Chapter 199: Miss Yunliu has shown some inclination, and Xu Yuanmeng also...
With a tendency in mind, Xu Yuanmeng was not idle. He went through the Nine Ministers and first drafted two alliances. After discussing with the two of them privately, he brought up the maritime ban at the Nine Ministers meeting on the second day.
Not to mention, this speculation was actually agreed upon by most of the Nine Ministers.
I told you, the emperor is busy with all kinds of affairs, how could he possibly pay attention to such a trivial matter as the Kanho? A maritime ban is the only justifiable reason.
"Even so, the investigation still needs to come to a conclusion," said the Minister of Personnel.
After all, the maritime ban is just everyone's speculation, and the emperor has not given any orders. It is not political at all to say it out loud, so we still have to proceed step by step from the Kanhe.
Minister of Revenue Mu Helun spoke up, "The rules for the inspection were originally minor, so the court has always followed the rules of the previous dynasty without any changes. But now that so many people in the court are violating the rules, perhaps we should consider whether the rules of the previous dynasty are no longer applicable in this dynasty?"
Fan Shichong glanced at the Minister of Revenue in surprise.
The Minister of Rites continued, "Lord Mu's words make sense. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. Perhaps the Ministry of War should investigate why the inspection permit is ineffective and whether there is some hidden reason."
After hearing these two words, Fan Shichong paused for a moment before speaking, "Since that's the case, we will report this to His Majesty, and have the Ministry of War send someone to investigate and determine if this is practical." He then changed the subject, "However, before that investigation, there must be a proper punishment for the violation. Two months' imprisonment is too severe. How about each family paying a fine?"
Seeing that the war was about to break out, his Ministry of War was broke, so he applied for funding from the Ministry of Revenue. But the old man Mu Helun kept making excuses and crying poor. Now, he had to get whatever he could.
Mu Helun was the first to agree: "Okay."
The others are dispensable. Anyway, this matter is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. Since Fan Shichong has spoken, the others will give him face. In fact, if it weren't for the emperor's words, they wouldn't even bother to look at it.
After the matter was agreed upon, several people jointly submitted a memorial. Within half a day, Kangxi's reply came down, with only one word: OK.
The "big thing" discussed by the Nine Ministers seemed to have ended so abruptly, but those who were interested knew that this was just the beginning.
Sure enough, a few days later, a Grand Secretary in the Cabinet wrote a letter, listing the recent coastal invasions and harm caused by foreigners, and requesting the lifting of the maritime ban.
For a while, the court was full of discussions, but Kangxi acted as if nothing had happened. He patted his butt and took his men to hunt outside the Great Wall. The only princes he brought with him were the third prince, the fifteenth prince, and the sixteenth prince.
Qi Buchen finished flipping through last year's account book and frowned in annoyance. Her business is now big, but the focus is still on maritime trade. Unlike others who only go to the East and South China Seas for small-scale operations, her fleet is responsible for collecting talents, Western knowledge, species, etc. Each trip is very far, and it takes about two years to return from a trip to sea. The most recent trip was set off a year ago. At that time, no one could have imagined that the court would suddenly re-impose the maritime ban.
Although after so many years of hard work, she has found most of the things she wanted to find, and has collected a lot of talents and the latest knowledge of Western developments, but these things are never too much. Moreover, although she does not remember the specific time point, she also knows that Western science will only begin to develop rapidly in the next one or two hundred years. She is afraid that once the maritime ban is lifted, she will fall behind step by step.
While the Qing elite were open to Western learning and eager to apply it, few had acquired basic knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and were still prejudiced against gimmicks and tricks. Qi Buchen's captives were merely paid to support them, allowing them to collaborate in integrating newly developed Western knowledge into the existing Chinese system. In their free time, he would train a group of apprentices, cultivating a scientific mindset and laying the seeds for future development.
Of course, the fields of chemical engineering, biology, and medicine also provided them with testing grounds, allowing them to experiment boldly. Over the years, they have also achieved some small results. Qi Buchen directly used the unimportant technologies to expand her business territory, but she kept the first generation of cement under control and did not dare to release it. Even though she was always distressed by the news of floods somewhere, she endured it without saying a word.
