The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 258 The Power Puzzle
Seeing that neither the Fourth Prince nor Yinwu was looking at him, Ye Keshu didn't feel embarrassed at all. He even brazenly said, "Fourth Prince and Fifteenth Prince, you must be tired from your journey. Please feel free to give me any instructions."

Yinwu's jade pillars were guarding the house from outside.

After all, Ye Keshu was Yuzhu's uncle. If Yinwu made Ye Keshu lose too much face, Yuzhu would certainly lose face as well.

Yinwu simply picked up his teacup and sipped the tea slowly, completely ignoring Ye Keshu.

In order to get Tong Guowei to say a few solid words on behalf of Shun'an Yan before his death, Ye Keshu went all out and simply stood against the wall, refusing to go out.

No matter how unfilial Ye Keshu was, he was still the fourth brother's nominal maternal uncle. Even if the fourth brother was annoyed by him, he would be too embarrassed to kick him out.

After waiting for about half an hour, Tong Guowei, who was on the bed, suddenly made a gurgling sound in his throat.

Neither the fourth prince nor Ye Keshu had any experience serving others, but Yinwu was different. Back when he was taking care of his old leader, he had done everything.
"Fourth Brother, quickly help him up. Ye Keshu, quickly bring some cold water." Yinwu put down his teacup, rushed to the bedside in a few strides, and took the initiative to help Tong Guowei up.

Then, Yinwu took out a silver hairpin from his sleeve, pinched Tong Guowei's cheeks with his left hand to force his mouth open, and then used the silver hairpin to press down his tongue with his right hand.

Immediately afterwards, Yinwu inserted the index and middle fingers of his left hand, which were wrapped in a white cloth, into Tong Guowei's throat and repeatedly dug several times until he finally removed the phlegm that was blocking the throat.

Tong Guowei took several deep breaths, then suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at Yinwu, who was helping him remove the green phlegm.

Suddenly, Tong Guowei tremblingly reached out his right hand and tightly grasped the fourth prince's left hand, panting as he said, "Fourth Prince, I'm useless, I'm about to die. Most of my sons are good-for-nothings, my only worry is my eldest grandson, Shun'an Yan!"

After Yan Shangzhu of Shun'an, in terms of relationship, he was actually the legitimate brother-in-law of the fourth prince. This is because Princess Wenxian of Heshuo was the fourth prince's own sister.

Unfortunately, Princess Heshuo Wenxian was unlucky. On her way to Rehe to escape the summer heat with the Empress Dowager, she died of heatstroke because she wore too many clothes, which trapped her sweat.

The factions among the powerful and influential in the Qing Dynasty were truly inexplicable and difficult to explain.

Shun An Yan and his fourth brother-in-law, Lao Si, were not close at all; they were definitely part of the older brother's faction.

After the eldest brother was imprisoned, Shun An Yan still refused to visit the fourth brother, but instead mingled into the eighth brother's group.

Even more strangely, after the Eagle Killing Incident, the Eighth Prince saw that he had lost power, and Shun An Yan took the initiative to stick to the Fourteenth Prince, completely ignoring the Fourth Prince.

Ironically, on his deathbed, Tong Guowei entrusted his eldest grandson, Shun'an Yan, to his fourth son.

The fourth prince didn't respond immediately, but turned to look at Yinwu.

Yinwu knew that the fourth prince was asking him whether Shun'an deserved sympathy for his good looks.
Shun'an Yan was simply blind to talent out of his nature; he didn't hold any real power and wasn't particularly hostile to the fourth prince.

Seeing that Yinwu nodded, the fourth prince turned to Tong Guowei and reassured him, "Please rest assured, Grand Uncle, I will definitely take good care of my brother-in-law."

After catching his breath, Tong Guowei suddenly perked up and ordered in an unusually loud voice, "Let them all in. I have something to say."

The fourth prince and Yinwu exchanged a glance. They both knew that Tong Guowei's last gasp was a sign that he was doomed.

Before long, Tong Guowei's eight sons and three nephews all gathered around his sickbed.

In front of the fourth brother, Tong Guowei earnestly warned Orondai: "You must never do anything foolish again."

Orondai said, "Uncle, you just need to take care of your health and don't need to worry about things outside."

Upon hearing this, Yinwu knew that the hatred between him and Orondai ran too deep and there was absolutely no room for reconciliation. If the Eighth Prince came to power, Orondai would definitely not let Yinwu off the hook.

Even if Orondai was a close relative, he was still just Tong Guowei's nephew. Since Orondai refused to listen to advice, Tong Guowei couldn't say anything more.

"Fourth Master, what I want to say is all in the will. Please pass it on to my nephew!"

The fourth brother accepted the folding box handed to him by Ye Keshu and said with exceptional sincerity, "Please rest assured, great-uncle, I will personally deliver it to the Emperor."

Not only was Tong Guowei nearing the end of his life, but he was also the current emperor's maternal uncle. Even though he overstepped his bounds in his words, the fourth prince and Yinwu simply pretended not to hear him.

Even if they made false accusations, Emperor Kangxi would just laugh it off. Why would the fourth prince and Yinwu have to play the villain?

To this day, apart from the concubines in the palace, Tong Guowei is the only one remaining among Kangxi's blood relatives, making his position particularly special.

After drinking the ginseng soup, Tong Guowei was in exceptionally good spirits.

"Second Prince, you must perform your duties properly and stop acting recklessly, understand?"

"Yes," Dirk replied softly, his eyes red.

In the Tong family, Ye Keshu, Dekexin, and Longkodo were all born to Tong Guowei's principal wife, Hesheli.

In other words, the three brothers are biological siblings born of the same mother.

However, from a very young age, Yekeshu and Dekexin disliked Longkodo, and the brothers had a very poor relationship.

From a standpoint of opinion, Ye Keshu and Longkodo were both very close to the Eighth Prince, while Dekexin often went to the Third Prince's mansion to freeload meals.

The Tong family members, starting with Tong Guowei, each had their own supporters; they certainly didn't put all their eggs in one basket.

However, Tong Guowei and his eight sons only bet on the eldest, third, eighth, and fourteenth sons, with none supporting the fourth son.

To be honest, among the super families of the eight great Manchu clans, including the Tong family, none of them were optimistic about the fourth son's future.

It is clear that the fourth brother is truly a master of disguise!

Seeing Tong Guowei holding Shun An Yan's hand and formally introducing him to the fourth prince, Yinwu nodded secretly in approval.

Old ginger is spicier, after all!
When Tong Guowei personally entrusted his son to his fourth son, it meant that the final piece of the power investment puzzle in the Tong family had been completed.

Even if Tong Guowei's sons all failed in their investments, as the eldest grandson of the Tong family, Shun Anyan, as long as he stabilizes the situation, the Tong family will always have a chance to turn things around.

As the saying goes, a dying man's words are good!

Yinwu, who had been observing from the sidelines, saw very clearly that the person Tong Guowei cared about most before his death was his eldest grandson, Shun'an Yan!
Entrusting Shun'an Yan to his brother-in-law, the fourth son, was a perfect match, a natural progression.

If the fourth prince wins, he might consider giving Shun'an Yan a more important position, just for the sake of his younger sister, Princess Wenxian.

As it turned out, Tong Guowei was right. After the fourth prince secured his throne, he immediately promoted Shun'an Yan to the powerful position of Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard.

(End of this chapter)