113. Extra three

"none"

The next class was archery. After class, Hong Nuan and a few of his close friends, carrying their quivers, headed for the training grounds. As they neared the grounds, they ran into Hong Shu, who had just finished practicing archery and was returning to class.

Hongshu's eyes lit up, and he ran forward, nodded and greeted the other people, with a smile on his face, and called them "sister" affectionately.

Hongshu used to be very picky about food, refusing to eat this or that. But after he started attending school, all his bad habits were corrected, and he became a greedy eater, seemingly never satisfied with his food.

Inside the school, there was a shop selling various stationery, snacks, and other food. Haihona saved the tips and lucky money Hong Nuan and Hong Shu received. They didn't receive a monthly stipend; if they wanted money, they had to work and earn it.

Now that they are all young, they only come back to the mansion during holidays to help Qi You and Hai Huona with things like grinding ink, washing pens, running errands, etc., to earn money for their pocket money.

The siblings had no concept of money or spending before, but once they started earning their own money, they realized how hard it was. They cherished their earnings and carefully calculated every penny they spent.

But neither of them was stingy. For example, they would spend money on their hobbies without blinking an eye. But if it was something they could afford, they would consider it for a long time.

Hong Nuan's current hobby is buying Western pocket watches and glasses. She likes to study the lenses of glasses and disassemble pocket watches to figure out how the hands move.

Hong Shu is a little boy, and his hobbies change every now and then, but the one thing that never changes is his love for sweets and cakes.

Qi You gave Hong Nuan some pocket watches and glasses, but if she wanted more, she had to buy them herself.

Qi You certainly approves of Hong Nuan's dedication to research. The reason he lets her earn money to pay for her hobby is to remind her that her hobby is expensive and not everyone can afford it. To continue, she needs to put in more effort.

Qi You sometimes felt that he owed the siblings and was too harsh on them.

There is no way. Since they have become relatives in this life, as descendants of the royal family, they already shoulder heavier responsibilities than ordinary people.

Hong Nuan went to help the seniors in the agricultural science department. In addition to earning some pocket money, he could also often get some food cooked by them.

The school's rules forbade younger students from helping out in other subjects, so Hongshu lost his chance to earn a living. He changed his quiet ways and started calling Hongnuan "sister" non-stop whenever he saw her.

Although Hong Nuan was disgusted, she skillfully took out a purse from her pocket and handed it to him, "Here, eat less. If you eat too much, your teeth will be damaged. Be careful of being punished by your mother."

Hongshu quickly agreed and took a pine nut candy and put it in his mouth. He carefully put the rest of the candy away and happily waved to Hongnuan and the others, "Sister, I'm going back to the classroom."

Hong Nuan looked at Hong Shuqing's face, which had lost a lot of fat. The quiver he was carrying was almost as tall as him. He couldn't help but remind him, "Go slower, be careful not to fall."

Hongshu responded loudly and ran to the classroom quickly, fearing that he would be punished by the teacher for being late.

Hongwang came out of the toilet and saw Hongshu running towards him from a distance. He couldn't help but curl his lips. He thought for a moment, paused slightly, turned around and said to Hongli and Hongzhou, who were a step behind him, "When school is over at noon, let's go to the cafeteria to have lunch together."

Hongli immediately shook his head and said, "I have an appointment with my colleagues in the poetry club to discuss poetry at noon."

Hong Zhou doesn't like writing poetry, but he doesn't want to have dinner with Hong Wang.

Hongwang couldn't even hold a bowl, and often spilled food everywhere. He also complained about the food when they were eating happily, which was both a disappointment and troublesome.

Hong Zhou rejected Hong Wang without hesitation, "There's braised pork in the cafeteria at noon today. We have to hurry up, otherwise it will get cold and taste bad. Hong Shu and I have already made an appointment. Let's go to the cafeteria early at noon."

Hongwang initially studied in the upper study room. As the only son of the eighth brother, he was reluctant to let him go out. However, after seeing that the children of his other brothers were all sent to Shunyi School, the eighth brother thought about it and decided to send him and his daughter there as well.

His daughter was fine, but Hongwang was having a hard time adapting. He was pampered at home, surrounded by servants. At school, he had to learn everything from scratch, even how to dress and wash, which was incredibly difficult.

