The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 183 The butt determines the head
In accordance with Yinyou's request, Kangxi called He Yi, the most senior minister in charge of the Imperial Household Department, to his side.

"He Yi, let me ask you something. There is such a deal. Not only will the Ministry of Internal Affairs not lose money, but it will earn twice as much money for Khan Ama. Do you dare to do it?" Yinyu deliberately dug a big trap for He Yi in front of Kangxi.

In front of the emperor, even if He Yi had eight hundred times the courage, how could he dare to refuse to make money for the emperor?

"Master Fifteen, look at what you said. As long as there is such a good thing, I will naturally be overjoyed!"

He Yi had been working in the Imperial Household Department for more than ten years and had become extremely slick. He was also prepared to guard against Yinyou setting a trap for him.

However, He Yi could never have expected that as long as he stood in front of Kangxi, he would be doomed to lose!

The principle of the fox borrowing the power of the tiger to bully others is something that Yinyou, a veteran who was born as a chief secretary, is well versed in!
In front of Kangxi, Yinyou told Heyi his thoughts.

When He Yi heard this, he was surprised. What? They were trying to snatch food from the Guangzhou Customs Supervision Office. How could this be tolerated?
If He Yi agreed to this, it would be difficult for him to survive in the Imperial Household Department.

The number of officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs has always been increasing. Moreover, the profit from purchasing nanmu is so great, who would be willing to give it up?
Now, Yinyou actually wants foreign merchants to help purchase nanmu. Isn’t this going to cost Heyi his life?
"Fifteenth Master, foreigners can never be trusted. They are all disloyal barbarians..." He Yi did not dare to let go and began to criticize the foreigners.

In front of Kangxi, Yinyu naturally had to show the demeanor of a prince. He patiently listened to He Yi's complaints, and then asked He Yi coldly: "According to what you said, Baohedian will not be renovated?"

When this big hat was put on, He Yi immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

The imperial court did have 4000 million taels of silver in the treasury, but this was the basic clout that the fourth brother had accumulated with great difficulty, having offended many people without recognizing his relatives.

This kind of silver in the treasury would not have been spent indiscriminately unless there was a large-scale rebellion, a war with the Dzungars, or a major breach of the Yellow River.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs budgeted at least five million taels for the reconstruction of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, of which at least 70% was spent on purchasing nanmu wood from Southeast Asia.

In fact, how much were the craftsmen employed by the Imperial Household Department paid?
The point is that the nanmu purchased from outside is too expensive.

"Fifteenth Master, I didn't say that I wouldn't renovate the Baohe Hall. What I meant was that the people below are all the emperor's bondservants. Even if they have no merits, they have worked hard. We can't let them feel disappointed!" While He Yi was trying his best to distance himself from the matter, he also wanted to arouse Kangxi's sympathy.

To be honest, the butt determines the head!

In the past, when Yinyou was the Grand Eunuch, he would definitely speak in favor of the Imperial Household Department.

It is different now. The Ministry of Works is in charge of large-scale projects, including the Baohedian Hall.

If the construction period was delayed and Kangxi lost face, Yinyou, as the prince in charge of the Ministry of Works, would be duty-bound and would certainly be scolded.

If you get scolded, you should always exchange it for something beneficial to yourself, right?
However, all the benefits were taken away by corrupt officials in the Imperial Household Department, while Yinyou himself did not get any benefit at all and was even scolded by Kangxi. How could he agree to this?
"Heyi, if the reconstruction work is delayed and Khan Ama loses face in front of all the officials in the world, you will take full responsibility?" Yinyou did not want to fight corruption, but he just did not want to take the blame for the rats.

The fourth brother couldn't stand it any longer. He snorted, "There's no Nanmu in China. How much money do you plan to spend to buy it in Southeast Asia?"

This is still the case where the butt decides the head!
The fourth brother was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. Rebuilding the Baohe Hall was important, but if the cost exceeded the limit, he would have to tear down the east wall to repair the west wall. In the end, the fourth brother was in a dilemma.

When it comes to the silver, He Yi really has no way to cover up his lie, so he can only repeat the same old tune: "The construction of palaces and halls can only be procured by the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

As soon as he said this, Yinwei just kept looking at Kangxi and simply kept silent.

How could Kangxi not understand Yinyu’s temper?
What Yinyou meant was that the entire Qing Dynasty belongs to you anyway, so if you are willing to be slaughtered like a fat sheep by the Imperial Household Department, please give me a definite answer, right?

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is totally in the wrong regarding the purchase of nanmu!
Kangxi endured it again and again, but finally couldn't bear it anymore, so he said coldly: "He Yi, does it really cost more than three million taels of silver to purchase Nanyang nanmu?"

As an old official in the Imperial Household Department, He Yi was well versed in accounting. He calculated the transportation costs, overseas ship fees, and meal expenses along the way, and found that three million taels of silver were not enough to spend!
"Little Fifteen, if we entrust the purchase to foreign merchants, how much silver will it cost?" Kangxi turned his head and asked Yinyou again.

Yinyu pretended not to see He Yi's pleading eyes, and said calmly: "At best, it is the total tax revenue of the Guangzhou Customs Supervision Office in one year!"

"Zizi..." Kangxi took a breath of cold air. He actually saved dozens of times the investment. Isn't this too exaggerated?
This involves a global perspective!
Foreign merchants came from far away to do business in the Qing Dynasty just for the profit.

