My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 161 Yongzheng mocks Hongshi
Emperor Hongli is currently inspecting the river channel project in the suburbs of Beijing, and naturally he has witnessed the changes brought about by the new policies.

He also understood that behind these changes lay the issue of the encroachment on the interests of the powerful and wealthy officials.

As a result, the Imperial Household Department, which was under the control of the Sixteenth Uncle, inevitably became the target of public criticism.

Because the Sixteenth Prince was a staunch supporter of Emperor Yongzheng, he was honest and upright in managing the Imperial Household Department, diligently implemented government orders, and did not protect corrupt officials under him.

With Emperor Yongzheng keeping a close eye on things, the Imperial Household Department, which was originally a breeding ground for corruption, was actually able to do things that increased the royal family's revenue.

"The court and the public were already dissatisfied with the fact that the Sixteenth Uncle had inherited the title of Prince Zhuang. They believed that it was not his turn to inherit the title under any circumstances, and that he had obtained the position by currying favor with the Khan."

"Now that the Sixteenth Uncle is in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and he has been lending money at excessively low interest rates, he has attracted more criticism, with people saying that he is taking advantage of the Emperor's favor to amass wealth."

After speaking to Hongli, Hongshi continued to recount the rumors he had heard.

Hongli nodded after hearing this: "I believe that Father is wise. Since he still lets Sixteenth Uncle manage the Imperial Household Department, it means that Sixteenth Uncle should not be accumulating wealth for himself."

Hongshi nodded, "That's true, but I can't help but worry about Uncle Sixteen's life and fortune!"

"I don't understand what you mean, Third Brother."

Hongli pretended not to understand.

Hongshi was surprised that Hongli was pretending to be stupid, and could only say, "Just you wait and see."

then.

Hongshi then explained his purpose to Hongli, saying, "Fourth brother, I'm telling you this to remind you to be careful and not get dragged into the quagmire of criticizing the sixteenth uncle by powerful officials and gentry who are dissatisfied with the new policies. After all, Father Khan values ​​you the most."

"Thank you for the reminder, Third Brother. I'll remember it."

Hongli bowed.

Hongshi smiled and nodded.

Then, Hongshi solemnly pursed his lips and looked at Hongli: "Fourth brother."

Seeing that Hongshi still had something to say, Hongli smiled and said, "Third Brother, please speak."

“I apologize to you again, and I hope you can forgive me.”

Hongshi suddenly bowed solemnly to Hongli.

Hongli was surprised by Hongshi's sudden move and humbled himself to apologize to him.

He quickly helped Hongshi up, feigning surprise: "Third Brother, what are you doing?"

"Third brother, I am now disheartened and will not beat around the bush with you. I will just tell you what is in my heart."

"Third Brother, I know I have no hope, and I dare not hope for anything more."

"So, Third Brother, all I want is for you to forgive me, so that in the future you can live a peaceful life as a leisurely member of the royal family and finish your life."

Hongshi smiled sadly and then said.

Hongli naturally wouldn't assume that he was the most likely to get the throne, and wouldn't make any promises to Hongshi.

Because he didn't know whether Hongshi was using a strategic retreat as a pretext, deliberately digging a hole for himself, or was genuinely disheartened.

Hongli simply said, "Third Brother, please don't say that. I have never held a grudge against you. Although we sometimes have disagreements, it's only about the issue, not about the person. It's only because you are so magnanimous and don't mind my offenses that I dare to speak up."

"Therefore, I have always been grateful to Third Brother and have no reason to hold a grudge against him."

"As for Third Brother saying he is disheartened, I think Third Brother is exaggerating!"

“We are all Khan’s sons, so naturally we should all share Khan’s burdens.”

"Father may be neglecting Third Brother a bit these days, but I think it's probably because Third Brother is older than us, so Father wants to test Third Brother's patience a bit more."

"Third Brother, you really shouldn't overthink it. It's better for your health."

When Hongli tried to persuade Hongshi, he subtly denied that he had any issues with him, denied that Yongzheng valued him more, and denied that Yongzheng was treating Hongshi coldly.

Hongshi naturally couldn't deny it, so he just sighed and then said with a forced smile, "You're right!"

Hongshi only showed disappointment after Hongli left.

