My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 98 Heng Chen, Drafting the Imperial Edict!
Su Peisheng then walked up to the assembled princes and ministers and unfolded Emperor Yongzheng's edict:

"On that day, the Holy Ancestor was so distressed about the Second Prince that his grief was indescribable."

"The princes are still young, and the matter of establishing an heir must be handled with utmost care. How can we proceed at this time?"

"However, since the Holy Ancestor has entrusted me with such important matters, as the head of the clan and the state, I have no choice but to make plans in advance."

"I hereby write this matter down, seal it, and place it in a box in the center of the Qianqing Palace, behind the plaque inscribed with the words 'Upright and Bright' by Emperor Shizu Zhang."

"This is the highest point in the palace, in preparation for unforeseen circumstances!"

"All princes and ministers should know this."

"It may be collected for decades, but that is uncertain."

"All princes and ministers should devote themselves wholeheartedly to assisting me, so that I may become a wise ruler of this era."

"You must also preserve your achievements and strengthen your friendships. Would this not be a great blessing for your family, your country, and the world?"

After Su Peisheng read the contents of the imperial edict.

Prince Yi, Prince Zhuang, Prince Xun, and ministers such as Zhang Tingyu and Zhu Shi all knelt down: "Your Majesty's wise consideration is thorough and comprehensive, and we are sincerely convinced!"

"Eighth brother, do you have any further objections?"

Seeing that the Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, had not yet expressed his opinion and was still standing there in a daze, Yongzheng asked him a question with a solemn expression.

Many Manchu and Han officials who did not kneel also looked at the Eighth Prince at this moment.

Because the Eighth Prince was the real mastermind behind this proposal to establish an heir.

The purpose of establishing the heir apparent and designating Hongli as the heir was to sow suspicion in Yongzheng towards Hongli and to divide Yongzheng's power.

In the opinion of the Eighth Prince, even if Yongzheng agreed to make Hongli the heir apparent, he could still make Hongli a de facto opposition party to the reform.

Because he could make most of the bureaucrats who opposed reforms oppose Yongzheng under the pretext that they were more willing to obey the crown prince's orders.

For example, he could make the princes and ministers strictly implement policies that benefit Hongli, while outwardly complying with but inwardly opposing policies that benefit Yongzheng, thereby turning Hongli into a second Yinreng and creating a direct conflict with the imperial power!
At this moment, Yongzheng also frowned.

He was well aware that the Manchu and Han officials who had not yet expressed their opinions were all watching the Eighth Prince's attitude and were all his cronies. The Eighth Prince was undoubtedly the instigator of today's events.

Seeing so many Manchu and Han officials still loyal to the Eighth Prince, Emperor Yongzheng, as an emperor, instinctively felt uneasy and developed more fear and dissatisfaction towards him.

But for the eighth brother...

The situation has now become one where many court officials support the secret establishment of an heir apparent, especially many ministers who are truly loyal to Hongli. They even suggested that it would be better to establish an heir apparent secretly, and Yongzheng himself also intends to do so.

This means that the Manchu and Han ministers who truly supported Hongli, and Yongzheng's own staunch confidants, joined forces.

Lao Ba didn't know what to say for a moment.

He was shocked by the extent to which those who truly supported Hongli understood Yongzheng's thoughts, and also by their remarkable unity on this matter.

He didn't know which mastermind was guiding Hongli, ensuring that those who truly supported him weren't fooled, but instead premeditatedly aligned themselves with Yongzheng's own ideas.

But the Eighth Prince knew that if he insisted on continuing, he would really have no choice but to directly clash with Yongzheng.

In that case, he would not only have no hope of victory, but all his previous efforts would also be in vain.

Therefore, Lao Ba decisively abandoned his comrades and chose to kneel down, displaying a righteous and awe-inspiring attitude of understanding the bigger picture and having the courage to renege on his previous views.
"Your Majesty, I am also convinced that secretly establishing an heir is indeed more appropriate."

"Your Majesty!"

Even the Eighth Prince stopped calling Yongzheng "Fourth Brother" and instead respectfully addressed him as "Your Majesty."

Orondai and the others were stunned by this, and in the end they had no choice but to kneel down.

Only Wang Yan hadn't knelt yet, and he glanced at Lao Ba with disappointment, letting out a soft sigh.

Then, Wang Yan gritted his teeth and decided to take the lead. He kowtowed to Emperor Yongzheng and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has something to say!"

Yongzheng's face fell, but because even Kangxi gave Wang Yan some face, only issuing decrees to reprimand him and never punishing him, Yongzheng did not stop Wang Yan from speaking: "Speak!"

"While secretly designating an heir could avoid the situation with the second prince, it would also exacerbate the infighting among the princes, destabilizing the court, unsettling the officials, and consequently making His Majesty uneasy as well!"

