My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 122 Prince Yi's expression changes, Hongli receives a favor!

Yongzheng's expression immediately changed, and he looked at Hongli: "Your thirteenth uncle has arrived."

"Your subject still has lessons to complete, so I must take my leave now!"

Hongli hurriedly cupped his hands in reply.

Yongzheng waved his hand.

Before Yongzheng could react, Hongli immediately turned and retreated.

But as Hongli retreated, Yongzheng looked anxiously at Hongli's back and opened his mouth as if to call out, "Wait."

Hongli pretended not to hear and strode out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, secretly smiling to himself. He stopped when he saw the thirteenth prince and said, "Greetings to my thirteenth uncle!"

"no!"

The thirteenth prince had no interest in exchanging pleasantries with Hongli and strode quickly into the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Upon seeing the thirteenth prince appear, Yongzheng stood up with an awkward smile: "Thirteenth brother, you've come at the right time. I have a few military matters to discuss with you."

"Fourth Brother, let's talk about my life first!"

"Either you make me change my name today, or you issue an order to kill me first!"

"What's the big deal? Is it really necessary to make such a fuss? Can't we brothers even talk things out?"

"Let me tell you, Hongli has asked the imperial chefs at Yongshou Palace to prepare a few new dishes. How about we have them bring them over and talk while we eat?"

"I can't eat if you don't agree to the name change."

"Is it really necessary! Who can change their name and who can't, can't I even decide for myself?!"

"But Fourth Brother, have you considered what Hongli thinks, and what the people of the world think?"

"You really don't know what I'm thinking?"

“I know, but I am not worthy. If you insist on forcing me to do this, I will only die to prove my innocence and put Hongli’s mind at ease! Don’t forget, Hongli now has his fourteenth brother behind him, as well as the late emperor’s last instructions and the imperial edict of his fourth sister-in-law’s care.”

……

……

As Hongli was leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he overheard a few words between Yongzheng and the Thirteenth Prince, and nodded in agreement.

He admired the thirteenth prince's caution and composure.

This made him think that the thirteenth prince was, after all, a prince who had followed the former crown prince for many years, going through fire and water, working in the six ministries, receiving imperial favor, and being severely punished. Therefore, he would not be blinded by Yongzheng's excessive favor.

He recalled that historically, Emperor Yongzheng had even designated the Zhongji imperial mausoleum site he had his eye on as the future burial site for his thirteenth son, which frightened the thirteenth son into immediately refusing.

There's even a theory that the thirteenth prince was so afraid that he had to choose an ordinary burial plot for himself in advance, then commit suicide by swallowing soil, forcing Yongzheng to bury him in the plot he had already bought and chosen, thus avoiding being buried in the imperial mausoleum as a prince.

Moreover, the thirteenth prince was so afraid of the fact that Emperor Yongzheng treated his sons too well that he took the initiative to request that his eldest son, Hongchang, who was slightly dissatisfied with Emperor Yongzheng and his family, be placed under house arrest.

This also meant that after Qianlong ascended the throne, even though the sons of the thirteenth prince followed Hongxi and others in doing things that Qianlong could not tolerate, he only reprimanded and placed them under house arrest. He did not do anything to the descendants of the thirteenth prince and preserved the privileges of the thirteenth prince's branch as hereditary princes.

Therefore, the fact that Yongzheng only asked that the thirteenth prince not change his name is not surprising to Hongli, who knows more about the thirteenth prince's amazing deeds.

After Hongli returned to Yongshou Palace, he saw three new palace maids who had joined him in the rear hall where he was staying.

These three newly added palace maids were naturally the three girls from the Nara, Nian, and Gaharifucha clans he had met before.

According to custom, families of officials could be ordered to send their daughters to the palace to serve as maids in various halls under the guise of learning etiquette.

Therefore, Emperor Yongzheng granted the Empress's request and ordered the families of officials of the Eight Banners to present girls to the palace. These girls would be taught etiquette by the instructing matrons and would serve as palace maids, learning various skills in preparation for future female officials.

In reality, this was to prepare for arranging trial marriages for eligible princes and members of the royal family.

However, this was not a selection of imperial concubines, because the age requirements for selecting imperial concubines were higher, the process was more complicated, and they were directly assigned to the emperor as women or to members of the imperial family as wives.

As a result, Nara, Nian, and Gahari Fucha were first arranged to work as palace maids in the backyard of Yongshou Palace, serving alongside Hongli.

Clearly, this was intended to train them to become future concubines for Hongli's trial marriage, allowing Hongli to get to know these three girls first, and for these three girls to gradually learn how to serve Hongli.

At the same time, during these nearly two years, these three girls, like other Manchu girls who entered the palace, also had to learn about sex, which may include their own female physiology.

After all, they haven't started menstruating yet, and it's estimated that their periods will begin during their time studying in the palace.

After being assigned to Yongshou Palace, the three girls lived in three rooms in the west wing of the rear courtyard.

Among them, Lady Nara lived in the main house in the center because she was the empress's niece, while Lady Nian and Lady Fuca lived in the left and right houses respectively.

Originally, these rooms were for the emperor's concubines, but now the backyard has become the residence of Prince Hongli, so the side halls can be temporarily used as residences for the corresponding personnel.

This is because the rooms where nobles lived in the palace were generally not large, and the hierarchy was usually reflected in the size of the rooms.

Often, multiple concubines would live in one large palace in the Eastern and Western Six Palaces.

When Hongli arrived at the backyard.