"Sir, you see, my fourth brother is truly shrewd and cautious. No matter how you test him, he will never show any arrogance or pride, and you can never guess what he is thinking."

"Therefore, it is not surprising that he was able to be granted the title of Prince so quickly, that Nian Xing died because of him, and that the Nian family dared not utter a word of complaint!"

At this moment, Hongshi, with a stern face, spoke to a scholar who had suddenly come out.

This scholar was Wang Maohong, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, who was also the teacher that Yongzheng arranged for Hongshi to be by his side.

Wang Maohong nodded: "Fourth Prince is very shrewd, but the more shrewd a prince is, the more ambitious he is. Third Prince chose to hide his ambitions and help him rise to power. He should be happy and put aside past grievances."

Hongshi gave a bitter laugh: "I hope that if that day ever comes, he won't be an emperor like my father, who would not discard his birds after they've been used, like he did with Nian Gengyao."

"Third Master, watch your words!"

Wang Maohong immediately bowed and offered a word of advice, saying, "Please rest assured, Third Master, you are different from Nian Gengyao. You are a member of the imperial family and a prince. The emperor's offspring are not many. Fifth Master is not even as ambitious as you. Our Qing Dynasty is different from the Ming Dynasty. The emperor cannot do without the support of the imperial family. Otherwise, Prince Lian would not still be alive today."

"So even if the Fourth Prince does ascend to the throne in the future and does not follow the old path of the former Crown Prince, you don't need to compare your fate with that of a servant."

"lets change a topic."

Hongshi waved his hand and asked Wang Maohong, "Sir, you come from Jiangnan. Do you really think the people have suffered under the new policies for too long?"

Wang Maohong nodded and replied, "If the world hadn't suffered for so long, the gentry and wealthy families wouldn't have spent so much effort on you, Third Master. We've decided to give you 50,000 taels of silver as a tribute every year."

"That's true. I'm just an unfavored prince. The fact that they're willing to spend so much money on me shows that they really have no other choice and can no longer tolerate the new policies."

"But it's only the third year of Yongzheng's reign, and they can't even tolerate the new policies?"

Hongshi smiled and asked.

Wang Maohong replied, "Because His Majesty is too hasty!"

"In three years, the Emperor did many things that no one else in his generation would dare to do."

"Seizing sea profits, purchasing copper and lowering interest rates, abolishing the status of lowly people, merging the poll tax into the land tax, and turning the fire tax into public tax—each and every one of these is unbelievable. Many gentry are already living in misery!"

Hongshi couldn't help but think of the frustration he felt after his Ninth Uncle Yuntang was imprisoned and smuggled Haili back to the Emperor, and he nodded.

As autumn clouds thicken in the Forbidden City, both inside and outside the palace walls, the red leaves are like blood.

After leaving Hongshi, Hongli, dressed in a black robe with four dragon motifs, frowned and slowed his pace. He didn't know why Hongshi had suddenly taken the initiative to yield to him.

This made him think more highly of the other person.

After all, not everyone can be so humble, so forgiving, and so free from the desire for power.

Especially for nobles like Hongshi who were in the power arena.

If one truly didn't covet the high position, one should have refrained from coveting it in the first place.

But after thinking for a while, he decided to stop thinking about it to avoid exhausting his mental energy!

He believed that Yongzheng could resolve all of this.

He only needed to learn from Yongzheng how to manipulate the political situation.

Because history has already given him the answer: in the present Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng is the strongest person.

Everyone could be manipulated by Yongzheng.

All he had to do was not to go against Yongzheng, to hide his talents, to support everything Yongzheng did, and to make Yongzheng trust him.

Hongli then went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

His return to the palace this time was as per custom, to report to Emperor Yongzheng on the inspection of the waterways.

But as Hongli was walking towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation, before he even entered the Jingyun Gate, he saw the sixteenth prince coming out of the Jingyun Gate.

"Greetings to Uncle Sixteen!"

Hongli immediately made a thousand.

The sixteenth brother laughed and shouted, "No need."

"Are we heading to the Hall of Mental Cultivation?"

When the sixteenth prince asked about Hongli, he took Hongli's arm.

Hongli nodded: "I wonder where Sixteenth Uncle went?"

