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

That afternoon, the weather in the capital was unusually clear.

Golden sunlight filtered through the bare treetops, spilling onto the martial arts training ground in the Imperial Garden, dispelling some of the chill.

Hong Xiguan, dressed in a smart riding and archery outfit, was practicing archery with a small birch bow in his hand.

Drink! Ha!

Make sure your pose is cool and your movements are fast!

Although this little bow is drawn as easily as fluffing cotton, the momentum must be convincing! Otherwise, how can we intimidate those Manchu lackeys?

Beside Hong Xiguan, a tall, handsome young guard was kneeling on one knee, carefully explaining the essentials of archery to him.

"Your Majesty, when drawing the bow, you must use your shoulders and back to generate power, not your arms. Look straight ahead, be single-minded, and the arrow will fly naturally."

This guard is Tong Guowei, the newly appointed First-Class Imperial Guard of the Qianqing Palace.

He was born into the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Tongjia clan, the son of the important minister Tong Tulai, and the younger brother of the current Empress Dowager Tongjia.

According to nominal seniority, Tong Guowei was Emperor Kangxi's maternal uncle.

Uncle? Wow, what a big uncle!

At the age of eighteen, he was originally just an insignificant third-class guard, but overnight, he was promoted by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang to the position of first-class guard.

This old lady is truly shrewd; she uses the promotion of Tong Guowei to appease and compensate the Tong family, whose son she has "taken away."

He gave me face, but also placed this "close uncle" by my side, ostensibly for protection, but in reality for surveillance.

Hong Xiguan had figured out something.

Tong Guowei had never met the real Xuan Ye before. To him, the young emperor with his heroic spirit was his true nephew.

Therefore, he taught with exceptional seriousness and with an extremely humble attitude.

When Hong Xiguan mounted his horse, Tong Guowei even knelt on the ground and used his own shoulder as the emperor's mounting stone.

At that moment, seeing Hong Xiguan shoot an arrow, even though it was still a long way from the bullseye, Tong Guowei immediately smiled broadly and cheered loudly.

"Your Majesty is mighty! Truly a divine archer! Although this arrow missed the target, its momentum was immense, demonstrating Your Majesty's innate superhuman strength; you will surely become a legendary archer one day!"

Holy crap! That flattery was absolutely emotionally charged!

Tong Guowei, oh Tong Guowei, your sycophantic behavior makes me blush for you, but... it's actually quite satisfying to hear.

Hong Xiguan chuckled inwardly, preparing to fire another arrow.

At this moment, one of his Haha Beads, Li Xu, came running from a distance, panting, with a hint of panic on his face.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"What's the matter that you're in such a panic?" Hong Xiguan put down his bow, his brows furrowed slightly.

Li Xu leaned close to his ear and said urgently in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your Majesty, this servant... this servant has heard some unpleasant rumors."

Rumors? For something as clever as you to be so scared, it can't be anything good.

Hong Xiguan's heart skipped a beat, and he said in a deep voice, "Speak!"

Li Xu swallowed hard, lowering his voice even further:

"This servant just went to the Imperial Household Department to collect some things, and by chance... I overheard a few eunuchs gossiping in private. They said... that Your Majesty... your appearance is quite different from that of the former Third Prince..."

"They also said," Li Xu's voice trembled, "that even some of the guards on duty at the Hall of Mental Cultivation were gossiping privately, saying that Your Majesty... you seem like a different person, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?" Hong Xiguan's voice had turned cold.

"I'm afraid...it's not true..."

boom!

Li Xu's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Hong Xiguan's ears!

The hand resting on the bowstring suddenly froze.

A chilling sensation instantly shot from the soles of my feet, up my spine, and straight to the top of my head!

Damn it! It still got out!

I knew it! The truth will eventually come out! How could everyone in this world be blind?

These gossipy lackeys!

Without saying a word, Hong Xiguan's eyes flashed with a ruthlessness far beyond his years.

Rumors stop with violence!

At this point, any explanation is futile! The only solution is to use swift and decisive action to silence any dissenting voices!

"Tong Guowei!" Hong Xiguan turned around abruptly and shouted sternly.

"Your servant is here!" Tong Guowei was startled by the murderous aura that suddenly erupted from the young emperor and immediately knelt down.

