My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 323: Order to halt all princes' flag-related affairs; Hongshi to be executed in the underworld!
Looking at these names, Yongzheng nodded repeatedly: "Well done!"

Hongli smiled to himself.

"Tell me, how come Zeng Jing and these Han gentry from the south know so much about the internal affairs of the imperial family, that they could fabricate such detailed charges against me as patricide, forcing my mother to abdicate, and murdering my brother?"

"How could the ignorant masses and foolish women not believe it after seeing it?"

Yongzheng suddenly asked Hongli about Zeng Jing.

Hongli then asked Yongzheng, "Father, do you mean that there are still members of our imperial family passing messages to these Han people?"

"Have you forgotten what Hongzhou confiscated from your third uncle's house?"

Yongzheng asked Hongli another question, a cold glint in his eyes.

Hongli shook his head: "Of course I haven't forgotten."

"The unification of Manchu and Han people has led to disloyalty and disrespect, which is truly lamentable and hateful!"

Emperor Yongzheng frowned again at this.

Hongli's heart skipped a beat. Oh dear, Yongzheng's paranoia had intensified at this moment.

Hongli then said, "But this matter is difficult to investigate thoroughly. Even if we ask Zeng Jing, I'm afraid that even if he is willing to confess, he can only say that he heard it from others in the streets."

"I didn't really intend to find out who it was, I just wanted you to know."

Yongzheng replied.

Hongli nodded: "Your subject understands!"

Hongli did understand that Yongzheng still cared about his opinion of him as his son, which is why he consulted him before deciding to further crack down on the imperial family to sever collusion between the inside and outside.

At this moment, Hongli took out another memorial of his: "This is my proposal for the next step of reforming the Imperial Household Department. I request that Father review it."

Yongzheng took it.

While the entire court was focused on Zeng Jing's treason case and Yongzheng's edict, Hongli continued to push forward his reforms of the Imperial Household Department and the establishment of the Imperial University of Peking.

The main task was to reorganize the Imperial Household Department.

Because the preparation for the establishment of the Imperial University of Peking alone required a great deal of time to compile teaching materials.

“Father said that the unification of Manchu and Han peoples has become a sign of disloyalty and disrespect. Therefore, I believe that we should follow the foundation of the Great Qing chosen by Father and let people of all ethnic groups stand on Father’s side.”

"Therefore, the new reform strategy I have proposed is to increase the revenue of the Imperial Household Department in the name of benefiting the lower-level artisans and ordinary bannermen of the Upper Three Banners."

"First, I request that the imperial craftsmen of the Imperial Household Department be allowed to cooperate with the Imperial Household Department to open shops and sell their products to the public; and the profits should be divided into three parts, one part to be kept by the craftsmen, one part to be handed over to the Imperial Household Department, and one part to be paid to the State Taxation Bureau as national tax."

"In this way, craftsmen can make a living in their spare time, increase the income of the Imperial Household Department, increase the income of the court, and make it easier for the people to use better tools, which will benefit production."

"Secondly, I request that the bondservants of the three banners under the Imperial Household Department be allowed to request permission to sell the items made by the Imperial Household Department, thus both benefiting themselves and increasing the revenue of the Imperial Household Department and the court, while also solving the problem of too many redundant staff in the Imperial Household Department."

At this point, Hongli looked at Yongzheng and said, "In short, as long as we extend kindness to the people, no matter how much the wicked and villainous people slander Father, they cannot shake the foundation of our Great Qing!"

"Treat me well and I will be your friend; mistreat me and I will be your enemy."

At this moment, Yongzheng sighed, then looked at Hongli, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Heaven has eyes, for it has given me a prince like you!"

As he spoke, Yongzheng turned his back to Hongli, wiped his eyes, and then granted Hongli's request.

So, just as Hongli was preparing to bestow favors upon the people...

Emperor Yongzheng then began to further weaken the power of the banners and strengthen his control over the Eight Banners group.

On the 25th day of the 11th month of the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign, Yongzheng issued an edict to suspend the princes' management of banner affairs.

This means that the banner lords of all ranks were completely stripped of their control over the people under their banners!
The Eight Banners were essentially a military organization.

Therefore, this also means that the various banner lords of the Eight Banners were stripped of their military power.

While Emperor Yongzheng instigated a debate among scholars and officials about whether to follow ancestral rules or the emperor's authority, which further divided the Han gentry, he also reduced the possibility of the Eight Banners jointly governing the Qing Dynasty.

Although Hongli was also a banner lord, he didn't care.

After all, he was destined to become emperor.

Those bannermen, who could never become emperor, naturally found it difficult to remain indifferent.

But they couldn't openly do anything to Yongzheng.

This is because the main fighting force of the Qing Dynasty is now the Green Standard Army, and the most prestigious commander of the Green Standard Army is Yue Zhongqi.

