35. Chapter 35
"none"
As early as the Shunzhi period, the Rakshasa Kingdom came to the Qing Dynasty. The Daur tribe burned, killed, looted and abused people. They were so brutal that they could not steal anything and ate people because they lacked food.
At that time, Shunzhi took a tough stance and helped the Daur tribe drive them out. He began to station troops in Ningguta and set up Zhangjing.
The Luosha Kingdom did not give up and frequently attacked, occupying the cities of Yaksa and Nerchinsk. The Qing Dynasty won the Battle of Yaksa, but it was a victory that was barely won by the Luosha army with several times the number of troops.
Kangxi was very depressed when he thought about the outcome of the battle. This battle could be considered a tragic victory.
The Wujiang River basin has been a cold and harsh land since ancient times, and the Qing Dynasty had insufficient military forces in the area.
Kangxi also had the will but not the strength; he did not have enough food and silver to increase his military strength.
What gave Kangxi more headaches was not the Rakshasa Kingdom, but Galdan.
Kangxi had long been aware of Galdan's ambitions. Having previously withdrawn his vassal states to fight Zheng Jing and also had to guard against the old Southern Ming forces in the Jiangnan region, Kangxi was unable to spare the time to deal with him.
Kangxi did not understand the current situation of the Russian Kingdom and had no idea of their strength, so he did not dare to act rashly, let alone fight on multiple fronts.
The Xing'an Mountains were the birthplace of the Qing dynasty. He was unwilling to give it up. If he lost this land, how could he face his ancestors in the future?
Moreover, Galdan and the Rakshasa Kingdom were flirting with each other, and dealing with just Galdan alone was a headache. If the two sides joined forces, the Mobei area would be completely out of the control of the Qing Dynasty.
If the Chahar Mongols were annexed by them again, the Shanhaiguan Pass would be useless and they could march straight into the capital.
Kangxi wrote several letters to the Russian Empire. Now that he had won the Battle of Yalu River, the Russian Empire finally responded and agreed to peace talks.
The two sides demarcated the border and opened up trade. As for the border issue, Kangxi naturally wanted to protect the dragon vein of the Qing Dynasty, using the Lena River as the border, with the east belonging to the Qing Dynasty and the west to the Rakshasa Kingdom.
At the very least, we must defend the Wujiang River, the Greater Khingan Range, and the Sakhalin Island area. This is Kangxi's bottom line.
No matter who is sent to negotiate, as long as they obey Kangxi's will and stick to this bottom line, it will be fine.
However, the two parties do not speak the same language, so an interpreter must be sent, which means the written test document must be accompanied.
Kangxi once wrote a letter in both Manchu and Mongolian to the Luosha Kingdom, asking them to return the Qing officials who had defected. However, the letter fell into oblivion, leaving no response.
It wasn't until a few years ago that an envoy from the Rakshasa Kingdom came to the capital and brought back three letters, one of which was from the former Ming Dynasty. Only after the missionaries translated it into Latin did the other party understand the contents of the letter.
The language of correspondence between the two sides was the common Latin. Since the written examination papers in the yamen were not in Latin, Kangxi had no choice but to select Western missionaries as post officials to participate in the peace talks.
Kangxi was reluctant to have Westerners present at such an important event, for reasons of both face and confidentiality.
Now, there is one more candidate, that is Qi You.
Qi You is proficient in Manchu, Mongolian, Chinese and Latin, so he should be the best candidate.
Kangxi also had many concerns.
Firstly, Qi You was too young, and the journey to Nerchinsk was long and involved passing through Khalkha Mongolia, where Galdan's forces were eyeing him covetously.
If anything happened to Qi You, Kangxi would not be able to bear the thought.
Secondly, Qi You alone would not be enough, and a Westerner had to be selected. Kangxi knew that Qi You was intelligent, and it was because of his excessive intelligence that he caused such a big incident in Shunyi.
