Chapter 56 From ancient times to the present, from various dynasties…

Yinzhen and his brothers were naturally familiar with the history of all dynasties throughout the ages. No dynasty could last forever; the rise and fall of dynasties was a common occurrence. Therefore, although they regretted the future demise of the Qing Dynasty, they could rationally accept it.

They originally thought that at worst, one of their descendants would become a tyrant who would ruin the Qing Dynasty, just like every dynasty before it.

But Mother never mentioned such a humiliating annihilation before!

Even Wen Shan felt extremely distressed when she mentioned that period of modern history filled with blood and tears, let alone the three of them, including Yinzhen.

Yinzhen nearly crushed the cup in his hand, Yinsi gritted his teeth and couldn't speak for a long time, while Yinxiang, with his outspoken nature, immediately started cursing.

"These Western barbarians are utterly shameless! They have seized my land and harmed my people. I will personally lead my troops to slaughter them all and avenge them!"

Yinzhen closed his eyes, thinking to himself that this was truly a sinner for all time.

The fall of the Qing Dynasty was not merely the collapse of a dynasty, but the suffering of the Chinese people caused by the invasion of barbarians. At that time, the Aisin Gioro clan, as the rulers of China, not only failed to protect their people, but also ceded territory, paid indemnities, and endured endless humiliation, allowing those Western bandits to burn, kill, and plunder while they themselves groveled and groveled in order to survive.

According to my mother, the entire land of China was just a hair's breadth away from becoming a colony of those foreigners, and from then on, it would have been doomed and could never recover.

After hearing this, Yinzhen felt nothing but anger that was about to burst from his chest, and a deep sense of shame and remorse.

The emperor's actions were even more reprehensible to the world than the Jingkang Incident of Emperors Huizong and Qinzong!

Yinzhi also felt his blood rushing to his head. Despite their constant fighting, the brothers all hoped for peace and prosperity for the Qing Dynasty. Even if it couldn't last for ten thousand years, they hoped it would at least be recorded in history as a powerful and prosperous dynasty like the Han and Tang dynasties. But now, future generations would probably nail the Qing Dynasty to the pillar of shame.

Enraged, Yinxiang jumped off the bed and paced back and forth on the floor. He circled around several times, but his anger still hadn't subsided. Thinking of what Wenshan had just said about the maritime ban and the closed-door policy, he frowned and asked, "The maritime ban was only implemented by Father Emperor in his later years. After Fourth Brother ascended the throne, I discussed it with him for a long time, and it was clearly lifted in the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign."

After hearing the entire history that followed, it seemed as if the source of all this was this policy of closing the country off from the world. The Qing Dynasty, by closing itself off from the world, fell far behind the West, leading to what Mother said: "If you fall behind, you will be beaten."

When the fourth brother first ascended the throne, the Emperor had essentially left them a mess. Because of the lax official style in the later years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Emperor began to appease everyone for the sake of his reputation in the future, with everyone trying to please each other. The corruption in the officialdom led to an empty treasury, and countless places owed the court money. As soon as the fourth brother took office, he began to collect the deficit, but even so, the money in the treasury was not much.

Therefore, Yinzhen and Yinxiang decided to lift the sea ban in hopes of promoting coastal trade and developing the economy.

So how exactly did they close their doors to the world again?

Wen Shan glanced at them: "After Hongli ascended the throne, it should have been around the twentieth year of Qianlong's reign. He reopened the sea ban, which just happened to cause him to miss the Western Industrial Revolution."

It's that brat Hongli again!!!

Yinzhen's chest heaved violently; he was almost driven to faint by the anger of his unborn son.

Yinzhi tossed aside the little trinket he had been kneading in his hand and said with a forced smile, "Fourth Brother, it seems you'll have to work hard to have a few more sons in this life. As for Hongli, I think you should just forget about him."

Although we can't attribute everything that happened in later generations to him, this kid can't escape blame either. As elders, we can overlook some minor matters, after all, what emperor is without fault? Although Hongli certainly didn't intend for the sea ban to develop to this point, it still led to a big mistake.

Yinxiang frowned and said, "Although Hongli did some good things, the sea ban was indeed a big mistake."

Wen Shan once told them that later generations had a complex opinion of Emperor Qianlong. On the one hand, he was indeed a competent political machine, decisive in killing and skilled in managing his subordinates, and recovered Xinjiang and the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan. On the other hand, he was also complacent, ambitious, and fond of luxury. After him, the Qing Dynasty basically began to decline.

