Fourteen’s words made everyone turn to look at Yintang.
Real or fake? Is Fourteen just randomly implicating people again?
The dramatic Fourteen had already left quite the impression in everyone’s minds; whenever something happened, he was the first to be suspected.
The backstab came far too unexpectedly. For a moment, Yintang couldn’t think of anything to say to turn things around, so he could only kneel down dejectedly.
“Yes, it was this son who told Fourteenth Brother that Eighth Brother ate bitter gourd this morning until he threw up.”
The princes marveled. They didn’t expect this matter to drag Old Ninth down too. Four princes were already involved; this was even more severe than the censors’ impeachments in the imperial court.
Tsk, such a small bitter gourd, yet such massive energy.
Amidst his surprise, the Fifth Prince also felt a bit sour. Ninth Brother actually didn’t tell me such a secret, but instead told Fourteen.
Does he even treat him as his biological older brother!
The Eighth Prince’s anger was even greater than before.
Fourteen was one thing; he had always been a troublemaker, and it was normal for him to do underhanded things. Besides, he and Fourteen had no real friendship. If he got hurt by him, so be it; he could always go to Fourth Brother to demand compensation.
But Ninth Brother was different!
Ninth Brother had always followed his lead, obeying his every word, and would share a portion of whatever good things he received.
Such a good younger brother had actually stabbed him in the back!
Was it that he had never seen Ninth Brother’s true colors, or had Ninth Brother been pretending all along?
He said with a heartbroken expression, “Ninth Brother, why would you fabricate such things about me?”
“Could it be… could it be that you still hold a grudge against your Eighth Sister-in-law and deliberately used this method to ruin my reputation?”
“If doing this makes you feel better, I can only accept it and pretend this never happened.”
Oh no!
Behind the screen, Wuyunzhu gnashed her teeth in anger as she listened. This Eighth Prince was acting like a manipulative ‘green tea’ again.
A grown man, couldn’t he just speak properly? Did he have to be so roundabout and passive-aggressive?
She was furious, but clearly knew this method was effective.
Indeed, the gazes of everyone in the room looking at Yintang now carried a bit more blame, and even Kangxi was no exception.
Yintang naturally felt the surrounding disdain and hurriedly defended himself, “Eighth Brother, this is all a misunderstanding. I never thought that way.”
The Eighth Prince waved his hand, looking like he didn’t want to hear anymore.
The First Prince sympathized with him even more and jumped out again to scold, “Old Ninth, can you be a bit more open and aboveboard as a man? Learning these underhanded tricks of inner courtyard women is truly throwing away the face of an imperial prince.”
Behind the screen, the faces of the imperial princes’ wives instantly darkened.
“Eldest Brother, I said I didn’t have those intentions. I just accidentally let it slip. What happened afterwards had nothing to do with me.”
Although Kangxi was still alive, the First Prince considered himself the eldest brother who was like a father, possessing the right to discipline his younger brothers. Seeing Yintang “unrepentant,” he grew even angrier.
“It was fine for Ninth Brother to be a bit willful when he was younger, but it is inappropriate to still act like this now that you have official duties. You must be thoroughly disciplined this time.”
Seeing the fire focused on his Ninth Brother, the Tenth Prince couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Eldest Brother, Khan Ama is still here. Are you trying to overstep your authority?”
In the royal family, the idiom of “overstepping one’s authority” couldn’t be used lightly, especially since the First Prince had impure motives and couldn’t bear to hear such words. He awkwardly retreated.
The Tenth Prince then spoke to Kangxi, “Khan Ama, Ninth Brother cannot be blamed for this matter. Ninth Brother is also a victim who was set up by someone.”
Everyone: ???
There’s a plot twist?
Who else is going to be dragged down?
Watching this drama was making everyone nervous. Everyone was silently praying in their hearts, Please don’t drag me in.
Kangxi: “Speak.”
Before speaking, the Tenth Prince glanced at Fourteen, extremely dissatisfied.
Ninth Brother only wanted to share the secret with him that day, but Fourteen insisted on leaning in to listen. He swore to keep it a secret, but turned around and spread it everywhere. After causing trouble, he pushed Ninth Brother out to take the fall.
