My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 289 Hongli is granted the title of Prince Regent, preparing to establish an heir apparent!

Yongzheng helped Hongli to his feet, then rubbed his tired face and instructed Hongli, "You are now in charge of the Ministry of Rites. You must ensure the smooth conduct of the erudite scholars examination."

"Your subject understands, and will certainly not delay this matter!"

Hongli pursed his lips slightly.

He dared not be careless in organizing the erudite scholars' examination.

Only by successfully completing the erudite scholars examination can the renowned scholars selected through this examination be organized to compile a unified textbook on history and theory.

This will not only benefit Emperor Yongzheng in compiling the History of Ming, but also allow him to better expose the true colors of scholars during the Ming Dynasty through this method.

It also prevented many Confucian scholars from attributing the lessons of the Ming Dynasty's demise to the Ming emperors' lack of trust in scholar-officials, especially in the Donglin Party.

The latter would also benefit Hongli's rule after he became emperor.

To avoid a situation like it is now, where many Manchu and Mongol princes, through their exposure to Han learning, have been influenced by many inheritors of Donglin thought and hope that the Qing emperors will establish a civil service system and allow only Confucian scholars to govern the country.

It seems that in this way, the world would be more peaceful, imperial power could be restricted, and they would not have to worry about being disposed of by the emperor at will.

Therefore, it was at this time that Hongli expressed his determination to Yongzheng.

Yongzheng then crossed his legs and stroked his mustache: "Go."

Hongli's support made Yongzheng even happier, so even though Lu Shengnan's actions still made him feel unwell, he continued to handle state affairs.

"Whoo!"

When Hongli left the palace, he did not return empty-handed because Emperor Yongzheng had bestowed upon him the "Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books". Instead, he left the palace with several imperial guards carrying large boxes.

Looking at the boxes and boxes filled with books, Hongli felt quite satisfied.

He planned to continue recruiting scribes to copy these books.

We need to make several more copies so that we can use them to establish more public libraries in the future.

Just then, Uncle Sixteen Yunlu and Prince Li Hongxi walked towards us, chatting and laughing.

Hongli couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

He had to admit that his sixteenth uncle was indeed politically insensitive and did not know that some members of the imperial clan should not be approached too closely.

But Hongli was too lazy to say much, which made him disliked.

Therefore, Hongli simply smiled, dismounted, and greeted the two men.

At this moment, Yunlu saw the guards carrying many boxes behind them and asked Hongli with a smile, "Have you also received a favor?"

Hongli nodded: "It seems that Sixteenth Uncle has also been granted permission?"

"We've all got it."

Hongxi then spoke up and asked, "What kind of paper did you receive as a gift?"

"Made of cotton paper."

Hongli replied with a smile.

Hongxi was slightly taken aback after hearing this, but did not say anything more.

The sixteenth brother then laughed and said, "I'm also from cotton paper."

Hongxi glanced at the sixteenth prince for this.

Then, the sixteenth brother said, "Hongxi and I are going to see the fourth brother, so we won't keep you from taking the book back."

"Nephew takes his leave."

Hongli bowed in response, then remounted his horse and left the palace with his book box.

The sixteenth prince walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation with Hongxi.

But after passing Jingyun Gate, they saw Li Pan, a eunuch from Yangxin Hall, leading guards carrying many large boxes towards Xian'an Palace.

The sixteenth prince naturally guessed that the large boxes carried by the guards also contained the "Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books," so he struck up a conversation with Li Pan and asked, "Old Li, where is Fourth Brother asking you to carry these to?"

Hongxi followed up by asking, "Yes, which prince or minister was this bestowed upon? Why must it be done this way?"

Li Pan replied, "Your Highness, Prince Zhuang, this is one of the two copies of the 'Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books' bestowed upon Fourth Prince by His Majesty. He has ordered it to be carried to Xian'an Palace. From now on, Fourth Prince will be in charge of Xian'an Palace, where he can meet with Confucian officials, discuss scholarship, and establish schools."

The sixteenth brother nodded after hearing this.

Hongxi stopped smiling.

