100. Chapter 100

"none"

Qi You asked, what kind of world do you want.

What Kangxi wanted was the most prosperous world in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

Of all the dynasties, Kangxi admired the splendid civilization of the Tang Dynasty the most. "I recall the heyday of the Kaiyuan era, when even small towns housed tens of thousands of households." Chang'an, a hub of intellectuals and patriots, was a bustling city where nations flocked to pay tribute.

He hoped to become a wise and holy ruler, like Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Minghuang of Tang during the Kaiyuan Period of Prosperity.

The success and failure of the Tang Dynasty were both due to Xiao He. The late Tang Dynasty under the rule of Emperor Minghuang experienced the "Anshi Rebellion", from which the Tang Dynasty never recovered and its territory was divided into pieces.

Thinking of this, Kangxi couldn't express his feelings. Deep down, he didn't dare to guarantee that he was more powerful than Emperor Minghuang of Tang.

When he ascended the throne at the age of eight, he was surrounded by various powerful forces and it took him a lot of effort to finally gain control of the government.

Emperor Minghuang of Tang was no better. Both his parents died in an accident, and he carefully managed to survive under the control of his grandmother, Empress Wu Zetian. After enduring life and death, and living in seclusion for many years, he finally fought his way out of the siege and ascended the throne.

In the early days of his reign, Emperor Minghuang of Tang worked hard to govern the country, appointed people to the right posts, and clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments. The Tang Dynasty shone like a pearl in the Central Plains.

Later, Emperor Minghuang of Tang favored and indulged his cronies, including the "honey-mouthed but treacherous" Li Linfu and the treacherous An Lushan. The family of his favorite concubine, Yang Guifei, rose to prominence, and relatives of the emperor interfered in government.

As a fellow emperor, Kangxi believed that Emperor Minghuang of Tang certainly did not understand the situation the Tang Dynasty was facing at the time.

Even the most foolish emperor would not want to see his kingdom fall apart.

Qi You had said before that when he walked around the Imperial Household Department, all the people he met were relatives of his brothers.

Concubine Yi's father-in-law, uncles, nephews and nieces, dozens of people in total, all worked in the Imperial Household Department.

These people were all appointed by him. When Concubine Yi's father, Sanguan Bao, was alive, he looked down upon even the first-rank officials and ignored them when they were reported to him by the censor.

From then on, the favored bannermen acted arrogantly in front of the court officials, ignoring the rank of their respective duties, and the trend of exceeding their ranks spread.

Can Concubine Yi be compared with Yang Guifei? Of course, Kangxi did not admit it. He always suppressed and guarded against his relatives by marriage.

Kangxi's cheeks twitched. He guessed that Emperor Minghuang of Tang had thought the same as him back then, just wanting to give some face and benefits to the family of his beloved concubine.

How are the arrogance of the Ninth Prince and the arrogance of Concubine Yi's family different from that of Yang Guozhong and others?

Could Galin, Ashan, and even Cao Yin be another Li Linfu and An Lushan?

What Emperor Minghuang of Tang failed to notice, Kangxi asked himself, did he see it clearly?

The ironclad facts prove that they are all extremely greedy.

No matter how Kangxi found excuses, no matter how much he was forced to do so, because of his indulgence, their hands were getting longer and longer.

It was already summer, and Kangxi felt his hands and feet getting cold.

It was the first time someone had dared to ask him these questions. He thought and thought, but didn't dare to think any further. Tired of holding up his head, he tried to calm the throbbing pain inside.

Kangxi took a deep breath, his mouth dry. He grabbed the cold tea bowl and drank it in one gulp.

The cold tea slid down his throat, and he felt a little relieved. He looked up at Qi You and said in a hoarse voice, "Seventh Brother, what do you think the world should look like?"

Qi You looked calm and answered without hesitation: "Peace and harmony, the country is prosperous and the people are strong, the people can truly live and work in peace and contentment, and live with dignity."

Kangxi was shocked and murmured, "Dignity..."

