Postwar right and wrong
Returning to the familiar capital is a real pleasure for those who have been away from home.
With the emperor's return to the capital, after a grand entrance ceremony, it was time to return home. The emperor was very understanding and told everyone to go home and have a rest. Everyone longed to go home, and everyone looked forward to hugging their wives. However, some serious matters still needed to be attended to.
For example, groups of three or four might gather to discuss: "This time, there should be rewards and punishments, right? We've won this time, so as long as we have this fundamental premise, even if there are minor missteps along the way, the punishments won't be too harsh." Others, on the other hand, also want to know what kind of good future this time will bring.
Thus, the entire capital was abuzz with connections, collusion, and insider information. Those who made minor mistakes hoped for lighter punishments. Those without merit hoped to be credited with hard work. Those with merit, of course, hoped to be ranked higher.
The eldest prince, having finally met Mingzhu, wanted to discuss with her whether to "remind" Kangxi of the irregularities in Qingde's conduct. However, Mingzhu dissuaded him, saying, "After the war, His Majesty is in high spirits. He will embarrass anyone who spoils his spirits."
Yinzhi was quite disappointed: "Is that it? If this continues, the second brother will start to tremble!"
Mingzhu said, "Fei Yanggu deserves the most credit. The Emperor sees it clearly. Qingde's contributions may sound impressive, but they are merely icing on the cake for the overall situation. Besides, it was my uncle who made the contribution to Yuqing Palace, but you, the eldest prince, deserve the credit yourself! You must be humble and modest recently. Don't clash with the Crown Prince. Everything will be settled after the Emperor has calculated your contributions. Don't be so busy for so many years, only to lose sight of the bigger picture because of a momentary anger."
"How will Khan Ama reward me?" This is what Yinzhi cares about most. The most important thing is, can this achievement give him some more chips in his fight for the throne?
Mingzhu said, "In my opinion, it's almost time to give you a title."
"Really? Then—"
"Then you must be lenient and make the Emperor feel that you are magnanimous and worthy of a higher position. The Emperor would not be pleased to see a prince of high rank who is at odds with the Crown Prince."
The good news of the title conferment made Yinzhi swallow his dissatisfaction with Yinreng and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you! But how did you know Khan Ama's plan?"
"My Lord! I have been wondering about the Emperor for a long time." Otherwise, he would not dare to make such a fuss with the eldest prince. Mingzhu is so close to the eldest prince just to survive in the cracks. What he is betting on is his grasp of Kangxi, so that he can make a comeback. His guess about the Emperor's intentions is his magic weapon for survival.
"How do you know?"
"The Emperor has recently been looking at the population of each banner and who the banner masters are. I guess he's calculating how to divide the fiefdoms appropriately. Besides, how old are you? It's time to move out of the palace. Furthermore, the dates set by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory are in May for the Fifth and Seventh Princes to marry, and by the end of the year it will be the Eighth Prince. The Ninth and Tenth Princes are also old enough. I've heard that they'll be moving to Ganxi Wusuo soon. The palace is almost too small to accommodate them."
"Okay! I'll listen to you!"
Seeing Yinzhi agree, Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief. The eldest prince promised not to cause trouble, which saved Mingzhu a lot of trouble. He wanted to drag the enemy into the water, but only if he didn't get his clothes wet. Otherwise, he would rather everyone kept doing it, and then find an opportunity to kick the other party overboard! Of course, he still had to stand on the shore.
Similar conversations had occurred countless times in different parts of the capital. Although the content was not as shocking as this, it still revolved around the personnel changes after the military operation.
Soetu and Yisan'a, the father-in-law and son-in-law, had an easier time communicating than others. They didn't even need to go to each other's homes, lest someone accidentally discover their relationship had suddenly become too close. Simply walking side by side in the imperial court or in the vast square in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity was enough to complete the activity.
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The palace was just as lively.
Kangxi returned to the palace and, as usual, took care of the matters at hand. He first went to see the Empress Dowager. After seeing that the old lady was in good spirits, she pulled him aside and asked him about her. "Why are you losing weight again? You haven't gained back the weight you lost last year, and you're going out again. Look, you've lost even more weight."
