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

The next morning.

An imperial edict was issued from the Qianqing Palace: Grand Secretary Hong Chengchou was critically ill, and out of compassion for the veteran official, the Emperor specially ordered a grand and elaborate visit to Hong's residence.

The capital city was in an uproar.

All the officials felt that the emperor was trying to curry favor with the Han officials and was trying to build a united front.

Only Hung Hei-kwun knew that he was going to the most awkward "father-son situation" of his life.

The residence of a Grand Secretary in the western part of the capital.

The main gate of the Hong residence was wide open, and the middle gate was also wide open.

A middle-aged man led the entire household in kneeling at the gate to welcome the emperor.

This man is named Hong Shiming. He is the eldest son of Hong Chengchou and his first wife, Li. He was a Jinshi in the twelfth year of the Shunzhi reign and is now the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

"Your humble servant, Hong Shiming, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Hong Xiguan alighted from the imperial carriage and glanced over this cheap "brother".

He knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, exuding the air of a bookish pedant and a deep reverence for imperial power.

Hong Xiguan sneered inwardly and waved his hand: "Rise, take me to see Grand Secretary Hong."

……

The inner room was filled with the smell of medicine and a deathly atmosphere.

Hong Chengchou, the once powerful Governor-General of Jiliao during the Ming Dynasty and a founding father of the Qing Dynasty, now lay emaciated on his bed, barely breathing.

Upon seeing the emperor enter, he struggled to rise and pay his respects, but was stopped by Hong Xiguan.

"Scholar Hong, there's no need for such formalities. Just focus on recovering."

Hong Xiguan sat down on the chair by the bed, looking at the old, sallow face that was filled with death.

This is the great traitor who left a deep mark on history books and was cursed by the Han people for three hundred years.

He is also the biological father of this body.

My feelings are complicated; I feel a bit nauseous and a bit sympathetic.

After a few brief pleasantries, Hong Chengchou dismissed his attendants.

Only the father and son remained in the room, and the air seemed to freeze instantly.

Hong Chengchou did not mention the matter of father and son recognizing each other, nor did he ask Hong Xiguan if he knew the truth. He simply stared at Hong Xiguan with his cloudy eyes, trying to see the shadow of another person in that young face.

After a long silence, he broke it with a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty... I have spent most of my life serving the Ming Dynasty with utmost loyalty."

Hong Xiguan raised an eyebrow slightly but remained silent.

"I am especially ashamed before... Emperor Chongzhen."

Hong Chengchou's voice trembled, as if he were lost in deep memories and pain.

"When we suffered a crushing defeat at Songjin, I fought valiantly but was captured. That treacherous Wu Sangui spread false intelligence, claiming that I had died for my country. Emperor Chongzhen... he actually believed it!"

"He was deeply grieved and wept bitterly, ordering nine altars to be set up in front of the Chaotian Palace, and personally went to offer sacrifices, weeping by the pavilion... He truly regarded his subject as a loyal soul of the Ming Dynasty!"

At this point, two streams of tears flowed down Hong Chengchou's wrinkled eyes.

Hong Xiguan watched his performance coldly.

If you feel so guilty, why didn't you die? Why did you surrender? Why did you help the Manchus conquer the world?

Hong Chengchou saw the disdain in Hong Xiguan's eyes, gave a bitter smile, and uttered a reason that shattered Hong Xiguan's worldview:

"Your Majesty... I didn't want to surrender back then either. For more than ten years after being captured, I was kept under house arrest in Shenyang. I did nothing and was like a living dead."

"Until...until later, I found out..."

He paused for a moment, looking intently at Hong Xiguan with a complex expression.

"Until I learned... that the Empress Dowager was pregnant."

"Only now did I realize that I have a son in this world. In order to... in order to ensure that this child is born safely, in order to pave a path for him... that's why... that's why..."

Hong Chengchou didn't say anything more, but his meaning was clear: I surrendered and became a traitor, all for the sake of you, my illegitimate son!

Hong Xiguan almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Holy crap! That's some seriously ingenious way of shifting the blame!

