Chapter 113 Extra 3 (Part 2)
Hongli, who had just completed his great undertaking of standing for a short while after only ten months, was so shocked by Yinzhi's words that he almost drooled.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang looked at Hongli, who was clearly terrified, with disgust as they whispered in each other's ears.
"Why is this kid so scared?"
"Tsk tsk, each generation is worse than the last."
"It seems we're living too comfortably."
Then no one was willing to pick up a handkerchief and wipe Hongli's face.
It wasn't until the drops dripped onto his neck that Hongli felt sticky and uncomfortable, and called out twice before Yinzhi hastily wiped them off.
Hongli's mind was still buzzing. What the hell was this place?!
I'm dreaming, I must be dreaming.
He didn't take a nap at noon today, so he must have fallen asleep while playing, which is why he had such a bizarre dream.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang saw that the boy had closed his eyes and was about to fall backward, so they quickly picked him up.
"Hey, how come you're about to fall asleep while we're talking? That's so rude of you," Yinxiang said, squinting his eyes.
Hongli was on the verge of tears. It was over; this didn't seem like a dream.
But it doesn't make sense if it wasn't a dream.
How did Uncle Eight and Uncle Thirteen know his name in his previous life?
Could it be that...
Yinzhi crossed his arms and said, "Didn't we hear you can talk? Stop staring at us and say something."
Hongli is as cunning as a monkey. Yinzhi and Yinxiang are both people who have been reborn and know that once they can open their mouths to speak, they can speak fluently in just a few days. They don't need to learn various words like ordinary babies. But Hongli pretends to be like an ordinary child and speaks one word at a time. If they hadn't noticed his unusual behavior when he first arrived, they might have been able to get away with it.
Hongli watched as his two uncles' eyes darted around before he finally gave up resisting.
"Hongli greets his Eighth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle."
"Did your two uncles also have a miraculous encounter that allowed them to be reborn?" Hongli asked tentatively.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang exchanged a smile but remained silent.
Hongli felt even more uneasy.
Oh no, I think I said too much and revealed the truth. What if these two are trying to scam me?
It's all this baby's fault for being so slow to think; he shouldn't have opened his mouth to speak!
Yinzhi watched as the man's expression shifted dramatically, from frustration to anger to utter despair, which made Yinzhi laugh.
Fortunately, Yinxiang had gotten along quite well with this nephew in his previous life, and out of compassion, he gave him a positive answer.
Among Yinxiang and Yinzhen's children, the one with the best relationship was the fifth son, Hongzhou. Although the boy seemed unambitious and unreliable, he was actually a very perceptive person. When Hongzhou was seriously ill as a child, it was Yinxiang who went to great lengths to find medicine to treat him. At that time, Yinzhen even said that Hongzhou should directly recognize him as his godfather.
Yinzhen had few sons. Apart from Hongzhou, there were only Hongshi and Hongli. Hongzhan was too young; Yinxiang had already passed away many years before he was born. Therefore, Yinxiang had played with all of his few nephews.
Hongli peeked at his thirteenth uncle and said, "I've been living in constant fear since I came back, but thankfully I have two uncles who can help me out."
In Hongli's heart, he was not very familiar with his Eighth Uncle. When he was a child, he only watched how his Eighth Uncle and his father, the Emperor, fought each other. But his Thirteenth Uncle was an old acquaintance, and his Thirteenth Uncle was quite fond of him.
With Uncle Thirteen around, there won't be any problems!
Yinzhi and Yinxiang sat down opposite Hongli. Yinzhi said with a smile, "Alright, we didn't come here today to catch up with you."
Hongli: "..."
Uncle Ba is still the same Uncle Ba, a smiling tiger who can eat people!
Hongli was also very curious about how his Eighth Uncle, Thirteenth Uncle, and Father Emperor had gotten together in this life, and whether Father Emperor had also been reborn.
How exactly did all of this happen today?
Hongli had many questions to ask, so he immediately sat up straight, although he still looked a bit limp no matter how he sat.
"How did you two uncles get here? This is my mother's Yongshou Palace. Yongshou Palace is the inner palace. You two uncles are..." Hongli had just been wondering about this.
Even if Uncle Eight and Uncle Thirteen are very close to Father Emperor in this life, this is still the inner palace. Not to mention that they are Father Emperor's brothers, even his sons would have to move out after they came of age. It is really against the rules to just come and go from the inner palace like this.
“We naturally informed your father and sister-in-law of our arrival, so you don’t need to worry about that,” Yinxiang said.
