63. Chapter 63
"none"
It was almost New Year's Eve when Qi You and his entourage returned to the capital. Emperor Kangxi had already received the news and was overjoyed. He hosted a palace banquet and rewarded all the members of the delegation.
Soetu had a constant smile on his face, and the prince was in a good mood as well.
Some are happy, some are sad. The eldest prince was not so happy. But it was New Year's Day, so he didn't want to show too much on his face and embarrass Kangxi.
At noon that day, the eldest prince drank a few more glasses of wine at the palace banquet. After the banquet, he did not return home. Instead, he ran to Qi You's prince's residence, lay down on the couch, stared at the caisson with his eyes open and sulked.
Seeing that the eldest prince was lying motionless with no desire to live, Qi You had no choice but to order De Gao and Gui He to fetch hot water and make strong tea to help the gentleman wash up and sober up.
The eldest prince took the hot handkerchief Gui He offered him and sloppily wiped it across his face. He sat up, blew on the strong tea, and took a sip. Immediately, his nose and eyes were no longer hot, and he put it down on the table impatiently, "It's too hot!"
Qi You laughed, "Brother, if it's not hot, the tea won't brew. If it's warm, the tea loses its flavor and won't taste good."
The eldest prince glanced at Qi You and said sarcastically, "Hey, I'm your brother, you little brat, and you dare to teach me a lesson?"
Qi You knew that the prince's family had gained face, and the eldest prince felt uncomfortable.
Qi You could do nothing to help him with his discomfort, and didn't want to get involved, so he just listened without saying a word.
The eldest prince rolled his eyes, came over and said with a smile: "Seventh brother, please help me think about it. What kind of job do you think I should ask Khan Ama for? It must be big and worthy of praise!"
Qi You didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Brother, you have to think about what you can do first!"
The smile on the eldest prince's face disappeared in an instant. He rolled up his sleeves with a sullen face, "Hey, how dare you look down on your brother like this? I may not be good at literature... but I can hunt tigers and fight wars. Just like last time, you let Galdan escape and I didn't win the battle."
Qi You smiled and said, "Galdan will definitely come again. It won't be too late to fight him then, big brother."
The eldest prince's eyes lit up instantly, and he asked excitedly, "Really?"
"Really!" Qi You was speechless. Looking at the expectant look on the eldest prince's face, he advised earnestly, "Brother, war is really not a good thing. If the Khan finds out that you are so eager for Galdan to come, you will be punished."
The eldest prince sat up straight and said calmly, "I'm only saying this to you. Seventh Brother, you're a true gentleman. I trust you. You won't gossip about me behind my back, let alone complain to me. Only here can I say whatever I want."
Qi You was both amused and annoyed, and said, "Thank you so much for your trust, big brother. But there are some things, even to me, you shouldn't be so blunt."
The eldest prince waved his hand dismissively and said, "I can't hold it in. It's too uncomfortable." He pondered for a moment, frowning. "Seventh Brother, you suggested earlier that the court send a letter to Tsewang Arabtan, promising to exchange prisoners and hand over the prisoners after the New Year, but there's been no response from Galdan. I guess the uncle and nephew are vying with each other, or maybe Galdan is harboring evil intentions and is really going to attack. Seventh Brother, please help me think carefully. Do you think it's better for me to wait for the war or go to the western border?"
After Qi You came back, he heard some of the things happening in the court. Tsewang Arabtan was willing to give up the Ile River Valley in exchange for prisoners with the Qing Dynasty.
Yile is Yili. This area was previously occupied by various tribes that split from the Oirat, and was eventually gradually replaced by part of the Dzungar.
Tsewang Arabtan was very courageous. Although the territory of Xinjiang was vast, he deliberately gave up Ili, which was known as the Jiangnan outside the Great Wall.
As for the purpose of his move, both sides knew it clearly. He wanted to keep the Qing Dynasty under his watch.
There are only two possible outcomes. One is that the Qing Dynasty is completely controlled by him, and both military and political power may be lost.
