Dreams of Qing surround Yaochi ( Shared with Empress Xiaoxian )
Hongli and Yongzheng have a stubborn temper, when the people above them think they are not doing well or something is wrong, they usually go all out to change until that person acknowledges and praises, or on the surface, they don't say a word, but behind their backs, they even more firmly hold onto their own opinions and views.
What's wrong with a man spoiling his own wife, especially when this wife is also filial. If there's nothing wrong, then it must be the fault of those who are dissatisfied. What they're after, he knows clearly in his heart, using the name of "equal treatment" to actually fight for favoritism.
After returning from the Chengqian Palace, Hongli held Yunzhu for a long time without saying any comforting words. He was dissatisfied with Xi Guifei but couldn't openly disobey and blame her. The Qing dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, and he still had a lot of ambitions that hadn't been achieved. He couldn't fully protect this woman in his arms yet.
Yunzhu smiled and said softly, "It's okay, Mother doesn't understand our feelings, she can't empathize... We are husband and wife, a single entity, sharing joys and sorrows together. What's this little hardship that we can't bear?"
"You're right." He stroked her cheek, gazing at her, with a hint of pain deep in his dark, profound eyes, perhaps for a lifetime he couldn't give her the only one.
His mother was unable to understand this kind of feeling.
Hongli did not start to "enjoy the rain and dew" as some people thought, but instead, he wholeheartedly threw himself into government affairs. For over a year, he followed Yongzheng in worrying about the water conservancy of rivers across the country. In places where the river was blocked, the dike was damaged, and the riverbank collapsed, they began to repair them in a planned way. They investigated and designed suitable tree species for each section of the river, and started to promote the plan of planting trees on both sides of the river...
Gaolü Wei and others were somewhat disappointed, but Hongli was devoted to his duties. During the days he stayed in the imperial palace, most of the time he rested in the outer study, occasionally going to Fuhuang's house to sleep. What could they say?!
Yunzhu knew that such days would not last long.
The twenty-seven months of mourning period was the limit of endurance for these women, and if they were suppressed any further, they would make trouble. No one wanted to be a widow, let alone those with various ambitions in their hearts. She also did not allow such a situation to continue, as a big tree attracts wind, she wanted to be favored by all, not just the emperor's exclusive favor, for being favored by all under the title of Di Fu Jun would make her unassailable, but being exclusively favored was not acceptable, as the imperial family valued having many children and grandchildren, and exclusively favoring one person was detrimental to the prosperity of offspring and the balance of the previous dynasty.
Yongzheng is quite fond of and satisfied with this daughter-in-law now, but this fondness and satisfaction are based on her ability to manage the household chores well, not letting household matters affect the imperial court, and being beneficial to the Qing dynasty. If she becomes a source of instability, she will eventually be discarded.
As for Xi Guifei, she also didn't have the mood to manage Hongli's harem anymore. During the Wan Shou Festival in the eighth year of Yongzheng, the emperor promoted the ranks of the concubines in the palace. Among them, Puyi followed the old people who entered the palace and was promoted from An Guiren to An Bin, while Zhang Changzai and Guo Changzai were both promoted to Guiren. Meanwhile, Gao Da Ying and Rong Da Ying (Ma Jia Shi), who had just been selected for the imperial harem in June, were promoted to Changzai.
It's okay, but soon after entering the ninth year of Yongzheng, Rong Chang was pregnant with a dragon fetus in Majia Shi, who lived in Yonghe Palace, and Lu Chang was also pregnant with a dragon fetus in Dong E Shi, who lived in Jingyang Palace. Meanwhile, Chang Chang, who lived in Yanxi Palace, also became pregnant with a dragon fetus one after another.
This is not the first time something has exploded in the imperial harem.
Ning Pin Wu Shi, residing in the main hall of Yanxi Palace, suppressed the bitterness in her heart and carefully took care of Chang Chun, determined not to repeat the mistake of Hai Guiren in the seventh year of Yongzheng.
