32. Chapter 32

"none"

Qi You saw Kangxi's expression change, and he quickly said with a smile, "Khan Ama, don't worry. Hey, I'm talking about a gift, a gift for you."

Kangxi laughed and scolded, "You know I'm worried, so just stop causing me trouble. What kind of gift is this? Why is it so mysterious?"

Qi You didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "After the earthquake in Shunyi, many roads were cut off and the terrain has changed. Plus, the previous map wasn't very complete. Mr. Xu happens to be in Shunyi, so I plan to work with him to reconstruct a new map. This is a matter of great importance, and Khan Ama's approval is essential. Once the map is completed, I'll give you a brand new map of Shunyi."

Kangxi's smile widened as he listened, and he exclaimed "good" three times in a row, "This is fantastic news. The road out of Gubeikou used to take a detour after the earthquake, and the official road wasn't well-maintained, leaving it full of potholes and mud."

Qi You struck while the iron was hot and agreed, "Yes, the road needs to be built. We can do it while we're doing the geomancy. Khan Ama also knows that there are few people in Shunyi County who can perform corvée labor. Building a road will require manpower and money. According to the rules, we have to submit a memorial to the Ministry of Works and ask the court to pay for it."

Scratching his head, Qi You said bluntly, "Ministry of Works officials, I'm not sure how many of you know how to build roads and bridges, or if anyone has ever been to Shunyi. Does anyone know what the soil there is like, whether a bridge is needed, and what kind of bridge would be suitable?"

Kangxi's expression froze and he glared at Qi You. He did it on purpose!

Qi You smiled at Kangxi, and Kangxi laughed so hard that he lost his temper and snorted, "Stop talking nonsense!"

Qi You continued, "Once the petition was submitted, they only looked at how much silver was needed and how long the road would be. Then they went back and forth, dragging it out for several months or half a year. As for all the twists and turns in between, I don't understand."

Kangxi laughed and scolded, "You don't understand. How can you say such things if you don't understand?"

Qi You shamelessly gave Kangxi a brilliant smile and said, "If the road collapses, the people who built it will be held responsible. Officials aren't responsible for these things anyway, and doing them is a thankless task. Instead of dealing with the court officials, why not try to curry favor with the local gentry and ask them to donate some money for charity? It'll benefit both you and me."

Kangxi was very depressed. Qi You's gift was a bit too much for him to handle, and he really wanted to return it to him.

Qi You's words brought the matter back to Lin Yicheng's memorial, and clearly pointed out several problems facing the Qing Dynasty today.

First, the court officials were idle and only followed orders from above. To put it bluntly, they only made some moves, but they were not necessarily good or correct.

Second, local officials have too little power compared to the responsibilities they shoulder.

Of course, Kangxi did not dare to allow local officials to have too much power, and the people were forced to perform labor service, such as building city walls.

For example, if the imperial court gave officials money to build bridges and roads and let them do it, they would probably enrich themselves and end up building a bunch of junk.

The above two points lead to the third point: officials’ salaries are too low.

This also implies a contradiction.

Qi You pointed out that the officials lacked real skills. The officials in the Ministry of Works did not know how to build roads and bridges. It sounded like child's play for someone who couldn't even calculate the amount of earthwork needed to be appointed as the governor of the river.

Of course, you can't get a high salary without real skills.

Kangxi looked at the form with clear items and the map of Shunyi County Yamen presented by Qi You, which was a good example.

Kangxi knew very well how to improve the situation.

That is to reform the imperial examination system.

This matter was of great importance, and Kangxi fell into deep thought.

Keeping the people ignorant is not entirely a bad thing; the more ignorant people there are at the bottom, the more conducive it is to rule. Enlighten the people and their hearts will be in chaos.

Qi You had already anticipated Kangxi's reaction when he raised this question. He was merely offering a reminder, not expecting an immediate change. Major reforms always involve significant upheavals from above.

"Khan Ama, every spring, there are many refugees around the capital, as well as homeless beggars in the capital. We can organize them to go to Shunyi to build roads and provide work in exchange for relief." Qi You said with a smile.

Kangxi took a deep breath, considered it, and said, "This method is feasible. You have really helped the Infantry Commander's Office a lot. Without these people, there will be fewer fights and thefts in the capital."

