My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 123 The Prince's Happy Life

Hongli couldn't help but ask Yongzheng, "Father, isn't this going a bit too far? I am, after all, only a Beile!"

"As long as it's not bright yellow, it's not considered impolite!"

"Besides, what I want is that when you wear this belt one day, a smart person will understand my thoughts as soon as they see it."

"As for confused people, especially those who pretend to be confused, no matter how you express it, they will deliberately not understand, which will only encourage them to do even more. But that's better! It's better to lure them out than to let them hide forever."

After Yongzheng finished speaking, Hongli nodded, his face beaming with joy, and said, "Your subject understands. Then your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

Yongzheng smiled and nodded, dismissing Hongli.

That night, the stars shone brightly, and the sky was clear and bright.

Hongli, holding a golden imperial belt, walked back towards Yongshou Palace.

"After Father Khan left, he bestowed upon me a golden belt made by the Imperial Workshop according to the emperor's specifications."

When Empress Ulanara asked him why he had been summoned by Emperor Yongzheng again that night after he returned to Yongshou Palace, he answered truthfully.

Hongli then presented the belt to the Empress with both hands.

The Empress stood up in shock, her eyes fixed on the belt.

During the Qing Dynasty, according to regulations, only the emperor was allowed to wear a belt with nine large pearls and a round gold dragon pattern, while even princes could only wear belts with four large pearls.

Its dragon-patterned gold plate can only be square.

The symbolism is the supreme ruler and the concept of a round heaven and a square earth, meaning that no matter how noble a prince is, he cannot be the emperor, but he is only slightly lower than the supreme ruler.

Now, the belt that Hongli has obtained is of the same standard as that of an emperor, which naturally means that he can also represent Heaven and be the supreme ruler.

However, unlike the bright yellow belt used by the emperor, the belt that Hongli received was golden yellow, which meant that he was the future supreme ruler, the future emperor!
The Empress looked at the belt and naturally understood Yongzheng's meaning. She was quite pleased and smiled at Hongli, saying, "Good, His Majesty indeed has high hopes for you! Go back and rest."

"Your subject takes his leave. May Your Majesty rest in peace!"

Hongli then held the belt and retreated backwards.

The Empress nodded, her eyes filled with smiles.

After Hongli left, the Empress couldn't help but show a worried expression and said to Chen Yushun:
"Minxuan, you must live up to expectations! You should take advantage of the fact that I am now Hongli's aunt, his adoptive mother, and his position as Empress. You should get close to Hongli. Who knows, my family might produce a Consort even if we don't produce another Empress!"

"Don't worry, Master. Miss Minxuan is always intelligent and well-behaved. She will not disappoint you."

"hope so!"

The Empress sighed, then turned and went back into the house.

……

……

Meanwhile, after Hongli returned to the backyard, Nara Minxuan, Nian Yirou, and Fucha Yuyan immediately followed Haitang and walked past the stone Yuan Dynasty screen wall to pay their respects to Hongli.

"Fourth Master!"

After Hongli dismissed their formalities, he smiled at Haitang and said, "Father Khan has bestowed upon me a belt, which is unique. Please keep it for me."

"Whoo!"

Hongli didn't say much to Haitang about how unique the belt was, but Haitang, who had been in the palace for several years, knew just by glancing at the belt's pearls and the shape of the belt plate.

So, after responding, Haitang couldn't help but grin and, unable to hide her excitement, carefully took the belt and went inside.

Even though Nara Minxuan, Nian Yirou, and Fucha Yuyan were new to the palace, they already had some understanding of etiquette. At this moment, they noticed the difference in the belt, and their expressions towards Hongli became even more complicated.

"Congratulations, Fourth Master!"

Therefore, all three bowed to Hongli to express their congratulations.

Hongli nodded slightly and went inside, letting them all rest.

That night, all three of them tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The next day.

While helping Hongli change his clothes, Haitang asked him, "Fourth Prince, would you like to wear the belt that was bestowed upon you by the Emperor yesterday?"

"No need, we'll use the usual one."

