My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 396 Restores Yinzhi's Imperial Clan Status; Qianlong's Reign as Emperor Was Pure and Honest!
Zongren Mansion.

Li Yu, holding a cup of poisoned wine, followed Hongli into the high walls of this place.

The high walls have turned white, and the courtyard inside is covered with black coal ash to prevent it from becoming too muddy to walk on after rain or snow.

Hongli stepped onto the cinders and saw Aqina kneeling on the cinder ground opposite him.

That is, the eighth prince, Yunzhi.

"This lowly commoner, Aqina, pays his respects to Your Majesty! May Your Majesty enjoy peace and well-being!"

Because Hongli's arrival was sudden, the Eighth Prince was still only wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket with old cotton wadding sticking out. His beard and hair were unkempt, growing wildly like weeds on the ground. His face was so dark and thin that his eyes appeared as big as copper bells.

This stirred a pang of pity in Hongli.

"Holy Ann!"

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Eighth Uncle, do you really want Guo Luoluo back by your side?"

A creaking sound came from inside.

Hongli moved closer and closer to the Eighth Prince.

Without hesitation, Lao Ba said, "I, a lowly person, have no other desires but to live and die with Guo Luoluo."

"Then there's no way."

"I can only have Prince An's descendants take this cup of poisoned wine to her, Lady Guoluo."

“Give Prince An and even the Guo Luo Luo family a chance to rise again. After all, they have suffered too much because of supporting you, Eighth Uncle.”

Hongli spoke in a voice that only he and the Eighth Prince could hear.

The eighth prince looked up in surprise and stared at Hongli.

Hongli's face was as still as an ancient well, showing no sign of mockery.

Then, the eighth prince hesitated for a moment and said, "This lowly person can stay home and not return to the clan register. As long as Hongwang can regain his original name and be granted a red sash, this lowly person is already content and grateful for the Emperor's boundless grace."

"no!"

Emperor Hongli resolutely blocked the railway.

Hongli then added, "What I want to do must be accomplished, and no one can stop me!"

"Even if it means that the Guo Luo Luo clan will be separated from you by death, we must restore your status as our royal uncle!"

"Eighth Uncle, whether or not to make Guo Luoluo drink this cup of poison depends on whether you can be ruthless. In any case, I can be ruthless."

"I brought this to you so that you could see that I can send someone to summon Prince An's family right now."

"You make the choice."

Hongli pointed to the cup of yellowish-orange poisoned wine and said.

Lao Ba stood there speechless.

After waiting for a while, Hongli ordered, "Send someone to secretly summon Sekesi."

"Whoo!"

Not long after Li Yu left, Lao Ba took a deep breath and spoke, "So be it!"

"This humble subject, Aqina, thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Lao Ba suddenly bowed his head.

Hongli smiled with satisfaction: "Rise."

After the eighth prince thanked the emperor and stood up, Hongli also sighed:

"Uncle Ba, you are truly a virtuous man!"

How could I not be virtuous and good?

Lao Ba sighed and replied.

He had to admit that Hongli was a man who would not give up until he achieved his goal, and he made no attempt to hide his ruthless side. The reason for showing him kindness was clearly not because he had any affection for his eighth uncle, but simply because he was the emperor's uncle, and the emperor needed to demonstrate his affection for the imperial family and respect for relatives by pardoning him.

"His Majesty is truly a pure emperor!"

After Hongli left, the eighth prince looked up and let out another deep sigh.

After leaving the Eighth Prince's place, Hongli asked Sekexi, who had rushed over, to accompany him to the Hall of Diligent Governance and Appreciation of the Virtuous. On the way, he asked Sekexi with concern, "Is Eighth Aunt alright?"

Sekhs stood frozen in place.

The words "Eighth Aunt" coming out of Hongli's mouth felt like a punch to Sekesi's chest, making his heart skip a beat. "Guoluo, no, the Fujin is doing well, thank you for your concern, Master."

Sekhs replied with a smile.