"It would be good if Fourth Brother had more nephews in this life. We can carefully educate them and choose one to take over the Qing Dynasty's foundation. We must never repeat the same mistakes." Yinzhi now had no good feelings towards his fourth nephew, Hongli.

In his opinion, it was because his fourth brother had few children in his previous life, only a handful, so he couldn't choose. He could only pick the best among the worst. Since his father had more than twenty sons, he was bound to find a good one.

Yinzhen sighed but nodded, agreeing with Yinsi and Yinxiang's statement.

After listening to him, it seems that he really did have too few sons in his previous life, which is why things turned out this way.

As for Hongli... let him cool off in the meantime for now.

“We can’t just focus on the throne,” Yinzhen said in a deep voice. “Compared to that, who becomes emperor is a minor matter. Now that we know the truth, we must change this humiliating history.”

Yinzhi nodded: "Fourth Brother is right. We should pay more attention to the West. We used to treat them as barbarians and didn't care much, but they have become a major concern for us."

"It's just so-called technology, let's develop it too!" Yinxiang was also eager to try. "When the country is prosperous and the people are strong, I will request to lead troops to wipe them out and avenge this great grudge!"

Wen Shan felt somewhat gratified; if things could truly change, it would save countless innocent civilians.

"Mother, how much do you know about those Western technologies you just mentioned?" Yinzhi suddenly asked. "Do you know how they work?"

"..."

This question really stumped Wen Shan. As a liberal arts student, she can talk about history with ease, but when it comes to things like electrical machinery, she's a bit lost.

"I know a little about the basics, but I don't quite understand the more advanced stuff," Wen Shan said.

She understood the principles of steam engines to some extent.

“It’s alright. Since the West has only achieved this in the last few decades, we in the Qing Dynasty must also have the things that they use. There are also many extraordinary people in the countryside, but they are of low status and no one appreciates them. If we carefully search for them and keep up with the news from the West, we should be able to catch up.” Yinzhi stroked his chin and began to plan.

He simply refused to believe that the talents of the Qing Dynasty were inferior to those of the West.

These are all within Wen Shan's capabilities. At that time, the Qing Dynasty did indeed have many talented people who were good at astronomy, calendar, and mechanical calculations. Wen Shan wrote a list, which also included people who had not yet been born but were not too far removed from the present. Yin Zhen and Yin Si carefully put it away after reading it, and prepared to slowly gather these people together. They also sent people to take care of the parents of those who had not yet been born.

After talking about these things, Wen Shan could still tell that the three brothers were all in low spirits, each hanging their heads and thinking for a long time without saying a word.

Wen Shan understood that they needed to give each other some time to calm down, so she quietly left the main hall to go see Consort Min.

When they returned, the three of them were clearly a bit distracted and were huddled together talking about something.

After the mother and her children had eaten, Yinzhi and Yinxiang followed Yinzhen to Ganxi. Yinzhi said there were still things to discuss, so Yinzhi and Yinxiang would stay at Yinzhen's place for the night.

Wenshan told them not to stay up too late and then saw the three of them off.

That same night, Emperor Qianlong, who had been on the throne for over twenty years in another world, was sleeping when he suddenly dreamed of his father, his thirteenth uncle, and even his eighth uncle, whom he hadn't dreamed of for many years.

Emperor Qianlong immediately realized he was dreaming. It was one thing for his father and thirteenth uncle to be together, but for his eighth uncle to be with them meant he was definitely dreaming.

Then he saw his father, the Emperor, pull out a rattan cane and chase after him, beating him. His thirteenth uncle and eighth uncle also kicked him from the side. He was beaten all the way from the Hall of Mental Cultivation to the Qianqing Gate. He was so scared that he couldn't even understand what was happening.

When he finally woke up, he was covered in sweat. Consort Ling, who was beside him, sat up and took a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. She gently asked the emperor if he was being haunted.

Emperor Qianlong took a sip of water to moisten his dry and sore throat and said, "I just dreamt of my father and my thirteenth uncle. Strangely enough, my eighth uncle was also in the dream."

Consort Ling's brow twitched when she heard Qianlong address Yinzhi. The Eighth Prince had long been stripped of his imperial lineage and given a new name by the late emperor for treason, so he could no longer be considered the emperor's eighth uncle.

Since the dream was too absurd, Qianlong didn't continue chatting with Consort Ling. He pinched the bridge of his nose, saw that it was still early, and went back to sleep.

