Chapter Seventy-Seven
When Yinzhen heard the people sent by the Emperor summon him and ask him to bring the account book of the officials who had borrowed money, he knew that the Ninth and Tenth Princes had stolen the account book and gone to find their father, the Emperor.
Yinzhen had mentioned this issue to his father before, but his father waved his hand dismissively, indicating that it was all a favor to his subjects.
They didn't listen to him at all. Perhaps... even Kangxi didn't expect that they had borrowed most of the Ministry of Revenue's silver.
Or perhaps, at that time, they believed the national treasury was still full and didn't think about losing face.
Now……
Yinzhen led the two into the palace, carrying loads on shoulder poles, the baskets filled with thick ledgers.
The people responsible for carrying the loads were the kind of bondservants under Yinzhen who did heavy labor and had never been qualified to approach the palace, let alone meet the emperor.
He was so nervous that as soon as he put down the load, he knelt down to pay his respects. He had almost forgotten how to do that; he was so nervous that his mind went completely blank.
Kangxi didn't pay attention to that at the moment; his gaze was fixed on the basket. Why were there so many?
"Those account books, all of them?" Kangxi looked at Yinzhen in surprise, somewhat incredulous. He had seen account books before; one book was enough to record a great deal.
"Yes, Father Emperor." When Yinzhen came to report to his father before, his father did not take it seriously, perhaps because he had not presented these account books to his father one by one, and had not given him a shocking experience.
"Father Emperor? Are those all ledgers for lending money to officials?" With that, Ninth Prince Yin Tang was the first to get up and start flipping through them. He wanted to see just how ruthless they were.
Has the national treasury been completely emptied of money?
"One hundred thousand."
"Twenty thousand."
Thirty-two thousand.
"Fifteen thousand."
"Three thousand..."
Reading through the amounts one by one, the top 100,000 taels was borrowed from relatives of the imperial clan. Prince Yu was an iron-capped prince, meaning he was a hereditary prince and his title would not be reduced just because it was passed down to the next generation.
Other princes, dukes, and beiles, when passing on their titles to the next generation, would change from princes to dukes, and then to beiles, and so on.
Of course, if one offends the emperor, even a prince with an iron cap might be demoted.
If one performs meritorious service, one can rise from a prince to a duke to a prince...
Previously, the Ministry of Revenue was not headed by the Fourth Prince, so the Minister of Revenue naturally dared not offend the imperial relatives. In reviewing documents, he would try not to offend them, since it was all money from the national treasury anyway.
Yin Tang looked at the rows of amounts, most of them several thousand or tens of thousands of taels. The book was so thick; he had no idea how much money had been lent out.
She suddenly looked up at her father, the Emperor, her eyes filled with shock and accusation. She slammed the account book onto the basket and looked at Kangxi loudly and aggrievedly, "Father, you still say the national treasury is empty? Your money, your money, has all been lent to others, benefiting others while your own child suffers."
"That's right, Father Emperor, you've really gone too far! How can you mistreat Ninth Brother like this? Ninth Brother finally has some ambition and wants to bring glory to our Great Qing, but you don't support him." Yin'e shouted at Kangxi, determined to support his Ninth Brother.
Ninth Brother, don't be afraid, I support you.
“Father, if this money were used to manage the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, there would be far fewer instances of flooding.” Yinreng also spoke up quietly, looking at his father as if he were a great victim.
Kangxi pursed his lips, looking rather displeased as they relentlessly criticized him.
After glancing at Liang Jiugong, Liang Jiugong immediately understood and quickly picked up two or three account books. He then hurried over to the Emperor's desk and placed them there.
Looking down, he flipped through the ledgers, each stroke describing how the national treasury had been gnawed away by parasites.
“Father, some time ago, I saw Yarjiang’a going to a brothel with a group of people. They said they wanted to book the whole place and that it would cost a thousand gold coins for one night…” Yin’e had heard about this when he went out of the palace with his ninth brother last time, but he was quite disdainful at the time.
But now...
"There's nothing I can do, Tenth Brother. Our Father Emperor just likes to favor outsiders. He's willing to let others squander their money, but he's not willing to let us sons do anything. Sigh..." Yin Tang shook his head and sighed.
"Father, with so many account books, who knows when we'll finish calculating them all? Why don't we call over our eldest brother, third brother, fifth brother, seventh brother, and eighth brother?" Yinreng thought that when it came to collecting debts, all the brothers should work together—what's that called? Brothers united, their strength can break metal. Regardless of whether Father grants his eldest brother and the others titles, it's clear they've grown up, and the princes' quarters are almost overflowing; they'll definitely need to build their own residences outside the palace.
