Chapter 141: The second guard of the deposed prince came forward and took the prince...
The guards came forward and took the Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince away.
Emperor Kangxi turned his back and stopped looking at them, but his shoulders seemed to be shaking.
Mu Xue looked at the Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince who were taken away, and then looked at Emperor Kangxi. At this moment when Emperor Kangxi was so furious, it would be futile to say anything.
The eldest prince lowered his head, hiding his emotions, and said, "Alas, I don't know why the Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince are like this."
"You also shut up." Kangxi said coldly.
The eldest prince agreed somewhat awkwardly.
After a long silence, the cold wind blew the torches in the guards' hands to flicker. Mu Xue whispered, "Khan Ama, do you want to go see Xiao Shiba?"
Kangxi looked back, his face seemed to have aged a lot in an instant: "Of course, let's go."
He took two steps forward and suddenly stumbled. Muxue hurried forward to support him, and the eldest prince also stretched out his hand. However, Emperor Kangxi just turned in the direction of Muxue and did not let the eldest prince support him.
Mu Xue supported his arm, steadying him. It was rare for her to be so close to him, and she could clearly see the white hair on his temples. Emperor Kangxi must have been very sad at this time, otherwise his steps would not be so heavy.
In the Eighteenth Prince's tent, the imperial doctors and palace maids knelt on the ground, bowed their heads and sobbed. When they saw Emperor Kangxi coming, they cried even more mournfully.
On the bed, the Eighteenth Prince lay peacefully, his thin face looked like he was asleep, but he would never wake up again.
Emperor Kangxi looked at her silently for a long time before asking Muxue, "You have been with Yinxue for a long time these days. Did he leave any words?"
When Mu Xue heard him talk about this, she looked a little dazed: "Eighteenth brother is worried that he has caused you trouble, and please comfort his mother for him after you return to the palace."
In addition to settling the naturalized people, she often went to see the Eighteenth Prince, which was also a way to avoid the party of the eldest prince and the party of the crown prince. Although Mu Xue had never had any contact with the Eighteenth Prince before, and the child was born four years after she got married, but seeing such a small child lying there sickly, Mu Xue felt very distressed.
Once when Mu Xue went to see him, the Eighteenth Prince had a new round of fever. He was lying on the bed with his face flushed red and his lips cracked, and he was shouting for water.
Mu Xue went straight to a cup of warm water, gently lifted him up with one hand, and brought the water to his mouth.
The Eighteenth Prince gulped down half a bowl of the tea. Perhaps he was confused because of the fever. He held Mu Xue's hand tightly and kept calling "Mother".
The maidservant beside him was a little embarrassed and wanted to step forward to help coax the Eighteenth Prince, but Mu Xue stopped her: "It's okay, just let him stay for a while."
She spoke softly and sat down on the edge of the couch so that the Eighteenth Prince could lean more comfortably in her arms. His body temperature was frighteningly high, like a furnace.
The Eighteenth Prince nuzzled her like a kitten and said incoherently, "Mother, I'm sorry, it seems that Yinzhen can't go back."
"What are you talking about, silly child." Mu Xue hugged him tighter, "It will be fine, everything will be fine."
However, the Eighteenth Prince still left.
After listening to Mu Xue's words, Emperor Kangxi sighed and said, "This child...pass on my decree to promote Yin Xuan's birth mother, Wang, to the rank of Wang Concubine."
After hastily giving instructions for the Eighteenth Prince's funeral, Emperor Kangxi walked out of the Eighteenth Prince's tent with a blank expression and ordered, "Summon all the ministers and generals accompanying him to the imperial tent immediately."
Soon, the important officials who accompanied him gathered in front of the imperial tent. The commotion just now was so great that many people had already heard about the death of the Eighteenth Prince and the imprisonment of the Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince. Their expressions were different.
The ministers who had previously supported the crown prince looked pale and panicked. The ministers who supported the eldest prince had different expressions. They all knew that the emperor was in a bad mood, and even if they had many thoughts, they did not dare to whisper to each other.
Emperor Kangxi specially gave Muxue a seat. Muxue sat on the chair with an unbiased look, but with a hint of sadness on her face.
"Your Majesty, everyone is here." Liang Jiugong reported to Emperor Kangxi who was sitting in front of the imperial tent.
Emperor Kangxi had originally closed his eyes to rest, but he slowly opened them and scanned the crowd like an eagle.
"Everyone, I have something important to tell you."
The ministers were silent.
Emperor Kangxi's voice was a little tired, but very firm: "Crown Prince Yinreng is immoral, unfilial, arrogant, and even disobeyed the emperor's orders and snooped into the emperor's tent. He is extremely presumptuous. I have no choice but to depose him from the position of crown prince!"