Kangxi already had a candidate in mind for the minister to go to Nerchinsk, and he planned to send Soetu, Tong Guogang and others.
With Suo Etu suppressed by him, Mingzhu's influence in the court was indeed too great. The crown prince seemed like a frightened bird, and Kangxi did not want to see this situation.
If Qi You and Soetu were to confront each other, Kangxi's efforts to make him and the Crown Prince brothers friendly would be in vain.
Kangxi thought about it for almost the entire night and finally made a decision. He went to bed at the end of the Chou hour and got up at the middle of the Yin hour.
There was no grand court meeting today. After Kangxi washed up and had his meal, he summoned Liang Jiugong and told him to summon the court officials and the owners of Shunyi Manor to come to the emperor. He also asked, "Go and see what the Seventh Master is doing."
Liang Jiugong took the order and went. Not long after, he entered the room and reported, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince got up at the beginning of the Yin hour and studied as usual. He then went to the Cining Palace to pay his respects and had breakfast. He then went to the Chengqian Palace to stay with Master Dai. He left shortly afterwards and went to the Upper Study to greet the teachers. He is now on his way to the Qianqing Palace."
Kangxi couldn't help but laugh after hearing this: "He's very busy all day. I'm afraid he's come to see me for no good reason. Well, let him come in directly later."
Liang Jiugong smiled and replied, then bowed and left. After a while, Qi You entered the room.
Kangxi looked at Qi You and saw that he was full of energy. He couldn't help but sigh that children still have so much energy. He pointed to a chair for him to sit on and asked, "What brings you here?"
Qi You said with a smile: "Khan Ama, please give me some gifts."
Kangxi was stunned for a moment, unable to react, and asked in confusion: "What gift? What do you want the gift for?"
Qi You said, "I'm going to visit Guo Luomafa and Mr. Nan. You should always bring some gifts when you visit someone. It would be embarrassing to go empty-handed. You are my Khan Ama, so of course I have to pay for it."
The emperor is suspicious, even if it is his own son. Qi You is now in the center of the storm, and he must avoid places that he should avoid.
Asking Kangxi for a gift was considered a form of reporting, which not only avoided suspicion but also gained benefits. Even if Qi You was ridiculed and scolded by Kangxi, it was still a gain.
Kangxi was amused by Qi You's self-righteous expression, but when he thought about it carefully, it was indeed true.
Qi You’s monthly allowance is limited, and he has not yet seen the imperial farm in Shunyi, so he can’t give out anything good.
Zhuo Qi and Nan Huairen were considered his closest relatives and elders. Kangxi was deeply pleased that he remembered to visit them upon his return, not only with his thorough courtesy but also with his deep sense of friendship and loyalty.
Kangxi raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "What gift do you want to bring?"
Qi You replied, "Mr. Nan is not feeling well, so give him some supplements. He likes tea, so give him an extra portion of tea. Guo Luomafa needs a little more. The main thing is that we have my uncle, aunt, and cousins. I'm young, so I don't need to give them too much. Give Guo Luomafa and my uncle the wine and tea, the aunts the fabrics, and some fine gadgets and books for my cousins."
Seeing that Qi You had arranged everything perfectly, neither being rude nor excessive, Kangxi immediately laughed and said, "Okay, okay, all as you say. Go with Liang Jiugong to get it. Go ahead. I'm very busy and have to do the errand you assigned me."
Qi You immediately stood up, knelt down and kowtowed, saying in a loud and clear voice: "Thank you, Khan Ama, for your generosity and hard work. I will get out of here right away."
Kangxi was amused and laughed continuously, and most of the fatigue from not getting enough sleep disappeared.
Qi You received the gift from Liang Jiugong, and thinking that Zhuo Qi still had work to do, he went to Nan Huairen's house first.
Nan Huairen was old and frail, so several years ago he wrote a letter to King Louis XIV of France, requesting him to send several missionaries to the Qing Dynasty.