How could he be so shameless!
Hmph, since you are unkind, don’t blame me for being unrighteous.
Tenth Prince: “Khan Ama, Ninth Brother did tell me about Eighth Brother’s matter, but Ninth Brother merely stated the facts, which are completely different from the rumors outside. It was Fourteenth Brother who deliberately embellished the story and said those things to damage Eighth Brother’s clean reputation.”
Fourteen’s face turned red with anger: “You’re spouting nonsense! It was clearly Ninth Brother who said it.”
The Tenth Prince shook his head and sighed, “Fourteenth Brother, I really can’t cover for you anymore.”
“You’ve always been jealous of Eighth Brother’s good popularity, having Eldest Brother’s high regard, Fourth Brother’s protection, and Ninth Brother’s closeness. Since you don’t have any of these things, you came to resent Eighth Brother.”
“In the past, you loved to badmouth Eighth Brother in front of the pageboys, saying he was fishing for fame, buying people’s hearts, and acting hypocritically.”
“This time, you finally found an opportunity to widely spread rumors. Not only did you ruin Eighth Brother’s reputation, but you also took the chance to sow discord between Eighth Brother and Ninth Brother.”
“Are you satisfied now?”
Hmph, isn’t it just embellishing the story? I can do that too!
Fourteen was left dumbfounded. Tenth Brother, isn’t Tenth Brother a good-for-nothing? He only cares about eating and drinking; how could he notice my usual words and actions?
True, he resented Eighth Brother for stealing Fourth Brother’s attention and care, but sowing discord between Eighth and Ninth Brother? He hadn’t even thought of that!
With Ninth Brother’s lack of literary and martial skills, he looked down on him anyway. Only Tenth Brother would foolishly follow behind Ninth Brother’s butt.
“Tenth Brother, you can’t just spread rumors to exonerate Ninth Brother.”
The Tenth Prince looked solemn: “Khan Ama, every word this son says is true. If Khan Ama does not believe me, you can summon Fourteenth Brother’s study companions and eunuchs for questioning.”
Fourteen completely panicked. Khan Ama could summon the eunuchs from the Archery Pavilion and Zhaoxiang Quarters, which meant he could also summon the people around him.
He… he…
If only E’niang were here.
Everyone closely watched Fourteen’s expression. Seeing his panicked and extremely guilty look, they knew that Tenth Brother’s words were true.
They couldn’t help but sigh in their hearts; Fourteen was truly scheming.
The Eighth Prince was slightly startled. Ninth Brother was also a victim?
Now that the investigation had reached this point, things were clear.
The room fell silent, awaiting Kangxi’s judgment.
Kangxi felt a bit tired. These sons were truly not saving him from worry. He didn’t want to investigate further and pondered how to assign blame to them.
In this incident, the Fourth Prince suffered the most harm, followed by the Eighth Prince, while the Fourteenth Prince’s fault was the heaviest…
Suddenly, someone barged in from outside. It was the Eighth Fujin.
“My Lord! I heard you were beaten by Fourteen. Are you heavily injured? Have you summoned the imperial physician?”
As soon as the Eighth Fujin entered, she clung to the Eighth Prince to inspect him. Seeing the new scratches on his handsome face, she couldn’t help but cry out, “My Lord! Why didn’t you call an imperial physician to take a look? How severe must this injury be?”
The Eighth Prince was somewhat moved. The Eighth Fujin was the first person to care about his injuries tonight.
He said gently, “It’s nothing, just minor injuries.”
“How can it be nothing? You don’t hit a person in the face, yet he aimed right for yours! I knew Fourteen was definitely jealous of your good looks and wanted to use this chance to ruin them. What a vicious mind!”
Everyone: Fourteen is jealous of Old Eighth, but not of his face.
The Eighth Fujin glared fiercely at Fourteen, “No wonder the Fourth Prince dislikes you. Having such a vicious mind at such a young age, who would dare to like you?”
Ninth Prince & Tenth Prince: Couldn’t agree more.