However, the national treasury is empty. Do you think my elder brother and his family would be happy to have their mansion built in such a simple manner? Impossible, right?
Emperor Kangxi had no idea what his beloved crown prince was thinking. Looking at the thick ledger, he realized that it would indeed take a long time to calculate.
His sons were all accomplished in both literature and martial arts, and it was impossible for the silver collected from the national treasury to be directly given to the officials.
After summoning several princes, Kangxi looked at Yinzhen, still unwilling to give up, "Could it be that there aren't many who will voluntarily return them?"
"Father, there are two, and they only borrowed a few dozen taels..." Yinzhen thought his father was overthinking it. If he didn't go to their door to ask for the money back, those who borrowed the money would be incredibly stubborn.
Why should I repay the money I borrowed from the national treasury based on my own abilities?
The princes had no idea why their father had summoned them, but seeing that the eunuch who came seemed very anxious, they quickly dressed and left.
When I arrived at the Qianqing Palace, I saw the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince. I was a little confused, so I immediately paid my respects to my father, the Emperor.
"Go and take a look at those account books." Kangxi's head was throbbing from listening to what Yinreng and the others were saying. He didn't want to talk to them anymore and simply told them to do it and then tell him their thoughts.
Yinti and the others were completely bewildered and had no idea what had happened.
"Brother, Father Emperor said that the national treasury is empty, and we need to provide disaster relief for the victims of the Yellow River floods. Perhaps the mansions you build outside the palace will be simple and cramped..."
Yinreng leaned closer to Yinti's ear and reminded him slowly. Suddenly, he felt... it didn't seem so bad, just like his own Yuqing Palace.
Why can you live in big houses while I can only live in a small palace?
"What?" Upon hearing that his residence after leaving the palace was small and simple, Yinti's eyes widened in disbelief and astonishment. He then quickly began to peruse the account books.
What's this?
What's in Lord Guan's mansion...? What is this? Why did so many officials borrow money? And in such large amounts?
“Eldest brother, you’re all getting old. You can’t stay in the palace forever. From you to the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth brothers, the price of a mansion is already quite high. And with several people splitting it up, how magnificent can it be?”
Yinreng understood that people generally wouldn't care much about things that didn't concern them.
For example, the eldest brother knows very well how to ignite his burning passion.
Upon hearing Yinreng's words, Yinti was furious. "No, Father Emperor, how can these people owe money and not pay it back? And so much? Don't tell me about these, these, and these, they're all loan ledgers!"
As he said this, he flipped through the book again, read two pages, and then angrily picked up another book.
Yinzhi and the others also heard what Yinreng said. Although they were still living in the Prince's Residence, they could not live there forever. After leaving the palace and establishing their own residences, those residences would be where they would live for the rest of their lives.
It can't really be built as the Crown Prince said, small and simple, right? If others come to the wedding banquet and see this... they'll lose all face!
"Father, is the national treasury really out of money?" Yinzhi asked Kangxi, as this was a very important matter.
Before Kangxi could answer, the Ninth Prince answered for him, "That's right, Third Brother. The money borrowed by these relatives and ministers is almost as much as the Qing Dynasty's annual tax revenue. We almost couldn't even raise enough money for the Crown Prince's disaster relief efforts. Where would we get the money to build our mansion?"
Yin Tang seemed to understand what the Crown Prince meant. Yes, the money in the national treasury must be returned. If it is not returned, there will be building mansions and disaster relief. How could it be his turn to build a big ship?
Seeing Yinzhen's sensible actions, Yinreng's smile deepened.
Although the fifth, seventh, and eighth sons were not yet old enough to leave the palace and establish their own residences, they understood that it would eventually be their turn.
More importantly... what if the higher-ups use up the money the Ministry of Revenue allocated for them to build their mansions? Would their own mansions become even more shabby then?
“Father, I believe that it is only right and proper to repay loans. How can we let them get away with this? If this continues, they will devour the Qing Dynasty.”
Having just entered the imperial court, they haven't yet formed cliques or engaged in corrupt practices. They only think about making a name for themselves, hoping that when they leave the palace to establish their own residences, their father, the Emperor, will grant them a title, instead of just making them bald princes.
Emperor Kangxi reluctantly agreed to the requests of several princes and kept them behind to calculate how much they owed.
Then, each clan official borrowed a certain amount, which was recorded one by one.
Even with so many people, it would take several days to get things done. They were leaving early and returning late to the Qianqing Palace to do errands for their father, the Emperor, and to secure future benefits for themselves.