Inside the three rooms of the west wing, Empress Nara was sitting in a chair, looking at Nalan Ci;
Meanwhile, Mr. Nian was copying scriptures at a table;

My cousin, Gahari Fucha, was sitting at the table embroidering.

Although they entered the palace as palace maids, they came to learn etiquette, become female officials, and serve as trial marriage princesses. In the future, they would at least become Hongli's concubines. Naturally, they did not need to do physical labor or learn to do physical labor. They only needed to learn how to serve Hongli.

Therefore, unlike other palace maids, they did not have to do cleaning or sweeping, nor did they have to stand and wait in one place during their non-rest time. In their spare time, they could do things they could choose to do, just like at home, and they could even visit their aunts and concubines who were concubines in the harem.

However, after Hongli appeared, they, like Haitang, got up and came out of the room to bow to him.

After Hongli told them to dispense with the formalities, he returned to the main hall in the back courtyard, which was the main room of the back hall mentioned earlier.

Haitang and the three girls also came and served him. After Hongli sat down, he glanced at the four of them.

Apart from Haitang, who had been by Hongli's side for a long time and was quite familiar with him, the other three girls were still a bit reserved since it was their first day in the backyard.

Hongli didn't want the three of them to be like wooden figures in front of him, making the atmosphere too dull.

The previous dynasty was already serious enough; if the backyard were also so oppressive, anyone would go crazy.

So Hongli slapped his knee and said, "This is really boring. Let me tell you a joke. After all, apart from Haitang, you are either my cousins ​​or my Imperial Concubine's nieces, so there's no need to be so reserved."

"Whoo!"

Do you know what happens when a bear has its nails trimmed?

Hongli inquired about these four people.

Hongli didn't know whether they really didn't know or were pretending not to know; in any case, all four of them shook their heads.

"It will become energy!"

Hongli then revealed the answer.

Haitang couldn't help but purse her lips.

Nara covered her mouth.

Fucha Yuyan also revealed a shallow dimple.

Only Nian looked blankly at him, her alluring oval face filled with question marks.

Hongli smiled and said, "It doesn't seem very funny."

"Your Highness, it's funny! But we just learned the rules today, and we can't laugh out loud in the palace, so we didn't dare to laugh too obviously."

Fucha Yuyan then replied earnestly.

Hongli nodded after hearing this, then stood up, casually walked outside the hall, looked at the dark blue sky on the horizon, and stretched.

After stretching, Hongli noticed that Fucha Yuyan was glancing at him, so he turned around and asked her, "Cousin, do I have words on my face?"

"Your Highness, I just suddenly realized how late and hard you study every day, and it made me feel a little sorry for you!"

Fucha Yuyan bowed and replied.

Hongli couldn't help but chuckle, but he didn't say much to Fucha Yuyan.

Because, in terms of kinship, although he was closest to Fucha Yuyan, the other two were the Empress's niece and the Yongzheng Emperor's favorite concubine, Consort Nian's niece.

He is not the emperor yet, so naturally he cannot treat these two people coldly.

Therefore, even if Fucha Yuyan took the initiative to flatter and fawn over him, he could not be more intimate with her.

"You guys go back first, I'll call you if I need anything."

Hongli replied.

"Whoo!"

Just as Nara and Fuca replied, Nian covered her mouth with her hands and laughed, "Giggle!"

Hongli then looked at her and asked, "What are you laughing at all of a sudden?"

After Hongli asked her, Lady Nian quickly stopped smiling and looked timid. She immediately bowed and replied, "Your Highness, I couldn't help but laugh because you said that a bear that has cut its nails can become a monster. Please forgive me!"

After saying that, Ms. Nian gritted her teeth and pursed her lips.

Hongli was surprised by Nian's slow reaction time and chuckled, saying, "It's alright, let's go back."

"Thank you, Fourth Master!"

After the three girls left, Haitang came over and said, "Fourth Master, let me help you rest."

As Hongli was nodding, Li Yu approached and said, "Fourth Prince, His Majesty summons you."

Hongli had no choice but to come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation again, as he hadn't expected Yongzheng to want to see him again.

"I couldn't dissuade your thirteenth uncle, so I agreed to let him change his name as well."

After Hongli arrived, Yongzheng sighed and began to recount the events of the past.

Hongli couldn't help but ask him, "Then what brings Father Xuan'er here?"

“Your thirteenth uncle is a wise and prudent man, a true sage king! Therefore, your previous agreement to not change his name was correct, it makes me very satisfied, and it shows that you understand my thoughts!”

"Therefore, I have decided to reward you with something."

As he spoke, Yongzheng began to stroll through his Hall of Mental Cultivation, examining various antiques and furnishings.

After hesitating for a long time, Yongzheng suddenly lowered his head and handed Hongli a golden belt that he had hidden in a secret compartment:
"Very well, I'll bestow this golden belt, which matches the style of my belt, upon you!"

"I specially ordered the Imperial Workshop to make this belt. It was originally intended for your thirteenth uncle, but now I think it's more appropriate to give it to you!"

Hongli was quite surprised.

The golden belt, which is the same style as the emperor's belt, is by the regulations reserved for the crown prince.

Emperor Yongzheng had originally intended to give it to his thirteenth son, but now he changed his mind and gave it to himself.

Doesn't this mean that, compared to using this method to show that the thirteenth prince was the executive vice emperor, Yongzheng initially preferred to express to the outside world that he was the crown prince?

(End of this chapter)