My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 202: A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains

In July of the fourth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, as autumn approached, the weather gradually began to cool down.

"Did you sleep well last night, Fourth Brother?"

"good."

"How has your appetite been lately, Fourth Brother?"

"That's okay."

One day at this time of year, when Hongli met Hongzhou early in the morning at the Yuanmingyuan, Hongzhou took the initiative to speak with him.

After giving this answer, Hongli couldn't help but sneeze.

Ah Qiu!

Hongzhou then asked Hongli, "Fourth Brother, have you caught a cold?"

Hongli nodded, but gradually felt a little uncomfortable: "Perhaps."

"Fourth Brother, you should still summon the imperial physician to take a look, lest it worsen."

Hongzhou said with a concerned expression.

"Nothing serious."

As he spoke, Hongli glared at Hongzhou and said, "If you continue to show me this much concern, believe me, I'll beat you up!"

Hongli even used Sun's words to criticize Hongzhou for this.

Hongzhou scratched his head and explained, "Yesterday, Father said that I was heartless and indifferent to you, Fourth Brother, and didn't care enough about you. So I thought I would change my ways and let Father see that I have corrected my mistakes."

Hongli stood there, frozen in place.

So that's how it is!
He hadn't expected that Yongzheng would say such things about Hongzhou yesterday.

This made Hongli sigh inwardly, thinking that this was just how emotional people were; once they got angry, they would say the most hurtful things.

Moreover, in this patriarchal society, if a father gets angry, he naturally has even less to fear when scolding his son.

However, Yongzheng was, after all, the emperor, and his words were law. If he said that Hongzhou was "heartless," it would be a much more serious matter.

Because this will be recorded in the "Daily Records of the Emperor's Activities," and who knows how serious the impact that would be on Hongzhou?
Even though Hongzhou never thought of becoming emperor and didn't care about his reputation, he was still afraid that the new emperor would use his father Yongzheng's evaluation of him to make a fuss over some of his mistakes.

After all, Emperor Yongzheng himself treated his brothers in the same way.

Whenever he dealt with his brothers, he would first quote Emperor Kangxi's words, saying that it was not that he disliked his brothers or deliberately targeted them, but that his father had always disliked his brothers and thought they were very unfilial. He said that those words were still vivid in his mind and were recorded in his memory. He was not making up stories about his brothers.

He had already tried his best to be lenient with his brothers and did not intend to bring up the late emperor's evaluation of them, but unfortunately they just wouldn't repent.

It can be said that Kangxi, who was also prone to emotional outbursts, left Yongzheng many sharp swords that he could use to punish his brothers.

Therefore, Hongzhou was afraid and uneasy, and hoped that Yongzheng would retract his words, which Hongli could understand.

It's worth noting that Emperor Yongzheng himself was quite uneasy after Emperor Kangxi described him as "unpredictable in mood."

Therefore, he tried every means to beg Kangxi to take it back, saying that he had corrected his mistake and was no longer capricious.

Ultimately, people will become the kind of person they hate.

Emperor Yongzheng was once tricked by Emperor Kangxi, who was prone to emotional outbursts, and now he is just as prone to emotional outbursts when dealing with Hongzhou.

But on the other hand, Hongli had to admit that being an emperor was really great. A single comment could make someone uneasy, let alone confiscating their property or taking their life.

If he becomes emperor in the future, he can also first give a few harsh words to those he dislikes, making them uneasy.

Just as Emperor Yongzheng bestowed upon Qian Mingshi a plaque inscribed "Sinner of Confucianism" and even ordered officials to write satirical poems to send him off.

Even though Qian Mingshi was a scholar-official of the Qingliu faction, it made it very difficult for later emperors and scholars to restore his reputation.

However, Hongli did not quite agree with Yongzheng's excessive emotionality.

He felt that the emperor should have higher moral character and should be as close as possible to a political machine.

Even seemingly emotionally charged harsh words and cruel actions must have a real purpose.

Instead of speaking ill of someone in a moment of impulse, because you're likely to regret it later.

Yongzheng now truly regrets his impulsive questioning of Hongli in front of the thirteenth prince.

He constantly reflected on this, feeling that his actions might disappoint Hongli as emperor and also disappoint the thirteenth prince.

