Change 43 (Up)

  Summer days are hot and sunny, with a few wispy clouds floating in the high blue sky.

  Ma Zhi was in a good mood and after finishing his morning shift, he took several nephews who had switched shifts with him back to the Earl's mansion, where they inquired about their careers and lives. Fu Qing, the illegitimate son, had already started a family and his grandson Sai Bao Han had been born, so Ma Zhi couldn't manage him anymore. Only his son Fu Liang, born to his second wife, was around the same age as Fu Yu, and they had discussed marriage last year, but due to Ma Wu's sudden death, the wedding was postponed for two years. Often, he would take Fu Yu, Fu Qian, Fu Heng, and several other young ones with him to educate them on official matters.

  Fu Yu smiled and said: "Nothing much, but now I'm on shift rest, so I can take Yunzhu to Xiuyun Temple or the villa at home for a walk." When in Chahar, it was not as cautious as in the capital, and his sister's temperament was also more open.

  "Ah, it's good to take a walk and have a look around while you still can, but don't forget to bring some guards." Chahar siblings' clever capture of the horse thief was also known to Ma Zhi, but this time is different from when they were young, spreading rumors would affect their reputation... However, thinking about how after her niece gets married and lives in the palace, she probably won't have the chance to go out and enjoy the scenery, something that ordinary people can easily do, but for her it's difficult. In her heart, she couldn't help but wish that the wedding day wouldn't come so soon, at least then she could have a few more days of freedom.

  "Uncle can rest assured." Fu Yu also knew what was at stake, but his loving heart couldn't bear to disappoint his sister... Besides, the grand wedding was still three or four months away.

  Ma Er saw Fu Heng's unhappy expression and asked: "What's wrong with Chunhe? Is he still quarreling with the Fourth Prince?"

  The emperor previously gave the fourth prince Yunzhu as his legitimate wife, but this kid didn't even last two days before he took advantage of his privileged position to beat her up and threaten her, saying that if his sister suffered any grievances, he would continue to beat her.

  The poor Fourth Prince was beaten up but didn't dare to fight back - this was the younger brother of his future wife, who was raised by her own hands. Thinking of this, Emperor Qianlong, who had already looked at Fu Heng in a different light and intentionally cultivated him as his right-hand man, felt an inexplicable emotion towards him, as if Fu Heng was nurtured by both Yunzhu and himself...

  Bukui had many guards who were on good terms with the Fuca family, and from Yunzhu's expression, she showed her excellent political vision and later the divine fortune that arrived at the Fuca residence. Ma Qi became more concerned about Fu Heng, who had followed the Fourth Prince for several years, and through them, he naturally learned of this matter soon.

  "Ah, it's good to take a walk and have a look around while you still can, but don't forget to bring some guards." Chahar siblings' clever capture of the horse thief was also known to Ma Zhi, but this time is different from when they were young, spreading rumors would affect their reputation... However, thinking about how after her niece's big wedding she will be living in the palace and won't have the chance to go out and enjoy the scenery, something that ordinary people can easily do, it's difficult for her. In her heart, she couldn't help but wish that the wedding day wouldn't come so soon, at least then she could have a few more days of freedom.

  "Uncle can rest assured." Fu Yu also knew what was at stake, but his loving heart couldn't bear to disappoint his sister... Besides, the grand wedding is still three or four months away.

  Ma Er saw Fu Heng's unhappy expression and asked: "What's wrong with Chunhe? Is he still quarreling with the Fourth Prince?"

  The emperor previously gave the fourth prince Yunzhu as his legitimate wife, but this kid didn't even last two days before he took advantage of his privileged position to brutally beat her up and threatened her that if his sister suffered any grievances, he would continue to beat her.

  The poor Fourth Prince was beaten but didn't dare to fight back - this was the younger brother of his future wife, who was raised by her own hands. Thinking of this, Emperor Qianlong, who had already looked at Fu Heng in a new light and intentionally cultivated him as his right-hand man, felt an inexplicable emotion towards him, as if Fu Heng was nurtured by Yunzhu and himself together...

  Bukui had many guards who were friends with the Fuca family, and from Yunzhu's expression, she showed her excellent political vision and later the divine blessing of the Fuca family. Ma Qi became more concerned about Fu Heng, who had followed the Fourth Prince for several years, and through them, he naturally learned about this matter soon.

  Fu Heng shook his head, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: "No."

  After observing for so long, he also discovered that Hongli was determined to deal with his sister. Why would he still make trouble and be unable to change the established facts, and add chaos to his sister? That Xi Fei, looking gentle, is not a good person to get along with. If she bullied her son badly, how would she make things difficult for her sister in the future?