He had to get up early tomorrow to attend court. After lying down again, Qianlong tossed and turned, unable to figure out what he had done wrong recently that made his father, the Emperor, appear in his dream to beat him up even years after his death.

Consort Ling was also drowsy, but Qianlong's tossing and turning kept her awake, so she could only ask him softly what was wrong.

Emperor Qianlong sat up abruptly again. Consort Ling was so annoyed by him that she thought she wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight.

She sat up, lit the lamp, draped an outer robe over Qianlong's shoulders, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I will have someone prepare a calming soup for you. Please drink it before you go to sleep."

Emperor Qianlong preferred gentle and considerate women. The current Empress Ulanara was disliked by him because she was too strong-willed, and Consort Ling could only try her best to please him.

With a dark expression, Emperor Qianlong waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to call anyone in. After pondering for a while, he said, "Father has not appeared in my dreams for many years. Could it be that I have done something wrong to anger Father?"

"Your Majesty is overthinking it. Perhaps the late Emperor missed Your Majesty after not seeing you for so long." Consort Ling said with a smile, "The late Emperor was always strict and rarely smiled. Whatever he said or did was naturally meant to encourage Your Majesty."

Consort Ling wasn't stupid either. Just by looking at Qianlong's expression, she knew that the late emperor probably hadn't said anything nice in his dream, and it seemed that the emperor was either being scolded or beaten.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianlong's brows relaxed and he nodded repeatedly. When his father was still alive, he had always spoken sternly to his brothers. Recently, Zhao Hui had been busy leading troops to recover Xinjiang. He believed that he had accomplished an unparalleled feat, just like his grandfather had quelled the Three Feudatories and recovered Taiwan. He also occasionally thought that if his father knew, he would be extremely pleased with him.

Perhaps it was because he had been thinking about it during the day that he dreamed about it at night, and he dreamed about the time when his father, the Emperor, strictly disciplined him.

Only after successfully convincing himself did Emperor Qianlong go back to sleep, satisfied.

When Yinzhen woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed. He, Yinsi, and Yinxiang had chatted until midnight the night before, and the three of them ended up sleeping together on his bed.

When Yinzhen woke up, Yinsi and Yinxiang were still asleep. Yinsi was sleeping peacefully with his hands folded over his lower abdomen, but Yinxiang's sleeping posture was rather unsightly. He was sleeping crookedly and squeezed Yinsi to the very back.

Yinzhen smiled and tucked the blankets into his two younger brothers' clothes. Jinbao, who had been on night watch the previous night, heard the noise and hurriedly helped Yinzhen change his clothes.

"Go out and tidy up; the Eighth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince are still asleep," Yinzhen said in a low voice.

Yinzhi had just finished washing up in the outer room when he came out, with Xiao Shunzi following behind, carrying his clothes.

"Why didn't you call me when you got up, Fourth Brother?"

After getting dressed, Yinzhi yawned slightly. After hearing his mother talk about the tragic state of the Qing Dynasty in later generations, none of the brothers could sleep. They talked until late at night before finally falling asleep.

“You and your thirteenth brother are both fast asleep; it’s not time yet,” Yinzhen said.

“The thirteenth brother is still asleep. He doesn’t need to go to the study, so don’t wake him. Let him go back to Xianfu Palace when he wakes up,” Yinzhi said.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Pearl and Baoquan arrived, bringing with them the breakfast that Wenshan had prepared for them.

"Fourth Prince, Eighth Prince, His Majesty said that the gentlemen had a small gathering last night and probably slept late, so there's no need to go to Xianfu Palace to pay your respects. Just go directly to the Imperial Study after breakfast," Pearl said with a smile.

Mother has always been very considerate and caring towards them. Yinzhen nodded and said, "Thirteenth Brother is still sleeping inside. When he wakes up, you can take him back."

Wenshan made some congee and side dishes, and steamed a few small plates of shrimp dumplings. Yinzhi ate one and suddenly remembered his dream from last night.

"Speaking of which, I had a strange dream last night." Yinzhi dismissed the palace servants and said with a smile, "I dreamt that the two of us and the thirteenth brother went to see that brat Hongli..."

"And then you beat him up?" Yinzhen raised an eyebrow and replied.

Yinzhi was taken aback: "How did Fourth Brother know? Could it be..."

Yinzhen nodded, clearly feeling much better after beating Hongli up.

“I had the same dream last night.”

