Because he was worried that Kangxi had a secret message, Fang Bao got up early in the morning and rushed to Changchun Garden in a green cloth sedan chair. When I arrived at the gate of the garden, I saw that Zhang Tingyu was already waiting there. Fang Bao got out of the sedan chair, looked at the starry sky, took a breath of cold air, and said with a smile: "I thought I must have taken the lead today, but I didn't expect you to get up earlier than me." ”

The two of them were gossiping about each other, when they saw two watermelon lanterns coming out of it. When he looked closely, it was the guard Fifth Brother Zhang, Zhang Tingyu hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Fifth Brother, are you patrolling the night?" Do you know that the emperor summoned Mr. Fang and me? ”

"You're already here!" The fifth brother smiled: "I am waiting for the order. Come in with me! ”

Zhang Fang and the others followed Zhang Wuge along the flower cave, and saw that Ning Ningju was standing in the distance, but he didn't go over, and went north along the stone fence bridge in the east of the palace.

"Here we are." The fifth brother breathed a sigh of relief and stopped, "It's in this small courtyard." This is the palace within the palace, the garden within the garden, I can only go here, in front of which is the imperial garden managed by Lord Wudan. Then he went away.

Fang Bao and Zhang Tingyu glanced at each other in surprise, Zhang Tingyu was also the minister of the guard, but he didn't know that there was such a forbidden place in the palace! At this time, the sky is getting brighter, but the two people are like in a dream, when they look up, they see that the houses here are short, the thatched house paper windows, the courtyard is planted with pine, cypress and cypress bamboo, the green and dark blue is heavy, the cypress wall is full of cypress seeds, the front door is in black on a white background, the word "poor house" is written, the upper room in the courtyard is lit up, there is a faint cold sound of the piano, the two eunuchs come out, beat a thousand children, let their hands go, and signal them to go in.

"Is the emperor already here?"

Zhang Tingyu asked as he stepped in. But the two eunuchs did not reply, but only bowed their heads to lead the way in front, and bowed down to the front of the steps. Fang Bao saw the eunuchs coming and going under the overhanded verandah on both sides, his steps were light, and he didn't say a word, but only greeted each other with gestures. The two of them were surprised, the sound of the piano in the main room was loud again, and the hooking and provoking was very slow, and someone whispered:

Tea and cold smoke dissipate the melancholy intercom feast,

Taixie is lonely and decaying.

The feathers are withered and look up to the sky!

What is the shortness of the world?

The tombs of the heroes of the ages are bleak,

The west wind is still shining, and the wanderer stays behind!

It is Kangxi's majestic and old voice. Fang Bao couldn't help but burst into tears, and he couldn't control himself, but he heard Zhang Tingyu choke and said softly: "The ancient old man is invincible, the emperor is in the heyday of the Spring and Autumn Period, why did he hurt himself and make such sad words?" ”

"Is it Tingyu and Fang Bao?" Kangxi stopped the piano and sighed slightly, "Come in." ”

The two of them agreed to come in, but they saw Kangxi sitting on the wooden couch, a puff of smoke wafting with a faint fragrance, a guqin across his knees, with melancholy in his eyes, but there was no sense of sadness. Seeing them come in, Kangxi ordered to be exempt from courtesy, and said in his mouth: "There is no sadness and music, just feel it as you like, I am not sad, it is just that you two have your own heart." ”

"The emperor shouldn't have gotten up so early," Fang Bao said, "Even if you can't sleep, it's good to lie down and recuperate." Kangxi smiled indifferently and said: "I'm really a little afraid of death, since my sons are not filial, and I don't care about myself, I'm afraid that I won't go to see my ancestors and ancestors early?" ”

Zhang Tingyu expected it to be yesterday, and Kangxi's anger had not yet calmed down, so he said: "According to what the ministers have seen, the brothers don't have the idea of rebelling against the usurpation of the throne." The second elder brother has been meditating for a long time, which is also human nature, and the emperor has warned them yesterday, so there is no need to be angry anymore. ”

