EBE Chapter 223 Kyoto Storm 1
Chapter 223 Kyoto Storm 1
Chapter 223 Kyoto Storm
While the anti-opium campaign was in full swing in Guangdong and Guangxi, Yinsi, who had already returned to the capital, began his next step. At the same time, Zhang Mingde, the chess piece, also began to move.
In just a few days, the Imperial Household Department was back in the hands of Yinsi. This time, he not only had complete control over the Imperial Household Department, but many ministers who supported Yinsi also received a lot of benefits one after another.
What made them even more excited was that on the third day after Yinsi returned to Beijing, the Qianqing Palace issued an imperial decree, directly conferring the title of Lian Beile on Yinsi. This was a unique case, as no other princes were given the title of Lian Beile. Anyone with a discerning eye could clearly see what this meant, and it made those who had already been thinking of supporting Yinsi even more resolute.
Yinsi was also very happy. He had finally got the title of Beile after years of waiting. At the same time, this also represented the emperor's inner recognition of him.
With the title of Beile as a guarantee, Yinsi was able to let go and directly pass on the message, asking those who supported him to submit a memorial to establish a crown prince.
Money makes things easier. During this period, Yinsi spent a lot of money. Not only did the court officials get actual benefits, but the people's evaluation of him also rose sharply.
So, the next day, after the morning court session, the desk was filled with memorials requesting the appointment of another crown prince. Kangxi initially flipped through them one by one with great interest, but eventually grew increasingly angry and pushed them directly to Liang Jiugong to read.
After reading all the memorials, Kangxi calculated in his mind and found that more than 50% of the court officials requested the establishment of a crown prince. It seemed that these people had discussed it beforehand and all of them had the same statement: the country could not go a day without a crown prince.
After Kangxi calmed down, he no longer paid attention to the matter that day and asked Liang Jiugong to collect it all. He wanted to see who was behind this. He had suppressed the issue of the crown prince for less than a few months, so why was it suddenly brought up again, especially when the other princes, including Yinzhen and Yinreng, were not in the capital.
Next, as if to oppose Kangxi, memorials came in like snowflakes every day, and each time they were about the same thing, which was to establish a crown prince. Moreover, the number of memorials increased from 50% to 80%, or even 90%.
This really made the old man laugh. Okay, since you want to play, I will play with you.
Thinking of this, he recalled the secret succession plan that Yinreng had proposed to him before. It seemed that Yinreng was still far ahead of the times. Aren't all these officials doing now just forcing him to appoint a successor? And wasn't the best way to do this a secret succession plan?
After a pause, he considered again whether to establish Yinreng or Hongye. According to experience, Yinreng must be experienced and well-informed, and his opinions would definitely be more accurate when encountering major events in the future.
However, Hongye is still young and more malleable, and he still has several decades to live. By then, Hongye will definitely be better than the current Yinreng.
Despite all these random thoughts, Kangxi decided to make his big move the next day. So, the next morning, during the imperial court, Kangxi announced directly in the Palace of Heavenly Purity: "I have carefully reviewed the memorials submitted by all the ministers recently. After much reflection, I believe that your suggestions are correct. The matter of appointing a crown prince should be put on the agenda. So, when you return home today, please write a memorial stating your preferred candidates for the crown prince. Submit it tomorrow. We will compete fairly. I will then consider your opinions based on their merits."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar. The ministers in the court stared at the departing Kangxi, as if they had already seen the scene where their favorite prince was supported and made the crown prince.
The capital was bustling that night. Even after the curfew, the city was still bustling with activity. The Nine Gates had been warned to leave the city alone tonight, except to increase patrols to prevent thieves from entering or leaving. Everything else was to be ignored.
Yinzhen had been staying at the Prince Yong's Mansion for a long time. Since the Tenth Prince and Yinreng were not there, Yinzhen had no choice but to come to the Prince Yong's Mansion to find Yinzhen.
Yinzhen: "Fourth brother, what should we do? Eighth brother has been getting more and more aggressive lately. This time, he was the one who initiated the request for the crown prince. It seems that he wants to seize the position of crown prince in a single move while his brothers are away. Did Second brother leave any words before he left?"
He knew his second brother, who was sometimes very good at planning things out, seeing many things clearly in advance and having corresponding strategies. He didn't believe that his second brother had not made preparations in advance for the matter of appointing a crown prince this time.
Yinzhen nodded slightly, confirming Yin'er's guess: "Second brother said before that if one day he is not in the capital, but the issue of establishing a crown prince is raised in the capital, we just need to follow the crowd. We can nominate him or ourselves, but it is best to remain neutral and follow the emperor's opinion.
Second Brother said that before he left, he had already left a hint with the Emperor. When the time is right, things will immediately turn around. And you should also know what kind of temper our Emperor is. The more the Eighth Brothers force him, the more severe the backlash will be.
Yin'er's eyes lit up. He only thought about the power of the mynah brother, but forgot that the emperor could not be forced by a group of ministers. Think about how powerful Oboi was back then and he was about to become the second regent, but in the end he fell into the hands of the emperor and his body was gone.
In recent years, perhaps because the emperor's temperament has become a little gentler, these ministers have forgotten how powerful the emperor was in his early years, so they dare to jump around in front of the emperor, not afraid that one day they will sprain their backs and be exterminated by the emperor.
And since the second brother has given the instructions, it will be easy for them to deal with it. According to the second brother's intention, they will directly become royalists. We will not support anyone, and we will not recommend anyone. Whatever the emperor says is the truth.
After receiving the confirmed news, Yinzhen did not stay any longer and rode back to his mansion with a smile on his face. When the spies outside saw this, they hurried back to report to their master.
At Prince Cheng's Mansion, Yinzhi was the first to receive the news. His mansion was separated from Prince Yong's mansion by a wall, so Yinzhi received the news as soon as Yinzhen left the house.
Yinzhi: "Are they still thinking of supporting my second brother? Is my second brother the one behind this? Yes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and a broken ship still has three thousand nails. My second brother has been the crown prince for more than 20 years, how could he not have a backup plan? This time, choosing this time, my second brother is still in the south and has not returned. Doesn't this just clear his suspicion?
Humph, but don't underestimate your brother. You have a backup plan, and he has supporters around him. Since the emperor has said fair competition this time, then it depends on your own methods! "
In the mansion of Prince Lian, Yinsi was surrounded by a group of important officials and staff, led by Tong Guowei and Ma Qi. These two can be regarded as important officials in the court. Any one of them would be a figure that could make the capital tremble.
But even such influential people were gathered in a small room in the study in the front yard of Beile Lian's mansion tonight.