There are problems everywhere
"What on earth is going on?! Old Nine! Tell me!" As he grew older, Yinreng became more tolerant towards his brothers, especially the one like Old Nine, who was a very well-behaved guy now. Even if he felt psychologically unbalanced that Old Nine was living too comfortably and would find fault with him and drag him to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to give him a lecture, and act like an elder brother who was like a father to him, he would still be quite kind to him.
But what happened today made him angry.
Yunluo was also annoyed: "The two sides are arguing, and the emperor doesn't even ask questions, but instead blames me first. I encountered a troublemaker, so what can I do? I have been running this business for two years, and there has never been any trouble. Now the foreigners have started using firearms, which clearly shows that they are not good citizens! How can I know why they are causing trouble?"
He was also puzzled. This Dutchman had always been well-behaved, so why did he suddenly go crazy?
Ever since Yunlu took over the business, he's been incredibly ruthless! He's been in business for a while now, a last resort after his career was unsuccessful. He's already brimming with energy, so how could he not be even more ruthless? The Qing Dynasty wasn't always closed off; starting with the reign of Emperor Kangxi, it opened several ports for foreign trade, and Guangzhou was one of them.
Thanks to various favorable conditions, the region's foreign trade was quite substantial, naturally attracting many merchants, both domestic and foreign. When the Eastern Palace was still under Shujia's control, she had already profited handsomely simply by leveraging her official connections. However, she had various concerns and the conditions were not favorable, so she didn't establish a national monopoly on the business. At most, she controlled a large portion of the foreign goods market in the capital.
When it came to Yunlu, the situation changed again. As the second-in-command, the Crown Prince was cautious about what he did, fearing that being too ruthless would harm him. But Yunlu was now a man who had no fear of wearing shoes. He was the Emperor's younger brother, and he had suppressed his political ambitions. Just making a little money was not a big deal.
He had accumulated a lot of energy, but couldn't use it in the court, so he poured it all into these trivial matters. Although he took the side path of making money, Yunlu still had to consider his own status. And because of the principle of keeping the bannermen in captivity, he couldn't leave the capital himself, so he had to send his servants to do the work.
It's a well-known rule that lackeys are more brutal than their villainous masters. Yunluo was just being ruthless in demanding money, but the actual operation was done by his subordinates. The subordinates followed the leader's wishes, and their methods were even more brutal than Yunluo's.
The later-famous Thirteen Hongs of Guangzhou were now merely a loosely organized guild. Though they served as trade intermediaries and had a slight connection to the government, how could they withstand these "lords" operating under the guise of the Ninth Prince? You tried to constrain them with guild rules? They'd just use the power of the government to exclude you! They squeezed out their competitors one by one, nearly establishing a monopoly within two or three years. These days, the very existence of a Bannerman was a major flaw.
Yunluo was thousands of miles from Guangzhou, happy only to see profits. He wasn't some magistrate who could judge the fortunes of the day and night, so how could he know what his servants were doing? Even if he heard a rumor, he didn't care much. Merchants held a low status these days. No matter how rich you were, even the Ninth Prince wouldn't care about you!
Thus, the master took it for granted, but the servant became emboldened and finally got himself into trouble. The Guangzhou guilds could no longer control Jiu Ye, and Jiu Ye raised the price whenever he wanted, bullying the foreigners until they cried out in pain.
In Guangzhou, the rules of domestic and foreign trade were as follows: inland merchants would collect porcelain, raw silk, tea, and satin needed by foreigners and sell them in Guangzhou at a fair price. Foreigners would then import popular inland goods, with prices also being negotiated. Of course, as in the business world, intrigue was inevitable, but at the time, relations were relatively harmonious.
All these good days ended when Jiu Ye's lackeys arrived in Guangzhou.
Once the Ninth Prince's family figured out the scheme, they abandoned the Thirteen Hongs and approached the foreigners directly. Their strong backing naturally gave them a competitive advantage, and the Thirteen Hongs were truly afraid to intervene. Once Yunlu's power grew, they couldn't intervene even if they wanted to.
While the foreign merchants operating in Guangzhou at this time were diverse, the East India Company remained a formidable force. This East India Company wasn't the British East India Company, notorious for its opium trade, but the Dutch East India Company, whose reputation was barely better. Frankly, at this time, the Dutch East India Company was far more successful in East and Southeast Asia than the British East India Company.
The Dutch East India Company built a city in Luzon, which later became the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. The company raised capital in its home country, including shares from the Dutch government. This allowed it to easily secure the monopoly on trade from the Cape of Good Hope in the east to the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of South America, authorized by the Dutch National Assembly at the time.
