As evening approached, carriages sped out of the naval port. Fei Yanggu and E Shuo accompanied Li Dequan and headed back to Chengjin ahead of him.
Inside the carriage, the twins sat beside Qingyan. They sensed the tense atmosphere among the adults, but they didn't know what had happened.
"Fourth Prince, after we return to the capital, should we go back to the mansion first, or go to the palace first?" Qingyan glanced at Yin and asked her.
"No, let's go to the Yuanmingyuan first. Father Emperor should be in the Changchun Garden." After a moment's consideration, Yin thought it was more likely that Kangxi was in the Changchun Garden.
Qingyan was taken aback. Kangxi had returned to Changchun Garden?
"Why is Father Emperor at Changchun Garden?" Qingyan asked.
After the twins went behind the screen, Qingyan finally asked what was going on. Hafeng was still fast asleep in the cradle beside them.
The carriage was going much faster than when it left the capital. Qingyan was worried that the three little ones wouldn't be able to adapt and would get carsick. Hafeng'a was the youngest, and Yin and Qingyan were especially worried about him.
The carriage had been speeding along the official road for several hours, and Hafeng was fast asleep inside, showing no signs of waking up at all.
"Little darling, don't worry, Father Emperor will send Anda over, probably to prepare for the worst!" Yin knew Kangxi well. Under normal circumstances, he would make the worst-case scenario plan. Back then, when he subdued Oboi and abolished the Three Feudatories, Kangxi did the same.
Qingyan expressed his doubts, and even Fei Yanggu and the other two were urgently summoned back to the capital, which was definitely not a trivial matter.
In the capital city, thousands of miles away, all the official residences within the nine gates were tightly shut. The women no longer visited each other as usual. Seeing that the heads of the household all had solemn expressions, they dared not go out.
Two days prior, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict ordering him to move to the Yuanmingyuan Garden with the Empress Dowager, Consort Tong, and Consort Hui.
This unusual imperial edict sent a chill down everyone's spine. The sudden disappearance of Li Dequan, who was by Kangxi's side, made them even more uneasy.
The Prime Minister decided to launch the coup ahead of schedule. His subordinates reported that they were not ready, and the scheduled date would be the earliest they could do so.
Now, Prime Minister Suo has staked the entire future of the Hesheli clan on this. Emperor Kangxi recently caught a cold, and the imperial physician, following Kangxi's instructions, directly stated that Kangxi's health was not good. Prime Minister Suo immediately came up with this idea.
"Xuan Ye, are you sure that person will really take the bait?" Consort Tong asked Kangxi.
Emperor Kangxi was also deeply saddened. The Crown Prince was the only imperial prince he had raised and cared for, and also the only surviving legitimate son of his. Now, he had to give up on him and even eradicate the Hesheli clan.
"Lanya, if Hesheli were here, she would probably say I'm heartless." Kangxi originally didn't want to marry Hesheli and wanted to leave the Empress's position vacant for a few years so that Lanya could enter the palace. However, Sony's 'coercion' led the Grand Empress Dowager to reach an agreement with Sony, and Kangxi had no choice but to marry Hesheli.
Although they were a young couple, Emperor Kangxi always regarded Empress Heseri as merely someone who managed palace power.
"No, when Empress Heseri was alive, she always restrained the family and even told me that no matter how high a position you reach, you must understand that your family is Aisin Gioro, and this vast palace!" Consort Tong also followed Empress Heseri's example and rarely interfered in family affairs.
Kangxi began to have some doubts. Was this really the right thing to do?
"Should we say something to the Empress Dowager?" Consort Tong was most worried about the Empress Dowager.
Since the Empress Dowager left, the Empress Dowager has always kept the Empress Dowager's orders in mind and has always helped the Crown Prince.
In recent years, the Crown Prince has really caused a lot of trouble, directly trampling on the dignity of the royal family, but the Empress Dowager has always protected him.
"No need, the Empress Dowager will definitely say that it was all done by Prime Minister Suo alone!" Kangxi was also heartbroken; all his years of education had been completely in vain.
Consort Tong leaned on Emperor Kangxi's shoulder, looking at the memorials in his hand, all of which were reports from the Imperial Guards regarding the situation of the Hesheli clan.
Suo is really crazy.
"I was just testing him. How could a piece of news without any confirmation drive Suo'etu so crazy!" Kangxi was heartbroken. Suo'etu was a minister who had served him for many years and whom he had once relied on.
Consort Tong remained silent. This matter involved the Crown Prince, and the more she said, the more mistakes she would make.
A quarter of an hour later, Kangxi vented his dissatisfaction and disappointment with the crown prince, and his mood gradually improved as he thought of the remaining children.
"I bet the fourth prince is cursing me in his heart. I originally planned to let him train in the naval port for a while, but now I'm going to call him back directly!" Kangxi laughed helplessly.
"No, the Fourth Prince will definitely prioritize your safety!" Consort Tong shook her head, though Yin might genuinely feel remorseful.
"It's good that the fourth prince is like this. It seems that you are good at teaching children!" Kangxi said with emotion. "The thirteenth and fourteenth princes have also gained a lot of experience in the naval port, and the tenth prince can now stand on his own."
When it came to educating his children, Emperor Kangxi had to admit that Consort Tong had done a much better job than he had.
"Shouldn't I be disciplining the children? You've just been too busy and have overlooked some details. I think it's good that the fourth prince can work hard with his younger brothers!" Consort Tong comforted Emperor Kangxi from the side.
Since the imperial guards delivered the news that Empress Heseri was plotting a rebellion, Emperor Kangxi had been deeply distressed these past few days.
"Some time ago, I noticed that something was wrong with the Crown Prince. After being married for many years, he has actually been involved in a scandal of domestic violence against the Crown Princess. This..." Kangxi slammed his right hand heavily on the table.
"Xuan Ye, we agreed to forget about that matter. Does the Crown Prince not explain that he has forgotten? He really did drink too much that day." Consort Tong did not believe that the Crown Prince could have drunk too much.
The Crown Prince was a well-mannered child from a young age. In his youth, he was gentle and refined, and to outsiders, he was undoubtedly the only candidate to inherit the throne.
In recent years, Emperor Kangxi may have become increasingly power-hungry, and he has also developed some suspicions about his adult sons.
Now, Yin and the others are all very obedient, appearing to be filial to Kangxi, as if they are not saddened by these powers.
"Forget it, there's no use talking about it. The Crown Prince is beyond redemption anyway!" Kangxi sighed.
“Children need to be taught slowly. Back when you were the same age as the Crown Prince, weren’t you also scolded by your maternal grandmother?” Consort Tong remembered that Emperor Kangxi was often summoned to Cining Palace by the Empress Dowager, and she was no exception.
"Back then, my mistakes were all ordinary ones, unlike Bao Cheng's!" Kangxi felt a surge of emotion.
"We agreed that we came out to relax and would never talk about the Crown Prince again!" Consort Tong said directly.
Emperor Kangxi sighed. There were very few people around him who could share his worries, and Consort Tong was probably the only one.
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