Guiren Yiruoluo of Yonghe Palace, although somewhat jealous of Rongyin entering the palace at the same time and being given a lower rank than herself, unexpectedly became allies with Rongyin after they were both assigned to live in Yonghe Palace by Yongzheng. Under her deliberate attempts to get along, the two women's relationship became quite harmonious, and Yonghe Palace was managed in an orderly fashion under their joint efforts. Although Xi Guifei could use palace affairs as a pretext to plant informants around them, it was somewhat difficult for her to get close to them and do anything underhanded.
On this day, Guigui came to visit Majia again and saw that her room was decorated with several pots of blooming roses. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Sister, where did these flowers come from? They look very beautiful."
"This is the seasonal flower that Consort Xi had sent to each palace from the Lingzhi Garden. Didn't you receive any, sister?"
"I also got jasmine, but in a different color from my sister's... I don't know if the other palaces also got jasmine." Gu Gui Ren thought for a moment, "Jasmine has a strong fragrance, and now that my sister is pregnant, it's better to keep such strongly scented flowers at a distance."
Ma Jia's face changed, she wasn't a fool, and she could hear the implication in Gu Gui Ren's words. She stood up and bowed respectfully to Gu Gui Ren, "Thank you sister for reminding me, I will repay your kindness someday."
"Sister, why be polite? We entered the palace together to participate in the selection, and we live together in this Yonghe Palace. This is fate, and we should take care of each other, shouldn't we? With children, we will have something to rely on."
Ma Jia nodded, the emperor has passed his heavenly years, even if he is favored, how long can he keep it? It's better to seize the time and have a child properly. "Sister is right."
……
As for the Jingyang Palace, Yu Fei Geng Shi, who lived in the main hall, had stopped her rivalry with Xi Gui Fei and did not want to create unnecessary karma. Moreover, Lu was often at Dong E's side, and she was not one to love trouble, so she usually treated her with great respect, and also casually mentioned a couple of sentences.
Jinlu handed her a cup of hot tea and asked: "Master, why bother reminding him kindly, others may not appreciate it."
Yu Fei took the tea cup and sipped it lightly, saying: "I don't need her to lead the way. Haven't you seen how the Emperor has treated Ning Pin in the past two years since Hai Gui Ren left Yangxi Palace? After all, she lives in my Jingyang Palace, if something happens to her, I will be responsible." Moreover, she didn't want to compete with Xi Gui Fei, but couldn't let Hong Li have only one healthy brother, Hong Xiao. Otherwise, Hong Xiao's future days would be spent in anxiety and fear...
In this way, Xi Guifei, who had not been favored for several times, was irritable every day. In addition to the heavy palace affairs, she was also a power-hungry person, and it was inevitable that she would have headaches and waist pain from time to time. Qin Yiniang said that she did not take good care of herself during her pregnancy, and wanted to let her rest for a while, but Xi Guifei was unwilling to give up her power to other palace consorts, so she dragged on like this.
In the ninth year of Yongzheng, August, the fleet that had been at sea for three years and six months returned. Yunzhu heard the news and rushed to the Fuca family with Hongli. Seeing Fu Yu who was obviously taller and thinner than before, she couldn't help but rush over, but was caught by Hongli who followed closely behind her and held her in his arms, not letting her throw herself at him. "Seventh brother, sixth brother," she cried and laughed, "you're back!"
"Yes, she's back." Fu Yu's eyes were also slightly moist as he looked at his sister, who was leaning against the Fourth Prince's chest like a flower. His heart felt warm and fuzzy. Those who had never crossed the ocean would never understand the kind of fear and unease that came with being in the vast, endless sea, nor could they imagine the danger of battling storms at sea. But even more terrifying than that was illness - some illnesses couldn't be cured by simply taking medicine. If it hadn't been for the yulan fruit his sister had given him, he and Sixth Brother, as well as several of their clan brothers and Chen Hongyi, wouldn't have made it back safely!
"It's been years since we last met, you've grown taller and more beautiful! How is the Fourth Prince treating you? If he's not good to you, I'll beat him up!" Fu Yu couldn't bear to see Hong Li's tears welling up in her eyes, so she pulled out her younger sister, wiped away her tears with her hand, and suppressed the urge to hug her tightly, having loved and protected her since childhood.
