My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 169 Prince Jin

Hongshi hesitated, his eyes burning with desire.

Upon seeing this, the eighth prince immediately knelt down: "Fourth brother, please forgive me! This is all my fault. I was the one who told him not to change his address."

"nonsense!"

"I am not so easily fooled. If you want to take the blame for your son, you shouldn't do it at this time, and instead spoil him to the point that he has no basic filial piety!"

"You, the eighth son, have always been praised as the most virtuous person. How come you are now favoring your unfilial son?"

Yongzheng shouted and began to reprimand the Eighth Prince.

Hongshi hadn't expected Yongzheng to be so tough and ruthless, and to blame the Eighth Prince who had taken the blame for him. He couldn't help but clench his teeth even tighter, feeling a bit indignant for his Eighth Uncle.

"Hongshi, do you really intend to disrespect your father even in front of me?"

At this point, Yongzheng also inquired about Hongshi.

Hongshi was silent for a moment, then replied, "I wouldn't dare!"

"Then let's call him Ama!"

"Yongzheng said in a cold voice."

"Whoo!"

Hongshi responded with tears in his eyes, then kowtowed to the Eighth Prince:

"Amma!"

boom!
Emperor Yongzheng slammed his hand on the table and said in a trembling voice, "Louder!"

Seeing Fu Hui tremble, Hongli quickly hugged him, saying, "Don't be afraid!"

"Amma!"

"Your son is unfilial; please punish him!"

Hongshi then raised his voice and called out "Old Eight," and as he called, he began to sob.

Hongli then glanced at Yongzheng.

He saw that Yongzheng's face was flushed, and he couldn't tell whether he was proud or angry.

He could only sigh that those who became emperors might have different ideas from others, and had been driven mad by power.

Then Yongzheng asked Hongshi, "So, how should you address Hongli?"

"Prince Bao!"

Hongshi replied.

Yongzheng nodded: "Very good!"

Hongshi couldn't help but smirk slightly, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

Because Yongzheng rarely said "very good" to him, he never expected that Yongzheng would say those two words to him for the first time under these circumstances.

"Hongli, how should you address Hongshi?"

At this point, Yongzheng spoke again.

Hongli then understood that Yongzheng did this to deliberately show that as the emperor who held the highest power, he could manipulate everything, including the ethical order.

At the same time, everyone must unconditionally follow his will in their actions and conduct.

This is the mindset of a ruler who rules alone.

"Cousin!"

Hongli answered Yongzheng's question without hesitation.

Yongzheng nodded: "Very good!"

then.

Yongzheng then looked at Fu Hui: "Fu Hui, do you understand? You are the same. You have to call Hongshi your cousin, but he must respectfully address you as the Eighth Prince!"

“If you have a title in the future, he must address you by your title. This is called that the inferior must be respectful to those above him, but the superior must be courteous to those below him.”

"Do you understand it?"

"My son understands!"

Fu Hui replied timidly.

"Very well, now all of you should pay your respects to me and address Hongshi as your cousin!"

At this point, Yongzheng gave his instructions.

Hongli knew that Yongzheng was making obedience demands on him, Hongzhou, and Fuhui.

He nodded slightly to Fu Hui, giving him an encouraging look, and then bowed to Hong Shi, saying, "Cousin!"

"Cousin!"

Hongzhou and Fuhui also called out in response.

Hongshi's body trembled even more violently as a result, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

"Eighth Prince, you and your son may rise."

At this moment, Yongzheng looked at the Eighth Prince and Hongshi.

Lao Ba and Hong Shi thanked him and stood up.

Among them, Hongshi's face turned red.

Lao Ba, on the other hand, remained calm.

At the same time, Yongzheng looked at Hongshi and asked, "Hongshi, how should you return the courtesy to them?"

Hongshi took a deep breath and replied, "Those with titles are called 'nobles,' those without titles are called 'princes'!"

"Very good, demonstrate it to me."

Yongzheng replied.

Hongli inwardly marveled at this. He didn't know how Yongzheng could be so ruthless and calmly demand that Hongshi obey him in every word and deed.

At that moment, Hongshi made a gesture in the air towards the three of them, saying, "Greetings, Prince Bao, Fifth Prince, and Eighth Prince!"

