92. Chapter 92
"none"
Qi You never talks nonsense, nor does he care to make empty promises.
Never take sides, never build relationships. No support, no weak points involved.
In fact, it wasn't like he didn't have any help. The Ninth Prince's previous accusations were somewhat relevant, and public opinion was his support. Furthermore, officials who desperately needed salary increases, and those who still retained the spirit of a scholar, also helped him.
There have been undercurrents in the capital these days.
Qi You was open and forthright, without any reservations, and visited the residences of officials such as the Grand Secretary and the Deputy Minister, as well as all the guild halls in the capital.
The group of people staring at him were dazzled and felt uneasy.
Behind the scenes, all kinds of rumors are flying around, making it difficult to distinguish.
For example, some people said that Qi You went to collect a debt.
Some people swore that Qi You only drank a cup of tea and chatted about family matters.
Some people also said that Qi You was asking about the price of salt in different places.
Salt!
This word was particularly sensitive, enough to frighten the Ninth Prince and the others.
If they wanted to beat up Qi You, they wouldn't know where to start, even if it meant throwing dirty water on him.
They could not find any reason to prevent Qi You from going to these places.
Even if their faction wanted to spread rumors that Qi You went to win over officials and buy people's hearts, they couldn't bring themselves to do it.
Firstly, Kangxi did not say anything, and secondly, Qi You traveled to too many places. If they reported him and beat him up, some officials would take the initiative to stand up and fight with them in order to clear themselves of the charges.
There is never just one voice in this world. Even within the same interest group, there is no monolithic unity.
The Crown Prince, Prince Zhi, Prince Cheng and others also took a wait-and-see attitude, and no one stepped forward.
Qi You was asking for the money owed by the Ministry of Revenue, but they owed the Imperial Household Department money.
Although it is unrelated, it is still a debt, and I am afraid that after paying off the debt to the Ministry of Revenue, they will come to ask for the debt owed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
On this day, the impatient Prince Zhi, after watching for a few days and still being confused, finally became unable to sit still. He sent people to keep an eye on Qi You and blocked him outside the Daqing Gate.
It rained a little a few days ago. The rain stopped, but it was still chilly and gloomy in spring.
As soon as Qi You's carriage stopped, he opened his eyes, which had been closed to rest. Prince Zhi lifted the curtain and looked inside, just in time to meet Qi You's gaze.
Prince Zhi felt as if he was being attacked by a mighty army, causing his breathing to tighten inexplicably and he stood there in a daze.
"Big brother." Qi You greeted with a smile.
Prince Zhi looked again and saw Qi You's familiar and gentle face. He shook his head, suspecting for a moment that he was seeing things. Without thinking any more, he pushed himself onto the carriage.
"Seventh Brother, what have you been busy with these days?" Prince Zhi asked impatiently as soon as he sat down.
Qi You replied casually: "I'm collecting a debt!"
Prince Zhi glanced at Qi You and cried out in surprise, "You're kidding me! I know you're collecting a debt, but who would collect a debt so dramatically? There are so many rumors, I don't believe you don't know."
Qi You spread his hands and said frankly: "I know. But brother, these... shouldn't be considered rumors, right?"
The Prince of Zhi was choked.
Qi You came to the house openly, and as for what he did, what he said, and what he asked, it was indeed not a rumor.
Prince Zhi didn't know what to say. After a moment of frustration, he said directly, "I won't beat around the bush with you. Tell me honestly, what exactly do you want to do by running around so diligently and causing such panic among the people?"
Qi You said good-naturedly, "Brother, I didn't cause any panic among the people. Even Khan Ama didn't say so. I said, I just went to collect the debt owed by the Ministry of Revenue. If anyone thinks that people are in a panic, it's just because they owe money and feel uneasy."