Hongli rubbed his nose, crying and laughing helplessly. If he wanted to scold someone, it wouldn't be their turn anyway. The few people in this house were enough for him to suffer from, let alone with Fu Heng, a tiger-like figure, watching by his side.
"Alright, isn't everything fine? You're laughing and crying, Fourth Brother's joke is really something." Fu Guangcheng walked over with a smile, "Hurry up and go inside to wash your face, I'll make some good food for Sixth and Seventh Brothers."
After Yunzhu's grand wedding, the people in Fucha's family who had the most grievances were that it was difficult to eat their sister's delicious food again... In the past, during festivals or occasional gatherings of women at home, they could still have a taste, but after Yunzhu entered the palace, this benefit was gone.
"Sister, I didn't see you so excited even when I came back from the northwest." Fu Heng also walked over, looking very pleased. Also pleased was Hong Li, looking at these big and small uncles, ordering around and showing off, enough already, Yunzhu is mine!
Unfortunately, he only dared to shout this in his heart. The wife who returned to the viscount's mansion was not Si Fu Jin but rather Fucha Yunzhu. To be honest, Hongli still envied the warmth of this family deep down, feeling that this was what a family should be like, unlike other families where even after entering the inner palace, they still cared about their different identities and statuses.
"The art of war and archery is something you've been good at since primary school, if anything happens now it's just that your skills are not refined, I'd be too ashamed. Besides, General Yue and your brother-in-law are here, what could possibly happen." Yunzhu glared at him and supported Lingzhou into the house to wash up.
When he came out, he unexpectedly saw the Yongzheng Emperor. "Huang Ama," Yunzhu paid his respects to him, knowing that he must have come out to see Hongshi, who had been renamed Chen Hongyi.
"Get up, your eyes are red like a rabbit's." Yongzheng teased, "I allow you to stay at your mother's house for one night and return to the palace tomorrow, are you happy now?"
"Thank you, Mother!" Yunzhu was indeed delighted. "Mother, please come in and take a seat. I'll go cook some dishes for everyone."
"All right, I owe this to your brother's good fortune." Yongzheng was very pleased.
Fu Xin and Fu Yu both said they did not dare.
Xin Yi Wu has always maintained the appearance of Yun Zhu before her marriage, and every day someone cleans the house. Gua Er Jia Shi is still smiling and letting Li Er Jia (Qing Xuan) bring Ling Shuai to see if there's anything else that needs to be prepared. Li Rong Bao secretly sent someone to invite Chen Hong Yi, who also has property in Beijing and is currently in Beijing. After a few days, he will sort out the things brought back from overseas before returning to Hai Ning.
The men went into the hall to talk, while Madame Gualgi led several daughters-in-law to prepare for the banquet and went to the kitchen, where everyone tacitly handed over to Yunzhu.
After a while, Chen Hongyi came over and Yongzheng, Hongli, Li Rongbao, Fu Xin and Fu Yu moved to the study room to talk.
A good memory is not as good as a bad pen. The Fu family had cultivated this habit for a long time, and after going to sea, all the things they saw and heard were recorded in books. The political, economic, military and other information of the Asian and European countries that the fleet passed through were also carefully recorded and classified. At this time, it was taken out and presented to Yongzheng. "This data is compiled and sorted by the slaves on the ship based on everyone's gains."
A whole sandalwood box, wrapped in a layer of iron skin outside and another layer of oil paper inside. The first thing Yongzheng saw was an ocean map, which marked the various countries they had passed through, including Britain, France, Italy...
Chen Hongyi said: "We pay special attention to collecting topographic maps of their countries wherever we go, whether they are oceans or lands... Those materials are also available in the thatched cottage, and the thatched cottage has ordered someone to send them to the imperial palace."
Yongzheng looked at him with a complex gaze, Chen Hongyi turned his head to one side, in front of Hongli he would not call him "A Ma". Having been expelled from the imperial clan and being adopted out, he could never forget the humiliation.
