, so she nodded and said, "Then Hongjing, you can order!"
Hongjing quickly ordered six dishes, including two that Fourth Master liked. Jiaming immediately knew what was going on and said with certainty, "Your father is also coming to dine!"
Hongjing chuckled and said, "I knew Mother would know as soon as she heard it."
Sure enough, after Jiaming went to the small kitchen to get busy, Fourth Master came over.
When Fourth Master arrived at Peach Courtyard, he wasn't surprised not to see Jiaming. He knew she was probably busy in the small kitchen! After all, she always cooked whenever Hongjing returned from the front courtyard.
However, since Jiaming wasn't around, he wasn't bored. He went straight to Hongjing and asked him to play chess with him.
Hongjing sat down opposite Fourth Master with a bitter face.
The Fourth Prince's lips curled slightly, and he said with a pleased expression, "Father will give you seven sons."
Even though he was given the seven sons, Hongjing still had a bitter face.
"Father, we're just playing chess, so why punish me for losing?"
Fourth Master raised an eyebrow. "But since you won, I won't punish you. In fact, I'll even reward you with one tael of silver."
Hongjing frowned and said, "But Father, I can't beat you at all?"
“It’s alright. The more you play, the more likely you are to win. And even if you lose and your things are confiscated, they will only be temporarily kept by your father. Besides, your father doesn’t play chess with you every day. He only plays with you on your days off each month, when he’s with your mother.”
Hongjing thought to himself: What do you mean by "keeping it for a while"? Who knows how long "a while" is? Waaah, the thought of another thing leaving him, and not being able to take it out to look at it or wipe it clean from time to time, made his heart ache.
When Jiaming returned from the small kitchen, she saw the father and son sitting opposite each other playing chess. One had a slight smile on his lips, while the other had a bitter face and a furrowed brow.
"Jing'er has lost again!" Jiaming said with certainty as she approached Fourth Master and Hongjing.
Hongjing pursed his lips and didn't say anything.
Fourth Master said with a hint of pleasure, "That's right, I won again. Jing'er's chess skills have improved. Perhaps, after a while, I won't be able to give him a seven-piece handicap."
Upon hearing this, Hongjing's expression first lit up with joy, then quickly turned sour.
It will be several more months before he can beat Ama, which means he will lose for several more months, and that means he will lose a lot more.
The thought of so many things leaving him caused him immense pain!
When Fourth Master saw Hongjing like this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards slightly again.
However, he felt he shouldn't discourage the child too much, so he decided to give him a little treat.
"Once you win, everything you were punished with will be returned to you."
Upon hearing this, Hongjing immediately became very excited.
At the same time, I made up my mind that I must study the wall carefully.
Jiaming couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle as she watched how Fourth Master had managed to motivate Hongjing's enthusiasm for Go with just a few words.
This silly boy, who usually seems quite clever, was led by the nose by his father without even realizing it.
Fourth Master glared sharply at Jiaming, warning her not to ruin his plans.
Jiaming rolled her eyes at Fourth Master, thinking to herself: Does he really need a warning? She was happy to watch her son's downfall. Besides, she didn't think Hongjing would be oblivious. Moreover, given his personality, even if he realized it, he'd probably still fall into the trap.
After having his meal, Hongjing suddenly realized what had happened.
Just as Jiaming had expected, the little guy couldn't control himself when he thought of his father's promise that he would return everything to him if he won. He jumped into the trap that Fourth Master had dug for him and worked hard to study Go and improve his skills.
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