In these days, Tong Guogang has been recalling the clues from the past little by little.
He told all of this to Emperor Kangxi, trying to make Kangxi believe it as much as he did.
Tong Guogang has a loud voice and gets very excited, gesturing wildly.
Kangxi sat in his chair, listening to him talk incessantly.
Liang Jiugong, with exceptional foresight, personally poured tea for Tong Guogang, fearing that the emperor's brother-in-law might say something inappropriate.
Tong Guogang was not a favored minister who took advantage of the emperor's favor; he knew that Liang Jiugong was there specifically to serve Emperor Kangxi.
But now that all the other servants in the hall had been dismissed, he could only accept tea once and thank Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong dared not accept, but Tong Guogang had a point, saying that he was thanking the Emperor.
It was probably because Tong Guogang was so clear-headed that Kangxi didn't take the outsiders' talk of "Tong being half the court" seriously.
After listening to Tong Guogang ramble on for almost half an hour, Kangxi's eyes were already glazed over, and he seemed lost in thought.
"Yuanbao'er, your poor little cousin," these two phrases echoed repeatedly in Kangxi's mind, a truly haunting melody.
After finishing his speech, Tong Guogang felt refreshed and completely disregarded Kangxi's pain.
With a bright smile, Tong Guogang was confident that Emperor Kangxi would no longer have any reservations about his son, Yuanbao.
So he said, "Your Majesty, may I see Yuanbao'er? Also, I would like to amend the family genealogy. What do you think?"
"Uncle is the patriarch of the Tongjia clan. As long as the elders of the Tongjia clan have no objections, I will naturally have no objections as well. However, I have a few questions for you, Uncle." Kangxi sorted out his thoughts and spoke carefully, word by word.
"Your Majesty, please ask." Tong Guogang sat up straight, waiting for Kangxi to ask his question.
He had to appease the emperor's nephew, otherwise what would happen if Yuanbao was bullied in the palace?
It was rare to see Tong Guogang so well-behaved, which amused and angered Emperor Kangxi.
"What does Uncle think of the Crown Princess?" Kangxi asked.
Tong Guogang puffed out his chest. He had discussed this issue with his wife at home and was well-prepared for it.
“His Majesty spent several years selecting a Crown Princess, so she is naturally excellent. This servant has no objection!” Tong Guogang said.
“Wouldn’t that be unfair to my little cousin? She is the eldest daughter of the Tong family, and she is worthy of being the Crown Princess,” Kangxi said.
Tong Guogang wasn't stupid; how could he not hear the worry in Kangxi's words?
"Your Majesty, if Yuanbao'er is recognized as a member of the imperial family before her marriage, I will risk my life to beg you to rescind your decree and remarry her to a good family so she can become a primary consort. For the next hundred years, I will stand by her side and support her, so she can live a carefree and happy life." Tong Guogang finished speaking, his voice slightly choked with emotion.
Kangxi nodded upon hearing this, confirming that this was indeed Tong Guogang's temperament.
“However, Yuanbao’er has already entered Yuqing Palace and given birth to the Crown Prince’s eldest son and eldest daughter, which is an unchangeable fact. The Crown Princess has also been carefully trained for several years by the tutors you sent, and is capable of fulfilling the duties of the Crown Princess. Given this, why stir up more trouble?” Tong Guogang said.
Just as Kangxi was about to praise him, he continued, "That's only because he's the Crown Prince. If it were any other prince, I would still ask you to make the decision. The Crown Prince is related to the fate of the country, but others are not."
Tong Guogang's blunt and protective words made Kangxi want to both scold and laugh.
"So, once Uncle has recognized his little cousin, he's going to do nothing else?" Kangxi asked.
Tong Guogang, his neck stiff, said, "Your Majesty, that's impossible. This servant has come here so eagerly to plead my case, all to support Yuanbao'er. Our Yuanbao'er doesn't bully others, but we can't let others bully him either. Before, this servant didn't know Yuanbao'er's background. I've heard many people say that the mother of the eldest grandson of the Emperor rose in status because of her son, and that she wasn't of high birth. I didn't take it seriously then, but now my heart aches."
