The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 268 Olive Branch

Since the completion of the fourteenth prince's mansion, the fourth prince has visited very few times.

The fourth prince doesn't like to visit the fourteenth prince. As for the specific reasons, you'd have to ask the biased Consort De and the fourteenth prince himself!

As the saying goes, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.

When the fourteenth prince was at the height of his power, the fourth prince not only did not support his younger brother, but also became extremely distant from him. How could the brothers possibly have a harmonious relationship?
However, no matter what, the fourth prince is the fourteenth prince's older brother and also the Prince Yong of the First Rank.

Therefore, when the fourth prince came to the fourteenth prince's place, as usual, he did not need to announce his arrival; he was led directly into the outer study by a servant.

Even after hearing the fourth prince's roar, Yinwu remained seated, sipping his tea without moving an inch.

Years of close cooperation told Yinwu that if he went out to speak up now, it would only ruin the fourth prince's plans.

Today is the fourteenth prince's special day, but the fourth prince deliberately took the opportunity to cause trouble. It's definitely not just about embarrassing the fourteenth prince.

The fourteenth prince had a short temper. As soon as he heard that the fourth prince had lost his temper outside, he stood up abruptly and strode out of the outer study.

The eighth, ninth, and tenth princes hadn't arrived yet, and after the fourteenth prince left, only the third prince and Yinwu remained in the room.

"Fifteenth brother, aren't you going to help fourth brother? If brothers fight and it gets to the Emperor, fourth brother will be the one who suffers!" The third brother slowly put down his teacup, a smile on his face, but what he spat out was venom that would knock him down in five steps.

As the saying goes, too much talk leads to mistakes, so Yinwu pretended not to hear and simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the third prince, a typical scoundrel.

Back then, if the third son hadn't secretly reported to Emperor Kangxi, the eldest son wouldn't have suffered such a quick and devastating defeat!
Seeing that Yinwu remained silent, the third prince, still unwilling to give up, stirred things up again, saying, "That's true. In the current situation, if we offend the fourteenth brother, we'll really be in deep trouble!"

Yinwu pretended not to hear and refused to pay any attention to the third prince.

The third brother secretly resented this. He really didn't have many good ways to deal with someone like Yinwu, who was stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason or threats and just wouldn't open his mouth!
The third brother, still not giving up, was about to continue his provocations when the fourth and fourteenth brothers entered the house side by side.

Unexpectedly, the fourteenth brother said with a beaming smile, "After all, my fourth brother and I are brothers."

The third brother sensed something was off about the tone of the conversation, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then felt it was inappropriate and swallowed his words back.

Yinwu understood immediately. The fourth prince had probably taken advantage of the fourteenth prince's arrogant nature and secretly bewitched him.
Unlike the wicked ninth brother, the fourteenth brother wasn't actually bad. He was just too fortunate and hadn't experienced any major setbacks, so he retained a few traces of naiveté that shouldn't be found in the imperial family.

After the guests and hosts were seated, the fourteenth prince ordered that the tea be changed.

About half an hour later, the Eighth Brother and the others arrived together, and the Fourteenth Brother got up to go out and greet them.

After the banquet began, Wei Zhu suddenly arrived and read out Emperor Kangxi's imperial edict in front of everyone.

Yinwu narrowed his eyes, listened carefully, and then couldn't help but smile.

Kang Mazi was still as generous as ever in bestowing gold, silver, and land upon the fourteenth prince, but he refused to promote the fourteenth prince's rank.

A general with over 100,000 troops, yet his title was only Beizi. No one would believe that Kang Mazi didn't deliberately suppress him!
After the banquet began, the fourteenth prince took the seat of the host without hesitation, while the seat of honor was naturally held by the third prince.

There was no other way; the eldest and second eldest brothers were both under house arrest. Among all the brothers, the third eldest was the oldest and also a prince. If he didn't sit in the seat of honor, no one else dared to.