Kangxi nodded slightly and said, "My son is doing well. Although he has been exposed to the wind and sun, he seems to be stronger. I think he has become a little darker outside and looks thinner, but he is still as heavy as ever."
The Empress Dowager said angrily, "You always have the heaviest load. How was it? How was your food out there? What about your clothes? The Crown Princess said the Crown Prince had prepared some clothes for you. I thought you were going out on official business, and it wouldn't be nice to have a mess piled up there. It would be embarrassing, so I didn't prepare more for you."
"The Imperial Household Department has made all the necessary preparations for my son's trip. The fur coats from Yuqing Palace arrived just in time, and the rest are not lacking. Furthermore, the cups and pots given by my mother as a gift were used on my son's birthday, and I found the wine especially sweet."
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes in a smile. "That's good! That's good! Hey, you haven't met them yet. The third son of the Crown Prince can already speak, and the son of the eldest prince is plump and cute. It's just right that you can catch up with the full moon banquet of the son of the fourth prince..."
After all this chatter, Kangxi was eager to see his grandchildren. But before that, he had to see his sons first.
This time, there were more princes staying in Beijing, so he wanted to examine each of them before he could feel at ease. The princes received a notice—they had a day off, no classes, and would take an exam instead. The examiner: Their father.
This examiner was a difficult one to deal with. Ever since Teacher Xu Yuanmeng had been mistreated, the teachers had been on edge whenever Kangxi examined one of the emperor's sons, fearing the emperor would suddenly impress them and demand they demonstrate their knowledge beyond their specialties. This day went relatively smoothly. Kangxi had more and more sons, and the limited time available to examine them was becoming increasingly insufficient. He had no time to bother with the teachers.
The princes' studies were impressive. Even the Fifth Prince, after years of repetitive reading, could now speak Chinese fluently. Of course, there were some flaws. For example, the Seventh Prince's limp was a major issue, though his horsemanship was still quite impressive. Kangxi even rewarded him with two boxes of fans.
If the Seventh Prince's limp was a fact, the Eighth Prince's handwriting was a metaphor. The Eighth Prince's handwriting wasn't so bad you'd think it was a fly's crawl, but it wasn't particularly appealing either. Fortunately, his insight made up for this loss, and Kangxi simply said, "From now on, you should practice twenty more pages of calligraphy every day. Your handwriting is your face, so be careful."
After reviewing the older sons, Kangxi turned to the younger ones. Of these sons, his favorites were undoubtedly the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes. They were both at a lively age, and their energy made anyone who saw them feel younger. Furthermore, their academic performance was excellent, and Kangxi, with his red brush, circled every page of their calligraphy.
The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes stood with their hands hanging down. Out of the corner of their eyes, they caught sight of Kangxi's hand holding a red brush, seemingly circling it. Their lips curled up involuntarily as they glanced at each other. This was just right. They were of similar age and similar mentalities. One was the son of the emperor, while the other's mother was also favored by the emperor, though she had the misfortune of not being promoted as part of a larger group. They usually got along well. However, everyone was a bit competitive, eager for Kangxi's praise.
The result was that the Thirteenth Prince was slightly better in cultural subjects, and the Fourteenth Prince was slightly better at archery than the Thirteenth Prince.
It ended in a tie, with both receiving prizes such as writings and other items. This result was a win-win for both parties.
The only two imperial grandchildren currently eligible for school were Hongyang and Hongxi. Yinreng had originally intended to give them a chance to shine, as there were no other children to compete with, right? Unfortunately, Kangxi's decree only summoned the princes, and for now, the grandchildren were not considered. So, the plan was abandoned.
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Kangxi could finally meet his grandchildren.
Honghui was not even a month old yet, and couldn't see the light of day. He was still in the "only eating and sleeping" phase of his life, so he was temporarily ignored. The only ones who were summoned were the three children of the Crown Prince, the eldest prince's family, the third prince's family, and the fifth prince's family.
The younger ones were carried by their nannies, while the older ones walked on their own. Yinreng himself stood in front of the eldest prince, but ordered his sons to walk behind Hongyu. The eldest prince was caught off guard and fell into his trap.
