58. Chapter 58
"none"
Qi You knew that Li Guangdi was looking for him, and he was not looking for him to spite Kangxi, but because he really didn't want to see him.
Firstly, memorials accusing him of beating him continued to pour in like snowflakes in the court, which showed that Kangxi did not express his position and just let them do whatever they wanted.
Since Kangxi's attitude is ambiguous, Qi You will be even less likely to take the initiative.
Qi You had to make Kangxi see more clearly the absurdity of his courtiers and his own absurdity.
The subordinates follow the example of their superiors. These people were very smart and all acted according to Kangxi's instructions.
It is precisely because Kangxi was like this that his subordinates acted in such a way.
To put it more profoundly, it was the various tactics used by the emperors of the early Qing Dynasty that led to the incompetence of the late Qing court.
The late Qing court was still actively seeking change, whether it was the immature and presumptuous Hundred Days' Reform or the active Westernization Movement.
For example, despite having many bad habits, Empress Dowager Cixi sent students to study abroad, founded women's schools, and established Western-style schools. She personally oversaw the founding of the predecessors of Tsinghua University and Peking University.
When foreign powers invaded, the late Qing court initially fought back bravely, but after being beaten beyond repair, it had no choice but to cede territory and pay compensation.
The late Qing dynasty was rotten because the roots had already begun to rot. This caused the Qing dynasty to become out of touch with the world, with backward science and technology and weaponry. It was a wonder they could win a war.
Kangxi embraced Western learning, hired Western teachers to teach him, and even became pen pals with Leibniz. However, he hid all this knowledge in the Forbidden City and among the powerful.
Complacency and blind arrogance are not formed overnight. They only see the small piece of land in front of them, only want to prosper forever and maintain their country forever, and indulge in the complacency of being the Celestial Empire.
During the so-called prosperous Kangxi and Qianlong eras, the entire officialdom had already become rotten and smelly.
Kangxi was the first emperor with real power after the Qing Dynasty entered the Pass. He had an unshirkable responsibility after ruling for many years.
For example, in order to raise money to fight the Three Feudatories, he began to sell fake official positions. As long as you paid money, you could buy a high-ranking official position for your ancestors.
Although he held no real power, it was the beginning of the practice of selling official positions and titles. By the time of his great grandson, Emperor Qianlong, the system of paying fines for crimes completely undermined the rule of officials.
Secondly, let’s not talk about the endings of the reformists in history, such as Shang Yang, Wang Anshi, Zhang Juzheng, etc.
Looking at it from a God's perspective later, there are definitely many shortcomings, and later generations can see a lot of criticisms everywhere.
Only when you are in it can you fully understand its taste.
Qi You has a God's perspective, but he is now in the situation and is also very confused.
He was afraid that he was too impatient and had taken the wrong path. He didn't care if he died, but he was afraid of bringing disaster to the people of the world.
Therefore, he wanted to take this opportunity to take a break and examine himself.
After calming down and thinking about it, Qi You felt that he was too short of manpower. He barely had only one person, Lin Yicheng, to use. He had to do everything himself, which inevitably meant that he would miss many things.
Under the current traffic conditions, he can only turn into Sun Wukong and split himself into two to handle various things.
The school in Shunyi is now in the hands of Fuquan, and it is not known how he is doing with it.
The data on consanguineous marriages was collected only by Lin Yicheng from refugees and former beggars, and the sample size was very small.
I wonder how the cows in Shangsi Field are doing.
When students from Ryukyu came to the Qing Dynasty, did they bring rice seeds from Japan?
What is the outcome of Lin Daniu’s manure fertilizer reform?
As soon as he, Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng left, the children in Shunyi were forced to interrupt their studies. Did they fall behind in their studies?
When Qi You thought about this, he felt a headache.
Ultimately, regime and economy are closely related.
If the economy does not develop, that is, grain production does not increase, and people cannot have enough food and clothing, then the development of business and science and technology will be nothing but empty talk floating in the air.
Qi You didn't go out these days. Besides thinking, he also met his brothers whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
The eldest prince knew about Qi You's situation and came to him first. Seeing that Qi You had stayed in the prince's residence without going out, the eldest prince was surprised and asked bluntly: "Seventh brother, have you been confined by Khan Ama?"
Qi You smiled and asked the eldest brother to sit down, poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him, saying, "I'm not under house arrest, why are you here, brother?"
The eldest brother sat down, took a sip of tea, raised his eyebrows and said, "I am already a servant of my father. Why should I go to school every day? It's too embarrassing to hang out with a bunch of little brats like them."
When Qi You heard that the eldest brother was skipping school openly, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Yes, yes, eldest brother is right."
The eldest prince glanced at Qi You and said, "I don't know you well, so stop teasing me. By the way, Seventh Brother, did Khan Ama really not punish you? You can't lie to me, or I'll beat you up!"
Qi You was speechless when he saw the eldest prince approaching with a gossipy look on his face. He said, "I really didn't punish you. If you don't believe me, go ask Khan Ama."