After all, as the emperor, he had not been calm, composed, or responsible enough, which is why he blamed Hongli before figuring out whether Hongli had retaliated and did not listen to the advice of the thirteenth prince.

This even worried Yongzheng, who wondered if Hongli might think that he, as the father, was less understanding than his thirteenth uncle, or even that he was not a worthy and respectable wise ruler.
Feeling inferior, Yongzheng recalled the old story of how the fourteenth prince preferred the eighth prince.

As a result, Yongzheng became more and more regretful, more and more self-reproachful, and more and more worried that the impression he left on others was not the impression a good emperor should have, to the point that he couldn't sleep.

This little thing should have been over, but he just can't get over it!
If it were the historical Emperor Qianlong, there would naturally be no such internal strife.

In the eyes of Emperor Qianlong in history, it was perfectly acceptable for a son to scold his son. It was only natural for a father to scold his son. Even if he felt he was wrong afterward, so what?

such as……

Historically, after Emperor Qianlong made Jiaqing emperor, Qianlong reprimanded Jiaqing because Heshen said that Jiaqing had written a poem to congratulate his teacher Zhu Gui on being promoted to Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. Qianlong even asked Dong Gao, the Minister of Justice, whether this was a serious crime of forming a faction.

Fortunately, Dong Gao was a sensible man. He said that the emperor was without fault, meaning that Jiaqing was not only his son but also the emperor he had personally appointed. Therefore, it was wrong for others to form factions, which was not only illegal but also detrimental to the imperial power itself.

After all, there is no reason why an emperor cannot show favor to his subjects.

Emperor Qianlong did not hold it against him, but he did not feel guilty for damaging his son's reputation and did not punish Heshen. He continued to dote on Heshen.

Although Jiaqing was already the emperor who had ascended the throne and changed the era name, making him the true head of the Qing Empire, Qianlong, as the retired emperor, should have taken the initiative to protect Jiaqing's dignity. After all, Jiaqing was now the emperor, more esteemed than the crown prince, and the ruler of the world!

But Yongzheng could not be at peace with himself in this way.

Having been trained and nurtured by Emperor Kangxi for many years, he was able to stand out from his brothers primarily because his ability to manipulate himself was superior to that of many of his brothers, which made Emperor Kangxi trust him.

Yongzheng had already developed a habit of first reflecting on himself, believing that the stricter his father was, the better he was doing for him. This led him to believe that the stricter someone he admired or had feelings for was, the more he felt that the person was strict with him because they cared about him.

of course!

It's possible that Yongzheng was just putting on an act at first, pretending that both thunder and rain were acts of imperial favor, and that his father's harshness towards him was also for his own good.

But if you act like this for a long time, you will really become that kind of personality and rely on that kind of way of thinking.

Therefore, after learning about Hongli's preferences from Hongzhou yesterday, Yongzheng had someone obtain the famous Northern Song painting "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" from the descendants of Liang Qingbiao, a Han official who surrendered to the Qing dynasty, overnight, and had it laid out on the large table in the Hall of Diligent Governance and Respect for the Worthy.

Emperor Yongzheng also prepared a box of "Eight Treasures Seal Ink" from Zhangzhou, presented by a general from Fuzhou. The seal ink box was a blue and white porcelain box with a chrysanthemum scroll pattern, inscribed "Made in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty".

This was originally a tribute that he had always treasured, but he has brought it out now.

He was now waiting for Hongli to come and pay his respects, and when Hongli noticed the painting and the inkpad box, he would casually bestow them upon him, making Hongli feel that he was no longer angry with him, and that Hongli was still as outspoken and daring as before, and would occasionally "discipline" him for forgetting to eat breakfast.

But he didn't realize that, as emperor, he had fallen into a vicious cycle of trying to gain recognition by pleasing others.

Emperor Yongzheng glanced at the clock every now and then, then looked out the window, unable to settle down to review the memorials.

Su Peisheng couldn't help but purse his lips slightly, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Yongzheng gradually became irritable, and then started to have internal conflicts. He sighed and said, "He is angry with me after all. He didn't even come to pay his respects as early as usual."

“My lord, this is because you yourself said that Fourth Master doesn’t have to come so early, so as not to affect your handling of government affairs.”