Qi You smiled and said, "Let's do a pilot project in Shunyi first. Khan, you will be the military advisor behind the scenes, and I will be the vanguard. With father and son fighting together in battle, let the officials of the court watch. Perhaps we can learn something that can be applied elsewhere."

This invisible flattery really touched Kangxi's heart. He did not have to face the consequences of major changes, and he could see whether the changes would bring good or bad results.

Especially when Qi You said that he was the military advisor and that father and son would fight together, Kangxi found it particularly pleasing to the ear. He laughed heartily and said, "Okay, I will be your military advisor behind the scenes and see what tricks you can come up with."

Qi You poked Kangxi again indifferently: "Khan Ama, then you must urge the Ministry of Works to quickly approve Lin Yicheng's memorial to repair the county government office. As for the road and wall construction, they will make up for it as soon as possible. The Ministry of Works should stop being stingy, and the Ministry of Revenue should be more generous in giving money. Alas, it's because Shunyi has no gentry, otherwise if we could get some money from them, it would not be a headache for the Ministry of Revenue. Alas!"

Qi You sighed three times and muttered softly, "Hereditary nobility and wealth are wishful thinking. But if they don't work and give birth to a ton of children, they'll just decline in three generations. I guess in a few years, they'll have to build roads and bridges themselves to earn a living."

Kangxi's face darkened.

This little bastard, can't he be happy for a while longer?

Qi You carefully observed Kangxi's expression, pointed his finger, and said with a smile: "Khan Ama, let me discuss this last one, the last one."

Kangxi glared at Qi You and said unhappily, "You say it!"

Qi You stopped laughing and said seriously, "Khan Ama, Dachun and his son, leave them to me."

Kangxi stood there in a daze.

Qi You screamed, "Khan Ama, Dachun has embezzled so much of your money, are you still protecting him? Who is he? Is he so powerful?"

Kangxi was so angry that he laughed, "Stop your mischief! You need to tell me first, how do you want to deal with him?"

Qi You said calmly, "Let him do the hard labor to repair the city and build roads. Treat him the same way he treated the bond slaves, what he used to wear and eat. Exile or beheading would be too easy for him. No matter what kind of punishment he has committed, it is not enough to deal with him. It is no comfort to the countless lives he lost."

In fact, Qi You was very opposed to lynching.

Acting in accordance with the law is the foundation of the clean and honest administration of the Qing Dynasty.

Speaking of this, we have to talk about the two judicial systems of the Qing Dynasty.

There are different laws for crimes committed by Bannermen and civilians. Bannermen are the people of the Eight Banners, while civilians are the Han people and other tribes who are not under the banners.

To put it simply, if a Bannerman and a civilian committed the same crime of murder, the Bannerman would at most be exiled, while the civilian would be beheaded.

Local officials only had the right to assist in the trial of criminal bannermen, but not the right to judge. A special administrative office was responsible for bannermen's crimes, and it was not under the jurisdiction of any of the three departments, namely the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

Bannermen enjoyed various privileges, not just exemption from taxes.

This is actually not much different from the Yuan Dynasty when all the people were divided into several classes.

As a member of the first-class privileged class, Qi You did not feel proud at all.

In his previous life, he was a cerebral palsy patient. Thanks to the sacrifices and dedication of countless people, society has been able to develop and progress, and he was able to survive, study, and live like a normal person.

This is also one of the important reasons why he cannot be at ease and lie down, lying on the blood and sweat of all the people, enjoying the gorgeous clothes, delicacies and being a superior person.

He was just a servant, so Kangxi agreed immediately. "It's up to you. It's getting late, go see your mother first. When I'm done, come with me to the Cining Palace to pay my respects to your mother, Wukuma. She's not feeling well and has been thinking about you. Don't let her love you in vain."

Qi You respectfully replied, and after the greeting, he left the imperial study. Outside, the sun had already set, and the setting sun dyed the sky a bright red, reflecting on the yellow tiles and red walls, like a painting with rich colors.

Qi You still missed the scenery of Shunyi. The heavy walls of the Forbidden City blocked his view and he could only see the narrow sky.

After standing and taking a deep breath, Qi You rushed to Chengqian Palace and paid his respects to Concubine Tong first according to the rules.

Concubine Tong spoke to Qi You indifferently, but her attitude this time was much better than before. She asked him a few more questions about his situation in Shunyi, praised him a few times, and then let him leave.