Kangxi hadn’t yet figured out how to punish his sons. He couldn’t exactly beat them himself. Since the Eighth Fujin happened to arrive, letting her vent a bit first was fine. Who knew that the Eighth Fujin’s words would become increasingly presumptuous? Just as he was about to flare up, another person barged in from outside.
It was Consort De.
“Stop!”
Seeing the Eighth Fujin’s sharp nail protectors almost scratching her youngest son’s face, Consort De disregarded her composure and rushed in frantically, pulling Fourteen into her embrace as tears streamed down her face.
“My Fourteen, E’niang arrived late and let you be bullied.”
Fourteen hugged her waist, “E’niang, it hurts~”
“Let E’niang see quickly. Where are you hurt? Does it hurt? E’niang will call the imperial physician to check on you right now.”
Still calling the imperial physician?
As if things weren’t messy and embarrassing enough?
Kangxi pinched the bridge of his nose and waved his hand for the Crown Prince to go check his pulse.
“Mother De need not worry, these are all superficial wounds. He will recover after a few days of rest.”
What did he mean by ‘need not worry’? It wasn’t hurting on his body.
But the Crown Prince held an esteemed position, and Consort De didn’t dare refute him. She just held Fourteen with one hand and wiped her tears with a handkerchief in the other.
“Although they are superficial wounds, Fourteen is young and his skin is tender. If it leaves a scar, that’s a lifelong matter.”
“Eighth Prince’s wife, what a cruel heart you have. Fourteen is still a child; how could you raise your hand against him?”
Although Consort De was one of the Four Consorts, the Eighth Fujin considered herself of noble bloodline, coming from the Prince An’s Manor, and thus looked down somewhat on Consort De, who was of bondservant origin.
She sneered, “A child? Whose child beats their older brother like this? Born of the same mother, why is their character worlds apart?”
The volume of that last sentence was much lower, but the room was utterly quiet, so everyone naturally heard it clearly and understood her subtext.
The Fourth Prince and Fourteen shared the same mother, yet their characters were vastly different. Why? It was because the people who raised them were different.
Fourteen was raised by Consort De, a mere bondservant, whereas the Fourth Prince was raised by Empress Xiaoyi. That was the difference!
The Fourth Prince was Consort De’s sore spot. Hearing such heart-piercing words now, she gradually lost her reason.
“Do you think you are some good bamboo shoot yourself? You are of the Gorolo clan; your Ama was a criminal beheaded for gambling fraud.”
The Eighth Fujin hated it the most when people called her by the Gorolo clan. “Heh, with Your Highness’s temperament, no wonder Fourth Brother can’t get close to you.”
It was the Fourth Prince again!
Consort De looked around and didn’t see the Fourth Prince and his wife. She couldn’t help but ask: “Fourteen, where is your Fourth Brother? You’ve been bullied like this, and he won’t even come out to take a look?”
The Third Prince finally found a chance to interject, “Fourth Brother was accidentally injured by the two younger brothers. He’s lying down inside right now.”
Consort De: “Truly useless.”
Everyone: …
Stuck with an E’niang like this, Fourth Brother is really miserable.
Knowing Consort De’s partiality, Kangxi hadn’t expected it to reach such an extent. He truly couldn’t watch this any longer.
“The Fourth Prince is resting in the inner room. Consort De, go in and take a look.”
Consort De’s heart was entirely focused on her son. She hadn’t noticed Kangxi, who was blocked by the crowd. Hearing his words, a trace of embarrassment surfaced on her face. “This concubine will go right away.”
Walking around the screen, Consort De entered the western side room and immediately met the Fourth Prince’s gaze.
Consort De couldn’t help but wonder: how much of what she had said outside just now had Old Fourth heard?
But so what if he heard?
The eye contact between mother and son was very calm.
Ordinarily, the Fourth Fujin would remember the rules, stand up to greet Consort De, and smooth things over. But having heard everything outside just now, she felt displeased in her heart and simply pretended not to see her.
Thinking that the Emperor was outside, Consort De had no choice but to ask: “Is the Fourth Prince alright?”
“The imperial physician has seen it. It’s nothing serious, just needs a period of good rest.”
Consort De: “That’s good. Don’t blame your Fourteenth Brother for this matter either. He is young, and his temper is a bit fiery. However, your body is so weak; you still need to train more.”
