109. Chapter 109
"none"
Kangxi once again conferred titles on his sons, but this time not everyone received the title.
For example, Prince Cheng was directly granted the title of Prince, so a promotion of one level was considered normal. There were several people who were promoted twice in a row, including the Fourth Beile, the Fifth Beile, the Eighth Beile, and the Tenth Prince.
With the exception of the Tenth Prince, who was granted the title of Prince of a County, the others were all granted the title of Prince. The Ninth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince were promoted from the rank of Bald Prince to the rank of Beizi.
What surprised the court officials was that Qi You's rank remained unchanged this time and he did not receive any rewards.
When the decree is given, some people are happy and some are sad.
Prince Cheng became Prince Cheng, the eldest son and a prince. When he met Qi You, his chest was so high that from a distance he looked like he had pigeon chest.
Qi You remained unfazed by praise or criticism and paid his respects according to protocol. Prince Cheng raised his chin and glanced sideways at him, appearing quite arrogant.
Prince Cheng was a head shorter than Qi You, and when he looked sideways downward, he couldn't see Qi You's face.
He was unwilling to miss Qi You's reaction, so he lifted his eyelids and looked up, licking his eyeballs vigorously. This time, only the whites of his eyes were left, like a hanged ghost.
Qi You was amused by what he saw, and Hong Xi, who was standing beside him, almost laughed out loud. Just as a smile appeared on his face, it suddenly vanished when he thought of Kangxi's reward, and a frown fell on his face.
Even the Tenth Prince had become a prince, the same rank as Qi You. Aside from his mother's family being from the Ebilun family, one of the former regent ministers, he couldn't compare to Qi You in any other respect.
Besides being worried, Hongxi also felt sorry for Qiyou. The prince who did nothing enjoyed wealth and glory. He worked himself to death but got nothing good.
The eighty-nine-fourteenth generation was the most popular at the time, and many court officials wrote to the emperor, urging him to appoint a crown prince.
The thought of this made Hongxi feel anxious. Matters involving the crown prince were too sensitive, and he didn't dare to ask. He was so anxious that a big blister formed at the corner of his mouth.
Qi You remained consistent, neither sad nor happy. According to the original arrangement, he sent a group of noble princes and princesses to study at Shunyi School.
Hong Xi accompanied Qi You and followed him from the first carriage to the last one.
Qi You personally checked each carriage to see if the charcoal brazier in the carriage was safe. He spoke softly and gave everyone a few words of comfort and advice.
Inexplicably, Hongxi's heart, which had been hanging in the air all day, suddenly calmed down.
Just relying on Qi You's calm demeanor that is difficult for ordinary people to achieve, no matter how the outside world changes, he will always stand there.
Like a towering mountain, like a deep sea.
After Qi You finished his inspection, he said to Hong Xi, "This is their first time going out, and there are no maids or servants to serve them. You stay behind and watch them carefully."
Hongxi had been surrounded by a large group of servants since he was a child. Even when Yinreng was imprisoned, he was still surrounded by menial servants. He couldn't help but sympathize with these brothers and sisters who had to endure hardships, grinning and saying, "Seventh Uncle, they don't know anything, they will suffer in the future."
Qi You looked at the bubbles at the corners of Hong Xi's mouth, turned his gaze away calmly, and said, "Someone washes their clothes and prepares three meals a day and brings them to them. They only need to wash themselves, which can be said to be free and easy. They are so old that they should have learned to do things by themselves. Even if there are people around to serve them, whether they do it or not is one thing, and whether they can do it is another. People who are raised without knowing the difference between grains and grains and are lazy are missing the real experience of life. Doing things in the future is like building a high-rise building on a solid foundation. It is not only hollow, but also easy to fall down."
Hongxi didn't know how to do any of them. His face started to get hot. He responded vaguely, shrank his neck, and ran to the last carriage.
Qi You glanced at Hong Xi who was fleeing, smiled, shook his head, and got on the carriage.
Haihona was sitting in the car. After Qi You came in, she hurriedly handed him the hand warmer and asked worriedly, "Is Hong Nuan making any noise?"
"She is with Thirteenth Brother's two girls. With new friends, she doesn't care about the noise and chatters happily." Qi You squeezed the hand warmer in his hand and put it back in Haihona's hand. "I'm not cold. You can take it."
After caring for Hong Nuan, Haihona became worried about Hong Shu who stayed in the capital. She said, "He lives in the palace with my mother. I'm afraid he will cry and disturb my mother."
This time, Haihona will stay in Shunyi to take care of these children for a while. Dai Jia is reluctant to leave the siblings, so after Hong Nuan left, she kept Hong Shu by her side to take care of him and did not let him go to Shunyi with Qi You and others.
