My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 167 Discussing Marriage
"Your Majesty, I have also seen that the fields are full of water, the ditches are overflowing, the grain price is very reasonable, and the people are at ease. This is enough to comfort Your Majesty."

"Your subject also secretly investigated the villages and towns and found that bandits have disappeared, the number of women engaged in farming has increased, prostitutes have decreased significantly, and children with ceremonial scars are rarely seen in the cities and towns."

"Your Majesty, I have also observed that temple interest rates have been greatly reduced, and the Bodhisattvas, moved by Your Majesty's virtue, are now extending even greater benefits to the poor,"

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Yongzheng read Hongli's memorial in a low voice.

The more he read, the more comfortable he felt.

That's right!

Hongli knew that Yongzheng wanted to see through his eyes the implementation of the new policies in the provinces, and also wanted to know his attitude through his reports. He also needed to find some other voices that could comfort him from the many criticisms of the new policies in the court.

Therefore, Hongli took the initiative to report his observations outside the capital to Yongzheng, and also attached some data statistics to the memorial to corroborate his report. Because mathematics emphasizes logic, it is easier to see whether the writer has exaggerated.

Emperor Yongzheng was delighted to see this.

to this end.

When Yongzheng met the thirteenth prince, he couldn't help but show him the memorial and said to him, "Hongli understands my heart and knows what I want to see."

"Many officials said the new policy was terrible, saying that the land tax reform made life even harder for farmers, and that the reform of the tax collection and the anti-corruption allowance made things difficult for local areas, so they had to create new miscellaneous taxes."

"However, some officials said that the new policy was very good. The conversion of poll tax into land tax finally made it possible to collect poll tax in full, and it made it easier for the government to carry out water conservancy projects. It also greatly reduced or eliminated the poll tax for those with little or no land. The reform of the fire tax to the public and the policy of maintaining integrity ensured that miscellaneous taxes remained constant. Officials who worked diligently had more power and authority to fight against clerks and prevent local gentry from monopolizing all government affairs."

"Now, it would be better for Hongli to go down and see for himself. He can see clearly whether there are crops in the fields, water in the ditches, and whether the number of starving people and thieves has increased. He will also have a clearer understanding of whether the new policy is good or bad, and he will be able to understand you better, Fourth Brother."

The thirteenth brother then spoke up with a smile.

He also knew that Yongzheng was insecure and had low self-esteem, and needed his brothers and nephews to support and admire him more. Naturally, he also needed Hongli to understand him better. So he said that Hongli would understand Yongzheng better because of this.

When Yongzheng heard what the thirteenth prince said, he was very pleased.

"Only your thirteenth brother understands a fraction of my thoughts."

"It's almost time for dinner. Let's have a meal together. You haven't tried the new dishes that Hongli had the imperial chef prepare yet."

"Then I, your humble servant, will respectfully comply."

"But, Fourth Brother, do you have any wine?"

"Enough!"

Yongzheng then laughed, but still reminded the thirteenth prince, "But you should still try to drink less; your health is the most important thing."

"I'm afraid I can't comply. The less I drink, the more uncomfortable I feel."

"Fourth Brother, when do you plan to bring Hongli back?"

After answering with a smile, the thirteenth prince asked Yongzheng a question.

Emperor Yongzheng gazed intently at the East Warm Pavilion for a long while before solemnly saying:

"Since he understands me so well, I plan to have him inspect the reclamation and settlement affairs in Rehe again!"

“But my brother misses him a lot, so let him come back before the new year if possible. It’s not too late to give him more responsibilities after he gets married.”

How much can you think?

"However, he really should get married. You keep an eye out for suitable girls."

Emperor Yongzheng assigned another task to the thirteenth prince.

"Whoo!"

……

……

On a winter night.

After eating a bowl of noodles with gravy, Hongli sat down on a recliner with thick cushions and began to read the various documents and letters sent from the capital.

At this moment, Nianzhu brought over a brazier and clumsily tossed pieces of silver charcoal into it. Each time she tossed it too hard and too fast, sparks flew up, and Li Yu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but frown.

Nianzhu herself pursed her lips shyly, and had to be even more careful.

At this time, Hongli saw the imperial edict from Yongzheng ordering him to continue his inspection of the military settlements and banner affairs in the north, and he also received a letter from his thirteenth uncle.