The Prince of Zhi was stunned for a moment, then glared at Qi You angrily and said, "I know you went to ask for the money. Everyone in the capital knows you're asking for money. You've made a much bigger show than the Fourth Brother did back then. So far, only Ma Qi has paid back the money. Oh, no, his brother Ma Wu Li Rongbao has also paid back. Hey, it's strange that Li Rongbao, who was so far away, actually paid back the money."
Qi You laughed and said, "Ma Wu paid for Li Rongbao first. Of course, the most important thing is that they understand the principle of repaying debts."
Prince Zhi hissed, clearly unconvinced. He rolled his eyes, leaned forward, and asked curiously, "Seventh Brother, tell me something. Did Khan Ama mention collecting the debt owed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
Qi You asked curiously, "Brother, how much silver did you borrow from Khan Ama?"
The Prince of Zhi sat up straight, put his hands in his sleeves and laughed dryly, "Not much, not as much as the Crown Prince."
Speaking of the silver Kangxi gave to the prince, Prince Zhi immediately felt uncomfortable, his face fell, and he was filled with sourness.
What is more worrying is the lack of money rather than the distribution of money. The silver Kangxi lent him was less than half of what the crown prince received.
The Prince of Zhi even thought of killing 1,000 people and injuring 800 enemies. He wanted everyone to return the money they borrowed from Kangxi so that no one could take advantage!
The idea was halfway through, but Prince Zhi's arrogance subsided. He had already spent most of the borrowed money, and he still couldn't pay it back, so he couldn't bear it anymore.
However, when Prince Zhi thought of the Ninth Prince and his companions, the dissipated anger rose again. They were so bold that they not only borrowed money from the Imperial Household Department, but also from the Ministry of Revenue!
The Prince of Zhi asked in a deep voice, "Seventh Brother, why hasn't the Ninth Brother paid back the money yet?"
Qi You looked at the furious face of Prince Zhi, then slowly smiled and said, "I don't know about that. I told my ninth brother before that he should pay back the first 100,000 taels of silver within five days or so, and the rest within two months."
The Prince of Zhi was stunned for a moment, then asked perceptively, "Why does he have to wait two months to pay back the remaining money? Where is he going to raise the money?"
Qi You smiled but said nothing.
When Prince Zhi saw that Qi You was silent, he knew that it was useless to ask further questions. If Qi You didn't say anything, he would never get any results.
In just a moment, Prince Zhi thought a lot, the doubts in his eyes became more and more serious, and his expression became gloomy.
At this time, there were bursts of noise outside. Prince Zhi lifted the curtain and looked outside. He suddenly let out a cry and jumped out of the carriage quickly.
Qi You looked at it, smiled knowingly, and got out of the car calmly.
The Ninth Prince sat in front of a cart pulling vases and other items, holding a box filled with small silver and gold ingots, his face mournful and silent. Behind him, there were several more carts loaded with household items, and even one cart loaded with grain.
Prince Zhi rushed forward to stop the cart, and asked with a stern face, "Old Nine, what are you doing? Where are you taking all this stuff?"
The Ninth Prince raised his eyelids and glanced at the Prince of Zhi, then turned his gaze to Qi You who was strolling leisurely, and a cold look flashed across his face.
Tightening the box in his arms, the Ninth Prince said quietly, "I'm here to pay off a debt. I'm so short of money that I can only empty my house and take out the valuables to pay off the debt. After Khan Ama has reviewed it, I'll return it to Seventh Brother. Big Brother, please step aside and don't delay Seventh Brother's debt collection."
Prince Zhi subconsciously dodged, raised his eyebrows, and then dodged back, blocking the front of the car.
The Ninth Prince immediately became annoyed, but thinking of the Eighth Prince's instructions, he finally endured it and suppressed his anger, saying, "Brother, why are you stopping me? Can't you see that Seventh Brother can't wait and is rushing over to take inventory?"
On both sides of the Daqing Gate are the six ministries on one side and the clan court on the other.
It was noon at this time. After hearing the news outside, the officials in the yamen had already come out and stood there looking around.
