Two days later, Kangxi summoned all his adult sons in Beijing, except for the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince.

The Ninth Prince asked in a rather nonchalant tone, "Did Father summon me here for something?"

He held a position, but it was just a position. He didn't have to attend court on weekdays and spent most of his time running profitable businesses, incidentally increasing the revenue of Kangxi's private treasury.

All my brothers in Beijing are here today, and I feel like something's not quite right.

Thinking this, the Ninth Prince suddenly looked at Yinzhen. Could it be that he was going to appoint the Crown Prince?

Before he could think further, Kangxi said, "Liang Jiugong, take the memorials to them all to see."

As everyone passed the memorial around, Kangxi spoke, "Earlier, Yinzhen discovered that an organization called the East India Company was spying on the Qing Dynasty. I didn't take it seriously at first. The Qing Dynasty is a great nation with many talented people. No matter how ambitious a group of foreigners across the ocean may be, they can't do anything to the Qing Dynasty. But Your Majesty went to India in person and witnessed firsthand the evil deeds of the East India Company, as well as their methods and tactics. This organization must be guarded against."

During the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean took place when the land of China was ruled by the Han people, who possessed the most advanced shipbuilding and navigation technologies.

But what about the Qing Dynasty?

Although the imperial court did not explicitly ban maritime trade, Emperor Kangxi was not fond of it due to the rampant piracy and Japanese pirates, and to avoid the collusion between officials and merchants in smuggling that occurred during the Ming Dynasty.

Imported goods were popular in the Qing Dynasty, and Qing silk, tea, porcelain, and other products were popular overseas. Emperor Kangxi was aware of this business opportunity, but he was afraid that huge profits would drive people crazy.

The Aisin Gioro family seized the throne from the Han people. Although several generations have passed since the Qing army entered the pass, Kangxi was still afraid.

What's there to be afraid of?

Fearing that their rule would be overthrown by the Han people, the maritime ban was not implemented for the time being, but they dared not promote it on a large scale either.

Emperor Kangxi was even secretly on guard against these things.

Therefore, while the shipbuilding and navigation technologies of the Qing Dynasty could not be said to have declined, they were certainly no match for the ambitious people of the East India Company.

Not to mention, they also had firearms.

More advanced firearms.

As a politician and military strategist, Kangxi was well aware of the consequences of such backwardness. He was confident that the East India Company would not succeed during his reign, and that his chosen successor, Yinzhen, was not incompetent. However, he could not guarantee the future of his grandson, or even his grandson's grandson...

If he hadn't known before, that would have been one thing, but now that he did, Kangxi wouldn't have been so short-sighted.

He was unsure how to proceed, as it was no small matter. Although not urgent, it was still important.

After everyone read the memorial and heard these words, the Tenth Prince, with his fiery temper, was the first to explode.

He spoke angrily: "Your Majesty, such ambitious and treacherous people cannot be tolerated. I believe we should attack them directly and subdue them, so that they will not dare to harbor any disrespect for the Qing Dynasty."

That's true, but sending it over was easier said than done. Across the turbulent ocean, not to mention the Qing Dynasty's limited maritime technology, the rampant pirates were an insurmountable obstacle, not to mention the powerful army of the other side.

That sounds powerful, but it's also utter nonsense.

Kangxi: "It's good that you have this intention, but you're separated by the ocean. How are you going to fight across it?"

The Tenth Prince knew he had acted impulsively and said something without thinking, so he lowered his head and remained silent.

Kangxi looked at the others and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

The former deposed crown prince had already left Yuqing Palace and been granted the title of Prince Li. He was also present, but he did not speak. It wasn't that he had no thoughts, but rather that his status made it inappropriate for him to speak, so he simply remained silent.

The eldest prince remained silent.

The two of them remained silent, and with the Eighth Prince, who was eager to make a name for himself, no one else spoke either.

Kangxi then began to directly call out names.

"Yinzhen, you tell us."

"Your Majesty, I believe that instead of guarding against the ambitions of foreigners, we should strengthen ourselves. Foreigners have shipbuilding skills, but our Great Qing has many talented people, especially those skilled in ingenious and unconventional techniques. We can build ships that are even more sophisticated than those of foreigners. Foreigners are skilled in navigation, but we can learn from them and send people to sail the seas. We can learn navigation techniques. Foreigners have powerful firearms, but we also have firearms battalions. The skills of firearms are similar to the mechanical arts of Lu Ban and Mozi. As long as Father Emperor gives the order, we can recruit ambitious people. When the time comes, we can set up corresponding official positions and find talented people to serve the Great Qing. Foreigners are ambitious, but we can also secretly accumulate strength and wait for the right opportunity. When the Great Qing army has mastered firearms that are superior to those of foreigners, more advanced ships, and more advanced navigation techniques, then the ambitions of foreigners will naturally be nothing but wishful thinking. When that time comes, the Great Qing will be strong and powerful, with a mighty navy. What you said, Tenth Brother, will not be impossible."

These words startled Kangxi, and everyone else was also taken aback.

Yinzhen spoke in a calm tone, but his words stirred emotions within people.

That makes perfect sense and is very feasible.

The Manchus entered the Central Plains relying on their horsemanship, skill in battle, and strong will. The ambitions of the foreigners made them very uncomfortable.

However, calling directly is impractical; what Yinzhen said was the most reasonable approach.

Emperor Kangxi was pleased; he had not misjudged Yinzhen after all, for Yinzhen was indeed very suitable to be his successor.

An emperor may not have the talent of a top scholar, but he cannot lack foresight. Yinzhen had a far-sighted vision. He wanted to investigate foreigners based on some clues, which was no simple feat.

"That's right."

No one else objected; after all, he was Kangxi's son, raised with elite education, and his ability to obey was quite remarkable.

Now that he had an idea, Kangxi said, "This matter is of great importance and will take a long time. You will be in charge of it, and you can allocate the necessary personnel."

Emperor Kangxi had realized that the future of the Qing Dynasty depended on his son.

Although he still had the strength, he was no longer able to do what he was supposed to do. Especially in recent years, his methods had become more lenient, and his subordinates began to have thoughts of cheating and shirking responsibility.

The future of the Qing Dynasty should not be limited to this land. The globe brought by foreigners shows that the Qing Dynasty is only a part of it. The world is vast. He was narrow-minded before, but he will not be anymore.

Kangxi entrusted the "future" of the Qing Dynasty to Yinzhen with great confidence. There was still much he could do. For example, it was time to let the lazy and cunning officials of the past years see the decisiveness he had shown in capturing Oboi and quelling the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories.

He used to want to be a benevolent ruler, so he turned a blind eye to some problems. He was aware of the problems in the Ministry of Personnel, but if he took action, it would cause widespread bloodshed.

Now he had a reason to take action. He needed to make the Qing Dynasty as impenetrable as an iron barrel. The foreigners' ambitions were destined to be nothing but absurd fantasies.