Digging a trap and laying an ambush

"Master, the gifts for the Longevity Festival are complete. Would you like to review them?" Zhao Guoshi, busy as ever, came to report on his work. The gift list had been drawn up long ago, and since Changchun Garden was on the outskirts of the city, he was responsible for running errands.

If it were Kangxi's 100th birthday, he could have celebrated it in Changchun Garden. But Yinreng's birthday was different. His customary birthday celebration was to visit his mother at Fengxian Hall. Shujia knew this was not going to go well. Would a large group of people rush back to the palace to see the emperor pay his respects before returning? (Yinreng said that this year's banquet would be foregone.)

At the same time, all the powerful people inside and outside the capital understood - you said you would observe mourning and not hold a banquet on your birthday, so why didn't you bring this up when you held a banquet for your wife's birthday last month?

No wonder this guy changed the gate of Kunning Palace.

Everyone knows it in their hearts, but no one says it out loud.

Shujia certainly understood that it wasn't that Yinreng didn't want to celebrate his birthday, but the date was quite off-putting. Even though the gates of Kunning Palace had been renovated and much of his emotional issues had been resolved, he still felt a physical discomfort. She had no choice but to be more subtle. Whenever this time came, her family would celebrate in advance behind closed doors, using the excuse that it was just a formality on the real day, and the family couldn't truly be together. "You're busy all day on your birthday, and you can't even talk."

Of course, the prepared birthday gift had to be delivered in advance. At this time, everyone was still in Changchun Garden, so Yinreng's psychological burden was lighter.

As they all got promoted, the birthday gifts also got upgraded. What remained unchanged was that Shujia would do some needlework herself every year, either making purses or fan covers. Now, only these few people were qualified to enjoy them.

Yinreng didn't care what the birthday gift was, as long as he could have a comfortable birthday, even if it was premature or fake, he would be happy. In this life, there are always some knots in the heart that can never be understood, and for Yinreng, this was the biggest problem.

Celebrating his birthday early was exactly what Yinreng wanted. However, this family gathering was a bit difficult. It was fine when the children were young, and everyone gathered together. Now that the sons are older, there needs to be a distinction between the inner and outer rooms. So, the boys and girls have to sit separately.

Consort Mao and Consort Qian both took this family dinner very seriously, but they only kowtowed before Yinreng to wish him a happy birthday. Afterwards, they mingled with the other women, chatting with a bunch of princesses. They and Shujia were both unhappy about being seated separately. Yinreng, however, was quite pleased. He had quite a few sons and daughters, and his sons were all around him.

Men and women always think differently.

Yinreng watched his son's talent show in the front, so Shujia had to chat with Concubine Mao and Concubine Qian in the back. The topic was rather boring, and they were talking about the illness of Prince Jian's wife.

Ning Hui and Shujia's relationship dates back to their joint election campaign twenty years ago, and Shujia naturally cared more about her. Concubine Mao started by saying, "I didn't see Prince Jian's wife at the Empress Dowager's today. She said she'd come to pay her respects on this day last time."

Shujia said, "I was just worried because she was sick."

Several princesses sat quietly and didn't interrupt. Concubine Qian said, "Maybe it's because the weather is too hot and stuffy."

Concubine Mao looked at Shujia and said, "This summer is particularly hot, and she can't leave the capital. This might be the cause of her illness. Didn't she have a heat stroke last time?"

Shujia glanced at Concubine Mao and said, "That's not what the imperial physician said."

Prince Jian's wife Ning Hui was not suffering from a fever, she was suffering from a cold!

Ning Hui was also a pampered young lady, married into a wealthy family, and didn't do much physical labor, so her frail constitution wasn't entirely surprising. The premature death of her eldest son was a significant blow. When the late emperor passed away, she was in a prominent position at the funeral, especially as she wept fervently. This affected her health somewhat.

This summer is particularly hot, and she cannot stand the heat because of her weak body. As Yarjiang'a moved to a villa in the suburbs of Beijing, it is more convenient for Yarjiang'a to go to work, and she has to put more ice basins in the house - she had suffered from a heat stroke before, and in order to prevent the same thing from happening again, she added extra ice.

Now, he had overcorrected and caught a cold, and his illness was so severe that it was both laughable and sad.

A few of them talked about how everything should be done in moderation while they ate and talked. After a while, the party outside ended too - there was no wine or drama, and the emperor was still in mourning, so they decided to disperse early.

Yinreng stayed a little longer, as he had something to tell Shujia: "If you meet Concubine Mi, the old fifteenth daughter-in-law, or Prince Ping's wife, don't agree to anything they say."

Shu Jiaqi asked, "What's wrong?"

