My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 212 The Empress is overjoyed, my family has a prodigy!

Xie Jishi looked at the vast land of Ningguta and pouted in grievance.

He is feeling very uncomfortable now!

Although everything around him was peaceful, his heart was not at peace.

The cold, the increasingly northern locations, and the continued exile all combined to make him feel that he would die on the road.

His legs seemed to be stuck in the ground, and he was unwilling to take another step.

"What is Your Majesty trying to do?"

"Did Fourth Master not help us, or did he help, but it was useless?"

"Does this mean I can only return to the interior after the Fourth Prince ascends the throne? But can I even wait until then?"

At this moment, Xie Jishi became more and more heartbroken.

Qian Mingshi, who was also exiled here, was now with Xie Jishi.

At this moment, Qian Mingshi said in a deep voice, "This is an example of how Northern Song Dynasty civil officials dealt with their political enemies!"

Xie Jishi trembled slightly upon hearing this.

He began to feel an overwhelming sense of fear!
He never expected that Yongzheng would be so vengeful and ruthless!

"Stop thinking about it and hurry up and get on your way. If you miss your stop, the punishment will be even more severe."

Xie Jishi said helplessly, "But I haven't rested enough yet, my legs still hurt!"

There's nothing we can do about it.

"Thunder and rain, all are the emperor's grace."

"Although you suffer physically, at least you don't have to bear the stigma of being a 'sinner against Confucianism' like I do every day."

Qian Mingshi looked at Xie Jishi with some heartache and said.

Qian Mingshi also harbored a lot of resentment towards Yongzheng, because although Yongzheng did not kill him, he was now in a worse state than if he had been killed!
After all, no scholar-official could bear to have a plaque reading "a sinner against Confucianism" hanging in his own clan's ancestral hall!

The Confucius family in Qufu is shameless enough, yet they weren't required to hang such a plaque!

Therefore, Qian Mingshi felt some sympathy for Xie Jishi.

After hearing what Qian Mingshi said, Xie Jishi could only sigh and say, "I hope we won't have to go to any more desolate places. Fourth Master promised that he would find a way to get us back to the interior!"

……

……

"I never expected to be exiled again."

"But what I'm worried about right now isn't myself, but Fourth Master!"

"After all, Fourth Master promised to help us, so I wonder if he will anger the Emperor because of this. If so, I will be guilty of a grave offense!"

When Li Fu arrived in Ningguta, Qian Mingshi also met with him.

Therefore, Li Fu also shared his thoughts with Qian Mingshi.

Unlike Xie Jishi, who complained about why Hongli hadn't helped him, Li Fu was worried about Hongli, fearing that he might implicate him.

Qian Mingshi could only scoff at Li Fu's idea: "Perhaps the Fourth Master is truly cowardly and did not dare to continue pleading for you, which is why you will continue to be exiled. Therefore, brother, you don't need to worry too much about the Fourth Master."

Hongli had no idea that Li Fu would think this way.

He now only regards Li Fu as Xie Jishi's accomplice.

It wasn't until later that Hongli learned through a secret report that Li Fu had been constantly demonstrating his loyalty to him in front of local officials and exiled people.

However, Hongli was unsure whether Li Fu was putting on an act or genuinely caring for him.

As far as he knew, Li Fu had pledged his loyalty to Yongzheng for a period of time before Yongzheng ordered his execution. This was during his tenure as Governor-General of Zhili, when he was responsible for imprisoning the Ninth Prince, and ultimately the Ninth Prince was imprisoned to death.

It can be said.

During the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, Li Fu, although he was on good terms with the third prince Yunzhi, was also secretly in contact with Emperor Yongzheng. Like many officials, he was hedging his bets and was a very complex figure.

He was disliked by Emperor Yongzheng mainly after his falling out with Tian Wenjing in the third year of Yongzheng's reign.

