My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 198 Emperor Yongzheng was overjoyed and gave Hongli 100,000 taels of silver as support!
The "Capital News" had indeed attracted the attention of many princes and ministers, not just Prince Yi.

"Your Majesty, if the 21st-year-old's 'Capital News' continues to operate in this way, it may reveal too many secrets! Moreover, many of the things recorded in it are difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood."

"Are you really going to let the young Twenty-First Prince incite so many down-on-their-luck scholars and ignorant commoners to make such irresponsible remarks about the government, without fear that in the future they will turn against and destroy the foundation of our Great Qing Dynasty?"

The next day.

When Hongli was learning about government affairs in the East Study of the Hall of Diligent Governance and Kindness, he heard the Third Prince Cheng, Yunzhi, who was ordered to work in the inner court, mention the "New Gazette of the Capital" in front of Yongzheng.

Hongli knew that although the third prince openly said he didn't trust Yunxi to run the "Jingshi Xinbao" newspaper, he actually didn't want to see it controlled by Yunxi.

This made Hongli frown, thinking to himself that this third son was also a conservative!

But what Hongli didn't expect was that Yongzheng didn't reprimand his third son for this. Instead, because he was also wary of this new phenomenon, he nodded and said:

"It is true that the Jingshi Xinbao can guide public opinion, but it is indeed worrying whether it will backfire."

However, Yongzheng added, "But yesterday, the thirteenth prince also mentioned something to me: public opinion is also a battlefield. If we don't occupy it, the enemy will."

Upon hearing Yongzheng's words, Hongli couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.

But the third brother was greatly alarmed, then spread his hands and frowned in frustration, saying, "What enemies are there in this world? Who would dare to be an enemy of my Great Qing Dynasty? It's just some internal strife!"

"As long as Your Majesty remains upright and strict, those who want to instigate internal strife will not be able to cause any trouble."

The third brother added.

Yongzheng suddenly pointed at the third son and said, "Don't say that!"

"Where are there no enemies?"

"As long as there is a stance, there will be corresponding enemies!"

"Moreover, the enemy is right here within our imperial clan and the Eight Banners, and they are extremely arrogant!"

Yongzheng said very sternly.

The third prince could only lower his head and say, "Your Majesty is wise, which has made me realize my mistake!"

"Third brother, you are cautious, but you are not as sensible as thirteenth brother, so you should say no more about this matter."

"If you really don't trust the 'Capital News' or the Twenty-First Prince, go and discuss it with the Thirteenth Prince first, come up with a plan, and then come see me."

Emperor Yongzheng presented Yunzhi with a difficult problem.

Because asking Yunzhi to discuss things with the thirteenth prince, Yunxiang, would be worse than taking his life.

However, Hongli had to admit that Yongzheng did trust the thirteenth prince more and was clearer that the thirteenth prince was the truly loyal and devoted to the country.

This can be considered one of Yongzheng's wise points.

Even though he wasn't entirely comfortable with new things like the "Beijing News," he could tell who was more reasonable.

Of course, Emperor Yongzheng himself was indeed reluctant to use a pseudonym to publish his opinions in the "Jingshi Xinbao" newspaper.

"Stop smirking there, come here."

At this moment, Yongzheng glanced at Hongli in the East Study and said the following in the main hall.

Hongli then came before Emperor Yongzheng.

Yongzheng picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and then smiled at Hongli, asking, "How did you come up with the idea that if we don't occupy the battlefield of public opinion, the enemy will?"

"Your subject came to this understanding after studying historical materials from the Ming Dynasty."

"When the common people of the Ming Dynasty said that the court was full of upright officials, it was precisely when the country was declining; while when corrupt officials were in power, it was the time when the country was promoting good and eliminating evil, and moving towards revival."

"This inevitably raises questions, just as Wang Xijue of the Ming Dynasty lamented: in the end, what the court supports will inevitably be opposed by public opinion; and what the court opposes will inevitably be supported by public opinion."

As Hongli spoke, Yongzheng nodded frequently.

He was also someone who frequently read Ming Dynasty historical materials and was very clear about this, so he added: "This was a time when factions had grown so large that they had members even among ordinary people in the city."

“What Ama said is true, but as long as people have their own opinions and interests are in conflict, there will inevitably be parties.”

"Those who share the same ideals and strive for the benefit of their village are called the village clique."

“Those who strive solely for the benefit of the gentry are the party of the gentry.”

"True gentlemen who are loyal to the court, and who strive for lasting peace for the country and all the people, will also become loyal subjects of the emperor by jointly supporting and advising the emperor to uphold righteousness!"

"Therefore, in my humble opinion, as long as a group of people fight for the interests of the majority, they are selfless and truly a useful party."

At this point, Hongli was interrupted by a sudden smile from Yongzheng, who said, "But the Manchus are not the majority in our Great Qing Dynasty; the Han Chinese are the majority."

Hongli understood that Yongzheng dared to say this because he wanted to become the emperor of China; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken up. He also knew that Yongzheng's use of the Qing Dynasty's unique characteristics to refute him clearly indicated that he agreed with his ideas and was merely testing him to see if he was just being bookish and had genuine, mature insights, which was why he mentioned the Qing Dynasty's unique characteristics.

Furthermore, it is said that in history, there were indeed cases where the sons of the Eight Banners nobles in the Qing Dynasty received Han Chinese education to the point of forgetting the special nature of their own Qing Dynasty.