Usually at home, Hongwang is happy with everything and basically everyone obeys him.

In Shunyi, the students in the school included orphans without parents, children of common people, bannermen and bondservants, as well as powerful people, relatives of the royal family, bannermen, Han, and Mongolians, and so on, with different backgrounds.

The first rule of the school is that students must respect each other regardless of their status.

No one treated him with respect and courtesy anymore just because he was the prince's brother. The emotional gap was what Hongwang couldn't stand the most.

Because of his princely habits, Hongwang had been reprimanded by his teacher several times. He was so upset that he often cried. He was not used to it and had written several letters back home, clamoring to return to the capital to study.

After being rejected repeatedly by Hongli and Hongzhou, Hongwang was furious. He thought that Hongshu was the legitimate son of the crown prince, and Hongzhou was just trying to flatter him.

If he didn't want to have any contact with her, then he wouldn't have any contact with her. He also looked down on Hong Zhou's flattering behavior. Hong Wang immediately waved his hand and turned away.

When Hongli saw his classmates in the poetry club, he ran over to talk to them and didn't notice what Hongwang did.

Hong Zhou rolled his eyes at Hong Wang's angrily leaving figure, and ran towards Hong Shu with a smile.

Lao Ba received another letter from Hongwang. Seeing him crying and begging to return to Beijing, he felt so distressed that he prepared to take him back to the capital.

When he mentioned this to Kangxi, Kangxi told him to go to Qi You. Lao Ba had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Qi You for instructions.

Qi You often went to Shunyi, and he was very clear about the performance of these princes and princesses in the school.

Hongwang doesn't fit in at school, which has a lot to do with Lao Ba's usual education.

The eighth brother had a hard time having children. He had five or six women in his harem, but he only had one son and one daughter. Hongwang was a son he had in his middle age, and he was more important than his own eyes.

Hongwang is not a bad person by nature, but he was taught by Lao Ba to be a fool. He is ignorant of the sufferings of the world and is naive to the point of being dull.

After hearing the Eighth Brother's intention, Qi You didn't want to get involved, but firstly, it was Kangxi's intention; secondly, if the descendants were not well educated, especially the emperor's grandchildren, because of their noble status, they would cause greater harm than ordinary people.

Qi You pondered for a moment and asked, "Have you asked Hongwang what he plans to do when he grows up?"

The Eighth Elder was stunned for a moment, and could not help but feel secretly nervous. Hongwang was his only son, and the title would definitely be passed on to him.

Even if he inherited the title by being demoted, Hongwang was still a prince and could not escape, so there was no need to worry about his future.

Qi You couldn't help but see what Old Eight was thinking. He smiled and asked in a different tone, "For example, Hongwang's other brothers and sisters have found jobs based on their own abilities. Have you ever thought about what Hongwang can do when he grows up?"

Lao Ba roughly understood what Qi You meant.

Kangxi had a lot of grandchildren, and because of Qi You's suggestion, the princesses also began to go to school to study and learn skills. Everyone is of noble status, but others are more powerful and capable than you, so why should you be given a good job?

The eighth brother couldn't help but plead for Hongwang, saying, "Hongwang is my only son, and I dote on him a bit. But when it comes to his studies, I never slack off. Your Highness, don't worry."

Qi You said calmly, "Put your studies aside for now. Be a good person first, then do good things. If one's intentions are not right, or if one goes astray, the smarter the person, the greater the harm they will cause."

Hongwang was Lao Ba's weak spot. He immediately became anxious and said, "Prince, I can guarantee that Hongwang has always been kind. He will never do anything to let down the Qing Dynasty, the Khan Ama, or you, the Crown Prince."

Qi You raised his eyebrows and said, "Really? Because I'm not his real father, you are his real father."

Lao Ba wanted to argue, opened his mouth, and then drooped his shoulders dejectedly.

Qi You's words hit him hard. Hongwang was just his son, not anyone else's son.

As a father, he certainly thinks Hongwang is perfect in every way and cannot find any fault with him.

But the others are not Hongwang's biological father, so they will not sympathize with him.

Not counting granddaughters, Kangxi had nearly sixty grandsons.