Then, after the two passed the tokens and entered through the inner right gate, Hongxi couldn't help but ask his sixteenth uncle, "Sixteenth uncle, how come Hongli was given two copies of the 'Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books' and allowed to exchange ideas with Confucian officials in Xian'an Palace?"

"After all, they are his own flesh and blood, so it is only right that they be granted two copies."

The sixteenth prince knew that Hongxi was unhappy because he had only been given one copy, and it was a second-rate bamboo paper version, so he answered without thinking.

After finishing speaking.

Upon seeing Su Peisheng at Yangxin Gate, the sixteenth prince smiled and walked towards him, asking, "Old Su, how is Fourth Brother's health?"

Hongxi, on the other hand, remained rooted to the spot.

It is said that in the first edition of the "Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books", there are nineteen books printed on cotton paper.

Besides the two copies bestowed upon Hongli, one copy was enshrined in the Shouhuang Hall, the other seven copies were handed over to the chief steward of the Qianqing Palace to be displayed in their proper places, and the remaining nine copies were bestowed by Yongzheng upon Prince Yi, Prince Zhuang, Prince Guo, Prince Kang, Prince Fuhui, Zhang Tingyu, Jiang Tingxi, Ortai, and Yue Zhongqi, one copy each.

There were forty-five bamboo paper books in total. One of them was awarded by Emperor Yongzheng to each of the following princes: Prince Heng, Prince Li, Prince Xianfu Palace Prince (Yunmi), Hongzhou, Litingyi, Shi Yizhi, Tian Wenjing, Kong Yuxun, Gao Qizhuo, Li Wei, Wang Guodong, Yang Wenqian, Zhu Gang, Ji Zengyun, and Liu Tongxun. The remaining thirty books were stored away.

After leaving the palace, Hongli instructed Zhang Qilin to take the books bestowed upon him by Yongzheng back to his residence, while he himself went to the Ministry of Rites first.

He dared not show the slightest sign of neglecting his duties.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Rites, Minister Manchu Sertu suddenly appeared in his office, bowed deeply to him, and said, "This servant thanks Your Highness for your protection!"

“If it weren’t for Fourth Master’s order to prevent Wang Jing from harming this servant, this servant might have already been charged with corruption because of Cai Ting and Yin Tai, thus ruining His Majesty’s important task of organizing the Imperial Examination for Learned Scholars.”

"Sertu said very solemnly."

"Get up!"

"No matter what, you are the Minister of Rites and a Manchu. How could I not protect you and let you be framed by villains?"

After Hongli answered, he asked Sertu to sit down and said to him, "Father Khan attaches great importance to the Ministry of Rites' holding of the erudite scholars examination. We cannot be careless. Please convey this message to Junbi as well."

"Whoo!"

Sertu stood up and responded, then made no move to leave.

Hongli then looked up and asked him, "Is there anything else?"

"This servant is reminded of what Prince Cheng said to this servant before he passed away."

As he spoke, Sertu's eyes reddened, and he choked out, bowing his head and saying, "Fourth Master, this servant dares to speak frankly, all the Han gentry should indeed be killed!"

Upon hearing this, Hongli narrowed his eyes.

"Ever since the Fourth Prince took charge of the Ministry of Rites, they have been plotting against him and trying to shift the blame onto their master, which is why their master has ended up in this situation."

"Fortunately, Fourth Master was capable enough to prevent their plan from succeeding."

"Even though Cai Ting, that traitor, wanted to harm the servants, the Fourth Prince easily thwarted it."

"But what this servant wants to say is that since we are going to do a good job in the erudite scholars examination, we cannot just passively let these despicable Han gentry persecute us. We should also teach them a lesson!"

"First of all, there's Wei Tingzhen. Although he's also the Minister of Rites, he's not a good person. Who knows, he might be the one pulling the strings behind these things, after all, he was a Hanlin scholar who ranked third in the imperial examinations."

Sertu knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This servant begs Your Highness to see the truth!"