The other possibility is that there are capable people in the Qing Dynasty who have taken root in this area and exposed Tsewang Arabtan's past.
Qi You pondered for a moment and asked seriously, "Brother, if you go to Yilie, what are you going to do?"
The eldest prince was stunned and said, "What can I do? Of course I will counter his moves. Tsewang Arabtan dares to make a move. Am I afraid of him? I have to fight him anyway."
Qi You took a deep breath and simply asked, "Brother, how many soldiers do you plan to take to fight him? How far is the Western Frontier from the nearest Qing garrison? If you can't win, will the reinforcements arrive in time?"
The eldest prince sneered and said, "Do you think I'm stupid? I won't fight him unless it's absolutely necessary. If a fight really comes, I will definitely make all the necessary preparations in advance."
"Brother, you need to make preparations. Tsewang Arabtan is just watching and not taking any countermeasures?" Qi You sighed and advised kindly, "Taking this area is like taking grain from the fire. You must not act rashly. The main purpose of the Qing Dynasty is to run schools and grow crops, not to fight. At least, we can't fight in the next ten years. If we have to fight, we can't fight in Yile. What's the point of fighting if we lose everything?"
The eldest prince was stunned, and then an idea suddenly came to his mind. He stretched out his arm and grabbed Qi You's sleeve, and laughed: "Seventh Brother, tell me clearly what you are planning, and teach me how to do it."
Qi You tried to pull his hand back, but the eldest prince was as strong as an ox and he couldn't move it at once, so he had to let him go.
There are several particularly important things facing Qi You now.
The most important one is Shunyi, which is the cradle for cultivating talents and must not be ignored.
Fuquan should be returning to Beijing for the Lunar New Year in the next two days, and Qi You is still waiting for his work report. The school will be enrolling students after the Lunar New Year, and this matter is urgent and cannot be delayed.
The second is the reclamation and development of the black soil in Northeast China.
Northeast China was the birthplace of the Qing dynasty. Since the Shunzhi reign, the borders have been closed, meaning Han Chinese are not allowed to make a living outside the Great Wall. They have been building willow walls and other earthen walls to isolate those inside and outside the Great Wall, and this has not stopped until now.
Places like the former "Beidachang" have been deserted for a long time due to various unstable reasons such as climate and regional invasion by the Rakshasa Kingdom, as well as the ban on entry.
Qi You estimated that Kangxi would never allow the Han people to be relocated, which would "sever" the dragon vein of the Jueluo clan. Regarding the matter concerning the ancestral state, he did not intend to confront Kangxi directly, so he had to use a roundabout way.
This is also one of the reasons why Qi You left the Khalkha people behind. They were originally outside the Great Wall, so there was no resistance for the Han people to enter the Great Wall.
Together with the local Oroqen, Daur, Ewenki and other tribes, who are half farming and half pastoral, Qi You plans to let them join in and reclaim land for farming.
It was definitely hard work. When we went to Guandong and reclaimed the "Great Northern Wilderness", the conditions were not much better than they are today, and everything relied on manpower.
Qi You planned to ask Kangxi for some subsidies to build mud houses first, so that they could have coarse grains and food and accommodation, and then reclaim the land to reduce casualties.
When this land started to develop, Kangxi saw the results. For the sake of his country, he would definitely let the Han people out.
Another point is that Qi You plans to build ships on the Heilongjiang River and try to build a navy.
Even if a treaty is signed, the Rakshasa Kingdom cannot be trusted. They change their minds faster than turning the pages of a book and never abide by rules or reason.
The establishment of the navy was to take precautions against the Russian Empire bypassing Siberia and establishing military bases directly along the Heilongjiang River estuary.
Secondly, the navy is of vital importance. Qi You is unable to spare time to go to coastal areas such as Quanzhou and Guangzhou, so he can only take care of the navy's affairs while reclaiming the land.
The third is the Ili River Valley.
