41. Chapter 41

"none"

The guards and eunuchs rushed over and helped the Crown Prince and the eldest prince up. The eldest prince was fine, but the skin on his left hand was rubbed so hard that it was almost broken and a few bloodstains were oozing out.

The prince was pinned down by the tall, muscular eldest prince, and his entire body felt like it had been crushed. He twisted his right ankle, and when he stood up and exerted force, he cried out in agony.

The eldest prince quickly apologized, angrily ripping off his crooked cloak, throwing it to the ground with his hands, and cursing, "It's all because of this broken thing. What bad luck!"

The prince's expression changed immediately. He stared at the eldest prince sinisterly and said, "What are you so angry about? Are you blaming me?"

The eldest prince had a bad temper to begin with, and it was not his intention to fall and take the prince with him.

He has already apologized, but the prince is still aggressive. This is really too much!

Seeing the two about to quarrel, Qi You quickly stepped forward and ordered the guards: "The prince's leg is injured. Why don't you go back and get a doctor? Brother, it's so cold outside. You'd better put on your cloak. Be careful not to catch a cold or get sick from the alternating heat and cold."

Jing Li was more attentive and clever. Upon hearing this, he quickly draped the cloak he was holding over the eldest prince and whispered, "Master, the crown prince's foot is injured. Seventh Master is right. We must go back and get a doctor."

After being persuaded by Jingli, the eldest prince also heard the hidden meaning in Qiyou's words.

The prince is still the prince after all. No matter how injured he is, it is a big deal.

Although he was furious and his face turned pale with frustration, the eldest prince forced himself to hold it back and returned to the manor in silence.

After all the commotion, they finally returned to the manor and invited a doctor to treat the prince. Fortunately, the prince's ankle was not injured, and as long as he took good care of it and applied medicine, he would be fine after the swelling went down.

No matter how reluctant the eldest prince was, he had to follow Qi You and stay by the prince's side, waiting for the doctor to diagnose him to show his concern and attention.

The prince looked at his wrapped ankle, feeling depressed that he couldn't go anywhere after coming to Shunyi. Then he looked at the eldest prince standing aside with a sullen face, and an inexplicable anger surged in his heart.

The secret rivalry and struggle between the two of them, which had never surfaced on the surface, was almost about to burst out completely at this moment.

Qi You stood by and watched the two people's reactions one by one, and sighed inwardly.

Brother Yougong is a joke, he can't control it.

But they couldn't fight here, otherwise, no matter whether it had anything to do with him or not, they would definitely be implicated as they were in possession of the treasure.

This is not just an ordinary quarrel and fight between brothers, but involves factions, the court, and the country.

They hurt each other's hair, but rivers of blood flowed behind them.

Seeing that the two were about to fight like fighting cocks, Qi You sighed again and again and stepped forward to stand between them.

His face was full of smiles as he said, "Brother, your hand is injured. You should go back and rest early. The winter solstice is coming soon, and there will be a banquet in the palace. If your hand is not working properly, others will see it and rush over to show their concern."

Turning to look at the Crown Prince, he smiled and advised, "Brother Crown Prince, you too should take good care of your feet. If you miss the banquet, I'm afraid people will complain. Ukuma Ma is not in good health, and Khan Ama is always annoyed. Hearing all those nagging words will only add fuel to the fire and make things worse."

The Crown Prince and the eldest prince were both stunned. They looked at each other coldly and turned their heads away reluctantly.

Qi You’s words were very clear.

We can’t cause trouble for Kangxi.

Brothers cannot turn against each other in front of outsiders.

The eldest prince reluctantly took his leave. Qi You warned him, "Brother, when you go back, take some medicine to soak your calves, especially your calves. Have someone loosen them up for you. You and the Crown Prince have never climbed a mountain before. It's okay today, but if you don't relax, your legs will be even more uncomfortable tomorrow and you won't be able to get out of bed."

"I see. You're the only one who loves to worry about things." The eldest prince's expression improved a little, but he still glared at Qi You and complained to himself, "You're just like that nagging woman, nagging non-stop."

Qi You pretended not to hear. As long as both of them were fine, he would agree to anything.

The prince raised his eyelids and glanced at the back of the eldest prince who was walking away. He said with a cold face, "You are so kind, but he doesn't appreciate your kindness and treats your kindness as a donkey's liver and lungs."

Qi You continued to play dumb and said with a smile, "Brother Crown Prince, it's the same for you. If your left foot is inconvenient, just apply a hot towel to your calf. I won't bother you anymore. You can take a rest first. I'll have someone bring you food."

The prince pondered for a moment, and when he saw Qi You was about to leave, he called out to him, "The new county government office has been built, but I haven't been to see it yet. My foot isn't that bad. Go get me a crutch like yours, and I'll use it to go and see it when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Qi You's scalp began to tingle again, and he hurriedly advised, "Brother Crown Prince, you'd better not move. If you want to visit the county government office, it's not that easy. You can take a sedan chair when the time comes. The county government office is just like that, built according to the regulations. When the time comes, we will carry the sedan chair and let you go inside for a tour. Along the way, you can also watch them busy with road and canal construction."

The prince laughed and praised, "You are very thoughtful."

Qi You smiled, politely took his leave, and then had time to go back to the house to change clothes and wash up. He instructed Gao Guihe to personally deliver food to the two masters and then prepare three sedan chairs.

In order to separate the two, Qi You simply took the sedan chair with them. With the sedan chair blocking the way and the curtain blocking the view, even if there was a dark face and cold eyes, one could always hide something.

The next day, Qi You took the two of them on a sedan chair to take a tour of the new county government office. Along the way, they saw the lively changes in Shunyi and then returned to the farm.

