Chapter 67 The Nine Gates Commander, Yinreng, still felt that the Emperor's attitude just now...
Yinreng felt that the emperor's attitude just now was very strange. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something must have happened, but what was it? He didn't know! He could only see the memorials submitted by the court officials with the emperor's permission; otherwise, he would be like a headless fly.
For a moment, Yinreng became agitated, as if he were being watched by wolves and tigers in the shadows. But it didn't take long for him to realize what had happened.
A few days later, as usual, the morning court session was held. In front of all the civil and military officials, Kangxi had someone hand him a memorial. Yinreng, not understanding what was going on, took it with both hands, opened it, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat after reading it quickly.
The memorial was secretly delivered by Jing Xi, the younger brother of the deceased Prince An. He accused Tuoheqi, the Commander of the Nine Gates, of hosting a banquet at his home during the period following the death of Prince An. In fact, this charge alone was not a big deal, but the content of Tuoheqi's remarks at the banquet was truly treasonous. He openly discussed the Crown Prince and expressed his loyalty in his words.
In an instant, Yinreng understood why the Emperor's attitude towards him had been so strange a few days ago. The Commander of the Nine Gates, also known as the Infantry Commander, was in charge of the Eight Banners infantry battalion in the capital and concurrently led the patrol battalion to guard the city, commanding a force of thirty to forty thousand men. This position was reserved for the Emperor's most trusted confidants; the Emperor was wary of him colluding with court officials to seize military power and plot a rebellion!
Yinreng immediately raised his head, only to find himself facing Kangxi's scrutinizing gaze. He immediately knelt down and loudly proclaimed, "Father, Tuoheqi is disloyal and unjust, disregarding your painstaking cultivation of him. I believe this matter should be thoroughly investigated and severely punished!"
Kangxi ignored it, ordered the memorial to be circulated among the officials, and sternly instructed them to submit memorials to discuss the matter. He then dismissed the court. Yinreng remained kneeling until Kangxi left, at which point he slowly stood up.
All the ministers bowed their heads and paid their respects to Yinreng and the leading princes before taking their leave. Yinreng, with a somber face, slowly walked out of the hall. At this moment, the Fourth Prince was waiting outside the hall, a step behind the others. Upon seeing the Crown Prince emerge, he immediately went to greet him. Yinreng took a deep breath and nodded to the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince wanted to tell you that you must remain calm at this time and not give any opportunity to malicious people, but he was about to speak when he saw the Crown Prince's gaze piercingly fixed on the foot of the steps. In that direction, he saw the Eighth Prince talking with other ministers.
Fourth Master's heart sank: Eighth Brother, how dare you! Do you know you're playing with fire?
In the West Garden, Yinreng sat at his desk in his study, writing furiously. He was determined to scathe Tuoheqi, accusing him of disloyalty as a slave and scheming for official positions, so that he could prove he had nothing to do with the matter. However, halfway through his writing, his anger became uncontrollable, and he snapped the pen in two.
He recalled the Third Prince's first birthday banquet, when the Eighth Prince and his wife showed up uninvited. He guessed that the Eighth Prince was already plotting his rebellion back then. It was infuriating that he had then wondered if the Eighth Prince was there to sue for peace, given that the Eighth Prince had previously served under the First Prince and had been neglected by the Emperor in recent years. Now it seemed the Eighth Prince harbored treacherous ambitions and was secretly gathering intelligence.
He thought of the ministers surrounding the Eighth Prince when the court session ended yesterday, and his eyes flashed with a cold light. "Heh, Eighth Prince, you're really something." After a while, Yinreng calmed down a bit and continued writing his memorial, but a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
Tuoheqi had been secretly imprisoned two days earlier, and only now was the news slowly spreading. The Emperor's order to submit memorials at this time was simply to see how the officials would express their loyalty, and also to warn them what the consequences would be for supporting the Crown Prince while the Emperor was still alive.
