Prince Zhi was originally a skilled military commander, and among his brothers, he was the only one who had ever held military power. Therefore, it was not surprising to Yinzhen that he advocated for war.
However, this time the Fourteenth Prince also volunteered to go on the expedition.
This put Yinzhen in a bit of a dilemma.
If we're talking about experience and courage, then the eldest brother, Prince Zhi, is naturally stronger. However, the Fourteenth Prince is, after all, his own younger brother, who single-handedly helped him ascend the throne and protected him. Recently, he's become increasingly reliable, so as the older brother, he has to support his younger brother.
Maybe Fourteen has this military talent.
However, leading troops into battle is not child's play; it's not as trivial as replacing one commander simply because the current one is incompetent. Therefore, he needs to reconsider this matter further.
Yinzhen wanted to hear Changning's opinion.
Changning certainly didn't understand military affairs, but she knew that the Fourteenth Prince had the title of "Great General King" in history, so she figured it wouldn't be a problem to hand it over to him.
“You’ve already made up your mind. The Fourteenth Prince is not young anymore. If he really wants to make a name for himself, it’s not a bad idea to give him a chance.”
It's naturally better for military power to be held by a trusted brother.
Prince Zhi's relationship with Yinzhen was only so-so to begin with, and he also had considerable prestige in the army. The title "Grand Prince" was initially given by those in the army. Therefore, it was normal for Yinzhen to be wary of him.
Then it was decided that the Fourteenth Prince would lead the troops into battle.
Now that the decision has been made, the next step is to figure out how to deploy the battle lines and provide domestic support. The northwest is handled by Nian Gengyao and Prince Yi, while the southeast is entrusted to the Fourteenth Prince and Changxing.
Warfare is extremely expensive, so Yinzhen then implemented the national policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax.
The next key focus domestically is on increasing tax revenue, since a fuller purse means a higher chance of winning battles.
Changning proposed that excessive emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce would also be detrimental to tax revenue.
Previously, during the Song and Ming dynasties, commerce and trade had already developed very prosperously. In fact, during the Ming dynasty, there were many laborers and hired workers. She remembered that when she was studying history, her teacher specifically emphasized that this was the beginning of capitalism.
Unfortunately, it didn't develop into a major industry later on.
Yinzhen was also aware of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty; otherwise, why would the Qing Dynasty have entered the pass and occupied this beautiful land?
However, if commerce is overemphasized, it is not good for national stability, as merchants are too mobile.
Changning originally planned to simply implement modern household registration books and ID cards. However, little did they know that the Qing Dynasty already had a relatively complete household registration system, with household registration books that distinguished between local and out-of-town residents, as well as household registration certificates, and so on.
She wasn't originally employed by a government agency, and the managers couldn't offer any good ideas, so they could only pass these difficult problems on to the officials in the Ministry of Revenue.
Once the issues of staff mobility and stability are resolved, there won't be too many difficult problems in vigorously developing commerce.
Another goal is to recreate the grandeur of the Silk Road.
This step can only be taken after Nian Gengyao has completely defeated the Dzungars and then subjugated all of Mongolia, so that border trade can be developed in a stable manner.
Speaking of Mongolia, Changning said with a smile, "Mengguqing wrote a letter. She was overjoyed to hear that you had successfully ascended the throne and said she would like to invite us to Ujumqin, or she herself would come to the capital to congratulate you."
Meng Guqing's importance is self-evident. Yinzhen originally wanted to use her as a springboard to station troops in Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang, and to completely win over and unify the country.
"Mulan Qiumi will be here soon, and we'll be able to meet then."
The two chatted for a while longer, and then Yinzhen pulled her into his arms. He noticed that although she had only been in the palace for three months, she had lost a lot of weight, and the soft flesh around her waist had disappeared. He felt a little sorry for her: "What happened? You've lost weight again recently? Is there some concubine in the palace who has caused you trouble?"
Changning was both amused and exasperated: "Who would dare cause me trouble? It's just that I was a bit overwhelmed at first after entering the palace, and the summer heat was also a bit unbearable. In addition, I had to get up early every day, which was a bit too much for me."
Previously in the Prince's mansion, Changning did not set a rule that the women in the back courtyard should come to pay their respects every morning and evening, but only once every ten days.
But now, in the palace, especially since Yinzhen has just ascended the throne and is in the process of establishing his authority and setting rules, Changning has no choice but to get up early every day.
I used to be so lazy that I felt sluggish, and now I find it a bit tiring to get up early these days.
Hearing Changning's explanation, Yinzhen was both amused and exasperated, and said indulgently, "Look at you, you used to love sleeping in late, why are you making things difficult for yourself now? Why not just let them come once every ten or five days as before? Or, you can just sleep soundly and let them wait outside."
The last sentence was just a joke. Changning rolled her eyes at him and pinched the flesh on his waist: "Nonsense, why aren't you sleeping? Why are you making the ministers wait?"
Yinzhen took her hand and teased, "Isn't this for your own good? Who dares to laugh at our Empress?"
"Alas, Her Majesty the Empress is old and her beauty has faded."
Hearing Changning's sarcastic words, Yinzhen laughed even more: "Still acting strangely? I'm several years older than you, and you still call me old and faded. What am I then?"
Changning covered her mouth and chuckled, "You're the Emperor! You've become the enlightened master described in storybooks."
The two laughed and joked for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning, Chengqian Palace was filled with concubines who came to pay their respects.
We've all known each other for a long time. There haven't been any new people in the mansion over the years, and there haven't been any new concubines in the palace either. There are only these two people. You can tell who's missing even if you recite their names backwards.
"Why hasn't Consort Mao arrived yet? Could it be that she really thinks she's different now that she's been made a consort? Even when she's paying her respects to the Empress, she's so careless?" Consort Qian, Liu, who considered herself the most powerful person besides the Empress, started to show off her authority.
She used to always maintain a kind and gentle persona in the mansion, but after being made a concubine, she became neither kind nor tolerant, and no longer lived up to the "humility" in her title. She started acting like a mistress all day long.
She thought to herself that after being cautious and prudent for so many years, she had already become a concubine, so what was there to endure?
In the entire palace, apart from the Empress, who had favor, children, and status, no one else could compare to her.
They were all from the Han Banner Army and had no family support. All things considered, her father's official rank was quite outstanding among the concubines.
The only one who could compare to her was Lady Song, who had been granted the title of Imperial Concubine.
Song had one more daughter than her, but the eldest princess's imperial genealogy already recorded Ulanara as her birth mother, so by calculation, she didn't actually have a daughter.
Therefore, she must be the most powerful person after the Empress, and thus she has the obligation and right to discipline the concubines.
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