My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 165 The Late Emperor's Beloved Grandson!
In November of the third year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the sky and earth were bathed in white light, and the warm sunshine illuminated the earth, making it glow with silver light.

At 9:00 AM, Hongli set off for Baoding.

Walking on such a bright and dazzling avenue, he couldn't help but smile to himself.

He wasn't laughing because of the clear blue sky, nor because he was going to confiscate property and make a fortune, but because he was happy that his thirteenth son could have an easier time.

That's right!

With the sixteenth prince in charge of the Ministry of War, the thirteenth prince's burden can be lightened a bit.

In this life, perhaps he won't have to work himself to death so early, in the eighth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.

As far as he knew, Emperor Yongzheng was in poor health and urgently needed to reform many malpractices. He also had few brothers he trusted and could rely on. Therefore, the thirteenth prince would have to take on more and more duties as time went on.

From initially only managing the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, he later managed not only the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, but also the Court of Colonial Affairs and the Ministry of Works, and was also responsible for matters such as the repair of imperial tombs and the imperial examinations.

Although the Thirteenth Emperor was jokingly referred to as the Executive Vice Emperor by later generations, this also led to him dying earlier than Emperor Yongzheng.

However, it remains to be seen whether the sixteenth prince can effectively manage the Ministry of War.

But it's always good to give it a try.

Anyway, the great battle has now been brought to a close.

Moreover, the sixteenth prince listened to advice, and as Emperor Yongzheng himself said in his historical assessment of the sixteenth prince, "he was unlikely to make any major mistakes!"

Governor-General Cai Ting and other officials and gentry had already knelt to welcome Hongli ten miles outside the city.

When Hongli saw these people, he smiled warmly and asked them to stand up. He also gave them some words of encouragement.

This made the officials and gentry feel much warmer and less cold than in winter, and they were all willing to believe that Hongli would be a benevolent ruler like the late emperor.

"Fourth Master, this is a gift prepared by the people of Baoding Prefecture. We earnestly hope that Your Majesty will accept it."

When Cai Ting met Hongli privately in the back hall of the Zhili Governor-General's Office in Baoding, he first presented Hongli with a gift list with both hands.

Hongli knew that the so-called "biaoli" was a local gift, a tribute presented by the local gentry and people after the imperial envoy and other high-ranking officials arrived in the area.

After accepting this tribute, the only thing to do is to say a few good words about the local area, and under the guise of respecting and honoring scholars, to examine the articles and poems presented by some scholars and offer appropriate comments.

This gave these scholars the opportunity to become familiar to high-ranking officials.

Of course, scholars who could contribute articles and poems were either from influential local backgrounds or possessed considerable talent and virtue.

After Li Yu brought over the gift list, Hongli saw that it contained various gifts totaling 100,000 taels of silver, such as millet, white rice, and winter melon.

This startled him. He knew that in the Qing Dynasty, the standard for local tribute was 15,000 taels for a governor-general and 30,000 taels for a viceroy, all paid by the grain commissioner.

According to the "Records of Things Seen and Heard During the Daoguang and Xianfeng Reigns", when Lin Zexu was serving as the governor of Shaanxi, the author of the book, who was then the grain commissioner, sent him a gift of more than 10,000 taels of silver.

In official circles, this is a common practice of offering money as a tribute. Accepting this silver does not constitute greed on the part of the official, nor does it affect the court's or the public's evaluation of his integrity.

Because this is something that must be taken; otherwise, it will be difficult to carry out the work, and both superiors and subordinates will be unhappy. Only when there are exceptions to the usual practice is excessive demanding considered greedy.

If Hongli didn't accept this gift, other princes and ministers would also feel embarrassed to accept it when they arrived in Baoding.

Hongli, not wanting to be out of step with the bureaucrats and gentry, smiled and let Li Yu accept the gift, showing his willingness to blend in.

But Hongli himself knew that this did not mean he would be truly polite to officials and gentry in the future.

He only intended to deceive these people before becoming emperor, so that they would lower their guard against him.

But Hongli did not expect that he, a prince, would receive so many more gifts than the governor.

