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

Upon hearing this, the dozen or so young guards immediately surrounded them excitedly.

They were all young and full of vigor. Although they knew Ao Bai was powerful, they still wanted to test his strength.

"My lord, I apologize for any offense!"

The lead guard shouted and charged forward first.

Ao Bai sneered and stood still, not moving an inch.

Just as the guard rushed up to him, Ao Bai stretched out his fan-like hand, grabbed, twisted, and flung him away!

"Bang!"

The guard was thrown three meters away and landed on the felt carpet, unable to get up for a long time.

"Attack together!"

The remaining boys were shocked and furious at the sight, and roared as they rushed forward!

What followed was a predictable "noob crush".

Ao Bai was like a tiger that had broken into a flock of sheep, grabbing, pushing, tripping, and throwing them. His actions were simple and brutal, yet full of explosive power.

Those fancy martial arts techniques that he considered flashy were as fragile as paper in the face of absolute power.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Figures flew about, and screams echoed.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than a dozen energetic young guards were all lying on the ground groaning, and none of them could stand up.

Ao Bai, standing in the center of the field, remained calm and composed, not even exhaling a breath.

"Okay! Okay!"

Hong Xiguan, who was watching from the sidelines, was "dumbfounded." He rushed over, looked at Ao Bai with a face full of shock, and exclaimed:

"Lord Ao truly lives up to his reputation as the number one warrior of Manchuria! Invincible! Invincible indeed!"

After saying that, he turned to the group of groaning guards on the ground and began to curse them loudly:

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! What use are you to me? You can't even hold up a single finger of Ao Zhongtang! Get back here and reflect on your actions! From now on, you should learn more from Ao Zhongtang!"

After he finished scolding, Hong Xiguan respectfully escorted Ao Bai out of the Imperial Garden.

……

On the way back to his residence, Ao Bai sat in the sedan chair with his eyes closed, an uncontrollable smug smile on his face.

He had no doubt whatsoever.

Because from beginning to end, the guards did not show any intention to "capture" him; their eyes only showed "belligerence" and "defense," and their moves were all aimed at "defeating" him.

This was just a contest where the odds were heavily against each other, nothing more.

Ao Bai never imagined that this was not a competition at all.

This is a live-fire exercise!

After Ao Bai left the palace.

The group of young guards who had just been lying on the ground groaning suddenly sprang to their feet, rubbing their arms and twisting their waists. Their faces no longer showed any pain; instead, their eyes shone like wolf cubs.

Li Xu sidled up to Hong Xiguan, lowering his voice like a thief: "Your Majesty, why didn't we take him down just now? That old bastard was so arrogant! If all twenty-odd of our brothers had attacked together, even without weapons, we could have strangled him to death!"

In that "competition" just now, they didn't go all out at all, let alone use any killer moves. They were just acting according to the Emperor's script, with the aim of making Ao Bai think that they were a bunch of good-looking but useless fools.

Hong Xiguan glanced at him sideways, then grabbed the iced tea from the stone table next to him and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

"What do you know? Strangle him? And then what?"

Hong Xiguan slammed the teacup down on the table with a loud clang.

"Li Xu, is your brain filled with mush?"

"Huh?" Li Xu was taken aback, not expecting his enthusiasm to be met with such a "muddy" evaluation.

Hong Xiguan put down his teacup, pointed to the towering walls of the Forbidden City, and his eyes suddenly turned deep: "It would be easy for us to chop up Ao Bai now, but then what? Hang his head on a flagpole?"

"Believe it or not, the moment we take him down, within fifteen minutes, the nine gates of the Forbidden City will be locked shut with a clang. Immediately afterwards, tens of thousands of elite Eight Banner troops will rush in under the banner of 'purging the emperor's corrupt advisors' and 'killing the tyrannical emperor,' and chop all twenty-odd of us into mincemeat to make dumplings."

Li Xu's face turned pale, and he opened his mouth, but didn't dare to refute.

