My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 311 The Emperor Turns All Nobles into Hawks, the Defeat of Confucian Scholars!
After Eshan was brought to the Imperial Prison, Hongli said, "It's not terrible for a servant to be greedy and lustful; what's terrible is that he betrays his master."

Upon hearing this, Eshan hurriedly kowtowed and said, "This servant would rather die than betray his master!"

"In that case, if you don't want to implicate your family, you should know how to explain what you've done recently."

Hongli revealed a gentle, spring-like smile.

Eshan shuddered, then pouted and began to cry, sobbing as she said:
"This servant understands!"

"This servant dared not lie to Your Highness, because the three officials said they wanted to cut expenses, so this servant became greedy and increased the deductions from the expenses of many noble ladies in the harem!"

Hongli then had Eshan sign and affix his seal, before coldly saying, "Gag him!"

Eshan's eyes widened on the spot.

"I do not wish that any member of the inner palace would suffer any injustice during my tenure as head of the Imperial Household Department."

As he spoke, Hongli waved his hand and said, "One hundred strokes of the cane!"

As a result, Eshan was soon beaten into a pulp.

Soon, the three chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department learned of this matter, and they were all stunned and distraught.

"Fourth Master is warning us that if the budget cuts cause any of the concubines in the harem to suffer any injustice, he will take their lives!"

Nian Xiyao spoke first on this matter.

Chang Ming couldn't help but frown: "Who let Fourth Master know so quickly that Eshan was embezzling some of the concubines' allowances?"

“Eshan was sensible and did not say which people’s expenses he had embezzled, and Fourth Master did not say either, so it was not easy to investigate for the time being.”

Shang Zhishun replied.

"Forget about that! The key right now is not to offend Fourth Master!"

"The Fourth Prince has made it clear that if anyone in the harem suffers any injustice from the reduction of expenses at this time, he will not let them off easily. That means we cannot reduce anyone's expenses any further."

"Fourth Master is openly asking us to ask him to reorganize the Imperial Household Department!"

"If we don't know what's good for us, we might end up like my brother!"

"Because Fourth Master's meaning is very likely the master's meaning."

Nian Xiyao warned the two of them.

The two men were terrified upon hearing this.

Shang Zhishun added, "Then let's not think about cutting expenses yet. Let's make up for the expenses that each palace has been withheld. The Fourth Prince's spies in the harem are too terrifying! We can't let anyone in the harem suffer any injustice, so that the Fourth Prince has a reason to punish us."

Chang Ming nodded, but frowned and said, "In that case, we have to allow our own staff to quote higher prices when purchasing, otherwise they won't work if they don't make money! But this will actually increase our expenses instead of decreasing them!"

"We'll talk about how to reduce expenses and increase profits when we see the Fourth Master. Right now, the key is to neither offend our master nor the Fourth Master!"

Nian Xiyao said.

Both of them nodded.

Princess Duanrou discovered that her food rations had increased significantly compared to before, which relieved her of the need to persuade those around her to stop complaining.

After having Orshan beaten to death, Hongli went to the Eight Banners official school at the Imperial College.

Since the Great Purge, reforms in the schools of the Eight Banners have been effectively implemented.

The uneducated and incompetent children of the Eight Banners official schools were all expelled and sent to Shengjing to farm. Meanwhile, the children of the Eight Banners official schools who remained or re-entered through the examinations were given a history course because the Ministry of Rites had completed the unified compilation of the Ming history textbooks, and were arranged to learn a unified understanding of history.

The Ming history textbook compiled by the Ministry of Rites changed the view that the Ming Dynasty perished because it did not employ virtuous officials. For the first time, it raised the issue of the contradiction between people and land and the problem that land annexation exacerbated the contradiction between people and land.

at the same time!

The new Ming history textbooks, in accordance with Emperor Qianlong's requirements, also exposed the ugly faces of some officials and scholars in their treatment of the common people.

For example, Yang Sichang's famous poem "Xijiangyue" was also cited to let students know that the so-called "gentleman" is not necessarily a true gentleman, and is not benevolent in front of the people, which led to the fall of the Ming Dynasty due to the rebel Li Zicheng.

This teaching material was naturally reviewed by Emperor Yongzheng himself, and he did not object.

