Chapter 142: Guessing the Emperor's Will The Eighth Prince Yinsi, whose mother, Wei, was born in a poor family...
The Eighth Prince Yinsi, whose mother, Wei, was born in a humble family, was raised by the eldest prince's mother, Consort Hui, in his early years, so the eldest prince was familiar with him. The Eighth Prince had a good temper and could get along with everyone. It was rare to see him quarrel with anyone.
Over the years, the eldest prince and the crown prince have been at odds with each other openly and covertly, but the eighth prince has been silently supporting him and will never hesitate to do anything he is asked to do.
Therefore, when the Ninth Prince mentioned finding an obedient person to step forward, the Eldest Prince immediately thought of the Eighth Prince.
The Ninth Prince said, "You know Eighth Prince's temperament. No matter what you say, he will definitely not refute it."
This is true, but the eldest prince still felt uncomfortable. He just said, "Let me think about it," and then passed the subject over.
On the other side, Mu Xue led the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict to visit the Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince.
The decree to depose the crown prince was almost a copy of the words of reprimand from Emperor Kangxi, and the tone was harsh. As the eunuch read the decree, Muxue looked at Yinreng.
He looked visibly haggard, probably because he hadn't slept all night. He had huge dark circles under his eyes, but his chin was still slightly raised, and he still looked proud.
After listening to the whole thing without saying a word, Yinreng raised his head and said, "Khan Ama said that I am not good in all other aspects, and I admit it. But there is one thing..."
He stared at Mu Xue and spoke word by word: "Tell Khan Ama that I have never had the intention of treason."
Things like "unfilial and unfraternal" and "arrogant and debauched" may be true, but he never thought of regicide or treason from beginning to end.
"I understand," Mu Xue said, "I will tell Khan Ama when the time is right. Do you have anything else to say?"
Yinreng stared into space for a while, perhaps the decree to depose the crown prince had finally rolled down like a boulder hanging on a mountain, and he surprisingly felt as if everything was settled. The restlessness in his eyes faded a lot, and there was more confusion.
Mu Xue waited for a while, and seeing that he still didn't speak, she was about to leave. When she turned around, she heard Yinreng say:
"I don't know why it suddenly became like this."
Muxue looked back at Yinreng. He pulled the corner of his mouth and smiled sarcastically: "What kind of crime is it to beat the princes and ministers? How can it be so arbitrary? I am the master and they are the servants. I beat them up. When I was just starting to learn, the Minister of Education said something wrong. Khan Ama was very angry and ordered the Minister of Education to be beaten with a stick in the court. In winter, the snow was very thick. The stick broke the flesh and blood flowed out, swimming through the official uniform and falling on the snow. After the beating, the Minister of Education knelt on the ground to thank him. Isn't this as it should be?"
Yinreng paused for a moment and said, "Forget it, there's nothing to say. Anyway, it's like this, you can go now."
Mu Xue frowned and looked at him, saying, "Please take care of yourself, brother, and don't be too sad."
Yinreng said "hmm" and turned his back.
Mu Xue tilted her head slightly.
What a complicated father-son relationship.
However, it actually had nothing to do with her. Although it was a bit sad, it was because Khan Ama loved and hated his most beloved son. As a daughter who occasionally received some care, she really couldn't empathize too much.
Mu Xue pulled herself out of her emotions a little and began to think about how she could turn the dethronement of the crown prince into something beneficial for herself.
After that, Emperor Kangxi appointed and deposed the crown prince again, and this repeated process made it very clear that he really had deep feelings for Yinreng. So, at this critical juncture, Emperor Kangxi was probably in a stage of heartache, worry, and sensitivity, and probably felt a little guilty for personally deposing his beloved son from the position of crown prince.
In this case... She lowered her eyes, and when she raised her eyes, she had made up her mind and said to the people around her: "Although the position of the crown prince has been abolished, my second brother is still a prince. Unless there is a new decree, the food, clothing, housing and transportation that he should have should not be deducted. We will return to the capital today, and the necessary things must not be left out. Do you understand clearly?"
The attendants looked at each other and replied, "We heard it clearly."
"You'd better listen carefully. Second brother, if the subordinates are embezzling money, just tell me. I will make them pay." Mu Xue said.
Yinreng waved his hand: "As you wish, but...thank you very much."
After the decree was conveyed to the Thirteenth Prince, it was already late.
As they were leaving for Beijing tomorrow, some of the tents outside were already being packed up. It was dinner time, and the aroma of food wafted through the camp.
Outside the imperial tent, several eunuchs from the imperial kitchen were carrying a dining table with grim looks on their faces.
Mu Xue approached, saw their expressions, and said, "Khan Ama doesn't want to eat?"
The leading eunuch Wei Zhu said in a low voice: "Yes, His Majesty said before that he was in a bad mood and didn't want to eat, but... Alas, it's so late, it's time to drink some water and rice, otherwise it will take energy to ride a horse tomorrow."
They wanted to ask and invite His Majesty to have a meal, but they were afraid of violating a taboo. Not long ago, Emperor Kangxi ordered people to arrest many of the prince's attendants and beat them with sticks, and asked the eunuchs to watch the ceremony. They were terrified, afraid that they would offend bad luck and be beaten again.
Mu Xue glanced at the dining table held by the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen and knew that they were a little scared to be blocked here, not sure whether they should bother Emperor Kangxi to invite him to dinner.
"Anything lighter?"
"Yes, yes!" Eunuch Wei Zhu quickly pointed to a golden bowl and said, "This is mutton porridge, very light and easy to digest."
