Chapter 198 Yinzhen: I am a roundworm Kangxi asked questions, play...
When Kangxi asked questions, there were also unspoken rules for responses. Usually, the cabinet would speak first, followed by the six ministries and the Censorate.
Ma Qi had already made up his mind and was ready to step out, but unexpectedly a young man jumped out at this moment.
The newly appointed Xi'an Vice Governor, Bayan Ning, stepped forward confidently and declared, "Your Majesty, I believe these individuals, who have acted so recklessly and betrayed your Majesty's heart, have certainly committed more than just this one act. Simply dismissing them pending an investigation is insufficient. They should be immediately imprisoned and severely tortured."
After he finished speaking, the court fell silent. Bayan Ning did not think there was anything wrong with it. Instead, he felt very proud. He thought that he had impressed all the adults in the court on his first visit and must have left a deep impression on the emperor.
Really impressed!
Bayan Ning's recommender, Longkodo, had a cold face at this time, and he wanted to kick this guy who was more likely to cause trouble than to help out of the hall.
A few days ago, news came from Xi'an that the deputy governor of Xi'an died of illness in office. In addition to the usual rewards and funeral, the court also began to busy select a successor. After all, the war was about to break out in the west, and it had been agreed to transfer troops from Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. How could an important position be missing at this time?
When the news spread, everyone in the Eight Banners of the capital was excited. Just look at the excitement of the Sichuan Governor. Besides, the Vice Governor of Xi'an was at least a third-rank official. For a while, the homes of the powerful princes were crowded with people.
Bayanning's family followed Longkodo's path and finally succeeded in standing out from a crowd of competitors and having the last laugh.
Today was his first time attending court. According to the rules, he would be able to go to Xi'an to take up his post after prostrating himself to Emperor Kangxi at the end of the court meeting. However, this guy was so complacent that he even wanted to show off at the court meeting.
idiot!
This evaluation flashed through the minds of the leaders of various departments at the same time, and at the same time, many eyes, either watching the fun or sympathizing with them, fell on Longkodo.
Longkodo did not hide his recommendation from others. After all, it was not a big deal, and it was even a normal thing.
Ma Qi was somewhat happy. He had already quietly sided with Yinsi, and he also knew that his family was pushing Nian Gengyao to the throne. In fact, he had some doubts about this. After all, Nian Gengyao was still nominally a member of the Prince Yong clan, and he was still a little worried about making wedding dresses for others. However, since the masters had made the decision, he did not say much and just quietly contributed some effort.
He was a little embarrassed just now. After all, he had little connection with Nian Gengyao. Suddenly speaking well of Nian Gengyao might cause some unnecessary speculation, so he had been carefully considering his words and had not prepared them yet. But now, with this young man, he can just sit back and watch for a while and look for a better time and words.
The silence in the court lasted for a long time. No one came out to make a comment and Kangxi did not speak either. Bayan Ning then realized that something was wrong and he subconsciously looked at Longkodo.
Longkodo gritted his teeth and cursed the idiot in his heart. He stood up and said expressionlessly, "This is the Deputy Governor's first time attending court. There are some things he may not understand. The court and the Ministry of Justice have established rules for such matters. It's not just about who says what. I hope the Deputy Governor will be more cautious in what he says and does about things he doesn't understand in the future!"
He glared at Bayan Ning, who was already starting to panic: "Why don't you retreat!"
Although his tone was not polite, Bayan Ning still tried to smooth over his words, saying that he was also the recommender.
After being scolded by his thigh, Bayan Ning realized that he might have violated some taboo and retreated awkwardly.
After dealing with him, Longkodo was about to return to his seat when Kangxi suddenly spoke up, "My dear minister, what do you think we should do about this?"
Longkodo stopped in his tracks, not understanding why the emperor suddenly called him. As the governor of the Nine Gates, although he attended court, he would never speak on anything other than military affairs in various places. The emperor would never ask him what happened today.
He was thinking in his mind, and saw out of the corner of his eye that the Fourteenth Prince turned his head slightly towards him twice.
