My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 373 Emperor Qianlong, with an annual income of 80 million, was even happier!
Hongli's performance surprised Yongzheng slightly.

However, because of this, Yongzheng did not ask Hongli what instructions he had given to Fuerdan.

After Hongli mentioned it, Yongzheng replied to him, "The eunuch Li Pan saw it."

Upon hearing this, Hongli smiled even more pleased.

"There are many people and many eyes in the garden. If you have any concerns, you may as well tell me directly. There are some things that only the emperor can do. Even if you are the crown prince, it is easy for people to misunderstand if you do them!"

"It's not too late to do this when you truly become the emperor."

Then, Yongzheng began to give instructions to Hongli.

Hongli replied, "Your subject has remembered! Your subject was indeed somewhat worried that you might be deceived by the servants due to your father's numerous duties, but now it seems that your subject was overthinking it!"

After hearing this, Yongzheng nodded, looking quite pleased.

After that, Hongli never contacted any of the Grand Councilors in private again.

His contact with Fu'erdan was merely to see if anyone was secretly watching his actions, especially when he was near the Yongzheng Emperor's living area, whether any palace eunuchs or maids were observing his every move.

Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether Emperor Yongzheng would have known about his activities at the Yuanmingyuan in a timely manner.

It now seems that when he was near the area where Yongzheng lived, there were likely people secretly watching him, the crown prince.

Moreover, this person wasn't even sent by Emperor Yongzheng to keep an eye on him!
Otherwise, Yongzheng would not have taken the initiative to tell him who discovered his private conversations with Fu'erdan.

But Hongli was certain that Yongzheng had no intention of doing anything to Li Pan, who was secretly watching him.

Because a eunuch like Li Pan, who dared to keep an eye on Hongli, must have already considered the consequences of being exposed, so even if Li Pan is thoroughly interrogated, it is unlikely that the real mastermind will be found out.

The only way is to avoid alerting the enemy, follow the clues, and find out who is behind it.

However, finding out who was behind it is actually not very meaningful.

After all, the other party only wanted Li Pan to act as a pair of eyes, to keep a closer eye on Crown Prince Hongli; they couldn't do anything else.

Hongli could even roughly estimate who might be able to plant spies in the palace.

Because the princes and dukes who had servants of the Imperial Household Department were those close relatives of the imperial clan who had been rewarded by Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng with servants of the Imperial Household Department.

If Hongli were to deal with Li Pan in the future, it could only be for one purpose.

That was meant to send a warning to those behind Li Pan.

It means that you are very angry.

But now is not the time.

If he wants to make an example of someone, he'll only need to do so after he's truly become emperor.

What pleased Hongli was that Yongzheng's level of trust in him had completely surpassed that of the traditional emperor and crown prince.

After he directly asked Yongzheng if he knew that he had privately instructed Fu'erdan, Yongzheng did not ask him what instructions he had given. He simply told him to tell him directly if he had any concerns, and also betrayed Li Pan.

However, the outside world would naturally not know that Yongzheng had trusted him to such an extent.

As for Yongzheng himself, in order to keep some ambitious members of the imperial clan from working for him as emperor, and in order to prevent his imperial power from becoming ineffective too quickly, he still outwardly showed suspicion towards the crown prince Hongli and was very sensitive to the crown prince's influence on the imperial power.

Therefore, it was at this time that Fu Erdan was dismissed from his post.

As a result, Hongli was rewarded with additional eunuchs and palace maids, which was naturally seen by outsiders as Yongzheng planting his own spies.

Of course, in Hongli's view, Yongzheng might indeed want to place his people in his Yuqing Palace.

But since Yongzheng had confessed to Li Pan, Hongli was more willing to believe that Yongzheng's decision to send his own people to Hongli, the crown prince, was based on goodwill.

In any case, Hongli did indeed follow Yongzheng's instructions and did not secretly instruct the Grand Councilors or any other ministers except those in the Eastern Palace.

He didn't even contact Hongzhou again, and instead focused on reading at Yuqing Palace, spending his time paying respects and compiling dictionaries.

However, outsiders believed that Hongli was forced to be more discreet because Fu'erdan had been dismissed from his post, that Yongzheng had planted spies around him, and that Yongzheng had even used this method to warn him.

At this moment, Hongchun said to Hongzheng with schadenfreude, "The Crown Prince Hongli did something superfluous, which aroused the displeasure of the Emperor's fourth uncle."

"That's only natural. Which crown prince wouldn't worry about sudden changes in the emperor's later years?"

"Therefore, at this time, it is necessary to collude with the emperor's close advisors in advance, just in case."

"My second uncle was like that back then. He could even decide whether quinine, the miraculous cure for malaria, could reach the emperor when Hammafa contracted malaria!"

Hongzheng then chuckled and began to speak, even citing the conflict between the emperor and the crown prince during the Kangxi era as an example.

