Chapter 57: Meritorious Service and Enfeoffment

  "Well said! Not only novel but also detailed and meticulous." Yunxiang applauded, "Not just to please the emperor, this is indeed a good thing for the benefit of all households. Ninth brother, tenth brother, you two will take charge of the specific matters, and make sure to handle it beautifully and cleanly. Just get it done with a clear conscience, if there's a lack of funds, I'll supplement them."

  Yin Yun had already listened with a blooming heart, and smiled, "This kind of good thing that is beneficial to both the inside and outside, Eighth Brother can rest assured, I and Tenth Brother will find someone to plan it out tomorrow, and it will definitely be done in a grand and harmonious manner, making everyone happy."

  "Alright, this matter is settled." Yongzheng smiled slightly and said, "As for the naval forces, I still hope that the three of you will give your full support. We are short-handed, so it's hard to achieve the desired effect with ease."

  "Fourteenth brother, rest assured, eighth brother has already made arrangements for this matter."

  After leaving the Yongzheng Palace, Yinzhen was relieved. The Japanese intelligence's probing, relying on Shanghai merchants, would definitely not work. It would be more suitable to send capable people from the Old Ninth and Old Tenth factions to deal with it later. Spending 500,000 to change the dirty and chaotic appearance of the capital city would be more cost-effective. Not only could it strengthen his position in the Eighth Prince Party, but also gain a good impression from Kangxi. Even if the Old Eight did not mention himself, how could Kangxi, with his astuteness, not see that this was his own doing? Moreover, Yinzhen dared not fail to mention his own merits.

  Yongzheng Palace, after the morning court session, Crown Prince Yinreng locked himself in his study and couldn't figure out what had happened at Taihe Hall today. After Kangxi stripped Yinzhen of his Beile title and immediately granted him a new one, it was just a case of confusing people by throwing dust in their eyes; Xu Yuanzhen's sudden appearance halfway through was the real reason for his confusion.

  In the Taihe Hall, he thought that the Old Eight Party used a trick to frame him. After returning to the Yuqing Palace, he called for Xu Yuanzheng's personal history. Xu Yuanzheng came from a wealthy family and had a good reputation, and was promoted by Kangxi himself, so he should be a person in the emperor's mind and shouldn't have joined the Old Eight Party. It's also impossible that it was done under Kangxi's orders or to gain fame. Is this the idea of Old Three or Old Four? If so, it would be a dangerous signal.

  With caution and patience, after a year of silence, Huang Ama became more intimate with himself, the memorials were also approved one by one, and the relationship between the two had basically returned to the harmony before being abolished. It's time to go out and be active again, otherwise, those brothers who are eager to kill will continue to act recklessly, and this situation will be difficult to handle.

  Yin Zhen returned to his own home, the Beile Mansion, and inevitably had to check on his son's homework, carefully cultivating the land he had left behind. Occasionally, he would take a break to report to Hai Ruo about the matter of taking Zhang Mengjiao as his concubine in Shanghai.

  The next morning, Yinzhen was preparing to go to Hope Primary School for a look. After returning to Beijing, he naturally wanted to pay his respects and couldn't let the people of Hope Primary School think that he didn't take Hope Primary School seriously. Just as he was about to leave, Wu Ge, the son of Prince Jian of the First Rank Yaljiang'a, came to the mansion to ask about the situation.

  Wu Ge is the tenth son of Ya Er Jiang, 18 years old this year. He was born to a concubine, and due to his mother's low status, even if he were to be enfeoffed, his title would be lowly and pitiful. To stand out from the crowd and obtain a high-ranking title, he had no choice but to achieve military merit.

