Chapter Thirty-Five Leaving the Capital Again

  Ye Zhao didn't expect that after meeting Lan Gui Ren the day before, he would be summoned into the palace to see the emperor the next day, but thinking about it, he knew it wasn't because of Lan Gui Ren's whispers in his ear.

  Without mentioning what Lan Gui thinks of herself, let's talk about her current situation. Although there are rumors that she may be promoted to imperial concubine soon, or even helping Emperor Xianfeng read memorials, when it comes to state affairs, would she dare to speak out in front of the emperor? Would she dare to comment on court officials?

  In the western warm pavilion of the Nurturing Heart Palace, there is a plaque with the words "Diligent Governance and Favoring Virtue" written in the personal calligraphy of Emperor Yongzheng. The characters are strong and majestic, making one feel carefree and nostalgic upon seeing them. When Ye Zhaoyan saw these four characters, he couldn't help but think of this Qing dynasty emperor who was most diligent in governance, and felt a great deal of emotion.

  The walls were made of crystal clear glass, making the room bright and spacious. On the east side, there was a kang with a desk set up for writing, complete with the four treasures of the study. Several stacks of documents, about a foot high, were piled on it. As expected, Zheng Qingwang was not present at this audience. Ye Zhao knelt on the yellow rug, his expression one of loyal devotion.

  "In Manchu aristocracy, you are considered outstanding." Xianfeng's voice was clear, despite his somewhat weak and sickly appearance.

  Having been summoned alone twice, once after returning from Shanghai, and once before getting married, Ye Zhao is now quite familiar with meeting the Emperor.

  "I don't understand anything, I just listen to Master's words. Whatever Master tells me to do, I'll do it." Ye Zhaoknelt down and knocked his head several times, speaking with sincerity.

  "We have read your memorial. You say that Western warships are impregnable, and propose the establishment of a naval bureau? To learn from Western skills and build more steam-powered ships?"

  Actually, Ye Zhaowu knew that under the current Qing dynasty system, state-run enterprises would only end in failure. The bureaucratic habits of officialdom were applied to enterprises, leading to rampant corruption and redundant personnel. As for seeking innovation and knowledge in technology, it was even more impossible to discuss. If success were possible, it would be a strange occurrence, but there must be a process and a reason.

  However, the previous day's words were quite bold in today's environment. Ye Zhao knocked his head repeatedly, "I don't understand what I'm saying, I just went to Shanghai for a trip and have been thinking wildly every day, if I don't tell Your Majesty what I think, I feel uncomfortable in my heart, I should die, I should die!"

  Xianfeng's mouth, which rarely showed a smile, revealed a hint of a smile. "Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer people who dare to speak the truth. You coming here is out of filial piety; even if you said something wrong, it doesn't matter."

  "Yes, yes, Your Majesty is magnanimous. The slave's reckless words can only be forgiven by Your Majesty's mercy, and not held against the slave." Ye Zhao knocked his head on the ground several more times.

  "You returned from Shanghai, and I have been thinking of entrusting you with a special task. You can't just idle around the palace all the time. Coincidentally, foreigners are making a fuss again about revising the treaty and even want to make a scene in Beijing. Ye Mingchen is not an incompetent official, but those barbarians from outside are hard to pacify after all. I thought of you, someone has to teach those foreigners a lesson about their uncivilized nature."

  Ye Zhaoning listened intently without saying a word, involving Ye Mingchen, the powerful minister of the imperial court and the favorite of Emperor Xianfeng.

  Xianfeng continued: "I will grant you the status of a plenipotentiary minister for foreign affairs, and you will go to Guangzhou to assist Yeh Mingchen in handling barbarian affairs. Are you willing?"

  "Your Majesty, I don't dare say that I can share your worries, but I will do my best to fulfill my duties and not bring shame to our ancestors' reputation."

  Xianfeng's pale face regained its smile, "Alright, do your best, you're right to say that. You're young and also carry the prestige of our ancestors, I'm promoting you again, outsiders will inevitably gossip, it's best if you understand."

  "Yes, Your Majesty's grace is boundless to me. I will definitely make a good show for them!" Ye Zhaowu didn't even know how he had become so eloquent, and the more he spoke, the more it seemed as if he were one with Xianfeng.

  Xianfeng nodded slightly, picked up the teacup from the table and took a light sip of the fragrant tea, then said: "I also heard something else, last time you went out on business, didn't you bring back several Western-style firearms?"

  Ye Zhao was shocked, it seemed that the matter of the imperial guards using firearms to fight with people in the mansion had reached Xianfeng's ears, and nine out of ten times Guibei's circle would be implicated. Ye Zhao's mind was racing, but he quickly kowtowed: "This slave deserves to die, this slave deserves to die, this slave saw the Western firearms were sharp, couldn't help but feel a thrill of the hunt, this slave is guilty of a million deaths!"

  Xianfeng was deep in thought, and Ye Zhao couldn't help but feel a little nervous at this moment. The emperor's mind was hard to fathom, who knew what Xianfeng was really thinking?

  Finally, Xianfeng slowly said: "Having a heart that seeks knowledge is good, but being arrogant and bullying in the capital, I must deal with it. Since he is Tonghua's guard, he will have to take responsibility for it. Later, I will inform the Ministry of Rites and deduct his salary for half a year."