"Hey, look at you, brat!" The eldest prince was so angry that he raised his fist towards Qi You and threatened him with a bared teeth: "Look at your small body, I can hold you flat with one hand. But Seventh Brother, Khan Ama sent Li Guangdi to look for you, but I heard that you didn't see him?"
Qi You said helplessly: "Brother, Lord Li is an important official in the court, and I am a prince. Why should I make friends with the officials for no reason?"
The eldest prince's expression froze. He took a deep breath, rolled his eyes at Qi You, and scolded, "Brother, I came to see you with good intentions. Stop playing tricks on me and tell me the truth. What bad things are you planning?"
Qi You laughed, spread his hands, and said, "I never leave the house, so what bad things can I have hidden? Big brother, who asked you to ask?"
The eldest prince choked up, coughed dryly, and said to Qi You, "No one asked me to ask, I was just curious."
Qi You said "oh", smiled and didn't ask any more questions. Apart from Mingzhu, there was no one else.
The eldest prince sat for a while, took a few sips of tea, then left because he felt bored.
Soon after, the Crown Prince also arrived. Qi You hurried forward to pay his respects. The Crown Prince called him up, looked him up and down, and said with concern: "Seventh brother has lost weight."
Qi You said: "Thank you for your concern, Prince. Please take a seat."
The prince sat down at the head of the table. Qi You personally served him tea. He took a few sips and then put the cup down. He sighed and said with a smile, "While the other brothers are still studying hard in school, your seventh brother is already a man of great achievements. When I heard about your bravery and decisiveness in Khalkha, even I felt ashamed of myself!"
Qi You remained calm and said, "Thank you, Prince, for your kind words."
The prince smiled and asked, "Why aren't you out busy, Seventh Brother?"
Qi You replied, "I'm back in the capital. I don't go to school or attend court, so naturally I don't have anything to keep me busy."
The prince smiled and said, "Seventh brother, you are so modest. The court is very busy. There are many things to do after the war, and the peace talks with the Rakshasa Kingdom must continue. Seventh brother, will you go with the delegation next time?"
Qi You shook his head and said, "I really don't know. It depends on Khan Ama's arrangements."
"That's right." The prince answered dryly, looking at Qi You's calm and gentle eyes, his heart felt complicated and difficult to discern.
After Soetu returned, he told him in detail what had happened during his trip to Khalkha. The prince had wondered what he would have done if he were in his place.
Ask yourself, the prince would never get involved in this mess. If he encountered a war and could not move forward, he would never take the risk. He would choose to stay and wait for Kangxi's instructions, and then return to Beijing to choose a date.
The Crown Prince was naturally aware of the court officials' criticism of Qi You. At the time, he was quite proud of his choice, thinking that Qi You was too impulsive and was simply asking for trouble.
But Kangxi summoned Suo Etu and others, and heard that Kangxi did not seem to blame Qi You. Li Guangdi even proposed to ask Qi You for help in handling the funeral, and Kangxi agreed without hesitation.
As soon as Qi You returned to Beijing, Kangxi summoned him.
The prince didn't know what Kangxi and Qi You had secretly discussed. Kangxi hadn't dealt with Qi You despite such a serious matter. He and Suo Etu analyzed the matter for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.
The prince was eager to find out something, so he simply came directly to Qi You.
Ask directly, the prince can't bring himself to ask. Ask, even if he is the crown prince, snooping into the imperial study is still an unforgivable act of usurpation.
He asked in a roundabout way, but Qi You was very tight-lipped and he couldn't get to the bottom of anything.
The two looked at each other in silence for a while and drank their tea separately.
Qi You knew why the prince came, and like the eldest prince, he wanted to find out the reason.
The eldest prince has no problem speaking directly, but the crown prince is full of concerns, so of course he will ask in a roundabout way and in a tactful way.
Like the eldest prince, the prince said a few irrelevant words about studying and then left.
After school, the third prince, the fourth prince and the fifth prince, the three brothers came together.
The Third Prince was still the same as before, always joking with his words. He opened his mouth and said, "Oh, look who this is! It turns out to be our most powerful Seventh Prince!"
Qi You was already used to his way of speaking and didn't take it to heart. He smiled and invited them to sit down and have tea.
The Fourth Prince was rather taciturn. He asked about Qi You's health and then sat aside in silence.
The Fifth Prince, as simple and honest as ever, said with a cheerful smile, "Seventh Brother, I have learned Chinese very well, and my studies are often praised by my Khan and my teacher. It's a pity that you are not studying in the academy, otherwise we could have a competition."
Qi You said sincerely: "Fifth brother is really amazing. Given time, I might not be able to beat you."
The Fifth Prince was overjoyed and grinned as he said, "Khan Ama often said that Seventh Brother was a good student and that we should all learn from him. Seventh Brother, how far have you progressed in your studies?"
The Third Prince rushed to shout, "Old Fifth, you are really something! Old Seven doesn't have the time to study. You are deliberately using the homework to bully Old Seven!"
The Fourth Prince rarely spoke at this time and said, "Seventh Brother usually works outside, but he is also studying and has not fallen behind in his studies."
