inspire-indiana Chapter 449: It is better to give a huge sum of money than to ask about your well-being
Chapter 449: It is better to give a huge sum of money than to ask about your well-being
Banquet for a Thousand Old Men?
As the name suggests, there should be a lot of old men having a banquet together.
Next year will be Emperor Kangxi’s 60th birthday, and the scale of the celebrations will certainly be extraordinary.
He has been in office for a long time, which is rare in ancient and modern times, and he has always advocated governing the country with filial piety. It is possible that he took this opportunity to invite the elderly subjects in the world to join the feast, showing his benevolence and love for the people, and setting off a trend of respecting the elderly among the people.
but……
Isn’t this a good thing?
Kangxi was confused, and the princes were also somewhat puzzled.
As luck would have it, Yinzhen also started talking about this: [Kangxi's father's banquet for a thousand elders is not completely without merit, and his birthday is in March, so the weather has warmed up a bit.]
[And Kangxi's father was more thoughtful and well prepared. Even though those old people had traveled a long way, nothing serious happened.]
[But we can’t help but be impressed by the scholarly nephew of Emperor Qianlong!]
[He didn't care about anything. He started preparing in the first month of the year. It was snowy and tiring. The elderly were excited to see the emperor, and they ate some cold fish and meat...]
[For various reasons, many people died with a smile on their faces after attending the banquet, so much so that people secretly called his Banquet for Thousand Old Men a Banquet for Death. The level of danger was almost equal to Zhu Yuanzhang’s golden medal of immunity from death…]
He was still chattering, and Kangxi was in a daze, not knowing what to say.
However, the prince felt that Yinxuan was a bit unreasonable.
How come every time Qianlong made a mistake, he could find a roundabout way to put the blame on Khan Ama?
If Yinzhen knew his doubts, he would definitely answer him seriously: "How can this be called passing the buck? This is called tracing the source!"
After all, no matter it is the Banquet for a Thousand Old Men or the Six Trips to the South of the Yangtze River.
Whether he went hunting in Nanyuan or went hunting in the frontier in autumn, Qianlong's nephew always followed in the footsteps of his great ancestor.
Historically, Yongzheng was criticized so harshly that he could not help but write "Da Yi Jue Mi Lu" himself to fight back.
After Qianlong ascended the throne, he quickly recalled Dayi Juemi Lu.
Then he would flatter himself by saying that the reason why Emperor Kangxi chose Yongzheng to succeed him was because he was amazed and loved this good and saintly grandson.
Tsk tsk.
When it comes to the various interesting stories about the father and son, Yinxuan can definitely keep his second brother, the Crown Prince, talking for three days and three nights.
Unfortunately, due to some mysterious limitations, no one can reveal to Yinxuan the fact that they can read his mind.
We can only let the little guy let his imagination run wild and indulge in all kinds of wild thoughts all day long.
Then, little by little, they would extract key information from these complaints that would be beneficial to their own development or the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty.
Step by step, formulate more suitable policies or strategies.
Now, as spring passes, autumn arrives and winter approaches, court officials are talking about the emperor's 600,000th birthday next year, and it's time to celebrate.
When someone mentioned the Banquet for a Thousand Old Men, Kangxi almost shook his head like a rattle: "No, no."
"My dear, I appreciate your kindness."
"However, my birthday is in March, and there are many procedures for holding a banquet, including announcing the news and making preparations in advance. In order to avoid an auspicious time, the elders who will attend the banquet have to leave for the capital in February or even earlier. The cold weather and the fatigue of traveling by boat and car are a huge burden for the elders who are already old."
Huh?
Yinzhen was surprised: Why didn’t father Kangxi agree readily, and even considered the health of the elders attending the meeting?
This, this is very unhistorical!
but……
[Although I don’t know what went wrong, I personally think that this decision is extremely wise! It is not credible to let the elderly travel thousands of miles. Not to mention ordinary people, even living Buddhas can’t stand it.]
[Historically, the Jebtsundan Hutuktu came to pay respects to Emperor Kangxi and fulfilled his promise to him in his early years, but he died of an old illness. Later, when Emperor Yongzheng wanted to send the tenth prince to escort his coffin back, he made an excuse and said he couldn't do it. Alas, the good Prince Dun was trapped! ]
Cough cough cough.
Kangxi choked on a mouthful of water and started coughing violently.
The look in his eyes when he looked at Yinxuan was full of resentment.
You little brat don't know your priorities. Why are you telling me such an important thing now?
Yinzhen looked confused: [Could it be that my attempt to hold back my laughter was too unprofessional and was discovered by Kangxi father?]
Kangxi:......
Kangxi turned around and didn't even look at the brat before the meeting ended.
It’s just that we consider the elderly more comprehensively and seriously.
It is better not to hold this banquet for a thousand elders than to let any elder die because of his own reasons.
Instead, he was thinking about how to make Mr. Hui a reality.
Speaking of this, Yinzhen couldn't help but mutter: "What are you talking about? It's better to give a huge sum of money than to ask about my well-being."
The court was a bit quiet at that time, so his voice seemed a bit loud.
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole court was in an uproar.
Even Kangxi, who had promised not to turn around to look at him, could not help but turn around and said, "You kid! We are discussing a serious matter in the court, why are you being so naughty?"
Yin Xuan was aggrieved: "How can a son be so shameless? He is clearly telling the truth!"
"Our Qing dynasty inherited the Ming system, and the salaries of officials have always been shockingly low. It was only two years ago that the Crown Prince proposed an increase. But after officials retire, they no longer receive any salary."
"It's OK for those who are corrupt and abuse their power to plunder the people. But if you are honest and have no permanent property, you will inevitably have a hard life. It's not uncommon to see people growing small crops, selling calligraphy and paintings, or even asking for money from old friends."
"When this matter happened to be mentioned today, my son had some associations and sincerely suggested that Khan Ama consider the issue of honoring the elderly and retired officials."
The civil and military officials who were about to agree with the emperor and criticize the Eighteenth Prince: !!!
I never thought that the Eighteenth Prince would be such a good prince who serves the country and the people.
It is hard to believe that besides being busy making weapons and improving firearms all day long, he is also so concerned about those old ministers who once dedicated themselves to the Qing Dynasty and even sacrificed their blood.
Woo woo woo.
Even if this move is to win people's hearts, they will take it seriously!
Kangxi was a little surprised. He didn't understand how the topic jumped from the Banquet for Thousand Old Men to the payment of pensions to retired ministers in the court.
But Yinzhen said sincerely that temporary rewards for a particular matter were like trying to stop a boiling pot by adding more water, and that they could not solve the fundamental problem.
It is better to analyze in depth and find the root cause.
Then we will prescribe the right remedy to solve the problem completely and allow the entire Qing Dynasty to have a good old age.
After ten years of hard study, even if one succeeds in the first attempt, one would have to be in his 40s or 50s to advance from being a seventh-rank editor in the Imperial Academy to being able to attend the morning court.
In addition, due to poor performance, mourning, taboos and other reasons, there were some twists and turns in his official career.
It is not uncommon for people to be in their fifties or sixties by the time they are old enough to attend court.
Therefore, there are few young ministers in the court.
Retirement is the problem they are facing or will face in the future, and it is closely related to everyone.
Naturally, everyone was paying close attention to it, and they hoped that the emperor would accept the advice and seriously consider the treatment of officials after they retired.