"I'm not angry, I'm helpless." Kangxi's voice seemed to come from far away, but it was very clear. "Prince Yong advised me to let the eldest elder brother, the second elder brother, and the thirteenth elder brother all loosen up, and I Yuan also had this intention. Just look at this situation, I dare to let them go easily! Yinzhen, Yinzhen, Yinzhen, I'm afraid that there are still Yinzhen and Yinzhen, and they all want to lead the troops to the battle. Twenty years ago, it was too late for me to rejoice! Now you can't see through their hearts! Let me tell you, I am not afraid of the Chen Qiao mutiny at all. What they are afraid of is that they will spoil the inheritance handed down by their ancestors. Ten Arabutans are not afraid, as long as there is Tushetu Taiji to respond, he will be finished. I'm afraid that Ji Sun's disaster is within the Xiao Wall! ”

Zhang Tingyu said: "The emperor divided half of the area of the eight rich cities of Alabutan to Tuxie Tutaiji, the temple is clever!" "It's not clever." Kangxi put the piano aside and moved his body, "At that time, I said that this is an empty favor, and it depends on his own ability." Tuxie Tutaiji is still loyal, speaking of which, he is still Yinxiang's cousin! ”

"In that case," Fang Bao lowered his head and thought for a while, and said, "Why didn't the emperor pardon Yinxiang and simply make a bigger favor?" Anyway, Yinxiang is not at fault! "Where do you know Yinxiang!" Kangxi said, "He's different from others. If it was the fifth elder brother, I would have put my hand away a long time ago! Yinxiang is a bit like Yinxiang, stubborn and bold, so strong to win, since there is no blessing to inherit the position, you have to sharpen your temperament: to prevent him from stabbing the hornet's nest in the future. At that time, who can protect him without me? ”

Fang Bao stared at Kangxi with an unbelievable gaze, and said after a while: "The minister is ignorant, long live imprisoning the thirteenth elder brother, it turns out that it is not a punishment, but to protect him?" Even if the fourteenth elder brother is like this, why doesn't the emperor deal with it one case! ”

"That's a good question." A sly smile flashed in Kangxi's eyes, "But I said 'a bit like', and I didn't say the same." It is also because Khalkha Mongolia is Yinxiang's grandmother's house, so it is not appropriate to use the thirteenth elder brother. It's the fourteenth elder brother who went out, but I'm afraid it's more stable! Fang Bao has always wondered, why didn't he let Yinxiang go, it turned out that he was afraid that he would fight for this military power! Fang Bao had a heart in his heart, and suddenly felt enlightened: Brother is competing for the throne so fiercely, if Yinxiang goes to Qinghai and joins forces with his grandmother's family in Khalkha, in case there is a change in Beijing, it will be really ...... Thinking about it, Fang Bao's face turned pale: The Emperor's Mind Technique is really terrifying! Kangxi saw Zhang Tingyu in a daze, so he said coldly, "If it weren't for this place, if it weren't for people like you, I would never say this." Forgive me for knowing my painstaking efforts, but you can't tell the truth, it won't benefit anyone. I have called you here, not for this. I would like to ask you what you think of my sons. This place is so secret that I will not condemn it, right or wrong—I will make a dozen copies of the edict. ”

Zhang Tingyu and Fang Bao were so shocked that their faces were like earth, and they knelt on the ground together with a "plop"! Fang Bao's cheeks twitched a few times, and he kowtowed, "Lord, what did you say!" I think it's impossible to be in the period! Zhang Tingyu also kowtowed again and again: "Fang Bao is playing!" Long live the year of the ear, the body is strong, and the holy life is endless! ”

"Don't be a layman!" Kangxi said calmly, "You guys are still sitting and listening to me." All emperors, regardless of whether they are mediocre or heroic, are taboo about the word 'death'. When I am sober, I don't want to do anything, and when I am in danger, I am already unconscious, so I ask my children and grandchildren to find a minister, and write a testament at will, the tone is not my tone, and what I say is not what I want to say, how sad! You are all talented people who learn from the poor world, think about it, is this kind of thing rare? ”

Of course, there are too many such things. Neither of them dared to reply, so they were silent.