At this point, Wang Yan spoke passionately and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Snapped!
At this moment, Yongzheng stood up and slammed his hand on the table. "You old fool!"

"Are you saying that my sons will all become greedy and greedy people in the future?!"

Then, Yongzheng pointed at Wang Yan and angrily rebuked him.

Wang Tan pursed his lips, gritted his teeth, and replied, "Your Majesty, you served as a prince by the side of the late Emperor for many years, so you should know better than this old minister!"

"I know, and I know even more clearly that my second brother's fate was not due to him, but to you, Wang Tan, and the many ministers around him!"

"Before you have solidified the will of the princes and thoroughly reformed the court, don't even think about using the matter of choosing an heir to harm my own son!"

"I can appoint an heir at any time, without needing a month to discuss and test him. I can announce who the heir is right now. But as a man, I have my pride!"

"I will not allow the lessons of more than ten years ago to be repeated!"

After saying this, Yongzheng sat back down and coldly ordered, "Issue an imperial edict to dismiss Grand Secretary Wang Tan from his post and imprison him to await further punishment!"

Wang Yan, whose hair and beard were all white, was then dragged away.

As Wang Yan was being dragged away, he remained silent, only looking disappointedly at Prince Yu Baotai, Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard Orondai, and Wang Hongxu, among others.

Because even though he had stepped forward, the Manchu and Han officials who shared his opinion still did not.

He couldn't help but wonder, did the Eighth Prince have to step forward and take the lead before they would respond and fight against the imperial power?

"Since most of the kings and ministers do not object, let my edict be made public to the world!"

Yongzheng then said something else.

"Whoo!"

"Retreat!"

Hongli soon learned about the events of the previous dynasty and also about Wang Yan's imprisonment.

He could only chuckle coldly at this.

He had to admit that Wang Tan really thought he was someone important, believing that the Qing Dynasty was now the Ming Dynasty, and that the Eighth Prince wouldn't dare to offend Yongzheng at a crucial moment. He thought that by gritting his teeth and remonstrating, he could incite his Manchu and Han ministers to jointly remonstrate and force the emperor to abdicate.

But little did they know that the Manchu ministers themselves were not united, so how could they possibly be united with the Han ministers and follow Wang Tan to pressure Yongzheng?
If things succeed, wouldn't all the Manchu ministers have to acknowledge you, Wang Yan, a Han Chinese, as their party leader?
If the Eighth Prince were willing to lead a coup, that would be fine.

But that's why Lao Ba didn't do that.

Why is it that the Eighth Prince prefers to plan things secretly, and on the surface, he always tries to present an image of prioritizing the interests of the Qing Dynasty and being mindful of the bigger picture, rather than engaging in direct conflict?
Of course, Hongli also knew that Wang Yan's great courage and ambition were related to Kangxi's repeated leniency towards him.

In the sixty-first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Wang Yan, at the Kangxi Emperor's Thousand Elders Banquet, in front of many senior officials, demanded that the Kangxi Emperor reinstate Yinreng. This was tantamount to publicly forcing the Kangxi Emperor to confront the most embarrassing event of his life: the second deposition of the Crown Prince.

In his fury, Emperor Kangxi merely reprimanded him for having the same disloyal intentions as his ancestor Wang Xijue. However, considering his advanced age and some affection for the former crown prince, he did not punish him as the former crown prince's teacher.

This made Wang Tan even more arrogant, and he almost forgot that there was a difference between the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. Under the enticement and flattery of the Eighth Prince Yinzhi, he wanted to create a faction with his participation in the matter of establishing an heir in the new dynasty, and create another Qing Dynasty version of the "struggle for the succession".

……

……

"I am not the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Wang Tan can forget about forming factions in my Great Qing!"

"I intend to issue an edict to warn against the calamities of factionalism and promulgate it to all my ministers. Minister Heng, after I have thought about it, please polish it for me."

"Factionalism is the most heinous of practices. During the late Ming Dynasty, each faction formed its own group, framing and harming one another. This trend has not ceased to this day..."

After the court session, Emperor Yongzheng summoned Zhang Tingyu, who was serving in the Southern Study again, and spoke to him about Wang Yan.

Zhang Tingyu did not speak up for Wang Yan, but broke out in a cold sweat. He had not expected that the new emperor had already begun to focus on factionalism because of this.

After Zhang Tingyu drafted the edict according to his wishes, Yongzheng looked at the contents of the edict and said, "Fortunately, this time you and I are of the same mind."

"Your Majesty, I dare not conceal this from you. It was the Fourth Prince who reminded me of this."

Zhang Tingyu dared not let Yongzheng know that he was also secretly forming a faction, so he decisively and truthfully explained the fundamental reason why he advocated the secret establishment of an heir.

Upon hearing this, Yongzheng glanced at Zhang Tingyu with surprise, then smiled and said, "Really? He actually wants me to secretly establish an heir?"

(End of this chapter)