The Dutch East India Company was the first company to be able to recruit its own mercenaries, issue currency, and become a joint-stock company. It was also granted the right to establish formal treaties with other countries and exercise the power to colonize and rule over their territories. Colonial rule is not something you can establish on a whim. History has proven countless times that these Western explorers never came in peace and friendship; they came to plunder and enslave. If you don't plant cannons on someone's doorstep, who will want to be your slave?
To sum up, this group of merchants between the Pacific and Indian Oceans can fully exercise various rights on behalf of the government, including war. They are not ordinary merchants.
So, they are very powerful!
These people established colonial rule in Luzon. Due to the local population being insufficient, unattractive, and lacking in industry and courage, among other factors, the colonists did everything they could to lure the Chinese to settle there, to farm, to trade, and ultimately to provide a source of tax revenue. At the same time, they deliberately gave the indigenous people and the overseas Chinese different identities to facilitate checks and balances.
This shows that these people are really not easy to mess with.
But Jiu Ye didn't know, and his subordinates knew even less. They only knew that they had to get some money quickly because Jiu Ye had an urgent need for it.
The salt trade was lucrative, and since it was on "home turf," it was far less stressful than dealing in imported goods. I wouldn't say anything about the others, but in these thirteen provinces, who wouldn't give the emperor's brothers a piece of their mind? Yunluo naturally wanted to find something that would bring in quick profits and save him some effort, so he considered getting involved in the salt trade. However, most of his capital was tied up in reselling, and since his family had land and property that they wouldn't sell, he would raise the price, making a killing from reselling to fund his salt business.
He was careless. The other party had accepted the price increases the previous times. He hadn't expected this time to exceed their bottom line, and they wouldn't buy it. He also heard that the government was involved, and that this government was known for its tendency to flatter and humiliate its citizens, treating them even more harshly than foreigners. So he decided to file a complaint.
He gathered up his petition, found an agent, and filed a complaint with the Imperial Household Department, alleging that Yunluo was dishonest in his business dealings. Unfortunately, the two princes in charge of the Imperial Household Department, one of whom was the ninth son's full brother, had already been lured into the conspiracy. Since the merchant dispute was not a major issue, the fifth son was arranging the marriage between Hongyu and Hongtong. When the petition reached the desk of the twelfth son, he dismissed it.
The Dutch had originally intended to use courtesy before force, but to their surprise, no one paid any attention! — The Netherlands was still a European power at the time, vigorously expanding overseas trade and occupying colonies. They would kick the tree they saw three times, and they would take advantage of you even if you didn't provoke them. What's more, Jiu Ye actually bullied them?
The Dutch suffered a great loss in Taiwan, but that was decades ago. In this day and age, two or three generations later, how many still remember that such a formidable behemoth existed in the East? Furthermore, the Dutch's loss of Taiwan caused some commotion, but it didn't cause a major stir, as they had a more lucrative colony—Luzon—so few people truly understand China.
Well, if you're unkind, we're not either. They've shown some restraint, but they've also upheld their long-held tradition: erect a memorial archway before becoming a XX. First, the merchants filed a complaint with the local government, which, of course, proved fruitless. Then the sailors started making a fuss. If it were just an ordinary person, the government would have forced them to pay compensation and the matter would be settled. But there was a ninth prince behind them.
The two were in a stalemate, and the person sent by Yunlu was even more arrogant than him, with his nose in the air: "Barbarians are so rude! These people who don't obey the king actually try to blackmail people! Kick them out of the door!" They had always raised the price and the other party accepted it, so naturally they didn't take the other party seriously.
Okay, you guys started it!
The two sides started fighting.
The Dutch were careless, not realizing that the locals, despite their limited individual strength, were superior in numbers, and they were able to detain their men. The Guangdong governor, no longer willing to conceal this incident, interrogated the prisoners overnight, inquired about the circumstances, and wrote a memorial to the emperor, which he then sent to the capital.
If it weren't for the use of force, the government would have simply ignored the price war between merchants. Yinreng was annoyed by Yunlu's "troublemaking." As for diplomacy, Western countries were not that important in the eyes of the court at the time.
How could the Guangdong Governor be less overbearing than the Ninth Prince? Yet, he couldn't directly file a complaint, fearing the possibility of offending Yinreng. Yinreng knew his ninth brother wasn't quite right, yet he tried to be lenient with his brother. He was even more furious that the Dutch had resorted to violence on his territory, showing no regard for him, the Emperor!
Since my younger brother is right in front of me, I’ll scold them first!
"What a good thing you have done! Old Nine, do you know what it means to drain the pond to catch all the fish?! Huh?! It was you who raised the price so much that people couldn't bear it, so they wanted to complain. And you, Old Twelve, you didn't even respond to their complaints! How did you get into this job? You're so confused!" Yinreng would rather destroy a little silver than have any foreign provocations happen under his rule.
