The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 256 Fear of Power, Not Gratitude

After returning to Beijing from Zhangjiakou, Ma Qi went to see Yinwu immediately.

"Your Highness, the Russian envoy Izmailov proposes that our Great Qing and Russia resume trade relations as soon as possible, with Russian merchants allowed to pay for their own carriages and provisions; he requests permission to establish an Orthodox church in the capital; he requests permission for Russian merchants to enter our Great Qing's inland waterways and coastal ports for free trade without limit on the number of people, and that their purchased goods be tax-free; he hopes that our Great Qing will establish a commercial court to handle disputes between merchants of the two countries; and he requests that Russia establish a consulate general in the capital and send consuls or officials to various provinces..."

It took Ma Qi a full fifteen minutes to fully explain the Russians' demands.

Yinwu glanced at Ma Qi and thought to himself, "This old fellow must have received a lot of benefits from the Russians again."

Based on Yinwu's understanding of Kangxi, Kangxi would certainly not allow foreigners to enter the docks of the inland rivers to do business.

During the Qing Dynasty, whether it was the Guangdong Customs, Jiangsu Customs, or Zhejiang Customs, foreigners were only allowed to trade at designated coastal ports, and were absolutely prohibited from entering the Yellow River or the Yangtze River.

In fact, given Yinwu's knowledge, apart from the Orthodox Church, everything else could be traded on a reciprocal basis for mutually beneficial trade.

During the Treaty of Nanjing between China and Britain, Emperor Daoguang was forced to open five ports to trade. As a result, four of these ports became major commercial hubs.

As the court representative presiding over the negotiations, Yinwu naturally couldn't immediately express his opinion. He calmly asked Ma Qi, "Minister Ma, how dare the Russians make so many demands? Their appetite is too big, isn't it?"

Ma Qi cupped his hands in greeting and said, "To be honest, Your Highness, the Russians can ask for whatever price they want, but we can also bargain on the spot!"

Upon hearing this, Yinwu understood perfectly that Ma Qi must have received a considerable benefit from the Russians.

The Russians deliberately set very high demands, and even though Yinwu cut his demands in half, the Russians still made a huge profit.

Using a similar tactic, Yinwu did this almost every day in order to apply for funding from higher authorities.

Others may not know, but Yinwu knew perfectly well that Russian goods had almost no market in Europe due to their extremely backward technology.

Given the Qing Dynasty's outdated statistical methods, it was impossible to have an accurate figure for the entire country's population.

However, according to the materials that Yinwu had, a preliminary estimate suggested that the Qing Dynasty should have had a population of nearly 200 million.

The officials, gentry, and merchants of the Qing Dynasty, along with their families, numbered at least five million and possessed considerable purchasing power.

Therefore, whether it was the British, the French, or the Russians, they all coveted the Qing Dynasty's consumer market.

Moreover, the Qing Dynasty possessed three trade surplus commodities: silk, porcelain, and tea.

It's no exaggeration to say that as long as foreign merchants have these three hard currencies, they will never have to worry about buyers in Europe.

"Since the Russians are asking for something from our Great Qing, why rush into negotiations?" Yinwu originally intended to delay and observe the Russians' reaction before making any further plans.

Ma Qi hesitated for a moment, wanting to persuade Yinwu, but worried that it would arouse Yinwu's suspicion. His words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

Yinwu clearly saw Ma Qi's embarrassed expression as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, but pretended not to know.

The Russians of today are not yet fully grown; they are far from being the European gendarmes who defeated Napoleon.

Given Yinwu's status, leaving them hanging is pointless. Do you think the Russians would dare to complain openly?
As a result, the special envoy from the Rakshasa Kingdom was stranded in Zhangjiakou, finding himself in a dilemma.

When Kangxi found out, he asked Yinwu, "How long do you plan to keep them waiting?" Yinwu knew that Kangxi still believed in the useless formalities of the Celestial Empire, so he explained, "Father, the Russians have always bullied the weak and feared the strong, and they are afraid of power but not of virtue. Your Majesty, I can guarantee that the longer we keep them waiting, the more obedient they will be, and the easier it will be to negotiate terms."

Emperor Kangxi knew his temperament well and knew that if he dared to say such a thing, he must have some basis for it, so he didn't ask any further questions!
By leaving the Russian special envoy delegation stranded in Zhangjiakou, Yinwu's brilliance was evident.

If so, allowing the Russians into the capital and the emperor delaying his summons would indeed be considered a breach of protocol.

However, the situation was different in Zhangjiakou, far to the north, where Yinwu had plenty of excuses to deflect unfavorable public opinion.

By the end of July, Kangxi led a large entourage toward the Mulan Hunting Grounds.

Near the earthen fortress of the Mulan Hunting Grounds, Emperor Kangxi proudly told Yinwu, "From my childhood until now, I have hunted 135 tigers, 20 bears, 25 leopards, 10 lynxes, 14 deer, 96 wolves, and 132 wild boars with muskets and bows and arrows. I have also hunted hundreds of deer with sentries. The number of wild animals I have casually hunted within the hunting grounds is countless. I once shot 318 rabbits in a single day. An ordinary person could not achieve that number in a lifetime. The reason I have repeatedly instructed you is because you are still young and should study diligently. There is nothing that cannot be learned. I myself have only acquired these abilities through learning; no one is born with them."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Since Kangxi was in such a good mood, Yinwu naturally couldn't spoil the mood and quickly began to flatter him!

To be honest, Emperor Kangxi wasn't exaggerating. However, now, due to a stroke, his right hand is completely weak, and he can only watch helplessly as everyone goes hunting.

Yinwu's duty was to protect the emperor, so he naturally dared not leave Kangxi's side.

However, the fourth brother remained on horseback and showed no interest in hunting.

Emperor Kangxi knew that the fourth prince was skilled in politics but not in riding or archery. However, everyone else had spurred their horses and charged out with bows, leaving only the fourth prince, who was simply too conspicuous.

So Kangxi summoned the fourth prince and deliberately asked him, "Why don't you go hunting?"

The fourth prince had been waiting for Kangxi to ask this question, so he lowered his head and said, "Father, the hunting can be handled by my fourteenth brother!"

Kangxi was taken aback for a moment, then understood. The fourth prince could only draw a bow with a strength of four and a half, which would place him last among all the princes.

However, the fourteenth prince is not only the fourth prince's younger brother, but also skilled in leading troops and fighting battles. The fourth prince will surely rely on the fourteenth prince in the future.

"Great wisdom! Those who use their minds to control others are truly adept at this!"

Even so, Emperor Kangxi had always been quite critical of his fourth son's lack of martial spirit.

Today, Emperor Kangxi feels that his health is deteriorating day by day, and he is afraid that he will no longer have the time to start cultivating another potential heir apparent from scratch.

Before the death of the Ming Dynasty's Tianqi Emperor, Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, had been living a life of leisure and ease, and had no idea how to be an emperor.

"I am of meager virtue and lowly in humility, and have offended Heaven, allowing the rebels to directly threaten the capital. All of this is due to the mistakes of my ministers."

Before hanging himself, Emperor Chongzhen did not reflect on his own incompetence, but instead complained that his ministers had betrayed him.

In Kangxi's eyes, it was utterly absurd and laughable!

Emperor Chongzhen himself was incapable of recognizing and employing talent, and he killed his ministers like pigs and dogs, which led to the loss of his empire. Who else could he blame?

(End of this chapter)