My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 284: He offered up all his family fortune, and Fourth Master showed mercy!
After Hongli asked this question, Wang Jingzeng's smile began to look unnatural.

He didn't expect that Hongli would ask him directly instead of pretending nothing was wrong and then secretly investigating the origin of the painting and who in his palace had been bribed by the Han gentry.

Wang Jing was unprepared for how to deal with this situation.

He could only kneel down immediately and explain, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I truly did not know that you also possessed this painting. I merely purchased it from a wealthy merchant in the market."

As Wang Jingzeng spoke, he forced a smile once again.

He secretly thought that he had handled the situation fairly well.

As long as he insists that he bought it from the market, Hongli can only conclude that the painting was stolen by someone from Prince Bao's mansion and sold to him.

After all, he was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and his family was a prominent clan in the capital. His father had even served as a Grand Secretary of the Hall of Preserving Harmony and was once the foremost Han Chinese official during the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Therefore, even if Hongli becomes emperor in the future, it will be impossible to openly punish him for any crime.

Unless Hongli can produce concrete evidence that he stole the Prince's Palace treasures.

Do you think I can't do anything to you?

At this moment, Hongli also asked him a question with a smile.

Wang Jing simply kowtowed and said, "Your subject dares not!"

"Fourth Prince, I truly had no idea you possessed this painting!"

Wang Jing once feigned injustice and replied.

Hongli said, "It is like this. Cao Zhan, a bondservant in my household, has told me that the painting 'Five Oxen' in my outer study is gone. Li Yu confessed that you bought this painting from him and that you intended to get my painting through him."

"Now, this can be considered catching you red-handed, or rather, you voluntarily handed over the stolen goods."

"Minister Wang, do you intend to confront my Chief Secretary at the Shuntian Prefecture government office?"

As Hongli spoke, he asked about Wang Jingzeng.

Wang Jingzeng was stunned after hearing this.

In fact.

He secretly befriended Li Yu through intermediaries, and that's how Li Yu obtained Hongli's painting.

But he didn't expect that Li Yu was a bait deliberately released by Hongli to lure out Han gentry like them!
Therefore, he is now certain that as soon as he spent money to acquire the "Five Oxen Painting," Li Yu should have informed the Fourth Prince about it.

This made Wang Jingzeng realize that he had fallen into a trap set by Hongli!

Wang Jingzeng's mouth dropped open. He looked up at Hongli, who was sneering at him, and the muscles on his face began to contract.

He never expected that this Fourth Master would be so insidious and despicable, waiting for them, the Han gentry, to walk right into his trap.

At this moment, Hongli stood up, picked up an iron ruyi, and walked up to him.

"You actually dare to use your entire family to outwit me? Do you even have the right to fight me?"

"Don't you know that I always assume the worst of you, and that I don't actually consider you gentlemen?"

As he spoke, Hongli gave him a ruyi (a type of scepter).

boom!
Wang Jingzeng's official hat flew off instantly.

His eyes widened, and then he immediately kowtowed repeatedly.

"Fourth Master, have mercy! Fourth Master, have mercy! I deserve to die! I know my crime! I was foolish! I mistakenly thought that money could really buy everything. I never imagined that Fourth Master was a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang, someone that a despicable person like me could not possibly offend."

"Just admit you're despicable."

“I would like to send you to see the officials, but then I think that if I really send you to see the officials, it will damage the dignity of the court.”

"Furthermore, I don't want the world to really think that I, the Fourth Prince, would be so wary of you scholars."

"However, I also feel that it's better to do things openly and honestly."

"What do you say?"

Hongli asked about Wang Jing's visit.

He did not intend to massacre Wang Jingzeng and other Han gentry.

Firstly, he is not yet the emperor and does not yet have the power of life and death.

Secondly, dealing with these Han gentry by relying solely on others is not the wisest approach, because the reactionary nature of a class cannot be killed.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang killed them so ruthlessly, he still couldn't extinguish their desire to deceive the emperor and oppress the common people.

Therefore, what he needs to do is to utilize their characteristics, control and manipulate them, and force them to cooperate in achieving his goals within the Ministry of Rites.

For Hongli at this moment, proving that he, as a prince, has the ability to manage the Ministry of Rites and laying the foundation for becoming a regent prince in the future is the most important thing.

Right now, if he wants to manage the Ministry of Rites well, he needs to get the Han gentry to accept him, a prince, to conduct the erudite scholars examination in the Ministry of Rites, and at the same time cooperate with him to complete the task of compiling teaching materials in the Ministry of Rites.

Therefore, he had to find fault with some Han Chinese gentry to get them to work for him.

Wang Jingzeng understood what Hongli meant, and replied with a tearful face:
"If Your Highness is willing to spare my life, I am willing to follow Your Highness's lead without question. Whatever Your Highness asks of me, I will do." "Why should I believe you will serve me wholeheartedly?"

