novelaction Chapter 222 Anti-smoking Operation
Chapter 222 Anti-smoking Operation
Chapter 222 Anti-smoking Campaign
Yinreng was familiar with the Shi family, and of course the Shi family also had a certain understanding of him. The root of the problem was the incident of selecting the Crown Princess.
The originally betrothed Crown Princess ended up becoming the Princess of Prince Yong due to the interference of her niece. Although she was still a royal wife, her status was completely different, one could say that there was a world of difference.
If it weren't for the fact that it was his niece who had facilitated the family's title, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was able to come to the south to become the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi at the suggestion of his niece, that niece who hadn't made any splash in Prince Yong's backyard would have been abandoned long ago.
After all, there were quite a few girls in the family at that time. Not to mention the eldest brother's little daughter, there were also several legitimate and illegitimate daughters in his own name.
To be honest, they have been skeptical about their niece's speculations over the years, especially as time went on, he had already made the decision to follow the prince's party again, but who knew that the accident would come so quickly, "bang", the prince stepped down without any warning and became a prince.
Now, the family has added a bit of credibility to the information left by the niece. After all, before she got married, the niece predicted that the prince would be deposed, and would be deposed twice. The first time has already happened before their eyes, so how far away is the second time?
Thinking of this, he was even more disdainful of the fact that it was Prince Chenyuan who led the inspection this time. A victim of a power struggle, he had lost the throne of Crown Prince twice. What kind of talent could such a person have? He might just be an embroidered pillow - good-looking but useless!
It must be said that Yinreng never expected that he could dispel Shi Tingzhu's vigilance against him. If he knew that it was because of Shi's advice that his investigation would be smoother in the future, he might have taken the initiative to come to Shi's house to thank her after returning to Beijing.
In the Governor's Mansion, because of the attitude of their master, the servants' attitude towards the two princes Yinreng and Yinxiang also changed. They still had respect for them, but not much. As for surveillance, it was basically dispensable. They did not believe that these two princes could cause any trouble under the control of their master.
Yinreng immediately noticed the changes in the Governor's Office and was happy to see it happen. According to the original plan, Yinxiang went out for a stroll, like a young boy, wandering around in a new place, and also took some spies with him to walk around the city.
Yinreng also took direct action. Today, he visited the Governor's Mansion, and everyone accompanied him nervously. Shi Tingzhu followed behind him, and many others followed him secretly, always paying attention to Yinreng's movements. As long as there was something wrong, they would take action immediately.
Ming'er also started hanging out in the inner city, but the places he hung out were very strange. He liked to go to those red-light districts of all kinds. After he went there, he was very generous and even took the initiative to book a brothel directly.
Although Yinreng concealed his identity when he went there, this place was Shi Tingzhu's territory, and the managers of these brothels were basically his subordinates. He knew where Yinreng had been and what he had done.
Just like that, after a few days, the reports on monitoring the two princes were basically the same. The two were either shopping and spending sprees or going to some brothels, which made Shi Tingzhu even more convinced that the two princes were fools.
Although his eldest brother wrote in a letter saying that Prince Chenyuan was very smart when he was young, he believed more that it was just a small thing. After all, no matter how much a person disguises himself, he still needs to rest. Since the two princes entered his territory, they have always been under surveillance. In such a situation, they are still consistent, which shows that this is the nature of these two princes.
Maybe he was just pretending in the capital. But when he came here, the emperor was far away, and as a prince with no one to supervise him, he suddenly took off his disguise and revealed his true nature.
While they were all acting in circles here, the people sent by Yinreng secretly had found a lot of evidence that Shi Tingzhu did have problems, and not just him, but the entire Shi family had problems.
Because of his contribution to the fight against cowpox, the Shi family was awarded the title of Duke of Yongyi. Then the Shi family went one step further and soon in the 38th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, they pushed Shi Tingzhu to the position of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Shi Tingzhu was not a good person either. After arriving in Guangdong and Guangxi, he learned that the cost of Fushou Paste (Hibiscus Paste) here was low and the profit was huge. He immediately became greedy. Before his subordinates even started to tempt them, he went straight to the seller.