"Arrest every single eunuch and guard who was gossiping behind my back! Throw them all in the Imperial Prison for a thorough interrogation!"

"I want to see which damned lackey has the audacity to speak ill of His Majesty behind his back!"

"twitter!"

Tong Guowei was also furious.

How dare you! You actually criticize my nephew, the emperor, as an imposter? Is this some kind of rebellion?!

He angrily led a group of guards and pounced out like wolves and tigers.

Soon, a raid that swept through the entire inner palace began.

Several hours later, the results of the interrogation were presented to Hong Xiguan.

After some "friendly" communication, the eunuchs and guards who had been beaten until their skin was torn and bleeding confessed, crying and begging for forgiveness.

The source of these rumors all pointed to the same place: the Thirteen Offices.

The Thirteen Offices?

Relevant historical data immediately came to mind.

Isn't this the inner court eunuch agency established during the Shunzhi reign? Modeled after the twenty-four government offices of the Ming Dynasty, it was run by eunuchs who wielded immense power, almost completely undermining the Imperial Household Department.

Its initiator was none other than Wu Liangfu, the most trusted eunuch of Emperor Shunzhi!

A single thought, like lightning, pierced through all the fog in his mind!

Wu Liangfu!

It seems that it was this grandson who told Emperor Shunzhi about the affair between Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Hong Chengchou!

In other words, he was the only person besides Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang who knew the inside story of my true identity!

This rumor must have been spread by that old eunuch!

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

What is this old dog trying to do?

Is the intention to muddy the waters and then fish in troubled waters?

Or do they want to use this as leverage to get even greater benefits from me?

Previously, Wu Liangfu was a favorite of Emperor Shunzhi, but now that his patron has died, his future is uncertain.

Whatever he wants to do, this ticking time bomb who holds our core secrets and harbors ulterior motives must not be allowed to live!

Hong Xiguan acted decisively, skipping dinner and heading straight to Cining Palace.

He told Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang the whole story.

After listening, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang showed no surprise on her face. She simply sipped her tea quietly, as if listening to a trivial matter.

After a long while, she put down her teacup, raised her eyes, and looked at Hong Xiguan.

"So... what does the Emperor intend to do?"

Are you testing me?

This is a test of my skills, to see if I have the decisiveness to become an emperor!

Without hesitation, Hong Xiguan's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.

"kill!"

There's only one word to deal with this kind of person: kill!

Not only must we kill, but we must kill decisively! We must kill thoroughly! We must kill until everyone is terrified!

"Anyone who knows the inside story and dares to reveal it will be killed without mercy!"

"As for the culprit, Wu Liangfu, not only should he be killed, but he should also be publicly executed! Let him know that some secrets, once known, must be taken to the grave!"

Upon hearing these words, a strong and irrepressible admiration finally burst forth in Empress Xiaozhuang's eyes!

ruthless!

Decisive!

This decisive and ruthless spirit is a hundred times stronger than that of her indecisive eldest son, Fulin!

Excellent! Good son! This is the man I've chosen! He has the bearing of a great ruler!

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang nodded in satisfaction.

"Granted!"

"I, Your Majesty, will issue another imperial edict!"

Soon, an imperial edict that was enough to shake the entire inner palace and another imperial decree of equal weight were issued simultaneously.

"The eunuch Wu Liangfu has misled the late emperor and sowed discord; his crimes are heinous and heinous. He is hereby executed!"

"Abolish the thirteen government offices! Execute all three eunuchs in charge of their respective offices! All their functions shall be returned to the Imperial Household Department!"

"Ten guards on duty at the Hall of Mental Cultivation have neglected their duties and made unwarranted criticisms of the Emperor. They are hereby exiled to Ningguta and will never be pardoned!"

"From this day forward, anyone in the palace who dares to criticize His Majesty's past affairs, regardless of their status, will be beaten to death!"

The bloody orders, like the sharpest knives, extinguished the newly ignited fire of rumors within a short hour!

Wu Liangfu's head was hung high in front of the Imperial Household Department; he didn't even have a chance to speak before he died!

The three chief eunuchs were also dragged out and beaten to death.

The entire Thirteen Offices collapsed instantly.

Inside the Forbidden City, everyone was on edge and kept silent.