The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 99 The Fish Has Been Hooked (Additional Update, Please Give Me a Monthly Ticket)

Kangxi suffered a stroke, and his right hand, which was originally very flexible, had difficulty lifting a pen to write.

There was no other choice, so Kangxi was forced to use his left hand to mark the test papers.

In essence, Kangxi controlled the vast territory of the Qing Dynasty mainly through memorials submitted from various places and government offices, supplemented by secret memorials.

Since Kangxi took power, the cabinet has held half of the voting power, the other half is shared by the Ministry of Clan Affairs and the Council of State Affairs, while the power of approval is firmly in the hands of the emperor.

The supreme imperial power must never be controlled by eunuchs. This is the lesson the Qing Dynasty learned from the Ming Dynasty.

When Yinyou entered the hall, he saw Zhang Tingyu kneeling in front of a small table, writing an excerpt from the inscription.

Asking the secretary, who was a Han official, to help summarize the central idea of the memorial was both a helpless move on Kangxi's part and one that also contained an element of innovation.

"Your Majesty, I, Yinyu, respectfully greet you!"

"Little Fifteen, you've come at the right time. The Yellow River has reached its summer flood season again. I'm very worried!" Kangxi put down the red brush in his left hand and looked at Yinyou with a smile.

Yinyu said, "Khan Ama, I have never treated floods before, so I dare not speak nonsense, lest it delay the national affairs."

History books have long recorded that people who rely on their favor to become arrogant and want to meddle in everything usually don't end up well.

Appropriately concealing one's shortcomings is the right way to serve the king.

In fact, Kangxi just said this as a gesture of favoring Yinyou, and he did not really expect Yinyou to be proficient in river management.

It was normal for Yinyu to be unable to answer. If he really knew how to manage the river, it would be suspicious of him being so smart that he was almost like a demon.

"Replying to Khan Ama, last night, there was a fire in the Xianfu Palace. Fortunately, it was discovered in time and only a few side halls were burned."

There was a fire in the palace, which was a very serious event. After Yinyu was ordered to investigate, he had to give a clear explanation.

"Prince Heta of Khoshuo Darhan has been restless behind the scenes, always flirting with the Junggars. Hengchen, please draft an imperial decree, and order the Xianfu Palace Princess Borjigit to be demoted to a concubine."

Princess Xianfu entered the palace very early and was deeply loved by the Empress Dowager, so when Kangxi came to Rehe this time, he brought her with him.

Who would have thought that just a few days after arriving, there would be a serious consequence of a fire. If we don't punish them, how can we convince the people?

Yinyou, the chief steward, came to Kangxi to discuss trivial matters.

This woman asked for a few more pounds of sheep, that woman asked for a few more fans, and all these trivial matters were under Yinyu's jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, Yinyou only had the right to make suggestions, and the decision-making power was firmly in the hands of Kangxi.

The supreme power of a word is so powerful that people are intoxicated by it and cannot extricate themselves.

Not to mention that Kangxi was reluctant to give up power, even Yinyou, who had just gained power, enjoyed the wonderful feeling of being flattered by others.

The total amount of materials in the Rehe Palace is always limited. If you give it to Zhang San, it will not be possible to satisfy Li Si.

The entire palace's material allocation plan was in Yinwei's hands.

Even if you are a high-ranking imperial concubine, there will always be a time when you need help from Yinyou.

Otherwise, Yinyou can have countless legitimate reasons to make the emperor refuse what you want.

This is just like what is shown in many TV dramas, when the master is gone, whoever controls the butler will have a huge advantage.

"In a few days, the Mongolian princes of Khorchin will come to Rehe, so we must make preparations in advance."

Every year when he came to Rehe to escape the summer heat, Kangxi would always summon the princes and nobles on the grassland, reward some, kill some, and intimidate some.

The so-called preparation actually means that the gifts of reward must be prepared in advance.

The Mongolian princes and nobles had no shortage of food and drink, but they were very short of silver and silk.

However, Kangxi deliberately did not give much silver as reward, but liked to give oriental pearls, flower feathers and other similar priceless treasures.

"My Lord, I have made a detailed list of the rewards you ordered..." Yinyu handed the list in his hand to Kangxi with both hands.

Kangxi habitually wanted to stretch out his right hand to catch it, but unexpectedly, his arm fell down weakly just when it was half extended.

"Oh, damn it!" It was obvious that the hemiplegia caused by the stroke caused Kangxi great distress.

Yinyou clearly saw Kangxi's embarrassment, but pretended not to see it.

The seventh brother was very averse to people staring at his feet, and the fifth brother always liked to avoid his right cheek when talking to Yinyou.

Alas, people tend to be averse to what they lack; this is universal human nature!
Kangxi subconsciously looked at Yinyu, however, Yinyu's face was calm as usual, without any trace of ridicule.

After discussing with Kangxi for more than an hour, Yinyou said goodbye and left.

Chongshan, the captain of the guard who was guarding the palace gate, saw Yinyou walk out of the palace gate, and quickly left his friends who were chatting with him and went to greet him.

In the Rehe Valley in midsummer, with lush green trees and cool breezes, horseback riding is obviously the right way to travel.

However, when Yinyou was about to turn a corner and return home, he saw Nian Gengyao blocking the middle of the bend.

"I am Nian Gengyao, your humble servant, wishing you the best of health, Master Fifteen!"