Hongyu wasn't much better than Honghui; he couldn't speak and couldn't even crawl properly. Kangxi was quite fond of him, though. He was a chubby kid, and he looked pretty good. The first wife had a lot of experience raising children, and since this was a son she'd given birth to with great difficulty, she took extra care of him.
The eldest prince looked at his son, eyes full of pride. Kangxi extended his index finger and tickled his grandson, and Hongyu smiled graciously, which made the eldest prince even happier. He restrained himself from raising his chin to Yinreng.
Yinreng waited until Kangxi had finished examining Hongyu, then exchanged glances. The two sons stepped forward, knelt solemnly, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness Hongyang (Hongxi) respectfully greets His Majesty the Great!" Their voices were clear and crisp, their words spoken in unison, and the entire ceremony was performed with meticulous care.
Kangxi's attention was drawn to them. He recognized the two grandsons and remembered that they were both studying. "Have you all started studying?"
This conversation was a bit more elevated. Yinzhi looked at the three of them intently, feeling he'd fallen into a trap. He didn't have time to praise his nephew, perhaps to show his generosity. Little chubby Hongdan, at an age when he couldn't sit still, stretched out his little hand and yawned. It didn't go well, and he choked. Then, bored, he rubbed his face against the nanny's collar.
Sweat was oozing from the tip of Sehetu's nose. This little ancestor was too unreliable!
Kangxi waved with a smile: "Come, come, is this Hongdan? Bring him over for me to see." Sehetu carefully carried the little fat boy over. The little fat boy called out to Yinreng who was next to Kangxi: "Father." Hehe, he hung something fun around his neck again. It was really fun to pull it around last time.
Kangxi was delighted: "Can he speak now? Well, he is over one year old, so it is time for him to speak."
Yinreng stepped forward to take the child, winking at Sehetu to withdraw. He then handed the child to Kangxi, instructing him to call him "Mafa." Seeing his father playing their usual "repeat" game, the fat boy cooperated perfectly, though he struggled to find the correct emphasis, uttering a soft "mafe."
My child, you pronounce the word "ma" so accurately!
Kangxi, however, was delighted. He asked him to bark a few more times, even teasing him with the purse at his waist. The fat boy barely remembered him anymore, and he didn't cry or make a fuss because he was often visited and had a good temper, and his father was there. Seeing the purse, embroidered with glittering gold thread, he thought it was a prize in a game, so he politely reached out and grabbed it, playing tug-of-war with the childish old man.
Yinreng reminded Kangxi: "Khan Ama, you haven't seen the nephews of my third and fifth brothers yet." My son is almost at the breaking point. If you continue to tease him, be careful that he will explode. That crying is not to be underestimated.
Hongqing was younger than Hongyu, and had only just been noticed by Kangxi. The fifth prince's eldest son could speak, but his speech was equally unclear. Kangxi said, "Put him and Hongdan together, maybe they can have a good conversation."
Everyone laughed.
After seeing his grandson, Kangxi also inquired about the health condition of the ill Seventh Princess. After learning that she was not seriously ill and just needed to be recuperated, he instructed the Imperial Hospital to take good care of her.
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Just as things were warming up, something ominous happened: a solar eclipse occurred in the intercalary third month. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory, a quiet office usually reserved for fortune-telling and, uh, calculating wedding dates, suddenly became bustling with activity. All sorts of inquiries, both overt and covert, were coming to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to learn what the eclipse signified. Recently... the incense offerings to the major temples in the capital had suddenly increased significantly.
The Imperial Observatory was one of those departments that received the least amount of ice and charcoal daily, and it was always cold year-round. This time, they finally had a full meal. Officials of all ranks (and there weren't many high-ranking officials) had clearly gone from receiving nothing to receiving banquets. Everyone felt a sense of pride.
Their words had a rather mystical quality: "There are some ominous signs, but they are warnings from heaven." They didn't specify what the warning was, but instead started with the zodiac, ancient weights and measures, the size of millet bars, and how many centimeters they weighed. It was all so fuzzy that I couldn't quite make out what they were talking about.
The palace was also somewhat depressing. Kangxi, despite having observed the solar eclipse with the other princes and having a relatively scientific explanation for this astronomical phenomenon, was still troubled by its underlying 'warning' implications.
This sentiment infected many people.
