"Your Majesty, the two gentlemen from the Tong family have arrived."
"Let them in!"
“Zha”
This time, Emperor Kangxi wanted to meet with Tong Guowei and Tong Guogang.
The two were brothers, and outwardly they were of one mind, but internally they were not without conflict, a fact that Emperor Kangxi was aware of.
As the eldest son, Tong Guogang inherited the title of First-Class Duke, while Tong Guowei, as the second son, was not entitled to inherit the title. Originally, Kangxi had planned to grant Tong Guowei the title in two years, but now it was no longer necessary.
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
"Get up, all of you!"
Both men were Emperor Kangxi's maternal uncles. In the past, Emperor Kangxi would always ask them to sit down and talk, but today they did not receive the same treatment as usual.
Tong Guogang, being a straightforward person, asked, "What does His Majesty wish to do by summoning this servant?"
Kangxi said, "I have recently discovered something. Please take a look, my two uncles!"
After saying that, Liang Jiugong handed two identical copies of the dossier to Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei respectively.
The two men took the case file and began to look through it. The more they looked, the uglier their expressions became. Tong Guogang was angry, and Tong Guowei was frightened.
The two are brothers and should have been on good terms. The main reason for their conflict is that Tong Guogang disapproved of Tong Guowei's "selling his daughter" attitude.
He felt that the Tong family was already at its peak, and that it would be best to raise his daughters and nieces well and marry them off to men of equal social standing. However, Tong Guowei insisted on sending his daughter to the palace. Before Tong Guogang could say anything, Tong Guowei's wife privately said that his eldest son was jealous and couldn't stand seeing others do well. She said some very unpleasant things.
Tong Guogang was older than Tong Guowei and knew more about his sister, who was also Kangxi's mother, living in the palace. Women in the harem often had no control over their own lives. They heard about the wealth and honor, but once they were in it, they understood the dangers. With the Emperor's protection, the Tong family could earn a more secure life through hard work than by relying on the emperor's relatives.
He spoke sincerely, but Tong Guowei treated Tong Guogang like a roughneck and wouldn't listen. Now he's done something like this. He watched Consort Tong grow up in her maiden home. She used to be such a lively, lovely, and kind girl. But after entering the palace, she could say anything that could kill someone. And his stupid brother actually did it.
After reading the case file, Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei knelt on the ground. Before Tong Guogang could even say a word of apology, Tong Guowei cried and said, "Your Majesty, someone must have framed us. Please investigate thoroughly. How could a concubine in the deep palace know a merchant outside the palace? And why would this servant want to deal with a merchant? It doesn't make sense!"
Tong Guowei knew how much the Emperor protected Youqing, so he resolutely refused to admit it.
"This is the result of my investigation. Do you suspect that I am slandering you?"
"This servant dares not, but this servant truly did not know that Longkodo had done these things. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
Kangxi finally understood. This old scoundrel was really ruthless in trying to shift the blame onto Longkodo alone.
Tong Guogang, who was standing to the side, understood what Tong Guowei meant. His eyes widened in surprise. He felt that he had gotten to know his younger brother in a new light today.
"Your Majesty, this servant confesses his guilt and begs Your Majesty for punishment."
"Uncle, you're being too serious. You weren't aware of the situation. I'm not the kind of person who can't distinguish right from wrong. I won't let those who deserve punishment go unpunished, and I won't wrongly accuse those who don't deserve it."
This statement conveyed to Tong Guogang that he was alright and would not be implicated.
"Your Majesty is right."
“Since my uncle says he doesn’t know what Longkodo did, then I won’t hold him responsible.”
Hearing this, Tong Guowei was about to breathe a sigh of relief.
Kangxi then continued, "Longkodo is not allowed to serve as an official in the court from now on. His uncle has not managed his household properly and has failed to educate his son effectively. From now on, he should stay at home and properly educate his son so that he will not go out and cause trouble for others."
Tong Guowei was dumbfounded. What did this mean? This meant he was going to be dismissed from his post.
"Your Majesty??"
"Is it settled then? Does Uncle want me to continue investigating?"
Tong Guowei dared not speak further. The case file clearly stated that he was the one who delivered the letter from Consort Tong to Longkodo. Further investigation would only lead to his downfall.
Tong Guogang was also upset. Although he didn't like his younger brother's way of doing things, he was still his own brother. Besides, the Tong family's fortunes were intertwined. If Tong Guowei lost his official position, he would have to trouble the eldest branch of the family in every way. In particular, his sister-in-law was a senile and unreasonable person, and there would be a lot of trouble in the future.
Kangxi said that Tong Guowei was as quiet as a chicken, and now he dared not utter a sound.
"Uncle, Orondai must be in his early twenties by now, right?"
When Kangxi mentioned his carefree and irresponsible son, Orondai was startled. Could this little rascal have gotten into some trouble?
"Your Majesty, Orondai is now twenty-three years old."
“He’s twenty-three, not young anymore. Let him enter the palace to serve tomorrow, starting as a royal bodyguard. It’s time for him to establish himself.”
Upon hearing this, Tong Guogang was first taken aback, then overjoyed. His Majesty was going to promote Orondai!
What a good thing! Orondai is his eldest son. He is usually unreliable, but at most he is fond of pleasure. He likes to walk cats and dogs and keep actors. The family has money, enough for him to squander. Tong Guogang wants him to improve himself, but he can't concentrate on his studies. He is strong and healthy, so it would be good for him to be a bodyguard.
"Your Majesty, this servant thanks you."
Tong Guogang understood that this was compensation for the Tong family. The second branch of the family had made a mistake, but the Emperor, out of consideration for his sister, had shown leniency and punished the second branch, while making up for it in the first branch.
Tong Guogang led his dejected younger brother out of the palace, while Tong Guowei muttered, "It's over, it's over!!"
The two had just arrived home when the imperial edict arrived.
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