"Your Majesty, Ferdinand and the three of them are arrogant and alarmist, please ask the emperor to punish their crimes."

In the upper study, after the three of Old Man Fei withdrew, they were quiet for a while before Tong Guowei broke the situation.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that although what Lord Fei said is a bit exaggerated, it is out of a heart for the country......" Gao Shiqi didn't know how to do it, and always consciously or unconsciously stood on the side of Old Man Fei and his gang.

"Okay, don't say anything, I still have something to say......" Kangxi waved his hand, stopping Tong Guowei's attempt to continue speaking.

"Listen to the hadith!"

"Tong Guowei, I know that you are dissatisfied with the three Ferdinands, in fact, to tell you the truth, I am also dissatisfied with them...... Don't speak, listen to me. Kangxi waved his hand at Tong Guowei, looked at the three courtiers and said, "However, although I am dissatisfied with them, I want to reuse them." Not for anything else, because they want to break the rules. ”

"I think you all know that when the Qing Dynasty first entered the customs, there were only 100,000 horses. At that time, all the banner men were soldiers, and in order to let the soldiers not be dazzled by the glitz and glitz of the Guannai, and maintain a brave style in a world full of Han people, so as to be able to sit firmly in the country, Emperor Shizu (Shunzhi) once decreed that all my children of the Eight Banners are not allowed to farm, do business, or live with the Han people...... However, now, the Manchu and Han settlements have long been abolished, and I have begun to allocate land for the idle banner people to cultivate...... This can be regarded as a violation of the rules set by the grandfather. ”

"Your Majesty, you are thinking about the future life of the flag people, so naturally you don't have to ......" Tong Guowei sighed when he saw Kangxi and wanted to comfort him, but he was stopped by Kangxi.

"Breaking the rules is breaking the rules, and I didn't plan to find anything to cover up. You are all my close courtiers, although Tingyu and Shiqi are both Han Chinese, but I don't plan to hide them, let's be honest, the Eight Banners have now become a big burden for my Qing Dynasty! Moreover, if it continues like this, this burden will only be bigger and more difficult to deal with. ”

The "emperor......" ruled by the Qing Dynasty, which has always been the "first Manchuria". In the Qing Dynasty, the bannermen were superior to the common people and were the basis of Manchu rule. Therefore, no one expected Kangxi to say such a sentence, and in panic, Tong Guowei and the two Hanchen fell to their knees, at a loss.

"Actually, I have long expected that in the future, not to mention farming, there will definitely be people in business. However, I didn't expect it to come so soon...... This Ferdinand would actually make candy to sell, it's really unthinkable. Ignoring the three kneeling courtiers, Kangxi was still talking to himself.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean...... Support Ferdinand Merchants? Gao Shiqi asked in a low voice.

"Support? No, I didn't have that intention. Kangxi shook his head, "I let the banner people work in agriculture because there are not so many soldiers needed now." Moreover, most of the bannermen are no longer usable, because they are no longer available. However, some of these people subleased the land I had allocated to them for cultivation and lived on those rents for their own lives. …… What does this mean? It shows that this method of mine has not had much effect! Not only did they fail to make these people self-reliant, but on the contrary, they raised a group of 'waste' who did not produce and only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. ”

When Kangxi said this, there was already some anger in his tone, so that Tong Guowei and the three of them did not dare to answer easily.

"However, these people are not angry, but I can't just look at them. Otherwise, not only will I be sorry for my ancestors, but I will also be sorry for my juniors, and likewise, it will also add a huge burden to the imperial court. Moreover, if this continues, who knows what the people of the world will think of me in the future? So, I have to find a way to change the situation. ”

"That's why your Majesty is noncommittal about what Ferdinand did, aren't you?" Tong Guowei asked.

"That's right. Noncommittal! Kangxi nodded and said, "Ferdinand and the three are talents...... They were able to make so many achievements in the bitter cold land of Manchuria, and benefited the bannermen left behind in Manchuria, especially that Ma De, who also paid attention to maintaining the martial style of the bannermen, which made me feel quite rare. That's why I decided to give them a chance. ”

"But the emperor said that you don't support ......," Gao Shiqi said.

