"Since Father Emperor wants to find out who these people really are, why not make it so difficult to tell who's real and who's fake?" Fourth Prince suddenly thought of a plan and slammed his hand on the table.
"Please enlighten me, Fourth Prince!" Qin Gang said. As Kangxi's personal bodyguard, he was even more nervous than the Fourth Prince at this moment. The thought of such a group of traitors plotting to assassinate the emperor filled him with both worry and excitement. If he could distinguish himself in this mission to protect the emperor, his future would certainly be brighter than it was now. However, everything carries risk; if he failed to protect the emperor, his future would be over.
"Find someone to impersonate the Emperor, and then have them accompany the abbot to preside over the blessing ceremony, catching those people like turtles in a jar!" Fourth Prince said.
Qin Gang's eyes lit up. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Fourth Prince's idea is not bad. Use a double to attract the attention of those thieves, so that the Emperor can hide in a safe place."
The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "Guard Qin and I are of the same mind. Now go and report this plan to Father Emperor."
Meanwhile, Fourteenth Master received a carrier pigeon delivered by a guard secretly sent by Qin Gang, which he kept in his guest room. He then frequently stood at his guest room door, slightly opening it to observe the activity across the river. Just as Fourth Master had predicted, the group always came out and went in individually. They had rented five rooms, with roughly four people in each. Fourteenth Master secretly observed them, even once following one of them out. They always took turns going out, always heading to the riverbank. It turned out they had bought a dragon boat and were taking turns practicing rowing it every day. They were worried that going out together would be too conspicuous, hence the practice of taking turns.
Fourteenth Brother figured out exactly when this group of people would appear each day, then wrote a letter, tied it to a pigeon, and sent it back to Mount Wutai to deliver the message. In the blink of an eye, tomorrow was the Dragon Boat Festival, and Fourteenth Brother released the carrier pigeon.
The mysterious man in the opposite room had no idea that his actions were being watched by Fourteen, who had already made plans and were discussing their actions for tomorrow.
"Brother, all we need to do is capture that Tartar emperor and then bring him back to our lord?" the lean man asked.
“That’s right. If all else fails, just kill him, cut off his head and take it back. As long as Kangxi dies, the Qing court will surely fall into chaos. Then we can contact our brothers in various places who are fighting against the Qing and restoring the Ming, and we won’t have to worry about not being able to overthrow these Manchu dogs’ court.” The person wearing the bamboo hat was still wearing the bamboo hat.
The Fourteenth Prince only saw this man in the straw hat once when the waiter was delivering food to the room opposite. He seemed to never need to go out and stayed in that room every day.
“Alright. This time, we must win the dragon boat race and enter the temple as the victors. That Tartar emperor will surely be curious to come and see, and then we can take him down in one fell swoop. If the dog emperor doesn’t come, our brothers who are lying in ambush in the back mountain can also launch a siege and capture him. I guarantee he won’t be able to escape.” said the man with a scar between his eyebrows.
“Now I’m only afraid those monks will cause trouble. The martial monks of Mount Wutai are also a force to be reckoned with. We’ve already bribed that cook; we can just have him put a little special seasoning in the dishes,” said the man in the straw hat.
The group went over their plans for the Dragon Boat Festival again to make sure everything went smoothly before they dispersed to rest.
Meanwhile, time flew by, and Fourth Master soon received a message from Fourteenth Master via carrier pigeon. When he opened the note, he secretly hoped he was just being paranoid. But as it turned out, his suspicions were correct. Those strangely behaving people were indeed the strangers the old flower seller had mentioned. They were plotting something extraordinary—they had indeed bought a dragon boat and were preparing to participate in the race.
"Present this to Father Emperor. He was forced to endure this in such a place. He only needs to bear it for one more day, and everything will be fine. I must take them down in one fell swoop!" Fourth Prince immediately handed the letter from Fourteenth Prince to Qin Gang.
By this time, Kangxi and Xingchi had moved into a cave on the back of Mount Wutai, and they no longer even lived in the rooms Xingchi had previously occupied. This cave was located on the side behind Xingchi's original dwelling. Initially, the monks of Mount Wutai discovered this natural cave and used it as one of the places to confine errant monks. Now, it no longer confines monks; instead, it houses the two most distinguished people in the world.
"It seems that the successor you chose is indeed capable. He can judge people's identities from their words and actions. He's not simple!" Xingchi said calmly. Ever since he learned that bandits might come to Mount Wutai to assassinate Kangxi, he had not shown too much worry.
"The fourth prince has always been a calm and steady person. Among all the princes, apart from the deposed crown prince, he is the one I like the most. Seeing him become more and more mature and steady every day, I feel both happy and worried. His childhood experiences are too complicated, and his relationship with his birth mother is not good," Kangxi said.
"Let's see how he turns this crisis into an opportunity. An emperor, besides his status, must also have the ability to protect himself. Having only a broad mind and a prestigious background makes him easily manipulated by his maternal relatives or other ministers. Xuan Ye, I'm very pleased that you were able to break free from the control of those old ministers. The four regents I appointed for you were all formidable figures. Your ability to turn the tide is truly admirable!" Xing Chi seemed to feel that his time with Kangxi was running out, so he spent the day talking about Kangxi's childhood.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master," Kangxi said.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince, Qin Gang, and the Third Prince had already gone through every step of tomorrow's operation in their meditation room to ensure everything went smoothly.
By the time the Fourth Prince and Qin Gang had finished their work, it was already dark. Emperor Kangxi sent someone to summon the Fourth Prince to accompany him.
"Greetings to Father Emperor!" When the Fourth Prince entered the not-so-large cave, he saw some daily necessities inside, and the rest of the environment was very simple.
The fact that the Emperor could live in such a simple environment truly surprised the Fourth Prince.
"Fourth Prince, this is Master Xingchi. Come over and pay your respects to the master!" Kangxi introduced to the Fourth Prince.
Xingchi looked calmly at the Fourth Prince, while the Fourth Prince looked at Xingchi with curiosity. He was almost certain that the old man in front of him was Aisin-Gioro Fulin. He had the same eyes as Emperor Kangxi, the same nose, and even his expression was very similar.
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