56. Chapter 56
"none"
When Kangxi received the latest military intelligence from the Khalkha front, he was happy at first, but when he saw the end, he suddenly fell into rage.
Such a good opportunity, such a good opportunity!
If Qi You was in front of him at this moment, he might have been so angry that he would have torn him into pieces.
Kangxi could not express his anger openly.
Because Kangxi knew that some things could be done, but they could not be done openly or blatantly.
Just like in the past, when you started a rebellion, you had to have a legitimate reason.
He couldn't say directly that sacrificing the lives of the Khalkha people was nothing, and the most important thing was to solve the big problem of Galdan.
Kangxi was so angry and aggrieved that even at night, when he woke up, he would wake up because of anger.
He finally calmed down and fell asleep, but in his dream he saw blood all over the sky, flowing towards him.
In the bloody sea, those unfamiliar faces, bleeding from all seven orifices, cried out to him: "Give me back my life, give me back my life..."
Kangxi was so frightened that he woke up suddenly. When he came to his senses, he realized it was just a dream.
Although Kangxi believed in Buddhism and worshipped Bodhisattvas on the surface, he never believed in ghosts and gods.
Since he was a child, people secretly told him that he had a tough life and would bring misfortune to his father, mother and wife, so he naturally scoffed at these things.
However, after this dream, Kangxi gradually calmed down.
Qi You was young and kindhearted, and he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the bondservants of Shunyi. Faced with the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians, he naturally couldn't bring himself to do it.
It is good to have a kind heart, and those who achieve great things do not care about trivial matters. In the end, this is just a woman's kindness.
As Kangxi was waiting for Qi You to come to Beijing, his mood fluctuated every day, sometimes anxious, sometimes angry, and sometimes regretful.
*
Along the way, Soetu and the others subconsciously avoided Qi You, but he saw it all as clearly as a mirror and did not feel sad or nervous at all.
The eldest prince, on the other hand, was initially mad at Qi You for several days. Bored on the journey, he soon went to talk to him, repeatedly asking about the battle with Galdan, as if he could never get enough.
Seeing the eldest prince's expression of amazement and regret from time to time, Qi You sighed deeply and said sincerely: "Brother, fighting is really not fun."
The eldest prince glanced at Qi You and said with disdain: "Seventh brother, you don't understand. A man should fight on the battlefield, even if he dies wrapped in horsehide and sheds blood and sweat, he is not afraid."
Qi You had no choice but to insist, "Brother, people in a time of war are worse than dogs. Peace is hard to come by. Don't think about war all the time."
The eldest prince was unconvinced and argued back, "If foreign enemies invade, won't we resist and let them bully us and occupy the Qing territory?"
Qi You said casually: "Of course we will fight back. If a country is truly powerful, foreign enemies will have to think twice before invading."
The eldest prince frowned and said, "What you said is not right. Is it because the Qing Dynasty is not strong enough that Galdan dares to invade?"
"Yes, the Qing Dynasty is not strong enough." Qi You nodded and said bluntly: "The Qing Dynasty is not only not strong, but also very weak."
The eldest prince was stunned and immediately shouted angrily: "Seventh Brother, how can you say that? You are simply boosting others' ambitions and destroying your own prestige!"
Qi You sighed and ignored the eldest prince.
The eldest prince refused to listen and pulled Qi You to explain clearly, "No, you have to explain to me clearly, where is the Qing Dynasty weak? If it is really weak, why do so many vassal states come to pay tribute and pay homage to the Qing Dynasty? If you don't explain clearly, I will go back and tell Khan Ama and let Khan Ama deal with you!"
Qi You was pestered by the eldest prince, so he had to patiently say: "Brother, then tell me, why did Galdan dare to invade the Qing Dynasty? Just a few dozen Luosha soldiers were able to trouble the Qing border for so many years?"
The eldest prince's expression froze. He couldn't explain it clearly. He stiffened his neck and said, "They are overestimating their own abilities and are not afraid of death!"
Qi You said, "Galdan is a man who overestimates his own capabilities. Besides Galdan, there is also the Raksha Kingdom and the red-haired barbarians who once occupied Taiwan. The world is vast, and there are countless powerful countries. We cannot underestimate ourselves, nor can we be arrogant and complacent. Brother, you mentioned earlier that the vassal states and foreign countries paid tribute. Do you know how much more tribute they paid than the rewards given to them by the Qing Dynasty?"
The eldest prince had no idea about all this and was speechless for a moment. He snorted and said angrily, "Seventh Brother, you have always been eloquent and I can't argue with you." After that, he jumped off Qi You and ran to ride his horse.
