Chapter 46: The Fourth Prince to Ascend the Throne

"As you command!" Liang Jiugong scurried out hurriedly.

Turning back to Yongzheng, the Kangxi Emperor instructed, "Remember my words. Furthermore, you are not young anymore; you should establish Hongli as your heir as soon as possible. He is exceptional—he possesses a natural talent that you lack. But always remember the lessons I learned from my own experience with appointing an heir!"

Yongzheng nodded, tears streaming down his face.

At that moment, the Eighth Prince and the other imperial princes and grandsons rushed into the chamber.

Upon entering, the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes all paused momentarily upon seeing Yongzheng.

Even the Third Prince froze for a split second.

Yet, they quickly recovered their composure, dropping to their knees before Kangxi to kowtow and weep loudly.

From the edge of the wall, Hongli also took the initiative to drop to his knees beside Yinxi, gazing up at Kangxi.

Kangxi spoke in a frail voice, "The Third, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth, Thirteenth Princes, and Longkodo—come before me."

Thus, the Third, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Princes, along with Longkodo, all crawled on their knees up to the Emperor's couch.

Kangxi was now approaching his final moments, his life force nearly exhausted.

As he turned his gaze toward the Eighth Prince, Yinsi, and the others, he could only muster the weakest of whispers: "Listen well... I pass the throne to... I pass the throne to the Fourth Prince!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kangxi’s face twitched violently. He then turned his head away, falling silent.

His hand dropped limply to his side.

His pupils instantly dilated.

A heavy silence fell over the room for a moment.

The expression on the Eighth Prince's face shifted dramatically.

The Third, Ninth, and Tenth Princes, as well as Hongchun and Hongshi, all wore complex expressions.

"Imperial Father!"

"Imperial Grandfather!"

A short moment later, the princes and grandsons burst into loud lamentations, wailing all the more bitterly once the imperial physician confirmed that the Emperor had passed away.

Suddenly, the Eighth Prince shouted, "Stop crying for a moment!"

With that, he stepped closer to Kangxi's body. "Imperial Father, to whom did you just say you were passing the throne?"

He added quickly, "Imperial Father, we didn't hear clearly!"

"Eighth Brother!" Yongzheng cried out to him. "At a time like this, you are still unwilling to accept the truth! Clearly, Imperial Father said he was passing the throne to the Fourth Prince. Who among those present did not hear it clearly?"

The Thirteenth Prince, Yinzhi, chimed in, "I heard it clearly as well. It was a transfer to the Fourth Brother. Eighth Brother, how can you pretend not to have heard at a time like this?"

"Who heard it clearly?" the Tenth Prince bellowed loudly, adding, "In any case, I didn't hear it!"

The Sixteenth Prince, Yinlu, countered, "I heard it clearly enough!"

Having long anticipated whom Kangxi would name as his successor, Hongli had remained entirely calm.

He knew that as Yongzheng’s son, if he alone stood up to declare that the throne was given to the Fourth Prince, it would not be enough to convince the princes and grandsons who were playing dumb and sitting on the fence, nor the banner princes and grand ministers.

Therefore, Hongli hastily nudged Yinxi with his elbow. "Twenty-first Uncle, hurry! Peace, prosperity, and wealth are right before your eyes!"

"I heard it clearly too! It is the Fourth Prince!" Yinxi resolutely stood up and shouted in a voice like booming bells.

Hongli smiled inwardly.

Yongzheng cast a look of deep gratitude toward Yinxi.

Next, Hongli crawled over to Yinzhi, whom he recognized and who was positioned just ahead of him. "Seventeenth Uncle, did you not hear it clearly?"

"That's right, it is the Fourth Prince!" Yinzhi was momentarily startled, but then stood up and echoed the statement.

Observing Hongli's actions, Yongzheng shot him an approving look.

"Indeed, it is the Fourth Prince!"

"I heard it's the Fourth Prince as well!"

...

Soon, the princes Yinyu and Yiyi, among others, joined in the chorus.

Seeing an increasing number of princes corroborating the statement, Hongli rose to his feet as well. "That's right, it is my father!"

Glancing around sharply, Hongli called out, "Third Brother, Fifth Brother, surely you heard it clearly?!"

Yongzheng longed to immediately praise Hongli for doing such a fine job and not bringing shame upon him.

"I heard it clearly, Fourth Brother! It is our father," Hongduo chimed in from behind.

Meanwhile, Hongshi remained in a daze, offering no response.

The Eighth Prince wore a gloomy expression and kept silent.

"No, there was a character for 'four', but it wasn't the Fourth Prince—it was passing the throne to the Fourteenth Prince!" The Ninth Prince chimed in first. Seeing that too many princes and grandsons had already declared they heard it clearly, he was forced to change his tune.

"It is the Fourteenth Prince!" the Tenth Prince echoed initially, before adding, "I remember now! He said the Fourteenth Prince!"