On one side of the clan residence, the doors and windows were ajar and there was no one there.
The affairs of the princes and brothers should be decided by their father, Kangxi, and the clan affairs office has no right to interfere.
Prince Zhi sneered and cursed in his heart.
You borrowed so much money, your intentions are sinister!
I didn't borrow that much from you. Since you're here to pay me back, how could I let you run away?
Prince Zhi's eyebrows and beard flew up, he rolled up his sleeves, reached out and grabbed the box that the Ninth Prince was holding.
The Ninth Prince felt his arms empty, and after a moment he was about to rush over to grab it. The Prince of Zhi spun around, thrust his butt back, and knocked the Ninth Prince off balance.
Prince Zhi raised the box into the air and shouted towards the six ministries, "Where are the people working at the Ministry of Revenue? Didn't you see the Ninth Prince come to repay the money? Why don't you come up and help!"
Although the Ninth Prince and his men were concerned about Liang Huai, they were not so easy to talk to and would definitely not return the money honestly. After secretly observing Qi You's movements for a few days, they came up with this countermeasure.
Their plan was to make the matter a big deal and bring it before Emperor Kangxi to ask him to make the decision. At the same time, they wanted to let other people who owed money to see how far Qi You could push people.
The Ninth Prince never expected that his expedition would not start well, and that the Prince of Zhi would show up unexpectedly.
Prince Zhi held the box in one hand and waved his other hand vigorously, ordering his eunuch attendants: "Come over and help push the cart. Push it all to the Ministry of Revenue!"
The eunuchs followed the order and ran forward, grabbing the handlebars. The Ninth Prince's men desperately tried to protect it, so they simply gave up the handlebars and went straight to move the table and vase on the cart.
The Ninth Prince was furious, his hands tied, and he was thrashing around. He tried to grab the box from Prince Zhi's arms, and then he was busy shouting at the eunuchs and the coachman who were fighting with each other: "Stop it, big brother, take care of your people, or I will be rude!"
"Oh, you good old Ninth Prince, how can you be so rude?" The Prince of Zhi was the eldest brother. He was furious when he saw that the Ninth Prince dared to be so rude to him, the eldest brother, in public.
Then I thought about how the Ninth Prince and the Eighth Prince were hanging out together all day, especially the Eighth Prince's reputation in Jiangnan...
Prince Zhi's face was even gloomier than the sky. His chest was filled with a long-accumulated sourness, anger, and frustration, which he now directed at the Ninth Prince. He shouted, "Hey, Old Nine, who are you trying to fool? Not to mention the gold, silver, and jewelry, even your belongings are worth a lot. You have a lot of red sandalwood and golden nanmu desks, tables, and chairs. Why didn't you pull out a few rosewood ones to fool the ghost?"
Li Guangdi, Ma Qi and others also came out at this time. Seeing the scene in front of them, their expressions were different.
"Your Highness." Li Guangdi pondered for a moment, then strode to Qi You and saluted.
Qi You smiled and nodded in return, then raised his hand slightly to stop Li Guangdi from saying, "Master Li, just watch."
Ma Qi kept his eyes and ears on all sides, constantly looking towards Li Guangdi and Qi You. He heard the Prince of Zhi still roaring, and with a determined heart, he said to Li Zhenyu: "Minister Li, please take your men to help count the accounts."
Li Zhenyu quickly glanced at Qi You and called the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the examiner and others to rush forward and help push the cart towards the Ministry of Revenue.
As soon as the Ministry of Revenue took action, many officials from other ministries who were originally watching came to help.
There is strength in numbers. The charioteers and attendants brought by the Ninth Prince were afraid to fight back because they saw that they were all officials from the six ministries.
Furthermore, they were too few in number and could not defeat their opponents even if they fought back.