The journey was so long that the missionary delegation sent by Louis XIV only arrived in Ningbo from Macau at the beginning of this year.
Recently, Nan Huairen fell ill and did not go to the Imperial Observatory. He took leave and rested at home.
It was true that Qi You went to visit the patient. In addition, he also wanted Nan Huairen to recommend one or two people to follow him to Shunyi to do surveying and mapping.
Water control, bridge and road construction, military campaigns, and various engineering construction projects all rely on surveying and mapping.
As for the senior officials in the Ministry of Works, Qi You never counted on them.
Qi You didn't know anything about surveying and feng shui, but Nan Huairen was considered an expert in this area.
It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. What Qi You wants is to learn how to fish.
It goes without saying that his group of bondservants in the Shunyi Imperial Farm were very hardworking and persevering.
Qi You planned to let them follow Westerners and learn surveying and mapping skills, hoping to train them to become the first batch of surveying and mapping talents in the Qing Dynasty.
Qi You went to see Zhuo Qi because, firstly, he didn't want to cause trouble in his own backyard, and secondly, because of the job Zhuo Qi was doing.
The treasurer was a minor official of the seventh rank in the Imperial Household Department, responsible for registering the arrival of items into the warehouse, much like a cashier in later times. While the boss might not know exactly how much wealth he had, the cashier certainly did.
The job that Zhuo Qi did was not very noticeable in the capital, even in the Imperial Household Department, but Qi You thought it was very wonderful.
Qi You brought the gifts and carriages he had received from Emperor Kangxi and met Nan Huairen first. He drank tea with Nan Huairen and talked for a long time.
From Nan Huairen, Qi You learned about the new missionaries. Zhang Cheng and Bai Jin were both well-educated and were retained by Kangxi, while the others had already left the capital.
Zhang Cheng and Bai Jin were responsible for the surveying and mapping tasks along the way, but Bai Jin had replaced Nan Huairen as Kangxi's Western language teacher.
Qi You then set his sights on Zhang Cheng.
The next day, Qi You went to Zhuo Qi's house and everything was bustling. Knowing that he was coming, Zhuo Qi asked for leave from his superiors in advance and brought his two sons Deyou and Dewang to wait at the gate early.
When Qi You met Zhuo Qi for the first time, he saw from afar a thin and short old man about fifty years old. He was wearing a straight green robe without a wrinkle. His face was serious and respectful. He stood at the door with his eyes narrowed, looking at him solemnly.
Qi You couldn't help but laugh. Zhuo Qi was indeed as cautious as Dai Jiashi had said. As soon as he dismounted, Zhuo Qi hurried forward, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt to pay his respects.
"Guo Luomafa, this is not allowed! Uncles, get up quickly." Qi You rushed forward, held Zhuo Qi's arm, and shouted to his two uncles.
Zhuo Qi tried to kneel down, but Qi You was unsteady and swayed. Zhuo Qi quickly stood up and supported him with his backhand: "Seventh Prince, it's all your fault. Please stand firm."
Qi You refused and said, "Guo Luomafa, you are not my servant, you are my elder. I came here today to visit you on behalf of my mother. You are embarrassing me by acting like this."
Zhuo Qi then gave up and introduced his two sons. Qi You smiled and called him uncle. They greeted each other and walked into the house, chatting and laughing.
The aunts led the cousins forward, and they recognized each other and exchanged greetings. Qi You presented a gift, and after a flurry of activity, they sat down to have tea.
Zhuo Qi looked Qi You up and down, and said with a smile, "Seventh Prince has grown so tall and big. I heard that you went to Shunyi. Is it hard there?"
Qi You picked out some interesting things to say. De You and De Wang sat beside him, laughing from time to time without interrupting.
Both of them are a few years younger than Dai Jia. Now Deyou is in charge of the warehouse in the Imperial Pharmacy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an insignificant and idle job, while Dewang is at home managing the family's land and property.