Yinreng clenched his fists in an instant, silently chanting in his heart, "A knife hangs above the heart," he had to endure, he had to endure. He almost forced himself to finish writing the memorial. But before the memorial could be submitted, he heard that the twelfth prince, Yintao, had gone to Changchun Garden to plead for his uncle, Tuoheqi, but had been severely reprimanded by the emperor for being disloyal and unfilial.
When Yinreng learned of this news, he was filled with mixed emotions of hot and cold, and almost couldn't catch his breath. After a long while, he finally ordered someone to send the memorial to Changchun Garden.
But a short while later, a messenger outside announced that the Twelfth Prince was requesting an audience. Yinreng closed his eyes and sighed, saying, "I will not see him!" However, he did leave a message behind, though it was unclear whether the Twelfth Prince would understand.
At this moment, the twelfth prince was anxiously waiting in the side hall of the front courtyard. Although he was a prince, his mother, Lady Wanliuha, was only a concubine and not particularly favored by the emperor. Even though he was married and had his own residence, the emperor had not bestowed upon him a title, and he was still just a prince without a title. If it weren't for his maternal uncle, who was the commander of the Nine Gates, he would probably have no confidence at all when he went out.
Out of consideration for their years of uncle-nephew relationship, he pleaded for Tuoheqi, but he never expected the Emperor to be so furious. The Emperor not only reprimanded him for disloyalty and filial impiety but also stripped him of his power to participate in politics. Twelve couldn't understand; while indulging in lavish banquets during the Prince's funeral was a crime, it didn't warrant such a severe punishment! With nowhere else to turn and no other options, Twelve had no choice but to come and strike the bell at the Crown Prince's door.
Tuoheqi's great misfortune is somewhat related to the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince doesn't take action, who will dare to be loyal to him in the future?
Thinking this, Twelve picked up her cup and began to drink tea, sip by sip. But even after the cup was emptied of tea leaves, no one came to announce her arrival. Twelve grew increasingly anxious and uneasy. After a while, someone finally entered. Twelve jumped up from her seat. But to her surprise, it was just a eunuch.
Twelve looked outside in disbelief, then frowned and asked urgently, "Where is the Crown Prince?"
Chen He bowed and lowered his head, replying, "Replying to Twelfth Master, the Crown Prince is currently very busy and has no time to receive you. Please forgive him."
Twelve unconsciously took two steps forward. "What?" After hearing Chen He's reply, he staggered back and sat back down.
Seeing him looking as if he had lost his parents, Chen He rushed over and said, "Oh dear, Twelfth Master, are you alright?"
"The Crown Prince..." Twelve suddenly raised his head, but the rest of his words choked in his throat. He thought, how could the Crown Prince not care? What about his uncle in prison? Who could he and his mother, Lady Wanliuha, turn to for help?
Chen He continued to offer words of comfort, but finally lowered his voice and said, "Twelfth Prince, the Crown Prince tells you to prioritize the greater good. Don't forget, you are a prince personally raised by Su Ma La Gu, the Empress Dowager's aunt. If you get involved in these matters, wouldn't you be betraying Su Ma La Gu's teachings?"
Twelve hurriedly raised her head, and two lines of tears streamed down her face.
Aunt, Aunt Su...
A little while later, Chen He came in to report. Yinreng was practicing calligraphy with a calm mind, but upon hearing the noise, his hand continued writing. He asked in a deep voice, "How is it?"
Chen He hurriedly replied, "This servant has sent someone to escort Twelfth Master back to his residence."
Yinreng nodded, and after a moment he finished writing a piece of calligraphy. But after he stopped writing, he ordered someone to bring a brazier and threw the calligraphy into it.
Flames flew from the basin, slowly engulfing it. Only a few words could be faintly seen in the red light: "The strategist did not lead his troops forward early, and twenty years of arduous struggle were in vain."
