My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 125 How Much Did the Empress Value Hongli?

Haitang immediately did as instructed.

That evening, Hongli arrived at Maoqin Hall wearing a very ornate golden belt.

Upon seeing Hongli, the thirteenth prince noticed the difference in his belt and was astonished: "Did Fourth Brother give you this belt?"

"Does Uncle Thirteen think I would dare to have the Imperial Workshop make such a belt?"

Hongli asked with a smile.

The thirteenth brother nodded and said with a smile, "That's good. Fourth brother should give you more responsibilities instead of letting your thirteenth uncle really shoulder the burden of the world!"

"But the world can't function without Uncle Thirteen."

Hongli replied.

The thirteenth prince waved his hand: "Let's not talk about that. You specially wore this imperial belt. Is there something you want your thirteenth uncle to do?"

“How could I dare to give orders to Uncle Thirteen? But there is something I need to tell you.”

“My cousin Hongchang has been getting too close to my third brother lately! He’s even secretly forming a faction, manipulating the government, and has been having close ties with Le Ling, the censor who impeached Li Weijun.”

As he spoke, Hongli handed the secret letter that Enxiang had given him to the thirteenth brother: "These are the letters that my cousin Hongchang has been exchanging with them. Please take them back and return them to my cousin Hongchang, Uncle Thirteen."

The thirteenth prince was visibly alarmed. He quickly snatched the letter from Hongli's hand and began to read it carefully.

After reading it, the thirteenth prince's face turned ashen, and he grinned, saying, "That unfilial son! I told him long ago not to associate with Hongxi and the others, and not to fight for power and profit, but he wouldn't listen! He's actually associating with Hongshi now!"

talking.

The thirteenth prince turned to Hongli, patted him on the shoulder, and said solemnly, "Hongli! Your thirteenth uncle has to thank you, and also thank you on behalf of Hongchang. You are saving him and your thirteenth uncle!"

"Uncle Thirteen thanks you in advance, and also thanks you on behalf of your cousin Hongchang!"

The thirteenth prince even slapped his fist and bowed to Hongli.

"Uncle Thirteen, please don't do this! You're making your nephew feel terrible!"

Hongli quickly returned the greeting.

"I'll skip tonight's evening lessons; I need to see your father immediately! You should also return to the palace first."

The thirteenth prince had already turned and walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation, taking off the gold medal from his waist as he went.

Hongli couldn't help but ask, "What does Thirteenth Uncle want with Father?"

"We request that Your Brother Hongchang be placed under house arrest!"

Hongli watched the thirteenth prince's retreating figure and a smile appeared on his lips.

This is exactly the result he wanted!
“Hongchang, Hongchang, you really should thank me.”

"If I don't stop you from continuing to contact Hongshi in advance, I'm afraid that in the future, not only will Hongshi be adopted and then executed, but you will also end up in the same situation!"

"I'm not just targeting you because I'm worried you're getting too close to Hongshi!"

After thinking this to himself, Hongli gave a cold laugh and returned to Yongshou Palace.

Hongli returned to Yongshou Palace early and missed the evening class, so he found that Haitang, Nara Minxuan, and Nian Yirou were not there, and only Fucha Yuyan was waiting for him in her room.

"Have they stayed with Mother and the Imperial Concubine again and not returned?"

Hongli solemnly inquired about Fucha Yuyan.

Fucha Yuyan gently advised Hongli, "Cousin, don't be angry with Haitang and the others! Haitang and the others have gone to the Empress and the Consort again and haven't returned yet, but Haitang did tell me that she asked me to wait for you to come back and tell you."

Hongli nodded in satisfaction: "I'm not angry. The fact that she told you is the same as telling me."

As a person of the Empress and Emperor Yongzheng, it was unavoidable that Haitang would be summoned for questioning by the Empress and even Emperor Yongzheng.

However, the fact that Haitang made sure to let him know through Fucha Yuyan before each of her private meetings with the Empress clearly indicated that she had no intention of hiding anything from him.

