My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 201 Self-PUA!

Hongli had to admit that the situation had indeed changed.

During the Kangxi era, in the conflict between the third and thirteenth princes, the thirteenth prince suffered the most grievances.

Now that Emperor Yongzheng is in power, the tables have turned, and the third prince has suffered the most injustice.

Because, when the eldest son of the third prince, Hongsheng, was beaten so badly, not only did Yongzheng not punish the tenth prince at all, but the third prince himself was also punished by kneeling for a day.

Kneeling for twelve hours is no joke.

In mild cases, the patient may be unable to get out of bed for several days; in severe cases, it may leave a lifelong health problem.

"What happened to Prince Dun?"

After receiving the news that Yongzheng wanted him to kneel for a long time, the third prince asked about the scribe from the Office of Transmission who had come to deliver the message to him.

No action was taken.

Boom!

Upon hearing this, the third brother immediately swept all the books off the table and onto the floor.

His entire face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"They're so biased towards the tenth brother!"

"Did my son suffer all those beatings for nothing?"

After the third brother finished speaking through gritted teeth, he still obediently went to the Shouhuang Hall and knelt down in front of the portrait of Emperor Kangxi.

After kneeling for about 15 minutes, the third brother felt his thighs were very sore.

This made him feel even more aggrieved, and he gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "Tenth Prince, I asked you to stand up for me. Yongzheng only favors you because you helped the Thirteenth Prince. It doesn't mean he will always favor you. You just wait!"

……

……

"I didn't expect you to get your tenth uncle to step in for you."

"Fourth Brother was worried that you, like your Eighth Uncle, would be hesitant to speak out against injustice because of some reservations, but now it seems that there was no need for that."

"I also have to thank you for getting revenge for me. Not only did you make Hongsheng get a severe beating from the Tenth Prince, but you also made Yunzhi kneel in the Shouhuang Hall all night. I, your Thirteenth Uncle, am very happy!"

When Hongli visited the thirteenth prince again that evening, the thirteenth prince brought up the events of the day.

Hongli said, "I myself can't stand Hongsheng's behavior. I think that the fact that he dared to make such disrespectful gestures in front of Uncle Thirteen and me shows that his heart is so wicked that it is intolerable. As Father said, this shows that Uncle Three did not do well. Not only did he not realize that he was wrong back then, but he also instigated his next generation to resent you."

When the thirteenth prince heard Hongli mention the third prince, his expression changed.

"Yunzhi is a wicked villain!"

The thirteenth son immediately cursed.

This was the first time Hongli had ever heard the thirteenth prince use such harsh words to describe his brother.

In response, Hongli continued, "Therefore, I have decided to find a way to have Hongsheng adopted by my tenth uncle in the future, so that my tenth uncle can take good care of him!"

Upon hearing this, the thirteenth prince became excited and looked at Hongli, revealing a serious expression of thought.

"The third prince has always doted on Hongsheng. He often organizes scholars to praise how outstanding this eldest son is, which made the late emperor value him highly. Of course, we cannot deny that he did this without ulterior motives."

"If you can really get him to be adopted by the Tenth Prince and have him look after him, it will be a good thing for you, for Hongsheng, and even for the Qing Dynasty!"

At this point, the thirteenth prince began to have some expectations for this matter.

So, the thirteenth prince asked Hongli with a solemn expression, "Can you really let him be adopted by your tenth uncle?"

"can!"

"Uncle Thirteen, please believe your nephew!"

Hongli replied.

The thirteenth prince nodded, then patted Hongli heavily on the shoulder: "I believe it, and I'm also looking forward to that day. Let's see how the third prince feels then."

"Teach him to make Hongsheng not ashamed of what happened back then, but proud of it instead!"

The thirteenth son then spoke indignantly.

Hongli then continued:

“My nephew wants to deal with Hongsheng this way not because of personal grudges, but more importantly, because the essence of Hongsheng’s current series of actions is his dissatisfaction with the new policies. He is willing to be a henchman of Han gentry, demeaning himself and not caring about the country at all. If we don’t deal with him this way, who knows if he will cause even greater trouble in the future and let more members of the imperial clan who are dissatisfied with the new policies continue to cause trouble?”

"Today it's just humiliating Uncle Thirteen, but who knows if tomorrow they'll fabricate rumors to slander Father Khan, or even make up some slang for my nephew?"

After Hongli said this, the thirteenth prince nodded in agreement.

He admitted that Hongli's considerations were absolutely correct.

Then, Hongli added, "And someone has already set their sights on the Fourteenth Uncle."

After hearing this, the thirteenth prince looked at Hongli and asked with a smile, "I suppose you weren't indifferent to what happened to your fourteenth uncle?"

"Nothing can be hidden from Uncle Thirteen."

"If my nephew guesses correctly, during this period, Father Khan will learn about the matter of the eunuchs around Fourteenth Uncle leaving the capital without permission, which will make Father Khan suspect that Fourteenth Uncle has disloyal intentions and wants to contact the Manchu and Mongol tribes outside the Great Wall."

