My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 333 Hongli Officially Regents the State, Yongzheng Retires to the Second Line! (Two Chapters Combined)

The following day, Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict to establish the Grand Council within the palace.

At the same time, he ordered Prince Yi, Yunxiang, the fourth prince, Prince Bao, Hongli, Zhang Tingyu, Marseille, and Jiang Tingxi to secretly handle all military supplies matters.

When Hongli heard this decree, he was naturally not surprised. He could only sigh that the establishment of the Grand Council by Yongzheng was brought forward because of his influence, and that he and Marseille were among the first batch of Grand Councilors.

It's not surprising that Sun Zhu and Longkodo were not among the first batch of Grand Councilors.

Sun Zhu's recent performance has indeed been lackluster.

Despite the fact that Yongzheng still treated Longkodo with the same respect as an uncle, he was always wary of him.

The main reason was that Longkodo was too high-profile. He felt that Yongzheng deserved the greatest credit for becoming emperor, and he often made such a statement to the outside world.

It's understandable that Yunli and Yunlu didn't get in.

After all, one is sickly and needs to recuperate, while the other is not capable enough. Since there are more reliable members of the imperial clan available, there is no need to let Yunlu join the Grand Council.

Moreover, it is not advisable to have too many members of the imperial family in the Grand Council.

Surprisingly, Jiang Tingxi ended up in the Grand Council.

However, the Qing Dynasty at that time did not have many capable Manchu officials.

There's nothing we can do about it; the population size is what it is.

Of course, there are more outstanding talents among the Han people.

This situation becomes more and more obvious as you progress.

By the late Qing Dynasty, the ministers who helped extend the dynasty's fortunes were primarily Han Chinese officials.

Hongli knew that Jiang Tingxi was capable; during his tenure as Minister of Revenue, he had helped Yongzheng make up for the deficit and had achieved great success.

This person informed Emperor Yongzheng of all the methods Han gentry used to evade and steal taxes, which enabled Yongzheng to achieve remarkable results in making up for the deficit.

It can be said that Jiang Tingxi gained the trust of Emperor Yongzheng by betraying Han Chinese gentry.

Of course, it could also be said that Jiang Tingxi gained the emperor's trust by betraying his own class.

When Hongli arrived at the north side of Longzong Gate, he saw Zhang Tingyu standing there. After Zhang Tingyu greeted him, he said to Hongli, "Your subject is ordered to lead the Fourth Prince to the Grand Council."

"Thank you."

Hongli then followed Zhang Tingyu into a row of low houses facing south.

Hongli discovered that this low-ceilinged house was right next to the Imperial Household Department's storeroom and the guards' quarters.

Inside the house were four wooden cabins covered with light-colored wallpaper. Each cabin had a kang bed and a table and stools, with writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and two white porcelain hat stands on the table.

The first, slightly larger wooden hut also had several chairs and a coffee table.

After Hongli followed Zhang Tingyu in, Zhang Tingyu pointed to the second wooden house on the left and said to Hongli, "Fourth Master, this is your duty room."

Hongli nodded.

"Please come with me, Fourth Master!"

Zhang Tingyu spoke again at this moment, and at the same time, he pushed open a hidden door inside the Military Affairs Office.

Hongli was surprised, but he followed Zhang Tingyu into the secret door.

Soon, he found himself inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"His Majesty's intention is that, in the future, if the Grand Councilors have any confidential matters to report, they can directly use this secret door."

Zhang Tingyu explained.

Hongli nodded, and soon saw Yongzheng in the main hall.

Yongzheng gave Zhang Tingyu's memorial to Hongli: "This is the specific regulations that Zhang Tingyu has drafted for the Grand Council to handle matters in accordance with imperial orders. Take a look and see if there is anything to add."

"Whoo!"

Hongli took it, read it through, and offered a few minor suggestions to show that he was giving it serious thought.

After hearing this, Yongzheng asked Zhang Tingyu to speak as well. Zhang Tingyu agreed and requested permission to make the changes immediately.

Subsequently, when Yunxiang, Marseille, and Jiang Tingxi arrived, Yongzheng made the same arrangement.

