Chapter 63: Lao Ba's Thaw
Kangxi cracked a smile, and Yinre also felt slightly relieved. Anyway, it was about selling the old fourteen's favor, so he might as well sell more of it. "This is also the idea of the fourteenth brother, he said that when the project goes smoothly and has some achievements, report to the emperor, and let the emperor take charge of this good deed."
"Ah, it's rare for the 14th to have such filial piety." The Kangxi Emperor was deeply pleased in his heart and after a slight pause, he said: "With this kind of filial piety, I am satisfied. This matter is an unprecedented creation since the construction of Beijing City, not only related to the livelihood of the people in the capital but also a major state affair. Let's try it out in the capital first, if the effect is good, we can promote it nationwide. There's no need to hide or conceal this matter anymore, Yinxiang, you will be in charge of this, I will allocate another 100,000 taels of silver from the inner treasury to renovate the streets as well. The renovation of this capital city will start with cleanliness and tidiness."
"The imperial edict has been issued." Yongzheng was overjoyed in his heart, and from the Emperor's words, it seemed that he wanted to thoroughly reform the capital, and what's more, he would be in charge of it himself. This was a positive signal, for since the officials had jointly recommended the Crown Prince, he had been kept at arm's length by Kangxi, to the point where he had to pretend to be ill and stay at home to avoid trouble. This time, being re-noticed and reused by the Emperor was truly thanks to the suggestion of Old Fourteen.
Yinxiang returned to the mansion with a heart full of joy, but before he could even sit down, Yinxiu rushed in, looking anxious. As soon as he saw Yinxiang, he exclaimed, "Eighth brother, I don't know who spread this rumor, but it's said that when Li Zicheng left Beijing, he buried many gold, silver, and jade objects in the sewers that they couldn't take with them. Now the whole city is in an uproar, and not only are the people stopping the excavation of the sewers, but they're also frantically digging up the sewers everywhere. What's to be done?"
"Don't panic, sit down and have a cup of tea first."
"It's all on fire, what tea are you still drinking?" Yongzhong plopped down on his butt, "Eighth brother, we have to think of a solution quickly. If this continues, within half a day, the entire capital's sewers will be dug up and those corrupt officials will impeach us. Forget about rewards, it'll be lucky if we're not blamed."
"Hehe, don't worry." Yinxiang smiled and said, "I just came back from the palace." And then he told him everything about being summoned by Kangxi.
"Congratulations, Eighth Brother. It's finally clear skies and bright moon after the rain. As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Zhen exclaimed with joy, "In that case, I'll go to Shuntian Prefecture and have them issue a public notice. Whoever dares to dig randomly again will be arrested and severely punished, those unruly commoners."
"No, Ninth Brother." Yong Yi hastily stopped him and said, "This is a good deed, absolutely cannot be rash, provoking public resentment. Let Shun Tian Fu put up a notice announcement, send yamen to explain in person, and inform the Five City Garrison to assist. Do not allow arrests, just disperse them. Also, make it clear that this is official business, led by the Emperor himself, who has allocated 100,000 taels of silver from the inner treasury."
The disturbance in the capital was quickly dissipated under the joint pressure of the Shuntian Prefecture government and the Wucheng Battalion soldiers. With the posting of the notice, people only then knew that this was one of Kangxi's great benevolent policies, and the capital immediately returned to calm.
When the news reached the backyard of Yong Wang Fu, Yin Zhen cast a probing glance at Wu Si Dao, who hesitated before saying: "Since His Majesty has intervened, we can only follow the momentum."
Is it following the trend again? Yongzheng was taken aback, what kind of following the law is this again?
Wu Si said this time without selling Guan Zi, and continued: "Since the emperor is allocating 100,000 taels of silver from the inner treasury, it means that the emperor does not want the court to intervene. I don't know if the emperor wants to help the Eighth Prince or the Fourteenth Prince, but that's not important. 100,000 taels of silver is no small sum, and this time the capital may undergo a major overhaul."
"After thinking for a moment, he continued: 'The fourth master is best to donate 5,000 to 10,000 silver coins for this rectification.'"
Donating silver to Lao Ba? What does it mean? Yongzheng was very puzzled at the time, that is his arch-nemesis, giving him silver to show off and gain political achievements? But he knew that Wu Sidao wouldn't speak nonsense, so he followed this line of thinking, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find any benefits for himself. On the contrary, doing so would make him be blamed by his brothers and ministers.
"Mr. Wu, I don't understand this matter, please enlighten me."
"Fourth Master, not every move can achieve immediate results." Wu Si said in a slower tone, "The struggle for the throne is actually a contest for the emperor's heart. What impression does the emperor have of you now? I'm not clear, and Fourth Master may be confused too. But one thing is certain: currently, you are not the ideal candidate for the throne in the emperor's mind. Does the emperor have an ideal candidate in mind right now? In my opinion, not yet."
Yin Zan's heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated before saying, "The Emperor now trusts the Crown Prince even more, with each passing day, and they have conversations every day. The news from the palace also says that the two of them get along very well when they are together. Why do you dare to make such a statement, sir?"
"These are just appearances." Wu Si said calmly, "Fourth Master must not be shaken, the Crown Prince's small movements in private, you can see them, the Emperor should also see them, chatting happily? It's just a show."
After a moment of contemplation, Wu Si Dao continued to say: "Fourth Master, you don't need to bother with the Crown Prince's affairs for now. What you should do is to constantly leave a good impression on the Emperor's mind. To change your impression in the Emperor's eyes, it's not something that can be done overnight. As the saying goes, 'a distant journey tests the strength of a horse, and time reveals a person's heart.' Fourth Master needs to gradually gain the Emperor's favor, bit by bit, accumulating over time before achieving success.
"This time, taking the initiative to donate is an opportunity. The emperor will not be able to ignore you, and once you donate, other princes will have to follow suit whether they like it or not. When the princes donate, the ministers will also have to follow suit. In the end, the emperor who receives a large sum of donations will only remember you, Fourth Master. You say you don't benefit from this? Secondly, by donating, you are subtly undermining Eighth Master's influence and achievements."
Yongzheng still hesitated, saying, "This advantage is gained, but won't I also become the object of resentment from my brothers and ministers? The Eighth Prince is buying people's hearts, while I am offending them."
"It doesn't matter if others are jealous of you, as long as the Emperor doesn't hate you, it's fine. Winning people over is not your strong suit, and besides, the Emperor hates factionalism the most. Fourth Master would do better to take a different approach and be a lone minister, perhaps that way he'll gain the Emperor's favor." Wu Si Dao stroked his beard as he spoke, "In the past, when all officials jointly recommended Eighth Master, it still didn't work out. Now, if all officials are jealous of Fourth Master, what's the harm? The matter of choosing a successor is not like ordinary government affairs, it all depends on the Emperor's whim."
The next morning, at the end of the morning gathering, Yongzheng finally stood up and said, "I report to Your Majesty, my eighth brother, ninth brother, tenth brother, and fourteenth brother are concerned about the people's livelihoods. To alleviate the suffering of the people in the capital, they have invested in building garbage stations and repairing sewers. As their elder brother, I am truly ashamed. Now, I am willing to donate 10,000 taels of silver to support them, and I hope Your Majesty will approve."
