Chapter 186 Longkodo flicked his sleeve
Despite the First Prince's wrath, Tong Guogang's third son, Kuadai, still dared to speak. Kuadai had previously stepped forward to answer the First Prince's questions, while Fahai had kept his head down, trying to minimize his presence and daring not to stand out in front of the other princes.
Although Orondai, the eldest son, had a strained relationship with Tong Guogang and often disobeyed him, Fahai, the second son, did not hold much status in the Tong family and was not as valued as the youngest son, Kuadai.
Fahai is Tong Guogang's second son, and he is twenty years old this year. Fahai comes from a humble background; his birth mother was a maid in the Tong family. Therefore, he does not receive preferential treatment from the Tong family and cannot be granted official positions or serve as imperial bodyguards like other sons of noble families.
—Olundai was appointed a first-class imperial bodyguard by Emperor Kangxi as soon as he came of age, while Kuadai was not old enough. When he came of age, he would at least be granted a third-class imperial bodyguard position through hereditary privilege. Fahai, who is already twenty years old this year, is still a commoner. Although he comes from the Tong family, he has no clear family background.
However, Tong Guogang had considered the future of his second son, Fahai. Fahai couldn't be directly appointed to an official position, but he could pursue a career in the civil service. Therefore, Fahai studied literature from a young age and planned to take the imperial examinations. His years of hard work were not in vain; he was now a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), and the next step would be to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest-level imperial examinations), thus qualifying him to serve as an official in the court.
Of course, Fahai's surname was Tong—after Tong Guogang petitioned Kangxi in the 27th year of Kangxi's reign to include the Tong family in the Manchu register, the Tong family should have been called the Tongjia clan—no one knew whether Fahai's achievements were genuine or not, or whether his title of Juren was truly earned.
Whether Fahai passed the imperial examination based on his genuine talent and learning, or on his family name (Tongjia clan), no one except the parties involved knows the truth.
Tong Guogang's three sons, Kua Dai is still young and has not yet embarked on an official career; Fahai takes the civil service route and has nothing in common with the eldest prince, who prefers martial arts to literature and aspires to be a great general and the first Baturu of the Qing Dynasty, and they have never been on good terms.
The person who had a good relationship with the First Prince was Orondai, Tong Guogang's eldest son. Moreover, Orondai's friendship with the First Prince was not because of their kinship, but because Orondai shared the same interests and implicitly supported the First Prince's ascension to the throne.
In other words, Orondai was a member of the First Prince's faction. After the First Prince revealed his ambition to seize the throne, he sided with the First Prince instead of the Crown Prince.
When Tong Guogang's coffin returned to the capital, Orondai, Tong Guogang's eldest son, made up an excuse to not attend, which could easily be used against him to accuse him of being unfilial.
Even though the news of the discord between Orondai and his son Tong Guogang was widely known, Orondai's reckless and unscrupulous behavior, disregarding his reputation, still angered the eldest prince, who was furious.
With the death of Tong Guogang, the head of the Tong family, Orondai, as Tong Guogang's eldest son, is not only the most likely to inherit Tong Guogang's title, but also has the opportunity to compete with Tong Guowei for the position of head of the Tong family.
The eldest prince was hoping that Orondai would take charge of the Tong family and give him more support. Of course, he didn't want Orondai to be criticized for his private morality and lose his qualification to compete with Tong Guowei. After all, the Tong family was Kangxi's maternal clan and had always been favored and valued by Kangxi. The support of the Tong family was very important.
Seeing the eldest prince's ugly expression and gloomy look, Kua Dai shrank back in fear. He didn't dare to say what he was about to say, swallowed hard, and shut his mouth tightly, trembling like a quail with his neck tucked in.
The eldest prince glanced at Kuadai, somewhat bewildered. Fahai, however, lowered his head deeply, remaining silent and feigning death, refusing to finish Kuadai's sentence.
"Huh?" The sharp-eyed Third Prince suddenly exclaimed in surprise, frowning as he pointed at the farewell pavilion where Fahai and Kuadai had come from, and asked them, "Who are the people sitting in the pavilion? There are more than just the two of you from the Tong family who came to welcome Lord Tong's coffin?"
