Chapter 155: The Deposed Crown Prince

After returning to Beijing, the prince was locked up in Yuqing Palace and was not allowed to leave. After observing for a few days, the court ministers found that Kangxi seemed to really want to depose the prince.

Thus, under the instigation of some people with ulterior motives, various memorials directed at the prince came in droves, more than ten times the number received on the way back to Beijing, and the contents were even more outrageous.

Things like accepting bribes, bullying men and women, humiliating court ministers, debauchery in the harem, disrespect for the emperor and father, cruelty and ruthlessness, poisoning wives, raising private soldiers, etc., the contents of the memorials were all written vividly, as if you were there. Some of the things were extremely secretive, and no one knew where these people heard them from.

Kangxi even began to doubt whether all his court officials came from intelligence backgrounds, and whether everyone could become an imperial censor.

He kept these memorials and did not send them out. He did not say how to deal with the prince, nor did he stop the practice of throwing dirty water on the prince.

Seeing that "strange stories" about the prince were flying everywhere, almost every citizen in the capital could tell a word or two of gossip about the prince. With Kangxi's deliberate connivance, the good reputation that the prince had spent decades to build was destroyed.

When Prince Zhi could not help but make a memorial to the court, clearly asking the emperor to "depose the crown prince", the "climax" that had been building up for so long finally came.

After listening to the impassioned speech of Prince Zhi, Kangxi looked around at all the ministers and said slowly: "I inherited the foundation of my ancestors, worked hard for more than 40 years, and announced to the world early that a prince would be established, hoping that he could continue the great cause of the Qing Dynasty. However, under the instigation of Suo Etu and others, the prince did not follow the virtues of his ancestors, did not listen to my teachings, listened to the words of villains, gathered his followers, amassed wealth, and even spied on my every move."

"The prince has committed countless illegal acts. The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. I let him off the hook because of the father-son relationship, but unfortunately he doesn't know when to stop and is becoming more and more arrogant. The eighteenth prince is seriously ill, and the other brothers who are accompanying him are all worried, but the prince is the only one who looks happy. As a prince and an elder brother, he has no brotherly love, and he can't sympathize with the grief of a father like me."

"In the past, Soetu secretly plotted to usurp the throne, and I executed him. The prince held a grudge and wanted to avenge Soetu. I was on guard day and night and dared not sleep."

"If the prince ascends the throne, he will fight against his brothers at home and harm the lives of others. I cannot let the foundation of our ancestors be destroyed in the hands of disloyal, unfilial and unrighteous people."

"Qin Tianjian, choose an auspicious day. I will announce to the heaven and earth and the ancestral temple that the crown prince has been deposed."

Kangxi made the final decision and then forced himself to sit on the dragon throne with a look of sorrow. He was already over fifty years old and under the double blow of illness and grief, his body was on the verge of collapse.

Prince Zhi couldn't hide his joy, and Mingzhu told him not to be too radical and to take it slow. The emperor is old, if he doesn't try, will he just have to watch the prince enjoy the glory?

Yinzhen stared at Kangxi's shaking hands holding the dragon throne without saying a word, while the Eighth Prince stared at the Prince of Zhi with a deep gaze. The court officials did not expect Kangxi to be so decisive, and were a little confused for a moment. Was the dethronement of the crown prince successful?
Now that the crown prince has been deposed, it is natural that a new crown prince must be chosen to take office. Who is the most likely person?

Prince of Zhi!
So after the morning court session, Prince Zhi was surrounded by a group of ministers, and felt a little flattered after listening to their compliments.

******
Yuqing Palace
Tong Guining hugged Hongzhao tightly, as if to draw strength from him. She watched the prince being escorted back. The outside of Yuqing Palace was heavily guarded and no one could go in or out. Kangxi ignored them, but occasionally remembered to carry Hongzhao over to have a look.

The prince, who once frightened her, now looked like a poor little thing. He had to kneel facing the direction of the Yangxin Palace for six hours every day, and his knees were already calloused.

