This case involved a wide range of people and was very serious, becoming a typical case of collusion between officials and criminals.
Because of this incident, the imperial court conducted a thorough investigation and crackdown for a considerable period of time, and indeed uncovered many similar cases.
Although not as serious as this, the circumstances are still quite serious.
In a short time, the corrupt practices in officialdom were significantly cleaned up.
The Eighth Prince was also involved in the case, but his contribution was not as great as Yinzhen's. The Eighth Prince was not angry, after all, he could not have done the job as cleanly and efficiently as Yinzhen.
However, while he acknowledged Yinzhen's abilities, it was impossible for him to admit defeat and stop causing trouble.
Sure enough, the Eighth Prince had just eased his relationship with his wife a little when he said to her, "This Guangzhou case was all thanks to Fourth Brother. If it weren't for his help, I wouldn't have received the Emperor's reward. Talk to Fourth Sister-in-law more often when you have time."
The Eighth Prince's wife, being from a wealthy family, naturally understood these principles. This meant that Yinzhen was capable, so she was encouraged to get closer to Tong Cheng'er.
Although she understood the reasoning, her initiative to build a relationship was passive, which made the Eighth Prince's wife somewhat uncomfortable. However, in front of the Eighth Prince, she did not refute him, but only said, "I understand, we'll talk about it when we have time."
As for when I'll be free, that's hard to say.
The Eighth Prince, unaware that she was being perfunctory, smiled upon hearing this and then changed the subject.
The case was closed; a number of pirates and Japanese pirates were arrested, as were those who colluded with officials. However, some "wild" pirates continued to run rampant at sea.
Emperor Kangxi is now in his forties, skilled in health preservation, and full of energy. He is eager to make a name for himself, such as eliminating pirates and Japanese pirates and restoring peace to the waters near the Qing Dynasty.
He had this idea in Jiangnan, and now that the case was over, Kangxi's idea became unstoppable. So he summoned Yinzhen to discuss the establishment of a navy.
Yinzhen hadn't expected him to be in such a hurry; he had originally thought that they would discuss the matter once they returned to the capital.
However, since he had been asked, Yinzhen naturally shared some of his thoughts, though he held back some of them.
He wanted to tell the whole story, but he was afraid of frightening Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi asked, "Yinzhen, who do you think is the most suitable person to entrust with the task of building a navy?"
Yinzhen replied, “The establishment of the navy is of great importance. I think it would be more appropriate to choose one of my brothers to take charge. Logically speaking, my eldest brother is often in the Ministry of War, so he is the most suitable. However, my eldest brother already holds an important position in the capital. He is skilled in land warfare, so training the navy may not be appropriate. After some consideration, I think my tenth brother is more suitable. My tenth brother is kind and straightforward. Although he is inflexible in some aspects, he has some unique insights into military strategy. Moreover, my tenth brother loves martial arts and is skilled in water. If the navy is entrusted to my tenth brother, he will definitely do his best. My tenth brother alone may be a bit weak. My thirteenth and fourteenth brothers are quite talented in martial arts. Their assistance to my tenth brother can also make up for some of his shortcomings.”
Emperor Kangxi was somewhat surprised to hear this.
He didn't intend to use his own son to train the navy, but Kangxi couldn't help but think more about Yinzhen's suggestion. Letting the tenth prince train the navy, with the thirteenth and fourteenth princes assisting from the side, was not a bad idea.
Kangxi decided to think about it again.
After all, using his own son and using ministers each have their advantages and disadvantages. He needs to carefully consider it. It is no small matter. Since ancient times, the army has been an organization that consumes a lot of money.
The navy is also an army, and maximizing its benefits is the outcome that Emperor Kangxi would like to see.
So Kangxi sent Yinzhen away.
There's still no definitive conclusion as to whether or not to order them to leave Guangzhou.
Kangxi didn't discuss it in a big way, so until he left, no one except Kangxi and Yinzhen knew about the plan to build a navy.
This reveals Kangxi's "dilemma".
When Yinzhen saw that there was still no conclusion before he was about to leave, he knew that the matter of the navy would probably have to wait until he returned to the capital.
The route they took when leaving was not the same as the route they took when they came. The closer they got to the capital, the colder the weather became. In addition, as they traveled along the way, people caught colds one after another.
The conditions don't look too serious.
Tong Cheng'er was afraid of the cold, so Yinzhen had a thick quilt tied inside the carriage.
Tong Cheng'er lay in the carriage, holding two hot water bottles in her arms and another hot water bottle at her feet, yet she wasn't cold at all.
As Yinzhen entered from outside, Tong Cheng'er said, "It feels like the road is getting harder and slower, and I don't know when we'll reach the capital."
There was still some bumps along the way, and neither sitting nor lying down in the carriage was particularly comfortable. She felt that she was really not worthy of such a tour.
It was so painful.
When the weather isn't so cold, it's alright; at least you can peek out from behind the carriage curtain to get some fresh air. But now, if you pass something in, a whole carriage of cold air rushes in.
Yinzhen: "It will be soon, in two or three days."
Two or three days isn't slow, but compared to the time spent before, it's still a consolation.
Another day passed, and the procession stopped because the prince had fallen ill, and quite seriously, making it unsuitable for them to continue their journey.
Although Emperor Kangxi was disappointed in the Crown Prince, he was still his most beloved son. Many people had died from colds, so Emperor Kangxi dared not be careless in the slightest.
Therefore, the entire army stopped to rest and recuperate. Kangxi decided to let the Crown Prince recover first, and to wait until the Crown Prince was no longer seriously injured before continuing the journey.
Although it was pitiful that the crown prince was ill, the fact that everyone stopped working did indeed cause a lot of complaints.
Because the places they stayed were few and far between, not to mention remote towns with no villages or shops nearby, there wasn't enough room for the main group to stay, so there was no enjoyment to speak of, and it wasn't much better than when they were on the road.
They should have arrived in the capital in less than two days. This delay meant they didn't know when they would be able to set off again, so there were quite a few complaints. However, no one dared to say it out loud; they all kept their complaints to themselves. After all, Emperor Kangxi had already lost his temper quite a bit because of the Crown Prince's illness.
At this moment, in the Crown Prince's residence, Emperor Kangxi looked at the imperial physician with a grim expression: "How is the Crown Prince?"
The imperial physician trembled slightly at the sight of Kangxi's furious face: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has a high fever, and we are trying to find a way to bring it down. If the Crown Prince's fever can be reduced by tomorrow morning, he should be fine."
The implication is that if the fever doesn't subside by tomorrow morning, it could lead to serious problems.
Emperor Kangxi understood the meaning behind the imperial physician's words, and his expression turned even more grim.
"I will administer the medicine myself. I want the Crown Prince to be safe and sound."
The implication was that if anything happened to the crown prince, these "incompetent" imperial physicians would naturally suffer a terrible fate.
No matter how disappointed Kangxi was with the Crown Prince, he did not want him to die so mysteriously.
At this moment, it seemed that Kangxi had suddenly forgotten what the Crown Prince had done in the past few years, and his mind was filled with the days when he spent with the Crown Prince when he was a child.
Memories are a good thing; memories imbued with emotion are like those filtered through a lens. Kangxi now felt that as long as the Crown Prince woke up, the past would be forgiven.
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