There are too many of them. If one or two of them fall, it won’t even make a splash.

The eighth elder's expression was gloomy, and he said sincerely, "My Lord, to be honest, I can discipline Hongwang, but I can't bear to use harsh methods. You only have one son, Hongshu. How do you usually teach him?"

Qi You didn't even think about it and said, "Just teach according to the rules of being a human being."

It is not taught according to royal rules, but according to the rules of being a human being.

Lao Ba laughed at himself, saying that being a human being was too difficult. According to Qi You, it was even more difficult than raising a well-behaved son.

Qi You said patiently, "Actually, it doesn't matter where Hongwang goes to school, he can still learn good skills in the capital. The teacher in the school can only teach them to read and study. As for how to behave and do things, the key still depends on their parents. I suggest that you first have someone teach Hongwang how to take care of himself. For example, when he gets up in the morning, if he can't put on his clothes properly, wake him up early and let him have more time to put on his clothes. If he can't get up and wants to sleep a little longer, he must learn quickly. As for eating, you should send him less snacks. It's not good for him to eat too many snacks. He is still young, and three meals a day are enough. Why does he need ginseng and bird's nest tonic?"

After a pause, Qi You added: "In the school shop, stationery is only bought for those who are careless and damaged, and snacks are mostly sold for one or two coins. You gave Hongwang too much money."

Qi You personally oversaw the preparation of the school's three meals a day. He ensured they were clean and fresh, primarily consisting of meat, eggs, and dairy, supplemented with seasonal vegetables. Snacks were provided during breaks, and fresh fruit was often offered.

The food at the academy was more nutritionally balanced than even the finest homes in the capital. Old Eight, however, was worried that Hongwang wouldn't be able to eat well, so he frequently sent him snacks made from his own home. Furthermore, fearing that Hongwang wouldn't have enough money to spend at the academy, he generously gave him gold ingots.

Hongshu mentioned this once in a letter. Hongwang gave gold ingots as rewards to his roommates and asked them to run errands.

Sharing the same room was Lao Wu's son, Hongshang. He was older than Hongwang and also the son of a prince, but he didn't give Hongwang any respect. He snatched the gold ingot away and lay there motionless.

Hongwang was furious and mad, but he couldn't beat Hongshang, and he couldn't do anything about Hongshang, so he could only cry and go to the teacher to complain.

At the end of the letter, Hongshu emphasized his envy of Hongwang, his praise for Lao Ba, and his regret for not living in the same dormitory with Hongwang.

He really wanted to earn Hongwang's gold ingots, and running errands was nothing. When he was in the mansion, he was sometimes ordered by Qi You, Hai Huo Na, and Hong Nuan to run errands, but he didn't earn a penny!

Qi You was really at a loss for words. This kid, Hongshu, was sarcastically complaining about his parents for not giving him enough pocket money.

Even if Hongshu yelled again, Qiyou would not indulge him. During holidays, he often took the two siblings to the slums and grocery stores to experience people's lives.

The brother and sister knew the prices of food, oil, salt and firewood. The pocket money they earned every month was enough for an ordinary family to live on, which was definitely not a small amount.

Lao Ba thought about it carefully and found that Qi You's suggestions made sense from every perspective.

Jade cannot be made into a useful object without being carved. If Hongwang wants to compete with his cousins, relying solely on the title is not enough.

After thinking it over, the Eighth Old Man steeled his heart and said, "Thank you, Prince. I will go and fetch Hongwang first, teach him well, and then send him to school."

Qi You didn't say anything more, just smiled and said okay.

Looking at Lao Ba's departing back, the faint silver hair on his head sparkled in the autumn sun.

Qi You sighed deeply. Their generation was already old, their personalities were basically formed, and there wasn't much they could do.

The future of the Qing Dynasty still lies in the children. This is why Qi You often goes to Shunyi School. He wants to find successors among them, not just those of the Hong generation, but also those of the Yong generation.

Or, other outstanding talents who can lead the Chinese people to greater glory.

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-12-22 23:35:05 and 2022-12-23 23:39:46~

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Ruddiness 22 bottles; Yi 20 bottles; Balala La 11 bottles; Lazy 10 bottles;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!