Chapter 190 - The Qing Dynasty Upheaval, Phagpa's Response, Hongli's Wrath

Qing Dynasty, Capital City.

"Sigh, have you heard? The current Emperor Qianlong is not of Manchu imperial blood. He was adopted by Emperor Yongzheng from outside!"

"Heh, I heard that too. This news has spread across the entire world."

"Almost everyone knows it by now."

"Interesting, I bet those Manchu nobles must look quite unpleasant right now."

"It's more than that. I've heard many imperial princes are joining forces, planning to strip Emperor Qianlong of his throne."

"If not for the fact that Emperor Qianlong still controls his own military, he might not even be able to protect himself now."

"You know what? I got solid intel. Do you know Chen Jialuo, the Chief of the Red Flower Association?"

"Of course. He's a famous anti-Qing Dynasty patriot."

"Heh, Emperor Qianlong and Chen Jialuo are actually blood brothers."

"The previous Master of the Red Flower Association knew Chen Jialuo's identity and deliberately appointed him as the Master."

"Now you see the picture?"

"The Red Flower Association plans to have Chen Jialuo and Emperor Qianlong work together to overthrow the Qing Dynasty rule."

"To restore the rightful Han rule."

"But suddenly, an unexpected incident occurred."

"Emperor Qianlong's background got exposed, and now things are getting even more interesting."

"Who do you think exposed this secret?"

"The Red Flower Association? Or maybe another force?"

"Could be the Yuan Dynasty, or maybe the Ming Dynasty. Of course, other dynasties can't be ruled out either."

"Right now, Phagpa from the Yuan Dynasty is still in the capital. Not long ago, he had a falling out with Hongli and even killed several Land Immortal cultivators."

"The Yuan Dynasty is the most suspicious party. This could be their retaliation for Emperor Qianlong stealing Temujin's Dragon Essence."

Suddenly, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the entire Qing Dynasty in a short span of time.

Even the common folk had heard about it.

It was clear how fierce and swift the hand behind this move was.

Even a pile of evidence was made fully public.

Countless forces were stunned.

Especially the Manchu Imperial Family, who were in a state of panic.

Their Emperor turned out to be adopted from outside.

Didn't that mean the Emperor's bloodline wasn't legitimate?

In an instant, the Manchu imperial members sprang into action.

In fact, they acted openly and without restraint.

Not only that.

Across the Qing Dynasty, generals who held military power and various rebellious forces were all stirred in thought.

As for the central figure in this incident, Hongli.

He was furious beyond measure.

When he first heard the news, he immediately assumed it was a malicious setup.

He had a bunch of rumor-spreaders executed on the spot.

But then, when the real evidence was placed before him.

Even he began to harbor some doubts.

Regardless of the truth, he had to ensure the legitimacy of his bloodline.

He outright denied the allegations.

He even tried to use various tactics, including deception, to muddy the waters.

For a time.

True, false, and outright fabricated rumors all flooded the public and the court.

Everyone had their doubts, but for the moment, Hongli could not be toppled.

This gave him time to deal with the scheming rebels.

==========

Capital City, In a grand mansion.

"National Master, was this your doing?"

"If so, it was executed brilliantly."

"Hongli must be in a complete panic now."

"If this situation isn't handled properly, he might lose his throne."

A Yuan Dynasty bodyguard eagerly reported to Phagpa.

Phagpa was taken aback.

This incident had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Even if he were to act, he would never be so reckless.

This clearly went against the best interests of the Yuan Dynasty.

He felt like he had been dragged into a conspiracy.

It seemed like someone deliberately framed him as the mastermind.

Even his own guards believed he had done it. What about Hongli?

He would surely suspect him even more.

Just recently, the two had a serious falling out.

This situation might indeed be true.

"National Master, something major has happened!"

Suddenly, another guard rushed in with news.

"What happened?"

"Just now, someone staged a coup, rallying a large army to storm the Imperial Palace and assassinate Hongli!"

"What? Impossible! Who would be so foolish as to throw away their life like that?"

Phagpa was utterly shocked.

Even if Hongli wasn't of Manchu imperial blood, he was still the Emperor.

He controlled the military and commanded the deadly Flying Guillotine Division.

Who would be crazy enough to try that? It was practically suicide.

A rebellion?

It couldn't possibly succeed.

"You're absolutely right, National Master. It was Hongli's Fifth Brother, Hongzhou!"

"No one knows where he got the troops, but he actually broke into the palace and nearly killed Hongli."

"Fortunately, the Flying Guillotine Division arrived just in time and saved him."

"Under Hongli's furious orders, Hongzhou was executed by a thousand cuts and died a brutal death."

"Now the entire capital is talking about it."

"Hongzhou's death has thoroughly enraged and alienated the Manchu Imperial Family."

"After all, he was the late Emperor's biological son. He shouldn't have died like that."

"In their hearts, Hongzhou was one of their own. Hongli is just an outsider who seized the Manchu throne."