Hongli then understood that Zhang Tingyu was in charge of the daily operation of the Grand Council.

Shortly after Emperor Yongzheng established the Grand Council, two Han Chinese scholars, Zeng Jing and Zhang Xi, who had plotted a rebellion, were escorted to the capital.

Next, Yongzheng decided to personally interrogate Zeng Jing and Zhang Xi, issuing edicts to them almost every day to inquire about their views on many matters.

Especially Zeng Jing.

The differences lie between Chinese and barbarians, in the hearts and livelihoods of the people, and in the mandate of heaven and the orthodox tradition.

Emperor Yongzheng quoted out every word from Zeng Jing's book and questioned him about why he made such arguments and what his reasons were.

At the same time, Yongzheng also cited many counterexamples and quoted many sages to refute Zeng Jing.

Zeng Jing was very cooperative.

On the one hand, he calls himself a "heinous criminal" and actively denies his previous statements.

On the one hand, he attributed his mistakes to being born in a poor and remote area and having limited knowledge, while mistakenly believing that Lü Liuliang's scholarship was the real scholarship, and even thinking that a great Confucian scholar like Lü Liuliang should be the emperor.

This piqued Yongzheng's interest, and he questioned Zeng Jing further, even bringing up the theories of contradiction and practice that Hongli had explained to him, asking Zeng Jing his opinion on them, and whether he thought the essence of Han learning was based on seeking truth from facts.

Whether it was out of a strong desire to survive or because his motivation from the moment he decided to rebel was to become an official, a high-ranking official trusted by the emperor, and to realize the ambition of assisting the monarch that almost all scholar-officials had, Zeng Jing highly praised Yongzheng's questions and catered to Yongzheng.

During this period, both Celing and Yue Zhongqi received imperial edicts from Emperor Yongzheng appointing them as commanders to lead troops in the campaign against the Dzungars.

This moved both Celing and Yue Zhongqi deeply.

Yue Zhongqi was moved that Yongzheng still trusted him and was willing to give him important responsibilities, and did not stop letting him command troops just because he was a Han general.

Celing did not expect that Yongzheng would not choose a Manchu as the commander-in-chief at this time, but would instead entrust him with the command of the Eight Banners troops in the north.

But at the same time, the two of them were also very surprised.

Logically, the emperor would only want a Manchu to be the commander of an army of tens of thousands.

Although Nian Gengyao was a Han Chinese, he was also a member of the Han Banner Army, belonging to the emperor's own people.

Therefore, the two of them were quite surprised.

However, Tsering, the commander of the northern route, learned from letters sent back by the Mongol princes in Beijing that he and Yue Zhongqi were able to become the main generals of this expedition against the Dzungars because Hongli recommended them.

Therefore, when Ce Leng and Yue Zhongqi met to discuss cooperation during the advance, Ce Leng said to Yue Zhongqi, "We were able to become commanders because Fourth Master recommended us."

Yue Zhongqi was even more surprised to hear this, but at the same time, he couldn't help but straighten his chest even more.

After all, the fact that Hongli trusted him more than Yongzheng trusted him undoubtedly made him feel safer.

Celing was the same, and said with a solemn expression: "Fourth Prince is indeed a prince valued by two generations of Bogda Khans. His magnanimity, vision and wisdom are all outstanding."

"The reason why Galdan Tsering's surprise attack on Koshetu failed this time was because the Fourth Prince sent the most elite firearms soldiers from the Eight Banners camps here in advance!"

After Celing said that, Yue Zhongqi immediately turned to look at him: "Fourth Master, did you save Keshetu?"

Ce Leng nodded.

"The future of our Great Qing Dynasty is promising!"

Yue Zhongqi couldn't help but sigh at this.

Galdan Tsering soon learned from the Russian Vronsky that Tsering and Yue Zhongqi had become the commanders of the northern and western armies respectively, and that they were launching a campaign against him.

Ce Ling had to further restrain his contempt for Yongzheng: "He didn't even appoint a Manchu as a general?"

