"Nu cai Yixin......wish to be the emperor, for the great Qing, to go through hot and cold!"
Prince Gong Yixin also knew that it was not the time to withdraw, so he fell to his knees to receive the imperial edict.
After all, he was the closest to the throne after the current emperor Xianfeng of the Great Qing Dynasty... Emperor Xianfeng's physique seemed frail, short and thin, withered and lame. Not only did he not look like a ruler, but he also had an aura of early death.
There are also rumors that he was not...
If there is no son to take over at that time, then Prince Gong will be the destined man of the Great Qing Dynasty!
If Emperor Xianfeng were to have bad luck and give birth to a misfortune-filled son before his death... Then wouldn't there still be state affairs in turmoil, and the need for an elder prince to handle them?
The most suitable candidate for the throne of the Qing Dynasty at present, widely recognized, is none other than His Royal Highness Gong Yixin, the sixth prince!
What are his abilities? He is well-versed in ancient knowledge and modern affairs, has great martial arts skills, deeply understands foreign affairs, and now even manages to subdue demons and control spirits!
It's just that the former emperor was senile and actually passed the throne to a son who was both lame and withered, thin as a stick, and dull-witted... But the Manchu nobility within the Four Nine Cities and the civil and military officials at court all have crystal clear understanding in their hearts.
Therefore, Gong Yixin, the sixth prince, still has a chance, and he needs to work hard to show his worth!
And to make efforts... It is necessary to seize power!
How can one make efforts without power?
Thinking about this, Gong Qin Wang said with a difficult expression: "However... Although I understand some Western affairs, I only know some strange skills and military strategies of the Westerners, and I don't understand their methods for defeating demons and performing miracles."
"What should we do then?" Emperor Xianfeng's face with pockmarks became grave.
It turns out that a muffled-faced Qing Dynasty emperor with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks actually looks somewhat intimidating — he resembles Kangxi!
Perhaps this is the reason why Daoguang passed the throne to him?
"Your Majesty, the slave can learn..." Gong Qin Wang said, "There are also lamas from the Russian Tsardom in Beijing. I can find them to learn from."
Lamas from the Russian Empire?
Xianfeng was startled: "Lamas can capture Western demons? If they have this ability, you don't need to find the Russian lamas. We have them in our country! I will immediately issue an edict to summon the largest lama in the snowy land!"
Hearing Xianfeng say this, the several military machine ministers below were a bit too nervous.
How can the emperor not know anything?
"Your Majesty," Jing Jianzhao, one of the military machine ministers, spoke in with a distinct accent of Shanxi Province. "The lamas from the Russia are not the same as the lamas in the snowy land. They are not Buddhist lamas, but they worship God... These lamas came to Beijing during Kangxi's reign. There is a St. Nicholas Church on Dongzhimen South Gate, which is their temple."
"The St. Nicholas Lama Temple?" Xianfeng pondered for a moment, but still couldn't remember.
Prince Gong Yixin reminded, "Your Majesty, the late Emperor Xianzong Xian, used this St. Nicholas Lama Temple to correspond with the Russian Empress Catherine the Great! When we were young, we heard the former emperor tell us about this matter."
"When we were young..." Xianfeng thought in his heart: "Your memory is so good!"
"Alright... Go and learn from that St. Nicholas Lama how to dispel Western demons!"
"Your Majesty," Yi Xin said, "What excuse should I use to go to them? The St. Nicholas Lama is under the management of the Lufan Yuan's Russian office, and I don't have authority over them..."
"Oh, I need an official title!"
Xianfeng finally understood what his younger brother meant by saying all this nonsense?
"Well... I'll give you the title of Minister of Rites," Xianfeng said, "and you can also study and act at the Grand Council Office!"
The Minister of Rites is actually not very important, as the Rites Department of the Qing Dynasty is a relatively empty office nowadays. But the title of "Grand Council Student" is quite significant, which is commonly known as a Military Machine Minister!
Local officials who pay "charcoal tribute", "ice tribute", "festival tribute", and "farewell tribute" to Beijing cannot forget the military machine minister's share!
And Yi Xin is also a prince, although he is just a "student", the "various tributes" given to him must be according to the standards of the grand military ministers!
In a year, they can earn tens of thousands of taels just lying down!
Let alone the various officials seeking favors at their doorstep...
Thinking about the abundant wealth that was about to come his way, Prince Gong Yixin knelt down and bowed deeply to his elder brother, saying, " Slave Yi Xin, bows in gratitude for the imperial favor!"
Xianfeng nodded and said, "Alright, go and do your job well!"
Then he waved his hand at Qi Jianzhao, Peng Yunchang, and Mu Yin, saying: "All rise!"
......
Seeing that his good brother Yi Xin and Qi Jianzhao, Peng Yunchang, and Mu Yin had all left the room, Xianfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief, supporting himself with the table in front of him and stood up, prepared to leave with a limp.
His confidant eunuch, Andy Hai, immediately rushed up to the side of the Qing Dynasty's "lame emperor", took his arm, and smiled sweetly, asking: "Your Majesty, it's getting late now. Who are you going to turn over tonight?"
Xianfeng pondered for a moment, "Is Consort Zheng's health better?"