Only by living in this era for decades can one understand the pros and cons of the political environment. She cannot be a saint, and what she cares most about is always the situation of her relatives.
"Upset again?" Yinzhen came in at some point, closed the account book in front of her, and raised his hand to press the back of her neck. "Don't worry. Things are different now than they were during the time of the previous emperor. Taiwan has been recovered, and countless people in the south rely on maritime trade for their livelihoods. If we don't solve their livelihood problems, even if we reopen the maritime ban, it won't be as harsh as it was back then. There's always room for maneuver."
He had seen everything that Fu Jin had done over the years, and he had also read and understood the books and people that she had brought back. Although he did not value Western knowledge as much as Fu Jin did, he also knew that Western knowledge was not as useless as most people thought, and in some aspects, it could even be very effective.
Qi Buchen tilted his neck back, placed the weight of his head on his hand, and sighed, "I understand, it's just a pity."
She tutted her tongue and said dissatisfiedly, "What happened to the censor who impeached you in the beginning?"
If he hadn't started it, and Kangxi hadn't been ambiguous in his attitude, which accidentally attracted the attention of those troublesome censors and forced Yinzhen to immediately arrange for people to expand the scope of the attack, how could it have ended up in such a mess?
"Could it be true, as some people are guessing, that this was the Emperor's intention?" She shook her head again, denying her own suspicions. "That shouldn't be the case. Even if the Emperor wanted to reinstate the maritime ban, there's no need to ask for an opening from the Kanhe or from you."
The detour was a bit too far. What if his subordinates didn't guess it? The maritime ban wasn't a sensitive matter. If Kangxi wanted to do it, he only needed to summon a few trusted ministers to talk to them and let them spread the word.
Yinzhen paused while massaging her neck. Qi Buchen noticed it immediately and looked up at him: "Have you found out?"
"Yes." Yinzhen straightened her head, pulled his hand away, sat down beside her, and said in a deep voice, "It's fourteen."
"Fourteen?" Qi Buchen was surprised. "What does he think? Old Nine also has a fleet out to sea. Could he not have thought that this matter would affect Old Nine?"
Yinzhen snorted, "If only he were really that brainless."
"Then..." Qi Buchen raised his eyebrows, "Kill two birds with one stone? Repair the plank road in public and attack Chencang in secret?"
Yinzhen looked at her in surprise: "You are quite perceptive." Then his face darkened, "Nian Gengyao didn't push it up, he just couldn't hold it in anymore."
Qi Buchen seemed to be thinking: "Establish a new sect?"
"Oh." Yinzhen sneered, "Could he be willing to give up such a large piece of meat?"
That's true. Although the Yinsi party failed in the end, they had the greatest influence and connections for a period of time. These forces even caused considerable trouble after Yongzheng ascended the throne.
"He has learned his lesson thoroughly," Yinzhen said sarcastically.
The reason why Yinsi was able to gain such a great momentum was mainly because he inherited Yinzhen's political resources from the beginning and received the full support of the former eldest prince's party. So, now it is not unacceptable to switch from Yinsi to Yinzhen.
Qi Buchen pondered and said, "Didn't Lao Ba notice it?"
Yinzhen said disdainfully: "I am not in the mood to care about them."
Qi Buchen curled his lips and changed the subject: "So is this result what he originally intended?"
Yinzhen's expression was slightly solemn, and he said slowly: "It's hard to say, mainly because of the Emperor's father. His attitude was a bit strange from the beginning."
Yes, the most confusing thing now is why Kangxi retained those impeachment memorials against Yinzhen in the first place. Honestly, it wasn't like Yinzhen hadn't been impeached before. After all, no one is perfect, and with the hundreds of people in Prince Yong's mansion, coupled with Qi Buchen's business dealings, it was inevitable that there would be a few problems and bad actors. For matters like the Kanhe, impeachment would occur several times a year, and Kangxi would simply issue a few reprimands and fines, and Yinzhen would actively cooperate and sincerely admit his mistakes, and that was it.
Unlike this time, it was something that could have been resolved with a penalty kick, but it was left in the middle and ended up like this.
