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

"How is that possible?!"

Ao Bai roared, "This is outrageous! How could a Han Chinese become the emperor of the Qing Dynasty? How could the Empress Dowager allow such a thing to happen?"

"I also think it's absurd, but..."

The most devastated was Bamburshan, a member of the imperial family. Now the Qing emperor had been replaced by someone else. Who could understand his feelings?

"Your Excellency, please think about it carefully."

Banburshan tried to calm himself down and said in a deep voice, "In the early years of Emperor Taizong's reign, Hong Chengchou was defeated and captured and placed under house arrest in Shengjing. At that time, the Empress Dowager was only Consort Zhuang. In order to persuade Hong Chengchou to surrender, Emperor Taizong once sent Consort Zhuang to go to him in person..."

He paused here, giving Ao Bai a meaningful look.

Ao Bai and Muli Ma were both seasoned veterans in officialdom, and they understood immediately. A lone man and a lone woman, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, who wouldn't have thought of that?

"Hiss..." Murima gasped. "You mean...they got back together?"

Bamburshan nodded: "Very likely! Dorgon died unexpectedly later, and with the Empress Dowager's methods and scheming, she was fully capable of secretly protecting the child and hiding him away."

"But...this still doesn't make sense!" Ao Bai frowned. "Even if she is Hong Chengchou's son, why would the Empress Dowager risk the wrath of the world to make him emperor? Isn't this handing over the Qing dynasty's territory to the Han people?"

"Women are all selfish! What wouldn't they do for their own benefit!"

Bamburshan sneered and began to analyze the matter meticulously: "Your Excellency, please look at these matters."

"First, when the real Third Prince, Xuan Ye, contracted smallpox, there were so many imperial physicians in the palace and the medical conditions were so good. Why did the Empress Dowager insist on sending him out of the palace to avoid the smallpox? He was gone for several months, and his life was in danger. Isn't that suspicious?"

"The only explanation is that this was to facilitate a switch! Send the real third prince, Xuan Ye, out and bring in that fake Han bastard!"

"Secondly, after the late emperor's death, the Council of Princes discussed the establishment of a new emperor. The Empress Dowager, with her extremely noble status, actually attended the meeting and, against all opposition, forcibly promoted that imposter, the third prince, to the throne!"

"At the time, I found it strange that the Third Prince was neither the legitimate son nor the eldest son, and his birth mother, Lady Tongjia, was not from the Khorchin. Why did the Empress Dowager insist on making him the heir? Now it all makes sense!"

"Because that wasn't the third prince at all! That was her and Hong Chengchou's biological son! Her only flesh and blood in this world!"

"Third, and most importantly! Empress Dowager Tongjia died suddenly! She was perfectly fine the day before, how could she be gone overnight? Even the imperial physicians couldn't find the cause of death! This is clearly murder to cover it up!"

"Because she's the only person in the world who knows the truth! Only when she dies can this secret be buried forever!"

"Your Excellency, all signs indicate that the person sitting on the dragon throne today is not of the Aisin Gioro family at all! He... he is the illegitimate son of that Han Chinese, Hong Chengchou!"

……

Bamburshan's words were like a knife stabbing into the hearts of Aobai and Murima.

Seemingly unrelated events from the past are now all connected, forming a perfect yet terrifying logical loop.

The truth is about to be revealed!

The study was deathly silent.

These words struck Ao Bai like a bolt from the blue.

He stood frozen in place, his mind blank, his ears ringing.

Han Chinese? Illegitimate child?

The young emperor he had served for eight years, the one he believed he was protecting as the legitimate Manchurian dynasty, turned out to be a bastard Han Chinese?!

For the past eight years, Ao Bai has worked tirelessly day and night for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, bearing the infamy of being a "powerful minister" and the accusation of being "arrogant," all to safeguard the foundation laid by the founding emperors Taizu and Taizong.

But now someone is telling him that everything he's been protecting is nothing but a huge joke!