For example, Zhao Hui, a famous general during the Qianlong era, once recited "I will not let the barbarian horses cross the Yinshan Mountains" in front of Emperor Qianlong to express his ambition, but was reprimanded by Emperor Qianlong, who said that he had forgotten that he was a barbarian.

Therefore, Yongzheng, who was also very familiar with the Eight Banners descendants, would naturally wonder whether Hongli had forgotten that he was a Bannerman because he had received Han education, or whether he really had a higher level of insight.

At this point, Hongli replied, "That's how it is when divided by clan, but not when divided by social class."

Yongzheng said, "Go on."

At this moment, Hongli bowed and said, "If I have done anything wrong, please forgive me and correct me, Father."

"Of course, there is no one else here. You and I, father and son, should understand each other better, especially when it comes to matters of principle. If I do not correct you, the consequences will be endless in the future!"

Yongzheng nodded very seriously and said.

"That's what you said."

"In my humble opinion, the primary goal of the powerful and bureaucratic class, whether Manchu, Mongol, or Han, is to exploit the people. Therefore, they are actually of the same class. The reason why my Aisin Gioro family was able to take control of the Central Plains is precisely because we are aligned in this regard."

Hongli said.

Yongzheng frowned, but still smiled and said, "What you said is straightforward, but it is indeed true."

“The lower-class Manchus and lower-class commoners, according to this classification method, are naturally also a class, and they all need to use their blood and sweat to support the powerful and wealthy officials and gentry.”

"Therefore, kinship is not important; social classes separate us. If we truly want the world to be for the common good, we must start with the lower-class Manchu bannermen and commoners. Only in this way can the majority of people receive the grace of the Great Qing, prolong the reign of the Great Qing, and enable the Great Qing to truly achieve the unity of all ethnic groups and become a true Chinese dynasty!"

After Hongli said this, Yongzheng stood up, pointed at him and laughed, "You haven't studied the History of Ming in vain, but knowing is easy and doing is hard, so don't give up halfway!"

"Your father's teachings will be remembered by your son!"

Hongli responded with a single sentence.

He knew that Yongzheng was well-versed in the rules of Chinese civilization, which was why he was determined to become the emperor of China. He accepted Hongli's words and understood Hongli's meaning without Hongli saying more.

At this point, Yongzheng couldn't help but sigh and say, "However, the history of Ming should indeed be read and revised carefully. Just as you have realized, one cannot simply judge loyalty and treachery based on public opinion at the time, and one's words about loyalty and treachery should not be the same as one's thoughts."

“What Father said is true. The History of Ming must be revised, it must be revised seriously, and it must be revised over a long period of time.”

Hongli echoed this.

Yongzheng turned to look at Hongli and asked with a smile, "Why does it take so long to repair?"

“At different times, the history of the Ming Dynasty that needs to be seen by the world is different, so naturally different types of history books of the Ming Dynasty need to be compiled over a long period of time.”

"When rectifying the court, the history of the Ming Dynasty that the people of the world see should be different; when educating people, the history of the Ming Dynasty that the people of the world see should be different again."

"Furthermore, different people need to see different parts of the history of the Ming Dynasty. Emperors need to see content that can be used as a reference, while scholars and common people need to see the consequences of the collapse of the rites and music."

Hongli replied.

Yongzheng glanced at Hongli with disdain, then looked thoughtful.

"very good!"

Suddenly, Yongzheng clapped his hands and nodded, saying, "You have thought even more deeply than I have. Prosperous times should be the time to compile history, and we should compile more of it!"

Then, Yongzheng said to Hongli, "You heard what your third uncle said just now. The Beijing Daily is still causing concern and even resistance among many princes and ministers. It won't be so easy to control public opinion through this."

"Your subject believes that no matter how many princes and ministers are worried or even resistant, as long as the Capital News can gradually influence or even actively recruit a group of princes and ministers to participate in writing articles and become specially invited commentators on the government, then the status of the Capital News can be consolidated and it can become a powerful tool for unifying internal and external understanding when implementing new policies."

“If some highly respected princes and ministers receive generous gifts and even fame from the Jingshi Xinbao, they will naturally be controlled by the Jingshi Xinbao and, in order to survive, actively cheer for the new policies.”

"For example, I plan to invite my seventeenth uncle, Ma Qi, Longkodo, Zhang Tingyu, and Mr. Zhu Shi, all Manchu and Han princes and ministers, to become special contributors and pay them a hefty sum to write articles for the 'Jingshi Xinbao' every month to comment on various policies."

At this time, Hongli proposed to form an interest group through the "Jingshi Xinbao" so that the "Jingshi Xinbao" would not be corrupted or easily banned in the future.

Because Emperor Yongzheng could use the pseudonym "Huiqing Jushi" to express his views through the *Jingshi Xinbao* (New Daily of the Capital), he was pleased to see supportive princes and ministers joining him in advocating for the new policies in this way. Therefore, he nodded and said:

"Very well. In that case, I will give you and Yunxi 100,000 taels of the imperial treasury. You should find a way to invite more court officials to speak up and share their insights, so that I am not the only one speaking up there."

"Whoo!"

Hongli was overjoyed, as this allowed him to offer higher royalties to the princes and ministers he wanted to invite, thereby winning them over.

He believed that many princes and ministers would not be able to resist the temptation, especially Ma Qi.

(End of this chapter)