My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 182 The Generous Gift from Fucha

The surge in the national treasury's silver reserves made Hongli deeply aware of Yongzheng's achievements.

He sincerely admired Emperor Yongzheng.

After that, Hongli studied, practiced calligraphy, and learned about politics even more diligently.

Because Yongzheng did not disappoint him, he naturally would not disappoint Yongzheng either.

What pleased Hongli most was that, according to the thirteenth prince, of the more than ten million taels of silver deposits that surged last year, more than three million were the result of the concept of lending money that he had proposed.

This made both Emperor Yongzheng and the thirteenth prince increasingly convinced that distributing money to the people was not detrimental to the growth of the court's wealth; on the contrary, it could indirectly promote the growth of wealth.

"The new policies such as the integration of land tax and poll tax and the return of fire loss to the public not only greatly increased land tax and poll tax, but also indirectly increased customs and commercial taxes. This was something neither my fourth brother nor I expected. It turns out that as long as more money is allowed to circulate, many people will work harder in order to earn more money."

On that very day, the thirteenth prince continued to recount this matter to Hongli in the Maoqin Hall.

Hongli smiled slightly. Appropriately increasing the amount of currency in circulation can promote the development of productivity, which is not a difficult principle to understand.

It is not surprising that the thirteenth prince, who was Yongzheng's chief reform assistant, understood the key points.

Hongli simply echoed, "The greatest wealth of the court is not silver or copper coins, but the hardworking and diligent people of the world!"

"Yes, you understand very well."

"The fundamental issue is the increase in the number of people and households, not silver and copper coins. No wonder the late emperor issued an edict saying that in prosperous times, the population will increase and taxes will never be increased. It is clear that the late emperor understood this."

The thirteenth prince patted Hongli on the shoulder and affirmed him, also mentioning Kangxi.

Hongli smiled and said, "Father and Uncle Thirteen understand this very well, otherwise they would not have adopted my suggestion as a mere youth. Moreover, to achieve the goal of enriching the country by distributing money to the people, the government must be clean and honest. Otherwise, it will only enrich the officials and wealthy families. Fortunately, Father and Uncle Thirteen are both upright and strict, so we have achieved positive results."

The thirteenth prince sat down, pounding his left knee, and then pressed his left abdomen. He said to Hongli, "Uncle Thirteen knows that you will never be an arrogant or conceited person. Even if you show extraordinary talent in governance, you will always remain rational and humble."

"Hongli!"

"Uncle Thirteen hopes you can continue like this; for you and for the Qing Dynasty, this is the greatest blessing!"

The thirteenth prince then looked at Hongli and solemnly gave him his instructions.

Just then, it started to rain outside.

Listening to the gentle patter of rain, Hongli turned his back to the window, cupped his hands towards his thirteenth brother, and said, "Don't worry, Uncle Thirteen!"

The thirteenth prince waved his hand, gesturing for him to dispense with the formalities, and looked out at the rain outside the window:

"As the saying goes: an orange grown south of the Huai River is an orange, but grown north of the Huai River it becomes a trifoliate orange; whether a new policy is a good policy or a tyranny depends on whether the person holding the highest power will be negligent, whether he will be discerning enough, and whether he will have enough courage."

"And you, obviously, understand these principles."

The thirteenth brother smiled as he said this.

Hongli understood that the thirteenth prince was pleased that he understood the hardships Yongzheng had faced, and also hoped that he would not squander the wealth left by Yongzheng and his ministers after he became emperor.

Fortunately, Hongli's performance made the thirteenth prince realize that he, Hongli, was not a vain and ambitious person who would squander the country's wealth.

The thirteenth prince also informed Yongzheng of Hongli's performance.

Therefore, in front of his thirteenth son, the Yongzheng Emperor made a decision for Hongli: "I believe that he will be a wise ruler who will not be stingy with money in terms of disaster relief and stabilizing refugees!"

"Fourth Brother is right, but the more an emperor understands that the people are the greatest asset of our Great Qing, the less willing he will be to accept that many places do not yet have his own people."

"Therefore, in my opinion, you should put in more effort to help him accumulate more wealth, so that he won't be caught in a dilemma between immigration and settling the people."

The thirteenth brother said.

Yongzheng nodded solemnly: "Yes! We can't let the problems that existed during the reign of the late emperor be carried over to the next generation."

Then, Yongzheng got up and walked over to the thirteenth prince, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Thirteenth brother, you should work harder for your nephew."

The thirteenth brother smiled, nodded, and then touched his weak knees.

At this moment, Yongzheng sat down and asked, "Do you know how Hongli views you?"

The thirteenth prince looked at Yongzheng and asked, "Then, fourth brother, tell me, what does he think of me?"

"He wrote a miscellaneous poem specifically to express his respect for you."

Yongzheng also looked at the thirteenth prince and said in a very serious tone.

The thirteenth prince frowned: "Miscellaneous poems?"

