My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 218 The Imperial Grandson is Born, Hongli Has a Son!
The third brother, Yunzhi, froze on the spot.

He couldn't help but glance at Hong Sheng.

Hong Sheng clenched his teeth so tightly that he could hear himself baring them.

He didn't want to apologize to Hongli because of this.

After all, this matter concerns the thirteenth prince.

Influenced by his father, the third son, he also deeply resented the thirteenth son.

Moreover, because of this incident, he had already been beaten by the tenth brother and forced to apologize to the thirteenth brother.

"Then, what does the Fourth Prince wish to do?"

At this moment, Hongsheng forced a smile and asked Hongli a question.

Hongli could tell that Hongsheng was unwilling to apologize for embarrassing him by blocking his face and humiliating the thirteenth prince, and even blamed him for making trouble for no reason.

Hongli simply smiled faintly at this.

But before he could speak, the protective third son spoke first, smiling as he tried to persuade Hongli: "Oh dear, it's no big deal!"

Hongli looked at the third son in astonishment.

So I was being petty?
He never expected that his third brother would spoil Hongsheng to such an extent that he would say such things to take care of Hongsheng's feelings, and then blame himself without realizing his own foolishness.

This caused a fire to rise in Hongli's heart, even though there was no fire before.

“Hongli, actually, it would be a good thing for you to lend this money to your third uncle to help those scholars. It would also let the scholars know about your benevolence and kindness as the fourth prince.”

The third son didn't want to talk about the conflict between his son and Hongli anymore, and instinctively adopted an ostrich mentality, thinking that not mentioning it meant it didn't exist, so he continued to persuade Hongli about borrowing money.

Hongli chuckled.

He knew that the third brother had always lacked sensitivity in some minor matters, which was why he had suffered a lot in this regard.

But Hongli was not as naive as the thirteenth prince back then. As the elder brother, he would lend money as he pleased, unlike the eighth prince who would do things that were superficial and not important, and who cared about empty fame instead of grasping the essentials.

Furthermore, Hongli was not a saint. Just because he had plenty of money didn't mean he didn't care about it, nor would he allow his uncles and brothers to easily get money from him, making them feel like he was just an ATM.

Therefore, Hongli simply said, "Nephew has no money to lend!"

Hong Sheng's face immediately darkened.

The third brother was also taken aback, then asked with a smile, "With so many factories, you don't have money?"

"But the expenses are also high. So many Manchus are waiting for me to pay their wages. Recently, I have also spent a lot of money to import a lot of phosphate ore, so naturally I don't have much cash on hand."

Hongli replied.

The third brother was clearly disappointed, and said, "But I heard that your eighth uncle gave Yijiao Temple to you."

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Hongli's eyes.

Because he could tell that the third prince was threatening him; if he didn't lend the money, he would tell Yongzheng that he had secretly accepted a gift from the eighth prince.

But Hongli was naturally not afraid that the third prince would complain to Yongzheng.

Because he never held anything back in front of Emperor Yongzheng.

of course!

Hongli also believed that a villain like the third son wouldn't dare to overturn the table with him.

Therefore, Hongli simply stood up, looked at the third son, and took the initiative to overturn the table, asking in a cold voice, "Is Third Uncle threatening his nephew?"

The third brother was momentarily stunned, his face turning green.

Hongsheng's breathing became rapid, as if he was suppressing the fire in his heart.

"Where are you talking?"

The third brother said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Hongli cupped his hands and said, "Since there is no such thing, then I will take my leave. After all, I have evening lessons to attend, so please forgive me for not being able to stay with you for long."

The third brother had a sullen face.

Hongli refused to lend him money and even directly questioned whether he was being threatened, which made him very unhappy.

But he really didn't dare to and didn't want to fall out with Hongli, so he nodded and said, "Okay!"

Hongli then turned and left.

But as he stepped outside, Hongli turned back, glanced at Hongsheng, and said to his third brother, "Third Uncle, I was being presumptuous. Let me say this again: my cousin needs to change his self-centered temper, or he will suffer greatly in the future."