He guessed that these people also wanted to see if their future Qing prince, who might become the ruler of the world, was willing to live in harmony with them.

Although Hongli was inwardly shocked, he outwardly pretended to be calm: "The people of Baoding are very kind. They truly deserve to be called a place with effective moral education!"

Since he had accepted a gift, he said something positive about the local customs.

As for what fruits, vegetables, rice, and wheat could be worth 100,000 taels of silver, Hongli was too lazy to even think about it.

What he was more curious about was how much of the money these officials and gentry took when they were plundering the people under the guise of preparing gifts for him, and whether it was a 30/70 split.
He accounted for 30%, while officials and gentry accounted for 70%.

Furthermore, the disturbance caused by leaving Beijing stems from these unspoken rules.

However, by staying in the palace and not leaving the capital, he could only exercise power through documents and thus could not see the true situation of the world.

Cai Ting was even happier to see Hongli accept the gift than if he had received the money himself.

Then, he proactively reported to Hongli, "This servant has been ordered to take control of Nian Gengyao's family and property in Baoding. I wonder when Your Highness plans to confiscate them?"

"How are his family members now? Are any of them sick or suffering from hunger and cold?"

"Although these people are the family members of convicted officials, they are still relatives of the Eighth Prince and the mother of Consort Dun, and they are all from the Manchu banner system. The imperial edict did not intend to punish the family members, so they cannot be treated harshly, lest the tragic situation of the Ming Dynasty's confiscation of Zhang Juzheng's property occur!"

At this moment, Hongli spoke to Cai Ting in a very serious manner.

Although Cai Ting and Nian Gengyao were at odds, as fellow members of the Han Banner Army, he was still moved by Hongli's benevolent treatment of the Nian family.

After all, before the Nian family raised their banner, they were also a Han army banner.

This reminded him of Emperor Kangxi, who was known for his kindness over punishment.

Cai Ting bowed even more respectfully to Hongli and said, "This servant understands the benevolence of the Fourth Prince, so he did not make things difficult for Nian Gengyao's family. They were all provided with food, and those who needed medicine and medical treatment were also taken care of."

"very good!"

Hongli nodded.

Then, accompanied by Cai Ting and others, he went to the front hall to prepare for his meal.

The meal was a high-class feast prepared by officials and gentry in Baoding to welcome him.

Hongli had Cai Ting and others accompany him, and also asked Cai Ting to introduce the local dishes on the table to him later.

Although the dishes were nothing more than delicacies like bird's nest, deer tail, shark fin, sea cucumber, eel, and pheasant, Hongli noticed one dish first.

"Fourth Master, this is braised carp with noodles." Cai Ting then spoke up with a smile.

Hongli then casually asked, "Is this the practice of Yanjin?"

"No, it was made by a chef from Kaifeng. This servant failed in his duty and did not know that Fourth Master preferred the Yanjin style."

After answering, Cai Ting apologized.

Hongli waved his hand: "It's alright, it's just too lavish. Although we are living in a prosperous era, it's still excessive."

"The people of Baoding have long admired Your Majesty's virtuous and illustrious character, and are therefore all happy to serve you. We beseech Your Majesty to grant us the joy of sharing happiness with the people, so that we may all rejoice in this auspicious celebration!"

Cai Ting smiled and bowed in reply.

Hongli smiled and nodded: "In that case, let's not do it again."

After completing the elaborate performance process, which was designed to avoid any extravagance, Hongli finally began his formal meal.

of course!

Hongli had to admit that the dishes were indeed delicious and that the officials and gentry of Baoding had put a lot of thought into entertaining him.

After the meal, Hongli, as usual, inquired about local customs and traditions.

Because he had received a huge sum of 100,000, he still read the essays and poems of several scholars recommended by Cai Ting, and said a few words of praise and encouragement. In return, these scholars rewarded him with writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books.

Officials and gentry were deeply moved by Hongli's courteous and respectful attitude towards scholars, and they all smiled knowingly.

Officials and gentry also whispered among their relatives and friends, praising Hongli and saying that he truly deserved to be the grandson of the late emperor who had placed high hopes on him, praising his meritorious deeds and upright character.