A bastard child of a Han Chinese actually sat on the dragon throne of the Qing Dynasty right under their noses and ruled them for six years!

I was like a loyal dog, guarding my master's house for eight years, only to find out in the end that I was guarding the offspring of a thief!

An unprecedented sense of humiliation surged into Ao Bai's heart, overwhelming all his reason.

"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!!!"

Ao Bai roared and suddenly overturned the heavy rosewood desk in front of him, shattering the writing implements and paper on the ground, leaving a mess.

"Bumbutai! How vicious you are! How dare you collude with a Han Chinese lackey to confuse the bloodline of my Aisin Gioro family!"

Ao Bai's eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body was trembling, like a beast that had been provoked. He wished he could immediately draw his sword and rush into the Cining Palace to question that old hag about why she had mocked him like this!

"I, Ao Bai, have been loyal to the Qing Dynasty my whole life, yet in the end I have become a slave to the Han people. This is an utter disgrace!"

As a Manchu nobleman, in Aobai's eyes, Manchus were the rulers and Han Chinese were only fit to be slaves. Allowing a Han Chinese illegitimate son to sit on the throne was a desecration of the Manchu ancestors!

"Hong Chengchou, a traitor who surrendered to the Qing, dared to lay his hands on the imperial bloodline! Kangxi has Han blood flowing in his veins and is not worthy to sit on the Manchu throne! Depose him! He must be deposed!"

Banburshan knelt on the ground beside him, a hint of wild joy flashing in his eyes.

He had waited too long for this day.

"Your Excellency, please calm your anger!"

Bamburshan crawled two steps on his knees, adding fuel to the fire, saying, "Since the Emperor is a Han Chinese imposter, that's usurping the country! That's treason! As the regent, Your Excellency should set things right, purge the court of corrupt officials, eliminate the Han traitors, depose the false emperor, and establish the legitimate Manchu ruler!"

He was calculating in his mind: the bigger the commotion, the better. As long as the fake emperor is deposed, the Aisin Gioro family will surely establish a new emperor. I am also a member of the imperial clan, so why can't I sit on the dragon throne? By using Aobai to depose the emperor, the Qing Dynasty will be mine.

Ao Bai was enlightened, and his confused mind instantly cleared up.

That's right! Depose the little emperor!

This is not only a chance to wash away the shame, but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Previously, he dared not completely break ties with Kangxi because of the "relationship between emperor and subject," but now that Kangxi is an imposter, he has the perfect excuse!

Cleanse the court of corrupt officials! Execute the traitors to the Han dynasty! Protect the legitimate dynasty!

Once the flag is raised, I am no longer a traitor, but a meritorious official who saves the Qing Dynasty!

"Hahaha! Heaven is on my side!"

Ao Bai laughed loudly, his laughter filled with excitement and ruthlessness.

"This empire should rightfully be ruled by the legitimate Manchus! Today, I will cleanse the traitors from within the Manchu ranks!"

He turned around abruptly, his eyes flashing with a cold light, and reverted to his decisive and ruthless commander-in-chief, issuing a series of military orders.

"Mulima!"

"Your servant is here!"

"How many days has Tong Bao been gone from Shengjing?"

"Returning to the Grand Hall, it has been five days."

"Five days...that's not too far!" Ao Bai sneered. "Send an urgent messenger to bring him back! Forget about Shengjing, go back to Beijing and take over as Commander of the Nine Gates again! The gates of the capital must be in the hands of our own people!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Where are Nemo and Ananda?"

"They just left two days ago, they should still be near the capital region."

"Good! Order them to halt their advance and return to the capital immediately! Nemo shall lead the elite Bordered Yellow Banner guards to garrison the outer perimeter of the Forbidden City and take over the palace defenses! Ananda shall mobilize the Eight Banners garrisons around the capital to completely surround Beijing, not allowing even a fly to enter!"

"Yes, sir!"