However, the Guangzhou Customs Supervision Office did not even have a clear tax list. Zhang San casually charged 100 taels, and Li Si dared to charge 1,000 taels.

Yinyou's proposal was very targeted. The foreign merchants would receive nanmu in one hand and tax-free treatment for the ship's cargo in the other. It was simple to implement and easy to control.

Besides, using nanmu to pay taxes is exactly what the court needs, killing two birds with one stone!

Of course, the fourth prince saved a huge amount of money, Kangxi rebuilt the Baohe Hall, and Yinyou gained a good impression from Zhiyang, so everyone was happy!
However, the only government office that suffered heavy losses was the Imperial Household Department.

The complexity of the Imperial Household Department lies in the fact that almost all the officials therein are the emperor's personal servants!

Kangxi understood the principle that an emperor does not need hungry soldiers when he was eight years old!

Liu Bang's Peixian people, Zhuge Liang's Huaixi people, and Kangxi's Imperial Household Department are all of roughly the same nature!

"Well, this is the only time, and it won't happen again. After all, the Baohe Hall must be rebuilt as soon as possible, we can't wait any longer!" Kangxi also felt that the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were too greedy, and he had to take the opportunity to punish them through Yinyu. "This..." He Yi's scalp tingled, he really didn't know how to give a reasonable explanation to his subordinates.

"What? You've taken advantage of my money so easily that you don't even want your head?" Kangxi was also furious, and said in a very unfriendly tone, "Call Zhang Tingyu and order him to draft an edict to let the Fourth Prince take charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs!"

My dear, if the fourth brother, who is accustomed to not recognizing his relatives, is allowed to take charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then we will all be left with nothing!

There is no way He Yi doesn't understand the principle of choosing the lesser of two evils!

"Huh!" He Yi was forced to lower his head and accepted the huge loss with a pinch of his nose.

For the old Imperial Household Department, if they earn less, they will suffer a big loss!

After coming out of the Qianqing Palace, the fourth brother cursed angrily: "These dogs are too greedy!"

"Yeah, these rats are willing to sacrifice their lives just for a little money!"

Yinyou agreed with the fourth prince verbally, but he knew better than anyone that after the fourth prince ascended the throne, the Imperial Household Department would be just as greedy.

This person’s mouth can lie, but his butt determines his head.

After the fourth prince became emperor, all the people in the Imperial Household Department became his slaves.

It is easy for this person to affect other people's interests, but it is extremely difficult to affect his own interests, almost impossible!

However, the pilot measures of equalizing the land tax, maintaining integrity and requiring the gentry to perform duties and pay taxes together objectively reduced the tax burden on the common people and can be regarded as good governance!

There is only one criterion for judging whether a policy is good or not: whether it truly reduces the burden on the cattle and horses!
The fourth brother had a bunch of things to deal with at the Ministry of Revenue, so he made an appointment with Yinyou to host a banquet at the Prince's Mansion in the evening to entertain Yinyou, the newly promoted prince.

After parting with the fourth son, Yinyu had just walked to the front of Longzong's gate when he saw Longkodo trotting up to him, shaking his head and saying, "Commander of the Infantry, I am Longkodo, and wish you the best of times, Prince Yu!"

In the Qing Dynasty, only the lords who had Niulu and above the rank of Prince were the real masters.

Among the royal titles of the Qing Dynasty, Beile and Beizi could only be considered as minor kings.

Princes and dukes are the real princes!
Not to mention anything else, the treatment between a prince and a beile is simply incomparable.

Longkodo is smarter than anyone else. Prince Yu must be more valuable than Prince Fifteen!
"Old Third Long, it's been a while since we last met, right?" Yinyou deliberately reminded Longkodo that the situation in the capital should be reported in a timely manner.

"Your Majesty, I am planning to go to your palace and report back slowly!" Longkodo bent his waist, more obedient than his grandson.

Longkodo was Yinyou's direct subordinate, so it would definitely have no impact if Yinyou took him back home.

Besides, after Kangxi deposed the crown prince for the second time, the people he was worried about became the princes who were the leaders of the banners and the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Fourteenth Princes.

Only when Yinyou was outside the palace and Changchun Garden and had certain military power could Kangxi sleep peacefully.

No matter what, the deposed crown prince is Kangxi's biggest and most deadly threat!

As long as Kangxi was killed, the prince could legitimately inherit the throne.

No matter how powerful Lao Ba and his men are, they still lack a lot in terms of righteousness.

As soon as Yinyou showed up in front of the palace's hanging flower gate, Cuiqing led all the women in the palace to kneel down and salute.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty!"

Obviously, Cuiqing and the others already knew the good news that the man was on the rise.

"That's it!"

Yinyu walked up to the wet nurses who were holding his two daughters, took the two daughters from their hands, and held them tightly in his arms.

Coincidentally, there were two little princesses in the palace, while the one outside was little Fu Peng with a gun.

According to the rules of the Qing Dynasty Code, since Yinyu became a prince, the second daughter of his first wife Cuiqing was given the title of Duoluo Gege (County Princess), while the eldest daughter of his second wife Huixiang could only be given the title of Gushan Gege (County Lady).

"Come on, tell the accountant that all the officials and servants in the mansion will be rewarded double their salaries this month."

Yinyou had just acquired 100,000 acres of imperial farmland and 100,000 taels of silver, so he had to spend some money to let the people in the palace share in the profits!
PS: I replied late, but I finally managed to send you three updates. Please give me some monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)