My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 51: Raised as a Legitimate Son by the Queen
"Secretly appointing a crown prince?"

Yinxiang asked, falling into deep thought.

Yongzheng stood up and said: "That's right, the crown prince will be appointed in secret!"

"Let's go, Thirteenth Brother, to your guest house!"

"We haven't talked together in a long time. Tonight, you and I, brothers, will sleep side by side. Also, from now on, when we're talking privately, just call me Fourth Brother. Don't add the word 'Emperor'. It sounds awkward!"

Yongzheng said this and walked out.

Yinxiang followed and said: "This is not right. There must be rules."

"This is an imperial decree!"

“It’s the biggest rule!”

Yongzheng replied without question.

"Then I obey your order!"

Yinxiang went down the stairs first, stepped on the snow, and exhaled a cloud of white mist: "Fourth brother, it's really cold!"

"Yeah, I don't know if Hongli will get cold tonight while he's resting in the palace guard room."

Yongzheng suddenly felt regretful for letting Hongli accompany the Sixteenth and Twenty-first Princes to guard the palace, and for this reason he turned around and looked at the Fourth Lady who had sent them out and said:

"Tell the princesses in Hongli's courtyard to prepare and move into the palace with you tomorrow morning. They will first live in the vacant Yongshou Palace. From now on, you will be the one who takes care of Hongli personally."

The Fourth Lady hurriedly said she would obey the order, and said with joy, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your assistance!"

Yinxiang couldn't help but smile here. The Fourth Lady was the future empress, and the political significance of her personally taking care of Hongli was self-evident!

Next, Yinxiang and Yongzheng really came to rest.

This is mainly because among all the princes of Kangxi, Yongzheng was the one who accepted Han culture the most.

Therefore, they were very familiar with the behavior of Han scholars and officials sleeping with their feet together to express deep friendship, and were even more willing to imitate it.

That’s right, unlike a certain TV drama, in the real history of the Qing Dynasty, although it was often the third son Yinzhi who organized scholars to compile books, it was actually Yongzheng who had the highest attainments in Chinese studies.

The third brother, Yinzhi, was the best at riding and shooting.

You should know that in history, Yongzheng loved to cosplay Hanfu. He often dressed himself as a Han Chinese in the palace and often regarded himself as the Chinese emperor.

He repeatedly emphasized this point in his "Da Yi Jue Mi Lu".

In this respect, he is different from Kangxi.

After Yongzheng and Yinxiang lay down, because he had just become emperor, he was not sleepy even though it was very late. Instead, he excitedly imagined his future plans.

"Thirteenth brother, have you ever heard the saying, 'The barbarians have no luck in lasting a hundred years?'"

Yongzheng suddenly asked about Yinxiang at this time.

Yinxiang also opened his eyes wide: "I've heard of it. It comes from Song Lian's "Edict to the Central Plains." But Fourth Brother, this is just a scholar's opinion. Don't take it too seriously. Didn't the Northern Wei Dynasty last for nearly 150 years, not counting the Eastern and Western Wei Dynasties that were split from it?"

"You, like them, always look down on the Han people, saying they have only scholarly views, but these scholarly views are actually quite profound."

"As for the Northern Wei Dynasty you mentioned, why did it last a hundred years? The reason is simple: they dared to reform their system!"

"Our Great Qing has been in the Pass for nearly eighty years. If we want to surpass a hundred years, or even pursue a longer reign, we must reform our system!"

Yongzheng revealed his true feelings to Yinxiang.

After hearing this, Yinxiang sat up and looked at Yongzheng. "I know you've always been dissatisfied with the status quo, but I just don't know how you're going to change it. Do you really want to emulate Emperor Xiaowen? But I remember clearly that the Northern Wei Dynasty's national situation was even worse because of Emperor Xiaowen's affairs."

"That's because Emperor Xiaowen changed direction in the wrong direction!"

"He transformed the Northern Wei Dynasty into a court that the Han aristocratic families wanted to see, rather than a court that was suitable for China!"

Yongzheng said very seriously.

Yinxiang looked at Yongzheng: "What does Fourth Brother mean?"

"If the Qing Dynasty wants to maintain its national destiny, it can no longer regard itself as a conqueror. As the ruler of China, it should be for China's affairs! Otherwise, sooner or later, it will be like the Mongols, who were driven out of the interior because of the rebellion of the people!"

Yongzheng looked a little excited.

Yinxiang shook his head: "I don't understand!"

"We should make any reforms that are conducive to China's prosperity, and we should not make any reforms that are not conducive to China's prosperity."

"For example, Emperor Xiaowen's pedantic Confucian reforms made the Tuoba clan brave and simple. By encouraging intermarriage with Han aristocratic families, they encouraged their nobles to become aristocratic as well. This was not conducive to China's prosperity and should not have been done."

"Because China currently has no shortage of gentry, and especially no shortage of pedantic Confucian scholars."

"Even if all the Eight Banners were sinicized and transformed into scholar-officials, it would only strengthen the ranks of the literati. That would lead to the difficult situation of the late Ming Dynasty."

"Right now, China is actually in greater need of civilians who can directly provide money, food, and strong men to the imperial court."

"Because, just like the Ming Dynasty, before the Qing Dynasty had even reached its centenary, a large number of people directly controlled by the imperial court had already surrendered themselves to the wealthy as tenants."

Yongzheng also sat up and put forward his ideas to Yinxiang who was talking eloquently.

Having been a prince for more than 40 years, he obviously had his own views on governing the country and the people.