Prince Zhi stuffed the box into Li Zhenyu's hands, grabbed the Ninth Prince who was trying to slip away, and said with a forced smile, "Old Ninth, where do you want to go? The Ministry of Revenue hasn't finished counting the money yet. Although it's just a few dollars, it's far from enough to cover your debt, but you still have to watch it happen. There's no room for error with the treasury's money!"
The Ninth Prince was so angry that his face turned blue. He stared at the righteous Prince Zhi and said angrily, "I don't owe you anything. What's it to you?"
Seeing that the Ninth Prince was still arrogant, the Prince of Zhi was furious and dragged him to the Ministry of Revenue without saying a word: "You owe the Qing Dynasty money. If you don't pay it back, you are a pest of the Qing Dynasty!"
The two men wrestled and quarreled as they passed in front of Qi You and Li Guangdi.
Li Guangdi's expression was indescribably complicated. He looked at the dark cloud-covered sky in the distance and said, "It looks like it's going to rain. Your Highness, please go to the Ministry of Personnel to take shelter from the rain."
Qi You smiled and said, "Okay, I have to wait for the Ministry of Revenue to count the money returned by my ninth brother anyway."
Li Guangdi forced a smile, stepped aside to let Qi You pass, and went to the duty room of the Ministry of Personnel together.
Li Guangdi waved his hand away as his attendant served him tea. He looked out the window and muttered, "How time flies."
Qi You smiled without saying anything, sat down in the chair, picked up the teacup and took two sips.
Li Guangdi hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "The prince told me to just watch, and I saw it. But I'm so stupid I didn't see through it, let alone understand it. Could it be that the prince had anticipated this?"
Qi You looked up at Li Guangdi and said frankly, "I expected it, but I didn't expect it."
Qi You didn't lie to the questions asked by Prince Zhi earlier.
As for those rumors, they were all true. Qi You had urged people to pay back their debts, chatted with them about family matters, and even asked the merchants in the guild hall about the price of salt.
He just wanted to disturb the waters, make them muddy, and make them uneasy.
Once things get messy, you can cut the Gordian knot.
Qi You never thought about investigating the Lianghuai Salt Administration from beginning to end. It was an account that had been stagnant for many years and there was no place to check it.
Just get to the source and solve the problem thoroughly.
Qi You did not lie to Li Guangdi. He had long anticipated that the Ninth Prince and his family would not hand over the silver with both hands just because of his words.
Since Qi You went to ask for the money, the Ninth Prince had to pretend to pay some back. If he had to pay back the money, he would definitely not do it quietly. He would go to Kangxi and cry about his grievances like Concubine Yi did.
The Ninth Prince and his companions knew that Kangxi was their last resort.
But they didn't know that once the word "salt" was mentioned, Kangxi remained silent and did not step forward to stop Qi You, so this backer no longer existed.
Kangxi could allow his cronies to embezzle, sell official positions, and oppress the people. For example, when the Cao family owed millions of taels of salt tax, Kangxi turned a blind eye and let it go.
But the Ninth Prince and his men extended their hands to the salt business, and the Cao family was in charge of Lianghuai, with the intricate relationship between them. This was what Kangxi was most taboo and fearful of.
When it comes to the country and supreme power, Kangxi will not let it go easily, even for his own son.
The Crown Prince and the Prince of Zhi will not let them go either.
Qi You hadn't expected the Ninth Prince to come with drums and gongs to repay the debt, and he happened to meet the Prince of Zhi here. In fact, even if he hadn't met him, he and the Crown Prince would have secretly taken action.
Li Guangdi held up the tea bowl and said with emotion, "Since ancient times, the Ministry of Revenue and the National Treasury have been of paramount importance. Your Highness, thank you for your hard work. I'm afraid the Emperor will learn of this and summon you for questioning. I'd like to add that the Imperial Examination is currently underway, so it's really not appropriate to make a big fuss."