Qi You's doubts were mostly put to rest when he saw this family. After he told the interesting stories about Shunyi, he also mentioned Dachun's story briefly.
Zhuo Qi's eyes flashed, and he sighed, "As a person, you must abide by your duties and have a conscience. If your conscience is damaged, it will be no good. Dewang, you must take good care of our family's land."
Dewang said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Father. We only have a few dozen acres of land, and we don't have any bondservants. We rent the land to Han people for cultivation. We will collect the rent on time. If you don't pay enough grain, we won't take it. If you pay too much, we won't take it."
The Daijia clan was considered a prominent Manchu family, with numerous members. Even Garu, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, was Zhuoqi's uncle, within the fifth degree of kinship.
After entering the customs, the family branched out and they could no longer take care of their own family. The little land and house they were given were almost gone by the time Zhuo Qi got them.
Not to mention that Garu had any care and help for them, otherwise, Dai Jia would not have been unable to live in the side halls of the six east and west palaces.
Seeing that both of his uncles were honest and simple, and Zhuo Qi was meticulous and smart, Qi You understood immediately and said nothing more.
As for other matters, Qi You would not even mention them. Everyone sat together and just talked about family matters. After having a lively meal, they said goodbye and returned to the palace.
The next day, Qi You went to see Kangxi. As soon as he entered the room, Kangxi glanced at him and said, "What are you doing here? Are you here to monitor how I'm doing with the task I gave you?"
Qi You smiled and said he dared not, "Khan Ama, you really misunderstood me. I just came to tell you that I met with Mr. Nan and Guo Luomafa."
Kangxi's brows relaxed, and he smiled and said "Oh". He asked Qi You to sit down and asked, "Then tell me, what do you think?"
Qi You vividly described the encounter with Nan Huairen and Zhuo Qi, a faint sadness written across his face. "When I left, Mr. Nan was still in good health. In less than a year, he had aged so much that I couldn't recognize him."
Like Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Nan Huairen was a true mentor and helpful friend in Kangxi's heart. Kangxi felt deeply sorry for Schall von Bell and made up for this regret by assigning Nan Huairen to him.
After hearing Qi You's words, the smile on Kangxi's face faded and he said, "If you are in the capital, go visit him more often and talk to him about his hometown. It can be regarded as your filial piety."
Qi You said yes obediently, "Khan Ama, I heard from Mr. Nan that there are new Western teachers in the palace. Han Ama, how are their abilities?"
Kangxi said, "Those who have traveled thousands of miles across the ocean to reach the Qing must have some ability. However, since they have just arrived in the Qing Dynasty, they do not yet know Manchu or Chinese, so they still need to learn."
Qi You said with a smile: "Khan Ama, let them learn from me."
Kangxi paused, looked up at Qi You, and asked cautiously, "What do you want to do?"
Qi You didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "Khan Ama, I'm thinking about surveying and mapping. Mr. Xu is too tired to do it alone. Can you send him an assistant? If you want to learn a language, you must speak more and communicate more with the locals. If they follow me to Shunyi, they can work and learn at the same time without any delay. Khan Ama, I want someone to follow them to learn how to survey and map. Since they have the ability, they can't waste it."
Kangxi pondered over it. He actually had plans for both Bai Jin and Zhang Cheng, including Xu Risheng in Shunyi. Bai Jin was his Western-style teacher, so naturally he would stay in the capital.
Xu Risheng had been in the Qing Dynasty for a long time, and Kangxi trusted him quite a bit. He planned to have him lead Zhang Cheng to Nerchinsk to serve as the Qing Dynasty's Latin translator.
After much deliberation, Kangxi decided to keep Qi You for a while, both for public and private reasons, and not let him go to Nerchinsk.
However, it is a good thing that Qi You wants Zhang Cheng, as it allows Qi You to see his ability and loyalty.
If it is not used conveniently or there is a problem, with Qi You's brain, he will definitely find a way to send it back.