The next morning, upon hearing that Twelve had set off from the capital overnight and headed east to Zhaoxi Mausoleum to keep vigil for the Empress Dowager and the deceased Sumalagu, the news reached Changchun Garden. Twelve had already arrived at the mausoleum dressed in mourning clothes.
Yinreng breathed a long sigh of relief.
Back when the Empress Dowager was still alive, she had entrusted Sumalagu with the care of the Emperor. It is hoped that the Emperor, out of consideration for the deceased Sumalagu, will not implicate others. As for Tuoheqi, he is now a traitor hated by everyone; his life or death is entirely up to fate.
Inside the Forbidden City, Consort Wanliuhashi wept as she looked at the food that had been delivered. Although she was a concubine without official rank, she was usually given the rations of a noblewoman, but what was sent today was even less than the rations of a high-ranking palace maid. Wanliuhashi felt as if her heart had plummeted into an abyss. She thought that because of her brother Tuoheqi's affair, the Emperor probably would never want to see her again. She bit her lip, placing all her hopes on her son, Twelfth Prince.
But this wish was also dashed. A palace maid stumbled over and reported, "Consort, the Twelfth Prince has been reprimanded by the Emperor."
"What?" Wanliuhashi clutched her chest and fell backward, feeling as if everything went black. She felt as if her soul had left her body, and she had no desire to eat or drink. She endured the entire day without food or water until the morning of the next day.
Wanliuhashi was filled with despair. Her family were the Emperor's bondservants; she had entered the palace to serve him, her brother Tuoheqi served him at the front, and she had even given birth to a prince. What had they done wrong to incur the Emperor's such disgust?
Wanliuhashi's tears almost dried up that night, and a few white hairs appeared among her black hair. The palace maid beside her knelt by the bed with a sob in her voice: "Concubine, please eat something. If you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the Twelfth Prince."
Wanliuha's eyes flickered, and she whispered, "Yintao..." Her eyelids closed, and two turbid tears rolled down her cheeks. It was noon when the Twelfth Prince's wife sent word that the Twelfth Prince had gone to keep vigil for the Empress Dowager and Sumalagu.
Wanliuhashi listened to the letter, staring blankly outside. She tried to get out of bed, but tumbled off. She slowly made her way to the outer room, where a Buddha statue stood. She kowtowed heavily before it. She thought that a concubine's suicide was a grave crime; she couldn't implicate her son.
Just then, a palace maid came in from outside and saw Wanliuhashi lying on the ground, almost dropping the food box she was carrying. She quickly put down the food box and pulled and tugged at Wanliuhashi to help her up. Wanliuhashi, panting heavily, said, "From today onwards, I will abstain from meat and fish. From this day forward, I will pray for the Empress Dowager and Sumalagu."
——
In the past few days, nine out of ten memorials submitted by court officials have been impeaching Tuoheqi. The lighter ones simply request the Ministry of Justice to handle the matter impartially, while the heavier ones are varied and numerous, accusing Tuoheqi of embezzlement, bribery, disrespect for officials, and abusive behavior towards his servants during his tenure as Commander of the Nine Gates—a whole host of accusations. In short, Tuoheqi's reputation has been thoroughly ruined. Yinreng knew that this was a show of loyalty to the Emperor, but also an opportunity for some to kick him while he was down. After all, Tuoheqi had offended many people during his time as Commander of the Nine Gates, monitoring officials for the Emperor. Now that the Emperor was turning his back on him, they were eager to take advantage of the situation.
However, when the Emperor sent these memorials to him, Yinreng had no choice but to accept them reluctantly. Not only did he have to accept them, but he also had to say that their accusations were justified and request the Emperor to investigate thoroughly. In the end, the Emperor took it upon himself to appoint a new Commander of the Nine Gates and ordered him to confiscate Tuoheqi's property.
As for who the newly appointed Commander of the Nine Gates is, well, it's Longkodo, who comes from the Tong family and is the emperor's most trusted maternal relative.
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