My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 381 Proclaiming the Edict of Accession to the Throne, a Favor Granted by the Qianlong Emperor!
The high walls of the imperial city cast a large shadow under the morning sun.

As Yongzheng silently rode away in the shadows, he turned back and glanced at the vermilion Forbidden City under the blue sky.

The surroundings were quiet, and the guards standing around them were like sculptures in the light and shadow.

But suddenly, the shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" reached Yongzheng's ears at that moment.

This made Yongzheng squint, thinking of himself when he first ascended the throne.

But he felt that Hongli was more composed than he had been back then.

Because he had a lot of unease when he ascended the throne!
After all, at that time, influenced by the sixtieth year of Kangxi's reign, the fourteenth prince was still in charge of a large army in the Northwest and was highly regarded by the Manchu and Mongol princes. Many members of the imperial family even chose to kneel when they met the fourteenth prince, while the eighth prince's faction in the court was even more powerful and difficult to control!
Many veteran officials also disapproved of him.

He only had one younger brother, a thirteenth brother, who had neither a title nor a job.

But he still wanted to reform and eliminate abuses under those circumstances.

Even Emperor Yongzheng himself didn't know how he survived that time.

Therefore, when he thought about how he felt at the beginning of his reign, he simply smiled calmly, without showing any sense of loss after relinquishing power.

Because he was certain that he had entrusted great power to someone he trusted.

At the moment when Hongli ascended the throne, most of the princes and ministers were very happy.

After all, they had truly had enough of the harsh Yongzheng era!

In their memory, from the moment Yongzheng ascended the throne, they never had a single day of leisure and peace, and were always living in constant fear.

Even Yongzheng's confidants now share this view, feeling that the master they supported back then was indeed too strict!

Even those who supported Yongzheng's reforms felt at this moment that most of the problems had been solved and that it was time to enjoy a more splendid and prosperous era, instead of being harsh and cruel anymore. They believed that there should only be a wise ruler and virtuous ministers.

After all, with an annual revenue of 80 million, the national treasury is full enough to support several major battles of the same scale as the campaign against the Central Plains.

"The edict says!"

"Our nation has been blessed by Heaven... and my late father, the Emperor, has inherited the throne and ruled for thirteen years. He has worked tirelessly day and night, striving to achieve the highest standards... I, knowing my own limited virtue, fear that I am not up to the task. However, considering that the rites of loyalty and filial piety must be followed, and that the weight of the imperial regalia cannot be held for long, I suppress my fear and respectfully obey the mandate."

"He sent officials to offer sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, the ancestral temple, the altar of the god of soil and grain, and then ascended the throne as emperor."

"Next year will be designated as the first year of the Qianlong reign."

"Respectfully acknowledging the abundant blessings of Heaven and the weighty plans of the Imperial Father, I humbly and diligently uphold the legacy of the past, extend new graces, and bestow blessings upon all. All matters that should be carried out are listed below."

“All those in the capital, from princes down to officials of the ninth rank and above, were granted special favors.”

“All those below the rank of prince and duke shall be granted special favors.”

“From the princess down to the imperial concubines, all were granted special favors.”

"For officials of both Manchu and Han rank, those of the first rank will be granted the title of honor to three generations of their descendants; those of the second and third ranks will be granted the title to two generations of their descendants; and those of the seventh rank and above will be granted the title to one generation of their descendants."

“Each of the Eight Banners Manchu, Mongol, Han Army, Guards, Armored Men, Artillerymen, Infantry, Green Standard Cavalry, and Infantry will be given a month’s salary and rations.”

……

"Except for treason, rebellion, and other serious crimes that are punishable by death, as well as crimes committed by military officials, all other crimes committed before dawn on May 25th of the thirteenth year of Yongzheng's reign, whether discovered or not, whether concluded or not, are hereby pardoned."

……

In his edict, Hongli also satisfied the desire of all the princes and ministers in the land to simply enjoy comfort and prosperity in the future.

Therefore, in his edict, he first made a grand statement that, in addition to the general amnesty that is customary in the enthronement edict, all others would be granted additional favors.

Unlike Yongzheng's enthronement edict, which routinely declared the legitimacy of his succession and granted a general amnesty, Yongzheng did not first explicitly state his intention to rectify the court, thus creating a tense atmosphere from the very beginning of his reign.

Of course! Emperor Yongzheng had no choice.

He was nearly fifty years old when he ascended the throne; he couldn't possibly have done it by slowly boiling a frog in water.

Hongli is different now. He is young and has inherited the excellent foundation laid by Yongzheng's reforms, so he can take things slowly and combine firmness with gentleness.

However, after the edict announcing Hongli's ascension to the throne was proclaimed, the princes and ministers who performed the three bows and nine kowtows were indeed moved by its contents.

Many people were moved to tears, and their shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" were particularly heartfelt.

This naturally made them even happier, and they all looked forward to the Qianlong era even more, feeling that the new emperor was a benevolent ruler sent from heaven, and that their good days had truly arrived.

But, on the day Hongli ascended the throne, were there any unhappy people?
There are still some.

The people who were unhappy were mainly Hongxi, Hongsheng, and Hongchun.

Especially Hong Sheng!
He had a dark expression on his face ever since he learned that he had not been able to obtain the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Plain Yellow Banner Manchuria.

Today, among the imperial family members of the Hong generation, he is the only one who has not been bestowed a new python robe by the emperor.

Even Fu Peng, a member of the ordinary royal family, received a new python robe.

This forced Hongsheng to temporarily follow the example of ordinary imperial family members like Depei, wearing a worn-out python robe and performing the three bows and nine kowtows to Hongli outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Hongsheng thus naturally knew that Hongli was targeting him and was making no attempt to hide his disgust for him.

But he couldn't do anything about it and had to obediently perform the grand ceremony.

This naturally made him feel extremely frustrated.

"By imperial decree!"

“Prince Yi has served the Emperor’s father for many years and has made outstanding contributions. I have also received his teachings for many years. Now that I have ascended the throne, I shall bestow upon the Prince an additional three times his salary to support him in his old age.”

“Prince Guo was loyal and upright. The Emperor praised him for his single-mindedness and gave him double the salary.”

"Prince Zhuang was mature and prudent, and well-versed in political affairs. He was granted the privilege of riding a horse in the Forbidden City."

“Prince Lü has served diligently and made great contributions to the peace and prosperity of the people. I intend to promote him to the rank of Prince.”

"Prince Yunxi has been fond of reading since childhood, has clear vision, and handles flag and communications affairs properly. I intend to promote him to the rank of Prince."

"Gongyunyi is my uncle and the Emperor's brother. He has a duty to serve me. His rank should not be too low. He is hereby promoted to Beile and appointed as the Manchu Commander-in-Chief of the Plain Yellow Banner."

"My uncle Yunqi, who is still a duke, has also been promoted to beile, to show my deep affection for our kinship."

"Prince Li, Hongxi, has served as prime minister for many years and has also been granted ten thousand taels of silver."

“Prince Hongjing is the eldest son of my third uncle. He shall be promoted to the rank of Beile.”

“Prince Hongming is the son of my uncle. He shall be promoted to the rank of Beile.”

“Beizi Hongpu is the eldest son of my sixteenth uncle. He shall be promoted to Beile.”

……

Not long after ascending the throne, Hongli issued the first batch of imperial edicts bestowing favors upon the emperor.

This first batch of imperial decrees naturally targeted members of the royal family.

What frustrated Hongsheng even more was that while many members of the imperial clan received special favors, he and Hongchun were the only ones who did not.

Hong Sheng's face darkened further.

(End of this chapter)