"Your Majesty, I believe the Ministry of Justice has established regulations, and we need only follow them." Longkodo first repeated the same arguments he had used when he rebuked Bayan Ning, then continued, "However, the current situation in Sichuan is unique. Tsewang Arabtan is lurking outside, and the barracks have just experienced a mutiny. I do not think it is appropriate to make any major moves at this moment."
He pondered for a moment and said, "I just read the confession. It says Meng Guangzu personally met with Tong Guorang and presented him with gifts. However, Nian Gengyao only sent someone to interact with Nian Gengyao's attendant. I believe that if that's all, it doesn't mean Nian Gengyao accepted bribes and provided protection for Meng Guangzu. It's also possible that his attendant was greedy, acted on his own, and relied on the power of others to bully others. This situation requires a detailed investigation by the Ministry of Justice."
Ma Qi had an idea. This was a good angle. He could delay the matter first and then make plans slowly. If he kept delaying, there would be room for maneuver. He didn't expect that Longkodo, this reckless man, had some ideas.
It was time for him to speak up. Ma Qi straightened his court robes and stood up to say what he should have said long ago: "Your Majesty, I think Master Tong is right. The Sichuan soldiers just mutinied, and it was only thanks to Nian Gengyao and Lu Zhenyang that they were able to quell the rebellion. Now they are still in the barracks. If we arrest Nian Gengyao now, it may cause unnecessary trouble, which will lead to internal and external troubles and will be detrimental to suppressing the rebellion."
Although he did not say it explicitly, everyone in the hall knew that Nian Gengyao and Lu Zhenyang must have promised benefits to the soldiers in order to quell the mutiny. If Nian Gengyao was arrested at this time, the soldiers would definitely think too much and think that the court did not want to fulfill its promise. They might even rebel again. By then, Sichuan would be in chaos. Not only would the established strategy for suppressing the rebellion have to be redone, but troops would also have to be dispatched to prevent the mutinous soldiers in Sichuan from going to make peace with Tsewang Arabtan. The manpower and material resources required would not be as simple as doubling them.
After realizing this, the adults all put the overall situation first and followed Longkodo's ideas to make suggestions to Kangxi. In the end, Kangxi ordered Tong Guorang to be dismissed from his post, while Nian Gengyao was leniently dismissed and allowed to remain in office.
Fourteenth couldn't help but feel relieved that the person was saved, but he also knew that Nian Gengyao would never have the chance to become the governor of Sichuan.
Sure enough, in the subsequent court meeting, Nian Gengyao's name was no longer among the candidates listed by the Minister of Personnel, but a substitute was temporarily arranged.
In the end, the position of Governor of Sichuan fell to Lu Zhenyang, who worked with Nian Gengyao to quell the mutiny.
After leaving the yamen, a small meeting was held at Yinsi's house. As soon as Yinzhen arrived, he couldn't wait to ask, "My dear brother, do you think what happened today is a little strange? How come Meng Guangzu was on the run for half a year and was caught by the Ministry of Justice at such a coincidence?"
Yinsi said, "It's not like he was captured in the past few days. I just asked around and found out that Meng Guangzu was captured a month ago, but the incident was kept secret."
Yinzhen frowned slightly. The Sichuan mutiny had just happened a month ago and had not yet spread to the capital.
"That's not right." Yin Zhen frowned and said, "They've already captured him for a month. Why did they reveal Nian Gengyao at this critical moment? There must be something behind this!"
His tone was firm. Yinzhen, who had been listening, quietly rolled his eyes and said, "I think Fourteenth Brother is overthinking it. Meng Guangzu was secretly detained and interrogated. We only found out today. How could others have known about it in advance and planned it? Besides, even if there was a conspiracy, the strength of it is not worth worrying about. Maybe Nian Gengyao offended someone and they don't want to see him get any better."
