sbdcsierra Chapter 341 Why do I remember being quite clever when I was little?
Chapter 341 Why do I remember being quite clever when I was little?
Unlike modern times, the Qing Dynasty's New Year didn't include a seven-day holiday. The first thing Emperor Kangxi did on the first day of the Lunar New Year was to open the imperial seal and the writing brush. What did this mean? Simply put, it was to tell everyone that in the new year, we had to start working again.
Since Emperor Kangxi had said that Wu Ying would leave the capital after the first month of the lunar calendar, in order not to waste this precious one-on-one and one-to-many teaching opportunity, Yinzhi took Yinti and Yinyi to see their father right after the first day of the new year. You might ask why Yinzhi chose Yinti and Yinyi out of his many brothers who didn't get sick on boats? The answer is actually quite simple.
If we were to ask who among Kangxi's current adult princes has the most battlefield experience, it would undoubtedly be Yinqi. It would be only natural that Yinzhuo would choose him. As for why Yinqi was chosen, it is because no one understands the firearms that Dai Zixin has researched better than him.
“Father, you know that I am always lazy and I get seasick on boats, so it would be a waste for me to have the opportunity to learn from General Wu. My elder brother is well-versed in military strategy and has followed you in three campaigns against Galdan. He has rich combat experience. Why don’t you give this task to him?”
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Kangxi was not surprised at all by Yinzhuo's evasive behavior. The reason he told Yinzhuo yesterday that he could go and chat with Wu Ying more often was not to assign him any tasks. He just saw that Yinzhuo was always sitting or lying down, and thought about how excited he was when the topic of Japan came up. He wanted to use this as an excuse to give him something to do. Since Yinzhuo was unwilling to go, Kangxi would not force him. The only thing that Kangxi did not understand was why Yinzhuo had also summoned Yin'e.
The saying "No one knows a son better than his father" is true, but the reverse is also true. Kangxi only glanced at Yinzhi, and Yinzhi understood his meaning immediately.
“Father, I brought Xiao Shi here so he could go with Big Brother. Ever since Dai Zi’s newly developed cannon was successfully test-fired, I’ve been thinking about the possibility of equipping it on our existing warships. Xiao Shi has been in charge of Dai Zi’s affairs for years, and when it comes to understanding cannons, he’s second to none after Dai Zi. General Wu has extensive experience in naval warfare and must know the Qing Dynasty’s warships very well. Let them go and discuss it; they might just find some surprises. You may not know that Xiao Shi is currently building a ship, so it’s a good opportunity for him to consult with the old general on this matter.”
Don't be fooled by what Yinzhi says to Kangxi—you might not know that Yinzhi is currently building ships. He knows perfectly well what's going on. Why would Yinzhi suddenly want to build ships out of boredom? Is it really because he dreams of becoming a navigator? Don't be ridiculous. Doesn't he know what his younger brother, whom he's watched grow up, is like? The sea and the stars are just a rhetoric; most likely, it's at his father's behest.
As for why Kangxi instructed Yinzhi to do this, Yinzhi knew perfectly well. In the end, it was just that he, like Kangxi, had his eyes on the Japanese territory, or rather, the gold and silver mountains on that territory. As the saying goes, it doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. Similarly, as long as Kangxi had the intention to conquer the Japanese, Yinzhi would naturally be happy to see it happen.
Yinzhuo dared to bargain with Kangxi, but Yinti and Yinxi did not. Kangxi told them to go and talk to Wu Ying, so the two of them naturally had to go and talk to Wu Ying. The next month kept the two brothers very busy. In addition to their regular duties, they also had to take time to visit Wu Ying's residence every day.
Wu Ying's ability to reach his current position is not only due to his outstanding military achievements, but also to his sharp mind. First, the 13th and 14th princes went to Fujian, and then Yinti and Yinzhen visited him every day without fail. Their conversations mainly revolved around naval battles, warships, cannons, and Japan. With all these factors combined, it would be strange if he hadn't guessed something.
Although Wu Ying didn't know what trouble Japan had caused to arouse the Emperor's thoughts, he deeply understood the principle that knowing what you know and admitting what you don't know is true wisdom. He answered all the questions raised by Yinti and Yinqi without reservation, but he showed no curiosity whatsoever about things he shouldn't know.
"Sixth Brother, look how warm the weather is these days, how about we go for a walk?"
Yinzhuo handed the matter over to Yinti, and Yinzhuo was then completely carefree. The weather outside was cold, and he was too lazy to go out. He spent his days either at home or in his father's Qianqing Palace. After a while, Kangxi naturally couldn't stand it anymore. Besides, after Yinzhuo's several unsuccessful attempts, he handed over the task of supervising Yinzhuo's exercise to the relatively idle Yintang.
"Xiao Jiu, don't you think Father is a strange person? Last year when I wanted to go out, he absolutely refused to let me. This year, I don't want to go out, but he's the one kicking me out. What's the point of going out for a stroll in this cold weather? Let's wait until it gets warmer."
Although Yinzhen came today with a mission assigned to him by his father, he was not worried at all in the face of Yinzuo's obvious refusal to cooperate. As the saying goes, if even his father couldn't do anything about it, what could he do?
"Father, when are we moving to Changchun Garden? My son is really being driven crazy by your grandson. Why didn't he inherit my intelligence? He's been trying to memorize the Thousand Character Classic for three days and he's still stuck on the 'heaven and earth are dark and yellow, the universe is vast and boundless' stuff. Father, was it this difficult for me when I was learning? I remember being quite smart when I was little."
Let's not even discuss whether Yinzhuo can remember what happened when he was three or four years old. Even if he could, his memory and Kangxi's memory would obviously not be the same. After all, Kangxi wasn't even here when Yinzhuo was three or four years old. The reason Yinzhuo asked such a rude question was simply because he was so angry with his son that he was talking nonsense and his mind was not clear.
"Look at you. Didn't you advise me to be less angry before, because anger is bad for your health? How come you forgot all of that when it comes to yourself? Hongxu is still young and it's inevitable that he will be playful. If he can't memorize the texts, we can teach him slowly. I don't think you have much patience. Here's what we'll do: have someone send Hongxu to the palace tomorrow, and I'll find someone to teach him."
The theory of grandparents' affection for their grandchildren clearly didn't apply to Emperor Kangxi. Compared to his grandson Hongxu, Kangxi obviously doted on his son more. Since this grandson was so good at causing trouble for his son, he might as well just hand him over to someone else to take care of. Anyway, with their family's conditions, they wouldn't lack tutors. It's not a big deal, why get so worked up about it?