My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 162 Confiscating Nian Gengyao's property and rewarding it to Hongli!
The sixteenth prince also came to the meeting hall.

"Where is the envoy from the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

After the sixteenth prince arrived, he inquired about Ge Jikong, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and concurrently the Director of the Bureau of Receptions of the Ministry of Rites.

Ge Jikong replied, "If they leave, it means we don't respect them, so there's no need for us to see His Majesty the Emperor again."

"absurd!"

"Is the Great Qing Guild Hall a place he can come and go as he pleases?"

The sixteenth prince was furious and questioned Ge Jikong and the other officials: "What are you doing? You just let them go like that."

"Sixteenth Prince, please don't be angry. This servant just happened to run into them, so I brought them back."

Longkodo then walked over with a smile on his face.

The sixteenth prince turned around and saw that Longkodo was followed by two envoys from the Rakshasa Kingdom.

The sixteenth prince was overjoyed and clasped his hands in a fist and waved to Longkodo, saying, "Luckily, I have my uncle, otherwise this matter would have been troublesome."

Because Emperor Yongzheng addressed Longkodo as "Uncle Longkodo," the sixteenth prince naturally followed suit and addressed Longkodo in the same way.

Longkodo then said, "I have persuaded these Russian envoys to stay obediently in the meeting hall and wait for His Majesty's summons. If the Sixteenth Prince has nothing to do, why don't you come to my office in the Ministry of Personnel for a chat?"

The sixteenth son cupped his hands and said, "How could I, your uncle, refuse your invitation?"

So, the sixteenth prince instructed Ge Jikong to keep an eye on the two envoys, while he himself went to the Ministry of Personnel with Longkodo.

After arriving at the Ministry of Personnel and taking his own office, the Sixteenth Prince pulled Longkodo to sit with him on either side of the main hall.

"Sixteenth Prince, have you heard that the court and the public are criticizing you for competing with the people for profit?"

Longkodo did not refuse and sat down to the left of the sixteenth prince, then began to say what he wanted to say.

The sixteenth man was slightly taken aback after hearing this.

He never expected that Hongli's warning would actually come true.

The sixteenth brother pretended not to notice and said with a smile, "I didn't notice!"

"Now everyone is saying that the idea of ​​the Imperial Household Department using low-interest loans to benefit the people to make money is yours."

As Longkodo spoke, he glanced at the sixteenth prince.

"Hey!"

Then, the sixteenth brother stood up and pointed to himself at Longkodo: "How did this become my idea? Would I dare to come up with such a thoughtless idea for the people?"
"They think you're daring."

"Because they think that if you can ask His Majesty for the title of Prince Zhuang, then you naturally won't be afraid to do this either."

Longkodo said with a smile.

"Hey!"

"This is what I wanted?"

"Is this something I can ask for?"

The sixteenth brother found it even more ridiculous.

Longkodo asked him with a smile, "It couldn't have been His Majesty who gave it to you on his own initiative, could it?"

The sixteenth son nodded as if he understood.

then.

The sixteenth brother sat back down and waved his hand, saying, "Never mind, let them say what they want. Fourth Brother is the greatest, the emperor. I don't believe they can turn the world upside down."

"What you said makes sense."

"But you have to think about yourself."

Longkodo took a freshly brewed cup of tea from his trusted clerk and handed it to the sixteenth prince.

After taking the tea, the sixteenth prince gestured for Longkodo to have some tea as well, and asked him, "What do you mean?"

"Rumors about you enriching yourself have even spread to Jiangnan!"

"Although you are of noble birth, they dare not openly slander you. But if this continues, there is no guarantee that they won't settle scores with you in the future to quell public opinion, just like Nian Gengyao, who was killed after the hunt was over!"

Longkodo then lowered his voice and revealed his true purpose.

The sixteenth brother's expression also tightened.

"Sixteenth Master, it's best to withdraw as soon as possible. It's not that we really want to shut down the Huimin Bank, it's just that you don't necessarily have to be the one in charge of this matter."

Old Sixteen nodded.

A sly glint flashed in Longkodo's eyes beneath his thick eyebrows.

After leaving the Ministry of Personnel office of the Nine Ministers, the sixteenth prince came to Hongli's place and met Hongli in Hongli's outer study.

Before Hongli could even bow, the sixteenth prince forcefully pulled him to sit down on the stone steps of the outer study: "You guessed right."

