Chapter 21 A flurry of actions as fierce as a tiger
Inside the Wuying Hall, the air seemed to freeze.
Only the suppressed breathing of the ambushers and the faint footsteps coming from outside the hall grew closer.
Outside the palace gates came Kangxi's deliberately high-pitched voice, which he tried hard to imitate as steady.
His tone was full of almost obsequious flattery.
"Lord Ao! After much thought, I realize that the peace and stability of our Great Qing Dynasty today, with its tranquil borders and stable court, is all thanks to your tireless efforts and dedication day and night. Without your leadership, I truly do not know what I would do."
A rough and arrogant voice rang out, accepting the compliment without any politeness.
It even carried a somewhat lecturing tone.
"Your Majesty is too kind. I am merely fulfilling my duty as a subject, doing my utmost for Your Majesty and for the Qing Dynasty. Your Majesty is still young and needs to learn more. It is the right thing to do to listen to the opinions of senior ministers in all matters."
The voice was loud and clear, full of energy, carrying the authority of someone who had long held a high position and a hint of barely perceptible disdain.
It was none other than Ao Bai, who held immense power in the court!
Jiang Nan, hiding behind the curtain, frowned upon hearing the sound.
Good heavens, with that tone, anyone who didn't know better would think he was the emperor.
Outside the hall, Kangxi's voice continued, even more sincere.
"You are too modest, Junior Guardian. Your achievements cannot be described by meager efforts. You have already reached the pinnacle of a subject's career by becoming Grand Tutor. I believe that with your unparalleled merits, being granted the title of Marquis or Prime Minister is insufficient to reward you. I am about to discuss with my grandmother the possibility of promoting you to the rank of King, to highlight your extraordinary contributions to our Great Qing."
"oh?"
Ao Bai's voice revealed obvious surprise and a hint of barely suppressed smugness, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Your Majesty's favor is too great for me... I am filled with trepidation. If I am truly granted the title of Prince, I will be willing to give my life for Your Majesty and ensure the eternal stability of our Great Qing Dynasty."
Even so, the smugness in his tone was almost overflowing.
Conferring a title of king? That Kangxi kid really dares to fool people.
Jiang Nan curled her lip in disapproval, but this Ao Bai was really getting cocky; how could he believe such a thing?
"Squeak—"
The heavy palace doors were pushed open from the outside.
Emperor Kangxi walked in first, a forced smile on his face.
Following closely behind was Ao Bai, a burly man dressed in a first-rank Qilin robe, with a full beard and sharp, arrogant eyes.
He was followed by two tall, wary bodyguards.
The three of them stepped into the hall.
The light inside the hall was slightly dimmer than outside; it was spacious and quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing.
Ao Bai's eyes flashed like lightning as he quickly scanned the empty hall.
His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he felt the meeting place was too deserted.
However, confident in his superior martial prowess and accompanied by guards, he did not immediately suspect anything.
He turned to Kangxi, his tone tinged with impatience.
"Your Majesty, you said you have important state affairs to discuss with me in private. I wonder what they are? Please tell me, Your Majesty, so that I can deal with them properly as soon as possible and avoid delaying other state affairs."
His tone made it sound as if he were the one who was extremely busy and whose time was precious.
The emperor was simply wasting his time.
Jiang Nan, who was listening behind the curtain, was furious.
What an arrogant old tortoise! How dare he be more arrogant than Jiang Nan in the palace? It's simply intolerable.
Kangxi took a deep breath and shifted his gaze from Ao Bai's arrogant face to the two menacing guards behind him.
All the forbearance and all the planning came together at this moment.
The smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of resolute determination and murderous intent.
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Kangxi suddenly took two steps back, using all his strength to shout sharply.
"Let's do it!"
Almost the instant he finished speaking.
The two heavy doors of the Wuying Hall were suddenly slammed shut from the outside by the eunuchs waiting outside.
Meanwhile, on the beams of the palace, behind the massive pillars.