The couple each pondered Kangxi's intentions, and the room was filled with silence.
After a while, Qi Buchen hesitated and said, "Do you think it's because the Emperor knew Fourteen's intentions and wanted to weaken Eighth and the others, that's why he cooperated?"
Yinzhen was stunned. He couldn't help but follow her thoughts and sort them out. He actually found that there was a little bit of logic in it. After a moment of silence, he said, "It's not so easy to guess what the emperor is thinking."
Qi Buchen agreed with this point and understood what he meant. The couple tacitly stopped talking about this matter and instead talked about their niece's wedding in a few days.
On August 18, Qi Buchen arrived at Prince Chun's Mansion with his daughter-in-law, and the Seventh Lady came out to greet her.
Yinyou now has three sons and four daughters raised. Among them, only the third daughter is born to the Seventh Concubine, while the eldest son, eldest daughter, second son and second daughter are all born to the concubine Nara. The one who is getting married today is the second daughter of Nara.
Therefore, although the Seventh Lady was dressed up smartly today, the joy on her face was just normal.
"It's rare to see Fourth Sister-in-law, and she looks younger again." Seventh Lady's words seemed quite sincere. She was three years younger than Fourth Sister-in-law, but when they stood together, it seemed as if Fourth Sister-in-law was four or five years younger than her.
But who can blame them for having no worries in their backyard?
Qi Buchen's smile remained unchanged as he jokingly said, "You are being so sweet today, let me make it clear first, I have already paid for the makeup, don't think of trying to trick me into paying."
The Seventh Lady was self-consciously adding to the joke: "Ah, I knew it. Fourth Sister-in-law is really hard to please."
When they arrived at the reception hall, most of the sisters-in-law had arrived. After greeting each other, Qi Buchen sent Fan Zhengya to the group of young wives.
As soon as he sat down, the Third Lady came over and said, "Your family's one, there's no movement yet?"
Qi Buchen grinned, looking a little disgusted. Ever since Hongsheng's wife became pregnant, his third sister-in-law would ask him this question every time she saw her.
I rolled my eyes in my heart but put on a fake smile: "No rush, she's only a little girl, I'm still a child, let's wait until she grows up a little bit."
After saying this, in order to prevent the Third Lady from trying to sell her secret recipe for having children, she quickly looked at the Tenth Lady and said, "I heard you were ill a while ago, and I didn't have time to visit you. Are you feeling better now?"
The Tenth Lady's face was a little thin, and she smiled and said, "It's nothing serious, just a bitter summer."
Qi Buchen glanced at the Third Lady beside him and continued chatting with the Tenth Lady: "Today is indeed hotter than in previous years, and there is less rainfall. I don't know if there will be a drought."
As she spoke, she became a little sad.
The Tenth Lady chuckled, "Fourth Sister-in-law is now acting more and more like the elders in the court, caring so much about the people's livelihood."
Qi Buchen laughed and said, "I'm not concerned about the people's livelihood, I'm concerned about those farms. If there's a drought, you'll just have to eat bran and vegetables next year."
She did not keep all the profits from her business. She let close friends like the Tenth and Thirteenth Concubine invest in the business and receive dividends every year.
After a few jokes, the auspicious time arrived. A group of people gathered in the main hall to watch the bride bid farewell to her parents. The Seventh Lady gave instructions with a smile on her face. Nara, who was standing next to her, had tears in her eyes, but she had no right to speak in such an occasion.
After Yinyou married his daughter, battle reports continued to arrive from the west. However, since no fighting had yet taken place, they were just routine reports about which army was marching to where and where Tsewang Arabtan appeared.
In early September, Kangxi saw Fu Ning'an's memorial outside the Great Wall, in which he reported that the army he led was preparing horses and weapons in advance, and requested the court to lend him a total of more than 250,000 yuan in salary and food.
This was the public memorial, but privately, Fu Ning'an also submitted a secret memorial filled with complaints. He explained that his soldiers had been transferred from various locations and were complaining about the long journey. Furthermore, before they were transferred, there were reports of officers in various places embezzling their pay. Now that war was about to begin, the soldiers were restless and threatened with mutiny. His request for pay was also intended to appease the soldiers and boost morale.
