My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 379 Qianlong's Differential Treatment: Blatant Persecution!

Sertu knew very well that what Hongsheng had asked him to do was impossible to accomplish.

In order to prevent Hong Sheng from using Yun Zhi's sudden death back then against him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.

Even so, he could only hope that Hongli's will was not firm, and use the excuse of responding to public opinion to subtly advise Hongli.

Therefore, he dared not ask Zhang Tingyu and Ortai after Hongli said that.

He knew better than anyone that if he asked that question...

In the future, their heads will surely roll!

Because Zhang Tingyu and Ortai would not risk offending the new emperor by agreeing with him and stating that they had never said the "Qianlong" reign title was good.

In this way, if Sertu were to ask, it would be tantamount to courting death.

Even now, Sertu knows he is not far from death.

After all, the new emperor Hongli, who was about to ascend the throne, was not fooled and even said directly that neither Zhang Tingyu nor Ortai, the two Grand Councilors, had any objections.

Therefore, Sertu had no choice but to grit his teeth and immediately kneel down to confess: "Your Highness, I was forced by the Imperial Clan member Hongsheng. He sent me to dissuade him, and in order to avoid getting involved in the sudden death of my master, the Third Master, I had no choice but to agree."

"Damn slave!"

Sertu then kowtowed heavily before Hongli.

Boom!

It was as if the gold bricks on the ground were about to be smashed.

Hongli frowned.

Then, he couldn't help but give a cold laugh.

He knew that there were still members of the imperial clan who were unwilling to accept that the throne had fallen to the fourth branch of the family, and who harbored resentment towards them.

After all, the more noble one's birth, the more arrogant one is, feeling that it's not right for them to be born into such a family.

Those members of the royal family who considered themselves useless, like Hongzhou, were still a minority.

However, often, it's not that we're afraid of the second generation giving up, but that we're afraid of them having the ambition to build a career.

People of noble birth, once they try to prove themselves, will not only bring negative consequences upon themselves.

Hongli also considered making these noble members of the imperial family completely submit to him, acknowledge that the Mandate of Heaven belonged to the four branches of the family, and willingly become their subjects and slaves.

But achieving this is not something that can be done overnight.

Because what these people need is not economic benefits, but supreme power!
If the emperor were to grant them supreme power, it would be tantamount to implementing a feudal system.

However, on the other hand, the power distribution model that has always been suitable for the Central Plains is "how can one tolerate others snoring beside one's bed," that is, the winner takes all.

If feudalism were implemented, it would easily lead to chaos throughout the land.

As for granting fiefdoms, it would have to wait until the time was right, until civilization had progressed to the point where these royal nobles were willing to go overseas or to the border regions to serve as vassals.

To be fair, in places where the central empire's rule couldn't reach, it was still necessary to implement a system of enfeoffment.

This way, civilization can be spread to the outside world first, and then the benefits that benefit the local people can follow.

At this moment, Hongli asked Sertu, "Why does he think the Qianlong reign title is inappropriate?"

“This servant dares not deceive the Crown Prince. He said that the Crown Prince is not worthy of using this reign title.”

After Sertu answered cautiously, Hongli's expression changed slightly.

Sertu kowtowed again: "This servant deserves to die for not speaking up for the Crown Prince!"

Hongli chuckled coldly.

"Alright, it's not appropriate to punish important officials right now during the transition of the throne, so I won't do anything to you."

But then, Hongli calmly reassured Sertu.

He has not yet ascended the throne, and to avoid any mistakes in the enthronement process, he cannot rashly deal with important officials.

However, Hongli warned Sertu, coldly instructing him, "But you must behave yourself! I haven't ordered you to die, so you cannot die!"

Sertu was startled, then kowtowed: "This servant understands!"

After that, Seltu was summoned by Hongsheng again.

Hongsheng asked him, "How's the matter with the reign title going?"

Sertu gave an awkward smile: "It's hard to say."

“What do you mean by ‘it’s hard to say’?” Hong Sheng frowned.

Sertu said, "Why don't you ask the Crown Prince yourself!"