Vronsky said, "He probably knows himself that there's no one left among their Manchu bannermen to use!"

Ce Ling said with frustration, "That's not important. What's important is that he's actually willing to not use Manchus!"

"He would very likely have chosen not to appoint Manchus as generals."

"You should know that Yue Zhongqi, a mere Nikan, was appointed by him as the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and later as the General Who Pacifies the Distant Regions."

“For this reason, Nikan Caiting of the Han Army Banner was dissatisfied.”

Vronsky began to speak, and like Raguginsky, he referred to the Han Chinese as Nikan.

Ce Ling nodded.

But Ce Ling still frowned and sighed, "But these two are not simple people."

"What are you afraid of? Didn't you also plan that this was just to teach the Khalkha a lesson and replenish your warhorses? As long as the Qing court sends troops to attack, you will leave and sue for peace?"

Even if these two are not simple, it will not affect your peace negotiations and your continued accumulation of strength.

Vronsky replied.

Tsering said, "But we'll have to fight sooner or later! Destroying the Khalkha, marching south into the Central Plains, and establishing an even more powerful Khanate is my long-cherished wish. What the Aisin Gioro family can do, I, Galdan, can do too!"

Vronsky smiled: "I admire your ambition!"

Ce Ling waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about these things. We still need to make peace. After that, we need to try our best to get Yongzheng to replace him."

"I've heard that Marsai and Fu'erdan are the most popular among the Eight Banners. Spread the word for me that I'm most afraid of these two as commanders, and that I have nothing to fear from people like Celing and Yue Zhongqi!"

"If I succeed, I will reward you handsomely!"

Ce Ling then began to explain his demands to Vronsky. ...

……

"The Dzungar Khanate has sent an envoy to sue for peace."

"Furthermore, it is said that Galdan Tsering originally did not want to sue for peace this time, because he thought that the general he sent was not Marsai or Fuerdan, whom he feared. However, considering that there is indeed a gap in national strength between China and our Celestial Empire, and in order to protect the peace of all people, he still came to sue for peace."

"Now, there are rumors that Galdan Tsering is most worried about our Celestial Empire using Marsai and Fuerdan, especially among the Manchu people. Therefore, they think that the Dzungars are most afraid of the Manchu Eight Banners!"

Not long after, Shi Lin, the governor of Shanxi, learned from his advisor, the scholar Zhang Tinggui, about Ce Ling's request for peace and was overjoyed by it.

This greatly excited Shi Lin, who was of the Jue Luo clan: "It seems that the only ones who can truly deter the villains are my Manchu people. Without my Manchu people, the border will never be truly peaceful!"

“The Censor is right.”

Zhang Tinggui quickly chimed in.

Shi Lin lamented, “It’s a pity that the current emperor is unwilling to believe that we Manchus are more capable of shouldering great responsibilities! Instead, he only listens to the instigation of some shameless villains among you Han people, preferring to abandon the ancestral system of shaving heads and changing clothes, in order to show that etiquette should follow the emperor’s wishes, so that the current emperor can use people as he pleases!”

As a Han Chinese, Zhang Tinggui naturally dared not speak ill of Emperor Yongzheng.

He simply took out an anonymous letter from his sleeve and said to Shi Lin, "These are two anonymous letters that my men found at the west corner gate of the Xia County School. I ask you, Your Excellency, to decide whether to report them to the Emperor truthfully."

Shi Lin then took the anonymous letter, which was filled with expressions of dissatisfaction with the current practice of obeying the emperor's will and opinions on who should be the ruler of China.

……

……

"If you wish to be the master of China, you should cease the war in the northwest, abandon the northern deserts, and not accept barbarians and beasts as your subjects, rather than exhausting your military resources and mistreating the Chinese people!"

"Mr. Wancun's distinction between Chinese and barbarians is based on the Spring and Autumn Annals. When the sage referred to the barbarians, he was referring to the State of Chu, saying that the usurper wore the left-fastening robe, was ignorant of the great principles of human relations, and was not accustomed to culture and education! If the current emperor were to follow the rites of China, he would be the ruler of China."

