When Kangxi heard Yinreng's thoughts, his heart tightened, but his expression did not change.
He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then quickly looked up again.
"You came here today not just for the opium thing, right?"
If the Thirteen Hongs or the Port of Tianjin had only accepted sixty boxes of opium each year according to his limit, situations that could endanger human lives would not have occurred so easily.
Opium is very effective in relieving pain and helping with sleep. If it is completely banned, many nobles in the capital who have been suffering from injuries and pain for many years will definitely not be able to accept it.
Yinreng said,
"Besides Li Suishan, the tavern my son went to yesterday also had a big problem. The owner of that tavern is the imperial merchant family Fan, but someone from the Tong family branch has also invested in it."
"Fan family?"
Kangxi frowned, and kept rubbing his finger on the ring.
"Tell me the truth, are you and Old Nine targeting the Fan family's assets?"
Yinreng sneered when he heard this.
"The Emperor thinks too highly of the Fan family. Even though the Fan family easily contributed four million taels of silver to military expenses a few years ago, and they seem quite wealthy, that was the accumulation of hundreds of years for the Fan family. It won't take Yinzhen a few years to match their wealth..."
The Fan family had wealth but no military power to resist the imperial court. If Kangxi had not still remembered the friendship between them, the Fan family would have been devoured by the Manchu aristocratic families long ago.
What's more, even if he and Yinzhen did not take action against the Fan family, the industries in Yinzhen's hands alone would be a considerable blow to the Fan family.
If they do not seek change, their living space will be squeezed out sooner or later.
Yinreng was thinking in his heart,
"Could it be that the Fan family felt a sense of crisis because of their businesses in the outer city, so they started to have evil thoughts about opium?"
Kangxi's eyes moved slightly, but he said nothing, waiting for Yinreng's next words.
"If opium is widely available in the capital, with just a few hundred addicts, the supply will be insufficient to meet the demand, and the price will undoubtedly skyrocket. The profits from smuggling opium will then be..."
Yinreng gritted his teeth.
'These people should all be taken out and shot!'
Kangxi finally spoke,
"If it's not because of the Fan family, is it because of the Tong family?"
Yinreng shook his head.
"My son is for the Imperial Household Department."
"The Imperial Household Department? What does this have to do with the Imperial Household Department?"
A look of surprise appeared on Kangxi's face. The price of opium was not high. How could the Imperial Household Department get involved with the Fan family for such a small profit?
"Father, Yinzhen is fully responsible for the port affairs. If no one helps, the Fan family's little tricks will not escape Fourth Brother's eyes."
"So you suspect the Fan family bribed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to tamper with the port?"
"yes."
"If only I could bribe them..."
Kangxi chuckled.
"Yinreng, ah Yinreng, you've dealt with the Imperial Household Department quite a few times. When have you ever seen them risk their lives just for a few small profits?"
"A box of opium weighs only a little over eighty jin. Even the best quality is only five taels of silver per jin, so a box would only be worth four hundred taels of silver."
In other words, the profit from selling opium was not worth mentioning at all for the people in the Imperial Household Department.
Yinreng's temples throbbed twice.
"Is four hundred taels a small amount? Only those who manage a household know how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are. Four hundred taels are enough for a family of five to live comfortably for twenty years! Kangxi Kangxi, eating bran and drinking thin soup! You are right!"
Kangxi: “……?!”
What is this rebellious son saying?
What does it mean to eat bran and drink thin soup?!
Kangxi felt that his Qi-cultivation skills were good enough, but after hearing those words, he still couldn't help but feel angry.
But before he could vent his anger, he heard Yinreng say,
"You don't even care about four hundred taels of silver. So the corruption in the Imperial Household Department is the result of the Emperor's deliberate connivance, right?"
The anger in Kangxi's heart stopped for a moment, and he frowned.
"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. If the rules are too strict, no one will do my work. I have taught you these principles before!"
"Does the Emperor know that everything in this palace..."
Yinreng pointed to the exquisite porcelain on the antique shelf, his face full of sarcasm.
"What you used were the leftovers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
Kangxi was stunned, then laughed in anger.
"You mean, they kept the best for themselves?"
Yinreng felt a chill in his heart.
In his previous life, he had exposed the fact that the Imperial Household Department intercepted the best tributes.
If Kangxi was also reborn, he should also have memories of this incident.
Yinreng's mind was full of thoughts, and his eyes were looking back and forth at Kangxi's face.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, the smile on Kangxi's face gradually disappeared.
"What you said... is true?"
Liang Jiugong stood aside, his eyes watching his nose, and his nose watching his heart.
But in his heart, he was frantically thinking about how to distance himself from the Imperial Household Department before Kangxi investigated it.
Yinreng glanced at Liang Jiugong and saw that he was staring at his toes, so he said,
"Whether it's true or not, the Emperor should go to one of the bannermen families and take a look. Wouldn't that make everything clear?"
When Kangxi heard this, he stood up from his chair.
"Liang Jiugong, go and mobilize 500 imperial guards!"
Liang Jiugong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately agreed.
“Hey!”
The Imperial Household Department is really finished this time. No, he has to send a message to his godson and ask him to clean up the mess as soon as possible.
The master and servant walked out with different thoughts in their minds, and no one noticed the deep shock on Yinreng's face.
"Yinreng!"
"ah?"
"What are you standing there for? Why don't you catch up?"
“Here I come!”
Yinreng forced himself to suppress the confusion in his heart and trotted to catch up with Kangxi.
Liang Jiugong took the opportunity to meet Liang Jinzhong while he was mobilizing troops.
"My son, listen carefully. The Emperor wants to investigate the Imperial Household Department, and we can't stop him. We have received many benefits from the Imperial Household Department. Go find Xiao Dezi now and destroy all those things. Don't leave a single one behind!"
A strange color flashed across Liang Jinzhong's eyes, and he nodded in agreement hurriedly.
"Godfather, I understand. Go get busy!"
Liang Jiugong patted Liang Jinzhong on the shoulder and then left in a hurry.
Liang Jinzhong looked at Liang Jiugong's departing back, his eyelids twitched a few times, a sarcastic arc appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said "Pooh" and threw Liang Jiugong's instructions behind his mind.
Kangxi led Yinreng and five hundred imperial guards straight to Fucha Maska's residence.
Maska still serves as the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department. If what Yinreng said is true, then Maska is definitely the one who took the lead.
Yinreng sat on the shoulder, following closely behind Kangxi, not daring to have any distracting thoughts in his mind.
The last words he said to Kangxi were just lip-synced, without making any sound.
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