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

The Forbidden City, Cining Palace.

As dusk settled and the palace lanterns were lit, everything inside the hall was bathed in a hazy, warm, golden light.

The air was filled with a unique aroma of precious spices mixed with damp earth.

In the center of the hall, a woman dressed in casual clothes, still charming, was holding a pair of silver scissors and carefully pruning a potted Podocarpus macrophyllus with a vigorous posture.

She was none other than Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang of the Qing Dynasty, Borjigit Bumbutai. (For ease of reading, we will use the name Xiaozhuang from now on, but we will avoid using idiotic phrases like "I, Xiaozhuang.")

Empress Xiaozhuang moved slowly and deliberately, trimming the potted plants with a few quick, precise strokes.

A nearly silent footstep stopped behind her.

"master."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang did not turn around, but simply gave a faint "hmm". The silver scissors fell once more, cutting off a new branch that had grown sideways.

"Master, everything has been arranged."

Sumalagu lowered her head and said, "That child... has already been sent away. I have also personally inspected the new residence, and there are absolutely no problems."

The "child" mentioned in the text refers to Xuan Ye, the real third prince, who had just died of smallpox.

Empress Xiaozhuang's movements finally paused for a moment.

She sighed softly, a lingering sadness in her voice.

"Xuan Ye... was also a child with a tragic fate. Born into the royal family, he couldn't even escape this natural disaster. He was only six years old. What a pity."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's tone sounded like that of an ordinary grandmother mourning her grandson, but there was not much sorrow in her deep eyes, but rather a calmness that came after the game was over.

Not long ago, smallpox broke out in the palace, and Xuan Ye was infected. He was sent out of the palace for isolation, which gave Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang the opportunity to switch the crown prince with a cat.

Su Ma La Gu remained silent for a moment, then finally couldn't help but whisper, "Your Majesty, really... do you want to let 'Chengcheng' replace the Third Prince? If this matter is exposed, it will be a colossal disaster that deceives the emperor and shakes the foundation of the country!"

"Deceiving the emperor?"

Empress Xiaozhuang's lips curled into a cold smile as she casually placed the silver scissors on a small sandalwood table beside her, making a crisp sound of displeasure.

"Su Ma, you've been with me for decades, don't you understand?"

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang walked to the window and looked out at the deep night.

In the depths of the night, there lies the inner city of Beijing, unseen by her, and the beloved child she has kept hidden for ten years.

"After all, it was born of me, a piece of flesh that fell from my body after ten months of pregnancy!"

At this point, a complex expression of maternal tenderness appeared on Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's dignified, round face.

"Just because of those damned rumors, just because he is... I had no choice but to keep him outside the palace for ten whole years! Ten years! For ten years, I, as his mother, couldn't see my own son even once. Do you know what kind of heart-wrenching pain this is?"

"That child, confined to a small place since childhood, doesn't even know who his biological parents are. How innocent he is!"

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's voice trembled slightly; she was no longer the shrewd and resourceful Empress Dowager, but merely a heartbroken mother.

"Now that Xuan Ye has tragically died of smallpox, Heaven has given me this opportunity. If I don't seize it, am I to let him live his entire life as an illegitimate child, rotting away silently in that courtyard? No! I will not allow it!"

"Let him return as a prince, back to my side. That's what Chengcheng deserves!"

……

If Hong Xiguan were here and heard these earth-shattering remarks, he would probably have his Daoist heart shattered and his worldview destroyed on the spot.

Good heavens! I'm not some powerful or wealthy person's illegitimate son, but Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's illegitimate son?!

This script...this script is a million times more exciting than the time-travel itself!

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, a woman known in history for her political wisdom and resilience, actually had such a scandalous secret that could overturn the entire Qing Dynasty.

If this gets out, not only will the throne be lost, but the entire Aisin Gioro family's reputation will be repeatedly rubbed into the ground!

Su Ma La Gu's face was full of worry: "But my lady, what about the Emperor... He has watched the Third Prince grow up since he was a child. The young lady and the Third Prince look very different, and they are also three years apart in age. If they meet in the future, I'm afraid he will be able to tell the difference at a glance."

The moment the word "Emperor" was mentioned, the warmth that had just appeared in Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's eyes was instantly replaced by a chilling coldness.

"Hmph! The Emperor?"

She sneered, "Now that he's got wings and guts, he doesn't respect his mother at all! He dares to come to Cining Palace to question me over the words of a mere servant! He's rebelling!"

Not long ago, Wu Liangfu, the most trusted eunuch of Emperor Shunzhi, dug up a shocking secret from some obscure corner: the Empress Dowager had an affair with the surrendered official Hong Chengchou, and even while they were still outside the Great Wall, she secretly conceived a child and raised him outside the palace.

This Wu Liangfu was originally an old eunuch in the Ming palace. After the Manchus entered the pass, he changed his ways, switched allegiance to the new master, and with his scheming skills, he became a favorite of the emperor.

This person colluded with officials outside the capital and abused his power for personal gain; he was an absolute treacherous villain.

When Emperor Shunzhi, Fulin, learned of this secret from Wu Liangfu, he felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him on the head!

Shock, anger, shame, and indignation!

He stormed into the Cining Palace and had the most intense argument in history with Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the two of them almost tearing each other apart.

After the argument, Emperor Shunzhi "disappeared" from the Forbidden City.

Rumors circulated in the palace that the Emperor had secretly left the capital for the south, intending to emulate the ancient sage rulers by personally leading an expedition to quell the "sea rebels" Zheng Chenggong along the southeastern coast.

But Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang knew exactly what was going on.

A personal expedition? Bullshit!

Fulin is using the pretext of "personally leading the expedition" to seize military power in the south! He is trying to eliminate Hong Chengchou's support in the southeastern army!

He is demonstrating against me, he is rebelling!

This wicked son wants to emulate Qin Shi Huang and carry out a "purging of the court of corrupt officials" to get rid of the "Lao Ai" in his eyes!

……

Thousands of miles away, in Xiamen, Fujian.

Inside the Qing army camp, the damp sea breeze, carrying a salty and fishy smell, blew through the rows of tents.

Inside the central command tent, General Dasu of Annam was gazing intently at a map when a personal guard suddenly reported that a secret envoy had arrived from the capital.

When Dasu saw the young man dressed in the clothes of an ordinary wealthy merchant, yet with an undeniable air of superiority on his face, he was nearly scared out of his wits!

With a thud, he knelt down without even removing his armor, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! How...how did you get here?!"

The visitor was none other than the Shunzhi Emperor, Fulin, who had secretly traveled south.

"Get up, Dasu."

Emperor Shunzhi helped his trusted general to his feet, his young face bearing a sinister and resolute expression beyond his years: "I have come to personally lead the expedition to quell the rebellion!"

Dasu shuddered upon hearing this.

Last year, Zheng Chenggong launched the Yangtze River Campaign, with 170,000 troops advancing by land and water, capturing Zhenjiang and besieging Nanjing. The entire Jiangnan region was shaken, and when the news reached Beijing, it caused an uproar in the court and among the people.

At that time, the young Emperor Shunzhi flew into a rage in the court and declared that he would personally lead an expedition to quell the pirates.

As a result, the proposal was unanimously rejected by the entire court.

The Han officials group, led by Hong Chengchou, advocated "appeasement as the main approach and suppression as a secondary one," and wanted to use Zheng Chenggong's father, Zheng Zhilong, to play the family card.

Meanwhile, the Manchu nobles, led by Ao Bai, advocated "a full-scale encirclement and suppression, leaving no grass alive."

The two factions argued fiercely, but they reached a surprising consensus on the point that "the emperor should not be allowed to personally lead the army."

In their eyes, Emperor Shunzhi had only recently assumed power and his rule was not yet stable; he was still a monarch who needed to be "protected."

But Emperor Shunzhi didn't think that way!

He ascended the throne at the age of six and lived in Dorgon's shadow for more than a decade.

He finally assumed power, only to find an even greater mountain above him: his own mother, the Holy Mother Empress Dowager.

Now, this mountain is not only weighing him down, but it has also found him a "stepfather" and even had a younger brother!

What kind of situation is this?

I, the mighty Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty, have actually lived out the script of Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng?

The mother had an affair with a court official and gave birth to an illegitimate child, intending to seize the throne.

The big joke of slipping the world!

Whenever he thought of the secret reports presented by Wu Liangfu, and of the cold, unyielding face of his mother in the Cining Palace, Shunzhi felt as if his lungs were about to explode with anger.

Emperor Shunzhi was only twenty-two years old, a time when he was full of vigor and had the strongest sense of self-esteem.

He'd had enough!

Therefore, he secretly left the palace, intending to prove to the world, and even more so to his high and mighty mother, through a triumphant personal campaign:

I am not a puppet!

I am the sole master of this Great Qing Empire!

He wanted to use this war to wrest military power in the southeast from Hong Chengchou's protégés and former officials!

The blood of Zheng Chenggong must be used to wash away the great humiliation he has suffered and to establish his absolute authority as the "valiant monarch" of the Qing Dynasty!

"The Empress Dowager always says that I am young and ignorant, and always wants to make decisions for me."

Looking at the horrified Dasu, Shunzhi coldly said, "I'll show her whether I can run this household without her!"

These words struck Dasu like a bolt from the blue.

Oh no! The Emperor has secretly run away without the Empress Dowager's knowledge!

If the Empress Dowager finds out, will I, as an "accomplice," have a good outcome?

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Dasu knelt again, earnestly pleading, "You are the supreme ruler, the foundation of the nation. Your personal expedition to the sea is fraught with peril; what if… what if something were to happen to you? What would become of this empire!"

"Enough!" Shunzhi waved his hand impatiently, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light. "My mind is made up! Dasu, if you still acknowledge me as your emperor, then prepare warships for me immediately! I want to see with my own eyes how the Zheng family's navy is annihilated!"

The emperor's command is as firm as a mountain.

Looking at the emperor's face, which seemed to say "no madness, no life," Dasu knew that further persuasion would be useless.

He gritted his teeth, his mind racing with calculations.

Since we can't persuade them, we can only go along with it, but we must minimize the risks.

In an instant, a bold plan took shape in his mind.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Dasu kowtowed sharply and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I obey! I will make the arrangements immediately and request Your Majesty to move to the flagship. Tomorrow, I will gather the main force of the Qing Navy to fight Zheng the rebel to the death! I will make sure Your Majesty witnesses a great victory!"

Dasu's idea was that since the emperor wanted to watch a play, then he should put on the most beautiful one for him!

The entire army should be mobilized to achieve a decisive victory in one battle, and then this ancestor should be sent back to the capital as soon as possible!

Shunzhi nodded in satisfaction, gazing at the turbulent Taiwan Strait in the distance, as if he could already see the magnificent scene of himself ruling the world and all the world submitting to him.