They came with their respective wives under the pretext of visiting their young nephew. Guo Luoluo and Zhao Jia were talking with Niu Hulu in the front hall when the two of them came to the side hall to see the boy.
This was indeed somewhat against the rules, but Yinzhen didn't mind, and Fucha Shi naturally knew the status of her two younger brothers in Yinzhen's heart, so she turned a blind eye.
"Hongli, I've heard that you inherited the Qing Dynasty after my fourth brother's death. Is that true?" Yinxiang asked first, following procedure.
Hongli nodded, with a hint of pride in his voice.
Under his rule, the Qing Dynasty flourished. He was a perfect emperor who defeated the Dzungars, whom even his father and grandfather had failed to conquer. He also pacified the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan and the southern and northern borders, expanding the Qing Dynasty's territory by a great deal. By all accounts, he did not fail his ancestors.
In his own mind, he could be considered a wise and benevolent ruler.
However, he still had to be humble in front of Yinzhi and Yinxiang, and simply talked about his achievements, as if he were telling his two uncles what the Qing Dynasty would look like in the future.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang grew increasingly angry as they listened to Hongli's obviously arrogant and self-important tone.
Yinxiang interrupted his veiled praise of himself and asked, "I heard you've lifted the sea ban again and started your seclusion?"
Upon hearing his thirteenth uncle's tone, Hongli keenly sensed that something was amiss. In fact, the maritime ban had existed during the reign of his grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor, but it was later lifted during his father's reign. The main driving force behind this was his thirteenth uncle, so it seemed that his uncle should indeed be unhappy about the ban being lifted.
But how did his thirteenth uncle find out?
"Uncle Thirteen, you may not know this, but foreign countries often send things to our Great Qing that are meant to make people indulge in pleasure, and in exchange they have obtained a lot of money from our Great Qing. Moreover, some foreigners have spread rumors that are not proper. In order to prevent them from misleading the people, I lifted the sea ban."
After Hongli finished speaking, he tentatively asked, "How did you, Uncle Thirteen, know about these things from later generations?"
What Hongli said was true. The things those foreigners brought back were not good, and they also spread some dubious theories. So he banned them without a second thought.
The Emperor and his thirteenth uncle lifted the maritime ban because the court was short of money and needed to increase trade to replenish the national treasury. But things were different for him. The national treasury was full and the people lived in peace and prosperity, so there was no need to do business with these foreign people.
Yinxiang: "I heard you have a favorite minister named Heshen, is that right?"
Hongli swallowed hard and nodded.
"Even after we return to the netherworld, our souls will still linger in the Qing Dynasty." Yinzhi said with a somewhat sinister smile, "Would you like to know what the Qing Dynasty will be like in the future, my good nephew?"
This was also the explanation that Yinzhi and Yinxiang came up with. In short, they couldn't expose Wenshan; the less the kid knew, the better.
Hongli felt a chill run down his spine and, unsure of what his two uncles were up to, could only nod.
Half an hour later, Yinzhi and Yinxiang emerged from a side hall of Yongshou Palace, looking refreshed.
"Fortunately, God has eyes and sent this kid back, so we can give him a good scolding in person."
"This kid really deserves a beating. He's still complacent. Next time I see him, I'm going to give him two brains."
"It feels so good to have beaten this kid up."
"It's a pity that the kid is still too young. It will be easier to train him when he's older."
Meanwhile, Hongli, who was being scolded to the point of being unable to tell east from west and had a bump on his head, fell into deep doubt about life.
What did Uncle Eight and Uncle Thirteen just say?
How did he go from being a wise and benevolent ruler to a sinner against the Qing Dynasty and even the whole of China?
He's innocent!
When Yinzhi and Yinxiang arrived at the front hall, Niohuru, having given birth to the fourth prince, was promoted one rank to concubine according to the rules, and her title remained Xi. Yinzhi and Yinxiang politely greeted her. Niohuru, naturally, dared not accept their greetings and quickly rose to return the courtesy.
"Your Highnesses are too kind. I really dare not accept such hospitality."
Everyone knows that these two are second only to the emperor, and are even granted special privileges by the emperor that they don't need to bow to him.
"Consort Xi has given birth to a fine son, Hongyun. He is very intelligent and well-behaved. My thirteenth brother and I are both looking forward to him growing up quickly," Yinzhi said with a forced smile.
Niohuru quickly replied, "Your Highness is too kind."
