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

However, a few days later, when Hong Xiguan saw the results, he truly understood what it meant to be "old ginger is spicier".

To his surprise, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang not only approved Li Xu's "unconventional" third-class bodyguard position with a stroke of her pen.

She even sent over a dozen brand-new guards!

These dozen or so people were all from the Plain Yellow Banner, one of the three upper banners!

The leader was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a burly build, sharp eyes, and a calm and capable demeanor as he walked.

"Your humble servant, Hesheli Songgotu, by the Empress Dowager's decree, pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Soetu?!

Sony's own son? The one who once held immense power in history, but was ultimately executed by Emperor Kangxi?

Why is he here?!

A tremendous wave of emotion surged within Hong Xiguan!

Soetu was originally just a third-class imperial guard, but Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang issued an imperial edict that promoted him to a first-class imperial guard, making him the commander of this newly formed youth guard team specifically responsible for protecting the emperor!

First-class bodyguard!

Those were core members of the emperor's personal guard, responsible for all confidential tasks such as guarding the Qianqing Gate and accompanying the emperor on his travels! Not only could they directly participate in the highest-level political decisions, but they could also use their positions to select and cultivate their own confidants throughout the entire guard system!

That old lady's methods are fucking brilliant!

I just wanted to install a security door in my own little yard, but she built me ​​a military base instead!

Hong Xiguan instantly understood the deeper meaning behind Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's actions.

This is an attempt to win over Sony!

At present, the emperor is young and nominally in charge of the three upper banners (bordered yellow, plain yellow, and plain white), but in reality, the military power of each banner is still controlled by the commanders and banner lords of each banner.

Ao Bai held the Bordered Yellow Banner, wielding immense power.

If Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang wanted to counterbalance Oboi, she had to completely bring Sony, who was the chief minister and in charge of the Plain Yellow Banner, to her side!

What could be a better way to express sincerity than directly promoting Sony's own son to be the emperor's most trusted head of guards?

This is both a reuse and a "hostage".

Placing Songgotu by the emperor's side is tantamount to telling Sony: your son's future, and even the entire Hesheli clan's wealth and prosperity, are tied to the emperor. You decide what to do!

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

I was still on the first floor, thinking about how to plant a spy next to me.

She has already reached the fifth level and has begun to lay out the balance of power in the entire court!

My undergraduate degree in history is simply not enough to play politics with this kind of person!

Hong Xiguan looked at Suo'etu, who was kneeling on one knee with a loyal expression, and felt a mix of emotions.

He knew that from this moment on, he would no longer be surrounded by eyes that were watching him.

He also gained another sharp knife, one that he could use.

……

April 17th, the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi reign.

After nearly three months of mourning, Emperor Shunzhi, Fulin, was finally going to "pass away".

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang personally presided over this grand and sorrowful funeral.

In the Shouhuang Hall of Jingshan Park, in front of all the imperial princes and officials, the "remains" of Emperor Shunzhi were burned.

The raging fire burned for a whole day.

Heh, remains?

Inside, it probably contained that dragon boot that had been soaked in seawater and a few pieces of rotten flesh that had been cut off from some unfortunate soul.

That fire burned well.

A fire burned all the secrets, all the shame, all the lies to ashes.

From then on, there was no way to verify the truth.

Hong Xiguan participated in the entire drama.

He knelt at the front, dressed in heavy mourning clothes, and bid his final farewell to the raging fire and to his nominal "Father Emperor," but in reality, his "older brother."

He cried "heartbreakingly," his expression "utterly grief-stricken," and his acting was so superb that even Sony, standing to the side, secretly nodded in approval, thinking that this young emperor was truly pure and filial.

……

The late emperor was buried, and the period of national mourning ended.

The operation of the imperial court finally began to get back on track.

Just then, a petition from the south was placed before the emperor.

Hong Chengchou, who was then serving as the "Grand Secretary in charge of pacification" and managing military affairs in five provinces including Huguang, Yunnan, and Guizhou, requested to retire and return to the capital to live out his retirement due to old age, declining health, and worsening eye disease.

When Hong Xiguan saw the three characters "Hong Chengchou" in the Southern Study, his feelings were more complex than ever before.

Hong Chengchou...