There are many tribes here and the relationships are complicated. In Qi You's opinion, the best way is of course to recover them peacefully.
The key to peace lies in assimilation. Even if the country is conquered by force, if the people are not convinced and do not agree with it, they will eventually rebel again.
Therefore, opening schools and educating people have far-reaching impacts and must be promoted.
The distance between these three places was very long. A year was enough to travel back and forth between the three places, so Qi You had no time to take care of them all at the same time.
Since the eldest prince wanted to go, Qi You thought he could give it a try. If he couldn't do well, Kangxi would naturally replace him.
Qi You was very open-minded and patiently taught the eldest brother: "Brother, when you go out to do something, you must first change your temper."
The eldest prince narrowed his eyes, but retracted them halfway, rolled his eyes to look at the roof, and said reluctantly: "Okay, okay, go on, I'll change it."
Seeing that the eldest prince didn't take it seriously at all, Qi You couldn't help but laugh. He analyzed it with him in a gentle voice: "Look at you now, how can you change? Big brother, you are not going to pick a fight or quarrel with others. Let's put it another way, don't hit someone who smiles. You have the confidence, so you don't need to use temper and momentum to improve your status. Even if you are dressed as rags as a beggar, no one will really treat you as a beggar, right?"
The eldest prince calmed down a bit, brushed off his clothes, and said in a low voice: "I know, you are so nagging."
Qi You didn't want to talk too much. To do something well, mentality and temper are very important.
Especially since the eldest prince has to face Tsewang Arabtan. It’s not that Qi You doesn’t think highly of him, but he can’t compare with him in terms of experience or intelligence.
Yili is not the capital. Everyone is a king. When kings confront each other, they are busy fighting all day long and can't get anything done.
Qi You continued, "Before you do anything, you should think it through several times in your mind. Think about your goal and any unexpected situations that might occur along the way, and prepare countermeasures in advance. Otherwise, when an unexpected situation occurs, you will panic and it will definitely not work. If you can't make up your mind, consult with your advisors. As for who to listen to in the end, you should analyze it carefully, or have them analyze it for you. What are the benefits of doing so, and whether it can achieve your goal?"
The eldest prince didn't take it seriously at first, but after hearing what was said later, he sat up straight, looked serious and earnest for a rare time, and nodded repeatedly.
Qi You saw that the eldest prince had changed his attitude, thought for a moment, and said, "Brother, when you go out, you will find that the world outside is very big. Don't just focus on the small piece of land in front of you."
The eldest prince suddenly raised his eyes and stared at Qi You.
Qi You looked calm, meeting his gaze without dodging or avoiding it, and smiled slightly, "Brother, one more thing, don't just look at people and things from the perspective of a prince. Sometimes, think from a different perspective, for example, if you are one of the common people, a servant, what do you want? Sometimes, throw away your identity and just think of yourself as one of the countless living beings, be a person with flesh and blood, with kindness and compassion in your heart. I feel that if you can do these things, this life will not be in vain."
The eldest prince was stunned there. Under Qi You's smiling gaze, he actually became uncomfortable. He turned his head away and muttered, "Seventh Brother, you really are, talking nonsense all day long. Got it, I'll change it."
Qi You smiled but said nothing.
The eldest prince glanced at Qi You and couldn't help laughing with him. He said, "You are so young, but you act like an old-fashioned person all day long. You only know how to study and work. It's really boring. But, no one has ever told me these things in my life, and taught me with all their heart. I understand. I appreciate your kindness, brother."
Qi You laughed and changed the subject, saying, "But brother, first you have to talk to Tonghan Ama and ask him to allow you to go."
The eldest prince was stunned and said hurriedly, "Seventh Brother, you have to teach me how to make Khan Ama agree to let me go out to work."
If you can’t even leave the Forbidden City, what else can you do?
Qi You lay down, yawned, and said, "Brother, you must figure out a solution for this matter yourself. You can't expect me to teach you everything. I'm tired. You should go back home and rest early. I need to sleep for a while."