"But in fact, Uncle Fourteen will soon capture that eunuch himself and go to see the Khan."

Hongli said with a smile.

The thirteenth prince nodded, looking at Hongli with a complicated expression.

He couldn't help but feel admiration for his nephew.

With the nation's well-being at heart and meticulous attention to detail!
That's exactly the kind of person I'm talking about.

Therefore, he couldn't help but believe that Hongli would definitely make Hongsheng a second Hongshi, and that he would also be adopted by someone else.

This made him even more eager to see how his third brother would react.

"So, you arranged for that eunuch to come?"

The thirteenth prince then asked Hongli with a smile.

Hongli shook his head: "That's not it. I've just been secretly keeping an eye on the people around my fourteenth uncle. I know that one of his eunuchs, Liu Yu, has been acting suspiciously and has even left the capital several times without permission."

……

……

“His name is Liu Yu. He secretly left the capital several times without my knowledge. Fortunately, Hongli’s men discovered this, which allowed my brother to catch him. Now he has been brought here to see Your Majesty, the fourth brother, to prove that my brother had no intention of colluding with officials outside the capital.”

The Old Summer Palace.

That evening, Yinzhen brought a bound eunuch to see Yongzheng and reported the reason to him.

Yongzheng looked at Liu Yu and saw a very obvious mole on Liu Yu's thin right cheek.

This surprised Emperor Yongzheng.

He hadn't expected that just after learning from Hongsheng that a eunuch had left the capital without permission from Yinzhen, he would now see Yinzhen personally arresting the eunuch.

Yongzheng looked at the eunuch: "Who gave you permission to leave the capital without authorization?"

"It's the Fourteenth Prince!"

Liu Yu replied.

Upon hearing this, the fourteenth prince grabbed his collar and said, "How dare you slander me in front of the Emperor! When did I ever allow you to leave the capital without permission?"

"Fourteenth Prince, it is precisely because of His Majesty's presence that this servant dares not lie!"

"If you hadn't allowed me to leave the capital without permission, I wouldn't have dared to do this!"

Liu Yu replied. Yongzheng's face also darkened, and he asked Liu Yu, "Do you think I'm that easy to fool? If your master sent you, why would your master offer you to me?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. If it weren't for the Fourth Prince's men discovering me, the Fourteenth Prince wouldn't have betrayed me."

Liu Yu replied.

Upon hearing this, the fourteenth prince's breathing became even heavier. He immediately stood up and kicked Liu Yu to the ground: "You dog slave, I have always treated you well, yet you dare to risk your life to frame me!"

Upon seeing this, Emperor Yongzheng's face darkened.

After Liu Yu collapsed to the ground, she clutched her stomach, looking like she was in great pain. At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder if she could get away with it and save her life.

At this moment, Yongzheng also looked at the fourteenth prince: "Why are you in such a hurry? I never said I would believe him."

But at this moment, the fourteenth prince took out a letter from his sleeve: "Fortunately, Hongli was prepared in advance. Knowing that this dog of a servant would not tell the truth, he gave me a secret letter that was hidden by a scholar he had been in contact with."

The fourteenth prince then handed the secret letter to Yongzheng: "Your Majesty, Fourth Brother, take a look for yourself. This is a letter written in Manchu, and it mentions Liu Yu. It says that this scholar should contact Liu Yu and find out where the moles are on Liu Yu's face."

“If Liu Yuzhen was sent by my brother, there would be no Man Wenxin.”

The fourteenth brother said.

Yongzheng glanced at the secret letter, then looked at Liu Yu, and then at the fourteenth prince: "What about the scholar?"

"As soon as Hongli's men captured him, he bit into the poison pill he had hidden in his mouth and committed suicide, as if he had been preparing for this day for a long time."

After speaking, the fourteenth brother looked at Liu Yu.

Liu Yu's expression changed drastically at this moment.

Yongzheng pointed at Liu Yu and said in an icy voice, "You dare to try to frame your master, my imperial brother? I will have you skinned alive!"

Yongzheng then asked Liu Yu, "Who instructed you to do this?"

"say!"

Seeing that Liu Yu was still in a daze, Yongzheng shouted a stern rebuke.

Liu Yu hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please have mercy! Your Majesty, please have mercy! This servant doesn't know who it was. It was this servant who was greedy for money. I found a note in my own home that told me to secretly leave the capital and I would receive 30,000 taels of silver. That's why I couldn't resist doing it."

After hearing this, Yongzheng said nothing more, but ordered the guards to drag Liu Yu away and imprison him in the Shenxing Division.

Then, Yongzheng looked at the fourteenth prince and said, "You should be more careful in the future. Don't really think that all the servants below are good people! You're so old, and your nephew still has to worry about you!"

The fourteenth prince blushed and took a deep breath.

