In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed.
When Yinzhen saw the results of the investigation, he was furious. He never expected that officials would be so arrogant in this day and age, completely disregarding the law and human life.
Who gave them the audacity to act like local tyrants?
He initially thought it was the pirates coercing and bribing the officials, since that was the norm, but in fact, he really had his doubts about those officials.
It wasn't that the pirates were rampant, using threats and inducements; rather, it was that some officials, unable to bear the prospect of "poverty," wanted to cause trouble and colluded with the captured pirates to reap huge profits.
The chain of interests involved that day was truly enormous and far-reaching, which was quite alarming.
It took Yinzhen a long time to calm his anger before he gathered the files and evidence and went to Kangxi's study.
Seeing that he had brought so many things, Kangxi asked knowingly, "You've found out?"
Yinzhen: "Your Majesty, I have found quite a lot of evidence. Please take a look."
After speaking, Yinzhen presented the case file evidence and then stood aside.
Kangxi picked up the dossier and began to read it. The more he read, the more alarmed he became. After finishing it, Kangxi had only one thought: Fortunately, Yinzhen was quick-witted when they were in Jiangnan and noticed that there was something wrong with the origin of the clock. He also decided to come to Guangzhou to take a look.
He originally came just to inspect the establishment of the navy, but now it seems he was glad he came. Otherwise, how would he know that some officials here, taking advantage of the fact that the emperor is far away, have done so many outrageous things?
Emperor Kangxi was furious, but as the emperor, solving the problem was the most important thing.
The situation in Guangzhou is serious. The local tyrant is deeply entrenched. If things go wrong, he might force those people to fight to the death. The number of people they brought on this trip might not even be enough to fill a tooth gap for him!
Having committed such a grave offense, the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire clan are certain, but a proper reason must be found, and one must not act impulsively.
Kangxi: "How do you think we can capture them all in one fell swoop?"
Yinzhen said, "Your Majesty, I have found that the investigation was conducted in a well-concealed manner. Those people think that what they have done is flawless and that they will not be on guard. I think it is feasible to defeat them one by one."
"Tell me, how do you plan to defeat them one by one?"
Yinzhen: "Officials are widely involved in collusion. Because this matter is of great importance and the benefits are too great, there are also issues of unequal distribution of spoils among them. They are not without their own thoughts, and their families are not without their own desires. There are some filth between families. As long as there is a trigger, it can increase the conflict between them. Then, we can create new conflicts and let them create chaos on their own. Father Emperor is here now. We can pretend to be unaware and biased towards a few families, and take the opportunity to deal with a few families. After dealing with them, we can wipe them out in one fell swoop. This way, it will be more secure."
Emperor Kangxi had long held Yinzhen in high regard, but every time something happened, he couldn't help but look at him with even greater admiration.
What he said was indeed the safest method.
Kangxi's anger suddenly subsided.
He walked from behind the desk to Yinzhen and patted him on the shoulder: "You did a great job."
He had nothing to say.
"Just do as you say, you can figure out the specifics yourself."
Yinzhen: "Yes."
Yinzhen discovered that it was the Eighth Prince who was unaware of the truth. Although he helped a lot, Yinzhen did not let him get involved in the real matters.
Ba thought he was out of options.
Before he could even gloat, someone came to report that Yinzhen had gone to his father's study and talked for a long time before leaving.
When he left, Yinzhen's expression was unreadable.
The Eighth Prince couldn't help but overthink it.
A night passed, and the Eighth Prince could no longer sit still.
He went to Yinzhen's place.
Yinzhen was not surprised by his arrival. The Eighth Prince was good at research and probably knew his whereabouts yesterday.
Even if you know something, you still have to pretend to be confused.
"Why did you come today, Eighth Brother? Is there something you want to say?"
The Eighth Prince smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I came here today to ask Fourth Brother how the investigation into the pirates is going. I've done everything Fourth Brother asked me to do. Is there anything else I can help with?"
Yinzhen: "Eighth brother is very kind. It will take some time to investigate this matter. I have already reported it to Father Emperor, so there is no need for you to worry about it."
It wasn't that Yinzhen didn't want to bring the Eighth Prince along, but given his personality, if he wasn't made clear to him, he would inevitably try to win over this person or that person when doing things.
Normally it would be fine, but this time, he didn't plan to reveal who it was until the matter was resolved. He was afraid that the Eighth Prince might win over disgraced officials while handling the matter, which would cause the royal family to lose face.
His father, the Emperor, would probably be furious.
He did it with good intentions.
To be fair, the Eighth Prince was a promising talent. His intelligence would be good for dealing with foreign tribes, but using it on "his own people" was rather unappealing.
Yinzhen did this because he didn't want to condemn everyone outright.
Given Yinzhen's current ability to scheme, he could easily have made the Eighth Prince disliked with a little manipulation. He didn't do that because he wanted to give him a chance to learn, in case it came in handy in the future!
Furthermore, if someone is knocked down with one blow, they might never be able to get back up, which is not what he wants to see.
Yinzhen meant well, but the Eighth Prince didn't appreciate it!
The Eighth Prince felt that Yinzhen was suppressing him and preventing him from showing his talents.
In the end, the Eighth Prince left with a smile on his face but inwardly cursing.
Yinzhen didn't care what he was thinking.
Yinzhen continued working in his study. After the Eighth Prince returned, he wrote the character "忍" (patience/endurance) many times in his study before he could calm down.
After he finished writing, he asked, "What is the Princess Consort doing?"
The servants around him were dumbfounded by the question. They had no idea what the Fujin was doing! These days, the master and the Fujin had not been living together, and they, as his personal servants, all thought that the master and the Fujin had become estranged. As servants by the master's side, they naturally became quite distant from the Fujin.
In the end, he stammered and couldn't say anything.
The Eighth Prince could tell just by looking at him that he knew nothing.
Thinking that he hadn't seen the Eighth Prince's wife for some time, he said, "Let's go, let's go to the Princess's place."
The servant broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this; it turned out the two weren't strangers at all!
On the other side, the Eighth Prince's wife was embroidering. She wasn't very good at needlework, but she was just doing it to pass the time.
It was alright before; no matter what, she would still go out often. But now she doesn't want to go out at all, afraid that others will see her and gossip about her. She's strong-willed and can't stand being talked about.
I decided to just stay in the yard.
Seeing this, the old woman couldn't help but advise, "Madam, you should just apologize to the master. It's not a big deal. If you continue like this, you and the master will really become estranged. That won't do."
The Princess Consort doesn't have a child yet. If she loses the master's favor now, where will she get a child? In two years, when the imperial concubine selection takes place, if the two of them are not on good terms, how will Consort Hui and Noble Lady Liang in the palace be able to keep their positions?
No matter how good a Fujin's family background is, it can't compare to the noble birth of a prince.
It would be better for the two of them to reconcile while there is still room for reconciliation, otherwise they will definitely regret it later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com