Yue Zhongqi once again demonstrated absolute loyalty.

Secondly, even if there were still capable soldiers among the Eight Banners soldiers, most of them were actually ethnic minorities such as the Solon people from outside the Great Wall who were not of one mind with the Eight Banners inside the Great Wall and only cared about money.

Therefore, the Eight Banner nobles could not expect to actually get the Eight Banner soldiers to rise up against Yongzheng. In fact, the fact that the Eight Banner nobles could not compete with the emperor for power and could not achieve joint rule by the Eight Banners was also because they themselves gave up the possibility of noble co-rule.

Because after entering the pass, the Eight Banners Heavenly Dragons degenerated too quickly!
They didn't accept much of the positive aspects of Han culture, but they quickly embraced the playful aspects.

Why did the Qing emperors always emphasize that the Eight Banners should be based on horsemanship and archery?
Essentially, the more something is lacking, the more it needs to be emphasized.

Because many of the Eight Banners nobles no longer knew how to ride and shoot, and only knew how to ride in sedan chairs, the Qing emperors increasingly emphasized riding and shooting.

For example, Emperor Yongzheng's own horsemanship and archery skills were far inferior to his own level of classical Chinese learning.

In his book "Dayi Juemi Lu", he wrote such excellent classical Chinese phrases as "Since ancient times, all emperors who have ruled the world have done so by cherishing and protecting all people, extending their benevolence to the four seas, receiving the favor of Heaven, and winning the hearts of millions, thus unifying the world and bringing blessings to future generations. For the way of life, only the virtuous can be the ruler of the world."

But he couldn't draw a heavy bow.

of course!

To check and balance the gentry class, the Qing emperors still relied heavily on the Eight Banners.

However, if we are going to rely on the Eight Banners, we must first revitalize the Eight Banners and strengthen their management.

Therefore, Emperor Yongzheng rigorously examined the officials and students of the Eight Banners, and was so ruthless that if a member of the Eight Banners failed the examination, he would be sent to farm outside the Great Wall, which was almost the same as being exiled.

But there's nothing we can do about it; aristocratic privileges aren't something you enjoy for nothing.

The princes, who were also the banner lords, no longer managed the affairs of their banners. Although Hongli didn't care, the other banner lords naturally had grievances.

Emperor Yongzheng's cousin, Guangshan, took the initiative to return from the imperial mausoleum to pay his respects to Prince Xun, Yunti.

When Yunti returned home from the military academy, he even stopped him directly and bowed, saying, "Nephew Guangshan greets his uncle!"

Yunti's face darkened, but he still met Guangshan in the study outside the Prince's Mansion.

"Who told you to come back?"

Because Guangshan was originally guarding the Kangxi Emperor's tomb, Yunti asked him this question.

Guang Shan said, "Grand Secretary Xiao sent me back."

then.

Guangshan excitedly asked Yunti, "Uncle, you are the Emperor's own brother and the prince most valued by the late Emperor. You cannot sit idly by and watch the ancestral rules be completely violated! If this continues, won't it really mean that Han people will be allowed to keep their hair?"

"Then what do you want to do?"

Yunti suddenly stood up and roared.

Guangshan trembled slightly, then knelt down immediately: "You must speak up for the banner lords of the Eight Banners, right?"

"Make a sound?"

Yunti chuckled coldly, then, as if having made up his mind, he got up and walked out: "Then I'll take you to see someone."

Not long after, Yunti brought Guangshan to see Hongli.

"Hongli, you are now the Prince Regent. Tell me, how should we deal with Guangshan's unauthorized return to pay his respects to me?"

Yunti asked.

Hongli glanced at Guangshan with a complicated expression: "I will report this truthfully to Father Khan."

Guangshan then knelt down before Hongli, saying, "Fourth Prince, you can't do this."

What else can I do?

"To tell you the truth, your uncle, Protector-General Mandu, and the imperial clansman Yanxin have already been executed!"

"Father has gone to see Uncle Ba now."

When Hongli said this, even Yunti couldn't help but turn pale.

Hongli looked at him and said, "Fourteenth Uncle, Zeng Jing knows so many inside stories of the royal family, it's impossible for Father not to be suspicious; and since Han gentry have started to make a fuss about the inside stories of the royal family, then some things are inevitable!"

Guangshan couldn't help but ask Hongli, "What will happen to Eighth Uncle?"

Yunti also looked at Hongli.

"I don't know, but I do know that Hongshi has also been executed!"

Hongli became increasingly serious as he spoke, and continued to say to Yunti, "Fourteenth Uncle, I only understand one principle now, and that is, if the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die!"

"Even though I am the prince whom the Khan trusts the most right now, I am still just a prince."

(End of this chapter)