The eldest prince thought about it and decided that when the time came, he would try his best to beg Kangxi. If that didn't work, he would just kneel down and refuse to get up. Even if he had to throw a tantrum, he had to get Kangxi to agree.
After thinking it over, the eldest prince stopped bothering Qi You. He raised his eyebrows, looked tired, and smiled as he kicked off his boots. Without even taking off his coat, he went straight to the bed and said, "It's snowing outside and it's freezing. I won't leave. I'll sleep here with you. When you get up in the afternoon, I'll follow you and do whatever you want. We'll go to the banquet together in the evening. By the way,"
He stood up and said with a stern face, "You can't say these words to the prince again!"
Qi You pretended not to hear and pulled up the quilt to cover his head.
The eldest prince wanted to say something, but when he saw that Qi You didn't move, he snorted angrily, went to the bedroom to get the bedding, wrapped himself in it, and lay down to sleep.
In the afternoon, after the two got up and washed up, Liang Jiugong arrived and Kangxi summoned Qi You to the Qianqing Palace.
The eldest prince came forward and asked, "Didn't Khan Ama call me?"
Liang Jiugong bowed, a smile plastered across his face, and said gently, "My eldest prince, the emperor only asked me to bring the seventh prince over. My eldest prince, why haven't you gone to the academy at this hour?"
Even during the Lunar New Year, if the eldest prince had no errands, he still had to go to school. He was already blatantly skipping classes, and Kangxi might turn a blind eye, but it would be foolish to confront him.
Qi You didn't know what to say anymore, so he didn't bother to pay attention to him. He put on his thick coat and said to him, "Brother, let's go. You go to the school, and I'll go see Khan Ama."
The eldest prince could only reluctantly put on his cloak and walked towards the Palace of Heavenly Purity with Qi You. When they arrived at the Gate of Heavenly Purity, they happened to meet Fu Quan walking towards them with his hands in his sleeves.
Qi You stepped forward to pay his respects. The eldest brother also stepped forward and called out to his second uncle, saying with a smile, "Could it be that the second uncle came back on horseback?"
A layer of white snow had fallen on Fuquan's cloak, and his face was blue with cold. He stamped his feet back and forth and said, "That's not right. The carriage is slow, so it's better to ride a horse. It saves us the trouble of traveling on the road, which is cold and annoying."
The eldest prince said admiringly: "Second uncle is amazing!"
Fuquan chuckled, looked the eldest prince up and down, and asked, "Why are you here at this hour?"
When the eldest prince heard Fuquan say the same thing, he immediately became very upset. He bowed to him and said, "I am just going to the school."
Seeing the eldest prince leave angrily, Fuquan immediately put on a smiling face and said to Qiyou, "Shouldn't he be studying in the academy? Why is he with you?"
Qi You replied, "Brother rested at my place at noon."
Seeing Qi You casually took it over, Fuquan tactfully didn't ask any more questions and instead told him about Shunyi: "The school is complete. When I left, I arranged patrols according to the instructions in your letter. They were responsible for fire and water prevention and safety. Lin Yicheng is also helping to keep an eye on it. Everything is stable and reliable. We are just waiting to recruit students after the New Year."
Qi You felt a little relieved when he heard that Fuquan had arranged everything in an orderly manner.
In fact, none of the officials who can stand in the court and pass the imperial examination are stupid and can do things.
The key is to look at the starting point when doing things. For example, the biggest difference between Qi You and them is their different standpoints and perspectives.
Everyone, including Kangxi, had his own selfish motives.
What Kangxi was thinking about was how to ensure the stability of his dynasty and how the Gioro family could be emperors forever.
Powerful officials only think about wealth, glory, promotion and making money.
If you think about it carefully, Qi You also has his own selfish motives. He wants the world to be truly peaceful and the people to be prosperous.
From now on, the people of this land will no longer be bullied by the great powers, suffer humiliation, and live in misery.
At this time, Qi You suddenly realized that he was not suitable to have a companion.