If it weren’t for his fall, why would the Emperor personally intervene in this matter?
It was all because Old Fourth was disappointing.
The Fourth Prince’s expression was faint, “E’niang is right.”
The brief pleasantries ended. Mother and son had nothing more to say, so Consort De left.
Outside, Kangxi had already meted out the punishments.
Eighth Fujin: Violated her grounding order and left the princes’ residence without authorization. Fined to copy the palace rules ten times.
Eighth Prince: Caused the Fourth Prince to be injured. Fined one year’s salary.
Fourteenth Prince: Spread tales, mocked his older brother, and beat his older brother. Fined two years’ salary and ordered to copy the Analects of Confucius fifty times.
Ninth Prince: Fined half a year’s salary and ordered to eat bitter gourd for a month.
This last punishment was Kangxi’s wicked sense of humor. Although the Ninth Prince never intended for it to spread, he was the root of the trouble, so he might as well be made to eat it for a month.
“Respectfully sending off Khan Ama.”
After Kangxi left, everyone also exited the Second Residence, splitting off towards the east and west.
Only the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes walked eastward.
Thinking about Eighth Brother being punished again, Yintang felt uneasy and apologized very sincerely, “Eighth Brother, this is all my fault. You…” I will make up for the silver you were fined.
Suddenly, his waist was pinched hard, and his words came to a halt.
Hearing Yintang’s tone, Wuyunzhu knew he was feeling guilty and wanted to compensate the Eighth Prince, so she immediately pinched him to distract him.
Old Tenth also knew his Ninth Brother’s temperament well. Seeing that Ninth Sister-in-law was unhappy and fearing they might argue, he took over the conversation. “Ninth Brother needn’t blame himself. You were also implicated in this matter.”
“It’s fine for us brothers to talk about these things among ourselves. It was Fourteen who insisted on blabbing outside that caused all this trouble.”
Eighth Prince: …
What else could he say?
He was extremely displeased right now.
His reputation was ruined, Khan Ama now had the impression that he beat his older brother, and he had lost a year’s salary of rice.
Last time, he was fined half a year, and now another year was added. Combined, that was nearly four thousand taels!
Such a massive loss made it very difficult for him to show Old Ninth a good face.
The Eighth Prince cupped his hands to his two younger brothers, “I have arrived. Everyone is tired today; go back and rest early.”
The doors of the Third Residence closed heavily. Yintang felt that Eighth Brother was thoroughly chilled toward him this time and wanted to distance himself, leaving his mood very depressed.
The Tenth Prince consoled him, “Ninth Brother, don’t be too sad. Eighth Brother just can’t get over it right now. He’ll be fine later.”
Heh, it’s best if he can’t get over it.
Wuyunzhu hadn’t expected that a tiny bitter gourd could actually crack the indestructible brotherhood between the Eighth and Ninth Princes. This was much stronger than the insinuations she had planted earlier.
Even after washing up and getting into bed, Yintang was still a bit listless.
Wuyunzhu didn’t want his guilt to double. If he acted on impulse and made some promise to the Eighth Prince, everything would be ruined.
“My Lord, are you still blaming yourself for Eighth Brother’s matter?”
Yintang sighed, “I just feel really bad for Eighth Brother. If I hadn’t gone to the Imperial Study that day and hadn’t said those things to Fourteen and the others…”
Wuyunzhu wanted to pour a bucket of cold water on him. You think too highly of yourself.
Did you order Fourteen to embellish the story? Did you manipulate the officials to go watch and mock Eighth Brother? Or did you injure Fourth Brother?
Of course, she couldn’t persuade him like that.
She lay in bed thinking deeply, and after a long while, she tugged on Yintang’s sleeve and said timidly, “My Lord, don’t you think there’s something jinxed about Eighth Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law?”
Yintang was startled by these words and immediately covered her mouth, “You dare say such things!”
Wuyunzhu suddenly felt something strange beneath her and kicked his calf, “I’m talking about serious business.”
Yintang’s ears turned red as he retorted, “Which married couple talks about serious business in bed?”
