My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 353: Granting Imperial Favor and Promotion, and Bestowing the Grace of Having the Eldest Son Raised by the Empress!
"Emperors, who inherit the Mandate of Heaven, govern the world and rule over the people, should naturally work diligently day and night and strive to improve the country."

"However, as I grow older, although I personally attend to all affairs, I still fear that my strength is insufficient. Considering the weighty responsibility entrusted to me, there is no better course of action than to establish a solid foundation for the nation and to reassure the hearts of the people."

"The fourth prince, Prince Bao, Hongli, was intelligent from a young age. He received long-term family instruction and was further nurtured by the Empress, who combined kindness and strictness."

"He is kind and filial by nature, and possesses profound knowledge and wisdom. He is well-versed in the classics and history, and understands the principles of governance; he practices what he preaches and is clear about the principles of things. He handles matters with composure and has repeatedly demonstrated outstanding insight. His merits and virtues are evident and admired by both the court and the public, making him fully capable of undertaking great responsibilities."

"In accordance with established laws and public opinion, we respectfully inform Heaven, the ancestral temple, and the state, and hereby bestow upon him the imperial seal and establish him as the Crown Prince, placing him in the Eastern Palace."

"As heir apparent, you should be diligent every day, study hard and cultivate virtue, befriend the virtuous and stay away from the wicked. Serve your ruler and parents with filial piety, and care for the common people with benevolence. Reverence Heaven and ancestral laws, be frugal and diligent. Do not be lazy or negligent, and forever uphold your teachings."

"Officials, both Chinese and foreign, wholeheartedly assisted and supported the state, working together to safeguard the nation and enjoy peace and prosperity."

……

"The Ministry of Rites is instructed to thoroughly investigate the appropriate ceremonies and select an auspicious date to submit a report."

When the chief Grand Councilor Marseille was ordered to read the imperial edict in front of the royal princes and high-ranking officials, all the royal princes and officials kowtowed and praised the emperor as "wise and sagacious."

However, when they kowtowed and proclaimed "Your Majesty is wise," some princes and ministers who did not expect that Yongzheng would actually be willing to officially establish Hongli as the crown prince looked somewhat strange.

Especially Hongchun.

When he first heard that Yongzheng had agreed, his eyes widened and his face instantly turned green!

Because the process of Yongzheng discussing the establishment of the crown prince at Qianqing Gate was too harmonious, so harmonious that he could hardly believe it was real!

It was only at this moment that he realized that the thirteenth prince, Yunlu, Yunli, Marsai, Ortai, Zhang Tingyu and others were not actually opposing Yongzheng.

The only truly foolish one is himself!

How unacceptable must this be for him?
Only he knows.

"How could this be?"

When Hongjun learned of the result from Hongchun, he was also very surprised. He put down the wine that was just about to his lips and stared at the table full of delicacies with lifeless eyes, like those of a dead fish.

Hongchun looked like he was thinking seriously and said, "At that time, Hongli just kept praising the Thirteenth Prince! He said he was the greatest wise king in history!"

"On this point, it is different from Uncle Ba's reaction back then. Uncle Ba did not dare to speak up for Ma Qi and the others back then. Instead, he only said that Ma Qi and the others conspired to set him up, that he was unaware of it, and that he strongly disagreed with it."

"Praising the Thirteenth Uncle?"

After listening, Hongzheng also looked like he was analyzing the situation seriously, then chuckled awkwardly: "It seems that's where the problem lies!"

"Whether Fourth Uncle wants to establish a crown prince depends on how much respect the crown prince has for Thirteenth Uncle!"

"As long as the Crown Prince respects Uncle Thirteen, Uncle Four will be at ease, and there will be a temporary balance."

Hongzheng spoke with great certainty, and couldn't help but look towards the Prince Yi's residence, which was not far from here.

then.

Hongzheng sighed, "It seems that Hongli is indeed amazing, even more so than Eighth Uncle! He really knows what Fourth Uncle is thinking!"

Hongchun suddenly gulped down a glass of wine, then another, and then started gulping it down again.

But Hongzheng stopped him: "Alright! There's no need for that. He was originally a prince, and the most outstanding one at that. Even if he is a prince, he has no right to be dissatisfied after becoming the crown prince."

"And what about us imperial nephews? If you're really worried he still remembers what happened before, then you should be even more careful and humble in the future!"

Hongchun gritted his teeth, tears welling in his eyes, but he still nodded.

After the grand court assembly, Hongli came out and instructed Li Yu: "Tell Shuangding to go back and say that the Emperor has issued an edict to establish me as the Crown Prince. Tell the family not to worry. Then wait for me outside. I need to go and express my gratitude and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

Li Yu was slightly taken aback after hearing this.

"Whoo!"

He immediately replied and rushed towards the double top of the Haha Beads.

Hongli patted his sleeves, smiled slightly, and headed towards the Longzong Gate in the direction of the rising sun. He then turned north and headed towards the Yangxin Hall.

Before long, Hongli met Yongzheng in the rear sleeping quarters of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and paid his respects to Yongzheng with great ceremony.

"Get up."

Yongzheng raised his hand slightly, his tone somewhat indifferent.

"Thank you, Ama."

Hongli stood up and stood behind Yongzheng.

Yongzheng then helped Ai Da up, coughed slightly, and then said, "Once the investiture ceremony is held, you will be the crown prince. The crown prince should act like a crown prince and should take the crown princes of the past as a model."

"Your son will remember your teachings, Father!"

Hongli bowed and replied.

Seeing that Hongli was as humble as ever, Yongzheng nodded.

"Your father, Guo Luoma, has been granted the title of Third-Class Duke by imperial decree, which is hereditary; in accordance with the precedent of the Crown Prince's retirement. Your primary consort Fucha's father, Li Rongbao, should also be posthumously granted the title of First-Class Marquis."

