Getting Rich from Legend of Zhen Huan

The prince stayed in Dezhou for a month before returning to the capital, and the forty-one-year period ended with his southern tour.

In March of the 42nd year, it was Emperor Kangxi's 50th birthday.

Kangxi looked at the back of his hand with an unsure expression. The skin was no longer as elastic as it was when he was young. He said to Liang Jiugong with emotion: "I am old."

Liang Jiugong was frightened to death by these words. How could he not know Kangxi's taboo about the elderly?

Liang Jiugong forced a smile and replied, "Your Majesty has not reduced his daily meals, and he is still skilled in archery and horse riding. Why do you say this?"

Kangxi seemed to be sighing casually, and only commented lightly that Liang Jiugong was cunning, and then skipped the topic.

Only Liang Jiugong felt terrified. If Kangxi had directly expressed his happiness or anger, the matter would have passed. But he was afraid that Kangxi's unclear meaning would make him unsure who would step on the landmine?

The joy of the Wanshou Festival in March did not continue into May, as Prince Yu Fuquan fell ill.

Fuquan was Kangxi's elder brother, and although they were brothers, their birthdays were only a few months apart. It can be said that the two grew up together in the palace, so their friendship was naturally deeper than that of others.

Fuquan was born with one eye that could not see clearly, and Kangxi had survived the smallpox that killed Shunzhi. After comprehensive considerations, Xiaozhuang chose to support Kangxi.

When he was young, Kangxi was afraid of his brother who missed the throne. Fuquan was also keenly aware of Kangxi's attitude towards him and never expressed his opinions on political affairs.

But now Kangxi is fifty years old, and he needs to be more cautious than Fuquan's own strong and healthy sons. This also makes Kangxi recall the days when he and Fuquan supported each other.

If Fuquan had not clearly stood on Kangxi's side, the royal family would not know how to jump high, and there were also those who were always thinking about speculation. If Fuquan had any small thoughts, it would cause great inconvenience to Kangxi. But Fuquan silently supported Kangxi for ten years, and played a big role in Kangxi's personal expedition against Galdan.

Perhaps it was because people tend to be nostalgic when they get old, or perhaps it was because he was afraid that his brother who was a few months older than him was about to pass away, Kangxi repeatedly sent imperial doctors to prolong Fuquan's life, but it was all in vain. Life and death are determined by fate and cannot be changed by human power.

Because of Prince Yu's death, Kangxi was in a bad mood for several days.

In this depressing atmosphere, Kangxi obtained a piece of information, a piece of information that was enough to change the situation in the court.

Bang! This was the sound of Kangxi overturning the imperial table.

The palace maids and eunuchs who heard the noise were so scared that they knelt on the ground. Liang Jiugong was even more scared. He was the one who handed this information to Kangxi. Liang Jiugong had never seen Kangxi like this. Even when Oboi dared to bring a knife into the palace, Kangxi just slammed the table with a gloomy face and waited for the opportunity.

Kangxi stood in the mess, with all kinds of papers mixed with spilled ink leaving ugly marks on the floor tiles. But Kangxi seemed to be unconscious, standing there, recalling the contents of the secret report.

'Last year, when the crown prince lived in Dezhou, Suo Etu rode his horse to the crown prince's central gate and got off. This is the first crime. When Suo Etu was a university scholar, he was dismissed for greed and evil, and was later reinstated. He did not know the emperor's grace. This is the second crime. Suo Etu used clever words to lure the crown prince and wanted to do something improper to the emperor. This is the third crime.'

These three charges are progressive.

Suo Etu's first crime was that when he was in Dezhou, he did not get off the carriage when he met the crown prince. This was a crime of insubordination and he should be punished.

Suo Etu's second crime was that Kangxi trusted him and reinstated him, but he was loyal to the crown prince and not to Kangxi.

Soetu's third crime was unforgivable, and it was also the thing that hit Kangxi's greatest fear: he instigated the prince to rebel and take the throne.

These crimes were aimed at the lives of the prince's party. Kangxi knew that the message was conveyed by the secret guards that Kangxi left beside the prince to monitor him. They would only be loyal to Kangxi and would not change their minds.

What hurt Kangxi the most was not Soetu, but the secret conversation between the crown prince and Soetu.

After Suo Etu dismissed everyone, he said to the prince respectfully and seriously: "Where are you going from now on, Your Highness?"

The prince said perfunctorily: "Recover from your illness in Dezhou and return to Beijing."

Suo Etu said earnestly: "Your Highness the Crown Prince knows exactly what I mean."

The prince closed his eyes and refused to respond.

Suo Etu smiled bitterly and said helplessly: "Your Highness, you have advised me to retire and return home in recent years, and not to let our people expand too much, but what is the result?

Mingzhu is pressing the court step by step, and the eldest prince has not given in. Today he just poisoned her, but what if one day he kills her in the street?"

The prince said dejectedly: "What's the big boss? I just don't want the emperor to be upset."

As someone who once had most of Kangxi's love, how could the prince not know Kangxi's emotional changes over the years? He didn't want to admit it, but he had to admit that since the day he came of age, he had lost Kangxi's most sincere love for him forever.

The prince tried his best to maintain the last bit of silent warmth between father and son, and chose to let Soetu retire, curb the expansion of the prince's party, and reduce his own danger, so that Kangxi would no longer be so wary of him.

Suo Etu looked at the stubborn prince and said, "Your Highness, how many princes have been able to succeed to the throne smoothly since ancient times? We should have made preparations early!"

The prince was shocked by Suo Etu's suggestion. He had never thought of relying on military power to gain power. "Uncle, I will pretend that I didn't hear anything today. Don't say anything more."

Suo Etu knelt on the ground and continued to persuade: "I don't want to teach Your Highness such a treasonous thing, but Your Highness must protect yourself first!"

The prince thought of how good Kangxi had been to him and wanted to rebuke Soetu for his wolfish ambitions, but he also remembered how good Kangxi had been to other princes. The seventeenth prince, born to Concubine Shu, was very much loved by Kangxi. Kangxi liked him so much that he personally taught the seventeenth prince how to ride and shoot arrows. The only one who had received such treatment was the prince.

As soon as the story of Kangxi teaching the seventeenth prince how to draw a bow came out, the eldest prince couldn't wait to mock the prince. There was no other way, the prince had received too many unique things from Kangxi, and now that the unique thing had been broken, who wouldn't want to see the prince's face change?

The prince still managed to retort the eldest prince without any mistakes, but he had some doubts in his heart: did Kangxi really no longer consider him special?

The Crown Prince went to pay homage to Empress Hesheli again. If the Empress Dowager was still alive, how could there be any talk of Shu Fei and the Seventeenth Prince?

Kangxi tried to check and balance the crown prince by breaking his special status. The crown prince wanted to comfort himself that all this was as it should be, but his uneasiness became more and more serious. Today it was small matters like riding and archery, but would it be a big matter of being crowned king or given a title tomorrow?

The prince struggled, his heart was repeatedly pulled, and finally he said softly: "Then do as my uncle said! Just one thing, I will not rebel."

Suo Etu said in high spirits: "Please rest assured, Your Highness!"

The two people who were chatting inside the house could not see the person eavesdropping outside.