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

Upon seeing those last few words, Ebilun completely broke down.

"Your Majesty! I'm innocent! This servant is innocent!"

Ebilun kowtowed frantically, his forehead quickly bleeding: "Although this servant is timid and cowardly, I have absolutely no disloyalty to the Qing Dynasty or the Emperor! This servant is only afraid of Aobai... this servant..."

"Afraid of Ao Bai?"

Hong Xiguan sneered, his tone suddenly turning stern: "You were the late emperor's appointed regent! You held the rank of duke and the position of Grand Tutor! The late emperor entrusted the empire to you, and this is how you repay him?"

"Where were you when Ao Bai forged an imperial edict to kill people? Where were you when Ao Bai seized land and harmed the people? Where were you when Ao Bai bullied me?!"

This series of questions, like heavy hammer blows, left Ebilun speechless.

He did not do anything wrong, but his greatest sin was "inaction".

In politics, mediocrity and cowardice are sometimes more unforgivable than evil.

"This servant...this servant deserves to die a thousand deaths..." Ebilun collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.

He knew that this time, he was truly finished!

Hong Xiguan looked at the old minister who was crying like a child, and the murderous intent in his eyes slowly subsided.

Killing Ebilun was easy, but this old fellow was, after all, the patriarch of the Niohuru clan and a representative of the Manchu nobility. Killing him would easily alienate the old ministers. Of course, Hong Xiguan didn't care about the feelings of those old Manchu ministers at all; what he needed was a stable court.

Moreover, keeping Ebilun alive is more useful than killing him, and it is beneficial for me to take control of the government.

"Alright, stop howling!"

Hong Xiguan waved his hand with some annoyance: "Although Prince Kang Jieshu and the others are very insistent on wanting to kill you, I will spare your head because you are a veteran minister of the late emperor and the empress's adoptive father."

Ebilun suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming with the light of relief he had just escaped death: "Your Majesty..."

"He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment."

Hong Xiguan stood up, walked to Ebilun, and pronounced the verdict from his superior position:

"Imperial decree: Ebilun, as a regent, has remained silent and condoned the treacherous faction, betraying the late emperor's trust. Effective immediately, he is stripped of his position as Grand Tutor and his title of First-Class Duke! He is dismissed from all posts and ordered to return home to reflect on his mistakes!"

This completely stripped him bare.

Compared to the historical instances where officials were merely "stripped of their titles and then reinstated," Hong Xiguan took a much harsher approach this time because he didn't need another fickle opportunist to be an eyesore in the court.

"As for your life..."

Hong Xiguan bent down, patted Ebilun's tear-streaked old face, and said softly, "That was a gift from me. If you dare to pretend to be deaf and dumb again, I can take it back at any time, understand?"

Just think of it as raising an old dog, to be released to bite people when needed.

"Understood! This servant understands! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness!"

Ebilun kowtowed repeatedly, and being able to save his life and his family property was already a great blessing for him. How could he dare to ask for any title or official position?

Watching Ebilun stagger away, Hong Xiguan breathed a sigh of relief.

The era of the four regents has come to a complete end!

From this day forward, there will be only one voice in the Forbidden City.

That is me!

Walk to the window and open it.

The midday sun shone in without any obstruction, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The sunlight is so intense.

Just like this newly begun imperial career, it is full of scorching heat, yet it also makes people's blood boil!

.....

The battle is over, and the next step is to reward those who have contributed.

This is when your skills are truly put to the test.

If you distribute resources well, everyone will work hard for you.

If the team isn't well-disciplined, it will be difficult to lead.

Although Hong Xiguan was an imposter, he was very clear about one thing: in order to secure his position on the throne among the Manchus, he needed to have two teams at his disposal.

One set is for the "face" to show to outsiders, and the other is for the "substance" to use yourself.

In the Southern Study, Hong Xiguan wielded his vermilion brush and began to bestow official titles and promises.

"Songgotu, with his strategic planning and skillful capture of the rebel leader, has made outstanding contributions and is hereby promoted to Grand Minister of the Interior and concurrently appointed Minister of Personnel."

"Tong Guowei, who calmed the army's morale and turned the tide, is commendable for his loyalty and bravery. He is hereby promoted to Grand Minister of the Interior and concurrently serves as Minister of War."

The Grand Minister of the Interior, ranked as a first-rank official, is a prestigious position second only to the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard.

The heads of the two crucial departments, the Ministry of Personnel which manages official positions and the Ministry of War which manages weapons, have now been replaced by their own trusted confidants.

But Hong Xiguan's methods went far beyond that.

While appointing the two men, he casually added an imperial edict: "Appoint Xiong Cilu as Minister of Personnel (Han Dynasty), and Chen Tingjing as Minister of War (Han Dynasty)."

This is what is meant by "mixing in sand".

The Six Ministries of the Qing Dynasty used a dual system of Manchu and Han officials, with one Manchu and one Han official serving as ministers in each of the six ministries.