The sixteenth son was strong, and after he let go, Hongli jumped up as if he had jumped up: "What did he say?"

"Longkodo hinted that I should resign from my post in charge of the Imperial Household Department, saying that I should avoid ending up like Nian Gengyao."

The sixteenth brother replied.

Hongli then asked the sixteenth prince, "What did the sixteenth uncle say?"

"I just nodded and didn't say anything more."

"Now your sixteenth uncle has come to you, wanting you to give him some advice."

The sixteenth prince now greatly admires his nephew, and in desperation, he sees Hongli as his lifeline.

Hongli had to admit that the sixteenth prince did have some political wisdom, though not much. At least he knew not to immediately fall into other people's traps after being reminded, but instead asked him, his junior, first.

Yes, listening to advice is a form of wisdom.

Especially elders or leaders of higher status.

The most infuriating thing is someone who is incompetent yet stubborn and self-willed; they might as well just give up.

And if they can listen to advice, that would be even better.

At this moment, Hongli said to his sixteenth brother, "Uncle Sixteen, we must go to see the Khan immediately and tell him about this. In front of a wise ruler like the Khan, no matter how noble your status or how great your power, you should not make decisions on your own. Everything should be based on the Khan's will as the highest will."

"We don't need to have our own thoughts; the Khan will take care of them for us!" Hongli said a few more words because the sixteenth prince listened to his advice.

The sixteenth son nodded thoughtfully: "That makes sense!"

Then, the two walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Upon seeing Hongli and the sixteenth prince, Yongzheng asked, "Why have you come?"

The sixteenth prince then told Yongzheng everything that Hongli and Longkodo had reminded him of.

"You, Prince Zhuang, Minister of the Imperial Household Department, you have failed in your duty!"

Emperor Yongzheng immediately changed color, slammed his fist on the table, and pointed at the sixteenth prince, angrily rebuking him.

The sixteenth brother hurriedly knelt down: "Fourth brother, where have I failed in my duty? Please tell me!"

"Why didn't you angrily rebuke Longkodo and beat him up back then? You had the strength of a tiger for nothing, and you became the late emperor's prince for nothing!"

How can you be afraid?

"Just say it was your idea, that you wanted to amass wealth and enrich yourself. What can he do to you? What can the world do to you? What can I do to you?"

Yongzheng said angrily as he sat back down, glaring at the sixteenth prince.

"Your subject, I!"

"I'm done talking, Fourth Brother, please give your instructions!"

The sixteenth prince did not expect that Yongzheng would blame him for not being domineering enough. He wanted to explain, but in the end he did not, and only kowtowed in response.

Yongzheng looked at Hongli, who was kneeling down with the sixteenth prince: "What do you think?"

Hongli thought for a moment and replied, "Your subject believes that no one can judge your sixteenth uncle!"

Yongzheng raised his eyes and looked at him with great surprise.

"Furthermore, no one can criticize Uncle Sixteen. Anyone who thinks that Uncle Sixteen can be criticized or judged has forgotten the rules of our Great Qing Dynasty!"

"In the eyes of the Qing imperial family, there is no distinction between scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants; there is only the distinction between masters and servants. Most of them do not even qualify to be servants!"

"Therefore, even a lackey cannot criticize his master, let alone many scholars who criticize Uncle Sixteen who are not even lackeys. Longkodo, as a lackey, not only does not defend Uncle Sixteen, but also seems to be allowing others to criticize Uncle Sixteen in order to threaten him. His heart is despicable!"

After Hongli answered in this way, he kowtowed again: "Father, either imprison me today, or allow me to capture this Longkodo!"

What great-uncle?

For Hongli, anything that needed to be trampled underfoot, he would trample underfoot without hesitation, thus proving to Yongzheng his determination to maintain the order between the monarch and his subjects!
Even though Longkodo had given him a very generous gift.

Anyway, very few of the powerful officials and bureaucrats of the Qing Dynasty were truly clean. If they were all beheaded, very few would be innocent.

The sixteenth brother, who didn't have many complicated thoughts, was very moved, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Because he felt that his nephew Hongli was really too good to him!

They were even willing to risk being imprisoned to deal with the treacherous Longkodo for his sake.

