Listening to Hongzhao's lively and energetic rambling about the interesting things happening in the manor, Hongyan and Honghui's tense minds, which were usually in the palace, gradually relaxed.
They were still just kids, but they had long been aware of the tense atmosphere in the palace and the undercurrents beneath the surface.
Not only were the palace servants in the Qianqing Palace affected, but even some of the concubines they had seen before in the inner palace had disappeared without a trace.
The Haha Beads around him dared not inquire about the news, but they knew roughly how many people had died each day.
When they first heard that about ten people had died, they were so scared that they couldn't sleep for nights on end.
Even though they were of noble birth, they still didn't expect it to take someone's life.
Later, this number gradually increased, becoming twenty, thirty, fifty...
Hongyan found it terrifying.
But what's even more terrifying than the deaths of these people is that even though so many people die every day, the other brothers, the ladies in the harem, and Consort De all act as if they know nothing about it, still smiling every day as if nothing has happened.
Even if they showed concern, it was only for the Emperor's health. No one asked where the executed palace servants had gone, and no one cared whether they had any relatives left.
It's as if these people's lives are worthless in their eyes.
Even Hongyan himself didn't dare to ask, and didn't even dare to mention it to Consort De, who seemed to love them very much.
For some reason, he just knew he shouldn't ask.
This is perhaps the rule of survival in the imperial palace.
He disliked the rule and even felt a deep aversion to the palace.
Lying in bed at night, he would secretly open the window and look out. Yonghe Palace did not have the custom of lighting a candle at the entrance; only his mother's place and Qingzhi Courtyard did.
Even late at night, there is always a candle burning at the entrance of Qingzhi Courtyard for illumination.
The palace at night is nothing but endless darkness.
This darkness is like a whirlpool; the more you look, the more you feel you'll be drawn in. It's also like a monster, lurking somewhere, waiting to devour you the moment you peek out, leaving you with no place to bury your body.
Hongyan dared not look any longer, feeling as if he was about to suffocate and drown.
He rolled over, lay face down on the bed, and buried his face deep in the pillow, tears seeping directly into it.
Why is he crying?
He didn't know.
He just felt a tightness in his chest, a sense of unease. He wasn't afraid of being hurt; he was the emperor's grandson.
But the thought of the hundreds of people who lost their lives for no apparent reason made him feel a tightness in his chest.
He had seen one of the eunuchs before, and had even spoken to him.
It was at the palace banquet earlier that he served himself food.
Hongyan discovered that he was very clever. He could accurately detect which dish Hongyan glanced at for a second longer or paused for a second longer, and then pick it up for him.
When she was pouring tea, she accidentally wet her sleeves, and he took her to change her clothes and served her attentively.
Snow was falling outside. He paused for a moment and unconsciously recited: "In the snow, one already knows that spring is coming."
The little eunuch could actually recite the next line without hesitation: "The winter plum blossoms adorn the jade-like branches."
Hongyan was surprised that this eunuch was so knowledgeable, and couldn't help but look at him for a moment longer. Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he simply lowered his head and dared not look at him again.
Later, I heard that his tongue was cut out by Liang Jiugong's apprentice, a man in the imperial court, and that he was either thrown into a mass grave or sent to the Imperial Prison.
There was also a palace maid.
While I was playing with my brothers in the Qianqing Palace, I went to relieve myself by myself. On my way back, I almost couldn't find my way back, and it was that older sister who led me back.
Hongyan clearly remembered that she had a small red mole on her forehead.
She was later beaten to death for failing to serve tea properly.
After crying, Hongyan thought to himself that he absolutely did not want to become like his grandfather.
He knows that "the higher you climb, the colder it gets," but he will never become a hot-tempered person that he himself cannot recognize.
Now that he had finally escaped the palace and saw his familiar father and brother, he almost burst into tears, but he held back.
Listening to his younger brother's innocent and adorable words, and hearing about all the interesting things that happened in Qingzhi Courtyard, he finally felt like he had returned to the mortal world.
Standing on the ground feels so reassuring.
Honghui went to the main courtyard, and Hongyan went to Qingzhi Courtyard with his father and younger brother.
Changning had already prepared a large table of dishes.
Seeing her son, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, looking much more tired, Changning felt a pang of heartache and quickly hugged Hongyan in her arms: "Hongyan, what's wrong? Are you exhausted?"
Upon seeing his mother again and feeling the warmth of her embrace, and with the care of his closest person, Hongyan could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
Hongzhao and Hutuli were both stunned. They wanted to comfort each other but didn't know what to say. Yinzhen guessed what was going on and took the two children outside, giving the mother and children some space.
Changning was also quite at a loss. Was her son frightened by that old Kangxi?
Honestly, I don't know if he's getting senile, he's been acting crazy a lot lately.
So many people died in the palace, but it was actually kept well hidden, and outsiders didn't know the details. However, the Fucha family had so many spies in the palace, so they naturally knew.
Emperor Kangxi was harmed by a nightmare, and he probably also has some kind of mental illness. Now he is becoming increasingly suspicious, and he kills people on the slightest whim, even over the most unfounded rumors.
Hearing about all the terrible things he had done, Changning's heart trembled.
Does an emperor have the right to indiscriminately kill innocent people? Does he have the right to treat human life as worthless?
Although there were certainly some spies among them, Kangxi's ruthless methods are still hard to condone.
It's likely that even the kind-hearted Hongyan was frightened. He couldn't show it in the palace, but he dared to cry after returning home. What a pitiful child! Changning felt even more sorry for him and patted Hongyan as if she were coaxing Hongyang to sleep, humming a little tune as well.
Mother's comforting voice was very powerful, and Hongyan quickly regained his composure. He had been sobbing like a broken little dog, but now he was a little embarrassed and hurriedly got up to find a handkerchief to wipe his tears.
"Mother, your son has lost his composure."
"What's wrong with that? If you don't cry in your mother's arms, are you going to cry in your father's arms?"
Hongyan shook his head, thinking of his father's cold face.
"That's settled then, it's alright, Hongyan, there's nothing shameful about crying. Do you feel better now that you've cried?"
Hongyan thought for a moment and felt the tightness in his chest disappear. He felt much better after crying. Although he was embarrassed, he couldn't deny that crying in his mother's arms made him feel refreshed and revitalized.
Seeing Hongyan nod, Changning felt relieved, as she was truly afraid that her son might suffer some psychological trauma.
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