So, Hong Chengchou's eternal infamy is all because of me? I've become a femme fatale?

Hong Xiguan suppressed the urge to overturn the table, his brows furrowed tightly. This old bastard, even on his deathbed, he still had to disgust me?

Seeing that the emperor's expression was not good, Hong Chengchou was also very sensible and immediately changed the subject.

"Ahem... Your Majesty, I know that what troubles you most right now is that scoundrel Ao Bai."

Hong Xiguan snorted coldly: "Lord Ao is a pillar of the nation. I rely on him more than I can handle. How can you say he's a headache?"

Hong Chengchou laughed, but his laughter was more like a grimace.

"Your Majesty... there's no need for pretense in front of me."

"Ao Bai may seem fierce, but he is actually just a brave but reckless fool. His greatest weakness is his arrogance."

"Your Majesty only needs to use a little trickery, such as... using flattery to kill or luring the tiger away from the mountain, to manipulate him at will. This is not difficult for you."

Upon hearing this, Hong Xiguan became even angrier.

Nonsense! I'm already doing all this! Do I need a dying man like you to teach me? Isn't this just showing off in front of me?

He simply couldn't stand the old man's pretentious "everything is under control" attitude, and immediately said coldly:

"The affairs of the court are naturally discussed by me and the ministers. There is no need for Grand Secretary Hong to worry about them. You should just focus on recovering."

After saying that, Hong Xiguan stood up and prepared to leave.

"Your Majesty! Wait!"

Hong Chengchou panicked, and a violent cough almost made him faint.

After finally calming down, he took out a letter from under his pillow with trembling hands and handed it to Hong Xiguan.

"Your Majesty... I am dying. I have one last thing to say: I want to recommend someone to Your Majesty."

"Who?"

"General Lin Xingzhu of Fuzhou."

Hong Xiguan frowned; the name sounded familiar.

After a moment's thought, I remembered.

Lin Xingzhu was originally a general under Zhu Chenggong, the emperor of the Qing dynasty. He was a famously fierce man who led a group of rattan shield soldiers to fight against the Qing army for many years. He surrendered in the thirteenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign and was appointed as the General of Funing.

"he?"

A hint of disgust flashed in Hong Xiguan's eyes. The people he hated most in his life were those who surrendered and betrayed their country, such as Hong Chengchou, Wu Sangui, and Lin Xingzhu.

"Your Majesty... I know you dislike surrendered generals."

Hong Chengchou was panting heavily, his voice growing weaker and weaker.

"But Lin Xingzhu... is different. He is from my hometown, Quanzhou, Fujian. His surrender was due to the circumstances, not because he truly betrayed the Ming Dynasty."

With his last ounce of strength, Hong Chengchou presented the letter to Hong Xiguan, his voice filled with sorrow and helplessness:

"Your Majesty... although you have Manchu guards and soldiers from the Plain White Banner and Plain Yellow Banner, in the end... they are all Manchus, not of our race, and their hearts are bound to be different..."

"This Lin Xingzhu is a Han Chinese, one of our own, so we can trust him."

"This letter... is his leverage from back then. If you just show him the letter... he will swear to be loyal to you to the death and become your most loyal weapon..."

Hong Xiguan was stunned.

It is truly unbelievable that the eight words "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts" would come from the mouth of Hong Chengchou, the number one traitor of the Qing Dynasty.

What an irony, and what a tragedy!

Looking at that withered hand and that slightly trembling letter, I felt a mix of emotions.

Although we dislike those who surrender, at this crucial moment of eliminating Ao Bai, having more help means having more trump cards, especially with a powerful and capable general like Lin Xingzhu who commands a large army.

In the end, Hong Xiguan reached out and took the letter.

"I... understand."

……

The day after Hong Xiguan left, Hong Chengchou died.

This controversial and controversial historical figure, whose life was filled with both praise and condemnation, thus exited the stage of history with endless regrets and complex secrets.

Hong Xiguan felt less sadness and more relief.

Farewell, you traitorous father! I will gladly accept your political legacy!