Because his achievements were seen by everyone, if there were still a lot of people supporting him, Kangxi would have been wary and cautious.
The best situation is that he just needs to grasp the general direction, have people obey him, and implement his ideas seriously.
For example, Lin Yicheng, Fuquan, even the eldest prince will do.
Qi You thanked him sincerely: "Second uncle, you have worked hard. Thank you for your help."
Fuquan shook his head. "What's the hardship? If I don't do my job well, you will laugh at me. When you go out this time,
He pulled his hand away, gave Qi You a thumbs-up, and praised sincerely, "That's really amazing! When I heard the news, I was so excited that I drank a whole jar of wine and got drunk."
Qi You teased Fu Quan, "Second uncle likes to drink, so he deliberately took the opportunity to drink. I don't deserve it."
Fuquan laughed and said, "When are you going to drink? I'm waiting for you to start drinking so that we can both get drunk."
Qi You had no intention of learning how to drink, so he smiled and said, "Then Second Uncle will have to wait."
The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked towards the imperial study. Kangxi heard Liang Jiugong come in to report that Fuquan had returned, so he called him in as well.
Kangxi seemed to be in a good mood. Holding a tea bowl in his hand, he smiled and waved to the two people who came to pay their respects. He said, "Second brother, you must be tired from traveling. Come and sit down. Seventh brother, you sit down too. Liang Jiugong, go to the imperial kitchen and bring me a pot of ginger tea."
After thanking him, the two men sat down separately. Kangxi said, "It's cold, drink a cup of ginger tea to ward off the cold. Seventh Brother, have you had your tonic soup?"
Qi You hurriedly stood up to express his gratitude and said, "Khan Ama, I drink every drop every day."
After Qi You returned to Beijing, Kangxi was very happy and asked Liang Jiugong to deliver the tonic soup to him personally every day.
Qi You could only accept this great gift with a smile. Although the bowl was black and smelled bad, it was Kangxi's ever-changing fatherly love after all, so he could only drink it up without changing his expression.
Kangxi laughed heartily, pointed at Qi You, and feigned annoyance to Fu Quan, saying, "Look at this kid. He's gone to Nerchinsk and is so skinny. How can he not eat some more? But he can't rest, so all the nourishment is in vain."
Fuquan smiled and said, "I was just telling Seventh Prince about this. He's truly made a tremendous contribution this time. Putting everything else aside, just look at the schools and farms in Shunyi—each one of them is worthy of praise. Following Seventh Prince's advice, I've contracted out all of my farms. Not counting the seeds and oxen I gave them for free earlier, this year we've actually collected nearly 20% more in rent. This is only the first year, and I'm afraid things will only get better from now on. Your Majesty, next time you go hunting in Mulan, please come take a walk around Shunyi County. It's truly changed a lot. It's not that there are more houses and shops, or that the roads have been repaired—I can't really explain why, it's just that..."
He slapped his forehead, thought for a long time, and finally said, "His complexion and expression are completely different from before. That vitality is very joyful to watch."
Kangxi laughed heartily upon hearing this. "This official road has been built wide and flat. I am glad to take this road too. I will certainly go and see it again next year."
This year was considered favorable for the weather, with few reports of disasters. The border agreement with the Rakshasa Kingdom had completely exceeded his expectations, allowing the Qing Dynasty to gain territory he hadn't even imagined.
The prisoner exchange had left Galdan extremely anxious, and he had unexpectedly gained land in western Xinjiang. All these happy events had made him smile even in his dreams.
Fuquan reported in detail about the Shunyi School. Kangxi hummed from time to time, his expression thoughtful. He asked, "Li Rongbao sent these disabled soldiers from the barracks. You placed them in the school. Can they do good things?"
Fuquan replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I've followed the Seventh Prince's previous suggestion and assigned them tasks based on their injuries. For example, those with injured legs will be assigned less physically demanding tasks, such as guarding the various courtyard gates. Those with broken hands will be assigned sweeping and patrolling duties. They all work diligently, and there's no need for us to worry about them at all. When school starts, they can spend their free time with the students, learning various skills. As long as they're willing and determined to learn, they'll have no worries about their future."
