Chapter 46: Yongzheng's Counterattack

  The selection of concubines for princes was strictly regulated, and they had to be chosen from among the hereditary servants and bondmaids under their own names, and it was strictly forbidden to privately purchase civilian women as concubines. Once reported, they would be stripped of their titles.

  However, these institutions were not difficult for him to get around. He had Zhang Mengjiao's detailed information sent quickly to his own package of slaves, Nie Ge Rizibu Chen, a sixth-grade official in the Ministry of Rites, and asked him to recognize Zhang Mengjiao as his adopted daughter. Later, he entrusted Eighth Brother to lift Zhang Mengjiao into the Han Army Banner at the Imperial Clan Court.

  Nige Ruzi Buqin was overjoyed after receiving the letter from Yunzhen, he couldn't believe that his master still remembered him in Shanghai. This kind of good fortune is hard to come by even with a lantern. With this relationship, it's only a matter of time before he gets heavily used. He quickly went to his own banner office to get the proof ready and then hurriedly ran to the residence of Eighth Master Delber to hand over the proof.

  For this favor, Ba Ye Yin was also very happy to let He Zhu Er run a trip to the Zong Ren Fu, after handling all the procedures, he also sent a gift list in the name of the three brothers and sent it to Shanghai by fast horse.

  Changqing Garden, Zhang Mengjiao found that the number of guests had increased significantly over the past few days, and she couldn't help but pay attention to it. She found an excuse to eavesdrop on their conversation, and then she understood that the Hai merchants had begun to take action against Yinzheng.

  She knew that paper couldn't wrap fire, so she found an opportunity to tell her father, Zhang Yuanlong, about the matter of Yi Zhen wanting to take her as a concubine. Zhang Yuanlong was shocked and after a long while, he said angrily, "Do you know or not? The entire Qing dynasty's maritime trade fleet has already agreed on a protocol not to transport wood for three years, including Tianjin, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and even Taiwan. Yi Zhen is now at odds with our sea merchants, how can you tell me that he wants to take you as a concubine? How will our fellow businessmen look at your father? How will they look at the Zhang family's fleet?"

  When Zhang Yuanlong stopped, Zhang Mengjiao said: "I don't know how they look at our Zhang family, but I do know that if Yin Zhen takes action against our Zhang family, it won't be much harder than pinching a single ant to death."

  Zhang Yuanlong's face suddenly turned pale, and after a long while, he asked with difficulty, "When did this happen?"

  "It's been over half a month." Zhang Mengjiao said in a low voice, privately deciding on marriage wasn't exactly a good reputation, and she felt a bit uneasy.

  Zhang Yuanlong's anger flared up again upon hearing this, "It's been over half a month, why didn't you say it earlier?"

  Zhang Mengjiao said with a hint of resentment: "Fourteenth Master said that he would first have me brought into the flag register, and only then could he properly come to propose marriage. It's not that I've seen you getting too close to those sea merchants recently, I'm afraid you'll get in too deep, so I didn't bother saying anything."

  "A proper proposal for marriage?" Zhang Yuanlong suddenly felt a bit bewildered. The phrase "庶福晋" was just a euphemism, and in reality, it only referred to a status slightly higher than that of a concubine, not even requiring an official title. Did they really need to go through the formalities of a proper proposal?

  It seems that this Yinzhen attaches great importance to his daughter, but what's the point? If it were a month ago, he might still have been a little happy. After all, Yinzhen is a prince and has always been favored. In the future, being a qinwang (a noble title) is almost certain.

  "Jiaojiao, you've always had your own opinions and judgments since you were young, rarely making mistakes. This matter concerns your lifelong happiness, so be cautious and don't be rash." Zhang Yuanlong said with a serious tone; "This concubine is just a nice title, but in reality, she has no official status, and her position is only slightly higher than that of a concubine. You've always been proud and arrogant since you were young, how did you become confused about this matter? If I don't agree to this marriage, I'll personally go to his house to tell him, if he can't be reasoned with, we can just avoid him, at worst, we can move south to Nanyang."

  "Dad, it's not what you think." Zhang Mengjiao felt both moved and embarrassed, and for a moment didn't know how to speak.

  Zhang Yuanlong's heart skipped a beat as soon as he saw his daughter's appearance. It turned out that his daughter had taken a liking to someone, and this was not good at all. He had just agreed to join forces with others to oppose Yunzhen, but now he would have to give his daughter to him as a concubine. How could Zhang show his face in public after this? His daughter was already 21 years old and had always been particular about her choices. This time, she had finally taken a liking to someone, and the two were well-matched. How could he bear to break them up?

  Zhang Mengjiao couldn't bear to see her father in a difficult situation, so she spoke softly and said: "Father, don't worry, the sea merchants have joined forces to deal with the Fourteenth Master's affairs, he had already anticipated it and has a plan in mind. In my opinion, this time the Fourteenth Master will definitely make another big move. Father only needs to not do anything that would make him feel ashamed for now, with me here, how could I let you have a hard time?"

  Zhang Yuanlong heard this and felt both relieved and puzzled, "Did Fourteenth Young Master have a plan to deal with it?"

  "Can't a daughter deceive you?" Zhang Mengjiao smiled lightly: "You're not unfamiliar with the 14th master's methods, is he an easy person to control? Besides, I'm not someone who disregards the bigger picture, would I put our Zhang family in danger for personal gain? Father, trust my judgment once again, our Zhang family will rise again and be even more glorious than before."

  It's really a case of "a woman is not allowed to intervene in the middle". These eight characters haven't even been written yet, and she's already helping the man deceive her father. It's even more than before, if she can keep this family business going, it would be worth burning incense for. Zhang Yuanlong let out a long sigh in his heart, and for a moment, he couldn't make up his mind on how to face this awkward situation where he was torn between two sides.

  On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Kangxi issued an imperial edict: "The purpose of the court in setting up customs is to enrich the people and promote commerce. Now, the officials above and below the Jianghai Customs have cleverly created names, privately set taxes and fees, and repeatedly exploited the people, causing them to suffer greatly. This not only hurts the court's benevolent heart towards the people but also damages the great prestige of our Qing dynasty. The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Gali, has failed in his supervision, and is hereby stripped of his position as supervisor of Jianghai Customs. Prince Xinbei, Yin Zhen, is loyal to the state, self-disciplined, diligent and cautious, and is hereby appointed to supervise Jianghai Customs.

  Today, the country is at peace and the population is thriving. However, the land's output remains constant, and goods such as silk, cotton, grain, tea, and sugar are crucial to the nation's livelihood. If a large quantity of these goods flows out, it will harm the national foundation. On the other hand, if they are not allowed to flow out, it may harm the people. For now, let us take cotton as an example and try to implement this policy. All customs offices and coastal ports are prohibited from exporting cotton cloth, except for the Jianghai Customs Office, which will be responsible for supervising the export of a specific quantity, to be decided by the Supervisor-General, Hengxiang.

  Moreover, Shanghai's commerce was increasingly prosperous, and foreigners came and went frequently, so it was allowed for foreigners to reside in the county seat of Shanghai.

  As soon as this edict was issued, the capital immediately exploded. Yin Zhen took office as the supervisor of Jianghai Customs, and the impact was not great. However, only allowing cotton cloth to be exported from Jianghai Customs choked off countless ships. What is called "specific amount" depends on Yin Zhen's decision? That is, whether or not you are allowed to do cotton business is up to Yin Zhen to decide.