Dai Jia had been standing at the door early, stretching her neck and waiting anxiously. As soon as she saw Qi You approaching, tears started to flow without a word.

Qi You smiled widely and hurried forward. Just as he was about to greet her, Dai Jia quickly grabbed him and said with a sob, "Get up quickly, get up quickly."

Qi You stood up and threw himself into Dai Jia's arms, hugging her tightly.

Dai Jia was completely frozen. When she came to her senses, she suddenly hugged Qi You back. The warmth in his arms made her tears flow.

All the grievances, longings, sadness, pain, and uneasiness disappeared in Qi You's hug.

Qi You snuggled up to Dai Jiashi, and when he heard her uncontrollable crying, his eyes became moist and his nose felt sore and unbearable.

After a moment, Qi You gently pushed her away, took two steps back, and said with a smile: "Enie, please look at me carefully. I am not lying to you. I have really grown a lot taller, right?"

Dai Jia wiped away her tears quickly, pulled Qi You over and looked at him carefully. She put her hand on his head and said with a smile, "You have grown quite a bit taller. It seems you are even half an inch taller than you said in your last letter. But you are a little too thin and tanned."

As she spoke, Dai Jia wanted to cry again.

Qi You often wrote letters to her. Dai Jia Shi didn't know many words, so Qi You wrote her letters using the simplest characters.

What did he do every day, what did he eat, how tall was he, how much did he weigh, what was the scenery like in Shunyi, what color was the sky, what crops were planted in the fields.

He wrote down everything in the letter, no matter how big or small. Sometimes he would also include a small portrait of himself, a painting of the house he lived in, and the scenery of the fields in Shunyi.

Qi You could not take Dai Jia out of the Forbidden City. As a mother worries when her son is away from home, he used his pen to comfort her pain of missing him and took her to see the outside world.

Dai Jia took Qi You's hand and sat down on the couch. The palace maids brought a bunch of tea and snacks. After they left, the mother and son talked intimately.

Although Qi You had sent De Gao to greet Dai Jiashi first, he would come to pay his respects to her later and told her not to worry.

Dai Jia was still a little worried and said, "De Gao said you've returned to the palace. I was shocked when I heard that. Why did you return to the palace for no reason? There was no news before. Did you go to see your Khan Ama? Did you resolve the matter?"

Qi You never hides anything from Dai Jia. The palace is complicated. If he hides it, Dai Jia might hear some messy gossip, which would scare her.

I briefly mentioned what happened in Shunyi. "You know everything that happened before. I was called back to the palace for an emergency, so I didn't have time to tell you. But don't worry, it's not a big deal. It's all resolved."

Dai Jia heaved a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and said, "It's good that it's resolved, it's good that it's resolved. I always say that my son is more promising and better than others."

Qi You laughed non-stop, "Of course, it doesn't matter who gave birth to me. But Ene..." His smile faded a little, and he said apologetically, "I'm working outside, and most of the time, I don't know what the outcome will be. Ene, I'm unfilial and made you worry."

Dai Jia gently stroked his shoulder and said lovingly, "I'm not afraid of these things. I'm just afraid that I'll become a burden to you. You're still so young, and I'm an adult, but I still have to worry about you. As your mother, my life is really in vain. Just do your job, mother, I'm fine. At worst, we can move to the palace in the side courtyard like before. We've lived that kind of life before."

Seeing that Dai Jiashi was understanding, Qi You breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Enie, I will definitely not let you move back. From now on, Enie's residence will only get bigger and more spacious."

Dai Jia was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. "I believe you. I will enjoy your blessings in the future. By the way, there is something I don't know if it is related to what happened to you in Shunyi."

Glancing out the door, Dai Jia whispered, "It was just a few days ago. I heard that Concubine Yi seemed to have been offended by the Emperor and was scolded. When she was paying her respects, Concubine Yi made a face at me and said a lot of sarcastic things. I figured that since I haven't offended her in the past, the only possible connection is what happened to you in Shunyi."

Qi You put the whole thing together, frowned, and said, "Dachun must have given benefits to Concubine Yi's family. These people are so intertwined with each other, their power is so complicated, and their hands are really stretched too far."

Dai Jia suddenly understood and sneered, "I knew it was strange. But I ignored her, and she didn't dare to do anything to me."

Qi You was silent for a moment, then said, "Enie, if you are ever wronged in the future, please tell me. I will get it back for you."

