My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 180 Hongzhou and Consort Yu widen the road ahead

Hongshi looked up at the sky and gave a bitter laugh: "That's all, thank you, Uncle Twelfth!"

The twelfth son didn't ask any more questions.

As for Hongshi, he remembered what Lao Ba had told him and guessed that it might have been Hongli who had brought about his confinement.

However, he did not hate Hongli, after all, he knew that if he were in Hongli's shoes, he would have done the same.

He was simply dissatisfied with Emperor Yongzheng.

Because it was Emperor Yongzheng who could make the decision.

Therefore, he believed that even if it was Hongli who facilitated this, if Yongzheng had even a shred of fatherly love for his son, he would not have agreed to Hongli's request to imprison him.

In general, Hongshi still harbored resentment towards Yongzheng, and at this moment, it intensified even more!

He was so overwhelmed that he didn't want to say anything more to Yongzheng, and he didn't even want to admit his mistakes and beg for mercy.

When the twelfth prince relayed these words to Emperor Yongzheng, Emperor Yongzheng sighed, "He has finally come to hate me."

"He is still young. When he gets older, he will understand His Majesty the Fourth."

The twelfth brother said this.

Yongzheng smiled, then said disdainfully, "I don't care whether he understands or not. If he remains stubborn in the future, he will not only be letting down me, but also Heaven!"

After learning of Hongshi's words from his twelfth son, Hongli sent silver and medicine to Hongshi's family as a form of assistance.

Because he knew that Hongshi was usually extravagant, and that his wife and children were actually not living a very comfortable life.

Coincidentally, Hongshi's daughter had recently fallen ill, but fortunately, Hongli provided timely assistance, preventing her from dying young as was the case in history.

After learning about this from the twelfth brother, Hongshi sat down on the ground with a moved expression.

He has always been very fond of his youngest daughter.

So, he then smiled as he recalled his daughter's adorable appearance, but as he smiled, tears welled up in his eyes, and he murmured to himself in a voice only he could hear:
“If back then, if Emperor Yongzheng had told me that he also intended to seize the throne, why would I have treated Hongli and Hongzhou that way, and why would I have become even closer to my Eighth Uncle and the others?”

"Even if you just tell me quietly?"

Hongshi became increasingly confused, and suddenly gritted his teeth and punched the wall behind him.

boom!
……

……

After learning what Hongshi had said from the twelfth prince, Hongzhou simply nodded.

However, this incident still had some impact on Hongzhou.

When Hongzhou came to pay his respects to Consort Yu, Lady Geng, he mentioned this matter to her.

After hearing this, Consort Yu said with great emotion, "I never expected that Hongshi would come to this point, and I never expected that he would actually apologize to you."

"I didn't expect it either, but thinking about it, Fourth Brother is indeed much more capable than Third Brother."

Hong Zhou replied.

Consort Yu smiled and said, "Of course. I helped take care of Hongli before. He is very smart."

Then, Consort Yu sighed, "Power struggles are harmful! Winning means taking everything, but losing means that even if you are father or son or brother to the other party, it is difficult to mend the rift."

Speaking of it.

Consort Yu then took Hongzhou's hand and said, "My son, you must take this as a warning and not be like Hongshi, harboring any thoughts. You can't compete with your fourth brother."

"My son knows that if he can't win an argument with someone, he won't argue with them."

Hongzhou nodded in reply.

Consort Yu smiled and said, "That's good."

As a result, Hongzhou focused more of his energy on the manufacturing of state-owned enterprises.

Even when Hongzhou returned to his brother's residence, he would light lamps and study how to make the artifacts he was making even better.

"Fifth Master, it's time to rest."

It is said that Emperor Yongzheng also assigned a concubine to Hongzhou for trial marriage, but Hongzhou basically did not touch her.

Some of the princesses, because they were well-educated and naturally bolder, even took the initiative, but he directly pushed them away, angrily scolding them for disturbing his training, showing that he was very uninterested in women.

For example, on this day, Geng Yuechan, who was assigned to be a princess next to Hongzhou, was instigated by the other princesses to take the initiative to talk to Hongzhou and persuade him to rest early because she was his cousin.

