Chapter 186: After the Emperor's birthday, the court was in vain...

After the Emperor's birthday, the court was in turmoil, but it was not because of the Crown Prince's dethronement, but because Zhang Boxing and Galin had previously made a decision on the case.

Zhang Boxing was reinstated, and Galin was dismissed.

In response, Manchu ministers wrote letters to express their dissatisfaction and accused Kangxi of being biased towards the Han people.

However, Kangxi issued edicts for several consecutive days to explain that he was not biased towards the Han people. Both Manchus and Han people were his subjects, and he regarded them as one. He dealt with Galin only out of impartiality.

Qi Buchen was in the study room listening to Lin Changqing's story about the outside world. He frowned slightly, as if thinking about something.

Although Kangxi continued to portray the image of a benevolent and tolerant monarch in his later years, this was actually just a cover-up. His suspicion and cruelty were his true nature. Not to mention anything else, just in the few years after the prince was restored, more than 30 nine ministers were replaced.

Why? It's all about control.

How could Kangxi, who valued imperial power so highly, tolerate his ministers criticizing him to his face? It was impossible, unless he was secretly pushing for this.

Qi Buchen's mind raced. Was Kangxi trying to appease and win over the Han ministers through this incident? The most likely opponents of the crown prince's dethronement, besides the princelings, were the scholars who upheld orthodox Confucian thought. The former had been tamed and suppressed by Kangxi over the past two years, and their influence had diminished. But the latter couldn't be treated the same way. After all, Kangxi himself was a beneficiary of these rules. The Aisin-Gioro dynasty needed Confucian support to stabilize public opinion.

Therefore, for this group of people, we can only appease and win them over, but not attack them. This explains the scene in the court.

After figuring it out, Qi Buchen breathed a sigh of relief. With Yinzhen away, she had to decide everything in the mansion, so analyzing the situation became even more important.

"Is there anything else?" Qi Buchen asked casually, "What about the other brothers?"

Lin Changqing replied without hesitation, "Apart from going to the government office, the Third Prince has been staying at home studying these days, while the Third Lady has been traveling around. I heard that she's trying to find a wife for Prince Hongsheng."

Hongsheng is fourteen years old this year. Next year is the year for the draft, so it is normal to get married at the age of fifteen. After all, the normal wedding ceremony will take more than a year, and he will be of the right age to get married by then.

It's okay for the Third Lady to meet in advance. After all, Hongsheng is just the emperor's grandson. Although the palace will grant the marriage, the final candidate is basically decided by the emperor's grandson's parents. It's okay for her to go to the palace and talk about it during the selection.

Qi Buchen curled his lips and muttered, "The reason is legitimate."

The Third Lady's reasons were certainly legitimate, but others weren't fools. Wasn't Hongsheng fourteen years old before the Crown Prince was deposed? Why weren't you so anxious to find a relative for Hongsheng back then?

Lin Changqing seemed to have not heard Fu Jin's muttering and continued, "Fifth Prince and Seventh Prince are still the same as before, but Fifth Prince has been frequently invited by Third Prince recently, and Seventh Prince has also become closer to Eighth Prince."

Yinzhi wanted to win over Yinqi? Qi Buchen pondered, this might not be easy. Although Yinqi looked honest and kind, he was actually very wise and foolish. The historical outcome was proof of this. It might not be easy for Yinzhi to get what he wanted.

As for Yinsi, there is not much to say. He has always been known for having a wide circle of friends, so it is understandable that he wants to win over Yinyou. Although Yinyou seems to have nothing, in fact, because of his health problems, Yinyou has a special place in Kangxi's heart.

For Yinsi, who had lost Yin'e's support and was good at grasping people's hearts, this was actually a help.

Lin Chang paused for a moment and continued, "Besides that, the Emperor recently took back the Bordered Yellow Banner Commandery that was previously allocated to the Eighth Prince. It is still under the jurisdiction of Lord Ma Qi."

Ma Qi? If she remembered correctly, Ma Qi also seemed to be in the Eighth Prince's camp. What was the point of Kangxi's actions? Or, Ma Qi hadn't started supporting Yinsi yet, or perhaps he had supported him but Kangxi didn't know?

"Tsk." Qi Buchen pinched his forehead and had a headache.

"The Ninth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince have been frequently visiting the neighboring houses these days, while the Twelfth Prince stays indoors and doesn't go out." Lin Changqing quickly finished speaking about the rest of the people.

These three people were easy to understand. Qi Buchen nodded and said, "The situation is unclear now. You will have to work harder these days."

Lin Changqing said respectfully, "It is my duty to show my kindness to you, my lady."

In the following days, Lin Changqing took people out to run around and gather information as usual. This was not surprising. After all, it was normal for people to panic when such a big thing happened. On the contrary, those who did not gather information would appear to be abnormal.

Qi Buchen guessed that the Manchu ministers accused Kangxi of instigating this matter, and thought that since Kangxi had achieved his goal of appeasing the Han ministers, the quarrels would cease. However, the quarrels in the court became more and more intense, and there was no intention of settling down the matter peacefully.

Kangxi had no choice but to order the Ministry of Personnel and other government offices to reconsider the matter. Finally, based on the Ministry of Personnel's suggestions, a compromise was reached and Zhang Boxing's reinstatement was changed to dismissal but continued in office.

This change made Qi Buchen confused and he began to doubt his previous guess.

Is it really spontaneous?

Unable to figure it out, Qi Buchen could only let it go and did not send anyone to see Yinzhen to ask him. In the current situation, Yinzhen had finally found a vacuum environment and was able to stay out of it. If she contacted him too frequently, it would be bad.

