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

Here they come! They're starting to ask for details!

Fortunately, the Emperor had anticipated this and had given me a crash course beforehand!

With a sense of relief, Cao Yin's face showed a look of reminiscence as he slowly said, "My father... is well, but he has suffered greatly over the years in order to evade the Qing demons' pursuit, hiding here and there."

"He often told me that the people he felt most sorry for were loyal and righteous men like you, Master Wanxiang, who sacrificed their lives for the cause of 'overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming'!"

Cao Yin paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes that seemed out of place for his age.

"But my father also said that the darker the times, the more we must accumulate strength! To act rashly is the act of a fool! What we must do is wait for the right opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the Qing demon!"

"Although Master Wanxiang's assassination attempt on Ao Bai was heroic and passionate, it also alerted the enemy and almost ruined the entire operation!"

These words were both comforting and carried a perfectly timed "reproach," perfectly befitting the attitude a "young master" should have towards his loyal but reckless subordinate.

Upon hearing this, Wan Yunlong immediately lowered his head in shame.

"Yes...it was my recklessness! I thought that Ao Bai was the most powerful minister in the Qing Dynasty, and that if we could get rid of him, it would surely throw the Qing court into chaos...I...am guilty!"

Very well, he has already started referring to himself as "subordinate".

This first step can be considered a complete success!

Cao Yin was secretly pleased, but he still followed the emperor's instructions to "use both kindness and severity".

So he patted Wan Yunlong on the shoulder and comforted him, "Master Wan, there's no need to blame yourself. Your loyalty is as clear as heaven and earth, as evident as the sun and moon! If my father knew, he would be proud of you!"

"Now that we're in this dangerous place, we must support each other even more! You are my pawn planted in the open, and I am your eyes hidden in the shadows!"

He leaned close to Wan Yunlong's ear and whispered in an even lower voice the most crucial sentence that Hong Xiguan had taught him.

"That young Tartar emperor, though young, is quite cunning. He keeps you by his side ostensibly to 'reform' you, but in reality, he wants to use you to lure out more big fish from the Heaven and Earth Society!"

"So, from this day forward, all you have to do is feign submission!"

"Feigned submission?" Wan Yunlong was taken aback.

"That's right!" Cao Yin's eyes gleamed with wisdom. "You must make him believe that you've truly been moved by his 'benevolence'! You must eat his imperial cuisine, drink his fine wine, and even... accept the women he bestows upon you!"

The Emperor's move was absolutely brilliant!

It's like telling the enemy what they're planning in advance and turning it into our own plan!

"You must make him completely lower his guard! Only then can you stay by his side and become a sharp dagger we've plunged into Qingyao's heart!"

"And I will use my identity as the 'Imperial Grandson' to continue my undercover work. In the future, we can work together from within and without to continuously transmit information about the Qing court's movements!"

His words were flawless and logically consistent!

Wan Yunlong was thrilled and suddenly understood!

He thought he was going to die, but unexpectedly, things took a dramatic turn, and he went from being a prisoner to becoming an undercover agent in the deepest part of the enemy camp!

This task is a hundred times more difficult and a hundred times more important than going into battle to kill the enemy!

"Your Highness...I understand!" Wan Yunlong nodded heavily, his eyes rekindling with fighting spirit. "Please rest assured, Your Highness! Even if it costs me my life, I will perform this act well and will never let down Your Highness and the Prince!"

"Good!" Cao Yin nodded with satisfaction. "Starting tomorrow, you will begin your 'performance.' Remember, you must endure humiliation and bear the burden, and not reveal the slightest bit of your true intentions!"

After saying that, he carefully put the jade pendant back into his bosom and turned to leave.

……

the next day.

When the eunuchs from the imperial kitchen once again delivered steaming hot food and fine wine to the secret room.

Wan Yunlong stopped smashing.

He remained silent, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat heartily.

When the young and beautiful palace maid, chosen from the Xin Zhe Ku (a place for palace maids), timidly poured him wine.

Wan Yunlong stopped cursing and just looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. Then, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

When the news reached Tong Guowei, he immediately ran excitedly to report the good news to Hong Xiguan.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You are truly amazing! That rebel has really... really started eating and drinking! It seems that even his tough exterior can't withstand our sweet-talking tactics!"

Hong Xiguan listened and simply smiled enigmatically.

Sugar-coated bullets?

Hehe, you guys don't understand.

What truly breaks a tough guy is never torture or torment.

Rather... it was a "belief" for which he was willing to live and die.

At this moment, under the pillars outside the Qianqing Palace.

The seemingly ordinary guard silently observed all of this.

He watched Cao Yin enter and leave the secret room late at night, observed Wan Yunlong's change in attitude, and saw the young emperor's shrewd and calculating demeanor. His eyes, hidden in the shadows, grew increasingly deep and... confused.

This young emperor... is shrouded in mystery.

At times, he behaves like a true Manchu nobleman, domineering and ruthless.

At times, he would reveal a deep and unforgettable concern for the Han dynasty.

What exactly is he doing?

It seems I need to find a way to get closer to him so I can see what he's really up to.

The guard tightened his grip on his sword, his gaze once again falling on the brightly lit South Study.

.....

Time flies like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, the last page of the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi reign is about to be turned.

This winter in Beijing seems exceptionally long and exceptionally cold.

On New Year's Eve, the Forbidden City was devoid of the usual deafening drums and music, and the dazzling fireworks were nowhere to be seen.

Between the red walls and yellow tiles, plain white lanterns hang everywhere, swaying gently in the biting cold wind, casting a cold and lonely light.

The entire palace was shrouded in a solemn and oppressive atmosphere.

After all, it had been less than a year since the late emperor passed away.

Although that "affectionate" emperor had already turned into ashes in the gunfire in Xiamen, thousands of miles away, in the official narrative, Emperor Shunzhi passed away at the beginning of the year due to "smallpox".

The national mourning period is not yet over, so how can there be celebration?

Especially the one in the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager, who was nominally the most honored woman in the Qing Dynasty.

The old lady's acting skills have been getting better and better lately.

During the day, she always appeared to be grieving for her deceased son, with tears often streaming down her face.

When night fell and no one was around, he would pull aside his "fake" grandson, Hong Xiguan, and excitedly discuss how to put Ao Bai in check and how to promote the sons of the Khorchin Mongols next spring.

Goodness, that's faster than Sichuan opera!

Indeed, the death of a disobedient son brought about the ascension of a smarter and more "filial" son, who could also firmly grasp power in his own hands.

Who wouldn't be happy with this deal? She'd probably be laughing in her sleep; how could she not be happy?

Hong Xiguan sat in the South Study, watching the scattered snowflakes falling outside the window, his mind clear and calm.

As the midnight bells toll, as the last vestiges of the old year dissipate.

That era belonging to the "Shunzhi Emperor," filled with absurdity and chaos, will come to a complete end.

What will replace it is a completely new era.

The first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

The year of Renyin in the lunar calendar is the Year of the Tiger.

For decades to come, this vast land will be marked by the name "Kangxi" to mark the passage of time.

An era belonging to me is finally about to begin!