Although the father and son have shown their emotions and admitted their mistakes to each other, it's still not easy to show "filial piety" or deepen their relationship... after all, saving face is still important.
Hongli's expression was strange, his third brother... really didn't know what to say. If Yunzhu were here, she would think of a modern word, "tsundere".
"You've done a good job." Yongzheng smiled faintly and flipped through the documents, "I'll take these back to review."
Fu Xin personally went to fetch a stack of account books, "This is the goods that the slaves brought back from trade and exchange, please Your Majesty take a look." Hmm, it's impossible for people not to have private motives, the gifts they brought for their family members didn't fall on the surface, inside there were some precious stones and seeds specially collected for Yunzhu. As for the supplies prepared for going out to sea, Yunzhu also contributed, calculated in the total assets of the fleet without being separated, but the share occupied was recorded very clearly in the account book.
Yongzheng took one look and was either mentally prepared or shocked by the fact that those mediocre porcelain, tea leaves, and silk from the Qing dynasty could be exchanged for so many spices, ivory, gems, gold, as well as foreign clocks, decorations, and local products?!
These things, he had also been in contact with when he was a prince, and knew their value on the market.
It's no wonder that those merchants flocked to it, and it's no wonder that foreigners wanted to expand their influence to the ocean. Yongzheng was deeply wary of the Portuguese who had occupied Macau for the first time. For so many years, how much gold did the Portuguese make from the Qing Dynasty through Macau?
The current economic situation is making Yongzheng feel a bit painful, but compared to tariffs, the money earned from trade is more, and Macau must be taken back!
"Your Majesty, this time at sea, I have discovered that our Qing dynasty is actually far behind in terms of naval power. Many countries, such as Britain and Portugal, have extended their influence through their navies and maritime trade to all parts of the world, plundering gold, silver, and jewels back to their own countries... Some countries' navies even disguise themselves as pirates, robbing merchant ships passing through certain waters... These advanced nations also use something called 'opium' to extort money from other countries, weakening their combat power, slowly turning them into colonies..."
The emperors all understood that the way to govern a country was to be strong internally and externally, but relying on the words of scholars about benevolence, righteousness, and etiquette was completely impractical. However, this kind of straightforward and naked plundering had truly opened Yongzheng's eyes, showing him how brutal the outside world really was! This train of thought did not reveal itself on his face, and all that could be heard was Chen Hongyuan continuing to speak: "Although they carry out their actions in secret, we can still observe them. For some large countries with strong national power, they initially enter under the guise of traveling, preaching, or trading, while spreading their teachings and gathering information about the country. They collect useful materials, such as sturdy horses, war knives, cannons, seeds, and maps... In the travelogues they send back, our Qing dynasty is described as a paradise, where gold can be found everywhere..."
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng Hongli hummed in agreement and recalled the incident of expelling many missionaries during the fifth year of his reign. He felt a bit relieved and decided that from now on, whenever these missionaries returned to China, he would instruct customs officials to inspect them thoroughly, multiple times if necessary, to ensure they did not bring out any books, documents, or even a single piece of wood from the Qing dynasty.
As for opium, it had been strictly prohibited two years ago. However, Yongzheng decided to send someone to investigate Su Liangpeng, the Guangdong general who had submitted a memorial explaining the harm of opium smoking at that time. If he performed well over the next three years and passed the triennial evaluation, he would be given a promotion and his rank would be raised.
Although his proposal to "block the entry channels and strictly prohibit foreign merchants" was somewhat closed-minded and short-sighted at the time, he can also be considered a bold person who immediately petitioned the imperial court as soon as he discovered the harm of opium, without being numb in his heart, which is very good.
Li Rongbao listened quietly beside her, his heart heavy with emotion. He still remembered the words Yunzhu had spoken a few years ago, and they all seemed to have come true!
"Your Majesty, the meal is ready, shall we begin?"
Yongzheng looked at the crowd, stood up and said: "First eat, after two days, I will look through these" he pointed to several boxes of materials, "and then declare you into the palace to speak."
