The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 254 Secret Conspiracy
After Yinwu saw Neqin off, the sixteenth and eighteenth princes arrived together.

Since they were close brothers, Yinwu didn't stand on ceremony with his younger brothers and ordered the kitchen to prepare some of their favorite dishes, and the brothers continued drinking.

Old Sixteen loves seafood. He reached out and grabbed a boiled prawn, quickly peeled and gutted it, dipped it in sauce, and casually tossed it into his mouth.

"Big brother, even the seventeenth brother has a job, but the third brother and I are still stuck in the study reading. It's so stifling!" The sixteenth brother complained to Yinwu while chewing on a shrimp.

Yinwu knew perfectly well that if he hadn't been blocking his brothers' path, the sixteenth prince would have already been entrusted with important responsibilities by Kangxi.

Today, Lao Shiliu is 24 years old (26 by Chinese reckoning), but he has never held a job. No wonder he is getting restless.

Just as Yinwu was about to comfort the sixteenth prince, the eighteenth prince interrupted him.

"Second Brother, no matter how bitter you are, don't say things to put Big Brother down!" The Eighteenth Brother swallowed the vegetables in his mouth and continued, "Among the three of us brothers, Father can only give important positions to one at a time. If you go up, Big Brother will have to step down. If I go up, you will have to step down. Let's not end up like Fourth Brother and Fourteenth Brother, who turned against each other!"

The sixteenth brother glared at the eighteenth brother and said angrily, "You know perfectly well that I'm just venting, but you insist on saying these nonsense and making me upset. I've been spoiling you for nothing!"

Old Eighteen shrank his neck, lowered his head, and simply buried his head in his food, chewing on his vegetables.

Yinwu said with a smile, "To be honest, I really am thinking of taking a few steps back and simply going home to be a leisurely prince!"

"That won't do." Old Sixteen immediately jumped up and said anxiously, "If you quit, my little business will have to close down tomorrow."

"Second brother, you're so short-sighted, you only care about your pittance?" the eighteenth brother teased the sixteenth brother with a nasal tone.

To be honest, the eighteenth prince understood Yinwu's temperament better than the sixteenth prince.

Yinwu was always one to plan carefully before acting, and he never fought a battle unprepared.

Moreover, since Yinwu spent almost every day by Kangxi's side, the Eighteenth Prince had every reason to believe that Yinwu's desire to step down must have some basis.

They were close brothers, and the fact that Yinwu supported the idea of ​​the fourth prince ascending to the throne was known to the sixteenth and eighteenth princes as well.

The sixteenth prince sighed, "What a pity! Father Khan has no intention of passing the throne to my eldest brother!" These words were truly unforgettable and left a lingering impression.

The Qing Dynasty was the Qing Dynasty of the Eight Banners, and even more so, the Qing Dynasty of Emperor Kangxi!
Emperor Kangxi, who reigned for nearly sixty years, looked around and saw that all the important officials in the court were his confidants.

Objectively speaking, Kangxi's position was so secure that no one could shake it.

The deposed crown prince is no good, the eighth prince is no good, and Yinwu is even less suitable!

The eighteenth prince glanced at the sixteenth prince and said indifferently, "The crown prince for forty years and the eighth prince with his cronies both suffered heavy defeats, let alone the three of us brothers."

Anyway, apart from Wu Lin, who was serving drinks and towels, the only other people in the room were the three Yinwu brothers.

Wu Lin is practically a clone of Yinwu. If even he can't be trusted, then Yinwu and the others are doomed sooner or later.

Yinwu's other trusted eunuch, Xiao Jinzi, was standing guard outside the door with his eyes wide open. Even if the three brothers inside broke any taboos, it would be impossible for the news to get out.

The sixteenth prince was well aware that the power that Kangxi had given to Yinwu could be completely taken back with just a word.

The necessary conditions for a powerful minister are: holding military power and having cronies all over the court! Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, before he even hung on the treetop, could no longer command the Guan Ning cavalry and Zuo Liangyu.

The Qing Dynasty learned a great deal from the lessons of the Ming Dynasty, making its generals completely ignorant of military affairs.

"Leaving aside others, if my elder brother were to have such thoughts, that opportunist Longkodo would be the first to kidnap him and take him to see the Khan!" The eighteenth brother spoke frankly and without reservation.

To this day, the only, and greatest, mystery in the entire Qing Dynasty is this: how much longer can Emperor Kangxi live?

The sixteenth prince was not young, and he naturally understood that if Yinwu had formed a faction and wanted to become like Aobai, he would have been imprisoned by Kangxi long ago.

Yinwu took a sip of wine and said calmly, "To be honest, if it weren't for Chunxi's interference and my third brother's crucial role in arousing Father's vigilance towards the Eighth Prince, I would almost certainly be certain that he would become an idle prince within a few months!"

The sixteenth prince, still not understanding Yinwu's thoughts, casually asked him, "Is being a prince inactive really appropriate?"

"Second Brother, while being a leisurely prince has many advantages, it also attracts a lot of attention." The Eighteenth Brother picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and said meaningfully while chewing slowly, "In my opinion, it would be more appropriate for the Thirteenth Brother to take the lead and suffer in the future!"

A sudden realization dawned on the sixteenth prince; he instantly understood that Yinwu and the eighteenth prince were probably already planning the power structure of the court after the fourth prince ascended the throne.

Yinwu looked at the eighteenth prince with satisfaction. This child was a good disciple whom he had personally trained, and he was so shrewd that it was frightening.

"Big brother, I'm not very bright, I'm so stupid. Forget it, I won't think about anything anymore, I'll just do whatever you say!" The sixteenth brother was honest and kind, and his reaction was not as quick as the eighteenth brother's.

However, the sixteenth son had one advantage that others lacked: he was very clear about his own weaknesses.

Since I can't figure it out, I might as well stop thinking about it and just let Yinwu arrange everything.

"Third brother, what do you think we should do next?" Yinwu asked the eighteenth prince deliberately, wanting to see just how shrewd he was.

"Alas, it's all because of me and my second brother that we've dragged you down, otherwise you wouldn't be so cautious!" The eighteenth brother gently put down his chopsticks and sighed, "The past of Dorgon and his two brothers is something that even my fourth brother would be wary of, let alone Father Khan."

Yinwu smiled slightly and said, "We are brothers, not like Dorgon and his two estranged brothers. Third brother, listen carefully, there's really no need to say such nonsense again."

"Brother, there's still a long road ahead. I'm not afraid to stay in the Imperial Study and study all the time!" The eighteenth prince said this, seemingly to Yinwu.

In reality, the eighteenth prince was reminding the sixteenth prince, "Why are you in such a hurry? As long as Yinwu, this great patron, is not uprooted, why worry about not being able to seize power in the future?"

The sixteenth brother blushed slightly and lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Yinwu smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, within ten months, Father will most likely give you a good job to appease my resentment."

The sixteenth son exclaimed with great surprise, "Really?"

The eighteenth brother curled his lip and said, "When has your older brother ever lied to you?"

Old Sixteen was an honest man, but as the saying goes, the simple-minded are often blessed.

Historically, from the first year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign until the Hongxi case in the fourth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, the sixteenth prince always held great power.

(End of this chapter)