Fahai lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the boots he was wearing, seemingly oblivious to the Third Prince's question, or perhaps he had heard it but remained detached, feeling that the question wasn't directed at him and had nothing to do with him.
Quada, however, lacked Fahai's composure. Startled by the question, he shivered and said in a trembling voice, "My cousin Longkodo is here too..."
Longkodo was Tong Guowei's third son, Empress Xiaoyi's younger brother, and Emperor Kangxi's cousin and brother-in-law.
As early as the 27th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Longkodo was appointed as a first-class imperial bodyguard. Among the Tong family's generation, Longkodo was the most favored by the Kangxi Emperor. In his early years, Longkodo entered the palace to serve as the Kangxi Emperor's companion and attendant, and even participated in the Kangxi Emperor's operation to capture Oboi, thus gaining the Kangxi Emperor's great trust.
Emperor Kangxi established three empresses, representing three imperial clans: the Hesheli, Niohuru, and Tongjia. However, Longkodo was the most unruly, daring to address the princes as his maternal uncle—something the other two imperial clans dared not do.
Longkodo's courage to have the princes call him "uncle" stemmed not only from Empress Xiaoyi, but also from his own aunt, Empress Xiaokangzhang, and from his childhood cousinly bond with Emperor Kangxi. Kangxi's close reliance on the Tong family was Longkodo's greatest source of confidence.
Knowing that Longkodo was also there, but did not come over to greet them, instead continuing to sit casually in the farewell pavilion, the expressions of the eight princes present all turned ugly, especially the Fourth Prince, whose expression was the most severe, with the deepest look of disgust between his brows.
The Fourth Prince already harbored resentment towards the Tong family because of Empress Xiaoyi's death. He felt that the Tong family was too mercenary and opportunistic, and he deeply hated the Tong family for indirectly causing Empress Xiaoyi's death in order to send another Tong family girl into the palace.
The Fourth Prince is still very naive and has never thought about vying for the throne. He is still firmly in the position of Crown Prince and has no reason to suppress himself or force himself to do things he doesn't like. He doesn't need the support of the Tong family, so he is not afraid to fall out with them.
With a grim expression, the Fourth Prince glared at the quail-like Kua Dai and the feigning-death Fa Hai, and said coldly, "What a Longkodo, what a Tong family!"
After saying this, the Fourth Prince turned and walked away from the farewell pavilion—he preferred to stand there awkwardly and wait rather than go to the farewell pavilion to see Longkodo and have more contact with the Tong family.
If it weren't for Emperor Kangxi's decree ordering them to bring Tong Guogang's coffin back to the Tong residence, the Fourth Prince, with his stubborn nature, might have simply given up and rode straight back to the palace.
After the Fourth Prince stormed off, Kuadai shrank back even more, while Fahai frowned slightly and glanced at the farewell pavilion behind him, seemingly disapproving of some of Longkodo's actions.
The other seven princes reacted differently after the Fourth Prince abruptly turned and left. Some sneered, some looked indignant, and others were completely bewildered and out of sorts.
However, the eldest prince, who was the leader of the other princes, had a livid face and a few traces of murderous intent between his handsome eyebrows, but he did not lash out on the spot. Instead, he endured it for some unknown reason.
In the ensuing silence, the next person to move was Yin'e. He glanced at Fahai and Kuadai with a smile, then looked at the farewell pavilion where Longkodo was, without saying a word, and turned to leave, walking away from the Tong family like the Fourth Prince.
Kuadai pursed his lips, his face turning pale. Of the eight princes present, the eldest prince was indeed the eldest son, but the Manchus actually followed the custom of the youngest son guarding the family. Nobility was the deciding factor, not age. Among the princes present, the eldest prince was the most noble and the most difficult to deal with.
The Tongjia clan was a powerful clan, but the Niohuru clan was as well.
The Tong family rose to prominence during the Kangxi era, largely thanks to Empress Xiaokangzhang and Empress Xiaoyi. However, the Niohuru clan's achievements were made by Eyidu, one of the five founding ministers. In terms of background and influence among nobles and the army, the Tong family was far inferior to the Niohuru family.