Hong Sheng blushed immediately.

Hongli was not afraid and continued, "Besides, what a big deal you just said. Would you dare to say such things in front of the Khan?"

Hongli then left with a slight smile on his face.

"stop!"

But not long after, Hongli heard his third brother's voice calling from behind.

Hongli had no choice but to stop again and turn to look at his third brother: "Is there anything else you need, Third Uncle?"

"Hongsheng, apologize to Hongli!"

At this moment, the third brother turned around and gave instructions to Hongsheng.

"Amma!"

Hongsheng looked at the third brother, his eyes filled with shock and indignation.

"If you won't apologize, then I'll have to apologize."

As the third brother spoke, he began to pat his horseshoe-shaped sleeves.

Hongsheng had no choice but to kneel down and kowtow to Hongli: "I, Hongsheng, should not have acted rudely in front of the Fourth Prince in the past, which has tarnished the Fourth Prince's reputation. I beg the Fourth Prince's forgiveness!"

"That's all."

Hongli put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.

"Thank you, Fourth Prince!"

Hong Sheng then stood up.

The third brother forced a smile and said, "That's excellent."

Then, the third prince said to Hongsheng, "See the fourth prince off."

"Please wait, I wouldn't dare trouble you, cousin."

"Nephew, farewell!"

After bowing respectfully, Hongli left.

At the same time, Hongli raised his eyebrows slightly.

He hadn't intended to force the third brother and Hongsheng to submit to him like this.

But since the third brother now wants to swindle him out of his money to enhance his reputation for being courteous to scholars, and also wants to drag him into the mess to become an accomplice in helping scholars, he has no choice but to do so, so that the third brother knows that he is not so easily fooled.

"Why did Father make me apologize to Hongli just now?" Hongsheng questioned his third son after Hongli left.

The third brother looked at Hongsheng and said, "Didn't you hear it? Hongli is reminding us that if you don't do this, he might not do anything to you, but your fourth uncle might care a lot about it."

"It's Fourth Uncle again!"

"Just because my fourth uncle is the emperor, even in front of Hongli, I have to swallow my pride time and time again!"

Hong Sheng said, feeling very frustrated.

The third brother gave a bitter laugh and said, "There's nothing we can do, but your fourth uncle is getting old. If we hold on for a few more years, things will be better when Hongli ascends the throne. He didn't agree to lend us money this time, probably because he was afraid your fourth uncle would suspect that he was trying to win people over. A prince who is so timid and hesitant will not be willing to do great things in the future."

"But he just dared to ask you directly if you were threatening him."

Hong Sheng reminded him.

"That's where his intelligence lies!"

"It's just that he knows I didn't intend to make things difficult for him, but as clever as he is, he doesn't dare to be like your fourth uncle back then, daring to collude with the thirteenth prince, Longkodo, and Lashi behind your back, and secretly befriend scholars with us."

The third brother said.

Hong Sheng nodded and said disdainfully, "That's true. He doesn't even dare to spend 100,000 taels of silver. How could Khanma have valued him back then!"

“However, Father, since Hongli can’t afford to pay this money, we still have to find a way to get it from somewhere else. You’ve been recruiting and treating the scholars who come to the capital for the imperial examinations every year, and lending them money. You can’t stop doing this this year. If word gets out, people will really think that our Prince Cheng’s Mansion has lost power.”

Hong Sheng continued.

"Isn't the five-year grace period for the Cao family of the Jiangning Textile Bureau almost up?"

The third brother asked.

Hong Sheng nodded.

Then, Hongsheng suddenly realized and asked, "Does Father mean that he wants Fourth Uncle to bestow the wealth of the Cao family, the Jiangning Textile Commissioner, upon you?"

“That’s right, but I need to think of what terms I can offer your fourth uncle in exchange, otherwise he won’t agree to give us the Cao family.”

"But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst; we must first borrow a sum of money from elsewhere and then use the Cao family's assets to repay it."

The third brother replied.

Although the Cao family of Jiangning was a famous official family in Jiangnan, they were actually bondservants of the emperor. Therefore, Yongzheng could give the Cao family, including its members, away like objects.