Hongli guessed what Sertu was thinking when he suddenly said that, so he put on a stern face and said in a cold tone, "What Third Uncle said before he died was just a momentary outburst. You can't really do that! If all the Han gentry really deserve to be killed, how many can be killed?"

"Do you intend to have the imperial court abolish the imperial examination system, or stop employing Han Chinese officials, including those in the Han Banner Army?"

“At the very least, Wei Tingzhen cannot stay in the Ministry of Rites. He is a Hanlin scholar, and he is certainly more insidious and cunning than the average Han Chinese.”

"The Fourth Prince keeping him in the Ministry of Rites is like voluntarily leaving an informant by his side for those ambitious Han gentry."

Sertu responded to this.

Hongli countered with a question to Sertu: "I think you're not trying to exclude Han officials, but rather you don't want a Han Minister of Rites to hinder you, right?"

Sertu's expression immediately changed.

You'd better give up your ideas as soon as possible!

“I’m not some greenhorn; I know better than you whether Wei Tingzhen is reliable or not! And when it comes to understanding Han gentry, you’re no match for me!”

Hongli immediately stood up, pointed at Sertu, and began to reprimand him, saying, "Don't forget, this time, besides Cai Ting of the Han Banner and Lu Shengnan, the Manchu Yin Tai also tried to frame you!"

"This servant will never dare to do it again!"

Not long after, Wei Tingzhen learned from Li Yu about what Hongli had said to Sertu, which left Wei Tingzhen speechless for a long time.

Therefore, Shi Wenzhuo, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, unexpectedly discovered him secretly wiping away tears under the large locust tree in the Ministry of Rites.

Why do you do this?

"We've been colleagues for a while now. If you're having any difficulties, please tell us, and we'll help if we can."

Shi Wenzhuo thought that Wei Tingzhen had encountered some difficulties.

Wei Tingzhen smiled through his tears and said, "It's not that I have any difficulties, but I'm happy to know that the Fourth Prince is still willing to protect Han officials. It's a blessing for scholars to have a wise prince in charge of the ministry!"

Shortly after reprimanding Sairtu, Hongli summoned Sairtu, Wei Tingzhen, Wang Jingzeng, Shi Wenzhuo, and other officials from the Ministry of Rites and instructed them:
"The imperial decree has reached the Ministry. The chief examiners for the erudite scholars examination are Liu Tongxun and Huang You. Our Ministry of Rites must determine the examination venue, the marking room, and other matters as soon as possible before they arrive."

After hearing this, Wang Jingzeng understood that only Confucian officials who could publish articles in the "Journal of the Imperial University of Peking" would truly be given important positions.

"They're all Han officials!"

At this moment, Sertu couldn't help but speak first, and glanced at Wei Tingzhen and the others.

Wei Tingzhen pretended not to see Sertu's unfriendly gaze and said nothing.

Hongli glared at Sertu, but did not reprimand him. He simply instructed, "My idea is to set up the examination center and marking room in the archives room. Have the officials in the archives room tidy up the archives room first."

"Fourth Master, it's already May. Won't it be too hot to take the exam in the archives room?" Wei Tingzhen couldn't help but ask at this moment.

Sertu snorted: "You Han officials are so delicate, you can't stand even a little heat."

Hongli glared at Sertu again and said, "But the archives are made of brick, which is more fireproof. As for the heat, just put more ice inside."

"Fourth Master is wise!"

Sertu immediately flattered him, then said, "Why didn't the lackeys think of that?"

Hongli glared at Sertu again and said, "Sixteen more water vats need to be added to the courtyard around the Manchu and Han archives. Each vat must be filled with water. In addition, have the Infantry Commander's Office send more guards to ensure that there are at least fifty armored guards on duty in shifts for twelve hours during the examination period."

"Whoo!"

The officials were all speechless with astonishment upon hearing this.

As Shi Wenzhuo was leaving, he couldn't help but say to Wei Tingzhen, "Isn't Fourth Master being a little too cautious?"

Wei Tingzhen just smiled and remained silent.

Meanwhile, Sertu, who had come up behind, glanced at Wei Tingzhen and said, "What do you know? Fourth Master is keeping an eye on some traitors within his ranks!"