Yinzhen had always shown little interest in supporting Nian Gengyao, and he also had some complaints about Yinzhen's active promotion of this matter. No matter what, the Nian family was always the Zuoling of his fourth brother, and even though Yinzhen was his brother, he shouldn't treat him like an outsider. If his fifth brother treated his Zuoling as his own without saying anything, he would definitely feel uncomfortable inside, even if he didn't say it. This was because he had a good relationship with his fifth brother. What about the fourteenth brother and the fourth brother? From his private point of view, the fourteenth brother almost treated the fourth brother as a servant.
It would be strange if Fourth Brother was happy about this.
And the Nian family is not a good family either.
Yinzhen looked down on Nian Gengyao in his heart, but he was not polite in his words: "Brother, if you ask me, Nian Gengyao himself should be blamed for what happened today. If he had acted uprightly, why would he be afraid of others throwing dirty water at him?"
Yinzhen's face darkened: "Ninth brother, what do you mean?"
Yinzhen curled his lips: "I don't mean anything, it's just..."
"Alright." Seeing Fourteenth's unhappy face, Yinsi quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Your ninth brother is also angry about this matter. Fourteenth, don't take it to heart. We are brothers and we can't have grudges because of an outsider. If it doesn't work this time, we can try it next time. Even if Nian Gengyao doesn't work, there are still others. Don't be impatient."
Yinzhen lowered his eyes, neither agreeing nor refuting.
Yinsi looked at Yinzhen, whose expression was still not good. He snorted coldly, but didn't say anything else.
After briefly talking about the situation in the west, Yinlu and Yinzhen left one after another.
Yinzhen got into the carriage, his face gloomy. He was not only dissatisfied with Yin'er, but also with Yinsi's words of trying to smooth things over. What was he saying, "Without Nian Gengyao, there are others. How can others compare to Nian Gengyao?" Nian Gengyao was his...
No, he still felt that something was wrong. It was too coincidental that Meng Guangzu had to expose Nian Gengyao at this time, and the Ministry of Justice had to report the matter today, and at the court meeting.
There must be someone behind the scenes, Yinzhen was very sure, and as soon as he returned, he sent people out to investigate.
A few days later, while listening to a servant's report, Yinzhen suddenly interrupted and asked, "Wait, you just said that Prince Yong has been coming into the city quite frequently recently?"
The servant nodded.
"Tell me the specific day you will enter the city." Yinzhen frowned.
The servant counted them one by one.
Yinzhen thought it over twice in his mind, then suddenly stood up in a rage, picked up the paperweight nearby and threw it at him: "Yinzhen!"
The servant knelt down reflexively, but his mind was still a beat slow to think, is the master calling him or Prince Yong?
Yinzhen leaned his hands on the table, veins bulging on his forehead and neck. Although he only knew the time when Yinzhen entered the city and didn't know what he did in the city, Yinzhen inexplicably felt that the person behind the scenes was Yinzhen!
Evidence? What more evidence do you need! Yinzhen had been staying outside the city for the past few years, rarely entering, but he frequently came in a few days after the quarrel between the two. What could be the reason? The Ministry of Justice may have kept Meng Guangzu's information extremely confidential, but that depends on the person! Yinzhen has been in the Ministry of Justice for a long time. Moreover, the self-righteous and stubborn people in the Ministry of Justice have always admired Yinzhen. If others don't know about Meng Guangzu's affairs, how could Yinzhen not find out?!
There’s no running away, it’s him!
Yinzhen thought firmly, but then his anger doubled. How could he have such a stupid brother? Other brothers helped their younger brothers build bridges and pave the way, caring and protecting them, but what about him? It's worse than nothing. He always had a deadpan expression and said nonsense, but he had the title of prince but lived outside the city farming. He was so useless. Although he despised him, he didn't think much of it. He even kindly helped his nephew pave the way for his entry into the court. After all, he was a good uncle!
What about this brother? He's useless, unable to make plans for his nephew, and he scolds him for meddling in his affairs. Now he's even using tricks to sabotage his plans! How could he have such a brother?
The more Yinzhen thought about it, the angrier he became. In the end, he even felt a little resentful towards Concubine De. Why did she give birth to such a brother for him? It would have been fine if he couldn't help him, but he turned against him!
