The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 206 A Big Incident in the Cold Palace

Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince sat in the middle.

Ekesun, Heshou and Zhang Boxing were all high-ranking officials, and they sat on both sides.

Cao Yong did not have the title of a third-rank Tongzhengshi, but was merely a fifth-rank Langzhong. He could only lead the men of the Cao family and stand there obediently.

Yinyu drank a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then asked Cao Yong calmly, "Fu Ruo, what arrangements have you made for your family?"

The main task of the Jiangning Weaving Office was to supply the fabrics needed by the palace. No matter how well the task was done, it was a matter that Kangxi needed to pay attention to and had nothing to do with Yinyou.

Therefore, Yinyou was asking about the Cao family's family affairs, not the official business of the weaving office.

In terms of superficial relationship, Yinyou and Cao Yong were master and servant who had nothing in common.

However, Cao Yong is indeed Xiao Fupeng's biological uncle, and can barely be considered Yinyu's quasi-brother-in-law!
With Cao Jia's careful education, when little Fupeng inherits the title in the future, the seventeen Niulu controlled by Prince Ping's Mansion will not be able to escape from Yinwei's control.

This matter was of great importance, and in order to win over Cao Jia, Yinyu naturally had to look at Cao Yong differently.

Cao Yong bowed and said respectfully, "In reply to Prince Yu, my mother will decide all my family affairs."

Yinyou found out that Cao Yong was a typical mama's boy who obeyed the instructions of Cao Yin's widow, Li, on all household chores.

More importantly, until Cao Yin's death, the Cao family still owed the national treasury 690,000 taels of silver.

Such a big thing, but Cao Yong didn't mention a word in front of Yinyou. What a fool!

He Shou, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, was an old official in the Imperial Household Department. He knew very well that the Cao family owed a lot of money.

He Shou knew the whole thing clearly. Yinyou deliberately asked him about family affairs, obviously wanting to protect the Cao family.

However, Cao Yong simply could not understand the subtext that Yinyou was not willing to say openly.

This boy's talent is far inferior to that of the quick-witted Cao Yin.

Since He Shou could see it, Zhang Boxing and Eksun were no ordinary people, they must be able to see it too.

Zhang Boxing was a rather aloof person. His private evaluation of Cao Yong was just five harsh words: a tiger father and a rat son!

Yinyou was too lazy to ask Cao Yong any more questions, so he turned his head and looked at the Sixteenth Old Man.

The Sixteenth Brother, who had been silent the whole time, said calmly, "My fifteenth brother and I have come from a long way, and we are exhausted!"

Ekesun quickly took Heshou and Zhang Boxing and stood up to take his leave!
After all the outsiders had left, Old Sixteen waved his hand again and drove all the extra members of the Cao family out of the house.

Cao Yong was the only one left in the room, so Yinyu said amiably, "Since there are no outsiders here, sit down and talk."

"Hmm." Cao Yong breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that at least he did not lose too much face.

In fact, Lao Shiliu's view of Cao Yong was roughly the same as Zhang Boxing's, both of which were extremely negative.

However, for the sake of Yinyou's face, the Sixteenth Prince couldn't say anything.

After Cao Yong sat firmly in his seat, Yinyou asked him gently, "Your father owes a huge sum of money to the national treasury. I wonder when Fu Ruo plans to pay it back?" Because Kangxi remembered their old friendship, it was impossible for him to make things difficult for Cao Yong, the only son of Cao Yin. Naturally, everything could be discussed.

When Yongzheng comes to power, hehe, he will have to handle official matters impartially without regard to relatives or friends!
In the family letter Cao Jia wrote to Cao Yong, it was impossible for her to mention the private affair. However, she also made it clear that Yinyu was a completely trustworthy supporter of the Cao family.

Cao Yong was really troubled by the mess left by Cao Yin and had no idea how to deal with it.

He sighed and said, "To be honest, my father couldn't solve this problem, so I really don't have any good solution."

Cao Yong was still too naive, and his little thoughts were obvious: If the emperor had not stayed at Cao's house many times during his southern tour, the Cao family would not have owed so much silver!

This kind of complaint that one dares not express out loud is both right and wrong!
When Kangxi moved into the Cao family's home, Cao Yin provided support at all costs, which indeed caused a huge loss to the Cao family.

However, Kangxi also took good care of Cao Yin and let him and Li Xu take turns serving as the Imperial Censor of Lianghuai Salt.

The Imperial Censor of Lianghuai Salt Administration was the most lucrative position in the Qing Dynasty, and his status was equivalent to that of the head of a tobacco company.

However, the debt was only a few hundred thousand taels, but Cao Yin, who was guarding a treasure pot, had been in deficit until now.

This is not a question of moral character, but a lack of ability!
Yinyou was an old state-owned enterprise. What he saw most often was: the temple was ruined, but the abbot's family became rich.

This guy Cao Yin is proficient in poetry and songs, but he is not a qualified abbot!

Why didn’t Kangxi choose the third son to succeed him?
In essence, the third brother is only good at talking big but not doing practical things. In this sense, the third brother and Cao Yin are quite similar.