Su Peisheng couldn't help but offer a reminder, fearing that Yongzheng might overemphasize his own importance and even start to reprimand them, his servants.

After hearing this, Yongzheng nodded: "I did say that, so I suppose the more understanding I was of him back then, the more heartbroken and disappointed he will be now because of my unreasonable questioning of him?"

Su Peisheng didn't know what else to say for the time being.

After all, he was used to it. As long as Yongzheng didn't take his anger out on him, that was fine. As for Yongzheng's self-destructive behavior due to his inferiority complex, there was nothing a eunuch could say.

Unable to concentrate on reviewing memorials, Emperor Yongzheng stood up and paced back and forth in the room, glancing outside every now and then, and then looking at the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" scroll presented by the Liang family.

He rarely asked his ministers for anything, because he felt that would damage his image in their eyes.

However, because he heard that the Liang family possessed the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting, he asked Zhang Tingyu to arrange for the Liang family to gift the painting, which Zhang Tingyu then presented to the Liang family.

The reason he insisted on giving Hongli this "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting was naturally because he hoped that Hongli would understand that he intended to give him the Qing Dynasty's empire and placed high hopes on him.

"Master, Fourth Master has come to pay his respects!"

As Yongzheng clenched his fist and pursed his lips, looking at the "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" painting again, Su Peisheng suddenly turned around with a smile and said something.

Yongzheng nodded, then looked around before immediately going behind the desk where the memorials were kept, pretending to be carefully reviewing them.

But after a while, he realized he wasn't wearing his amulet, so he hurriedly put down the memorial and went to get the amulet. However, in his haste, the amulet fell to the ground.

Snapped!
Su Peisheng was also affected and became just as anxious as Yongzheng, his heart pounding in his chest, as if Hongli, who was about to come to pay his respects, was the real emperor.

At this moment, Su Peisheng immediately slid down to his knees, picked up the tassel from the ground, and presented it to Yongzheng with both hands.

Yongzheng picked it up and hurriedly put it on, and only then did he pick up the memorial again.

When Hongli entered, he immediately saw the magnificent "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting and noticed the inkpad box on the table with the words "Jiajing" written on it. He also saw that Yongzheng was reading the memorials attentively as usual.

Meanwhile, Yongzheng was also secretly glancing at him.

Hongli knew that Yongzheng had definitely not read the memorials carefully.

But he also knew that dealing with an emperor like Yongzheng, who had some psychological issues due to being tormented by Kangxi to some extent, could not be done in the same way as dealing with ordinary people.

Therefore, although Hongli pretended to be distracted and stared at "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" for a while, he also clenched his teeth and fists, without showing any emotion or indifference.

Because he believed that Yongzheng, a person who was inherently insecure, would think he was being fake when he showed emotion, and would think he didn't care about Yongzheng's flattery when he was indifferent, which would drive Yongzheng even more crazy.

On the contrary, expressing anger would make the insecure Yongzheng doubt whether he had tried to please the wrong person, thus making him more willing to communicate with him and showing calmness and composure.

When Yongzheng saw that Hongli looked unhappy, even angry, he was not angry at all, but rather his eyes showed unease.

"Your son greets Father!"

Hongli pretended to suppress his anger and bowed to Yongzheng.

With a solemn expression, Yongzheng placed the memorial on the table and then looked at him: "Have we become so estranged as father and son? If Father has done anything wrong, please speak frankly. I will not be angry with you. It is a blessing for a family to have a son who speaks frankly!"

"Whoo!"

"Then I will speak frankly. Father suddenly added a painting of 'A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' to the main hall today. I wonder where he heard the rumors and thought that I would really become obsessed with calligraphy and painting, indulge in pleasure, and also pick up the bad habits of Han literati who love elegance and empty talk. So he used this painting to subtly satirize me!"

"Your subject is truly innocent, and I beg Father to have the painting taken back!"

"Your Majesty, my heart is solely devoted to the cause of our Great Qing Dynasty. I would never allow a famous painting or a calligraphy scroll to cloud my judgment! It's just a painting; what ambitious prince could fail such a test?"

Hongli replied firmly, but with a questioning tone.

really!

Upon hearing this, Yongzheng smiled warmly at Hongli, like a gentle spring breeze, and nodded, saying, "Father is wrong!"

(End of this chapter)