  The imperial clansmen of the Qing dynasty could obtain noble titles through four channels: Gongfeng, Enfeng, Xiefeng and Kaofeng. Among them, Enfeng, Xiefeng and Kaofeng all emphasized identity. For example, Wu Ge, who was born with a low status, had a difference of six or seven levels in his title compared to his brothers from the same father but different mothers. The only opportunity to change this situation was to obtain Gongfeng through meritorious military service, but he was born too late and all the wars of the Qing dynasty were over. Now it's peaceful everywhere, where can you find a war to fight? Without a war, how can there be opportunities for meritorious military service? So as soon as he heard that the Qing government established a navy, he actively begged his father to join the navy.

  In the capital, more than half of the imperial clansmen who wanted to join the navy were in this situation, wanting to make a name for themselves and gain titles. In today's peaceful world, joining the navy was the only opportunity. Moreover, Kangxi had promised those imperial relatives some benefits, which led to the dragon sons and phoenix grandsons, second-generation descendants, and young masters of wealthy families all scrambling to join the navy.

  Wu Ge was eliminated in the first 10km training session of Yin Zhen, and when he returned, he told his father Yar Jiang A to persuade Yin Zhen. Yar Jiang A was more anxious than him and even ran a trip himself, which made Yin Zhen reluctantly agree. As soon as he heard that Yin Zhen had returned to Beijing, he hurried over.

  Wug didn't expect to run into Yongzheng at the entrance of the palace, so he hastily stepped forward and performed a deep bow, "Nephew Wug pays his respects to Fourteenth Uncle, may Fourteenth Uncle be well."

  Yarjiang'a, the Prince of Hezhou, was an Iron Cap prince and had a very close relationship with Kangxi. In his memorials to Kangxi, he addressed Kangxi as "Imperial Father", just like the princes did. He was deeply favored by Kangxi. Yin-zhen was also familiar with his family, so he smiled and said: "It's Wu-ge (Yarjiang'a), what brings you here so early?"

  Wu Ge stood up and said somewhat awkwardly: "I heard that Fourteenth Uncle is going to take us with him when he returns to Shanghai this time, so I came over to ask."

  "This group of people's news is quite lively, huh? After a moment of hesitation, this time it was a private return to Beijing. Although Kangxi said to stay for a few days, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, in case he left an impression of being neglectful of his duties. It would be better to return to Shanghai early, lest some people look at him with disfavor. So he said, 'Yes, there is such a thing. The Emperor said not to spoil you all. From now on, you are a student of the Naval Academy. In the future, address me as Principal.'"

  "Yes, I have met the Director before." Wu Ge quickly readjusted his attitude and paid respects as a subordinate.

  "Just call him Dean, and you can dispense with the formalities." Yun Zhen slightly furrowed his brow, then straightened up and ordered, "Cadet Wu Ge, listen to orders."

  "Marked below."

  "Notify all students in Beijing that tomorrow at Chen time, assemble at Huitong Hall. Those who fail to arrive on time will be subject to military law."

  "Obey the noble order."

  Dashilan, Hope Primary School, with the rapid rise of the "Four Great Constants", Zheng Shichang has been touted as a legendary businessman in both Beijing and other provinces. His every move naturally attracted attention. Since the end of Kangxi 48th year, after Zheng Shichang sent his family's eligible children to Hope Primary School, many wealthy merchants in Beijing followed suit, selecting children from their families who were talented but had no hope of passing the imperial examination to attend Hope Primary School.

  Under the leadership of these wealthy merchants, poor families who originally did not have high hopes for their children also began to send them to Hope Primary School one after another. At first, Hope Primary School welcomed all comers, but as more and more children applied, it had no choice but to start refusing. With such a small space, they couldn't accommodate any more students, and the more children there were, the greater the expenses would be. Shan Changbai Yun also had to consider the financial burden on Yinzhuang's family.

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  It's been a whole month today, and tomorrow it will be off the charts. Have all of you who like this book collected it?

  Thank you for everyone's support!! The Second Son of Rags is about to open the curtain, hoping that everyone will like it. Sincerely thank you all for your support and encouragement over the past month!!