Cao Yong is really like an idiot. With such a great opportunity right at his fingertips, he just sits there dejectedly and plays badly!

Yinyou was too lazy to pay attention to him, so he called Li Ding and asked him to take Cao Yong away.

Cao Yong's biological mother, Li, is Li Ding's cousin. They are cousins, so it should be easier for them to get along, right?

After Li Ding took Cao Yong out, Old Sixteen shook his head and sighed, "Cao Ziqing actually had such a fool. Alas, no wonder some people say that wealth cannot last for more than three generations. It's really true!"

Yinyou smiled silently. The luck of the Qing Dynasty was not just good, nor medium good, but extremely good!

Of the five consecutive monarchs after the Later Jin Dynasty was transformed into the Qing Dynasty, except for Shunzhi who was a little mediocre, the other four emperors were all very powerful.

However, starting from Emperor Jiaqing, the Qing Dynasty's good luck was gradually exhausted.

What's worse, the Empress Dowager Cixi, out of her own selfish desires, established two child emperors, which directly destroyed the Qing Dynasty's foundation of nearly three hundred years.

The Sixteenth Prince curiously asked Yinyu, "Brother, how are you going to deal with the Cao family?"

Yinyu smiled slightly and said, "Wait for changes!"

"Wait for change?" The Sixteenth Elder thought for a moment and understood what Yinyu meant. He smiled and said, "What a great way to wait for change. How wonderful!"

As long as Kangxi was still alive, considering the close relationship between him and Cao Yin, as both monarch and subject, and as friends, even if the Cao family's debt doubled, it would not be a big deal!
There are no things much ado about!
The Qing Dynasty is Kangxi's Qing Dynasty. Even Kangxi didn't want to get into the details, so why should Yinyou meddle in other people's business?

After arranging Cao Yin's funeral, Yinyou found an excuse to leave Jiangning and inspect military affairs in various places in Jiangnan.

The Sixteenth Prince took charge of the affairs in Jiangning on his own.

When Yinyu had almost finished his tour of Jiangnan and returned to Jiangning, the gate had been cleared.

All those ungrateful people were killed by Yinyu under various excuses.

It has always been Yinyu's experience that if you do take action, you should either not take action at all or do it thoroughly to avoid future troubles.

Disunity within an organization is the real taboo!
After Yinyou returned to Jiangning, he was surprised to find that the Sixteenth Prince had already seized more than two million taels of silver from the property of the great scholars in Jiangnan.

The Sixteenth Brother said happily, "Big Brother, you get 50%, Fourth Brother gets 30%, and Eighteenth Brother and I get 10% each. We are all happy!"

Yinyou nodded secretly, the sixteenth child has finally grown up!

On the seventh day, Cao Yin's funeral was officially held.

After offering sacrifices on the roadside, Yinyu and the Sixteenth Prince left Jiangning and returned to the capital by boat. Because a banquet for thousands of elders would be held for Kangxi's sixtieth birthday, and Yinyu and the Sixteenth Prince would definitely not be absent.

After returning to Beijing, Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince went to Changchun Garden to meet the emperor.

After hearing Yinyu's detailed report on the rectification of the abandoned military affairs in Jiangnan and the killings in various places to establish his authority, Kangxi not only did not become suspicious, but praised Yinyu greatly.

As peace lasted for a long time, the Eight Banners Army and the Green Camp Army in Jiangnan had become accustomed to a life of comfort and enjoyment and were no longer able to withstand a fight.

To be honest, the military affairs in Jiangnan should have been rectified long ago!

Kangxi really didn't care that Yinyou killed some low-ranking officers.

Kangxi approved Yinyou's application for a junior military officer without even looking at it!
Because the Sixteenth Prince made great contributions in his first mission, Emperor Kangxi only rewarded him with 5,000 acres of imperial farmland, but did not grant him any title.

On the way to Yinyu's house, the Sixteenth Old Man said with emotion: "My Eighth Brother is only a teenager, but he has been conferred the title of Beile. People are really different!"

However, Yinyou knew that as long as Kangxi used him, he would never promote the Sixteenth Prince.

How could it be possible that two brothers who were not successors could share the real power in the government?

It is not a good thing that Yinyu has too much power, because when the next monarch has no more rewards to offer, he will kill his brother!

In order to protect the lives and property of Yinyou and the Sixteenth Prince, Kangxi could not act recklessly.

Of course, the two brothers, the fourth and the fourteenth, are exceptions.

In the later years of Kangxi's reign, the fourth son managed the Ministry of Revenue for a long time, and the fourteenth son became a general with military power.

According to Yinyu's understanding, Kangxi obviously knew that the fourth brother's military ability was not good enough, and he hoped that his younger brother, the fourteenth brother, would assist him.

However, Kangxi never expected that after the fourth son ascended the throne, his four brothers all refused to obey him and he was forced to take drastic measures.

On the second day after Yinyou returned to Beijing, Zuodu Yushi Zhao Shenqiao submitted a memorial requesting Kangxi to enthrone a new prince.