  The emperor punished his relatives, although it was just a matter of that little bit of silver, Ye Zhao couldn't help but feel a wave of depression, but naturally didn't show it on her face. She bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty's benevolence."

  Xianfeng said, "This matter has reminded me of something. I'll appoint you as the deputy commander-in-chief of Guangzhou. When you arrive in Guangzhou, purchase some Western firearms and let me see if they are really more powerful than the archery of our great Qing Empire."

  Ye Zhao did not expect Xianfeng to have this idea. It seems that the Gezhaiha of Zheng Qinwangfu's holding of firearms and showing off in the capital has brought about another consequence, making the powerful and noble people of Beijing who are blinded by their own biases have to pay attention to the ferocity of Western firearms. This is why Xianfeng suddenly had this idea.

  Xianfeng was indeed a master of carrot and stick, using both kindness and intimidation to get what he wanted. He had high hopes for Ye Zhao's trip to Guangzhou, expecting him to handle his duties well. If Ye Zhao truly considered himself a Manchu noble, he would likely be obedient and compliant. But at this moment, Ye Zhao was secretly seething with disdain for Xianfeng's tactics. Having finally grasped the true extent of the emperor's power, which could strip a prince of half a year's salary with just one word, Ye Zhao felt suffocated. As a modern person, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and resistant to such arbitrary authority.

  Ye Zhaos face remained expressionless, only respectfully kowtowing, but no one knew that at this moment, his heart was churning with turbulent emotions.

  ……

  The young phoenix building west warm pavilion, a pot of wine was brewed, Ye Zhaosat on the fire kang self-poured and drank, still pondering the errand to Guangzhou, estimated after Xianfeng discussed with the military machine, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow will have an imperial edict come down, without major accidents, this Guangzhou deputy commander-in-chief and five mouth commercial affairs is done.

  The five ministers in charge of foreign affairs, there's no need to say, although Ye Mingchen is a bit eccentric, naturally we have to follow his lead, otherwise handling barbarian affairs would be easy to invite trouble, and the blame would ultimately fall on our own heads.

  Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Guangzhou? That is a genuine second-class military officer, controlled by the General of Guangzhou, and the General of Guangzhou is actually the highest commander of the Guangdong army, commanding all eight banners, and the Green Standard Army in the province also has to be under his control. The official rank is the same as that of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, but in reality, the position is higher than that of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

  If outside the pass, such as Heilongjiang General, Jilin General and so on, in fact, it is the highest military and political officer of a place. The deputy commander-in-chief of each city is also the highest military and political officer of each city. As for the commanders-in-chief inside the pass, they are also the left and right wings of the generals. In addition to military affairs, they also need to be in charge of banner people's household registration, production, education, training and other matters, which can also be regarded as the military and political officials of the local banner people.

  In Guangzhou, there were 1,500 Manchu Eight Banners and 1,500 Han Army Banners, with a hereditary system of garrison troops. In addition to the family members and banner people who followed the army, there were more than 10,000 people. Under the command of the Guangzhou General, there were two Deputy Commanders-in-Chief: one Manchu Deputy Commander-in-Chief and one Han Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief. By convention, the Manchu Deputy Commander-in-Chief was called the Left Commander-in-Chief, while the Han Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief was called the Right Commander-in-Chief.

  I'll probably end up with a job as a deputy governor of Manchuria or something like that?

  But when it comes to equipping firearms, Ye Zhao couldn't help but shake his head. The current combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners Army is zero, so what's the point of buying guns? They have been supported for over 200 years with no worries about food and clothing, if they still had combat effectiveness, that would be strange. The idle sons of the Eight Banners, after eating their fill, can only play. Raising birds, fighting crickets, listening to opera, these are good things, bad things include smoking opium. Cheating, swindling, murder and robbery, these are not typically done by banner people. However, the emperor expects them to practice archery and horsemanship, but they don't do it either.

  It's said that the Guangzhou city's Eight Banners troops had a Western-style drill team established several years later, but the Eight Banners masters locked up the foreign guns in a cabinet and didn't even look at them. Only when superiors came to inspect did they hand out the guns and stand there, pretending to be drilling.

  However, in Guangzhou City, the Bannermen were quite welcome. The reason was that these people, due to their iron-rice-bowl jobs, mostly didn't worry about money matters. If they had money, they would spend it; when buying things, they wouldn't bother haggling over prices. When the money ran out, they would put it on credit or just pretend not to know. As a result, they were always being taken advantage of, and what others could buy for one cent, they would pay ten cents for. It wasn't just Guangzhou City; Bannermen all over the country were more or less like this. How could they not be welcome?

  Although the Xianfeng Emperor did not explicitly say the two words "to practice martial arts", what is the purpose of purchasing firearms? Isn't it this meaning?

  But how can they be trained? Ye Zhao couldn't help but sigh and shake his head, these old men were like rotten wood that couldn't be carved, completely incurable, so how could they be trained?

  "Really? You seem to be from Guangdong, right?" Glancing at the pretty waitress serving him wine and dishes, Ye Zhaow suddenly realized.

  Ruyi wore a pale white cheongsam with silver trim, looking elegant and lovely. She accompanied Young Mistress back to her parents' home, leaving only herself to attend to the young master.

  "Yes." Ruyi was somewhat surprised, not expecting Young Master Wang to know her hometown.

  Ye Zhaowu nodded slightly and didn't say anything else.

  ……………………………….

  Votes...