Although they had expected this, the ministers were shocked when the deposed prince said this. Two or three old ministers knelt down on the spot and said,
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
"If the foundation of the country is shaken, it may not be a blessing for the country!"
…
Emperor Kangxi sneered: "Think twice? The blessing of the country? I have been thinking about it for a long time. If I continue to let this boy sit on the position of crown prince, it will be a disaster for the country!"
"If I had a choice, I would never have thought of this. I personally raised the crown prince, Baocheng! But I don't know how he grew up to be such a bastard! When Suo'e was plotting rebellion, he wanted to threaten the crown prince to take the throne, so I had to kill him. As a result, the crown prince became more and more hostile to me, and he rebelled without any scruples."
He slapped the armrest fiercely: "This time when the Eighteenth Prince fell ill, he had no filial piety and did not take it seriously at all. He was so arrogant and extravagant before, and had no moral integrity! Although he beat up the princes and ministers, he even pushed the Fourth Prince down the stairs. How can such a person be entrusted with the country?"
"I have spent so much effort on him, how could he raise such a thing?" Emperor Kangxi became more and more angry and angry. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard. "It's my fault! I didn't teach my son well!" Then he slapped himself again, "I should have seen his despicable character long ago!"
The ministers were stunned.
Mu Xue was the first to react. She rushed to the stage and grabbed Emperor Kangxi's hand: "Khan Ama! This is not your fault. Please don't do this!"
The eldest prince also came to persuade him: "This is Yinreng's fault. Khan Ama, please protect the important dragon body. It is not worth it to depose the crown prince. Such a despicable person really deserves to be killed."
Emperor Kangxi glanced at him, gradually calmed down, and leaned back in his chair, looking very tired.
"The matter of deposing the crown prince has been decided, but..." He said to the ministers, "Listen carefully, I am deposing the crown prince, not intending to make Prince Zhi the crown prince."
The eldest prince suddenly widened his eyes.
Khan Ama said such words in such an occasion with all the ministers present? Wasn't he deliberately trying to stop him from thinking about it?
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the Ninth Prince and several ministers who supported the Eldest Prince changed.
Without waiting for them to say anything else, Emperor Kangxi stood up and said, "Alright, I have made up my mind to depose the Crown Prince. We will discuss the rest later. The Fourth Princess—"
When Mu Xue heard her being called, she immediately responded, "Your son is here."
"You and the Prince of Zhi must take good care of the deposed crown prince and the Thirteenth Prince. Yinzhen, you are loyal to me, and I believe you can do a good job."
The eldest prince felt as if he were in a dream and murmured, "I understand."
Emperor Kangxi looked at the dark night sky and sighed deeply.
"I'm tired, let's leave it like this for now."
Then he walked into the emperor's tent with tired steps.
The ministers looked at each other, not knowing what to say, and not daring to say more, and they all withdrew.
Mu Xue turned around and looked at the confused eldest prince, and the ninth prince had already come over to support him.
Judging from his expression, he must still be in shock over Emperor Kangxi's announcement to his face that he had no intention of making Prince Zhi the crown prince.
Mu Xue then said, "I will convey the decree of deposing the crown prince..."
This title was a bit difficult. It was a bit strange to call him the deposed prince in person. According to history, this prince was deposed twice. Although the specific subsequent developments were unknown, he still had some weight in the eyes of Emperor Kangxi. Calling him the Second Prince was also strange. After thinking about it, Mu Xue directly called him Yinreng.
"I will tell this news to Yinreng and the Thirteenth Prince later."
The eldest prince nodded blankly. The ninth prince frowned and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Fourth Sister. Let's go back and rest first."
Originally, those who supported the eldest prince thought that since the crown prince was deposed, the eldest prince would naturally take the throne. But His Majesty said it so clearly, catching them off guard.
The ninth prince helped the eldest prince back into the tent.
The eldest prince didn't want to say a word. Without even taking off his boots, he just fell on the bed and carried him on his back.
The Ninth Prince gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, why do you have to act like this? After all, the matter of deposing the Crown Prince has been decided."
"Didn't you hear what Khan Amar said? He won't make me the emperor."
"Nothing is so absolute. Besides, you were at odds with the deposed crown prince before. Aren't you worried that he would ascend the throne one day and that things would not go well for him?" The Ninth Prince's eyes swam. "Even if it's not my eldest brother who is the crown prince, as long as someone who listens to you is in this position, that's not bad either."
The eldest prince stood up and looked at him: "Are you talking about the eighth prince?"
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