One supplied goods and the other provided sales channels. In just a few years, the entire Guangdong and Guangxi areas became Shi Tingzhu's back garden, and Shi Tingzhu and the Shi family behind him also made a fortune.
The reason why Hong Kong could become a supply warehouse for foreigners without being discovered was also because of Shi Tingzhu's cover. After he made money, he did not keep the money, but privately established his own armed forces and placed these people on Hong Kong Island.
It could be said that the reason foreigners could gather in large numbers in Hong Kong without being discovered was entirely due to the protection of Shi Tingzhu's men. Furthermore, he had previously sent people out to sea to explore small islands, and had already found several good, habitable islands.
He had made preparations for both scenarios. If his niece could finally live in the Forbidden City and the little prince could ascend the throne, then they would be considered royal relatives, and their status would be higher. Then these illegal little actions could be dealt with and would not be a big deal.
But if the incident happened before the young prince ascended the throne, he would take his entire family to live on the island. With the large amount of gold and silver accumulated over the years and his own weapons, he would be able to establish his own country and face the Yaohai of the Qing Dynasty.
Although he had some faith in his niece's prediction, he believed in himself more. It can be said that if the two princes Yinreng and Yinxiang had not come to Guangdong and Guangxi and did not show any abnormality, he would have killed them long ago.
The secret guards were very fast. Perhaps having an army made Shi Tingzhu inflated, so he laid out some evidence without any concealment. They not only found the Hibiscus Cream here, but also discovered smuggling cases, human trafficking, and the secret stockpiling of troops.
When the secret guard reported the news, Yinreng's face almost turned green. He thought Shi Tingzhu was bold, but he didn't expect him to be so audacious. These actions proved that the other party not only had no loyalty to the Qing Dynasty, but also had evil intentions.
On the night they learned the news, Yinreng and Yinxiang left the city under the protection of the secret guards, leaving behind substitutes. At the same time, Yinzhi also assembled his troops and divided them into two groups to begin besieging Guangdong and Guangxi and encircling Hong Kong City.
It was not until the enemy was at the gates of the city that Shi Tingzhu realized that he had been exposed. He was furious and went straight to the courtyard where the two princes lived with his sword. Apart from anything else, with the two princes as hostages, it was completely possible for him to temporarily retreat to the Hong Kong base.
He wasn't yet able to contend with the troops stationed in the south, but preserving his strength for a comeback wasn't difficult. His plan was sound, but when he saw the so-called prince, he realized he had lost his leverage. Furthermore, contact with the Hong Kong troops had also been severed.
Now, what is there to not understand? He was careless, and it was his arrogance that led to the current predicament. It was also his arrogance that would lead to the destruction of the entire Shi family.
The turmoil ended quickly. Everything is a paper tiger in front of hegemony. If Shi Tingzhu develops for a few more years and expands his army to a certain size, it will be difficult for them to eliminate him. However, he has only developed for a few years, and even if he has a certain scale, he will not pose too much threat.
Next, those who should be killed will be killed, those who should be arrested will be arrested, officials will be dismissed from their posts, all contraband will be confiscated, and all foreigners will be detained and brought back to the capital when the time comes.
As for the hibiscus cream, or rather, opium, Yinreng, after consulting the elders on how to destroy it, immediately resorted to a posthumous version of the "Humen Opium Destruction." He dug two pools by the sea, paved the bottoms with stones, and, to prevent the opium from leaking out, nailed boards around the edges. A ditch was then dug. Salt water was poured into the ditch, flowing into the pools. Then, the opium was cut into quarters, soaked in salt water for half a day, and then lime was added. The lime, when in contact with water, boiled, dissolving the opium.
Soldiers used wooden rakes to stir the pond constantly, ensuring that the opium dissolved completely. When the tide receded, they sent the water out to the ocean and washed the bottom of the pond with clean water, leaving not a drop behind.
In this way, all the opium in Guangdong and Guangxi was destroyed, and all the people involved in the case were arrested. After the new governor sent by Emperor Kangxi took office in the capital, the group returned to Beijing in high spirits on a large ship.