Kangxi watched with a serious expression as Tong Guogang strode into the hall, his imposing aura different from usual.
"This servant greets Your Majesty." Tong Guogang bowed swiftly.
Emperor Kangxi had no temper with him and took the initiative to lift Tong Guogang's arm, saying, "Uncle, please get up."
He took a closer look and found that Tong Guogang's hair was shiny and oily, and even seemed to have a fragrance.
She dressed up so nicely to see him; I hope her uncle isn't planning on using his beauty to seduce her.
"Uncle looks quite handsome today, as if he has become more than ten years younger!" Kangxi tentatively praised Tong Guogang.
If Tong Guogang treats you with such seriousness, it can't be anything good.
Tong Guogang immediately burst into a silly grin, his old face crinkling into a chrysanthemum shape with wrinkles.
"Your Majesty, is it true? This servant looked in the mirror for almost half an hour before leaving the house, and I felt that I looked good no matter how I looked at myself, so I felt at ease leaving the house." Tong Guogang was lost in self-admiration.
The Emperor has such high standards; for him to notice the change at a glance, he must be very handsome now. To put it another way, when Yuanbao sees him later, he'll definitely think he's handsome and a good father!
Tong Guogang, lost in his fantasies and grinning foolishly, startled Emperor Kangxi, who took a few steps back.
Could it be that his uncle is old and has gone insane?
"Uncle, what brings you to the palace in such a hurry?" Kangxi interrupted Tong Guogang's daydreaming, forcing himself to speak.
Just as Tong Guogang was imagining his Yuanbao seeing him and bursting into tears, saying, "I finally have a father to love me," he was interrupted by Kangxi.
He pondered for a moment, then said to Emperor Kangxi, "Your Majesty, this servant has found Yuanbao!"
Emperor Kangxi remembered the name Yuanbao'er.
That was the name Tong Guogang gave to his youngest son, which Emperor Kangxi strongly objected to at the time.
"Uncle, didn't my little cousin die at birth?" Kangxi slowed his speech, afraid of upsetting Tong Guogang.
Tong Guogang waved his hand: "I was deceived. My Yuanbao was switched by the midwife. She is alive and well now, without missing any limbs, and looks very much like my mother when she was young."
Tong Guogang's mother was Emperor Kangxi's maternal grandmother.
Emperor Kangxi had never met her, but he had heard the Empress Dowager mention that she was an extremely beautiful woman in her youth.
When the Empress Dowager first met Tong Wanyan, she told Emperor Kangxi that it was as if she were seeing the beautiful woman from decades ago.
"So many years have passed, and my little cousin doesn't have a birthmark to prove it. Now she's suddenly showing up at my door. Uncle, be careful, it might be a scam," Kangxi said instinctively.
Tong Guogang glared angrily at Kangxi. This nephew of his was so tactless. If he weren't the emperor, he would have punched him in the face.
“She’s already married. What could she possibly gain by deceiving a servant?” Tong Guogang said.
Emperor Kangxi looked at Tong Guogang's head with heartache; his uncle's mind was truly not good.
"Uncle, you are my uncle, a member of the imperial family!" Kangxi practically said that people were only after your power and wealth.
Even after getting married, she can still support her husband's family!
Emperor Kangxi felt deeply sorry for Tong Guogang, yet Tong Guogang was still not considerate of him.
“Yuanbao’er married better than this servant’s family!” Tong Guogang retorted to Kangxi.
Kangxi was at a loss: "Uncle, the Tong family is already the best in the Qing Dynasty. Could she possibly marry into the royal family? Even if she is of the Aisin Gioro clan, the best person to marry than you would probably be a prince."
The youngest prince in the court is almost forty.
"Could it be a concubine?" Kangxi guessed.
Tong Guogang shook his head and then nodded: "She is higher than a prince, but she is definitely not the principal wife. That's why this servant is so heartbroken. If Yuanbao had been raised properly in this servant's house back then, she would definitely be the principal wife, and she would have the final say in her husband's family and wouldn't be looked down upon by anyone."
