Under the tearful complaints of the Third Prince's wife, Kangxi also revealed his helplessness. Yinzhi had really gone too far astray this time. Xilian's identity had been investigated, and Li Xu was involved. The relationship between the Crown Prince and Li Xu was too close. Kangxi was not sure if the Crown Prince had given instructions for this matter.
After a series of questions, the Crown Prince began to break out in a cold sweat. It turned out that Kangxi suspected him.
"I have arranged for Imperial Physician Liu to help Yinzhi quit those things. You can take care of him from the side. Xilian cannot be kept. Su Peisheng, have someone bring Xilian here!" Kangxi sent the Third Princess Consort to take care of Yinzhi, while Li Dequan went out to find Xilian.
"You may all rise." Kangxi was helpless. This was a scandal for the royal family. If another one of his sons were to have such an incident, the royal family would lose all face.
"Yes!" Everyone stood up and took their seats.
Consort Tong, standing above, began to counsel everyone, speaking with great tact and making it clear to everyone what the punishment would be if Yin Zhi's situation were to repeat itself.
Soon, Li Dequan brought Xi Lian in. When Qing Yan saw Xi Lian again, he found that she had changed a lot. She was no longer wearing the ordinary clothes of a palace maid, but instead wearing a peach-colored palace dress and an expensive kingfisher feather headdress. These were things that only a prince's concubine would have.
"You audacious servant, do you know your mistake!" Kangxi was furious with Xilian; this woman had ruined Yinzhi.
Yinzhi could have become the most popular prince among the Qing Dynasty's civil officials, but now, all of that is in the hands of this servant girl.
Xi Lian looked at Kangxi with a pitiful expression, as if everyone else was behind it and she was the one who was wronged.
"This servant has no choice. I don't know where Third Master got these things from, but if this servant doesn't obey, he gets extremely irritable!" Xi Lian knew that if she admitted it, then the family would truly be beyond saving.
Li Xu secretly sent a message: if they insisted they knew nothing, the Li family could still turn things around.
Upon hearing this, Qingyan looked at Xilian in surprise. This woman really knew how to argue. If there was no real evidence, how could Kangxi have been moved?
"Do you think the royal family are fools? Li Xu's methods are quite shrewd. From jumping into the lake to meeting Yin Zhi, each step is meticulously planned and flawless." Consort Tong tightly grasped Kangxi's left hand, urging him not to get angry.
Consort Tong's question made Xi Lian glare angrily at Yin and Qing Yan. If these two hadn't taken the bait, how could she have been punished?
"You still blame the Fourth Prince and his wife? If they had let me succeed, the Third Prince wouldn't have suffered." Xi Lian's unrepentant appearance angered Kangxi.
Their guess was correct; these people's target was not Yinzhi, but rather Yin or the two children.
"Who was your initial target?" Qingyan asked.
"It's Yiken'e!" Xilian knew she really couldn't escape this time; Kangxi's expression made her understand everything.
If she could, Xilian would only wish for a quick and painless death, rather than a fate worse than death.
"That's quite straightforward. Do you intend to use this method to control Yiken'e?" Yin sneered.
"No, it's to silence her!" Xi Lian received Li Xu's order to let Yi Ken'e die slowly.
"Who else?" Yin asked.
“There are three people: Yiken’e, Duoxihun, and Hafeng’a!” Xilian no longer concealed anything; these rules were meant for the living.
Bang!
Emperor Kangxi smashed the cup in his hand. It turned out that the emperor had only three legitimate sons, which clearly showed that he did not want the royal family to have any legitimate sons.
"Whose idea was this!" Kangxi asked ominously.
He was worried that this idea came from the Crown Prince. Yin and Yin had two legitimate sons, and Yin even had two legitimate sons, while the Crown Prince's Western Xia only had illegitimate sons.
"Yes... Your Highness!" Xi Lian obeyed Li Xu's arrangement and shifted all the blame onto the Crown Prince.
What?
The princes were all shocked and looked at the crown prince in disbelief.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I would never lay a hand on my brothers and nephews!" The Crown Prince's eyes were red with anger; this time, he had truly been framed.
Previously, Emperor Kangxi had warned the Crown Prince that if he were to harm his brothers or nephews again, Kangxi would absolutely not let him off the hook.
“Your Highness, it was you who spoke to Father. Otherwise, why would Father reply to me?” Xi Lian took out the letter from her purse that she had used to contact Li Xu.
Li Dequan walked over, took the letter directly, and handed it to Kangxi.
Kangxi opened the letter and quickly skimmed through it. It not only specified the amount of "medicine" to be administered each time, but also the Crown Prince's intentions. None of this could be used as evidence to frame the Crown Prince.
"Crown Prince..." Kangxi was extremely disappointed in the Crown Prince.
"Father, I have never corresponded with Lord Li Xu!" the Crown Prince quickly said.
Those letters were definitely forged. The Crown Prince was a very cautious person. Even when he communicated with Li Xu, he did so through the Crown Prince's tutor. There was no direct evidence at all.
“You didn’t correspond. Father said it was just a verbal agreement. If anything happens, the Crown Prince’s tutor will help make the contact!” Xi Lian received Li Xu’s last letter, which detailed how to push things onto the Crown Prince.
Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince?
Everyone looked at the Crown Prince, hoping he would give an answer.
Kangxi looked at the Crown Prince, his mind in turmoil. He had previously felt that the Crown Prince's actions were becoming increasingly chaotic, and had even replaced the Crown Prince's tutor.
"Hehe, what you said is interesting. The Crown Prince's tutor has only been in office for two months. How could he contact you?" The Crown Prince seized the opportunity to ask. "The previous Crown Prince's tutor didn't have time to come to Jiangnan at all. How did he get to know Li Xu?"
As the Crown Prince raised one problem after another, Xi Lian began to waver, trying hard to recall what was written in the letter.
"Tell the truth!" Kangxi noticed Xilian's shifty eyes and released some imperial pressure, hoping to force Xilian to tell the truth.
"I'm telling the truth!" Xi Lian quickly denied.
Qingyan listened and also felt a little strange. Every word Xilian said should be true.
"Your Highness, your answer!" Kangxi asked, looking at the Crown Prince.
"Your subject can only say that you are innocent. Since I came of age, the Crown Prince's tutor has been bedridden with illness and rarely appears in Yuqing Palace. This year, Father Emperor replaced the Crown Prince's tutor after the New Year. This person is not very familiar with me. If what this servant said is true, then your subject is very capable, able to know who Father Emperor has chosen!" The Crown Prince naturally refuted.
Xi Lian was stunned. The letters that Li Xu obtained were probably all prepared by the Crown Prince as a backup plan, and could not be considered evidence at all.
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