  "What's the matter?" Ma Zhi asked casually, still slowly brewing tea with his hands, adding milk and sugar to his own cup. Not mare's milk, but cow's milk - a suggestion from Yunzhu that he found tasted quite good after trying it, so he often drank it now. Fu Liang, Fu Yu, and Fu Heng exchanged glances, their eyebrows twitching in distaste. They were used to drinking pure tea, and the milk tea and spirits that most Manchu people liked were only drunk during winter; normally they didn't touch them.

  "It's Hong Chen, he's been avoiding me for a while now, I don't know what I did to offend him." They originally had a pretty good relationship.

  Hong Jin? Ma Qi's eyes flashed with sharp light, when his daughter was pregnant, he and his wife went to the Zhen Guo Gong Fu to visit her, heard her casual complaint, knew that the emperor would take a fancy to Yun Zhu, so he asked for an edict to betroth Yun Zhu to the imperial prince, it's not easy to be the empress.

  The marriage of the noble ladies of the Qing Dynasty was not chosen by themselves, but by their parents. The daughter's words had a big flaw. Mazhi soon discovered that the prince who had a crush on Yunzhu was none other than Hongzheng, the second son of Yi Qinwang, who was 14 years old and one year younger than Yunzhu. He was gentle and courteous in appearance, but cunning and clever in nature. Although he got along well with the fourth prince and Chunhe in the study room, it wasn't until recently that they became close.

  Since it's a matter of emotions and reason, he didn't interfere much. But today, after hearing Chunhe's words, this kid is still unusually open-minded... what a pity.

  "Could it be that you unintentionally did something that hurt his pride?" Fu Qing asked.

  "No." From a young age, Fu Heng was taught by his sister that no matter if it's an enemy or friend, he would never easily reveal his inner feelings towards them in front of others. Words can hurt people like the cold of June; verbal jabs are actually the most ineffective form of attack and can easily offend people, putting one's own weaknesses on display... He wouldn't do that.

  Ma Zhi smiled faintly and said: "You should thank you for having a real person who thinks about you, for the rich Cha family."

  Fu Heng and others were momentarily stunned.

  "What does the emperor hate most about his officials? It's not that they are corrupt, nor is it that they are incompetent. Rather, it's that they form cliques." Marzi felt this point deeply, "Even if they are trusted and favored officials, there will still be suspicion."

  If Yunzhu were here, he would certainly applaud for Ma Zhi. The emperor's use of his ministers also guarded against them, and this phenomenon ran through the entire Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties.

  It is unnecessary to elaborate on Kangxi's later years, but his experiences had a certain impact on the subsequent reigns of Yongzheng and Qianlong.

  Yongzheng trusted and promoted his early protégés, but also severely cracked down on the power of his relatives (although it was forced by circumstances). He only reigned for over a decade, and vigorously implemented various reforms, inevitably leaving many hidden dangers and injuries among his relatives, both in and out of office.

  During the Qianlong era, it was possible that the difficult situation of Kangxi's later years, when he was forced by his adult sons to compete for the throne, left an impression on Qianlong. Later, in order to alleviate the tense relationship between the imperial family and their relatives, he relaxed his control over them. However, this led to the case of Prince Ronghe Hongxiao's rebellion, which resulted in a painful lesson that made him vigilant against his relatives for the rest of his life. Those with talent were suppressed and not allowed to rise, nor were they reused. Even Qianlong's closest brother, Prince Yonghe Hongxu, held only nominal positions, such as "Grand Minister of the Imperial Household Department", but could only follow Qianlong's orders. Not to mention Qianlong's other brothers or cousins. Hmm, even his own sons were not given many opportunities to grow and develop their abilities.

  As for the ministers of Qianlong's court, their actions can be inferred from Qianlong's cautiousness and his vigilance towards his officials.

  Zhang Tingyu and Ortai were both old officials in the Yongzheng court. To say nothing of Zhang Tingyu's cautious style, "a thousand words are not as good as one silence", even Ortai, a trusted minister of Yongzheng, once said: "Big things can't be muddled, small things can't be unmuddled. If small things are not muddled, then big things will inevitably be muddled." "Those who are loyal and honest but lack talent can be trusted but not used. Those who are intelligent and talented but out of bounds can be used but not trusted... As long as they can get things done, they are all useful, even if they are petty people, they should be cherished and taught. But if they cannot get things done, they are all useless, even if they are good people, they should be removed."

  How could two people who can be said to have grown up and served the country gradually split into Zhang and E factions after Qianlong's accession, with occasional mutual accusations? It is not uncommon for imperial ministers to monopolize power throughout history, but when it happened to these two men, there was something unconvincing about it. When Qianlong ascended to the throne, they were both 25 or 26 years old and had been involved in politics for several years, with considerable influence in their hands.

  After all, it was done to reassure the emperor. They were already auxiliary ministers, and if they still got along with each other like during the Yongzheng era, the emperor would not be able to sleep at night.

