Rong Fei is not honored

"The dead are gone, and even the greatest mistakes will gradually be forgotten. Who knows, in a few years, when the Crown Prince is older, Empress Hesheli will become a virtuous empress again."

"The Hesheli family wants to whitewash their past? Dream on!" His elder brother's revenge is still pending.

Don't say that debts are absolved with death; they didn't kill Hesheli either.

“If it’s not the Hesheli family, it will be someone else.” Cheng Rui understood this very clearly.

My mother once said that one's position determines one's perspective. The words may be crude, but the principle is sound. The future Crown Prince's supporters will naturally want to promote their master. Only by "clarifying" the stigma that the late Empress had once carried will the Crown Prince, as the legitimate son, have more weight.

And the Qing Dynasty could not have a vicious and jealous empress.

Compared to the troublesome Empress Hesheli, the current Empress Niohuru seems all too normal.

"Empress Dowager is a good person." It's just that she has bad luck. She has a father who went astray, a large family to worry about, and was ruined by her insane ex-husband. "When you meet Empress Dowager again in the future, please show her more respect."

The few people who felt great sympathy for the pitiful Empress Niohuru nodded in agreement. It wasn't like they were rushing to get close to her, and they wouldn't have many opportunities to meet her anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to be a little nicer.

"What about the Uya clan?" Sainchahun was still unwilling to give up. The Hesheli family was far outside the palace, beyond his reach, but the Uya clan was right in front of him.

"Wait a minute."

And so they waited until the news came that Consort Tongjia had requested to be demoted.

Upon receiving the news, Saiyinchahun was furious, and his eyes gradually turned fierce. However, after being slapped by his brother, he instantly returned to his original clear-eyed appearance.

"Big brother?"

"Go to Qianqing Palace."

Sainchahun wondered if there was something wrong with his ears. What did he hear? His own elder brother was actually encouraging him to cause trouble with their father!

"Let's go."

Only when he stood in front of the Qianqing Palace did Saiyinchahun dare to believe that his elder brother was serious, and he decisively admitted his mistake, saying, "Brother, I was wrong, please don't be angry."

Look at him, his older brother, a perfectly gentle and bright young man, has been so angered that he has mastered the skill of speaking ironically without being taught. It's all his fault.

So what if he has to endure it? What can't he, the tyrant of the Forbidden City, do?

Cheng Rui looked at Saiyinchahun in surprise and said, "I'm not angry." However, he wished his younger brother could always be this considerate.

"Then this is..."

Cheng Rui couldn't help but sigh. With Saiyinchahun's temper, he could only keep his composure in front of him, but he would turn around and cause trouble for Chengqian Palace. Rather than that, it would be better to let him go and make trouble for his father.

It's one thing to throw a tantrum in front of your own father and let it go once you've had your anger, but if you secretly plot against your father's concubines, the matter could be serious or minor.

Cheng Rui gave Saiyinchahun a look, meaning: "Go for it, little brother."

Seeing that his elder brother was serious, Saiyinchahun instantly became energetic and plunged into the imperial study with an indomitable spirit.

Standing at the door, Cheng Rui listened to his father's angry shouts inside, as well as Saiyinchahun's voice, which, though the content was unclear, was exceptionally irritating. The fire that had been burning in Cheng Rui's chest finally died down.

She murmured, "I'm angry too. My father and mother said that we can't always keep our emotions bottled up inside."

After a long while, Kangxi's irritable voice came from the imperial study: "Let him get in here."

Without Wei Zhu personally inviting him, Cheng Rui had already "rolled" into the Imperial Study on his own initiative, not at all surprised that his father knew he was outside.

When Cheng Rui met Wei Zhu coming from the opposite direction, he smiled kindly as usual, which startled Wei Zhu.

Wei Zhu, regaining her senses, still felt strange. Although Prince Cheng Rui's actions were unethical—he had unleashed Prince Saiyinchahun, a powerful weapon that had turned the Imperial Study upside down—but…

There must be a reason. Prince Chengrui has always been kind, how could he be scary? It must be that I'm having a hallucination because of Prince Saiyinchahun.

If Liang Jiugong were on duty today, he would definitely recall that inexplicable chill that had appeared back then. Absolutely not! A! Misconception!

"Father." When bowing to his father, Cheng Rui gave him a special look.

Look, apart from the area around Father, the furnishings in the Imperial Study are not messy at all. That's more like it. The Imperial Study is not a place that Saiyinchahun can smash at will.

Looking at his father's face again, he realized that his second brother's skills had improved again; he could make someone so angry with just a few words.

Looking at his still obedient eldest son, Kangxi laughed in anger and said through gritted teeth, "Tell me, what exactly is the purpose of this whole thing today?"

"Father, are you... playing dumb?"

Cheng Rui interrupted Saiyinchahun's questioning and calmly said, "Mother was so badly injured, yet you couldn't bear to let the Tong family's daughter bear such a stigma. I am not convinced."

What does "voluntarily requesting demotion" mean? That sounds really nice!

This reminded Chengrui of the time when his mother was pregnant with Yinzhi and had a miscarriage. If his father hadn't favored the Tong family girl, perhaps none of what followed would have happened.

"You're not convinced? You..." Kangxi was so angry he felt dizzy. "You are truly my good sons!"

Couldn't they have clarified things before sentencing him? They could have at least asked him first!

Emperor Kangxi was not only angry, but also felt wronged.

Even if he had a criminal record, even if he did favor his mother's family, when did he ever choose the latter between Ji Nai and Tong Jia?

Cheng Rui lowered his head and waited for his father's punishment. He had indeed gone too far today, and even if he suffered some physical pain, it was only right. He was mentally prepared for it.

However... a bright yellow figure brushed past her. Wei Zhu hesitated for a second, then followed. The huge imperial study was now empty except for Cheng Rui, Saiyinchahun, and a few servants who were so frightened that they lay prostrate on the ground.

"Is Father... insane?"

Cheng Rui and Saiyinchahun looked at each other, completely baffled as to why their father would react this way.

Cheng Rui suddenly realized something and stiffly asked, "Father wouldn't have gone to Zhongcui Palace, would he?"

Did you go to your mother to complain?

Saiyinchahun froze upon hearing this, stammering, "...No...it can't be...it can't be, right?" It was clearly his father who was too biased towards Tongjia, how could he have the nerve to complain to his mother?

Could it be that they made a mistake?

They're screwed!

Now, the ones who were seeing blackouts were Cheng Rui and Saiyinchahun.

The two brothers struggled to move their legs out of the Qianqing Palace. Where to go next? That was the question. Should they go to the Zhongcui Palace to walk into a trap and admit their mistake, or should they go to the Shou Kang Palace to lay low for a while?

"You can run away from the first day of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth. Let's go!" Cheng Rui gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

"Big brother!" Saiyinchahun's voice was trembling with tears. He couldn't let his younger brother suffer like this!

In the past, things were alright. With my older brother protecting me, even if I was punished, someone would plead for me. Both my father and mother were willing to give him face. But today, my older brother has become an accomplice... Just thinking about it makes me despair.