Li Guangdi rode on horseback with Qi You and the others. When he heard what the brothers were saying, he did not interrupt, but looked thoughtful.
Most of the time, Qi You was alone, sitting quietly in front of the carriage, looking at the scenery along the way.
Walking from the late autumn in Khalkha to the late autumn in the capital, it is a rare opportunity to enjoy some quiet and leisure time, which I find quite interesting.
Sometimes, Qi You would try to find joy in his suffering and think about the revolutionary martyrs of the past. What kind of mood did they have when they bravely sacrificed their lives for the ideals in their hearts?
That's probably what he is like.
Even if he died, he felt that his life was not in vain because he was able to save so many people's lives.
When the group returned to the capital, Liang Jiugong was already waiting in front of the Shenwu Gate and called Qi You into the Qianqing Palace alone.
The eldest prince wanted to follow, but Liang Jiugong stopped him, saying, "Eldest prince, the emperor only summoned the seventh prince. Please go back and wash up and rest, then you can go and pay your respects to the emperor."
Seeing Liang Jiugong's attitude, the eldest prince was not stupid and immediately looked at Qi You with concern. He wanted to say something, but felt powerless and finally lowered his head in dismay.
Qi You smiled at the eldest prince and followed Liang Jiugong to the imperial study in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Kangxi stood motionless by the window frame, holding a tea bowl in his hand.
Qi You couldn't see his expression clearly, so he walked up and greeted him politely.
Kangxi turned around and stared at Qi You without blinking, his eyes cold, and did not call out for a long time.
Qi You had anticipated Kangxi's anger, so he was not surprised and just knelt calmly.
After an unknown amount of time, Kangxi finally spoke up and shouted, "Oh, you are so brave!"
Qi You did not argue, but said calmly, "Please punish me, Khan."
"Bang!" The tea bowl in Kangxi's hand smashed hard next to Qi You. Broken porcelain pieces and tea splashed onto Qi You's body. The back of his right hand was cut by the broken porcelain pieces, and blood soon oozed out.
Qi You's hands trembled uncontrollably in pain, but he still lay firmly on the ground, holding back a sound.
When Kangxi saw the blood on Qi You's hands, his eyes darkened. He closed them slightly, then opened them again and said sternly, "You will be punished! This is a crime punishable by death. How many lives do you have to pay for this? You privately forced Li Rongbao to send troops, but in the end you issued rash orders, failing to achieve your goal and allowing Galdan to escape. For this reason alone, you deserve to die!"
Qi You lowered his head and said nothing. Facing Kangxi's scolding, he felt unusually calm.
He even had the leisure to think that perhaps someone as cold-blooded and ruthless as Kangxi, who only looked at the overall situation, was the one who could truly accomplish great things.
He can't do it. He is just an ant. A speck of dust from the overall situation can crush him into powder.
Seeing Qi You's lack of reaction, Kangxi couldn't help but get even angrier, practically roaring, "It's a pity I always think about you and take responsibility for you!"
He quickly walked to the imperial desk, picked up a pile of memorials, and threw them next to Qi You, "These are just a small part of the memorials against you. There are still a lot of them over there. I can't handle them for you!"
Qi You couldn't help but sneer. He casually picked up a few memorials beside him, glanced at them, and said lightly, "These people are really boring. They just repeat the same few sentences over and over again. And I think that they are much more competent in writing memorials than in doing their own jobs. Officials in the court are all suitable to be censors. After all, they can talk without any pain in their backs, and they are quite good at finding faults."
Seeing that Qi You was not only unrepentant but also sharper than ever before, he ridiculed all the court officials. He was so angry that his eyes went dark and he cursed: "You bastard, you still dare to speak rudely at this time!"
Qi You slowly raised his eyes to look at Kangxi and said sincerely, "Khan Ama, I really am not wrong. Forget about Galdan, there's also his nephew Tsewang Arabtan. Let them capture him, or else write a letter to him and scold him until he submits to you, just like you would if you had fought me to the death."
Kangxi was nearly limp with anger. He took a deep breath, put his hands on his hips, and walked around the room in circles, cursing, "You bastard! You bastard! I misjudged your intelligence and feelings. I shouldn't have given you such great power to do whatever you wanted on the battlefield!"
Qi You said slowly, "Khan Ama, if I hadn't acted recklessly on the battlefield, none of this would have happened today. The court should still be discussing how to deal with Galdan. Anyway, I just talk a lot, give advice and write passionate articles. I don't have to bear any responsibility at all. It's easy and simple."
"You bastard!" Kangxi was so angry that he jumped to Qi You, grabbed the memorial and was about to hit him.
