My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 137 Yongzheng's Nauseating Words
Hongshi soon learned that Hongli's birth mother had been promoted to the rank of Consort Xi.

Hongshi learned about it through Consort Qi.

However, Hongshi was much more disappointed than Consort Qi, Li.

"Empress Dowager is a secondary consort, and she is still only a concubine. Hongli's mother was just a princess back then, but she was promoted to a Noble Consort so quickly! What did Hongli do to make Father Khan elevate his birth mother's status so much?"

"He didn't offer any insightful opinions at the council of ministers."

"On the contrary, my eighth uncle and so many ministers and councilors asked me to be granted a title, but my father refused to grant me one."

Hongshi's words clearly implied that he blamed Yongzheng for being biased.

Therefore, Madam Li became a bit stern: "Don't say that!"

"Perhaps it was because your eighth uncle and other ministers advocated for you that your father was disgusted and deliberately went against the grain, making Hongli more noble than you even though he was not as old as you."

"As the saying goes, not striving is striving, and Hongli learned this from your father, the Khan."

As she spoke, Li looked at her son and said, "Don't have any contact with your eighth uncle in the future, unless your father asks you to. If he's unwilling, that's his business. Don't let him use you."

Hongshi listened without saying anything, but simply got up, cupped his hands in farewell, and said that he dared not disturb the peace of the Li family.

On the day of Gengchen in the third month of the second year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, after Niohuru was promoted to the rank of Consort Xi.

After Emperor Yongzheng visited the imperial tombs and reported the great victory to the late Emperor Kangxi, he issued an edict to confer the title of First-Class Duke on Nian Gengyao and Third-Class Duke on Yue Zhongqi for their merits in pacifying Qinghai, and also allocated 200,000 taels of silver to reward the army.

at the same time!

Emperor Yongzheng also favored Consort Nian even more, frequently visiting her palace and almost living in Changchun Palace. He also showed even more affection for the Eighth Prince, Fu Hui, and issued an edict allowing the Eighth Prince to use goose-yellow prayer beads.

Logically, goose yellow was a color reserved for the emperor.

Therefore, in April of the ninth year of the Shunzhi reign, a decree was issued that "all officials and commoners below the rank of Prince Heshuo are prohibited from using goose yellow or willow yellow for clothing and trimmings."

Historically, among the ninety-two major crimes committed by Nian Gengyao was the unauthorized use of a "goose-yellow knife pouch," a capital offense of usurpation.

In the "Hongxi Rebellion Case" during the Qianlong reign, one of the charges against Hongxi was that "Hongxi presented a palanquin made of goose yellow and presented it to me. If I had not accepted it, he would have kept it for his own use."

Therefore, it is understandable that Emperor Yongzheng's decree allowing the Eighth Prince to use goose-yellow prayer beads inevitably leads to speculation.

What makes people wonder is whether Yongzheng treated Fu Hui with special favor because of Nian Gengyao's outstanding achievements, or because Yongzheng simply liked Fu Hui more.

However, under the current system of secretly designating an heir, princes and ministers inevitably began to speculate whether Yongzheng might secretly designate Fu Hui as his heir in the future.

After all, no one can be sure whether Yongzheng intended to use Nian Gengyao to lay the foundation for his nephew.
And because Fu Hui is younger, might Yongzheng be thinking that if he could outlive Kangxi, Fu Hui would naturally be more suitable than Hongli to succeed him. Therefore, he might be considering giving Fu Hui special treatment and training now.
After Nian Gengyao pacified Qinghai, he did indeed gain more favor from Emperor Yongzheng.

Emperor Yongzheng would consult with Nian Gengyao first on many political matters before informing the prime ministers and other high-ranking officials.

Even for a new policy like the "fire loss to the public" that was about to be implemented, Yongzheng first consulted with Nian Gengyao.

In addition, Emperor Yongzheng also showered Nian Gengyao with various sycophantic remarks in his memorials.

"I truly do not know how to cherish you enough to face Heaven and the gods with a clear conscience. ... I understand all the ways you love me. In short, I know everything about your feelings for me."

"I truly appreciate your sincerity. I also miss you very much, and I have some matters of state to discuss with you. With the great success achieved and peace restored in the west, the emperor and his ministers can celebrate together, which is a great joy for the world."

"Not only do I favor and reward you, but my descendants and all my subjects should also be grateful. If anyone betrays my trust, they are no longer my descendants; if anyone harbors any disloyalty, they are no longer my subjects."

"I am not an outstanding emperor, so I cannot reward you for your treatment of me; you are not an exceptional minister, so you cannot reciprocate my favor."

"Although I cannot cure your illness, I cannot bear to see you suffer in my place."

Sun Jiagan, the Hanlin Academy official in charge of archiving Emperor Yongzheng's imperial edicts, was astonished when he saw these edicts and had no choice but to bite the bullet and record them in the daily records.

Meanwhile, many people in the court and among the public learned through various means how much Emperor Yongzheng favored Nian Gengyao.

