My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 128 Do Not Reenact the Past Events of the Ming Dynasty!

Emperor Yongzheng then stood up, patted Hongli on the shoulder, and said in a very kind and amiable manner, "I am very pleased that you think this way!"

"But, Hongli."

"We cannot appease them just because we want to ease the conflict between the royal family and nobles."

"Disputes cannot be resolved without severely punishing a few stubborn individuals."

Yongzheng spoke with a heavy heart, and once again put himself in the shoes of instructing the future emperor, telling Hongli how an emperor should manage the imperial clan and nobles.

Hongli nodded earnestly, indicating that he was carefully digesting Yongzheng's earnest teachings.

"Your subject understands."

After a while, Hongli showed a sunny and cheerful smile and looked at Yongzheng.

When Yongzheng saw Hongli's intelligent and studious appearance, it was like drinking sweet dew, as if all the fatigue of the day had disappeared without a trace, and he smiled slightly.

He discovered that only with Hongli could he experience the true joy of family life that should exist between father and son.

In this way, he not only sees his son making progress, but also feels a sense of accomplishment in demonstrating his own value to his son.

He felt nothing in front of Hongshi and Hongzhou.

Especially when he was in front of Hongshi, the thought of the other man would make him feel like the other man was going to make him angry again!

Hongshi developed PTSD symptoms.

Therefore, this made him even more infatuated with the feeling of being alone with Hongli.

Now, Yongzheng is 100% certain that if Hongli becomes emperor in the future, he will not be ruthless towards his uncles and brothers because of personal grudges.

If a truly ruthless punishment is to be taken, it can only be when these uncles and brothers have incurred the wrath of both heaven and the people, to the point that even the emperor cannot protect them, and such punishment would only win them more popular support.

Emperor Yongzheng was able to accept this situation.

He's not Emperor Kangxi; he wouldn't be so lenient with family ties as to abandon all principles.

Therefore, if Hongli showed principled behavior in front of the imperial family and nobles, he would appreciate it and think that they were worthy of being his own offspring!
Hongli was indeed intentionally giving Yongzheng the opportunity to teach him, and took the initiative to ask him, "If that's the case, then Father, will you still punish Third Uncle for this?"

"It's too early to deal with him!"

"It depends on his attitude!"

"But the conflict between him and your thirteenth uncle is something that both you and I must take seriously. I am not in a position to help your thirteenth uncle deal with your third uncle right now, but you can certainly help your thirteenth uncle."

"It's not just because your thirteenth uncle is more open and selfless, but because the relatives who can pave the way for your next generation are still your uncles."

“Your third uncle is too old, and his magnanimity is not as great as your uncles’ generation!”

When Yongzheng got to this point, he couldn't help but shake his head as he thought of Yunzhi's disgusting and despicable methods in the past.

"Your subject has remembered, thank you for your guidance, Father!"

Hongli nodded and bowed.

Yongzheng smiled.

Hongli glanced at the clock on the table. Seeing that Yongzheng had not yet asked him to leave, he took the initiative to cup his hands and said, "Father, it's getting late. Your son will take his leave now. You should rest early!"

Yongzheng did not nod. After pondering for a while, he picked up the Buddhist beads on the table and said, "I will go to Yongshou Palace with you. It has been a long time since I visited the Empress."

The Empress knew very well that Yongzheng did not want to come see her.

Having aged and lost her beauty, she no longer held any sexual attraction for Yongzheng.

However, due to her status as Empress, she was unable to offer Yongzheng much emotional support.

Therefore, she knew that Yongzheng didn't really want to see her; he clearly wanted to spend more time with Hongli!

Therefore, when Su Peisheng arrived, she instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare several side dishes that Emperor Yongzheng liked, as well as several that Emperor Hongli liked, for later snacks.

But the Empress was still very happy about this, after all, who wouldn't want to spend more time with their husband?

This made the Empress think even more highly of Hongli. She never expected that Hongli would be so liked by Yongzheng that he would take the initiative to come to Yongshou Palace to see her.

Although Qing Dynasty emperors would typically choose their concubines to spend the night by flipping through nameplates, they did not refrain from visiting each concubine's chambers to check on them.

The process is just a bit more complicated.

The eunuchs around Emperor Yongzheng would notify the concubines he was going to visit in advance, so that they could prepare to kneel and receive him.

Therefore, when Yongzheng accompanied Hongli back to Yongshou Palace, the Empress had already arrived at Yongshou Gate with everyone in the palace.

The night sky was clear and bright, adorned with thousands of red lanterns.

