Hearing this emotionless remark, He Yue wailed inwardly.
Fourth Brother, how could you do this? Why should I solve your problems when you're angry?
He Yue racked her brains for a solution, and to avoid an awkward silence, she cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, are you angry because of the Empress Dowager?"
The Fourteenth Prince had only been back for a short time, and Yongzheng was already so angry that Heyue couldn't help but think that it was the Empress Dowager.
Could it be that Emperor Yongzheng disapproved of the Empress Dowager's favoritism towards the Fourteenth Prince, or was he simply jealous?
But this shouldn't be the case. The Empress Dowager has always favored the Fourteenth Prince, and she's never seen him get this angry.
"Or is it because of the Fourteenth Prince?" Seeing that he still had no expression, He Yue asked again.
Aside from the Empress Dowager, only the Fourteenth Prince could make him so angry. Could it be that the Fourteenth Prince did something to anger his Fourth Brother?
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "Fourteenth Prince," Yongzheng's anger intensified, his gaze piercing Heyue like a knife, his hands clenched into fists on the couch.
He Yue sighed, "What trouble has that brainless Fourteenth Prince gotten himself into now? He never stops causing trouble!"
Do you want to be locked up again?
He Yue forced a smile: "Your Majesty, why are you paying attention to him? The Fourteenth Prince is deliberately trying to anger you. If you get angry, aren't you just playing into his hands?"
Yongzheng remained coldly focused on Heyue, showing no sign of softening his stance due to her words.
Such a gaze seemed to imply that if Heyue could not utter anything useful, her eyes would slowly torture her.
It felt as if a knife was hanging over Heyue's neck, and Heyue felt a chill run down her spine.
He Yue sighed with a wry smile: "Fourth Brother, can you please stop? What am I supposed to do if you don't say anything? At least explain the reason."
She really doesn't know anything, and she's under a lot of pressure.
Yongzheng snorted, finally withdrawing his gaze, and said in a cold tone, "Kneel and take your leave."
He Yue cheered and jumped for joy, quickly rose to express his gratitude, and took his leave.
Back at the mansion, Heyue felt that the world had returned to its beautiful state.
Since becoming emperor, my fourth brother has become increasingly difficult to please. Of all the people he could turn to when he's unhappy, he always has to turn to Heyue.
Although Heyue didn't know what had happened, she understood a few days later.
Heyue occasionally went to the palace to pay her respects, so she was somewhat aware of what was happening in the harem.
Emperor Yongzheng did not visit Yikun Palace for many days, but often went to sit idly at Consort Xi's place. Consort Qiao, who had been out of favor for many years, also regained favor.
After all, the three-year mourning period was not yet over, so Yongzheng could not visit his concubines. Even if he did, he would only sit idly and could not stay overnight.
But this already indicates a trend: Consort Nian has fallen out of favor.
This was enough to cause an uproar in the harem.
Not to mention that Consort Nian is currently pregnant, even when she was still a prince and not pregnant, the Fourth Prince still doted on Consort Nian and never neglected or wronged her.
This sudden neglect, regardless of how Lady Nian had angered the Emperor, was enough to excite the women in the harem.
It was already April. The late emperor was buried in Jingling, and Yongzheng once again sent the fourteenth prince to Jingling to guard the tomb.
The relationship that Emperor Yongzheng had finally managed to improve with the Empress Dowager was thus plunged into a freezing point once again.
After that incident, Yongzheng never sent Heyue to the Hall of Mental Cultivation again.
This relieved Ling Heyue; she really didn't want to get involved in such matters.
However, judging from Yongzheng's series of actions, it is not difficult for Heyue to guess why Yongzheng was angry some time ago.
First, the Imperial Concubine was neglected, and then the Fourteenth Prince was banished to Jingling. If you said these two things were unrelated, Heyue would never believe it.
Given the favor bestowed upon Consort Nian and her current precious status as a pregnant woman, Emperor Yongzheng would not normally neglect her, as doing so could easily cause her already frail health to deteriorate due to depression.
He Yue had learned some things when she was at Prince Yong's residence, such as the close relationship between Lady Nian and the Fourteenth Prince.
Because of the Empress Dowager's illness, the Fourteenth Prince often went to Cining Palace to pay his respects and sometimes strolled around the inner palace, a privilege that other princes did not have.
With this privilege, it wouldn't be difficult for the Fourteenth Prince to happen to run into Lady Nian.
Perhaps it was because Lady Nian and the Fourteenth Prince had been in too much contact, or perhaps they had done something that made Yongzheng jealous. Finally, the volcano erupted, and he ignored Lady Nian, disregarding the fact that the Consort was pregnant.
Despite having barely managed to mend her relationship with the Empress Dowager, she drove the Fourteenth Prince away.
No man could stand such a thing, let alone an emperor.
Regardless of whether Lady Nian and the Fourteenth Prince had an affair, this had already crossed Yongzheng's bottom line.
Previously, Ninth Prince Yuntang was demoted to Beizi and sent to serve in the Northwest.
In February, Yinzhi was sent to escort the shrine of Jebtsundamba Khutuktu back to Khalkha. He stayed in Zhangjiakou under a pretext. In April, Yinzhi was stripped of his title of Prince and escorted back to the capital, where he was handed over to Prince Lian, Yinsi, to discuss his crimes.
Previously, Emperor Yongzheng appointed Prince Lian, Ma Qi, and Longkodo as ministers in charge of general affairs, but this was merely to mislead the Eighth Prince's faction and to prevent rumors from circulating that the new emperor was eliminating dissidents and could not tolerate his brothers.
Now that the Eighth Prince's faction has been completely scattered, only Prince Lian remains in the capital, unable to make a difference on his own. This can be seen as a warning to others.
Aside from these troubles in the palace, there was a happy event for Prince Yi's residence in April.
Hongtun was granted the title of Beizi.
Since Hongchang is the eldest son of the legitimate wife and will be granted the title of heir apparent in the future, it doesn't matter if Hongtun is granted the title of Beizi instead of Hongchang.
Because he was on the battlefield, Thirteen could not often send letters home; only urgent messages were sent back to the capital.
Ordinary letters home are not worth sending via the 800-li express courier service. If Thirteenth Prince were to send a letter home, it would make it seem as if the commander-in-chief is still thinking about personal feelings on the battlefield, which would be detrimental to fighting.
It would be a lie to say that He Yue wasn't worried. After all, it was Thirteen's first time on the battlefield, and He Yue was concerned that weapons could be deadly.
Fortunately, Heyue has not felt anything so far, which tells us that Thirteen is truly safe and sound.
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