My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 297 Adding a Concubine: Qianlong Has a Team of Imperial Concubines!
"You're really confused."

"Lu Shengnan isn't loyal to the Great Qing Dynasty, he's loyal to himself!"

"The Emperor's comments in the Zizhi Tongjian are very clear. How can you still think he can be saved? You are even more confused than many Han officials!"

Instead, Hongli criticized Yin Tai.

He would not plead for Lu Shengnan.

That would not only embarrass him in front of Emperor Yongzheng, but also anger Yongzheng, making him think that he cared too much about empty fame and was following the example of the Eighth Prince.

He can't fall into this trap.

Therefore, Hongli spoke to him very sternly.

Yin Tai raised his old, tear-filled eyes, revealing a look of astonishment.

Hongli then ordered in a deep voice, "Get up and leave now! What are you doing swaggering around outside? Remember, you are now dismissed from your post!"

Yin Tai didn't say much, only replying disappointedly, "Yes, sir!"

However, when Hongli met Yongzheng later, he told Yongzheng about Yin Tai's request for him to intercede for Lu Shengnan.

Yongzheng grunted in acknowledgment and said nothing more, continuing to read the memorials.

Hongli slightly raised his eyes.

"Don't you think it's unwise of me to let the whole world see Lu Shengnan's 'Commentary on the Zizhi Tongjian'?"

But then Yongzheng asked Hongli a question.

Hongli cupped his hands and replied, "Your subject dares not conceal this from Father. Your subject feels that it is unnecessary to do so. One who is pretending to be asleep can never be awakened. One's position determines that some people will choose to believe Lu Shengnan's rebellious words and ignore your insightful views, Father!"

"I know, but it is precisely because I know that I must do this."

Yongzheng gave Hongli a meaningful look.

Then, Yongzheng dipped his brush in vermilion ink and said, "Just watch. Now that we can no longer use clan to distinguish loyalty from treachery, we must use other methods."

Speaking of it.

Yongzheng raised the awl on the bridge of his nose again and gave Hongli an inscrutable smile.

"Whoo!"

Hongli understood what Yongzheng was going to do, but he didn't ask any questions. Instead, he pretended to be confused but also very curious, and responded with a sound to satisfy Yongzheng's desire to show off in front of him as his father.

Seeing that Hongli's eyes widened and he was indeed somewhat excited, Yongzheng said, "You will understand my good intentions in the future."

"I heard that you punished a student with a cane at the Eight Banners Academy?"

Yongzheng suddenly asked the question.

Hongli replied truthfully, "Yes, Your Majesty, I was just about to inform you that at the Eight Banners School, a student made a sarcastic remark in front of me, saying that the school official Yin Jishan was born to a maid. Such discriminatory remarks, which are detrimental to the unity of the Bannermen, actually appeared in front of me, so of course I have to intervene!"

"You did the right thing. The emperor decides the social status of people, and those who lack manners should be severely punished!"

Emperor Yongzheng nodded, approving of Hongli's actions.

Yongzheng continued, “Yin Jishan is an outstanding young official and a top scholar. You should get to know him better. He is the cornerstone of the future Qing Dynasty, and his stance is also very important. Those who are not upright should be dismissed in time, and those who are upright should be recommended in time.”

"Whoo!"

Hongli knew that what Yongzheng meant by these words was that he wanted him to use his position overseeing the Eight Banners official schools and Jingshan official schools to cultivate his own faction.

This could be interpreted as him explicitly declaring himself the heir apparent and thus allowing himself to cultivate his own inner circle.

"I am preparing to issue an edict to promote your cousin, Lady Gao, and Lady Zhaojia to the rank of secondary consorts."

“Your cousin and Lady Gao have given birth to your son, so she should be promoted to a secondary consort.”

"Needless to say, Lady Zhaojia should be promoted to a secondary consort, out of respect for your thirteenth uncle."

"And I never intended for you to have only three concubines."

"Since you are favored by Heaven and have a great destiny in continuing the imperial lineage of our Great Qing, I will naturally appoint a noble lady as your secondary consort, so that you can better govern the country."

Yongzheng laughed as he spoke.

At this moment, Hongli bowed deeply and said, "Father, you care so much about your son, I am deeply grateful!"