It was Yinreng who spoke up, "Father, my elder brother and younger brothers are so considerate of our Great Qing, they are truly meritorious. Why don't we use the recovered funds to build mansions for them?"
"For example, how about we use one-tenth of the amount recovered?" Tens of millions of taels of silver, if divided among ten, each person's residence could receive a million taels. This is a huge undertaking.
Everyone understands that if they could really get it back, the mansion would indeed be magnificent, but... the key is, let's talk about getting it back first.
Kangxi agreed immediately. One-tenth, but the remaining tens of millions of taels... He really hadn't expected that the initial favor he bestowed upon them was to help them through their difficult lives.
After all, the late Emperor stipulated that Manchus were not allowed to engage in commerce or farming...
Besides his official salary, he also has to support his family. How can he afford to be so drained?
Who knew that their act of kindness would become a source of greed for others?
In just over a decade, that means that about one or two million taels of silver were borrowed every year. What was the Minister of Revenue doing?
“Your Highness, how can these be compared?” Even if Yinti was stupid, he knew that Yinreng was setting a trap for them, and he immediately retorted with dissatisfaction.
"Does eldest brother think he lacks the ability?" Yinreng looked at the eldest prince with suspicion, from head to toe. "Father has been teaching you and your brothers with such care. It's time for you to show your appreciation. Don't you want to share the burden with Father?"
Several princes understood Yinreng's sinister intentions, but none of them thought they were incompetent enough to not even recover this small amount of money, so they simply lived off the princes' estate for the rest of their lives.
Especially when it comes to tea-related topics, don't assume that straight men don't understand what tea is. The key is whether the person you're drinking tea with is yourself.
For example, at this time, Kangxi did not think that Yinreng was pedantic and thought that Yinreng was very considerate.
"The Crown Prince is right." She looked at the Crown Prince, whom she had raised and taught with great satisfaction. Compared to the Crown Prince, her sons were not as considerate.
Sons: I can accept that I was stepped on by the Crown Prince to get to the throne, but Father Emperor only listens to the Crown Prince. Shouldn't we also be filial to him?
After receiving so much praise, what could they do? One-tenth... and several people had to share the burden, so they could only do their best with a sense of grievance.
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Yinti and the others began to complain about the Crown Prince, "Crown Prince, how could you say such things in front of Father Emperor? Were you deliberately trying to trap us?"
Who would be willing to admit to the Emperor that they are incompetent?
"Brother, I only secured this for you because I believed in your abilities, okay? The mansion built by the Ministry of Works has limited specifications and budget, but if you recover all the outstanding debts, who wouldn't give a thumbs up and praise a mansion worth millions of taels?"
"I'm actually envious. I live in Yuqing Palace. Besides myself and the Crown Princess, I have four sons and I have to support those princesses. Don't take your good fortune for granted."
Yinreng retorted bluntly, then looked at Yinti as if suddenly realizing something, "Oh, I see. Brother, you're worried you won't be able to get even a single tael of silver back?"
“What are you afraid of, brother? Would Father Emperor ever mistreat you? If you can’t get it back, just go and tell Father Emperor it won’t work, that’s all.” Yinzhen nodded in agreement, his words hitting Yinti where it hurt.
How could Yinqi possibly admit that he was incompetent? Especially in front of so many younger brothers, he couldn't afford to lose face as the eldest brother.
"Who said that? I'll go today." After so many days, I've calculated the total amount owed and who owed it to.
"Eighth Brother, you come with me, and... Fifth Brother too." After considering all the options, he figured that Eighth Brother was naturally on his side, and as the eldest brother, he should at least protect him.
As for the third, fourth, fifth, and seventh sons, the fourth son had a terrible temper, like a rock in a cesspool, and the third son always liked to say things like "Do you know this?", which was a headache. So, I chose the fifth son over the seventh.
At the very least, the fifth prince had the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi as his favorite concubines, and the Guo Luoluo clan behind him.
"Alright, then Fourth Brother and Seventh Brother will come with me." As he spoke, he looked at Ninth Brother and Tenth Brother, and before he could speak, Yinreng interrupted.
"Big brother, Ninth and Tenth Brother want to go with me to the disaster relief." Don't even think about taking my little followers away. They're my money basket. If we don't have enough money for the disaster relief, I'll try to squeeze some out of them.
The fourth prince's wife, Lady Guarjia, also said that the ninth prince alone was enough to support the eighth prince in bribing most of the officials in the court, which shows the ninth prince's ability to make money.
How could someone possibly poach my employees?
"Yes." Compared to collecting debts, they would rather go out and do disaster relief.
