My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 233 The Wedding is Imminent
This was an unexpected surprise for Hongli.

Because she secretly recorded the words and deeds of officials and handed them over to Yongzheng, she inadvertently helped Yongzheng promote her own mother to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort.

In the Qing Dynasty, the title of Imperial Noble Consort was not easily obtained.

After all, there is only one spot for the title of Imperial Noble Consort.

Therefore, becoming an Imperial Noble Consort often meant becoming a "secondary empress".

As a result, Niohuru began to have the power to assist the Empress in managing the six palaces, and could even act on behalf of the Empress when she was ill and unable to manage affairs.

For Hongli, the fact that his birth mother could become an Imperial Noble Consort meant that his status was also more noble.

This will force all the kings and ministers in the land to show him even greater respect.

However, Hongli did not expect that the Empress would take the initiative to request that his birth mother be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.

Now that Yongzheng said this, Hongli understood the Empress's thoughts. He knew that the Empress was willing to support Niohuru's promotion to Imperial Noble Consort because she saw that her niece had become her secondary consort, that she was very respectful and filial to her, and that her birth mother, Niohuru, was also very honest and modest.

In this way, the already frail and sickly empress could rest assured and recuperate, hoping that she could live to see the day when the emperor became the emperor and she, as his legal mother, became the empress dowager.

More importantly, the filial piety she showed to her stepmother and the love and care she showed to Nara Minxuan made the Empress have high hopes for her future as Empress Dowager!
She truly wanted to live longer and become the Empress Dowager during the Qianlong era!
Therefore, the Empress began to pay more attention to her health.

At the same time, the empress's actions were also a way of showing goodwill to the prince and rehearsing the model of two empress dowagers sharing honor.

Even though she and Niohuru are not yet Empress Dowagers, one is the Empress and the other is the Imperial Noble Consort.

But since she had already made her birth mother an Imperial Noble Consort, she had even less reason not to be filial to her stepmother. So she chose to neglect her stepmother over her birth mother.

In that case, even if he became emperor, the whole world would criticize him behind his back.

of course!

The power of the Qing Dynasty empress was not as great as that of previous dynasties. Many affairs of the inner court were handled by the Imperial Household Department, including the treatment of the concubines.

This is also why the Empress was willing to support Niohuru to become Imperial Noble Consort.

Regardless of the circumstances, Hongli's own status was indeed greatly elevated as a result, and he had no choice but to immediately bow deeply before Emperor Yongzheng: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

"Get up!"

Yongzheng raised his hand and said, "Your mother has always been healthier, so it's a good thing that she can share more of your burdens! But you must not become arrogant and forget your responsibilities just because your adoptive mother is now the Empress and your birth mother is the Imperial Noble Consort."

"I don't dare."

"Your subject only knows that this is all thanks to the grace of Father and Mother!"

Hongli replied.

Yongzheng smiled and said, "I know you won't become arrogant because of this, but I'm just reminding you."

"But because of this, your trip to Jiangnan is no longer an ordinary prince going to Jiangnan. You should maintain your image and not disgrace the imperial family."

Yongzheng continued to give instructions.

"Your subject will keep in mind Father's teachings and will strictly prohibit local authorities from harassing the people on my behalf. At the same time, I will investigate the people's sentiments and opinions openly and secretly, and I will also keep strict records of my words, deeds and expenses so that I can ask Father to review and teach me after I return to the capital."

Hongli recalled that in the later years of Yongzheng's reign, when Hongzhou was ordered to go out of the capital on business, Yongzheng explicitly instructed Hongzhou not to disturb the people, not to be extravagant, and to record everything in detail. This profoundly reflected Yongzheng's strict requirements for his princes, especially in opposing extravagance and advocating frugality to conserve the people's resources.

Therefore, Hongli took the initiative to make such an arrangement for himself, and explained his reasons by saying: "For every bowl of porridge and every meal, we should think of how hard it was to come by; for every thread and every piece of cloth, we should always remember how difficult it was to produce; I dare not neglect the people's hardship just because I am on tour."

