Not long after the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince returned to the palace, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict posthumously conferring the title of Consort Min upon Consort Zhangjia.
The death of a concubine in the palace did not cause much change. Apart from having to observe a hundred-day mourning period for this nominal stepmother, the princes were otherwise no different.
Those concubines who had been on good terms with Lady Zhangjia only sighed and quickly returned to their normal lives.
The Thirteenth Prince stayed by Lady Zhangjia's coffin every day, refusing to eat or drink. The two princesses born to Consort Min were sent back to their residences by the palace servants because they were too heartbroken.
Until Consort Min's coffin was moved to the Consort Garden Cemetery in Jingling, the Thirteenth Prince neither cried nor made a fuss. He simply stayed alone in his quarters afterward and never went out again.
The Fourth Prince went to visit the Thirteenth Prince, and upon seeing the Thirteenth Prince's distraught state, he flew into a rage: "What are you doing? Consort Min is gone, and you don't want to live anymore? Don't forget, you are a son of the Emperor, the Emperor's son. There are many people and eyes in the palace; do you want everyone to see you like this?! How will the Emperor view you?!"
The Thirteenth Prince hugged his knees, his eyes flickered, and he finally spoke, though his voice was slightly hoarse from not speaking for a long time: "This is what they want to see, isn't it? I know many of them don't like me anymore. Losing Father Emperor's favor is exactly what they want."
"You! You're so spineless?!" Fourth Prince was furious.
The Thirteenth Prince's eyes were red-rimmed as he stared intently at the Fourth Prince: "Fourth Brother, do you know how Mother died?"
He suddenly said this, and the Fourth Prince was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
The Thirteenth Prince did not wait for him to speak, but instead sneered to himself. Such a sneer had never appeared on the Thirteenth Prince's face before. When the Fourth Prince suddenly saw this expression, his temple throbbed violently.
"I heard from Qiaoqian, who serves my mother, that my mother was strolling in the Imperial Garden that day when she encountered Consort Yi. For some reason, she offended Consort Yi, who punished her by making her kneel in the Imperial Garden. It was midday, and in that sweltering heat, my mother knelt until sunset before Consort Yi allowed her to return. My mother was helped home by palace servants and fell ill that very day. My mother has always been healthy; if she hadn't knelt for half a day, how could her health have deteriorated so drastically? Even if she had knelt for half a day, she should have recovered. But for some reason, the imperial physicians said that my mother's health didn't improve; instead, she grew weaker day by day. The physicians said that my mother's constitution had been damaged, her heart fire was excessive, and she could only be kept healthy. But my mother just passed away like that. Everyone says that my mother was punished by Consort Yi and harbored resentment, which caused her illness to worsen, but I don't believe it. Even so, how could my mother's body not withstand such an illness?"
As the Thirteenth Prince spoke, anger flared in his eyes. He clenched his fists, his breathing became heavy, and he gritted his teeth: "Consort Yi has always disliked Mother. Even if Mother has offended her, she shouldn't be punished like this! If it weren't for me, why would Consort Yi target Mother? I'm the one who harmed Mother. I thought that by gaining Father's favor, Mother would be better off, but I never expected to incur the envy of others and implicate Mother."
The Fourth Prince looked at the Thirteenth Prince's dark eyes, which were gradually filled with anger and regret, and remained silent.
The Thirteenth Prince gradually calmed down and his emotions returned to normal, but a hint of hatred was hidden deep in his eyes.
"Fourth Brother, I don't want Mother to die in vain, but what can I do? Even if I know there are other secrets behind Mother's death, there's nothing I can do. I can only stand here like a useless piece of trash, filled with regret." The Thirteenth Prince suddenly deflated, his tone filled with sorrow, revealing his unwillingness and helplessness.
The Fourth Prince frowned, placed his hand on the Thirteenth Prince's shoulder, and said solemnly, "Are you just going to give up like this? Consort Min has always doted on you. If she knew how easily you could be defeated, how heartbroken she would be?"
The thirteenth prince lowered his head and remained silent, pursing his lips.
The Fourth Prince sat down beside him, staring intently into his eyes, his voice deep and resonant: "Even if you don't think of yourself, you should think of Thirteenth Sister and Fifteenth Sister. They need you to support them. If you also fall, who will they rely on?"
The Thirteenth Prince was slightly moved, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, but it quickly dimmed again. He gave a bitter smile and said, "What can I do? I can't even protect my mother. I can never compare to Fourth Brother."
The Fourth Prince was taken aback, then rubbed the Thirteenth Prince's head and chuckled, "To be cowardly before the battle is not the style of us Manchus. Your Fourth Brother was once your age too."
The thirteenth prince felt ashamed when he thought of his fourth brother's past.
"Fourth Brother, I'm sorry, I..." he murmured, his voice low, and he lowered his head.
He forgot that his fourth brother had also had a difficult time, so what right did he have to be dejected?
The Fourth Prince didn't take it to heart, his gaze softening: "Don't forget, your Fourth Brother is here. What can't we brothers solve?"
The thirteenth prince nodded emphatically, his dark eyes sparkling like stars, his fighting spirit rekindled.
The next day, the Fourth Prince took the Thirteenth Prince out of the palace to his residence for a stroll. As soon as they arrived at the gate, the two dismounted, and a servant led the horses in through a side gate.
The thirteenth prince and the fourth prince had just stepped up a few steps when suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves clattered.
The two turned their heads in surprise and saw a chestnut horse rushing over and stopping in front of the thirteenth prince. Its clear and gentle eyes looked at the thirteenth prince, and it nuzzled the thirteenth prince with its nose.
The Thirteenth Prince was surprised, then delighted: "Little Cherry Red!" He reached out and stroked the mane of the little cherry red horse, which gently nuzzled his hand with its head, displaying an affectionate gesture.
He glanced up unintentionally and saw a pretty light pink figure not far away. The girl had her arms crossed and was smiling brightly as she looked at him.
The Thirteenth Prince's eyes crinkled instantly, all the gloom of the past few days vanished, and he stepped forward, standing in front of the girl.
Because he was a head taller than the girl, he looked down into her clear eyes that seemed to hold countless lights. Countless words welled up on his lips, but he only managed to utter one sentence: "Why are you here?"
The girl tilted her head and winked mischievously: "I heard you're back. I wanted to ask you if the borderlands are fun. I've never been there before, so I don't know what it's like."
He didn't mention Consort Min at all, as if he knew nothing about her, but his tone was more intimate and natural than usual, as if he were a long-lost friend who wanted to ask him about something fun.
"When you grow up, I'll take you there." The Thirteenth Prince's smile grew even brighter.
He Yue nodded, looked up at the boy's bright, star-like eyes, and smiled gently.
He looks absolutely stunning with that bright and cheerful smile.
"I'd like to go for a walk, want to come along?" Heyue asked for his opinion, her eyes fixed on him with a look of anticipation.
The Thirteenth Prince nodded without hesitation and returned to the gate of the mansion to say hello to the Fourth Prince.
Heyue also went over and curtsied to the Fourth Prince: "Heyue greets the Fourth Prince."
The Fourth Prince nodded slightly, glanced at her, and anxiously instructed, "Go quickly and come back quickly, don't cause trouble."
"I know," He Yue replied with a sweet smile, but in her heart she thought, "Why do you make it sound like she's always causing trouble?"
They really treat her like a child.
The thirteenth prince had already taken another horse, and the two of them rode off on their own.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