Qi You said, "I will be back in two days. My mother is so happy to have him by her side that she won't mind his noise. But you, these spoiled princes and princesses, will have to take better care of them without anyone to serve you."
Haihona thought about it and after a while, she whispered, "To be honest, I was a little reluctant when you agreed to leave Hongshu to Enie. They are still young and can't live without their parents. These days, I've come to my senses. They were born into the royal family and are honored as princes and princesses. To be honest, the most dangerous job in the world is to be a prince and princess. Being able to take care of yourself and be independent is better than being completely clueless when encountering problems in the future."
The matter of conferring the title, coupled with the ups and downs in the court, finally made Haihona uneasy.
Qi You reached out his hand, covered the back of her hand, applied a little force, and said, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
Haihona felt a familiar feeling on the back of her hand. Qi You's dry and warm palm always gave her endless strength.
She held Qi You's hand with her backhand, smiled brightly at him, and said, "I was just worrying about nothing. We are all fine now, why worry about those things. You always said before, just do good things and don't worry about the future. You reap what you sow. You and I have a clear conscience, so what are we afraid of!"
Qi You saw that Hai Huona had figured it out, so he told her about Shunyi in detail: "Back then, Lin Yicheng was the county magistrate in Shunyi, and later he was promoted to prefect, and then he moved to other places to serve. The Ministry of Personnel has made the appointment, and he will be promoted to the Governor-General of Liangjiang."
The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Galin, was a close confidant of Emperor Kangxi and enjoyed his deep trust. Upon hearing that Lin Yicheng had been replaced, Haihona's eyes widened in surprise and she asked, "Something happened to Galin?"
Qi You smiled and said, "When God wants a man to die, he must first drive him mad. My eighth brother's reputation among the scholars in Jiangnan has increased dramatically recently, and the price of salt in Lianghuai has suddenly increased. They are smart and dare not exceed the maximum price set by the court. However, when salt is abundant, they increase the price by two cents per catty."
Qi You would analyze any important events that happened outside that Haihona didn't understand. She wasn't like other women in the harem who had a thorough understanding of the court situation.
After a moment's thought, Haihona finally understood the key point. With a wry smile, she said, "You worked so hard to reform the salt tax, and it's been going on well for so many years. With Galin's departure, everything's gone back to how it was before. Not only has your hard work been wasted, but the people are the ones who have to suffer. Fortunately, Galin got into trouble this time."
She paused, looking at Qi You hesitantly, "Lin Yicheng can be the Governor-General of Liangjiang, but it was your recommendation? The emperor's side..."
Qi You understood what Hai Huona had not yet expressed. The fact that Kangxi placed Lin Yicheng in the position of Governor-General of Liangjiang, a frontier official, showed that he still valued him.
At the same time, Haihona was worried that Kangxi would suspect that he was planting his own forces, which was definitely not a good thing at the current juncture.
Qi You explained, "I personally trained Lin Yicheng, and he's the official who's closest to my style of work. Khan Ama certainly wouldn't hand over such an important position as the Governor-General of Liangjiang simply because of my recommendation. Lin Yicheng's track record is evident in his achievements in taxation and other areas like education. Actual data speaks for itself; that's the most powerful persuasive tool for Khan Ama."
Haihona breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "You have always been like this, clearly distinguishing between public and private grudges. The emperor must be aware of this."
Qi You didn't care whether Kangxi knew this or not.
Firstly, Lin Yicheng was truly capable. Secondly, Qi You actually benefited from it, as the Liangjiang region was in his hands.
After this conferment of the title, undercurrents surged in the court, and the swordplay below was more intense than ever before.
The fourth brother was smart and wanted to avoid it. He had originally wanted to fight for the position of Governor-General of Liangjiang on behalf of Nian Xiyao, but was intercepted by Lin Yicheng. His plan fell through, and he suddenly became a little anxious.
This time, the Eighth Brother was even more anxious. The conflict between him and Kangxi had reached a fever pitch, and he had no way out, so he just threw random punches.
Previously, the Eighth Prince had tried hard to win over the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Princes. But after the Wang family fell, the two of them took their anger out on him as well, dragging along their good friend the Seventeenth Prince, and siding with the Fourth Prince.
Even if the fourth son wanted to avoid it, he couldn't. The court officials forced Kangxi to appoint a crown prince, and they reported the names of the fourth son and Qi You, both true and false.
Therefore, there was another quarrel in the court: Can Qi You, who had a leg disease, take on the heavy responsibility of the crown prince? Can he bring shame to the Celestial Empire and be laughed at by other foreign countries?
Qi You ignored them at all. The school in Shunyi was about to start, and it was important for the children to study.
After years of continuous development, Qi You could hardly recognize Shunyi County and the school.
