Some are happy, some are worried
Qingde was in high spirits, humming a little tune in his tent. It was already the end of March, and the main army was already on its way back. This year, with March being an intercalary month, the weather was slightly cooler than usual, perfect for him to recuperate. What truly delighted him was that two days ago, he had another chance to speak alone with Kangxi, finally clearing himself completely.
Before confessing to Kangxi, he had thought about this confession, which might make Kangxi unhappy, but Qingde did not regret it, because he had another scene to perform. In this scene, he could not drag Shi Wenbing and Fu Dali into the water.
Despite being dubbed a "heroic official," Qingde had remained consistent these past few days. Fei Yanggu's army had reunited with Kangxi, and Qingde's group of expatriates had been reinstated. He continued his duties in the Imperial Guard as usual. Every day, he inspected the carriages and horses, and participated in the deployment of defenses, diligently and conscientiously. Considering the usual behavior of his family (excluding Hua Shan), this was in keeping with the Shi family tradition.
Finally, Mr. Opportunity, who only favors prepared minds, met Qingde. On his way back to Beijing, Kangxi saw him during a rare leisure moment. Feeling relaxed, he didn't care much and waved: "Come, talk to me."
Qingde walked over quietly and stood solemnly with his hands hanging down.
"Is your injury healed? What have you been doing these days?"
Qingde answered honestly, "I will continue to work as usual."
Kangxi felt sorry for his honesty and softened his tone: "Young man, it's a good thing to be energetic, but don't be reckless or act recklessly. Do you remember that?" Kangxi had shown his utmost understanding of his actions, but in Qingde's opinion, this was not enough, he had another purpose.
Qingde looked up in surprise and said, "Master, even a common man's courage is still courageous, isn't it?"
He was quite looking forward to it. Kangxi looked at him with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Did you study for nothing?! Is courage a compliment? Is it worth being so happy?"
"As long as you say I'm brave, that's all!" Qingde was still very happy. "Master, no one in our family is afraid of death."
How did it get to this point? Kangxi looked at Qingde thoughtfully. Qingde flinched under Kangxi's gaze, his voice much lower: "I just want to think... my family, starting from the emperor, has never flinched. I, Mafa..."
Hearing Hua Shan's name, Kangxi instantly understood most of what had happened. One of Hua Shan's crimes was "failure to hasten to rescue Yongxing." While the charge was finalized and the punishment was not severe, Hua Shan never again received any important position or official duties. Presumably, all the male members of the Shi family were ashamed of this. Hence their efforts.
Kangxi's doubts and displeasure eventually dissipated, and his opinion of the Shi family rose to a new level. However, he still wanted to criticize Qingde: "You bravely stepped forward to wash away the shame of your grandfather. Your heart was good, but you took the wrong path. If you want to avenge your grandfather, you don't have to use such a method that violates military law."
Qingde, always a well-behaved child, suddenly became stubborn and argued with Kangxi, his neck stiff. "When my servant Mafa came, I was still young. But later on, Mafa often complained about me... Given the situation at the time, going or not didn't matter much. He was right. It's not shameful, just worrying."
Kangxi was displeased: "Huh?"
"I have reread the court reports from that time, and I, Mafa, have mentioned this many times..."
"Cough!" Kangxi coughed loudly, meaning, shut up, I'm angry.
Qingde's calves were trembling, his head was buzzing, and he managed to say the last sentence: "We are few in number... we can't divide our forces!"
Kangxi suddenly fell silent. Qingde's words had struck home the very thing Kangxi had been worrying about day and night. A minority ruling over the majority, and doing so so obviously. While they might claim they weren't discriminating and treated everyone equally, they felt insecure because they were indeed treating everyone differently. They were constantly afraid of being overthrown. Hearing Huashan's words echo his own fears, Kangxi fell silent.