Furthermore, in the Qing Dynasty, the number of secondary consorts for princes was only determined during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, and was stipulated to be no more than four. Therefore, the number of secondary consorts a prince has now depends solely on the emperor's personal decision.

He knew that by increasing the number of his concubines to three, or even four, Yongzheng was clearly trying to broaden the pool of potential consorts and include more relatives of the empress. In the Qing Dynasty, relatives of the empress were a very important force, capable of holding various powerful positions.

At the same time, having many maternal relatives can also help to create internal strife.

With one primary wife, four secondary wives, and a total of five maternal relatives, how could they not go crazy?

However, the Fucha family, the primary consort, should not be afraid of being embroiled in a dispute.

Yongzheng helped Hongli to his feet and smiled.

He still envied his fourth son.

After all, his fourth son was only eighteen years old and already had three sons and a daughter. As for him, because he had few children, he was speechless after being rebuked by Lu Shengnan. To this day, he can only raise some nephews and nieces of suitable age in the palace to make up for the lack of children in the palace, hoping that this will allow him to have more offspring.

Emperor Yongzheng is still working very hard to produce offspring, even more so than in history, but due to his age, none of his concubines in the harem have become pregnant.

After leaving Yongzheng's place, Hongli returned to his palace.

"Amma!"

His eldest son, Yonglin, was already able to call out to people, so when he returned, he crossed his chubby little hands in front of him and called out to him.

Hongli felt much more energetic, so he picked him up and taught him a few nursery rhymes.

Next, Hongli went to see his second and third sons, as well as his eldest daughter.

He never expected that he would have three sons and one daughter in the Qing Dynasty so quickly.

Now, although Yin Tai was over seventy years old, he had quite a few children, a total of five.

Yin Jishan was his fifth son.

After Hongli left, Yin Tai stood up from the ground and shakily returned to his friends.

Several of his friends were learned scholars, and after Yin Tailai arrived, they asked him what he had said to Hongli.

Yin Tai proudly said, "I pleaded for Lord Lu! Before Fourth Master."

Yin Tai still addressed Lu Shengnan as "Gongxiang" (a respectful term for a high-ranking official), clearly showing that his admiration for Lu Shengnan truly transcended differences in ethnicity, age, and even the official positions they had held.

Those learned scholars who could associate with Yin Tai were naturally of the same ilk, and it was only after Yin Tai said this that they began to show him great respect.

Furthermore, after Yongzheng widely publicized Lu Shengnan's "Reading the Zizhi Tongjian" so that people in the court and the countryside could see the book, it did not cause many scholars to develop much ill will towards Lu Shengnan. On the contrary, many people developed a good impression of Lu Shengnan, and even admired him, regarding him as an enlightening guide.

Regardless of whether they are Manchu or Han.

Because everyone has their own stance.

Many scholars and intellectuals share Lu Shengnan's position.

Especially the Confucian scholars of the Eight Banners.

After all, like Lu Shengnan and other Han Chinese scholar-officials who did not oppose the Qing Dynasty, they both hoped for the long-term stability of the Qing Dynasty and for the Qing emperor to govern by doing nothing and to give officials and gentry more feudal power.

That's why Yin Tai admires Lu Shengnan even more.

It can be said that Yongzheng's actions were practically increasing Lu Shengnan's popularity, especially among the Manchu Eight Banners.

The learned scholars around Yin Tai also hurriedly asked him, "What did Fourth Master say? Is he willing to save Lord Lu?"

Yin Tai shook his head in disappointment and left, returning home.

Upon returning home, Yin Tai saw Xu Shi, Yin Jishan's birth mother, which reminded him of Yin Jishan and the words Emperor Hongli had used to praise him.

This made Yin Tai, who harbored resentment towards Hongli for rejecting him, instinctively want to vent this resentment on Xu Shi, and he coldly said:

"Although he is your son, the more successful he becomes, the more you should fulfill your duties as a servant!"

"You still need to go and serve your mistress every day. When guests come, you should also do your chores diligently. Don't let people think that Jishan has become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and that his birth mother has forgotten her duty!"

"Whoo!"

Xu replied.

Because Hongli listened to Yongzheng's words and asked him to cultivate his own faction, Yin Jishan was summoned to Prince Bao's residence by Hongli after leaving his office.

Upon meeting Yin Jishan, Hongli said directly, "Please grant your mother an imperial title."

(End of this chapter)