I, Kangxi, am here to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!

Suppressing her excitement, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang smiled and slowly nodded: "Good, good child, you are very good."

The atmosphere inside the hall became more gentle.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang shifted to a more comfortable position, leaning back on the cushions of her throne, her voice becoming even softer.

"Good child, come sit next to your grandmother."

Hong Xiguan dared not be negligent. He walked to the throne as instructed and sat down properly on a brocade stool that had been prepared in advance. He only sat on half of his buttocks and kept his back straight.

When Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang saw his cautious demeanor, a hint of heartache flashed in her eyes.

"How have you been all these years... away from home?" There was a hint of guilt in his voice.

In an instant, the dark memories of the original owner of this body flashed through Hong Xiguan's mind.

It was a deep, suffocating loneliness.

His eyes reddened, but he didn't cry. He just lowered his head slightly, and his voice carried a hint of grievance and loneliness befitting his age.

"Replying to Grandmother... your grandson is doing very well."

He started with a polite remark, then added in an even lower voice:

"The nannies take meticulous care of his food, clothing, and daily necessities, but... but the courtyard is so small that the grandson has no playmates. Every day, besides reading and writing, he just sits facing the wall and watches the birds fly by."

"Sometimes, my grandson thinks, 'That bird... can fly so far, so far, that's wonderful.'"

Acting, pay attention to acting! Your eyes should be melancholy, your tone should be flat, and you can't directly say "I'm miserable." You need to use artistic and melancholic imagery like "watching birds fly" to highlight your loneliness!

This is called a sophisticated way of playing the victim! It expresses your situation without making you seem like a complaining brat!

Only in this way can you get the benefits!

These words, like needles, pierced deeply into Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's heart.

She could almost see a thin, frail child standing alone beneath the high wall, day after day, gazing up at the square sky, his eyes filled with longing for the outside world.

That's her son!

It was a piece of flesh that fell from her body after she carried it for ten months!

Because of those damned power struggles and rumors, she had to hide him outside the palace, leaving her son to live like a prisoner for ten years.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's heart ached terribly.

She reached out and took Hong Xiguan's hand again: "You've suffered, child. It's the Empress Dowager... I'm so sorry."

Ouch! They've taken the bait!

They even said "I'm sorry"! Looks like this attempt to play the victim was incredibly effective!

Hong Xiguan was overjoyed, but his face showed increasing fear, and he hurriedly got up to kneel.

"Grandmother, you flatter me! Your grandson wouldn't dare!"

"Sit down!" Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang pressed him down, preventing him from kneeling. "You don't need to be so formal here with me."

She looked at Hong Xiguan with eyes full of remorse.

"Don't worry, from now on, you won't be alone anymore. I will arrange for several young servants of similar age to come to the palace to accompany you in your studies and serve as your young attendants."

Great! Now I have a playmate? And a member of the royal family at that? Isn't this just handing me connections? Not bad, not bad at all, this is a good deal!

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang paused, her tone becoming even gentler.

"Furthermore, in this vast Forbidden City, you can go wherever you want from now on, and no one will dare to stop you."

Wow! A VIP annual pass to the Forbidden City? Or an unlimited pass?

This is great! I like this! It's perfect for scouting around, getting familiar with the terrain, and seeing if there are any secret passages or anything like that.

Seeing the hint of surprise in Hong Xiguan's eyes, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang felt even more affection for him. She took his hand, patted it gently, and finally gave him the most crucial order.

"From now on, you must come to Cining Palace every morning and evening to pay your respects to me. I... want to see you all the time."

Daily check-in and work reports? Got it! They're trying to keep me firmly under their control!

However, this is also good, as being around her every day actually makes us safer.

Moreover, it allows them to obtain first-hand intelligence at any time.

This deal is worth it!

Hong Xiguan immediately showed a grateful expression and nodded heavily.

"Grandson...yes! Grandson thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

He knew that from this moment on, he had truly found the first and most powerful ally in this den of dragons and tigers.

Although, this thigh... might be the cheap mother of this body.

.....

Emerging from the Cining Palace, Hong Xiguan looked as if he had just fought a tough battle; the back of his inner garment was almost soaked with cold sweat.

Damn it, talking to a veteran player like Empress Xiaozhuang is more brain-taxing than taking the postgraduate entrance exam in politics!

He was personally led by Sumalagu through several palace gates and was finally placed in a side hall in the Western Six Palaces area.

This place is said to be the former residence of the third prince, Xuan Ye. It is not large in scale and is not a complete palace, but it is quiet and peaceful.

Hong Xiguan looked around and found that although the furnishings were exquisite, the place had a desolate feel to it, as if no one lived there often.

It seems that Zhen Xuanye wasn't very well-liked because of his poor health.

But this is for the best, so I don't have to see his traces everywhere and feel uncomfortable.

To Hong Xiguan's relief, all the eunuchs and palace maids in this side hall had been replaced.

Looking around, he saw familiar faces; they were all the people who served him in the mansion outside the palace.

Brilliant! Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang handled this matter skillfully! It's always convenient to have your own people working for you; at least you don't have to worry about being stabbed in the back.

However, there are always exceptions.

A kind-faced old woman in her thirties was directing the palace maids to make the beds and fold the blankets.

She was the only one who wasn't replaced.

This person, surnamed Sun, was the wet nurse of the real Xuan Ye.

Holy crap! There's still one that slipped through the net?

No, this isn't called slipping through the net, this is called "witness testimony"!

Hong Xiguan's heart jumped again.

This Granny Sun is a witness who saw the entire "Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat" incident! Could she possibly...?

Hong Xiguan observed Granny Sun discreetly. Although her eyes were slightly red and her expression carried a hint of sadness, she worked meticulously without any resentment or abnormality.

There are feelings involved, but not many.

Or rather, they dare not have it.

Hong Xiguan quickly came to his senses.

I heard that Granny Sun's husband, Cao Xi, came from a family of bondservants of the Plain White Banner under the Imperial Household Department.

To put it bluntly, these "baoyi" were the family slaves of the Aisin Gioro family for generations.

Their lives, wealth, and status all depended on the master's every whim.

Let alone just changing the young master to serve, even if Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang ordered her to strangle the real Xuan Ye with her own hands, she would have to do it with tears in her eyes.

These bondservants, whose very being was branded with the word "lackey," were educated from childhood to obey, to obey absolutely. They were not fundamentally different from the well-trained police dogs of later generations.

Having figured this out, Hong Xiguan felt only a trace of sympathy for Granny Sun.

Not long after he settled in, officials from the Imperial Household Department arrived with five children who were about half a year old.

"Greetings to the Third Prince!"

Five children, around seven or eight years old, dressed in the same color, knelt on the ground in unison.

An official from the Imperial Household Department smiled obsequiously and said, "Third Prince, these are the 'Haha Beads' (playmates and companions) specially chosen for you by the Empress Dowager out of consideration for you. From now on, they will accompany you in your studies and martial arts practice."

Haha, beads? Aren't these just ancient versions of "princeling" reserves? Perfect timing, I was just worried about not having anyone to use!

Hong Xiguan's gaze swept across the faces of the children one by one.

They were all handsome young men from respectable families, with impeccable political backgrounds, clearly handpicked.

His gaze lingered on the last child for a moment longer.

The child was the youngest, looking no more than five or six years old. He was exquisitely beautiful, with bright, dark eyes that shone with a cleverness.

"What's your name?" Hong Xiguan asked, pointing at him.

The child was a little nervous when his name was called, but he still answered crisply, "Replying to the Third Prince, this servant... this servant's name is Cao Yin."