The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 266 The Rebellious Brat, Nian Lianggong
To commend the fourteenth prince's outstanding military achievements, Emperor Kangxi unprecedentedly issued an imperial edict to hold a banquet in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony has been burned down four times in history, the most recent time being in the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Interestingly, the Hall of Preserving Harmony was also burned down three times due to lightning strikes. That's exactly one less time than the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

In this dynasty, only the fourteenth prince has ever been granted a banquet in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

In a short time, the prestige and arrogance of the Eighth Prince's Party and the Fourteenth Prince's Party soared.

"Eighth Brother, with Fourteenth Brother being so favored, his position on the east side should be secure, right?" Tenth Brother asked Eighth Brother somewhat impatiently.

The eighth brother looked up at the tenth brother, a strange sense of sorrow rising in his heart.

When the Crown Prince was deposed, if it weren't for that idiot eldest son running to the Emperor's side and spouting nonsense, the position of Crown Prince would have long been taken by the eighth son.

Now, Lao Ba can only take a long-term view.

Seeing that the eighth brother remained silent, the ninth brother explained, "Tenth brother, the Grand General Wang, using the Plain Yellow Banner and the Great Banner, is hosting a banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. With these three things combined, Father is practically making his intentions clear!"

The tenth brother ignored the ninth brother and kept staring intently at the eighth brother's mouth.

The eighth brother, annoyed by the stares, sighed and said, "What the ninth brother says is absolutely right. The throne will definitely belong to the fourteenth brother!"

The tenth prince was straightforward and couldn't keep things to himself, so he casually asked, "When the fourteenth prince ascends to the throne, how will he treat you, the eighth prince?"

The eighth prince was clearly suffering inside, but he said, "The fourteenth brother has already promised me a hereditary prince position, second only to the emperor, and the chancellor of the government."

"Sigh, it's certainly good, but it's still not as good as you being the emperor!" Since only the eighth and ninth princes were in the room, the tenth prince spoke recklessly without any restraint.

Lao Jiu didn't speak, but something else came to mind.

The fourteenth prince, short of money to win over the people in the Northwest, sent a message to the ninth prince through a messenger.

After discussing it, the Ninth and Eighth Princes sent their trusted confidants on horseback to deliver a large bill of exchange for the "Tiandihao" ship in Beijing to the Fourteenth Prince, totaling 180,000 taels of silver.

This seemed like an ordinary matter, and Lao Ba didn't say anything about it.

In fact, the fourteenth prince bypassed the eighth prince and went directly to the ninth prince to ask for money, which was a major taboo in factional politics.

It is reasonable to conclude that whether the promise made by the fourteenth prince to the eighth prince will work or how long it will last is definitely questionable.

For the Eighth Prince, becoming emperor after Kangxi's death would definitely be the best option.

However, due to Kangxi's strong suppression, the Eighth Prince's faction suffered a major setback and was not as powerful as before.

Therefore, after the emperor's death, the fourteenth prince would become a figurehead, while the eighth prince would hold real power, which would be the eighth prince's second choice.

Ultimately, the fourteenth prince's reign was too short, and even with Kangxi's strong support, he didn't have enough time to cultivate a loyal following.

Anyway, it's a million times better for the fourteenth prince to come to power than for that nemesis, the fourth prince, to come to power, right?

Meanwhile, at the Prince's residence, Yinwu met with Yongtai, the former governor of Shaanxi who had been brought back to the capital by Nian Gengyao.

Upon meeting, Yongtai knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

Yinwu frowned and coldly reprimanded, "What are you crying for? What kind of behavior is this?"

Yongtai raised his horse-hoof sleeve, wiped away his tears, and said in a sobbing voice, "This servant is incompetent and has failed his master's trust, losing such a crucial position."

Yinwu was well aware that Yongtai's dismissal was due to two factors: Nian Gengyao's covert machinations and Kangxi's opportunistic actions. The fourteenth prince commanded over 100,000 troops and was highly favored by Kangxi.

Sensing an opportunity, Nian Gengyao's mind began to stir. He wanted to take advantage of Yongtai's dismissal to curry favor with the fourteenth prince.

Of course, Nian Gengyao's biggest ulterior motive was that he felt Yongtai was getting in his way in Xi'an. As long as Yongtai was removed, Yinwu's influence in the Northwest would be cut off.

To put it bluntly, Nian Gengyao was no ordinary man; he longed to break free from Yinwu's control, spread his wings, and soar to greater heights!

These days, powerful regional officials may seem imposing, but in reality, if they have no one in the court to rely on, they are like children without a father, left to be bullied by others.

However, although Nian Gengyao successfully ousted Yongtai, the person he recommended also failed to achieve his goal.

The newly appointed governor of Shaanxi, Gashtu, was neither a man of the Eighth Prince, nor the Fourth Prince, nor even a man of Yinwu. Instead, he was a trusted bodyguard of Emperor Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi had a distinctive characteristic in his use of personnel: he placed great importance on his trusted bodyguards.

To this day, most of the high-ranking officials in the Qing Dynasty had served as bodyguards in front of the emperor.

Yinwu only learned of Yongtai's dismissal after the imperial decree had been issued.

This small incident reveals that Emperor Kangxi indeed intended to deliberately give Yinwu a warning.

However, now that Yongtai had joined Yinwu's tutelage, Yinwu could not possibly ignore him.

The tree hasn't even fallen yet, and the monkeys have already scattered. What will others think of Yinwu?
“Shaanxi is a poor place, you might as well not stay. Here, I’ve found you a good job, take a look!” Yinwu gently pushed a piece of paper on the table in front of Yongtai.

Yongtai picked up the piece of paper, took a closer look, and exclaimed in surprise, "The General of Hangzhou?"

In the Qing Dynasty today, everyone knows the proverb "Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou".

If a general serving in Hangzhou for three years leaves office with less than 500,000 taels of silver in his private coffers, he can be considered a truly honest official.

"When you meet His Majesty, never complain. It's better to play dumb than to show your shrewdness, understand?" Yinwu repeatedly instructed Yongtai that he must not talk too much in front of Kangxi.

"Please rest assured, Uncle, I will keep this in mind!" Yongtai happily agreed.

Yinwu noticed that Yongtai had changed his form of address, but pretended not to hear it and acted as if he didn't know.

In terms of kinship, Yongtai's mother was Cuiqing's cousin. It was barely plausible that he called Yinwu his uncle.

There's no way around it. Because of intermarriages, the families under their jurisdiction can always find a reason to establish a kinship within three generations.

After having Yongtai stay for a meal, Yinwu happily saw him off.

In the morning, as soon as Yinwu entered Changchun Garden, he was summoned by Emperor Kangxi.

"I originally promised you that I would let Yongtai go to Hangzhou. Unfortunately, Yongtai's abilities are extremely limited, and there has been a popular uprising in Hangzhou. I'm afraid it won't be possible now." Kangxi sighed repeatedly.

Yinwu sneered inwardly. Kang Mazi had deliberately broken his promise; it was obvious that he was intentionally trying to suppress him.

"Father, I've been feeling unwell lately, and it hurts when I walk. I humbly request to be relieved of my duties and return home to recuperate for several months." Yinwu truly had no interest in the power he currently held, so he simply withdrew completely, saving himself a lot of trouble.

"How can that be? I can't do without a capable minister like you by my side!" Kangxi didn't want to push Yinwu too far, so he said in a consultative tone, "How about this, let Yongtai serve as the Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Yinwu's strong support for Yongtai was not for the sake of seizing power, but rather to avoid revealing any flaws and causing the dynasty to collapse too quickly.

(End of this chapter)