More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now it is the forty-fifth year of Kangxi's reign, and Anle has grown from a baby who can barely speak into a graceful young woman.
Youqing's face hadn't changed much; she was still as elegant and beautiful as ever, but she was more composed than before.
Emperor Kangxi is now in his early fifties, but he looks like he's only in his thirties. He doesn't look his age at all, which is something he does to maintain his youthful appearance.
After all, Youqing said that if he was too old, he wouldn't be allowed to have sex.
Emperor Kangxi only had one child, Youqing. Even though he was over fifty, he was not as young as a boy, but he still wanted to have a "fulfilling" life, which is why he acted this way.
Nowadays, when Emperor Kangxi goes out with some of his older sons, many people can't tell their ages.
Over the years, Kangxi had been in control of the government and was carrying out reforms in a subtle and gradual manner. At first, people in the court thought he was just making minor moves, but by the time they realized it, many people had already found out that Kangxi had already placed his own people in some important positions.
In the imperial court, Emperor Kangxi could be said to have absolute power, but there were still some conservatives who clung to the old glory and were unwilling to give up.
Unfortunately, those people were difficult for Emperor Kangxi to deal with, but they were a minority and didn't pose a major threat.
Even though Emperor Kangxi was over fifty, he still looked like he was in his prime. Many people thought he was destined for a long life. According to the imperial physicians, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would live for several more decades.
When this rumor spread, not only the Crown Prince lost his spirit, but the First Prince and the Third Prince also lost their spirit. Other princes who had harbored some thoughts but dared not show them also gave up their little schemes.
They might not even outlive Kangxi, so how could they compete or seize power?
Emperor Kangxi was completely unaware of this.
Even though he was over fifty, Emperor Kangxi felt that there were still many things he hadn't done, and that the Qing Dynasty was no longer the same as before.
Today, the Qing Dynasty has firearms battalions in various places, and musket troops also exist in various parts of the Qing Dynasty. It can be said that the musket troops have replaced the traditional cavalry and infantry.
Based on Youqing's suggestion, the musketeers received very generous treatment, with allowances several times higher than before. If they became martyrs, the imperial court would also provide them with a substantial pension, and the descendants of martyrs would receive preferential treatment in many areas.
The business under Youqing specially arranged some positions to recruit the descendants of martyrs.
Firearms were commonplace in the Qing Dynasty, so the control of firearms was naturally quite strict.
Besides the musketeer army, the Qing Dynasty also had a secret military camp called the artillery battalion. This battalion was small in number, but everyone was selected through rigorous processes. They were loyal to Emperor Kangxi and under his direct leadership. Each person was equipped with the most advanced muskets and knew how to use the most advanced cannons.
The musketeer army and artillery battalion were both military camps on land. A few years ago, Japanese pirates roamed the coastal areas. These pirates were active at sea all year round and were very skilled in navigation and watercraft. Because the Qing Dynasty's treasury was full, Kangxi directly spent a lot of silver to build the most advanced steamships, which were equipped with cannons.
Emperor Kangxi also trained a navy, and now there are naval forces along the coast of the Qing Dynasty. The Japanese pirates near the Qing Dynasty no longer dare to show their faces.
The Qing Dynasty's military strength was awe-inspiring, and last year many neighboring countries took the initiative to bring gifts to "visit." Subsequently, Emperor Kangxi took the opportunity to open trade ports.
In addition, the Qing Dynasty has made many industrial discoveries in recent years, such as the emergence of textile machines. Now the Qing Dynasty has achieved freedom of dress, and even ordinary people have begun to pay attention to dressing in a way that is good-looking and fashionable, instead of just having clothes to wear as they did more than ten years ago.
After the freedom of clothing was achieved, in the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi's reign, Youqing suddenly discovered that improved rice had been produced in the area.
She spent a huge amount of gold coins to buy rice seeds. Now, in this land of the Great Qing, as long as the soil is not too barren, the yield per mu can generally reach eight or nine hundred jin, and in some fertile areas, the yield per mu of more than a thousand jin is definitely not a problem.
With the promotion of improved rice cultivation, almost all people in the Qing Dynasty had achieved food freedom. As long as they had the strength, they could definitely eat their fill in the Qing Dynasty.
Judging from the number of newborns in various places in the past two years, the population of the Qing Dynasty will grow rapidly in the next few decades, which is definitely a great thing for the Qing Dynasty now.
In the early days of agriculture and industry, population represented labor force; the larger the population, the more the country earned.
This is about population welfare.
Throughout history, population size has been an important criterion for judging whether a country is powerful or not.
With the advent of textile machines, a large number of woodworking businesses began to emerge, and women gradually left the home.
Another point is that in the past ten years or so, smelting technology has also improved, and the imperial court no longer needs to be so strict in its control over iron. Emperor Kangxi also allowed people to mine iron ore and other metal mines. The Qing Dynasty has now begun to embark on the path of science.
Because iron regulations have become more lenient, hand pumps have also been upgraded from bamboo pipes to plastic pipes. Since the usage is large, only reporting is required when using them.
After so many years of development, glass may not be affordable for everyone, but ordinary people can still afford to buy a few pieces to install in their homes if they grit their teeth.
Yan Yuege has developed even better, not only capturing the high-end market but also the mid-to-low-end market, becoming the most popular place for women in the Qing Dynasty, and of course, a place that men find dreadful.
Good things naturally come with high prices, and women tend to spend money without restraint.
Of course, over the years, soap has become something that ordinary families can afford, and wealthy families have started using shower gel, shampoo, and toothpaste.
In short, the Qing Dynasty has undergone tremendous changes in recent years. With sufficient grain, the number of poultry has also increased. In addition, with the popularization of glass and heating, greenhouse vegetables have been discovered by the public and are no longer just Youqing's business.
Youqing was quite pleased with this outcome.
Over the years, her business empire has continued to expand, but it's impossible to control everything; naturally, she has to hold onto some and let go of others.
However, the emergence of a large number of new things naturally led many people to exploit loopholes, so Kangxi began to drastically revise the laws.
Now it truly is a case of the prince being subject to the same laws as the commoner.
As a result, a lot of blood was shed.
After discussing it with Youqing, Emperor Kangxi established the Price Bureau in the capital.
As the name suggests, this price bureau is responsible for controlling prices and preventing unscrupulous merchants from arbitrarily speculating on prices. After all, some unscrupulous people would rather give their hearts for money.
After the cement road was completed in the capital, a local prefect had a sudden inspiration and called on local merchants to donate money to repair the road. Surprisingly, it worked quite well and was actually completed.
Emperor Kangxi felt that this matter was worth considering, so he transferred the person to the capital and gave him an important position. Of course, before the transfer, Emperor Kangxi also sent people to check the accounts and conduct a thorough investigation. Only after confirming that there were no problems was the person transferred back.
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