Kangxi couldn't help but look at Qi You with a loving look in his eyes, feeling indescribably relieved.
This group of injured soldiers could no longer continue to work in the barracks, and as before, they could only go home and eat idle meals.
Qi You gave them a way out and properly accommodated them.
Kangxi remembered that when Fuquan wrote back to him about Qi You's arrangement, he also mentioned Qi You's words: "We cannot let them bleed and lose their livelihood. The Qing Dynasty will not ignore these soldiers who have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. We will do our best to give them a decent treatment."
This is more effective in boosting morale than any kind of encouragement or reward before the battle. Kangxi could only sigh in regret that there were too few people who could be resettled in Shunyi!
Fuquan talked about the enrollment again, and Kangxi asked, "Is there enough students in the school?"
Fuquan was stunned, and subconsciously looked at Qi You, saying in a daze: "This is a problem, Seventh Prince, Shunyi has few students, and some people are unwilling to send their children to study in the school. If we can't recruit students, then the school will be built in vain, right?"
Qi You smiled and said, "No, how could there be no one here?"
Kangxi and Fuquan looked at Qi You together and heard him say slowly, "There are so many orphans in the orphanage in the capital, there are more than enough students."
The two looked incredulous and shouted almost at the same time: "Infant Foundling House?!"
When Fuquan saw Kangxi start speaking, he quickly shut up and let him speak first.
Kangxi frowned and said, "The abandoned children in the orphanage are of unknown origin and of varying ages. We've put so much effort into building this school, and allowing the children of bondservants to attend is already a concession. If they go in too, and the Han and Manchu people mix together, that's unacceptable!"
Qi You said seriously, "We are all doing good deeds. The orphanage is not only allowed to adopt children of bannermen. Just like there are bannermen and Han officials in the court, there are also Han officials in the school. There is no need to distinguish between bannermen and Han."
Fuquan had said earlier that he would only listen to Qiyou, but seeing that what he said made sense, he immediately changed his tone and said, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince is right. If you look closely, these abandoned babies are civilians, and the bannermen are bondservants. No one should look down on anyone else. In the end, it all comes down to who is smart enough to learn the skills well."
Kangxi thought about it carefully and found that it was true.
However, Kangxi asked, "The orphans in the orphanage must be fed, clothed, and provided for by the school. Is there enough money in the account?"
Qi You smiled at Kangxi and said, "Khan Ama asked me what reward I wanted earlier. Now I have thought of it. Khan Ama, please pay the money for me and use the reward to support the school."
When Fuquan heard this, he lowered his head vigilantly and refused to look at Qi You, lest he make him pay for it again.
Working in Shunyi School, he was free and easy, but not only did he not receive any salary, he also had to pay several hundred taels of silver.
Although Fuquan's name was engraved a little larger on the stone tablet at the entrance, it was very conspicuous. Every time he passed by, he would stop and look at it with satisfaction for a long time.
But he still felt a little sad when he had to spend real money.
Kangxi took a deep breath, stared at Qi You for a long time, and finally agreed. He felt complicated, warm, sour, and proud.
What’s so sour is that this little bastard is so selfless that he doesn’t show any mercy to his own father.
The heartwarming thing is that he never thought about himself and didn't care what to eat or wear. Look at the clothes he was wearing, they were all washed white.
He is not arrogant, extravagant, or ostentatious, and he has the demeanor of his father in his past.
What he was proud of was that he was truly compassionate and could do things that neither he nor anyone else in the court could do.
Seeing that Kangxi had agreed, Qi You smiled and thanked him, saying, "Khan Ama, there is another important matter, so I must ask you for more rewards."
Kangxi gasped, looked at him warily, and asked, "What's the matter?"
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Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-11-02 21:09:26 and 2022-11-03 21:31:10~
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