My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 274 Emperor Yongzheng was deeply moved and wished to become the ruler of China!
Hai Shou, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was about to get up again, but Hongli held his hand and prevented him from doing so.

At this moment, Cai Ting, the Left Censor-in-Chief, also looked at Hongli.

Hongli raised his elbows and rested them on the table, interlacing his fingers, and looked at Kolychev.

How can you be so sure that we will be the ones who weaken in the future, instead of you becoming weaker?

"How can you be so sure that you Russians will unite against a common enemy? Is it because your nobles and gentry are willing to liberate the serfs, so that they can be like the subjects of my Great Qing, joining the ranks of the Nine Ministers and Grand Secretaries, becoming central government officials, and even being granted titles and honors?"

"How can you be so sure that even if you surpass us in national strength in the future, our forbearance today will really prevent you from coveting our rich land and from bullying us?"

After Hongli asked these three questions, Kolychev was speechless.

Cai Ting, Hai Shou, and other officials who were jointly judging the case also looked at Hongli with admiration and nodded in response.

"He has only a superficial understanding of China, yet he's spouting nonsense here! He even thinks he knows China very well, and that he can look down on China!"

“You are unaware that China has encountered and eliminated many powerful northern barbarian tribes, not just yourselves; you are also unaware that in this land, as long as one accepts education, one will be regarded as a child by the emperor, regardless of race, even if one is a Rakshasa.”

"So whether your massacre of Mongols has anything to do with Manchus or Han Chinese is not up to you to decide, but up to the Holy Emperor of China!"

At this point in Hongli's speech, Kolychev's eyes widened.

In these words of Emperor Qianlong, there is a more centralized imperial power, an understanding of class, and a summary of the experience of the struggle between the Chinese and the barbarians over thousands of years.

Therefore, Kolychev's rudimentary cultural background left him speechless in front of Hongli.

Hongli continued calmly, "Also, you shouldn't deny me, nor should you call me stupid. That would only make you look stupid and ridiculous!"

"Because by denying me now, you are denying the wise and enlightened ruler of the world! If I were incompetent, I wouldn't still be in charge of the administration of the vassal states in the Court of Colonial Affairs!"

Hongli smiled slightly as he looked at Kolychev.

Hongli's words resonated with Cai Ting and Hai Shou, who secretly sighed, "The Fourth Prince's ability to say this shows his profound understanding! He knows that pleasing foreign barbarians is less important than pleasing the imperial power!"

Kolychev blushed.

However, he could not refute the claim that Hongli was disregarding the safety of his country in order to please the emperor and obtain the throne.

Because Hongli had already implied to him through questioning that he did not believe that the country could be stable and secure without pleasing the emperor and obtaining the throne. Instead, he believed that the prerequisite for ensuring the country's long-term stability and security was to first become the emperor and the most powerful person in the world!
Kolychev could only manage a bitter laugh: "I actually failed to fool you. You really are terrifying!"

talking.

Kolychev then bowed his head and said, "In that case, dying at your hands is worthwhile. I am willing to confess my guilt and accept your punishment!"

Hongli then recounted his interrogation of Kolychev to Yongzheng.

Yongzheng replied, "Your answer is correct, but according to your logic, it seems that agreeing on the border is meaningless?"

"Your subject never thought that a treaty could bring lasting peace to the border or make the Rakshasa Kingdom obedient."

"But by agreeing on the border, the Emperor of the Great Qing is showing that he is granting the Russian Kingdom an opportunity to coexist peacefully with them. The purpose is that the Great Qing promises that as long as they abide by the rules, it will not be an enemy of them."

Hongli replied at this time.

Yongzheng nodded and smiled, "You are right to think that way! Peace cannot be maintained by a treaty on paper, just as it cannot be maintained by reducing hatred or not spreading hatred. Only by ensuring the prosperity of the country can we guarantee peace and tranquility throughout the world."

“Ama is right.”

Hongli replied, and then added, "But through these days of managing the affairs of the vassal states, I have come to understand more and more that if the country is not unified in all aspects, foreign barbarians will become increasingly arrogant."

After hearing this, Yongzheng looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"As Korychev said, the reason he dared to wantonly slaughter the Mongols and invade the northern desert was that he felt that if he killed the Mongols, the Manchus and Han people would feel that it had nothing to do with him."

"If all ethnic groups in our Great Qing can reach a unified understanding, acknowledge that they are part of China, recognize the Emperor of the Great Qing as their sole ally, use a common language that all ethnic groups must master, and take pride in upholding the destiny of the Great Qing, then foreign barbarians will naturally not dare to have any intention of sowing discord."

"Our Great Qing Dynasty cannot be killed by external enemies alone. It can only be easily killed when it is internally divided and regards each other as enemies."

Hongli also looked at Yongzheng and replied.

Yongzheng smiled and said, "But to do this, we must first treat all people of all ethnicities as our own subjects, and treat them equally. There may be differences in rank and status, but everyone should have the opportunity to become prominent in the Qing Dynasty and live a peaceful life. Only in this way will they identify with the Qing Dynasty."

“Father is right, this is how a Chinese emperor should act in the public good!”

Hongli echoed this sentiment.

