When Yinzhen returned, it was already the 20th of the twelfth lunar month.
The mansion is being decorated in full swing, as the Little New Year is only three days away.
Yinzhen rode at full speed and arrived at the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City first.
When Liang Jiugong, the chief steward of the imperial court, saw Yinzhen, he first smiled and bowed, saying, "Fourth Prince, you're back? You must have had a long and tiring journey."
Yinzhen quickly stopped him, "Eunuch Liang, there's no need for such formalities. I've come to report to Father Emperor. Does Father Emperor have time now?"
"Yes, the Crown Prince is inside talking to the Emperor. He just mentioned the Fourth Prince."
"The Crown Prince is also here, so please inform him, Eunuch Liang."
"No need to announce it. Fourth Prince, please come in with me now. The Crown Prince just said that the footsteps outside sounded like you. The Emperor said that if it really is you, he will invite you in directly."
Looking at Liang Jiugong's appearance, Yinzhen knew what was going on.
It seemed that his father was quite satisfied with the briefing he had sent earlier. His heart, which had been pounding all the way, finally relaxed. Yinzhen straightened his robes slightly and strode inside.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi was talking and laughing with the Crown Prince, appearing to be a father and son with a deep affection for each other.
When Emperor Kangxi saw Yinzhen enter and bow, he smiled and said to the Crown Prince, "It seems that Bao Cheng understands the Fourth Prince well; he could even hear the footsteps clearly."
The Crown Prince was in the prime of his life, gentle and refined, with ambition and aspirations. At this time, he did not have such deep conflicts with Kangxi, so he smiled and replied, "Your subject and the Fourth Prince have always been close. We used to live together in Consort Tong's Chengqian Palace. How could your subject not recognize his footsteps?"
"Yes, you used to live with your cousin." When mentioning Tongjia, Kangxi's cousin, Empress Xiaoyiren, Kangxi's eyes were filled with nostalgia.
However, imperial sentiments don't last long. Kangxi quickly regained his composure and asked Yinzhen to give a proper report on the situation of this trip south.
Yinzhen had already written a brief report outlining the general situation and sent it to Kangxi by express courier. Now, he would elaborate on the twists and turns and the solutions, especially clearly explaining the words and actions of the officials involved.
Seeing that Kangxi looked quite angry, Yinzhen knelt down, his words firm, yet he was pleading for forgiveness.
"In this case of cheating in the imperial examination, a total of eighteen officials were involved. Two of them attempted to flee and their words were quite disrespectful to Father Emperor and the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, I hereby execute them on the spot."
At this point, Yinzhen paused, kowtowed, and said in a low voice, "Although I have obeyed the Emperor's order, I have no authority to punish officials. Therefore, I beg for forgiveness and ask Father Emperor to punish me."
After these words were spoken, there was complete silence.
Yinzhen was still a little apprehensive. After a while, Kangxi's voice rang out, but it wasn't directed at Yinzhen; it was addressed to the Crown Prince.
"Baocheng, what do you think?"
The Crown Prince ignored the oppressive atmosphere within the Qianqing Palace, smiled faintly, and looked directly at Kangxi, saying, "Father, I am happy. I am happy to have a younger brother of such noble character as my fourth brother, and I am happy that our Great Qing has such a brave and decisive minister as Yinzhen!"
"Hahahaha, well said!"
Emperor Kangxi clapped his hands and laughed, "Bao Cheng truly has the demeanor of the Crown Prince of the Qing Dynasty! The Fourth Prince is also a capable and loyal minister!"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen finally felt relieved.
Emerging from the Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong cheerfully carried two boxes, one for the Crown Prince and one for Yinzhen. These were gifts bestowed upon them by Emperor Kangxi, who was in high spirits.
After thanking Liang Jiugong, the Crown Prince and Yinzhen left the Qianqing Palace together.
"Second Brother, thank you for what you did earlier." After thinking for a moment, Yinzhen accepted the Crown Prince's favor.
Crown Prince Yinreng didn't care about this. Among his brothers, the eldest was reckless, the third was a pedantic scholar, the fifth couldn't even speak Mandarin fluently, the seventh was a cripple, and the eighth was too scheming. The rest were even worse.
The Crown Prince believed his judgment was sound, especially regarding the fourth prince.
In their childhood, they went to school together, studied together, and walked the cats and dogs together. Now they are still very close.
The Crown Prince truly regarded Yinzhen as a brother.
"Fourth Prince, you did a good job this time. Father Emperor didn't blame you. However, your actions will inevitably give you a bad reputation among officials. You're too inhumane."
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Yinzhen knew that he was genuinely thinking of him.
But……
Yinzhen still remembered Dai Duo, whom he had met in the south.
He said that this was the path the emperor had chosen for him, and by accepting this task, he had also accepted the mission of wholeheartedly assisting the crown prince.
A capable minister is all one needs; all that's required is loyalty and competence.
This is the only path he can take.
No one could oppose the Emperor's plans, not even the Crown Prince.
Upon returning to the manor, Yinzhen initially intended to visit Changning, but ultimately went to his wife's courtyard first.
The wind and snow were fierce outside. When Yinzhen entered the room, he brought in a chill. He had ridden back on horseback, and his cloak was covered with snowflakes and dust, and his inner clothes were quite wet.
When the Princess Consort received news of the Fourth Prince's return to the capital, she had already prepared hot water.
Su Peisheng then served Yinzhen by bathing and changing his clothes.
In the outer hall, the Princess Consort was instructing Granny Fu to serve the meal: "The Master has been traveling a long way and probably can't eat too much. Serve some easily digestible food."
When Yinzhen came out, he saw a table full of soup.
He was really hungry... He rode back to Beijing overnight, hoping to return before the Lunar New Year. He then rushed to the Qianqing Palace and hasn't had a drop of water since.
Yinzhen sighed and drank two bowls of mutton soup. Only then did his face, which had become numb from the hardships and the answers he had received in the Qianqing Palace, slowly recover.
However, upon seeing the other dishes, he lost his appetite and stopped eating. His wife also stopped eating shortly afterward.
Looking at Yinzhen's weathered face, the Fujin felt a little sorry for him and wondered if she should talk about the affairs of the manor now, or if she should let the master rest.
However, Yinzhen was too lazy to play along with his wife, so he asked directly, "Has the manor been peaceful these past few months?"
The princess nodded hurriedly and replied, "Yes. As for Sister Fucha, the Bai family physician takes her pulse every day. I have seen the pulse record, and the pregnancy is very stable. In the palace, Mother caught a cold a while ago, and I went to take care of her for half a month. She has recovered now."
Yinzhen frowned. "Is Mother ill? Is it because of the cold weather? Did she catch a chill?"
The Fujin thought for a moment, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke under Yinzhen's gaze, "That's what Yonghe Palace says. However, the Fourteenth Brother visited Mother the day before she fell ill."
Yinzhen was even angrier, saying, "It's the fourteenth prince again."
Yinzhen was really troubled. He was not in the capital, and the fourteenth prince should be more filial to his mother. What kind of trouble was he causing now?
"Alright, I understand. You've had a hard time these past few days. Get some rest. I'm going to see Lady Fucha."
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