Chapter 222: People’s Desire (V)
News in the capital city always spreads so quickly, as if many people are not talking privately to trustworthy people, but are announcing it publicly to many people.
The Thirteenth Brother received the news that the Fourth Battalion of the Beijing Camp wanted to support the Eighth Brother as the emperor. Compared with many rumors, this statement itself did not shock the Thirteenth Brother. After all, there were many sayings that the entire Beijing Camp had rebelled. There was even a fierce battle between the Beijing Camp and the Miyun Camp.
Rumors are like this, they are not afraid of big things, of course they are as exaggerated as possible. But it was a small part of the content that made Old Thirteen uneasy.
It is said that when Lao Ba mentioned this, he also said that Hong Zhou had said that once he ascended the throne, he would kill Lao Ba. The reason why Lao Ba wanted to ascend the throne was not for power, but for self-protection.
Just after coming out from the Empress Dowager, the Thirteenth Brother wanted to find the Fourteenth Brother. Unexpectedly, the Fourteenth Brother came by himself. When he saw the Thirteenth Brother, he asked angrily, "Brother Thirteen, did Hong Zhou say he wanted to kill Brother Eight?"
"Fourteenth brother, some people say that Eighth Brother is going to send troops to seize the throne." The Thirteenth Brother retorted.
For a moment, the two brothers stopped talking. The atmosphere was extremely awkward.
The Thirteenth Old Man was the first to break the awkwardness. "Fourteenth Brother, if you go to see the Grand Empress Dowager and ask her to order Hong Zhou to ascend the throne, she won't be so hesitant. You are a good man of our Manchu people, there is no need to hesitate about such a thing!"
Old Fourteen was even more hesitant, and Old Thirteen stepped forward and grabbed Old Fourteen's arm, "Brother, this is not right!"
Hearing this, Old Fourteen was shocked, and his face was distorted by the pain he had shown in the past. "Brother Thirteen, I can't let my brother succeed me, but can I kill my brother?"
The Thirteenth Brother knew that he had to overcome this obstacle. In order to stabilize the current situation, he had no choice but to compromise, "Fourteenth Brother, I am not in good health. When the new king ascends the throne, the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet will be yours."
The Fourteenth Old Man was not overjoyed, but sighed with disappointment: "Let's talk about it later. Of course I know the current situation. Our Aixinjueluo family can no longer make trouble."
When he got home, Lao Shisi ordered his servants not to see anyone who came, and then he went back to his bedroom and lay on the bed.
The room was still the same room, so familiar that it couldn't be more familiar. However, all the restrictions on Old Fourteen were lifted. As long as he wanted, he could arrange a procession to any street in the capital at any time to visit anyone he wanted to see.
However, regaining complete freedom did not make Old Fourteen happy. He just felt that the outside world was so dangerous and his small home was safer.
The idea of the younger brother succeeding the elder brother sounds tempting , but it's just because the fourteenth brother seems to have the best chance of succeeding the throne. If it really is the case that the younger brother succeeds the elder brother, there are more than a dozen brothers ahead of the fourteenth brother.
Just as he was thinking, he saw the servant come in. Without waiting for the servant to say anything, Old Fourteen shouted, "Didn't I say I won't see any guests?"
The servant hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it's the Fifth Master who is here!"
When he heard that it was Old Five who came, Old Fourteen quickly turned over and sat up, "Please come in quickly!"
Among all the brothers, the 14th brother admired the 8th brother the most. But it was the 5th brother who really saved his life. When Kangxi wanted to kill the 14th brother, it was the 5th brother who knelt on the ground and hugged Kangxi's thighs, saving the 14th brother. This friendship is unforgettable.
The Eighth Brother also had visitors at this time, and the Thirteenth Brother unexpectedly came. The two brothers who had fought each other to death did not seem to want to talk about the past. The Thirteenth Brother asked the Eighth Brother directly, "Eighth Brother, the court will have great use for you in the future. I wonder what job you want."
"If I could become the Prime Minister again, I would definitely serve the new king."
"My dear brother, I don't want to harm you. Is it really a good idea for you to take on such an assignment at this critical moment? It would be better to restore your title of Prince Lian and find a job in other departments."
"Thirteenth brother, I am already this old. There is not much time left for me to do things. As for the bad reputation in the future, haha, I have already become indifferent to it."
"My brother, why bother. Do you really want your fourteenth brother to ascend the throne?"
"Thirteenth brother, I just don't want to see us Manchus killing each other anymore. If we keep killing each other like this, when will it end?"
The Thirteenth Prince felt a great pain in his heart. After talking with the Eighth Prince, the positions of both sides were clear. The Eighth Prince would never accept the policy before Yongzheng, which was to establish a truly dictatorial emperor. He said that he could not attack his brothers. If he could not attack the Eighth Prince today, he could not attack the Eighth Prince's men tomorrow. If he could not attack this, he could not attack that. What was left of the emperor's authority?
Thinking of this, the Thirteenth Elder stopped arguing and asked directly: "If Brother B is made the Prime Minister, will Brother B support Hong Zhou's ascension to the throne ? Apart from anything else, the younger brother succeeds the elder brother, which is absolutely unacceptable!"
When I came out of Lao Ba's house, I saw snow falling again. It was already the 14th day of the twelfth lunar month. In previous years, every family would prepare for the New Year by buying New Year's goods. However, the streets were empty at this time. The soldiers who were enforcing the curfew were so cold that they wrapped themselves tightly in their uniforms and stamped their feet as they walked. Even in the dark, you could see thick white mist coming out of their mouths and noses.
Old Thirteen knew that everyone was suffering. In this cold winter, everyone in the capital was suffering. They had to wait until Yongzheng's son Hongzhou ascended the throne to ensure that they could wait until the spring when the flowers bloomed. If there was another nine-dragon fight for the throne, the entire Qing Dynasty would be torn apart to an irreparable point.
The next day was the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, and every day on this day there was a grand court meeting. Everyone was thinking about what to do at this grand court meeting, but then news came that the Queen Mother was unwell and declined to attend the court meeting.
Old Thirteen breathed a sigh of relief. He had gone to give advice to the Queen Mother yesterday and it seemed that the Queen Mother had listened to him.
Finally, time was gained, and the Thirteenth Brother hurriedly began to work. The Fifth Brother had already taken the initiative to come to the door, and he brought a report on the latest progress. The Fourteenth Brother agreed that he could not fight for the throne. In exchange, the Fourteenth Brother wanted the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet. At the same time, the Fourteenth Brother wanted to restore the Eighth Brother's status as a Beile, and once the new emperor came to the throne , the Eighth Brother must not be touched.
After saying that, Lao Wu sighed, "Fourteenth brother is still as loyal as before."
The Thirteenth Brother also nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, "Fourteenth Brother has never changed in these aspects."
This is not nonsense. Old Fourteen is soft-hearted, has no opinion, and is not firm at all. This kind of personality has not changed for decades. The saying "It is easy to change the country, but difficult to change one's nature" probably refers to this situation.
The ones who can compete for the throne at the moment are the Eighth, Fourteenth, and Hong Zhou. To put it more bluntly, it's between the Fourteenth and Hong Zhou. It all depends on who the Queen Mother supports.
Thinking of this, the Thirteenth Brother decided to bring Hong Zhou back to the palace. He had to find a way to get the Queen Mother to see this kid whose father had just died. He was having a hard time!
