usatvline Chapter 40 Spending the Night in the Palace
Chapter 40 Spending the Night in the Palace
"Your Majesty flatters me." Yin'e lowered his head, adopting a humble demeanor. "Your subject merely did what I felt was right to do."
Kangxi did not continue the conversation.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze becoming distant, as if piercing through the walls of the warm chamber and seeing a very far place, a very long time.
"Wei Dongting..." he slowly uttered the name, "He's followed me his whole life."
Yin'e did not speak, but listened quietly.
"He was by my side when I ascended the throne at the age of six."
Back then, he was just a boy, following behind me and calling me "Master" over and over again.
When I captured Ao Bai, he was only in his twenties. He stood in front of me with a knife and said, "Your Majesty, don't be afraid, this servant will protect you."
As Kangxi spoke, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, it was unclear whether he was smiling or sighing.
"When the Three Feudatories were quelled, he stayed with me in the Qianqing Palace for seven days and seven nights without closing his eyes."
I told him to go and rest for a while, but he refused, saying, "How can this servant sleep if my master doesn't sleep?"
As Yin'e listened, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
He wasn't acting.
He was truly moved.
He had read about these things in books and watched them on TV, but hearing them spoken by Emperor Kangxi himself carried a completely different weight.
"When we were fighting Galdan, I was in the northern desert, and he was in the south." Kangxi paused, then lowered his voice a few decibels. "He transported grain from the south to the front line ship by ship, without interruption for a single day."
"Half of the food, clothing, and supplies for my hundreds of thousands of troops were provided by Wei Dongting."
Emperor Kangxi paused at this point.
The warm room remained quiet for a while.
The candlelight flickered, making a soft crackling sound.
"I made six southern tours," Kangxi finally spoke again, "and stayed at his house three of the times."
He served me perfectly, without ever making a mistake.
I told him he didn't need to make such a grand show, but he wouldn't listen, saying, "It's rare for His Majesty to come all this way, and I can't let people say His Majesty is staying in such a humble place."
Yin'e knew that Kangxi had already said the most important thing by this point.
Where did Wei Dongting's money go? It went to him.
That silver was not squandered by Wei Dongting or wasted by Wei Shitong, but was transformed into palaces, fireworks displays, and banquets along the southern tour, enhancing Kangxi's prestige and pomp.
But he didn't say it out loud.
Emperor Kangxi did not reveal the truth.
Some things don't need to be said too explicitly.
You know, I know, heaven knows, earth knows, that's enough.
"I showed you the memorials from the Fourteenth Prince," Kangxi suddenly changed the subject, pulling the conversation back from the memories. "What do you think should be done about Liu Dianheng's matter?"
Yin'e thought for a moment and cautiously replied, "In my opinion, we should act according to the law. Those who deserve to be killed should be killed, and those who deserve to be exiled should be exiled. There is no need for leniency or implication of others."
Although Liu Dianheng had good performance records in the past, his merits and demerits cannot be offset.
The money he embezzled should be recovered; the students he harmed should be exonerated.
Kangxi nodded without saying a word.
"As for the fourteenth brother..." Yin'e hesitated for a moment, but still spoke, "The fourteenth brother did a very good job in handling this matter, and he did it very thoroughly."
Your Majesty, I believe you can entrust him with more responsibilities.
This statement acknowledges the fourteenth prince's abilities without excessively praising him.
He found a perfect balance between the fourteenth prince and Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi glanced at him, his gaze thoughtful. Then he looked away, picked up his teacup, found the tea had gone cold, and put it down.
They talked until midnight.
It was as if Kangxi had opened a long-sealed box, and poured out its contents one by one.
He recounted his youth, the thrilling capture of Oboi, and the hardships endured during the suppression of the Three Feudatories.
He spoke of the strategic planning during the recapture of Taiwan, and of the hardships he endured while personally leading the campaign against Galdan.
There were some things that Yin'e had only heard snippets of in the original owner's memories;
There were some things he had never heard of before.
Emperor Kangxi spoke at length about Wei Dongting.
He spoke of his loyalty, his talent, his integrity, but also his stubbornness and shortcomings.
Some things were praise, some things were criticism, but whether it was praise or criticism, there was a deep emotion in the tone that said, "This person has followed me all my life."
He didn't scold the fourth brother.
He didn't say a word.
Yin'e noticed this and secretly admired him.
It wasn't that Emperor Kangxi didn't want to scold, but that he couldn't.
The order to recover the debts was given by him; the fourth brother was merely the executor.
To criticize the fourth brother is to criticize yourself.
"I issued the order, I sent the men, they drove someone to their death, and then I'm criticizing the ones who carried it out? Isn't that just contradicting myself?"
So he had no choice but to refrain from cursing.
He could only suppress this matter in his heart and try to vent his anger by recalling Wei Dongting.
The sky outside the window was completely dark.
Liang Jiugong entered at some point, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it is past midnight."
The palace gates are locked, the Tenth Prince is probably...
Kangxi glanced at the sky outside the window, frowned, as if he hadn't expected time to pass so quickly.
He turned to Yin'e and said, "Alright, let's stay in the palace tonight and go back tomorrow morning."
Yin'e was stunned for a moment, then quickly knelt down to express his gratitude: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty, Father."
Kangxi waved his hand and instructed Liang Jiugong, "Go and prepare a clean room for the Tenth Prince to stay in. Make sure the quilt is thick, as it gets chilly at night."
"Yes, sir." Liang Jiugong responded and turned to leave.
Just as Yin'e was about to bow and take his leave, he suddenly heard Kangxi call him back from behind.
"Yin'e".
He turned around and looked at Kangxi.
Kangxi stood up from behind his desk and walked up to him.
The thin old man standing in front of him only reached his chin.
"I will pay off Wei Dongting's 300,000 taels of silver on his behalf."
Yin'e's heart skipped a beat.
"But..." Kangxi held up a finger and waved it in front of him, "to outsiders, will you say that you've paid it back?"
If I were to pay off his debts, what would those who owe money think?
They'll say, "If His Majesty can repay for Lord Wei, why can't he repay for us?" Then, should I repay or not?
"This money will come from my own treasury, not from the national treasury, and will not go through the Ministry of Revenue," Kangxi continued. "You don't need to worry about how to repay it, nor do you need to worry about anyone checking the accounts."
"I have my own way."
Yin'e took a deep breath and knelt down again with a thud.
"Your subject... thanks Your Majesty."
"Alright, get up." Kangxi waved his hand. "Don't kneel here anymore, go and rest."
Yin'e stood up, bowed, and left the West Warm Pavilion.
Liang Jiugong waited outside with a lantern, then led him through the corridor toward his residence.
Yin'e followed behind Liang Jiugong, his heart churning with indescribable emotions.
He won his bet.
He bet that Emperor Kangxi would pay off Wei Dongting's debts, and he was right.
After entering the room arranged by Liang Jiugong, Yin'e closed the door and bolted it.
Then he reached out and summoned the book "Overheard".
He turned to the page recording Kangxi's life, his gaze falling on the name he had never been able to understand.
Then, he froze.
Five stars appeared after Kangxi's name.
Of the five stars, four are intact, while the fifth has a noticeable crack.