Emperor Hongli was thus relieved and had no reason to be angry.

At the same time, he had to admit that these palace maids, especially those of high status, were not simple people; they knew how to navigate between their current and future masters.

When Haitang was in front of the Empress, she did not say anything detrimental to Hongli, but only reported how much Hongli cared for Nara Minxuan and how timid and indifferent Nara Minxuan was.

"This servant doesn't know what our young lady is thinking!"

"When the Fourth Prince saw that the young lady liked poetry, he asked her if she had written any poems herself. The young lady said no. He asked her if she was used to life in the palace. The young lady only replied that she was used to it. He didn't know to say a few more words and explain why she was used to it."

"For example, it's because Fourth Master treats the girl well, so the girl doesn't miss home much."

"This servant can only worry for the young lady, and cannot speak on her behalf at that time."

Knowing that she had always been loyal to Hongli, Haitang was not worried about displeasing Nara Minxuan by speaking frankly. She spoke the truth to the Empress out of concern for Minxuan and the Empress's family.

The Empress frowned upon hearing this and looked at her niece, Nara Minxuan: "Haitang is right! What were you thinking back then?"

“If Hongli asks you about poetry, just show it to him. Who knows, you might be able to write something like Nalan Rongruo's, and one day you might even have a chance to bet on books with Hongli and enjoy the fragrance of spilled tea.”

"Aunt, please calm down! I was afraid that Fourth Master would think my writing was bad and become unhappy."

Nara Minxuan lowered her head and answered shyly.

The Empress frowned even more, looking at her niece and saying, "How do you know he's unhappy if you don't show it to him?"

"Besides, when he asked you if you were used to life in the palace, why did you only reply with a few words, keeping him at arm's length?"

"Do you know that it is my blessing to raise him? It is the Emperor who has given my branch of the Ulanara clan the opportunity to continue to be wealthy and powerful!"

"It's not that he needs to beg me, the Empress, to raise him! Nor does he need to beg you to get close to him!"

"Only by winning his heart and keeping him in love with you can you bring greater glory to the family in the future. You can't just wait for me to give you the chance to get close to him."

"Besides, I can't provide you with a lifetime of support!"

"If you don't seize the opportunity while I, your aunt the Empress, am still alive, to make him like you even more, once I'm gone, it might be harder than climbing to heaven for you to have a chance to get close to him!"

"Furthermore, the Emperor wouldn't allow any of his Empress's relatives to directly become Hongli's consorts through the imperial selection process, and have the opportunity to re-enter the harem in the future. The only acceptable scenario is that someone from our family can start as a trial concubine, beginning as a low-ranking consort, and then be promoted by the new Emperor based on the circumstances." "Therefore, whether our family can produce another woman of high rank in the harem depends entirely on your efforts, on climbing the ranks step by step!"

"Auntie can only give you a chance to enter the palace, and after entering the palace, you will have more help than others, but how far you can go in the end depends on yourself!"

After the Empress said this, Nara Minxuan simply bowed respectfully and said, "Your niece understands."

"As you know, Hongli has already been bestowed with a belt befitting the heir apparent, and is recognized by the court and the public as the late emperor's favored grandson. If you don't hurry up and get closer to him, he might resent you instead. He won't think you're cowardly or afraid; he'll only think you're deliberately using your noble birth to treat him coldly."

"In that case, what if I can no longer be your support in the future? He will treat you even colder! At that time, forget about bringing glory to the family, you won't even be able to protect your own life!"

"Do you understand?"

The Empress then inquired about Nara Minxuan.

Minxuan kept her head down, looking dejected: "I understand, niece!"

"I know, I know, don't just say 'I know,' take action instead!"

"Women of the Ulanara clan have always been no less courageous than men! You must not bring shame to the Ulanara clan!"

"Yes, Auntie, don't worry!"

"I estimate that Hongli will be back soon."

"You should go back quickly and think of ways to make Hongli truly care about you!"

"Haitang, if you have the chance, try to give her some pointers."

