The Calculus of Knowledge
Upon returning to the palace, Yinreng immediately resumed his intellectual conditioning. He accessed his "System"—a metaphysical interface linked to his consciousness that stored the comprehensive academic archives of his previous life.
Through this interface, his past-life memories of Higher Mathematics, previously blurred by time, became perfectly lucid. He possessed a weaponized intellect. However, the sheer volume of information was overwhelming.
Internal Monologue (Yinreng): Complete mastery of all disciplines is a logistical impossibility. Efficiency dictates a targeted approach. I must segment the curriculum, extracting only the most pragmatic applications of linear algebra, differential equations, and matrix calculations to advance our immediate technological needs.
He immersed himself in his studies until the New Year arrived.
....
The Expiration Date of Monopolies
By January of the 24th year of Kangxi, the maritime trade embargo was officially lifted. Following the establishment of a royal fleet, civilian merchants rapidly mobilized, triggering an economic boom.
The strategic composition of the royal fleet's cargo became a primary debate. While traditional exports like silk and porcelain were guaranteed, Yinreng proposed exporting cement. Emperor Kangxi firmly rejected this, viewing cement as a state secret to be hoarded.
Yinreng approached the Emperor to dismantle this defensive logic.
"Imperial Father," Yinreng argued rationally, "Cement builds infrastructure; it does not fire projectiles. It cannot be used to breach our walls. If we share it, foreign nations will improve their roads, but our own development will not stagnate. In fact, we should not just sell the cement, but trade the manufacturing formula itself."
Seeing Kangxi's frown, Yinreng pressed the tactical advantage. "Consider the advanced musket the Khalkha Mongols recently gifted us, procured from the Russians. No empire holds a monopoly on all innovation. If we flaunt cement, we create demand. We then leverage our formula in a direct exchange for their advanced military or industrial technology."
Internal Monologue (Yinreng): Technological monopolies are an illusion with an expiration date. Within a century, the West will independently invent Portland cement. If we hoard the technology, we lose the window to monetize it. We must exploit our current informational asymmetry to extract maximum global value.
He further proposed trading "Generation Four" hybrid rice—a highly viable but intentionally inferior strain to their primary crop—and the cowpox vaccine. The vaccine, while humanitarian, was also highly strategic. Western powers would eventually discover the link between cowpox and smallpox immunity. Selling the methodology now secured both immense political goodwill and technological leverage before the secret naturally disseminated.
Convinced by the calculus of exchanging temporary secrets for permanent assets, Kangxi approved the strategy.
.....
The Diplomatic Asset
To execute this complex technological exchange, the Emperor required an envoy possessing absolute ruthlessness and diplomatic acumen. Mingzhu, the Eldest Prince's political backer, volunteered and was selected.
Before the fleet departed, the Eldest Prince, Yinzhi, expressed anxiety over losing his primary strategist for a prolonged period.
Mingzhu quickly corrected the boy's perspective. "Your Highness must look at the macro-level political board. The Crown Prince's faction currently dominates domestic achievements—glass, vaccines, agriculture. By commanding this fleet, I secure international merit entirely independent of the Crown Prince. This is our only viable vector to surpass his influence."
Mingzhu departed, leaving Yinzhi with strict orders to avoid direct confrontation and to quietly cultivate alliances among the young aristocrats in the Imperial Study.
...
The Mongolian Gambit and the Honey Trap
By the end of the first quarter, Mongolian tribal leaders flooded the capital, ostensibly to celebrate the Emperor's birthday. In reality, their collective objective was entirely economic: acquiring the formula for Yinreng's revolutionary silage (winter animal feed).
Even the Grand Empress Dowager recognized the political undercurrents. When visited by her Korchin relatives, she engaged them warmly regarding their homeland but remained an impenetrable fortress regarding state secrets.
Internal Monologue (Grand Empress Dowager): Blood ties are sentimental, but the Empire is absolute. I have spent seven decades paying the price of power. I will not compromise my grandson's statecraft for the benefit of distant cousins.
Meanwhile, Yinreng was tasked with hosting the Mongolian delegations. Wenchun, representing the Zunghar tribe, aggressively targeted him, orchestrating "coincidental" meetings and showering Yinreng with lavish gifts.
Yinreng's operational protocol was simple: accept all assets, acknowledge nothing, and execute no favors.
Frustrated by Yinreng's impenetrable diplomacy, Wenchun escalated to a honey trap. During a wrestling exhibition, Wenchun presented Tajiguli, a stunning Uyghur girl trained in multiple languages, offering her to "serve" the eleven-year-old Crown Prince.
Internal Monologue (Yinreng): A crude biological bribe. Openly rejecting her risks insulting a volatile foreign dignitary. I must play the role of a spoiled, eccentric child to neutralize the transaction without triggering a diplomatic incident.
Yinreng feigned intense disappointment. "Does she possess a natural, magical fragrance?" he asked loudly. "Do butterflies swarm her when she dances? Will she transform into a butterfly and fly away?"
Wenchun was stunned into silence.
"If she is just a beautiful woman who sings and dances, she is utterly common," Yinreng sighed theatrically, standing up. "The capital is full of such women. If she cannot perform miracles, she is not fit to serve the Crown Prince. Your previous gifts of gemstones were far more interesting. I am going back to the palace."
He left Wenchun furious, deeply confused, and empty-handed.
...
Information Asymmetry
Back at the Yuqing (毓庆) Palace, the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, arrived bearing boxes of exquisite gems and a jewel-encrusted dagger. He anxiously explained that the Zunghar and Khoshut delegates had cornered the Imperial Consorts, ultimately forcing these "gifts" onto him while probing for information about Yinreng's inventions.
Yinreng simply pushed the boxes back to Yinzhen. "Keep them. You are rich now."
"But Second Brother, they are probing for state secrets!" Yinzhen protested.
"Do you know the chemical ratios of the silage? Or the genetic lineage of the hybrid rice?" Yinreng asked calmly.
"No, of course not."
"Exactly," Yinreng smiled. "They are purchasing access from people who possess zero actionable intelligence. Answer their questions naturally with the nothing that you know. If they wish to bleed their treasuries for empty air, let them."
The following day, Yinreng's intelligence network triggered an alert. He received a missive sealed in red wax from Tang Nineteen, his covert operations manager. In Yinreng's cipher protocol, black signified lethal compromise; red signified active targeting by hostile entities.
The letter detailed that Wenchun had identified Tang Nineteen's connection to the experimental horse farms and was attempting to bribe him for the silage formula.
Yinreng tapped the letter, a calculating smile forming.
Internal Monologue (Yinreng): Wenchun's intelligence is flawed. Tang manages logistics; he has no access to the scientific formulas. The Zunghars are desperate and throwing money in the dark. This is not a security breach. This is an opportunity to feed them highly expensive, meticulously crafted disinformation.