"The atmosphere in the capital is extremely tense. Even outside our mansion, spies are lurking."

The guard's report darkened Phagpa's expression.

The hand behind the scenes had orchestrated move after move in quick succession.

This was clearly a plot to make the Manchu force tear itself apart.

Especially with Hongli killing Hongzhou, the other Manchu imperial members were filled with grief and fear.

Now, whether or not Hongli was legitimate, he and the Manchu nobles could never be on the same side again.

Even Hongzhou's rebellion was likely part of the mastermind's grand plan.

There were surely spies planted within the Qing Imperial Court and palace.

Otherwise, Hongzhou could not have stormed the palace so easily.

Or nearly killed Hongli.

There was definitely an inside job.

Whoever did this was very capable.

Not to be underestimated.

Even Phagpa himself had become a pawn.

"National Master, should we leave the Qing Dynasty immediately? This place is turning into a den of chaos."

"No. If we leave now, we'll really become scapegoats."

"The mastermind will spread this far and wide and pin everything on the Yuan Dynasty."

"Even if we are not afraid, we cannot allow ourselves to be falsely accused."

In fact, Phagpa was already forming a theory.

The most likely mastermind was the Ming Dynasty.

They had probably been planning this scheme for a long time.

Of course, aside from the Ming Dynasty, other dynasties were also possible suspects.

But the Ming Dynasty remained the most likely culprit.

"For now, we hold our ground and observe the situation."

"Maybe we can even benefit from this chaos."

"After all, because of the Dragon Essence incident, relations between the Qing Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty are irreparably broken."

"We might as well exploit the turmoil and reap some rewards."

"You're absolutely right, National Master!"

Phagpa decided to wait and see.

The mastermind wouldn't stop there. A greater storm was surely on the way.

The only question was whether Hongli could withstand it.

If he could, fine.

If not, then his reign was coming to an end.

==========

Qing Imperial Palace.

"Despicable! Vile! Who is it? What traitor would dare frame me like this?!"

Hongli was seething with rage, roaring within the grand hall.

Beside him, Heshen trembled in fear.

His face was pale.

His current power and status were all thanks to Hongli.

If Hongli lost the throne, not only would he lose everything, he might also lose his life.

Right now, he and Hongli share the same fate.

He didn't care whether Hongli was really the Emperor's biological son.

What mattered was that the world had to believe he was.

But the mastermind's plan was too well-crafted.

Move after move struck before they could even respond.

He had a feeling things were about to get worse.

"Your Majesty, I believe this must be a conspiracy by the Ming Dynasty."

"Perhaps the Yuan Dynasty is involved too."

"Their goal is to create internal strife within the Qing Dynasty. Your Majesty, do not fall for their trap!"

"They're deliberately provoking you!"

Regardless of the truth, the best course was to shift public anger outward.

The Ming Dynasty had always been the Qing Dynasty's archenemy. Blaming them wasn't unjustified.

Even if they weren't behind it, it had to be said that they were.

"You're right, Heshen!"

"This is the Ming Dynasty's conspiracy."

"It's the scheme of that brat Zhu Houzhao. I will never forgive him!"

"My Fifth Brother... You died such a horrible death!"

"I was tricked by the Ming Dynasty and let you die like that!"

Hongli's eyes sparkled with fake sorrow as he wept loudly.

He acted full of remorse.

Heshen was momentarily stunned.

You're the one who ordered Hongzhou executed by a thousand cuts. This has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty.

But he didn't care.

He knew Hongli's character all too well.

Nothing surprised him anymore.

"Your Majesty, bad news!"

"What is it?!"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Mulibu and Prince Heshotuo have rebelled."

"They've led the Plain Blue Banner and Bordered Blue Banner troops into the capital, apparently planning a coup!"

"Fortunately, Your Majesty's loyal troops, the Plain Yellow Banner and Bordered Yellow Banner, stopped them."

"Otherwise, they would've stormed the palace by now."

"What?! Impossible! What about the other banners? Why didn't they act?"

"Your Majesty, they are all doubting you. They believe you're not of imperial blood. Until the truth is clear, they dare not move."

"Despicable! This is yet another part of the mastermind's scheme?"

"How sinister! They want to turn my army against itself!"

Hongli ground his teeth in hatred, burning with fury toward the mastermind.

He publicly blamed the Ming Dynasty.

But deep down, he suspected the Ming Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, and even people within the Manchu Imperial Family.

Everyone had a motive.

"No, I can't sit back and take this anymore. I must strike back!"

"Damn it! If the Empress Dowager hadn't vanished, this never would have escalated to this point!"

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

List of Characters:

Broken Void ( 破碎虚空 )

・Phagpa ( 八思巴 ) — National Master of Yuan Dynasty

The Book and The Sword ( 书剑恩仇录 )

・Aisin Gioro Hongli ( 弘历 ) — Emperor of Qing Dynasty

・Heshen ( 和珅 ) — Corrupt Minister of Qing Dynasty