The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 248 The End
"We should keep our own affairs in mind as they are, and not say a word," Yinwu earnestly instructed He Jin.

He Jin quickly stood up, bowing, and said, "I understand."

Even if the Fourteenth Prince had a thousand faults, only the Fourth Prince could mess with him. Including Yinwu, they were all outsiders and couldn't be spoken to carelessly.

"You must cultivate good relationships within the company and not act arrogantly or domineeringly, relying on my power." Yinwu had heard that He Jin had not made any money, but his attitude towards his colleagues had become increasingly arrogant.

He Jin felt a sudden chill and quickly declared, "I will follow your teachings and dare not do it again."

It's already the 58th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. How many more years can the current emperor live?

The more critical the moment, the less room there is for error. Therefore, it was Yinwu's duty to give his subordinates a timely reprimand.

The arrogance and haughtiness of those in power are all due to the protection and indulgence of the powerful figures.

He Jin held the position of Director of the Personnel Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel, but he did not accept bribes, so Yinwu could not possibly treat him unfairly.

"Come here, bring me a thousand taels of silver and give it to Shunqing." Yinwu's temperament has always been such that as long as someone is obedient, they will be rewarded handsomely.

“Master…” He Jin was about to refuse when Yinwu waved his hand to stop him, “My money is perfectly clean, you can just take it and use it.”

Yinwu had very few trusted confidants to begin with. If he didn't treat them better, who would be willing to risk their lives for him?
Only by offering substantial rewards and severe punishments, and clearly distinguishing between them, can one gain the respect of the people.

In the morning, after assuming his duties, Yinwu led the imperial guards to inspect each entrance of Qingxi Study.

Unlike the palace, Qingxi Study is surrounded by lush trees and abundant flowers and plants, making the guarding environment quite complex.

Whenever Yinwu was on duty, he would definitely conduct spot checks on the defenses near Qingxi Study. This was because the sixty-first year of Kangxi's reign was fast approaching, and he absolutely could not afford to fail in his duties.

After returning to his quarters, Yinwu drank a few sips of tea and continued to stamp his seal with the "I understand" mark.

On his way to the Inner Secretariat, carrying a memorial to pay his respects, Yinwu encountered Wei Zhu, who was rushing over.

"Prince Yu, His Majesty requests your presence."

When Yinwu met Kangxi, he found Kangxi with a livid face, sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) sulking.

Without a doubt, it must be Wang Yan's son who gathered many censors and suggested reinstating Yinreng as crown prince, which angered Emperor Kangxi.

"Your subject, Yinwu, respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health!"

"Get up."

"Thank you, Mother God, for your grace."

"Go to Xian'an Palace and go see the Second Prince for me," Kangxi said, catching his breath.

"Whoo."

In his later years, Emperor Kangxi became exceptionally suspicious and fickle.

When Wang Yiqing and others proposed reinstating the deposed crown prince as the heir apparent, Kangxi immediately thought, "Is Yinreng up to cause trouble again?"

Last time, Yinreng actually used alum to write blank letters in an attempt to seize military power. Kangxi immediately replaced all the eunuchs, maids and guards in Xian'an Palace.

Yinwu entered the palace through the Xihua Gate, passed through the Cining Palace, and arrived at the gate of the Xian'an Palace.

In the palace, the walls elsewhere are 10 meters high.

The Xian'an Palace is different. Emperor Kangxi specially ordered the palace walls to be raised, and the walls are now five zhang high, which is more than 16 meters.

Surrounded by towering palace walls, the atmosphere inside the palace was unusually somber, and the oppressive feeling only intensified upon arriving at Xian'an Palace.

Previously, the guards of Xian'an Palace were all from the Imperial Guard Office.

Since the alum secret message incident, the Xian'an Palace has been guarded by the Imperial Guards.

Yinwu, as the Minister of the Imperial Court, was the direct superior of all the Imperial Guards.

"Your servant Shancheng, a second-class imperial bodyguard, wishes Your Highness good health."

"That's all."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

"There is an imperial decree."

Upon hearing this, Shan Cheng quickly led the dozen or so guards in front of the gate to kneel down.

