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

After Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang finished recounting the story of her tumultuous life in an almost calm tone, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence once again.

She looked at the boy in front of her, who was already stunned and disoriented, and a hint of apology flashed in her eyes, but more than that, there was an undeniable determination.

"Now, your foolish elder brother has passed away." Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's voice pulled Hong Xiguan back to reality from his shock. "I wish to pass the throne of the Qing Dynasty to you."

I?!

Hong Xiguan was so shocked he almost jumped off the brocade stool!

Are you serious?!

I'm an imposter... no, I'm a biological son... but I'm still an illegitimate child! You want me to be the emperor?

This...this overwhelming wealth is making me a little dizzy!

He was both nervous and sweating, and a burning, uncontrollable flame called "ambition" was raging within him.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang took in all his changes in expression and slowly said:

"Your elder brother, Fulin, was spoiled by me since childhood. Once he grew up, he became disobedient. Now that he's gone... you, his younger brother, should sit on this throne."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if she were talking about an ordinary family matter.

Wow! This brain circuitry is amazing!

The elder brother died, and the younger brother inherited the family fortune?

It sounds reasonable, but the problem is, this is the throne! Not your two acres of land!

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

Hong Xiguan forced himself to calm down and raised the most crucial, yet most practical, question.

"Grandmother... no, Mother." He tentatively uttered the title he thought he would never be able to say in his entire life.

"Since...since my biological father is Grand Secretary Hong, then...in what capacity should I inherit this throne? Will those Manchu princes and nobles agree to it? Will they submit to it?"

That's the crux of the problem!

I am the son of a Han Chinese, and I want to become the emperor of the Manchus? Isn't that absurd?

Those arrogant Manchu nobles could tear me apart alive!

However, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang simply smiled faintly, a smile that was full of composure and confidence.

"You don't need to worry about that," she said casually. "Your mother has already taken care of everything for you, even the will to pass the throne to you has been written."

! ! ! ! !

Holy crap! The will is already prepared?!

When did this old lady start planning this?

Did she already consider him a pawn and start paving the way for me from the moment Shunzhi went south?

This is just too... too damn terrifying!

Hong Xiguan felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight up to the top of his head.

He originally thought he was just a backup option, but now it seems that he is the only "first choice".

Shunzhi was the "backup plan" that could be sacrificed at any time!

Seeing his shocked expression, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's expression suddenly turned serious: "Remember! Xuan Ye!"

She said sternly, "Although you are my son, from this day forward, you are the Third Prince Xuan Ye! Your biological father is the late Emperor Fu Lin! The secret of your origins must never, ever be mentioned to anyone! Not even Hong Chengchou himself!"

"Otherwise, not only you, but also I, and your innocent father, will all die without a burial place!"

I understand! I understand! This means I have to completely abandon the identities of "Chengcheng" and "Hong Xiguan" and live the rest of my life in the shell of "Xuan Ye"!

But do you even need to tell me? I'm not stupid enough to do something stupid like spreading such a big secret around.

Hong Xiguan immediately knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

"Your subject...will heed Your Majesty's teachings! From this day forward, there will be no more 'Chengcheng,' only the Third Prince, Aisin Gioro Xuanye!"

……

Emerging from Cining Palace and walking along the snow-covered palace path, Hong Xiguan felt as if he were floating on clouds.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's shocking remarks still echoed in my mind.

My goodness! I would never have dared to make up such a story in my wildest dreams!

Huang Taiji was killed by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Dorgon working together, and Dorgon was killed by a trap set by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Emperor Shunzhi brought it upon himself and was bombarded... The men of the Aisin Gioro family must have had a very dangerous job!

If Huang Taiji knew this in the afterlife, would he be so angry that he would crawl out of his grave, point at Empress Xiaozhuang's nose, and curse her: "Dayu'er! You vicious woman! You are truly a ruthless person!"

However, despite the complaints, upon closer examination, this seemingly outrageous truth perfectly explains many mysteries in later history.

Hong Xiguan recalled that the portraits of Hong Chengchou in his later years that have been passed down to later generations and the portraits of Emperor Kangxi in his later years were exactly the same in terms of their eyebrows, eyes, and cheekbone contours!

At the time, he was puzzled. Huang Taiji, Shunzhi and Xiaozhuang all had typical Mongolian faces with big, round faces. How come Kangxi's appearance changed drastically, and he became a thin, long face with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks?

Furthermore, the shape of Hong Chengchou's earlobes in the painting "Hong Chengchou in Casual Clothing" in the Palace Museum is exactly the same as that of Emperor Kangxi in "Kangxi's Southern Inspection Tour"—they are "Buddha ears"!

This is irrefutable evidence in genetics that is almost impossible to fake!

Moreover, the chromosomes of the Aisin Gioro clan have been circulating online, and they actually overlap with those of a branch of the Hong clan!

Wow! So that's what happened!

The historical problem that has troubled Lao Tzu for several years has found its answer today in this way!

Stimulate!

That was fucking so exciting!

As Hong Xiguan walked back to the palace, the cold wind blew on his face, but it did nothing to cool the raging fire burning in his heart.

The thought of myself, a history student from three hundred years in the future, about to become the supreme emperor of the Qing Dynasty and rule the magnificent sixty-one years of the Kangxi era!

An unprecedented surge of excitement and trembling spread through his limbs like an electric current, making him almost unable to resist letting out a long roar to the sky!

However, he quickly forced himself to calm down.

Don't get carried away, Hung Hei-kwun, don't get carried away! It's precisely at times like these that we need to stay calm!

You're not facing a loving mother, but a top-notch strategist!

Hong Xiguan began to quickly review everything that had just happened in Cining Palace, trying to extract the core, coldest motives from Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's seemingly sincere words.

Initially, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's goal was simple: to "switch the crown prince" and bring her illegitimate son, whom she couldn't have in the light of day, to the palace under the identity of "the third prince, Xuan Ye," so that mother and son could reunite.

But Shunzhi's "accidental" death completely disrupted her plans and gave her an even greater ambition!

She immediately realized that this was a golden opportunity for her to completely seize control of the imperial power!

Empress Xiaozhuang's desire for power was ingrained in her very being.

This can be seen from her attitude toward Shunzhi's marriage.

She repeatedly forced her nieces and grandnieces from the Borjigit family to become empresses for her son, Fulin. If one was deposed, she would immediately replace her with another, even if it caused a rift between mother and son, all to maintain firm control over the harem and the bloodline of the future crown prince.

She did this simply to ensure that the next emperor would also have the blood of the Khorchin grassland flowing in his veins, in order to consolidate her own power and the supreme interests of the entire Borjigit family in the Qing Dynasty!

So, what she did today was a seemingly heartfelt conversation between mother and son, but it was actually a political showdown!

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang wanted to tell me that my biological father was Hong Chengchou, a Han Chinese, which would effectively cut off any possibility of me joining forces with any Manchu nobles (including the Tongjia clan).

As a "son of a Han Chinese," my only reliance in order to secure my position on the throne in the Manchu court is on her, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang!

At the same time, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was also telling me: Although you are the emperor, don't forget that your roots are in Khorchin! From now on, you must take care of the Borjigit family, not your nominal maternal family, the Tong family!

Having figured this out, Hong Xiguan felt a chill run down his spine.

This woman is always thinking ten steps ahead; her so-called "motherly love" is all wrapped in layers of political calculations.

Trying to outsmart her? You're still too green for that!