Before this, Emperor Yongzheng valued him highly; otherwise, he wouldn't have appointed a Han Chinese official as the Governor-General of Zhili, but instead made him the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in this lifetime.

However, during the Yongzheng reign, many ministers were not so simple.

Even Tian Wenjing, who is currently being heavily protected by Yongzheng, was questioned by Yongzheng in the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign for concealing disasters and continuing to forcibly collect taxes. He gradually fell out of Yongzheng's favor.

However, Tian Wenjing died of illness in the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign, so he did not have time to be completely disliked by Yongzheng.

In short.

These ministers are not simply black and white; even if there is a distinction between right and wrong, it depends on the time period.

Some were initially hardworking and achieved political success, but later gradually became corrupt for various reasons.

Let's take Tian Wenjing as an example again.

In the current fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, he was a capable and efficient official who dared to offend the gentry of Henan in order to provide disaster relief, and a vanguard for Yongzheng to strengthen imperial power.

But after he became the Governor-General of Henan and Shandong, it is unclear whether Tian Wenjing was burdened by fame or became carried away by Yongzheng's sycophantic imperial edicts, but he also began to treat Yongzheng like a fool, just like Nian Gengyao.

Even when Emperor Yongzheng questioned him about whether he had concealed the extent of the disaster or engaged in corruption, he still stubbornly refused to admit it.

Hongli didn't bother to ask any more questions; he only cared whether Li Fu and Xie Jishi could create more value for him.

After arranging for Li Fu and Xie Jishi to be exiled to new locations, Hongli continued to read other memorials.

By reading these memorials, he learned that Li Wei had uncovered many hidden lands when he implemented the land tax reform in Jiangsu, and that Fahai had also uncovered many hidden lands when he implemented the land tax reform in Zhejiang, many of which were actually lands fraudulently registered by wealthy households from other regions.

Because Fahai adopted the system of appointing probationary officials to supervise the procurement of foreign copper, which he had requested, the process went very smoothly. However, according to Fahai, some gentry along the Zhejiang coast still expressed concern that expanding the scale of foreign copper procurement might actually attract Japanese pirates.

Hongli, however, did not think so.

Because he clearly remembered that Japan was currently in a period of isolation, and if Japanese pirates were to appear, they would definitely be domestic pirates in disguise.

Therefore, Hongli simply instructed Fahai to be cautious, send more spies to keep an eye on the wealthy coastal households, and strengthen the training of the naval forces in preparation for any eventuality.

After observing the affairs of state, Yongzheng went to the Hall of Diligent Governance to meet with his ministers, so Hongli did not need to say goodbye to him. He left the East Study and prepared to return to his Langrun Garden.

But before he could leave the Yuanmingyuan, he saw Longkodo and Grand Minister Wuge in a secluded grove within the Yuanmingyuan, their arms linked as if they were wrestling, and they were glaring at each other.

Hongli didn't need to ask to know that the two must have had a conflict.

It is obvious that Longkodo was always violent, arrogant and reckless. Otherwise, he would not have dared to openly snatch his own father's woman. Moreover, he was not afraid of the Empress's brother and his daughter being a princess by his side because he was called "uncle" by Yongzheng every day.

However, Wu Ge was not afraid of Longkodo, the Minister of State and the Emperor's uncle, because he was the Empress's younger brother and had a relationship with her, and because his daughter Nara Minxuan was pregnant with his child.

If Hongli hadn't encountered them, he would have naturally offered some words of advice, so he quickly grabbed their shoulders and said, "Garlic bird, garlic bird, it's not easy for either of you!"

Because they had their heads down, they didn't notice that it was Hongli. Only when they heard Hongli's voice did they separate and bow to him.

After dismissing the formalities from the two men, Hongli asked them:

"What's going on with you two? Fighting in the Old Summer Palace, aren't you afraid of being discovered and reported?"

"Your Highness, Longkodo is an ungrateful man. Last month, he borrowed 30,000 taels from me because of gambling, and he still refuses to pay it back."