Kangxi had a splitting headache. A figure flashed through his mind and then quickly disappeared.
“Uncle, the only one higher than a prince is me.” Kangxi didn’t want to take all the cousins from the Tong family into the palace by himself.
After pushing Kangxi to the brink, Tong Guogang chuckled and said, "That certainly isn't Your Majesty. You've forgotten, there's also the Crown Prince. To tell you the truth, my little cousin Yuanbao'er is the Crown Prince's first concubine, Tong Wanyan, whom you appointed."
Tong Guogang revealed the truth in one breath, and the fragmented thoughts in Kangxi's mind quickly connected into a line.
"Nonsense, utter nonsense. Isn't Xiao Tongjia the illegitimate daughter of Tong Guozhu?" Kangxi was unwilling to believe it rationally.
But he knew in his heart that if the evidence wasn't conclusive, Tong Guogang wouldn't be so foolish as to casually claim kinship.
"It's all because of that good concubine that boy Tong Guozhu took. A Miao woman is one thing, but he specifically chose one who knows witchcraft and has a wicked temper. That concubine and the courtesan I had a fleeting affair with years ago were sisters. After the courtesan died, for some reason, she became jealous of me. Coincidentally, my wife was older when she was pregnant with Yuanbao, and while out praying to Buddha, she met Tong Guozhu's wife, who was also pregnant. That concubine, knowing this, used her well-prepared witchcraft to switch the concubines. From then on, your little cousin was forced to die young and go to live a hard life in someone else's home."
Tong Guogang wanted to curse whenever he mentioned Tong Guozhu. Having lived in the military camp for many years, he could utter a string of swear words without repeating himself.
He gave Kangxi a pitiful look, suppressing the urge to curse.
Emperor Kangxi's eyes twitched when he saw his behavior.
"I still find it strange," Kangxi said.
"To His Majesty, it's a bizarre story. To this servant, it's like a treasure being lost and found. In truth, between this servant's family and the Tong Guozhu family, who knows which will prosper more in the next ten years or so? Your cousins have managed to maintain the family's fortunes, but they can't allow the Tong family to achieve any further merit. On the other hand, those two lads, Tong Qinian and Tong Ruita, are both bright-eyed and destined for great things. As for the Tong Guozhu family making this fuss to force a daughter onto this servant, it's unnecessary," Tong Guogang said truthfully.
"That makes sense," Kangxi agreed.
Tong Guogang's face was contorted with embarrassment. It was one thing for him to belittle his son, but for Kangxi to follow suit and admit that his son was useless made the father feel terrible.
Tong Guogang's feelings were written all over his face. When Kangxi saw his pale complexion, he recalled the words he had just spoken and felt guilty.
“Uncle, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Kangxi quickly explained.
Tong Guogang shook his head: "Your Majesty, my family has reached its zenith. If the next generation is incompetent, so be it. We still have Your Majesty's protection. It's good for the Tong family to step down. There will be a third generation to follow!"
"Uncle, rest assured, my cousins are loyal to the emperor and the country. I will not allow anyone to bully them," Kangxi assured him.
"Let's not talk about those brats, let's talk about your poor little cousin instead." Tong Guogang looked down on all of his stupid sons.
“Your Majesty, you saw Yuanbao’er the most times in the palace. You know what she looks like. None of Tong Guozhu and his concubines look like Yuanbao’er. Yuanbao’er’s nose, eyes, and mouth are clearly the same as your maternal grandmother’s.”
"This servant remembers that when the Imperial Noble Consort was still alive, she was very close to Yuanbao'er. Think about it, the Imperial Noble Consort was such a clever and cautious person; she had never been so close to anyone else. At that time, Yuanbao'er's status was still low, and she wholeheartedly protected her, even leaving a small portion of her dowry when she entered the palace for Yuanbao'er. This shows that the close blood ties between sisters were evident from an early age."
"besides……"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
