My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 315 Establishing a Crown Prince: The Grandeur of the Eastern Palace!
Hongli had to admit that Yongzheng was truly generous.

Of course, this was a pie-in-the-sky promise that resonated with Emperor Yongzheng, making the emperor, who cared about both reputation and achievements, even more willing to support his efforts to revitalize education.

That's why Emperor Yongzheng was so generous.

One hundred thousand mu of high-quality irrigated land was used as the school land for the Imperial University of Peking, enough to support many talented people.

Following Emperor Yongzheng's instructions, Hongli then requested a title for Lady Geng.

Emperor Yongzheng agreed, saying that Lady Geng had rendered meritorious service in raising the prince and had served the emperor with virtue, and therefore she was promoted to the rank of Consort Yu.

Being promoted to the rank of concubine means having an independent palace, a significant improvement in treatment, and the status of one's son will also rise accordingly.

When Lady Geng received the imperial edict of investiture, she was overjoyed and wept. Upon learning that it was Hongli who had petitioned, she said to Hongzhou:
“Your fourth brother is thoughtful. Because you are so respectful to him, he has also taken me to heart.”

Hongzhou nodded: "Mother is right. It's fortunate that Fourth Brother understands. Otherwise, if Hongxi had succeeded in stirring up trouble, things would be very different now."

"That's how it is to be born into royalty; there are traps everywhere, so you must be very careful."

Geng gave instructions to Hongzhou.

Hongzhou nodded.

Geng then asked Hongzhou, "By the way, why didn't you, like Hongxi, go with your fourth brother to plead for Yin Tai back then?"

……

……

"Fourth Brother, it wasn't that I was unwilling to volunteer with you at the time, but rather that I didn't want to be a second Eighth Uncle, stealing your limelight and trying to win the favor of the Confucian scholars."

“If I go, it will be worse; if I don’t go, it will make the Confucian scholar even more disillusioned with me. This way, not only will the Khan be more at ease, but the entire royal family will also be more stable.”

"In short, I only want to learn to be like Uncle Thirteen, not Uncle Eight."

"Of course, I may not be able to learn as well as Uncle Thirteen."

"Even if I consider myself an ordinary person, I will still choose a suitable and likable senior to follow and learn from!"

"I believe that you, Fourth Brother, understand as well."

When Hongzhou met Hongli, he thanked Hongli for pleading for the title of his birth mother, Lady Geng. He also explained to Hongli why he had not gone with Hongli to plead for her, which was exactly the same reason he had given to Lady Geng.

Hongli nodded after hearing this and smiled, "I know!"

Then, Hongli took the initiative to hand him a plate of Chongyang cake: "Your sisters-in-law made this, have a taste."

“I know that you did this not only to prevent those Confucian scholars from having any hope in you, but also that your beating of Hongxi was to show me, the Khan, and all the princes and nobles.”

"Let them know that if you, Hongzhou, are provoked, you are capable of fighting back fiercely."

"In this way, they will naturally be even less likely to provoke you, neither wanting anything of interest in you nor daring to provoke you."

At this point, Hongli said, "So, you are no ordinary person. You have more wisdom than Hongxi. Although Hongxi is more favored by the Khan, he forgets that the Khan is different from our Khan. The people the Khan likes may not be liked by our Khan."

"Fourth Brother is right."

"Uncle Thirteen is bold and decisive, yet he became a hereditary prince; Uncle Eight, on the other hand, is approachable."

Hongzhou stopped there, saying, "This Chongyang cake is delicious. I'd like to ask for some for my primary wife to try."

Hongli smiled slightly: "Knowing that you and your sister-in-law have a deep and loving relationship, I specially prepared this for you."

"Thank you very much, Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law."

Hongzhou thanked him, and after chatting with Hongli for a while about science and engineering, he took his leave.

Hongli personally escorted him out of the mansion.

For Hongli, if a prince like Hongzhou, who was half Han Chinese, got along too well with Han Chinese officials, it would make him uneasy.

Now, Hongzhou's initiative to distance himself from Confucian scholars is undoubtedly a good thing for him.

In this way, he could make Hongzhou do things that offend the bureaucrats and officials in the future.

For example, the Ministry of Construction, which investigates corruption and the like.

After Emperor Yongzheng promoted Lady Geng to the rank of Consort, he also informed the Empress about this matter, instructing her to inform the pregnant concubines. Consorts who gave birth to children would be promoted quickly, and their families would also soon become prominent.

When Emperor Yongzheng was talking to the Empress, he mentioned that Hongzhou had beaten Hongxi and that Hongli had said that Hongzhou was imitating the thirteenth prince.