Hongchun naturally believed this.

He was also a grandson of Emperor Kangxi who grew up during the Kangxi era. In his thinking, he would instinctively believe that the old cases of the Kangxi era would be repeated in the Yongzheng era, ignoring the different variables that existed in the Yongzheng era.

Therefore, Hongchun nodded, his eyebrows dancing with sneer, "That's why I said he, Hongli, was overdoing it. Clearly, even Hongli is prone to being confused by his own concerns! It's evident that becoming the crown prince isn't a good thing, and might even make it harder to obtain the throne!"

Hongzheng poured himself a drink: "Then let's just watch another good show of father and son turning against each other!"

Zhengjiazhuang.

"Fu'erdan was dismissed from his post, and eunuchs and palace maids were placed around Hongli. The Emperor's reaction was very strong!"

Hongxi, with his hands behind his back, sighed in front of Wang Tingcheng, and then suddenly grinned and said, "Sure enough, once Hongli starts to care about the throne, he really does become too clever for his own good!"

"Your Highness is right, but please forgive me, it reminds me of the late King."

“Back then, the signs of his loss of the throne began when the late emperor began to suspect him.”

"This is just a repeat of what's happening now."

Wang Tingcheng chimed in, also expressing his excitement about what was happening.

Hongxi waved his hand, saying, "It's alright! What you said is true. Being suspected by the emperor is never a good thing! And this could very well be a repeat of what happened."

Hong Sheng, the son of Yunqi, who was also at Hongxi's place in Zhengjiazhuang, asked with a smile, "So, it's still possible that the throne won't be passed on to Hongli?"

"It couldn't be Hongzhou, could it?"

“Hongzhou has no hope.” “He killed the Manchu deputy commander, killed a Mongol Taiji, and even frightened a Mongol prince to death. If he goes south, he will probably do something outrageous to the Han gentry.”

Hongsheng then spoke very seriously.

Hongjiao, the fourth son of Yunxiang, who came to Hongxi's place with Hongsheng, couldn't help but ask, "Then maybe it won't be chosen from among the princes. The succession of the throne in our Great Qing has never been bound by any conventional laws. Now, it is decided by the emperor's word alone!"

"Your fourth uncle, thirteenth uncle, sixteenth uncle, and seventeenth uncle all value you highly. They treat you differently from other imperial nephews, even better than the princes except for Hongli. Who knows, they might really be choosing the successor from among the imperial nephews."

Hong Sheng then looked at Hong Xi.

Upon hearing this, Hongxi's lips twitched so badly he could barely suppress it, but he immediately waved his hand to stop his close cousins ​​from continuing: "You're getting more and more outrageous! Do you want Father to suspect me too?"

Hongxi said, "In any case, I have to go and comfort Hongli, so that he will not blame his father and turn against him. I also want his father to know that I, Hongxi, only want harmony in the royal family and peace and prosperity for the Qing Dynasty. I am loyal and sincere, not the kind of person who is blinded by the lust for power!"

Hong Sheng, who had followed Hong Xi since childhood because of their similar ages, looked at him with great admiration: "The Crown Prince is so suspicious of you, elder brother, and he refuses to let you take charge of the Southern Camp or let you hold an alliance with the Mongols. Yet you are still willing to show him loyalty. That is truly rare!"

"That's right, with your demeanor, elder brother, you truly have the bearing of an emperor. Perhaps you really will pass the throne to me!"

It was already the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign. Because his father was the thirteenth prince, Hongjiao, who had been promoted to Prince Ning by Yongzheng, also followed suit.

For a time, Hongxi began to hope more and more that Yongzheng might not be giving the throne to Hongli, but to him.

Although theoretically the possibility is very small, those involved are often blinded by their own interests, and he is also surrounded by a group of cousins ​​who have followed him since childhood and flatter him.

That's right!

Unlike his father Yinreng, Hongxi was never arrogant as the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife. He treated his younger brothers and cousins ​​very well, especially his cousins ​​from the thirteenth prince's family who had been loyal to the Crown Prince's family. As a result, several of the thirteenth prince's sons were very close to Hongxi.

For this reason, even Emperor Kangxi admired Hongxi and once thought he was the true virtuous grandson.

Even Hongli himself was well taken care of by Hongxi back then.

However, Hongli could guess that some members of the imperial family would be excited by the smokescreen that Yongzheng had released.

But he didn't care how excited these members of the imperial family were. Now, apart from quietly waiting for the final result to be revealed, he was overjoyed to see cartloads of silver flowing into the treasury when he went to inspect it by imperial decree.

Although he has not had as much interaction with Yongzheng and Hongzhou as before, he can still sense the benefits they have brought him through the ever-increasing national treasury reserves.

When Hongzhou was investigating and collecting customs duties, he used very forceful methods, which indeed increased the central government's customs duties significantly.

of course!

