The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 261 Kangxi's Hint

The day before the fourteenth prince returned to Beijing from the Northwest to report on his duties, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict ordering the third prince to lead the banner princes and all civil and military officials of the fourth rank and above in Beijing to greet him outside Deshengmen.

However, the group led by the third brother waited from the first light of dawn until the sun was high in the sky before the fourteenth brother's large group finally arrived.

As soon as the fourteenth prince appeared on horseback, the third prince gave the order, "Play music!"

As the drums and music resounded, the fourth brother frowned. He was surprised to find that the court band was playing "Zhuang Jun Rong," a piece from the Emperor's Grand Music.

Yinwu also sensed something was wrong, but he simply stood silently in the line without uttering a sound.

Emperor Yongzheng had few sons and had no choice but to leave a will early on, designating Hongli as his heir.

In his later years, Emperor Kangxi was always somewhat undecided about who to pass the throne to.

The older Kangxi got, the more hesitant he became.

The fourth prince's fatal flaw was his advanced age, while the fourteenth prince's major weakness was that he had long served as the eighth prince's subordinate.

If the fourteenth prince were to ascend the throne, he would most likely be hampered by the eighth prince and his ilk, which was clearly Kangxi's biggest concern.

At this moment, the fourteenth prince also realized that the melody of the music was actually the emperor's personal music, and he couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.

When he went out, he wore the emperor's banner; when he returned, he enjoyed the emperor's music. Did Kangxi need to ask who he had chosen as his heir?

However, the fourteenth prince was not completely out of his mind. When he was still about ten feet away from the third prince, he dismounted.

"Third brother, fifth brother, seventh brother, eighth brother... I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" The fourteenth brother greeted his brothers with a beaming smile, cupping his hands in greeting.

However, the fourteenth prince deliberately ignored both the fourth prince and Yinwu!

The fourteenth brother actually skipped over the two of them without even saying hello, which was extremely rude!
The fourth brother was furious and extremely angry, but out of consideration for his brotherhood, he couldn't say anything in public.

Yinwu and the fourteenth prince were already sworn enemies, so no matter how much the fourteenth prince went too far, Yinwu wouldn't take it to heart.

After the third prince read out Kangxi's decree, he led everyone to escort the fourteenth prince to Changchun Garden for an audience with the emperor.

When Emperor Kangxi met the fourteenth prince, he was overjoyed and immediately offered him a seat.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the fourteenth prince calmly sat down next to Kangxi.

In this way, his potential as the crown prince is obvious!

The fourteenth prince had won a victory in the northwest, and Kangxi was naturally in a great mood. He pulled the fourteenth prince aside and talked for more than an hour about everything from the climate in Lhasa to the poor fighting ability of the Tibetan troops.

Standing in the line, the ninth brother watched the fourteenth brother speak eloquently, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

After the eighth prince had no hope left, the ninth prince, in order to protect himself in the future, secretly slipped a small amount of silver to the fourteenth prince, who was far away in the northwest.

In a private message, the ninth brother patted his chest and told the fourteenth brother that there was plenty of money!

However, the fourteenth brother's reply consisted of only a few words of thanks to Ninth Brother.

As the saying goes, words are the voice of the heart.

The fourteenth prince's indifference made the ninth prince quite unhappy, but he could only accept his fate.

After all, the eighth prince, whom the ninth prince had wholeheartedly supported, had already lost. If he didn't take the initiative to befriend the fourteenth prince, how could he possibly live a peaceful life in the future?

After Emperor Kangxi ordered a banquet to be held, he surprisingly summoned Consort De to accompany him.

Looking at Kangxi, Consort De, and the Fourteenth Prince sitting at the table, chatting and laughing, Yinwu couldn't help but recall a classic line: "The three of them are a family."

In this situation, even if Yinwu thought with his feet, he would know that the fourth prince must be feeling very uncomfortable!

Emperor Kangxi deliberately did not establish a crown prince, allowing his adult sons to have a chance to succeed to the throne. This measure only benefited Kangxi in consolidating his imperial power.

Now, Kangxi is playing the part of a happy family reunion, but the protagonist isn't the fourth prince. What will the fourth prince think?
In this situation, what we eat and drink is really not important.

What really matters is where you are!

The fourteenth prince, sitting on the imperial platform, and the fourth prince, sitting below the platform, blending into the crowd, formed a stark contrast.

After the banquet, Kangxi made another surprising move: he actually allowed his fourteenth son to stay overnight at Changchun Garden.

When Yinwu left the garden, the idea that the fourth prince would smoothly succeed him had vanished.

Only those who were in the thick of it could know that Kangxi's unconventional actions were tantamount to implying to the world that the fourteenth prince was the true Son of Heaven.

The fourteenth prince stayed in the capital for more than half a month. In front of his princely mansion, there was a constant stream of carriages and people, with dignitaries coming and going in an endless stream.

The momentum in the imperial court has always been one of ebb and flow.

Since the fourteenth prince returned to the capital, the number of people waiting to see Yinwu at the gate of his mansion has decreased significantly.

Yinwu was already used to the fickleness of human relationships!

The fourth prince finally couldn't sit still any longer and sent Su Peisheng to invite Yinwu to his residence for a talk.

When Yinwu entered, the thirteenth prince, Dai Duo, and Fu Nai were already seated.

However, to Yinwu's surprise, Longkodo was also there.

Longkodo's defection to the fourth prince was inextricably linked to the fourteenth prince's cold attitude.

As far as Yinwu knew, Longkodo brought generous gifts to the Prince's residence, but was turned away.

Come to think of it, the Fourteenth Prince commands an army of over 100,000 men. Inside the court, he has the powerful Eighth Prince Party supporting him. He simply doesn't respect Longkodo, this spoiled brat.

If Tong Guowei hadn't died, the fourteenth prince might have shown Longkodo some leniency out of respect for his maternal uncle.

Unfortunately, grass has already begun to grow on Tong Guowei's grave.

The core team of the Yongzheng Emperor in the early period was basically complete, except for Nian Gengyao, who was far away in Xi'an, and Zhang Tingyu, who was hiding in the shadows!

After a brief greeting, Yinwu habitually sat down in his usual seat.

Before the fourth prince could speak, Longkodo shouted indignantly, "The fourteenth prince is bullying us too much!"

Yinwu smiled wryly. Whenever it came to choosing sides, he would rather say or do something excessive than remain silent.

The thirteenth prince glanced at the excited Longkodo, but said nothing, because Longkodo's addition increased the chances of success by three points.

Objectively speaking, if the fourth prince wanted to have the last laugh, the most crucial figure was Yinwu, who held the power of the imperial guards and had great influence in the military.

Secondly, there is the thirteenth prince, who has intricate connections with the Miyun camp.

Next came Longkodo, who held the reins of security in the capital.

Finally, there was Nian Gengyao, who controlled the grain transport routes in the Northwest.

Yinwu and the thirteenth prince could remain silent, but the fourth prince could not ignore Longkodo.

"Uncle, please calm down and have some hot tea. We can discuss important matters slowly." The fourth prince's address of "uncle" in front of Yinwu and the thirteenth prince warmed Longkodo's heart.

It should be noted that Longkodo used to be completely overshadowed by Yinwu.

In any case, Yinwu must have shown more respect for Longkodo than before, right?

(End of this chapter)