Chapter 157: Untitled

An imperial Censor submitted a memorial impeaching the Ninth Prince for violating ethical standards and traditional morals by marrying someone of the same clan. The words had barely left his mouth when, before either Kangxi or the Ninth Prince could react, the Tenth Prince leaped forward and roared, "Utter nonsense! The concubines in the Ninth Brother's estate are all duly registered with the Imperial Household Department. How could such a thing possibly happen? You censors have nothing better to do with your idle time than to obsess over people's backyards!" With that, the Tenth Prince dropped heavily to his knees before Kangxi. "Your Imperial Majesty, these censors are slandering the imperial family and disrupting the court. By law, they deserve to be beheaded."

As soon as the Tenth Prince finished speaking, the Eighth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince stepped forward simultaneously, declaring in loud voices, "Your subject seconds the motion." Fourteenth knelt beside the Tenth Prince, his fury no less than his comrade's. "Reporting to Your Imperial Majesty, this does not merely concern the reputation of the Ninth Brother alone; it concerns our entire Aisin Gioro clan. I beg Your Imperial Majesty to punish this severely."

While the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes burned with righteous indignation, the accused Ninth Prince stood frozen in place, his brow deeply furrowed as he stared fixedly at the censor who had impeached him. If his memory served him correctly, this censor was a neutral party, and only days ago the Eighth Prince had sent Fourteenth to lobby him. For this censor to act in such a manner now—did it mean he had already aligned himself with a particular faction?

While the Ninth Prince pondered this, Kangxi sat with narrowed eyes, contemplating the same matter. Yet Kangxi's intelligence network was clearly superior to the Ninth Prince's; he knew that this censor surnamed Li had contacted Lingpu, the crown prince's foster brother, just two days prior.

As if to confirm Kangxi's suspicions, the Crown Prince slowly stepped forward and said to the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes, "Tenth Brother, Fourteenth Brother, do not be hasty. The authority of the censors is granted personally by Imperial Father; we might as well listen first to what Lord Li has to say." Having said this, the Crown Prince assumed the dignified posture of the heir apparent and addressed Censor Li: "Lord Li, the dignity of the imperial house brooks no blemish. You had better weigh your words carefully before you speak."

Censor Li dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, pressed his forehead to the floor three times before Kangxi, and then spoke with resolute determination: "Your Majesty, this subject is willing to brave the condemnation of the entire realm solely to ensure the purity of the imperial bloodline. Your Majesty, this subject harbors a loyal heart devoted entirely to Your Majesty, and has not the slightest intent to slander the Ninth Imperial Son."

Kangxi let out a cold snort, offering no comment. After all, the news was far too shocking. He glanced sideways at his hidden guards; one of them gave a slight shake of his head. It seemed that neither his secret guards nor the Imperial Household Department had uncovered anything. If this matter were true, then indeed...

Yet by this point, Kangxi had already made up his mind. Even if the truth could not be thoroughly unraveled, he would rather execute the innocent by mistake than let a guilty party go unpunished. Kangxi swept his gaze over the court officials standing below. Since it was not a grand audience, those present were the vital pillars of the court; with such an affair coming to light, probably no one could remain uninvolved.

As for his own flock of sons, apart from the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes who seethed with emotion, and the Eighth Prince who displayed a modest and courteous demeanor while signaling his support for the Ninth, everyone else maintained absolute silence, evidently digesting this sudden and monumental bombshell.

After turning the matter over a hundred times in his mind, Kangxi finally nodded to Li Dequan. Li Dequan hurried forward and received the memorial from Censor Li's hands.

Only then did Censor Li quietly let out a breath of relief. In truth, he had been dreading that Kangxi might refuse to even glance at his memorial and instead order him beaten to death on the spot. Since Kangxi was now willing to read the document, it proved that Kangxi likewise desired the truth to be brought to light before the world. Straightening his posture, Censor Li spoke in a resonant voice: "Reporting to Your Imperial Majesty, this subject's hometown is Sweet Well Village on the outskirts of the capital. Two days ago, when I returned home to visit my aging mother, I suddenly discovered that Sweet Well Village, usually so tranquil, had grown abruptly bustling. Every day, various Bannermen were seen entering and leaving the house of Jin Suo at the head of the village. This aroused my suspicions, and I began to keep watch on those Bannermen."

