Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 363 Qianlong reveals his true feelings and teaches young Jiaqing a severe lesson!
Yongyan clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, and forced himself to stay calm.

Qianlong looked at his "only choice for the crown prince" with calm eyes.
Start teaching in person:
"Tell me, why did the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties fall?"

"The people have no food to eat and the king is incompetent."

"Any more?"

"No, no more."

"Yongyan, listen carefully. If the people can't eat, they will cause trouble and rebel, but the country will not be destroyed. The country will be destroyed only when the elite troops of the empire disobey orders and the officials from the central government to the local governments disobey the emperor's orders!"

Yongyan listened with holding his breath and gritting his teeth like a clay sculpture.

His performance made Qianlong somewhat relieved.

……

original,

Qianlong was unwilling to talk about this.

There is no father and son in heaven!
If you talk too much about the emperor's mind, what if your son uses it on you in advance?
As a power-hungry king, it was impossible for him to share the supreme imperial power with anyone, not even the crown prince, before his death.

however,
A sudden illness made him realize that this was not going to work.

If I suddenly pass away, the young Yongyan will be deceived to death by the treacherous officials in the court. Maybe my Qing Dynasty will have a "Renzong".

So I have to make up for this missing lesson myself.

Qianlong waited for Yongyan to digest the information for a while before asking:
"Have you figured it out?"

"I understand a little bit. Officials and the army at all levels obey the emperor's orders. Even if some hungry people rise up in rebellion, they cannot overthrow the Qing Dynasty!"

After a pause, Yongyan asked with difficulty:
"Wouldn't it be a shame to use the army to suppress hungry people?"

……

"There are 3 million people in the Qing Dynasty, and with the constant natural disasters, it is impossible to feed them all. I consider myself the greatest emperor of all time, and my civil and military achievements far surpass those of the Qin and Han emperors, but I still cannot feed these 3 million mouths." Qianlong paused and said lightly, "So, if local officials strictly follow the emperor's orders, the morale of the elite troops is high, and the unruly people rise up to rebel, it may be a good thing for the country."

Yongyan was stunned and didn't say a word.

Qianlong's face was filled with a smug smile, and every word he said was like a heavy hammer, hitting Yongyan's heart.

"Famine means there is too little food and too many people. It is difficult to increase food production, but it is easy to reduce the population. Therefore, occasional controllable civil unrest is not necessarily a bad thing for the court. If it happens in a plain area, 100 elite cavalry can easily defeat 5000 rioters. Even if there are hundreds of thousands or millions of unruly people who revolt, killing them is as easy as chopping melons and vegetables."

"All the prosperous times in history books generally have a premise - there are few people. Kill all the rioters, intimidate the survivors, and feed their stomachs, and the world will naturally be peaceful."

"My son, I understand."

"For an emperor, there is only one kind of infamy - the destruction of the country. For an emperor, there is only one kind of praise - the expansion of territory. Anything else will be praised and criticized, and there will be different opinions. But Yongyan, you must remember that as a king, try not to stain your hands with blood. Let the people below do some things."

……

The air in the hall gradually solidified, and the silence was so eerie that it made people shudder.

The father and son faced each other in silence for a long time.

"It's hard to be an emperor."

"Today I understand the hardships of my father. It is too difficult to govern such a huge empire."

Qianlong nodded and asked expectantly:

"Then tell me, as an emperor, how can you firmly control the officials at all levels and the elite troops?"

"Your Majesty, I am stupid, please enlighten me."

"The secret is two things: people and money. In the end, it's just one thing - people."

Yongyan thought for a moment and asked:

"Do you want to employ honest and capable officials?"

……

Qianlong laughed loudly, and his laughter could be heard from far away.

The crows on the roof of the Hall of Mental Cultivation were so frightened that they flew up, feeling that they had encountered their natural enemy.

Yongyan felt so uncomfortable being laughed at that he wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into out of embarrassment.

Qianlong restrained his smile.

Start continuing the course:
"The concepts of honest officials and corrupt officials are for the common people. For the emperor, there are only obedient officials and disobedient officials. The obedient ones are promoted, and the disobedient ones are dismissed. Promote those who are willing to work and place them in important positions, and the will of the emperor can be implemented throughout the world."

Yongyan finally got smart and asked a question:
"But if the border is closed for a long time, and these people gradually become disobedient, what should we do?"

"Okay, I'm glad you thought of this. Talented people emerge in every generation, and the same goes for ministers. Change! Keep changing! Is there still a shortage of people willing to be officials in this world?"

Qianlong said earnestly:

"You must use smart people, as well as stupid people, foolish people, honest people, and evil people. Let them fight, don't be afraid. Only when they fight fiercely can you sit on the throne safely. Don't let any of them fall easily, and don't believe what any of them say casually. Emperor, be suspicious of everything!"