In his letter, Uncle Thirteen didn't mention anything about court politics, but only that he was getting married. He also said that he would choose a girl with good family traditions and good looks to be his wife.

Hongli was unsure whether the thirteenth prince had acted as matchmaker for Empress Fucha in history, but the thought of his own marriage proposal made him hope that he could marry Empress Fucha in history in this life as well.

This was not only because Empress Fucha was said to be the most beautiful woman in the Qianlong era, but also because her dowry was extremely generous, comparable to that of Empress Wei Zifu in the Han Dynasty.

After Emperor Qianlong decided that once he became emperor, his primary focus should be on expanding the territory and creating a larger economic pie, so as to lay a better foundation for the future of Chinese civilization, he would naturally need this dowry even more.

Next, Hongli led the bondservants and their servants north to Rehe to inspect the banner system of land reclamation that had been implemented since the first year of Yongzheng's reign.

However, when Hongli left, many people along the river came out of their huts to kneel and see him off, worshipping him as devoutly as if he were a Buddha.

"The medicine that Fourth Master brought, and the method he taught of crushing willow bark and then using wine to extract crystals to reduce fever, were indeed remarkably effective, saving many lives, especially children who were more prone to high fever. As a result, many families were able to continue their lineage."

"The people were very grateful to you, feeling that your benevolence had moved Heaven, so they all came out to kneel and pay their respects to you, Fourth Master."

Cai Ting then explained the reason to Hongli during a rest stop along the way.

Hongli smiled and said, “The people’s hearts are pure and kind, which is a blessing for our Great Qing. But we need to send someone to tell the people to get up. There’s no need for that. It’s freezing cold, and kneeling in the snow is not a good thing. We can’t really treat our lives as worthless and not cherish them. Not valuing our own lives would be against loyalty and filial piety.”

“What you say is true, Fourth Master. This servant will obey your command.” Cai Ting replied.

After Cai Ting left, Hongli summoned Kajirshan and coldly instructed him: "While the common people are mostly kind and grateful, they may not be so idle as to kneel and pay their respects to us. Go and investigate whether any officials or gentry are organizing this."

"Whoo!"

Kajirshan glanced at Hongli with surprise, then withdrew.

They rested again when the sun set.

Kajirshan returned and reported to Hongli: "Fourth Master's guess is absolutely right. The fact that the people are so eager to kneel and see you off is indeed due to the local gentry. Of course, the people are also grateful to you, Fourth Master, hence their enthusiasm. However, at this time, the officials in charge of the river are no longer assigning them odd jobs, so they have free time."

Hongli nodded.

Then, Kajirshan couldn't help but say, "However, I think that their enthusiasm is also because they have grievances against the new policies, they all think that His Majesty is not good, and therefore they are even more grateful for the Fourth Prince's goodness."

After hearing this, Hongli asked Kajirshan, "What grievance do you have?"

"I have learned that the gentry all say that the new policies are too harsh, while the common people say that they can no longer keep their land after the new policies and are forced to leave their homes, and they rarely see their parents all year round."

After Kajirshan answered, Hongli fell silent.

After a long while, Hongli said, "Who doesn't want to stay in their hometown? But only by developing our territory can we increase our wealth and benefit our children and grandchildren. Otherwise, no matter how hard we work, we can only either eat others or be eaten."

Kajir stood there stunned for a while before bowing and leaving.

After Kajirshan came out, he submitted a secret memorial to Yongzheng: "I dare not hide it from you, my master. I admire you from the bottom of my heart. You understand the new policies better than I, a rough and uncouth man."

On his way to Rehe, Hongli received new news from the capital.

He learned that Emperor Yongzheng had moved into the expanded Yuanmingyuan Garden in November after the end of his mourning period, and had ordered the Imperial Household Department to select candidates for imperial concubines.

Prince Yi, Yunxiang, also moved into the Ciyuan Garden near the Yuanmingyuan.

Consort Nian and Fu Hui also moved into the Yuanmingyuan Garden. However, Consort Nian's condition worsened shortly after moving in, and Emperor Yongzheng invited monks and Taoists to pray for her.

Hongli knew that once Consort Nian left, Nian Gengyao would be forced to commit suicide.

Since he had already made a show of pleading for Nian Gengyao, there was no need for him to make another show of it. He only needed to send someone to deliver money to Huguo Temple and ask the monks to chant sutras and perform rituals to pray for Consort Nian on his behalf.