Yongzheng did not say anything more and waved for the fourteenth prince to leave.

"That Hongli is more meticulous and shrewd than I imagined. I have wronged him today."

"He not only protected the thirteenth brother, but also the fourteenth brother, making both of his uncles owe him a huge favor."

When Yongzheng came to see the Empress that evening, he talked to her about Hongli.

The Empress smiled gently: "Isn't this exactly what you wanted to see?"

"I am usually too busy and do not understand my sons enough, including my nephews."

"Also, I acted impulsively during the day and shouldn't have lost my temper with him before asking him clearly."

Emperor Yongzheng remarked on this with emotion.

"Go to sleep."

The next day.

When Hongli arrived at Yongzheng's place, he paid his respects to Yongzheng and then continued to learn about government affairs.

Yongzheng could sense that Hongli was being more cautious than usual because of his angry interrogation of him at the Thirteenth Prince's Jiaohui Garden the previous day.

This made the sensitive and insecure Emperor Yongzheng somewhat uncomfortable.

Several days later, Yongzheng became increasingly unable to bear it, and on this day, he ordered a osmanthus cake, a pastry that Hongli usually ate, from the Imperial Tea and Dining Room.

But Yongzheng was too embarrassed to give it to Hongli himself, so he only gave it to Fu Hui: "Go give it to your fourth brother."

"Whoo!"

Fu Hui then presented the osmanthus cake to Hongli with both hands: "Fourth Brother, osmanthus cake."

Hongli accepted the document, expressed his gratitude, and then continued reviewing the memorials without saying much.

He knew that Yongzheng was someone who responded better to force than to gentle persuasion.

The more Yongzheng felt sorry for him, the less he should show magnanimity, otherwise Yongzheng would feel that he was not cared about.

You must look like you're really angry with him, or that he's hurt you.

For example, when Yongzheng felt he owed him something, the eighth prince showed magnanimity and did not hold it against Yongzheng. Instead, he continued to respect his fourth brother, which angered Yongzheng.

The thirteenth prince was different. When Yongzheng felt sorry for him, he dared to complain and get angry. This made Yongzheng feel relieved and at ease, realizing that he had indeed let the thirteenth prince down.

Therefore, Hongli pretended to be indifferent, indicating that he was very unhappy.

Seeing that Hongli hadn't become as lively as before because of a little osmanthus cake, Yongzheng sighed inwardly, "He's still angry with me!"

"My son, please retire!"

When Hongli finished his apprenticeship and left, he simply said goodbye politely without uttering any further words.

"Ok!"

Yongzheng nodded slightly.

But because of Hongli's behavior, Yongzheng felt increasingly uneasy and began to engage in self-destructive manipulation. After Hongli left, he asked Su Peisheng with a wistful expression:
"Such an excellent and filial son, yet I have broken his heart. Tell me, how can I make him happy and forgive me from the bottom of his heart?"

"Master, you might as well ask Fifth Master. Perhaps Fifth Master knows how to please Fourth Master, after all, they grew up together."

Su Peisheng replied.

Yongzheng nodded and continued to blame himself: "Indeed, I am usually too busy and do not know much about what my son likes or lacks."

"This is also because Fourth Master is sensible and never asks you for anything."

Su Peisheng replied with a smile.

After hearing this, Yongzheng regretted being so harsh on Hongli before finding out the truth. So, after Hongzhou arrived, he asked Hongzhou, "What does your fourth brother usually like, and what does he lack?"

After thinking for a moment, Hongzhou shook his head and said, "Your subject does not know. Fourth Brother has always been studious and friendly, and has never shown any greed in front of your subject."

"nonsense!"

"Everyone has their own preferences. I think your indifference as the younger brother is what makes you so cold-hearted. You don't even know what your older brother likes!"

"I've always thought you're heartless and carefree, just like your eighth uncle. It's a shame your fourth brother always stands up for you and takes care of you!"

The easily emotional Emperor Yongzheng suddenly changed his expression when he did not get the result he wanted, and even reprimanded Hongzhou for it.

Hongzhou turned pale with fright; he hadn't expected Yongzheng to be so angry.

He meant well, thinking that saying Hongli never sought pleasure would make Yongzheng happier and make it easier for Hongli to gain Yongzheng's favor, letting Yongzheng know that he genuinely had no intention of vying for the throne, and thus making him even happier.

But to his surprise, this only drew a severe reprimand from Emperor Yongzheng. In particular, Yongzheng said that he was just as heartless as his eighth uncle, which made him think of Hongshi's fate.

Even Fukue, who was there, looked over with a nervous expression.

Hongzhou immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and cried out:

"Father, please calm down!"

Because Yongzheng said this, Hongzhou had no choice but to think about it seriously and then replied, "Your subject has only heard that Fourth Brother likes painting. As for what is lacking, I only heard him say when he received a piece of top-quality Hetian jade that it could be used to make a good seal, but it lacks good ink."

(End of this chapter)