He needs to go out and see the world! And so, Yinzhen patted the fifth prince's shoulder earnestly, "Brother, our mansion depends on you."
“Ninth Brother, you are not yet married. Perhaps, this time when you leave the palace to establish your own residence, it will not be your turn yet.” Yinreng slowly inserted a needle and poked Yintang in the heart. Yintang’s expression immediately froze.
Oh, oh, it's okay, I just want to build a big ship...
"Go back and pack your things. We'll set off the day after tomorrow." Yinreng didn't want to waste time chatting with them here. It was better to go back and find the Crown Princess and his sons than to stand around aimlessly with them.
"Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother, can I go with you too? That's great!" Yin'e didn't care about the weird atmosphere here, he was just overjoyed to be able to go out on business with Ninth Brother.
He was still young and had never been entrusted with important responsibilities before. This was the first time, and the Crown Prince himself was leading the team. It was a sure thing.
Yinzhen was dragged away by Yin'e, while Yinti also called for the fifth and eighth princes to come along to discuss the matter of debt collection.
Yinzhi didn't stay to talk to them, but after returning home that night, he made a special trip to the Ninth Prince's residence to talk to him about the precautions for going out, which was probably just to tell him what to do.
However, Yinzhen had no interest in listening, because Consort Yi had just summoned him to Yikun Palace that afternoon.
Those words were similar to those of the Eighth Prince Yinzhi. Who would want to hear such nagging twice?
"I understand, Eighth Brother, don't worry." She encouraged the Eighth Prince to collect the debts well, but of course, she didn't tell anyone else about her plan to build a large ship.
He had mentioned this to Yinreng before, and felt that allocating 500,000 taels of silver to him to build a large ship would not be a problem.
Yinzhen was delighted; the Crown Prince was still the most reliable, while his father, the Emperor, was not generous at all.
If Emperor Kangxi knew what Yinzhen thought of him, he would definitely spit blood on Yinzhen's head and then have him severely beaten with twenty strokes of the cane.
This is all money from Laozi's national treasury.
However, after resolving this matter, Kangxi felt much better. He then entrusted the task of lifting the maritime ban to Suo'etu to investigate the officials involved, who were soon brought down.
Everything proceeded as he had anticipated, and Kangxi finally began to pay a little attention to the harem. He remembered that not long ago, Consort Yi had invited him to Yikun Palace, so he chose the palace.
That evening, looking at the still radiant and flamboyant Consort Yi, he uttered "My beloved consort" without hesitation.
He then asked his beloved concubine why she had summoned him so urgently last time. She replied that she had been busy with official duties lately and had come whenever she had a spare moment.
"Isn't this because I was worried about our ninth and tenth sons? I was anxious for them to get married and wanted to have grandchildren, so I even asked the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to choose an auspicious day..." Consort Yi naturally wouldn't choose to lie to Emperor Kangxi, but she didn't mention Consort De's matter.
Anyway, it's not the child's fault; I'm the one who's worried.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi realized, "Yes, my two children are not married yet."
“Indeed, it’s time for her to get married. Everyone says that one should settle down and start a family.” Kangxi thought that Consort Yi wanted to tell him about the Ninth and Tenth Princes’ trip to provide disaster relief.
The harem is forbidden from interfering in politics; it has all been decided that if Consort Yi dares to interfere, she should be sidelined for a period of time.
"This isn't before Consort De's sister... It'll probably be around May or June next year, Your Majesty, what do you think?" Consort Yi knew that Kangxi hadn't thought of Consort De at this moment, that heartless and cold-hearted man.
But it doesn't matter, I don't love him anyway.
Thinking of Consort De, yet another concubine who had influenced his son's marriage and childbirth... Kangxi became somewhat dissatisfied and increasingly felt that his previous decision was correct.
Rank? There's no way he'll get promoted! Seriously, someone dies every year, is his son even going to get married and have kids?
This kind of man is the epitome of heartless and ungrateful. Even Consort De had given him three sons and three daughters.
"Hmm." Kangxi glanced at the two times and could only hope that Huiyirong was alright, the Empress Dowager was also safe, and that the Tongjia clan...
Emperor Kangxi was not the kind of person who was unfilial, but the idea of "ruling the world with filial piety" was to cater to the Confucianism of the Han people and not to make them think that the Manchus were barbarians who did not know etiquette.
However, Emperor Kangxi was still somewhat displeased with Consort Yi's hasty behavior.
However, this dissatisfaction was not directed at the Ninth and Tenth Princes, but at Consort Yi. He felt that Consort Yi did not think about the two children, but... he also knew that Consort Yi and Consort De often competed for his affections, and their relationship was not very good.