Historically, Emperor Yongzheng bestowed the Cao family's estate upon Sui Hede.

Hongsheng was so excited that he said, "I have long heard that the Cao family has many beautiful and talented women. If they could become servants in our Prince Cheng's mansion, that would be a great joy!"

"Father, please try your best to give my men the opportunity to raid the Cao family's property."

Hong Sheng cupped his hands in return.

"I will try my best."

The third brother smiled and said.

……

……

"Fu Peng, does your maternal clan really have no ability whatsoever to make his weaving bureau make up for its losses?"

After returning home, Hongli met with his former friend Andafu Peng.

This can be seen as him expressing his goodwill to Fu Peng.

That is, he would remind the Cao family again, out of consideration for Fu Peng, the heir of the Prince of Ping.

Fu Peng understood the meaning behind Hongli's words and was naturally very moved. At the same time, he gave a bitter smile: "The grandchildren have also written to ask, but unfortunately, my uncle only complains and never mentions how he plans to make up for it."

"Then there's no way."

Hongli replied, then looked up at Fu Peng.

Seeing Fu Peng's dejected expression, Hongli comforted him, saying, "Don't be too discouraged. As long as you, the heir of the Prince of Ping, can uphold the prestige of your family, your maternal clan's situation won't be too bad."

“What Tangmafa said is true.”

Fu Peng replied somewhat uneasily.

"Any interesting topics have been discussed at the military academy lately?"

At this point, Hongli inquired about other matters concerning Fu Peng.

Fu Peng replied, "Recently, everyone has been discussing the Rakshasa Kingdom. Now, we're going to negotiate a border with the Rakshasa Kingdom again, right? So, the students are all paying close attention to this matter."

"Yes, we'll be negotiating the border with the Rakshasa Kingdom next year."

Hongli nodded, his gaze lingering on the distance.

……

……

St. Petersburg.

After the envoy Ragudinsky returned home, Catherine I, the monarch of Russia, and Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy, a powerful minister, summoned him and listened to him talk about the situation in the Qing Dynasty.

However, Catherine I and Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy did not adopt Raguginsky's suggestion to wait until Hongli ascended the throne before negotiating.

to this end.

Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy explained to Ragudinsky: "We now desperately need the trade routes in the East to be uninterrupted, and we need stability in the East so that we can do our best to manage the West. Therefore, it is also necessary for us to negotiate the border as soon as possible."

"But the current Qing emperor is not so easy to deal with!"

Lagudinsky replied.

Peter Andreyevich Tolstoy said, "There's nothing we can do about it. His Majesty needs you to do everything in your power to prevent the Qing Dynasty from taking advantage of us!"

"As for the Fourth Prince you mentioned, since he has no ambition, we can first try to befriend him. His Majesty has prepared a generous gift for him, which you will take with you. We hope he can understand His Majesty's desire for peace and goodwill."

Peter Andreyevich Tolstoy continued.

Lagujinsky had no choice but to obey.

Since Lagujinsky would not arrive in the Qing Dynasty until at least the fifth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Hongli at that time had not yet received the generous gifts from the Russian monarch.

As Nara Minxuan's due date draws ever closer, Hongli is now eagerly awaiting the birth of his first child.

Emperor Yongzheng, the Empress, and Consort Xi were also very much looking forward to it.

When Nara Minxuan's water broke suddenly, the palace midwives and maids who were on duty at Langrun Garden began to busy themselves with the delivery. Even the imperial physicians on duty at the gate of the garden immediately entered the garden to await orders. Hongli, who was outside the gate, was even more worried about this.

Fortunately, after an unbearable ordeal, he finally heard the baby crying and breathed a sigh of relief.

"This servant congratulates Fourth Master on having a young master."

The first person to open the door, Haitang, knelt before Hongli and said with a smile.

"Excellent! Another imperial grandson has been born into our Great Qing Dynasty!"

Hongli was slightly taken aback, then sighed and asked, "How is the princess?"

(End of this chapter)