The two exchanged a glance, both feeling a sense of wonder. But then they realized that they and their thirteenth brother had both lived a second life, so it wasn't so strange that they were being visited in a dream.

As the two were talking, Yinxiang emerged from the inner room, still half asleep.

He was half asleep when he smelled the aroma of food. He knew immediately that it was his mother who had made it. Sure enough, when he came out, he saw his fourth brother and eighth brother eating with great relish.

"Fourth Brother, Eighth Brother, you didn't even call me for breakfast!"

Yinxiang complained that he was the only one in bed when he woke up in the morning, which made it seem like he loved to sleep.

“You’re sleeping like a little pig. Your fourth brother and I called you several times, but you didn’t move.” Yinzhi teased him on purpose.

Yinxiang didn't believe him. His brother never told the truth and always liked to deceive people, especially him.

"Let's not talk about that now. I had a dream last night..."

Yinzhen and Yinsi looked at each other and burst into laughter. Yinxiang was a little confused as he watched them laughing so hard.

"This dream was quite funny and satisfying, but I haven't told you yet..."

After Yinzhen and Yinsi had finished laughing, Yinxiang realized that the three of them had the same dream.

Yinxiang picked up a shrimp dumpling and took a vicious bite, saying, "Hmph, it seems that brat Hongli is probably dreaming about it too. If there's a next time, I'll definitely kick him and make him run eight laps around the palace!"

Unexpectedly, the aroma of the breakfast prepared by Wenshan not only woke up Yinxiang, but also attracted the eldest and third princes who also lived in the Fifth Palace of Ganxi.

"Oh, what are Eighth Brother and Thirteenth Brother doing here so early in the morning?" The Third Prince lifted the curtain and came in. The room was filled with the steaming aroma of a brazier and the fresh smell of shrimp and ham, which made people feel dizzy.

The eldest prince followed closely behind, and was also somewhat surprised to see so many people in the room.

When Yinzhen and his brothers saw the two men enter, they stood up and greeted them.

“My thirteenth brother insisted on coming to see my fourth brother yesterday, so I brought him here. But it was too snowy to travel, so we didn’t go back.”

Yinzhi, without batting an eye, shifted the blame onto Yinxiang.

Anyway, Yinxiang was only three years old, which is the age when he was just being mischievous, so this reason is very appropriate and makes a lot of sense.

As expected, the eldest prince and the third prince had no doubts. The third prince said with a smile, "The three of you have been close since childhood. My eldest brother and I have never had any brothers to play with in the palace since we were young, which makes us envious."

Although the eldest prince disdained these so-called brotherly feelings, he didn't say anything, and sat down with his hands behind his back.

The eldest and third princes sat down and glanced at the table several times, clearly intending to freeload a meal.

"This must be Consort Xuan's cooking. I just ran into my elder brother outside, and the smell alone made my mouth water," the Third Prince said.

They had just returned from paying their respects to their respective mothers. The eldest prince had been reinstated by Emperor Kangxi to attend court and participate in government affairs. After paying his respects to Consort Hui, he was to go to court. Consort Hui had a bit of a headache today and the eldest prince hadn't gotten up yet, so she didn't invite him to stay for breakfast.

Although Consort Rong was still under house arrest and they couldn't meet, the Third Prince would still kowtow to her at the entrance of Zhongcui Palace every day.

When Emperor Kangxi learned of this, he praised the Third Prince for his filial piety.

So neither of them ate at their respective mothers' houses. They were both hungry and were preparing to come back for breakfast. As soon as they smelled the aroma, they couldn't move and came to Yinzhen's place together. Consort Xuan often brought food to Yinzhen, and they, along with their fifth and seventh brothers, often came to freeload.

Yinzhen and the others could tell from their tone that they wanted to freeload a meal, so they had no choice but to invite them to eat with them.

The two of them didn't stand on ceremony. The eldest prince, feeling obliged to help, said a few kind words, thinking that the Emperor's recent favor towards Consort Xuan must be due to her excellent cooking skills.

As the saying goes, food and sex are human nature, so this is a perfect match.

Fortunately, Yinzhen and the others had almost finished eating before they arrived. Ever since Wenshan learned that these princes would occasionally come to freeload off Yinzhen's meals, she would deliberately cook extra food. If they couldn't finish it, she could share it with the palace servants. It would be troublesome if they shared it with the eldest prince and the others and didn't get enough to eat.

Yinxiang whispered to Yinsi that his mother was indeed farsighted, and Yinsi smiled but said nothing.