Qi You said slowly, "Khan Ama, everyone should have faith. It's not about believing in a certain pope, but about exercising self-discipline. Moral education will have a certain effect, but it must also be combined with laws. The law is the main thing, giving people warnings and punishments. When the law is completely destroyed, it's like the beams of a house, the foundation begins to break and collapse. Even if you force it, it won't hold for long. A small change will affect the whole body. Without laws, etiquette and morality will disappear. People will find it difficult to even survive, so dignity is out of the question. On the contrary, if the people live with dignity, it is enough to show that they live in an inclusive country and that officials are truly doing things, not just ruling them."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Officials' salaries are paid by the people. They absolutely cannot agree to have their hard-earned money used to support a group of officials who bully them and bully them."

Kangxi's face became even uglier. Qi You had said since he was a child that it was the servants under him who supported him, so he had to repay them a little.

Over the years, Qi You has never forgotten his promise and has always worked hard for the people.

Kangxi had previously disagreed with Qiyou's idea. They were members of the royal family, extremely noble people. The common people below them should work hard for them.

Facts have proved that Qi You reclaimed wasteland, established schools, and promoted the cultivation of sweet potatoes and yams for them. In the places he governed, both the population and tax revenue increased significantly.

Shunyi is especially prosperous. Although the manors of the dignitaries and the imperial manors here almost occupy all the land of Shunyi, its development has far surpassed Xuanhua Prefecture and is even more prosperous than the border town of Zhangjiakou.

The horse farm in Shunyi was reduced in size, and part of it was used as farmland for the people. Shangsiyuan was withdrawn and turned into a cattle farm.

Qi You did not let the people who used to work at the horse farm leave. He retained their jobs and asked them to herd cattle instead.

Those who stayed had two choices: one was to continue receiving their original salary, and the other was to contract the oxen for the farm.

If you contract a certain number of oxen to work, you pay a certain amount of silver to the court every year, and the remaining silver will belong to you.

Those who chose to take a salary back then deeply regretted it. A few daring contractors raked in a fortune by selling calves and renting out oxen during the planting season. Without corruption, they felt comfortable making a fortune and could sleep soundly at night.

These were nothing. What made Kangxi happiest was the taxes paid by those companies that went out to sea for trade.

There are three maritime merchants in Ningbo, and the taxes they pay account for one-third of the commercial taxes of all shops in Ningbo.

Kangxi pondered for a moment, rubbed his brow, and with a forced effort, said, "The fourth brother will return to the capital in a few days. You should give him some advice on the matter on the river and help him find a way to deal with it. Well, the officials arrested in Jiangnan will be tried according to the law. You should take the time to keep an eye on them to prevent anyone from abusing their power and bending the law."

Thinking of the silver and copper coins Qi You brought back, Kangxi wanted to order him to mint them into official silver, but then he changed his mind and said, "Seventh Brother, what are your plans for the silver and copper coins you brought back from Yangzhou?"

Qi You confessed, "Khan Ama, the local government offices are unable to bear the cost of minting official silver. This shortfall must be borne by the people. For example, if there are 100 taels of fire cost, the government office will have to pay more than 100 taels. They will never pass up the opportunity to get something. This is a fair and open levy, and the court is well aware of it."

Kangxi was naturally well aware of the fire consumption issue. To maintain peace in his country, he had exempted the people from taxes countless times, and of course he did not want this tax to be passed on to the people.

But even if he was willing to let the Ministry of Revenue shoulder the loss, sometimes he couldn't. Without money, the Ministry of Revenue couldn't do anything. Disaster relief, war, and official salaries all required money.

Qi You said, "Huo Luo is unnecessary. Silver or copper coins are both used as currency for exchange. If we can afford the loss from Huo Luo, it would be a good idea to simply return it to the public and mint a unified currency. However, given the current situation of the court, I think it is an unnecessary loss. We can completely use this loss from Huo Luo for other purposes, such as investing in schools and encouraging the creativity of the people."

Kangxi pondered for a long moment, undecided. Then, realizing it was all hard cash, he set the question aside for the moment and said, "You've had a hard time traveling. Go back and wash up and rest. This is your first time visiting the manor in the western suburbs, so go back and see if you're used to it. After you've rested, come back and take a good stroll around Changchun Garden to avoid getting lost."

Qi You agreed, stood up and took his leave. He left Qingxi Study and went to pay his respects to Dai Jiashi.

Changchun Garden had more scenery than courtyards, but more concubines. In Dai Jia's courtyard, there were four young concubines living there.

Qi You couldn't stay here any longer, so after lunch he got up and left. He mounted his horse and rode about two miles to the manor house given to him by Emperor Kangxi. The plaque at the entrance was still empty.