"As for Chinese etiquette, we should strictly adhere to ancestral rules and not arbitrarily change Chinese etiquette because of barbarian intentions. Since our ancestors changed the Chinese custom to wearing queues and horse-sleeves, we should naturally abide by the customs of our ancestors, which is in accordance with the way of loyalty and filial piety!"

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

As Yongzheng looked at the anonymous petition sent by Shi Lin, his lips trembled and his hand holding the petition shook uncontrollably.

Hongli happened to come to pay his respects to Yongzheng at that moment and saw this scene. He couldn't help but ask, "Father, what's wrong with you?"

"See for yourself."

“Lu Liuliang’s followers are crying out for justice for him, and they are even teaching me how to be the ruler of China.”

Yongzheng gave the petition to Hongli.

Hongli then began to read it carefully.

After reading it, Hongli shook his head slightly.

He now understood why Emperor Yongzheng was so furious.

These Han gentry really dared to take advantage of Yongzheng's desire to become the ruler of China and make things difficult for him, even demanding that he give up his rule over the Khalkha Mongols in northern Mongolia!
In that case, wouldn't it be better to simply abandon our old home in Northeast China and rely on the strategic passes along the Great Wall for defense once again?

Clearly, these Han gentry did not dare to directly speak out about Zeng Jing's alleged rebellion due to Lü Liuliang's thoughts, so they resorted to anonymous petitions to Yongzheng.

Hongli (Emperor Yongzheng) was well aware of why these Han gentry made such demands of him.

Ultimately, it all comes down to money.

Fighting in the Northwest will cost a lot of money.

More importantly, maintaining rule outside the Great Wall required spending even more money every year.

The silver naturally came from the Han gentry within the Great Wall, especially from the Han gentry in the south.

For example, in December of last year, Emperor Yongzheng had already begun discussing military matters, so he sent Vice Ministers Wang Ji and Peng Weixin to Jiangnan to investigate arrears in taxes in order to make preparations in advance.

Yes!

Although the government was very strict in making up for the deficit in the first year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, and had suppressed several tax resistance incidents in the preceding years, the situation of tax arrears has reappeared.

The Jiangnan region is the most prominent.

It seems that getting local governments to pay taxes is just as difficult as getting all officials to be honest.

of course!

It cannot be ruled out that, given the irreversible unification of wealth and the increasing number of poor people, coupled with the already heavy land tax in the Qing Dynasty, tax arrears would be unavoidable and would continue to occur.

However, the military campaign in the Northwest was indeed closely related to the interests of Han Chinese gentry.

That's why they anonymously opposed the military campaign in the Northwest, even urging Yongzheng to abandon the Northwest and the Mongolian Plateau, suggesting that if he wanted to be the ruler of China, he should focus on being the ruler of the area within the Great Wall and reduce the burden on the people within the Great Wall.

"Father, please calm down. In my humble opinion, these Han gentry have not been educated enough!"

"Therefore, they still fantasize that it is enough to maintain the peace and prosperity within the pass, and even hope that the emperor will also be like them, maintaining the status quo and doing nothing."

"Even if this leads to the growth of foreign enemies and their invasion, or even a change of dynasty, it will only result in a change of ruler. In any case, following the will of Heaven is following the will of the people, which is what a gentleman should do."

At this point, Hongli shared his own opinion.

After listening, Yongzheng nodded and sneered: "Then we need to make it even more profound, so that they know that if there is another change of dynasty, their lives will only be more difficult!"

"Ama is wise!"

Emperor Yongzheng then personally wrote a lengthy edict, vehemently criticizing this viewpoint and instructing local officials to inform students in prefectures and counties that the ruler of China should not think that he only needs to ensure the well-being of the people within the Great Wall, but should also educate and civilize the barbarians.

Otherwise, the barbarian and beastly behavior will only intensify in the future, causing the area within the pass to also adopt this trend, and ultimately leading to the collapse of rites and music.

Yongzheng could not say directly, "If you Han gentry continue to think that changing dynasties is not a big deal, or even that the country will be destroyed and your race will be exterminated, then don't blame the new dynasty for not being more vigilant against you."