Hongli nodded: "Give her my regards, and tell her that I intend to restore her status as the Eighth Uncle and grant her a residence to live in."

"The slave obeys the order!"

Seksi was overjoyed and immediately knelt down.

He knew this was a positive sign that his family's situation was also about to improve.

"You wait outside the hall."

After arriving at the Hall of Diligent Governance and Appreciation of the Virtuous, Hongli gave an instruction to Sekesi, then entered the hall first, and said to the welcoming eunuch Chen Fu, "Summon Zhang Tingyu!"

"Whoo!"

Not long after, Zhang Tingyu arrived at Hongli's place and bowed to greet him.

After exempting him from the formalities, Hongli followed the example of the previous emperors, Kangxi and Yongzheng, and said, "Hengchen, draft the decree."

Zhang Tingyu immediately perked up.

Hongli then said, “The eighth son of the Emperor, Yinzhi, and the ninth son, Yintang, are treacherous and cunning, and have formed cliques and acted recklessly. They have brought their crimes upon themselves. The Emperor Emeritus is reluctant to punish them severely, and has only ordered them to be removed from the genealogy and have their names changed as a sign of shame.”

How could I bear not to forgive him?

"However, judging from their intentions, it is undeniable that they harbored schemes of covetousness and theft; and when the retired emperor ascended the throne, their resentment and slander were also understandable."

"Both Gai and Yi harbored hidden rebellious intentions, but showed no overt signs of rebellion; therefore, the Emperor Emeritus has already issued a benevolent edict granting them amnesty."

"Therefore, it is not appropriate for Yunsi to have his original title restored, but he should still have his original name restored, be given the status of a Duke of the Second Rank (not included in the Eighth Rank), be included in the imperial genealogy, and be granted the first residence; although it is also not appropriate for Yuntang to have his original title restored, he should be released from confinement and also temporarily given the status of a Duke of the Second Rank (not included in the Eighth Rank)."

"Draft the decree accordingly."

At this point, Hongli looked at Sekesi and said, "After the imperial edict is drafted, you will go and announce it to bring these two people out."

"Whoo!"

Sekhs immediately responded, his face beaming with excitement.

So, after receiving the imperial edict, Sekesi went to the Imperial Clan Court and read it to the Eighth Prince.

"Aqina!"

Yinzhi paused for a moment before correcting himself, saying, "Yinzhi accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude!"

Then, Yinzhi accepted the imperial edict with both hands, stood up, and walked out of the high walls of the Imperial Clan Court with Sekesi.

However, as he stepped out of the high wall, he couldn't help but stop and look back.

Afterwards, Yun Si continued to follow Sekesi northwards.

Seksi then went to announce the imperial decree and released the ninth prince.

Old Nine also thanked her with a look of melancholy and walked out of the high wall.

When Sekesi told Guoluoshi that the Eighth and Ninth Princes had been released, Guoluoshi couldn't help but tear up, saying, "Eighth Prince can finally see the light of day again."

"And me?"

"Has the new emperor said how he will deal with me, or when I will be allowed to return to the Eighth Prince's side?"

Guoluo also inquired about Sekesi because of this.

Sekess shook his head solemnly: "My master only asked me to give his regards to Aunt Ba!"

Guo Luoluo's face darkened. "I understand."

But then, Guo Luoluo smiled and said, "This is already very good."

……

"It's already quite remarkable that Hongli has been able to do this much, and that Fourth Brother was willing to let Hongli do this much."

"We should only be grateful!"

Kangxi's sons were still at Prince Yun's residence, where they received the Eighth and Ninth Princes, who had just been released. The Fourteenth Prince, as usual, gave them a long lecture.

After hearing this, the ninth brother looked at the fourteenth brother in astonishment.

The tenth prince chimed in, "Fourteenth brother is right! We should be understanding of Hongli; it wasn't easy for him to do this!"

The sixteenth and seventeenth princes exchanged smiles and looked at the eighth prince.

The fourteenth brother then looked at the eighth brother: "Eighth brother, what do you think?"

(End of this chapter)