My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 325 Taking Military Power, Yongzheng Wants Hongli to Oversee the Country!

“We servants are not saying that our master is forcing us to die, but that Chang Ming and the others are forcing us to die. They are the ones who instigated Fourth Master to make changes and cut off our food and clothing!”

At this moment, an old man began to defend himself.

Snapped!
Emperor Yongzheng immediately slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "This is clearly a great thing that benefits the court and you all, how did it turn into forcing you to your deaths!"

"My lord, you are wise to see the truth. Chang Ming and the others sending us out to open a shop is tantamount to sending us to our deaths!"

"Now that we've lost our jobs in the Imperial Household Department, we'll have to open our own shops and bear the profits and losses ourselves. Who knows, we might end up like the Cao and Li families someday. Besides, they were running businesses that were guaranteed to make a profit, and they still ended up like this."

These Manchu bannermen, relying on their merits, close personal relationships with the emperor, and advanced age, were quite outspoken.

Yongzheng didn't want to overly reprimand these people, so he just looked at Hongli and said, "Hongli, you tell them!"

Hongli knew that Yongzheng wanted to show him just how difficult it was to reform the Imperial Household Department internally.

If you feel that this matter is too hot to handle, you can then shift the blame to the three chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department, saying that they have gone too far and only cared about showing off in front of you without mentioning the difficulties involved.

But Hongli did not back down because of this. He just smiled and said, "Father, I think their concerns are understandable. I do have a solution."

"any solution?"

"The solution is that they can take their existing jobs in the Imperial Household Department with them when they leave. If the business is not doing well, they can sell the shops and come back to work and receive their salary. In short, it's a suspension of salary and leave of absence!"

"However, they still had to believe that the Qing Dynasty would become more and more prosperous, and that they had a good chance of making money if they went abroad."

After Hongli said this, Yongzheng nodded and then looked at the elderly people: "Can you still accept this now?"

"If what Fourth Master says is true, which of our servants' families wouldn't want to go out and try their luck?"

"Yes, we know your difficulties, Master. We are just afraid that if we go out rashly without the current jobs in the Imperial Household Department, we will not only fail to earn any income for you, Master, but also miss the opportunity to be loyal to you."

The elderly people began to talk.

Yongzheng chuckled coldly: "You're all being kind enough by not causing me any more trouble. You may all leave."

"Whoo!"

After the old men were pushed away, Yongzheng asked Hongli meaningfully, "Since you had such a win-win solution, why didn't you bring it up earlier?"

"That's because I wanted to see if the three chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department could help me fill in any gaps in my knowledge."

Hongli smiled faintly, subtly sowing discord among the three chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department.

Emperor Yongzheng's face darkened on the spot.

Yongzheng then looked at Nian Xiyao, the chief steward who was also on duty there:
"It's one thing for them to just stand by and watch, but why are you joining in?"

Nian Xiyao immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant did secretly go to pay his respects to the Fourth Master, but the Fourth Master refused to see me!"

After Nian Xiyao finished speaking, he felt cold sweat break out on his back, as if needles were pricking him, giving him goosebumps. He thought to himself:

"This Fourth Master is truly terrifying! He punishes people without warning. Luckily, I didn't end up like Chang Ming and Shang Zhishun, just going through the motions because I didn't want to make changes, or I would have been finished today!"

This made him secretly vow that he would be even more careful in front of the Fourth Prince in the future!

"That's because the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department is a close advisor to the Khan. It's best for me not to meet with him alone in private."

At this point, Hongli offered his reasons.

Yongzheng nodded, then instructed Hongli: "You convey my decree to dismiss Changming and Monk Zhishun on the spot. You decide on the new head of the Imperial Household Department and report it to the Ministry of Personnel."

"Whoo!"

Hongli was overjoyed.

Undoubtedly, this showed that Emperor Yongzheng had completely trusted him.

Even the crucial position of the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, which was related to the emperor's personal safety, was decided by him.

At the same time, this also allowed him, Hongli, to select a more trusted minister to serve as the head of the Imperial Household Department, making the reform of the Imperial Household Department proceed more smoothly.

However, Chang Ming and Shang Zhishun found themselves in a daze that they had been dismissed from their posts.

Both of them came to ask Nian Xiyao, who could only sigh and say, "You underestimate our Fourth Prince's ability to reform the Imperial Household Department. The things you are afraid to do are nothing in the eyes of the Fourth Prince."

The two were confused, but they understood a little. They realized that the problem was due to the Fourth Prince's power. The issue was that they had been pressured by Yongzheng but hadn't rushed to ask Hongli for help, which Hongli remembered.

This left the two with no choice but to accept their fate. While Hongli dared to hold a grudge against them, they dared not, and they would have to prepare an opportunity to explain things to Hongli properly.

The news that Hongli dismissed two chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department with a single word quickly spread throughout the Imperial Household Department.

This caused both excitement and panic among many Ministry of the Interior officials.

The exciting thing is that two of the chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department have been dismissed, so maybe I can also move up in position?

What terrifies me is that this Fourth Master is so ruthless; could I also be dismissed from my post or even lose my head if I'm not careful?

When Hongli arrived at the Imperial Household Department, he clearly felt that the officials there were even more enthusiastic and respectful towards him.

"Fourth Master, may you be blessed!"