Yinreng hesitated for a moment, then explained, "Last year, Cao Yin and Li Xu requested to come to the capital to attend the funeral, but I refused. This year, after the first month of the lunar year, they submitted a petition requesting to return to the capital for the anniversary of the late emperor's death. I will transfer them back and select someone else from the south."

"This...could it be that they don't want to come back?"

"They are burdened with losses and may not be willing to come back."

"I see. And what about the deficit?"

"If they don't betray me, I won't betray them."

Is a deficit considered a "negative"? Shujia pondered this political question.

Yinreng reached out and patted her shoulder: "You should settle down as soon as possible." He still had to go back to review memorials and set traps for people to fall into.

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Fahai was thrown into the Ministry of Revenue, but Yinreng had his own plans. Although this guy had a bad temper, he could still be very effective if used in the right place. However, Fahai was only a minister, and he alone could not do the job. Yinreng thought of another person to take charge, and that person was his fourth brother.

But it was not possible now. Prince Yong had not yet completed his work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so Fahai had no choice but to go out and make enemies. This was a series of traps. Fahai's temper made him ignore people with more seniority than him. If he entered the Ministry of Revenue, he would definitely offend people.

In the past, this would have been fine. The Tong family was so powerful that no one dared to offend, so everyone just suffered a little in silence. But times have changed. Although the blow suffered by Tong Guogang's branch was not serious, everyone knew that his family was on the decline. Fahai hadn't even made it to the head of this declining family, and he hadn't clung to the leadership. If he continued to act arrogantly, everyone's tolerance would plummet.

If there is a conflict between the two sides, and if Fahai is given some support, he will be able to help the fourth brother to overthrow the world.

His temper is there, but Jiong Si is a serious person. He's the kind of person who, if you casually say, "You didn't study well as a kid," will pull out his kindergarten report cards all the way back to elementary school graduation to prove that he was a good student. (Sorry, that reminds me of "Da Yi Jue Mi Lu" again.)

He also possessed a somewhat mystical sense of responsibility and a creative approach. Furthermore, he was skilled in mathematics and possessed strong logical skills. Yinreng was very optimistic about him, and since he had such high hopes for his brother, he couldn't let him get bogged down in this mess. Fahai was brought in by Yinreng to act as a stepping stone and shield for his younger brother.

Yinreng rolled up his sleeves once and then put them down again. It was not that he did not want to deal with corrupt officials, but it was just not the right time yet.

As someone in power, let alone being the head of the ruling class, he was actually the one who hated corruption the most. The corrupt were all his cronies, so it was strange for him to be happy! Although his motivation for opposing corruption was slightly different from that of the masses, he still opposed it.

However, an ancient wise man once said, "Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish." No matter how much you dislike the various problems in this country, you cannot make decisions on the spur of the moment in anger. Doing so will sooner or later ruin the country.

We have to take it step by step. Fahai has put this move aside and the next step is to prepare for the fourth one.

Yinreng still had high hopes for his fourth brother. He needed someone who was more serious about his work, but at the same time, he couldn't be too stupid. Fortunately, there were no stupid people in their family. Of course, the fourth brother was very useful. No matter what task he was asked to prepare, he would definitely complete it with quality and quantity, which made Yinreng very satisfied. He planned to transfer the fourth brother to the Ministry of Revenue after the anniversary of Kangxi's death. Now, he asked him to continue to manage the Imperial Household Department.

The old hands of the Imperial Household Department had been living in extreme misery since the Fourth Master arrived. They were all just scraping by, and everyone knew which departments had the most money. Having lived through hard times since the Fourth Master established the government, they were definitely aware of the "suffering of the people" and the shady backroom kickbacks.

The Fourth Master is different from the Ninth Master in that he also has political revenge. Simply put, the Ninth Master saw that he could not move up the political ladder and chose another path. The Fourth Master had a bright future and of course he had to show off.

The Fourth Master's performance mainly focused on two aspects: first, he tried his best to complete all tasks satisfactorily, which he did; second, he dealt with the officials of the Imperial Household Department who were taking too much advantage of him.

He killed three doctors in one go, which made the atmosphere in the Imperial Household Department more serious, but also made the people in the Imperial Household Department panic. Every family burned incense, hoping to get rid of this evil star quickly. However, they found that this was a technically difficult task.

You want to complain, but you have nowhere to turn. The Imperial Household Department is mainly responsible for the daily life of the imperial family. How can you complain about his brother to his elder brother? The two of them have no conflicts yet, and everyone is not very close to the emperor. Now, those who originally disliked Ling Pu and thought he was too greedy and wanted to squeeze him out are missing Ling Naigong again.

If you want to ruin his reputation, he is not afraid. Instead, the emperor can't stand it and comes out to support his brother.