Yinreng did not care about Yunlu's business, but fined him a year's salary. Yunlu was dismissed from his post and sent home for reflection due to his poor performance. Yunqi was also fined a year's salary but continued to work. Yinreng let Yunyu take over the position vacated by Yunlu.
Those captured sailors (presumably also pirates) and their merchant ships were expelled from China and forbidden to ever set foot in China again. Trade with the Netherlands was also cut off, while trade with other Western countries remained normal. Regardless of whether you were right or wrong, looting and smashing someone's house is wrong!
After the matter was settled, Yinreng calmed down and clapped his hands: "Right now the border is in turmoil, and Tsewang Arabtan is ready to make a move. Droughts and floods are frequent, annexations are becoming more and more serious, the administration is not clear, and the treasury is empty. I am too busy to handle all these things, so you all need to pay more attention!" He also earnestly warned his brothers to put the country first in everything, and so on.
Yunluo had no idea his servant had caused such a big mess in Guangzhou. He simply said the foreigners were being rude. He was a bit overwhelmed when he first received the news. In his heart, he had already cursed those incompetent guys and was thinking about how to deal with them and vent his anger.
He was distracted, so he didn't pay attention to Yinreng's scolding, and saved himself the trouble of getting angry with his second brother. Yinreng saw him looking down at the ground, thinking he was reflecting (but he was actually angry), and sighed: "Hongyu's house is also built, and his wedding day will be in two days. You all go have a drink at the wedding."
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Hongyu was granted a title, but few paid much attention to his affairs, and his marriage was repeatedly delayed. First, his house wasn't finished. Then, because he needed to support Concubine Hui, the emperor ordered that his house be decorated. Then, the emperor's son and daughter were getting married. Everything was more important than him.
Finally, the time had come. Yinreng remembered that Hongtong was younger than Hongyu, so he had to let the older cousin marry and move out first before letting the younger cousin marry. Although the family was too large and there was no guarantee that the younger cousin would marry first, Hongyu had always lived in the palace. If Hongtong married first and Hongyu was delayed, it would be a real joke.
On this day, under the instruction of Yinreng, Hongdan, Hongxi and his brothers went to Hongyu's new house to attend the wedding banquet. When they arrived at the place, they saw that all the uncles were there, and it turned out to be a small family gathering.
Hongdan congratulated Hongyu with a smile: "Double happiness." He also asked where Concubine Hui was and wanted to pay her respects.
Knowing that Yunsi had submitted a memorial requesting the removal of Concubine Liang from the palace, and that her grandson was getting married again, Concubine Hui had her own concerns. She met Concubine Liang at Yunsi's residence, stayed for two days, and then proposed to stay with her grandson: "After all, his place has been renovated, and he's getting married again. I'd be worried if I didn't go and see him."
Concubine Liang, her son, the mother-in-law, and the daughter-in-law tried to keep her, but Concubine Hui said sternly, "When the Eighth Prince asked for permission to bring you out, Hongyu had already asked for permission to bring me in. The child's parents..." She realized she had spoken out of turn and coughed, "I have to go and see them."
Only then did Concubine Liang and the others give up.
Hongdan insisted on seeing his concubine mother, so Hongyu had no choice but to personally lead the way. Concubine Hui was already lamenting that she had only one biological son alive. Now her grandson was getting married, while her son was still imprisoned. How could she not feel sad? Then she thought, this grandson wasn't her biological grandson. If this one got married, what would happen to the others? Would pleading for mercy again anger Yinreng? What if she didn't?
Upon hearing that Hong Dan had arrived, Concubine Hui quickly adjusted her expression, as if she had become an old grandmother who was only concerned about her grandson's happiness and didn't think of anything else: "Oh, the prince is here too. You guys are really something, just enjoy yourself outside, there's no need to come and talk to an old woman like me. You have a lot of social activities to attend to outside, don't let them lose track of you."
Hong Dan said with a smile, "Since I know that you are here, I have no reason not to ask you. I never thought that now that you have a granddaughter-in-law, you would look down on us."
Hongxi said, "Let's just accept our fate. Even mother loves her daughter-in-law more than her son."
This caused everyone to laugh, and Hong Dan then said, "This is the inner hall, and it is indeed inconvenient for us to stay here for long. Seeing that you are well, we will leave now."
The queen, who was praised by her sons as loving her daughter-in-law more than her sons, was stunned: "Is the news true?"
