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

Aobai Mansion.

Ao Bai paced back and forth like a lion trapped in a cage, each step making the floor creak.

"Murder to silence them! This is a show of force against me!"

Tongjia was a key pawn he had painstakingly placed in the harem, intending to expose the imposter emperor's true identity.

Now, this chess piece has been neatly and cleanly erased by that old hag!

Not a single drop of water splashed!

This ruthlessness and decisiveness sent a chill down Ao Bai's spine, and... a feeling of being humiliated and enraged!

"Trying to scare this old man?"

Ao Bai roared like a lion, "Back when I was conquering the land amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, you old woman were still embroidering in bed!"

"If you harm my men, I'll break your arm!"

He paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, his mind racing as he plotted his revenge.

Should we take direct action against Empress Xiaozhuang?

No, she is the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty, the mother of the late emperor. To harm her would be to shake the foundation of the country. Aobai is not stupid enough to do that.

Should we take action against that imposter emperor?

No, that won't work either. The time isn't right yet. Ao Bai still needs the title of "Emperor" to command the world.

So...

Ao Bai's gaze suddenly turned towards the Imperial Observatory.

An image of a white-bearded, bespectacled foreigner came to mind.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell!

The old witch's "godfather"!

That little emperor has been in frequent contact with foreigners lately!

A charlatan who constantly talks about "God" and whose entire being reeks of heresy!

If you can't touch that old hag, can't you at least touch your godfather?

You consider him your right arm? Well, today I'll cut off that arm of yours!

Ao Bai's revenge came swiftly and ruthlessly.

a few days later.

A political storm targeting Johann Adam Schall von Bell, orchestrated by Ao Bai, quietly began.

Yang Guangxian, the deputy director of the Imperial Observatory, was a conservative official who relied on his ancestors' influence and had only a superficial understanding of astronomy and calendar. He became the first dagger in Ao Bai's hands.

Yang Guangxian had long disliked Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

The accuracy of the Shixian Calendar made him and the old bureaucrats in the Imperial Observatory who relied on the Datong Calendar and the Huihui Calendar to get by felt an unprecedented crisis.

Once the new calendar is implemented, these people won't be able to accurately predict solar and lunar eclipses, and won't they lose their jobs on the spot?

A petition titled "Petition to Punish the Heretical Cult," signed by dozens of old scholars and led by Yang Guangxian, the deputy director of the Imperial Observatory, was placed on Hong Xiguan's desk.

The indictment listed Johann Adam Schall von Bell's "three major crimes":

Hong Xiguan almost burst out laughing as he flipped through the lengthy impeachment memorial, which was several thousand words long.

[Criminal charge 1: Arbitrarily altering the calendar, leading to the early death of the late emperor. Holy crap, this is such a terrible attempt to shift the blame! Newton would be turning in his grave! Why not say he spread heresies, causing this year's reduced grain production and infertile sows?]

[Criminal charge two: Spreading Catholicism and misleading people. This... is barely even remotely related.]

[Criminal charge three: Forming alliances with the imperial harem and interfering in court affairs. Goodness, this jumps straight to "treason and collusion with the enemy."]

Ao Bai's intentions are obvious.

Killing the chicken to scare the monkey, striking the mountain to frighten the tiger, and incidentally uniting those rigid old fogies in the court, allowing him to establish himself as a righteous and noble person who "upholds the old system of our ancestors"—killing three birds with one stone, what a cunning old fox.

Soon, nine major government departments, including the Six Ministries and the Three Judicial Offices, jointly tried the case.

The scene was like a large-scale magical realism drama.

A 70-year-old man who was partially paralyzed was carried into the courtroom.

Ferdinand Verbiest, a disciple of Johann Adam Schall von Bell, confronted Yang Guangxian and his group on the spot with a pile of data and astrological charts.

"I've calculated that a partial solar eclipse will be visible in the capital at 3:45 PM on the seventh day of the third lunar month next year!"

"You're talking nonsense! I used the 'Datong Calendar' passed down from our ancestors, and nothing happened that day!"

Pfft... The ultimate showdown between science and metaphysics.

And the result? Of course, science was thoroughly outmatched by metaphysics, since the presiding judge was on the metaphysical side.

Final verdict: Johann Adam Schall von Bell was executed by slow slicing, and all accomplices, including Ferdinand Verbiest, were beheaded.