Yongzheng then began writing on a piece of paper, and subsequently handed the paper containing his miscellaneous poems to the thirteenth prince: "Take a look for yourself."

The thirteenth son took it and began to read it.

"Fallen petals are not heartless things; they turn into spring mud to nourish the flowers."

The thirteenth prince read it aloud, then looked at Yongzheng with a mixture of astonishment and excitement: "Is this really a letter to your younger brother?"

Emperor Yongzheng, without blushing or skipping a beat, simply nodded solemnly: "How could it be fake!"

Then, Yongzheng added details: "This was said to his own people in his room. He said that the poem was not about himself, but about someone else, a certain prince in the court!"

"Think about it, besides your thirteenth brother, who else is worthy of upholding the integrity described in this poem?"

The thirteenth prince looked solemn.

Emperor Yongzheng said that Hongli wrote this poem to praise the thirteenth prince.

He naturally had to believe it; he had no choice but to believe it!

At the same time, he could not resist the profound meaning of the poem that pierced his soul, and he thought that if Hongli really thought of him that way, he should treat Hongli better than his own son!
After all, the former is loyalty, while the latter is simply love.

So, the thirteenth prince showed a touching expression: "Very well, everyone outside says that you treat my nephew better than your own son, so I should naturally return the favor!"

Don't overwork yourself; take it slow and steady.

Emperor Yongzheng suddenly smiled and said this.

The thirteenth prince nodded, but after returning home that evening, he instructed his wife, Lady Zhaojia, "Give the order that any memorials sent from the palace that have not been approved by the next day be reported promptly. Any delays will be severely punished!"

Upon hearing this, Lady Zhao was shocked: "How can this be done! You have many duties to perform. If you really have to ensure that memorials are submitted within two days of each other, you will not be able to handle it."

"You know what kind of person I am, the thirteenth brother. And since the fourth brother said those things today, I would rather work myself to death than let him down!"

The thirteenth prince patted the back of Zhao Jia's hand, which was resting on the armrest.

After hearing this, Lady Zhao asked him curiously, "What did Fourth Brother say?"

The thirteenth prince said, "He said that Hongli wrote a miscellaneous poem for me."

The thirteenth prince then read the poem aloud to Zhao Jia.

Zhao Jia looked surprised: "Was this really written for you?"

The thirteenth prince laughed and said, "What are you saying? Fourth brother is the emperor. Since he says so, then it can only be so!"

"Fourth Brother and Hongli truly regard you as a wise prince!"

Zhao Jia couldn't help but pat her chest and sighed, then frowned and looked at the thirteenth prince: "It's just that this kind of importance is too heavy!"

"A scholar will die for one who understands him. Moreover, I, the thirteenth prince, will never let down anyone who has treated me well. I would not hesitate to give my life for them."

“I did this when I was working for my second brother, and I will do the same now when I am working for my fourth brother.” The thirteenth brother said solemnly, then pressed his left abdomen.

Lady Zhao nodded, and couldn't help but smile through her tears: "I know, Your Highness, you are a man of unwavering loyalty and integrity!"

The thirteenth prince smiled, took Zhao Jia's hand, and said, "I'll leave the household affairs to you."

"I will do my best to manage this household well!"

Zhao Jia replied with a smile.

The thirteenth prince then said, "You don't need to worry too much. The sixteenth prince is now taking over the Ministry of War. After I guide him for a while, he should be able to handle military affairs on his own, thus making up for the fourth prince's shortcomings in this area!"

"However, I still need to pay more attention to military affairs in the Northwest. Otherwise, with Hongli's talent, he might easily see his father's shortcomings in military affairs."

The thirteenth brother smiled as he said this.

"That's true, it's rare that Uncle Sixteen is able to share some of the burden now."

Zhao Jia smiled and echoed, then had someone bring over perilla soup for the thirteenth prince to drink.

The thirteenth prince felt a little warmer in his stomach.

Hongli was unaware that the poem he had deliberately told his concubines, claiming it was a miscellaneous poem written for Yongzheng, would be misappropriated by Yongzheng and attributed to the thirteenth prince.

He only learned about this later, when Yongzheng aligned the granularity with him.

Time flew by and it was April of the fourth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.

As the weather got warmer, Emperor Yongzheng moved to the Yuanmingyuan Garden.

"Imperial edict: Tomorrow the Emperor will visit the Yuanmingyuan Garden. The fourth prince, Prince Bao, Hongli, is to move to Langrun Garden. He will enter the Qinzheng Qinxian Hall of the Yuanmingyuan Garden at 1:30 a.m. the following day to learn about government affairs. There is no need for him to pay his respects today!"

"My son obeys the order!"

Not long after, Hongli also received an imperial decree from Yongzheng ordering him to go to Langrun Garden.

This made him very happy.

He couldn't wait to move into the garden.

Because the place where the prince lived was so poorly landscaped, there was hardly any greenery to soothe his eyes after he had been reading, and the space was cramped with little room for leisure activities.