"Wait a little longer. Fourth Brother said that it would be best if this new carriage could be mass-produced. I need to get it into mass production as soon as possible."

“You don’t know, Fourth Brother is very practical. If this new carriage is just flashy and impractical, he won’t like it much.”

Hongzhou replied to this.

Geng Yuechan secretly pursed her lips.

But she didn't dare to say anything more. Even though the other princesses around Hongzhou were giving her meaningful glances, urging her to continue persuading Hongzhou, she didn't say another word.

When Geng Yuechan mentioned this to her aunt, Consort Yu, Consort Geng, Consort Geng said, "Don't be angry with your cousin. He's just waiting for the princess on Fourth Brother's side to make a move first."

Hongzhou not only focused more on the construction work, but also handed a list to Hongli after Hongshi was imprisoned: "Fourth brother, these people all met with me under various pretexts and gave me gifts. Some even gave me money directly. For example, this Qian Mingshi gave me a gold carriage ornament."

Hongli took the list and glanced at it, noting that most of the names were famous scholars from Jiangnan.

to this end.

Hongli asked with a smile, "You should give it directly to Father Khan, why give it to me?"

"I'm hesitant to refuse to accept it, and I'm also hesitant to tell Khan, so I can only ask you first what to do?"

"Besides, Fourth Brother, you also taught me that we need to reach a consensus with Father Khan so that the ancestral temple can prosper. Naturally, I should tell you about this first."

Hongli nodded. He understood Hongzhou's meaning and knew that Hongzhou was asking him whether he could accept the gifts from these gentry from Jiangnan.

Hongli said, "Then keep it for now. I'll find a chance to speak to the Khan for you. That way, even if the Khan is angry, I can put in a good word for you first."

"Thank you, Fourth Brother!"

Hongzhou looked delighted. Hongli patted his arm with a smile: "We're brothers, no need to be so polite!"

Therefore, it was only natural for Hongli to put the list into his horse-hoof sleeve.

The list that Hongzhou gave him was quite valuable.

This shows that some Jiangnan gentry were dishonest, playing both sides and simultaneously supporting Hongzhou.

Indeed, powerful nobles and gentry would often side with those who seemed to have little chance of succeeding the throne, even those princes who appeared to have little hope.

For example, when the fourteenth prince was at the height of his power and the fourth prince had almost faded from the court, Longkodo chose to support the fourth prince, Yongzheng, who was neglecting his position, and that's how he gained his current prominent power and status.

After all, while starting from scratch carries a high risk of failure, the rewards are also greater if successful. For those who like to take big risks, it is undoubtedly more exciting and worthwhile.

Moreover, many people like to place bets in multiple places.

Therefore, even if Hongzhou deliberately avoids competition and intentionally slacks off, people will still approach him.

There was nothing he could do. He was the eldest prince, and Yongzheng had few sons. Moreover, the Qing dynasty's imperial power was very strong. Maternal lineage, personal ability, and seniority were not really obstacles in the face of imperial power.

However, Hongzhou has now voluntarily compiled a list of the Jiangnan gentry he had been in contact with and handed it over to Hongli.

Hongli thus understood that Hongzhou truly had no intention of competing with him.

This pleased him greatly. He was pleased that Hongzhou had not chosen to become one of the spokespeople for the Jiangnan gentry who manipulated the court.

The gentry of Jiangnan clearly misjudged Hongzhou and were betrayed by him.

Now, after the Jiangnan gentry became extremely wealthy again during the Kangxi reign, their minds became restless once more.

From the Eighth Prince's faction to the Nian Gengyao faction, their shadows are behind it all.

This is not surprising.

After all, in the centralized Qing Dynasty, no amount of money could compare to the pleasure of having power.

When individuals, groups, or social classes become wealthy, they tend to seek power and lose interest in money.

Even scholars who become wealthy through their profound knowledge can become academic tyrants.

The gentry of Jiangnan were no exception.

However, what they didn't expect was that Hongzhou would resist the sweet talk and betray them.

Hongli gave this list to Yongzheng.

Emperor Yongzheng was also pleased with this and asked Hongli, "In your opinion, how should we deal with these people?"

