Chapter 45: Kangxi's Last Words to Hongli

Hongli was slightly startled, a sudden flutter of panic gripping his heart.

At that moment, everyone turned to look at him.

Their expressions varied.

The Eighth Prince frowned even deeper.

Hongshi’s mouth dropped open, and he muttered to himself, "Why summon Hongli as well?"

Hongxi and Hongchun also wore looks of utter astonishment.

Composing himself, Hongli followed Liang Jiugong into the Clear Stream Studio.

Unlike before, however, Kangxi was not staying in his usual quarters within the Clear Stream Studio.

This time, Liang Jiugong led him first into a courtyard.

In the courtyard, Yongzheng—summoned to wait here in advance as Kangxi's illness worsened once again—stood amidst the snow, dressed in a heavy black fur cloak.

"Father!"

Hongli also stood in the snow, dazed for a moment, before calling out.

Yongzheng nodded. "Go ahead!"

Hongli nodded, cast one glance at Yongzheng standing in the cold sleet and snow, and then followed Liang Jiugong into a long corridor with high walls.

On both sides of the corridor, at intervals of roughly ten paces, hung a wall lamp.

The entire corridor wound and turned like a maze.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed before Hongli finally arrived at a small room in Liang Jiugong’s wake.

The room was exceedingly dim, making details difficult to discern.

"Hongli, come closer."

At that moment, a weak and feeble voice drifted from the interior.

Hongli hurried toward the source of the sound.

Abruptly, Hongli saw Kangxi lying there, his complexion a bruised purplish-blue, his lips as pale as a silkworm cocoon, and his emaciated face so withered it seemed unfamiliar. In his hand, he still clutched a string of Buddhist prayer beads.

"Grandfather Emperor truly regrets not having known you sooner!"

Kangxi pressed his lips together. Smiling seemed to be an arduous exertion; after a long hesitation, he finally parted his mouth in a faint grin.

Hongli’s mind felt somewhat blank, and he stood frozen in place like a wooden chicken.

Having managed a difficult smile, Kangxi continued, "Nor did I have time to teach you more—for instance, how insatiable the ruler of the Ruzhen nation to the north is, or how there is an island nation to the west that, after slaying its monarch, grew increasingly powerful and tyrannical."

"One of them is colluding with the Dzungars to throw our western frontiers into turmoil, while the other schemes against our Tibet in the southwest."

"Your grandson has studied these matters on his own."

"The Tsar of that Ruzhen nation is called Peter the Great, and that island nation is called England."

Hongli had not expected Kangxi to suddenly bring up foreign affairs at a time like this.

In his view, this was likely because Kangxi himself had consistently and diligently sought to understand the external world.

However, given that Peter the Great and Western powers like England were currently in their golden age, and Hongli was somewhat familiar with this history from later generations, he answered off the top of his head.

Kangxi nodded slightly at this, and could not help reaching out to stroke Hongli’s cheek, saying with profound meaning, "You still have not failed your Grandfather Emperor's expectations!"

With those words, Kangxi withdrew his hand. "Hongli, go and sit in that chair against the wall. Do not speak for a moment; I want you to look closely at the map on the wall once more, and gaze upon the places Grandfather Emperor just mentioned. You will understand in the future."

"Remember: one is Tibet, one is Dzungar, and behind them stand England and the Russian Empire!"

Hongli nodded solemnly and took a seat on the chair beside the wall where the map hung. His eyes turned to the somewhat blurred map on the wall, finally resting upon the regions of the Northwest and Southwest.

In history, these two areas were indeed where the Russian Empire and England plotted chaos against the Qing Dynasty.

The Dzungars possessed the audacity to rebel repeatedly precisely because they were instigated from behind by the Russian Empire.

Although the Russian Empire ultimately failed to seize the Northwest territories, it later swallowed up vast lands belonging to the Qing Dynasty in the Northeast.

In the Southwest, the region known in the Ming Dynasty as Ü-Tsang experienced rebellions during the Qing Dynasty also because colonial British forces were stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Fukangang, who had once crossed the Himalayas to campaign against the Gorkhas, had reported to the Qianlong Emperor that the Gorkha invasion involved British participation, which provided them with firearms and other resource support.

