Five days later, in the East China Sea.
Early in the morning, the sea fog was thick.
The British fleet was sailing at full speed toward Shandong when suddenly, the lookout exclaimed: "Unidentified warships ahead!"
Captain William raised his binoculars and saw a strangely shaped black warship emerge from the fog, its bow pointing directly at them.
He frowned: "When did the Qing people have ships like this?"
Before he could react, the "Weihai" had already seized the windward position, and all the gun barrels on its sides were opened.
At Lan Dingyuan's command, dozens of cannons roared simultaneously, raining down shells on the English fleet.
"Boom—!" The mast of an English warship was hit directly, and the ship shook violently.
William was horrified: "Turn around! Get out of the gunfire!"
However, thanks to the maneuverability of its steam engine, the Weihai quickly maneuvered to the flank of the British fleet and opened fire again.
The key is that these shells hit far and accurately.
The English fleet was thrown into disarray and forced to hastily engage in battle.
The naval battle lasted for half a day. In the end, the English fleet suffered heavy losses, with three warships sunk and the remaining two fleeing in disarray.
When the good news reached the Forbidden City, Emperor Yongzheng slammed his fist on the table and burst into loud laughter: "Good! Good! Good!"
All the civil and military officials knelt down and prostrated themselves, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! The Great Qing is mighty!"
Emperor Yongzheng's eyes shone brightly as he surveyed his ministers: "This victory is entirely due to the valiant efforts of our soldiers and the contributions of our new warships. Issue my decree to reward all the soldiers who participated in the battle and to expedite the construction of more steam-powered warships!"
After a brief test, the Qing Dynasty's navy, like a dragon entering the sea, surged forward with unstoppable momentum.
In less than a year, fifty new steam warships were lined up on the sea. The dark fleet gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight, like a group of lurking giants.
The following year, right after the New Year.
News spread that the imperial court was preparing to resume overseas trade.
The entire capital city was in an uproar.
The Manchu nobles were the most enthusiastic, their former fear of the open sea long since vanished.
The fame of the new warships spread throughout the court and the country. Who wouldn't want to get on board this sure-fire deal?
Stewards from various mansions crowded the Ministry of Revenue's doorstep, handing over silver like a flowing river, all vying for a cabin on a merchant ship.
"For this voyage, our family needs at least three ships!" The old steward of Prince Yu's mansion slammed his fist on the table, his voice so loud that dust fell from the rafters.
"Three ships? You've got quite the appetite, old man!" A servant of Prince Jian sneered.
"His Majesty has already decreed that each family should distribute the spoils according to their merits."
Your household didn't spend a single penny on shipbuilding last year!
Arguments rose and fell, but no one dared to question the warships' power—after all, the Englishmen's crushing defeat was still fresh in everyone's memory.
---
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Yongzheng flipped through the memorials submitted by the Ministry of Revenue regarding the allocation of granaries, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and said to Lin Yun beside him, "Yun'er, look at these people. They were full of doubts about steam warships back then, but now they're fighting tooth and nail to get them."
Lin Yun was bending down to tighten the belt of Hong Sheng's cloak when she heard this and chuckled: "Where there is profit, there is people's will. Your Majesty's move of 'driving people with profit' is much more clever than forcibly imposing quotas."
Yongzheng watched her interact with the child with gentle eyes, and suddenly said, "There is something I have been putting off for too long."
Lin Yun looked up and saw him take out a bright yellow imperial edict from the imperial desk and slowly unfold it—it was the edict to appoint the empress!
"Your Majesty!" Lin Yun's breath hitched. Six-year-old Hongsheng looked at his mother curiously, not understanding why she had suddenly become so agitated.
Yongzheng pressed down on her slightly trembling hand and said in a low voice, "There has never been a Han Chinese empress since the founding of the Qing Dynasty."
But my Yun'er has helped me build warships and secure our sea borders—an unparalleled achievement. If even this doesn't warrant establishing an empress, what face do I have to call myself 'Son of Heaven'?
In his previous life, Hongli was able to inherit the throne simply because he had Manchu blood flowing through his veins.
If a Han Chinese descendant were to inherit the throne, wouldn't the blood of the Qing ancestors have been shed in vain?
That is precisely why he brought up the matter of establishing an empress in court at this critical juncture.
So what if the Manchus ruled? They still perished in less than three hundred years. Why not start from there, break down the distinction between Manchus and Han Chinese, and let the virtuous and capable rule?
Lin Yun's eyes welled up with tears, but before she could speak, Su Peisheng's hurried footsteps came from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, several senior officials are requesting an audience, saying... they have important matters to discuss."
Yongzheng sneered, "They've come quickly."
---
The atmosphere in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was as heavy as iron.
Zhang Tingyu stood to one side with his head bowed, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the gloomy faces of several Manchu officials. He sighed inwardly, thinking that this was going to be a tough hurdle to overcome.
Sure enough, as soon as Yongzheng brought up the matter of establishing an empress, the old Minister of Rites, Hesheli Cheng'an, knelt down and cried out: "Your Majesty! It would be against ancestral rules for a Han woman to become empress! Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang once said—"
“Ancestral rules?” Yongzheng interrupted him, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “Ancestral rules never said that warships could sail without sails or that cannonballs could travel ten miles! If it weren’t for the Imperial Concubine’s suggestion, you would still be trembling at the muzzles of English cannons!”
Cheng An choked, his face turning red, while the Minister of Personnel, Neqin, said quietly, "We dare not forget the Consort's merits. However, the distinction between Manchu and Han is a matter of national importance. If the future eldest son..."
"How is the eldest son?" Yongzheng suddenly chuckled, pulled a secret report from his desk, and threw it at his feet.
"Lord Neqin, your eldest son just bought goods from two merchant ships in the South Seas last month, escorted by the Han navy, right? And now you're talking to me about the 'distinction between Manchus and Han'?"
Neqin immediately broke out in a cold sweat: "This...this is different."
Yunxiang and Ortai exchanged a glance, but remained silent.
Even they knew that the Emperor had been waiting for this day for a long time.
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