"Imperial edict: The fifteenth prince, Prince Yu, Yinwu, is hereby ordered to inspect Xian'an Palace. This is the imperial decree."

"Yes, sir." Although Yinwu was Shancheng's superior, Xian'an Palace was a highly guarded place by Kangxi, and Shancheng's duty was still to verify the imperial edict and the waist token.

Upon entering, Yinwu was astonished to find that the area near the central axis leading to the main hall was covered with fallen leaves.

Sigh, when people are down on their luck, even drinking cold water can cause them to choke.

Back in the day, whenever Yinreng got angry, he would kick the fourth prince on the left and slap Narsu on the right. He was so powerful!

Nowadays, even the eunuchs who sweep and clean in Xian'an Palace dare to slack off.

This perfectly illustrates the old saying: A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken!
Therefore, how can a great man be without power for even a day?
Yinwu secretly warned himself that he could only win, not lose, because if he lost, everything would be over!
Following the central axis, Yinwu slowly ascended the steps, but he never saw Yinreng.

As a true brother-in-law, Yinwu had a deep understanding of the second son's personality.

Even after completely losing power, the second son still had to maintain the airs of the former crown prince.

Since the second prince refused to show himself, Yinwu decided to ignore him for the time being and turned to instruct the guards who had come with him: "Guard all the gates and do not allow anyone to make any trouble."

"Whoo."

Kangxi said he wanted Yinwu to come and see the second son. In reality, what Kangxi didn't explicitly mean was that Xian'an Palace must be thoroughly searched.

Those who serve before the emperor and fail to understand the emperor's implied meaning will sooner or later go home and grow sweet potatoes.

Otherwise, why would Yinwu bring over two hundred imperial guards here? Was he here to tour Xian'an Palace?

After the guards drove out the eunuchs and palace maids, Shan Cheng, holding the roster, was beaten and called out in front of Yin Wu.

"Wang Erdan".

"The slave is here."

"Liu Baxi".

"The slave is here."

"..."

After counting the number of people, Shancheng ran all the way and Zhaqian reported, "Your Highness, all the eunuchs and maids in Xian'an Palace are here."

Yinwu was present throughout the entire roll call process, so he naturally saw everything clearly.

"Listen up, all of you, do not disturb the women here."

"Whoo."

Even if the second son becomes a drowning dog, the necessary royal dignity must still be maintained.

To avoid suspicion, Yinwu didn't even enter the palace gate. Instead, he had someone bring him a chair and sat down directly next to the bronze crane in front of the palace.

In reality, the search of Xian'an Palace was merely a show for Emperor Kangxi.

Since Yinreng was deposed for the second time, the number of times Xian'an Palace has been searched is countless.

Emperor Kangxi was just like that; when he doted on Yinreng, he was willing to give him anything.

Kangxi truly despised Yinreng. Apart from not killing his son, his actions were truly ruthless.

As Yinwu was drinking tea, he suddenly saw a woman with a full head of white hair, standing straight, walking slowly toward him.

"Eh." After clearly seeing the person's appearance, Yinwu couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

Alas, the deposed crown princess looked like a seventy-year-old woman; her once jet-black hair had turned into glaring silver strands.

After all, the Crown Princess was not only Yinwu's sister-in-law, but she had also been kind to Yinwu in the past.

"Your younger brother, Yinwu, greets Second Sister-in-law!" Yinwu immediately stood up and took the initiative to bow and pay his respects.

Yinwu lowered his body, and the guards around him all bowed down as well.

"Fifteenth brother, I only ask one thing of you: please treat my sister well." The deposed crown princess, in full view of everyone, knelt down and bowed for the first time in history.

Yinwu quickly stepped aside, cupped his hands, and said with unusual sincerity, "Please rest assured, I will never mistreat my wife."

The deposed crown princess revealed a long-lost smile and said in a trembling voice, "You have always kept your promises, I trust you!" Before she finished speaking, her whole body swayed a few times and she collapsed to the ground.

Lady Guarjia, who once had the chance to become empress, passed away with endless resentment and regret!
(End of this chapter)