Highly recommended:
"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the person I placed beside the Fourteenth Prince," Longkodo said to the Fourth Prince.
Fourth Master was reading a letter sent back by Seventeenth Master in his room at the South Fifth Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue when he was suddenly startled by Longkodo's words and put down the letter in surprise. He had lost contact with the person he had planted next to Fourteenth Master, presumably because he assumed he had been discovered and dealt with. Now Longkodo was saying that he too had planted someone next to Fourteenth Master, and hadn't told him beforehand.
"What is he doing now?" Fourth Master asked, suppressing his inner doubts.
“He is indeed preparing for war and plans to march towards Tongguan!” Longkodo said.
Fourteen's eyes darkened; the thing he least wanted to face had finally happened. Ever since he and Longkodo saw what was behind that plaque that night, he had felt at ease. If Fourteen hadn't made trouble, he would have put him to good use in the future. But now he heard Longkodo say that Fourteen had begun preparing for war, which was clearly an attempt to plunge the Qing Dynasty into internal strife.
"Is the information reliable?" Fourth Master asked, frowning.
“It should be reliable. The person I planted is someone he never expected.” Longkodo said with a hint of smugness.
"Even I am amazed by my uncle's abilities. I wonder who the person you planted is?" The Fourth Prince felt he had to ascertain the reliability of the information source; otherwise, if he made a mistake and took the wrong action, it would be extremely disadvantageous. Furthermore, the news sent back by the Seventeenth Prince worried him. The blizzard in the southwest hadn't stopped, and the disaster there was worsening further, all of which gave the Fourth Prince a major headache.
"Your Highness, I've uncovered some of Chen Shichang's past. I've used this information to have Consort Chen, who serves the Fourteenth Prince, become my spy," Longkodo whispered in the Fourth Prince's ear.
"Minister of Revenue Chen Shichang?" Fourth Master asked in surprise.
“Exactly! Consort Chen, who serves the Fourteenth Prince, is his legitimate daughter. This servant thought that we should at least plant a spy for the Prince on the Fourteenth Prince's side. So I thought of him. He is now a first-rank official, but this servant dug up some old things and indeed found some information. Consort Chen had no choice but to comply,” Longkodo said.
The Fourth Prince had to admire Longkodo's quick wit and his ability to handle every situation perfectly; no wonder he had won Kangxi's favor. Everyone knew that Kangxi's temper had become increasingly unpredictable over the years, and even his former trusted ministers couldn't fathom his intentions. Yet, Longkodo had managed to become a close advisor, which proved his exceptional qualities.
"Excellent! Uncle's methods are indeed brilliant. As long as we understand Fourteenth Prince's actions, we can avoid war as much as possible. I don't want Father Emperor to worry about such things after he finds out," Fourth Prince praised.
Longkodo rarely saw the Fourth Prince's eyes praising him, and now that he saw the Fourth Prince finally showing appreciation and trust, he felt extremely comfortable and proud.
"Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will certainly handle this matter well. This servant just noticed that Your Highness seems to have something on your mind?" Longkodo asked with concern.
"It's about the snow disaster in the southwest. Yinli has already replied, saying that the emotions of the disaster victims there are very turbulent," Fourth Prince said.
“The Southwest has always been home to unruly people. They live far from the imperial court and are surrounded by many barbarians, so they have never been very obedient to the court’s control. After all, the Seventeenth Prince is too young.” Longkodo stroked his goatee and said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