Before turning to leave, Yin'e gave the Ninth Prince a look and shook his head slightly. The Ninth Prince did not follow, but stood there biting his lip, his expression gloomy and his mood somewhat depressed, while a few strands of fierceness floated in his long phoenix eyes.
Although Consort Yi's surname was Guoluo, she came from an ordinary background; her family was not a noble or powerful clan.
The Ninth Prince's maternal clan could not provide him with much support. Faced with the arrogant Longkodo and the Tong family behind Longkodo, even if the Ninth Prince did not bow down, he could not take the initiative to antagonize the Tong family and make their discord public.
Although the Ninth Prince did not stand out this time due to Yin'e's persuasion, he harbored a deep grudge against Longkodo and the Tong family. He secretly resolved to settle this score in the future and never let the Tong family off easily.
As for the Fourth Prince, although he turned away without giving the Tong family any face, he was the prince least afraid of the Tong family's retaliation.
The Tong family dared to harm the Fourth Prince, and Emperor Kangxi would be the first to punish them. Before her death, Empress Xiaoyi never mentioned the Tong family, only pleading with Kangxi to take care of the Fourth Prince. Kangxi had deep affection for Empress Xiaoyi, who was both his cousin and wife, and would surely fulfill her last wish.
The black official boots clattered on the cobblestone path outside the farewell pavilion. Longkodo had emerged from the pavilion at some point, no longer sitting calmly and immovably inside.
Longkodo casually bowed to the eldest prince and other princes, and said with a smile, "Eldest prince, thank you for coming out of the city to welcome my uncle's coffin. On behalf of my uncle and father, I thank you. The Tong family will remember this kindness."
The eldest prince forced a smile and gave a few reluctant replies. He had a good relationship with Orondai, but his friendship with Longkodo was rather lukewarm.
The eldest prince, being a member of the imperial family, was naturally proud. He disliked Longkodo's arrogance and haughtiness. The eldest prince was an open and generous person who was neither good at nor fond of pretense. Although he did not intend to antagonize the Tong family, his attitude towards Longkodo remained stiff and not natural or friendly enough.
The Third Prince coldly watched as the First Prince exchanged stiff pleasantries with Longkodo, observing from the sidelines as the atmosphere between the princes and the Tong family grew increasingly tense, without making any attempt to smooth things over.
For several years, the Third Prince had been following the Crown Prince around like a shadow, but recently he had become somewhat distant from the Crown Prince because of the Crown Prince's low emotional intelligence. However, compared to Longkodo, the Third Prince felt that the Crown Prince was not so annoying after all; at least the Crown Prince only had low emotional intelligence, not an arrogant attitude.
Of the eight princes who came out of the palace this time, the Eighth Prince was the most respectful and humble towards the Tong family. Unfortunately, the arrogant and haughty Longkodo did not think much of the Eighth Prince. Instead, he talked to the First Prince for a long time, which was subtly suggestive.
On the other side, the Fourth Prince, with his personal guards and several guards sent by Emperor Kangxi, returned to Desheng Gate. He saw Yin'e also coming with his guards and couldn't help but call out, "Tenth Brother?"
The Fourth Prince didn't ask directly, but Yin'e understood what he meant. He shrugged and said nonchalantly, "I don't like Longkodo, nor do I like the Tong family, so I don't plan to deal with them."
Longkodo was in the wrong today. They were princes, and the order was that of emperor and subject; there was no reason for a prince to proactively greet or pay respects to Longkodo. If Longkodo dared to complain to Kangxi, he would be out of his mind. Yin'e was not afraid of the matter escalating to Kangxi's ears.
Even if Longkodo weren't so arrogant today, Yin'e still wouldn't give him and the Tong family any face. If things really escalated to the point of involving Emperor Kangxi, it's hard to say whether Kangxi would favor his son or his maternal clan.
Moreover, Yin'e was not someone to be trifled with. He was determined to be a lazy bum, but being a lazy bum did not mean being bullied by others.
With a slight pursing of his lips, the Fourth Prince gazed deeply at Yin'e, making a lasting impression on him.
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