Hong Sheng's face immediately turned green, and he clenched his fists as he stared at Sertu: "What do you mean?"

"You are a smart man, you should understand what your servant means."

That was all Sertu could say.

Hong Sheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Very well, I'll just wait for the final imperial edict to be announced!"

After Sertu left, Hongli summoned Yunli and Yunlu.

"Both my sixteenth and seventeenth uncles are now Princes of State, so they naturally have the most say in matters concerning the royal family."

“My nephew is highly regarded by his father, the Khan, and is about to ascend the throne. He is currently temporarily in charge of the government. Therefore, I am thinking that in order to ensure the smooth progress of the ascension, we must first stabilize the royal family and spread his favor.”

"Therefore, we need to first give important positions to a group of members of the imperial clan and promote those who deserve to be ennobled, and discuss lifting the confinement of those who need to be released."

After meeting the two men, Hongli explained the reason for his summons.

As he spoke, Hongli said, "Right now, let's talk about the people who should be given important positions. I don't know which members of the imperial clan should be given important positions. I would appreciate it if my two uncles could recommend some."

"If you want to give him important positions, it is appropriate to give him important positions to show your trust. I can stop holding the concurrent position of Commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner Manchu Army and let other members of the imperial clan hold the position. I recommend Prince Yunhu to take on this post."

Yunli then spoke up.

Hongli nodded.

Yunlu then added, "Then I can relinquish my concurrent post as the Manchu Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner. I recommend Hongsheng to take on this post."

Upon hearing this, Hongli said without hesitation, "Hongsheng is not suitable. Let my twentieth uncle take on this task. My twentieth uncle was demoted to duke because he was sent by the Khan to offer sacrifices at the mausoleum but disobeyed the imperial decree by feigning illness. Now let his beile title be restored to show respect for our kinship."

Yunlu was stunned for a long time, but he did not argue with him. Instead, he cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, sir!"

Yunli was also secretly puzzled, and when he left the Hall of Diligent Governance and Appreciation of the Virtuous, he asked Yunlu, "When did Hongsheng offend the heir apparent?"

Yunlu shook his head: "I don't know either."

“But the twentieth brother angered the fourth brother in less than a year, and now Hongli would rather restore his title and appoint him as the Manchu Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner. This is enough to show that he would rather anger the fourth brother than use Hongsheng, the former heir of a prince!”

Yunli sighed as he spoke.

Yunlu had just returned to the Prince's residence when he received news that Hongxi had come to pay his respects with a formal invitation.

Yunlu then saw him and asked, "What is it?"

"It's naturally about Hongsheng. I mentioned it to my sixteenth uncle before. When the Crown Prince takes over the reins of government, he will inevitably show favor to the imperial family. My sixteenth uncle is planning to hand over the Manchu Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner and is willing to give this position to Hongsheng."

"What do you think of his features?"

Hongxi asked this question with a smile.

Yunlu replied with considerable guilt, "The position of Manchu Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner has been given to your twentieth uncle."

Hongxi froze on the spot.

He came full of expectations.

He had even told Hongsheng about it, saying that he had persuaded Yunlu to give Hongsheng the position of Manchu Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner.

Hong Sheng was also quite looking forward to it, and even asked him to inquire about it.

However, Hongxi did not expect that things would take such a turn.

He didn't know how to explain things to Hong Sheng.

However, Hongxi couldn't lose his temper in front of Yunlu, so he just smiled and said, "Your Highness is very thoughtful. If you want to show favor, you must first show favor to your elders. You can't give it to your twentieth uncle first. I understand that."

"As long as you understand."

Yunlu replied with a smile.

After Yunlu and Yunli left, Hongli saw Neqin, a newly appointed minister of the Grand Council, come to report: "The Imperial Household Department reports that the Jiangning Textile Bureau has sent summer python robes. We request Your Majesty whether to bestow them upon the members of the imperial family and nobles."

"The Yun generation will all be awarded a new python robe."

"Those of the Hong generation, except for Hong Sheng, will all be awarded a new python robe."

"Among the collateral branches of the imperial family, Fu Peng was rewarded with a new python robe."

"Whoo!"

(End of this chapter)