The imperial examination had just been underway for two days, and the candidates were still locked up in the Imperial Academy. Qi You drummed his fingers on the table, his eyes lowered, and remained silent. After a moment, he suddenly said, "I wonder how many people will pass the Lianghuai exam this year."
Li Guangdi was stunned. Qi You smiled at him and continued, "And Jiangxi."
Galin, the governor of Jiangxi, was extremely greedy and the people suffered terribly. He was dismissed from office once, but was quickly reinstated and returned to his post.
Qi You's expression faded, and he said solemnly, "Lord Li, after the imperial examination, I hope you and Mr. Zhang will carefully supervise the examination. The people have been shattered time and time again, and one day, they will be shattered to pieces, their flesh and blood flying, and their bodies reduced to ashes."
Zhang Ying, the Grand Secretary and Minister of Rites, was in charge of this year's imperial examinations. He had taught Qi You in the past, so he addressed him as "Sir".
Li Guangdi thought of Zhang Ying's repeated requests to Emperor Kangxi for retirement due to his advanced age. He paused for a moment and said, "Master Zhang is not in good health. How about this? If His Majesty is free, he can come and give me some advice."
Everyone would avoid sensitive matters like the imperial examination to avoid getting into trouble.
Qi You didn't even think twice and said, "Let me think about it again. I'll see if we can openly review the examination papers. Let the Hanlin Academy, scholars, and officials all come to review the papers. Then everyone can see how knowledgeable the candidates from all over the Qing Dynasty are."
Li Guangdi intuitively felt that this matter was related to the Lianghuai mentioned by Qi You. He looked at Qi You in horror and was speechless for a long time.
The two things happened to collide and could be solved at the same time. The imperial examination halls in Lianghuai, including Jiangnan, had long been in chaos and smelled terrible.
Qi You looked directly at Li Guangdi and asked, "Master Li, do you still remember why you studied back then?"
Why study?
Li Guangdi looked dazed, as if he had forgotten why he studied in the first place.
Qi You said calmly, "In the morning, you are a peasant, and in the evening, you are in the emperor's palace. How glorious! It will bring honor to your family and prosperity for generations to come. It's better not to read books like this, and it's better not to take the exams."
Li Guangdi has known Qi You for many years. Although they didn't say much today, it seemed like he got to know him all over again.
Thinking back on everything Qi You had done over the years, no matter what he did, he was worthy of "establishing a heart for heaven and earth, and establishing a destiny for life."
He is a true scholar, unlike those candidates who are just so-so in the end, just for the sake of eternal prosperity.
Li Guangdi laughed at himself and sighed. He had been up and down in his official career throughout his life. He had been busy running around for many years just to be an official.
Outside the door, Li Guangdi's attendant poked his head in and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, my lord, the Emperor has sent someone to invite you to the Palace of Heavenly Purity."
Li Guangdi's expression was slightly stern, and he thought to himself, "Here it comes." When he looked at Qi You, his eyes unconsciously showed a bit of worry.
Qi You looked calm as usual. He put down the tea bowl, brushed the hem of his robe, stood up and walked out.
Li Guangdi felt inferior to him and followed behind with a heavy heart.
After taking a few steps, Qi You paused, turned around, smiled brightly at Li Guangdi, and said, "Master Li, I plan to completely change the salt industry, put an end to illegal salt, and make salt affordable for all the people. Wait, if you don't support me, please just stand by and watch."
Li Guangdi's mind buzzed and he was dumbfounded and speechless.
All the trouble that happened before is just a piece of cake.
Qi You’s current plan is to cut off the source of the problem, and the Lianghuai salt merchants may become a thing of the past and cease to exist.
Li Guangdi seemed to smell the breath of blood and gore at the tip of his nose.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-12-01 23:44:22 and 2022-12-02 23:45:58~
Thanks to the little angel who cast the mines: 1 dandelion;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of Balala La; 5 bottles of You Need Money; 1 bottle of Lu Xiao Mei Qing Lian;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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