"Shi Wenzhuo, although you belong to the Plain White Banner of the Han Army, your original surname is Guarjia. Don't deliberately get too close to certain people!"

Sertu also gave Shi Wenzhuo instructions on this matter.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tingzhen simply smiled and said, "We are all colleagues in the Ministry of Rites, and it is inevitable that we will discuss some departmental affairs. How can it be said that we are deliberately getting close? Please do not arbitrarily accuse us of forming cliques!"

That's not what I meant!

Sertu then turned and left.

Soon, the day arrived for the examination of learned scholars.

Liu Tongxun and Huang You, the two chief and deputy examiners, then moved into the prepared Manchu and Han archives room together with the Confucian scholars who were taking the exam.

The erudite scholars examination, after discussion between Emperor Hongli and officials of the Ministry of Rites, was to be conducted in two sessions.

The first exam consisted of one essay on classical texts and one essay on historical topics.

The second round of examinations consisted of one question each on poetry, prose, and essay, as well as one question on policy formulation.

The two exams will be held over two separate days.

Therefore, examiners and candidates were required to sleep in simple bunk beds at the Ministry of Rites during the examination period.

The bunk beds were designed and built by the Imperial Workshop at the behest of Emperor Hongli.

On the night after the first exam, Liu Tongxun and Huang You each took a folding fan and went up to the upper and lower bunks in the examiner's room.

Because the examiner's room was originally a small room used to store archives in the Ministry of Rites, the space was already cramped. In addition, the walls on all sides were thick bricks. Even though Huang You kept fanning himself with a folding fan, he still had to pull at his chest and shiver, saying, "It's so hot!"

"It's just one night. Hang in there. At least I won't have to sleep in a smaller examination shed like I did back in the Imperial Examination Hall."

After answering, Liu Tongxun suddenly sat up and looked out the window: "The sky outside is so red?"

"red?"

"Is it on fire?"

Huang You asked.

Liu Tongxun immediately got out of bed: "There's a fire! The Ministry of Rites' offices are on fire!"

But the fire seemed to spread too quickly, and soon it reached the archives room.

Seeing this, Liu Tongxun went to the gate of the archives and shouted to the scholars who had also come out, "Don't go out! The archives' courtyard wall is made of brick, and the building itself is also made of brick. It's better than going out and getting hit by the beams of the wooden house!"

These Confucian scholars all retreated to the courtyard where the archives were located.

But everyone still looked terrified.

Zeng Jing even shook her head inwardly, feeling quite smug, and said, "The Qing Dynasty is really doomed! Otherwise, the internal strife wouldn't have reached this point. One minute the Censor-in-Chief was forming a faction to frame the Minister, and the next minute they set fire to the Ministry of Rites."

Meanwhile, the guards on duty outside began to use the water from the water tanks around the archives to put out the fire.

Inside a bright gate, a woman dressed as a nun stood in front of a man in a dragon robe and said, "You can see it, the Ministry of Rites is on fire."

"It's good that it's burning. If it burns Liu Tongxun and the other examiners to death, then it can be said to be a warning from heaven."

The man looked towards the Thousand Steps Corridor, where half the sky was a deep red, and began to speak with a sinister smile.

The nun also started laughing.

Hongli was also summoned to the palace by Yongzheng because the Ministry of Rites suddenly caught fire that night.

Upon seeing Yongzheng's gloomy face, Hongli replied without waiting for Yongzheng to ask, "Father, do not worry. Your son has set up the examination center in the archives room, which is surrounded by brick walls. I have also added sixteen large water vats and guards to stand guard. The examiners and scholars participating in the examination will all be fine."

"Is it good that nothing happened? What if someone says it was a warning from the sky?"

"Tell me, Father, when the time comes, will you believe me or not?"

After asking the question, Yongzheng sighed deeply and said, "Hongli, in truth, it is easy for a Chinese monarch to do things that harm the country and its people, but difficult to do things that benefit the country and its people!"

