Chapter 67: All Eyes on Hongli

On the tenth day of the lunar month of December in the sixty-first year of Kangxi, the Yongzheng Emperor issued an imperial edict:

Prince Beile Yinsi was conferred the title of Prince Lian of the First Rank (Heshuo).
Thirteenth Prince Yixiang was conferred the title of Prince Yi of the First Rank (Heshuo).
Prince Beizi Yuntuo was conferred the title of Prince Lü of the Second Rank (Doro).
Fourteenth Prince Yinti was conferred the title of Prince Xun of the Second Rank (Doro).
Prince Beizi Hongxi was conferred the title of Prince Li of the Second Rank (Doro).

Upon learning of this decree, Hongli paused for a moment, then could not help but smile faintly.

Although the Yongzheng Emperor had not bestowed the title of First-Rank Prince upon the Fourteenth Prince—despite the remarkably cooperative stance maintained by Empress Dowager Renshou and the Fourteenth Prince in this lifetime—Hongli felt no surprise whatsoever.

In fact, he was quite pleased with the outcome!

That way, should the Fourteenth Prince live long enough to witness his ascension to the throne, he would still have titles left to bestow if he wished to ease tensions within the imperial clan.

Naturally, he was also well aware that it was impossible for the Yongzheng Emperor to simultaneously court the faction of the Eighth Prince and the faction of the Fourteenth Prince.

Moreover, compared to the previous timeline—where the Fourteenth Prince had refused to kneel before the Yongzheng Emperor, even going so far as to strike the Emperor's personal guards, and only knelt after the Eighth Prince appeared to reprimand him, resulting in the Yongzheng Emperor deliberately reducing his status to a Gushan Beizi—the present situation was vastly different.

Now...
The Fourteenth Prince had been enfeoffed as a commandery prince of the second rank, a marked departure from the original history and a far better result.

Hongli believed that for the majority of people who inwardly supported or sympathized with the Fourteenth Prince, this outcome was already somewhat acceptable.

Meanwhile, Luncolu's paternal cousin, Fahai—who had once tutored the Fourteenth Prince and later shared life and death with him through thick and thin—was a die-hard loyalist of the Fourteenth Prince.

Furthermore, because Fahai had passed the imperial metropolitan examination at the young age of twenty-three, an extremely rare achievement among the Manchus, he naturally maintained close ties with many scholarly officials and the literary elite.

Thus, the moment Fahai returned to the capital, he arranged a meeting with Grand Secretary Xiao Yongzao to inquire about the specific circumstances of the Yongzheng Emperor's ascension following the Kangxi Emperor's demise.

After clarifying the details, Fahai even speculated to Xiao Yongzao about how the Yongzheng Emperor would treat the Fourteenth Prince.

"If he is not given the title of a First-Rank Prince, he must at least be made a Second-Rank Prince. Otherwise, brothers like us who shed blood and risked our lives with the Fourteenth Prince in the Northwest will never agree to it," Fahai declared bluntly.

Aside from his commendable scholarship and his past role as the Fourteenth Prince's tutor, he was, like Longkodo, a maternal cousin of the Kangxi Emperor.

Therefore, he possessed the confidence to voice his opinions.

It was worth noting, however, that although both Fahai and Longkodo hailed from the Tunggiya clan, they had chosen different paths.

Naturally, this was a common occurrence in large clans and hardly worth marveling over.

Hearing this, Xiao Yongzao responded with considerable agreement, "Indeed. No matter what, the Fourteenth Prince is his full brother by the same mother, and the Empress Dowager is watching from within the palace."

Not long after their conversation, the two men learned that the Fourteenth Prince had been enfeoffed as a commandery prince.

Consequently, when they met again, Fahai sighed and remarked, "So be it. After all, they did grant him the title of a commandery prince, sparing our Fourteenth Prince too much embarrassment."

Xiao Yongzao nodded in agreement. "I heard that according to what the Fourth Prince said before the Empress Dowager, the Fourth Prince actually hoped to confer the title of a First-Rank Prince upon the Fourteenth Prince. It's just that our current Majesty is not as generous as the Fourth Prince!"

"In that case, the Fourth Prince is far more willing to treat the Fourteenth Prince kindly, and the reigning Majesty merely granted him a commandery prince's title out of regard for the Empress Dowager's face?" Fahai asked, furrowing his brow in thought.

Xiao Yongzao nodded. "The Fourth Prince values sentiment. On that day, when my words offended him slightly, he merely issued a warning and told us to submit a memorial confessing our fault ourselves."

Fahai looked somewhat curious upon hearing this. "Is that so?"

Xiao Yongzao then recounted the reasons and circumstances of his encounter with Hongli that day.

Fahai could not help but praise, "That is truly rare. It seems the late Emperor's failure to designate our Fourteenth Prince has indeed something to do with this Fourth Prince. After all, compared to the Fourteenth Prince, the Fourth Prince is much younger."

"Yet, everyone knows that the reigning Empress Dowager dotes on the Fourteenth Prince the most. The Fourth Prince made such a promise before her, and now that the Fourteenth Prince has failed to secure a First-Rank Prince's title, let us see how he plans to account for it!"

Xiao Yongzao stroked his beard and laughed softly.

Fahai nodded with a smile and said, "What else can he do? In my view, the Fourth Prince Hongli will simply have to promise the Empress Dowager that he himself will bestow the title of a First-Rank Prince upon our Fourteenth Prince in the future!"

...

"Hongshi, you have seen it too. Although the Fourth Brother is now the Emperor, he still cannot do without your Eighth Uncle."

"He made your Eighth Uncle the Chief Minister of State Affairs, and now he has even conferred upon him the title of a First-Rank Prince."

