The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 11 The Prince's Wrath

After school, Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince were practicing horse riding and archery together in the archery hall.

Wu Desheng, the deputy chief eunuch of Yuqing Palace, suddenly appeared on the training ground of the Archery Hall and strode towards Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince.

"Greetings, Master Fifteen and Master Sixteen." Wu Desheng greeted Xukong Zhaqian very obediently.

The Sixteenth Prince didn't understand what was going on, but Yinyou knew it. The fact that he and the Sixteenth Prince went to visit the Fourth Prince was known by the Crown Prince.

Wu Desheng was one of the most favored eunuchs of Crown Prince Yinreng.

Except for a few eunuchs like Liang Jiugong and Wei Zhu who were Kangxi's favorites, almost no one dared to disrespect him, whether in the palace or outside.

"Manager Wu, is there something wrong?" Yinyou not only did not take the initiative to get off the horse, but instead looked down at Wu Desheng from a high position.

"Replying to Master Fifteen and Master Sixteen, the Crown Prince invites you two to go to Yuqing Palace together." Wu Desheng kept bowing and seemed to be being polite on the surface, but his words were filled with sinister intent.

A trip to Yuqing Palace these days means a wild cat has entered the house, and nothing good is going to happen!

There is no way, Kangxi’s love for Yinreng is true love!
Putting aside other things, Yinreng kicked the fourth prince unconscious in public, and it was impossible for Kangxi, who was so close, not to know about it.

However, up to this point, Kangxi has been pretending to be ignorant.

In previous public occasions, Kangxi had always strongly advocated that brothers should be friendly and respectful to each other.

When the time came to see the truth, Kangxi's heart was over the Atlantic Ocean.

My own father is so partial to me, what else can I say?

Old Sixteen was still young after all, and was somewhat afraid, so he asked in a trembling voice, "Do we have to go?"

Wu Desheng could hear the fear in Old Sixteen's eyes, and he couldn't help but smile smugly, deliberately saying loudly: "My Old Sixteen, no matter who our Crown Prince invites to Yuqing Palace, no one has dared to refuse to go."

This guy is so rampant!

To be honest, Yinyu had been waiting for this day for a long time.

I took the initiative to comfort the fourth brother, but ended up in trouble. What would the fourth brother think?
Yinreng was the legitimate crown prince, and he had been the regent when Kangxi was not in Beijing. He asked Yinyu and the Sixteenth Prince to come over, and Yinyu had no way to refuse.

Besides, there were still two years before the first dethronement of the crown prince, and six years before the second dethronement of the crown prince.

Having really offended Crown Prince Yinreng, Yinyou had no choice but to take the Sixteenth Prince and seek refuge with the Eighth Prince.

However, joining Lao Ba is like drinking poison to quench thirst, and will eventually lead to failure.

In fact, from Yinyu's perspective, it was impossible for him to go to the Eighth Prince, mainly because the Eighth Prince already had the Ninth Prince, the Tenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince around him.

Even if the eighth prince had the last laugh, Yinyou and the sixteenth prince could only get some crumbs of the cake.

This is the same situation as Nian Gengyao and Longkodo. They did not choose Lao Ba because Lao Ba was surrounded by Manchu nobles who were waiting to share the cake.

Wu Desheng suppressed the pride in his heart, bent over and led the way on the side, leading Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince to Yuqing Palace.

Yuqing Palace is just north of the Shedian Palace.

After passing through Qianxing Gate and Xiangxu Gate and bypassing Dunben Hall, Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince were led to the steps of the main hall of Yuqing Palace.

"Master Fifteen, Master Sixteen, please wait a moment and allow me to go in and report." As Wu Desheng bowed, a mysterious smile appeared on his face.

Yinyu knew that coming to Yuqing Palace today was obviously a move that was intended to lure people into the mountain of danger. "Wu Desheng, walk slowly on the road and don't be too anxious. Your Sixteenth Master and I have both eaten steamed buns and are not hungry!" Yinyu teased Wu Desheng with sarcasm.

Wu Desheng was filled with rage, but he dared not vent his anger. He could only bend his waist, shake his head and say, "Master Fifteen, look at what you said. I will go and come back soon."

After all, Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince are the biological sons of the current emperor. They can allow themselves to be humiliated by the crown prince, but they will never be bullied unscrupulously by a dog slave.

After Wu Desheng entered, the Sixteenth Brother was still a little worried, so he asked Yinyou in a low voice: "Fifteenth Brother, if..."

Yinyu waved his hand slightly and said with a smile: "Don't worry, when we meet, try to speak as little as possible, and I will take the lead."

The Sixteenth Prince was quite moved. He grabbed Yinyou's right hand and shook it vigorously several times.

Yinyu smiled slightly. They were brothers, and neither of them was favored. If something really happened, he, as the elder brother, would have no choice but to stand in front.

Even though it was already afternoon, the sun was still scorching hot and my body was greasy from the sun.

Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince were left standing at the bottom of the stairs for more than half an hour before Wu Desheng came out triumphantly.

"Master Fifteen and Master Sixteen, our Crown Prince invites you." Wu Desheng's tone of voice made people feel particularly uncomfortable.

Yinyu really didn't intend to indulge him, so he raised his hand and slapped him hard, and shouted: "You dog slave, you dare to step on my foot?"

Wu Desheng was a favorite of Yinreng and had not been slapped in many years. Almost in the blink of an eye, he was completely stunned and covered his face, at a loss.

The Sixteenth Prince was simply stunned. He had never dreamed that Yinyou would dare to act so wildly under the Crown Prince's nose.

"Hmph, you dog slave, wait until I come out, and then I'll give you a good beating." Yinwei gently pulled the Sixteenth Old Man's arm and led him up the steps and into the hall.

In the middle of the hall, there was a small Sumeru throne on which the prince sat, staring at Yinyou with a cold gaze.

Yinyou led the Sixteenth Prince, took a few quick steps, and bowed down together at the foot of the Sumeru throne.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is here to wish you the best of health."

"Your humble servant Yinlu, respectfully wishes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince good health."

Ever since Kangxi appointed the Crown Prince, the second son Yinreng and his brothers have been treated as monarch and subjects.

However, the difference between the monarch and his subjects here means that Yinreng enjoyed the treatment of a half-monarch.

In formal occasions, for example, during a grand court meeting, Yinyu and a dozen other princes had to kneel down to greet Yinreng. However, it was not three kneelings and nine kowtows, but two kneelings and six kowtows.

However, in informal occasions, when Yinyou met Yinreng, he only had to kneel and kowtow.

"When beating a dog, you have to look at the owner first. Yinyou, you are so brave that you even dare to use violence against the eunuchs in the lonely palace?" Yinreng questioned Yinyou in public very rudely.

In the Qing Dynasty, naming someone was no different from spitting in someone's face in public.

Obviously, Yinreng was really angry!
Old Sixteen was extremely nervous. He clenched his fists tightly and wanted to say something, but his throat seemed to be strangled and he couldn't make a sound.

Yinyu was not at all flustered, and said calmly: "Your Highness, I have no intention of offending you. It's just that Wu Desheng is just like Wu Liangfu who was beside the Emperor's grandfather. He can no longer stay."

"Wu Liangfu?" Yinreng was slightly startled, then frowned and said coldly, "Yinyu, do you think I will forgive you if you just blame others?"

Wu Liangfu was a eunuch of the former Ming Dynasty. He was particularly favored by Emperor Shunzhi. In the end, he was beaten to death.

(End of this chapter)