The Buku boy and his guards, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, swarmed out like ghosts.
Ao Bai was momentarily stunned by this sudden turn of events and Kangxi's order to take action.
His brain didn't even have time to react that this little emperor dared to attack him.
In the blink of an eye, a huge, sturdy fishing net descended from the sky.
It precisely enveloped him along with the two guards behind him.
"Your Majesty! What do you mean by this?"
Ao Bai finally realized what was happening, and in shock and anger, he roared out.
He struggled desperately, but the fishing net was exceptionally strong, and he couldn't break free for a while.
He laughed in fury, his eyes filled with disbelief, contempt, and violence as he glared at Kangxi, who had retreated to a distance.
"You think you can take me down with these tricks and these useless fools? Your Majesty! Are you tired of sitting on the throne? If that's the case, then don't blame this old minister... for doing what Yi Yin and Huo Guang did today."
Before he finished speaking, dozens of well-trained Buku boys and eunuchs rushed forward.
They completely disregarded all code of honor and resorted to all sorts of underhanded tricks.
Some people held onto his legs tightly, while others tried to trip him.
One of the eunuchs even sinisterly reached out and grabbed his groin.
"Aww—"
Caught off guard, Ao Bai was attacked in a vital spot, and excruciating pain instantly swept through his body.
This caused him to let out a painful roar and struggle even more frantically.
He possessed immense strength, and with a sudden swing, he flung away the eunuchs and boys who were clinging to him.
His arm muscles bulged, and it looked like he was about to forcibly tear the fishing net apart.
"Sprinkle lime!"
Upon seeing this, the young leader immediately gave a shrill order.
Several boys who were already prepared immediately took out paper packets and threw large amounts of quicklime powder at Ao Bai.
"puff--"
A white powder instantly spread out.
Ao Bai was the first to be affected, his head, face, and even his entire body were stained white.
Even worse, a large amount of lime powder got into his eyes.
"Ah! My eyes!!"
Ao Bai let out a shrill scream, his eyes burning with an intense pain.
Tears streamed uncontrollably, only intensifying the pain.
He instantly went blind and could only frantically wave his arms as he paced toward Kangxi.
They tried to capture Emperor Kangxi, who was so close at hand.
"Young emperor, prepare to die."
But as soon as he took a step, his foot suddenly slipped.
"Thump!"
With a loud crash, his massive body fell heavily to the ground, landing on his back.
The ground had already been splattered with a large amount of soybean oil by the guards, making it extremely slippery.
He struggled to get up, but his hands and feet slipped as soon as they touched the ground, and the more he struggled, the harder he fell.
The oil was splattered everywhere, and he could only frantically wipe the ground with his sleeves, trying to find a foothold.
But he ended up greasy and disheveled.
Kangxi stood at a safe distance.
He coldly watched as the once arrogant and powerful minister struggled, roared, and thrashed about like a trapped beast amidst oil stains and lime powder.
The pent-up resentment and humiliation that had been building up in my heart for years were swept away, replaced by an unprecedented sense of exhilaration and control.
It'll be soon, very soon.
He cried out in his heart, "Nan Nan is right. No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, if you fall into these layers of scheming, even a god would have to kneel down."
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Jiang Nan, who was hiding behind the curtain, panicked when she saw this situation.
Is Ao Bai finished already? I haven't even made my appearance yet.
My precious sulfuric acid hasn't even been used yet! No way, this MVP has to be mine!
She could no longer contain herself, and she yanked off the thick oilcloth covering the copper basin, holding her breath.
Carefully, he picked up the basin of concentrated sulfuric acid, which was emitting a faint white smoke and had a pungent odor.
She crouched down and crawled out from behind the curtain.
She appeared on one side of the main hall, approaching Ao Bai's direction.
"Nannan! What are you doing? Go back immediately."
Emperor Kangxi caught sight of her at a glance, was startled, and hurriedly called out.
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