Late October. The imperial procession shifted from land to the waterways, advancing toward the prosperous Jiangnan region. Confined to the imperial barge, Yinreng initiated his next strategic objective: dismantling the empire's maritime ban.
He required a psychological catalyst, so he turned to storytelling. He recounted the global narratives he had extracted from foreign missionaries. However, unlike the missionaries' emotional or religious anecdotes, Yinreng engineered his tales to highlight tangible assets. He detailed foreign geography, emphasizing abundant gold mines, untapped natural resources, and foreign aristocrats possessing the wealth to buy luxury goods at exorbitant prices.
Analysis: Greed is a universal motivator. To alter imperial policy, the bureaucracy must first desire the wealth beyond their closed borders.
Yinreng timed his operations meticulously. He spoke only during banquets, deck observations, or scenic excursions—ensuring maximum exposure to Kangxi and the highest-ranking ministers. He manipulated the narrative pacing, building suspense and painting vivid pictures of endless maritime profit. Upon reaching the climax of each tale, he would deliberately sigh: "A profound pity the seas are sealed. Such prosperity remains out of our grasp."
***
The Harvest
By the time the fleet docked at Yangzhou, the seeds of greed had taken root.
Kangxi summoned Yinreng and tossed a memorial onto the table. "Look at what your stories have instigated."
Yinreng glanced at the document. It was a petition from Minister Li Guangdi advocating for the immediate opening of maritime trade.
Yinreng's expression remained neutral. "Imperial Father, Minister Li proposed this years ago. My stories merely accelerated an inevitable conclusion."
"This is the third petition of its kind I have received in days," Kangxi countered coldly.
'Result achieved.' Yinreng sat beside Kangxi and laid out his rational thesis. "The Zheng clan in Penghu was eradicated last year. The coastal military threat is neutralized. Opening the ports generates immense economic profit and provides a stable livelihood for coastal peasants, securing internal peace. Should foreign pirates attempt harassment, our five thousand naval troops are more than sufficient to annihilate them."
Yinreng then produced a compiled dossier detailing the staggering tax revenues and profit margins of maritime trade from previous dynasties.
Kangxi scanned the data, his eyes sharpening. He scoffed, feigning anger. "You came fully prepared."
"Beyond commerce, it is a matter of strategic intelligence," Yinreng pressed. "We cannot view Western nations merely as barbarians. They are advancing. If we remain blinded by our own perceived supremacy, we are no different than frogs at the bottom of a well. Through trade, we observe their governance, their weaponry, and their mechanics. We absorb their strengths and discard their weaknesses. If war ever comes, we will not be fighting blind."
Kangxi processed the cold logic. "Understood. You are dismissed."
That night, Kangxi decreed the end of the maritime ban. Yinreng's psychological operation was a complete success.
***
The Mob and the Radish
The fleet bypassed the intermediate cities and arrived directly in Jiangning. The local governor, Tang Bin, waited at the docks with a disciplined reception line. However, the common populace had swarmed the area in the tens of thousands, creating a logistical nightmare.
To avoid a stampede, Kangxi abandoned his horse for a carriage. Progress was agonizingly slow. When a sudden breeze lifted the carriage curtain, a peasant spotted them.
"It's the Emperor and the Crown Prince!"
A domino effect of fanaticism swept the crowd. Tens of thousands knelt, screaming their gratitude.
Observation: The populace is driven by survival. By engineering the hybrid rice and the cowpox vaccines, I have monopolized their absolute loyalty.
The peasants began fiercely competing to offer crude tribute—radishes, hot biscuits, chicken soup. The competition quickly escalated into shouting matches and near-brawls. The situation teetered on the edge of a riot.
Suddenly, a radish, hurled from the chaotic crowd, struck Yinreng square in the face.
Dead silence fell over the streets. The imperial guards panicked, gripping their weapons; an assault on the Crown Prince was a capital offense.