  Why did Fu Kangan not get along with Heshen and show deep disgust towards him? It was because they were both imperial favorites, one in literature and the other in martial arts, both holding great power. If they got close, how could Qianlong feel at ease when even his own relatives were being closely guarded against? It is worth noting that Heshen was quite capable in the early days, and had not yet shown any signs of incompetence, otherwise he would not have been so favored by Qianlong.

  Why did Fu Chang'an, the younger brother of Fu Kang'an, get close to Heshen and have a good relationship with him? It was because as officials, especially those from noble families, they never cut off ties completely. On the surface, Fu Chang'an seemed useless, but what benefits could he gain from being friends with Heshen? Ostensibly, it was because they shared common interests and spoke the same language, but in reality, it was just to leave a thread of connection...

  Ma Zhi, as a veteran of the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties, was called "Budong Weng" by the officials in the court. He was wise and capable, daring to take charge of affairs, and was promoted to the rank of earl due to his merits. Although he was not as astute as Yunzhu in understanding the situation in the imperial court, he also had the ability to advance and retreat freely in the officialdom, which was not easy for ordinary people to match. At this time, he took a few people to carefully explain to them how to infer the emperor's intentions, respond flexibly, and master the art of being an official, as well as how to balance the imperial power, control subordinates, choose a stand, and leave a way out for his family.

  On this day's conversation, Fu Heng gained the most in the scene. He listened to Ma Qi's examples and explanations, and the places that were previously unclear suddenly became clear. He entered another realm, which was the horizontal and vertical of officialdom... Fighting with you, fighting with colleagues, extending to palace fighting, family disputes... Endless brilliance, but outside the brilliance, he couldn't forget what his sister said about "being true to one's heart" being bewildered by power and interests, and what was planned could not harm the interests of the country and the people.

  Since the imperial decree for the royal marriage was issued in batches after the draft was finalized in June, there have been successive grand weddings of princes and nobles since July. Some were simple and solemn, while others were grand and joyful. Each time, it made the citizens of the capital city excitedly discuss the event. Especially after the appearance of the divine omen, they rushed to hold grand weddings one after another, as if trying to seize that auspicious joy, making the entire capital city never quiet.

  Officials from all over the country, whether true or false, reported that their jurisdictions had discovered auspicious signs, drought-stricken areas received timely rain, floodwaters receded, and grain yields increased... Everywhere was filled with music and dance. However, Yongzheng was not blinded by these things, his government was not vegetarian, he knew who was doing a good job governing the lower levels, in his heart, he had a clear count of who should be rewarded and who should be punished, making those who wanted to curry favor and rise through flattery quite sober.

  However, Yongzheng's good mood continued.

  After ascending to the throne, his tense spirit finally relaxed. Although he had previously received hints from Yunzhu's words and began to pay attention to rest and maintenance in order to govern Qing for a longer period, the depression at the bottom of his heart due to his superior position not being recognized by his relatives, even being denied by his birth mother, only now did he have a big sigh and the pain came back.

  Most of the relatives who doubted his rule began to show signs of submission and softening, and he also took this opportunity to relax his treatment of some members of the imperial clan. For example, Yunxiang, Yunbi, Yunru, and Yunti were released from their confinement or guard duties at the mausoleum, allowing them to live as ordinary members of the imperial clan. He treated their descendants with leniency, including those of Yunsi and Yunqi, and gave talented individuals opportunities to serve, thus greatly improving his relationship with the Imperial Clan Court and the imperial relatives compared to history.

  There is only one exception.

  That was the second son of the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng, Emperor Kangxi's grandson Hongshi. He could never forget his past glory, even when his father was deposed, he was still the most favored and protected among all the imperial grandsons by Empress Dowager Ma. He took great pride in being a member of the imperial family, and was both envious and resentful of Prince Bao, the hidden crown prince during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng. Hadn't he been just as highly regarded and favored before his father's deposition?

  Divine Prosperity

  Could it be that Fourth Uncle is really the true heir?! He stood in the study, his eyes complex as he gazed out the window at his own estate... Would the plans he had devised ultimately succeed?

  For Yongzheng, his feelings were extremely complicated. When the Empress Dowager was still alive and before his brother was deposed, he was one of the only two uncles who supported him. Even after his brother was deposed, he helped him out. However, in the end, it was he who took the throne that originally belonged to his brother, which left a deep impression on him. Despite this, he attacked his brother's former enemies, the eighth and ninth uncles, and even the fourteenth uncle, and treated himself and his own mother well... but wasn't all of this for his own sake?

  Do it for all people under heaven to see, humph.

  If he was truly loyal to Ama, and had always supported Ama, he would not have ordered the relocation of the Li County Wangfu to Zhengjiazhuang, putting himself on the political periphery. He should have instead passed the throne to himself, rather than calling him "Huang Fu" all along...