Finally, he reluctantly nodded and agreed to May and August of next year as auspicious wedding dates for the ninth and tenth sons.
However, this matter was not publicized, as they did not want the fourth and fourteenth brothers to be dissatisfied with the ninth and tenth brothers.
Emperor Kangxi felt that he was a great father, having gone to great lengths to maintain the brotherly bond between his sons.
Yuqing Palace.
After informing the Crown Princess that Yinreng was going to the flood-stricken area of the Yellow River for disaster relief, Jialuo did not stop him or hold a grudge. She understood that a man's ambition lies in all directions.
It's always better to focus your ambitions on your career than on women.
Yinreng listened to Jialuo's nonsensical words. What did he mean by "putting his mind on a woman"? Who else could he put his mind on besides her?
He gently ruffled Jia Luo's hair with a sigh. "I'll be back soon. You'll have to take care of Hong Yao and Hong Yang."
It was impossible for Yinreng to stay in the capital for more than 20 years, nor could he take Jialuo with him on every business trip. Staying in Yuqing Palace, where there was food, drink, and someone to take care of her, and there was no risk of assassination or murder, Yinreng was very at ease.
The only thing he was worried about was that this silly woman might be thinking about him.
"You must return safely." Now a few years older, Yinreng has become more mature and charming. Indeed, Yinreng at different stages of his life has always attracted her attention.
Holding the man she had fallen in love with at first sight, Jialuo knew that unexpected things often happened when she went out for disaster relief, just like in TV dramas.
But she couldn't just hold onto Yinreng and refuse to go out because of her own worries; that wasn't realistic. The disaster victims... couldn't wait.
With Yinreng gone, as the crown prince, it would be impossible for him to embezzle disaster relief funds, and this would greatly reduce the possibility of layers of exploitation.
"Of course." His woman was so understanding and righteous; how could he not love her?
Moreover, he wasn't going to provide disaster relief alone; the Crown Prince and the two imperial princes were accompanying him. How could the Emperor feel at ease? Of course, he would send a lot of Imperial Guards to protect them.
However, if he were to go out, he certainly wouldn't do so as the Crown Prince, as the chances of him being assassinated would be much greater...
Perhaps, after the disaster relief is over, his identity might become known.
"Father, Father, are you leaving the capital? Can Hongyao come with you?" This was little Hongyao, who couldn't wait to go out and play with his father. His bright eyes looked at Yinreng, his expression full of 'Take me with you, take me with you'.
Jialuo chuckled and picked up her son. "Hongyao, your father is going to do something serious, not to play. It's something very, very important."
“Hongyao, how about you stay home and help your mother take care of your younger brother? Your mother can’t manage all this by herself.” Seeing that Hongyao didn’t react to the previous sentence, Jialuo immediately changed her words.
Immediately, Hongyao's face showed a hint of hesitation, but in the end, he nodded, "Alright, Hongyao won't go. Hongyao will stay with Mother and take care of my younger brother."
"Father, you can go out without worry. I'll take care of everything at home." The chubby little hand patted his chest. As the little batu of the family, he should take on the responsibility of taking care of the family after his father left.
"Our Hongyao is so great! He has already become a Baturu who can protect his mother and younger brother." Yinreng praised his son. Although he couldn't understand what his son was thinking, his childish expression was clearly visible.
Hongyao proudly puffed out his little chest. Yes, that's right, Hongyao is already a successful Baturu!
That night, Yinreng spent half the night with Jialuo. The next day, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to allocate disaster relief supplies. He had to handle this properly for him, otherwise…
How dare the Minister of Revenue offend the Crown Prince? Someone else comes to requisition supplies? Just you wait! The Crown Prince comes to requisition supplies? Very well, Your Majesty, I'll do it right away!
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, had already discussed with the other princes the issue of recovering the national treasury debts. The concern wasn't whether his own residence could be built in a magnificent manner, but rather that once the money lent out by the national treasury was recovered, many things in the country could proceed.
Giving it to those parasites is like throwing a meat bun to a dog.
Yinreng, along with Yintang and Yin'e, headed out of the capital with batches of supplies. Kangxi didn't give him the Imperial Guards, which was really inconvenient, since the Imperial Guards were responsible for guarding the imperial city.
However, the troops in the western suburban military camp could be mobilized by Yinreng.
Emperor Kangxi also did not want his carefully cultivated heir to encounter any accidents on the disaster relief journey, as this would be a great blow to his father.
After Yinreng left the capital, only a few of them remained as the mistresses of Yuqing Palace. The concubines in the harem had completely lost their desire to compete for the emperor's favor; they were, in other words, "withered."