"Hmm."
The author has something to say: The following is the main body of the text:
Hongli and Yongzheng have a stubborn temper, when the people above them think they are not doing well or something is wrong, they usually go all out to change until that person acknowledges and praises them, or on the surface, they don't say a word, but behind their backs, they even more firmly hold onto their own opinions and views.
What's wrong with a man spoiling his own wife, especially when this wife is also filial. If there's nothing wrong, then it must be the fault of those who are dissatisfied. What they're after, he knows clearly in his heart, using the name of "equal treatment" to actually fight for favoritism.
After returning from the Chengqian Palace, Hongli held Yunzhu for a long time without saying any comforting words. He was dissatisfied with Xi Guifei but couldn't openly disobey and blame her. The Qing dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, and he still had a lot of ambitions that hadn't been achieved. He couldn't fully protect this woman in his arms yet.
Yunzhu smiled and said softly, "It's okay, Mother doesn't understand our feelings, she can't empathize... We are husband and wife, a single entity, sharing joys and sorrows together. What's this little hardship that we can't bear?"
"You're right." He stroked her cheek, gazing at her, with a hint of pain deep in his dark, profound eyes, perhaps for a lifetime he couldn't give her the only one.
His mother was unable to understand this kind of feeling.
Hongli did not start to "enjoy the rain and dew" as some people thought, but instead, he wholeheartedly threw himself into government affairs. For over a year, he followed Yongzheng in worrying about the water conservancy of rivers across the country. In places where the river was blocked, the dike was damaged, and the riverbank collapsed, they began to repair them in a planned way. They investigated and designed suitable tree species for each section of the river, and started to promote the plan of planting trees on both sides of the river...
Gaoliu Wei and others were somewhat disappointed, but Hongli was devoted to her duties. She spent most of her days off in the outer study, only occasionally going to Fuhui's quarters to sleep. What could they possibly have to say?!
Yunzhu knew that such days would not last long.
The twenty-seven months of mourning period was the limit of endurance for these women, and if they were suppressed any further, they would make trouble. No one wanted to be a widow, let alone those with ambitions in their hearts. She also did not allow such a situation to continue, as a big tree attracts wind, she wanted to be favored by all, not just the emperor's exclusive favor, for being favored by all under the name of Di Fu Jun would make her unassailable, but the emperor's exclusive favor was not acceptable, as the imperial family valued having many children and grandchildren, and exclusively favoring one person would hinder the prosperity of descendants and also harm the balance of the previous dynasty.
Yongzheng is quite fond of and satisfied with this daughter-in-law now, but this fondness and satisfaction are based on her ability to manage the household chores well, not letting household matters affect the imperial court, and being beneficial to the Qing dynasty. If she becomes a source of instability, she will eventually be discarded.
As for Xi Guifei, she also didn't have the mood to manage Hongli's harem anymore. During the Wan Shou Festival in the eighth year of Yongzheng, the emperor promoted the ranks of the concubines in the palace. Among them, Puying followed the old people who entered the palace and was promoted from An Guiren to An Bin, while Zhang Changzai and Guo Changzai were both promoted to Guiren. Meanwhile, Gao Da Ying and Rong Da Ying (Ma Jia Shi), who had just been selected for the imperial harem in June, were promoted to Changzai.
It's okay, but soon after entering the ninth year of Yongzheng, three people, Rong Chang in Ma Jia Shi who lived in Yonghe Palace, Lu Chang in Dong E Shi who lived in Jingyang Palace, and Chang Chang in Yanxi Palace, all successively became pregnant with dragon fetus.
This is not the first time something has exploded in the imperial harem.
Ning Pin Wu Shi, residing in the main hall of Yanxi Palace, suppressed the bitterness in her heart and carefully took care of Chang Chun, determined not to repeat the mistake of Hai Guiren in the seventh year of Yongzheng.