"But... according to the law, what I, Mafa, did was still wrong. Therefore, my family will not defend ourselves, but will... continue to fight to the death to prove our resolve. I wasn't that ambitious. At the time, I only thought, even if I was asked to capture ten or eight people, I would still be in trouble."
Very good, classmate Qingde, you have successfully cleared both you and your Mafa.
Kangxi sighed and patted Qingde on the shoulder.
Qingde glanced stiffly at Kangxi's expression and felt relieved. Okay, the emperor is no longer angry, so I can cheat now.
"Hehe, well, Master, can you not tell anyone about what you just said? At least don't tell my father and brother. Well, and my Mafa, he'll feel even worse if he knows," he rubbed his hands, "My father, you scolded my brother, my younger brother, and me so badly. If he knew about this, he would definitely beat me up again and blame me for meddling. I haven't recovered from the beating from my uncle yet, Master, please have some mercy on me."
Kangxi's emotion was almost diluted by Qingde's polite request. He raised his hand and gave him a slap on the face: "You are using me like that! You have so many things for me to do!"
"It hurts! Just one, one..." He stretched out a finger.
Bang, I got hit again.
Hmm, it feels good. Comrade Kangxi knocked it several times and felt comfortable. "I'll take note of it. If you do your job well, I'll forget about the things you've been nagging me about. If you don't do your job well, I might remember it someday."
"Yes~" a reply with twists and turns.
Kangxi suddenly froze, eyeing Qingde suspiciously. He'd always thought of him as an honest kid, well-educated by his father, and with all his siblings. But why... the more I watched him today, the more I felt his actions—a bit like Hua Shan?! This wasn't a good sign!
The spirit of a rogue is exposed on the outside, but the heart of a scoundrel is hidden. Even the King of Hell would have a headache seeing this.
Kangxi immediately pointed a finger at Qingde and said, "Behave yourself! Stop smiling." Seeing Qingde's expression turn pale, Kangxi felt satisfied and relieved. "Come on, walk with me." Hua Shan's judgment was sometimes quite accurate, but his temper was a real headache. Kangxi thought that if Qingde could possess his grandfather's strengths and avoid his weaknesses, he would be a real talent.
Now that his worries are gone, shouldn’t Qingde be so happy that he hums a little tune?
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Qingde was happy, but his second brother-in-law was not so happy.
Yinreng, upon receiving the good news of Qingde's meritorious service, naturally had to tell the Shi family. Huashan had also been invited to Yuqing Palace. Yinreng needed someone to analyze the post-war dynamics, at least within the military. Huashan had been a general for many years, so he should be familiar with the situation.
Yinreng thought the old man was a bit of a mystic, but his analysis was still quite accurate. A charlatan! The Eastern Palace staff were part-time employees within the central government. As long as you were high enough, even if you favored the eldest prince, you could be blatantly inducted into the enemy camp by the emperor. What an unreliable bunch!
Hua Shan came in staggeringly. This time, without his grandson to support him, two young eunuchs helped him in.
When entering the door, he bowed first. Yinreng sat upright and from the second time he kowtowed, he said, "Help you up quickly. No need to be so polite."
Hua Shanxin thought, this is strange, he has become polite. He said "I dare not", and was allowed to sit down and was given tea.
Yinreng smiled and asked Huashan, "How are you feeling lately? The Crown Princess is still talking about you."
Hua Shan said, "The clothes the Crown Princess gave me are so warm that I didn't catch a cold all winter and spring."
The two chatted for a while, and Yinreng said directly: "Congratulations to you, Qingde, you have made a great contribution. He has captured Galdan."
Even Hua Shan, a fox, smiled brightly: "That's great! That's great!" Then he remembered, "It's all thanks to the Emperor and the Crown Prince."
Yinreng took the opportunity to bring up the topic: "He will definitely have a generous reward this time, but... I can't see through the other arrangements. Can you teach me?"
Hua Shan was not shy at this moment. "After this battle, of course there will be rewards for merit and punishments for faults. The number one hero is of course Fei Yanggu. In my opinion, Qingde is really nothing compared to him. His achievements are real, while Qingde was a bit lucky, so it's hard to compare."