Upon hearing these words from Censor Li, the Ninth Prince's hands clenched fiercely into fists. Although a premonition had lingered in his heart that this affair was likely aimed at Yan Yan, the moment Censor Li uttered the words "Sweet Well Village," his heart still skipped a violent beat.

"Lord Li, my face—Yingtang's—is not carved with the words 'easy to bully'! You had better be able to take responsibility for what you are saying!" Seizing the gap in Censor Li's report, the Ninth Prince, who had remained silent until now, suddenly gritted his back teeth and issued a chilling warning.

At the sound of the Ninth Prince's voice, the complexions of all the princes in the court shifted. Even the Tenth Prince cast a surprised glance at the Ninth. Though usually appearing boisterous, the Tenth Prince was far from foolish at critical moments; he grasped the situation instantly and burst out in three loud laughs.

"And here I thought Lord Li was truly selfless and wished to help us brothers clear up the matter. Turns out he is nothing more than a petty wretch in the marketplace who lends an ear to groundless rumors! What is this? Whose pillow talk has he been listening to, that he dares to wag his tongue so despicably about the gossip concerning my good Sister-in-law Yan?" The Tenth Prince glared wrathfully at Censor Li and addressed Kangxi: "Imperial Majesty, my Sister-in-law Yan merely knows how to grow a few vegetables, yet because of this grand endeavor to develop the New Rural Villages, these people are trying to hound her to death. It is utterly unhinged! In my view, Your Imperial Majesty need not interrogate any further; just drag him out to the Meridian Gate and have him beheaded!"

"Tenth Prince, do not wrong this subject! Not a single word spoken by this subject has targeted the New Rural Village initiative," Censor Li protested anxiously, raising his voice in refutation.

The Tenth Prince sneered, "Men may do as they please, but Heaven watches all. Lord Li, you know the truth in your own heart."

What the Tenth Prince could figure out, the Ninth Prince's other brothers naturally understood just as well. Upon hearing that this impeachment over a violation of moral codes was merely a pretext, the Third Prince could not help feeling a surge of resentment. Yet he harbored an even greater grievance toward the New Rural Village construction; if such a policy were implemented, the ones who would suffer the sacrifices were landed gentry like himself.

Therefore, the Third Prince strolled out slowly and smiled, saying, "Tenth Brother, do not be hasty. Whatever Lord Li means by his words, we ought to let him finish. Just because the Ninth Brother's secondary consort is a talented woman does not mean she cannot be an illegitimate daughter, does it?"

The Ninth Prince immediately shot a piercing glare at the Third Prince, and the Eighth Prince quickly grabbed hold of the Ninth, terrified that he might fly into a rage. At that moment, Kangxi broke his silence, instructing Censor Li, "Continue."

Censor Li kowtowed once more and, with a trembling voice, proceeded, "After I directed my attention to Jin Suo's household, I discovered that the Bannermen visiting that house over those two days indeed possessed formidable backgrounds. They were respectively from the household of Lord Wanyan Wangda, the Dongge clan, and—" Here Censor Li intentionally paused, drew a deep breath, and finished, "—people from the Prince Zhuang's Estate."

As soon as Censor Li's words fell, everyone in the hall turned astonished gazes toward Prince Zhuang. Connecting it with Censor Li's accusation against the Ninth Prince, nearly everyone realized that Yan Yan was, in fact, the illegitimate daughter of Prince Zhuang.

Meanwhile, Prince Zhuang, Bododuo, who was now nearing the age of sixty and possessed not a single heir of his own body—with all his collateral branches covetously eyeing his noble title—suddenly collapsed heavily to his knees. Tears streaming down his face, he wept aloud, "Your Majesty, this subject is guilty!"