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

Seeing the two people's moved expressions, Hong Xiguan knew that his "ideological work" had worked.

Looking at Cao Yin again, each word was like a branding iron, searing into his heart.

"A Han Chinese is a Han Chinese! The blood flowing in our veins will never change! What difference is there between a person who doesn't even recognize their own ancestors and a beast? You'd better remember this!"

Cao Yin felt a surge of heat rush from his heart to his head!

At this moment, his heart, which had long been tightly wrapped by the "philosophy of servility," seemed to have a crack torn open!

Great, this is exactly the effect I wanted!

We must first inspire his national identity and fighting spirit, so that he no longer sees himself as a mere "Manchurian bondservant" psychologically. Only then can he truly become a person and be better used by us in the future!

Right there in the study, amidst the fervent atmosphere...

Under the pillars outside the Qianqing Palace, an ordinary guard on duty tightened his grip on his knife almost imperceptibly when he heard Hong Xiguan's words.

Those eyes, hidden in the shadow of the hat brim, quickly rose and glanced into the study.

His eyes were extremely secretive, filled with shock and a hint of... indescribable, complex emotions.

……

To avoid arousing suspicion from others due to his "abnormal" behavior, Hong Xiguan immediately changed the subject after "reprimanding" Cao Yin, and steered the conversation back to Wan Yunlong.

Addressing Cao Yin, Li Xu, and the others in an extremely serious tone, he said, "The reason I'm telling you all this today is because of that Wan Yunlong!"

"This man is an important figure in the Heaven and Earth Society! They use the banner of 'overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming' to mislead the people! I want you to know that you are Han Chinese, but more importantly, you are subjects of the Great Qing! You must not be deceived by the sweet words of these traitors!"

"Therefore, we must capture him! We must extract all the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Society from him, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

Yes, that's the logic!

The reason I want to awaken your "Han Chinese spirit" is so that you can better deal with another group of "Han Chinese rebels"!

This is called "using Han to control Han"! The logic is flawless! We're not afraid of it getting out!

Upon hearing this, Tong Guowei immediately said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's... not easy at all! That thieving prisoner is incredibly stubborn! I followed your instructions, giving him the best food and drink, and even chose a young and beautiful palace maid for him, but... he wouldn't touch it! He even smashed the food, saying he'd rather die than eat the food offered by the Qing demon!"

Oh? Sugar-coated bullets don't work? Such strong willpower?

Then we'll have no choice but to... use our ultimate move!

Hong Xiguan smiled confidently: "That's easy."

He looked at Cao Yin and slowly revealed a plan that shocked everyone present.

"Cao Yin, from today onwards, I am giving you a secret mission."

"I want you... to impersonate Prince Zhu San and secretly contact Wan Yunlong to gain his trust!"

That's right! I'm going to play "Infernal Affairs"!

I am the Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty, and I cannot directly contact the Heaven and Earth Society.

Then I will send my trusted confidant to impersonate Zhu San Taizi, the leader of the "Anti-Qing and Restoration of Ming" movement, to make contact with him!

This way, you get three benefits at once!

First, Hong Xiguan didn't want a man of integrity like Wan Yunlong to die like that. He wanted him to live on for a "false" belief and become a thorn in his side within the Heaven and Earth Society.

Secondly, Hong Xiguan could legitimately allow Cao Yin to contact Wan Yunlong without arousing suspicion from Ao Bai and others, who would only assume it was part of the young emperor's "reformation" plan.

Third, Hong Xiguan could also use this opportunity to thoroughly test Cao Yin's loyalty and ability!

"Zhu...the Third Prince Zhu?!"

Cao Yin was so frightened he almost wet his pants on the spot!

That was the son of the former Ming Emperor Chongzhen! He was the "spiritual leader" supported by all anti-Qing forces!

If this gets discovered, it's a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty! This servant...this servant dares not!" Cao Yin knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf. "If that traitor finds out, this servant would gladly die, but what if...what if it implicates Your Majesty..."