No, this cannot be tolerated. If we tolerate this, Lao Si will be in great pain!
While he was planning to deal with Yinzhen, Qi Buchen had almost guessed what Yinzhen had done.
"Did you do that thing about Nian Gengyao?" Qi Buchen asked.
Yinzhen didn't say anything.
That's it. Qi Buchen nodded and tutted his words: "That's not your style."
Yinzhen raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"
What else can I say? My Lord, you are so angry by nature, can you calm down by just giving Nian Gengyao a little punishment?
Do you believe it?
Anyway, I don’t believe it. Who among the serious people would believe it?
The petty-minded Emperor Yongzheng.
Yinzhen looked at Fu Jin's lively eyes and couldn't help but pinch her face and said, "Don't think that just because you don't say anything, I don't know you are scolding me."
Qi Buchen's face was pinched, and he said vaguely: "I didn't, you have no evidence."
Yinzhen chuckled, let go of her face, and rubbed it with his palm: "I am the worm in your heart. I can hear everything you think."
Qi Buchen chuckled twice, then leaned forward and asked: "Seriously, is this the end?"
Yinzhen pondered and said, "Let's see."
"What are you looking at?" Qi Buchen was puzzled.
Yinzhen shook his head: "It's hard to say now."
The matter of Nian Gengyao was indeed just an appetizer. He had other plans later, but now he has discovered something unexpected, so the follow-up has been temporarily put on hold until the accident is investigated.
Honghui has been on duty at the Ministry of War for nearly ten days. He has followed his father's instructions and focused on doing the tasks assigned to him. He doesn't care about anything else and doesn't have any private contact with anyone in the Military Selection Office.
With his status as the crown prince and the presence of his father-in-law, the minister, his behavior actually made people in the Ministry of War feel somewhat favorable towards him.
All workers know that they are not afraid of people with connections not working, but they are afraid of people with connections being willing to work.
That day, he left the yamen on time, but was stopped as soon as he left the yamen.
"Hey, isn't this Prince Honghui? What a coincidence, he just got off the government office?" A stranger greeted him in a slightly awkward but familiar manner.
Honghui glanced at the quiet street outside the government office and smiled at the man who seemed to have 'coincidentally' run into him while out shopping: "May I know who my cousin is?"
Although the man in front of him was wearing a fourth-rank hat and a fourth-rank military uniform, Honghui knew at a glance that this was the standard outfit of a leisurely royal family member. What's more, he also had a yellow belt tied around his waist, which made him look like he was just short of having a piece of paper with the word "royal family" written on it stuck on his body.
Considering the tone of the man's greeting and his age, it was definitely correct to call him cousin.
As expected, the visitor was visibly relieved and said with a smile, "Your Highness, just call me Fashan. My grandfather is the second son of Prince Suwu."
Prince Suwu Haoge's second son, Gutai, was granted the title of General Auxiliary State. In the 39th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, he was stripped of his title for a crime.
This information flashed through Honghui's mind, and he immediately bowed and said, "So it turns out to be my cousin Fashan."
His polite attitude made Fashan smile even wider. "Your Highness is too polite. It is fate that I can meet you today. I just finished my job, so why don't I host you and invite you to have a drink together."
Honghui said in embarrassment: "I shouldn't refuse my cousin's invitation, but my seventh uncle is going to marry his daughter soon, and as his nephew, I have to help out a little during these days. I can only regret it."
Fashan's smile faltered, his thoughts racing: "Seventh Uncle? Haha, why haven't I heard that anyone in the royal family is getting married... Ah, yes, yes, how could I have forgotten? It seems the second daughter of the Chunjun Prince's family has set a date for her wedding?"
Honghui smiled and said, "That's right. The date was set rather urgently, August 18th."
"Well... well, since that's the case, I can't force you, Your Highness. But after I'm done with my work, I hope you'll do me a favor." Fashan could only say unwillingly.