Hongli let Yongzheng hold his hand as they walked, listening to Yongzheng recount amusing anecdotes from when he was Hongli's age.

Hongli discovered that the older people get, the more they like to talk about their youth in front of their children and grandchildren, as if they are drinking aged wine and are quite intoxicated by it.

The better Hongli responded, the more enjoyable Yongzheng's narration became.

As Yongzheng spoke, they soon arrived at Yongshou Palace.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

After the Empress smiled and led everyone to kneel down, Emperor Yongzheng, in a great mood, also helped the Empress up. His eyes showed more tenderness towards his first wife, which was not just based on respect for her.

"Is there anything to eat?"

In response, Yongzheng acted like a husband in the common people, taking the empress's hand and whispering a question in her ear.

The Empress replied with a delighted smile, "I prepare it for His Majesty every day, and I also prepare it for Hongli. He's busy with his studies right now, and it's also a time when he's growing."

Yongzheng was pleased with what he heard, and turned to Hongli: "Are you hungry?"

Hongli naturally and cooperatively touched his lower abdomen: "A little!"

"Then let's have some late-night snacks with Father before we rest!"

As he spoke, Yongzheng entered the main hall of Yongshou Palace.

The Empress also smiled and gave Chen Shishun a meaningful look.

Because they also lived in Yongshou Palace, Nara Minxuan, Nian Yirou, and Fucha Yuyan, who came out with the Empress to greet the Emperor, did not expect that Hongli would be so favored by Yongzheng that he would personally escort him back and even have dinner with Hongli in the main hall of Yongshou Palace!

These days, Nara Minxuan spends almost every day staying at the Empress's place until very late.

Therefore, she knew best how few times the Emperor had visited her Empress aunt.

At the same time, although the three of them spent most of their time in the backyard of their mansions outside the palace, and rarely went out when they entered the palace due to various rules, and had not seen many people and things, they had all grown up in wealthy families with many children and wives and concubines, so they naturally knew how much Yongzheng loved Hongli just now.

This made them miss the days when their parents loved them, but also made them more certain that Hongli was truly favored by the emperor, and that their future end might not just be that of a princess by Hongli's side.

That night, Yongzheng stayed overnight in the Empress's palace.

Hongli then led Haitang and the others back to his inner palace.

Yongzheng did not go to sleep immediately. He waited until he had digested his food before he wisely began to talk with the Empress in bed. He sighed and said, "Hongli is still better than Hongshi. Hongshi only thinks about himself!"

……

……

After leaving Yongzheng, Hongshi was summoned to see the Eighth Prince and told him everything: his meeting with Yongzheng, his confession of his contact with Hongchang, and even his slander against Hongli for forming a faction. The Eighth Prince sighed and gave a bitter smile after hearing this.

Hongshi followed with a bitter laugh.

“Hongshi, I’m not trying to be mean, but from now on, just say what I tell you to tell your father. There’s no need to overdo it!”

Lao Ba continued, his words carrying a hint of taming, deciding to take the opportunity to prevent Hong Shi from acting on his own and to completely obey his orders.

Hongshi nodded.

"Who is Fourth Brother? He was the ultimate winner in the struggle for the throne during the late Emperor's reign! You think you're trying to sow discord between Hongli and Fourth Brother, but you're actually poisoning yourself!"

"Back then, even your eighth uncle didn't dare to openly point out the shortcomings of his brothers in front of the late emperor. He would hide them as much as possible, unless the late emperor specifically requested that a certain brother's shortcomings be exposed, then I would dare to expose them!"

“When a father really spoils a son, he can turn a blind eye to anything, even if he says the son is forming a faction or plotting a rebellion.”

"You're too eager to make Hongli suffer a loss!"

Seeing that Hongshi nodded, Lao Ba spoke to Hongshi earnestly again.

Hongshi frowned, looking frustrated: "Eighth Uncle, what should I say if Father asks me how I learned from you?"

"Fourth Brother probably won't ask you."

"Fourth Brother, you're blaming me for your own wicked intentions."

"I will speak to Fourth Brother in person when I have the chance."

"What you need to do now is to become more shrewd and forget about this, as if it never happened."

"As for your statement that you're afraid Hongli will harm you if he gets the throne, don't mention it again. You need to have a very clear understanding of your opponent!"

"If Hongli were to kill your own brother because of some old grudge, it would only prove that he is a fool, and that you are so outstanding that he is afraid of you!"

"Even being outstanding enough to make him wary isn't enough; you also have to kneel down quickly enough."