After getting off his horse and looking up for a while, Qi You said to De Gao who was waiting at the door, "I'll write my name and you can use it to make a plaque."

Degao bowed and replied, "Your Highness, I have already checked around and found that the house has everything it needs. The Emperor has already arranged for the rooms to be furnished. I did not know which courtyard Your Highness would like, so I did not make a decision. Once Your Highness has chosen, I will arrange for staff to serve you."

Qi You never allowed strangers to serve in his courtyard. He had few people, and apart from Gao Guihe, he had selected several people in Shunyi. All the people who served him personally had been with him for many years and were reliable and trustworthy.

Thinking of how Kangxi and Liang Jiugong had aged a lot, Qi You looked at Degao and Guihe who were following behind him. They followed him everywhere, and although they were tired, they were full of energy.

Although he is Kangxi's biological father, Qi You still tends to be biased towards him. He believes that Kangxi brought it upon himself.

Considering the situation of Zhuangzi in front of him, Kangxi had many sons after all, and it was difficult for him to divide his loving fatherly love into many parts.

In addition, the chaos caused by the reform was all caused by him. Qi You sighed and prepared to take a break and work hard to clean up the aftermath.

The architectural style of the courtyard is not the conventional quadrangle courtyard in Beijing, but is more like the Jiangnan garden style.

Qi You liked this layout very much, so he chose a courtyard facing the lake to live in.

The lake was rippling with emerald green waves, and a small boat was moored near the shore. On one side of the lake, lotus leaves were connected, and occasionally a pink bud would poke out.

Following the winding corridor, we arrived at the pavilion carved out of the lake. Inside, there were bamboo couches and gauze hanging around the edges, which swayed gently in the breeze, creating a cool and comfortable atmosphere.

Qi You was satisfied with the view and planned to take a rest here. De Gao brought some water and some clothes for a change.

After washing up and changing into comfortable casual clothes, Qi You was just about to rest when Gui He ran over and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhi is here."

Qi You knew that Prince Zhi was impatient. If he didn't show up at this hour, he would start complaining again. Helplessly, he turned over and sat up, saying, "Go and bring him here."

Gui He took the order, and soon the Prince of Zhi came to the pavilion with the hem of his robe swaying like the waves and sweat all over his head.

Qi You greeted him and looked up. In just a few months, Prince Zhi had darkened considerably and gained weight. Judging from his constant panting, drooping eye bags, and oily forehead, he was bloated and overweight.

Prince Zhi's hands kept flashing in front of his face, he looked Qi You up and down, then turned his head to look around, and exclaimed: "Seventh Brother, you really know how to enjoy life. Look at this lake, wow, this pavilion, the scenery is so beautiful!"

Without waiting for Qi You to reply, Prince Zhi plopped down on the couch, took the cloth Gui He handed him, wiped his head and face, snorted in dissatisfaction, and complained, "Khan Ama treats you so well. Not only is the manor spacious, but it's also filled with exotic flowers and plants. Behind the screen wall, those ginkgo trees in the courtyard must be hundreds of years old! You don't know, this manor has the Crown Prince's eyes, as well as the Third and Fourteenth Princes. They asked Khan Ama for it, but he refused, so he kept it for you."

Qi Youzhen didn't pay attention to the flowers, plants and trees planted by Zhuangzi, let alone the ginkgo trees.

Looking at the sour Prince Zhi, Qi You couldn't help but laugh and asked jokingly, "Brother, don't you like this manor?"

Prince Zhi choked, glanced at Qi You, and said bluntly, "I've had my eye on it too. I asked Khan Ama for it, but he refused. Well, I'll give it to you. You won't get any benefit from it. You know, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver are more than enough to build a small Forbidden City. What's your manor worth?"

Seeing that Prince Zhi was still obsessed with the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver given by the Crown Prince, Qi You laughed and asked, "Brother, why are you looking for me at this hour?"

Prince Zhi raised his head and took a few sips of warm tea. Then he put down his tea bowl, stepped forward, and stared at Qi You closely. He said, "Seventh Brother, during your trip, you almost cleared out all the officials in the government offices in Yangzhou and Jiangnan. But the people in the most lucrative positions haven't been moved yet. Can you tell me if these positions will become vacant?"