Yinreng held out a list with many names on it, followed by resumes: "Please take a look."
Hua Shan took out his glasses case from his purse, put them on his face, squinted his eyes, and looked at them from a distance, commenting on them one by one: "Forgive my frankness, but in war, unless you are as famous as Qingde, the higher the rank, the higher the merit. The people below are just promoted according to the routine. The only ones who have changed are the ones at the top. Well, I guess Mingzhu, Suo'etu, and Yisan'a will be reinstated..."
Yinreng was overjoyed: "As expected? Can Soetu be reinstated?"
Hua Shan sighed. No, he had to take drastic measures. "Don't be too happy too soon. It's not certain whether this will be a good thing for you."
"What do you mean?" You're not going to say bad things about Suo Etu again, are you? He's been unreliable lately, but don't hold him against me...
"You forgot, Mingzhu is coming back too. If the two of them face off... who do you think the master will deal with this time?"
Yinreng's face was very bad. He only heard Hua Shan continue to say: "You and the eldest prince, the emperor protects you. As for Suo Etu and Mingzhu, the emperor will protect whoever he likes. Who do you think the emperor likes? The emperor is a man of integrity. Compare the achievements of the two. Think about it yourself."
"Hmm?" Yinreng didn't like Mingzhu. "He has some merits, but..."
"It's also the work of a tail. Mingzhu, he has never been able to twist his master. He followed his master when he captured Oboi; he followed his master when he removed the Three Feudatories; he followed his master when he controlled the Yellow River; and now he is still following his master when he deals with Galdan. No matter how many faults Mingzhu has, as long as he has this one thing, it's done! But Suo Etu always has to twist his head before he obeys. He is asking for trouble."
This topic had already been discussed, and Yinreng subconsciously didn't want to bring it up and wanted to avoid it.
Hua Shan still won't let him go. It can be foreseen that there will be a big fight in the future. Internal problems must be resolved before we can unite to face the outside world.
"Have you ever considered what he really wants? He's done some good things for the country over the years, but the truth is, it was known to everyone ten years ago that Prime Minister Suo and Prime Minister Ming were at odds. You see, he's definitely against whatever Mingzhu supports. He's practically lost his mind, not even considering that the Emperor also supports it! He's going against the Emperor. Who do you think he's relying on?"
The last sentence, coupled with a sharp look that was inconsistent with his age, made Yinreng's heart skip a beat.
"You mean?"
"I have said everything I should say to him. As for you, I still have something to say." He coughed a little, after all, he was old.
Yinreng was just shocked. Of course, he would not say that Soetu was relying on justice and righteousness. Soetu's mind was a little unclear, which was already known to Yinreng. However, his feelings for Soetu were still there. He said to Huashan, "What do you want to say?"
"You and the Emperor are father and son, after all. Who could be closer than a father and son? You can't rely on anyone else as much as you can on the Emperor. Don't overthink it. Also... don't let Soetu do too much. You can't bear to let him go, and this is where your kindness lies. If you really want to keep him safe throughout his life, keep an eye on him more, stop him, and don't let him do things he shouldn't do."
Yinreng was confused by what he heard. Soetu seemed to be a bit like an old machine that couldn't run anymore recently, but his position was still right.
Hua Shan sneered, "Do you think there's any trick in this world that His Majesty can't see through? Whoever gets too aggressive, His Majesty will give him a stick. This has been going on for years, and even those involved are confused."
Yinreng was stunned. He had to admit that Hua Shan had hit the nail on the head. Counting on his fingers, he found that it was indeed true.
"Your Majesty is a man of great military and political wisdom, and his wisdom shines through. Sooner or later, he will discover what he does behind your back. It's better to be honest, and you'll have a good ending. The greater the gain, the greater the loss. Why seek by the crooked when you can take the straight path?"
