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

A moment of patience brings peace, but taking a step back only makes you angrier.

Wrong!

Being an emperor is fucking awful!

Hong Xiguan felt like a pressure cooker; if he didn't find a place to release the pressure, he was afraid he would explode on the spot!

With his hands behind his back and his face ashen, he strode from the South Study toward the Qianqing Palace.

Along the way, the palace servants and eunuchs were all silent and trembling, kneeling on the ground, not daring to even raise their heads.

They could all sense the terrifying aura emanating from the young emperor today.

When Hong Xiguan reached the gate of Qianqing Palace, he glanced at the rows of guards standing in front of him and suddenly stopped.

And without exception, all of these guards were from the Bordered Yellow Banner!

They're all Ao Bai's men!

A surge of anger suddenly rose from the depths of Hong Xiguan's heart!

His gaze swept over and landed on a young guard standing at the end of the line.

The person had probably been standing for a long time, and was somewhat relaxed, with a slightly hunched posture and a somewhat unfocused gaze.

You are the one!

The next second, Hong Xiguan rushed forward and, without saying a word, kicked the guard hard in the back of the knee!

"Bang!"

The guard screamed and, caught off guard, collapsed to his knees on the cold ground with a thud!

This sudden turn of events left everyone present completely stunned.

The Emperor... The Emperor beat someone in public?!

Hong Xiguan looked down at the kneeling guard, whose face was filled with fear and confusion, and said coldly, "Raise your head!"

The guard raised his head, trembling.

"Which banner do you belong to?" Hong Xiguan asked knowingly.

The guard was terrified and stammered, "Your Majesty, this servant...is...is from the Bordered Yellow Banner..."

"The Bordered Yellow Banner?"

Hong Xiguan sneered, "What a fine Bordered Yellow Banner!"

With that, he shouted sternly at Cao Yin behind him, "Issue my decree! Summon all the Bordered Yellow Banner guards who were on duty in front of the Qianqing Palace today! Immediately! Right now!"

……

A moment later.

Dozens of guards from the Bordered Yellow Banner knelt in fear on the square in front of the Qianqing Palace.

Ao Bai's nephew, Sebende, was also among them, looking puzzled, wondering what the young emperor was up to.

Hong Xiguan paced back and forth in front of the rows of kneeling guards, his hands behind his back.

A somber atmosphere permeated the square.

Finally, he stopped and said, "Do you know why I summoned you?"

No one answered.

Hong Xiguan's voice suddenly rose in pitch, like a thunderclap!

"Look at all of you! You can't even stand properly! Leaning to one side, crooked and slouching!"

"You are supposed to protect me, to guard this Forbidden City! How can you protect me like this?! How can you protect the palace?! If assassins come, are you going to stare them to death with your sleepy eyes?!"

His words made everyone lower their heads even further.

Seben knelt in the crowd, but he was resentful.

It's just a matter of not standing properly, why are you getting so angry?

Our Eight Banners soldiers rely on real skills on horseback, not on looking good while standing!

Hong Xiguan took in everyone's expressions, sneered, and continued, "From this day forward! You bunch of good-for-nothings, your discipline is terrible! You must be retrained by me!"

practice?

Everyone was taken aback.

The Emperor continued, "Every day! All of you must practice a new marching style for me, which I call the 'goose step'!"

"There is also a new military salute, which I call 'Salute'!"

"From now on, whenever I, the Emperor, pass in front of you, you must stand at attention and raise your hands in salute!"

As he spoke, Hong Xiguan put his legs together, stood up straight, and suddenly raised his right arm, his five fingers together, and made a salute that was the most standard military salute in later generations!

All the guards from the Bordered Yellow Banner present were dumbfounded.

What is this thing?

This gait, this manners... I've never seen anything like it before.

He looks... kind of handsome, but... it's so weird!

Under Hong Xiguan's orders, a group of pampered Manchu noblemen began to clumsily learn to march in formation and salute.

For a moment, the square was filled with chaotic dancing of demons.

Some walked with the wrong step, some raised their hands incorrectly, and some walked like ducks...

It was a truly appalling sight.

Hong Xiguan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

He pointed at the group of guards marching haphazardly and roared, "With your shaky steps, you think you can be imperial guards?! Get out! All of you, get out of here and stand outside the Meridian Gate as punishment! You can only come back to duty when you've mastered this proper marching!"

Ao Bai, aren't you known for breaking the rules?

it is good!

If I can't beat you to death, do you think I can't beat your nephews and nieces to death?!

I'm going to torture and humiliate them in a way you've never even heard of!

At this point, someone in the crowd finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Ao Bai's nephew, Sai Bende, relying on his uncle's power, stubbornly muttered, "What's the point of practicing! It's just walking, why all this fancy stuff?!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet square.

Hong Xiguan's gaze instantly locked onto him: "You! What were you saying just now?!"

Seben was startled by his glare, but he still braced himself and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty! This servant...this servant doesn't understand! This servant doesn't understand, what is the use of practicing this strange footwork?!"

it is good!

We've been waiting for you, you troublemaker!

Hong Xiguan, enraged, laughed coldly and approached him step by step: "You don't understand?"

"Then I will tell you!"

"I'm having you march in formation to forge your discipline, temper your will, and teach you what it means to obey orders without question and to be absolutely obedient!"

"Training the guards is the responsibility of the Minister in charge of the Imperial Guards, Your Majesty..." Seben muttered.

"Insolence!" Hong Xiguan shouted and delivered a powerful slap to the face.

"I am the Emperor! You are my servants! You must do whatever I command! You don't need to understand! You only need to execute!"

"You, a mere guard, dare to question my decree? Are you... defying the imperial edict?!"

The words "defying the imperial decree" weighed heavily on Sebende like a mountain!

He was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud!

"This servant wouldn't dare! This servant wouldn't dare, Your Majesty!"

No matter how arrogant Sebende was, he knew he wasn't Aobai himself, just a nephew with no military achievements or reputation. He couldn't afford to wear the big hat of "disobeying imperial orders"!

Hong Xiguan, however, remained relentless, pointing his finger at him and shouting angrily, "How dare you! Not only do you dare to defy the imperial decree, you also dare to disrespect me! Have you forgotten your place?! Have you forgotten who bestowed upon you all this glory?!"

Seben was trembling with fear, repeatedly kowtowing, "This servant knows his mistake! This servant knows his mistake!"

Seeing how cowardly this lackey was, Hong Xiguan didn't push his luck. He coldly snorted and said, "Admitting your mistakes to me is useless!"

"Your family's glory was bestowed upon you by the founding emperor, the Taizong emperor, and the Shizu emperor!"

"Your laziness and disrespect today are the greatest disservice you have done to our ancestors!"

"Now, all of you, stand up for me!"

Hong Xiguan pointed south: "Salute towards the Imperial Ancestral Temple! Properly apologize to your ancestors! Reflect on whether you are even worthy to be subjects of the Great Qing!"

A group of guards immediately stood up, trembling with fear.

So, on that gloomy afternoon...

An extremely bizarre and comical scene unfolded in the square of Qianqing Palace.

Dozens of tall and imposing Eight Banner guards, in a crooked line, raised their right hands and performed a military salute—a salute they had never performed before, whether standard or not—towards the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

That scene was incredibly awkward.

Their emperor stood aside, watching coldly.

That look in his eyes was like he was looking at a bunch of idiots!

My mood instantly improved a lot.