Su Hetai told the brothers Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei what he knew about things in the palace.
Upon hearing this, the Tong brothers were furious. They had always known that the Empress Dowager disliked the Imperial Noble Consort, but they never expected that she would be confined to her quarters just because of a palace maid's words. It was clear that the Tong family was not respected at all.
What angered them the most was Kangxi's attitude. The Imperial Noble Consort was, after all, his cousin, and the Tongjia clan was Kangxi's maternal clan. How could Kangxi agree to the Empress Dowager confining the Imperial Noble Consort to her quarters?
Tong Guowei now deeply regrets that he should never have agreed to let the Imperial Noble Consort enter the palace.
“Uncle, Father-in-law, please calm down! The most urgent thing now is to find the person behind this and clear the Imperial Noble Consort’s name!” Su Hetai said.
Tong Guogang looked at Tong Guowei and said, "Su Hetai is right. The Emperor will definitely investigate this matter, but we must also investigate. We should use people in the palace to investigate secretly and find a way to report the results to the Emperor!"
Tong Guogang felt that the people under Kangxi's command were nothing special, and they might not even be as fast as the emperor himself in investigating! However, they couldn't let Kangxi know that they had planted people in the palace, so they could only guide the emperor's people to discover it.
“I understand, brother!” Tong Guowei replied.
Tong Guogang looked at the people in the room and said, "From now on, daughters of the Tongjia clan will no longer enter the palace!"
The prosperity of the Tongjia clan does not depend on whether there are Tongjia's daughters in the harem, but on you. You must earn glory for your sisters and daughters!
“Yes, Uncle,” Longkodo and Orondai replied.
Su Hetai then remembered that he hadn't told Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei about He Xue yet!
“Uncle, father-in-law, the Emperor contacted me before, intending to betroth He Xue to the Crown Prince!” Su Hetai said.
"What?" Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei exclaimed in shock.
Given Kangxi's personality, he probably wouldn't have allowed the Crown Prince to have military power, so why did he betroth Hexue to the Crown Prince?
"Are you sure?" Tong Guogang asked doubtfully.
“Uncle, I’m sure!” Su Hetai said confidently.
Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei were somewhat incredulous; this matter was beyond their expectations, and for a moment they couldn't figure out what Kangxi meant.
If Emperor Kangxi knew what Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei were thinking, he would have laughed out loud. The reason he allowed the Crown Prince to marry He Xue was simply because the Crown Prince could get close to He Xue; he had no other intentions whatsoever.
Emperor Kangxi did not expect that his move would make everyone speculate about his intentions.
Tong Guogang felt a little regretful. He had been thinking of marrying He Xue to his grandson, and he liked He Xue quite a bit, which was why he wanted to strengthen their family ties through marriage. He never expected that Kangxi would beat him to it.
"With Xue marrying the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince now under the Imperial Noble Consort's name, the Tongjia clan will be too conspicuous."
"Second brother, it seems we should move on to what we discussed earlier!" Tong Guogang said to Tong Guowei.
“Big brother can make the decision!” Tong Guowei said.
Su Hetai and the others were completely bewildered, not knowing what Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei were talking about.
“Father, what kind of riddle are you and Uncle talking about?” Longkodo asked.
"Your father and I discussed this before, and we planned to ask the Emperor for permission to retire. We can retire while the Tongjia clan hasn't aroused the Emperor's suspicion, thus preserving the honor of the Tongjia clan!"
"If Xue marries the Crown Prince, this matter can be brought forward a bit!" Tong Guogang said.
The decision of the Tong brothers, Guogang and Guowei, surprised everyone present. The Tongjia clan was at its peak, and proposing to become their master at this time would definitely affect the future development of the Tongjia clan.
"You don't need to feel indignant on our behalf. Retiring at this time is the best decision for the Tongjia clan!"
"The Tongjia clan will have to rely on you, not us, from now on. We're getting old, it's time for us to rest!" Tong Guowei said with a smile.
"You must work hard and rely on your own abilities to gain a foothold in the court, so as to provide a guarantee for the Imperial Noble Consort and He Xue."
"We will hand over the people in the palace to the Imperial Noble Consort and He Xue! We hope this will be of some help to them!" Tong Guogang said, looking at Longkodo, Jing Shu, and the others.
"Uncle, Father-in-law, I have no way to repay you for everything you have done for Hexue!" Su Hetai said gratefully.
“He Xue also has the blood of the Tongjia clan flowing in her veins, so don’t hold these things against us. It’s too formal to talk about repayment when we’re family!” Tong Guowei said.
"Your father-in-law is right! You'll still have to keep an eye on them in the future!"
"They are too young and inexperienced, you need to help them more!" Tong Guogang said.
"Uncle, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of Longkodo and the others!" Suhetai assured him.
"Father, when will you bring this up with the Emperor?" Longkodo asked.
"We need to investigate this matter thoroughly, otherwise the Emperor might think we're threatening her!" It has to be said that Tong Guowei had a good understanding of Emperor Kangxi.
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