Their supplies are also much worse, and it is extremely difficult to get some fresh vegetables.

The concubines lived in fear all day long, and many of them came to Tong Guining in groups to cry. She sent them all away and ordered them to be confined to their homes.

Kangxi's long speech in the previous dynasty finally spread throughout the harem and spread throughout the capital at an extremely fast speed.

The prince laughed at himself and knelt on the ground, thinking that this day had finally come.

Hongxi and Hongjin were anxious and angry, so they came to ask the prince for advice.

The prince looked at the two grown children and said, "You two are grown up now. Your father can no longer be your support. Instead, he is a burden. The most important thing now is to be patient. The emperor has not confined you two. You still have to go to the study. It would be best if you can show your face in front of the emperor. But remember, don't plead for your father. Remember!"

Hongxi wanted to say something else, but was stopped by the prince. He must be surrounded by spies now, and he would make mistakes if he spoke too much. This was all he could say. "By the way, take good care of Hongzhao." The prince added.

Hong Jin pouted and said, "Brother, why should we take care of that kid?"

"Alright, Father has suffered a great loss because of Uncle Eighteen. If you continue to act like this, be careful that someone will report you to the Emperor." Hong Xi said, and leaned close to Hong Jin's ear, "We don't have to do anything. The Crown Princess won't let us get close to Hong Zhao easily. It's just a verbal promise to appease Father."

Hong Jin nodded, and the two of them left together.

******
The Fourth Prince's Mansion

Yihuan was asking Yuxue about what she saw and heard at the Ninth Prince's residence. She sent Yuxue to deliver the fox doll that she had promised to make to the Ninth Lady.

Yuxue is smart and is just the right person to go out and socialize and get information: "My master, Ninth Lady said she is doing fine. This morning, Ninth Master even had breakfast by himself and he is much better now. Ninth Lady also said that she will come to thank him in person when Ninth Master can walk freely."

Yihuan nodded when she heard that. It seemed that after so much hard work, Jiu Ye's condition had finally improved. Being able to control his emotions was the first step to victory.

"Where's Liuliu? I haven't seen her all morning." After returning to Beijing, Liuliu had a big tantrum.

The little girl changed from her usual behavior and just stared at you with her big eyes, saying nothing, with tears streaming down her face.

In Yonghe Palace, the little wolf sniffed around Yihuan and then let her hold him, showing no signs of unfamiliarity at all.

The only thing was this big one, but she dodged when Yihuan wanted to hug it, so Yihuan hugged nothing.

Seeing her daughter crying silently and hiding behind Concubine De and refusing to come out, Yihuan couldn't hold back her tears.

Seeing Yihuan crying so sadly, Yinzhen walked over to Liuliu, squatted down, and spoke to her patiently: "Liuliu, your father and mother are here to take you and your brother home. Don't you miss your mother?"

Liu Liu pursed her lips and said, "Mother doesn't want Liu Liu anymore."

Yinzhen glanced at Concubine De, then said gently, "Who said this to Liuliu? Can you tell Father?"

"Brother Hongchun said so."

Yinzhen made a note of the fourteenth in his mind.

"Liuliu, you are six years old this year. Do you need others to tell you whether your mother loves you or not?" Yinzhen said seriously, "You are so gullible in believing what outsiders say. It hurts your mother's heart. Let's go give her a hug, okay?"

Liu Liu raised his head and said, "Father, you guys won't abandon Liu Liu, right?"

"Of course, Ama can make a pinky promise with you."

Liuliu burst into laughter and walked towards Yihuan a little embarrassedly. Yihuan hugged her and the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly in Yonghe Palace.

After the two had finished crying, Concubine De ordered someone to wash them up and said, "If you don't know, you might think I'm a vicious grandmother. Liuliu, go back and live here. Come back when you miss Mamu."

Liuliu hugged Concubine De and kissed her for a long time before following Yihuan home.