In fact, many of these were said by Nian Gengyao himself.

For a time, many princes and ministers couldn't help but wonder if, after the meeting of princes and ministers, Emperor Yongzheng had become completely disillusioned with the Manchu Eight Banners nobles and was also inclined to support Han Chinese among the bannermen.

This made Nian Gengyao feel even more that Yongzheng truly trusted and relied on him, so he began to issue edicts to the governors and viceroys, instructing them to do things for him.

Especially now that Prime Minister and Chief Minister Prince Lian Yinsi has become increasingly low-key due to the failure of the Council of Princes and Ministers, it seems that only Nian Gengyao is the most prominent figure in the world, even Prince Yi Yunxiang and Longkodo are slightly inferior to him.

"I heard that Consort Dun's mother was recently bestowed with ninety bolts of satin."

"That's right. The father of the Grand General was also awarded a first-class merit, given the title of Grand Tutor, and was also bestowed with ninety bolts of silk. It's clear that the Empress Dowager's mother, Consort Dun, enjoys even greater favor from the Emperor!"

“There are differences between the imperial concubines.”

When Hongli finished practicing archery at the Arrow Pavilion that day and was about to rest in the Imperial Tea and Dining Room, he heard other members of the imperial clan talking inside.

The Consort Dun they mentioned was Consort Nian.

Among them was Hongshi's voice.

What Hongshi said was exactly the sentence, "Not all imperial concubines are the same."

He knew that what Hongshi meant was that his birth mother, Consort Xi, was different from Consort Nian, and naturally, he was different from Fu Hui.

Clearly, Hongshi subjectively preferred to believe that even if he could not become the future emperor, it should be Fuhui who became the future emperor, not him, Hongli.

Fortunately, Hongli was aware of the course of history and naturally did not have too much concern about it.

He was more curious about why Hongshi would be adopted by Yongzheng to the Eighth Prince in the future, and the time was not far off, next year, which would be the third year of Yongzheng's reign!
However, although Hongli didn't care, those who followed him were quite worried about him because Fu Hui and his maternal clan, the Nian family, were very favored.

As Andafu Peng accompanied Hongli away from the Arrow Pavilion, he couldn't help but ask him, "Grandpa, there are rumors circulating that the Emperor intends to share the throne with Lady Nianjia. Do you think it's true?"

In the first year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the Nian family was incorporated into the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, so the Nian family was also referred to as the Nianjia family.

Hongli smiled faintly: "What do you think?"

“I don’t think so, but rumors can spread like wildfire. Especially recently, the ministers of the Council of State have been arguing with the Emperor. Many people think that the Emperor might rely more on Nian Gengyao and his group. Some even have ideas to make the Crown Prince related to Nian Jia. That’s why they made the Eighth Prince wear goose yellow.”

Fu Peng replied.

Hongli said, "Father has his own considerations. It's too early to talk about these things now. We can't just believe everything we hear. If Nian Gengyao can truly continue to be Father's support and the support of our Great Qing, that would be a good thing!"

Fu Peng frowned slightly. He hadn't expected Hongli to be so open-minded and so indifferent.

“But Tangmafa, many of our nobles and officials prefer to believe that you are the rightful heir to the throne.”

Fu Peng then replied. Hongli suddenly turned serious and solemnly instructed Fu Peng:

"We must not speak recklessly. Who is more deserving of the rightful legitimacy is determined by the Emperor! It is not for us to interfere!"

"If you mention this again, I will sever all ties with you and tell the Khan!"

"The grandchildren know they were wrong and will never dare to do it again."

Fu Peng quickly bowed and replied.

Hongli smiled and patted Fu Peng on the shoulder: "In such unpredictable matters, it is best to observe the situation calmly and act cautiously, rather than speaking or acting rashly!"

Fu Peng nodded, and he admired Hongli's composure. He thought to himself that although he was a few years older than Hongli, he was not as calm as him. Tang Mafa was indeed the grandson of the emperor who was valued by the late emperor!

The Manchu imperial family and ministers all had deep emotional attachments to Emperor Kangxi.

This is not only because Kangxi reigned for 61 years, spanning most of the early Qing Dynasty, but more importantly, because he was truly lenient towards the imperial family and ministers. He treated not only Manchu nobles but also bondservants with great kindness and favor.

For example, the Cao family. Emperor Kangxi took the initiative to give the Cao family two million taels of his own private treasury to pay off their deficit. He also appointed Cao Yin as the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai to pay off the deficit, and made a daughter of the Cao family the primary consort of a prince with an iron-capped hat.

Therefore, the Manchu princes and ministers truly had feelings for Emperor Kangxi, and they were particularly concerned about whether Hongli was a grandson favored by the late emperor.

This is also why, throughout history, Emperor Qianlong has always emphasized that Emperor Kangxi liked him very much in his later years and often said that he wanted to emulate Emperor Kangxi. In fact, this was also a show for the Manchu princes and ministers, to make them more subservient to him.

Fu Peng was no exception.