Because emphasizing class issues allowed the emperor to ease national conflicts under the guise of alleviating class contradictions.

As the Eight Banners descendants who formed the core of the Qing Dynasty, it was also necessary for them to acquire a great deal of real knowledge, so as to prevent the Eight Banners nobles, who should have served as a check on the gentry, from being brainwashed and won over by the gentry.

However, most of the dove-like bannermen who were Confucianists and close to the Donglin ideology among the children of the Eight Banners official schools lost their lives in the Great Purge, and most of these dove-like bannermen came from relatively upper-class bannermen families.

This resulted in the remaining children of officials and students of the Eight Banners becoming primarily Banner people from ordinary Banner families.

These bannermen already had limited resources within the Eight Banners system, and were eager to make a name for themselves. Now, with new historical education, they understood the importance of the conflict between people and land, as well as the reactionary and selfish nature of bureaucrats and officials. This made most of the young Eight Banners descendants who received the education become increasingly hawkish.

Because of their limited understanding, they did not know that resources could be increased by improving productivity. After receiving such education, they believed that only by opening up a larger territory could their families prosper and greatly alleviate the contradiction between people and land in the country, thus truly achieving long-term stability and security for the Qing Dynasty.

At the same time, these young Manchu bannermen no longer believed that the Han gentry's policy of light taxes, philanthropy, and frugality could ensure the long-term stability of the Qing Dynasty.

Hongli was very happy to see this change.

He felt that rather than letting the Manchus squander their wealth, it would be better for them to continue fighting and dying on the battlefield, paying even more blood tax.

However, such Ming Dynasty history textbooks were soon circulated in the south in the form of handwritten copies.

Zeng Jing also saw such a copy and said to her friend Shen Zaikuan in Huzhou, "The Qing court is teaching the Eight Banners children about the history of the Ming Dynasty in this way. Is it because they still want to pursue hegemony?"

"But without a doubt, such a Qing Dynasty would be even stronger militarily and would also increase its control over our gentry."

"So, let's stop thinking about rebuilding our country and accept reality."

Shen Zaikuan gave a bitter laugh, stroked his beard, and sighed, saying, "I can only say that we scholars ultimately mislead ourselves!"

Zeng Jing said, "We can't stop thinking about it. We should raise an army as soon as possible, otherwise we'll really have no chance once these Manchus grow up!"

As she spoke, Zeng Jing took the copy in her hand: "I must go to see Yue Zhongqi in person and persuade him to raise an army immediately!"

In September of the sixth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Yue Zhongqi, the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, was stopped by Zhang Xi shortly after receiving a hint from the thirteenth prince that he would be appointed as the General of Ningyuan. As a result, he met with Zhang Xi first and received a letter from Zeng Jing instructing him to start a rebellion.

Zhang Xi couldn't help but advise, "My mentor has a call to arms in Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Huguang. As long as you raise an army, there will surely be a response, and then you can restore the world. I urge you to make a decision as soon as possible!"

Yue Zhongqi glanced at him, only thinking to herself:
"Although His Majesty is strict and often likes to meddle in small matters such as how many soldiers should be stationed at various military posts and how many cannons should be fired, he is truly generous to military generals like himself. Even Han generals are treated equally. Otherwise, he would not have appointed a military man as governor-general. This would not have happened in a dynasty that governs the country with Confucianism!"

"Now, His Majesty is even going so far as to assume the position of Grand General himself, and in order to raise enough funds for the army, he is willing to confiscate the property of wealthy families and even his own relatives and nobles!"

"I cannot rebel against such an enlightened ruler, but instead strive to restore the Confucian dynasty where even a first-rank military officer must kneel before a seventh-rank civil official."

"Moreover, the current emperor is very wise and diligent in governing the country, and many Han people have been freed from their lowly status and are now living in peace. If I were to raise an army now, I would only be fulfilling the wishes of a few madmen, but I would not be able to win the hearts of the people."

"And the Dzungar Khanate in the northwest is also eyeing us covetously, and the Russian Empire has not given up its treacherous intentions. If internal chaos breaks out first, will they repeat the path of the Qing Dynasty's rise? If so, the Han people of the world will suffer twice over!"

Yue Zhongqi's expression changed when he thought of these things.

(End of this chapter)