Yinreng caught the radish. It was washed clean, free of dirt. Action required: Diffuse the tension instantly, or the guards will initiate a massacre. He wiped it on his sleeve, took a loud, decisive bite, and smiled. "Quite sweet."
The tension evaporated. The peasant who threw it erupted in ecstatic cheers, screaming to anyone who would listen that the Crown Prince had praised his crop. The crisis was averted, and the carriage safely reached the Jiangning Weaving Bureau, the estate of the favored Cao family.
***
Efficiency over Protocol
Inside the estate, Kangxi began the tedious process of interviewing local officials. Yinzhi, the Eldest Prince, stood attentively, eager to score political points by displaying filial piety.
Yinreng calculated the inefficiency of the meeting. Listening to bureaucratic sycophants offered zero strategic value. He intentionally fidgeted, projecting extreme boredom to force an exit.
"If you cannot stand still, then get out!" Kangxi finally snapped.
"Thank you, Imperial Father!" Yinreng replied instantly, sprinting for the door.
Kangxi tried to call him back, demanding he take guards, but Yinreng was already gone. 'Sentimentality and protocol are useless; action is paramount.'
***
The Illusion of the Past
Yinreng dragged his young uncle and student, Zanza, into the streets disguised as young nobles. Standing in the geographical location of his past life's hometown, Yinreng felt a brief, jarring wave of dissonance. The streets of 1684 Jiangning held zero resemblance to the modern city he once knew.
He scoffed at his own internal weakness. 'The past is dead. The current timeline is the only reality that matters.' He suppressed the emotion instantly and focused on the present.
Acting as a guide, he took Zanza to sample local specialties like duck blood vermicelli soup and Yuhua tea, claiming he had read local gazetteers to explain his knowledge. During the tour, Yinreng made a logistical observation: Zanza possessed a monstrous, bottomless appetite, consuming food non-stop for an hour. 'Data noted for future reference.'
***
The Parasite
They returned to the estate just in time for the welcoming banquet. Inside, Yinzhi was proudly presenting a weeping, white-clad girl named Yanyan to Kangxi and the ministers.
"I found her kneeling by the road, selling herself to bury her father," Yinzhi declared piously. "I gave her silver out of pity, and she insisted on becoming my servant to repay the debt."
The ministers stroked their beards, praising the Eldest Prince's benevolence.
Zanza, however, blinked in confusion. "Wait, is that the same girl from the street? The one who couldn't sell herself all day?"
Yinzhi sensed an opportunity to attack. "Since you two saw her, why did you not help? It is only a few taels of silver." He clearly implied Yinreng lacked basic human compassion.
Yinreng sat down lazily. "If she merely needed burial funds, that would be one thing. But her goal was not to bury her father. Her goal was to fish for a wealthy host."
Zanza nodded enthusiastically, inadvertently dismantling Yinzhi's narrative. "The Crown Prince made a bet with me. He said if my guard offered her twenty taels, and I offered her ten, she would choose my ten. I thought that was illogical. But when the guard offered twenty, she refused, claiming a guard's money is hard-earned and she couldn't burden him."
Yinzhi frowned, still missing the point. "She is righteous. She asked if my money was easily spared before accepting."
"Right," Zanza continued. "Then I went and offered ten taels. She accepted it, but then she latched onto my leg, crying that she 'must' become my slave, even just a dog to amuse me, to repay the debt. I didn't want a slave! She wouldn't let go until the Crown Prince yelled 'Thief!' to create a distraction so we could escape."
Dead silence filled the room.
Internal Monologue: The mechanics of her scam are elementary. The Emperor's presence in Jiangning is public knowledge. She dressed in mourning and waited. She rejected the guard because a guard offers no upward mobility. She targeted young, wealthy men with retinues—royal targets. She traded a dead father for a one-way ticket into the imperial household.
The truth dawned on the ministers. Yinzhi hadn't rescued a maiden in distress; he had willingly swallowed a parasite's bait.