Chapter 213: The End of an Era (Part 3)
On the first day of the twelfth lunar month in the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign, the heavy snow in the capital finally stopped, and the streets of the city covered in silver were filled with soldiers of the Eight Banners standing guard. They all looked stiff, and it was unclear whether they were frozen or frightened.
The Thirteenth Prince Yi came out of the prison and hurried to the Forbidden City. When he passed Qipan Street, he saw the burned-out offices of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel.
This was the place that suffered the most damage during the assassination . The two government offices were almost completely burned to the ground, and only the broken brick walls and wood were left inside the relatively intact courtyard walls.
The second most damaged place was the Six Ministries and the Military Affairs Office on duty outside the Old Summer Palace. They were also set on fire by the rebels, burning all the official documents and archives stored there.
Entering the Forbidden City, the doors that were broken down by the rebels using simple battering rams have been repaired.
After interrogating the captured Tianlijiao members day and night, the Qing court finally figured out what happened. According to the confessions of the Tianlijiao members, the leader of the Tianlijiao was worried about being wiped out by the court, so he had the intention of rebelling. He colluded with Huo Chong and arranged for Huo Chong to lead the rebels to help in the war through the connections of the Tianlijiao.
As traitors, the Tianli Sect invaded the Forbidden City but only caused some minor damage and chaos. The main force did nothing more than break down some doors and enter the Forbidden City.
Compared with the damage caused by Huo Chong, the damage caused by the Tianli Sect's attack on the Forbidden City was negligible. The burning of the archives of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue was enough to make the Qing Dynasty spend a year or two to restore the two major departments to normal operation.
The killing of Yongzheng and Prince Hongli was a thundering blow to the Qing Dynasty's rule.
Walking into the Forbidden City, Old Thirteen stopped not far away. In the past few days, every time he entered here, he couldn't help but recall how he played here with his fourth brother, how he studied and practiced martial arts with his fourth brother since he was a child.
The aura of Fourth Brother permeates the place, as if in the next moment one could see Fourth Brother in a dragon robe walking out of the palace surrounded by ministers.
This feeling of anticipation made Old Thirteen's nose sore and tears welled up in his eyes. The guards beside him looked at Old Thirteen's tears and their eyes also turned red and they lowered their heads.
The Thirteenth Brother quickly pulled himself back to reality from this brief emotional breakdown. Now was not the time to cry bitterly. Seeing Yongzheng's body separated from his head, he had already knelt in front of his fourth brother's body and cried until he fainted several times.
After waking up, I realized that it was useless. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty was killed by the traitors, which was like the sky was falling. At this time, we must hold on to the situation and get the Qing Dynasty back on track.
The Cining Palace was filled with guards. Walking through the solemn crowd, Old Thirteen knelt down and saluted the highest authority in the Qing Dynasty. "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother ordered Prince Yi to stand up and said, "Prince Yi, I have a question for you. Is there anything you would not like about your fourteenth brother becoming the governor of the Nine Gates?"
Old Thirteen lowered his head and did not answer for the time being, but just glanced at the people around the Queen Mother. Who gave the Queen Mother this suggestion? Old Thirteen could not think of it for a moment. But even if he knew, there was no way to deal with it now.
When beating a dog, you have to look at its owner. Moreover, the Empress Dowager was the queen of the Qing Dynasty at that time. Before the new emperor ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager's decree was equivalent to the imperial decree. If the Empress Dowager objected to any military or national affairs, it would not be possible to carry them out reasonably.
Thinking of this, the Thirteenth Elder responded , "Queen Dowager, I would like to ask my Fourteenth Elder Brother to take care of the Emperor's funeral."
The Queen Mother did not answer immediately. After a while, she sighed and said, "Prince Yi, your fourteenth brother has been keeping vigil for the late emperor for three years. Do you want him to keep vigil for another three years?"
Prince Yi was not afraid. "Empress Dowager, only relatives can handle the emperor's funeral. Letting my fourteenth brother handle the emperor's funeral is to show the world my ability and talent. When the funeral is over and the prince ascends the throne, I am willing to recommend my fourteenth brother as the prime minister of the cabinet."
After hearing what Old Thirteen said, the Queen Mother fell silent again. Old Thirteen thought that the Queen Mother would think for a long time, but unexpectedly, the Queen Mother quickly said, "You go down first."
The guards, maids, and eunuchs left one after another. In the end, only the queen mother's personal maids and eunuchs were left in the room. The queen mother called the Thirteenth Brother to her and gave him a seat. Then she asked, "The Prime Minister, like the Eighth Brother?"
The Thirteenth Old Man was shocked. The Queen Mother's words were like pouring salt on the already torn wound of the royal family.
The means of attacking political enemies during the Yongzheng era were extremely cruel. This was especially true for the attack on the Eighth Prince. Moreover, Yongzheng used deceptive means to first promote the Eighth Prince and give him power, then to lift him up high and then to throw him down heavily. As Yongzheng's true confidant, the Thirteenth Prince also participated in the planning. The purpose of doing so was nothing more than to let the Eighth Prince's followers jump out so that they could be eliminated completely.
If Yongzheng could live for at least a dozen years, he could eliminate all dissidents and establish the emperor's dictatorship. Then, the task of using conciliatory means to resolve these conflicts could be left to Yongzheng's sons.
However, Yongzheng was killed by Huo Chong, but Lao Ba survived. This contradiction became the most difficult issue at the moment. After seeing Yongzheng's body, Lao Shi woke up and secretly sent people to imprison Lao Ba, preparing to take action. Unexpectedly, Lao Ba was "accidentally" rescued from the hands of the rebels who attacked the other side by the Fourth Battalion of the Beijing Camp. Now Lao Ba is in the Fourth Battalion of the Beijing Camp.
The appearance of Lao Ba was like letting a tiger back into the mountains, making it impossible for Lao Shisan to kill anyone again.
The Fourteenth Prince had always been the Eighth Prince's follower. After the Eighth Prince lost the battle for the throne, the Fourteenth Prince wanted to take over the Eighth Prince's followers. If the Fourteenth Prince became the governor of the Nine Gates, it would be another battle for the throne.
While I was thinking nervously, I heard the Queen Mother continue to ask: "Prince Yi, why don't you want your fourteenth brother to be the governor of the Nine Gates? Are you worried that he will rebel? At this moment, you are still so wary of your own brother. Do you want to make us bannermen feel disheartened?"
Hearing this, the Thirteenth Elder had no choice but to make a decision. He knelt on the ground and said, "If the Queen Mother wants my Fourteenth Brother to be the Governor of the Nine Gates, I have no objection. But I want to ask the Queen Mother, when will the Queen Mother issue an order to let Hong Zhou ascend the throne?"
After he said this, the room became as quiet as if no one was there. You could probably hear a pin drop.
After Yongzheng registered his sons, Hongshi, the oldest of his three sons, was "given to Aqina as an adopted son" by Yongzheng, and died not long after. It was generally believed inside and outside the court that Hongshi was secretly executed by Yongzheng because he was speaking out for the injustice of the eighth and ninth sons.
Everyone generally favored the fourth son, Hongshi. The fourth son, Hongshi, was killed in the Old Summer Palace. For some reason, the traitor left behind his wife, who was holding Hongshi's son tightly.
The only one left who could ascend the throne was Prince Hong Zhou.
Seeing that the Queen Mother said nothing, the Thirteenth Elder continued to ask, "Queen Mother, the Emperor has passed away. The court cannot be without a ruler for a day. When will you invite Hong Zhou to ascend the throne?"
