Because of this incident, Emperor Kangxi's "illness," which should have been cured, has now been postponed until some time has passed.
"Just say I fell asleep. Since they want to kneel, let them kneel for a while longer."
“Zha”
After about two hours, Kangxi felt it was about time and asked Liang Jiugong, "Are they still kneeling?"
"Your Majesty, they are all still kneeling!"
"Bring them in!"
“Zha”
Liang Jiugong went out to call for help. Kangxi, who had been looking normal, suddenly appeared much weaker the moment Liang Jiugong left, as if by magic.
When Songgotu and other ministers entered, Kangxi suddenly coughed for a long time. The noise startled the people below, who all knelt down.
"Your Majesty, you must take good care of your health," said Soetu with a concerned and anxious expression.
Kangxi coughed twice and said, "Thank you for your concern, my dear minister. However, I am preoccupied with the affairs of the court. Besides, the imperial physician did not say there was a problem when he examined my pulse. I should be fine after resting for a couple more days."
"Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance. This humble servant dares to ask Your Majesty to allow the Crown Prince to attend court and oversee the country."
Emperor Kangxi's expression was not good: "What are you saying, my dear minister? The Crown Prince is too young to shoulder such an important responsibility."
"Your Majesty, please consider the bigger picture. Under Your Majesty's guidance, the Crown Prince has become a capable person who can stand on his own. Please grant His Majesty's permission."
That's a rather aggressive statement.
If Emperor Kangxi were healthy, Suo'etu would naturally not dare to speak up. But now that Emperor Kangxi's condition is not good, Suo'etu has no scruples and is very bold. He is certain that Emperor Kangxi will not punish him at such a critical juncture.
Emperor Kangxi indeed did not punish him, and in the end agreed to the Crown Prince's "suggestion" to act as regent and handle state affairs.
After Songgotu and his entourage left the Qianqing Palace satisfied, Kangxi was no longer weak.
Liang Jiugong was puzzled by Kangxi's decision. Given Kangxi's current condition, he could even hold court normally tomorrow, yet he still entrusted the important task of overseeing the country to the Crown Prince.
However, these were not his concerns; all he needed to do was serve Emperor Kangxi well.
The news that the Crown Prince would oversee the country surprised many people.
The eldest prince was furious and threw a tantrum, but when he saw the crown prince the next day, his expression was more respectful than usual, which made the crown prince feel much more at ease.
The Crown Prince heard that the First Prince had lost his temper last night and must be feeling very uncomfortable. Just thinking about how frustrated the First Prince looked made the Crown Prince feel incredibly happy.
Not only did the eldest prince "cowardly" but the third prince also became cowardly. It seemed that all the officials in the court were following the crown prince's lead. The harem was not idle either. The crown prince had long lost his biological mother, but his biological mother's sister was still in the palace.
And so, the nobody, Consort Ping, suddenly became "famous" at this critical juncture. She did nothing, but she received a lot of gifts and compliments.
Consort Tong, Consort Wenxi, Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Yi—all these prominent figures in the harem—treated Consort Ping with exceptional courtesy.
It was quite a spectacle in the imperial harem.
All of this was observed by Emperor Kangxi.
Nearly ten days passed, and even the Empress Dowager, despite being ill, came to see Kangxi. At this time, the Hesheli family became increasingly arrogant and unrestrained in their actions in the capital.
After reviewing the findings of his secret guards, Emperor Kangxi felt that it was sufficient. He then summoned the Crown Prince, and the father and son spoke in the study for about an hour. When the Crown Prince emerged from the study, he appeared dejected and listless.
The next day, Kangxi suddenly recovered and was able to attend court as usual.
The sudden appearance of Emperor Kangxi startled many people! Their hearts were pounding so hard!
Then Kangxi quickly had someone read aloud the evidence of crimes committed by the Hesheli family and some people under their protection over the past ten days.
He was dismissed from his post, investigated, and finally spent some time in prison before being demoted upon his release.
Kangxi acted swiftly, giving no one time to react.
In fact, the conversation between Kangxi and the Crown Prince in the study that day was very simple. Kangxi simply showed the Crown Prince the actions of the Hesheli family and those who relied on the Hesheli family.
Then he said to him, "If something really happened to me, and the Qing Dynasty were handed over to you, how would you handle these issues?"
The crown prince could not give an answer; he was unaware that someone was abusing his name to commit numerous evils and wrongdoings.
The young crown prince was suddenly shocked. He realized his own weakness. His father, the emperor, was capable of ruling at his age and fighting with the regents, but he couldn't even see who his "enemies" were.
"You are still young, you can take your time. I don't want this to happen again."
In the end, Emperor Kangxi was reluctant to punish the Crown Prince. Soetu and others were punished, and the Crown Prince was only relieved of his duties as regent. Everything seemed to have returned to square one.
However, Emperor Kangxi allowed the Crown Prince to attend court and helped him with some simple matters.
With the affairs of the previous dynasty resolved, Kangxi observed the matters of the inner palace but did not punish anyone.
However, he is increasingly less interested in going to the harem.
If you want to see your child, just have someone bring the child to you, or go directly to the Prince's residence.
After all these matters were settled, autumn had passed. Kangxi received a letter from Yunnan, which described the autumn rice harvest in Yunnan, which was even better than that of wheat, with a yield of more than five shi per mu.
Then there's Youqing's recent situation. Her business is booming. The Wutong Garden is making a fortune every day, and she's opening one skincare shop after another. She's practically a money-devouring beast.
It seems she's living a very comfortable life. Kangxi thought it was good that she was happy, but when he thought about the miserable life he had been living in the capital these past few days, he felt a little unbalanced and somewhat resentful.
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