“I urged him several times, but he got angry with me, saying that I was stingy and disgraced the Empress. When I asked him if he wouldn’t lose face for the Tong family if he didn’t return the money, he got even more agitated and insisted on having a fight with me.”

The five-grid accusation.

Hongli did not doubt that Wu Ge was lying.

After all, Longkodo was indeed a gambler, fond of playing cards and even in politics. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to bet on the seemingly hopeless fourth prince when Kangxi participated in the struggle for the throne among the nine princes in his later years.

But after hearing this, he still looked at Longkodo and asked, "Is that so?"

"This servant borrowed it through his own abilities, and can return it whenever he wishes!"

Longkodo was clearly still angry, so he started acting recklessly.

Hongli was speechless at Longkodo's unruly and reckless nature.

But Longkodo was, after all, one of the ministers of the Council of Princes. Couldn't he have been more mindful of his reputation? No wonder he was gradually becoming the object of Yongzheng's resentment.

Snapped!
However, Hongli remembered that Yongzheng had instructed him to pass on a message to Longkodo, so he was not afraid of offending Longkodo at this time.

On the contrary, as the father of Princess Nara Minxuan and the younger brother of the Empress, Longkodo should not be arrogant in front of Wuge, even if he is concerned about Wuge.

So Hongli slapped Longkodo across the face: "You worthless servant, how dare you mess with my uncle?"

Longkodo was completely bewildered, but at the same time, a fire ignited within him.

I'm also the emperor's uncle.

Why can't I mess with your fourth uncle's uncle?
But despite his muddle-headedness, Longkodo didn't dare say it aloud; he just stared wide-eyed.

Hongli knew that the only way to deal with such a scoundrel was to be even more ruthless and fearless than him.

Moreover, he now has something that will make Longkodo admit defeat.

So Hongli simply shoved Longkodo, his arrogance even more overbearing than Longkodo's: "What, you're not convinced? Want to fight me too?"

"Slave dare not!"

Longkodo gritted his teeth and knelt down, but his palms on the ground trembled violently.

Hongli said coldly, "If you know you dare not, then hurry up and pay back the money you owe my uncle!"

"You've been drunk! What makes you think you can act tough in front of me?"

Hongli then said another sentence.

Longkodo had no choice but to take out a stack of membership tickets from his sleeve, select 30,000 taels, and hand them to Hongli.

Hongli gave it five strokes.

Wu Ge looked at Hongli with gratitude and accepted the ticket.

That evening, when Wu Ge presented his petition to the Empress, he told her about the matter, intending to let her know that Hongli was supporting his clan.

The Empress frowned instead: "What are you thinking? Although 30,000 taels of silver is not a small amount, there is no need to have a conflict with Longkodo!"

"Besides, don't you have a brain? Don't you know who Longkodo is? Why would you lend him money?"

"Furthermore, although Hongli stood up for you, you also disgraced the Nara clan. Hongli may even think that the members of the Nara clan are such impulsive and rash people."

"If I were Hongli, even if I wanted to help you in the future, I wouldn't dare to."

The Empress replied.

Wu Ge didn't expect the Empress to be angry about this, so he quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant did not intend to have a conflict with Longkodo. I was just asking Longkodo politely at first, but Longkodo got angry first. This servant was just asking him when he would give it to me."

"That's it!"

The Empress knew what kind of person Longkodo was, so she didn't blame her younger brother too much. She only instructed him, "In the future, just be more careful and humble. There's no need to argue over trivial matters!"

"Whoo!"

Then, the Empress smiled gently, as if the sun had come out after the rain, and said, "Even in front of Longkodo, Hongli is willing to stand up for you, which is truly gratifying. It shows that he not only values ​​our Nara clan, but also values ​​Minxuan. You, as her father, should be happy."

"This Hongli is truly our family's prodigy; he never disappoints!"

(End of this chapter)