There's no way around it; no matter how alluring and seductive she was before, it's all useless now.
As he gets older, he's now thinking about how to please the Crown Princess.
Hongyao was there taking care of his younger brothers as his father had instructed. With his father gone, who else but himself could shoulder this heavy responsibility?
Kangxi originally planned to have Hongyao take over the Qianqing Palace during the time that Yinreng was away from the capital.
But Hongyao said, "Grandpa, I'd like to bring Hongyang, Hongxuan, and Hongtun over together, is that alright?"
Emperor Kangxi immediately thought of his other three grandsons, who were not yet a year old this year, so he simply couldn't control himself.
If you keep crying and crying...
"The weather is... quite hot now, and the journey from Yuqing Palace to Qianqing Palace is so far. Can you bear to let your younger brothers come all this way?" Kangxi found an excuse. How could he let Hongyao know that he was impatient with the crying baby? Wouldn't that affect his image in Hongyao's mind?
“That’s right. Alright then, Grandfather. We’ll bring the younger brothers over when the weather gets warmer. Grandfather will definitely love them.” Under the tutelage of Yinreng and Jialuo, Hongyao has already begun to subtly develop into a brother-complex.
"Well, when your younger brothers can walk and run, you can take them and run over to play with Grandpa Huang." Hmm, I suppose Hongyao will already be in school by then.
Don't bother me. It's fine if you come during the day, but if you're like Hongyao...
“Okay, Grandfather, it’s a deal.” Hongyao was happy. When he got back, he would teach his younger brothers to speak and walk… He was so smart, his younger brothers would definitely be very smart too.
Back home, looking at his three younger brothers lying on the small bed, Hongyao taught them to call him "Big Brother" in his childish voice. Oh dear, he's a big brother now, hehehe.
I used to hear my father and uncles call me "Uncle," and I always felt that I had become an uncle myself.
Feeling proud!
The baby, who is a month older, still hasn't learned to speak, at most making interjections like "ee-ya" and "da," but Xiao Hongyao doesn't mind.
They believed this was the beginning of success.
While Xiao Hongyao was so actively teaching his younger brothers to speak, Yinreng's entourage had already headed towards the Shu region.
The continuous heavy rains in Sichuan during the autumn harvest season have undoubtedly affected countless grain crops.
In addition, the torrential rains triggered flooding at the breach in the Yellow River, causing widespread disasters.
Starting from the capital, the journey was unlike the previous southern tour with Emperor Kangxi, where the roads had already been cleared by others and there were few people on either side, let alone beggars.
However, this time I truly felt the lives of ordinary people, especially as I got closer to the Sichuan region, the more disaster victims I encountered.
There were also piles of corpses. Yinreng's face darkened slightly, while Yintang and Yin'e could no longer control their expressions. How... could it be so serious?
"Find the corpses and cremate them on the spot, otherwise... it could easily cause a plague." The Crown Princess had said that if those corpses were soaked in water, they would produce certain diseases and toxins, which could easily cause a plague. Generally, a major disaster is followed by a major epidemic, and this is the reason why.
He also brought along two imperial physicians and several doctors, all of whom had been searched in the capital by Songgotu.
Originally, Suo'etu was investigating the group of officials who did not support lifting the sea ban, to see if they were colluding with wealthy merchants and to make a move first. Who knew that His Highness the Crown Prince would go to provide disaster relief?
Disaster relief is no ordinary task; it's easy for serious problems to arise.
How could he not be nervous? Why didn't he go crazy after leaving the court? Because he knew that Hesheli's future lay in His Highness the Crown Prince.
However, if something happens to the Crown Prince, Hesheli will have no chance to rise to power. Back then, her father went through many hardships to send his niece into the palace to become the Empress. Wouldn't all that effort be wasted on the children she gave birth to?
Even when the Three Feudatories were suppressed, the emperor's decision to appoint a crown prince was influenced by his own behind-the-scenes efforts.
It's impossible to let your harvest rot just when it's almost time to reap the rewards, right?
So, without saying a word, he followed along. He was determined to protect His Highness the Crown Prince. Upon hearing the Crown Prince's order, although he didn't understand, he immediately did as instructed.
Suo'etu was quite adept at handling trivial matters.
This was the first time that Yinzhen and Yin'e had ever witnessed such a horrific scene. The descriptions of corpses floating everywhere in books were just words in books; they had no impression of such a scene at all.
But things are different now. Looking at the scene before him, the disaster victims were thin and dirty, their faces filled with confusion and despair, hunger everywhere. Yin'e looked at Yin Tang helplessly, "Ninth Brother..."
