Unexpectedly, everything Yinxiang had guessed correctly.
Yinzhen's men acted quickly, and within four days they uncovered all the things Hongshi had done behind Yinzhen's back while he was busy with other matters.
After reading his subordinates' reports, Yinzhen summoned Hongshi to him by Gao Wuyong.
A silence fell over the study, with Gao Wuyong personally guarding the door.
Yinzhen tossed the memorial in his hand to Hongshi and asked:
"Tell me, did you do all these things?"
"If the son says no, will Father believe him?"
Although Hongshi kept his head down, his tone was neither humble nor arrogant.
"Just tell me, did you do these things or not?"
“Ama did not believe in his son at first.”
To Yinzhen, Hongshi's words were completely evasive.
But he wasn't annoyed; instead, he patiently asked one last time.
“It was all done by my son, so Father should punish him.”
After saying that, Hongshi knelt down on the ground.
When Yinzhen heard Hongshi admit it, he felt a mix of emotions. When exactly did this son drift further and further away from him?
"Are you aware of the consequences of doing this?"
"My son accepts the punishment."
Every sentence he uttered expressed his acceptance of the punishment, and every sentence was neither humble nor arrogant.
"Gao Wuyong, send Hongshi back. Without my permission, he is not allowed to see anyone."
"Yes, sir."
Hongshi kowtowed to Yinzhen, but when he looked up, Yinzhen had already turned away.
He gave a wry smile, then followed Gao Wuyong outside.
As soon as he stepped out, he bumped into Li Jingshu, who was rushing over.
"Mother? What brings you here?"
Li Jingshu stepped forward and checked from all sides:
"Son, did your father hit you? Where are you hurt?"
Gao Wuyong said from the side:
"Don't worry, Consort, the Prince hasn't touched the Prince in the slightest."
Li Jingshu wanted to say something more, but Hongshi stopped her:
"Mother, I have other matters to attend to, so I will not stay any longer today. I will bring your wife to pay our respects another day."
Knowing that her son was not comfortable talking about it, Li Jingshu could only give up for the time being.
After Hongshi and Gao Wuyong left one after the other, Li Jingshu ignored the servants' attempts to stop her and forced her way in.
"My lord, I have failed in my duty to raise my son. Please punish me."
"Nonsense. Go back now."
"I have failed in my duty to raise my son, and I beg you to punish me, my lord."
Li Jingshu neither asked nor explained, but simply repeated this sentence.
Yinzhen was also in a fit of anger:
"Since you're willing to kneel, then kneel here."
Yinzhen then left, leaving Li Jingshu slumped on the floor in the study.
Yinzhen did not leave the mansion, but came to Geng Youran's place.
He himself didn't know why, but whenever he encountered something that annoyed him, the first person he thought of was Geng Youran.
"Your Highness? Why didn't you have someone inform you of your arrival beforehand?"
When Yinzhen arrived, Geng Youran was drying fruit with Qianxue in the courtyard.
Seeing that Gao Wuyong was not by Yinzhen's side, Geng Youran guessed that something big must have happened.
"My lord, it's cold outside. Please come inside and sit down. I'll go make some tea right away."
After the tea was brewed, Geng Youran did not let Qianxue follow her, but instead carried the tray into the house herself.
"Sir, here's some freshly brewed tea and some 'plum blossom cakes,' please have a taste."
Yinzhen leaned against the couch with his eyes closed and did not get up, but Geng Youran knew that Yinzhen was not asleep.
Seeing the dark circles under Yinzhen's eyes, Geng Youran took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and came to Yinzhen's side to massage his head.
"You Ran, has Hong Zhou come back recently?"
"No. But if this child comes back, you'll be the first to know."
Yinzhen sighed wearily and pressed the hand on his shoulder:
"You Ran, do you think Master is strict with Hong Zhou?"
"In my opinion, Hongzhou is a free spirit and not someone who is easy to obey. It is only right that Your Highness is strict with him."
“Hongshi, back then, I only had this one son. Hongyun and Hongpan died young, so I had high hopes for him. And he certainly did not disappoint me. Later, Hongli and Hongzhou were born. The two children are no less talented than Hongshi, and even more outstanding. As you know, Father Emperor likes Hongli.”
Geng Youran remained silent, so Yinzhen continued speaking.
“Hongli is talented and hardworking. Hongzhou is mischievous, but he has no bad intentions. The two brothers have a good relationship, and you and Wanru have both contributed to this. As for Hongshi, he is easily influenced and lacks judgment, which puts me in a difficult position.”
"My lord, there is something I am unsure whether I should say."
"explain."
“I practically watched Hongshi grow up. This child lost his brothers and sisters, and was treated so badly by the concubine in his childhood. It's a miracle he grew up safely. If it weren't for the pressure you and Sister Li put on him back then, Hongshi might not have become so unrecognizable now. And…”
As a woman confined to the inner palace, she was not supposed to interfere in the affairs of the princes.
"Go on, I won't blame you if you're wrong."
"Thank you, Your Highness. I think you might have really misunderstood Hongshi this time. It's true that Hongshi is easily swayed, but that's also why he was deceived. To say that he has no ambition for the position of heir is just me deceiving myself, but Hongshi would never harm Your Highness for the position of heir."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen recalled what he had seen earlier that day. He had been so angry at the time that he had overlooked some details.
For example, the officials who were on good terms with Hongshi, the masterminds behind these things, and the ultimate beneficiaries of these things.
"Gao Wuyong, go to Consort Li's place."
"Yes, sir!"
Yinzhen quickly got up, just as Qianxue came in carrying the dishes.
Qianxue stared blankly at the prince's retreating figure for a moment, then looked at Geng Youran:
"Princess, why did the Prince leave? He hasn't eaten yet."
"It's alright, let's eat. The prince remembered he had some things to do and left first."
Seeing that her master's expression remained unchanged, Qianxue felt relieved.
On the other side, Yinzhen quickly arrived at Li Jingshu's courtyard.
"Gao Wuyong, I'm going to check on Hongshi. You go and tell the concubine that she's not allowed to come over without my permission."
"Yes, sir."
Gao Wuyong stopped Li Jingshu, who had received the news, while Yinzhen went to the side courtyard where Hongshi was being held.
"Your Highness!"
The guards at the door saw Yinzhen arrive and quickly bowed. Hongshi, who was inside the room, naturally heard the noise as well.
"The son greets his father."
Yinzhen did not let Hongshi get up. He went into the room and sat in the seat of honor, and Hongshi followed suit.
The two guards at the door were quite perceptive and closed the door from the outside.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
At this moment, Yinzhen's tone was calm, his initial anger gone. Hongshi, on the other hand, was puzzled as to why his father would come over and ask him the same question again.
This time, Hongshi did not throw a tantrum, but instead told Yinzhen the whole story.
After hearing everything, Yinzhen finally understood that Hongshi had been used to provoke and anger him.
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