"Utter nonsense!" Young, hot-tempered, and newly converted to the Fourth Prince's faction, Yinxi lacked political experience and blurted out a curse word in his agitation.

The somewhat dim-witted Tenth Prince hurled abuse right back: "You're the one talking nonsense!"

"Princes, please cease this quarrel. The late Emperor has already left an edict transmitted to me, stating that he has chosen a resolute and steadfast master for us ministers, rather than a mere verbal decree. First-Class Imperial Bodyguard Laxi can serve as witness," Longkodo spoke up at last.

He continued, "The imperial edict lies right behind the 'Justice and Brightness' plaque in the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

"I invite all imperial princes, grandsons, and banner ministers to witness us retrieving the edict, while allowing the imperial consorts to come and pay their final respects to the late Emperor," Longkodo added.

Both the Ninth and Tenth Princes looked toward the Eighth Prince.

The Eighth Prince rolled his eyes thoughtfully, then asked in a loud voice, "What imperial edict? Just because you say there is one doesn't make it so. Did Imperial Father ever personally state there was an edict? Where is Arsongga, the commanding imperial bodyguard on duty?"

"Indeed! Who knows if you are forging an imperial edict?!" the Ninth Prince argued sophistically.

"Eighth Brother! Ninth Brother! What on earth are you trying to do? Must you persist in actions that betray Imperial Father and our Great Qing?!" Yongzheng demanded, glaring at the two of them.

Looking highly agitated, the Eighth Prince retorted, "Fourth Brother, I simply do not trust Longkodo."

At this, Yongzheng softened his tone slightly. He cast a glance at the Eighth Prince and said in a deep voice, "Eighth Brother, I know you are filled with lingering resentment, but Imperial Father has indeed appointed me as the new sovereign. For the long-term stability of the Great Qing state, I shall naturally place you at the head of all our brother-princes and grand ministers, granting you overarching authority in state affairs. After all, who is unaware of your talents and your reputation as the Virtuous Eighth Prince?"

"Fourth Brother speaks the truth!"

"Eighth Brother, I know that among the six commanding imperial bodyguards, four are close to you. Tenth Brother holds the Bordered Yellow Banner, and you yourself control the Plain Blue Banner."

"However, one of the commanding imperial bodyguards currently on duty, Marsai, is close to Fourth Brother."

"Furthermore, before his death, Imperial Father appointed Twelfth Brother to concurrently command the Bordered White Banner. Since he was already the commander of the Plain White Banner, two of the elite Manchu upper three banner forces are now in his hands."

"He has now handed over the authority over the military cadets transferred to guard the Changchun Garden to me. Right now, the entire garden is filled with my men, and Arsongga on duty cannot command them."

"Therefore, there is no need for you to risk your life merely to provide Fourteenth Brother with an excuse to raise an army."

"If you are willing to consider the greater good, I too will support Fourth Brother in honoring you as the foremost prince and minister!" The Thirteenth Prince, Yinzhi, earnestly persuaded the Eighth Prince.

The Twelfth Prince, Yinzhuo, chimed in with a self-deprecating chuckle, "Eighth Brother, you know I was born to a bondservant mother, so I have no grand ambitions. Yet Imperial Father suddenly ordered me to command troops from two banners, leaving me no choice but to support Fourth Brother. I do not wish to see my own brothers slaughtering one another—please do not hold a grudge against me."

The Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes were all utterly dumbfounded.

"Not only that, after taking charge of the Imperial Household Department last year, I learned that Tulisen, the current commander of the newly established City Defense Division, is Hongli's mentor."

"So, Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, what are you still holding out for?" the Sixteenth Prince asked as well.

At this point, the Eighth Prince looked toward the eldest among the princes present, the Third Prince. "What is Third Brother's view?"

"Alas, whether it is Fourth Brother or Fourteenth Brother, it makes no difference!"

"There is no need to force Fourth Brother into becoming a Li Shimin, nor to give Fourteenth Brother the opportunity to reenact the historical chaos of the previous Ming dynasty's Jingnan Campaign. Our Great Qing is neither the Great Tang nor the Great Ming. If we truly begin butchering one another, I fear none of us will even survive to return to our ancestral homeland."

"Eighth Brother, heed the imperial edict. Everything has already been arranged by Imperial Father; there is no sense in making a stubborn, futile resistance," the Third Prince sighed helplessly.

The Eighth Prince turned to the Seventh Prince. "And Seventh Brother?"

"Third Brother speaks wisely. It is best not to resort to bloodshed—follow the imperial edict! Just now, Imperial Father truly said he was passing the throne to Fourth Brother!" the Seventh Prince replied.

"What about the Ninth and Tenth Princes?" the Eighth Prince asked further.

The Tenth Prince answered, "I will follow Eighth Brother's lead! But Thirteenth Brother and Third Brother actually make sense."

The Ninth Prince pressed his lips together and looked at the Eighth Prince. "Eighth Brother, you decide."