93. Chapter 93
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Palace of Heavenly Purity.
The weather was gloomy and there was no light in the imperial study. Kangxi sat behind the imperial desk, and his expression could not be seen clearly.
Just from his hoarse voice, one could tell that he was not in a good mood and spirit.
Li Guangdi practically held his breath, not even daring to breathe. Qi You, with his usual calm demeanor, stood solemnly in the center of the room.
Kangxi remained silent after calling out, and the room fell into complete silence. Soon, the Crown Prince and Prince Zhi arrived, followed by Prince Cheng, the Eighth Prince, and Ma Qi.
At some point, a breeze started to blow, creating a slight rustle in the cracked window lattice. The wind also blew away the papers on the imperial desk, sending them rustling and flying.
Liang Jiugong tiptoed forward and was about to close the window when Kangxi pressed his palm on the paper and said in a deep voice, "Open the window!"
Liang Jiugong, his hand on the window frame, paused for a moment, then hurriedly opened it. The wind was even stronger, a chilly breeze rushing into the house, carrying a hint of damp rain.
The spring rain and breeze were so lingering and sticky that they seemed like an indissoluble haze, covering the splendor of the imperial study and adding a touch of desolation.
Kangxi glanced at everyone in the room and finally spoke: "Ma Qi, how much silver did Lao Jiu return?"
Ma Qi quickly stepped forward, bowed his head, and replied, "Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince brought a total of 389 taels of gold and silver. The remaining vases and other items have not yet been estimated."
Kangxi's breathing gradually became heavier. He turned to look at Prince Zhi. His eyes paused on him for a moment, then moved away and swept over the Eighth Prince.
Following Kangxi's gaze, several people lowered their heads even lower. Perhaps it was because the room was too cold, or something else, but they gradually felt a chill on their backs.
Kangxi finally looked at Ma Qi and said expressionlessly, "Tell the pawnshop in the capital to come and pawn everything that the ninth brother brought. If that's not enough, the seventh brother will come."
He looked at Qi You and paused, "How did you tell Lao Jiu before?"
Qi You told the Ninth Prince the time limit for repaying the money. Kangxi was silent for a moment and said, "It will be based on your schedule. The Ninth Prince has one day to pay back the 100,000 taels of silver. The rest must be paid back within two months. If he fails to pay, his property will be sold."
The Prince of Zhi, who was standing next to Qi You, glanced at him secretly, his beard raised at the corners of his mouth, and he was so gloating that he almost flew out. He added insult to injury and said, "Khan Ama, Lao Jiu is really outrageous. The gold and silver he took away were just small change, which he usually uses to reward servants. Who is he looking down on? Moreover, I saw earlier that the bag of grain he took away was actually a bag of coarse rice. Khan Ama, Lao Jiu is usually raised in luxury, and he can eat coarse rice. This is not only a slap in the face of Lao Qi, but also a slap in the face of the Qing Dynasty. Is the prince's family so poor?"
Kangxi's chest heaved with rage. He stared coldly at the Prince of Zhi and said, "Boss, what does this have to do with you? Why are you so enthusiastically involved in this? What is your intention?!"
Prince Zhi felt very aggrieved. He had no ulterior motives. He just couldn't stand the arrogance of the Ninth Prince.
Seeing Kangxi getting angry, Prince Zhi didn't dare to say anything more. He lowered his head and felt indignant in secret.
Kangxi was partial, partial to the crown prince and partial to his youngest son!
Qi You just stood there with his eyes lowered and brows furrowed. The Eighth Prince, standing a step behind him, moved imperceptibly. The subtle movement fell into Qi You's ears, and he couldn't help but snort.
The Eighth Prince was called over, and he probably wasn't having a good time at this time.
Everyone could see that Kangxi was about to take real action against the Ninth Prince. He was holding back his anger, but he was hesitant and hadn't yet vented it all.
The Ninth Prince's disturbance not only embarrassed Kangxi, but also violated his taboos and put him on the edge of a knife. Concubine Yi's kindness was not enough at this time.
The affairs of Lianghuai, involving the Cao and Li families, and the influence of the capital, were too complex to be justified. Kangxi was already suspicious and would not let this go easily.
Loyalty to the emperor, loyalty to the emperor. Emperor Kangxi was already old. To ensure the family's prosperity and wealth, they always had to consider the future generation.
The rift between Kangxi and the Crown Prince was clearly visible to all intelligent people. One day, the conflict between father and son would be ignited.
It is not easy to take sides, and it is not easy to follow the dragon.
Kangxi raised his voice and sternly said, "The money owed to the national treasury must be repaid. If anyone deliberately refuses to pay, don't blame me for being rude! Ma Qi, as the Minister of Revenue, you should always pay attention to this matter. Don't just stand there and wait to collect the money!"
Ma Qi quickly agreed and couldn't help but feel secretly lucky that he had paid back the little money he owed.
In the past, Kangxi was always kind and merciful. In fact, Ma Qi was a little confused at this time as to why he suddenly changed his mind.
Kangxi then asked Qi You, "Seventh Brother, you have been assigned the task of collecting the debts. How are you doing now?"
Qi You reported the matter truthfully, saying, "Khan Ama, I went to the residences of the debtors according to the IOUs. Many of them said they simply couldn't pay. Later, I thought about it and realized that they were right. Based on their salaries, they simply couldn't afford to pay."
Everyone in the room had different expressions and looked at Qi You together. His words were so heartbreaking.
Everyone knows that officials do not live on salaries.