Honghui didn't give a definite answer: "I dare not say it's a favor, cousin, you are too polite."
After saying goodbye to Fashan, Honghui boarded his own carriage. Yang Heguang followed and asked, "Prince, do you want to check on this person?"
Honghui nodded and advised, "Don't make too much noise." The political situation is complicated now. Although my father has been staying away from the world, there is no guarantee that others will not make wild guesses. There must be some reason why Fashan suddenly appeared.
——Although looking at Fashan’s appearance, it doesn’t seem like he can accomplish anything great.
But it is better to be safe than sorry. It is better to be cautious in everything.
Fashan was easy to investigate. Yang Heguang returned before curfew to report, "...Lord Gutai died within a year of being stripped of his title. Fashan, his eldest son and grandson, was quite ambitious and had always been close to Lord Yanxin's family. He now serves as a commissioned guard officer in the Eight Banners Guard Battalion."
The Commission's Guard School sounds impressive, but it's actually just a nominal position used to assign these idle people with connections, and they can get some salary every month.
As for Yanxin, he was the son of Meng'e, the fifth son of Hauge. Meng'e was quite favored by Hauge. Although he failed to inherit the title of Prince Suwu, he was also canonized as Prince Wenliang. However, because it was an extra reward, when Yanxin inherited the title, he could only inherit the third-class Fengguo General. Fortunately, he still had some talents and is now serving as the Manchu General of the Zhenglan Banner.
After sorting out these complicated relationships, Honghui breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Fashan suddenly came up to him because he was like most people during this period, trying to gain some benefits by relying on his father and father-in-law.
After completing the division of Fashan, Honghui no longer paid attention to the matter. As for the seventh uncle's daughter's marriage? Of course, it was true, but why did he need the help of a nephew from another family? The seventh uncle was not without a son, and at worst there was the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The second cousin's marriage partner was a Mongolian Taiji, so the Ministry of Rites was also indispensable.
On the other hand, Fashan did not go home, but went straight to a brothel, where someone had already opened a private room waiting for him.
"Why so early?" The visitor was a little surprised.
Fashan said depressedly: "No one agreed."
The visitor frowned and said in a somewhat impolite tone: "What's the matter? You can't even handle such a small thing!"
Fashan was very upset with his attitude. He was just a servant, yet he dared to be so cold to him! However, he dared not show any dissatisfaction on his face, and had to put on a smile: "No, no, I misunderstood. It's mainly because Prince Chun is going to marry his daughter soon, and he has to go to help. He said that he has been busy for a while."
The visitor's face looked even uglier: "So you can't hire anyone in a short time?" He was far away from the royal family and was just a messenger. How could he know the royal family's rules for holding weddings? They were just pretending to be a wealthy family. It was not normal for the nephew to help.
Fashan said cautiously, "It is said that the Chunjun Prince's daughter's wedding is scheduled for August 18th. It should be difficult to invite someone before then."
The visitor snorted and warned, "It's best not to let me know that you're making excuses for not getting it done. Madam takes this matter very seriously. If you get it done, everything will be fine. If you don't, hmph, you'll have to think about it yourself."
Fashan repeatedly assured her, "Tell the Madam to rest assured that I can definitely handle this matter to her satisfaction. Come on, come on, you've worked hard on helping the Madam, come and have a drink."
After a life of debauchery, Fashan did not sit still and wait for opportunities. He "accidentally" met Honghui several times at the gate of the Ministry of War. On the one hand, he wanted to bring them closer together, fearing that Honghui would forget him. On the other hand, he did it to show the people behind him that he was working hard.
Honghui dismissed Fashan, whom he had 'met by chance', and said with some annoyance: "What a dog-skin plaster."
Hongyan happened to come to him and asked curiously, "Who are you scolding, brother?"
"Nothing." Honghui didn't want to mention the person he disliked. "Why are you here?"
"Oh." Hongyu didn't pursue the matter any further, and said with a sullen look, "I came here to tell you something."
Honghui looked around and said, "Get in the car."