Kangxi was certainly angry, but he also knew that now was not the time to investigate corruption; the most important thing was to appease the soldiers on the front lines. However, when he summoned the Minister of Revenue to talk to him, he cried poor, saying that the treasury simply could not afford so much silver.
In the end, Kangxi had no choice but to issue an edict to transfer 260,000 yuan from his own treasury.
For this reason, although Kangxi was outside the Great Wall, the imperial edicts ordering and investigating military officers from all over the country continued throughout September, and the Ministry of War was extremely busy. As a member of the Ministry, Honghui was of course embarrassed to leave work on time.
That day, he came out of the yamen at sunset. Before the servant who came to pick up Honghui could say anything, he was overtaken by someone else.
"Prince, have you just gotten out of the yamen? You must have worked so hard." Although Fashan tried his best to make his smile look amiable, there was a sense of anxiety in the corners of his eyebrows and eyes.
Honghui, who had been trained in the palace since childhood, naturally noticed this. He frowned slightly and smiled faintly: "Why are you here, cousin?"
Fashan tried not to appear too anxious, but the increasingly harsh urging from the lady these days put him under immense pressure. "Alas, I haven't seen the Crown Prince for a long time. I missed him so much that I wanted to come here to see if I could run into him. I didn't expect that I would actually run into him. It seems that the Crown Prince and I are truly destined to meet. Haha, I've prepared a table of light wine today. Why don't you do me the honor of coming and have a seat?"
What a fart of fate, he had been here since the afternoon and had been waiting nearby just to have a 'chance encounter'.
Honghui raised his eyebrows slightly. Fashan's performance and words were too clumsy. Anyone could see that he had other intentions. But this also aroused Honghui's curiosity. According to his investigation, this cousin was a person with some "motivation" but no real ability. What was it that made him persevere and not give up even after being ignored by him for more than two months?
Based on this, he decided to go and see what his cousin was planning. As for whether it would threaten his safety, did he think that the people around him were raised in vain?
"Okay." Honghui nodded slowly.
Fashan didn't react immediately. He didn't expect Honghui to agree so easily. When he finally realized what was going on, he was so surprised that he couldn't contain himself. His waist bent down instantly, more servile than a lackey: "Please come this way, Prince, please come this way."
Honghui shook his head in his heart. The royal family is getting worse and worse nowadays.
"No need, I'll just take my own carriage. Please lead the way, cousin." Honghui lifted his skirt and got on the carriage.
Yang Heguang stayed downstairs for a while before coming up and reporting, "I've already found out where it is. Li Xing and his men have gone there first."
Honghui nodded. Even though he didn't think Fashan could cause him any harm, he would not lose his basic caution.
The carriage traveled for two quarters of an hour before stopping. Fashan said from outside, "Prince, we're here."
Honghui got off the carriage and found that it was a private house. He was a little surprised. Fashan's financial situation was not good, and he could not own a place like this.
Looking at Li Xing who was standing at the door, and seeing him nod, Honghui suppressed his doubts and walked into the door at Fashan's invitation.
This yard is well-maintained and has some unique features, but we already have a Summer Palace at home, and my mother has devoted herself to adding various styles to it. Honghui has become picky and doesn't care about what is in front of him.
Fashan secretly observed Honghui's expression and found no change. He couldn't help but groan inwardly. This was the place he had carefully selected, and there was nothing that caught the eye of the prince? He couldn't help but feel a little unsure about his future preparations.
Arriving at the destination, he looked around and found nothing surprising. So far, nothing had gone as Honghui expected.
Fashan asked him to sit down: "Your Highness has been busy all day, you must be hungry. The wine and food here are excellent, Your Highness, please try them."
Yang Heguang went forward to serve the dishes. Li Xing had checked everything here in advance, so there was no need to worry about poisoning or anything.
Honghui took a quick taste and thought, it was just average, not even half as good as the chef trained by his mother.
I took another sip of the wine. Hmm, it tasted different from my usual ones, but it wasn't much better either.
