Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

In Bauhinia City, in the imperial study, Emperor Kangxi was sitting on the dragon throne, and in front of him stood Duolong, the chief of the imperial guards.

Duolong respectfully reported to Emperor Kangxi what happened on the evening of New Year's Day.

It turned out that the assassin who broke into the palace was actually a lieutenant general under Wu Sangui. After Wu Sangui was eliminated by the court, the lieutenant general fled to the capital and attempted to assassinate the emperor.

Emperor Kangxi did not blame Duolong after listening to his report. After all, this matter was not something Duolong could control.

Emperor Kangxi asked Duolong to strengthen the inspection of people entering and leaving the palace to prevent similar incidents from happening again. After Duolong received the order, he left the imperial study.

After Duolong left, Emperor Kangxi picked up a memorial from the desk and read it carefully.

This memorial was submitted by the Right Prime Minister Mingzhu regarding the negotiations with Western countries.

Because the Tiandi Army wiped out the multinational coalition forces, the influence of these countries in East Asia and South Asia was greatly reduced.

The Western devils shamelessly demanded that the Qing Dynasty compensate them for the losses they suffered, otherwise they would send troops to fight.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Kangxi angrily threw it on the table and said to himself: "Too outrageous! It's simply a naked threat!"

At this moment, the eunuch Wei Zhuer came to Kangxi and reported to him that Soetu requested an audience.

Kangxi was puzzled, wondering if Suo Etu had been sent to be the marriage envoy? Why did he suddenly return? However, he still ordered: "Announce."

Soon, Soetu walked into the imperial study, bowed to Kangxi, and then reported to the emperor in detail that Wei Xiaobao was unwilling to get married.

Kangxi was not surprised after hearing this. Instead, he smiled and said, "Let him be. I already knew that Xiaobao didn't know any etiquette."

Then, Kangxi picked up the memorial that he had just thrown on the desk, handed it to Suo Etu, and said to him: "Take a look at this."

Suo Etu respectfully took the memorial, quickly read it through, and then his face turned red with anger. He angrily cursed: "These Westerners are so shameless! As the defeated party, they even have the nerve to put on the posture of the victors and ask us to compensate for the losses. It's ridiculous!"

"If they really send warships from the sea, how should we respond?" Emperor Kangxi asked worriedly.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. The Western devils' lair is thousands of miles away from our Qing Dynasty. It will take a year or two to get there. In addition, the weather at sea is unpredictable, so it is questionable whether they can arrive safely." Soetu comforted.

"But what if he comes?" Kangxi still felt anxious.

"Your Majesty, aren't Dongzhou Island and Jinxia Island guarded by the Tiandi Army? How about we sign an offensive and defensive alliance treaty with them to jointly resist the Westerners?" Soetu suggested.

"That's a good idea. Go talk to Wei Xiaobao and see what he thinks." Kangxi nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty, that Wei Xiaobao is very scheming and snobbish. We will fall into his trap if we are not careful. I am worried that I am not his negotiating opponent. I would like to ask Your Majesty to come out and talk to him." Soetu said hesitantly.

"Let me go and talk to him?" Emperor Kangxi fell into deep thought, secretly wondering whether this was a good idea or not.

Kangxi had always been deeply concerned about this playmate he had met by accident. Otherwise, he would not have taken such good care of Jianning and Shuangshuang.

Thinking back to the beginning, Wei Xiaobao did not listen to his advice and still maintained a close relationship with the Tiandihui. What shocked Kangxi even more was that Gu Yanwu, Zha Jizuo and other great scholars actually tried to recommend Wei Xiaobao to become the emperor.

As Wei Xiaobao's power grew, the threat to the Qing Dynasty also intensified. Between personal feelings and the country, Kangxi chose the latter without hesitation.

Perhaps it was because of the initial selfish feelings in his heart that he was unable to make up his mind to completely eliminate Wei Xiaobao, the potential threat.

But now, from the perspective of resisting foreign invasion, if he had really been killed at that time, the crisis in Songjiang Prefecture would not have been resolved so easily. Perhaps, all this was arranged by God.

Thinking of this, Kangxi could not help but sigh: "Forget it, if that's the case, then let's meet! Today is the Lantern Festival, I will go to Jianning Mansion to visit."

After saying this, he asked his personal eunuch Wei Zhuer to prepare some exquisite candies, and called Duolong to accompany him. Then he dressed up and left the palace and headed for Wei's Mansion.

Wei Mansion was originally a Ming Dynasty palace on the Kunming Lake. It was later granted by Emperor Kangxi to Princess Jianning as her residence. The palace is about 15 miles away from the imperial palace. If you travel by horse, you can reach it in less than half an hour.

Emperor Kangxi led four ministers, including Suo Etu, Duolong and Wei Zhuer, and rode fast horses to the west. When they arrived at Kunming Lake, Emperor Kangxi was so shocked by the beautiful scenery that he stopped his horse and was intoxicated by it.

Wanshou Mountain on the shore of Kunming Lake is lush and green with shades of trees; the lake water is clear and green, as crystal clear as jade, sparkling, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, like a flowing emerald painting presented before everyone's eyes.

"What a beautiful place! Lord Suo, do you think it is somewhat similar to the West Lake in Jiangnan?" Emperor Kangxi asked with emotion.

"Your Majesty is wise and brave, and has a unique vision. The beauty of this place is truly incomparable to West Lake." Soetu replied flatteringly.

"Alas, my dynasty is now in a period of reconstruction. If it were not for the empty treasury, I would really like to build a summer resort here. It's a pity that I cannot realize this wish. However, I hope that my descendants will be able to fulfill this wish in the future." Emperor Kangxi stood on the bank of Kunming Lake, looking at the vast lake, and sighed deeply.

Perhaps it was an inadvertent wish of Kangxi. More than 70 years later, in 1750 AD, Emperor Qianlong spent 460 million taels of silver to build the Summer Palace on Kunming Lake.

This magnificent royal garden has become a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architectural art, attracting countless tourists to visit in later generations.

At this time, Emperor Kangxi had already arrived at the gate of Wei's mansion. The gatekeeper recognized Lord Suo Etu and knew that he was an important official around the emperor, so he let him in without notifying him.

In the front hall, Tong Guogang was sitting quietly on a wooden chair. He heard a noise at the door, opened his eyes, and saw that it was the emperor. He was so scared that he quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "I didn't know that the emperor was coming, and I didn't come to greet him. I hope you will forgive me!"

"My uncle is here too. This is not the court, so there's no need to perform formalities." Emperor Kangxi smiled and waved his hand, signaling Tong Guogang not to be nervous.