When they were at Jingren Palace, Su Yushan would still call him by his name, but once they arrived at Yangxin Hall, she would respectfully address him as "Your Majesty."
Upon hearing the words "Your Majesty," Hongli instinctively replied with "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I," or "the Emperor"), but then felt the word was too unfamiliar and changed his answer:
"This is both a matter of state and a family affair. You don't need to worry about anything. Just speak your mind. I want to hear your opinion."
Hongli's question surprised Su Yushan: "Treason is a grave offense, shouldn't it be punishable by death? How can we let him off so easily?"
“But he is my cousin. Most importantly, before his death, my grandfather specifically instructed my father to treat Hongxi well. My father also instructed me before his death that no matter what crimes Hongxi commits in the future, I must not kill him.”
This was the most difficult part for Hongli.
If he killed Hongxi, he would be going against the last wishes of his two closest relatives, but if he didn't kill him, he would be unwilling to give up.
Judging from Hongli's tone, Emperor Yongzheng seemed to have anticipated Hongxi's rebellion. Given such a grave offense, why wouldn't Emperor Yongzheng allow Hongli to execute him? Su Yushan found this very incomprehensible.
"Why should we spare him? What achievements has he made? Has he won any battles or worked for the benefit of the people?"
That's a good question. Hongxi has no achievements except for his good birth. If he were sensible, he could live a carefree life. But he is ungrateful and has wild thoughts, intending to rebel. Hongli can hardly tolerate him, but he is always restrained by the last will of his ancestors.
"It is probably because the Emperor values legitimate offspring. Although Yinreng has repeatedly expressed his rebellious intentions, he is still very tolerant of Yinreng and his son. Before his death, he did not forget to seek protection for them. Several senior officials know about this. If I insist on killing Hongxi, I will be criticized again."
"Being emperor is utterly abject! Someone points a knife at me, and I can't even retaliate. Did Father Emperor ever consider my feelings when he issued this order? Why should I be expected to keep the promises he makes to others? This is unfair!"
Upon hearing this, Su Yushan understood Hongli's thoughts. He wanted to kill Hongxi, but he had to compromise because of those so-called wills.
Su Yushan didn't know what Hongxi's fate was in history, nor did she want to know. All she knew was that since Hongli had that idea, she should help him fulfill his wish.
After a moment of deep thought, Su Yushan suddenly remembered an old story, and a flash of inspiration struck her.
"When we went on an outing to the southern suburbs that year, was the assassination attempt on you orchestrated by Hongxi?"
"The initial investigation concluded that it was the work of the Heaven and Earth Society, but I felt that there must be members of the royal family colluding with them. Hongxi was the most suspicious, but there was no evidence, so the matter was dropped."
With a slight shift in her gaze, Su Yushan said meaningfully:
"If you can't find evidence, then fabricate it. His rebellion is just a conflict between your own family members. Emperor Kangxi was most averse to fratricide, which is why the late emperor couldn't kill the Eighth Prince's faction, and you can't kill Hongxi. But if you produce evidence of his collusion with the Heaven and Earth Society, then the nature of the matter will be very serious!"
The Heaven and Earth Society opposed the Qing Dynasty and sought to restore the Ming Dynasty. He, a member of the Eight Banners, colluded with the Heaven and Earth Society, clearly intending to hand over the throne. With this crime exposed, who would dare protect him? If you want to kill him, you have a legitimate reason, and no one dares to object. Anyone who pleads for him is essentially pleading for the Heaven and Earth Society.
Su Yushan's words enlightened Hongli; this was indeed a possible path, but it seemed to be a flawed one.
"Forging evidence? Wouldn't that be too despicable?"
With a slight shift in her beautiful eyes, Su Yushan smiled slyly, "This is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine. Did he reflect on his own despicable actions when he plotted rebellion? Anyway, his crime was originally punishable by death, so what difference does one more crime make?"
Yes! If you always try to be a gentleman, you'll only end up hurting yourself. Sometimes, it's okay to use a little bit of cunning to achieve your goals.
Ultimately, Hongli decided to use this method, discussed it with Hongzhou, and ordered him to forge evidence of Hongxi's collusion with the Heaven and Earth Society.
Hongzhou was an expert at this kind of thing. He found Zhou Lian, a death row inmate of the Heaven and Earth Society, who was imprisoned in a death row cell, and asked him to give false testimony, promising to release him as long as he cooperated.
Zhou Lian didn't believe it, worried that the Prince would betray him and kill him to silence him. Hong Zhou glanced at him and smiled disdainfully.
"You've been imprisoned here for years, what's the difference between that and death? This is your only chance to get out. You'll either die trapped in prison or go out and start a new life, it's up to you to choose."
Prince He's words were not without reason, but Zhou Lian still remained skeptical of him. "Our Heaven and Earth Society is sworn enemies of the Qing Dynasty. Aren't you afraid that I'll continue my assassination attempts after I get out?"
Hongzhou wasn't worried about this at all. "You've been imprisoned here for so many years. Even if you survive to go back, do you think the people of the Heaven and Earth Society will still trust you? They'll only see you as a spy."
Instead of risking your life for others, why not think about your wife and child? The year you were arrested, your wife gave birth to your son, who is now ten years old. Don't you really want to go back and see what your son looks like?
Hongzhou used both reason and persuasion, employing both soft and hard tactics. Upon hearing the news about his son, Zhou Lian's heart softened, and he steeled himself, finally agreeing to his conditions and helping him give false testimony.
After making the arrangements, Hongzhou took out a secret letter and presented it to the emperor, saying it was evidence that Hongxi had instructed the Heaven and Earth Society to assassinate the emperor.
Hongxi did indeed pass the message to the Heaven and Earth Society back then, but he did not contact them directly; instead, he used someone else. Logically speaking, it was impossible for him to leave any evidence.
Hongxi firmly denied it, and Hongchang also claimed to know nothing about it. However, Hongsheng, fearing death, could not withstand Hongzhou's threats and confessed that Hongxi had instructed Hongchang to collude with the Heaven and Earth Society to assassinate the emperor!
Although the evidence was fake, it unexpectedly yielded Hong Sheng's testimony, which made the accusation against Hong Xi even more legitimate.
Before Hongli could even speak, the princes and ministers all proposed that the traitor Hongxi be executed immediately!
Hongli pretended to be in a difficult position, saying that he could not bear to kill his own brother. After the court officials submitted memorials repeatedly, he finally agreed and decided to execute Hongxi!
Hongxi had no way to defend himself, and he only hated that none of these people were trustworthy. When disaster struck, everyone fled for their own lives. Who would protect whom?
He requested an audience with Hongli, but Hongli refused to see him and instead imprisoned him in the Imperial Clan Court, to be executed on a later date.
With the thorny issue finally resolved, Hongli was in high spirits. He believed that Yushan deserved the most credit and made a special effort to express his gratitude to her.
Su Yushan felt unworthy of the credit, saying, "I was just talking nonsense; I wouldn't dare to claim any credit."
He tapped her delicate nose and sighed, "You deserve a reward for your merits, why don't you ever ask me for one?"
After careful consideration, Su Yushan said very seriously, "My rank is already very high, and there is no reward to be bestowed upon me!"
With his arm around her slender waist, Hongli smiled and reminded her, "Then you can ask the children for a reward."
Children? Su Yushan looked at Hongli in surprise, unsure whether he was joking or serious.
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