At this point, Yongzheng brought up the matter of bestowing honors upon Hongli's relatives. As he spoke, Yongzheng asked Hongli, "Who else do you think needs to be granted titles?"

"And there is also my uncle, Wuge. I am able to have the ability to inherit the throne today, as my father said in his edict, also because of my mother's loving care."

Yongzheng's question was no challenge for Hongli. He wouldn't let Yongzheng think that he had lost his senses and that he needed Yongzheng to remind him not to forget the Empress's kindness in raising him.

Yongzheng nodded again: "Then he shall also be promoted to the rank of Third-Class Duke."

Then, Yongzheng personally wrote a handwritten edict, and then said nothing more, nor did he let Hongli leave.

"Amma!"

At this moment, Hongli called out.

Yongzheng's eyes gleamed slightly: "Speak!"

"Your subject requests that your fifth brother be promoted to a higher rank, so that he may become familiar with political affairs."

Hongli suddenly bowed and made a request.

Hehe! He knew what Yongzheng was thinking. He suddenly stopped talking and wouldn't let him leave because he hoped that Yongzheng would take the initiative to say those words.

From a public perspective, even if he becomes the crown prince, the Qing Dynasty cannot have only him as its heir; there must be other princes with practical political abilities to fill the vacancy.

Because life is unpredictable, and there is no guarantee that no unexpected event will occur that would prevent the crown prince from ascending the throne.

For a highly centralized dynasty like the Qing Dynasty, which desperately needed an emperor with exceptional abilities, the chosen princes naturally could not be too incompetent.

Of course, the Qing Dynasty's emphasis on the ability of its successors was also related to learning from the lessons of previous dynasties. It was found that sending princes to power without practical political training would indeed have very bad consequences for the ancestral temples and the state.

After all, the behavior of Chongzhen, a prince who directly inherited the throne, is quite thought-provoking.

Therefore, at this time, Hongli should suggest giving Hongzhou more responsibilities and grooming him as a successor.

As for whether Hongzhou's mother was Han Chinese, that's not important; it's just a matter of raising her to a higher social class.

Historically, Emperor Jiaqing's mother, Lady Wei, was originally a Han Chinese bondservant of the Wei clan, but was later elevated to the banner system and became Lady Wei.

From a personal perspective...

Even after establishing a crown prince, Yongzheng still needed a second successor to check and balance Hongli and the powerful officials who were attached to Hongli, to ensure that he could exercise imperial power, and to warn Hongli and his faction that if they did not behave, he would depose the crown prince like Kangxi did.

As an emperor with a strong desire for power, no matter how much Yongzheng valued Hongli, he would still be wary of him in the arena of power.

This is inevitable.

It won't be completely different from Kangxi's.

Especially now that his condition has greatly improved.

Emperor Yongzheng naturally wanted to hold power for a few more years while he still had the energy.

However, Yongzheng did not have the same resources as Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi had dozens of adult princes, which tormented Yinreng. There were plenty of adult princes to choose from.

Therefore, Kangxi could disregard Yinreng's feelings, and could torment and distrust Yinreng without restraint.

But not Emperor Yongzheng!
He only had two adult princes, and the other one, the fifth prince Hongzhou, was far less prestigious than Hongli.

If he were to torment Hongli, it might ruin the overall plan for his branch of the family to successfully inherit the throne.

Therefore, he had to be cautious and not to torture and distrust Hongli like Kangxi did with Yinreng in order to ensure that his imperial power was not affected. He needed to find the right balance.

Just like in history, in order to avoid this situation, even though his will had designated Hongli as the successor to the throne early on, he only made Hongli and Hongzhou princes at the same time in his later years, so that the two could govern together. And while supporting Hongli, he would also support Hongzhou appropriately.

However, in this lifetime, Hongli performed exceptionally well, excelling even during the Kangxi era.

Therefore, after ascending the throne, Yongzheng needed to strengthen Hongli's status to prove that his legitimacy was in accordance with the will of Heaven.

This led to Hongli becoming a prince faster than in history, and even being forced to be made crown prince by the Ming dynasty due to his great achievements.

On the other hand, Yongzheng could not directly support Hongzhou. Instead, he wanted Hongli to speak up himself. This would show that Hongli, as the crown prince, had a broader vision for the Qing dynasty, and that Yongzheng's actions were in line with Hongli's own wishes and understood by him. It would also let Hongli know that his father cared about his feelings.

The reason why Hongli spoke so readily according to Yongzheng's wishes was not only because he understood Yongzheng, but also because he understood Hongzhou.

He believed that even if Yongzheng did this, Hongzhou, given his personality, would neither refuse nor cooperate.

"This great victory in the Northwest is largely due to my fifth brother's significant contributions in supervising the production of firearms at the Imperial Workshop."

"Moreover, now that I am the Crown Prince, I need my brothers to cooperate with me, share my father's worries, and ensure an orderly succession to the throne."

Hongli then explained the reasons why Hongzhou could be promoted to a higher rank.

Yongzheng nodded: "In that case, promote him to Prince He."

Then, Yongzheng put down his pen, turned around, and smiled at Hongli, saying:
"It is rare to see someone so insightful. The Empress is very fond of Yonglian and wishes to raise him in the palace. Tomorrow, you and Lady Fucha will take him to Yongshou Palace. I will have the Empress personally raise him and give him the treatment of a prince, so that he can study in the palace and garden in the future."

"In addition, I will still grant you Yuqing Palace as the Eastern Palace as usual, and give you 200,000 taels of silver, and order the Imperial Household Department to repair and renovate it."

(End of this chapter)