His thin face, sallow and gaunt, looked like a big-headed doll. His eyes were fixed on the group and the grain behind them, as if he were about to rush up and rob them at any moment.
"How far is it from here to the prefect's residence?" His Highness the Crown Prince asked Suo'etu. It was fortunate that he had Suo'etu with him, otherwise this place would have been really difficult to navigate.
"Second Brother, shouldn't we camp here...?" Yin'e was still a soft-hearted young man; shouldn't they deal with these people...?
"Tenth Brother, do you know how large the disaster area is? How should we allocate and distribute supplies? The government is not cooperating, and we don't have enough manpower."
These are just the tip of the iceberg; there are many more places they haven't seen, perhaps even worse. They can't afford to waste this time. They need to mobilize government officials and notify the local areas to work together... Yinreng has never done disaster relief before, so he can only discuss things with Suo'etu while using his knowledge to discuss with Yintang and Yin'e, so they can learn together...
Mid-September.
Under Hongyao's patient guidance, the three little babies not only learned to say things like "Big pot, I'm cold," but also learned to walk with a staggering gait, stopping every now and then.
With its chubby little body, adorable face, and fair skin, it's incredibly endearing. It's wearing a little vest, the only difference being the color; all other patterns are the same.
You can tell they're brothers at a glance. The three chubby kids' favorite thing is the big pot they always hang out with, and then their gentle, fragrant forehead coolness.
"Come on, your brother will take you to play with the Emperor." Hongyao still remembered what the Emperor had said before. Having grown up in the harem, no matter how naive he was, he knew that the Emperor held the highest position.
As long as the Emperor likes his younger brothers, they can play anywhere without anyone daring to scold them. This is called... having someone backing you up, hahaha.
Of course, I learned this from my mother, and I have to say, my mother's words always make the most sense.
That little wooden tricycle has been modified time and time again at Hongyao's insistence. For example, the current little wooden tricycle has three back seats that can be used for sitting or lying down, specially for his younger brother. However, the only pity is that he can no longer pedal it and needs someone to push it.
The three younger brothers were stuffed inside. The wooden chairs had long been replaced with cotton chairs, and the palace was full of comfortable and soft fabrics. "Come on, today your eldest brother will take you to play."
Arrogant and smug.
"Big pot, big pot!" Hongyang was the first to raise his hand and cheer, following his older brother's footsteps. "Whoosh!"
Even sitting there, he couldn't help but pull himself up from the back of the chair, and the eunuch and nanny following him looked on with concern.
Can……
The Crown Princess isn't worried about the young princes at all, and she's so comfortable with Prince Hongyao taking the three young princes out? Really... that comfortable?
They were all terrified when they saw it.
"Big pot, big pot!" The two younger brothers also shouted along with Hongyang in their childish voices. Hongyao, sitting in front, was overjoyed to hear his three younger brothers' soft, sweet voices cheering and calling him.
He turned to his three younger brothers with a happy smile, "Hehe, Da Guo has already told Huang Ma Fa. Huang Ma Fa is also really looking forward to seeing our Hong Yang, Hong Xuan, and Hong Tun. Go over and hug his leg later, and Huang Ma Fa will definitely give you lots of food."
Hongyao's biggest memory of his grandfather is: lots of delicious food, but his mother wouldn't let him eat it? He would go to his grandfather.
At this moment, when talking to her three younger brothers, she even learned their accents when referring to herself.
Seeing that Prince Hongyao's carriage was pointing in the wrong direction, the little eunuch beside him hurriedly reminded him, "Prince Hongyao, look ahead, look ahead."
He should be called "Big Prince" in the traditional sense, but since the Big Prince Yinqi has not yet been granted a title and established his own residence outside the palace, it's not appropriate to confuse him with the Big Prince. So we keep calling him "Hongyao Prince".
Reminded, Hongyao looked straight ahead and drove his tuk-tuk through the city.
Passersby bowed respectfully, not daring to challenge him.
The Qianqing Palace.
Hongyao went straight to the threshold at the entrance of the palace, well... because he couldn't get through from there.
"Grandpa, Grandpa, I've brought my brothers to see you!" Hongyao shouted into the room, then turned around and picked up his three younger brothers.
However, the threshold was a bit high. It was already quite an achievement that she could lift her younger brother off the carriage. She stood there somewhat at a loss, looking for help at Emperor Kangxi, who was sitting on the dragon throne inside.
Unfortunately, Kangxi was quite far from the gate, and the guards on duty were completely melted when they saw Hongyao's pitiful and adorable expression.