Guiren Yiruoluo of Yonghe Palace, although somewhat jealous of Rongyin being promoted to the palace at the same time and with a lower rank than herself, unexpectedly became allies with Rongyin after they were both assigned to live in Yonghe Palace by Yongzheng. Under her deliberate attempts to get along, the two women's relationship became quite harmonious, and Yonghe Palace was managed in an orderly fashion under their joint efforts. Although Xi Guifei could use palace affairs as a pretext to plant her own people as informants, it was somewhat difficult for her to get close to them and manipulate things behind their backs.
On this day, Guigui came to visit Majia again and saw that her room was decorated with several pots of blooming roses. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Sister, where did these flowers come from? They look really beautiful."
"This is the seasonal flower that Consort Xi had sent to each palace from the Lingzhi Garden. Didn't you receive any, sister?"
"I also got roses, but in a different color from my sister's... I don't know if the other palaces also received roses." Gu Gui Ren was lost in thought, "Roses have a strong fragrance, and now that my sister is pregnant, it's better to keep these strongly scented flowers at a distance."
Ma Jia's face changed, she wasn't a fool, and she could hear the implication in Gu Gui Ren's words. She stood up and bowed respectfully to Gu Gui Ren, "Thank you sister for reminding me, I will repay your kindness someday."
"Sister, why be polite? We entered the palace together to participate in the selection, and we live together in this Yonghe Palace. This is fate, and we should take care of each other, shouldn't we? With children, we will have something to rely on."
Ma Jia nodded, the emperor has passed his heavenly years, even if he is favored, how long can he last? It's better to seize the time and have a child properly. "Sister is right."
……
As for Jingyang Palace, Yu Fei Geng Shi, who lived in the main hall, had stopped her rivalry with Xi Gui Fei and did not want to create unnecessary karma. Moreover, Lu was often at Dong E's side, and since she wasn't one to love trouble, he also took the opportunity to mention a couple of words.
Jinlu handed her a cup of hot tea and asked: "Master, why bother reminding him kindly, others may not appreciate it."
Yu Fei took the tea cup and sipped it lightly, saying: "I don't need her to lead the way. Haven't you seen how the Emperor has treated Ning Pin in the past two years since Hai Gui Ren left Yangxi Palace? After all, she lives in my Jingyang Palace, if something happens to her, I will be responsible." Moreover, she didn't want to compete with Xi Gui Fei, but couldn't let Hong Li have only one healthy brother, Hong Xiao. Otherwise, Hong Xiao's future days would be spent in anxiety and fear...
In this way, the Empress Dowager Xi had been in a state of anxiety and irritability for some time, with her hands not even having the chance to get what she wanted. Added to this was the heavy workload of palace affairs, and she being someone who loved to grasp power, it was inevitable that from time to time she would have headaches and waist pains. Qin Mama said that during the earthquake she had not taken good care of herself, wanting her to take some time off to rest and recover, but she did not want to give up any of her power to the other palace consorts, so things dragged on like this.
In the ninth year of Yongzheng, August, the fleet that had been out at sea for three years and six months returned. Yunzhu heard the news and rushed to the Fuca house with Hongli, seeing Fu Yu who was obviously taller and thinner than before, she couldn't help but rush over, but was caught by Hongli who quickly followed behind her, holding her in his arms and not letting her throw herself at him. "Seventh brother, sixth brother," she cried and laughed, "you're back!"
"Yes, she's back." Fu Yu's eyes were also slightly moist as he looked at his sister, who was leaning against the Fourth Prince's chest like a flower. His heart felt warm and fuzzy. Those who had never crossed the ocean would never understand the kind of fear and unease that came with being in the vast sea without seeing the shore. They would never experience the danger of battling storms at sea. But what was even more terrifying was illness. Some illnesses couldn't be cured by simply taking medicine. If it hadn't been for the yulan fruit his sister had given him, he and Sixth Brother, as well as several of their clan brothers and Chen Hongyi, wouldn't have made it back safely!
"It's been years since we last met, you've grown taller and more beautiful! How is the Fourth Prince treating you? If he's not good to you, I'll beat him up." Fu Yu couldn't bear to see Hong Li's tears, so she pulled her sister out, wiped away her tears that were welling up like a broken thread, and suppressed the urge to hug her tightly, having loved and protected her little sister since they were young.