But Yongzheng's words were also an indirect reminder to these Han gentry.

"Who cares about the future? The present is already like purgatory!"

"That's right. I don't know, and I don't want to know, whether the lives of those who come after will be even more difficult because of this. But I do know that the lives of us scholar-officials are very difficult right now!"

"What we want is not the restoration of Han Chinese clothing and customs, but for scholars to truly serve as role models for the common people!"

However, in private, many Han gentry did not take this seriously and instead ridiculed it.

As a result, Yongzheng received anonymous accusations from other regions.

"A true sage ruler moves the surrounding barbarians with virtue, not with force!"

"If you wish to be the ruler of China, you should act with the benevolence of the Chinese people, and not persecute members of the imperial family, mistreat Confucian officials, or impose heavy taxes on the common people!"

In October of the seventh year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, after seeing these petitions, the Yongzheng Emperor read a few words and then slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"As expected, they still sympathize with Yinzhi and his ilk! They completely disregard how I was bullied by the Eighth Prince and his group. They've wasted their time studying the classics; the more they study, the less they care about their sovereign and father!"

"They still prefer to recognize a hypocrite like Lao Ba as their master!"

After speaking in a fit of rage, Yongzheng fainted on the ground.

Upon seeing this, Su Peisheng hurriedly summoned the imperial physicians, who then performed emergency treatment, and Yongzheng finally regained consciousness.

Once Yongzheng regained consciousness, he continued to argue with the writers of these anonymous whistleblower posts.

"Fourth Brother, why don't we stop writing? We can't change their stance anyway."

When the thirteenth prince came to see him, he saw that he was very haggard, but he was still writing. So he spoke up and advised him to stop writing these argumentative words.

Emperor Yongzheng then wrote furiously: "I know I cannot change their stance, but I must let the people of the world who are in a state of ignorance know my stance, especially the Manchus!"

"Furthermore, it's not that I'm unwilling to prioritize the Manchus; on the contrary, it's precisely because I prioritize them that I need to write more so that more Manchus understand what stance they should take."

"I believe that most Manchus, and even most Han and Mongols, share the same stance as me."

After saying that, Yongzheng continued writing.

However, due to the pressing military affairs, Yongzheng's personal interrogation of Zeng Jing, his struggle against anonymous whistleblowers, and the approaching cold weather, he soon fell seriously ill.

Upon learning this, Hongli immediately came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience.

When Yongzheng saw him, he said to him, "I am seriously ill this time. It is like malaria but not malaria. I have alternating chills and fever. I am afraid that I do not know when I will recover."

Upon hearing this, Hongli lowered his head and sobbed a few times.

Upon seeing this, Yongzheng was deeply moved and forced a smile, saying, "Fortunately, you have already demonstrated extraordinary talent. Even your thirteenth uncle said you have the talent to oversee the country, and many ministers in the court now have great faith in you, even in matters of military administration."

"Therefore, I have already drafted an edict appointing you as regent. From now on, you will oversee the country and govern from Yuqing Palace."

As Yongzheng spoke, he painstakingly took out the edict he had already prepared from his sleeve and handed it to Hongli.

Hongli immediately knelt down and accepted the decree: "Your subject accepts the decree!"

Hongli remembered that in history, Yongzheng fell seriously ill seven years after his death, and it took him two whole years to recover from this illness.

It was because of this serious illness that the thirteenth prince, Yunxiang, had to shoulder more responsibilities, and ultimately died of exhaustion in the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign.

However, in this life, although Yongzheng was still seriously ill, he did not let the thirteenth prince take on this responsibility, but instead let him directly oversee the country.

This was partly because Yongzheng trusted Hongli more in this generation, and partly because Hongli had more prestige in this generation.

Hongli then took the imperial edict, the imperial seal, and the golden token, and then went through a secret door to the Grand Council.

Then, with a solemn expression, Hongli addressed the Grand Councilors:

"Father has issued a decree ordering me to oversee the country and govern the state!"

(End of this chapter)