Guo Luoluo and Zhao Jia knew at a glance that Yinzhi and Yinxiang's business was finished, so they also got up to take their leave, and the two couples left Yongshou Palace.
"Consort Xi is an honest woman, I wonder how she raised such a cunning child as Hongyun," Yinzhi said with his hands behind his back.
Guo Luoluo also said, "Consort Xi is indeed a kind and generous person. No wonder Fourth Sister-in-law valued her so much back then."
Zhao Jia nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Eighth Brother and I will go see Fourth Brother. You two sisters-in-law can leave the palace together," Yinxiang said.
Lady Zhao then suggested that she visit Prince Lian’s residence to see Ning’an and Hongwang, and Lady Guo Luoluo readily agreed. The two then left the palace hand in hand.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang didn't go to Yangxin Hall but went straight to Xianfu Palace, only sending someone to inform Yinzhen that he should go there after he finished his work.
"Going there at this time will allow us to make it in time for dinner," Yinxiang said.
Since they left the palace and established their own residence, they haven't been able to eat Wen Shan's cooking every day like before. Today is the perfect opportunity, so they can't miss it.
Yinzhen still had some memorials to review, and by the time he arrived, he had already missed dinner. Fortunately, Wenshan thoughtfully left him some of his favorite dishes.
Yinzhen had a great appetite and ate at the table by himself, while Wenshan, Yinsi, and Yinxiang drank tea and ate fruit on the side.
"Fourth Brother, the Thirteenth Prince and I have confirmed it; it is indeed that brat Hongli," Yinzhi said.
Wen Shan: "Really? Tsk tsk, this kid is quite good at pretending."
When Hongli was only two or three months old, the little guy started to pretend, which made Wenshan and the others initially doubt whether they were wrong. After all, there are quieter children too. Wenshan had seen Hongli many times, and the older he got, the more Wenshan felt that he really seemed to be a normal child.
I almost fell for this kid's trick.
Yinzhen slowly swallowed his food before looking up and asking, "What did you all talk about?"
"That boy boasted about his achievements," Yinzhi said with a smile. "It's truly remarkable that you, Fourth Brother, could raise such a son. Even Father Emperor wouldn't be able to talk about it so openly."
"I have never raised him, so don't try to make unfounded accusations," Yinzhen quickly distanced himself from the situation.
After listening for a while, Wen Shan asked, "So what are your plans for this kid?"
“We can’t just put him back in the womb now that he’s been born,” Yinxiang said, shrugging.
No matter what, he is the fourth brother's offspring. Why don't we raise him for a few more years and see how things go?
Yinzhi warned, "This kid is very cunning. Once he finds out, he'll probably start scheming even more about how he can win more things under these circumstances."
Based on his understanding of this kid, he was unlikely to accept his fate and was probably thinking about how to cause trouble.
“That’s true. Fourth Brother, you should also be careful. That kid Hongli probably still has his eyes on your throne.” Yinxiang agreed.
Now, Fourth Brother clearly values Hongxi more, and he and Eighth Brother also feel that Hongxi is someone they can entrust with their lives, and they can't let Hongli ruin things.
Yinzhen nodded slightly: "This can be considered a small test for Hongxi."
Although Hongli had the experience of being an emperor in his previous life, Yinzhen would never hand over the Qing Dynasty to him, let alone now that it was time for Hongxi, whom he had raised since childhood, to leave.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang shared the same sentiment, knowing that with them watching over Hongli, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.
Hongli's idea was the same as that of Yinsi and Yinxiang back then. After he entered the Imperial Study at the age of three, he thought of taking advantage of his rebirth to build his own power in advance. However, he found that his father and two uncles had already collected most of what he could use.
Moreover, the situation in the court is very different now than before. The Emperor controls the court, so he has no chance to interfere.
Not to mention that there was also an outstanding eldest son, Hongxi, who was above him.
At first, Hongli, who did not exist in the previous life, did not have any goodwill towards this older brother, and even felt hostility. He understood very well that this was the successor that Yinzhen favored in this life.
However, he had to admit that his eldest son seemed to have some real ability.
He learns things very quickly, and is no worse than someone who has only studied them once. Besides, Hongli has to hide himself and not stand out too much.
The situation now is vastly different from that of my previous life.
The Empress became a member of the Fuca clan, and was his aunt from the previous life's Empress Fuca. The Empress had an eldest son who was intelligent and highly regarded by her father, the Emperor. Moreover, Hongli knew how prominent the Fuca family would become and how loyal and virtuous they would be. His elder brother's maternal family was also one of the most powerful.