Looking at his cowardly appearance, Hong Xiguan shook his head in exasperation, kicked him, and cursed, "Look at you! Such a pathetic person!"

"I just taught you to have backbone! To have guts! I wanted you to truly identify with your Han Chinese identity from the bottom of your heart! That way, when you impersonate Zhu San Taizi, you'll be able to fool Wan Yunlong and infiltrate the Heaven and Earth Society!"

"And what happened?! I haven't even sent you to the battlefield yet, and you've already chickened out?!"

"You've completely disgraced me!"

After a barrage of insults and kicks, Cao Yin was completely bewildered, kneeling blankly on the ground with only one thought in his mind.

Your Majesty... wants me to impersonate Prince Zhu San... to deceive the rebels...

Is this what the Emperor meant by "blood and guts"?

Using his Han identity to kill another group of Han people in order to prove his loyalty to the emperor?

This...this seems...to make sense!

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Tong Guowei, standing to the side, was filled with excitement as he looked at the emperor, as if he were a god descending to earth.

But being a few years older and more thoughtful, he quickly discovered a huge flaw and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this plan is ingenious, but... this servant believes there is still one problem."

"Oh?" Hong Xiguan raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it."

"Your Majesty, that 'Third Prince Zhu' is rumored to be the third son of the former Ming Emperor Chongzhen, named Zhu Cijiong. I have roughly calculated that if he were still alive, he would be nearly thirty years old now. Cao Yin... his age doesn't match up!"

Holy crap! I forgot about that!

Damn it, they were so focused on playing Infernal Affairs that they forgot about the most basic bug: age!

Hong Xiguan was startled, but on the surface he sneered disdainfully, as if he had expected this problem.

He pointed a finger at Tong Guowei's head and scolded, "You're so stubborn! If the age doesn't match, can't you at least use a different identity?"

"If Cao Yin can't be the Third Prince Zhu, then let him be the Third Prince Zhu's son! A legitimate 'Imperial Grandson'! His age is just right!"

If Zhu Cijiong, the third son of Emperor Chongzhen, were alive, he would be about thirty years old this year. His son would likely be around ten years old, about the same age as Cao Yin.

Hehe, I am truly a genius!

The father is gone, the son takes his place! This logic is a perfect closed loop!

Upon hearing this, the gazes of Tong Guowei, Li Xu, and the others towards Hong Xiguan shifted from admiration to worship.

How did the Emperor's brain come about?

That was absolutely brilliant!

In fact, Hong Xiguan knew better than anyone that the name "Third Prince Zhu" had long since become a metaphysical symbol over the past twenty years.

As a history student, he had specifically studied this topic.

The so-called "Third Prince Zhu" has several historical prototypes.

Some say it was Zhu Cijiong, the third son of Emperor Chongzhen, who was twelve years old when Beijing fell and whose whereabouts are unknown.

The mainstream view is that it was Zhu Cihuan, the fifth son of Emperor Chongzhen, who was eleven years old when the city fell. He then went into hiding until he was captured and beheaded in the forty-seventh year of Emperor Kangxi's reign.

Why is he called "Third Prince"?

Because some of Chongzhen's sons died or disappeared, the common people couldn't tell who was who. As the story went on, Prince Yong, Zhu Cihuan, was mistaken for the third-ranking prince, known as "Third Prince Zhu."

Over the past twenty years, from south to north, there have been at least eighty to a hundred people who rebelled under the banner of "Prince Zhu the Third".

In the eighth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign, there was a tea merchant in Shandong who called himself Zhu San Taizi and raised a band of soldiers. Within two months, he was wiped out by the Qing army, and his head was displayed on the city wall.

"Zhu San Taizi" is no longer a specific person, but a banner, a symbol, a political totem that embodies the hopes of all Southern Ming loyalists and anti-Qing righteous men.

To put it bluntly, nobody cares whether you're genuine or not.

All everyone needs is an excuse to "overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming"!

Therefore, it is theoretically entirely feasible to have Cao Yin impersonate "the son of Zhu San Taizi"!

The key lies in acting skills!

And, it has powerful backers behind it!