Three days later, Kangxi decided to leave and prepared to slowly travel along the Grand Canal towards the south of the Yangtze River.
Based on the time reported by the imperial guards, Kangxi decided to visit several more places. The group disguised themselves as wealthy merchants from the capital. Even if the officials received the news, they would only pay attention to those with an appropriate number of people. The addition of the retired emperor and Empress Dowager Tong completely reduced the possibility of being exposed.
In the early morning, the group had breakfast at a restaurant in the county town and then boarded a horse-drawn carriage to slowly travel down to the county town below. This place was considered a hub in Jiangnan, where imported goods and merchant ships from the north and south would stop for a short rest before being transported to various parts of the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Kangxi's choice of this location as a new observation point was based on comprehensive consideration.
"Fourth Brother, our Linglong Pavilion has set up two hidden shops here. Should I send them a message in advance?" Qingyan asked worriedly. Every three days, the managers of these two places would go to Linglong Pavilion to deliver things.
Yin shook his head. On the surface, these two shops were just suppliers. All the imported goods for Linglong Pavilion were transported from these two places. The ships carrying the imported goods stopped at the port about once every three days, so frequent comings and goings were to be expected.
If Qingyan were to issue a notice, it would likely lead to the two managers adjusting their delivery times, and such an obvious difference would only arouse Yinqi's suspicion.
"The profits from imported goods are too great, so be as careful as possible." Linglong Pavilion's imported goods shops are very small, with only three stores nationwide. However, Anzhuang has many stores. They have nothing to do with the Ulanara clan; they are just opened by assassins prepared by Feiyanggu.
These assassins were trained according to strict regulations, unlike the candidates selected in previous years.
"Really, no problem." Qingyan pointed to the shop selling imported goods to deposit silver. The generous annual dividends allowed her to continuously expand the business.
"Of course!" Kangxi had not yet realized that the benefits of commercial trade were that the silver was paid on a first-come, first-served basis.
Yin answered affirmatively that commercial taxes were increasing, and the servants of the Imperial Household Department would not let Kangxi know the truth. He wanted to take this opportunity to persuade Kangxi not to close the country off from the world.
"Fourth Prince, we can't be too deliberate. We must let Father discover the problem." Yinmou had been planning for a long time, intending to seize an opportunity during his southern tour to let Father experience the power of commerce.
Yin nodded. The situation they faced was very delicate. If Kangxi were to open ports, imported goods would impact domestic self-sufficiency, and the resulting conflicts would cause livelihood problems.
For the sake of the future, it is better to resolutely refuse to compromise than to force open the door with foreign gunboats.
The men outside the Great Wall were not good swimmers, which hindered the development of the navy and made it even more necessary for Emperor Kangxi to change his mind.
"Little darling, take your time." Yin hoped to ascend the throne legitimately and was not prepared to bear the infamy of the past.
At least, Consort Tong wouldn't be as biased as Consort Wuya, constantly causing trouble and even forcing him to make things convenient for Yinxing.
She leaned on Yin's shoulder, pondering how to expose the problem.
Yinreng then found his trusted confidants and prepared Western firearms to show Kangxi the difference in weaponry between the two sides.
“Little darling, your elder brother is using firearms, which is clearly crossing the line with Father Emperor.” After considering it for a long time, Yin finally discussed it with his father and decided to raise these issues during the southern tour.
Throughout the journey, both Yin and Yin felt uneasy. They prepared separately, but both were thinking about the future of the Qing Dynasty.
Tulichen had already received the news and gradually revealed it to Kangxi, saying that the two princes played important roles in it. Kangxi listened to Tulichen's report and a smile appeared on his face.
The two children meant well. Despite the decades that had passed and the efforts of two generations of emperors, the Qing Dynasty was now in a stable state, and it was time to gradually implement military reforms.
"Xuan Ye, the two children are quite good. Yin is definitely the makings of a general. Firearms have always been a source of pride for the West." The Emperor nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Tu Lichen's report.
When Kangxi heard the Emperor Emeritus's praise, he was overjoyed.
"Father, won't the large-scale production of firearms now cause the people in the south to rebel?" The Qin princes outside the Eight Banners were all stubborn. "Moreover, the new army is equipped with firearms and has used them on the battlefield. Only the Eight Banners troops in the military camps have firearms."
Kangxi understood the implications. Yin was preparing to completely replace firearms. Foreign ships all had firearms, so it was conceivable that Western soldiers would each have one.
"It should be fine. The Eight Banners cavalry must be equipped. Before I died, I specifically instructed you about the navy." When Fulin was in power, he was determined to continue the Ming Dynasty's navy. However, during the campaign against Goryeo, the Qing Dynasty's combat power declined significantly, entirely due to the lack of navigation.
"I haven't found a suitable opportunity yet. My mother-in-law has just left, and many stubborn officials haven't been dealt with yet. I will follow my mother-in-law's rules." Kangxi was very annoyed by these people; they were too stubborn.
Every time he prepared to implement reforms, he would be advised by the censors to always pay attention to the rules.
The old rules outside the Great Wall were clearly no longer applicable, and the Qin kings there were still sticking to them. If Kangxi's reforms were even slightly too drastic, he would be criticized.
“Once you’ve made your decision, you must begin making arrangements. Cleaning up the Imperial Household Department is a very good opportunity.” The Emperor Emeritus smiled. Since retiring from public life, he had been considering matters of state, and Kangxi would prepare briefings on court affairs for him every few days. “Father can only offer you advice: a country cannot have two rulers. Xuan Ye, you must remember this.”
The emperor and the crown prince are also two rulers, and there will be direct conflicts. The Empress Dowager is determined to help the crown prince ascend the throne. On the one hand, the crown prince has no mother since childhood and has a very good relationship with the empress dowager. Under the empress dowager's guidance, he is closer to Mongolia. On the other hand, if the crown prince ascends the throne, it can be considered that the legitimate son has ascended the throne.
"Yes!" Kangxi quickly agreed. If he were in the Emperor Emeritus's position, he would not be able to give up the power he held.
Even though the censors were annoying and would often find various excuses to advise Kangxi on matters that threatened the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi still had people secretly test these policies, and put all the usable ones into the court.
Fortunately, all the ministers he had personally cultivated had secured their positions and held real power, so those people couldn't cause any trouble.
"Father, I'm ready to delegate power. Both Yin and Yin are capable of getting things done. Let them prepare the pilot counties and cities first, and then promote it nationwide when the time is right." Kangxi found a sense of security. He always handled government affairs by himself and rarely had anyone to communicate with, which led to some minor mistakes.
The Emperor Emeritus merely nodded, indicating his agreement with Kangxi's opinion. As an outsider, there was not much he could do to help Kangxi.
Kangxi sighed inwardly. Fulin had relinquished his power and was no longer interested in politics, unlike the Empress Dowager who only talked the talk but walked the walk. This was much better.
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