Within two days, another major incident occurred in the royal family. The clan office reported that Beile Haishan had allowed people to commit crimes and should be stripped of his title. However, Kangxi approved it on the spot and ordered his brother Mandu Hu to inherit the title.

It was just a Beile, so why was it considered a big deal? Because Hai Shan was the son of Prince Gong Changning, and his Beile title was inherited from Changning.

It is said that the lineage of Prince Gong was also pitiful. Changning and Fuquan, as the only two sons of Shunzhi, did not get the hereditary title. After all, it was not Shunzhi who gave them the title, but it was given by his brothers, so it was good enough to have it.

But compared to Fuquan, Changning was far more miserable. He was not favored by Emperor Kangxi when he was alive, and after his death, he left no shadow for his descendants. Although they were both princes who were to be demoted, after Fuquan's death, his son Baotai was granted the title of prince by Emperor Kangxi. What about Changning? His son Haishan was directly demoted from prince to Beile, not even a prince of a county.

Now, even the Beile is gone.

Oh, that’s not right. It’s just that Haishan is gone, but Changning’s lineage still exists. After all, Mandu Hu is also Changning’s son.

Qi Buchen shook his head and shed a tear of sympathy for Chang Ning. These two brothers would never be able to live in harmony in the future.

But before long, Qi Buchen's sympathy disappeared. She frowned and looked at Lin Changqing, confirming again: "You said that after Mandu Hu inherited the title, he went to see Lao Ba?"

Lin Changqing nodded affirmatively: "Yes, and he went to see her quietly after dark. If it weren't for the clever boy guarding the back door, he wouldn't have discovered it."

Qi Buchen was somewhat surprised and doubtful: "Is this Haishan incident the work of Lao Ba?"

Lin Changqing lowered his head: "I don't know."

Qi Buchen didn't want to get an answer from him. She had already experienced the caution of these people.

After a long silence, Qi Buchen suddenly asked, "If I remember correctly, Prince Yu and Old Eight also have a good relationship?"

Lin Changqing nodded: "Prince Yu personally attended the one-year-old ceremony for Prince Hongwang and Prince Hongli."

Qi Buchen's expression was uncertain. She was not well versed in history. As for the Eighth Prince's party in history, she only knew people like Yin'er, Yin'e, Tong Guowei, Alinga, and Ma Qi. She did not know whether the lineage of Prince Yu and the lineage of Prince Gong were also supporters of Yinsi. So, she did not know whether this was what Yinsi was supposed to have, or whether God had corrected her because of it.

It’s not that she is so narcissistic, but the appearance of Hongli forced her to think more.

"Go check and see if the Eighth Prince's Mansion has any involvement." Qi Buchen ordered, and added, "Don't let anyone notice."

"Yes." Lin Changqing quickly retreated.

On the other side, Alinga, Longkodo, Orondei and Nalan Guixu appeared in the same yard.

Longkodo, the last one to arrive, looked unhappy: "Didn't you come to celebrate Brother Nalan's promotion? Why are you here?"

Nalan Kuixu was recently promoted from the Minister of Works to the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and has been ranked among the Nine Ministers.

Alinga knew very well that Longkodo was not unhappy about the poor choice of venue, but was clearly unhappy that Orondei was present.

As cousins, these two men have the same stubborn and arrogant personality. They have been competing with each other and disliking each other since childhood. Even though they are now in high positions, they rarely interact with each other.

"Haha, I just bought this courtyard recently and haven't had time to clean it up. I hope Mr. Tong Sanye will bear with it." Alinga joked.

Orondei sat aside by himself and did not say anything.

Nalan Kuixu stood up and said with a smile, "What do you mean by congratulations? I'm just looking for an excuse to get together with you. We haven't seen each other for a long time."

The two men greeted each other with smiles, and Longkodo couldn't bear to show his displeasure any more. Moreover, Nalan Kui's situation was not much different from his, so he explained: "I am busy with official duties and have no time to spare. Please forgive me."

"I dare not, I dare not. Third Master Tong is now a favorite of the Emperor. We are afraid we can't invite him." Nalan Kuixu joked, "Hurry up and sit down. You just got out of the government office, right?"

Longkodo ignored the person who had remained silent and sat down, saying, "Yes, I've been walking all day and my back is sore."

"Then let someone loosen it up for you." Alinga said immediately, "I have a few skilled craftsmen here."

Longkodo waved his hand: "Let's talk about it later."

After he said that, Alinga stopped forcing him and began to liven up the atmosphere at the table, raising his glass to drink frequently.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became more lively. Longkodo looked at Orondai, who had remained silent, and said, "My eldest cousin seems quite calm today."

Orondai put down his wine glass and looked him in the eye: "If you want to accomplish great things, you must be calm and steady."

After hearing this, Alinga's expression changed slightly: "Brother Tong..."

Orondei raised his hand, stopped him from talking, and stared at Longkodo: "Do you know why I called you here today?"

Longkodo stared at him for a moment, then drank the wine in his glass in one gulp. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, a smile that seemed both a smile and a mockery: "I never thought that my eldest cousin would be willing to be driven by others one day."

Nalan Kuixu next to him frowned slightly, but did not speak rashly.

Orondai was unconcerned: "The Eighth Prince is talented, good at governance and capable. This is acknowledged by my second uncle."

Longkodo still had great respect for his father. He suppressed his expression and said expressionlessly, "So what?"

Orondai simply made his point clear: "Now that the Eastern Palace is vacant, I think the Eighth Prince should be promoted to the throne."

Longkodo snorted, "My eldest cousin should tell the emperor about this."