The most lucrative positions were Governor-General of Liangjiang, and the Jiangning and Suzhou textile commissioners. Kangxi had never mentioned the Cao and Li families, or Ashan.

Qi You raised his eyebrows slightly and asked bluntly, "Brother, who do you want to send over?"

The Prince of Zhi met Qi You's deep gaze, and he subconsciously began to speak dryly, "I can't just place anyone I want in these places. It all depends on the Khan's opinion. However, even if I can't place someone there, I can't let others take advantage of it."

This "others" of course refers to the crown prince. Qi You understood it in his heart, but did not expose the Prince of Zhi. He said: "Khan Ama did not mention them, so I don't know what they will do."

Prince Zhi believed in Qi You. If he knew something but was not in a position to speak, he would simply remain silent. Everything he said was the truth.

Thinking that the Crown Prince would not benefit either, Prince Zhi felt relieved. He put the matter aside and prepared to wait and see what would happen.

After putting aside an urgent matter, Prince Zhi had some free time to tease Qi You, saying, "This time you dealt with Fifteenth and Sixteenth's in-laws, but you completely offended the two brothers. Wang is favored, and Fifteenth and Sixteenth are treated like the apple of Khan's eye. The two of them get along well with Eighth and the others, and they have a deep brotherly love."

Qi You spent little time in the capital. Kangxi had too many sons, and he was only familiar with those who had gone to school with him.

As for his other younger brothers, he had only met them once at a banquet last year when he returned to Beijing for the New Year. There were also several younger ones he had never even met, and they were worse than strangers.

Qi You didn't care whether he was offended or not. But the words of Prince Zhi were very interesting. Wang Shi was related to the Li family of Suzhou, and Fifteen and Sixteen were in a relationship with the Eighth Prince.

Prince Zhi stood up and walked forward, lifting his silk gauze to gaze at the lake outside the pavilion. After a moment, he turned back and teased, "Seventh Brother, you're not married yet, and you don't have a woman to serve you. There are some things you don't understand. Some women are as soft as the lake water."

He put down the gauze and pointed his hand towards the lake. "A woman's tears are like water. Her eyes are red as she sobs at you, and even a heart of stone would melt. I'd want to give her my heart and cheer her up."

Prince Zhi's implication was that Wang's favor would lead her to plead with Emperor Kangxi. He was reminding Qi You that Emperor Kangxi might be persuaded to let the Wang family go.

If Kangxi even let the Wang family go, then the Cao family, the Li family, and Ashan would be even safer.

If the Cao and Li families are fine, then the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince will be fine too. After lying dormant for a while, they can regain their momentum in Jiangnan.

Qi You just listened quietly, smiling faintly without saying a word.

The Prince of Zhi was pushed too far by the situation.

When you are in a hurry, you will try all kinds of methods and get stuck in a dead end.

For the throne he wanted to fight for, his biggest rival was the crown prince, followed by his other brothers.

In the current situation, the greater the power of the Eighth Prince and his men, the better, as they can share some of the Crown Prince's firepower.

This is also one of the reasons why Qi You kept the Cao family, the Li family and Ashan and did not touch them.

The Prince of Zhi wanted to use Qi You to deal with several families and suppress the power of the Eighth Beile faction.

Qi You certainly would not become his thug, nor would he do that for the throne, or for the so-called balancing of power.

Taking down a few of them would be somewhat difficult for Qi You, but it wouldn't be too big. However, the price he paid would be too high, and it would completely infuriate Kangxi.

Furthermore, if the system remains unchanged after taking over a few companies, the new hires won't necessarily be better than the previous ones. In any sense, this isn't the best strategy.

Qi You left them to Kangxi's disposal, calculating that he would only give a few light reprimands, transfer Ashan, and fine him some money.

By making them cough up the silver, Qi You had achieved most of his goal. There had been a major reshuffle in the Jiangnan officialdom, and new officials always had to work with their heads on the line.

With the salt business running out of lucrative opportunities, Qi You suspected they would turn to maritime trade. This was what Qi You was going to do next. With him around, they wouldn't be able to get involved.

Keep the power of the Eighth Prince's faction and let them fight each other in the capital.

After getting married, he would leave the capital and concentrate on his work. After a few years, he would return to the capital and wait for the results to come.

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-12-09 23:45:26 and 2022-12-10 23:28:02~

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Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!