"Since you don't have a prince alive, you can't help but think more about 'death'." Kangxi nodded heavily and sighed: "Everyone is afraid of death, in fact, no one can live forever." From Emperor Qin, Han Wu to Jiajing, Wanli is no exception. I can't learn from them! I am a prince of two wastes, and my heart is tired day by day, and I can't say that I am not strong anymore. The ministers did not dare to say it, but I knew that the old disease had arrived, and impermanence was approaching. I sat and listened to the ministers' work, and when it was a little longer, I was dizzy and trembling, and I looked indecent...... "Kangxi looked calm and calm, but Zhang and Fang had already heard that their hearts were shaking and sad, and tears were rolling in their eyes. Kangxi ignored it, and said: "I have already figured it out, this edict should be divided into two layers to write, the successor is one layer, needless to say, the more important layer, you have to take advantage of the time when your heart is clear, you will think about what you have done in your life, show your children and grandchildren with all your heart, and train your children and grandchildren to govern things." Therefore, it is necessary to say more words and make it clear one by one in the form of essays. You can't wait until it's useless to write a note and point to a successor! ”

Zhang Tingyu said with tears in his eyes: "The emperor treats his ministers with his heart, how dare the ministers be afraid and not speak? According to Chen Suri, the emperor's brother can track the emperor's footsteps, and it seems that the third elder brother and the eighth elder brother are the best. What the third elder brother lacks is the talent to manage affairs, and he lacks a little experience; Eighth elder brother, it seems that he is too accommodating to people, and he really can't talk about the big problem. ”

"What do you see?" Kangxi turned his face and asked Fang Bao.

"Knowledge, brothers are not ambiguous." Fang Bao pondered the words and said, "But the most important thing is to observe the situation and things, and act decisively. Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty and Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty are both very good at learning, but they have actually done things badly. Judging from the current situation, if the eighth elder brother takes over the throne, everything will be fine, people's hearts will be easy to stabilize, and there will never be chaos. But the eighth elder brother only learned the emperor's demeanor, appearance, and the way of being a man, but did not learn the emperor's way of being a king. Therefore, no matter the third elder brother or the eighth elder brother, the minister thinks that it is not enough. ”

Although he said it tactfully, Kangxi heard the sound outside the strings, and the two elder brothers did not learn the essence of Kangxi's way of being a king. Kangxi said: "You just have to say, it's best to be undisguised like this." ”

"The minister guesses what the emperor means," Zhang Tingyu muttered, "This time the fourteenth elder brother will be used." But the fourteenth elder brother is the person around the eighth elder brother. Yin Shuang is straightforward and daring, and it is good to be smart and capable. In the past few years, the whole army has been raised and paid, and it has achieved great results. But he is always too bold to deal with people, and he must not be worried. ”

"Don't figure out what I mean. I don't mean anything," Kangxi smiled, "You just have to say." Zhang Tingyu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, bowed down and said, "Yes." The fourteenth elder brother really has shortcomings. Compared to it, the Thirteenth Elder Brother seems to be better. But the thirteenth elder brother seems to have no power to stand on his own, the main side, governing one thing, is a good courtier, no matter how big the burden is, it may be difficult to be competent. ”

Fang Bao said: "Tingyu has seen it very thoroughly. The minister thought that the fourth elder brother should also talk about it. The fourth elder brother is sincere and filial, and he is the first brother to do the most errands. No matter how big or small, they are all very serious. Strong self-reliance, so don't cling to others easily. But his character is as hard as stone. Because he was too serious, he fell into a mean name, and it can't be said that it is not a disease. ”

Then, the two talked about Yinyu, Yinyu and even Yinli. I talked about it for half an hour. Kangxi saw that the time for breakfast had arrived, so he passed a snack, gave the two of them a meal together, and said with a sigh of relief: "After talking for a long time, there are all benefits, and there are not, who is the best in the end, can hand over this flower and country to him?" ”

