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

"I apologize to our ancestors!"

"I apologize to our ancestors!"

"To our ancestors..."

Outside the Meridian Gate.

Dozens of guards from the Bordered Yellow Banner, dressed in fine armor, stood in a crooked line, facing the direction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. While loudly repeating the slogan that made them feel extremely ashamed, they raised their right hands and performed the "salute" that they had practiced for several days but was still not quite standard.

The scene was both comical and bizarre.

The passing princes and ministers were all dumbfounded.

They all stopped and began whispering among themselves.

"What...what are they doing? Have the guards of the Bordered Yellow Banner gone mad?"

"I heard it was the Emperor himself who ordered them to train, what's it called... marching in formation?"

"Hiss, why is His Majesty humiliating these Bordered Yellow Banner guards like this? Isn't this because Minister He Ao is against us...?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind?!"

The guards of the Bordered Yellow Banner felt a burning pain on their faces at these comments, wishing they could disappear into the ground on the spot.

After shouting the slogans, the shameful "salute" ended.

But the torment was far from over.

"One, two, one! One, two, one! Lift your legs! As high as I say!"

Under the watchful eyes of several eunuchs, who were speaking in shrill voices, they began their nightmarish "goose step" drills once again.

It was the height of summer.

The scorching sun baked the earth.

The guards of the Bordered Yellow Banner, dressed in heavy armor, repeated the comical and awkward movements over and over again.

Sweat had already soaked through their clothes, streaming down their faces.

They all looked like they had been pulled out of the water, utterly disheveled.

bitter!

It's so damn tough!

They were the descendants of the Eight Banners! They were the pride of heaven!

When have I ever been treated like this?!

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer.

A young guard, relying on his father being a hereditary captain of the Bordered Yellow Banner, threw his helmet to the ground after being scolded by the eunuch for "walking with the wrong foot" once again!

"I quit!"

His eyes were red as he roared, "What kind of bullshit marching is this! Let whoever wants to march in it do it! I'm not putting up with this anymore!"

After saying that, he actually turned around and left!

coming!

Finally, a troublemaker has emerged!

I've been waiting for you!

Inside the Southern Study, Hong Xiguan listened to Cao Yin's report, a smile playing on his lips.

He immediately gave the order: "Song'etu!"

"Your servant is here!"

Songgotu, who was then a first-class imperial bodyguard, immediately bowed and stepped forward.

"You, immediately take a team of men and bring back to me that lackey who dared to disobey my orders and abandon his post!"

"Remember, make a big commotion!"

……

As Hong Xiguan had predicted, things escalated significantly.

After the guard was brought back, he refused to admit his mistake. His father, a nobleman of the Bordered Yellow Banner, went so far as to make a scene at the Council of Princes and Ministers, crying and complaining that the emperor had "unjustifiably humiliated the descendant of a meritorious official."

Hong Xiguan, on the other hand, adopted a posture of "the wrath of the emperor".

He declared that this man had no respect for the emperor and had disobeyed imperial orders, which was a grave offense of disrespect and should be punished by death according to the law!

kill?

Hong Xiguan was just talking big; he hasn't taken power yet, and without the consent of the regent, he can't even kill a single guard.

He did this to use this as an excuse to make a huge fuss!

The incident escalated to the point that the entire capital knew about the Bordered Yellow Banner guards' defiance of the imperial decree!

Make a scene until you have a good enough reason to replace them all!

……

Cining Palace.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang summoned her "increasingly disobedient" emperor son once again.

Just as Hong Xiguan was accusing the Bordered Yellow Banner guards of being disobedient, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang said with a hint of helplessness, "Alright, stop acting. Don't think I don't know your little schemes."

Hong Xiguan looked completely innocent: "Grandmother, I don't understand."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang glared at him: "Don't you understand? You want to use this as an excuse to replace all the guards in the Qianqing Palace with your own people, right?"

"What are you trying to do? Are you going to directly break ties with Ao Bai?!"

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's voice turned stern: "I'm telling you, no! Now is not the time!"

"Ao Bai just killed Fei Yanggu's entire family, and he's at the height of his power! If you touch his people now, you're blatantly offending him! If he goes berserk, even I can't protect you!"

Hong Xiguan, his neck stiff, said with a "wronged" expression, "But Grandmother! Those guards don't listen to my orders at all! I tell them to go east, and they dare to go west! They dare to shirk their duties today, and they'll dare to lay a knife on me tomorrow! How can I entrust my safety to these people?!"

Those words hit the nail on the head.

Empress Xiaozhuang remained silent.

The tragedy of the Feiyangu family also deeply affected her.

This made her realize that Ao Bai, this fierce tiger, had gradually lost control. After the Fei Yanggu case, most officials in the court were afraid of Ao Bai's power and dared not openly oppose his proposals. The balance of power among the four ministers was completely broken, and Ao Bai gradually monopolized the government.

If Ao Bai is so arrogant, and the emperor doesn't even have a single trustworthy person by his side, what difference is there between him and a lamb to the slaughter?

After a long silence, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang slowly exhaled and said, "So be it."

She looked at Hong Xiguan, her gaze becoming more serious than ever before.

"The people of the Bordered Yellow Banner cannot all be withdrawn, otherwise Ao Bai will completely lose face and be driven to desperation."

"but……"

She changed the subject: "I can replace you with a new group of obedient people."

"Transfer Sony's men, those guards of the Plain Yellow Banner, to the Qianqing Palace. They were originally the emperor's personal guards, so it's perfectly legitimate."

"As for the guards of the original Bordered Yellow Banner, they will be transferred to places like the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Meridian Gate. Those places are equally important. This is also a way of giving face to Aobai. Even if he is unhappy, he probably won't completely fall out with Sony over such a small matter."

And this kind of operation? !

Old ginger is spicier!

Hong Xiguan was overjoyed!

His original intention was simply to take the opportunity to cause trouble and disgust Ao Bai. The best outcome would be to replace the guard who led the disturbance.

Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang gave him a "super double" gift package!

Transfer Ao Bai's people and replace them with people from Sony!

Although they are not on our side, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!

This move was absolutely brilliant!

He suppressed his excitement, but his face still showed a reluctant expression.

"Alright...alright, since Grandmother has said so, then your grandson will listen to you."

Looking at his smug, self-satisfied demeanor, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang knew exactly what he was thinking.

She shook her head impatiently and sighed, "Don't be too happy yet. It sounds simple, but it's difficult to do!"

Hong Xiguan was taken aback.

Why?

In his view, isn't this just a matter of a word from you, sir? What could be so difficult about it?