The struggle for the throne among the nine princes: The incompetent tenth prince has a listening sys

After hearing what the fourteenth prince said, Kangxi suddenly raised his right hand and slammed it heavily on the armrest of the chair.

"Tong Guowei!"

Emperor Kangxi shouted sternly.

An elderly minister with gray hair and beard climbed out of the queue.

He crawled to the center of the study, lay prostrate on the floor, and dared not raise his head or speak.

He is Tong Guowei.

A veteran official of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, a minister of the Imperial Study, a Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, and a first-class duke.

He had a long list of titles on his head, and his family was one of the top aristocratic families in the Qing Dynasty.

"Is this the result of your Imperial Study recommending officials and supervising all officials?" Kangxi's voice rose several decibels.

Tong Guowei's body trembled violently, and his voice was squeezed out of his throat.

"This servant...this servant deserves to die..." His voice was broken and intermittent, as if someone was choking him. "As a minister of the Imperial Study, this servant has the responsibility to contact and supervise all officials."

"Such a major incident has occurred in Huguang this time. The Censor-in-Chief had already submitted a memorial, but I... I failed to rectify the situation in time and failed to handle it promptly. I am guilty of negligence..."

Ma Qi stepped forward from the queue. He walked to Tong Guowei's side, knelt down, and said in a steady and powerful voice: "Your Majesty, Lord Tong Guowei has worked diligently for many years and recommended countless talents to the court."

The events in Huguang were not the fault of one person alone; I also bear responsibility.

Zhang Tingyu also stepped forward and knelt beside Ma Qi: "I share the blame. The censors had already reported on the corruption case in Huguang, but we failed to promptly request a thorough investigation. I too am guilty of oversight."

Both of them took the blame upon themselves, not to exonerate Tong Guowei, but to help Kangxi out of a predicament.

Because they knew in their hearts that the root of the problem in Huguang did not lie with Tong Guowei, nor with the Imperial Study, but with Emperor Kangxi himself.

The censors had the power to report on matters they heard. Over the years, the Imperial Study had collected stacks of memorials about corruption among officials in Huguang. After they were compiled, they were presented to Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi read them, but what did it matter?

Emperor Kangxi always touted himself as ruling the country with benevolence and governing his subjects with leniency. He did not want to kill people, implicate others, or be seen as a harsh emperor.

So he turned a blind eye, letting things slide as long as they weren't too excessive.

But now, the problem is so big that it can no longer be covered up, so big that the entire officialdom of Huguang has been overturned, and he has realized that his "leniency" has nurtured a pack of hungry wolves.

Tong Guowei was taking the blame for Emperor Kangxi.

He had no choice. He was a Grand Secretary of the Imperial Study, one of Kangxi's most trusted senior officials. If he didn't take the blame, who would?

The air in the study was heavy, pressing down on everyone.

Several princes knelt behind, some with their heads bowed, some with their faces slightly turned to the side, and some secretly exchanging glances.

Kangxi remained silent for a moment. He shifted his gaze from Tong Guowei to the sky outside the window.

"Now that Hubei and Hunan are in such a mess, what do you think we should do?" He finally spoke, his voice returning to calm.

The study was quiet for a moment. Then, a voice rang out from behind.

"Father, I have something to say." It was Crown Prince Yinreng.

"Father, your subject's intention is to thoroughly investigate and severely punish Liu Dianheng and officials at all levels in Huguang."

Their audacity in so brazenly defying the laws of the court must stem from powerful backers. We must uproot these parasites completely, leaving not a single one alive!

As he said this, he glanced slightly to the side, looking in the direction of Lao Ba.

That glance was quick, gone in the blink of an eye.

But Yin'e saw it, and so did Kangxi.

The Crown Prince's words, on the surface, meant that he had "someone backing him up," but everyone present understood what he was really implying.

Huguang was the base of the Eighth Prince's faction, and Liu Dianheng was a member of the Eighth Prince's faction. The Crown Prince wanted to "uproot" them. Who was he uprooting?

It wasn't Liu Dianheng, it was Lao Ba.

The atmosphere in the study grew even colder. The eldest prince's lips curled into a slight smile; he was waiting to see what would happen.

The fourth brother's eyes were lowered, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Emperor Kangxi leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the Crown Prince's face for a long while.

The Crown Prince's words, spoken from a moral high ground, are not wrong.

Corrupt officials should be investigated, and parasites should be eradicated. This sounds grand and righteous, and no one can disagree with it.

If Kangxi disagreed, it would be considered protecting corrupt officials; if he agreed, it would be following the Crown Prince's wishes.

Just as Kangxi's gaze lingered on the Crown Prince's face for a few moments, another voice rang out from the ranks.

"Father, I am willing to take on this task."

The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, stepped out of the queue.

He walked to the crown prince's side and knelt down.

"Your subject is willing to preside over the trial of the corruption case in Huguang, interrogate each of the officials involved, and investigate to the end."

Before he could finish speaking, another voice rang out from behind.

"Father, I want to go too!"

The eldest prince, Yinzhi, stepped out from the queue, his voice rough and loud.

"Father, I am in charge of the Ministry of Justice, and I have an inescapable responsibility to carry out its duties. I must take on this task!"

The three people knelt in the center of the study, like three statues.

The Crown Prince knelt at the front, with the Fourth Prince to his left and the First Prince to his right.

The three men looked away from each other, their gazes all fixed on Kangxi's face, waiting for his answer.

Emperor Kangxi leaned back in his chair, looking at his three sons kneeling on the ground, without saying a word.

He knew what they were fighting over. They weren't fighting to serve the imperial court; they were fighting to snatch the lucrative prize of Huguang for themselves.

Whoever presides over this case will have the upper hand and will be able to gain the upper hand in the court.

The eldest prince wanted to seize the opportunity to make a name for himself, while the fourth prince, representing the crown prince, wanted to take the opportunity to strike at the eighth prince.

Three people, two minds, but all with the same agenda.

But he couldn't delegate the task to any of them.

If you hand it over to the Crown Prince, the Eighth Prince will accuse you of using your position to settle personal scores.

If we hand it over to the eldest prince, both of them will have objections.

He hesitated, weighed his options, and searched for a way to resolve the current predicament without making anyone feel it was unfair.

Just then, Yin'e stepped out from the queue.

He walked behind his three older brothers, lifted the hem of his robe, knelt down, straightened up, and looked directly at Kangxi.

"Father, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it."

Kangxi looked at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Speak."

Yin'e took a deep breath, as if organizing his thoughts, or perhaps giving himself a final moment to think.

"Father, the current situation in Huguang is not just about settling old scores."

The officialdom in Huguang was almost turned upside down, with dozens of officials missing, from governors to county magistrates.

The most important thing right now is to quickly send a new official to take office, fill the vacant position, and get the government office up and running.

His voice was calm and resolute, "Otherwise, if the people have no officials to govern them, who will take care of them? If bandits rise up, who will suppress them? If taxes cannot be paid, who will collect them?"

If this were to incite a popular uprising, it wouldn't just be a matter of 300,000 or 3 million taels of silver.