They all felt that their good days were yet to come.

In their view, with the arrival of the Fourth Master, Baoding would be blessed, and justice would be served.

After showing respect and courtesy to scholars, Hongli began to search and confiscate the property of the Nian family.

At this moment, outside, the sky was pitch black, and nothing could be seen in the surroundings.

Only the snowflakes, illuminated by the yellow light of the lanterns, fluttered and danced as they fell.

Hongli carried the hand warmer into the carriage, and soon the carriage slowly headed towards the Nian residence.

The guards he brought naturally surrounded his carriage as they moved forward.

Cai Ting and other civil and military officials also followed on horseback with their troops.

Baoding was a major city in northern China during the Qing Dynasty.

When Hongli entered the city, he discovered that the size of the Nian residence was very conspicuous even in a large city like Baoding, and there was no other mansion in the area that could compare with it.

However, the governor's troops had already taken control of everything here.

Therefore, people who stay at home cannot go out, and naturally cannot transfer their family property.

But they can still move freely inside the house.

Because he was Nian Gengyao's elder brother, Nian Xiyao, who was impeached and dismissed from his post, was also staying at Nian Gengyao's residence in Baoding because he wanted to return to Beijing and was unable to leave for the time being.

The reason Nian Xiyao came to Baoding was because the Kong family had given him his niece's letter of annulment, asking him to pass it on to Nian Gengyao, who had only been dismissed from his post at the time.

"The Kong family has broken off my sister's engagement, and my father has been arrested and taken to the capital. Now, their property is going to be confiscated."

On the same day that Hongli arrived, Nian Bin, the third son of Nian Gengyao, returned to his home in Baoding with Nian Zhu. Looking at the closed gate and the dense snowflakes outside, he confided in Nian Xiyao and asked, "Uncle, is there really no way out for our Nian family?"

"I do not know either."

Nian Xiyao sighed, then gave a bitter laugh: "Fortunately, it was Fourth Master who came to raid our house this time, so it won't be too devastating to our Nian family."

After Hongli and the guards he brought arrived at the Nian residence, the seal on the gate of the Nian residence was removed.

At that moment, the entire central gate suddenly opened wide.

Two squads of infantrymen from the Bao Yi Guard camp rushed in first, carrying torches and spears, and then dispersed to various entrances and exits.

Hongli also got off the carriage and entered the Nian residence.

Nian Xiyao, Nian Bin, and other members of the Nian family were already kneeling outside the hanging flower gate, their bodies trembling. Before long, white spots appeared on their heads and backs.

"Prince Bao has arrived!"

When Hongli entered, he heard Nian Xiyao and the others kneeling on the ground, pleading, "Please, Fourth Prince, have mercy and save our lives!"

Hongli helped Nian Xiyao up and instructed, "Get up, everyone."

So Nian Bin and the others also stood up.

Hongli then instructed the accompanying military commander, Kajirshan:

"The imperial edict only orders the arrest of Nian Gengyao's family members and servants; Nian Xiyao is not included!"

"Send men to arrest Nian Bin and the others. Register all their persons and property deeds. They must not commit arson, theft, or other illegal acts. If any are discovered, they will be severely punished!"

"I will reward you handsomely afterwards!"

"Whoo!"

Kajirshan then made arrangements for all the officers and lieutenants, and sent his most experienced and honest subordinates to the backyard.

Hongli then invited Nian Xiyao to sit with him in the main hall, where they were seated as host and guest respectively.

Emperor Hongli then asked him, "Why are you here?"

Out of consideration for Consort Nian, and given that Nian Yirou was already his chosen concubine for a trial marriage, Hongli addressed Nian Xiyao as "Gong" (a respectful title).

Nian Xiyao rose and bowed deeply, saying, "Before I was dismissed from my post, I used my savings to purchase 300,000 catties of copper from Guangzhou and deposited it with my younger brother Nian Gengyao in Baoding. Therefore, after my dismissal, I came here to retrieve it and bring it back to the capital, intending to present it to His Majesty as a token of my filial piety. Furthermore, the Kong family sent a letter of annulment to the engagement, so I had no choice but to come."

(End of this chapter)