The Third Prince's face fell, and he glanced at Qi You and said angrily, "Yes, the Seventh Prince is a freak. Anyway, we can't compare. The Seventh Prince, don't tell me where you've finished reading. Otherwise, I'll be so angry that I won't be able to eat."
Qi You was amused by the Third Prince's rare frankness and said, "Okay, okay, I won't tell you, so that Third Brother won't have to eat less."
The Fifth Prince chuckled along, and the Fourth Prince couldn't help laughing, too. The Third Prince was about to get angry, but when he saw them laughing, he decided there was nothing to be angry about, and started laughing with them.
When Qi You saw the smiles on several people's faces, he felt deeply moved.
It’s better to be smaller, simpler and less distracted.
After some banter, the Fourth Prince asked seriously, "Seventh Brother, I heard that you encountered Galdan's army in Khalkha. The situation was so dangerous. Weren't you afraid at the time?"
The Third Prince's eyes widened immediately, and he looked at Qi You curiously. The Fifth Prince did the same, looking at him expectantly, "Seventh Brother, are you really not afraid? Also, is it fun out there? The farthest I've been is Changchun Garden, and I've never left the capital."
Qi You confessed: "I didn't take care of it at the time, but I felt scared later." Then, he talked about what he saw and heard along the way and the scenery, and briefly mentioned the war situation and the misery of the Khalkha people.
The three listened with rapt interest, their expressions changing from surprise to lamentation as Qi You spoke. Even the usually aloof Fourth Prince was taken aback by what he had said, his expression becoming unusually colorful.
After Qi You finished speaking, several people were still not satisfied and asked many questions they wanted to know. Qi You patiently answered them one by one.
Seeing that it was getting late, the few of them simply stayed at Qi You's place for dinner. After dinner, the Fourth Prince thought for a moment and said, "Seventh Brother, can I stay here with you to do my homework? If I encounter something I don't understand, I can ask you for advice."
Qi You agreed immediately, "Okay, fourth brother, you're welcome. I also need to do my homework. Let's do it together."
The Fourth Prince hurriedly called his personal eunuch and told him to go back and get his homework. Seeing this, the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince also wanted to stay, and Qi You agreed with a smile.
So, the brothers got together for a rare occasion, each of them ground ink, opened their books, and started doing their homework.
Several of them were not good at geometry and mathematics. Although they did not have to learn it, they had no choice but to study it because Kangxi liked it.
As expected, the subjects that Qi You asked for advice on were all geometry and mathematics. He explained them very seriously and carefully. Seeing the miserable faces of the students from beginning to end, he couldn't help but want to laugh, but he quickly suppressed it.
The Fourth Prince understood the reason, rubbed his forehead, and asked in confusion: "Seventh Brother, why do you like this subject? It's really too troublesome."
The Third Prince and the Fifth Prince felt the same way and nodded in agreement.
Qi You thought about it and said solemnly: "Because this lesson is very important, very important."
Seeing that they were still confused, Qi You patiently explained, "Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's talk about Mr. Xu and Mr. Zhang from the West. They are doing surveying and mapping in Shunyi. Surveying and mapping requires a lot of knowledge in geometry and mathematics. And the cannons used in wars are even more indispensable for this knowledge. The length of the barrel, the speed and force of the ammunition when it is fired, are all closely related to geometry and mathematics."
The three of them looked thoughtful and nodded repeatedly.
The Fifth Prince scratched his head and said with a smile, "I know that geometry and mathematics are important, but I don't like learning them. Let those who are more capable learn them."
The Third Prince followed up and said, "Anyway, as long as someone knows how to do it, it's fine. Once they learn it, they still have to work for the Qing Dynasty."
The Fourth Prince didn't think so. He said, "Even if we can't build cannons, we can still be useful in jobs like river patrol and collecting taxes. We have to learn a little so we don't get fooled by the people below us."
Qi You said, "Fourth brother is absolutely right. Whether you learn thoroughly or not is one thing, but you must learn. If you don't understand anything, it's like you're blind."
The Third Prince stiffened his neck and said angrily, "They dared to do that! They are rebelling against heaven!"
The Fifth Prince was honest but asked bluntly, "Why don't they dare? Even if officials who commit corruption will be beheaded, there are still officials who commit corruption."
The Fourth Prince said, "That's because money can motivate people. Killing a few more will make things better."
The Third Prince shouted, "Yes, we must do as the Fourth Prince said, and kill more!"
The Fifth Prince hesitated and said, "Should we kill them regardless of how much they've taken? Wouldn't that be disregarding human life?"
Several people held their own opinions and started arguing.
Qi You listened to their argument, sitting aside with a smile on his face, listening with great interest.
At this time, Degao hurried into the room and reported in a low voice: "Seventh Master, the Emperor is coming with the imperial physician."
Qi You almost choked on his saliva and felt very upset.
He used the excuse of recuperating from his injury to avoid Li Guangdi, but Kangxi actually brought the imperial physician with him. He was really petty!
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-10-28 21:12:54 and 2022-10-29 21:15:22~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Tiantiantiantiantiantian, Jingjing, and Xiaoxiami (10 bottles);
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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