If it weren't for the fact that he didn't want Yongzheng to think he was indulging in pleasure, he would have moved to Langrun Garden long ago.

Now that Emperor Yongzheng had issued an edict, he was naturally happy to comply, using the pretext of serving his father and learning about government affairs to reside in the annex of the Yuanmingyuan Garden.

After receiving the decree, Hongli instructed Haitang, "Then have everyone in the house pack up and prepare to stay in the garden tomorrow."

"Whoo!"

Haitang smiled and agreed, then quickly walked downstairs.

Hongli himself took Li Yu to the outer study and personally arranged for Li Yu to have someone pack up some of his belongings that needed to be moved to the garden.

Later that evening, Hongli had Haitang tidy up his inner study and his clothes and necessities.

Those around Hongli also packed their clothes and necessities.

The people in his house were also very excited about being able to move to the garden.

That evening, Hongli had to leave the Prince's Residence temporarily, so he met with Hongzhou, who was also staying there.

Hongzhou was also happy for Hongli because Nara Minxuan, who was by Hongli's side, was pregnant.

Therefore, on the very night he learned of this, he took the virginity of one of the princesses beside him.

However, having tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, he was somewhat unable to control himself, unlike Hongli, who, although not very old, was from the future and had a more mature mind, so he was able to restrain himself.

Therefore, when Hongli saw Hongzhou, he was noticeably more haggard than before.

Hongli then asked him, "Fifth brother, have you been feeling unwell lately?"

"A little. I really want the new carriages to be produced in large quantities as you said, Fourth Brother, so I've been sleeping less than usual."

Hongzhou replied with a smile.

After hearing this, Hongli nodded slightly, and then told Hongzhou about his mission to Langrun Garden.

Hongzhou was still happy for Hongli, saying that this would indeed allow Yongzheng to have an adult prince by his side, which would alleviate some of the pressure. He also regretted that he was too dull to share Yongzheng's burdens, and that it would also benefit the pregnant princess by Hongli's side.

Seeing that Hongzhou looked haggard, Hongli didn't say much and just told him to go back first.

That night, because he needed to get up early the next day to go to Langrun Garden and also to save his energy to pay his respects at Yuanmingyuan, he went to bed early and did not have anyone come to accompany him to sleep.

The next day, Hongli led his family out of the palace in a grand procession, riding in several large carriages and escorted by armored soldiers on horseback, to Langrun Garden.

One of the benefits of the greatly improved financial situation during the Yongzheng reign was that the royal gardens could be expanded and upgraded.

As a prince who was granted a royal garden, Hongli also experienced this benefit after arriving at Langrun Garden.

The garden has plenty of clear water and green spaces, so it does indeed have a refreshing and pleasant feel.

Hongli and his entourage were all smiles when they arrived.

Hongli himself was also curious and wanted to explore the garden more thoroughly.

Fortunately, Emperor Yongzheng, the Empress, and Consort Xi, who had also moved to the neighboring Yuanmingyuan, were quite considerate of him. They all told him that he didn't need to come to pay his respects today because he was tired from visiting the garden.

So, Hongli took a stroll in Langrun Garden with a group of beautiful women from his household.

As far as Hongli knew, there was a large deer park in the western part of Langrun Garden, which was the hunting ground where Emperor Kangxi used to hunt deer.

While strolling through the garden, Hongli saw the deer park. Upon arriving there, he asked Li Yu to bring him the self-igniting flintlock pistol that the sixteenth prince had given him. Hongli then used the pistol to shoot a deer from a distance of a hundred paces away.

All the princesses praised Hongli for his bravery and martial prowess.

For Hongli, shooting deer might be a good hunting experience, but hunting a giant bear in the north would be something to look forward to.

However, Hongli still smiled and blew away the white smoke from the muzzle, saying:
"Give the order: roasted venison will be served tonight! As is customary, it will be given to everyone, from top to bottom."

"Whoo!"

This made everyone at Langrun Garden even happier.

Because in Langrun Garden, from the garden owner Hongli down to the ordinary palace maids and eunuchs, everyone was in the prime of their youth, full of vitality.

After dinner, Hongli summoned Fucha Yuyan, intending to deflower her to relieve the excess energy he had gained from eating roasted venison.

Living in the garden has another advantage: the garden owner has greater privacy among his concubines in the backyard. Other women will no longer easily know who the garden owner has summoned to his bedchamber, or which woman's residence the garden owner has visited.

Hongli doesn't need to worry now. Nara Minxuan knows that he summoned other concubines for trial marriage, which affects her mood and is not good for her pregnancy.

"Cousin, you are indeed exceptionally brave and heroic. It is the greatest blessing of my life that I can truly become your woman today!"

Even after Hongli won over Fucha Yuyan, she still provided him with emotional support.

But what pleased Hongli even more was that Fucha Yuyan not only brought him emotional value, but also long, straight, and well-proportioned legs that even Nara Minxuan lacked.

This made him love riding it for a long time.

(End of this chapter)