Naturally, the pitfalls England dug for the Central Plains in the Southwest affected far more than just the Qing Dynasty.

Now, by having Hongli focus on these two locations, Kangxi made him acutely aware of his deeper intentions.

In an era when the West was on the verge of the Industrial Revolution, the factors exerting a massive impact on the nation's fortunes would no longer be confined solely to the domestic realm and its immediate periphery, but could well originate from nations thousands of miles away.

Even without knowing every detail of Qing history, Hongli knew of the historical trajectory: how England, failing to scheme successfully in the Southwest, attempted to solve its trade surplus problem with opium in the Southeast, and ultimately resolved an excessive trade surplus through outright war; and how, though the Northwest was not lost, the Northeast suffered the loss of vast territories.

Therefore, Hongli observed the map with utmost concentration.

Seeing this, Kangxi smiled happily.

He could perceive in Hongli’s gaze that this grandson of his truly understood his intentions.

This improved his complexion slightly.

At that moment, Kangxi instructed Liang Jiugong, "Go and summon the Fourth Prince."

Liang Jiugong hesitated slightly.

Kangxi waved his hand again. "Go."

"As you command!"

Only then did Liang Jiugong back away, tears in his eyes.

It was impossible to tell how much time had elapsed before Yongzheng suddenly lifted the tent curtain and walked in.

Hongli involuntarily rose to his feet. "Father!"

Paying no heed to him, Yongzheng stood dazed for a brief moment before dropping to his knees. Crawling forward, he reached Kangxi’s bedside. "Imperial Father! What has happened to you?"

"Even I did not expect this illness to strike so swiftly and fiercely!"

"I originally pinned my hopes on the deposed Crown Prince Yingsreng, but he is fundamentally unfit to be a ruler of men."

"As for the Third Prince, he and Old Thirteen are like fire and water; I cannot allow him to ascend the throne and exacerbate the slaughter among brothers."

"The Eighth Prince Yinsi emulates me in everything, yet fails to capture the essence in anything. I govern with benevolence and leniency, whereas he uses leniency to buy people's hearts."

"I have already been overly indulgent toward those below, yet he is even more indulgent than I. Even if his leniency were genuine, it would only plunge our Great Qing into a worse plight."

Kangxi spoke to Yongzheng in a breathy, feeble voice.

At these words, tears streamed down Yongzheng’s face, washing over it as he nodded incessantly.

Kangxi continued, "As for you, you have always been prudent and upright, governing your household with utmost strictness—which is why you have such a fine imperial grandson as Hongli. I am placing this thousand-jin burden upon your shoulders, believing that one who governs his household well is surely capable of governing the country well!"

Yongzheng wept aloud on the spot, bowing repeatedly and pressing his forehead to the ground. "Imperial Father! Your son is unworthy!"

"I believe you can rectify my shortcomings, purge the official administration, and forge a glorious new foundation for the future generations of the Great Qing."

"Yet you are no longer young, and I know not how many springs and autumns remain to me. My offspring are not numerous, and among them only Hongli is truly outstanding. Thus, I made a two-pronged plan: while supporting you, I also tested and tempered Old Fourteenth, and refrained from employing you too heavily. Consequently, it caused many people to misunderstand."

"Yet this illness has struck with such ferocity; looking at it now, the Mandate of Heaven still rests with you!"

Kangxi’s face twitched as he spoke.

Choking back sobs, Yongzheng continued to kowtow. "Imperial Father, your painstaking efforts—your son understands them all!"

"Holding this string of prayer beads, my one lingering worry is that you are too impetuous in your actions and lack leniency in your treatment of others. Therefore, treat your brothers with kindness, and treat your subjects with kindness."

Saying this, Kangxi looked at Yongzheng, who nodded solemnly.

"Unless there is no alternative, do not harm them! Especially Hongxi and Old Fourteenth!"

"Summon the other imperial princes, imperial grandsons, and the minister Nian Gengyao..." [Note: Nian Gengyao / Longkodo contextually adapted]

Having said this, Kangxi’s breathing suddenly turned rapid, his chest heaving violently.

Hongli could not help standing up. Watching Kangxi’s agonizing struggle, his own eyes grew instantly moist.