Kangxi agreed immediately, staring at him closely, and said, "When the time comes, let Zhang Cheng go with you. You should keep a close eye on him."
Qi You was slightly stunned and replied "OK". He knew that Kangxi was suspicious and still felt uneasy about these Westerners.
Surveying and mapping is a physical job. Qi You wants to keep all their skills while they are still able to walk, learn from the barbarians to defeat them, and use them to strengthen himself.
Kangxi pondered for a moment and asked, "Who do you plan to choose to study with them?"
Qi You didn't intend to hide it, and said: "It's the bondservants in the imperial farm. They are familiar with the local terrain. If they follow Mr. Xiyang, they can serve him."
Kangxi frowned and immediately disagreed, saying, "After all, they are just bondservants. How can we allow them to learn such knowledge?"
Qi You did not refute. He knew Kangxi would do this. He smiled and said, "Khan Ama, this is not an easy job. You have to be outside every day, going up and down the mountains and fields, exposed to the wind and sun. I am afraid that few people can endure this hardship."
Kangxi's expression froze, and he couldn't help but glare at Qi You, secretly cursing him as a little bastard. It turned out that he was waiting here.
Yes, surveying and mapping requires diligence and the ability to endure hardships. Even if you learn it, you still have to work hard outside for the rest of your life.
One or two years is fine, but if you do this for a lifetime, the powerful and wealthy will probably not want their children to suffer this hardship.
Looking around, Kangxi really couldn't find anyone. He was also attracted by Qi You's suggestion that he could learn the skills of Westerners and use them for the Qing Dynasty.
After much deliberation, Kangxi had no choice but to agree with Qi You and said, "Forget it, since they are your bondsers, you can arrange them however you wish. I will just wait and see if they have the ability to learn well."
Qi Youxin felt relieved and thanked him with a smile.
In fact, Kangxi would never be able to understand.
What kind of life did people like Zhang Bai live?
How they long for light and hope.
If you open a door for them, they will rush through it even if it means facing mountains of swords and seas of fire.
Just so that their descendants will no longer be like them and will always be the most lowly slaves.
This time, Kangxi acted swiftly, dealing with the officials and estate owners in just three to five days. He even arranged for the infantry and the provincial governor's office, and began organizing the city's beggars to go to Shunyi to provide work relief.
Qi You packed his bags, said goodbye to his relatives and brothers, and set out on the road back to Shunyi with Zhang Cheng.
After leaving the city, Qi You did not ride a horse. Instead, he sat in the front of the car and admired the autumn scenery along the way.
The autumn sun is shining brightly, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the grass and trees are gradually turning yellow.
He closed his eyes slightly, swaying with the bumps of the carriage, enjoying this rare leisure, and thinking about a series of arrangements for going to Shunyi.
Thinking of that group of bondservants, Qi You recalled the scene of saying goodbye to the Empress Dowager.
Su Mala personally sent Zhi Qiyou into the corridor. When there was no one around, she took out a purse, stuffed it into his arms without saying a word, and then knelt down.
Qi You was startled and hurried to pull Su Mala, but she insisted on bowing her head before getting up.
Su Mala had tears in her eyes, but she smiled and said, "Seventh Prince, this money is my savings. It's up to you to spend it on those bondservants."
Qi You touched the heavy purse and stood there in a daze.
A look of disappointment flashed across Su Mala's face, and she said lightly: "I was once the same as them, the lowest slave." After that, she bowed and left.
Qi You held his purse tightly, looked at Su Mala's back, and smiled slowly.
The sun was warm on his face, and the air was filled with the fragrance of fruits, plants and trees. Qi You took a deep breath, his face full of satisfaction.
He is not fighting alone. In Shunyi, there is a group of companions who are looking forward to his return.
Qi You took out the bamboo whistle from his purse. After rubbing it, the bamboo whistle given to him by Yang Dan had become smooth and shiny.
He put the bamboo whistle to his lips and blew it. The clear and melodious sound spread far away and flew straight into the sky.
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