He knew that Yongzheng's goal was to become the true ruler of China, and for this he did not hesitate to elevate the status of Han officials and generals, such as allowing Zhang Tingyu to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and abolishing the status of those of low social status.

That's why Hongli dared to say it.

At this moment, Yongzheng opened his eyes wide, stared at Hongli for a while, and then smiled slightly: "You may leave."

"Yes, sir!" The hearts of the old and the young clearly met!
After Hongli stepped down, Yongzheng began reviewing memorials, even later than the day before.

Seeing this, Su Peisheng couldn't help but advise, "Master, let's approve it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are!"

Emperor Yongzheng replied with a smile, full of energy.

Subsequently, because of a memorial, Yongzheng ordered Su Peisheng to summon the thirteenth prince.

The thirteenth prince didn't understand what had gotten into Yongzheng that made him summon him in the middle of the night, but he had no choice but to come.

"Fourth Brother, if you're not going to sleep, I'm going to sleep too!"

The thirteenth prince said this to Yongzheng.

Yongzheng said, “I didn’t mean to disturb your sleep, but the people of Zhejiang have gone too far. They even resisted taxes because of the ban on mining in the interior. Their customs are corrupt and the morals of the scholars are extremely bad! Therefore, I intend to set up an envoy to inspect and rectify customs in Zhejiang, and appoint Wang Guodong, the educational commissioner of Henan and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, as the envoy to inspect and rectify customs in Zhejiang.”

"In addition, I also intend to have Wang Guodong strictly suppress the tax collectors, but before making such a decision, I want to discuss it with you."

Upon hearing this, the thirteenth brother's expression suddenly changed: "Those who dare to resist taxes must be powerful local officials. Fourth brother, are you really going to repeat the old practices of Henan?"

“This way won’t do. Hongli also aspires to be the future ruler of China. I must ensure he can be an even better ruler of China in the future and lay a solid foundation for him!”

"It is better for me to do the harsh and ruthless things than for Hongli to do them in the future."

"The stricter I am now, the more they will feel the Emperor's boundless grace under Hongli's rule in the future."

Yongzheng replied.

The thirteenth prince also became somewhat serious after hearing this: "Does he really think that?"

Emperor Yongzheng nodded.

The thirteenth prince agreed.

“But simply killing the troublemakers may not be enough, because if we do that, the real mastermind may remain hidden behind the scenes, and we will be unable to harm them in the slightest.”

"Why not stop the provincial and metropolitan examinations for Zhejiang scholars, and also stop the Zhejiang tribute students who took the Shuntian provincial examination? This way we can force the people behind the scenes to pay taxes and cooperate with the court's new policy of banning mining within the Great Wall."

Emperor Yongzheng nodded: "That's how it should be!"

Wang Guodong, the envoy tasked with inspecting customs and rectifying practices in Zhejiang, led his troops to the Zhejiang Provincial Governor's Office after receiving an imperial decree from Emperor Yongzheng.

The Zhejiang governor, Fahai, was in his yamen, pointing to the tax collectors who had been beaten to death by the tax-resisting people on the ground, and asked a group of gentry who were of the same clan as these tax-resisting people and who were also clan leaders: "Tell me, how should this matter be resolved?"

“Your Excellency, please grant us mercy. Zhejiang has always been a land-scarce and tax-heavy region. The produce from farming is barely enough to pay the land tax and poll tax. We have no choice but to rely on mining and fishing to make a living.”

"But the imperial court suddenly banned mining, making it even more difficult for ordinary people to make a living. Some who were already poor and struggling to make ends meet resisted taxes in anger when officials pressed them for payment."

Mencius said: "Yu thought that if there were drowning people in the world, it would be because he himself had drowned them; Ji thought that if there were starving people in the world, it would be because he himself had starved them. I urge you, Your Excellency, to think of the people. Either ask the court not to strictly prohibit private mining, or allow the gentry to take over the collection of taxes, and let us gentry persuade them to pay. For those who are truly poor, we can pay on their behalf first."

At this point, the gentry member Luo Jinwen spoke first.

Fahai snorted coldly after hearing this: "I understand. You want the court to either allow you to mine privately or allow you to monopolize taxes."

“We dare not! It is only for the sake of our Great Qing Dynasty and the peace of our hometown that we dare to make this request to the Grand Secretary.”

Luo Jinwen replied with this statement.

"Release Mr. Shizhai!"

"Release Mr. Shizhai!"

"Release Mr. Shizhai!"

……

At that moment, the shouts of the people could be heard outside.

Luo Jinwen chuckled to himself, because Shizhai was his pen name, so many people called him Mr. Shizhai.

The people who are shouting outside the governor's office today are all here to put pressure on the government.

He knew that although Fahai was a Manchu, he had always respected Han Chinese officials and gentry who had also passed the imperial examinations, and would not easily do anything to them or the common people. That was why he dared to organize the scholars and common people to do this.

Fahai also heard the shouts outside, and his face darkened as a result.

Wang Lansheng, the Zhejiang Provincial Education Commissioner, couldn't help but advise Fahai from the side: "Your Excellency, the people outside are filled with resentment. Do you think we should release these Shizhai scholars and others to return home first, so as to prevent a major upheaval?"

(End of this chapter)