Since they were there to freeload a meal, the eldest and third princes were very nice, and it seemed like the brothers were having a good time eating together.

"Shouldn't my eldest brother be getting married next year after the mourning period for the Empress Dowager ends?" The Third Prince asked suddenly after finishing a bowl of ham and rice porridge.

The three-year mourning period for the Empress Dowager will end next year. Empress Tongjia is considered the successor empress. The national mourning period is supposed to be a period of 27 months during which marriage is forbidden. However, when Empress Niohuru passed away two years ago, Emperor Kangxi decreed that only one year of national mourning was required. So this time it will be the same. It will be about the end of next year, which will coincide with the end of the Empress Dowager's mourning period.

The eldest prince's marriage was arranged several years ago, but unfortunately, it was postponed due to the death of the Empress Dowager, and then Empress Tongjia passed away, so it was never mentioned again.

"Then I'll take your kind words, Third Brother," the eldest prince said, wiping his hands. "As the ancients said, 'Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.' It would be good if one could start a family."

A few days ago, after testing the studies of several princes, Emperor Kangxi mentioned this matter, saying that Yinti was getting older and it was time to get married and establish his own residence outside the palace.

There's another layer of meaning in these words that makes people think: if they're going to leave the palace and establish their own residence, does that mean they'll be granted a noble title?

Except for the crown prince, all the brothers are still bald.

However, Emperor Kangxi only hinted at the point, always preferring to leave things ambiguous and unpredictable, making it difficult for people to grasp the true meaning.

However, it was clear that the eldest prince was already confident and self-satisfied, feeling that he was going to become the first prince or duke among the princes.

If the Emperor is willing, it's not impossible for him to become a prince.

Yinzhi smiled and said, "I've heard that Lady Irgen Gioro is beautiful and virtuous. Congratulations, elder brother."

The Third Prince leisurely ladled out another bowl of porridge, glancing at the smug First Prince and then at the unmoving Yinzhen.

In fact, he, the Crown Prince, and his fourth brother were all of marriageable age. After all, choosing a partner takes time, and preparing for the wedding takes even longer. In particular, the Crown Prince will be fifteen next year, and the Emperor has not mentioned any of the other marriages except for his eldest brother's.

The Third Prince couldn't help but wonder, unable to fathom Kangxi's meaning.

The eldest prince laughed and said, "Of course, of course. On the day of the wedding, I will definitely invite all my younger brothers to the banquet, so that we brothers can all have a good time together."

"However, it's not certain that we'll be able to get married next year."

After the group finished their breakfast, the palace servants cleared away the food and served tea. The eldest prince took a sip of tea and, with a hint of suspense, suddenly said something like this.

The three princes, including Yinzhen, naturally knew what the eldest prince was talking about. It was that their father, the Emperor, would personally lead an expedition against Galdan next year, and the eldest prince would accompany him.

This time, Emperor Kangxi only brought his eldest son with him on his personal expedition.

Moreover, the news that Kangxi was going to personally lead the expedition had not yet spread. The eldest prince also believed that he was favored by Kangxi. He thought that his father had told him, but his other brothers did not know. So the eldest prince inevitably started to show off in front of his younger brothers.

The Third Prince knew nothing about it and pressed him for details about what had happened.

The eldest prince couldn't suppress the smirk on his face and whispered, "Not many people know about this yet. We're brothers, so I'll tell you. Father Emperor is supposed to personally lead an expedition against Galdan next year."

“Galdan has been wicked and treacherous in recent years, incurring the wrath of the gods and the resentment of the people. Father Emperor can no longer tolerate him. This time, Galdan will be executed and the Khalkha Mongols will be pacified. As your elder brother, I am a few years older than you, so I will go with Father Emperor.”

The eldest prince felt even more smug when he saw the shock flash across their faces.

However, the three princes, including Yinzhen, were faking it, while the Third Prince was genuinely shocked.

After a moment, Yinzhen said, "In that case, we younger brothers can only wish Father and elder brother a great victory."

The Third Prince also came to his senses and echoed, "The First Prince has successfully achieved his goal of getting a free meal and showing off," and then he left with the Third Prince.

"The news came so quickly, it must have been more than just Father Emperor who told him, right?" Yinzhi said slowly.

“Ha, Longkodo,” Yinzhen said coldly.

Knowing that there are more important things to do in the future, we must now be even more determined to eliminate these people who harbor malicious intentions and selfish motives.

There isn't enough time for them to play slowly.