Hongli decided to keep a low profile and learn from his thirteenth uncle: he should not flaunt the emperor's favor and should use it where it is most needed.

The emperor grants you extraordinary privileges not so that you can challenge imperial power, but so that you can use the power granted by the emperor to uphold imperial power at crucial moments.

"Whoo!"

On the same day, Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict to send the memorial on the trial implementation of the land tax system in Zhili back to the Nine Ministers for further review.

The reason is that the initial discussion results seemed rather perfunctory, with a strong sense of pandering to the emperor.

Therefore, in his decree to review the matter, Emperor Yongzheng reprimanded the Nine Ministers, expressing his dissatisfaction with their failure to genuinely point out the drawbacks and their tendency to only talk about the advantages, and their hasty decision to allow the trial implementation of the policy!
At the same time, Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict ordering the Imperial Household Department to begin expanding the Yuanmingyuan Garden after the sixteenth day of the first month of the following year.

The reason was that his own health was not as good as before, and many of his senior officials were also not as healthy as before. Moreover, the Forbidden City was unbearably hot in the summer, so he needed to take a group of senior officials to work in the villa during the summer.

of course!

Indeed, this is true. When the Forbidden City was built, many symbolic rituals had to be taken into account, so much of the comfort of living there was sacrificed.

In particular, the greening rate is insufficient and there are not many water features.

Even with an imperial garden, it was pitifully small and inadequate to regulate the temperature of the entire Forbidden City in the summer.

That's why Emperor Yongzheng was so eager to expand the Yuanmingyuan Garden, preparing to live there in the future.

The reason he chose to visit the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) instead of the Changchun Garden in the future is because he is more familiar with the Old Summer Palace.

After all, the Yuanmingyuan was a summer retreat bestowed upon him by Emperor Kangxi when he was still a prince, and he had come to regard it as his true home. Of course, neither reconsidering the land tax reform nor expanding the Yuanmingyuan into a large garden that combined residence and governance were matters that Hongli needed to directly participate in at this time.

His main task now remains studying.

And right now, his knowledge and skills are indeed improving by leaps and bounds.

For example, in archery, he can already draw a medium-strength bow, which is not yet the size of a stone in the Han Dynasty, but it is already quite good for a young boy.

In addition, through studying with the thirteenth prince at night, he gained a more detailed understanding of the Dzungar Khanate, the Russian Empire, and southern Burma and the Gurkha during this period of the Qing Dynasty, as well as Western countries such as England and France.

In any case, if the Opium War had occurred during his reign, he wouldn't have been like Emperor Daoguang, unaware of where England was or its current strength.

On this day, after finishing his evening lessons, Hongli bid farewell to Yunxiang and returned to the backyard of Yongshou Palace. He found that Haitang, Nara Minxuan, and Nian Yirou were not there, only Fucha Yuyan was waiting for him in the backyard.

"Fourth Master!"

While Hongli was wondering what was going on, Fucha Yuyan had already come over and bowed to him.

"Get up!"

Hongli raised his hand and returned to the inner palace, while asking Fucha Yuyan, "Where are Haitang and Minxuan?"

"Sister Haitang was summoned by the Empress, and Sister Minxuan and Sister Yirou were also summoned by the Empress and the Imperial Concubine respectively."

Hongli nodded in satisfaction. The fact that Fucha Yuyan knew so much meant that Haitang had not kept her and the other two's whereabouts a secret from her, but was deliberately relaying them to him through Fucha Yuyan.

After speaking, Fucha Yuyan, who was following behind Hongli, went to the tea and kitchen room and placed a bowl of milk drink in front of Hongli: "Fourth Master, would you like to drink it now?"

Hongli, who was already sitting in a chair resting, took it.

Milk was already being consumed during the Qing Dynasty, but because milk was still quite precious at that time, it did not become widespread among the common people and was only popular among the court and princes and ministers.

Within the palace, people often drank human milk for health, and like cow's milk, it was called milk or milk drink.

However, during the Qing Dynasty, milk was often made into milk tea.