Yongzheng smiled and nodded: "That's a good point! I'll have someone write it down and hang it in the palace school so your brothers can remember it!"

Hongli smiled inwardly at this. He could accept and was happy to see Yongzheng do this. After all, he was now the son of the Imperial Noble Consort. If a few words reflecting his high moral character could be spread, it would help strengthen his image as a noble and virtuous young master.

Power, by its very nature, requires the trust of more people to enable them to make the country and the people better before you can possess that power.

Especially in Confucian society in China, where people don't really believe in ghosts, gods, or any particular doctrine, reputation is of utmost importance if you want people to obey your rule.

If you can convince people that you are a person of high moral character, then any decision you make will be seen as a just act that benefits the country and its people, thus gaining credibility and allowing you to truly possess power.

In order to convince everyone that he, Hongli, was a grateful person, he took Nara Minxuan to Wuge's residence to pay his respects the day after he returned.

The ostensible reason was to celebrate the birth of Wu Ge's grandson, but in reality, it was to give Wu Ge greater prestige and let Yongzheng, the Empress, and the world know that he, Hongli, was grateful to the Empress for making his birth mother an Imperial Noble Consort, and therefore had the intention to treat the Ulanara clan well.

Logically speaking, although Wu Ge's daughter was his concubine, as a prince, he only needed to celebrate Wu Ge and his wife's birthdays. Therefore, Hongli's decision to bring his wife back to Wu Ge's family home to congratulate her on the birth of her grandson was indeed a great honor for Wu Ge.

The entire Marquis's mansion was overjoyed and naturally rushed to open the main gate to welcome him.

Nara Minxuan was also very happy.

After all, this was her first time visiting her parents' home.

The fact that Hongli took her back to her parents' home so early was a great honor for her, making her feel very proud.

When the Empress found out, she was overjoyed and said to Consort Xi with a smile, "Sister, you have given birth to a fine son!"

"It's all thanks to Your Majesty's excellent upbringing. If he hadn't spent those years with you, he wouldn't be where he is today."

“My sister is only grateful to Your Majesty, and she often says this to him.”

The Imperial Noble Consort Xi responded to this.

The Empress smiled and nodded, increasingly satisfied, and then asked with a smile:
"Is Lady Fucha about to give birth?"

The Imperial Noble Consort Xi nodded: "It should be soon."

“She is your niece, so she is also my niece. Whether she has a son or a daughter, I should prepare a reward for her!”

"That's what the Queen said."

The Imperial Noble Consort Xi hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty is so kind!"

“Good things are happening all the time. Hongli is getting married soon. I heard that his primary wife is not only beautiful, but also very frugal and simple.”

"Your Majesty is right. In the blink of an eye, he's really getting married!"

"Yes, the Fucha family is a prestigious family. After his marriage, he will be able to share more responsibilities with the Emperor."

The Queen continued, smiling.

After visiting the Wuge family, Hongli also went to the Fucha family before leaving the capital to bid farewell to Fucha Maqi and others.

After all, Fucha Maqi and Fucha Mawu are now considered elders in his wife's family.

Because Niohuru had been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, and because Hongli treated Nara with increasing courtesy, the heads of the Fuca clan, including Fuca Maqi, also admired and respected Hongli more. When Hongli came, the entire Fuca clan became even more enthusiastic.

Meanwhile, Fuheng was in the backyard saying to his sister, "Uncle and the others all say that my brother-in-law is kind and righteous, which is why the Empress likes him so much. They also say that if you marry such a prince, your life will only get better and better."

Upon hearing this, Lady Fucha smiled and dreamed of Hongli that very night, believing that she was already married to him. When Hongli lifted her veil, she shyly called out, "Fourth Master!"

But when Lady Fucha was waiting for Hongli to walk towards her, she suddenly woke up and realized that it was all a dream.

(End of this chapter)