The Empress couldn't help but smile and said, "In that case, Hongzhou does indeed resemble the Thirteenth Prince somewhat."

Emperor Yongzheng also agreed with satisfaction, saying, "This lad is quite like his thirteenth uncle back then."

"Then Hongli is undoubtedly very much like Silang!"

The Empress replied with a smile. Yongzheng did not speak immediately, but a smile involuntarily spread across his face.

After a while, Yongzheng nodded in agreement with the Empress's opinion: "That's right. Not long ago, this kid put bait in front of me again. In a moment of impulse, I gave him 100,000 mu of top-quality irrigated land."

The Empress smiled even more brightly: "That must mean that Hongli spoke to your heart, which shows that he truly understands your thoughts, Father Khan."

Emperor Yongzheng nodded: "No one would be unhappy if their children understood and agreed with them."

"That's great!"

"Fathers, sons, and brothers can all be of one mind."

The Empress looked at Yongzheng and said with a smile.

Emperor Yongzheng smiled slightly and said, "And there are husbands and wives! They are of one mind."

"So, how does Your Majesty intend to treat Hongxi?"

"Fortunately, Hongli is not confused. If it were a confused prince, he might have succeeded in stirring up trouble. If the adult princes really started fighting, it would be very difficult for you, the emperor, to be caught in the middle."

The Queen asked.

"Yes, back then, my late father was so angry about this that he almost fell ill."

Yongzheng nodded and said, "But Hongxi was able to put aside his pride at the grand ceremony, and he used the excuse that he lost his mind because of Hongli. Moreover, he is the eldest son of my second brother, so I can't do anything to him. But the better Hongli performs, the more obedient he will be."

"Once Hongli has reformed the Imperial Household Department, let him take charge of the military, then let him oversee the country, and then officially establish him as the crown prince. At that time, we can completely put an end to the hopes of certain people!"

……

……

After returning to Zhengjiazhuang, Hongxi's face darkened, and he smashed several vases before regaining his composure. He then summoned Wang Tingcheng and told him about the incident, saying:
"I never expected that Hongli would trust Hongzhou so much. Now, the Emperor will no longer have the chance to see that Hongli would stop at nothing to get the throne, even against his own brothers!"

"I didn't expect that this Fourth Prince would be so difficult to deal with."

"That Fifth Prince is no ordinary person either."

"Although His Majesty currently has only two adult princes, they are both very shrewd!"

Wang Tingcheng then began to speak.

At this moment, Hongxi also said with a stern face: "Fourth Uncle only treats his two biological sons as his own. I was beaten so badly, but he did not punish Hongzhou at all! I have truly failed to obey my father's orders to call him Emperor Father!"

"But if it weren't for our old crown prince's faction, he wouldn't have been able to secure the throne at all!"

"But he not only failed to appreciate the kindness of our former crown prince's faction, he also insisted on implementing harsh policies, leaving us royal princes and nobles with no dignity whatsoever."

"Thinking about it now, I should have supported Uncle Eight or Uncle Fourteen instead!"

Hongxi complained.

Wang Tingcheng hurriedly advised, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words! It seems that the four families of fathers, sons, and brothers are all of one mind. It would be best not to act rashly!"

"I know I won't act rashly anymore; I'll just wait and see what fate has in store!"

After speaking, Hongxi stood up and solemnly said, "However, what Hongli said is indeed correct. Although I am now a prince, my master has become my fourth uncle, so I am still just a servant!"

……

……

After meeting Hongzhou, Hongli went to Xian'an Palace to inquire about the progress of the construction of Xian'an Palace School and the Imperial University of Peking.

Currently, this matter is mainly handled by Liu Tongxun and Huang You, who, as Attendants-in-Ordinary of the Cabinet, recruit teachers for him at Xian'an Palace and organize people to compile teaching materials for various courses at Xian'an Palace School and the Imperial University of Peking.

Because Hongli recommended these two people.

"To recruit talented people and promote education is a benevolent act. Although the current Fourth Prince does not have the title of Crown Prince, he already possesses the spirit of one!"

At this moment, Huang You saw the celebrities who had been invited to report and smiled as he spoke to Liu Tongxun.

Liu Tongxun smiled slightly and said, "This is indeed a matter of great benefit for generations to come, and we cannot be careless about it!"

"That is!"

Both of them clearly understood that working for Hongli would make them actual close advisors to the Crown Prince, and their future prospects would be even brighter, so they were both very motivated.

"Fourth Master has arrived!"

No sooner had the two finished speaking than they learned that Hongli had arrived at Xian'an Palace, so they hurriedly led a group of scholars out to greet him.

(End of this chapter)