His original stepmother, Ulanara, is now a Noble Consort and has a son named Honghui. However, this Honghui is clearly not his elder brother Honghui from his previous life. Although this Honghui is not particularly outstanding in his studies, he is steady and sensible, and his father, the Emperor, dotes on him.
Then there's Lady Nian, who now has the third and fifth princes born to Consort Nian. Both of these children have survived, and Consort Nian remains the Emperor's favorite concubine. Naturally, the sons of a favorite concubine are different.
Furthermore, not long ago, Consort Jia, of the Ma Jia clan, finally had her own son after many years of marriage to the Emperor. He is his sixth brother. Consort Jia was a secondary consort when the Emperor was still a prince, and since the Emperor personally arranged the marriage, her status was naturally very noble.
Moreover, Empress Fucha has just been diagnosed with pregnancy again, and it is unknown whether she will give birth to another son or daughter.
He was the only one left. His birth mother was of low status and not particularly favored, and his father, the Emperor, treated him indifferently from a young age.
Hongli could only grit his teeth and lie low for the time being; this was a world apart from the start of his previous life.
Moreover, Yinzhi and Yinxiang knew his background, which made him feel quite helpless.
They still had to live in constant fear, wondering if their father knew about these things.
Over the years, he observed that Yinzhen's attitude towards him was neither particularly good nor bad, just very ordinary, which made him somewhat puzzled as to whether Yinsi and Yinxiang had revealed anything to Yinzhen.
Perhaps they didn't tell him, since rebirth is such a supernatural thing that perhaps neither Eighth Uncle nor Thirteenth Uncle told Father Emperor about their own rebirth.
Hongli thought to himself, if that were the case, then he hadn't completely exhausted all options, and there was still some hope.
Completely unaware that Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinxiang had been observing him for the past few years.
"I told you long ago that this kid is dishonest." Yinzhi chuckled as he looked at the secret letter that had been delivered to him.
It's quite remarkable that Hongli (Emperor Qianlong) has managed to hold back until now before contacting his court officials.
Yinxiang said, "After all, I have been an emperor for decades. How could I be willing to be subservient to someone else?"
Yinzhen tossed the letter aside and said unhappily, "I've specially arranged for Zhang Tingyu to tutor him these past few years, but it's all been for naught."
Yinzhi didn't feel there was anything to be angry about.
“We did the same thing back then, so there’s nothing to criticize. After all, it’s normal for a child to have ambitions,” Yinzhi said. “It’s just that he’s not someone we can entrust with the foundation of the dynasty. Hongxi is already eleven years old, and in a few years he will be able to enter the court and participate in government affairs. We’ve watched this child grow up. He’s upright and capable, so it’s better to let Hongxi take over.”
After they discovered that Hongli was a reincarnation, the three of them had a small meeting. At that time, Hongxi was still young and his talent was not very good. They originally planned that if they really didn't have any outstanding children, it wouldn't be a problem to use Hongli, but they had to correct his ambitious and complacent nature. However, this was the worst-case scenario.
The best option is naturally to switch to another one.
Now that Hongxi has grown up, he is naturally the best choice.
Yinzhen said calmly, "I know, and I certainly won't let him ruin the overall situation."
Moreover, Hongxi is no pushover either; that kid is quite shrewd.
He had long been wary of his fourth brother, and although Hongli tried to hide his abilities, he still couldn't escape Hongxi's eyes.
However, he had been taught by Yinzhen since childhood to act openly and honestly, to be shrewd but not to do evil. Hongli was young and his younger brother, so he was only wary of him but did nothing to harm him.
Things only changed when Hongxi started wanting to see his wife.
"Hongxi is eleven years old this year. As the emperor's eldest son, he is of noble status. It's time to start making preparations." The Empress Dowager, who has now been promoted to Grand Empress Dowager, is still in good health. Today, Hongxi brought his brothers and sisters to pay their respects to her. The old lady saw that Hongxi had grown into a handsome young man and remembered this matter.
“The Empress mentioned a few days ago that she has her eye on a few,” Wen Shan said.
The Empress Dowager asked Fucha, somewhat curiously, who she had taken a liking to.
The Empress favored her cousin, who was also the Empress Fucha in the previous life, and the daughter of her third uncle, Li Rongbao.
Although they are of different generations, he is a year younger than Hongxi.