The Imperial Household Department was completely at their wits' end, and finally all prayed to God: There are so many military and national affairs outside, it is absolutely a waste of the Fourth Master's talent to be here with us, please have mercy on him and get rid of him!

Li Xu was definitely among the families who burned incense, but whether Cao Yin was also among them remained to be seen.

Given that the Third Weaving Master was a longtime official of the previous emperor, the new emperor and his fourth brother didn't push him too hard, much less bring him to the capital from the outset. They simply sent occasional letters, saying, "Keep up the good work and pay your debts." Yinreng, however, had more to do and wrote less. The Fourth Master, who oversaw this area, employed a hardworking and talkative spirit, bombarding Cao and Li with emotional demands, essentially sending them a bill every week. This made Cao and Li miserable.

They both knew that Jiangnan was a fertile land. Who in power wouldn't want to use it to reward their close associates? Both were in somewhat awkward positions. By this point, Cao Yin was sincerely grateful to Kangxi. He had a son-in-law who was a royal, and the people of Beijing treated him with courtesy. The Prince Ping's palace also occasionally provided him with protection. Cao Yin was quite insightful, and his recent health hadn't been good, so he didn't have the energy to do much more.

Li Xu was thinking, however, that Concubine Mi was his niece, and that he had created the ice figure for Kangxi, and that she had even given him a son. Yunyu and the emperor were not only brothers but also brothers-in-law, so there was no way they would push him too hard. Perhaps he could even stay in Jiangnan—after decades of managing this place, how could he just give up? So, Fourth Master, you should leave. I can't stand your "greetings of love"!

The two men's handling of this matter was clearly marked by their differences. Li Xu's profligate gifts and intercession displeased Yinreng, who had already taken over his father's spies. Cao Yin, on the other hand, sent only one gift to the capital, directly to Yinreng—his son, Cao Yong. His reasoning was that his son had reached the age of service.

Cao Yong arrived in the capital, but he wasn't foolish enough to report to the Imperial Household Department alone. His father's memorial had already been submitted. He first stayed at his own house, then went to his sister's house. Then, Prince Ping and his brother-in-law went to visit another great-uncle, Prince Yong.

It must be praised that the Cao family's etiquette is very good. King Yong, who is fussy in nature, prefers people with good etiquette. Ability is one thing, attitude is another. One can be incompetent, but cannot be rude.

Prince Yong reported Cao Yong's affairs to Yinreng. No matter how bad Yinreng's mood was, he would still give his brother some face. On this matter, Yinreng and his brothers had the same point of view: attitude!

Yinreng said, "Cao Yin is very thoughtful. Let's keep his son here. You can give him a job as appropriate. Wait, call him over and let me see him."

Yinreng was a bit obsessed with looks, and Cao Yong wasn't bad looking. Cao Yong was still a young man at the time, rather burly, but still quite attractive, and his appearance was passable. Yinreng watched him pay his respects coldly, but he was quite respectful and polite, and he even heard him introduce himself clearly.

Yinreng asked him what books he had read, and Cao Yong replied, "My father also hired a teacher to teach me some classics and history."

Yinreng had a good memory and answered several questions. Then he asked, "Are you proficient in archery and horsemanship?"

Cao Yong lowered his hands and replied, "I learned a little bit when I was in Jiangning, but I can't say I'm proficient in it."

Yinreng was quite free, so he took him to take another test. He shot three arrows, two of which hit the bull's eye, and the other arrow also hit the target.

Not bad. Yinreng turned to his fourth brother and said, "Cao Yin hasn't forgotten his roots yet. He's keeping the child. You can do whatever you want with him."

Originally intending to reprimand them, Yinreng avoided directing his anger at the Cao family, thanks to the protection of his fourth son. Instead, he directed his wrath at another person: Li Xu. This man had more sons than Cao Yin, not only sons but also grandsons, yet he surprisingly didn't actively express his support.

Yinreng made a note for Li Xu in his little notebook. After sending Cao Yong away, Yinreng kept his brother to talk: "In your opinion, can the debts owed by Cao and Li be repaid?"

King Yong lowered his head and thought for a moment: "They are all old." He was a bit slow in doing things, and even if he could pay it back, it would take ages.

Yinreng snorted coldly: "I stayed until now because I thought they were quite loyal. When the late emperor passed away, both of them submitted petitions to return to the capital to attend the funeral, but I refused. They asked to come back again this year. Ask them if they are willing to settle down in the capital from now on." Bastard! You dare to ask for the salt administration job again? I won't give it to you. Get back here and don't try to harm the public interest for your own benefit.

Prince Yong was surprised: "What about the deficit?"

"They can't be relied upon anymore. Let's find someone who can return and go to Jiangnan!"

“Yeah.”

The author has something to say: Is there anyone who forgot to set the alarm this morning like me?

TT