Dai Jia smiled and said, "I really haven't suffered any injustice. The more she acts like that, the happier I am. After all, it's her bad luck, and I'm just watching the show."

Seeing that Dai Jia was able to take it easy, Qi You laughed with her.

At the same time, Qi You was glad that Dai Jia's family was not prominent, and his grandfather Zhuo Qi was just a small seventh-rank treasurer in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so he had no chance to get anything out of it.

However, since he has caught the eye of Kangxi, there is no guarantee that someone will set his sights on visiting my grandfather's family.

Qi You said: "I will warn my uncle's family. Let them wake up and don't try to take any action. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect them."

Dai Jia thought for a moment and said, "I'll go tell your Guo Luomafa. He's always been very cautious. He guards the storehouse and won't lose even a thread."

Qi You plans to find time to meet Zhuo Qi and explain to him the seriousness of the matter and that there must be no chaos in the backyard.

The two exchanged a few more words before Degao came in to report, "Seventh Prince, the Emperor has sent a message asking you to go to the Cining Palace."

Although Dai Jia was reluctant to leave, she hurriedly stood up, straightened Qi You's clothes, and said, "Go quickly. The Empress Dowager is not feeling well. I'm afraid... come back to my place when you have time."

After Qi You said goodbye to Dai Jia, he walked a long way and looked back, and saw her standing by the door, staring at him infatuatedly.

He turned around and walked forward with a hard heart.

There is still a long road ahead, for people and souls like Dai Jia who are trapped by various situations.

When they arrived at the Cining Palace, Kangxi and the Crown Prince were already there, talking with the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was half lying on the couch, her face pale with a hint of blue-gray, her eyelids drooping. When she heard footsteps, she raised her head slightly and looked towards Qi You with cloudy eyes.

Qi You was shocked. When he last left, the Empress Dowager, though not in good health, was in good spirits. Looking at her now, he feared that, as Dai Jia had said, she wouldn't last much longer.

After greeting Qi You, the Empress Dowager extended her hand to him and said slowly, "You're back. Come here so I can take a good look at you."

Qi You crawled on his knees to the Empress Dowager, raised his head, and called out to Ukuma Ma: "Why are you like this?"

"I'm old, too old to move. Honey, I'm fine. I still want to see you get married and have children."

The Grand Empress Dowager sighed and raised her hand to stroke Qi You's face. "You are in good spirits, but you are darker and thinner. You still remember Mongolian and speak it very well. You are so cute. It's good that you come back to the palace. When you come back, take good care of yourself. You are still more beautiful when you are white and plump."

As he spoke, he looked up at Kangxi and said, "Emperor, please stop assigning so much homework to the Seventh Prince. Let him have a good rest."

Kangxi quickly grasped the Empress Dowager's hand, glanced at Qi You, and said in a stern voice, "Madam, you know this kid can never sit still. Even when he's working in the fields, he still has to catch up on his lessons at night. You can't stop him from studying."

The prince laughed and said, "Seventh brother, you've made things difficult for us. You're a good student, and Khan Ama often compares us to you, asking us to learn from you. You should take it easy and wait for us so that we can catch up."

Qi You pretended to be shy and smiled, then said, "Your Highness is right. I have always walked slowly, so it is not difficult for you to surpass me. My legs are not good, so I can only run faster with my brain."

After laughing, Qi You said sincerely: "My Lord, I learn my lessons faster than you do. If you need my help, just ask me. When I need help from you brothers, I won't hesitate."

The prince was stunned for a moment, then seeing Kangxi smiling, he followed suit and said yes. The Empress Dowager said, "Good children, good children. They are all good children."

Kangxi feigned anger and glared at Qi You, saying, "Where's the gift you brought back from Shunyi for your Wukuma Mama? Why don't you bring it up quickly? Why are you hiding it?"

The Empress Dowager moved her body and said with a smile, "The rice and flour you sent back earlier are enough. Do you have any other gifts?"

Qi You reached out and took the cloth bag that De Gao handed to him. Kangxi, the crown prince, and the Empress Dowager all looked at him curiously.

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-10-02 13:56:50 and 2022-10-03 14:38:46~

Thanks to the little angel who threw the grenade: 1;

Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: eat less today and tolerate 1;

Thanks to the little angels who provided nutrient solution: Jiang Ruoyu and jileling 10 bottles;

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