Wen Shan naturally had no objection to Empress Fucha, a historically renowned virtuous empress. However, Fucha and Hongxi were considered close relatives, so although she didn't care about that now, it was best to avoid it.
Wen Shan felt uncomfortable telling the Empress Dowager that they were close relatives, so she could only say that she felt it was strange because they were a generation apart in terms of seniority.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "What's the big deal? Back then, Empress Xiaozhuangwen, Consort Chen, and Empress Xiaoduanwen were all aunt and nieces who married Emperor Taizong. We Manchus don't care about these things."
Wen Shan didn't refute, only saying that they would see, since Hong Xi was still young.
However, Wen Shan privately discussed this matter with Yin Zhen and the others, emphasizing the dangers of consanguineous marriage.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen and the others were alarmed. According to Wenshan, the common practice of cousins marrying each other was a serious problem.
This is especially true for the royal family. With each generation of intermarriages, it's almost impossible to distinguish between them. Not to mention that most families take pride in this, believing that the closer they are to the royal bloodline, the more noble they are, and thus they send their daughters to the palace.
Fortunately, none of the concubines in Yinzhen's harem were closely related by blood, which is why Wenshan never brought up the issue of consanguineous marriage.
It wasn't until Hongxi personally visited Lady Fucha that she remembered this matter.
“Fucha is a good girl. If the Empress really likes her, it wouldn’t hurt to give her to Hongwang a few times. But let’s forget about Hongxi,” Wenshan said.
Yinzhen naturally nodded in agreement, and immediately ordered someone to privately count how many children of consanguineous couples in the Qing Dynasty had problems. If the situation was indeed that serious, the government would definitely have to intervene.
However, before any news was released, it was not disclosed to the public, and Wen Shan did not tell Empress Fucha about it. Naturally, the news that the Empress had taken a liking to a girl from the Fucha clan and betrothed her to Hongxi spread.
When Hongli heard about it, he couldn't stand it anymore.
Putting aside everything else, the feelings between Hongli and Empress Fucha were indeed very sincere. The two were young couples who supported each other through thick and thin. Empress Fucha died young, which can be said to be when Hongli's feelings for her were the deepest. In the decades that followed, he continued to embellish her in his memories. Therefore, it was absolutely unbearable for Hongli to see Empress Fucha marry his own brother.
So Hongli made the first move.
After receiving the news, Yinzhen and the others were speechless.
In this life, Lady Fucha was several years older than Hongli. Even if it weren't allowed for Hongxi and Hongli, it would be inappropriate for a four or five-year-old toddler to be making such moves... truly...
Yinzhi said helplessly, "Fourth Brother, let's think of a way to get Hongli out of the Forbidden City."
They're so young and already so restless; it's not that they can't control them, but rather that they find it too troublesome.
Yinxiang thought for a moment and said, "That is indeed a good place."
Yinzhen: "...You mean the Chengde Mountain Resort?"
Yinzhi stroked his chin and said, "It is indeed a good place. Doesn't this kid always boast that he is a good grandson of the emperor and is personally taught by his father? Then let's grant his wish."
Then Hongli was suddenly sent to Chengde under the pretext of fulfilling his filial duty to Yinzhen and serving the retired emperor.
Hongli: ?
No, how could he have been suddenly expelled from the Forbidden City?
The ministers in the court all knew about the relationship between the Emperor and the Retired Emperor, cough cough...
The fact that the Fourth Prince was sent to the side of the Retired Emperor basically meant that he had no chance of ascending the throne, even though it didn't seem to have much to do with him anyway.
Emperor Kangxi didn't give a good look to this grandson who was suddenly sent to him. What good could that rebellious son Yinzhen have sent?
After spending some time with Hongli, Kangxi confirmed his suspicions: he had indeed sent a cunning and treacherous boy to cause him trouble!
Looking at Hongli, he inexplicably thought of Yinzhi when he was a child, which made him even angrier.
It was easy for Emperor Kangxi to control Hongli, who was only four or five years old at the time. In just a few months, he had exhausted Hongli and made him completely obedient.
Hongli was constantly being pressured by Kangxi to study, and he continued to raise his son in the same way that he had raised his other sons, eager to teach this grandson who resembled Yinzhi well.
Originally, Hongli was still thinking of ways to contact the capital, but under Kangxi's intense teaching, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed and had no mind to think about anything else.
When the news from the capital was received again, it was already the time when Hongxi was married and officially made crown prince.
Hongli: ...
Damn it, all that hard work was for nothing!
Author's Note:
There should be one last side story before it ends!
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