The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 252 A Sharp Counterattack
Ultimately, everything in the Qing Dynasty depended on Kangxi's attitude.

To be honest, Chunxi's provocation really touched a nerve with Kangxi.

However, the eighteenth prince's courageous act promptly reminded Kangxi of the truth: Yinwu never formed factions!

The reason why the three Dorgon brothers were able to overwhelm the Shunzhi Emperor was that not only did each of them control a banner, but Dorgon was also the regent and Dodo was the assistant regent.

Yinwu, who never formed factions, collapsed immediately without Kangxi's support, without any doubt.

"Princess, you've come from afar, let's only talk about happy things today!" Kangxi glanced at Yinwu, who had remained silent, intending to downplay the matter and let it go.

Thank goodness! The fourth brother secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the soles of his feet were soaked with sweat.

If Yinwu were to be ousted, even if Kangxi passed the throne to the fourth prince, he certainly wouldn't be able to control the eighth and fourteenth princes.

Yinwu's attitude was very clear: the more critical the moment, the less he should take it personally.

Once Yinwu stands up to defend himself, he will inevitably fall into the trap set by the Eighth Prince.

In the Qing Dynasty, where imperial power was based on bricks, the truth could not be clarified through debate; rather, the more one spoke, the more mistakes one made!
The eighteenth prince, who wasn't on official duty, spoke up, and the effect was ten thousand times better than Yinwu's self-defense!
However, Yinwu knew in his heart that this matter was definitely not over yet.

As expected, after Chunxi settled down in the capital, Kangxi asked Yinwu to play chess with her.

"Little Fifteen, your power is too great, which easily arouses resentment!" Kangxi was in a bad mood after losing three games in a row.

Yinwu had been waiting for this question. He said with a grin, "Father, I actually prefer the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan. Why don't you send me to Suzhou and Hangzhou to supervise taxes?"

Having served Emperor Kangxi for so many years, Yinwu had long since figured out his temperament.

The more you try to take it, the less Kangxi will give it to you.

On the contrary, the more you retreat, the more likely you are to arouse Kangxi's suspicion of the Eighth Prince.

In short, Yinwu's ability to establish himself in the court and wield immense power was entirely due to the deposed crown prince and the eighth prince.

Kangxi gave Yinwu a deep look, frowned, and said with great displeasure, "The arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are all minor skills. You should spend less time on them and pay more attention to state affairs."

Yinwu understood that he had successfully aroused Kangxi's instinct to balance the court.

The most important skill for an emperor is actually the ability to balance the power of various factions!

If Yinwu were banished to Jiangnan, with the Northwest Army under the control of the Fourteenth Prince on the outside and the exceptionally powerful Eighth Prince Party on the inside, would Kangxi still be able to sleep soundly?

"Father, I'm so busy every day that my feet barely touch the ground. Why don't I resign from my post managing the Infantry Office?" Yinwu didn't let Kangxi off easily, and kept finding ways to poke at his heart.

Kangxi made a zigzag motion and said coldly, "You are not allowed to bargain with me!"

"How about I just leave those messy affairs of the Bordered White Banner aside?" Yinwu still showed no sign of letting up, pressing Kangxi step by step.

If it were the 40th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Yinwu would have been sent home long ago if he had dared to speak like that.

However, it is now the fifty-eighth year of Kangxi's reign, and Kangxi's health is deteriorating day by day. How many more decades does he have left to cultivate another loyal and brave prince, Yinwu?

When the old man is confused, the children should not blindly follow him. When it is time to fight back, they should fight back with confidence!
"I'm not playing anymore!" Kangxi suddenly became angry, raised his hand and swept all the chess pieces to the ground.

Wei Zhu, who was serving tea, suddenly felt her legs go weak and slid to her knees on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

Yinwu, however, stood up without fear, his back ramrod straight, and said loudly, "I've long been tired of this kind of humiliation, I quit!"

Then, Yinwu took off his official hat, threw it into Wei Zhu's arms, and turned to leave!

Wei Zhu received the official hat from Yinwu, trembling with fear. "My Fifteenth Prince, how dare you!"

Taking advantage of Kangxi's momentary lapse in reaction, Yinzhi strode out. Since Kangxi hadn't killed his son, and Yinzhi hadn't rebelled, he would at most return home to be a prince inactive!
To put it bluntly, after Yinwu became a prince without official duties, the fourth prince would actually trust him even more.

The fundamental problem that allowed the thirteenth prince to become the vice emperor was that, during the Kangxi era, the thirteenth prince had long been without rank or power, and was not even a figurehead.

In fact, if Yinwu were to lose power, his future status would certainly surpass that of the thirteenth prince.

For Yinwu, the pieces he needed to place had already been placed in key positions.

Enduring three years of idleness and powerlessness in exchange for becoming the chief vice emperor of the Yongzheng era is, by any measure, an extremely worthwhile deal.

Ultimately, Kangxi couldn't give Yinwu what he wanted, but the fourth prince had plenty of it!
"Rashid, go stop that bastard!"

Kangxi knew better than anyone that if Yinwu truly wanted to be Dorgon, he would never dare to be so arrogant!

Rashi quickly chased after him, rushing to Yinwu's side, but Zhaqian blocked his way.

“Fifteenth Prince, His Majesty only trusts you.” Laxi had been at the Emperor’s side for many years, so he must know that this was the only way Yinwu would listen to such advice.

How could someone who has served in the Emperor's court for a long time be a fool?

Yinwu sighed inwardly, "Old Kang, why won't you let me go back to be a prince without a job?"

However, things in this world cannot have all the advantages and none of the disadvantages.

In general, people who make decisions are forced to choose the second-best option!

With Yinwu continuing to hold power, it means that in the future, the overall structure of the Yongzheng era will likely be dominated by the thirteenth prince, followed by Yinwu.

With a touch of regret, Yinwu returned to Kangxi's side.

Emperor Kangxi took the official hat presented by Wei Zhu and personally put it back on Yinwu's head.

"You big bastard, you've got quite the temper!" Kangxi scolded, but his eyes were smiling.

"Father, I have no desire for power!" Yinwu said in a muffled voice, poking Kangxi's lungs again.

Even if he was originally a pawn of Kangxi, Yinwu was still an extremely important one and could not be easily discarded!

Emperor Kangxi was quite taken aback, but the fact remains that Yinwu did not seize power!

"Sigh, without your protection, I don't even dare to close my eyes when I sleep!" Kangxi was forced to suppress his temper and actually flattered Yinwu instead.

Wei Zhu, who was standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded!
My little darling, Fifteenth Master should be renamed: Big Cow!
Yinwu was full of confidence and not afraid of angering Kangxi at all!

Ten years ago, even if you gave Yinwu a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't have dared to do this.

The princes below Yinwu, the sixteenth and eighteenth princes, were Yinwu's younger brothers.

The seventeenth prince is still too inexperienced to possibly help Emperor Kangxi maintain order.

Among Yinwu's older brothers, the fifth, seventh, and twelfth princes, who would dare to offend the eighth prince?

Alas, in his later years, Emperor Kangxi, despite having many sons, faced the predicament of having no one capable of being of great use.

In his later years, Emperor Qianlong found himself in a similar predicament, and reluctantly chose the mediocre and incompetent Emperor Jiaqing.

Coincidentally, Emperor Jiaqing was also the fifteenth prince!
P.S.: It's past midnight, I'll read it in the morning!

(End of this chapter)