Chapter 180 Picking Apples
"What do you want?" Hongzhao, who was standing close to his father, couldn't help but turn around with a questioning look in his eyes when he heard this.
What's wrong with Ama today? Is he addicted to praising people?
Yinzhen was amused by his reaction. He leaned back, looking relaxed and at ease, which was quite rare for him. "Whether you want something, a thing, or something else, or a place to go, you can have it."
Seeing that he was about to ask again, Yinzhen said, "Hongjin's portion has already been sent to Yongshou Palace. I told you to choose yours yourself. This is a gift from me to you and your brother. Don't worry about others."
Seeing this, Hongzhao gave up asking questions and began to think seriously. It would be too boring to just ask for things; his father must know he didn't lack anything, so he had to ask for something he wouldn't normally mention...
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he turned to stare straight at the Emperor.
“Father, I want to go to sea.”
Yinzhen "..."
Seeing the Emperor's speechless expression and his imminent intention to retract his words and give him a flick on the forehead, Hongzhao quickly covered his head and dodged to the side—"Hey, Father Emperor, that's not what I meant."
He took a step back and stood still, his playful expression vanishing as he spoke quite seriously, point by point: "Your son wants to send people out to sea to trade. Our Great Qing has implemented a maritime ban since the time of our Emperor Grandfather to prevent the invasion of Japanese pirates. Although it is not completely prohibited and there is still trade, it is too small in scale and not frequent."
Seeing that he was analyzing the situation with a serious expression, Yinzhen also silently sat up straight, pondering what Hongzhao had said.
"I think that under Father Emperor's rule, the war in the Northwest has been almost resolved, and we also have people controlling the Dzungar Khanate. In addition, with the improvement and mass production of firearms, we no longer need to be so afraid of those Japanese pirates."
"Hmm." Yinzhen nodded in agreement. What Hongzhao said was indeed true. With the current strength of the Qing Dynasty, it was not afraid of a war.
"Why did you suddenly decide to go to sea?" Yinzhen was still curious. The palace had all those Western gadgets, and Hongzhao usually didn't seem to care much about them. Why did he suddenly bring this up today?
Hongzhao had already prepared his explanation for this.
"Father, these past few years, the Western tributes have become increasingly exquisite, with more and more intricate mechanisms," I thought. "They've even put so much thought into the intricacies of clocks and ornaments, so what about firearms? Have they put even more effort into them?"
Hongzhao offered a few words of guidance at the right time, but fearing that it might arouse the emperor's suspicion, he naturally shifted the topic back to trade.
“My son has read in some travelogues that the fabrics and silk brocades we produce are something Westerners simply don’t know how to make, and they are very expensive there. The same goes for tea; they find it novel and are willing to pay a high price for it. And very few of the things from the West actually reach the Qing Dynasty, so they are not without a market here.”
“When we trade with them, we should carefully select some things to bring, such as cloth and tea. We don’t have to worry about those foreigners learning them. We can also take this opportunity to see their customs and strength. It’s a win-win situation.”
As he spoke, he moved a little closer to his father, his previous stiff demeanor replaced by a smile and a softer voice: "The Northwest has cost a lot of money, and the Dzungar Khanate is another major expense. Seeing that Father Emperor is worried about this, I thought it would be good if I could contribute my meager strength to ease Father Emperor's burden."
Yinzhen understood what the child was thinking halfway through the conversation. Usually, when he told others that he was going to give them a reward, they were all secretly trying to take something good from him. Only this child was still thinking of himself at this moment.
He didn't agree immediately, but instead reached out and patted Hongzhao on the back of the head, asking, "Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want this one?"
Hongzhao had always remembered this matter, and he originally planned to start working on it after he ascended the throne. However, if he could get his father's help to push it forward a few years earlier, it would definitely be much easier than doing it himself. Now, of course, he had no doubts about what he had planned.
Seeing Hongzhao nodding with bright, sparkling eyes, Yinzhen twirled the white jade thumb ring in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then gently patted the table—"Alright, I agree to this."
"Summon your thirteenth uncle to my place tomorrow. I happen to remember that the thirteenth prince mentioned this matter to me before, so we can discuss it together." After saying this, he paused for a while, then reluctantly added, "Also, summon your fourteenth uncle and see what he has to say."
"Yes, thank you, Father!" Hongzhao's voice was crisp and cheerful, and it sounded joyful and energetic.
A few days later, in Yongshou Palace.
"Why did you suddenly decide to call me for lunch today? Didn't we just have it last night?" Consort Jing said as she walked into the inner palace. Now, influenced by Lü Jiaying, she had also learned her sharp tongue.
Lu Jiaying Feng just smiled when she heard this today—"What? Is coming to my Yongshou Palace an insult to you?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Consort Jing smiled and waved her hands repeatedly, then sat down on the embroidered stool with practiced ease.
Lu Jiaying waved to Xuexin to serve the meal, then turned to inquire casually, "Huiyi is more than three months pregnant. Hongshi... do you have any candidates in mind?"
Consort Jing was also troubled by this matter. When she mentioned it, she sighed again. "Your Majesty, you know that my palace is very quiet. I haven't seen any new palace maids for several years. The ones I'm used to are all too old. But if we're going to look outside, there aren't any good candidates right now."
Lu Jiaying perked up as soon as she heard this. Just then, all the dishes on the table were served. She smiled and glanced at a little palace maid in a light blue dress beside her—"Why don't you go and serve the dishes to Consort Jing?"
"Yes," the young palace maid curtsied to the Empress, then picked up her chopsticks and respectfully served several dishes for Consort Jing, including both meat and vegetables. After serving, she did not go back, but put down her chopsticks and stood beside Consort Jing with her hands at her sides.
Seeing this, Consort Jing naturally understood what the Empress meant. She noticed that the young palace maid seemed to know her place. Even if she was faking it, she could at least put on a convincing act. Curious, she turned her head to look upwards.
"Oh my, such a beautiful woman! Where did Your Majesty find her?" After exclaiming this, she asked the young palace maid, "I've never seen you with Her Majesty before. What's your name?"
"This servant is Jiang Caiping."
Seeing Consort Jing's curiosity, Lü Jiaying didn't keep her in suspense, "She used to serve in Prince Guo's residence, so naturally you haven't seen her here."
“Just a few days ago, Hong Xihai went out of the palace with Su Peisheng to deliver an imperial edict. When he came back, he told me that there was a remarkable maid in the Prince Guo’s mansion. Because she was quiet and easy to talk to, she was always bullied. I was curious, so I called her in to take a look. She was indeed an outstanding maid.”
Consort Jing listened and observed. She knew the Empress's temperament; to hear her say she was calm and collected meant she was truly good-natured and didn't like to cause trouble. It would be best if Hongshi's courtyard was full of people like that. Otherwise, if anyone with ulterior motives came along, she was afraid her foolish son wouldn't be able to handle it.
Being a concubine is essentially the same as being a maidservant, just with a different title. There's no need to worry too much about background or status; as long as the master likes her, that's enough. From this perspective, Jiang Caiping is a pretty good candidate.
"Oh, that's great. It seems I'm just born to enjoy life. I don't need to worry about anything. Huiyi has a personal maid to take over for the two of them. That's her idea. I'll send Caiping over here too, and then everything will be perfect."
Consort Jing, recalling the Empress's words, inquired with great curiosity, "I heard that the servants and women of the Zhen family have been placed together with the servants of Prince Guo's mansion. Did Hong Xihai see them this time? How did it go?"
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