Tong Guogang clutched his chest, pretending to burst into tears.
A palace concubine with tears in her eyes looks beautiful, but a middle-aged man in his forties with a broad waist, a thick beard, and a full beard really doesn't look good when he cries.
"There will be plenty of time in the future, Uncle, please make it up to me," Kangxi said hastily, trying to avoid hurting his eyes.
Tong Guogang grinned, showing no sign of wanting to cry.
Kangxi knew he had been tricked, but he had no choice but to agree: "Uncle, give my little cousin more dowry to help her. I will protect her in the palace. As long as she is sensible, I will grant her the title of Imperial Noble Consort after Bao Cheng ascends the throne. In this way, she will have favor, offspring, and status, which will be a happy life."
Tong Guogang shook his head upon hearing this: "Rank and such matters are matters for Your Majesty and the Crown Prince; this servant will not interfere. This servant has taken stock of the manor's storeroom and sorted out a small portion of the items, which are prepared to be sent to the palace. Also, half of the dowry that the Fujin brought into the manor back then is also planned to be sent to the palace."
"Uncle, do you know that your family's possessions are different from those of ordinary families?"
The Tong family is so wealthy; they could just pick a few things from their storeroom and that would be enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime.
Tong Guogang pretended to cry again, which frightened Kangxi so much that he felt a headache coming on.
"Enough, enough. Don't make a big fuss when you send her to the palace. I'll remind you again, once my little cousin's background is revealed to the world, it can't be changed," Kangxi said.
Tong Guogang smiled and gave Kangxi another deep bow: "This servant has no intention of changing it. Even if she is not, this servant believes she is. If this servant dares to speak disrespectfully, if Your Majesty sees someone who resembles Prince Chenghu back then, you would also have some hope, wouldn't you?"
Kangxi paused for a moment, then he remembered Hongzhao.
"I can't argue with you. Your uncle has no regrets, so I won't stop you." Kangxi didn't want to get entangled with Tong Guogang any longer.
He was a stubborn and inflexible person who couldn't be scolded or punished. It must have been incredibly frustrating for him to be an emperor like that.
Having gained access to the official channels, Tong Guogang smiled obsequiously at Kangxi, a smile that sent chills down Kangxi's spine.
"No regrets, no regrets. Your Majesty, could you please let Yuanbao come and see this servant? We can't just adopt a daughter and bring her home without her even knowing who her real father is." Ignoring the obvious disdain in Kangxi's eyes, Tong Guogang stepped forward and said.
Kangxi knew he couldn't go against his wishes: "The Crown Prince's secondary consort, Lady Tongjia, is hereby appointed."
"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty! You are truly my ancestor!" Tong Guogang was so excited that he almost stepped forward to give Kangxi a hug and pat him on the back to say that they were good brothers.
In a short while, Kangxi felt that he had aged a lot.
He dared not claim ancestry as Tong Guogang's, fearing that his mother in the imperial mausoleum might be so angry that she would come back to life.
"Uncle, please speak less," Kangxi said.
Tong Guogang obediently shut his mouth. His daughter was still in the hands of someone else's son, and he couldn't afford to anger Kangxi now.
The rare tranquility of the main hall brought Emperor Kangxi great comfort.
Aside from the fact that Tong Guogang's posture—sitting at an angle facing the entrance of the main hall—made him uncomfortable.
“Uncle, it takes half an hour to travel from Yuqing Palace to and from here. My little cousin will need to change out of her everyday clothes and dress properly before she can see me. It takes quite a while, so please have a seat.” Kangxi said earnestly.
Tong Guogang turned a deaf ear; he was so eager to see his daughter that he had waited a whole month, so a few hours meant nothing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
