Chapter 116: Chapter 116

The Crown Prince submitted his resignation!

Not just any resignation, but stepping down from his position as Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor himself.

Everyone was utterly shocked.

How unprecedented! This was the heir apparent—the guaranteed successor who would inherit the throne upon the Emperor's passing, barring unforeseen circumstances.

While not entirely unprecedented in history, such an event was exceedingly rare.

Yet as the ministers observed the Crown Prince's visibly pale complexion and noticeably thinner frame, they exchanged glances. The rumors must have been true.

His Highness's health was likely...

Ah, these imperial princes... their methods were truly underhanded...

And remarkably effective.

Whatever the ministers speculated, within Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi watched his son Bao Cheng stubbornly kneeling before him, frail yet determined to resign.

All previous suspicions evaporated. At this moment, Kangxi felt only overwhelming heartache...

Yes, he admitted he had been harsh and distrustful toward this son. But truthfully, he had never truly considered deposing Bao Cheng before this!

Among all his children, only Bao Cheng had received his genuine devotion and care. Kangxi had always believed this vast empire would one day belong to his beloved Bao Cheng.

But too many sycophants surrounded Bao Cheng, constantly poisoning their father-son bond and inciting rebellious acts—that was why Kangxi had sought to prune those influences.

Yet never had he imagined...

Facing this treasured son now, the lofty Emperor Kangxi felt genuine regret for perhaps the first time.

Yinreng responded to his father's consolation with detached calm, his pale features expressionless as he met the Emperor's gaze:

"Imperial Father, you know this is inevitable. All imperial physicians concur in their diagnosis—there's no possibility of error."

"Since this unworthy body cannot bear the responsibility, it's better to relinquish the position early and retain some dignity before the new heir."

Leaning over the imperial desk, Kangxi's voice was hoarse with emotion:

"Are you blaming your father?"

"Different positions require different actions. What blame is there?"

Meeting his father's pained gaze steadily, Yinreng's tone remained placid, carrying only a faint sigh before he averted his eyes:

"Had our roles been reversed, I might not have handled things better than you, Imperial Father."

"As for this incident—the mastermind's methods were superb, attacking when least expected. My defeat isn't unjust."

Winner takes all, loser bears the consequences—Yinreng wasn't one to deny his loss.

At mention of the mastermind, Kangxi's expression darkened. Beyond the devastation of losing his heir, what truly chilled the Emperor was that despite turning the Imperial Household Department upside down, not a single clue had been found...

The thought that such dangerous operators lurked within the palace—even among his rebellious sons—was intolerable to the control-obsessed Emperor.

Yinreng only chuckled inwardly, unsurprised.

No one knew what truly passed between father and son that day in Qianqing Palace. But when the Crown Prince submitted his third resignation, Kangxi finally acquiesced through gritted teeth.

Strangely, shedding the Crown Prince title seemed to dissolve all previous estrangement between them.

Facing this grievously wounded son, the aging Kangxi demonstrated what true favoritism meant. While other princes languished under house arrest or endured constant scoldings, the Emperor showered Bao Cheng with double a prince's stipend and commissioned an extravagant princely mansion outside the palace.

Fearing his son might lack comfort, Kangxi personally reviewed architectural plans while priceless treasures and rare medicines flooded into Yuqing Palace.

Within days, the Emperor's private treasury was nearly halved.

After weeks of exhausting work, red-eyed Ninth Prince: "..."

Other princes inexplicably bearing the brunt of their father's wrath: "..."

Yet despite their grievances, ambitious princes soon regained their spirits.

After all, what did it matter if Second Brother (or younger brother) remained favored? A broken man was broken. The mountain crushing them for years had finally crumbled.

With the Crown Prince position vacant, wasn't this their golden opportunity? From the Eldest Prince down, all sharpened their ambitions.

Only Yinzhen felt uneasy.

Due to the Uya clan's deep-rooted influence in the Imperial Household Department—and being a prime suspect—the perceptive Fourth Beile clearly recognized the suspicion and wariness in his father's gaze.

As a former quasi-supporter of the Crown Prince with frequent access, his opportunity for treachery exceeded his brothers'...

Enduring yet another round of veiled interrogation, Yinzhen rubbed his temples wearily upon leaving Qianqing Palace.

At this point, Fourth Beile wanted the culprit found more than anyone. Otherwise, under constant suspicion, even innocence would appear guilty!

With no leads, his father's distrust would only grow sharper...

But worse was yet to come.

One evening, without warning, ranks of imperial guards swiftly surrounded numerous bondservant families.

That day, the seemingly mellowed Kangxi displayed unprecedented ruthlessness.

The Uya clan and other bondservant families—especially those connected to the Imperial Household Department—were decimated overnight through executions and dismissals, eliminating over half the established families...

Some dared criticize the Emperor's harshness, but when confronted with chests of silver and "accidentally damaged" treasures, all fell silent.

The confiscated wealth totaled millions of taels—an astronomical sum considering the national treasury's current reserves.

Tenth Prince erupted in fury:

"Ha! No wonder my household funds keep vanishing! We've been nurturing these fat rats!"

Did this idiot truly not know why funds kept disappearing?

"Still, our Ninth Sister-in-law is impressive—she barely let those thieves get anything!"

Obviously! The strict systems his princess consort implemented upon entering the household were admittedly brilliant.

At least she never seemed stressed managing household affairs these years.

Remembering his unbroken losing streak at chess, Yintang's face darkened again.

But Tenth Brother's tone felt off!

Kicking the other's rear, Yintang snapped:

"Enough nonsense! Focus on our next steps instead!"

"Can't you see how unstable things have become since the Crown Prince's incident?"

What did political instability have to do with them?