Kangxi called Yinyu over, and after he finished reading Zhao Shenqiao's memorial, he asked calmly, "What do you think?"

Yinyou knew that no matter who was appointed as the new crown prince, Kangxi, whose right hand was weakened due to a stroke, would be worried and unable to sleep well.

"My Lord Khan, I think it is right not to appoint a crown prince!" Yinyou listed a lot of benefits of not appointing a crown prince.

Kangxi nodded frequently as he listened, and was very pleased.

"No one knows me better than Little Fifteen!" Kangxi was so happy that he spoke without restraint.

Yinyou's heart trembled suddenly, and he quickly explained: "Khan Ama, there is no outsider here. I just said something from my heart, and I have no intention of taking advantage of the emperor's majesty."

Are you kidding me?
Any important official who holds real power would be a fool if he did not try to guess Kangxi's thoughts in private!

However, in order to guess the boss's intention, one can only do it quietly, but cannot say it out loud.

This is where the hypocrisy of Confucianism lies.

The emperors of every dynasty have always used the Legalist's tyrannical approach to govern the country.

This is what is called being a sage outside and a king inside!

Kangxi was so happy that he waved his hands and said, "Father praises his beloved son, you don't have to worry too much!"

Yinyou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he defused the time bomb in time, he could let Kangxi praise him as much as he wanted.

Kangxi, who was nearly sixty years old, talked a lot and talked about the Banquet for a Thousand Old Men.

"I have invited elderly people from all over the country to come to Beijing for a banquet. This is indeed an unprecedented event. The only drawback is that the dishes are all cold. I am afraid that those elderly people cannot eat them." After Kangxi said this, Yinyou understood.

It would have been fine if Kangxi ate cold dishes every day, but he was worried that he would lose face in front of the old men in the world.

In fact, the imperial meal that Kangxi ate had rotten meat and vegetables, only a small part of the dishes were warm, and most of them were cold and not delicious at all.

Yinyou pretended to think about it and suggested, "Khan Ama, why not have a hot pot? No matter if it's meat or vegetables, put them all in the pot and eat them. It's steaming hot and warm, and you can also drink some hot soup."

Kangxi was a learned man after all. After listening to Yinyu's detailed introduction, he blurted out, "Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, used a five-cooked cauldron. Could it be this?"

"Khan Father is so wise!" Yinyu thought to himself that Kangxi had indeed read a lot of books and had extremely profound knowledge.

Kangxi looked at Yinyu and said, "The Imperial Household Department cannot do without you, why don't you take charge of it?"

Others who were in charge of the Imperial Household Department took the opportunity to make huge profits, but Yinyou, who did not want to make any dirty money, did not benefit at all.

Yinyu shook his head and said, "The Ministry of Personnel has a lot of affairs. I am so busy every day that I don't get home until very late."

Kangxi was almost laughed at by Yinyou. Isn't this just lying with open eyes?

As far as Kangxi knew, this cunning boy left the court on time every day. Moreover, the first thing Yinyu did when he returned home was to hold the two little princesses in his arms, and then have dinner with the beauties. He was very happy and carefree!

"No bargaining, it's settled!" Kangxi was worried about making a fool of himself at the Banquet for a Thousand Old Men, so he pulled Yinyou back to the Imperial Household Department.

In the eyes of others, the Chief of the Imperial Household Department is a top-notch position.

However, Yinyou felt that managing the Imperial Household Department was a tough job with little pay and lots of trouble.

However, since Kangxi had made the decision, Yinyou had no choice but to accept it.

When he was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and the Infantry Yamen, Yinyou could sleep until he woke up naturally, and no one dared to bother him.

It was different when he was on duty at the Imperial Household Department. If he didn’t go to the palace to take up his post, the other eunuchs would not be able to leave their offices.

In the early hours of the morning, Yinyou arrived in front of Xihua Gate in a sedan chair under the starlight.

Unexpectedly, just as Yinyou arrived at the yamen and had not yet officially taken up his post, he heard that someone had died in Jingqi Pavilion!
In the Qing Dynasty, there was no fixed cold palace. Anyway, as long as it was a secluded place, it could be a cold palace.

During the Shunzhi reign, the deposed empress was imprisoned in Jingyang Palace.

After entering this dynasty, Jingqi Pavilion became a special place for imprisoning concubines who made mistakes.

The women in the palace died, and most of them had shocking secrets behind them!

Yinyou didn't want to get into trouble at all, so he turned around and walked back before he even went on duty.

However, before he had gone far, Hai Zhang, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, caught up with him, panting.

"Your servant Hai...Hai Zhang, wishing the best of times, Prince Yu!" Hai Zhang was afraid that Yinwei would quit and leave, so he didn't even have time to catch his breath and rushed to pay his respects.

"Is there something?" Yinyou pretended to be ignorant even though he knew the truth and deliberately made things difficult for Haizhang.

Hai Zhang cursed Yin Yu in his heart, but said: "Your servant is here to welcome you, Your Majesty, to take up your post!"

Yinyu thought to himself, you little dog slave, you are obviously afraid of trouble and want to drag me into it!
(End of this chapter)