The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 262 A Strong Wind is Coming
Today, the fourth brother specially invited Longkodo to the meeting, certainly not to discuss serious matters, but to tell Longkodo that you are much closer to him than my own uncle!

"Fourth Master, Thirteenth Master, Fifteenth Master, please forgive this servant for speaking so boldly, but if things continue like this, I'm afraid our wealth and status will be hard to maintain!"

Although Longkodo put it rather cryptically, who among those present wasn't a shrewd and calculating individual?
Fu Nai glanced at Longkodo without showing any emotion, thinking to himself, "Third Brother Long, you always wanted to have your cake and eat it too. Did you really think that none of the gentlemen here knew that?"

Yinwu didn't look at Longkodo. After so many years of contact, he knew Longkodo's nature better than anyone else.

Arrogance comes with success; that was Longkodo's nature.

"Uncle, please sit down first, have some hot tea before we talk, there's no rush." ​​As the host, the fourth brother naturally couldn't say anything disrespectful.

The thirteenth prince, reclining in his armchair, said calmly, "Old Long, many things can only be considered in the long run."

Longkodo was unaware of the thirteenth prince's formidable abilities. He smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Thirteenth Prince, there are some things that should be arranged in advance!"

These words were exceptionally blatant, revealing Longkodo's disloyal intentions to the fullest extent.

To be honest, the thirteenth prince still had great doubts about Longkodo's initiative to join him, so he couldn't tell him many private things.

Yinwu knew in his heart that Longkodo, who had been neglected by the fourteenth prince, had no way out.

In Beijing these days, anyone with a bit of sense would either side with the fourteenth prince, support the third prince, or choose the fourth prince.

Those who are not close to anyone will definitely be the ones who suffer the most in the future!

In the power struggles of the court, those who do not take sides will have their loyalty questioned, regardless of who comes to power.

However, Longkodo's initiative to join the party did objectively add considerable strength to the Fourth Prince's faction.

"Old Long, both thunder and rain are imperial graces; everything depends on His Majesty's own will." The thirteenth prince calmly shut down Longkodo's presumptuous words.

Longkodo was a newcomer and needed to make a name for himself, so he shamelessly said, "Then let the Emperor pass the throne to the Fourth Prince!"

This is an exceptionally blatant act of disloyalty!
Emperor Kangxi's personnel selection had a very distinct characteristic: high-ranking officials who held significant political power were never granted military command. Conversely, those who held military power were not allowed to participate in major political affairs!
For example, if Emperor Kangxi didn't invite Yinwu and Longkodo, they wouldn't be qualified to participate in the imperial decision-making meetings.

The fourth son, feigning ignorance, deliberately laughed it off, saying, "Uncle, how could we possibly know who Father Khan wants to pass the throne to?"

Longkodo didn't speak, but kept looking at Yinwu.

At first, apart from Yinwu, no one understood what Longkodo meant.

Soon, the fourth prince understood the unspoken message that Longkodo dared not utter: with Yinwu's involvement and the 30,000 infantrymen under Longkodo's control, even if Kangxi was unwilling, he would have to pass the throne to the fourth prince.

Despite the intense gazes of the crowd, Yinwu remained silent.

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, first catch the king!
Finding the right opportunity to force Emperor Kangxi to abdicate in favor of his fourth son was a taboo matter that could only be understood implicitly, not explicitly stated.

Yinwu deliberately remained silent, and Longkodo dared not speak directly, making the atmosphere on the scene very tense.

The fourth brother, being clever, smiled and asked everyone, "Are you hungry? The feast is ready, shall we eat and chat?"

After the banquet ended, Longkodo, who was on night patrol duty that evening, left first.

After Longkodo left, the thirteenth brother reclined in his armchair and confronted the fourth brother, asking, "Fourth brother, why did you call this thing here?"

Yinwu deliberately lowered his head to avoid the fourth prince asking him for help. The fourth prince smiled and said, "As long as Longkodo still controls the Infantry Office, we must make him feel that we value him."

The thirteenth brother rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Fourth brother, you're really bold. What if he..."

The fourth brother said confidently, "The situation is what it is, he can only join us! Right, fifteenth brother?"

Yinwu nodded and said, "The Tong family, starting with Tong Tulai, has always built their fortune through speculation. They've always been like that."

"To be honest, Fourth Brother, I don't trust Long Laosan!"

Everyone present knew that the thirteenth prince and Longkodo had a past grudge, and it was only natural that he disliked Longkodo.

Back then, when the crown prince was deposed, the person in charge of leading the team to arrest the thirteenth prince was none other than Longkodo.

The old TV series made a very dramatic adaptation of history, portraying Longkodo as a wise man who was exceptionally respected by the thirteenth prince.

In reality, the eldest brother wanted to get the thirteenth brother to talk and take the opportunity to bring down the crown prince.

Longkodo, a member of the old man's party, secretly helped the eldest brother a lot, causing the thirteenth brother a lot of trouble.

The thirteenth son's serious leg ailment worsened significantly due to the delay in treatment and medication changes.

Speaking of which, the reason why the thirteenth prince suffered from a serious leg ailment was because he beat the third prince and was punished by Emperor Kangxi to kneel for a long time.

The fourth prince looked to Yinwu for help with his eyes. Yinwu could no longer pretend to be stupid, so he coughed lightly and said, "Thirteenth brother, with Longkodo's help, our chances of winning are much greater. In any case, we must win him over for the time being."

Those who aspire to great things must prioritize the overall situation!

Yinwu's words made perfect sense, so the thirteenth prince said nothing more.

After the fourteenth prince returned to the capital, he acted as if he were the crown prince. Wherever he went, he was greeted with flattery and sycophancy.

Emperor Kangxi summoned the fourteenth prince for three consecutive days. Coincidentally, it was Yinwu who was on duty each time.

As the fourteenth prince, when he came to Changchun Garden for an audience with the emperor, he had to be guided into Qingxi Study by the imperial minister on duty.

"Fourteenth Brother, please come with me." Yinwu clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, greeting the Fourteenth Brother very politely.

The fourteenth prince glanced at Yinwu and said coldly, "Fifteenth brother, I'll trouble you to lead the way."

As the saying goes, "If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much!"
Yinwu and the fourteenth prince had always been at odds; even when they walked side by side, they had nothing to say to each other.

However, to Yinwu's surprise, when they were almost at the main gate of Qingxi Study, the fourteenth prince suddenly said, "Fifteenth brother, are you really planning to go down this path to the bitter end?"

Yinwu understood the unspoken subtext of the Fourteenth Prince, but deliberately pretended not to understand, staring blankly at the Fourteenth Prince.

The fourteenth brother smiled smugly and said, "Whether you really don't understand or you're pretending not to, I have to give you a piece of advice: always leave yourself a way out!"

Yinwu immediately understood: the fourteenth prince had become arrogant!
Having dealt with the Fourteenth Prince for many years, Yinwu knew very well that the Fourteenth Prince was not a bad person, nor did he have many ulterior motives.

However, the fourteenth prince has a fatal flaw: he is extremely easily influenced!
If the fourteenth prince in history had truly been courageous, he wouldn't have voluntarily relinquished his military power and returned to the capital for his father's funeral!
"Fourteenth Brother, I only obey Father's orders!" Yinwu was too lazy to deal with the Fourteenth Brother, and what he said was absolutely correct, but it was all useless nonsense.

(End of this chapter)