This year is destined to be a turbulent one.
In June of the 47th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the emperor toured the northern frontier and stayed at the Chengde Mountain Resort.
Among the accompanying princes were the Crown Prince, Prince Zhi, the thirteenth and fourteenth princes, and the younger princes from the fifteenth to the eighteenth princes.
The fifteenth and sixteenth princes did not yet have a primary consort and did not have any women with them. The seventeenth and eighteenth princes were even younger, so it goes without saying that only a few older princes had women with them.
The Crown Prince brought two concubines. The First Princess Consort did not come; instead, the concubine, Uya, came. It is said that the current First Princess Consort is the Second Princess Consort, and the original First Princess Consort, Irgen Gioro, passed away before Heyue married into the Thirteenth Prince's household.
What Heyue knew was that the primary consort was very favored when she was alive. In the first few years, all of the eldest prince's children were born to her. Unfortunately, she only gave birth to daughters one after another. When she finally gave birth to a son, he died less than a year later.
He later married Zhang Jia, but she did not seem to be favored.
The Fourteenth Prince brought his concubine, Lady Shushu Gioro, who was petite, delicate, and sweet, and was said to be very favored.
Therefore, Heyue was the only primary wife in this group. She was all alone and had no one to talk to. So she could only take her maids to the garden for walks and to enjoy the scenery every day, but she was preoccupied with her own thoughts and absent-minded.
The Mountain Resort in Chengde was first built in the 42nd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. During this period, many palaces and scenic spots were built, making it a great place to escape the summer heat.
The resort features palaces, lakes, mountains, and plains, making it a wonderful place to enjoy the scenery.
However, Heyue had no interest in appreciating it.
There are things you know will happen, but you don't know how they will happen or how to change them. You can only wait for the outcome, and that feeling is truly agonizing.
He Yue had repeatedly told Thirteen to protect himself in critical moments, and Thirteen readily agreed. He Yue only hoped that Thirteen would truly take it to heart.
Thirteen was worried that she was alone and had no one to keep her company, so he would always spend time with her whenever he had the chance.
He Yue took the opportunity to ask him about the Crown Prince's situation.
Thirteen didn't think much of it, saying that the Crown Prince had been very arrogant lately, and he often heard the sound of him angrily smashing cups in his tent, taking his anger out on the eunuchs and palace maids, and even beating the officials below him.
Yesterday, the Emperor had an affair with one of his palace maids. The Emperor reprimanded the Crown Prince, and the maid was put to death.
Only a few older princes knew about this; the others were unaware. Indeed, for a crown prince to act so absurdly would surely make him a laughingstock among the Mongols.
He Yue was terrified.
Has the crown prince gone mad? Why does he seem so reckless?
Where is this the gentle, polite, and somewhat witty Crown Prince that He Yue remembered?
Heyue was even more worried about Thirteen, and grabbed his sleeve to remind him: "Stay away from the Crown Prince, and don't have any contact with him these days."
Anyone who comes into contact with the current crown prince is doomed.
Thirteen noticed her nervousness and felt comforted. He reassured her, "Don't worry, I understand. The Crown Prince is courting death. I won't go to him. I still have you and the child. How could I let anything happen to myself?"
Heyue felt much more at ease.
But no one could have predicted what would happen next.
That day, as the sun was setting, Heyue was walking back along the lake embankment. The garden was full of blooming flowers, colorful and fragrant.
He Yue was engrossed in watching when she suddenly heard footsteps not far away. Looking up, she saw a group of eunuchs chasing after an apricot-yellow figure.
Recognizing that the person leading the group was the Crown Prince, Heyue and the maids behind her hurriedly tried to pay their respects, but were suddenly embraced by the person who came running up.
Hailan and Zhizhu screamed in her ear. Heyue was also startled by the sudden action of the newcomer and looked completely bewildered.
Upon smelling the overwhelming stench of alcohol, He Yue realized what had happened and hurriedly struggled. She heard the Crown Prince's mumbled whispers in her ear: "Xia Ting, Xia Ting..."
He Yue froze. Xia Ting?
But he couldn't care less about anything else. Many people had come to pull the crown prince away and tried to persuade him. There were people around the crown prince and people around him, but the crown prince just wouldn't let go.
"Cousin, cousin, it's me, Heyue!" Knowing that he was out of his mind, Heyue hurriedly called out her identity, but dared not be forceful, for fear of angering the drunk man.
The prince was confused. He stared at her face for a while and then smiled foolishly: "Cousin, cousin? So it's Yiduli's little cousin. Yes, she's also my cousin."
He Yue breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that she could recognize him; now she could let go, right? Didn't she see that everyone around her had turned pale?
However, the other person showed no intention of letting go, still holding her tightly and smelling her fragrance: "My cousin is also nice, fragrant and soft."
He Yue's face darkened, and she gritted her teeth. Had she been teased?
Seeing him like this, Heyue disregarded social hierarchy and raised her hand to slap him across the face without any politeness.
The sharp "snap" startled everyone around, silencing them completely. Even the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard clearly.
The crown prince covered his left cheek, staring blankly at Heyue, bewildered, with a hint of grievance on his face.
He Yue cursed inwardly, "What's wronged about me? She's the one who should be feeling wronged!"
Taking the opportunity, she pushed him away, took a few steps back, shook her sore hand, glared at him fiercely with an expression that seemed to want to devour him: "Cousin, are you sober now?!"
The crown prince remained frowning and confused, seemingly not understanding what had happened.
Before he could figure it out, a figure rushed over like a gust of wind and threw a punch at his face: "I'll beat you to death, you bastard!"
Everyone was startled, and upon closer inspection, they saw the Thirteenth Prince with an angry expression.
The servants who served the Crown Prince looked like they were about to die, and hurriedly tried to pull the Thirteenth Prince away to save him.
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