"Fourth Master, I recently acquired a calligraphy scroll, an authentic work by Yan Zhenqing, and I thought I would present it to you as a token of my filial piety."

"Fourth Master, since you took over the management of the Imperial Household Department, things have become much easier for the department. We are all grateful to you."

The repeated calls of "Fourth Master" made Hongli's bones feel weak.

After taking his seat, Hongli looked at the fawning faces and said with a smile, "You all know very well, that Father Khan asked me to appoint a new chief steward."

The crowd just chuckled awkwardly, but continued to flatter him and give him gifts.

Although Hongli accepted all the gifts, he ultimately chose Haiwang of the Uya clan and Ding Zaobao of the Han Army Banner, both officials of the Imperial Household Department, as the new chief stewards based on their abilities.

In any case, being good at handling situations is just the foundation; being good at getting things done is the key.

After the appointment of a new head of the Imperial Household Department, the department's new reform strategy began to be implemented.

Many artisans and imperial physicians were put into business, funded by the Imperial Household Department, under the guise of stabilizing prices and benefiting the people.

Many Manchu bannermen of the Imperial Household Department also took leave from their posts and went to Tianjin, Baoding and other places to open shops with their families.

"These are tea sets I made. Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Prince Yi all like them very much. Please take a look, Your Highness?"

Shumulu Shanwen, a member of the city guard, came to a tea ware shop run by Lü Duojin, a flag maker from the Imperial Household Department. He planned to buy a tea set as a gift for his father-in-law, whose birthday was approaching and who was fond of collecting tea sets.

Moreover, Shumulu Shanwen knew that his father-in-law was very particular about tea sets, so he dared not be careless. When he saw that the shop was registered under the name of the Imperial Household Department's workshop, he went in.

Shumulu Shanwen observed for a while and indeed thought the tea set was quite good, worthy of someone from the palace. So he gritted his teeth and bought a set with the money he had borrowed.

Many Manchu bannermen, like Shumulu Shanwen, bought their goods from the Imperial Household Department's workshops because they were of good quality, and many even borrowed money to do so.

Borrowing and spending were one of the signs of the decline of the Eight Banners people, and also one of the bad phenomena that Qing emperors often mentioned in conjunction with the Bannermen's neglect of archery and horsemanship.

Because Manchus could only live together according to their banner, their neighbors were all relatives, and with so many acquaintances, they liked to show off their status and grandeur.

In Lao She's words, the rich are truly particular, and the poor are particular about the fuss over the fuss.

In addition, most Manchus had stable jobs.

Therefore, many Manchu families often dared to run up debts to save face, and their spending on social obligations was very high. They would only settle their debts after receiving their paychecks at the end of the year.

Historically, the Battle of Tongbo would have caused countless Manchu families to collapse due to the loss of their breadwinner, leading to the exodus of many Manchus to become slaves.

However, the Qing Dynasty was still in a stable and improving state, so no banner household had gone bankrupt due to being unable to repay its debts. Naturally, they continued to overspend, sending a large amount of money to the Imperial Household Department, making the department very wealthy.

"The newly opened shops last month received nearly 200,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Household Department. At the same time, the rate of defective products in the various utensils supplied to the palace dropped significantly. The reason is that they are all afraid of being dismissed and punished by the Imperial Household Department and losing such a chance to make money."

When Hongli reported to Yongzheng on the effects of the new reform strategy in the twelfth month of the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign, Yongzheng was also admiring the newly made porcelain from the imperial workshops and said with a smile:
"Rituals arise from existence and perish from non-existence. Indeed, governing according to the true essence of the Great Qing Dynasty is beneficial to the education of ritual and music."

Seeing the joy on his face, Hongli knew that Yongzheng had also tasted the benefits of unleashing the productivity of the Imperial Household Department.

Not only did Emperor Yongzheng reap the benefits of unleashing the productivity of the Imperial Household Department, but the Thirteenth Prince, who oversaw the Ministry of Revenue, also benefited. On this day, when he met Emperor Yongzheng, he said to him:
"Fourth Brother, after Hongli reformed the Imperial Household Department, the Ministry of Revenue's treasury has seen an increase of over two million taels of silver in tax revenue this year! This truly balances public and private interests!"

"More importantly, the increased issuance of copper coins helped to stabilize the persistently high prices. Although scholars complained that this was competing with the people for profit, the common people actually benefited and were able to compare prices from different vendors!"

After Yunxiang said this, Yongzheng smiled and said, "This is because he chose the right foundation for the Qing Dynasty."

Yunxiang nodded, then suddenly said to Yongzheng, "Fourth Brother, it's time to let Hongli gain experience in military affairs. He can manage the Imperial Household Department well, which shows that he has no problem with food and goods administration. Now all that's missing is military administration, and then he will be qualified to oversee the country."

"Moreover, he is now of one mind with you and your son, and you share the same ideals. You have few people you can rely on, and there are many people in and out of the court who are eager to make trouble. If you do not establish his authority in the army as soon as possible, I'm afraid he will not be able to carry out his will in the future!"

Yongzheng nodded and said, "I need to make him capable of overseeing the country as soon as possible. So let him no longer be in charge of the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Household Department, and the Imperial Academy, but continue to concurrently manage the Xian'an Palace School, and at the same time, act as the head of the Eight Banners Commandery and the Ministry of War!"

(End of this chapter)