“When I went to the meeting hall, there were Russian envoys causing trouble, saying that our Great Qing had mistreated them. My fourth brother asked me to go and take a look.”

The sixteenth brother replied with a smile.

Hongli also spent a considerable amount of time with the sixteenth prince.

Because the sixteenth brother was responsible for teaching him firearms.

Therefore, Hongli knew a little about the sixteenth prince, knowing that he was usually easygoing, did not put on airs as an elder, and did not pay much attention to etiquette and hierarchy.

This kind of personality is naturally liked by younger people and those of lower status, but it can also bring trouble.

Hongli thought of the sixteenth prince's teachings to him, and how Yongzheng had also said that these young uncles were his future support. So at that moment, he took the initiative to say to the sixteenth prince, "Uncle Sixteen, there is something I don't know if I should say."

Upon hearing this, the sixteenth prince stopped in his tracks, then turned and walked back to him, pulling him through the Jingyun Gate. There, on the white marble steps, he sat beside Hongli, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Why are you being so polite with Uncle Sixteen? Just say it."

Knowing that there were guards watching from not far away, Hongli hurriedly stood up: "Nephew, I can't be impolite. Please sit down, I'll stand."

The sixteenth son stood up and smiled, "Fine, you're always so full of etiquette and rules."

"Sixteenth Uncle, if someone, with good intentions, reminds you to be careful and warns you that the court and the public will criticize you for using your position in the Imperial Household Department to compete with the people for profit, you must be cautious and not make any decisions lightly."

After being reminded, Hongli bowed and took his leave.

The sixteenth brother stood silently in place for a while.

When Hongli arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he saw Yongzheng looking at a map of the waterways. Yongzheng probably already knew he was coming, so he had someone open the map and asked Hongli, "How was the inspection?"

"The river channel has been completed very well, and the displaced people are living well without any complaints. Cai Ting has also made arrangements for their resettlement."

“Father, don’t worry about the problem of increased migrants after the land tax system is implemented.”

Hongli replied.

"I have never been worried about things that I cannot solve. Many people say that killing is the cleanest solution, but now, I do not want them to freeze or starve to death."

"I need more Han Chinese people to reclaim wasteland in the southwest and northwest!"

"The comprehensive assessment you have provided for me has forced me to acknowledge that the border regions are still severely lacking in manpower, especially Han Chinese. With so few Han Chinese in the border regions, the court's military strength will inevitably weaken, leading to great chaos!"

After speaking, Yongzheng sat down to one side and picked up the Buddhist prayer beads on the table and began to twirl them.

Hongli walked up to Yongzheng and said, “Father is right. The Han people are hardworking, have better farming experience, and are more law-abiding. They are happy to create wealth through their own efforts and do not like to cause trouble. Therefore, in places where many ethnic groups live together, the more Han people there are, the more peaceful it is, and the higher the degree of Sinicization, the more peaceful it is.”

Yongzheng nodded.

Hongli then took the initiative to say to Yongzheng, "There is something I need to tell Father. When I saw Third Brother today, he mentioned Sixteenth Uncle."

Yongzheng suddenly turned cold: "Why did he mention your sixteenth uncle?"

"Third Brother is worried about Sixteenth Uncle. He heard that there are many criticisms of Sixteenth Uncle now, so he is uneasy about Sixteenth Uncle."

Hongli replied.

Upon hearing this, Yongzheng's expression changed, and he chuckled coldly: "He is quite filial to his sixteenth uncle. His virtue of filial piety is almost on par with your eighth uncle."

Hongli was not one to say much.

Because while Yongzheng could mock his own son, he couldn't mock his third brother.

Hongli then truthfully reported other matters: "Oh, right, there is one more thing that I haven't had time to tell Father yet. My maternal uncle Longkodo sent me a garden in Jiangnan and three hundred hectares of land in Jiangnan."

"Don't call him 'Uncle' anymore!"

"Such a spy is surely a slanderer and a traitor, not worth mentioning!"

Yongzheng suddenly spoke in a stern voice, stood up, and his face suddenly turned icy.

Hongli bowed and asked, "Yes, what about this garden and the fields?"

"Keep it!"

"Thank you for the reward, Father!"

(End of this chapter)