Chapter 52 The Next Generation
Unexpectedly, Zhen Huan could give him such a surprise. And to be honest, after listening to Zhen Huan's suggestion, Yongzheng was actually quite tempted.
When the late emperor was alive, he would also allow close members of the imperial family to study in the Imperial Study as a sign of favor. With this precedent, no one would object to Yongzheng's proposal now.
Even if the Eighth Prince knew that he was deliberately manipulating his offspring, he couldn't say anything openly.
Feeling that Zhen Huan's idea was good, Yongzheng was pleased and promoted her to the rank of Consort Wan. Then, he returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation in high spirits and issued an imperial edict, granting this favor not only to Hongwang of the Eighth Prince's family, but also to several of his brothers, allowing them to choose one son to enter the palace for study.
As for why the Eighth Prince's family was the one explicitly named Hongwang, well, that's because he only had one son—
Even if he hadn't written it that way, the Eighth Prince would have had no choice but to send Hongwang in. But Yongzheng did it on purpose; he wanted to expose the weakness of the Eighth Prince's son and show the court officials who were still loyal to him that their master only had one heir and might not have a successor at any time.
Believe it or not, quite a few die-hard Eighth Prince supporters suddenly realized that Prince Lian only had one son, and the Emperor had him firmly in his grasp. What was the point of rebelling? If something happened to this only heir, they couldn't just wait until they actually fought their way to the throne and then adopt the offspring of another prince, could they?
What kind of turmoil would ensue in the court and among the people? They are ambitious, but they don't want to be the sinners who cause the country's downfall and their families' destruction!
Furthermore, the Emperor now holds great power and uses both kindness and severity, seemingly having no intention of purging them. Knowing when to stop is enough to save their lives. How many people would still stubbornly follow Prince Lian?
Satisfied with this situation, Emperor Yongzheng then raised the standards for the sons of various princes to study in the palace.
Hongwang is 13 this year. He's not too old, but he's not too young either. In a couple of years, he'll be old enough to be looking for a partner.
He understood everything he needed to know, including how his fourth uncle, who was now on the throne, treated his father. It was understandable that he was a little nervous about going to the palace to study.
At the palace gate, the person in charge of welcoming this group of young princes into the palace was Prince Dun's son, Hongxu. At the age of 20, he naturally no longer needed to study in the palace.
However, because of Yun's expression of submission, he was granted the official rank of First-Class Imperial Guard by Emperor Yongzheng, responsible for protecting the safety of these young princes.
“Brother Hongxu”.
Upon seeing an acquaintance, Hongwang was somewhat pleased and breathed a sigh of relief, standing beside him.
Hongxu patted him on the shoulder, "It's been a while, how have you been?"
Hongwang gave a wry smile, "Life at the Prince's residence is relatively peaceful, but now that I'm studying in the palace..."
Seeing Hongwang's hesitant and worried expression, and recalling his father's plain words of hint before leaving, Hongxu gently comforted him, "Don't panic. Just remember to befriend Baobei after you enter the palace."
"Baby?"
Hongwang was somewhat surprised, while Hongxu smiled mysteriously, "You'll know once you see him."
Hongxu hadn't actually met Hongli yet, as it was his first day in office. But seeing his father's confident words, he simply relayed them.
Hongwang seemed to be deep in thought. Was this the Hongxu brother whom his tenth uncle had instructed? How did he know as soon as he saw him? Is there anything different about Baobei?
After sending Hongwang to Uncle Ba's house, Hongxu then received Hongding, who was 9 years old, from Uncle Jiu's house; Hongang, who was 12 years old, from Uncle Wu's house; and Hongkai, who was 13 years old, from Uncle Sisi's house.
Hongxu used the same mysterious method to appease them, and then a group of originally nervous young princes entered the palace with thoughtful expressions.
...
In the Imperial Study, the young princes from various mansions were already seated. Soon, the three princes arrived together.
The Third Prince is already seventeen, yet he's still hanging around in the Imperial Study; there's nothing interesting about him.
The Fifth Prince didn't seem like someone who liked studying, which attracted the attention of many other princes who also disliked studying.
As for the Fourth Prince, Hongli, there were rumors that he was exceptionally handsome. However, people generally assumed it was just outsiders flattering the Emperor, or perhaps the other two princes were simply not good-looking enough. So, because the Fourth Prince was slightly better, he was praised to the skies.
But upon seeing the Fourth Prince, everyone finally understood that the praise outside was far too subtle, not even uttering a tenth of the Fourth Prince's brilliance.
But when it came to praising him, they were at a loss for words, unsure of what words could describe the Fourth Prince's stunning beauty.
The young princes, who had been given detailed instructions by Hongxu, immediately focused their attention on Hongli's face the moment he walked in.
After the initial amazement came shock. Everyone thought, "How could the Emperor have such a handsome son?" Compared to the Emperor, the Fourth Prince looked more like his Eighth Uncle (Father's) son.
"!" Hongwang was startled by his own thoughts and stared intently at Hongli.
Noticing his gaze, Hongli smiled slightly, a gentle and warm smile that felt like a spring breeze.
It looks even more like it!
At this moment, Hong Ang couldn't help but tease him again: "Why is Brother Hongwang staring at the Fourth Prince? Do you also think he has more of the Eighth Prince's demeanor than you?"
Hongding nodded in agreement. When he was born, Yuntang had already grown quite chubby and had never seen the "beautiful Ninth Prince's" charm. In his eyes, his Eighth Uncle, Yunsi, was the most handsome, with every move exuding a gentle yet captivating charm.
“I think so too. The Fourth Prince is just as handsome as the Eighth Prince.”
Hongwang was shocked. After listening to their conversation and combining it with what Hongxu had relayed from his tenth uncle at the palace gate, he realized what it meant to say that he understood at a glance... it meant...
Did his father have another son behind his back? And he even switched him out, making him the emperor's fourth prince?
No wonder he said, "The Emperor has ascended the throne, so why is Father so calm and fearless? It seems he had it all planned out in advance." It seems that Tenth Uncle also knows about this. Is he preparing to push Fourth Prince to the throne?
Hongwang suddenly realized, he understood, he understood everything. As expected of his father, he was a master strategist!
His gaze towards Hongli was filled with excitement and affection. From that moment on, Hongwang decided that he would keep this secret to the death and help his poor younger brother ascend to a high position.
In the future, he and Hongli will be as close as their father and their ninth and tenth uncles!
Looking around the entire study, Hongwang made up his mind that all his cousins would become his good younger brother's helpers!
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