Dressing as Ziwei makes the Qing Dynasty more powerful

"My daughter is very capable. How do you think I should reward her?" Qianlong looked at the ministers below with joy, his face full of anticipation.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. A reward? Since this woman couldn't be promoted, could she only be rewarded with gold, silver, and jewelry? But if that was the case, why would they need advice? Regardless of the reward or its amount, the final say rested with the Emperor alone.

At this moment, Ji Yun's eyes flickered, and he suddenly recalled the Emperor's similar behavior when Xiaoyanzi first entered the palace. However, compared to that crazy Xiaoyanzi, the current Ziwei girl truly possessed a more princess-like demeanor. Furthermore, the Emperor's doting on her surpassed that of any other prince or princess. With this thought, Ji Yun had an idea...

He stepped out of the procession and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I believe that Princess Zichen possesses magical powers and can easily solve such an ancient puzzle. Furthermore, she is the Empress's daughter, so it is naturally difficult for ordinary people to match her status. In my opinion, it would be better to confer the title of Princess Gulun on her. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Qianlong raised his eyebrows and laughed heartily, "Ji Xiaolan really understands my heart! Very well, I will confer upon her the title of Princess Gulun Zichen, grant her the Prince Yong's Palace as her residence, and also give her the Old Summer Palace."

Ji Yun was speechless. I only proposed conferring the title of Princess Gulun, but I didn't say to give her the late emperor's palace as well! Isn't this too much? I doubt the court officials would agree.

"Your Majesty, it is indeed proper to confer the title of Princess Gulun upon her, but isn't it a bit rash to use the late emperor's private residence as a princess's residence?" After all, even the most favored Fifth Prince had never received such an honor. Not only that, but even the late Empress's daughter, Princess Hejing, had never enjoyed such treatment.

Fulun thought indignantly that the Fifth Prince had been so busy preparing his future residence that he'd been beating Erkang around all day. Erkang, once so elegant and graceful, was now so grimy and shabby it was truly unbearable. How could this illegitimate daughter of unknown origin receive such a great honor? The late emperor's former residence had been converted into the Lama Temple since his ascension, and entry had always been forbidden. Now the emperor was planning to grant it to a princess as a residence, demonstrating just how much she was favored.

As expected, they are still father and daughter. No matter how much favored Xiaoyanzi is, the most she gets is some jewelry. It seems that she still doesn't have a proper rank. Fulun thought of this and his heart sank. Ertai is really unreliable.

He thought to himself that he must find a way to help Erkang win Ziwei's favor again, so that their family could regain the emperor's favor.

Qianlong narrowed his eyes slightly, staring coldly at the bewildered Fulun, and said in a stern tone: "Fulun, I will give the late emperor's residence to the princess. Do you have any objection to this?"

Fulun was horrified upon hearing this, realizing, as if suddenly awakened from a dream, that no one in the court had expressed any opposition, and that he alone had been foolish enough to blurt out his thoughts. Terrified, he quickly knelt and kowtowed, apologizing, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, I never intended such a thing. Please forgive me."

Qianlong snorted coldly and said sternly, "If that's the case, this matter is settled. Hongzhou, you will be in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and the renovation of the residence will be handled by you. Make sure that Princess Ziwei is satisfied." With that, he swept out of the hall. Hongzhou, with a bitter expression on his face, followed closely behind. How could he, a free-spirited prince, be caught up in such a turmoil?

The Emperor's residence was solemn and majestic, but how could he renovate it to suit the little princess's wishes? After all, he had never met his niece before, so how could he know her preferences? His brother, the Emperor, was always so difficult, a real headache.

"Royal brother, what does my eldest niece like? Didn't you give her the Yuhua Palace? The design there is ingenious and exquisite. It is definitely more suitable for a girl to live in than the courtyard of my father!" Hong Zhou followed Qianlong all the way to the door of the imperial study, muttering to himself.

Qianlong stopped, looked back at Hongzhou, and said helplessly: "Ziwei must like the emperor very much. Otherwise, we should first clean up the main courtyard of the backyard and make it look like Yuhua Palace, and decide on the rest after she comes back." After that, Qianlong walked into the imperial study.

Hong Zhou followed closely behind and accidentally bumped into Qianlong's back. He touched his head and cried out exaggeratedly: "Ouch, my skull! I can't take it anymore. I have to go back to my darling wife to take care of me. How about giving this job to someone else?"

Qianlong turned around, glared at Hong Zhou, and scolded him, "You are such a grown man, yet you walk so carelessly. How can you be so unruly?"

Hong Zhou didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "I don't want to be as steady as you. When you are happy in life, you should enjoy it to the fullest and don't let the golden cup face the moon empty. I still like cockfighting, walking the dog, and watching the fireworks in the market." As he said this, he stretched out, looking lazy.

"You have no ambition! If the emperor were still alive, he would have beaten you to pieces." Qianlong said with disgust, but his eyes were full of smiles.

Hong Zhou chuckled and didn't refute. As a member of the royal family, he always knew what to do to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion.

Seeing him like this, Qianlong kicked him and said, "Let's talk business. You are in charge of the Imperial Household Department. Haven't you noticed anything unusual?"

Hong Zhou immediately put away the playful smile on his face, straightened his expression, and said in a serious tone: "Royal brother, I finally understand why you suddenly handed the management of the Imperial Household Department to me. Those bondservant families have long been secretly united. Starting with the Emperor Mafa's Consort De, they began to amass wealth and plot to seize the throne."

Qianlong frowned, a cold look flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "These people are so bold that they dare to covet the throne."

Hong Zhou continued, "They exploited the power of the Imperial Household Department to manipulate the palace's material supplies and financial management, secretly accumulating wealth for their own benefit. Furthermore, they colluded with certain officials to influence government affairs."

"There were Consort De, Consort Ding, and Consort Nian during the reign of our Emperor Father," he paused before continuing, "and Consort Gao before that. However, after her downfall, the bannermen turned their attention to Consort Ling. Therefore, despite her years of favor, there were very few children born into the harem."

"They control the harem, dictating the lives of the princes and princesses, and their lives are all extravagant and luxurious. Concubine Ling enjoys smashing things to vent her anger, so the things in her palace are replaced most frequently. It's safe to say that if this power is allowed to continue, then within two dynasties, the Qing Dynasty will completely fall into the hands of the bannermen."