Emperor Yongzheng, seeing through everything, nodded in satisfaction to Hongli, and then looked at the sixteenth prince: "Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Your subject will obey you. Your subject is the bullet in your musket barrel, and you are the one who pulls the trigger. Wherever you point, your subject will fire!"

The sixteenth brother gritted his teeth and replied.

Yongzheng smiled and said, "Although you are afraid to take responsibility when things happen, you are still kind and clear-headed. I am at ease letting you manage the Imperial Household Department. You will also be in charge of the Plain White Banner Commander under the Manchu Protectorate."

"Whoo!"

The sixteenth man was astonished; he hadn't expected his responsibilities to be even heavier.

At this moment, Yongzheng looked at Hongli and said, "I am very pleased that you stood up for your sixteenth uncle, but I do not like your recklessness! Longkodo should be arrested, including his son Yuzhu, but it is not your turn to arrest him."

Hearing Yongzheng say this, and remembering how Hongli had treated his eldest nephew so well, and considering his fourth brother's dissatisfaction with his lack of responsibility, the sixteenth prince resolutely spoke up at that moment:

"This matter concerns me personally, and I am willing to resolve it myself. I request that Fourth Brother issue an edict granting me permission to capture Longkodo!"

Yongzheng looked at the sixteenth prince and nodded with satisfaction: "Very well, I will appoint you as the commander of the Plain Yellow Banner, and also give you command of the three battalions of the Cavalry Battalion, the Guard Battalion, and the Vanguard Battalion. All those below the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard will be under your command. Go and capture Longkodo and his sons, and send troops to surround Longkodo's family."

"Whoo!"

then.

Yongzheng then looked at Hongli: "You continue to inspect the waterways, and while you're at it, take the bondservant guards to Baoding to confiscate Nian Gengyao's property there. The property is yours, and his family members are to be escorted to the capital, especially his daughter Nianzhu. Make sure she is captured!"

"The Kong family dared to secretly arrange a marriage with Nian Gengyao and marry a Manchu woman. This is outrageous! Issue an imperial decree to exile the Kong family man who is betrothed to them to Ningguta."

"As for this woman, she shall be sent to the Imperial Household Department and you shall decide her whereabouts. Any other Manchu family that marries into a gentry family shall follow the same procedure!"

Hongli did not expect that Nian Gengyao had such a crime, that he had secretly formed a marriage alliance with the Kong family. However, he was not surprised, after all, he had heard that Nian Gengyao was fond of empty fame and had close ties with Han gentry and landlords.

Moreover, the Kong family has always liked to enhance their influence by marrying into powerful families. For example, during the Ming Dynasty, they married Zhang Heling, a relative of the emperor, as well as Li Dongyang and Yan Song, the chief ministers.

However, since Yongzheng could not deal with the Kong family too harshly at the moment, he could only deal with the Nian family severely first. In the end, he used the way he dealt with Nian Gengyao's daughter, Nian Zhu, as a case study to warn the Eight Banners nobles who were preparing to marry into Han Chinese families.

"Whoo!"

However, Hongli felt that when he went to Baoding to confiscate the property, he should give them appropriate treatment, citing the sake of the Eighth Prince and Consort Dun.

Because Yongzheng's order to confiscate his property was also intended to allow him to leave a good name among the Han Bannermen. As for bestowing Nian Gengyao's property upon him, it was a reward for his guidance of the Sixteenth Prince.

Furthermore, Emperor Yongzheng was always very generous when it came to bestowing gifts.

This shows that he has truly made his path wider and wider!
The sixteenth prince was the same; he also directly took control of all military power within the Forbidden City.

This means that anyone who dares to refuse to obey the Sixteenth Prince can be executed on the spot by him.

After reading the imperial edict handed over by the sixteenth prince, the commander of the Plain Yellow Banner, Arna, turned pale with fright and immediately knelt down:
"Sixteenth Master, please give your orders!"

As a result, the sixteenth prince ordered troops to surround Longkodo's residence. He himself led troops to the Ministry of Personnel to meet Longkodo and ordered Longkodo to be detained.

Longkodo was shocked: "Sixteenth Prince, logically speaking, you shouldn't have the authority to directly take away a servant, right?"

"Now I have it, I have the imperial decree in my hand!"

Longkodo closed his eyes.

Then, he was brought before Emperor Yongzheng, and upon seeing Yongzheng, he burst into tears, saying, "This servant is guilty!"

(End of this chapter)