"Prince Hongyao, do you need my help?" The guard bowed. Those who could serve as guards in the Qianqing Palace were all sons of Manchu nobles. Only those with a clean background and good family history were qualified to be guards.
Before Hongyao could even agree, he had already bent down to help, carrying the three little babies across the threshold.
Liang Jiugong had already come out to greet them. When he saw that it was Hongyao who had brought three young princes, his face lit up with a bright smile. "Prince Hongyao, why have you brought three young princes with you?"
"Grandpa said he wanted to see his younger brother, so I brought him here." When Hongyao said this, he may have forgotten whether it was he who wanted to show Grandpa his younger brother, or Grandpa who wanted to see his younger brother.
At this time, Kangxi was considering the titles to be bestowed upon his princes. Indeed, during his personal campaign against Galdan, he intended to "gild" them.
But now they're messing with the national treasury's debt collection again. Originally, the plan was to give the eldest son the title of a prince, and the others a title of prince, which should be enough.
I heard they've already split into two groups. Oh well, we'll see how well they collect their debts later. Besides, the Ninth and Tenth Princes have to travel all that way to accompany the Crown Prince on his disaster relief mission.
Then he heard his grandson's shouting, and... his words gave Kangxi a headache. Three imperial grandsons...
No need... bring it to me in such a hurry.
"Little brother, come here quickly and greet Grandpa." Hongyao stretched out his little hands and waved to his three younger brothers, then stood up straight and quickly greeted Grandpa.
"Your Majesty, Mafa."
"Mafa".
"Mafa".
The first word was difficult to pronounce with a retroflex consonant, so Hongyang had to pause for a moment. Hongxuan skipped it, while Hongtun followed his brother's lead, his voice both childish and full of energy.
Looking at the three chubby, fair-skinned babies, Kangxi felt a headache coming on, but his smile remained kind and gentle.
The three little ones hadn't actually seen Kangxi much, and even though he was very kind and approachable, they were more attached to Hongyao, asking, "Brother?"
"A big pot?" I was puzzled and confused.
“Grandfather, your brothers have never seen you before and don’t remember you. Please don’t blame them.” Hongyao quickly explained, then ran up to Kangxi and waved to his brothers, “Brothers, come here, come here, there’s cake to eat.”
Emperor Kangxi was speechless and heartbroken by the words of his beloved grandson.
The three toddlers trusted their older brother, but getting them to walk over was a bit difficult.
He staggered with small steps, and even fell to the ground because he couldn't stand up straight.
Startled, Liang Jiugong rushed forward, "Ouch, little prince, did you hurt yourself?"
"Someone, lay out a carpet," Kangxi ordered, "so the child won't get hurt."
The nannies also rushed over to take care of the three little princes. Liang Jiugong had someone bring over milk cakes, as the three little princes had already grown a few teeth and could eat them.
Hongyao, meanwhile, clung to Kangxi's side, asking, "Grandpa, when is Father coming back?"
He missed his father, but his mother said she didn't know when his father would return; only his grandfather knew the truth.
So, he's preparing to bring his beloved, adorable younger brothers over to implement his "beauty scheme." I'm sure the Emperor will tell him about it when he sees how cute they are.
"It should be soon." Kangxi looked down at him with a smile. "Hongyao, are you missing your father?"
Hongyao lowered his head in embarrassment, nodded, and then realized that his grandfather hadn't told him the exact time yet, probably because his "beautiful doll scheme" hadn't resulted in him getting the doll into his grandfather's arms.
Even though Hongyao had heard people talk about things like "honey traps" and occasionally heard that they were very effective, he didn't find the so-called "beauties" attractive at all.
She's not even as cute as her younger brother.
Why can others use their beauty to seduce others, but I can't use my own charms?
His younger brother is the cutest in the world! Look at his chubby little face, so fair and tender, his big, dark eyes like grapes are so beautiful, his nose is adorable, his mouth is adorable, his little hands are chubby, and his body is chubby too...
He quickly ran to his younger brother's side and picked up Hongtun, who looked most like his grandfather.
After whimpering, I picked him up and carried him to my father, Grandpa. I was a little tired of holding him.
"Your Majesty, Grandfather, here you go..." Seeing Hongyao's panting and labored appearance, Kangxi was worried that he might drop the child, so he quickly took the child from him.
The soft, cuddly baby smelled slightly of milk, and its chubby little body showed that it was being well taken care of.
After giving it to him, Hongyao felt exhausted. He was a little skeptical of those so-called honey traps. How did they manage to lift such a heavy adult?
Aren't you... afraid of getting crushed to death?
(End of this chapter)
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