“This is where confidentiality is best. Are you going to listen or not?”
“I’ll listen, I’ll listen.”
Yintang was full of curiosity now, and his previous little bit of self-blame gradually dissipated.
Wuyunzhu: “I think Eighth Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law bring bad luck to people.”
Yintang sat up in shock, lifting the bed curtains to look up, down, left, and right. Only after confirming he couldn’t even hear a mosquito buzzing did he feel slightly relieved.
“You mustn’t say this nonsense. If Khan Ama finds out, you’re doomed.”
“How could Khan Ama know what’s said behind the bed curtains? Unless you tell him.” Wuyunzhu poked his chest with her finger, “I treat My Lord as the closest person to me, which is why I’m sharing these heartfelt words. I couldn’t care less about the life or death of others.”
The closest person? More important than her father and mother?
Yintang lay back down gleefully, “Okay, okay, I swear I won’t tell. Continue, Fujin.”
Wuyunzhu analyzed: “Look, I’ve only been in the palace for four days, and I’ve already witnessed two farces involving Eighth Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law. Coincidentally, both times, it was the bystanders who got hurt the most.”
“The first time, Eighth Sister-in-law caused trouble. She was only punished with confinement, but Third Sister-in-law nearly had a miscarriage.”
“Today was the second time. Although Eighth Brother’s reputation took a hit, as long as Khan Ama values him, it doesn’t count for much. But Fourth Brother, who wholeheartedly tried to help him, suffered internal injuries and has to rest in bed for a month.”
“We should keep some distance from Eighth Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law in the future. Who knows, we might get jinxed one day.”
Yintang was half-believing, half-doubting, “But I’ve always been on good terms with Eighth Brother and have never been jinxed.”
Wuyunzhu lightly punched his chest, “Can’t you hope for something better? Do you still want to be jinxed by him?”
“Besides, it’s not like you haven’t been jinxed.”
Her tone was eerie, making Yintang feel a chill down his spine. He couldn’t help but hug the person in his arms tighter, “What does Fujin mean by this?”
“Does My Lord still remember those fifty thousand taels? If I hadn’t reminded you to ask for it back, you would have lost fifty thousand taels. Does that not count?”
“Today, Khan Ama fined you half a year’s salary again, making you work for free at the yamen from tomorrow until the end of the year. Does that not count either?”
“The Dragon Boat Festival is coming up, followed by the Mid-Autumn Festival. For these two major holidays, the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace need to be rewarded, and relatives outside need to be visited. That will cost a huge sum of money. When the time comes and we can’t bring the money out, I suppose we’ll be the ones laughed at by all of the capital.”
Thinking of that scenario, the Ninth Prince shook his head vigorously. He definitely didn’t want to lose face like that!
Yintang tightly held Wuyunzhu’s hand, looking fearful after the fact. “Thank goodness Fujin reminded me. It seems we really must distance ourselves from Eighth Brother in the future.”
Although there was no solid proof for Fujin’s words, every thread seemed inexplicably tied to Eighth Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law. Besides, for this kind of thing, it was always better to believe it exists than not; it was all very mysterious.
Having resolved their mental burdens, the couple quickly fell asleep, having sweet dreams all night.
The next morning, the young couple had breakfast together.
“My Lord, if you have nothing to do this afternoon, come back early. Let’s go together to apologize to Fourth Brother.”
Although the primary responsibility for the Fourth Prince’s injury lay with the Eighth Prince and Fourteen, the Fourth Prince and Eighth Prince had a deep bond, and Fourteen was his biological younger brother. What if he didn’t hold it against them but instead settled the score with Yintang? That would be too tragic.
Even if they couldn’t be on good terms with the Fourth Prince, they should try their best not to make enemies with him. If there were conflicts, resolve them early.
That was what Wuyunzhu thought.
Yintang shook his head repeatedly, “We’d better not go. Fourth Brother is a bit narrow-minded; he’ll definitely pin yesterday’s matter on my head. Going over there would mean inevitably receiving a lecture. Besides, he and I had conflicts in the past.”
Had conflicts in the past?
Wuyunzhu’s hand, which was picking up food, paused. So you little brat started offending people this early on?