Hong Xiguan stood up, patted Li Xu on the shoulder, and said in a serious tone like an old charlatan trying to fool a newcomer: "Killing is the lowest level of method, especially killing an old monster like Ao Bai who has become a demon."

"I summoned him twice in the Imperial Garden. The first time was to let him relax, and the second time was to make him look down on me. I wanted him to think that I was a foolish emperor who was addicted to wrestling and neglected his duties, and that you were just a bunch of pretty faces who were useless."

"This contempt is the slow poison I'm feeding him."

"The next time, when the poison seeps into his bones, when he completely disregards me and dares to enter the palace without even wearing armor..."

A cold glint flashed in Hong Xiguan's eyes: "That's when we'll close the net and catch the big fish."

After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back.

"Alright, all of you, go back and apply the medicated wine. If you're going to put on an act, you have to do it properly. This beating you took today wasn't for nothing; I'll remember it."

"Yes, sir!"

The guards dispersed, and the Imperial Garden returned to silence.

The smile on Hong Xiguan's face gradually disappeared, replaced by an unfathomable indifference.

Sitting alone in the pavilion, his fingers unconsciously tapped the stone table.

Kill Ao Bai? Ha, Li Xu is thinking too simply!

The power struggles in the imperial court have never been a duel between two individuals, but rather a stalemate between two factions.

Although Ao Bai was a fierce tiger, what was even more terrifying was the intricate "military protective umbrella" behind him that had long since infiltrated every inch of the Qing Dynasty.

Hong Xiguan closed his eyes, and a huge map of the capital's defenses appeared in his mind.

Each name was like a red nail, firmly driven into his heart, making him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

"If these nails aren't removed, even if I had a hundred lives, it wouldn't be enough for me to die!"

He began to mentally tally each and every one of them:

The first, and most fatal, was Tong Bao, the Nine Gates Admiral.

This grandson was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner, a staunch loyalist of Aobai, and held the power to open and close the nine city gates of the capital and the power to defend the entire capital.

What does this mean? It's like having your front door key in the hands of your neighbor, Old Wang.

If something were to happen to Ao Bai in the palace, Tong Bao could simply close the nine gates, turning the Forbidden City into an isolated island. The loyalist troops outside would be unable to enter, and those trapped inside would be unable to escape.

"I can't sleep if this person doesn't die. He must be the first to be replaced, or... let him die unexpectedly."

The second was Mulima, the commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner.

Ao Bai's younger brother, blood is thicker than water, and he directly controls the most elite guard battalion of the Bordered Yellow Banner.

If anything happens in the Forbidden City, he can gather three thousand iron cavalry to storm the palace within half an hour.

There's no chance of turning this die-hard, who's related to us, to our side. We can only find a reason to transfer him away or send him to meet his maker.

The third was Nemo, the deputy commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner.

This man is Ao Bai's nephew, in charge of the deployment of the Eight Banners garrison outside the capital. Although he is far away, he is still a huge hidden danger. If the capital falls into chaos, he will be Ao Bai's external support.

Fourth, First-Class Bodyguard, Sebent.

These are the cameras that Ao Bai planted in the Forbidden City. What the emperor ate, what he played, and who he scolded that day would probably reach Ao Bai's ears before the night was even over.

This is a nail that must be removed, otherwise, I would be running naked in front of him!

And then there's the most insidious Grand Secretary, Banburshan.

This old fellow appears to be a civil official, always smiling, but he's actually full of wicked schemes. He also controls part of the Green Standard Army's military power in the capital region and is the "strategist" of the Ao Bai clique. Many of his bad ideas probably come from this bastard.

Those who use their brains are harder to deal with than those who use knives. We need to find a way to alienate him from Ao Bai.

Therefore, if Hong Xiguan wanted to get rid of Ao Bai, he had to deal with these henchmen first!

Fortunately, after years of planning, he now has a well-developed plan!