Yinxiang had heard Yongzheng mention some of this before, and couldn't help but remind Yongzheng: "Fourth brother, forgive my intrusion, but if you learn from Emperor Xiaowen, maybe everyone will be more accepting!" "Let the Eight Banners children learn poetry, songs, and eight-legged essays, stop riding and archery, stop foreign wars, give up useless territories, and lift the ban on their business and other matters. They will be very happy."

"But if you strengthen the imperial court's power to collect taxes and recruit soldiers, you're actually digging up their roots!"

Yongzheng nodded and rubbed his hands.

Then, Yongzheng looked at Yinxiang and said, "I know that although Khan Ama did not urge the bannermen to assimilate to the Han culture, most of them have already taken the initiative to assimilate to the Han culture, and have learned the exquisite and decadent things of the Han scholars and officials, and have surpassed them."

"If I were to regard myself as a conqueror, I could indulge in pleasure and turn a blind eye to corruption and depravity. However, I am over forty years old when I took the throne, and pleasure means little to me. It is better for me to work hard and live up to the Khan Ama's trust."

"But Thirteenth Brother, I have too few people who can serve as my arms, so I can't do without the help of you, the hardworking Thirteenth Brother!"

Having said that, Yongzheng smiled at Yinxiang.

Yinxiang lay back down: "Fourth brother, there is no need to say these things. Since I, the Thirteenth, have chosen you, I will fight for you."

"Of course I believe it. There's no point in saying more. Even if you can't sleep, take a nap."

"I'll be busy tomorrow."

"Um……"

Qianqing Palace.

Guard duty room.

All the palace gates were locked, even the Qianqing Gate.

At this moment, Hongli, Yinlu and Yinxi were lying on the couch in the duty room. The only light in the room was coming from the direction of the coffin, casting the shadow of the window on the wall.

Hongli did not fall asleep. In fact, the more quiet it was, the more active his mind became.

He began to recall what Kangxi had said to him before his death, the map that Kangxi had shown him, the discussion among Kangxi's sons before Kangxi's body, and the Yongzheng Dynasty that was about to begin.

As he was thinking, Hongli finally fell asleep.

It was not until dawn that he was awakened by Yinlu and Yinxi. Together with them, he watched with his own eyes as the Minister of the Imperial Guard, Supervisor Si Yaozhangjing, and the guards opened the palace gate.

When Hongli just finished yawning, he saw that Yongzheng and Yinxiang had entered the palace and had changed into mourning clothes.

Yongzheng took him to the coffin and asked him on the way, "Was it cold last night?"

"Thanks to Khan Ama's concern, I was not cold last night."

Hongli replied.

Yongzheng nodded, then went to the coffin of Kangxi and cried for a while, while Hongli went to Yongshou Palace after the fourth lady came with Niohuru and others.

Only then did Hongli realize that from now on he would live with Niuhuru and Haitang with the Fourth Lady.

This means that he will be raised as the legitimate son.

Hongli had no objection to this because he knew that it would have positive symbolic significance for him politically.

He discovered that even his biological mother, Niohuru, was delighted by this, especially when she saw that the Fourth Lady was going to personally change Hongli into mourning clothes, she was so excited that tears filled her eyes.

In this era, for low-ranking concubines, if their children can be recognized by the head of the family's wife and even treated as their own children, it is equivalent to an affirmation of their own value and respect for themselves.

Therefore, Niu Hulu was very happy about this.

Hongli also didn't know why Yongzheng suddenly asked the fourth wife to raise him personally.

What surprised Hongli even more was that the childless Fourth Lady was also willing to raise him as her own son, as if both she and Yongzheng regarded him as a great contributor to the Fourth House!

Therefore, the Fourth Lady personally brought her to pay her respects to Concubine De.

But when Hongli followed the Fourth Lady to see Concubine De, he found that Concubine De was not very happy.

He didn't find it strange.

Because Concubine De has always liked the Fourteenth Prince more and hoped that the Fourteenth Prince would ascend the throne as emperor. She even only accepted the Fourteenth Prince as emperor in her heart!

Even after the Fourth Lady and Hongli had paid their respects, Concubine De asked Hongli with a cold expression, "Hongli, you were also at the imperial bed last night. Did you hear that the late emperor really wanted to pass the throne to you, father?"

"Of course, I have the evidence of my uncles and the will."

Hongli replied.

Upon hearing this, Concubine De sighed, "The Emperor's order for my son to succeed the throne is not what I dreamed of!"

(Note: This sentence is the original words of Concubine De after Yongzheng ascended the throne in history, and it is not fabricated!)

When Defei said this, Hongli and the Fourth Lady both widened their eyes.

Because as the emperor's biological mother, what Defei said at this time was essentially saying that the current emperor was not qualified to inherit the throne!
In an era when filial piety was the way to rule the world, a mother's refusal to recognize Yongzheng's legitimacy would undoubtedly have a huge political impact!

If someone with ulterior motives knew this, they might even directly say that Yongzheng was usurping the throne!

"The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Please retract what you just said, otherwise it may be detrimental to the country!"

For this reason, Hongli hurriedly stood up to give advice. He did not want Yongzheng to be disappointed that he did not know how to maintain the authority of his father.

What's more, if the legitimacy of Yongzheng's succession to the throne was doubted, wouldn't his future succession to Yongzheng's throne also be doubted?
It can be said that his interests and Yongzheng's interests were consistent in this regard.

(End of this chapter)