“Once the arsonist is caught, it can no longer be said that the fire was caused by nature.”

Hongli then replied.

then.

Hongli then said, "To ensure that nothing goes wrong, I had to assume the worst about the princes and dukes in the capital. So I also deployed secret guards from the Sticky Pole Office, and the arsonists have already been captured! The masterminds of the arson were the fifty-seventh captain of the guards on duty inside the Great Qing Gate and a Taoist nun."

At this point in Hongli's speech, Yongzheng turned to look at him: "Not hesitant to use the greatest malice?"

"That's right!"

"After studying for so many years, I've come to the realization that neither Heaven nor the Way can remain unchanged!"

"Everything is in a state of development. To do anything well, one must study its development from within and from the relationship between things, thereby understanding the inherent contradictions within things!"

"Therefore, after the Eight Banners of our Great Qing entered the Central Plains, they were no longer the Eight Banners before entering the pass. Many Manchus also became large landowners, and became complacent, conservative, reactionary, and even more Han Chinese than the Han Chinese."

At this point, Emperor Yongzheng, who had been silent and deep in thought, suddenly spoke up: "Everything is developing."

Then, Yongzheng grinned and exclaimed, "Your words are truly insightful!"

"No wonder you don't hesitate to assume the worst about them!"

"They may never know just how wise and intelligent my son truly is!"

"Ama, you are too kind!"

Hongli smiled slightly. He naturally wouldn't dare say that he had a superior perspective, but rather that he stood on the shoulders of giants.

But Yongzheng was indeed greatly encouraged by this, and instructed Su Peisheng: "Go and summon Prince Yi, and have the Imperial Kitchen prepare two more servings of bird's nest porridge."

"Whoo!"

"Father, don't you have any for your son?"

Hongli asked Yongzheng a question.

Emperor Yongzheng handed a piece of pastry to Hongli and said, "I'm giving you a golden token and arrow. Go and get that Taoist nun. I don't trust anyone else to do it!"

"Whoo!"

Hongli responded and took the pastries to eat.

He knew that with the golden token, he could issue orders in the emperor's name at any time, which was equivalent to being a temporary emperor.

Not long after Hongli received the golden token and left, the thirteenth prince came to Yongzheng's place.

"Fourth Brother, I already know about the fire at the Ministry of Rites. Someone is still up to no good!"

After the thirteenth prince arrived, he spoke to Yongzheng with a solemn expression.

But when the thirteenth prince noticed that Yongzheng himself had a calm and composed expression, he couldn't help but ask in astonishment, "Fourth brother, how can you still remain calm?"

What good will it do to lose your temper?

"Some people still harbor treacherous intentions, while others remain steadfast in their loyalty to the emperor."

Yongzheng smiled and asked a question in return, then relayed Hongli's words to the thirteenth prince.

The thirteenth prince remained silent after hearing this.

boom!
Only after a long while did the thirteenth prince finally slam his fist on the table and stand up:

"it is good!"

Emperor Yongzheng glanced at him because of this.

The thirteenth prince hurriedly apologized, "Your subject was rude!"

"no!"

Emperor Yongzheng responded magnanimously.

After expressing his gratitude, the thirteenth prince said, "Fourth brother, since Hongli has such great wisdom, he should be given greater responsibilities. There is no need for him to gain experience in one ministry after another."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking! I've even considered making him the crown prince outright. I believe he won't become a second Second Brother!"

Yongzheng said.

The thirteenth prince nodded repeatedly.

Yongzheng then laughed and said, "What's rare is that he has a very deep understanding of the bureaucrats and gentry. I estimate that even the Emperor himself doesn't have this understanding. He must have truly realized it himself."

"Yes, it would be great if he could teach many officials to understand this principle!"

The thirteenth son then spoke.

Yongzheng immediately realized what was going on and instructed, "You convey my decree to Hengchen, and have him draft an edict to bestow upon Hongli the title of Prince Regent, and concurrently put him in charge of the Jingshan School and the Imperial Household Department!"

"When the time is right, we will establish an heir apparent ahead of schedule!"

(End of this chapter)