Zhang Tingyu saw that Kangxi was unabashedly heart-to-heart, and said boldly: "The minister thinks that the fourteenth master and the fourth master are the best." ”

"Really?" Kangxi picked up a piece of cloud cake, chewed it carelessly, and said with a smile, "This is a mother's compatriot, and they got together." I thought it was not undesirable! ”

Fang Bao bowed and said, "Forgive the minister." Fang Cai has already said that the eighth master is outstanding in terms of appearance and temperament, and he is indeed outstanding among the princes, with a generous and gentle personality, much like the emperor. Even foreign envoys said that the eighth master was a strange person. Everyone saw this, so they recommended him in unison. But if today's peace has been going on for a long time, the people are rich, and they have not moved their troops for more than 20 years. It is in great need of rectification, and the eighth master seems to be incompetent. ”

"Just as Fang Bao said!" Zhang Tingyu said, "Therefore, the person who inherits the throne must be shrewd and strong, and be able to correct the evils of the times!" First, it can gain insight into the situation and discussion of today's officials; The second is perseverance and strong enough to overcome difficulties! The minister watched coldly, the emperor didn't like the eighth elder brother, and the reason for this was this! ”

Before he finished speaking, Kangxi was so excited that he stood up, pacing back and forth with the sound of boots. After a long time, Fang Yangtian sighed and said: "What you are saying is extremely true, how difficult it is to prosper the country, what do I want to do if I want a master to take over?" What is Xiao Zi and what is not Xiao Zi, it is not to see how he walks, eats, and talks, but the most important thing is whether he can cure the country! If you think about it, I have been too lenient, and Yinxi is more 'lenient' than me; I have been too indulgent, and he is more indulgent than me, how can I get it after decades? You must know that I was not like this back then! I, the son of peace, have gone through many hardships, a knife and a gun, a drop of blood and a line of tears to earn it! Everyone earns their own fame, and good children do not rely on their parents to support them, it is easy to get, and they do not hesitate to abandon them. I am determined not to pass on Yinxi, just for this! ”

"Long live the Sage!" Fang Bao simply said, "The minister thinks that among Yinzhen and Yinzhen, one of them must be Chaoyang Mingfeng!" Kangxi's eyes flashed, and in an instant, he became casual again, and said with a smile: "There are no two days, there are no two lords of the people, and there can only be one emperor." Which do you think is better? ”

It was only at this point that the two of them were surprised to feel whether today's words were too much and too straightforward. Zhang Tingyu was thinking about how to answer correctly, but heard Fang Bao smile and said: "Which is better, the saint asked too abruptly, and the minister never thought about it." If you talk about the minister's way, what Tingyu and I talked about today is more and more rude. This is a matter of the Lord's arbitrary decision, and the courtiers should not speak in vain if they are inquired by the Holy One. But the minister, with his cloth cloth, received the eternal favor of the Lord, and could not avoid it as usual. These two princes, if the emperor has a fixed opinion, it will be enough; If there is hesitation, the minister has a way to decide for the emperor! ”

"What law?" Kangxi's gaze suddenly became aggressive.

"Look at the emperor!" Fang Bao said coldly, "There is a good emperor and grandson, which can ensure the prosperity of the three generations of the Qing Dynasty!" ”

Kangxi suddenly remembered the Hongli he had seen when he was hunting in Rehe. Kangxi increased the amount with his hand, and was just about to say: "I have it!" But he stopped, Gege smiled and said, "Fang Bao, your words are worth ten thousand taels of gold!" There is a way that wisdom is better than the sage and the sage is not long-lived, and the person who perceives the deep fish is ominous, you have to be careful! I see, you don't have to run errands in the upper study. Come here every day, here are the rare edition of the cheats, you can read if you have nothing to do, I will look for you if you have something, and I will polish my will. There is only one thing you have to be careful, and you have to be careful when making friends with outsiders. Otherwise, even though I love you, I won't be able to protect you. ”

"Hooray!" Fang Bao couldn't help but be stunned, he never expected Kangxi to hand over such an important confidential matter to himself, so his heart was beating wildly, and he hurriedly said, "The minister's talent is weak, I'm afraid it will be difficult to take on this important task!" Zhang Tingyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thought: This hot red charcoal ball finally didn't fit into his arms.

