The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

The fact that the Thirteenth Prince's wife "voluntarily" went to accompany him was no secret; it spread throughout the palace in just one day, and those outside the palace who wanted to find out also learned about it the next day.

When Malhan learned of this, the sick man got out of bed to see Emperor Kangxi. He did see Emperor Kangxi, but before he could even speak, he was scolded by Emperor Kangxi.

Finally, Kangxi added, "If my sons can stay here, why can't your daughters?"

So Marhan straightened his already trembling official hat, his face wrinkled even more with age, and went back to claim he was ill.

After Li Jiashi found out, she argued with Malhan, even came to blows, but in the end she had no choice but to give up.

Finally, Marhan forced Guan Zhu to beat him up for speaking ill of him, which finally satisfied his anger.

After finishing his beating, Marhan pulled at his clothes, which had been torn into a mess by Li Jia, and said with a sigh, "It's not that I don't want to go, it's that I can't go. It's only because Xiao Qi was punished that I have a reason to go to His Majesty's side, but I can't say anything. The Thirteenth Prince's situation is different from the others."

He's still my own son; I can't let him go hungry or cold. As long as he has enough to eat and wear, that's enough.

Yinxiang and Qingwan were unaware of the chaos inside and outside the palace. They talked for a long time, and before dawn, Qingwan felt that time was passing too slowly. Their conversation eventually turned to the Crown Prince.

"Do you know how Second Brother is doing?" Yinxiang asked hesitantly at the end.

"After the Emperor returned to the capital, he sent someone to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to depose the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince is still imprisoned in Yuqing Palace." Qingwan told Yinxiang about everything she knew about the outside world little by little.

The relationship between Kangxi and the Crown Prince was far from peaceful on the surface, especially after Kangxi dealt with Songgotu.

One is a young, energetic, and capable prince who has served as crown prince for so many years.

One was an emperor who was equally strong and unwilling to relinquish power.

Regardless of the nature of their relationship, no one would have imagined that Kangxi would depose the crown prince because of this.

To be honest, when Kangxi said he would depose the crown prince on the fourth day of the lunar new year, many people probably thought it was just Kangxi's words in a fit of anger. After all, the trigger for this matter was the death of Yinzhi. However, Kangxi also said about Yinzhi's death, "What does it matter if he is just a child?"

As for the Crown Prince, Yinxiang had advised him to temper his brilliance over the years, but having been favored by Kangxi for so many years, how could he possibly heed such advice?

Furthermore, after Suo'etu's incident, he became increasingly impatient. Although Yinxiang had his own ambitions for the throne, the Crown Prince treated him as a minister assisting the emperor, so he suppressed his secret fantasies and, for the sake of the Crown Prince, tried to win over close ministers or outstanding nephews and sons in the court.

After marrying Marhan, Yinzhi used Marhan and Yiduli to bring the remaining forces of Suo'etu under his control. He thought it was Kangxi's intention, but unexpectedly, after the Crown Prince spied on the curtain, Yinzhi exposed the whole thing to Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi was probably aware of this matter, and his intention in marrying Marhan's daughter was likely for the same reason. As long as the Crown Prince was safe, everything was fine.

But then the Crown Prince got into trouble. To Kangxi, Yinxiang was a trusted advisor whom Kangxi had cultivated for the Crown Prince, and he had a duty to advise the Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Prince had gotten into trouble, it was Yinxiang's fault.

Seeing that Yinxiang fell silent after hearing this, Qingwan remembered the most important thing she hadn't said yet, so she said, "I haven't congratulated you yet, Your Highness. Yingyu gave birth to a little prince on the first day of the tenth month."

"Brother?" Yinxiang came back to his senses. "It's a rare good thing in this period of time, but shouldn't she still have a month or two before giving birth? How could she give birth so soon, and on such a day as the first day of the month?"

"It was a premature birth." Qingwan recounted what happened after Li returned that day, and also told her about Yingyu taking the medicine again. "Yingyu's body was also damaged this time, and she will need to take good care of herself in the future."

"As for the Second Prince, the imperial physician said he should be carefully cared for. This time, I couldn't stop worrying about that child, and our Moyaqi too. I wonder if the child will cry. And Muxiang, I told her to go back and pack her things, but I haven't had a chance to tell her yet."

Yinxiang comforted her: "Of the two maids you brought into the palace, this one seems quite reliable. Besides, Aunt Yan is still here. Her identity is not a secret, and she can keep people in check. As for the Second Prince, it's not your fault. As the imperial physician said, just take good care of him."

Qingwan didn't hide anything about the Second Prince's situation. It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried, but now was not the time for her to show her emotions.

Since they had nothing else to do, the two lay in bed for a while until dawn before slowly getting up. After waiting a while, the person who brought them water to wash up finally entered the room.

The person in charge has changed to Mu Xiang. Qing Wan thought it was just a casual remark, but she didn't expect her to actually come.

"Muxiang, when did you arrive?"

"This servant arrived last night, along with Eunuch Zhang Rui."

"Zhang Rui?" Now it was Yinxiang's turn to be surprised. Zhang Rui also entered the room at the right time. When Yinxiang saw him, he smiled and said, "It's good that you're alright."

"Yes." Zhang Rui stepped forward and took the handkerchief from Yinxiang's hand. "That's why this servant begs to return to Your Highness's side whenever he has the chance. It's more reassuring to be by Your Highness's side."

"Besides Zhang Chun and me, no one else can serve the master anymore." Zhang Rui said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "They even told me to take good care of him."

“I understand,” Yinxiang said. After everyone else had left, Yinxiang whispered, “From now on, please take good care of their families for me.”

After the two finished speaking, Qingwan asked Muxiang and Zhang Rui, "Do you two stay here all the time, or do you just come here at a certain time each day?"

“It has always been here,” Muxiang replied. “Eunuch Zhang and I discussed it yesterday and decided to clean up the side room for us to live in. Also, Madam, don’t worry, I’ve already told Aunt Yan about everything in the palace, so you and the master don’t need to worry.”

"Thank you so much." Qingwan took her hand.

Mu Xiang shook her head: "It's all what a servant should do."

Seeing the two of them talking, Yinxiang simply took Zhang Rui out with him. Yesterday, he and Qingwan had both been lying in bed fully clothed, but now that they were up, he was disgusted, especially since Qingwan also felt the bed was uncomfortable.

He went out and told a few people to make the bed later before coming back in. The two had already finished talking. Qingwan seemed fine, but Muxiang's eyes were red.

It wasn't until evening, when Qingwan rolled up her trousers, that she noticed her knees were covered in bruises. Yinxiang touched them and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Qingwan really didn't feel any pain. Looking at the bruises on her leg, she said, "I really didn't feel anything. Maybe it's because I've been used to riding and shooting since I was a child. I don't feel this little injury."

Yinxiang shook his head: "Your pampered nature is inappropriate." After saying that, he got up and rummaged around in the cabinet for a while, and found a bottle of medicine.

He then poured the liquid into his hands and gently massaged it onto Qingwan's knees.

Qingwan wasn't surprised by his skillful application of the medicine; what was strange was why this person, who was imprisoned here, had prepared medicine for his injuries.

She asked, "Why is there medicine for injuries here, sir?"