He was a nobleman from the Eight Banners who grew up listening to stories of Emperor Kangxi's wisdom and prowess.

The reason he felt particularly honored to serve as Hongli's attendant was because he knew that Hongli was a grandson of the emperor who had been highly valued by Emperor Kangxi.

Therefore, Fu Peng would also think this way at this time, and at the same time, he hoped more and more that Hongli would inherit the throne in the future. In his view, this was the only way for the Qing Dynasty to have an orderly succession.

However, knowing that he was currently insignificant and his voice carried little weight, Fu Peng could only keep this thought to himself for the time being.

When Hongli said this to Fu Peng, he was actually speaking to himself as well.

He did indeed do just that, without losing his composure or trying to figure out Yongzheng's intentions. Even though Yongzheng gave him the power to enter the Hall of Mental Cultivation directly, he did not use this as an excuse to frequently show his face in front of Yongzheng.

Even after learning that Yongli had summoned four-year-old Fu Hui to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to personally teach and raise him after Nian Gengyao's meritorious service, he deliberately reduced the frequency of his visits to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He needed to let Yongzheng know that he wouldn't get impatient because of the addition of Nian Gengyao as a variable.

But he was even more serious about his daily studies.

To Hongli's relief, his adoptive mother, Ulanara, and his birth mother, Niohuru, were both very composed and did not become impatient. Consequently, Nara Minxuan and Fucha Yuyan did not behave any differently than usual.

Nara Minxuan never found a suitable opportunity to give the Osmanthus Dew to Hongli.

Because every time she felt the opportunity was right, she would hesitate for a while and then feel that it wasn't the most suitable opportunity.

Despite the rumors circulating that Fu Hui was more favored by Yongzheng, the Empress instructed Nara Minxuan to take advantage of Hongli's unease to get closer to him and comfort him. However, Nara Minxuan never found a suitable opportunity and found that Hongli remained calm and showed no signs of unease.

Therefore, Nara Minxuan also informed her aunt, the Empress, of her discovery.

The Empress exclaimed, "Hongli is a man of great things; he is so composed!"

Then, the Empress said to Nara Minxuan, "Minxuan, such a young man is worth following."

Nara Minxuan took these words to heart, and whenever she was by Hongli's side, she couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

Unlike Nara Minxuan, who only dared to peek, when Hongli returned from his evening lessons that day, Fucha Yuyan took the initiative to run to him, her smile sweet and obedient as she called out:
"Cousin, I've finally been waiting for you to come back!"

"Is this something to be happy about?"

Hongli asked this question with a smile.

Fucha Yuyan answered earnestly, "Yes! There's nothing more joyful than seeing my cousin."

Hongli chuckled and walked towards Fucha Yuyan's room with his hands behind his back: "Let's go sit in your room."

Fucha Yuyan followed with a smile, placed a cup of warm water in front of Hongli, and said, "Auntie was worried that the events of this period would make Cousin restless, but I didn't expect Cousin to remain calm and composed. Auntie knows that you like it very much! Of course, I also like Cousin who is so calm."

Fucha Yuyan blushed as she spoke, and then took out a bottle of rose dew: "So, my aunt gave this to you and asked me to bring it to you, saying it was a gift from Consort Mi!"

Hongli took a sip of water, nodded, accepted the rose dew, and tucked it into his sleeve: "Do you have any?"

"Yes, my aunt gave me a bottle too!"

He was very pleased with one thing about Fucha Yuyan, not just that she was good at talking, but that she would take the initiative to tell him about the content of her conversations with Niohuru.

However, at this time, Nian Yirou also returned.

Seeing that the Nian family was currently enjoying great success, Hongli decided to get closer to Nian Yirou.

My cousin is considerate, but the Nianjia clan is more politically valuable now, isn't it?

So, Hongli went to Nian Yirou's room next.

"Fourth Master, here's some warm water for you."

Hongli discovered that Nian Yirou was still very gentle and did not become arrogant or conceited because her family was more distinguished, but she was still somewhat dull.

The sudden rain in April had already soaked half of her temples, and after Nian Yirou served him water, she didn't move closer to him. Instead, she stood there blankly, as if she was afraid to get too close.

"It's all wet!"

Hongli had no choice but to pull her closer and wipe her wet temples with a handkerchief.

Nian Yirou raised her alluring eyes, glanced at Hongli, and then lowered her head again: "This wasn't something I did to seduce Fourth Master with my seductive tricks; it was Fourth Master who wanted to wipe it for me!"

Since he only intended it as a political show, Hongli did not stay with Nian Yirou for long and left to return to his main house.

After a long while, Nian Yirou finally raised her head in a daze.

After Hongli returned, he couldn't forget Nian Yirou's alluring gaze. That night, while sleeping, he dreamt of her wriggling on his body. When he woke up, he felt himself losing control.

Haitang, who was being held by Hongli, felt the stickiness between Hongli's fingers and blushed: "Master, is it coming from there?"

Hongli picked up his belt and looked at it, then smiled to himself, thinking, "I've really grown up!"

(End of this chapter)