Kangxi paced to the window, pushed open the partition door, looked out in a daze, and sighed for a while: "Sad autumn, Song Yu is not disease-free**!" In the garden, I saw that the red, thin and green were thin, and the branches sprouted again in the coming year, it would be another scene! With that, he turned around and looked at Fang Bao and Zhang Tingyu with deep eyes. said gloomily: "Zhang Tingyu, you have a bigger stake!" Fang Bao helped write the edict, but you have to keep it safe, one wrong step, the nine clans will suffer, do you understand? ”

"Minions understand!" Zhang Tingyu's face was snow-white, and he bowed to the ground with a plop, "Slaves have no other strengths, they are loyal and cautious, and they can still be confident." The minions vouch for their own lives! ”

Kangxi waved his hand and ordered him to get up, his cold face seemed to have a layer of frost, and said: "The order to protect my name is to protect the Qing Dynasty, which is really extraordinary!" From this day forward, you are in danger of being in danger, and I will protect you as well. As a last resort, I am afraid that some extraordinary measures will have to be taken. It's useless to say it now, just remember it. ”

"Wow!" Zhang Tingyu and Fang Bao trembled awe-inspiringly, bowed down and replied. The two of them were already sweating their underwear at this time.

Kangxi immediately explained a few more details, and said: "You two are here to talk, what is there to make up for the gap, and then I will play it secretly." So he left the two of them and walked back to Ningju with his own "poor house". But seeing that Liu Tiecheng was on duty in front of the palace, Li Dequan and Xing Nian were standing at the door of the Moon Cave to greet them, and He Zhu'er was still standing next to him, Kangxi asked: "He Zhu'er, are you in?" What's the matter? ”

"The slave greets the master!" He Zhu'er kowtowed, got up and beat Qian'er again, and said cautiously: "Eighth elder brother is angry, his body is hot, and he has not eaten water and rice since last night, and he is talking nonsense...... Bafujin sent the slave in, and asked the master to say goodbye on behalf of the eighth elder brother, saying that he was afraid that the eighth master would have an accident, and he wanted to invite the master to meet him. The eighth master shouted long live in the heat, and the slave looked at it strangely pitiful......" Kangxi looked up and thought about it, and asked, "Has the imperial doctor seen it, what is the symptom?" He Zhu'er said: "It is said that it is malaria." One moment was cold and the other was hot, tossing for two days and two nights. Ba Fu Jin said......"

Kangxi knew that this "Eight Blessings" was the only daughter of the Mongolian King of Horqin, and the great-granddaughter of the Empress Dowager, who was very tough. It was expected that this woman must have taken advantage of the eighth elder brother's illness and sent He Zhu'er in, obviously to ask for peace, but secretly to test her attitude, and by the way, she stuffed herself with flies to eat, so she sneered: "You go back and tell your Fujin, I haven't been happy in the past two days, and I will be able to walk around in a few days, so I must go to see the eighth elder brother." Don't worry, the palms and backs of the hands are meat, and I don't have a reason not to hurt him. If you know that it is a swing, you should not do anything, and don't panic. People eat whole grains. Who doesn't get sick? Tell him to rest in peace for a few days, he is not well ill, he doesn't have to come to ask for peace, and the rest of the elder brothers, you don't have to come and go to see me, Xing Nian, you will send an order to the pharmacy later, and send some cinchona cream to Prince Lian. Then he nodded his head and went in with the people.

Seeing Li Dequan and Xing Nian and others embracing Kangxi away, He Zhu'er stood in a daze, really envious, jealous, hateful, and regretful in his heart.