The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 52: Ministers, Drafting an Imperial Edict

Yinyu smiled and said, "Fourth brother, these are all matters you arranged. What does it have to do with me?"

The fourth brother was stunned. He looked at Yinyu carefully and said tentatively, "Don't joke. I just know that this happened. Isn't it all your credit?"

Yinyu said seriously: "Fourth brother, without your support, how could I have accomplished such a big thing in just three months? Besides, I only made some small suggestions. The real big decision is still you!"

If the fourth brother was still skeptical about Yinyou before, after Yinyou took the initiative to give up the credit, he had dispelled more than 80% of his doubts.

The reason is actually very simple. If Yinyou had ambitions, how could he not show off his achievements in front of Kangxi after accomplishing such a great thing?

The fourth prince himself was just a small prince in charge of a department. Could he confer the title of prince on Yinyou, or make him a cabinet minister?
"Fifteenth brother, I have my own ideas, so you don't need to say more!" The fourth brother raised his hand to stop Yinyou from explaining further.

In the imperial court, as long as the fourth prince understood Yinyou's sincerity and knew that his position was as solid as a rock, nothing else mattered.

Originally, Yinyu thought that the fourth prince would most likely make some plans and find a suitable time to report to Kangxi.

Unexpectedly, not long after Yinyu left, the fourth prince came into the Qianqing Palace with a sign and Yinyu's fruitful achievements.

Kangxi was speechless for a long time after reading the extremely clear and easy-to-check general ledger of the Ministry of Revenue and the separate ledgers of each province.

"Khan Father, this is all thanks to my fifteenth brother." The fourth brother knew Kangxi's temper very well. He was afraid that he would discriminate against Yinyou, so he deliberately emphasized it.

"You have been working for many years, and have been diligent in the king's affairs. You are also proficient in government affairs and familiar with the malpractices of various government offices. Without your support, what great things can he accomplish at such a young age?" Kangxi suddenly frowned and said coldly, "Kneel down and pay your respects."

"Khan Ama..." The fourth brother wanted to say a few words for Yinyu, but Kangxi emphasized his tone and scolded, "Kneel down!"

In the end, the fourth brother did not have the courage to confront Kangxi in person, so he had to go out dejectedly.

The sky gradually darkened, but Liang Jiugong, who was serving on the side, kept bending over and dared not breathe.

It was because Kangxi sat there motionless for more than an hour, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

However, Liang Jiugong had a vague idea in his mind that the Emperor was in a bad mood, and it must be because of the matter of the Fifteenth Master.

"Alas, what a pity, what a pity, what a pity..." Kangxi suddenly sighed, "Zhu Biao and Lan Yu, destined to be enemies."

Liang Jiugong was so frightened that his liver was trembling. He lowered his head, closed his mouth tightly, and his legs were shaking slightly uncontrollably.

At this moment, Liang Jiugong wished he could ride on a fairy cloud and escape from the west warm pavilion of the Qianqing Palace immediately.

Who is sorry?

Liang Jiugong thought with his feet and knew that it must be a pity for the Fifteenth Master!

What a pity?

Who asked the Fifteenth Master’s biological mother to be, unfortunately, a Han woman, rather than a Banner woman?

Alas, the Fifteenth Master was born in the wrong womb, but he is a genius. His Majesty must be feeling very sad!
When Liang Jiugong was daydreaming, Kangxi suddenly asked him: "Liang Jiugong, have you read the history of Ming Dynasty?"

Liang Jiugong is the godson of the former Imperial Palace Super-General, Consultant Xing, who was also the Chinese culture teacher for young Kangxi.

Therefore, Liang Jiugong was not only literate, but also had a high level of cultural literacy. Otherwise, it would not have been his turn to issue Kangxi's decree.

"Your Majesty, there were too many incompetent emperors in the former Ming Dynasty. From the bottom of my heart, I don't like to read the history of the Ming Dynasty."

Liang Jiugong did not dare to hesitate at all and decisively responded to Kangxi's test.

Kangxi was so absorbed in thought just now that he let something slip inadvertently. How could Liang Jiugong not know about it?

But Liang Jiugong was confused and said that he had read the history of Ming Dynasty.

Haha, the dry well behind the Fengxian Hall was his burial place in a flash. "Oh, when you have free time, you should read more Ming history!" Kangxi ordered calmly.