Hongli rubbed his nose, crying and laughing helplessly. If he wanted to scold someone, it wouldn't be their turn anyway. The few people in this house were enough for him to suffer from, let alone with Fu Heng, a tiger-like figure, watching by his side.
"Alright, isn't everything fine? You're laughing and crying at the same time, teasing Fourth Brother." Fu Guangcheng walked over with a smile and said, "Hurry up and go inside to wash your face, I'll make something delicious for Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother."
After Yunzhu's grand wedding, the people in Fucha's household who had the most grievances were those who could hardly ever taste their sister's delicious dishes again... In the past, during festivals or occasional gatherings of women at home, they could still get a taste, but after Yunzhu entered the palace, this privilege was gone.
"Sister, I didn't see you so excited even when I came back from the northwest." Fu Heng also walked over, looking very pleased. Also pleased was Hong Li, looking at these big and small uncles, ordering around and showing off, enough already, Yunzhu is mine!
Unfortunately, he only dared to shout this in his heart. The wife who returned to the viscount's mansion was not Si Fu Jin but rather Fucha Yunzhu. To be honest, Hongli still envied the warmth of this family deep down, feeling that this was what a family should be like, unlike other families where people entered the inner courtyard and were still concerned with their different identities and statuses.
"The art of war and archery is something you've been good at since primary school, if anything happens now it's just that your skills are not refined, I'd be too ashamed. Besides, General Yue and your brother-in-law are here, what could possibly happen." Yunzhu glared at him and supported Lingzhou into the house to wash up.
When he came out, he unexpectedly saw the Yongzheng Emperor. "Huang Ama," Yunzhu paid his respects to him, knowing that he must have come out to see Hongshi, who had been renamed Chen Hongyi.
"Get up, your eyes are red like a rabbit's." Yongzheng teased, "I allow you to stay at your mother's house for one night and return to the palace tomorrow, are you happy now?"
"Thank you, Mother!" Yunzhu was indeed delighted. "Mother, please come in and take a seat. I'll go cook some dishes for everyone."
"All right, I owe this to your brother's good fortune." Yongzheng was very pleased.
Fu Xin and Fu Yu both said they did not dare.
Xin Yi Wu has always maintained the appearance of Yun Zhu before her marriage, and every day someone cleans the house. Gua Er Jia Shi is still smiling and letting Li Er Jia (Qing Xuan) bring Ling Shuai to see if there's anything else that needs to be prepared. Li Rong Bao secretly sent someone to invite Chen Hong Yi, who also has property in Beijing and is currently in Beijing. After a few days, he will sort out the things brought back from overseas before returning to Hai Ning.
The men went into the hall to talk, while Madame Gualgi led several daughters-in-law to prepare for the banquet and went to the kitchen, where everyone tacitly handed over to Yunzhu.
After a while, Chen Hongyi arrived, and Yongzheng, Hongli, Li Rongbao, Fu Xin and Fu Yu moved to the study room to talk.
A good memory is not as good as a bad pen. The Fu family had cultivated this habit for a long time, and after going to sea, all the things they saw and heard were recorded in books. The political, economic, military and other information of the Asian and European countries that the fleet passed through were also carefully recorded and classified. At this time, it was taken out and presented to Yongzheng. "This data is compiled and sorted by the slaves on the ship based on everyone's gains."
A whole sandalwood box, wrapped in a layer of iron skin outside and another layer of oil paper inside. The first thing Yongzheng saw was an ocean map, which marked the various countries they had passed through, including Britain, France, Italy...
Chen Hongyi said: "We pay special attention to collecting topographic maps of their countries along the way, whether they are oceans or lands... Those materials are also available in Caomin's place, and Caomin has ordered someone to send them to the imperial palace."
Yongzheng looked at him with a complex gaze, Chen Hongyi turned his head to one side, in front of Hongli he would not call him "A Ma". Being expelled from the imperial clan, being adopted and the grievances that came with it, he could never forget.
