Chapter 1871 The Empress Dowager's Outburst
As the search party of guards returned, the faces of Kangxi and the others turned extremely gloomy. Yinzhen was even more furious, for whoever did it was clearly a show of defiance.
"Father, please return to the capital first. Leave things here to my elder brother." Yinzhen did not want Kangxi to suffer any harm.
As soon as she finished speaking, the Third Princess Consort knelt down at Yinzhen's feet, one hand still tightly gripping Yinzhen's trouser leg, a hint of calculation flashing in her eyes.
"Fourth brother, please, for the sake of the Emperor being your elder brother, save him. He truly has no intention of competing with you for the position." As soon as the Third Princess Consort spoke, even Emperor Kangxi frowned, his heart churning with anger.
After taking a deep breath, Yinzhen looked at Qingyan and asked her to help the Third Princess Consort up.
"Third Sister-in-law, you're being too kind to me!" Qingyan sneered. "You should know that I've always cared most about my brothers. Have I ever neglected any of them?"
The other princes' wives followed suit and spoke at the banquet. Even the Ninth and Tenth Princes' wives expressed their opinions. Many officials' wives switched sides and no longer stood behind the Third Prince's wife.
The Third Prince's wife was filled with regret. Why hadn't she had someone keep an eye on Qingyan? She could have easily damaged Yinzhen's reputation.
"Yes, eldest brother, this matter is entrusted to you. Ninth brother, you and tenth brother, lend a hand here." Kangxi gave the order.
Kangxi had a good idea of what was going on today. Several of his sons were involved, and they had all come over. It was possible that it was either Yinzhi or Yinsi.
"Third wife, don't panic when things happen. If even the primary wife is flustered and loses her composure, what will become of the servants below?" Consort Tong said coldly, looking at the Third Princess.
The Third Prince's wife was stunned. Consort Tong rarely interfered in the affairs of the princes' harems, and even less so with the people in the Fourth Prince's residence.
"My dear mother, am I wrong to worry about the master's safety?" The Third Princess Consort sneered. "It seems that the Fourth Master is alright, so of course you're not worried. If you were worried, would you say that?"
Consort Tong was speechless, her face instantly turning pale, and she even felt that the Third Prince's wife was clearly making a show of defiance.
"Dong'e clan..." The Empress Dowager's voice rang out from behind the crowd, "You are all the same, never repenting. You always blame others for the mistakes."
The Empress Dowager's resentment made everyone afraid to speak recklessly, and they became even more troubled and anxious.
"Your Majesty, please sit down. What is it? Just tell me, and I will do as you say," Kangxi said, having not seen the Empress Dowager angry for many years.
The Empress Dowager was helped to sit down by Emperor Kangxi, and her face looked even more unpleasant.
"Your Majesty, what exactly happened? This morning, the wives of the imperial family came to me crying, saying that something had happened to their husbands." The Empress Dowager turned her head and said.
The tent fell completely silent. Qingyan sat on the left and, upon hearing the Empress Dowager's question, began to have some thoughts. This matter might require Yinzhen's personal attention.
"Fourth Prince, I'm entrusting this matter to you. Before we leave, can you find the person and bring them back?" the Empress Dowager asked, looking at Yinzhen.
Among them were members of the imperial clan with whom the Empress Dowager had known for decades, so she would be somewhat attentive to them.
“Grandma, your grandson can definitely help you find it,” Yinzhen quickly stepped forward and said.
The Empress Dowager was very happy. As long as Yinzhen agreed, that was fine. Kangxi had said that Yinti and Yintang should handle it, but he was worried that the princes might get involved, and Yinzhen would definitely have a hard time resolving it.
"Your Majesty, I was thinking of having the eldest and ninth princes handle this, while the fourth prince will go with them to pay respects to our ancestors," Kangxi said to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager shook her head: "Others may not be able to handle this. Let the fourth prince go. I'd rather see who dares to be so audacious."
The Third Prince's wife knelt on the ground. Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, she became nervous. This clearly meant... a thorough investigation was about to begin. Yinzhen was the next emperor, and if any problems were found, Yinzhen would certainly not give him a position of importance.
"Yes, grandson will go investigate now. Little darling, you stay here with Grandmother." Yinzhen said to Qingyan.
"No, let Xiao Guai go with you." The Empress Dowager quickly shook her head. "The two children can stay with me."
Upon hearing this, Qingyan quickly stood up to express her gratitude. It was safest for the twins to stay by the Empress Dowager's side, and since Hafeng was too young, it was best for Qingyan to stay with him.
The two quickly left with their child, followed closely by the two couples, Yinti and Yintang, with their three or four carriages nestled in the middle.
"Little darling, we'll be using different identities to check into the inn later," Yinzhen said to Qingyan.
"Why are we being asked to join in?" Qingyan asked curiously.
The Empress Dowager was very careful about this issue and would never allow Yinzhen to stand out in front of Emperor Kangxi.
"Father has already decided to abdicate, and I will be the next one... These matters will be handled by selecting the most capable people. Grandmother has definitely chosen someone." Yinzhen understood the Empress Dowager's thoughts, which is why he did this.
Qingyan leaned against Yinzhen's chest, pondering the events of the past few days. It must be said that Kangxi was very lenient with his son, and the Empress Dowager hoped even more that Yinzhen could avoid some detours.
“We should be grateful to the Empress Dowager. My eldest brother and the Ninth Prince both glanced in my direction when they received the decree. They must have had some suspicions. If I’m not mistaken, this is definitely related to the Eighth Prince. I don’t know why the Third Prince agreed.” Yinzhen tapped the table with his hand, his face showing a solemn expression.
They were preparing to return to Beijing, but the Ban Jin Festival was to be held outside the Great Wall, and Emperor Kangxi even hoped to hold a coronation ceremony there.
Back then, the Empress Dowager once said that since Kangxi did not return to the area outside the Great Wall to ascend the throne, Kangxi would certainly not allow his son to be wronged like that again.
Kangxi's words put the Ministry of Rites into a frenzy, allowing Yinzhi and Yinsi to seize the opportunity to plan this event.
"Fourth Prince, what do you think we should do to expose this to Father Emperor?" Qingyan understood Kangxi's thoughts; he didn't want his sons to cause trouble and hoped they could coexist peacefully.
"It's not about exposing them, it's about me doing it myself. Father Emperor is no longer going to interfere," Yinzhen sneered.
Yinzhi and Yinsi imprisoned many members of the imperial clan, which undoubtedly struck a nerve with Kangxi. Even though he had chosen an heir, these people still wanted to cause trouble later.
"Little darling, we need to rescue the members of the imperial clan safely first. Grandmother Empress gave us a hint that these members are the most important." Yinzhen was grateful; the Empress Dowager had always helped them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
