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

The Qing Dynasty had only been in power for a little over a decade, its foundation was not yet secure, and the Han people had not yet fully submitted.

The emperor is the pillar of stability, the symbol of the supreme ruler of the Eight Banners!

Now, this magical needle has been broken in such a humiliating and unbelievable way!

"It's over...it's all over..." Prince Yue Le of the Heshuo Anqin rolled his eyes and fainted from fright.

Chaos erupted inside the hall.

"quiet!"

A thunderous roar, like a bolt from the blue, silenced everyone's panic.

Ao Bai kicked over a chair next to him, making a loud, ear-piercing noise.

"What are you crying for! What are you panicking for! The sky hasn't fallen yet!"

With bloodshot eyes, Ao Bai roared as he surveyed the crowd, "The Emperor is gone! But the Qing Dynasty still stands! The land of my Eight Banners still exists!"

This roar acted like a shot of adrenaline, bringing the distraught ministers back to their senses.

Sony seized the opportunity to step forward and quell the unrest: "Gentlemen, now is not the time to panic. What Ao Zhongtang just said, I believe, is the only way out."

"In my capacity as the Chief Minister of the Council of Princes and Ministers, I propose the following: First, the news of this death must be kept secret! From this day forward, all those present must keep this matter firmly in their hearts! If even a single word is leaked, they will be condemned as traitors who shake the very foundation of our Great Qing Dynasty, and shall be punished by all under heaven!"

"Secondly, immediately use the pretext of discussing 'smallpox' to internally block the news, while simultaneously spreading rumors externally that the Emperor has renounced worldly life and intends to become a monk, thus confusing the public and buying us time!"

The reason for announcing that the emperor wanted to become a monk was entirely to prepare for the aftermath of Emperor Shunzhi's death.

Now that Emperor Shunzhi has been killed by cannon fire and his remains have not been found, how should he be buried?

If one were to become a monk, it would be much easier to do.

"third!"

Sony's voice suddenly rose, carrying a decisive and ruthless tone: "Immediately dispatch three thousand elite Eight Banner troops from the Beijing Garrison, personally led by Lord Ebilun, to march south to Fujian! Publicly declare it as reinforcements to suppress bandits, but in reality... go to gather the defeated troops, stabilize the situation, and then, at all costs, secretly transport the Emperor's... relics back to the capital!"

Although everyone knows that the so-called "relics" may only contain a dragon robe, or even... just a boot.

Sony's three suggestions were all to the point, ruthless and decisive.

Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.

The crowd, who had been filled with fear and anxiety just moments before, calmed down and began to quickly consider the pros and cons involved.

They understood that Sony and Aobai's plan was the only way at the moment.

This was a high-stakes gamble, betting that they could elect a new monarch before this shocking deception was exposed, thus stabilizing the Qing Dynasty, a giant ship on the verge of capsizing.

"I... second that!"

Ebilun was the first to step forward, his voice still trembling slightly.

"I second that!"

"I second that!"

Suksaha gave Sony and Oboi a deep look, and finally nodded slowly: "Things have come to this point, there is no other way, so let's do as Lord Sony says."

Seeing that no one objected, Sony felt somewhat relieved.

From this moment on, everyone present was bound to a mad chariot.

An unprecedented and massive deception surrounding the emperor's death was formally established in this small corridor, through a collective resolution of the highest power core in Manchuria.

The ultimate goal of this scam is singular.

Before the world descends into chaos, establish a new ruler!

.....

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

Especially in Beijing, the city with the best information network in the world, and also the most prone to making unfounded accusations.

Inside the corridor of the Council of Princes and Ministers, sat the sixty or seventy most powerful Manchu nobles of the Qing Dynasty.

They are banner lords, princes, dukes, chief ministers of the imperial guard... Behind each of them lies a huge interest group and a deeply entrenched intelligence network.

Sony and Ao Bai's decision to keep their deaths a secret might shut them up, but it couldn't stop their trusted advisors and servants from hearing and listening.

I don't know which bastard had the nerve to say that, or perhaps it was a faction doing it on purpose, trying to gain an advantage in this upcoming major reshuffle.

In short, a piece of news more shocking than "the Emperor contracted smallpox" and more bizarre than "the Emperor became a monk" quietly blew into the Cining Palace like a cold wind.

"His Majesty... was hit by Zheng's cannon fire in Xiamen and passed away."

The head eunuch reported the news to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang in an almost whispered voice.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was sitting on the heated kang, holding a string of shiny pearl beads in her hand.

