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

The Imperial Garden.

The autumn wind was bleak, and fallen leaves swirled on the bluestone slabs.

A chilling atmosphere hung in the air, and even the usually chirping birds had fallen silent.

This was Ao Bai's third time stepping into this garden.

This time, for safety reasons, he specially brought four carefully selected trusted guards and entered the garden in a menacing manner.

"Hey! Ha!"

On an open space not far away, sixteen young guards were wrestling in pairs, as usual.

They were all full of energy and moved nimbly, but in front of the menacing Ao Bai, they were like a group of playful tiger cubs encountering adult wolves.

"Ao Zhongtang".

Hong Xiguan, dressed in casual clothes, greeted us with an enigmatic smile on his face.

This time, Ao Bai didn't bother with formalities, standing ramrod straight with his nose in the air. He glanced coldly at Hong Xiguan, completely disregarding the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, and stood brazenly before the emperor.

That undisguised arrogance and hostility made the surrounding air freeze instantly.

Hong Xiguan's smile remained, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He was certain that Ao Bai already knew about his background, and the truth was finally about to be revealed.

"What brings you, Ao Zhongtang, into the palace today, so menacingly?"

Hong Xiguan asked the question knowingly, his tone revealing no trace of panic.

Ao Bai sneered, his fleshy face twitching: "This old minister has heard that some ignorant servants in Jingren Palace are gossiping and slandering the royal bloodline. As the regent, it is my duty to cleanse His Majesty's household and conduct a thorough interrogation!"

He spoke with an air of righteous indignation, as if he were the embodiment of justice.

Hong Xiguan raised an eyebrow, his smile fading slightly: "Jingren Palace is a forbidden area of ​​the inner court; it's my family matter. As an official outside the capital, isn't Ao Zhongtang overstepping his bounds? Doesn't this seem a bit against the rules?"

"rule?"

Ao Bai seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He laughed wildly twice, then took a step forward. His huge body pressed down on Hong Xiguan like a small mountain, full of extremely aggressive intimidation.

"Your Majesty's hesitation and delays suggest you may have something to hide, fearing that this old minister might uncover something shameful!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, making everyone present's eardrums buzz.

"presumptuous!"

A furious shout suddenly rang out.

Li Xu, who had been following Hong Xiguan, suddenly rushed out, blocking the emperor's path. Pointing his finger at Ao Bai's nose, he loudly rebuked him: "Ao Bai! How dare you, a subject, be so disrespectful to the emperor! Do you intend to rebel?!"

"Where did this brat come from! Get out of my way!"

Ao Bai, already seething with anger, had no time to bother with such a minor character. He waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.

Li Xu was pushed back several steps by him, and turned around to dissipate the force.

This scene completely ignited the powder keg in the Imperial Garden.

Hong Xiguan's smile vanished instantly, his usual tepid demeanor vanished, and his eyes turned colder than knives.

He knew the time had come, and there was no need to wait any longer!

"Someone come here!"

Hong Xiguan abruptly took a step back and shouted, "Ao Bai is arrogant and domineering, forms cliques for personal gain, deceives the emperor, and plots rebellion! Arrest him on the spot!"

"yes!"

Before the words were even finished, the sixteen young guards who had been pretending to wrestle stopped acting instantly.

Like a pack of well-trained wolf cubs, they quickly dropped their props and, following the tactics they had practiced countless times over the past six months, formed triangular formations of three to a group, howling as they pounced on Ao Bai and his four top-notch bodyguards.

"Hmph! A mere trick!"

Despite being surrounded by the boys, Ao Bai remained completely calm.

"Are you kidding me? As the number one Baturu of Manchuria, I am a war god who crawled out of piles of corpses. What storms haven't I seen?"

Back when they were following Emperor Taizong in beheading people, these little brats' fathers were still wearing open-crotch pants!

Surrounded by four trusted guards, Ao Bai neither dodged nor avoided the attack, but met it head-on with his bare hands.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled thuds.

The two boys at the front hadn't even seen Ao Bai's movements when they felt as if they had been hit in the chest by a giant iron hammer. They were sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood while still in the air.

"Too weak! Too slow!"

While thrashing the weaklings, Ao Bai launched into a taunting tactic: "You think you can catch this old man with these few cats and dogs? Kangxi, are you still dreaming?!"

During the fight, whether to show off or to intimidate everyone, the old man suddenly ripped open the cotton armor on his chest.

Inside, he was wearing a gleaming inner armor made of an unknown material, with fine metal rings fastened together, which looked quite expensive.

"Did you see that, little emperor?"

Ao Bai thumped his chest loudly, laughing arrogantly, "This is the Xuan Tie chainmail bestowed by the late Emperor! It's impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire! Even if you bunch of good-for-nothings work yourselves to death, you won't be able to harm this old man in the slightest! Hahahaha!"

As he spoke, he kicked out again, sending a young guard who was trying to grab his leg flying several feet away.

At this moment, Ao Bai was like a BOSS in a game with maxed-out defense, mocking the players in the newbie village.

Looking at the arrogant Ao Bai, Hong Xiguan's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Invulnerable to swords and spears, is that it? Bestowed by the late emperor, is that it?"

He slowly raised his right hand, and his wide sleeves slipped down, revealing a short firearm with a unique shape and a cold, metallic sheen.

"I'd like to see whether your tortoise shell is harder, or my precious treasure is harder!"

That was the flintlock pistol that Hong Xiguan had obtained from Johann Adam Schall von Bell and had already equipped the young guards with!

"Ao Bai, times have changed!"

Before he finished speaking, Hong Xiguan pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Bang!"

A deafening bang exploded in the sky above the Imperial Garden, much louder than the firecrackers set off during the Chinese New Year.

A pungent plume of white smoke billowed from the muzzle of the gun.

Ao Bai, who was laughing wildly and mocking others, suddenly stopped laughing as if a pause button had been pressed.

He felt a sudden jolt in his chest, as if he had been struck hard by an invisible hammer, followed by a piercing pain.

Ao Bai lowered his head, staring incredulously at his chest.

On the black iron chainmail that was supposedly "invulnerable to swords and spears," a charred bullet hole was clearly visible, the surrounding metal rings were twisted and deformed, and blood was gushing out from it, instantly staining his official robe red.

"firearm?!"

Ao Bai stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief. He had fought for half his life, was skilled in archery and horsemanship, and had seen all kinds of firearms and hidden weapons. How could such a small tube, from such a distance, actually pierce through his precious armor?

This unscientific!

"Invulnerable to swords and spears? A gift from the late emperor? You old fool, you know nothing about power."

Hong Xiguan blew a puff of smoke from the muzzle of his gun and twirled the pistol in his hand.

"Those are just some bluffing little things! I'm tough as nails, what's a little injury to me!"

The excruciating pain made Ao Bai grimace, but he remained stubbornly defiant, refusing to believe that he would lose to such a small thing.

However, his body betrayed him; his survival instinct told him that this place was ominous and he had to get out of there quickly! Otherwise, he might really be going to die here today!

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Ao Bai no longer cared about the dignity of being the number one warrior in Manchuria. He made a feint, forcing back several young guards who were entangled with him, and then turned to run out of the Imperial Garden.

The previous dynasty has been taken over by his Bordered Yellow Banner guards. As long as he escapes, he will be safe!