Regardless, Emperor Yongzheng still valued Consort Nian highly. He always cared deeply about those he cared about and expected others to care about them in the same way.

The third prince, Yunzhi, was remembered by Emperor Yongzheng for a long time because of a minor incident at Consort Nian's funeral where he was not sad enough. Even years later, when the emperor punished the third prince, he still brought it up.

Therefore, Hongli continued to act as if he cared a lot about Consort Nian, just like Yongzheng did.

Besides this, Hongli also had to focus his main energy on inspecting the banner system of land reclamation.

When he arrived at the Rehe reclamation area, he saw that there were already many families there, all with fruit trees planted and small houses built. The paths were interconnected and the fields were in full bloom.

After meeting with the officials of Rehe, Hongli took the initiative to ask the commander-in-chief, Fobiao, and others about the output of the various banners' land reclamation.

However, Fo Biao and others replied that the yield was not high, the land was still not as fertile as the inland areas, and the water and grass were not abundant. The land with abundant water and grass was a royal forbidden area. Therefore, even with artificial manure, the harvest was still limited. Fortunately, the Manchus were exempt from taxes, so they could still eat their fill and support their families after a year of hard work.

Hongli went to inspect the local soil and found that although the wasteland had improved due to the climate, it still had a slight salinity problem.

He then told Fo Biao, "Just giving us farmyard manure isn't enough. The soil is too alkaline and too dry. We need to collect more phosphate rock, treat it with alum, and then sprinkle it on the soil."

"Phosphorus stone is easy to find, but alum is hard to buy, and we servants don't know how to process it to improve soil fertility."

The Buddha returned.

Hongli nodded: "Your Majesty said that governing the country should be based on agriculture and sericulture. Purchase alum and process it into fertilizer with phosphate rock and give it to me. You just need to find a reliable Han merchant to collect the phosphate rock first, and then come to the capital to see me."

"Whoo!"

Alum is sulfate ore. The first fertilizer invented by the Englishman Lawrence was obtained by treating phosphate rock with sulfuric acid, which greatly increased agricultural output in Britain.

There are also records of the use of natural phosphate fertilizer in China. The "Complete Treatise on Agriculture" records that "bird guano mixed with ash is ten times more effective than lime in terms of fertilizer efficiency." Bird guano is phosphate rock.

What Hongli needs to do now is to follow the method discovered by Rolls and sulfatize the phosphate rock. This will not only supplement phosphate fertilizer but also improve the soil pH of the alkaline land, thereby increasing soil fertility.

This method is simple; after all, it's the first artificially synthesized fertilizer in history, much easier than synthesizing ammonia.

When Hongli was studying at Yuqing Palace, he read "Complete Treatise on Agriculture" and learned about bird droppings. Therefore, he planned to organize people to collect bird droppings to supplement the lack of fertilizer in newly reclaimed wasteland.

He also plans to try collecting saltpeter to produce nitric acid, and then use the nitric acid to treat guano, attempting to make a primitive version of compound fertilizer.

But whether these things succeed or not is another matter.

He also reported to Emperor Yongzheng the problem of low yields in the land cultivated by the Manchus, and requested that commerce be used to promote agriculture, that tax reduction policies be used to encourage inland merchants to trade in Rehe, sell natural fertilizers such as manure, and that money shops be opened to lend money at low interest rates.

"Using commerce to promote agriculture, this kid is really quick-witted!"

"Fortunately, Nian Xiyao's 300,000 catties of copper arrived just in time, which is perfect for promoting agriculture."

Emperor Yongzheng naturally approved it, but in his imperial edict, he mentioned that his own dog had given birth to puppies.

After receiving Yongzheng's imperial edict, Hongli understood that Yongzheng's mention of his dog giving birth was actually a way of saying he missed him and wanted him to go back to see his new dog as soon as possible, while also wanting to know if he missed him.

Hongli smiled slightly at this, thinking to himself that he was, after all, the son, and it would be inappropriate for his father, Yongzheng, to write such mushy words to him directly in his memorials.

Hongli quickly submitted a memorial to pay his respects, writing directly: "I miss my father dearly, and often have to distract myself by reading official documents late at night. I wonder how my father is eating, how he is in good spirits, and how he is sleeping. I also inquire after my mother and mother!"

Upon receiving this memorial, Emperor Yongzheng couldn't help but grin: "This lad! He's finding all sorts of ways to praise his own diligence!!"

(End of this chapter)