"Not supported! It does not mean that it is opposed. Kangxi replied, "I want to see what the three Ferdinand can do." If you do a good job, provide me with the Eight Banners, provide the imperial court, and provide me with a way to solve the burden of the Eight Banners, I will naturally reward them. If not, Manchuria is located outside the Guan, and the impact on the Central Plains is very small, and I don't have to worry too much about their affairs. What's more, if I don't come forward, if someone goes against them, I can talk to them and support them. ……”

"The emperor has worked hard, and the servants have thanked the Holy Grace for the Eight Banners." After listening to Kangxi's words, Tong Guowei understood. Kangxi was afraid that there would be more and more people in the Eight Banners, and there would be too much conflict with the government, and it would be more and more difficult to deal with at that time, so he wanted to see what Ferdinand and the three could do, after all, the three of them had already made some achievements in Manchuria on this issue, intentionally or unintentionally. This time, I wanted to see if we could find a way to completely alleviate the problem of flag affairs from their actions. Therefore, he neither supported nor objected to the question of the sale of sugar and the future of commerce that Ferdinand had not yet had time to speak of.

"The reason why I left you three behind is actually to make you pay more attention. First, help me think more about how to solve this disturbing flag service; Second, if necessary, as long as Ferdinand is not too excessive, they can help secretly...... You have both Manchu ministers and Han ministers, and you are all ministers of the upper study, and you have more opportunities to come forward than me. Kangxi said again.

"Your Majesty, isn't the minister of the study......" Gao Shiqi reminded Kangxi with a wry smile.

"Who said that? After this Enko, I will allow you to go back to the study on an errand. …… By the way, when you go back, inform Ma Qi and let him come along. ”

"Emperor, Emperor...... Thank you, Lord Long! ”

"Hmm. Tong Guowei! Accepting Gao Shiqi's kneeling thanks, Kangxi called Tong Guowei again.

"The minions are here."

"Give Ferdinand the title of head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and let him work in Mukden in the name of the Ministry of Internal Affairs......"

"Slaves obey!"

"No one is allowed to say anything about today's events, if there are rumors outside, I will ask. …… Alright, you all go down! ”

…………

"Congratulations to Gao Xiang!" Coming out of the upper study, Tong Guowei casually congratulated Gao Shiqi and left, and then Zhang Tingyu walked over.

"Tingyu, don't make fun of me. Alas, it's not easy to stay in the study. Xiong Cizhu, Mingzhu, Suo Etu, the three of them, walk, go, circle; I'm the only one left who slipped through the net, and now, I'm swimming back......" Gao Shiqi smiled bitterly.

"This is no longer the time. Gao Xiang, the current study is not like before. Although Tong Guowei has power, he is far inferior to the former Mingzhu and Suo Etu. What's more, Ma Qi is a strong person, he will not sell his face, and there is an old man like you and the emperor who suppress him intentionally or unintentionally, and now there is no one in the four ministers of the study who can sit in the court. Therefore, as long as you are not too stupid, the chances of an accident should not be too great. What's more, with your high-profile brain, you shouldn't have fallen to that point, right? Zhang Tingyu had a rare smile on his face.

"Well, of course I do. It's just that this time, before he officially returned to the study, he had already offended Tong Guowei. Didn't you see him walking so fast? I must have found someone to discuss how to deal with me and Mazie. Gao Shiqi said.

"In my opinion, it may not be," pacing Fang Bu, walking slowly with Gao Shiqi on the deserted palace street, Zhang Tingyu exhaled and said: "Tong Guowei is going, I'm afraid he is not only thinking about how to deal with you and Ma Qi, but also thinking of a way to deal with the emperor's personnel changes this time." ”

"How many people are you talking about?"

"That's right. Gao Xiang, you should also see that the emperor intends to let Chen Huang and the three of them govern the Yellow River after Le Fu, as for whether Chen Huang can become the governor of river affairs, it all depends on whether the big flood he expects will come. …… The Governor of River Affairs is in charge of the affairs of the Yellow River in several provinces, and the people and things involved in it are extremely complex. If Tong Guowei didn't prepare early, maybe he wouldn't be able to get a piece of the pie by then. Zhang Tingyu said in a calm tone, but Gao Shiqi still sensed a hint of mockery from his tone.

