Inside the pavilion, both Yin and Yin's families had arrived. Kangxi glanced at Li Dequan and ordered him to surround the garden completely, forbidding anyone from entering.
Upon arriving at the naval port, Emperor Kangxi affirmed the work of the two brothers, which was the highest praise he could give them.
"You should both be aware of the situation in Hong Kong and Macau, right?" Kangxi asked his two sons.
"Father, that place has a very special military strategic location!" Yin organized his thoughts, preparing to persuade Kangxi that they must bring those two places back.
"Fourth Brother is right. When we conduct military exercises in the nearby waters, we will have to pass through that area. If we can drive away the foreigners and build some fortifications along the coast, it will serve as a deterrent to the pirates in the nearby waters." Yin and Yin reached a consensus that they should completely occupy the coastal areas.
Yin's words reassured him. If it were to drive people away from these two places, it would still be the Tenth Prince who would have to step in. This cannon fodder was the best executor for driving them away.
"Send the tenth prince to repatriate all foreigners who have occupied coastal areas." After a moment's thought, Kangxi decided to use this method.
Qingyan listened from the side and thought that Kangxi was really knowledgeable. He could roughly guess the purpose of the two islands after Yinhe Yin simply explained it.
“Father, the Portuguese are capable of threatening with force. Fortunately, we didn’t sign any agreements with them when we used firearms to suppress them last time. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the confidence to say these things!” Yin was very glad that Yin Jitai and the others had taken over the firearms battalion and directly threatened the foreigners. In the end, they had no choice but to behave themselves.
After imagining it for a moment, Kangxi felt a chill of fear. He hadn't really thought much about it before, thinking it was just about renting a place. But after coming here specifically, he realized how strategically important this location was.
The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi was taken aback by Emperor Kangxi. After learning of the situation, they were bribed and did not send a message to the capital.
"My lord, is the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi cooperating with your operation?" Kangxi asked Yin directly.
Yin looked at Kangxi in astonishment. The person he was asking was from the Crown Prince's faction. If he said anything wrong, the Crown Prince would hold a grudge. So, he simply didn't say anything more.
Kangxi sighed: "Fourth Prince, you tell us!"
Yin looked at Yin: "Father, this shouldn't be said by me; you should go and see for yourself!"
The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, relying on the Crown Prince's power, caused them no shortage of trouble.
"Tulichen!" Upon hearing Yin's hint, Kangxi immediately handed Tulichen forward.
After paying his respects, Tu Lichen blurted out everything like a burst of beans.
Since arriving at the Guangdong-Guangxi naval port, Tulichen often accompanied Erlu to the governor's mansion for negotiations, and each time he would wait outside the mansion for a long time, which was a complete neglect.
As Kangxi listened to Tulichen's report, his brows furrowed more and more. The fact that his subordinates dared to treat the prince like this meant they didn't take him seriously at all.
"Li Dequan, call Lao Shi over too!" Lao Shi is a loudmouth, he must be feeling wronged.
Qingyan sat to the side, and upon hearing Kangxi's question, he couldn't help but feel happy, for this was preparation to avenge Yinhe.
"Little Darling, what about over there?" Kangxi looked at Qingyan, who was always the first to handle financial matters.
Qingyan hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth.
"Father, with the help of the managers of Yuelai Inn and Linglong Pavilion, I'm still fine. However, the taxes in Guangdong and Guangxi are getting heavier and heavier, and the transportation costs are also increasing," Qingyan said with a sigh.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was shocked. It turned out that Qingyan had silently endured so much, and the quantity of goods transported each time was always accurate.
"The expenses have increased significantly?" Kangxi had some thoughts in mind. Since these people dared to cause trouble behind his back, they must have already prepared a strategy to deal with it.
"Yes, each shipment costs about 20,000 taels more." Linglong Pavilion has very strict rules, and the benefits given to the manager and his subordinates are all out in the open, which is not necessarily the case in official circles.
"Fourth Prince, you're in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. Has the tax revenue from Guangdong and Guangxi increased?" Kangxi asked Yinzhi directly.
"No!" Yin Luwei thought for a moment and shook his head directly. "Little darling, why didn't you say so?"
"At first, the increase wasn't significant, and I thought we were just spending too much, so I didn't pay much attention to it. A while ago, I prepared some things for Father Emperor's visit, and this time there's an extra 20,000 taels." Qingyan pouted slightly, wondering how she could make up for this extra shipping cost.
Kangxi's face was dark. He felt that he had been clearly deceived. His subordinates always covered up the truth. The Ninth Prince wanted to enter the business world, but no one had ever reported such news to him.
"Father, my sister-in-law is right. We've received a lot of goods from Guangdong and Guangxi. The spoils have arrived at the port, and we still have to pay import duties." The tenth prince happened to be standing outside and heard Qingyan's words, so he started to complain as well.
Emperor Kangxi was furious, his dragon eyes blazing with rage.
Qingyan quickly lowered her head, and Yin Shen reached out his left hand and squeezed her right hand, urging her to look up.
"We're going to levy taxes again?!" Consort Tong exclaimed in surprise.
“My dear mother, what the tenth brother said is true. If those people were collecting taxes, I wouldn’t say anything more. But who got those taxes?” the tenth brother sneered.
When Kangxi saw them separated, he burst out laughing. This tenth prince of the family!
"Is it always like this?" Kangxi asked with a warm smile as he looked at the tenth prince's annoyed expression.
"Yes, both times I went on expeditions, I was stopped by those lackeys who said they wanted to search me!" the tenth brother said indignantly. "I just don't know if the eldest brother and the fourth brother will encounter the same situation when they go out."
"Father, we don't have the energy for that!" Yin and Yin exchanged a glance and said directly.
Emperor Kangxi stroked his chin, seemingly remarking that even in Guangdong and Guangxi, people were treated differently based on their social status.
"Father, the governor must be severely punished!" Whose man is this governor?
"Hmm, wait a moment, let Tulichen send someone to find out, then we'll talk," Kangxi said with a sigh. "Bring Hafeng'a and Duoxihun over!"
Looking at the two swaddled babies, Kangxi was overjoyed. He believed that spending more time with Qingyan would bring him good fortune, just as Master Yuanyi had said.
"Yes, both are well-behaved!" Kangxi smiled lovingly. "Hafeng is quite handsome. Qingyan, you've put in a lot of effort!"
Previously, Li Dequan reported on Qingyan's delivery, expressing his concern that the legitimate son might not survive. Now, seeing her healthy little face, he felt happy.
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