Qi You raised his head slightly, without dodging or evading, and faced Kangxi's anger with a calm expression.
Kangxi met Qi You's clear yet deep eyes, which seemed to see through everything, and his hand raised in the air involuntarily stopped there.
After a while, Kangxi's hands dropped dejectedly, and the anger on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by an indescribable emotion.
Kangxi knew that he was not mistaken, Qi You was as smart as ever.
From his reaction when he entered the house, he should have guessed what he would face.
Kangxi estimated that given Qi You's cautious and meticulous work, he must have considered the reactions of all parties, including his biological father, when he gave orders on the battlefield.
He had always been gentle, but this time he was fiercely aggressive because he had seen his own end and was no longer afraid.
Kangxi's heart tightened uncontrollably.
The fact that Qi You could predict his own ending meant that in his heart, he had long known that his son could not compare with his country and people, and could not even compare with Galdan's life.
Moreover, his tit-for-tat response was not exaggerated at all and did not wrongly accuse anyone.
No one knew the moral character of these officials in the court better than he did. When facing them, he often felt powerless and wanted to behead them all.
If it weren't for Qi You, there wouldn't have been a battle, so how could there have been a winner or loser? It was he who gave these officials the opportunity to attack him because he was actually doing his job.
Qi You said something that directly touched Kangxi's heart.
Even if Galdan was gone, there was still Tsewang Arabtan, who was still a difficult character and his power was comparable to that of Galdan.
Once Galdan loses power, Tsewang Arabtan will become stronger.
In the end, they were allowed to check and balance each other, fight among themselves, and the Qing Dynasty just sat back and reaped the benefits.
Kangxi couldn't make up his mind whether to just destroy one side and then deal with the other.
Kangxi glanced at Qi You and wanted to say something soft, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
If he continues to be tough, the relationship between father and son will probably become estranged forever.
There are countless talented people in the world, but the one in front of him is the smartest and most powerful one. He is also his biological son, whom he is proud of.
Qi You didn't think as deeply as Kangxi did, he just insisted on one point of view.
He did nothing wrong, so he doesn't need to admit his mistake.
Admitting his mistake means that he does not treat people as human beings, and is no different from Kangxi and the court officials.
Qi You hoped that Kangxi would truly respect life. Even those in power should be afraid and restrained.
After a long time, Kangxi finally softened, sighed, and looked at Qi You in shock. He asked in confusion, "Since you know everything, why did you decide to stop firing?"
Qi You smiled and replied, "Khan Ama, because I am a human being." He took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood that kept flowing from the back of his hand, saying, "The blood of the innocent people of Khalkha is as warm as my own blood."
Kangxi's face turned slightly red, he turned his head away in embarrassment, gritted his teeth secretly, and wanted to beat Qi You again.
The little bastard didn't forget to mock his father in a roundabout way at this time.
"Hmph!" Kangxi snorted heavily and said coldly, "Since you are so stubborn, go and argue with those who have filed petitions accusing you of beating me. If you cannot win the argument, I will punish you accordingly."
Qi You glanced at the memorial and refused directly: "Khan Ama, I won't argue with them. Summer insects can't talk about ice. There is really nothing to argue about."
Kangxi was furious again, glaring at Qi You and cursing, "Hey, you little bastard, you still dare to be picky. You've caused such a big disaster, I don't care anyway, you have to deal with it yourself!"
Qi You was extremely patient and spoke slowly, "Khan Ama, the court officials who have impeached me seem quite formidable. Why don't you ask them how they plan to deal with Galdan and Tsewang Arabtan? Don't just talk big, they need to take concrete action. If they can come up with a better plan and capture Galdan or Tsewang Arabtan, I will gladly let them do whatever they want."
Kangxi was stunned. When he came to his senses, he immediately became angry again: "You're just going to leave it alone?"
Qi You said, "Khan Ama, I don't care anymore. I'm too tired. I'll give up and let them do it." He raised his right hand and said, "Look, I'm injured. I can't take care of it!"
Only then did Kangxi truly understand what it meant to be like a dog biting a hedgehog with nowhere to bite.
He knew that he was his own son.
Qi You is a bastard who loves to get into trouble, but every time he gets into trouble, he always takes care of the aftermath properly.
Kangxi was sure that Qi You had a backup plan, as he had done a lot in Khalkha.
But he just quit the job so decisively.
Does he want his father to apologize to him personally?
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-10-26 21:14:17 and 2022-10-27 21:13:28~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 100 bottles of Cloze; 20 bottles of Tiantian Tiantian; 15 bottles of Lan Yue; 10 bottles of Nan Pengyou; 5 bottles of 42001790; 1 bottle of Ai Tong;
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