"Don't let the civil servants' flattery fool you. Are you a bunch of dogs qualified to judge whether your master is virtuous or stupid?"

……

Yongyan felt as if he had been enlightened, as if a terrible door had opened before him.

Although there were many words, he still didn't understand much.

However, he discovered that what the master in the study taught him might be wrong?

The emperor has been on the throne for decades and has made outstanding achievements in both civil and military affairs, so he must be right!
Qianlong sighed again:

"I have seen many lives and deaths in my life. My queen, sons, and daughters have all passed away before me. And my loyal ministers, Zhao Hui, Fu Heng, Fu Kang'an, and Liu Tongxun. They are all gone~"

this moment,
Yongyan saw sadness on his father's face, a kind of helplessness unique to a brave man in his old age.

"But I can't be sad. Love doesn't last long!" Qianlong stood up, looked at the shade of the trees outside the window, and whispered, "If you want to sit firmly on the throne, you must not only be cruel to others, but also to yourself. Otherwise, you will not be able to sit firmly on the dragon throne."

"Okay, I'm a little tired, let's leave."

……

Yongyan stood up and kowtowed three times and nine times solemnly to the back.

Then he quietly lowered his head and left the Yangxin Palace.

Qianlong did not look back and sighed silently in his heart.

He was conflicted about today's "The Mind of an Emperor" lesson.

You will regret it if you don’t do it, and you will regret it if you do it.

I am afraid that the crown prince is too stupid, and I am also afraid that he is too smart.

Being a father is hard!
Being an emperor father is extremely difficult!

……

"Your servant respectfully sends Prince Jia off."

"Father-in-law, stay."

Qin Si sneered and was startled when he looked up.

Prince Jia, who used to be simple and gentle, now had a familiar gloom in his eyes.

The glance he gave her was like the wind blowing from the cold palace.

Qin Si felt a chill on his back and almost suffered from urinary incontinence.

After entering the East Warm Pavilion,

He reminded in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, the concubine has entered the palace~"

"Well, call them all."

After half an hour, Qianlong felt relieved looking at these young and energetic beauties.

The weird thing is,

There were actually lamas, Taoist priests, monks, and shamans present, representing different systems of gods and immortals.

With the four major groups gathered together, Xinmao is very comprehensive.

These carefully selected hermits followed the emperor's instructions and each selected a beautiful lady with a long life, good health and a strong physique. The two ladies with the most votes were finally selected and stayed in the palace.

To convey the signal to the outside world that the emperor is in his prime!

……

Qianlong also had a flash of inspiration and immediately instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrange two palace maids for Yongyan, who were nominally concubines but were actually spies.

I'm still worried after all!
There is no father and son in the royal family, so we cannot be careless.

Heshen temporarily left Beijing to beg for alms at the Changlu Salt Field.

Although the Changlu salt merchants were not as wealthy as the Lianghuai salt merchants, they were still quite wealthy. Under the sincere guidance of the adults, they sincerely repented and pledged to donate 100 million taels.

The group of people going to Shanxi will also have a significant harvest. Qianlong will not let them go unless they capture three or five local officials responsible for confiscating the property of Shanxi merchants and seize three or five million taels of silver that have gone astray.

Unless a dynasty ends, politics follows the “rules of the game”.

Even the emperor needs a plausible and reasonable excuse to deal with his subjects.

……

But there is one piece of news that has attracted little attention in the capital.

Chongdao, the former Jiangning general who had just been released from prison, was given the title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and was sent to Lushun to supervise the construction of sea vessels south of Baiyu Mountain.

There are a large number of century-old timbers in the forest areas outside the Great Wall, and the texture is very hard.

The birthplace of the Manchus has always been a place where Han people are forbidden to set foot.

But in order to overhaul the ship,

With the approval of Emperor Qianlong, 1 Han craftsmen and 1 exiled prisoners were recruited to go into the mountains to cut wood and collect water.

The craftsmen first built the dock, then selected the materials and proceeded step by step.

A part of the Shengjing Eight Banners Cavalry was responsible for guarding.

The Liaodong Peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides, and the mountains are blocked by heavy snow in winter, making it seldom visited by people.

Occasionally, a craftsman would escape, or die in the belly of a wild beast. The patrolling horsemen and the bannermen of the villages along the way would capture the escaped people if they were found.

The farthest one escaped to the outskirts of Shengjing City, but was still captured and killed!

The bodies were hung on the roadside for wild animals to gnaw on.

No one wanted to escape after that!

Qianlong never gave up on investing in building seagoing ships, even though it took a long time and was somewhat against the laws of his ancestors. He was quietly promoting this project.

……

Beijing.

Jia Xiaozhen was finally about to leave. He bid farewell to his senior brother, Monk Miekong, and the Fahui Temple that had taken them in.

Jiang Tianmu continued to lurk in the capital.

