20demayo Chapter 292 Rumors may not be true, but they can protect the wild.
Chapter 292 Rumors may not be true, but they can protect the wild.
There's a saying that goes, "Unofficial history may not be true, but it's definitely unofficial." This applies to rumors as well. Kangxi rushed to Yinzhuo's residence with the imperial physicians. Who could possibly be kept in the dark about this? Look, he had just brought the drunken Yinzhuo back to the Qianqing Palace from outside the palace, and soon all sorts of outrageous rumors spread throughout the palace.
"Su Peisheng, what did you say? Who's critically ill? Xiao Liu was perfectly fine when we left last night. How could he be critically ill? Where did you hear this news?"
Although Yinzhen's tone sounded relatively calm, a closer look at his hand holding the book revealed that it was trembling violently. Su Peisheng had served Yinzhen for many years, so how could he not know his master? Seeing his flustered state, he dared not be evasive and quickly told his master the news he had heard from outside.
"Your Majesty, the whole capital is saying that this evening someone saw the steward of Prince Zhao's residence rushing towards the palace. Shortly after, His Majesty went to Prince Zhao's residence with a group of imperial physicians. Within an hour, news spread that His Majesty carried the unconscious Prince Zhao back to the palace. Now everyone is speculating that the Prince Zhao has suddenly contracted a serious illness and is not long for this world. His Majesty is heartbroken..."
Although Su Peisheng's words sounded plausible, a closer examination would reveal many inconsistencies in the rumor. But as the saying goes, concern can cloud judgment. Yinzhen had no time to discern the accuracy of the rumor; his mind was preoccupied with only two words—entering the palace.
"Alright, you know to stop standing around. Go and have someone bring the horse over. Whether this is true or not, I won't feel at ease until I see it for myself."
Although the palace gates were already locked, Su Peisheng dared not stop Yinzhen from entering the palace. After receiving his master's instructions, he hurriedly went out to call the guards waiting in the courtyard to fetch the horse, while he went back into the house to get a cloak and hat to help his master put it on.
"My lord, please don't be too anxious. The Prince is a lucky man, and besides, he has His Majesty's dragon aura protecting him. Even if something happens, he will surely be able to turn the tide. My lord, it's freezing cold outside, you..."
Yinzhen was anxious and couldn't listen to Su Peisheng's instructions. When the guards brought the horse, he stepped forward, took the reins, mounted the horse, spurred it on, and headed towards the palace. When he arrived at the palace gate with trepidation, he found that the people who came were all there. From Yinti to the fourteenth prince, not one was missing.
"Fourth Brother, do you think this rumor is true or false? He was perfectly fine when we took Sixth Brother home yesterday. How could he be gone after only one day? Fourth Brother, I don't want Sixth Brother to die..."
Fourteen was well protected by Consort De and her two older brothers since childhood. Even though she has left the palace and established her own residence, she still has the mind of a child. At this moment, she is even more flustered because she is completely at a loss. Before Yinzhen came, she was able to put on a brave face, but as soon as she saw Yinzhen, she completely abandoned all pretense of dignity and cried her eyes out in a very ugly way.
"Alright, wipe away your tears properly. The fact that there's no news coming out of the palace at least means your sixth brother is alright. You arrived early, but did someone go in to report? How long have they been gone?"
It's true what they say, when someone's unlucky, even drinking cold water can cause them to choke. Today, the unfortunate fellow who was conscripted to run errands is the same guy Yinzhuo sent to deliver a message after he broke into the palace in the middle of the night. As their leader would say, "practice makes perfect," and he was confident that his subordinate would be able to complete this mission gloriously and successfully.
However, what they said wasn't wrong. Practice makes perfect. Look at this unlucky fellow, because of his previous experience, he was able to stand safely and smoothly at the entrance of the Qianqing Palace.
"What did you say? Yinti and the others are waiting at the palace gate to enter the palace and see me? Good, I haven't even had a chance to settle accounts with them yet, and they've come on their own. But this saves me some trouble. Liang Jiugong, go and bring those bastards to me right now."
By this time, it had been a while since Kangxi brought Yinzhuo back to the palace. He had already learned the whole story from Dexi. In Kangxi's view, although Yinti was the culprit behind the drunken incident, none of Yinreng and the others could remain uninvolved. Yes, they did not force Yinzhuo to drink, but they also did not stop him.
"Second Brother, what's going on? Why aren't you going in? How is Sixth Brother?"
Yinzhen's question really stumped Yinreng. Although he had arrived early, he had been made to stand here as punishment by his father ever since he arrived, and he was completely clueless about what was going on inside. So, when faced with Yinzhen's question, our usually wise and powerful Crown Prince was unusually clueless.
Yinti and the others thought they would know Yinzhuo's situation once they entered the palace gates, but they didn't expect that even now that he was standing at the gates of Qianqing Palace, the information they had was exactly the same as what they had when they were at the palace gates. Although they dared to break into the palace gates at night just now, without Kangxi's permission, they wouldn't dare to take a single step into Qianqing Palace.
If just moments ago Yinreng was a lone figure, shivering in the cold wind, then now he has transitioned from solitude to a celebration with a group of people. As the saying goes, one should always look on the bright side. Although they couldn't enter the Qianqing Palace, at least they can huddle together for warmth.
Unlike the biting cold outside, the Qianqing Palace, equipped with an underground heating system, was warm as spring. After Kangxi administered another dose of hangover medicine to Yinzhuo, he finally remembered the group of unlucky fellows outside.
"Liang Jiugong, go outside and call those bastards in. Wan Quan, go and have someone give you some hot water bottles and bring them over in a bit."
Alas, it is said that fatherly love is as strong as a mountain, and now it seems that this saying is not wrong. It's just that Emperor Kangxi's love is two-faced, like ice and fire. And today, Yinqi and the others have encountered the ice side of the mountain.
"Your subject greets Father Khan."
Kangxi was already angry, so he naturally didn't give his sons, who were kneeling on the ground, a pleasant look. Yinti and the others were already anxious because they were worried about Yinzuo's situation. When they saw Kangxi's ugly expression, their hearts sank to the bottom. Yintang couldn't hold back and burst into tears on the spot.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't accidentally poured wine instead of tea for Sixth Brother yesterday, none of this would have happened. Sixth Brother, it's all my fault. If anything were to happen to you, I'm afraid I'd have to become a monk for the rest of my life..."