Qi You looked calm as he continued, "Later, I visited various guild halls and inquired about the prices of various daily necessities. I calculated what kind of life they could maintain based on their salaries."
Even Kangxi was stunned and looked up at Qi You.
Qi You said slowly, "According to their salary, they have to support a large family and servants, and they can only barely feed themselves."
Except Li Guangdi, no one could understand what Qi You meant by this.
Li Guangdi's palms were slightly sweaty in the increasingly cold room.
Qi You said loudly, "If officials are like this, the lives of the common people will only be more difficult. Firewood, rice, oil, and salt are all indispensable. Especially salt. If the common people don't eat salt, how will they have the energy to work? I think we must make sure that the common people can afford salt."
Everyone in the room was a smart person. They were stunned at first, and then their faces changed drastically.
Salt had high profits and salt merchants were as rich as a country, but the salt tax deficit in Lianghuai was huge.
Qi You, this is going to blow the sky away!
At this moment, Li Guangdi took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said, "Your Majesty, I second the prince's opinion. Salt tax is one of the main sources of revenue for the court. It has been in deficit for many years, and yet countless people still cannot afford salt. I believe that it is urgent to rectify the salt industry."
The prince's eyes changed slightly, and he swept over Li Guangdi and his body. His mind turned slightly, and he moved his feet, then stopped, staying where he was and watching what would happen.
Prince Zhi and others looked at Qi You and Li Guangdi in surprise and forgot to speak for a moment.
The Eighth Prince lowered his eyelids, hiding the coldness and anxiety in his eyes.
Kangxi stared at Qi You with a sharp gaze, his mind racing with countless thoughts. After a moment, he raised his hand and dismissed the others, leaving only Li Guangdi and Qi You.
When only three people were left in the room, Kangxi finally stood up, walked up to the two men with his hands behind his back, and said coldly, "Seventh Brother, Li Guangdi, what exactly do you mean?"
Qi You said calmly, "Khan Ama, the salt tax has been in arrears for far too long. Lord Li is right. This huge hole must be plugged. The salt merchants are complaining about losses, the people can't afford salt, the court can't collect taxes, and private salt is rampant. This is a complete mess. What went wrong?"
Kangxi was stunned for a moment, thinking of the question Qi You had asked about the price of salt in the guild hall, and the intricate connections involved...
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Kangxi's face fell and he said coldly, "Seventh Brother, just say whatever you want to say!"
Qi You raised his eyes and said solemnly, "Khan Ama, why are officials corrupt? Salaries are only one reason. It seems that Khan Ama did not punish corrupt officials severely, and they are not too afraid. As for the salt tax, it is already a terrible thing. For the people, it is like scraping the bone to heal a wound, not only the bones, but also the flesh and blood. The salt tax is only one part of it. The facts have proven the result."
Qi You didn't say it so clearly, which gave Kangxi enough face.
Kangxi, however, knew it all, and his expression gradually darkened. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. As an emperor, how could Kangxi not understand this?
Qi You's words directly pointed to the country and the people that Kangxi valued most.
If Kangxi continued to indulge, even if there was a temporary peace, it would not last long. The people's will was nothing, but their resentment could not be ignored.
Corruption in the salt industry was just one aspect of the situation. Kangxi manipulated things with his right-hand men, such as condoning corruption among his cronies. He didn't spend much of the tribute money himself, using most of it to maintain his rule.
He did not see the most important link, which is the millions of people below who are like ants.
It was they who produced food, wove clothes and fabrics, created money, and supported his empire.
Perhaps Kangxi saw it, but he had been so high and mighty for so long that he had ignored it.
No one dared to point out that his rule was not secure. If someone else had said so, Kangxi would have thought that he had ill intentions and was just trying to compete with him for power.
Qi You was different. He had no faction and was rarely in the capital. Everything he did was not for himself, but for the common people.
Qi You now said that Kangxi's behavior was wrong and not a long-term solution. Moreover, his words were not groundless worries.
In the decades since Kangxi ascended the throne, more than a dozen anti-Qing riots have occurred throughout the Qing Dynasty.
If the common people had not reached the point where they could no longer survive, they would never have dared or had the ability to rebel against the Qing Dynasty.
After a moment, Kangxi sighed deeply and said with a gloomy look, "Sit down. This matter needs to be discussed carefully."
The three of them discussed for a long time in the imperial study, and rumors were spreading in the capital.
First, the Ninth Prince collected 100,000 taels of silver and sent it to the Ministry of Revenue. Then, other officials, seeing the situation was not right, chipped in to pay it back.
For a time, pawnshop business in the capital was unusually good.
Guild halls across the country were particularly lively because there were rumors that the imperial court was going to re-select salt merchants.
The news spread quickly, and the salt merchants who owed salt taxes began to take action.
Then, an urgent letter from Lianghuai flew to Kangxi's desk, saying that the price of salt in Lianghuai had risen sharply and the people could not afford to eat salt.
Even in places like Yangzhou, people could not buy salt even if they had silver. Salt shops closed down, saying that salt was out of stock and had been sold out.
The public is truly outraged.
However, Kangxi held the memorial without any reaction. The imperial examination was over and he began to mark the papers according to the previous rules.
After marking the papers, Kangxi withheld the results and delayed posting the results.
The candidates were in a state of panic, and the court officials were restless, arguing with each other in court. Memorials implicating each other flew everywhere, and a fight almost broke out.
They were making so much noise that many people didn't notice that Qi You and Li Guangdi had been missing for several days.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-12-02 23:45:58 and 2022-12-03 23:16:04~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 200 bottles of strawberries; 100 bottles of Sophora japonica;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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