He was appointed by Liu Qian as the head of the Intelligence Agency's Beijing-Tianjin area operations team and received a reward of 2000 taels of silver.

After some days,

There will be 30 operatives coming to Beijing one after another under his command, and there will be a considerable amount of operational funds to be used for renting houses and making connections in Beijing.

In order to lurk for a long time,

Among the people sent, three worked as apprentices in the tea shop for three months.

Open a medium-sized tea shop in the capital as a cover for the intelligence organization!

He also bought a secluded courtyard and stored weapons.

……

Jia Xiaozhen will definitely hold great power in the future.

Therefore, Jiang Tianmu also tried to curry favor with him.

"Master Jia, you have made great contributions this time. His Majesty will definitely remove your acting position and rank you among the six most important ministers of the Wu Kingdom."

"How dare I? Compared to the other five ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is at the bottom."

"You are too modest. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs may seem insignificant, but it is actually of great significance. Your Majesty will definitely expand maritime trade. It is nothing more than a competition between Jinshanwei, Ningbo Port, and Songjiang Prefecture for the location of the port."

Jia Xiaozhen picked up a piece of garlic pork with chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce, and said with a smile:

"You know this as well?"

"We are intelligence agents, so we have to pay attention to any little movement. Nanyang merchant ships often visit Jinshanwei! It is currently the most mature port. However, the merchants in Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou want to promote Ningbo Port, and even promised to pay for the construction of the dock. Zhao Guozhang is also secretly pushing it."

"Where is Hu Guozhang?"

"Hu Guozhang is in a lot of trouble. He certainly doesn't want to help Zhao Guozhang, but he is also from Shaoxing. If he doesn't help Ningbo, it will damage his reputation."

Jiang Tianmu was very attentive and took the initiative to pour wine.

Today is the official farewell party.

After hearing this, Jia Xiaozhen seemed to be thinking about something.

He was surprised to find that the people in the Intelligence Agency were incredibly well-informed.

Even I, a minister, am not as knowledgeable as they are.

Is it because he has been away from home for too long and has lost touch with his hometown? No, Jiang Tianmu went north with him.

……

He took advantage of the wine and asked:
"You won't plant spies in various departments, will you?"

"Absolutely not. The crime of spying on important officials is too serious, and our Director Liu cannot bear it. It's just hearsay. There is no wall that is impenetrable."

Looking at Jiang Tianmu who suddenly became serious, Jia Xiaozhen did not continue with this sensitive topic.

Instead, we talked about funding.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the poorest, with the smallest office and the least office funding. This year, it only has a pitiful 2 taels."

Jiang Tianmu nodded:

"It's a ministry after all, so this amount of funding is a bit insufficient."

Jia Xiaozhen smiled and said nothing more.

Jiang Tianmu hurriedly helped to serve the soup.

"What kind of ingredients is this stew made of? Why is it so delicious?"

"I have a brother under me, he is from Yunnan, he is a cook in his hometown. I don't know what he puts in the soup he cooks, but everyone who eats it becomes addicted, they can't stop eating it because it's so delicious."

……

Saying,

Jiang Tianmu couldn't wait to get himself a bowl, which contained local chicken, sea cucumber and many mushrooms.

Mushrooms are mushrooms.

However, people in Yunnan insist on calling this ingredient "mushrooms".

They both ate till their bellies were full.

Suddenly, a subordinate outside the door reported:
"The girl from the He Mansion went to Fahui Temple again, saying she was looking for Master Wuzhen."

Jiang Tianmu smiled slyly.

Jia Xiaozhen had a solemn expression on his face and ordered:
"Prepare green salt, willow branches, and clean water. The garlic paste has a strong smell and may pollute the Buddhist holy land~"

……

Some time ago,

Jiang Tianmu sent someone to follow up and found out the origin of the so-called bannerwoman, who turned out to be Heshen's favorite concubine.

In order to avoid trouble, Jia Xiaozhen kept hiding.

Now that he was ready to leave the capital, he thought it would be okay to meet him to say goodbye.

After all, in broad daylight,
Beating the wooden fish and talking about Buddhist scriptures with the female donor in the main hall of Fahui Temple can be considered a normal and friendly exchange of faith.

This kind of elegant thing,

It is not uncommon in the capital.

Many wives and concubines of wealthy families suffer from both moral and spiritual emptiness.

Those who come from strict families will go to the temple to burn incense and offer a considerable amount of money. They can then sit with handsome, intelligent and eloquent young masters to drink tea, chat about Buddhism, and copy some scriptures.

It is usually the "Heart Sutra of Prajnaparamita", and the full text including the title has a total of 268 words.

Those who are not well-educated would like to meet some Western monks who like to wear off-shoulder clothes, or some wild Rinpoches with broad ears and bright eyes.

Experience exotic customs and learn about unconventional methods.

In short, the 18th century was an extremely conservative era as well as an extremely wild era.

……

(End of this chapter)