"Hehe, how can the world be as happy as it is in this world? Did he Tong Guowei think that Le Fu was in charge of river affairs when he had a lot of oil and water? Doesn't he know that even Mingzhu can only extort a mere 20,000 taels of silver from Le Fu, what can he do? Chen Huang was reincarnated this time, and the emperor had a lesson from the last time, how could he easily interfere in river affairs again? …… Alas, Chen Huang has been controlling the water all his life, but he has to rely on the flood to come back, which is really ironic. ”

"Hehe, it's rare to see Gao Xiang speak ill of you! …… I wonder what you think of the emperor's attitude towards the three Ferdinands? Zhang Tingyu suddenly changed the topic and asked.

"Well...... It's hard to say. The emperor seems to be very indulgent to them, but the holy will is unpredictable after all. However, if they really make achievements, they should be rich and powerful in the future......" Gao Shiqi thought for a while and said.

"Gao Xiang, you are deceiving me again!" Zhang Tingyu said dissatisfied. Although he believes in the principle of talking less and doing more, he doesn't have too many worries in front of Gao Shiqi. Gao Shiqi knew him, and he also knew Gao Shiqi, they could talk to each other, but they never intersected. In other words, the two of them are a kind of verbal friendly union, but they will not bring this kind of "friendship" into any incident. And they do it just because of a little ...... Now that I've entered the upper study, I don't want to be truly silent. When the Manchus were in power, the Han people naturally had to influence.

"I knew you could see it...... Alas, the emperor is the emperor after all, and we as courtiers only need to do our duty. ”

"Yes, among the Eight Banners, the conservative forces are extremely strong. If Ferdinand and others break the rules, they will be attacked. Although the emperor can protect them, if these people are resolute, I am afraid that the emperor will ...... at that time"-fall into the lower stone! Zhang Tingyu didn't say the last few words, but the meaning was already very obvious.

"Tingyu, you've only seen one side!" Gao Shiqi said again: "The banner people are becoming more and more unsuccessful, and the emperor expects that it will be difficult in the future, so he is naturally anxious. Now that Ferdinand has appeared, they are quite talented, and the emperor is using them as a touchstone, and if they succeed, they will be polished; If they don't succeed, they'll be worn out. ”

"Success...... Will it be polished? ”

"yes. The Eight Banners are the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, so naturally they must be firmly grasped in the hands of the emperor. If Ferdinand and the others succeeded, wouldn't they surpass the emperor in the hearts of the banner people? …… The emperor is here, and he can still suppress them, but if he ...... in the future" Gao Shiqi's voice was faintly heard, and in the end it was already silent.

……

“…… Gao Xiang, how many times have you met Ferdinand? Being silent for a while by Gao Shiqi's words, Zhang Tingyu suddenly asked again.

"Two sides. One time was Mukden, the time they returned home, and then this one. The last time I went to Fengtian with the emperor, although I went to his mansion to ask about the envoy of the county lord of Mojing, I had never met. Gao Shiqi replied.

"High Phase, Ferdinand is not a simple person. Ever since the last time I was ordered to go to Mukden for questioning, I've been keeping an eye on this person,...... This is a person who takes one step at a time and sees ten steps, if the emperor wants to deal with him according to the law, I am afraid it will not be so easy. ......," Zhang Tingyu said.

"Then we'll see, ride a donkey and read the record book, Ferdinand is older than me, I think, we should be able to see the results. …… It's Tingyu, I heard that there was something in Anhui recently, and you all handled the matter well, right? Having said that he didn't want to dwell on this matter anymore, Gao Shiqi changed the topic with a smile.

"The last time was from Nanjing. Therefore, this time Tong Guowei sent people to Zhejiang to transfer grain......"

"Hmm. Zhejiang is rich in grain, and it is adjacent to Anhui...... But those bugs are so powerful that you didn't send anyone to watch them? ”

"I was afraid of alarming the place, so I didn't plan to send it. Later, the emperor changed his mind and asked me to choose an observer to go over, but the candidate had not yet been decided, and when I entered the palace, I happened to meet Ferdinand and them, so I listened to their ideas and found a novice. ”

"Newbie? This is true, it has nothing to do with officialdom. Hehe, did you choose a good person? ”

"Ferdinand, they recommended one, I haven't seen it yet, so, it's not settled yet."

"Oh, which one?"

"A second-class jinshi the year before last has never been vacant, it seems to be called Shi Shilun." Zhang Tingyu said casually.