"Therefore, you can set your mind at ease. As long as the Eighth Brother and the rest of us assist you, you need not worry about surpassing Hongli in the Fourth Brother's heart, and thus in the future—"

While Fahai, Xiao Yongzao, and other court officials loyal to the Fourteenth Prince were holding a secret meeting and chatting, the Ninth Prince Yingtang also met secretly with the Eighth Prince, the Tenth Prince, and Hongshi, shortly after the Eighth Prince was enfeoffed as a First-Rank Prince.

It was precisely at this moment that the Ninth Prince began to lobby Hongshi.

Hongshi was currently feeling extremely bewildered.

On one hand, he desperately wanted to make the Yongzheng Emperor change his attitude toward him as soon as possible.

On the other hand, he truly remained unclear about the Yongzheng Emperor's actual stance toward the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the others.

He was well aware that the Yongzheng Emperor disliked the Eighth and Ninth Princes; otherwise, his father would not have previously grown displeased with him for keeping company with them.

Yet he also knew that the relationship between his father and the Eighth Prince had not always been poor, and they had even been quite close in the past.

In particular, as the eldest among the Yongzheng Emperor's sons, he had personally followed his father to visit Yinsi's residence many years ago and had witnessed scenes of his father and Yinsi drinking and laughing together merrily!

This memory had led him to believe, even when he later noticed his father's displeasure regarding his closeness to the Eighth Prince, that his father merely held slight reservations about the Eighth Prince and perhaps, more importantly, simply disliked his Eighth Aunt.

Therefore, seeing the Yongzheng Emperor confer the title of First-Rank Prince upon the Eighth Prince, appoint him as Chief Minister of State Affairs, and exchange smiles and pleasantries with him, Hongshi found it difficult to truly distance himself from the Eighth and Ninth Princes outright.

Naturally, Hongshi also knew that as the Chief Minister of State Affairs and a newly created First-Rank Prince, the Eighth Prince was someone he could not afford to genuinely offend.

Consequently, Hongshi continued to accept the invitations extended by the Eighth and Ninth Princes. Hearing the Ninth Prince's words now, he felt a pleasant surprise and smiled, saying, "I never expected my Eighth and Ninth Uncles to hold this nephew in such high regard."

"We have always held you in high regard!"

"Hongli is indeed clever and courageous, but the Eighth Uncle prefers your leniency and tact. Everyone knows that the Fourth Brother has always advocated for drastic measures to eradicate abuses. Therefore, the next generation is undoubtedly better suited for a ruler of benevolence and magnanimity. Only by alternating tension and relaxation can our Great Qing endure and prosper."

The Eighth Prince Yinsi said this to Hongshi with a smile.

Seeming to comprehend something, Hongshi nodded, beginning to believe that the Yongzheng Emperor might indeed favor a more lenient prince as the ruler of the next generation.

The Tenth Prince chimed in, "The Eighth Brother is right!"

Then, looking at Hongshi, the Tenth Prince added, "Hongshi, we all have high hopes for you. You must not belittle yourself."

Hongshi nodded.

With a smile, the Ninth Prince continued, "This time, your Fourteenth Uncle was only enfeoffed as a commandery prince. Others might take it in stride, but the Empress Dowager is probably not very pleased. Hongli has quite a predicament on his hands."

The Eighth Prince nodded in agreement and said to Hongshi, "Therefore, Hongshi, if Hongli truly falls into a dilemma because of this and faces the Empress Dowager's reprimands, you must display the broad-mindedness and magnanimity expected of an elder brother. Do not mock him at such a time; instead, help him ease his relationship with the Empress Dowager."

"Besides, your Imperial Father clearly is not angry about this matter, and may even appreciate his quick wit."

"Do you understand?"

The Eighth Prince continued, instructing Hongshi with utmost seriousness.

Sensing that the Eighth Prince was sincerely helping him, Hongshi bowed respectfully and replied, "This nephew understands!"

The Ninth Prince then handed Hongshi a draft exchange: "Take this. Now that you are an imperial prince, you will inevitably have many occasions requiring monetary gifts, and you must not let people think you stingy."

Seeing that the amount was thirty thousand taels, Hongshi was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed, "Many thanks, Ninth Uncle!"

...

After returning to the capital, the Thirteenth Prince also consoled Hongxi, who had just been enfeoffed as a commandery prince: "Among the late Emperor's grandsons, only you have been granted a princely title. Therefore, Hongxi, you must acknowledge that although it is your Fourth Uncle who attained the supreme throne, your Fourth Uncle had no intention of treating you unjustly."

Hongxi nodded. "This nephew understands! It's just that this nephew never expected Imperial Grandfather to choose Fourth Uncle because of Hongli."

"It is primarily because your Second Uncle truly broke Imperial Grandfather's heart."

The Thirteenth Prince patted Hongxi's shoulder and smiled.

The Sixteenth Prince, who was also present, took the initiative to ask the Thirteenth Prince, "Thirteenth Brother, I heard that the Empress Dowager relocated her palace very cooperatively this time because Hongli persuaded the Fourteenth Brother for the sake of securing the First-Rank Prince's title for him. Is that true?"

The Thirteenth Prince smiled and nodded, "That is indeed true. Let us only hope Hongli manages to pass the Empress Dowager's test."

Frowning, the Sixteenth Prince remarked, "I hope Hongli can still persuade the Empress Dowager, lest some unexpected trouble arises after all."

Meanwhile, on the very day the Yongzheng Emperor issued the edict conferring the series of princely titles, Hongli went to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Renshou, only to be asked with a darkened face:

"Hongli, why is your Fourteenth Brother merely a commandery prince? Did you fail to put in a good word for your Fourteenth Brother before your Imperial Father?"

Unflustered in the least, Hongli maintained his calm composure as he stepped before the Empress Dowager: "May Grandmother deign to listen to this grandson's explanation."