"If I had a son of my own, I wouldn't force you to seek Hongli's attention, especially when you're so young!"

……

……

Hongli could actually guess why Haitang, Nara Minxuan, and Nian Yirou were kept by the Empress and Consort for so long.

He just smiled faintly at this, thinking to himself: The Empress and Consort Nian must also be very dissatisfied with their niece's performance, otherwise they wouldn't summon her so frequently and personally teach her so often.

Since only Fucha Yuyan was by his side at the moment, and since Fucha Yuyan's father had just performed meritorious service for him, Hongli took the initiative to ask Fucha Yuyan: "The handkerchief you said you would embroider for me, is it finished yet?"

"I embroidered three pieces, but I was afraid my cousin wouldn't like them, so I never found a chance to give them to him."

Fucha Yuyan chuckled.

Hongli smiled slightly and said, "Let me see it."

Before long, Fucha Yuyan hurried back to the inner room, took out three silk handkerchiefs on a white jade plate, and said very seriously:

"I did these things simply to express my feelings. I had no other purpose, nor did I want to rely on my cousin to bring any glory to the family!"

"Because I truly admire my cousin! Being chosen by my cousin to serve him in the palace is the happiest thing in my life. As for what my future title will be, that's not something I care about much!"

Hongli nodded, carefully examining the handkerchiefs, and said with a smile, "You've put a lot of effort into this! They're also the kind of handkerchiefs I like, with poems and mountain scenes. It's a rare treat for my cousin, so I'll accept them."

As he spoke, Hongli tucked the three handkerchiefs into his sleeve.

Fucha Yuyan smiled sweetly, then lowered her head and began to sob softly.

Upon seeing this, Hongli couldn't help but ask, "Why are you crying?"

"There's no reason, it's just that my cousin treats me so gently that I'm a little touched and not used to it!"

After speaking, Fucha Yuyan raised her big, watery eyes.

Hongli's heart skipped a beat. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before pulling an old handkerchief from his horse-hoof sleeve and handing it to her, then turned his back to her.

He turned his back because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist giving the other person a loving hug!
Because my cousin is just so good at it!
"Thank you cousin!"

Hongli then returned to his study in the rear palace and began to read.

Fucha Yuyan soon stopped crying and returned to normal. Because it was night, the redness in her eyes was not visible. She simply stood quietly by her side.

Not long after, Haitang, Nara Minxuan, and Nian Yirou all returned.

Nara Minxuan's heart was in turmoil whenever she saw Hongli.

Because the moment she saw Hongli, she remembered her aunt, the Empress, telling her to get closer to him. In addition, with her aunt's eyes watching her, she felt immense pressure.

Haitang hadn't expected Hongli to return early, so she quickly came over and asked, "Fourth Master, why did you come back early?"

"Would Fourth Master like to stay a little later?"

"Fourth Master, shall we drink now, or wait a while?"

As soon as Haitang and the others returned, Fucha Yuyan became silent and retreated to a corner.

Upon seeing this, Hongli responded to Haitang while also praising Fucha Yuyan, thinking that his cousin was indeed sensible, knowing that she could not actively show off when the Empress and Consort's nieces were present.

……

……

“Hongli is sensible! He knows that such things should be nipped in the bud.”

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After explaining to Yongzheng the affair of Hongchang, Hongshi, and Leling forming a clique for personal gain, the thirteenth prince, Yunxiang, also praised Hongli.

Yongzheng nodded, appreciating Hongli's move. He then said, "He is both protecting you, his thirteenth uncle, and considering the bigger picture. But thirteenth brother, do you really want to imprison Hongchang?"

Although Emperor Yongzheng disliked Hongshi, he had not yet made up his mind to imprison him, so he was quite surprised by the thirteenth prince's decision.

The thirteenth son said, "If we don't do it this way, we'll only harm him!"

As he spoke, the thirteenth prince looked at Yongzheng and said, "Fourth brother, please grant my request. I don't want to have to kill my own son to give you and Hongli an explanation in the future!"

(End of this chapter)