Liang Jiugong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stabbed a deep thousand, and whispered: "Yeah."

Kangxi turned his head and looked out the window, without delving into whether Liang Jiugong was telling the truth.

Liang Jiugong secretly let out a long sigh, it was a close call, luckily the Emperor was nostalgic, otherwise, he would have lost his head!
In fact, Liang Jiugong knew very well that not long after Zhu Biao's death, Lan Yu's entire family and his disciples and former officials, totaling tens of thousands of people, were massacred by Zhu Yuanzhang.

So the question is, who is Zhu Biao referring to? And who is Lan Yu?
Liang Jiugong pursed his lips. The multiple-choice question that he had hesitated about for a long time finally had a clear answer.

"Call Zhang Tingyu!" Kangxi took a deep breath and suddenly began to give orders.

Liang Jiugong was extremely grateful that God had opened his eyes and allowed him to escape.

He clearly wanted to turn around and run, but he held his breath, walked at a leisurely pace, maintaining his usual pace, and left the West Warm Pavilion without any abnormality.

Not long after, Zhang Tingyu, who had been on duty in the South Study, hurried to the West Warm Pavilion.

"Minister Heng, draft an imperial decree. For the meritorious service of giving birth to the heir to the Emperor, Concubine Wang should be promoted to the rank of Concubine Mi, and be enlisted in the Bordered Yellow Banner Manchuria... Forget it, forget it, forget it, I won't promote her, I won't promote her, alas."

Zhang Tingyu, kneeling in front of the small desk, clearly felt that the emperor was more upset than ever before.

"Mr. Heng, please draft another decree. The fourth prince Yinzhen has made great contributions to the court and is promoted to Prince of Yong." Kangxi hesitated for a while before speaking slowly.

Zhang Tingyu had just picked up the pen when he unexpectedly saw Kangxi causing trouble again.

"Minister Heng, draft a new decree. The eldest son Yinzhi and the third son Yinzhi will both be awarded the double salary of a county prince. The fourth son Yinzhen, the fifth son Yinqi, the seventh son Yinyou, and the eighth son Yinsi will all be awarded the salary of a county prince. This is decreed."

Kangxi hesitated and spoke incoherently for more than half an hour before finally finishing his words.

Just from the emperor's indecision and several unprecedented twists and turns, how could Zhang Tingyu, who is as perceptive as a monkey, not understand?
In order to protect the fourth son, the emperor deliberately brought out all six sons and rewarded them.

Everyone has a share, so it’s hard to tell who Kangxi favors.

Thinking of what Kangxi had once muttered to himself about the secret succession, Zhang Tingyu's heart began to beat like a drum.

What my father Zhang Ying said is right, only wealth that is passed down from generation to generation is real wealth!
After the decree was passed down, the fourth son immediately went to find Yinyu, rubbing his hands, and said with extreme shame: "Alas, this matter was caused by you, and you made great efforts, but I took advantage of it. This is not right, it is really not right!"

Yinyu saw the sincerity of the fourth brother and was somewhat moved. He smiled and said, "My mother was only a concubine before. Now, she has been promoted to the position of Concubine Mi. I am actually very satisfied."

Kangxi's intention was very clear. He wanted to use the promotion of Concubine Di to compensate Yinyou for his great contributions.

In the Qing Dynasty, it was common for officials to confer titles on their wives and children or their parents after they had made meritorious services.

However, Yinyou’s situation was rather special. His biological father was the emperor, so he could only confer a higher title on his biological mother.

According to the Qing Dynasty's system of inner court ladies, concubine was an extremely important watershed.

Because only women in the inner palace who are concubines or above are qualified to be called "Empress"!
Moreover, a concubine has an extremely important privilege: during festivals, the direct female relatives of the family can pass a card into the palace so that the closest relatives can have a brief reunion.

This means that Yinyou’s maternal grandfather, Wang Guozheng, was likely transferred to the capital to work.

If he is lucky, Wang Guozheng might even get an honorary title of fourth rank or above.

After all, the wives of officials below the fourth rank had titles that were too low and were not qualified to enter the palace.

The fourth brother looked at Yinyou carefully and found that he showed no signs of being wronged, so he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Fifteenth brother, don't worry. Whatever I have, you will have." The fourth brother said resolutely, "I must give you half of my salary. It's settled. You are not allowed to refuse!"

(End of this chapter)