“But you are even more humble than your eighth uncle, so even if Hongli becomes emperor in the future, he will not kill you, his own brother.”

At this point, Lao Ba patted Hong Shi on the shoulder and said with a smile, "So, don't worry too much. In the end, this is just that the struggle between your Uncle Ba and your father is not over. It's not directed at you."

Hongshi pursed his lips and nodded, looking touched: "Eighth Uncle, I was so foolish, I never thought you would comfort your nephew and still care about him. I don't know what to say."

Lao Ba simply smiled slightly and didn't reveal his true feelings.

But he was happy inside; he was pleased to see Hongshi being mediocre and obedient.

……

……

After returning, Hongli did not go to sleep immediately because he had just eaten. Instead, he sent Nara Minxuan, Nian Yirou, and Fucha Yuyan back to their rooms, while he continued reading in his study.

However, after looking for an unknown amount of time, Hongli felt his eyes were sore and, seeing that it was only 9 p.m. in the future, he went out. Seeing that Fucha Yuyan's room was still lit, he went into Fucha Yuyan's room.

Haitang, who was following behind Hongli, stood outside the door without coming in, and only sighed slightly.

"Is your cousin still awake?"

After Hongli entered and excused Fucha Yuyan from the formalities, he asked a question.

Fucha Yuyan pursed her lips and replied softly, "Can't sleep?"

"Are you homesick?"

"no!"

Hongli looked at her in surprise: "Why is that?"

"It's because I saw my cousin reading for quite a while! Although I admire his diligence and love of reading, it also makes me feel even more sorry for him!"

"The more this happens, the less I can sleep. It's been like this every night before. I can only fall asleep when I see my cousin asleep."

Fucha Yuyan naturally explained her reasons.

Hongli was slightly taken aback.

Fucha Yuyan, without anyone noticing, poured a cup of warm water into a crystal glass and placed it in front of Hongli, smiling sweetly as she said, "Cousin, have some water!"

"Knowing that my cousin doesn't drink tea at night, I made him a cup of warm water."

"You actually prepared warm water?"

Hongli picked up the crystal glass with some surprise, and since he was a little thirsty, he took a sip.

Fucha Yuyan smiled and said, "I noticed that my cousin often drinks warm water, so I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't expect that I would actually like it so much, so I always keep it on hand!"

Hongli smiled and said, "My cousin is very kind."

Fucha Yuyan suddenly spoke earnestly and proactively to Hongli:

"It is said that overthinking harms the spleen and affects sleep. Although my cousin has the world in his heart and lofty aspirations, he should not think too much. Although warm water will not invigorate the spirit like tea, I will feel sorry for him if I think that he is afraid to drink tea at night because he is overthinking."

talking.

Fucha Yuyan lowered her head and said in a barely audible voice, "Even my cousin herself would feel sorry for me!"

Hongli nodded: "My cousin is right. I'll remember that and try to think less about it."

Even so, Hongli was moved by Fucha Yuyan's prudence and thoughtfulness, and thought about Fucha Yuyan's future.

He knew that although Fucha Yuyan's background was not as good as Nara Minxuan and Nian Yirou's, and she needed to keep a low profile in front of them, once he became emperor and Niohuru became empress dowager, her background would be so great that even Nara Minxuan couldn't compare to her now.

At that time, with her cautious and considerate nature, coupled with her background as the Empress Dowager's niece, Fucha Yuyan's ultimate goal would likely have been at least that of becoming an Imperial Noble Consort.

In his memory, Fucha Yuyan did not live to see Qianlong ascend the throne, even though she had given birth to several children for him before his ascension and was clearly favored by him.

Thinking of this, Hongli hoped that Fucha Yuyan could live a longer life in this life, and not die young like Qianlong's first empress in history.

Hongli then stood up and deliberately yawned: "I'm a little sleepy, I'm going back to sleep. Cousin, you should rest early too."

"Whoo!"

Fucha Yuyan responded.

As Hongli turned around, he noticed that Fucha Yuyan was still secretly watching him, so he turned back and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about, cousin?"

"This servant dares not speak!"

"What are you afraid to say?"

"So, cousin, don't be angry when you hear that?"

"I'm not angry, you can speak."

"I was thinking, it would be very comfortable to sleep with you, cousin."

"Otherwise, when the instructor taught us, she wouldn't have said that serving the master until he fell asleep was our blessing, and Sister Haitang wouldn't have been so happy every night after falling asleep with her cousin."

Fucha Yuyan raised her fair face and asked with innocent eyes.

(End of this chapter)