Although the father and son have shown their emotions and admitted their mistakes to each other, it's still a bit embarrassing to show "filial piety" or "deep father-son relationship" afterwards... Face-saving is still important.
Hongli's expression was strange, his third brother... really didn't know what to say. If Yunzhu were here, she would think of a modern word, "tsundere".
"You've done a good job." Yongzheng smiled faintly and flipped through the documents, "I'll take these back to review."
Fu Xin personally went to fetch a stack of account books, "This is the goods that the slaves brought back from trade and exchange, please Your Majesty take a look." Hmm, it's impossible for people not to have private motives, the gifts they brought for their family members didn't fall on the surface, inside there were some precious stones and seeds specially collected for Yunzhu. As for the supplies prepared for going out to sea, Yunzhu also contributed, calculated in the total assets of the fleet without being separated, but the share occupied was recorded very clearly in the account book.
Yongzheng took one look and was either mentally prepared or shocked by the fact that those mediocre porcelain, tea leaves, and silk from the Qing dynasty could be exchanged for so many spices, ivory, gems, gold, as well as foreign clocks, decorations, and local products?!
These things, he had also been in contact with when he was a prince, and knew their value on the market.
It's no wonder that those merchants flocked to it, and it's no wonder that foreigners wanted to expand their influence to the ocean. Yongzheng was deeply wary of the Portuguese who had occupied Macau for the first time. For so many years, how much gold did the Portuguese make from the Qing Dynasty through Macau?
The current economic situation is making Yongzheng feel a bit painful, but compared to tariffs, the money earned from trade is more, and Macau must be taken back!
"Your Majesty, this time at sea, I have discovered that our Qing dynasty is actually far behind in terms of naval power. Many countries, such as Britain and Portugal, have extended their influence through their navies and maritime trade to all parts of the world, plundering gold, silver, and jewels back to their own countries... Some countries' navies even disguise themselves as pirates, robbing merchant ships passing through certain waters... These advanced nations also use something called 'opium' to extort money from other countries, weakening their fighting strength, slowly turning them into colonies..."
The emperors all understand that the way to govern a country is to be saintly on the outside and kingly on the inside, but relying solely on what scholars say about benevolence, righteousness, and etiquette is completely impractical. However, this kind of straightforward and unadorned behavior has truly opened Yongzheng's eyes - it turns out that the outside world is so fierce! This train of thought did not reveal itself on the surface, but Chen Hongyi continued to speak: "Although they act secretly, we can still observe their actions. For some powerful countries, they initially enter under the guise of traveling, preaching, or trading, while spreading their teachings and gathering information about the country. They collect useful materials, such as strong horses, war knives, cannons, seeds, and maps... In the travelogues they send back, our Qing dynasty is described as a paradise, where gold can be found everywhere..."
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng Hongli hummed in agreement and recalled the incident of expelling many missionaries during the fifth year of his reign. He felt a bit relieved and decided that from now on, whenever these missionaries returned to China, he would instruct customs officials to inspect them thoroughly, multiple times if necessary, to ensure they did not bring out any books, documents, or even small items belonging to the Qing dynasty.
As for opium, it had been strictly prohibited two years ago. However, Yongzheng decided to send someone to investigate Su Liangpeng, the Guangdong general who had submitted a memorial explaining the harm of opium smoking at that time. If he performed well over the next three years and passed the triennial evaluation, he would be given a promotion and his rank would be raised.
Although his proposal to "block the entry channels and strictly prohibit foreign merchants" was somewhat closed-minded and short-sighted at that time, he can also be considered a bold person who immediately petitioned the imperial court as soon as he discovered the harm of opium without being numb. This is very good.
Li Rongbao listened quietly beside her, his heart heavy with emotion. He still remembered the words Yunzhu had spoken a few years ago, and she had hit on every single one of them!
"Your Majesty, the meal is ready. Shall we begin?"
Yongzheng looked at the crowd, stood up and said: "First eat, after two days, I will look through these" he pointed to several boxes of materials, "and then declare you enter the palace to speak."
"Hmm."