Yinreng's mood was truly dampened by Huashan's words. If he had thought it was nonsense, he wouldn't have taken it to heart. It was precisely because he accepted that what he said was reasonable that he felt unhappy. Yinreng was depressed for a long time. He was still trying to guess what Huashan meant by the last sentence. Straight or crooked.
What did Soetu do behind my back that he shouldn't have? And did Khan Ama find out? So that's why this old man said so confidently that Soetu was in trouble. Thinking of Huashan's charlatan physique, Yinreng couldn't be happy.
Then, something happened that directly provoked his dissatisfaction.
March was auspicious for Emperor Kangxi. In early March, Concubine Chen gave birth to a boy, making him the seventeenth prince. Emperor Kangxi named him Yinli. Then, two days later, Galdan was captured, fulfilling Kangxi's long-cherished wish. Emperor Kangxi's martial arts skills were complete.
On the way back, his capable crown prince wrote down all the details of the wedding of the fifth prince Yinqi and the seventh prince Yinyou, reporting them in a memorial, including how many tables of wine and wine would be served, how the banquet would be held at the wife's home, and where in the palace the banquet would be held.
Then came his birthday. Although it was not as grand as in the palace, people from various Mongolian tribes came to congratulate him, which made it seem that the emperor was the ruler of all people and that all the barbarians were submissive.
How can I not be happy?
Of course, something unfortunate also happened in March—Zhao Liangdong died. Zhao Liangdong had been a formidable general during the reigns of both Shunzhi and Kangxi, having pacified the Miao people during Shunzhi's reign and dealt with Wu Sangui during Kangxi's, winning victory after victory. Now that he was gone, Kangxi was deeply distressed. To show his respect, he sent the emperor's son to offer a tribute. He also included the former governor, Chen Fu, in the tribute.
Yinzhi was naturally overjoyed to receive this commission. More and more commissions were assigned to him, each of different types, but all of them revealed Kangxi's intention: to entrust the eldest prince with important tasks. How could Yinzhi not be delighted? Granting a funeral rite was, firstly, a display of favoritism towards the deceased and their family, and secondly, a recognition of the executor's virtue and status!
If Yinzhi is happy, Yinreng will naturally be unhappy. The two of them together absolutely conform to the zero-sum effect.
On this day, the fat boy finally came to his senses, calling out, "Mother," before he was even a year old. His mother was delighted, beaming with joy. Meanwhile, Yinreng received an imperial edict from Emperor Kangxi, announcing his return to the capital. Yinreng was delighted. Kangxi had originally planned to stay for an indefinite period, but the old man had vowed before leaving that he would not return until Galdan had been annihilated.
Now that Galdan had been apprehended, it was a perfect opportunity to let Kangxi and Yinzhi be alone outside. Yinreng was extremely worried. After receiving this imperial edict, he hurriedly began to prepare for the emperor's arrival. He even wanted to ask for permission to run away to the upper reaches as he had done last time and return with his father.
After finishing his business, he ran to inform the Empress Dowager, then returned to see his wife and children, and to inform them of Kangxi's return. Seeing his wife's bright smile, Yinreng's heart was filled with sunshine. Only when he heard the fat boy laughing and clapping his hands and calling him, "Mother..." did Yinreng's excitement subside. He tried hard to control his domestic violence tendencies and correct the fat boy's address.
The whole family is very happy.
The good times didn't last long, as another visitor came to see the Crown Prince. Yinreng had a message: All matters concerning the eldest prince should be treated like urgent military matters and reported as soon as possible. This was a wise move, but at this moment, it was clearly causing trouble for him.
Yinzhi's assignment clearly showed that Kangxi's regard for him hadn't diminished. Yinreng was furious. He had expected him to be hastily brought to the forefront, like the Qingde incident, with a surprising twist and turn waiting for him. But what happened? There was a twist, but no surprise.
"Why send him when there are so many other people to send?" Yinreng slammed his fist on the table, angry.