"Clatter".

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was sitting on the heated kang bed. A string of shiny pearl beads slipped from her fingers and fell onto the golden nanmu wood table on the kang, making a crisp and lonely sound.

She froze, and the color drained from her well-maintained, elegant face, leaving her utterly shocked and bewildered.

Fu Lin... is he dead?

Was he shot dead?

Not long ago, she was still furious about her son's disobedience, and he even stormed into Cining Palace to question her because of a servant's slander!

In an attempt to break free from his control, Fulin dared to emulate the ancients and launch a so-called "royal expedition"!

In her fury, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang even thought more than once that she should let this arrogant and unruly son suffer a great loss in the south and be badly hurt, so that he would understand who the true master of this court was!

But she never imagined that Fulin would die.

After all, he was her son, the hope she brought from the Khorchin grasslands, and the Qing emperor she had served for over a decade.

They were also among the few blood relatives she had in this deep palace.

A belated, sharp pain pierced Xiaozhuang's heart, and her eyes reddened.

However, in just a moment, the sorrow and grief in Empress Xiaozhuang's eyes receded like the tide.

Instead, there is a profound stillness, like an ancient well, and a calmness like ten thousand years of ice.

"I have lost my son, but for the Qing Dynasty, what has been lost is its emperor!"

The sudden loss of an empire's ruler would trigger a violent upheaval, and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, a woman who had lived through three reigns and witnessed countless palace bloodshed and political storms, knew better than anyone else what kind of turmoil it would cause.

Ao Bai, Sony, and their ilk are probably in complete chaos right now.

The first thing they would think of is to keep the death a secret, and then... to install a new ruler.

Whom should they support?

Was it Fuquan, the second son of the emperor, who was supported by Yue Le, the grandson of Ebilun and Prince An?

Or was it Changning, the fifth prince favored by Suksaha's faction?

If they cannot reach an agreement on their own interests, factional strife will reignite, and the political situation will become unstable.

Those Han Chinese who had been subdued, and those forces that were eyeing the Qing Dynasty covetously, would swarm in like sharks smelling blood!

At that time, not only would she, the Empress Dowager, be driven out of Beijing and flee back to the Northeast in disgrace!

No! Absolutely not!

I will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen!

A thought suddenly popped into Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's mind.

A crisis... can also be a golden opportunity!

Fu Lin is gone, and the dragon throne is empty.

This... isn't this the path that God paved for his child who had been hidden for ten years?!

At this moment, Empress Xiaozhuang's heart was pounding wildly!

"Suma!"

"This servant is here."

Sumalagu appeared behind her like a ghost, standing with her head bowed.

"Go! Bring 'Chengcheng'... no, bring Xuan Ye to the palace! Immediately! Right now!"

A near-mad light gleamed in Empress Xiaozhuang's eyes.

The opportunity is coming!

This immense wealth and the supreme throne are finally going to fall into the hands of her true son!

Fulin was her son, and he sat on the dragon throne.

Chengcheng is her son too, so why can't he sit there?!

Succession by brother upon the death of elder brother has existed since ancient times!

Of course, this "and" cannot be spoken aloud.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang must never announce to anyone that the "Third Prince Xuan Ye," who is about to ascend the throne, is actually her illegitimate son with Hong Chengchou and the current emperor's "younger brother."

That wasn't inheritance; that was usurpation, a colossal scandal that could cause the entire imperial clan and the entire Eight Banners to rise up in rebellion!

Therefore, the best, and only, way is to let her youngest son, as the "Third Prince Xuan Ye," rightfully sit in that position!

At that time, the fake Xuan Ye will be the son of Emperor Shunzhi, a descendant of the Aisin Gioro family, and the best legal heir in everyone's eyes!

With this in mind, Xiaozhuang's thoughts became clearer than ever before.

She immediately began to dictate one imperial edict after another.

"By my decree, summon Sony, Oboi, Ebilun, and Suksaha to the Cining Palace for a meeting immediately!"

"By imperial decree, the Commander of the Nine Gates is ordered to immediately seal off all nine gates of the capital. Entry is permitted, but exit is not! Martial law is declared throughout the city!"

"Imperial edict: send a secret message to Hong Chengchou...say that an old friend has departed for the west, a new emperor has risen in the east, the time has come, and he should...take care of himself."

An invisible net, centered on the Cining Palace, quickly spread out and covered the entire city of Beijing.

……