"very good!"

Emperor Yongzheng praised Hongshi again.

then.

Yongzheng then looked at the Eighth Prince and said, "Eighth Prince, I will only teach your son once!"

"Next, I do not expect you to be unable to discipline your own son, just as you are unable to discipline your own wife!"

"Your subject will remember this. Thank you, Fourth Brother, for taking time out of your busy schedule to teach me how to manage a household!"

The Eighth Prince clearly understood Yongzheng, so he obediently bowed and thanked him. He showed no anger at Yongzheng mentioning the Eighth Prince's wife again. Yongzheng felt like he'd punched cotton, but he still calmly stood up: "Summon Zhang Tingyu!"

Soon.

Zhang Tingyu arrived.

"Hengchen, draft the imperial edict!"

"During his inspection of the waterways and banner affairs, Prince Bao, Hongli, worked diligently and was well aware of my love for the people. He actively helped the people and saved countless lives. His merits are outstanding. He is hereby promoted to Prince!"

"The fifth prince, Hongzhou, has made meritorious contributions to upholding the rites and traditions, and is respectful, filial, and dedicated to practical learning. He is hereby granted the title of Beizi and the former residence of Sunu is hereby granted as the Beizi Residence."

"The Eighth Prince is blessed with good fortune, intelligence, and obedience. He is respectful to his father and often brings me joy. Therefore, he shall be rewarded with double the salary."

"Furthermore, with Hongli and Hongzhou's marriage imminent, Wenjin Shuya, daughter of Fucha Lirongbao, the governor of Chahar, has been betrothed to Hongli as his primary wife; Shoufen Congshun, daughter of Wushiku, the deputy commander, has been betrothed to Hongzhou as his primary wife!"

"The Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Rites are hereby ordered to select a date and request imperial decree to proceed with the marriage

After saying this, Yongzheng looked at Hongshi and said, "Issue an edict to Prince Lian, ordering him to strictly supervise his son Hongshi."

"Whoo!"

Zhang Tingyu responded.

Hongli and Hongzhou both knelt down at this moment: "Thank you, Father Khan, for your benevolence!"

Fu Hui also knelt down: "Thank you, Father Khan, for your kindness."

Emperor Hongli was deeply moved by this.

He never expected that his arrival in this world would have some impact on the Qing Dynasty, and that Yongzheng would so quickly bestow upon him the title of Prince.

Because Hongzhou actively stood on his side, he was promoted to Beizi first, unlike in history where he and Hongzhou were not directly promoted to Prince in the eleventh year of Yongzheng's reign.

Perhaps the historical impressions of him and Hongzhou in Yongzheng's mind are different from those in the present.

Therefore, it was only when Emperor Yongzheng realized that his health was deteriorating and he had few children that he simply granted the title of Prince to his two adult sons.

Hongli noticed that Hongzhou was still very excited at this moment.

Because no matter what, having a noble title and a residence is always more liberating and offers better treatment than staying in a prince's residence.

Hongli also noticed that Hongshi's expression was even more complicated at this moment.

Hongli could understand this, because as the eldest son, Hongshi had never had a title, and more importantly, as soon as Hongshi was adopted, he directly became a prince, while Hongzhou also got a title, which was because he corrected him. The comparison made him feel cold inside.

Emperor Yongzheng's ruthlessness and cruelty towards Hongshi was indeed greater than that of his father, Emperor Kangxi, in how he treated his son.

Even though his son slept with his own woman and rebelled against him, Emperor Kangxi couldn't bring himself to abandon his son and disown him.

But Hongli didn't want to be everyone's savior, and he didn't intend to show any sympathy to Hongshi.

After all, when he was inferior to Hongshi, Hongshi did not sympathize with him; on the contrary, he disdained to intimidate him to make him obey his orders.

Now, by doing this, Yongzheng is essentially forcing Hongshi to obey all his arrangements.

Essentially, it's a winner-takes-all story.

Hongli was very pleased that his primary consort was still Empress Fucha, the historical figure.

This made him even more hopeful for his future dynasty.

After leaving with Lao Ba, Hongshi remained silent.

Seeing this, Lao Ba continued to comfort him: "Hongshi, don't be too sad, and don't blame yourself too much. It's not your fault!"