"In my humble opinion, we should let Fifth Brother continue to collect money and gifts from these people, while keeping a close eye on these people and the people behind them, and looking for an opportunity to deal with them."

"It's like raising fish. You can't catch all the fish at once. You have to raise them and catch them at the same time. It also helps Fifth Brother improve his life. It's a good thing."

"If we were to arrest them for this, we wouldn't catch many big fish. Nobody knows if there's a bigger mastermind behind these scholars who secretly met with my fifth brother, so arresting them directly would probably be pointless."

Hongli replied.

Yongzheng nodded: "Then let your fifth brother continue to keep it for now."

Then, Yongzheng pondered for a moment and said, "But this Qian Mingshi must be dealt with immediately. This man first attached himself to Nian Gengyao, and recently he has also been getting close to the Russians. Now he wants to sow discord between my son and the Russians. In order to avoid a direct conflict with the Russians, I did not arrest him first. Now that the Russian envoy has returned to his country, we can arrest him."

“Ama is right.”

Hongli replied with this sentence, and then met with Hongzhou to tell him the good news.

Hongzhou was naturally very happy.

In any case, receiving more money and gifts is a good thing. He Hongzhou actively manufactured various equipment, and the expenses were actually quite considerable.

Soon after, Qian Mingshi successfully delivered a large gift to Hongzhou through the eunuchs around him.

But not long after Qian Mingshi delivered the goods, he was arrested by the people of Shuntian Prefecture.

It turned out that Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict ordering him to be sent back to his hometown on the grounds that he "flattered Nian Gengyao to the extreme and praised evil."

Emperor Yongzheng also bestowed upon him the four characters "a sinner against Confucianism" and ordered them to be made into a plaque to be hung in the main hall of his home.

Qian Mingshi was very surprised by this. He did not expect that after Yongzheng dismissed him from his post, he would deal with him in this way.

When Qian Mingshi left Beijing, Emperor Yongzheng ordered all officials in Beijing, from Grand Secretaries to the Nine Ministers, to compose satirical poems as a farewell gift for him.

This made Qian Mingshi even more indignant.

However, officials throughout the capital, from Grand Secretaries and the Nine Ministers downwards, dared not disobey the imperial decree and wrote satirical poems to ridicule him.

"Harsh! Utterly harsh!"

On his way back to his hometown, Qian Mingshi looked at these poems and became increasingly angry, eventually muttering a few curses under his breath.

When he arrived home and saw the newly erected plaque in his main hall, he became even more breathless.

But what he didn't expect was that as soon as he got home, Emperor Yongzheng sent an imperial envoy to announce that he was exiled to Ningguta on the grounds that he had bribed Nian Gengyao.

Qian Mingshi fainted on the spot and realized that Yongzheng wanted him to return to the capital before being exiled so that he could see the shame he had brought to his family.

Qian Mingshi's fate did not deter the gentry of Jiangnan; instead, it exacerbated their fear of their own lack of power.

Therefore, when Hongli came to Yijiao Temple to visit this famous temple in western Beijing that the Eighth Prince had given him, the donations from gentry in Jiangnan increased dramatically after Hongli became the owner of the temple property. In the first month of the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign alone, more than 500,000 taels of silver were donated.

If this amount were maintained every month, the annual income would exceed the grain revenue from the Jiangnan region during the Qing Dynasty.

In other words, the money they gave to the Qing Dynasty was less than the money they secretly gave to this fourth prince.

This made it difficult for Hongli himself to support Yongzheng's large-scale crackdown and even confiscation of their property, because if he supported it, his Yijiao Temple would lose a lot of incense money.

"If the Qing Dynasty declines because of the failure of the new policies, what use will all the money they give me be!"

"Therefore, I will not be of one mind with Father just because my Eighth Uncle gave me such a large temple that can absorb a lot of wealth from Jiangnan. Father can give me the wealth that the gentry of Jiangnan can never give!"

However, after Hongli brought up the matter in front of Yongzheng, he still solemnly expressed his opinion, letting Yongzheng know that his understanding was consistent with Yongzheng's and that he would not change his position because of this.

(End of this chapter)