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Chang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Your Majesty! If Lord Tang dies, what will happen to our guns... what will we do with our guns?!"

"What's the panic?"

Hong Xiguan was holding the first flintlock gun sample that Zhao Chang had copied, gesturing at it in the candlelight, his face calm.

This thing is crudely made and the trigger is stiff, but at least it has a basic shape.

"Aren't the blueprints in your head? Haven't you already got your hands on the core technologies?"

"But... there are still many details I don't understand..."

"If you don't understand, figure it out yourself!" Hong Xiguan blew on the muzzle of his gun. "A grown man can't be killed by holding his pee, can he?"

"Then Your Majesty, won't you save Lord Tang?"

"I haven't been ruling personally."

Hong Xiguan was leisurely and carefree.

Just kidding, why would I save him?

Although Johann Adam Schall von Bell has some skills, his character is really not good. The Ming Dynasty treated him well, but when the Qing army came, he surrendered faster than anyone else. How could I dare to regard such a traitor as a confidant?

Expecting someone like that to be loyal to me? Don't be ridiculous.

As for Empress Xiaozhuang...

This old lady is much more difficult to deal with than Ao Bai.

Ao Bai is openly evil; he is the boss on the surface.

What about Empress Xiaozhuang? She was a hidden boss, a master of manipulation, capable of killing without shedding blood.

The death of Lady Tongjia speaks volumes.

Hong Xiguan knew very well that Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang treated him like her own son now because he still had value to her. Once she was powerful enough to rule in her own right, do you think she would become the next Ao Bai?

Now, let them fight like dogs, getting into a mess and wasting their strength.

Why should I get involved in such a good thing?

Ao Bai and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, one a physical boss and the other a mental boss, are currently fighting each other, and I am watching from the sidelines. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to replenish my strength and develop my character!

Hong Xiguan is only thirteen years old now, and nominally only ten. He has plenty of time to wait!

As for agreeing to Johann Adam Schall von Bell's proposal to implement the Shixian Calendar?

A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, but I am not a gentleman yet; I am just a child!

Once I assume full power, I will definitely do it. Hang in there, old man!

The day before Johann Adam Schall von Bell was to be executed, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang finally couldn't sit still any longer.

She personally went to the imperial court and, in front of all the civil and military officials, angrily rebuked Ao Bai:

"Johann Adam Schall von Bell was a loyal minister of the late emperor, serving two generations of monarchs and making great contributions to the country! How can he be sentenced to death for such a vague and unfounded charge as 'regarding the calendar'?! Are you trying to make the world condemn the Qing Dynasty?!"

Ao Bai was caught off guard by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's unexpected move.

Just when the two sides were deadlocked.

The earth shook.

An earthquake struck Beijing!

The entire hall was in complete chaos.

Dust fell from the roof beams like snow.

Those usually dignified Manchu officials were now lying on the ground, clutching their heads and wailing like ghosts, even more miserable than if their own mothers had died.

"Holy crap! At this crucial moment, an unforeseen event came to the rescue?"

Hong Xiguan gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly to steady himself, quite surprised.

The ancients believed most strongly in the interaction between Heaven and humanity.

Killing a meritorious official has angered even Heaven!

This completely swayed public opinion in Johann Adam Schall von Bell's favor.

Even though Ao Bai wielded immense power, he dared not defy public opinion and openly defy "the will of Heaven."

His face darkened, but he ultimately had no choice but to give in.

The final verdict was changed to: Johann Adam Schall von Bell was spared the death penalty and released, while Ferdinand Verbiest and others were sentenced to exile.

However, as the last vestige of dignity for the victor, Ao Bai insisted on banning the Shixian Calendar and reinstating the error-ridden Datong Calendar compiled by Yang Guangxian, and appointed Yang Guangxian as the Director of the Imperial Observatory.

A lot of noise but little action, and it all passed just like that.

Ao Bai vented his anger, but he didn't kill anyone and instead incurred the wrath of both heaven and man, resulting in a small loss.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang saved her godfather's life, but she was also publicly humiliated by Ao Bai, losing face and suffering a small loss.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell survived, but his life's work, the Shixian Calendar, was banned, and he was bedridden with illness, suffering greatly.

Only Hong Xiguan watched the entire play.

For a long time afterward, the power struggle between Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Aobai intensified.

During this period, Hong Xiguan developed rapidly, not only expanding the size of the youth group but also equipping each member with a handgun and starting firearms training.