Snow Color

"If you have no such intention, then these piles of memorials will become a pile of worthless waste paper. Could it be that you came to the Palace of Heavenly Purity just to drink wine and enjoy yourself with me to congratulate me on my birthday? Or do you have other intentions in mind and want to rebel?" Emperor Kangxi narrowed his eyes slightly and stretched out his fingers to gently tap the thick pile of memorials on the table. Although his voice was not loud, it carried an irresistible majesty and deterrence. However, at the same time, his face seemed unusually calm, as if everything was under control, which made people feel awe.

When everyone heard this, they knelt down and apologized.

"You are thinking the opposite." Kangxi could not hold back his anger, he stood up, slammed the table and said angrily.

"Please calm down, Your Majesty. All the princes and ministers are worried about the position of the crown prince, which has been vacant for too long and has caused unrest in the court and the public. That's why we made this proposal. We are all well-intentioned, so please don't blame us, Your Majesty." The Eighth Master knelt down, sat up, and apologized.

After hearing the Eighth Master's sophistry, the Fourth Master couldn't help but think to himself: "What a silver-tongued Eighth Brother! It seems that he is definitely not an ordinary person. I just wonder how sincere his words are?" However, at this moment, the Fourth Master knew very well what the Eighth Master had just said - if these words were heard by the Emperor, it would surely make him very angry.

As expected, upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi's face suddenly changed, and he questioned with his eyes wide open: "They are certainly concerned about the country and the people, but I want to ask you, don't you have the slightest intention of coveting the position of crown prince?" Faced with Kangxi's questioning, the Eighth Master was speechless. He knew that no matter how he answered at this time, it would be difficult to justify himself. After all, what he did before was secretly colluding with the ministers for personal gain. Now that the truth has been exposed, he has no power to refute. Kangxi was deeply disgusted and disappointed with his son, who on the surface kept pleading for the court officials but was doing dirty things behind the scenes.

"Your son is willing to withdraw and recommend a suitable candidate for the new crown prince. Please calm down, Father, and stop blaming everyone." The Eighth Master replied in a conciliatory manner.

"No wonder the world calls you the 'Eighth Wise King'. At this moment, you stand up to exonerate them. However, in my eyes, you are a scheming Eighth Prince. What I have always hated is that you secretly collude with court officials, for fear of causing party disputes and disrupting the order of the court. But you actually colluded with the eldest prince and instigated him to help you fight for the position of crown prince! Now you are inciting all the ministers to write memorials for you, forcing me to make you the crown prince." Facing the Eighth Wise King in front of him, who was retreating to advance and still scheming to make the ministers grateful for his plea, Kangxi could not help but sigh that his "virtue" was well-deserved.

"I have no such intention!" The Eighth Master was shocked. He knew that he could no longer let the situation continue. The Emperor was now full of suspicion towards him. He could not help but feel flustered and quickly knelt down to plead guilty.

"Myna has absolutely no such intention!" The Ninth, Tenth and Fourteenth Masters shouted in unison, indicating that they had nothing to do with Myna.

"Shut up!" Kangxi's eyes widened as he stared at the group of sons who gave him such a headache. He knew that the Eighth Prince was scheming, treacherous and cunning, and was bent on seeking the throne and colluding with cliques everywhere to expand his power. Such behavior was truly a heinous crime!

The more Kangxi thought about it, the angrier he became. Seeing that the Eighth Prince was so good at making friends with ministers and other princes, his anger burned even more fiercely: "Come here! Pass on my decree to immediately deprive the Eighth Prince of his title, imprison him in the Imperial Clan House, and hand him over to the Council of State for strict interrogation!"

Before he finished speaking, everyone in the hall was stunned. The Eighth Master was even more pale and trembling all over, but facing the furious Emperor Kangxi, he could only bow his head and accept his fate...

After hearing this, Mr. Ba's face was filled with dejection. He knew that he was finished now, but deep in his heart he was filled with hatred and unwillingness.

When the Fourteenth Prince heard the decree, he stood up suddenly, walked quickly to the front of Emperor Kangxi, knelt on his knees, kowtowed and shouted, "I beg Your Majesty to calm down! My eighth brother is devoted to state affairs, and has no intention of murdering the prince, let alone rebelling. Please understand my mistake!" His words were earnest and sincere, and it was obvious that he was pleading for the Eighth Prince.

However, Emperor Kangxi did not seem to appreciate it, and said with a sullen look on his face: "The facts are before us, how can you quibble!" Emperor Kangxi was quite dissatisfied with the Fourteenth Prince who dared to go against him.

The Fourteenth Master did not retreat, but knelt even lower, and said in a firm tone: "Father, my dear, my dear brother is loyal and dedicated to the country and the people, but now he is framed and charged with an inexplicable crime. I cannot bear to see this, and I must seek justice for my dear brother!"

At this time, the Eighth Master on the side tried to dissuade him hypocritically: "Fourteenth brother, stop talking..."

The Fourth Master watched coldly with a sharp gaze. He knew very well that the Eighth Master's mind was not as simple as it seemed (in fact, he had ulterior motives).

"My Eighth Brother has always been courteous to wise officials and recruited talents, but now he is accused of forming a clique for personal gain; Second Brother made the mistake first, but they put the blame on My Eighth Brother, saying that My Eighth Brother deliberately framed him. This is clearly finding a pretext to accuse someone of a crime!" The Fourteenth Master was indignant and became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he wanted to vent all his grievances.

"Did I slander him?" Kangxi was very angry.

"The Emperor asked all officials to recommend a crown prince. The officials followed his orders and recommended myna. But the Emperor punished myna. I don't understand and I don't accept it." The Fourteenth Master said loudly.

"Fourteenth Prince, is this how you should talk to me?" No one had ever dared to speak to Kangxi like that. His face looked calm, but one could feel the anger and dissatisfaction buried deep inside.

"Your Majesty's treatment is unfair, and I, your son, must speak out. I cannot bear to see my brother suffer injustice, and I have done my best to show my brotherly love. Please judge for me, Your Majesty." The Fourteenth Master was dissatisfied with the treatment given by the Emperor, and he wanted to express his thoughts.