Chapter 205 Honghui's Diary 5
Therefore, all the good things Emperor Chengtai did for his eldest son were simply a repetition of the good things his father had done for him.
Unfortunately, Yongming is not Honghui.
What Emperor Chengtai couldn't bear to part with wasn't the crown prince, but his past self, which he had invested in the crown prince.
[It turns out that the father-son relationship between these two was actually a continuation of the father-son relationship between Emperor Chengtai and Emperor Yongzheng.]
The kindness and guidance that Seventeen showed to Yongming was also a way of remembering his fourth brother who had taught him in the past.
...
After reading Honghui's diary, people finally understood how Emperor Chengtai, who had always been exceptionally fond of and indulgent towards the former Crown Prince Yongming, came to his senses and deposed him.
The historical records only state "the princes persuaded him," and everyone assumed that Emperor Chengtai abandoned his eldest son for the sake of the Qing dynasty.
I only found out after reading the diary that Honghui had given up his obsession with the past for his father's sake.
Previously, the "father-son relationship" between the two emperors, including the nickname "Daddy's Boy" for Emperor Chengtai, was just a joke online, and many even thought it was a political show put on by Emperor Chengtai. But after reading so many diaries, everyone has gained a profound understanding of this deep "father-son relationship".
We have gained a completely new understanding of these historical figures. They are no longer just cold, lifeless records in history books, but living, breathing people with flesh and blood, obsessions, and reluctance to let go.
The light emanating from the white jade thumb ring floating in mid-air was visibly fading away. People watched with bated breath, knowing from the diary entries on the stone wall that this was the last one.
On the 18th day of the fifth month of the 38th year of Chengtai, Yongzheng looked very much like my father. He promised me that he would continue to protect the Qing Dynasty for me and that he would be a good emperor.
But I wasn't a good father to him. I neglected him a lot in the past, and I feel guilty. But in the end, I still have to be selfish this once.
Before my father passed away, he gave me a white jade thumb ring, saying that it could protect me on his behalf, so I wore it for forty years.
Every day, touching the white jade thumb ring felt like my father was by my side. Until, until this day, at the end of my life, I realized that my father hadn't lied to me...
Emperor Jinghe was also quite good; he was also a historical admirer of Emperor Yongzheng.
[The daily records of Emperor Jinghe all state that his happiest moment was when Emperor Chengtai praised him for resembling his grandfather by three points.]
[A white jade thumb ring?]
So what exactly did Emperor Yongzheng say to him? What was the purpose of the white jade thumb ring?
[What did Emperor Chengtai mean by selfishness? Was it the white jade thumb ring?]
...
Seeing the diary entry only half-finished, the comments section was going crazy, filled with question marks. The awkwardness and discomfort of hearing the gossip but getting stuck at the end was driving everyone, both inside and outside the screen, crazy.
At this moment, the red light of the white jade ring flashed, then turned from red to white. The text on the stone wall disappeared, and gradually a frail figure half-leaning on the dragon bed appeared before everyone's eyes.
[It's a real projector!]
Who is this?
[Dragon bed? For Emperor Chengtai or Emperor Yongzheng?]
[I've truly witnessed a historical figure!]
The comments section went completely wild, and even the figures on the stone wall started talking.
"I am Aisin-Gioro Honghui, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty. I wonder if any future descendants of the Aisin-Gioro clan will enter my mausoleum, open this ring, and discover this secret... cough cough..."
The surprised crowd listened to his words and unconsciously looked at Ai Yue. So it was Ai Yue's presence that activated the ring?
Now is not the time to discuss this. Everyone continued to look at the stone wall screen, at the message left by the emperor from two hundred years ago.
On the screen, Honghui's hair had turned white. He gently stroked the ring on his hand and continued, "I don't have much time left. I've been a good emperor for thirty-eight years. Let me live for myself one last time."
“I used to think of this thumb ring as just a keepsake, but now I know that Father wasn’t lying. This thumb ring was actually alive…”
The screen on the stone wall flickered, and those with sharp eyes noticed the thumb ring on Emperor Chengtai's thumb flash. Then everyone saw Emperor Chengtai smile helplessly and cough twice.
"Alright, alright, I know. We've been together for so many years, so be more understanding. I'm about to die."
Honghui showed no fear of death on his face; on the contrary, he smiled with relief. He touched the ring again, and when it stopped flashing, he looked up at the screen and said, "Time is running out, so I'll get straight to the point."
“This ring is indeed a treasure. I only found out before I died that it was because my father had helped him, which is why he was willing to leave it to protect me.”
“I have a good father, but I am not a good father. Although the legacy can continue to protect two generations of emperors, I have my own selfish motives.”
Honghui smiled at the screen: "Whoever discovered it, I accept everyone's blame. But at the end of my life, I still want to be Father Honghui again."
"Therefore I implore the ring to record my diary, and I also implore future generations to spread this matter, preserve my records, and not let my father be forgotten."
Honghui's eyes reddened as he smiled: "There wasn't enough time, so this was the only way I could think of. I remember my father always telling me that everything he did didn't need to be recognized in his own time; it was enough that history remembered him."
"And the only thing I can do is try to make history remember him more, and also remember me, and remember my son and me."
"Therefore, my last wish is to leave it to future generations: record everything you have seen, so that the myths and fantasy stories may be spread more widely."
After Honghui finished speaking, the screen began to flicker. In the last instant before it faded, everyone heard Aisin-Gioro Honghui's final murmur: "Don't forget to write that Emperor Yongzheng's favorite son was his eldest son, Aisin-Gioro Honghui. Don't write about any of his other uncles; I don't like reading those kinds of stories..."
The light screen disappeared completely, and the white jade ring fell onto the stone platform, where the people nearby hurriedly picked it up.
Everyone felt a sense of loss, as if they had just woken from a fantastical dream. After the dream ended, the ring was just a ring, and Honghui's diary never appeared again.
However, the related stories and people's wonderful speculations have spread widely, which can be considered to have achieved Honghui's goal of completely distinguishing him and his father from other emperors in history.
Adorned in a veil of mystery, the deep father-son bond between Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Chengtai is etched in everyone's memory.
Aisin-Gioro Honghui succeeded; he truly returned to being the carefree Honghui of his father's life, and history could not separate them.
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