As the carriage began to move, Hongyu whispered, "Someone just came to see Lin Changqing, saying that an imperial censor had impeached my father and that the envoys were out without a warrant, suspecting them of some treacherous activity. Lin Changqing has already left the city to look for my father, and I wanted to tell you something."
Honghui frowned slightly: "Which censor?"
Hongyu shook his head: "No."
Honghui pondered. A Kanhe (Kanhe) is a document that has been verified, stamped, and issued in two copies. The original definition of a Kanhe was required for the dispatch of troops, carriages entering and leaving the capital, and officials traveling by post. During the Ming Dynasty, due to the maritime ban, the Kanhe was also used for trade. Only those holding a Kanhe issued by the imperial court were allowed to engage in maritime trade. After the Qing Dynasty took over, the Kanhe was also used. Regarding maritime trade, it was also used during the maritime ban. However, with the recent opening of maritime trade and the lack of official inspections, the Kanhe has become dispensable, and many people sailed without a Kanhe.
Now that the censor is using this to impeach, it can only be said that he is nitpicking. In recent years, maritime trade has developed, and all families have been involved to some extent, but most of them have invested in shares and received dividends. It is rare for people to form their own fleet and go to sea like my mother did.
However, he couldn't make the decision on this matter, as his father was there. Honghui only reminded them, "We don't need to worry about this matter. You should be more alert these days and study more at home."
This wasn't the first time he'd said this. After Huang Mafa went to the garden, Ama had warned him. Hongyu wasn't a child anymore and knew the seriousness of the situation. He just nodded and agreed, "Don't worry, big brother."
Honghui was a little worried. Ever since his wedding, his family had been a little restless, and he didn't know what the outcome would be this time.
On the other side, Yinzhen also received Lin Changqing's report. After a moment's silence, he said, "Let's wait and see what happens."
He turned around and said to Qi Buchen, "Let's take it easy for a few days and see what the rules are."
It mainly depends on Kangxi's reaction to this memorial.
The memorial was kept.
Yinzhen's expression was slightly tense. Generally speaking, keeping the matter in the family meant that the higher-ups wanted to suppress it and not pursue it. Logically, this should be a good thing, but Yinzhen didn't know why, and he had a bad feeling. He would rather the emperor issued an edict to reprimand him.
A few days after the memorial was kept, the censor did not stop, but instead gathered several colleagues to submit impeachment memorials one after another. They not only mentioned the issue of the inspection, but also included other charges. However, these memorials were also kept.
This attracted the attention of some people. Some of the censors said they were not afraid of power, but in fact they were just trying to gain fame and reputation. They did not think about their own duties, but only targeted the princes and ministers, impeaching them for trivial matters that had nothing to do with the public. The higher-ups wanted to deal with it in a low-key manner, but they refused and insisted on exaggerating the matter and making the crime several times more serious.
The memorial impeaching Prince Yong had been kept, and these people suddenly smelled a way to become famous, and they all became eager to try.
When Yinzhen saw the signature on the latest impeachment memorial, he immediately realized that something was wrong. If this group of people started making trouble, a small matter would become a big one. Moreover, strictly speaking, the Kanhe could be considered a big deal.
After thinking for half a day, he made a prompt decision.
A few days later, the court officials suddenly noticed that the censors at the Metropolitan Censorate had suddenly taken notice of the Kanhe issue. The number of memorials submitted to the cabinet daily was 20% higher than usual. That was fine, but what were the accusations against them? Prince Yong was at least involved in maritime trade, a major issue, but what about the others? It was just a trivial matter about servants leaving the city without presenting their Kanhe certificates! And this single point could have been used to implicate all the princes and nobles in the capital.
After Ma Qi finished drafting today's proposal, he rubbed his wrists and thought that he had been overworked today.
After leaving the yamen, he called the servant and gave him a few instructions. Then the servant turned left and right in the evening and arrived at the Eighth Prince's Mansion. Shortly after he left, another person came out of the Eighth Prince's Mansion and quietly went somewhere else.