Those who had been running so happily had collectively become quieter, staying home except for attending court. The market was noticeably quieter. The censors were very obedient, not daring to submit petitions. What should they write? Speak of the emperor's disobedience? Did he want to die? Speak of the ministers' failings? What kind of ministers deserved the heavens to hide the sun for everyone's amusement? They had no choice but to play dead.
In the palace, the cheerful atmosphere caused by the emperor's arrival became depressing again.
Then, as if to verify the efficacy of the solar eclipse, the seventh princess died in the palace. She had seen her father for the last time. She was still underage and unmarried, so the ceremony was not grand.
The next person to die was a bit more dramatic. In the intercalary third month, Prince Kang Jieshu also died. He was a descendant of Daishan and one of the Three Feudatories who, along with Yue Le, led the army abroad. His funeral was quite grand, and Emperor Kangxi sent a Grand Secretary to offer his respects. He was given the posthumous title of "Liang."
It's also a beautiful posthumous title.
At Jieshu's funeral, all his prominent officials showed up. Firstly, to pay their respects to their former master and to establish a name for themselves with their new master, and secondly, to try to get a bit of attention from the Grand Secretary, perhaps even earning him some recognition. This made Jieshu's funeral seem more lively than mournful.
In fact, any ceremony involving political elements never cared about personal emotions. Moreover, many people were still concerned about whether their new master could handle things and secure a good rank for them, given that they had joined the army but their former master was dead.
Soon, they found out.
Kangxi's handling of the post-war situation is quite telling. He first announced, to everyone's surprise, "the debts owed by the bannermen will be forgiven."
This is inseparable from the system of confinement. To be confined by the imperial court meant selling oneself and one's offspring to the royal family, just like any other child born in a household. Control was even stricter than for any other child born in a household, and one was only allowed to serve as an official or as a leisured servant. One could not leave without permission, engage in business, or learn any normal means of livelihood. All they had to do was stay alive, have children, and practice martial arts.
As time passed and the population grew, many families struggled to make ends meet. The imperial salary was enough to live on, but not enough to keep up appearances under the emperor's wing. After a while in Beijing, without having to worry about food, they turned to various entertainment options, which often burned a lot of money. Borrowing money became a means of maintaining a glamorous lifestyle.
Rich people were also happy to lend them money because they had a stable income. This is similar to the criteria used by banks in later generations to choose who to lend money to: proof of income.
Some people even pay off their debts as soon as they get money, and then turn around and borrow again. If they don't have enough money to pay back, they always have some valuable things left by their ancestors that can be used as collateral.
Thus, Kangxi used this method to first resolve the issue of rewards and punishments for the smaller soldiers, who made up the majority of the population. Then, he adjusted the higher-ups. The least controversial was Fei Yanggu, whose title was elevated to First-Class Duke and he was appointed Minister of the Imperial Guard. Next came the old rivals, Suo Etu and Mingzhu, both of whom were promoted back to their original ranks. Then came the lower-ranking officials.
For the Shi family, it was a bonanza. Shi Wenbing was promoted to Minister of War, his commanding officer was given to Shi Wenying, Qingde received the hereditary title of First-Class Son, and Fu Dali became his imperial guard. What a winner in life.
Shi Wenbing felt uneasy, writing in a letter of thanks that he felt unworthy, having done nothing for the position. Kangxi thought, "If I want a meritorious minister, why not just let Fei Yanggu take on the role? What's your role?" The country certainly needs someone capable of taking the lead in critical moments, but doesn't it also need someone to handle day-to-day affairs? This is precisely where the Shi family excels. The Shi family possesses two traits: 1. Courage and determination (like Qingde and Shi Lin, who dared to stop the army from damaging the crops) and 2. A meticulous and pragmatic approach. This is exactly what Kangxi needs.
Shi Wenbing was thus interviewed by Emperor Kangxi, and then he went back to his "minor affairs" to be honest and deal with them.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the imperial court was facing a major storm. With Ming and Suo back in their positions, how could they avoid a fight? Now things were getting even more interesting. Would the Shi family get involved in this melee?
And in Yuqing Palace...the Crown Princess is now furious.
The author has something to say: So, is my daily update guaranteed?
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