After taking a few bites, Honghui didn't hesitate and asked directly, "My cousin, it must have cost a lot to prepare this table. What's the difficulty?"
Fashan didn't expect him to be so direct. He was speechless for a long time before he put on a wry smile and said, "Your Highness is indeed discerning. Well, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just that my family is in financial difficulty, and I'd like to ask Your Highness for help in finding a way out."
Honghui believed this. There were now approximately 20,000 members of the imperial clan, only a handful of whom held titles. Most, like Fashan, were idle members of the imperial clan. Due to earlier regulations, they were forbidden from engaging in business or taking the imperial examinations. Besides receiving four taels of silver per month from the Imperial Household Department for their support, they had little income. As for their future, they could only rely on the elusive will of the emperor.
But Honghui didn't believe it completely, because Fashan acted too anxious. It didn't seem like he was worried about his future, but rather like someone was asking for a debt.
Honghui didn't point it out, but just shook his head and said, "Alas, cousin, you've picked the wrong person. Outsiders see me as a prince and think I'm so glorious. But they don't know that it was only after my wedding that my fourteenth uncle saw that I was in a bad shape and spoke well of me in front of the emperor, which is why I got my current position. Otherwise, I would still be studying at home."
Fashan thought he was just being pretentious, "Your Highness, you're joking. You're the Emperor's own grandson. Even without the Fourteenth Master, the Emperor wouldn't have forgotten you." However, he knew he couldn't be too hasty in saying this, or it would become coercion. So he took the initiative to change the subject, "Besides the excellent food and wine here, we have another special treat. Please enjoy it, Your Highness."
"Oh?" Honghui did not refuse.
Fashan gave a playful smile, waved his hand, and the servants left.
Not long after, the sound of a piano was heard.
Fashan smiled and said, "The other amazing one is Miss Yunliu. Miss Yunliu is the goddaughter of this boss and is known as the 'Fairy of Three Wonders': she is an amazing singer, a painter, and a zither player." As he spoke, he couldn't help but reveal a lewd expression. "However, I heard that Miss Yunliu is even more stunning, but the boss of this house keeps her very secret, so few people see her. If I hadn't heard that it was you, the prince, who was invited to perform today, I wouldn't have been able to invite Miss Yunliu to perform."
…Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely.
Honghui picked up the wine glass to cover the twitching corners of his mouth, and couldn't help complaining in his heart, the word "jue" is about to cry, it is worthless.
Fashan was still recounting the deeds of Miss Yunliu with a beaming expression on his face. Honghui took several sips of wine before he suppressed the speechless feeling in his heart.
To be fair, Miss Yunliu's qin playing is quite good. She possesses a rare edge, a rarity among ordinary women. But calling her 'brilliant'? That's a bit too dismissive. Forget about anything else, just look at the musicians at the Jiaofang Bureau. Which one isn't better than her?
Fashan talked for a long time with saliva flying, but seeing that Honghui seemed to have little interest, his smile became a little stiff. What should he do? Would he really mess it up?
Feeling anxious, he frequently looked in the direction where the piano music came from. According to the arrangement, after Miss Yunliu finished playing a song, she should come over to pay her respects. He hoped that Miss Yunliu's appearance would catch the prince's eye.
Honghui took in all his movements, said nothing, and just sipped his wine silently.
Not to mention, tonight, only this wine is interesting. I don’t know what it is brewed from. I’ll ask someone later. If I can buy the recipe, my mother’s shop will have a new product.
As Fashan waited anxiously, Miss Yunliu finally finished her song and walked out from behind the curtain onto the stage. She was dressed in a delicate, pale blue Han Chinese dress, and her movements were as graceful as a willow tree. After approaching, she knelt and saluted, her voice as sweet as a nightingale: "Yunliu greets the prince."
affectation.
Honghui thought so in his heart. When he just started to develop, his mother had someone teach him some knowledge about the human body. When he grew up a little, his mother gathered a group of girls with good looks at home, and gave him some "chance encounters" and "seduction" tests from time to time. After being taught by his mother, those girls could walk in eighteen different ways, and their voices ranged from "queen" to "loli".