After many twists and turns, Xu Yuanmeng was greeted by a question in the study: "I would like to ask, Master Xu, why have the censors recently started to focus on impeaching the Kanhe matter? What is the reason?"
Xu Yuanmeng knew that the visitor's implication was to ask whether this matter was instructed by the emperor and whether he wanted to use it to cause trouble. But God knows, this matter has nothing to do with the emperor at all. He didn't even know about it until it had become a big deal.
He had only taken office at the beginning of this year, and the Censorate was the government office with the largest number of staff. There were more than fifty censors in the fifteen censors alone. Up to now, he had only just reviewed the resumes of the censors.
At first, when someone impeached Prince Yong, he had no idea that the censors had the power to report to the emperor upon hearing anything. Although he was the Left Censor-in-Chief and the chief of the Censorate, his constraints on the censors were not as great as those on the six ministers. It was a sign of respect for the censors to tell him before submitting their memorials, and it was normal not to tell him. After all, the job of the censors was to submit impeachment memorials, and there were at least thirty or forty memorials sent to the cabinet every day. If he read every one of them, would he still be able to do his job?
He began to pay attention to this matter because the well-known troublemakers in the Censorate also got involved. At this time, the target of impeachment was still Prince Yong, but it was no longer limited to the matter of the inspection. There were also nitpicking charges such as competing with the people for profit, violently making money, having close contacts with foreigners, and manipulating official positions.
He had no intention of intervening in this matter. Anyway, those troublemakers were notorious, and even Prince Yong would not think that he was behind the trouble.
But who would have known that overnight, many censors would emerge and write letters of impeachment. They did not focus on those trivial matters, but based on this point, they expanded the scope of the attack from Prince Yong to the entire group of princes and nobles.
Look at the names listed in the memorial. It seems that they are going to catch all the members of the royal family in one fell swoop.
What was the Censorate trying to do? Was Lord Xu planning to make a big splash as a new official? Many people thought so.
Xu Yuanmeng had nowhere to complain. He wasn't crazy. Impeaching almost all the royal family members, was this just a way to establish his authority? This was clearly suicide! He felt that the person who started this wasn't targeting Prince Yong, but him, Xu Yuanmeng! Who the hell had his eyes on the position of Left Censor-in-Chief and wanted to get rid of him? He was dreaming!
After fooling the newcomer away with a joke, Xu Yuanmeng sat in his study until midnight, thinking about how to break the situation.
Before he could come up with a solution, Kangxi brought up the matter at court one day and ordered everyone to discuss it.
How can we discuss this? The first person on this list is the emperor's biological son. Not to mention that the emperor has some fatherly affection for his son, let's just say that by now, the struggle for the throne is becoming increasingly apparent. In this court, whether openly or covertly, there are very few who are not involved. If you mention one, then everyone will be implicated. How can we explain this?
Based on this idea, except for a few censors who were very excited, the ministers basically had an indifferent and ambiguous attitude.
Seeing that the matter was about to end in nothing, the several censors were unwilling to give in, but Kangxi suddenly said: "Since this is the case, this matter will be handed over to the nine ministers for discussion and to come up with a set of rules."
As soon as these words fell, the ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Nine ministers discussing this together? Was the emperor really wrong? Nine ministers, those were the Nine Ministers, the highest level of officials in the country besides the emperor. Any matter that they could collectively focus on was a matter of great importance to the court and the people's livelihood.
Kanhe? What the hell is Kanhe?
Kangxi ignored everyone's doubts and stood up and said, "Dismiss the court."
Because of Kangxi's attitude, this little matter, which should have been hastily passed over, suddenly attracted everyone's attention, and the Nine Ministers had to gather together to discuss the "big thing".
The Minister of Revenue cleared his throat and started the conversation first: "Everyone, what do you say?" The war in the west was raging, and he was busy preparing food and fodder, so he had no time to waste on this inexplicable matter.
The Minister of Works looked around and called out Xu Yuanmeng's name: "Sir Xu, what does the Censorate mean?"