Kangxi, however, saw things differently. In his eyes, he wanted to build his ideal empire. The imperial family needed to be harmonious and stable, with loving fathers and filial sons, and friendly brothers and respectful younger brothers. Yinreng was his son, and Yinzhi was also his son. While his confidence was limited, he didn't forget Yinzhi. He certainly wanted to give him fatherly love, nurture him, and care for him. At the same time, the empire needed to be orderly and efficient.
The sons worked well together, with Yinreng, needless to say, leading the overall situation. The other sons, of course, provided strong support. With Fuquan as his nephew, Kangxi assumed that all brothers without inheritance rights would get along well with Lucky. Yinzhi was martial, Yinzhi was literary, and Yinzhen was serious; at least these three were capable men.
As it turned out, Yinzhi didn't want to be a general, and Yinreng didn't want him either. It was all just a beautiful fantasy of a silly father.
Just before leaving, Yinzhi was still instructing his confidants: "Investigate carefully what Qingde has done. How could such a good thing happen to him? Did Fei Yanggu protect him?"
In the distant capital, Yinreng was also asking, "What did the eldest prince do in the army?"
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Regardless, Kangxi had returned. Yinreng's request to go out and fetch him was approved. Unlike last year, Kangxi hadn't taken all the princes with him this time, leaving quite a few behind. He didn't allow them to come with him, with the reason being: "You should prepare well."
Yinreng ran out to pick up Kangxi, and still ran more than a hundred miles before meeting his father in the camp.
As soon as he saw Kangxi, Yinreng was happy: "Khan Ama!" His excitement was beyond words.
Kangxi was also very happy. Everything went well this year, and he was in an even better mood after seeing his son.
After sitting down and talking about their farewell, Yinreng's emotional intelligence was at a very basic level, and his role model was his wife. His concern was very considerate: "Khan Ama has lost weight. Are you eating well outside? Are you sleeping well?"
Kangxi liked this kind of tenderness and said with a smile, "Good, all is well. Are you all doing well in the palace?"
Yinreng began to report everything, from the Empress Dowager to the eldest daughter of the Seventh Prince, who was only four months old. Only the Seventh Princess was ill, but her biological mother was watching over her. Kangxi smiled and asked, "Have you used the local products, flour, and snacks I enclosed in the letter from Shenmu? How are they?"
Yinreng said, "Incense, the same thing, but it's sweeter than what you usually use."
He didn't stop until he heard that it was time to eat.
Yinreng enjoyed his meal very happily. Without the annoying Yinzhi around, he even ate half a bowl more of rice.
Next, he reported on the daily affairs during Kangxi's absence from the capital. Kangxi listened, and after thinking there was nothing special that needed to be corrected, he said to Yinreng, "Go and see Fei Yanggu, Ma Sika, and your father-in-law and the others. They are the heroes this time."
Of course, Yinreng wanted to meet his father-in-law and his family. Of course, if he could get along with Feiyanggu and Masika, that would definitely be Yinreng's wish. He also wanted to meet someone else, but Kangxi didn't mention it: Soetu. After Kangxi agreed to let Yinreng come and meet him, he sent Soetu away to clean up the mess.
Regardless, Yinreng successfully met with Fei Yanggu and Masika. This was also Kangxi's good intentions. He wanted to train his son and, of course, hoped that he would be able to control the situation. The crown prince, as the heir apparent to the throne, could not enter dangerous places without permission. Therefore, Kangxi was reluctant to take him into such a risk. At the same time, he also wanted to train him to handle daily government affairs. He did not allow him to personally participate in the battle.
This wasn't a good idea. How could a crown prince who wasn't familiar with the military maintain national stability in the future? Kangxi believed that if Yinreng couldn't become familiar with the entire military, he should at least become acquainted with some senior generals. So, he generously sent his son to meet important officials and cultivate a good reputation.