It is said that Nian Gengyao was arrogant. According to his origin as a bannerman of the Bordered White Banner, he should have called himself a slave. But this boy deliberately regarded himself as a lowly official.

No matter what, Nian Gengyao was a high-ranking official and he should have the necessary respect.

"Let's get up." Yinyou looked at Nian Gengyao with great interest. It seemed that he and the second sister of the Nian family had a very good relationship.

After being refused several times, this guy actually dared to stop Yinyu. He is really brave.

"Fifteenth Master, I am not a beggar, please understand." Nian Gengyao's words were firm and resounding. Yinyu's temper was always soft but not hard.

Since Nian Gengyao wanted to play tough, Yinyu immediately frowned and said coldly: "Get out of the way!" He deliberately took off the horsewhip and circled it around his finger, with a strong sense of intimidation.

Nian Gengyao had a position but no title, but Yinyou was a well-known prince, so if he was told to get out, he had to get out.

The prince liked to use a whip to greet people, mainly because he was spoiled by Kangxi and wanted to use violence when he got angry.

Although Yinyou was not the crown prince, if he whipped Nian Gengyao, it would be in vain.

No matter how much Kangxi admired Nian Gengyao, how could he be compared with Yinyou?

In fact, if a prince breaks the law, he shall be punished the same as the common people.

In fact, apart from exceptions such as discussing marriage and discussing marriage with nobles, it also depends on the degree of favor one has with Kangxi.

Nian Gengyao's expression finally changed, showing that he was afraid.

Being whipped by the extremely angry Yinwei, Nian Gengyao really had no confidence that he could win the lawsuit against the emperor.

"Master Fifteen, please treat my second sister well, I beg you!"

You have to have the right attitude when asking for help, right?
Boy, it’s not like you can’t learn to bend down, right?

Humph, you dare to act like a big shot in front of me? You are asking for trouble.

"Tomorrow, send five thousand taels of silver to buy your sister some new clothes."

Why did Nian Gengyao dare to frequent brothels?
Isn’t it because his father was the governor of Huguang for more than ten years?

"Okay!" Nian Gengyao agreed with a happy look on his face.

With just five thousand taels of silver, I got a stepping stone to Yinyu's place. It's totally worth it!

Yinyou was different from the Eighth Prince. Even though he was favored by the emperor, he never formed a clique.

Every day, I go out to work and go home after work. It is always a dull life with two points in between.

Various social banquets in Rehe were in full swing, but there was no sign of Yinyu.

A truly smart person must not be confused about important matters.

As long as you form a party, the so-called imperial favor will soon turn into something that I hate.

Kangxi, a very poisonous tongue, dares to curse and say anything whenever he is angry.

To be honest, if Kangxi had not scolded Concubine Liang so harshly and forced the Eighth Prince into a state of panic, the entire political situation in the late Kangxi period might have become clear long ago.

Even the clay Buddha is a bit earthy, let alone the fully-fledged Eight Wise Kings?
Nian Gengyao rode away swiftly on his horse, willingly and getting what he wanted.

Today, no matter how crazy Nian Gengyao is, he is still a rootless slave.

There were at least several hundred red-top officials in Lao Ba's place, if not several thousand. When it was Nian Gengyao's turn, there were only leftovers, and he didn't get much benefit.

Therefore, Nian Gengyao's plan was roughly the same as Li Xu's.

Since the future prospects are unclear, you might as well bet on many sides to avoid getting nothing.

Therefore, Nian Gengyao had close contacts with the eighth, eldest and third brothers.

There was even a time when Nian Gengyao wanted to get closer to the prince.

Unfortunately, the search and seizure of the Eastern Palace led by Yinyou frightened him.

After returning to the villa, Yinyu was just about to call Nian over to cultivate their relationship.

Then Wu Lin came and whispered, "Master, someone is coming from the capital."

The so-called person coming from Beijing, who else could it be other than the fourth brother?
Because the eighth brother was regent and the fourth brother stayed in Beijing, the two brothers could not see each other and could only communicate secretly through letters.

The visitor brought a handwritten letter from the fourth brother.

At first glance, the letter from the fourth brother was just an ordinary greeting letter.

In fact, when Yinwei took out the special jade template with missing frames and put it on the letter, the true meaning of the letter instantly became clear.

Haha, the eighth old man who serves as regent became a little too proud of himself and actually changed his work to the Beile's mansion.

It is said that this was proposed by the Eighth Lady, and received a positive response from the Eighth Prince.

In addition, the fourth brother said in the letter that the eighth brother’s house kept a sorcerer who spread rumors everywhere, saying that the king was making trouble.

Yinyou placed the fourth son's letter close to the candle, and after fully lighting it, he casually threw it into the brazier.

Light the candle first and then read the secret letter. Not only Yinyou, but even the fourth brother has always maintained this good habit.

Chen Xinjia, the former Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty, was instructed by Chongzhen to secretly negotiate peace with the Later Jin.

Unexpectedly, Chen Xinjia failed to destroy the secret letter of peace talks in time, which led to a serious leak of secrets. He was beheaded by the angry Chongzhen.

The lesson is extremely painful.

Just imagine, if Chen Xinjia had not been so careless and had successfully negotiated peace with the Later Jin, thus avoiding the strategic disadvantage of fighting on two fronts and allowing the Former Ming Dynasty to free up its hands to concentrate on encircling and suppressing the rebels, perhaps the Ming Dynasty could have survived until the revival after Chongzhen's death?

PS: With a grateful heart, I added more content.

(End of this chapter)