My body's... biological father?

Holy crap, this feeling is... indescribable.

Speaking of this "biological father," Hong Xiguan's feelings towards him can be summed up in two words: hatred!

As a history student, he knew all too well what kind of person Hong Chengchou was.

This man was from Nan'an, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, and was a fellow townsman of Zheng Zhilong. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 44th year of the Wanli reign and a Hanlin Academician during the Tianqi reign.

During the Chongzhen era, northern Shaanxi was in great turmoil, with peasant uprisings erupting everywhere. Hong Chengchou was appointed Governor-General of the Three Border Regions to oversee the suppression of bandits in the Northwest.

He is indeed a talent! His military tactics are extremely ruthless!

Under his siege, the rebel armies of Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, and others were utterly defeated. At their worst, Li Zicheng fled into the deep forests of Shangluo Mountain with only eighteen horsemen, almost suffering total annihilation.

It can be said that if the Qing army had not entered the pass later, the internal strife of the Ming Dynasty would very likely have been quelled by Hong Chengchou.

Emperor Chongzhen held Hong Chengchou in extremely high regard, promoting him all the way to Minister of War and Governor-General of the military affairs of five provinces, entrusting him with the most elite troops of the Ming Dynasty.

In the fourteenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, during the Battle of Songjin, Hong Chengchou led 130,000 elite troops from the nine border regions to relieve Jinzhou, which was besieged by the Qing army.

That battle was the decisive battle for the fate of the Ming and Qing dynasties!

Hong Chengchou fought well, and at one point even severely damaged Dorgon's troops, nearly destroying two of the Eight Banners.

Unfortunately, his teammates were terrible. Wu Sangui ran away faster than a dog, and Huang Taiji personally led his army to cut off his supply lines and route, ultimately leading to his defeat and capture.

After being captured, Hong Chengchou was initially a tough guy, cursing incessantly and going on a hunger strike to die, showing some of the demeanor of a loyal minister and martyr.

Then...then Huang Taiji sent his young and beautiful wife, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, into the palace.

One night later, Hong Chengchou bowed down, shaved his head, and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, showing complete submission with his small head and prostration with his large head.

Damn it! Hong Xiguan got angry just thinking about it!

You, a high-ranking official, a commander on whom the emperor placed great hopes, just like that... just like that, you knelt down because of a woman?

Where is your backbone? Where is your integrity?

Even though that woman is my biological mother, I still want to curse you: You're a fucking bastard!

After surrendering to the Qing, Hong Chengchou's role was brought to its fullest potential.

He became the Qing court's chief strategist in stabilizing the Central Plains and conquering the South.

Hong Chengchou strongly advocated "using Han people to control Han people" and drafted a proclamation for Dorgon to reassure the people, under the pretext of "avenging Emperor Chongzhen" to undermine the resistance of Han gentry.

While stationed in Jiangning, he used force to suppress true pillars of the nation like Chen Zilong and Xia Wanchun, and persuaded Zheng Zhilong to surrender, thus dismantling the Southern Ming Longwu regime.

He then managed five provinces, formulated strategies, and gradually drove the last Yongli regime of the Southern Ming to the brink of collapse.

It can be said that without Hong Chengchou, it would have been a pipe dream for the Manchu Eight Banners soldiers, who only knew how to ride horses and shoot arrows, to conquer the entire south in just over a decade!

Hong Chengchou made the greatest contribution to this new foreign regime, establishing the Qing dynasty.

But because of this, he became an eternal disgrace in the hearts of all Han Chinese.

Before Hong Chengchou, although there were military generals who surrendered in the Ming Dynasty, there had never been a civil official who surrendered to a foreign tribe!

Hong Chengchou started this trend.

Calling him a complete and infamous traitor is not an exaggeration at all!

And now, this notorious traitor is actually... my own father?

When Hong Xiguan held the memorial, he felt it was as heavy as a thousand pounds and burning hot to the touch.

Good heavens, are you kidding me?!

It's bad enough that you arranged a powerful "biological mother" for me, but you also had to give me a "traitorous biological father"?

How am I supposed to face my subjects and the world after this? How am I supposed to face the historical records?

I, this "Kangxi," am afraid I'm going to become the biggest joke in history!