Zhao Guoshi nodded and said, "Yes, the eunuchs at the Second Prince's place went to see Liu Wencheng, the gynecologist from the Imperial Hospital. When they came back, I sent someone to ask, and it turned out that... there is another woman in the Second Prince's room who is pregnant."
Shujia: "... Second son's wife didn't tell me, so I just pretended I didn't know. You guys are the same."
“Yeah.”
Sometimes, you're anxious, not because things have reached a critical point, but simply because others are pushing you too hard. For example, Hongdan had only been married for six months and didn't have to worry about having children, but Hongxi suddenly got two babies. Compared to that, it would be strange if he wasn't anxious!
Shujia was anxious, but couldn't show it on her face, fearing that it would put pressure on Hesheli, making her more nervous and less likely to conceive. She couldn't bring herself to give her son a concubine, so she could only sit at the table, slowly writing in large characters to calm herself.
Not long after, Hongdan and the others returned from Hongyu's place. They first met Yinreng and then came to see Shujia. Shujia couldn't help but hold his hand and ask him about his life: "Have you been drinking?"
"I drank a few cups. Don't worry, mother, no one dared to force me to drink. Only the naughty Hongtong insisted on clinking glasses with me a few times."
Hong Tong quickly said, "It's not my fault. If I hadn't pulled him, so many people would have wanted to squeeze in front of him."
"So you're just taking advantage of the situation?"
Just as Hongxi was about to say something, a young eunuch hurried up ahead. Shujia recognized him as a servant in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, so she asked, "What does the Emperor want you to do?"
The young eunuch knelt on the ground and said, "In reply to the Madam, His Majesty, the Emperor summons the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince to the Palace of Heavenly Purity for a meeting."
"I see. You guys go ahead. Wait, rinse your mouths first!" He wiped his face casually. Shujia took this opportunity to ask, "What's the urgent matter?"
"I don't know what happened. I was serving in the outer room. Just now, the Thirteenth Master and Li Daxueshi and others came to see the emperor. His Majesty asked Li An'da to choose someone to invite the three masters. I am here right now."
Entering the palace at this hour? The Thirteenth Prince should have been attending a wedding today, so why was he involved with Li Guangdi again? Was Li Guangdi on duty today?
It seems like something big has really happened, Shujia thought.
Hongdan and the other two had already packed up, and hurriedly said goodbye to Shujia and went to the Qianqing Palace.
Shujia guessed correctly, something urgent happened: Tsewang Arabtan finally couldn't help but raise an army to march into Tibet!
Historically, Tsewang Arabtan's rebellion would have taken place two years later. However, Yinreng, in order to ensure he had no worries while carrying out his reforms, was extremely wary of him. All of Yinreng's arrangements were designed to force him to rebel, and he kept a close eye on his actions. Yinreng was a ruthless individual. While he might not have been good at fighting, he was quite adept at politics, and he even sent a letter to Lazang Khan, urging him to pay more attention to his son, who had become someone else's son-in-law.
Tsewang Arabtan saw that the imperial court was also preparing, and he realized that catching them off guard was no longer feasible. After all, the imperial court's financial resources were greater than his. He could prepare two-tenths of his annual resources, while the imperial court could prepare four-tenths. If he delayed further, the imperial court would be more prepared than he was. So, seeing that he was about eight-tenths prepared, he quickly attacked his in-laws.
Shujia knew Yinreng's plan, but she had no foresight when it came to political matters, especially when it came to an unfamiliar power. However, after hearing her husband and son talk about the two great living Buddhas in Tibet, she knew that this battle had to be fought.
Now that the fight has finally started, I feel quite relieved.
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yinreng's eyes lit up: "Tsewang Abutan has such evil ambitions, he's finally made a move!"
The nobles and ministers were also full of confidence, rubbing their hands and asking for orders one after another. When Kangxi personally led the expedition against Galdan, many of them accompanied the army. What man doesn't want to build a career right away? Some of them were more creative and had already considered that their sons, who would not inherit the title, would be a good choice to send them to the rank of gilded scholar!
Everyone was vying for the first spot, their eyes fixed on Yinreng. Yinreng was agitated, and while his followers were filled with indignation, he suddenly calmed down. The map had already been taken out and spread out. He lowered his head and gestured at the distance from Beijing to Lhasa, and his heart cooled.
Of course, he wanted to show off his power, emulating his father's example. But at the distance, he knew he couldn't lead his troops to face Tsewang Abutan head-on—unless he traveled three thousand miles, or the enemy attacked him at his doorstep. The former was unrealistic, and he didn't want the latter to happen.
Sighing, he turned his attention to his relatives. Do they all want to go?
The author has something to say:
Dig out Kaka, the game starts again!
What will happen next is a very chaotic situation.
**Drawn again, sent again.
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