Mu Xue nodded: "I will go in to pay my respects, follow me into the tent."
After the announcement, Mu Xue entered the tent. The lights were on, and the orange light illuminated the figure of Emperor Kangxi. He sat on a sea dragon skin mattress, supporting his head with one hand and closing his eyes to rest.
Mu Xue bowed and said, "I heard that Khan Ama has not eaten yet. I saw that there is a dish of mutton porridge, which tastes good. Please eat a little and take care of yourself."
Emperor Kangxi did not open his eyes to look at her, but just said, "Bring it up."
Mu Xue agreed and went to pick it up herself, holding it respectfully with both hands, intending to place it on the table in front of Emperor Kangxi. Before she put it down, she suddenly heard Emperor Kangxi say, "You just met the prince, how was it?"
Mu Xue gently placed the mutton porridge on the table and said, "I received the eunuch's edict announcing the decree to depose the crown prince. My second brother said that he did have many faults, but he had never had the intention of treason."
"Do you think it's true or false?"
This question was a bit dangerous. Mu Xue felt her palms sweating and said, "I hope it's true. This way, Khan Ama will feel better."
"Oh." Emperor Kangxi closed his eyes and continued to ask, "What else?"
"I have ordered my followers to treat the deposed crown prince as a prince should be treated, and not to withhold supplies."
"You are so brave." Emperor Kangxi opened his eyes and stared at her. "Have I ever told you that?"
There was dead silence in the tent.
Mu Xue's heartbeat suddenly stopped for a moment, but she still gritted her teeth and kowtowed: "Khan Ama has issued an order to abolish Yinreng's position as the crown prince, but he never said to dethrone him as a commoner. Therefore, although Yinreng has committed a serious offense, he is still the son of Khan Ama and the elder brother of this minister."
Her forehead hit the carpet, and she still felt a gaze on her. After a while, she heard Emperor Kangxi's voice again, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry: "So, what do you think?"
Mu Xue maintained a prostrate posture and said slowly: "In my humble opinion, Yinreng's expenses should still be in accordance with the rules for the elder princes. First, it shows the emperor's generosity, and second... it will make Yinreng aware of his father's kindness and reflect on his mistakes."
After a long while, Emperor Kangxi sighed softly, "You are a loyal and righteous minister. Get up."
Mu Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her bet was right. Even though he had issued an edict to depose the crown prince, Emperor Kangxi was still in a conflicted attitude towards Yinreng. What she had just said was exactly what he wanted.
"Please have some porridge, Khan Ama."
"Um."
Seeing him nod, Mu Xue opened the lid and carefully placed the bowls and spoons.
The consistency of the mutton porridge is just right, not too thick or too clear. The mutton is chopped very finely, and there is a faint aroma of pepper floating in the hot steam.
Emperor Kangxi ate half a bowl of mutton porridge and put it down.
"You will accompany the emperor back to Beijing tomorrow."
"Your son obeys your order."
"Help me go out for a walk."
Mu Xue helped Emperor Kangxi out of the imperial tent and took a slow walk in the open space between the curtains. The eunuchs held sheep-horn lanterns to light the way.
The grass has completely lost its green color and turned yellow.
Emperor Kangxi rarely talked to Muxue about some past events: "When Yinreng was a little old, I took him to ride horses and shoot arrows. The child was very strong and was very good at shooting the bow. He was not afraid even if he accidentally fell off the horse."
"His face shape is actually quite similar to that of Empress Renxiao. As for his personality, when he was young, he was as smart as the eldest son Chenghu, born to the Empress. When he was four years old, I was very worried because Chenghu died at the age of four. Fortunately, he grew up smoothly."
"Hesheli... I don't know how to explain to her after a hundred years. Before she died, she held my hand and said only one sentence, 'Your Highness, please take good care of our children.' I should have done a good job, right? Baocheng is the only one I raised personally, but why did he become like this now?"
Mu Xue occasionally agreed with him, but more often she just listened to him talk. Emperor Kangxi obviously didn't need her to comfort him. How old was he? How old was she? He definitely didn't need Mu Xue to teach him how to relax. He just wanted to find a safe way to vent his emotions. Therefore, Mu Xue played the role of a listener very well.
She supported the situation very well and felt that the nagging Emperor Kangxi at this moment was very much like an old father who was heartbroken by his son.
After a long conversation, Emperor Kangxi paused and said with emotion: "No wonder people say that daughters are caring. Talking to you makes me feel much better."
"Then my daughter will be very happy." Muxue said, "You don't know, I am afraid that you will be too sad. Khan Ama is like a mountain and the sun to me, and there can't be any mistakes."
Emperor Kangxi laughed in silence: "You have been on the grassland for a long time. Have you been influenced by Dunduobuduoerji? You speak with this accent too."
"I also know other accents, I will learn them for you."
"Oh, what accent?" Emperor Kangxi asked with interest.
Mu Xue smiled and said, "Sometimes merchants from the Hui tribe come to Guihua City. One time, two merchants from the Hui tribe quarreled and even started fighting, with each other's throats pinched."
She grabbed her throat, imitating the businessman, and said in a vivid voice: "Hey, my friend, fighting is fighting, but give me some air."
"Pfft..." Kangxi laughed out loud at her strange tone, "I'm afraid you are making this up again to fool me."
"If I can make Khan Ama smile a little, my daughter is willing to accept the punishment."
"Okay, who wants to punish you?" Emperor Kangxi smiled and shook his head.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