After the death of the former headmaster Fuquan, the position was no longer held by a member of the Jueluo clan, but was now a competitive appointment system. The term was five years, and after the term expired, the headmaster would retire and would never be re-elected.
Hong Xi followed Qi You around the school grounds, his eyes fixed on the various classrooms. He exclaimed in amazement, as if he had never seen the world before. He said disrespectfully, "Seventh Uncle, the Shangshufang can't compare to this place, and the Jingshan Official School is even more incomparable. It makes me want to come study here."
Qi You pointed around and told him about the situation when he first came here. "At first, this place was a wasteland after the earthquake. It was very gloomy and scary even in broad daylight. No one dared to go near it. When we were repairing the house, we even dug out a lot of bones from the ground."
Hongxi looked at the students passing by, not feeling the slightest bit frightened. He smiled and said, "The school has a strong yang energy that can suppress all evil spirits. Uncle Qi, you were so far-sighted back then, planning so thoroughly."
Qi You looked at the unfamiliar school and felt the same emotion.
How short is the day, how easily a hundred years of suffering can be filled. The sky is vast and boundless, and the aeons of Tai Chi are long.
Hongxi said, "There's an unwritten rule among the six ministries of the imperial court: students from Jingshan Academy can only take written examinations. Students from Jueluo Academy are the ones who can truly handle the work of each ministry. If you want to get things done, you should definitely go to them."
Qi You smiled. The first batch of students who were admitted to the six ministries suffered a lot in front of the corrupt officials.
Relying on their own strong abilities and with the help of Li Guangdi and others, they finally established the image of "technical" officials, laying the foundation for their younger classmates.
After a busy few days in Shunyi and settling this group of special new students, Qi You and Hong Xi returned to the capital.
Hongshu was fine during the day, but at night he cried and cried because he didn't see his parents. Dai Jiashi couldn't comfort him no matter what, and finally Kangxi took him away.
Qi You went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to report back on his mission and picked up Hong Shu by the way. He saw Hong Shu sitting at the imperial desk eating snacks. His fat handprint was clearly printed on the lapel of Kangxi's clothes.
When he saw Qi You coming in, Hong Shu's eyes lit up. He quickly put the remaining snacks into his mouth, stood up and greeted him.
Kangxi quickly extended his hands to protect him, saying nervously, "Ouch, ouch, please don't fall." Seeing that he was standing firmly, he kept praising him, "Hongshu, you have learned the rules very well."
Qi You greeted him, then stepped forward, grabbed Hong Shu, and lifted him down from the imperial desk. He wiped his hands with a handkerchief, then held him close to his chest and explained what was happening in Shunyi. "They might not be used to it at first, but there are so many other students in the academy, so they should adapt quickly. Don't worry, Khan Ama. With Nara watching over them, and the teachers and dorm supervisors, nothing will go wrong. I'll go see them again in a few days."
Kangxi always trusted Qi You to do things, and said: "Next time you go, send Hong Shu to me. Your mother can't keep an eye on him."
Qi You smiled and responded, "Thank you for your hard work these past two days, Khan Ama. I will come and take him back right away."
Kangxi said reluctantly, "Why are you in such a hurry? Sit down first. I'll take him back in the evening. Your wife isn't here. You can take care of him yourself when you get home. Can he follow you?"
Qi You said, "They have never been with Mammy since they were little. We have been taking care of them ourselves. I am used to it, so don't worry, Ama."
Kangxi felt very complicated after hearing this. No wonder Hongshu was not close to the wet nurse and servants. It turned out that they raised him personally.
The two children were not spoiled, but were both smart and lively, yet well-behaved. Especially during the past two days when he personally took care of Hongshu, Kangxi had a lot of insights.
Although Hongshu was naughty and would cry and make a fuss, he was still very young and if you talked to him patiently, he would nod and agree while shedding tears, which was so touching that it could melt your heart.
Kangxi changed his wait-and-see attitude towards Qi You's approach of training his other nephews and nieces and allowing them to become independent to a point of complete trust.
After a moment's silence, Kangxi said, "Seventh Brother, go and arrange for the renovation of Yuqing Palace."
Qi You's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he quickly agreed. He quickly asked, "Khan Ama, is it just a minor renovation, or a major overhaul? My second brother is still renovating his mansion, and we spent a lot of money during the New Year. Khan Ama, do you have enough money from the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
Kangxi was speechless and happy.
This son is really calm and composed from beginning to end. He is not only wise, but also practical!
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-12-18 23:39:21 and 2022-12-19 23:42:37~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Watermelon who loves sweet oranges, Qiuyue Pear Tree (10 bottles); Balala La (8 bottles); Lazy Man (1 bottle);
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
