As evening approached, Emperor Kangxi attended to the arrival of the Empress Dowager. The Crown Prince led the princes, and Fuquan led the members of the imperial clan, kneeling on the left and right sides.
"Let's begin the kowtow," Kangxi waved his hand. "I heard a lot of noise coming from inside the tent just now, what's going on?"
Kangxi received the news early and heard the argument inside the imperial tent. Beside Yiken'e, Batu Buhe lowered his head and dared not look up at Kangxi.
Batu Buhe feared that Emperor Kangxi would see him as the source of trouble, so before the old prince passed away, he specifically warned Batu Buhe that no matter what the circumstances, he must live.
"Father, we have some issues that we need to discuss," the Crown Prince quickly stepped forward, hoping that Emperor Kangxi would not pursue the matter further.
Emperor Kangxi was slightly taken aback. The Crown Prince had actually stepped forward?
"Elder, what exactly happened?" Kangxi looked at Yinti, as if to see what was wrong with him.
Yinti thought for a moment, glanced at the Crown Prince, and finally decided to tell the truth.
When the truth came out, everyone was shocked. Yinti hadn't even considered the Crown Prince's feelings and had come out directly.
Batu Buhe trembled upon hearing what Yinti said. The Crown Prince...
Everyone knows how deep Kangxi's feelings for the Crown Prince were. He wasn't sure he could stand up to the Crown Prince, and he didn't want to implicate Yinzhen because of this.
"Fourth Prince, take good care of Batu Buhe. You must protect the Empress Dowager's doubts." Kangxi looked at that figure and could only sigh.
The Crown Prince laughed awkwardly: "Fourth Prince, even if you do, the Empress Dowager will insist on seeing Batu Buhe, but I will not."
Yinzhen remained silent, and Qingyan sneered. The Crown Prince was probably shifting all the blame onto Yinzhen, and he himself was definitely at a loss.
Yiken squeezed Batubuhe's hand, telling him not to interfere anymore, as Kangxi would investigate the matter.
"Let the banquet begin!" Kangxi glanced at Li Dequan, who then immediately gave the order.
The servants carried the food into the room in rows and placed it on the table in front of the men. In front of Batubuhe were rows of vegetarian dishes.
Qingyan took a closer look at Batubuhe's meal and only turned back after discovering that it was vegetarian.
"Good boy, I specifically instructed them, no one will make a mistake!" Yinzhen was still worried, so he gave further instructions to the people in the imperial kitchen.
In fact, someone planned to use this family banquet to cause trouble, hoping that Yinzhen and Qingyan would be punished by Kangxi. If Batu Buhe came to the banquet to receive guests, and there was a dish of meat with noodles, Yinzhen and Qingyan would definitely not have taken good care of it.
"I noticed that Batu Buhe's meals are all vegetarian. Fourth Prince, the child is still young. It's not good for you to follow the rules like this. It will affect Batu Buhe's growth. If there is even the slightest problem, how will you explain it to the old prince?" Kangxi specially sent Li Dequan to Batu Buhe's side. After discovering the vegetarian meals, Kangxi spoke directly.
"Your Majesty, Batu Buhe has just completed his hundred-day mourning period, so... Your Majesty, I am doing this according to the rules." Yinzhen was helpless. Kangxi would definitely turn this situation around. After all, if Batu Buhe really had health problems, the Mongol leader might use this incident to cause trouble.
"Yes, this is the last time. If something goes wrong, there's still some leniency beyond the rules," Kangxi said directly.
Yinzhen nodded: "Yes!"
Back in his seat, Yinzhen smiled at Qingyan and gave her an approving look.
Previously, they had discussed that if a similar incident occurred, they must obtain a personal promise from Emperor Kangxi, and the censors dared not utter a single word.
Although Yinzhen was criticized, a huge weight was lifted from his heart, and Qingyan happily watched Batu Buhe's performance.
"Fourth Brother, should we give Batubuhen a meal?" Qingyan asked in a low voice.
“Not for now. I remember Batu Buhe likes Dongpo pork. Didn’t you specially have someone make vegetarian food for him?” Yinzhen watched as Batu Buhe opened the bowl and saw the vegetarian Dongpo pork inside, which was emitting the same aroma as Dongpo pork.
Huh!
One of Yinzhi's princesses looked at Batubuhe's dining table with surprise; the food there was really good.
"Fourth brother, is all the food on Batubuhe's table vegetarian?" Yin Zhi asked.
"Of course, these were all made by the imperial chefs. I was just broadcasting them to him," Yinzhen replied directly.
Qingyan sat in front, quietly eating her food, not giving the Third Princess Consort a chance to speak, and watched the singing and dancing in the hall.
Batubuhe was only concerned with the food in front of him; the singing and dancing inside the palace were not his concern.
Batu Buhe was filled with gratitude for the absence of Yinzhen and Qingyan from Emperor Kangxi.
As midnight approached, the banquet came to a complete end. Batu Buhe was personally carried out of the tent by Yinzhen. The three children were already fast asleep. Yiken'e was held by Erlu, while Qingyan held Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen.
"Fourth brother, please wait!" The crown prince's voice rang out from behind a family member.
Yinzhen turned to the Crown Prince and greeted him directly.
Regardless of who it is, everyone now treats the Crown Prince as if he were still in power, and they greet him according to the rules for the heir apparent. Kangxi didn't say anything more, so they could only do it the way they always have.
"Get up and have someone take the three children to the tent. Shouldn't we two have a proper talk?" the Crown Prince asked Yinzhen.
“Your Highness, the children are asleep right now. If someone else were to hold them, they would definitely wake up.” Yinzhen resolutely rejected the Crown Prince’s offer.
After bowing to the Crown Prince, Yinzhen left with Qingyan and the children.
The Crown Prince stood there, coldly watching Yinzhen's departing figure, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
It seems that Yinzhen has grown up and is actually able to raise Batu Buhe. Why didn't such a good thing happen to him?
"Your Highness, shall we go back?" The Crown Princess appeared behind the Crown Prince. Since the Crown Prince left, she had received a lot of 'care' from the wives of the imperial family in the tent.
"Let's go." The Crown Prince nodded; the Crown Princess was clearly being made things difficult for him.
"Was there anything unusual about Batubuhe's meal today?" the Crown Prince asked in a low voice.
The Crown Princess quickly shook her head: "It's true that everything is vegetarian. Even the Dongpo pork that Third Master was nitpicking about was made with winter melon."
The Crown Prince felt a pang of regret. Yinzhen was an extremely disciplined man who would never leave anyone with even the slightest weakness.
"Alright, let's keep an eye on things elsewhere. Fourth Prince won't let the children suffer any injustice." The Crown Princess glanced at the Mongol leaders preparing to pass by and quickly changed the subject.
The Crown Prince was completely bewildered. What did the Crown Princess mean by that?
"What is it now?" The Crown Prince's face was very grim. He turned to look at the Crown Princess, and as he turned away, he saw the Mongol leaders looking in their direction. "Let's go!"
The Crown Prince was determined not to admit his mistake. When Yin heard about the matter between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, a sinister smile appeared on his face.
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