The fourth and seventh princes sat to the left of the third prince, while the fifth prince and Yinwu sat to the right of the third prince.

Among the many princes, in terms of rank alone, the seventh prince was promoted to the rank of Prince of the County much earlier than Yinwu. As the elder brother, he naturally ranked higher.

Interestingly, the Eighth Prince's seat was right next to Yinwu's. After the banquet began, the Fourteenth Prince, following Manchu custom, first offered a toast to everyone and said a few auspicious words.

After everyone raised their glasses, it was time for everyone to express themselves freely.

"Fifteenth brother, come, let's drink this cup to the brim!" The eighth brother was not good at drinking and was known for not being greedy for alcohol, but he took the initiative to invite Yinwu to drink.

Yinwu laughed and said, "Eighth Brother, if you lift your butt, we'll drink again. I'll drink first as a sign of respect!"

After downing three cups in a row, the Eighth Prince glanced at Yinwu, who was picking up food with his chopsticks, and suddenly said with a smile, "Fifteenth Brother, I heard you haven't been in a good mood lately?"

Yinwu found it amusing; at this critical juncture, the Eighth Prince still had the mind to win him over.

Why did the fourth brother hate Nian Gengyao and Longkodo so much?
These two are the same two guys. Yesterday they were supporting the fourth brother, but in the blink of an eye, they're hooking up with the eighth brother.

In the Qing Dynasty, one either didn't take sides or simply remained neutral, refusing to help anyone.

Once you've chosen a side, you must stand firm on your own two feet.

To be honest, who doesn't hate a fence-sitter who bends to both sides?
"Eighth Brother, you know my bad habit. Sigh, it's been a long time since I've been to Jiangnan!" Yinwu's bad habit of liking beautiful women was already notorious, and he wasn't afraid to throw mud at himself.

Lao Ba smiled slightly and tentatively said, "If you still want to go to Jiangnan, I have a good idea."

"Alright, as long as you've done me a great favor, I'll definitely not forget you once I've had my fill of happiness." Yinwu said this, but what he was thinking was something else entirely.

It's already the 59th year of Kangxi's reign. How many more years does Kangxi have left to live?
At this critical juncture, even if Yinwu stayed in the capital, he wouldn't dare to do anything too outrageous. Perhaps he should go out for a walk to clear his head.

More importantly, after the Eighth Prince sent Yinwu away from the capital, he was bound to do something big that would attract Kangxi's attention.

As the saying goes, the truly great hermit lives in the court, while the lesser hermit lives in the wilderness.

As the sixty-first year of Kangxi's reign drew closer, Yinwu felt increasingly that he had to be extra careful and cautious, and absolutely could not easily alert the enemy.

Just as they had finished ten rounds of drinks and a hundred dishes, the head steward of the Prince's residence suddenly rushed over in a panic, leaned close to the fourteenth prince's ear, and whispered a few words.

Upon hearing this, the fourteenth prince quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, looked around, and said loudly, "I'll be right back!"

Since the fourteenth brother had something to attend to, the third brother and the others took their leave.

As they were leaving for the carriage, the fourth prince glanced around and, seeing that he was surrounded by his trusted confidants, whispered to Yinwu, "When Hongchun and Hongming were alone together, Hongming inexplicably fell into the water."

Yinwu already knew that the Fourteenth Prince's residence was filled with spies secretly planted by the Fourth Prince.

Seeing you today, I can see that the fourth brother is indeed incredibly resourceful; he even knows about this scandal so clearly.

No wonder the legendary stories of the Sticky Rod Office and the Flying Guillotine have been passed down through the ages.

"Alas, every family has its own troubles!" Yinwu did not respond directly, but through his sigh, he expressed his sympathy for the fourth prince.

Even today, in the Yongqin Prince's Mansion, the much older Third Prince Hongshi and the Fourth Prince Hongli, who is favored by the Fourth Prince, are still engaged in open and covert struggles.

(End of this chapter)