Hongshi remained silent.

After Hongshi and the Eighth Prince left, Yongzheng said to Hongli and Hongzhou, "I was so tough on Hongshi for his own good. He is really stupid and foolish. Being stupid is one thing, but he is also arrogant. Such a person is not suitable to be a prince. Being a prince would only harm him."

"I hope you will take him as a warning and never forget your duty!"

"Whoo!"

Then, Yongzheng waved for Hongli and Hongzhou to leave as well.

After leaving, Hongli and Hongzhou initially looked solemn, but when they arrived at the place where the princes were preparing to part, Hongli took the initiative to smile and say to Hongzhou, "Congratulations, Fifth Brother!"

"Congratulations, Fourth Brother!"

Hongzhou smiled and bowed.

Hongli smiled slightly, and then returned to his residence, Qianxi No. 2 Palace.

Although the Yong Prince's Mansion has been completely transformed into the Bao Jun Prince's Mansion, he has not yet moved in because he has just returned and it is close to the end of the year.

Because he was delayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a while, when he returned, Nara Minxuan, Nian Yirou, and Fucha Yuyan were all there, while Nian Zhu also returned with Li Yu and stood behind Nian Yirou.

"Fourth Master!"

These people followed Haitang in greeting him, and Hongli then instructed Li Yu to distribute the gifts he had prepared for them.

Because he was exhausted from the long journey and had not eaten, he immediately asked Haitang to serve him a meal.

However, after he finished his meal, Zhang Qilin, the deputy chief eunuch of Yangxin Hall, suddenly came to Hongli's place and delivered an imperial decree that because the selection of concubines by the Imperial Household Department had just ended, Emperor Yongzheng had designated Nara Minxuan, Nian Yirou, Fucha Yuyan, and other palace maids selected by Zhaojia and Gao as his trial marriage princesses, including Haitang.

There are a total of eight princesses.

Needless to say, Nara Minxuan, Nian Yirou, and Fucha Yuyan were all pre-selected through connections and had already entered the palace to receive instruction, even observing him for a long time. As for the others, apart from Haitang, who was also pre-selected based on her merits, they were given an opportunity to achieve upward social mobility for outstanding girls from the Eight Banners and Bondservant families.

Because, in any case, other Eight Banners and Bondservant families must be given the opportunity to become relatives of the imperial family in order to maintain the stability of the internal base.

Hongli sighed slightly at this.

He knew that he would need to prove his fertility by having relationships with these girls, and the sooner he could get them pregnant, the better.

Hongli glanced at the four princesses who were not pre-arranged for trial marriage. He saw that they were of decent appearance and were pretty and obedient, but not stunning beauties.

Of course, Hongli also knew that, firstly, the Empress would not allow anyone too alluring or stunningly beautiful to come to his side.

Nian Yirou is just an exception.

Fortunately, the other four women who were going through the trial marriage process all had great figures. They weren't skinny, but rather curvy and shapely. Even though their clothes weren't designed to show off their figures, they still couldn't hide their healthy physiques.

The fact that these girls have good figures is also related to the fact that those in power value their reproductive worth.

After all, they weren't chosen through connections; they had to go through rigorous selection processes to become low-ranking concubines and attendants of the emperor and princes. Naturally, they needed to demonstrate excellent fertility potential in terms of their physique!
"My son, I accept the decree!"

After receiving the imperial decree, Hongli summoned Nara Minxuan to his main hall that very night.

It wasn't that he was most interested in Nara Minxuan, but rather that her aunt was, after all, the Empress. Now that Consort Nian had passed away, no one in the entire palace could rival her for power, and he had to take care of the dignity of this Empress's adoptive mother.

There was no other way; to be a good prince, one had to consider political factors first when deciding which woman to serve in bed.

"Cousin, cousin!"

However, to Hongli's surprise, when Nara Minxuan came to his room that night, she was surprisingly proactive, though she appeared stiff and rigid.

It seemed very methodical, yet it felt very unnatural, so he had to shout a few times in between.

In the end, Hongli couldn't control her because she was skilled in horsemanship and archery and was attacking him aggressively. He had no choice but to passively cooperate with her. Only afterward did he say to Nara Minxuan, "Cousin, you raped me!"

(End of this chapter)