The background to the increasingly prosperous border trade was the agreement on the border with the Russian Empire and the submission of the Dzungar Khanate.

Furthermore, in the tenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, he established the Butha Eight Banners system in the northeastern region outside the Great Wall to manage the Daur, Evenk, and Oroqen peoples.

The main purpose of the Butha Eight Banners was to better control these people outside the Great Wall, making them pay tribute and perform service to the central court.

One of the requirements in terms of commerce was that they could not engage in commerce themselves, but had to trade with Han merchants in the "Chulehan" market under Butha.

This not only prevented them from colluding with the Han people and creating a second Qing dynasty, but also facilitated the collection of taxes from trade outside the Great Wall.

During his inspection of border trade customs duties, Hongzhou not only led the Northern Camp to crack down on Mongol princes colluding with Han merchants to smuggle goods, but also cracked down on these people outside the border who bypassed "Chulehan" to conduct private market transactions with Han merchants.

Many of the elite troops of the Northern Camp of the State Taxation Bureau were selected from these tribesmen, so it was naturally easy for them to crack down on these tribesmen's private trading with Han merchants.

As a result, the customs duties paid by the Butha Eight Banners to the imperial court also increased significantly.

However, this would naturally harm the interests of these tribesmen and Han merchants.

But they had no way to fight back.

As long as the most talented individuals among these followers are selected by the court and bribed with fame and fortune, these followers will always be subject to the court's control.

Currently, in order to strengthen its control over these tribes, the Qing Dynasty is indeed giving generous treatment to the outstanding members of these tribes at the bottom.

Even the battle-hardened elites of the National Tax Service actively collected customs duties, even if it meant collecting duties from their own subordinates, because they directly shared the recovered tax arrears and confiscated smuggled goods proportionally during the customs duty collection process.

Furthermore, after joining the National Tax Service, they would be instructed in Confucian loyalty education, which made them, who were already somewhat primitive and lacking in awareness of civilization, feel no mental difficulty or pressure when even when inspecting their own followers.

Therefore, even though Hongzhou went to take charge of the Southern Camp and no longer took charge of the Northern Camp, when the new leader of the Northern Camp, Chakdan, led these battle-hardened elites to conduct inspections, they were very enthusiastic.

"These are yours; divide them among your respective company commanders!"

One day in the twelfth month of the eleventh year of the Yongzheng reign, Chakdan pointed to boxes of Yongzheng silver dollars and spoke to the elite soldiers of the Northern Camp who were about to receive their rewards on holiday.

These battle-hardened veterans, looking at the gleaming silver dollars, could not hide their excitement, wishing they could collect more of the outstanding customs duties.

After Hongzhou led the Southern Camp to the south to investigate and collect customs duties on maritime trade, he and the elite soldiers of the Southern Camp were equally active, increasing the court's customs revenue significantly.

Before they knew it, it was the end of the year for the twelfth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.

One evening, as Hongli came to pay his respects to Yongzheng, Yongzheng took him to the Ministry of Revenue's treasury.

Then, Hongli saw an endless sea of ​​gold and silver, which left him speechless with astonishment.

Although he would occasionally be ordered to come to the Ministry of Revenue to inspect the situation.

But he didn't expect that the establishment of the National Tax Service's two branches, North and South, to collect customs duties would lead to such a rapid increase in the national treasury's reserves.

"Qingfu, tell the Crown Prince how much tax is collected annually now?"

At this point, Yongzheng gave instructions to Qingfu, the minister in charge of the three treasuries of the Ministry of Revenue.

Qingfu said, "Your Majesty, the annual tax revenue is now over 33,750,745 taels."

Upon hearing this, Hongli couldn't help but ask, "So, if we include land tax, salt tax, and various in-kind tributes, the annual revenue of our Great Qing treasury has exceeded 80 million taels of silver?"

After Hongli asked this question, he immediately bowed to Yongzheng and said, "Father's achievements in governing the country are unprecedented!"

It should be noted that the highest annual revenue of the Qing Dynasty in history was only 60 million taels of silver, and that was when the reforms of Yongzheng were effective during the reign of Qianlong.

Now, due to the increased collection of tariffs, the national treasury revenue has increased to 80 million taels in the twelfth year of Yongzheng's reign. What will the revenue be like when he ascends the throne and the effects of the new policies are fully realized?
Undoubtedly, if Hongli were to become the Qianlong Emperor in the future, he would be able to undertake many large-scale infrastructure projects and large-scale wars!
Hongli was very much looking forward to it!

Emperor Yongzheng smiled slightly and said, "You will find it very easy to take charge of the household in the future!"

Hongli's heart was filled with boundless excitement.

With such a high annual income, he had to admit that if he were to become the Qianlong Emperor in this life, he would undoubtedly be even happier than the historical Qianlong Emperor!
(End of this chapter)