Yun Liu? Her mother only gave her an average evaluation.
After being tempered by his mother, he can now be described as calm and composed, if not as still as water.
Honghui didn't say anything, so Yang Heguang spoke for him: "Get up."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Yun Liu stood up, raised her head slightly, and used a carefully rehearsed angle to show her delicate face in front of Hong Hui's work. She smiled and said, "I wonder if Your Highness is satisfied with the song I just played?"
The face was indeed okay. Honghui glanced at it and stopped looking at it, nodding slightly: "It's okay."
Yun Liu wiped her eyes and lips with a handkerchief and laughed sweetly, "The prince has very high requirements."
Fashan's bones softened at the laughter, and he quickly praised, "Ms. Yunliu's song just now was absolutely amazing. She's worthy of the title 'Three Wonders Fairy'!"
Yun Liu didn't care about his praise, her eyes only fixed on Hong Hui: "Since the prince is not satisfied, Yun Liu will have to show off her best skills for your appreciation."
"Good, good, good." Before Honghui could say anything, Fashan agreed repeatedly, "It is truly my great honor to have Miss Yunliu play two pieces of music today."
Honghui frowned slightly as he looked at Fashan, whose face flushed red. Did this man become paralyzed when he saw a woman? Had he forgotten why he had been invited? He was in the mood for a life of luxury, but he wasn't. If his mother knew he was in contact with a woman like that, wouldn't she break his legs?
If Fu Jin knew about this, she would probably have a quarrel with him.
Thinking of Fu Jin's smiling eyes filled with tears, Honghui felt a little uncomfortable and winked at Yang Heguang.
Yang Heguang immediately bowed and said, "Sir, it's getting late, and you have official business..."
Honghui immediately stood up and said, "Yes, I would have forgotten if you hadn't told me. I have a meeting tomorrow morning." He then said to Fashan, who hadn't reacted, "Cousin, please forgive me. I still have some unfinished business here, so I have to take my leave."
"Ah, ah, what do you mean?" Fashan didn't understand what was going on and stood up hurriedly, "Why are you leaving so suddenly..."
Honghui took a step forward and said with a fake smile: "I'm really busy with official business..."
As he took a step forward, a fragrant breeze blew over him. Yun Liu hadn't noticed when he stepped closer and said with a smile, "Your Highness, are you leaving now? That's a shame. Yun Liu was thinking of asking for your advice."
Honghui frowned slightly and did not respond.
Seeing Yang Heguang about to step forward and chase him away, Yun Liu's beautiful eyes flickered as she said, "Of course, Yun Liu wouldn't dare interfere with the Crown Prince's official duties for such a small matter. However, after meeting him today, Yun Liu feels that there is a strong affinity between us. Yun Liu offers a toast to the Crown Prince and hopes that the next time we meet, he will be willing to offer his guidance."
She poured a glass of wine quickly and beautifully, and walked forward as if to hand it to Honghui.
As she moved, another gust of fragrant wind blew towards Honghui. Honghui wrinkled his nose, feeling a little disgusted. The two women in his family did not often use perfume. Even if they did, they would use the elegant perfumes from his mother's shop, not the incense like the one Yunliu was wearing.
The smell of this incense is too strong, making it difficult to... Just as he was thinking, Honghui felt a sudden heat rising in his lower abdomen.
...There is a problem!
Honghui raised his eyelids, and Yang Heguang immediately stepped forward, took the wine from Yunliu's hand and drank it all in one gulp: "Miss Yunliu, you are too polite. My master can't hold his liquor well, so I will drink for him. Please move aside a little, Miss Yunliu."
Honghui didn't say a word from beginning to end. Even though Yunliu was unwilling, there was nothing she could do. Although Yang Heguang was a eunuch, he was tall and strong, and he stood in the middle. Even if she wanted to do anything, she couldn't.
After Yun Liu moved aside, Yang Heguang turned sideways and Honghui strode away. Fashan kept trying to keep him from leaving, but he didn't even turn his head.
Walking quickly to the gate, Honghui whispered, "Have someone check today's wine and the incense on Yunliu."
"And the identity of the boss here."
"yes."
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