Chapter 143: Investigation (Part One)

Recently, Kangxi’s temper had been quite sour. He had already reprimanded one member of the imperial clan, punished two nobles, and dealt with three Han officials. Of course, countless others had been scolded as well. The Tenth Prince’s mood hadn’t been much better lately. Despite Kangxi having called him in for a heartfelt conversation, he still made no progress.

Indeed, the Ninth Prince’s illness was utterly baffling.

Whether it was an epidemic or a fever, the sickness manifested in strange and unpredictable ways, stubbornly lingering without improvement. Kangxi had already summoned him to the palace and spoken to him carefully, yet no clue or sign could be found. Was he truly that inept?

So when the Tenth Prince heard that Kangxi had summoned him to the palace today, his mood darkened further. Bearing an expression of anger, he arrived at the Qianqing Palace only to find all his adult brothers—except the Ninth Prince—kneeling there. It was clear they had somehow offended their imperial father.

The Tenth Prince made no exception and swiftly knelt down. “Your humble son pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor. May the Emperor be auspicious.” Kangxi was bent over reading some documents. Upon hearing the Tenth Prince’s voice, he gave a faint hum but made no further response.

The gathered princes exchanged bewildered glances. They had all received the summons from Kangxi one after another and found this scene upon entering the palace. Although surprised, they knelt anyway. As more princes arrived, nearly everyone assumed the troublemaker must be the tardy Tenth Prince. Yet, to their astonishment, Kangxi only uttered a low “hmm” when the Tenth Prince appeared.

This left the noble sons of the imperial house restless, each trying to glean information from Kangxi. The Third Prince was the first to lose patience, clearing his throat. “Your humble son wishes to report to His Majesty…”

Before he could finish, Kangxi shot him a sharp glance and asked flatly, “Have you repaid the 120,000 taels of silver you owe the treasury?” The Third Prince’s hairs stood on end. Trembling, he replied, “Your Majesty, your son currently…”

Kangxi cut him off. “Deliver it to the treasury tomorrow. For each day delayed, add 10,000 taels.”

Though Kangxi’s tone lacked overt anger, the Third Prince dared not utter another word. Such calm before the storm was often far more chilling. Seeing this, all the princes kept their mouths shut.

The Tenth Prince was even more surprised, gently tugging at the Eighth Prince’s sleeve and exchanging a knowing glance. The Eighth Prince shook his head in confusion, signaling the Tenth Prince to kneel properly and brace for Kangxi’s wrath.

Yet, Kangxi continued reviewing documents until nearly dinner time. Then, he cleared his throat, and everyone knelt silently, praying the thunderous fury would not strike them.

Unexpectedly, Kangxi spoke slowly: “Yin’e, take over the affairs of the Lifan Yuan. Before the end of next month, make sure to sign another contract with the Westerners to purchase firearms. Use your own funds; consider it as repayment of the 200,000 taels you owe the treasury.”

The Tenth Prince pursed his lips, initially ready to argue, but thinking of the ailing Ninth Prince lying in bed, lost all interest and muttered assent. The Eighth Prince shot him a surprised glance. The other princes, seeing that Kangxi’s anger seemed focused solely on debts, lowered their heads, fearing they might be named next.

More surprisingly, Kangxi waved his hand, dismissing them. The princes, each massaging their aching knees, filed out of Qianqing Palace in a daze. Yet none spoke of what had transpired, silently departing.

The Eighth Prince escorted the Tenth Prince back to their residence and kindly asked, “Do you have enough funds? Buying firearms is no small expense.”

The Tenth Prince sighed. “Brother, I have no mood for such matters now. Ninth Brother is still ill. I truly don’t understand what play His Majesty is acting out today.”

The Eighth Prince sighed in return. “Yes, we still don’t know what’s wrong with Ninth Brother. It’s not appropriate for us to visit. Tomorrow, I’ll have my wife pay a visit. We need to see if the Ninth Prince’s wife’s condition has improved.”

Mentioning Dong’e’s illness, the Tenth Prince snorted disdainfully. Seeing the Eighth Prince’s disapproving look, he said no more and silently returned to his quarters.

Meanwhile, Yan Yan was assisting Madame He in bathing the Ninth Prince with warm water. Yan’s demands were exacting—neither too hot nor too cold, neither too fast nor too slow.

After the first wash, Yan insisted on a pause before starting again. Throughout, Wang Quan’er and the maids ensured the water temperature remained steady. Finally, Yan dried the Ninth Prince with a clean cloth, changed his clothes, and covered him with a light blanket before summoning Chief Physician Chen Danian and others.

Chen tested the temperature, took the pulse, and spoke softly, “Consort Yan, rest assured, the condition shows no signs of worsening.”

Yan sighed softly but quickly composed himself. “No worsening is progress, isn’t it? And since I have not contracted the fever, can we consider the epidemic ruled out?”

Indeed, Yan had not fallen ill. For two days, Yan had fed the Ninth Prince using a special method, yet showed no sign of fever. Still, Chen urged Yan to take medicine promptly.

Surprisingly, the Ninth Prince’s pulse had stabilized, and his body heat gradually subsided. Yet his consciousness remained clouded, leading Chen to suspect the true nature of his illness.

Late into the night at Qianqing Palace, Wudan stood before Kangxi and reported in a low voice, “Your Majesty, the Ninth Beile's condition has improved greatly. These days, under Consort Yan’s care, he has eaten some plain congee.”

Kangxi tapped the table and asked gravely, “Have you found the cause of his fever and coma?”

Wudan shook his head and whispered, “Not yet. But Chief Physician Chen and Consort Yan seem to have their suspicions. I noticed the medicine residues recently include some detoxifying ingredients, though in small amounts. Perhaps they have yet to determine the exact poison.”

Kangxi hummed in acknowledgment and said to Wudan, “Keep a close watch on every household. I want to see what these scoundrels are plotting.”

Wudan complied but felt uneasy. Kangxi should not be so quick to suspect his own sons—what had triggered this certainty?

Neither Wudan nor the princes knew.

At Yuqing Palace, the Crown Prince met with his covert guards and tapped the table, speaking in a low voice: “Issue orders: everyone is to remain on standby and act cautiously.”

The black-clad guardsman looked puzzled. “Does Your Highness suspect the Emperor knows something?”

The Crown Prince snorted. “Regardless of what he knows, we must tread carefully. I believe this is the doing of the Eighth Prince, who’s grown reckless in pursuit of his aims.”

The guardsman immediately asked, “Should we reveal some truths to the Tenth Prince?”

The Crown Prince shook his head. “Do nothing for now. Wait for my command.”

The guardsman responded solemnly before vanishing into the night.