It's fair to say that Yinreng had made considerable progress. He certainly understood the importance of maintaining good relations with important officials, but his previous interactions had been overly formal. To put it bluntly, it was a kind of pretentious "courtesy to the wise and humble," a bit like a script. It was formal, yet distant. While goodwill was expressed, it didn't go deep. It felt like scratching an itch through a shoe, satisfying a craving but not filling the stomach.
Now, Yinreng's smile is much more sincere, his tone is also very sincere, and his eyes are serious. As long as these three things are there, plus his status as the crown prince, it is hard for anyone not to be moved. In Fei Yanggu's heart, the crown prince is a little inferior to Kangxi, which is normal, but now, there is a vague shadow of Kangxi. Fei Yanggu's good impression of Yinreng has also come. Although the crown prince used to be arrogant, now it seems that he is at least sensible.
Masika, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised. As the Minister of Internal Affairs, he had more contact with Yinreng and was more familiar with the Crown Prince's often unconsciously awful behavior. Now, seeing him acting like a good boy, he couldn't help but sigh, "The world is so vast, and full of wonders." He hoped this gentleman would keep up the good work, so that everyone could have a good life in the future.
In any case, Yinreng's image is getting better and better.
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Returning to see his father-in-law, it was a completely different story. Shi Wenbing was even more polite than Fei Yanggu, Fu Dali was even more respectful than Ma Sika, and Qingde was a bit more lively, but because his father and brother were there, he was also extremely honest.
Yinreng was frustrated. How could these three be so different from the old charlatan? Thinking of the old charlatan, he felt a little uneasy. People these days are actually a bit superstitious. There are even laws that stipulate that cursing and practicing magic are punishable. Maybe he is right?
He kindly conveyed the Crown Princess's greetings, praised Qingde's contribution, and affirmed that Shi Wenbing had been diligently laying the foundation for the masses, and was loyal and attentive to his duties... Yinreng went to find his Khan Ama in frustration.
When Kangxi heard about his experience, he felt very sympathetic: "Shi Wenbing and Fu Dali, they didn't say a word when I questioned them. Qingde..." Don't think of the shadow of Hua Shan in him, "He was also very quiet." He said the last sentence with guilt.
Yinreng fell silent, and Kangxi said, "You're tired too. Go to sleep. Spend more time with them, and they'll talk more. Ordinary people will be in awe of you, so it's better to be close to you." It's better than always being close to Soetu. Kangxi only asked Yinreng about Soetu, and when he learned that he was not there, he did not ask any more questions, expressing his satisfaction.
In his heart, Yinreng was still wondering what bad things Suo'etu had done. He wanted to send someone to investigate, but he found that he had no one available. Usually, he could send Suo'etu to handle such matters, but now... Yinreng was upset. As a man with a wife and children and a successful career, he was actually unable to control things. He felt uncomfortable.
There is an illusion of being in control.
The author has something to say: This war drama is now complete, and it is now the end of March in the 36th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Well, things are about to get lively. Starting tomorrow, the Kowloon Association will begin performing the big show.
What I want to state is that Soetu, who participated in two battles against the Dzungars, was always at the forefront, either serving as a vanguard or doing other tasks. He was not in the capital and did not instigate the prince to "cut off food supplies and let Kangxi starve to death on the grassland."
Even in history, the Crown Prince was praised for his conscientious and responsible work in logistics. Emperor Kangxi's imperial edict clearly expressed his satisfaction with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince himself had no ill intentions of starving his father to death, at least not yet.
Finally, even if he wanted to, Suo Etu was still being held hostage by Kangxi. If he wanted to starve, he would starve Suo Etu to death first. The prince would not be so stupid as to starve Suo Etu to death.
As for classmate Galin, who was said to have directly implemented the food cut-off policy... in the 35th year, he followed Yu Chenglong to the front line to supervise food supplies. When Kangxi saw him, he admired him very much and simply sent him to the Ministry of Revenue in Shengjing in the 36th year. He... did not do anything to Kangxi.
Explanation completed.
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