Although Hongli drank milk every night for his own nutrition, he wouldn't let anyone add tea, as he didn't want it to affect his sleep, nor would he allow anyone to add too much sugar, thus increasing his sugar intake.

"Is there a lot of sugar added?"

Hongli glanced at the milk drink because it was brought to him by Fucha Yuyan, a novice, and asked a question.

Fucha Yuyan replied, "It's the same as what Sister Haitang usually asks for. We've learned from Sister Haitang that you don't allow people to add too much sugar to milk drinks."

Hongli nodded after hearing this, then picked up the milk drink and slowly drank it.

After drinking.

Since it was just him and Fucha Yuyan, and considering that Fucha Yuyan was, after all, his birth mother's niece, he should give her some face, which would also be a way of giving face to his maternal clan. So he took the initiative to say to Fucha Yuyan:
“In private, when it’s just the two of us, we can just talk like family and he can call me cousin.”

"Ok!"

Fucha Yuyan nodded obediently.

Hongli smiled at this.

Although his maternal clan had only recently been elevated to a higher status and did not yet have any prominent figures, it was possible that they might need to rely on members of his maternal clan in the future.

Moreover, sometimes, ordinary people can play a significant role at important historical junctures.

Therefore, Hongli felt it was necessary to play chess from time to time. As Consort Xi told him, giving his maternal clan some hope and expectation was not a bad thing.

Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that it was just him and Fucha Yuyan, Hongli took the initiative to ask her with concern, "Cousin, are you getting used to life in the palace?"

"I'm not used to it at first, but when I think about my aunt and cousin being here, I feel that it's nothing. Most importantly, I can see my cousin every day."

Fucha Yuyan smiled gently.

Hongli raised the corners of his mouth slightly: "Is that so? I don't know how your aunt and uncle taught you. You've become quite eloquent."

"Thank you for the compliment, cousin!"

"But I'm not trying to please my cousin, I mean it from the bottom of my heart!"

"Because I've heard my father and mother mention it before, that my aunt is our pride, and you are my aunt's pride."

"That's why I've always admired my cousin. Whenever I hear good news about him, I feel as happy as if it were good news happening to me!"

Fucha Yuyan smiled serenely and began to share her thoughts, after which she expressed her gratitude.

Hongli nodded, not denying it, but unconsciously asked Fucha Yuyan, "What have you been learning lately?"

"Besides palace etiquette and the rules for serving the emperor in bed, there are things to keep in mind when serving you, cousin. For example, you need to prepare a cup of warm water in the morning, and you can't add too much sugar or tea to your milk drink in the evening. The incense in the room shouldn't be too strong..."

Fucha Yuyan clearly knew how to answer in a way that would satisfy Hongli, so she chose to bring up the most important point about paying attention to Hongli's lifestyle habits.

Upon hearing this, Hongli felt as if he had drunk sweet dew, and secretly sighed that being a prince was indeed comfortable, as one's lifestyle habits were taken very seriously, without having to accommodate anyone.

In a good mood, Hongli was more willing to show more care and communication with others, so he continued to ask Fucha Yuyan, "In your spare time lately, do you still just do needlework?"

"Yes, I dare not lie to my cousin. I know that my family background is not as noble as Sister Minxuan's, and my elders are not as powerful as Sister Yirou's. Only my cousin and my aunt are my support in the palace."

“Even though my cousin took my sachet but never wore it, I understand that he did it to avoid displeasing the Empress and the Imperial Concubine!”

"So, I thought I'd make some pretty handkerchiefs for my cousin. This way, I can show my love for him, and he can carry them with him easily if he needs them, without anyone noticing."

On Fucha Yuyan's delicate and beautiful face, a kind and pitiful look appeared. Then she lowered her head and fiddled with her sleeve with her fingers.

Hongli was deeply moved.

After all, Fucha Yuyan was so understanding and considerate of him, and she was always aware of his situation. She also showed him kindness in a very appropriate way. Whether it was out of genuine concern or for his own and his family's future, she was undoubtedly a good younger sister!

(End of this chapter)