Although nominally of equal rank, the real power was mostly in the hands of the Man Minister, but the Han Minister was by no means a mere figurehead.

Xiong Cili and Chen Tingjing were not only famous Han officials and capable bureaucrats, but also teachers of Hong Xiguan (daily lecturers and recorders of the emperor's daily life).

Using these two experienced and prudent Han officials to keep an eye on the young and ambitious Suo'etu and Tong Guowei is a way to both use Manchu nobles to suppress the old-guard nobles and prevent the new nobles from becoming too powerful, killing two birds with one stone.

The cake outside has been distributed; now comes the main event.

South Study Room.

Once the door is closed, everyone left is "one of us".

Li Xu, Cao Yin, and Zhao Sheng, these three young men from bondservant families, were the ones Hong Xiguan truly dared to use in this foreign court.

Because they had no other way out but to rely on imperial power.

"What happens outside is for the world to see; what happens at home is up to us brothers."

Hong Xiguan didn't put on airs and got straight to the point.

"Li Xu".

"Here!" Li Xu still carried the murderous aura from last night.

"You are promoted to First-Class Imperial Guard and concurrently appointed as the Director of the Imperial Household Department."

Hong Xiguan pointed outside: "The Capital Garrison is the Ministry of War under the Imperial Household Department. From now on, you will be in charge of the palace security and the training of the Upper Three Banners. This palace is like a sieve; I want you to pull out all the 'nails'! Even those from the Empress Dowager's palace, if they're not clean, pull them out without hesitation!"

"Understood!" Li Xu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "This servant guarantees that not even a fly will be able to get in."

"Zhao Sheng."

"Your servant is here."

"You are promoted to First-Class Imperial Guard and concurrently appointed as a Director of the Imperial Household Department."

"This position may not sound prestigious, but it's a steward's job. From now on, all personnel transfers and document exchanges within the Imperial Household Department will have to go through your hands. You will be my chief steward in the Imperial Household Department, so keep an eye on things for me."

Zhao Sheng nodded; this job suited him well, as it required meticulous attention to detail.

Finally, Hong Xiguan looked at Cao Yin.

"Cao Yin".

"Your servant is here."

"You are promoted to First-Class Imperial Guard and concurrently appointed as the Director of the Guangchu Division of the Imperial Household Department."

Upon hearing the words "Guangchu Division," Cao Yin's eyebrows twitched.

This is the most desirable position imaginable!

It managed six major vaults, including the silver vault, leather vault, and porcelain vault. Every needle and thread, gold and silver treasure in the palace came from here. Simply put, it was the emperor's private purse.

"I not only want you to manage the palace accounts well."

Hong Xiguan lowered his voice and tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Your father is the Jiangning Textile Commissioner in Jiangnan, and you are in charge of the Guangchu Department in the capital. These two, one in the south and one in the north, are my lifelines. There will be many places where I need money in the future, whether it's training troops or something else. I don't want to have to put up with the stingy faces of those old men in the Ministry of Revenue."

"Keep a tight grip on the money purses of Jiangnan for me, understand?"

Cao Yin felt a chill run down his spine. The Emperor was trying to create a financial system independent of the national treasury.

"This servant understands! I will certainly not fail His Majesty's trust!"

……

After arranging the personnel, Hong Xiguan stretched and then made a major institutional reform.

"Effective immediately, the Upper Three Banners (Bordered Yellow, Plain Yellow, and Plain White) will no longer have banner lords!"

"Abolish the old practice of 'the regent concurrently managing banner affairs'! All captains and lieutenants of the Upper Three Banners shall report directly to the Emperor! Banner affairs shall be managed by the Minister of the Imperial Household Department appointed by me!"

This is a historic moment.

Since Nurhaci established the Eight Banners, the banner chiefs have held immense power, even capable of influencing imperial authority. Aobai was able to monopolize power because, as the de facto controller of the Bordered Yellow Banner, he turned public resources into private troops.

Now, taking advantage of the momentum from eliminating Oboi, Hong Xiguan directly regained control of the Upper Three Banners.

From this day forward, the Upper Three Banners will have only one master.

That was the emperor!

After finishing all this, Hong Xiguan rubbed his temples wearily, but a smile appeared on his lips.

With Suo'etu and Tong Guowei in charge of the external affairs, and Li Xu and Cao Yin guarding the internal affairs, they held military power over the Upper Three Banners.

"With this series of combined moves, the Qing Dynasty's empire is truly now in my grasp!"

Hong Xiguan muttered something, then casually picked up a jade seal from the table and tossed it in his hand.

Who would have thought?

This young emperor, who was worshipped and regarded as the restorer of the dynasty by countless Manchu nobles at this moment, actually possessed the soul of a Han Chinese who was always thinking about how to manipulate these guys.

The Qing Dynasty is about to get some interesting!