Xu Yuanmeng's face was stiff, but he had to defend his subordinate: "Just follow the rules."
This is nonsense. According to the rules, what rules? The emperor's rules, the court's rules, or your Censorate's rules?
The Dali Temple Minister complained inwardly, glanced at the two Ministers of War, and with a thought in mind, he said, "What do you think, Lord Fan?"
Matters of entering and exiting the city gates have always been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. It is not wrong to ask the Minister of War, but both Ministers of War are here. Why did you specifically mention my name, Fan Shichong?
Fan Shichong glanced at the Dali Temple official, made a mental note, and said, "According to the established punishment, those without a certificate or whose certificates do not comply with the previous dynasty's regulations were sentenced to two months in prison. This dynasty will continue to follow the same regulations."
"Haha, Master Fan, you're joking. It's not that serious." The Dali Temple Minister said awkwardly. "Let those princes and nobles go to jail for two months? Are you crazy or am I crazy?"
Fan Shichong's words were so harsh that all the important officials looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing how to discuss the matter.
After sitting for a while, the Minister of Personnel spoke up, "The Emperor hasn't said when this matter will be resolved, so there's no need to rush. I have other important matters to attend to at the yamen. Why don't we all go home and think about it today? We can discuss it tomorrow."
The others all agreed. They went back and thought that it was false, but they inquired about the news and found it was true. They couldn't figure out the emperor's pulse, so who would dare to make a conclusion easily?
Half a day later, all parties had basically received the news, and meetings of all sizes were held continuously, with everyone speculating on what the emperor meant.
Yinsi's mansion was no exception. In addition to Yin'er and Yinzhen, he also called He Chao and several staff members.
After some discussion, one of the staff members asked, "Could it be that the Emperor wants to reinstate the maritime ban?"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen changed his previous aloof attitude and frowned slightly: "What do you mean?" Among these people, he was the only one with the biggest business. He was also the only one who copied Qi Buchen's homework and started a maritime trade business. Now, the income from maritime trade accounts for the majority of his income.
The staff member said, "Although foreigners have been appointed to official positions over the years, they have all been insignificant. There are no longer any like Nan Huairen. Moreover, the Emperor has been paying special attention to naval affairs in recent years. Some time ago, the Emperor issued an edict banning the Catholic Church. Those who were initially impeached in Prince Yong's Palace were also involved in maritime trade."
When you think about it this way, it seems to make sense.
Yinsi immediately became a little anxious. Yin'er had contributed a lot to the current activities of their faction, especially the expenses of his own house, which were basically earned by working with Yin'er.
"What are the odds?" he asked.
The aide hesitated and said, "This humble official is just guessing based on the Emperor's recent movements. I'm not sure."
He Chao said, "I think it's very likely. Pirates have been rampant in recent years, and border raids have occurred frequently. Furthermore, in Guangdong and Fujian, many people have gone out to sea and never returned. I heard that the population in many places hasn't increased in several years. If it weren't for the policy of never increasing taxes..." He paused, remembering that it was Prince Yong who proposed the policy, and then he evaded the question. "Now that a rebellion is about to break out in the west, although Tsewang Arabtan is vulnerable, he has been fleeing at the first sign of trouble in recent years. Tibet is vast and sparsely populated, so it would be a long war to wipe him out. This situation requires stability everywhere, so lifting the maritime ban makes sense."
Yinsi seemed to be lost in thought, but Yinzhen retorted, "I think it's unlikely. What you said is a trivial matter that won't affect the court, not to mention it's just speculation."
He Chao disagreed, but did not refute.
After a moment's deliberation, Yinsi said, "Well, let's hand these speculations over to Lord Xu, and let him decide whether to bring them forward for discussion with the other nine ministers."
No one else had any objection, and the discussion results were finally sent to Xu Yuanmeng.
"Maritime ban." Xu Yuanmeng muttered to himself. Although he knew that this was not the emperor's original intention, it was certain that the emperor wanted to use this matter to achieve some goals. Among these goals, the maritime ban seemed to be the most reliable one.
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