"What right do you have to ask me to spare your entire family!"

Hongli asked about Wang Jing's visit.

Wang Jing gritted his teeth and replied, "When my father was alive, he secretly ran a business of supplying thin horses to princes and nobles in the capital and even to the palace."

Upon hearing this, Hongli frowned slightly.

"Therefore, now all the young women in the service of princes and ministers are members of our royal family, and we also have their names."

"I can give the Fourth Prince their list and contact information so that he can know more secrets about these princes at any time."

“If Your Highness does not trust me, you can expose their list. Then, without Your Highness killing me, someone will surely wipe out my entire family. Because no prince wants someone watching his bedside every day.”

Wang Jingzeng replied.

Hongli asked with a stern face, "Was Xianghong in my household also trained by your Wang family?"

Wang Jing hurriedly kowtowed and said, "I dare not lie to you, Fourth Master. Xiang Hong did indeed come from the Wang family and was presented to Prince Li. However, you have never given her any opportunity to contact the outside world, so I have no way of knowing her current situation."

"You confess and sign first, then I'll wait for you to hand over your own things."

Emperor Hongli gave Wang Jing this instruction.

Wang Jing was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly kowtowed, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your mercy!"

"But that's not enough!"

"And we'll have to compensate your entire Wang family fortune!"

"Your Wang family is a prominent family in the capital, and your father was the first Han official to obtain the title of Minister of State Affairs. You have a deep foundation in the capital and probably a lot of money, so you must help me do some things that benefit the country and the people!"

Hongli ordered.

Wang Jingzeng said, "Your subject dares not disobey your command and is willing to give up all his wealth to help Fourth Master succeed!"

After the banquet, Hongli went to Xianghong's courtyard.

After he gained power, he also broke Xiang Hong's hymen in Li Gelao Hutong and enjoyed the feeling of riding a skinny horse.

After Xianghong was also moved to the Prince's Mansion, Hongli visited her courtyard and slept with her a few times, mainly because he wanted to change things up.

But he wasn't really obsessed with slender women like Xiang Hong, mainly because Xiang Hong had bound feet.

This meant that Xianghong never made any excessive requests to him, such as finding out where her family was or wanting to go out, which meant that Xianghong had no opportunity to contact the outside world.

However, Hongli remained wary of her and did not let her bewitch him or lower his guard.

After all, this rosy hue was a gift from Hongxi to her.

Hongli came to see her now to test her thoughts and see if she wanted to make contact with the outside world.

"This servant did not expect Fourth Master to come, so my makeup is a bit plain. Please forgive me!"

When Xianghong saw Hongli, she apologized in a soft voice.

Hongli put his arm around her shoulder and walked toward her bed, saying with a smile, "It's alright. I only thought of you because I heard Jiang Kui's 'Yangzhou Slow' at the banquet, so I came to see you."

Xiang Hong smiled gently, then stood up and bowed to Hongli: "This servant dares not lie to Your Highness, but this servant also heard Jiang Kui's 'Yangzhou Slow' at Grand Secretary Wang's residence."

Hongli became serious: "You are quite clever; you actually guessed it."

“This servant should have told the Fourth Master the truth long ago, but I have never found the opportunity. Besides, if the Fourth Master has no intention of knowing, it would be inappropriate for this servant to tell him rashly. So this servant has never dared to tell the Fourth Master.”

Xianghong lowered her eyebrows and replied.

Hongli pulled her over, and Xianghong fell into his arms.

Hongli then playfully pinched her nose and asked with a smile, "Don't you have any bones?"

Xiang Hong smiled charmingly: "This servant wants to serve Fourth Master well!"

Hongli smiled faintly, then lay down and had Xianghong serve him.

At the same time, he couldn't help but think to himself that the "thin horses" that Wang Jing had sent were indeed not comparable to the Manchu women. However, he was really willing to give up anything to save his life!
Therefore, Hongli couldn't help but sigh that these Han gentry were ambitious and resourceful, but they dared not risk their lives, which destined them to never become the masters of the world.

Furthermore, after confiscating Yunzhi's house, Hongzhou did indeed find many curse books in which Yunzhi wished the thirteenth prince would be overworked to death by Yongzheng, as well as some letters in which he mentioned palace secrets when communicating with scholars.

It even includes materials about how Emperor Yongzheng suppressed his own brothers.

Hongzhou also came to Yunzhi and told him about these materials, saying, "Third Uncle, I can only give the truth to Father. You should think about how to explain it to Father first."

"These are all fabrications by Han gentry to frame me. There must be spies of theirs in my household! Definitely! Absolutely!"

"Hongzhou, you have to believe your third uncle! I couldn't possibly be that despicable!"

Yunzhi became completely excited. She held Hongzhou's hand on the bed, her face turning red and white as she spoke to him.

(End of this chapter)