Chapter 35: Winning over Nian Gengyao?
"Don't worry, Seventeenth Uncle. I already explained things to Mother beforehand. Mother is kind-hearted and doesn't hold it against me."
Hearing Hongli's reply, Yunli was slightly relieved and continued, "Nian Gengyao is arrogant and complacent. The grand procession he made on his way back to the capital was astonishing. I'm afraid His Majesty won't tolerate him for much longer."
"Looking around, the court is in dire need of capable leaders. Apart from General Nian, there are hardly any other generals who can be considered competent. If Father Emperor really can't stand it anymore, then the court... Alas, General Nian is a good military general, but he doesn't understand the ways of a subject. What a pity."
Hongli sighed, while Yunli nodded repeatedly. Nian Gengyao's eccentric behavior might not necessarily indicate disloyalty, but it had certainly offended the Emperor. The current Emperor was not only petty but also loved to use flattery to his advantage. Weren't both Consort Hua and Nian Gengyao products of his influence?
It's a pity that Nian Gengyao encountered an emperor like his fourth brother... Thinking of this, Yunli's heart skipped a beat.
"What's wrong?"
Hongli looked at Yunli, who had suddenly stopped, with concern. Yunli shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about reporting back to His Majesty later. Let's go."
Hongli nodded, asked no further questions, and followed him toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Beside him, Yunli couldn't help but glance at Hongli's profile, a bold idea leaping into his mind. Since the Emperor couldn't tolerate Nian Gengyao anyway, could Nian Gengyao become Hongli's ally? What difference did it make which Fourth Prince he aligned himself with?
Regardless of Yunli's many schemes, on the other hand, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Prince Dun, Yunzheng, was wailing in front of Yongzheng.
"No, Your Majesty, I really can't..."
Suddenly summoned by the fourth prince, Prince Dun was still uneasy on his way there. He wondered how the fourth prince could have discovered his ambition to usurp the throne, since he hadn't even gone to the palace to avoid being exposed. It shouldn't be possible, given how good his acting was and how intelligent he was.
The good news is that the fourth brother didn't realize it; the bad news is that the fourth brother told him to get close to Nian Gengyao.
It's a test! Absolutely a test! His good relationship with Nian Gengyao is ancient history; back then, Nian Gengyao was mainly close to the Eighth Prince, and it just so happened that he appeared to be close to him as well.
But for the sake of his grand plan, he endured the disgust of praising the fourth prince and feigning submission. Therefore, he would never fall for that trick; even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't go!
"Stop howling..."
Yongzheng was speechless. The Tenth Prince was already a grown man, yet he was still throwing a tantrum. The Tenth Prince didn't care about his reputation, but he did. What if outsiders saw this?
Feeling that his lifelong reputation was about to be ruined by the tenth prince, Yongzheng regretted summoning him.
Unmoved, Yun continued to wail, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! I really can't do it! We're both warriors, and I have a terrible temper. What if I lose control and hit Nian Gengyao?"
Emperor Yongzheng was amused by his words and teased, "You're just a prince, so what if you hit him? What can Nian Gengyao say?"
Alright, the fourth brother was indeed up to no good!
Upon hearing this, Yun felt that the fourth prince was not only testing him, but also that he and Nian Gengyao would fight to the death.
What a ruthless scheme to kill two birds with one stone! He won't fall for it!
"Your Majesty, that's Nian Gengyao, one of your most trusted ministers..."
What Yun meant was that a fight between the two of them would be bad for Yongzheng. But to Yongzheng, it meant that even the Tenth Prince was intimidated by Nian Gengyao's current power and couldn't help but feel displeased.
At this moment, Su Peisheng stepped forward with a smile and reported, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince and Prince Guo have come to pay their respects."
"How did those two get together? Let them in."
"Yes, sir."
Even after triggering the keyword "Fourth Prince," Yun stopped howling and stood still, suppressing his expression as he waited for Hongli to come in.
"Your Majesty, I greet you. My tenth brother is also here."
Seeing Yun standing to the side, Yunli was a little surprised, but he still bowed to him respectfully.
"Your subject greets Father Emperor and Tenth Uncle."
"No need for formalities, no need for formalities."
Yun looked at the two of them with a smile, mainly at Hongli. As expected of his ninth brother's son, he was indeed good-looking.
However, in order not to give himself away, Yun felt that he was still very restrained. He cupped his hands towards Yongzheng and said, "Your Majesty, since the Seventeenth Prince and the Fourth Prince have something to discuss with you, then I will not disturb them any longer."
"Go, go." Yongzheng assumed that he was trying to avoid getting close to Nian Gengyao. He had only made the decision on a whim and hadn't put much thought into it, so he waved him away.
"Your subject takes his leave." Although reluctant, Yun restrained his gaze, no longer looking at Hongli, and quietly took his leave.
"Why did you two come together?"
Upon hearing Yongzheng's question, Yunli withdrew his gaze from the tenth prince and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I just went to Shou Kang Palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. I didn't expect that after not seeing her for a while, I would have lost favor with her."
Yunli exaggeratedly shook his head and sighed, "Empress Dowager favors the Fourth Prince and has asked me for many good things for him. I can't just give these things away for nothing, so I troubled the Fourth Prince to escort me for a while."
Yunli put on quite a show, making Yongzheng burst into laughter. "Seventeenth Prince, how old are you? Why are you still arguing with your nephew? If you ask me, it's only right that you gave him this gift."
"Well, it's true that my brother and my mother say the same thing," Yunli said, feigning grievance, and pulled Hongli aside. "Since my brother has said so, I must send more good things to little Hongli. If all the good things are sent, then when I go to the palace in the future, I will definitely have to go to little Hongli's place for a free meal. I must at least make up for it."
"You, you..."
Emperor Yongzheng nodded at Yunli and couldn't stop laughing.
“Hongli, did you hear your seventeenth uncle say that the prince’s quarters should prepare more dishes in the future?”
"Father, rest assured, Hongli will certainly prepare a lavish meal, after all, Uncle Seventeen gave us quite a bit of money for the meal."
Hongli replied in a serious tone, which amused Yongzheng even more, and Yunli also laughed, "Yes, yes, your brother has given me quite a lot of money for the meal."
From then on, their relationship became public, and it was normal for them to become familiar with each other in the palace.
On the other side, Yun, walking on the palace road, thought about Hongli he had just seen. The more he thought about it, the happier he became, but the happier he became, the more regretful he felt. It was a pity that he could not openly get along with his nephew.
But it's all worth it. For their future, for his nephew, he will definitely be careful and never fall for the fourth brother's tricks! He will never get close to Nian Gengyao... Wait a minute!
Yun paused in his steps as he left the palace, his wise eyes narrowing as a bold idea suddenly came to him.
Since the fourth prince wanted him to get close to Nian Gengyao, could he perhaps pull a different trick and incite Nian Gengyao? The fourth prince was clearly dissatisfied with Nian Gengyao; Nian Gengyao certainly had a bad temper. But he held military power, so what difference did it make which prince he followed? Why couldn't it be Hongli?
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