Consort Zheng was born with the surname of Nuru and entered the palace in February this year. She was only sixteen years old, which made her look young. She had a slender figure, an oval face, big eyes, and was very favored by Xianfeng. Moreover, she came from a good background. Her father was Yalu Duan (Shi Shouhua), one of the five great ministers of the Qing Dynasty. Her stepmother was the third daughter of Guang Wan Prince Yurongga of Beiyang Kingdom and Guangbei Xuanruzi. Although she came from a noble family, she suffered from serious gastritis and amenorrhea... How could she give birth to a son with such a body?
"Your Majesty, the court physician said that Consort Zheng's health needs to be taken care of properly," Andy Hai knew that Xianfeng liked young women, but this prince currently had no son to succeed him. Therefore, he had to inform him of the suggestions from the Imperial Medical Office, "Consort Lan's health is very good..."
Lan Consort was born with the surname of Nara and was eighteen years old this year. Her health was indeed good. Although she wasn't a big girl, she was much taller than Consort Zheng, standing at around 1.6 meters, only slightly shorter than Xianfeng. Her figure had also matured, weighing about 100 pounds, heavier than Xianfeng...
"Then let it be Consort Lan!" Xianfeng sighed, and to have a son as soon as possible, he could only settle for Consort Lan.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Andy Hai responded with a bow, and then supported Xianfeng to leave.
......
The sky was dim, and it was already evening. A young official in a fifth-rank robe, followed by a guardsman from a Prince Gong Yixin's mansion, moved through the newly obtained prince's residence located on the southern bank of the Si Chuan Sea.
Though the young man was tall and robust, he appeared very constrained as he walked through the majestic mansion, not daring to look around at all. He simply followed the guard leading the way, proceeding forward without deviation.
As they walked to a large hall's entrance, the guard in front suddenly stopped, and the young man almost didn't have time to react before he collided with him from behind.
The guard turned back and glared at him, reminding in a low voice: "Be careful of your manners!"
He then bowed to the eunuch standing at the doorway of the hall with a lowered head, saying, "Elder brother, could you please inform them that the supervisor of the Lufan Yuan's Russian office, Baisiwen, has been brought."
The eunuch looked at the young man with a glance, turned around, and entered the hall with great care, tiptoeing carefully.
Only then did the young official named Baisiwen raise his head and look around, noticing that the door of the hall above was inscribed with the signboard "Duo Fu Xuan".
"Let him in!"
A young man's voice was heard from inside the Duo Fu Xuan.
The guardsman who led Baisiwen in, turned around and said: "Prince Gong is waiting for you inside!"
Baisiwen bowed to the guardsman, straightened his official robe, and then followed the guardsman into the hall.
The hall was lit by candles, but the light was still dim. Baisiwen looked up and saw a blue cushion chair under a hanging banner inscribed with "Tongde Yanxing", placed under a big chair. The young man sitting on the chair was wearing a blue long robe and was flipping through a book that looked like the Bible, taking advantage of the candlelight.
Could he be the Sixth Brother? Does he also want to worship God?
While Baisiwen was pondering, a second-rank official sitting on a round cushion beside him suddenly said, "Baisiwen, haven't you paid your respects to Prince Gong yet?"
Baisiwen finally realized what he had to do and quickly paid a respectful bow: "The supervisor of the Lufan Yuan's Russian office, Baisiwen, greets the prince with good health."
Prince Gong put down the Bible in his hand, looked at Baisiwen, muttering, "So young?" Then he asked the second-ranking official, "Sheng Bao, does he understand?"
"Your Highness, I've inquired carefully with the people of the Rites Department. This Baisiwen comes from a family of Manchu banners, specifically from the fourth senior commandant and seventeenth sub-command of the Manchu Xianhuang Banner... His ancestors were Russian, and his family has believed in the Russian God's teachings for generations."
This second-rank official was actually Sheng Bao, brother of Gao Jiajia Yuan Bao, who held the position of a Councilor and a Scholar!
Sheng Bao and Yuan Bao were both slaves of the third-degree sub-tribe named Sages in the Xiabai Banner, while Prince Gong was the small banner master of the Xiabai Banner. Sheng Bao and Yuan Bao's sub-tribe was exactly allocated to Prince Gong, although it was just a nominal title, from now on, Sheng Bao and Yuan Bao were slaves of Prince Gong.
Prince Gong nodded: "He comes from a Russian sub-tribe... What is your surname?"
"In reply to Your Highness," Baisiwen said, "My surname is Popov."
"Popov..." Prince Gong asked again, "Have you memorized the Bible?"
"Your Highness, I have indeed read the Bible extensively."
"That's interesting," Prince Gong said, "Let's see what you say when I ask you if there are any records about 'Og the Bull' in the Bible?"
As soon as Prince Gong posed his question, Baisiwen had not yet spoken, but Sheng Bao laughed first: "Prince, are you joking? The Bible is not 'Journey to the West'; how could there be a Bull King?"
Prince Gong waved his hand to Sheng Bao and looked at Baisiwen.
"Supposedly... yes!" Baisiwen deliberated and replied, "There's no Bull King, but there is a golden ox. It is recorded in the Old Testament and caused quite a stir..."
Prince Gong was taken aback: "So there really is a Western Bull King!"
