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

Wu Liangfu's head was hung in front of the Imperial Household Department for three days.

Inside the Forbidden City, everyone was on edge, and no one dared to gossip behind anyone's back anymore.

However, you can silence the mouths of lackeys, but you can't silence the hearts of the scholar-officials.

Human nature is to gossip, especially in a power center like the capital. Any slight movement can be interpreted in 108 different ways by those idle officials and ministers.

Is it forbidden to discuss the current emperor?

Alright, then let's talk about the late emperor, is that alright?

Soon, a memorial from Fujian ignited a storm in the imperial court.

When reporting on the recent movements of Zheng Chenggong's remnants, Fujian Governor Liu Hanzuo mentioned the fierce Battle of Xiamen in the seventeenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign in order to explain the situation.

According to procedure, the memorial was first sent to the four regents.

Ao Bai was furious after just one glance!

Damn it! Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about!

Who among the Qing high-ranking officials didn't know that the late emperor was blasted to his death by a cannon shot from Zheng He in that very naval battle?

To cover this up, they fabricated lies and even murdered people to silence them, finally managing to suppress the news. The official version of events was that he "died of illness."

Now, you, the governor of Fujian, actually dare to mention the "Battle of Xiamen" in your memorial to the throne?

Although Liu Hanzuo's memorial did not mention Emperor Shunzhi at all, such matters are best left unexamined!

Once the matter is brought up in the imperial court for public discussion, with everyone offering their opinions and dissecting the details of the battle, questions arise: Why did the emperor's flagship sink? Why did so many imperial guards die? How can these questions be explained?

At that time, it will inevitably cause a great deal of discussion in the court, and the illusion of "dying of illness" that they have painstakingly created will collapse in an instant!

This Liu Hanzuo is either stupid or wicked! No matter which one he is, he cannot be allowed to live!

Ao Bai immediately slammed the memorial on the table and roared, "This scoundrel! He's utterly audacious! The late emperor's body is barely cold, yet he dares to bring up old matters in a memorial, reopening the wounds of our Great Qing! What are his intentions?!"

Sony and the others were also taken aback.

They immediately realized that this was an extremely dangerous sign.

We must use swift and decisive measures to make an example of them!

So, just three days later, an imperial edict jointly signed by the regents was sent to Fujian.

Liu Hanzuo, the governor of Fujian, was dismissed on the spot for "making irresponsible remarks about state affairs and failing to perform his duties effectively." His family property was confiscated, and his entire family was exiled to Ningguta, never to be pardoned and returned!

When Hong Xiguan found out, he exclaimed, "Good heavens!"

Just because he mentioned in his work report that "the previous project was a disaster," the project manager was sent to Siberia to dig potatoes?

The politics of the Qing Dynasty were just too damn dark!

However, this is just the beginning.

The Qing court's top officials launched a frantic purge of those who "knew the cause of Shunzhi's death."

Shortly thereafter, eleven generals from the former Fujian Navy who had participated in the Battle of Xiamen either died of illness in the army or died unexpectedly.

The imperial court even posthumously awarded them pensions and commended them for their "loyalty and bravery".

Loyalty and bravery? I think it's more like "hush money"!

This is hardly a form of compensation; it's clearly a case of protesting too much!

Hong Xiguan witnessed all of these bloody and ruthless actions.

But he could do nothing and say nothing.

He has not yet assumed personal rule; major political affairs are decided by the four regents. He is merely a "mascot" sitting on the dragon throne.

Hong Xiguan carefully examined the cards in his hand, and then, he felt utterly defeated.

His identity was fake; he was an imposter who had impersonated the real Emperor Kangxi. Once this was exposed, he would be torn to pieces.

He was handed the throne by chance; his nominal father, who was actually his brother, was killed by a cannon blast, and he was unwittingly thrust onto the throne. His legitimacy is questionable.

His biological mother was the ultimate boss, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the most cunning woman in the world. She was both his greatest support and the sharpest sword hanging over his head. She could lift him up, and she could also bring him down.

His biological father was a huge pitfall. Hong Chengchou, a man nailed to the pillar of shame for being a traitor, had his identity as the "son of a Han Chinese" as his greatest original sin and his greatest weakness.

His four regents were all formidable figures!

Ao Bai is a fierce tiger, Sony is a slippery fish, Suksaha is a poisonous snake, and Ebilun is a fence-sitter.

These people, today they're shouting "Long live the Emperor!" to me, tomorrow they'll tear me apart for their own gain!

If an ordinary time traveler were in this situation, they probably wouldn't survive more than three episodes before being killed off!

They think they can dominate everything and start an industrial revolution right away? Dream on!

Therefore, Hung Hei-kwun set his only action plan for this stage: survive, stay put, and then strive for strength!

In short, it boils down to eight words: play it safe and develop your strength cautiously, and never be reckless!

Thus, he began his first phase of strategy: [to patiently lay the groundwork and act as a "mascot"].

Core objective: Consolidate the throne and survive while developing your strength.

The first principle of our action plan was to manage our relationship with Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang properly.

He had to outwardly appear to be an obedient "mama's boy"! He would go to the Cining Palace to pay his respects every day without fail, and he would obey Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's every word. If she told him to go east, he would never go west.

The goal was to make her feel that she was in complete control of the situation, thereby lowering her guard.

Of course, he couldn't help but internally complain. At the same time, he also had to take advantage of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's complex "motherly love" for him to secretly gain more resources and intelligence for himself.

Not long ago, Hong Xiguan obtained a crucial piece of information from Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

"Emperor," Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang said gently, stroking his head, "Your elder brother, Fulin, assumed power at the age of fourteen. This is the custom of our Great Qing Dynasty. The same will apply to you. When you turn fourteen, your mother will hand over the entire empire to you."

He assumed power at the age of fourteen!

Six more years! (Xuan Ye is eight years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, and Hong Xiguan is eleven years old)

Got it! This is my "development period"!

Although my brother Shunzhi died a bizarre death, he at least left me a valuable "political legacy" at the age when he was in power!

When I turn fourteen, I will have a legitimate right to demand to rule in my own right. At that time, even Ao Bai will not be able to find a reason to oppose me!

Great! These six years will be the golden time for me to accumulate strength, cultivate my team, and lay the groundwork for the world!

Ao Bai, Sony, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang...

You can be smug for a few years.

Six years from now, I will show you what a true emperor is!

After deciding on his "stealth and development" strategy for the next six years, the first thing Hung Hei-kwun did was to place several absolutely trustworthy people around him.

He didn't trust any of those burly Manchu guards, whose eyes revealed shrewdness and arrogance.

These bastards, who knows which one of them might be an informant planted by Ao Bai or some other big shot.

If I were to fart in the Southern Study, the entire Forbidden City would probably know what I ate that day within half an hour.

I must have my own people!

So he summoned Li Xu.