Qing Yao

Chapter 263 Do you really think I'm senile?

The old master isn't resting right now; he's talking with Consort Yu.

Consort Yu is the birth mother of the fifth prince, Yongqi. She is three years younger than the old master and is seventy-eight years old this year.

According to palace rules, concubines over fifty years of age are no longer included in the list of those to be summoned to the emperor's bedchamber; this is known as "removing the green plaque."

The reason why the 78-year-old Consort Yu was chosen by the old master was because the old master not only had no one to talk to, but also missed his "old friends" and the princes who had died young.

Aside from Crown Prince Yonglian, the old master missed the fifth prince Yongqi the most.

The Fifth Prince Yongqi was not only intelligent, but also very knowledgeable. He was fluent in Manchu, Chinese, and Mongolian, and was proficient in horseback riding and archery. He was also adept at playing the zither, playing chess, writing, and painting.

He was arguably the most outstanding prince since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, a true all-rounder, and the most outstanding of the princes after the death of Crown Prince Yonglian.

In the twenty-eighth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, a sudden fire broke out at the Yuanmingyuan Garden. The Emperor was trapped inside while he slept. The other princes were busy trying to save themselves and escape, and none of them thought of their father. However, Yongqi, the fifth prince, rushed into the fire and carried his father, who was on the verge of death, out of the flames.

This touched the old man deeply, and he decided to groom Yongqi as his successor.

Unfortunately, not long after, Yongqi contracted osteomyelitis.

To pray for Yongqi's well-being, the old master made an exception and bestowed upon Yongqi, who was only 24 years old, the title of Prince Rong.

When the old master was conferred the title of Prince Bao of the First Rank by Emperor Yongzheng, he was 23 years old.

It is clear that if Yongqi could escape this serious illness, he would definitely become the crown prince.

But Yongqi was not so fortunate, and he passed away the following year.

Yongqi's death deeply grieved the old master, and as he grew older, his longing for Yongqi intensified. This longing then extended to Yongqi's birth mother, Consort Yu, leading him to break with tradition and summon her to his bedchamber. It wasn't for romantic reasons; he simply missed his son.

"If it weren't for Yongqi, I would probably have died in the Yuanmingyuan long ago. I intended to pass the throne to Yongqi, but alas, that child... Alas. People say I am a long-lived emperor, a great blessing bestowed upon me by Heaven, yet over the years I have suffered the loss of my children, my heart is filled with bitterness. If Yongqi were still alive, he would be fifty this year, and could even see his great-grandchildren."

As the conversation deepened, tears welled up in the old man's eyes. Consort Yu also choked up, silently resting her head on her husband's shoulder.

The two elderly people, both deaf and blind, leaned on each other and expressed their longing for their son.

"master,"

The voice of the chief eunuch, Li Yu, interrupted the somewhat sad scene in the room at an inopportune moment.

"what's up?"

The old man frowned slightly as he looked at Li Yu, who was standing outside the door.

"Your Majesty, it is Zhongtang Tongfu who requests an audience."

Li Yu was cautious, and also complained that the two eunuchs, He and Fu, shouldn't have sought an audience with the master at this time. If the master was unhappy, he, the head eunuch, would definitely be scolded.

But those two high-ranking officials were no ordinary people. If he hadn't come to report, they could have made him suffer greatly.

Caught in the middle, caught in a dilemma.

"It's so late, can't we talk about it tomorrow?" The old man was a little unhappy and didn't intend to see Heshen, Tongfu, or Chang'an. He just wanted to spend the night with Consort Yu.

Consort Yu advised, "Your Majesty, perhaps they have some important military or national affairs to report. Your Majesty should go and see them. You cannot let me interfere with important national affairs."

Upon hearing this, the old master feared that some battle report had come from the plateau. He had already decided to abdicate in favor of the new emperor four years later, and this battle on the plateau was very likely to be the last major battle of the Qianlong era. He could not afford any mishaps.

Helplessly, he gently stroked the old and faded face of Consort Yu and said softly, "You wait for me here. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere today. Just stay here with me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Consort Yu got up to help her husband dress. Before long, the old master moved to the warm pavilion. Before Heshen and Fu Chang'an could kneel and pay their respects, he snorted, "Can't you let me stay here in peace for a while? Is the sky falling outside?"

Heshen and Fu Chang'an were unaware that the old master had specially summoned Consort Yu today; if they had known, they certainly wouldn't have chosen this particular moment to come.

Because the old master had not summoned Consort Yu to his bedchamber for more than twenty years.

Seeing that the old master was not happy, Heshen wisely remained silent, while Fu Chang'an stepped forward indignantly and said, "Your Majesty, this servant Fu Chang'an accuses Zhu Gui, the governor of Anhui, of deceiving His Majesty. Please punish him severely!"

"Zhu Gui?"

As the old man slowly sat down on the heated kang with Li Yu's help, he asked unhappily, "What's wrong with Zhu Gui now?"

"My lord, please look at this memorial!"

Fu Chang'an hurriedly handed over the memorial from Sun Shiyi, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and said indignantly, "Zhu Gui said that Zhao Youlu was seeking fame and fortune, but Sun Shiyi said that this person was honest and dedicated to public service. This servant believes that one of the two must be deceiving His Majesty's ears, and it must be Zhu Gui without a doubt!"

Fu Chang'an, who had no cunning whatsoever, immediately concluded that Zhu Gui was "lying," which can be described as seizing the initiative.

As long as the old master approves of this preemptive strike, he can use Sun Shiyi's memorial to completely take down Zhu Gui, thus leaving Prince Jia with no more allies.

Heshen's purpose was the same. Although the old master was now clearly biased towards Prince Cheng, Yongxing, no one dared to say that Prince Jia, Yongyan, had no chance until the answer was found behind the plaque of "Upright and Bright".

To be on the safe side, we must completely sever Yongyan's right and left arms and cut off his foundation in the court. That way, even if a major upset occurs when the "opening ceremony" is held four years later, we can ensure that Yongyan will obey him and the Grand Secretary, thus protecting the He family from being slaughtered by Yongyan.

Fu Chang'an, that hothead, wanted to be the first to step forward and take the lead, and Heshen was naturally happy to do so, so he still didn't speak, only paying attention to the old man's changing expression.

However, judging from the old man's gait and expression, he seemed to be in good condition and looked much more alert than before.

He then gave Fu Chang'an a wink, signaling him to stop talking and listen to what the old master had to say.

The old master did not show the anger that Fu Chang'an had expected. He simply took a magnifying glass and read Sun Shiyi's memorial word by word. After reading it, he closed the memorial, put down the magnifying glass, looked up at the respectfully standing Fu Chang'an, and said, "Fourth Fu'er, when did I ever say that Zhao Youlu was in charge of the grain transport? You, Fourth Fu'er, have now learned to falsely convey my will?"

"Ah? Your servant."

Fu Chang'an was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thud and kowtowed several times, but he didn't know how to explain himself.

Heshen's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. The matter of Zhao Youlu being appointed as the grain transport commissioner was a result he had "confirmed" with the old master. If it turned out that this matter did not exist, then Heshen would also be guilty of the capital crime of falsely conveying an imperial edict.

His knees buckled and he was about to kneel down when the old man waved his hand, seemingly displeased but actually pleased, and said to Fu Chang'an, "Get up. Don't be so quick to speak in the future. I'm not that senile."

(End of this chapter)