The prince was recovering from his foot injury and could not leave the house. Thinking of Qi You's fluent Latin, he became interested in learning.

Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng were busy surveying, so Qi You couldn't go up the mountain, let alone take the eldest prince up the mountain alone. Afraid that the two would quarrel in the manor, he had no choice but to stay and accompany them.

The eldest prince could only wander around the farm, where the ground was bare and cold. He felt bored, so he found Qi You and enthusiastically decided to go hunting in the mountains.

Here, the prince called Qi You again and asked him to teach him Latin.

No matter how good Qi You's temper and patience were, all his own affairs were delayed, and he was tired of going back and forth between the two of them, which was really annoying.

Qi You was annoyed and was thinking about getting some compensation from the two of them, otherwise how could he justify his hard work.

So Qi You arranged a sedan chair again, and at night, he held up a big torch and carried the two of them out of the door to watch the students in the night school study.

The prince was helped out of the sedan chair. Looking at the brightly lit thatched hut in front of him and hearing the sound of someone reading from inside, he was completely shocked.

The eldest prince was also curious, as if he was seeing something strange. He asked in surprise, "They actually go to school at night? Hey, there's a little girl's voice inside. Seventh Brother, can little girls also go to school with men?"

Qi You smiled and said, "Brother, when we went to the mountain to survey last time, didn't you notice that little girls are no worse than men? We are all citizens of the Qing Dynasty, and regardless of gender, we should all contribute to the Qing Dynasty. Back then, the Manchus, regardless of gender, all rode horses to conquer the world."

The eldest prince smiled awkwardly and subconsciously glanced at the prince. Seeing him looking at him with a smile, he was stunned and suppressed his anger.

Qi Youduan looked at the two of them and saw that they were about to start again. He was not in a hurry and introduced the situation of the night school with a smile.

The prince thought for a moment and asked, "Seventh Brother, you let the little girls study with you. Are you planning on them taking the imperial examinations and becoming officials in the future?"

Qi You replied, "Studying does not necessarily require taking the imperial examinations. Being able to read and write makes one wise, and it can be used even in farming."

The prince thought so too and ordered someone to help him into the house. The teacher inside had already known that the prince and the eldest prince had come to Shunyi. When he saw Qi You, he guessed who they were, hurriedly put down his books, and led the students forward to pay their respects.

"Stand up, no need to be so polite." The prince raised his hand and looked around, the more he looked, the more amazed he became.

There was a kang in the spacious room, and with so many people in it, the huge tallow candles lit up the room brightly, making it quite warm.

In the middle of the room, there was a large, smooth wooden board with large characters written on it in charcoal.

The boys and girls in the room sat around a wooden board. In front of each of them was a smaller board with large, crooked characters written on it.

The prince looked at Qi You and asked in surprise, "How can they write well without pen, ink, paper and inkstone?"

Qi You spread his hands and said with a wry smile, "Pen, ink, paper, and inkstone are too expensive, so we should save as much as possible. We don't require them to become masters of calligraphy, the main purpose is to learn to recognize characters and write. When they have more money in the future and have learned more thoroughly, we can add pen, ink, paper, and inkstone."

The prince nodded thoughtfully, his eyes sweeping across the slightly nervous, childish faces.

He saw a familiar face, the little girl with the round face he had seen in the mountains. She was now looking at him with her big round eyes. When she saw him looking at her, she quickly lowered her head, revealing her round head and the two round buns on top of it.

The prince couldn't help laughing. He looked over again and saw two familiar faces, Zhang Song and Zhang Bai, a brother and sister. He already had a rough idea in his mind.

It turns out that these bondservants had to work during the day and attend night school at night. Their hardship was no less than that of their brothers studying.

The eldest prince also recognized He Ye and pointed at her and said with a smile: "I've seen this little girl before. She's as round as a ball. Is Yuanqiu also in school? I've heard her speak several sentences of Latin. This little Yuanqiu is really amazing."

He Ye twisted her fingers together and lowered her head in silence. Qi You smiled and said, "Brother, you can't give a little girl a nickname. Her name is He Ye. She is very smart and does well in her studies. She is often praised by the teacher."

The eldest prince laughed and said, "The lotus leaf is also round, but not much better."

Qi You saw that he had seen enough and hurriedly said, "Brother Crown Prince, brother, let's go to another room."

The prince grumbled and turned to leave. They had attended several night schools together that night, and on the way back, there was a rare silence.

The night was cold, and the sky was filled with stars. The twinkling stars looked very much like the clear, bright eyes full of longing on the thin faces in the simple house.

The next day, Qi You took them to a wasteland one mile away from the county government office, which was planned to be used to build a school.

The sedan stopped, and the eldest prince got out. Seeing the large open space before him, he suddenly cried out in surprise, "Seventh Brother, how could you bear to leave such a large piece of land here?"

The prince also turned his head and looked at Qi You suspiciously.

Qi You used his feet to push aside the dry grass that was as high as his calves and said, "Brother Crown Prince, Brother, look, what's down there?"

The two men came closer to take a look and saw some stones sticking out of the soil. The prince hesitated and asked, "Is this the foundation?"

Qi You nodded and said calmly, "This used to be a large mansion. Handymen and night incense collectors all lived here. In the eighteenth year, the houses all collapsed. Not a single broken wall remained, only some foundations. Everyone thought it was unlucky, so no one wanted to cultivate the land, let alone build a house here."

The Crown Prince and the eldest prince were older and still remembered the panic they felt during the earthquake that year. They were silent for a while.

Qi You laughed, pointed his finger over there, and said, "I plan to build a school here."

The two paused and looked at Qi You together. He was leaning on a cane, with a gentle smile on his face. "The sound of reading aloud can drive away evil spirits and ghosts, and I am not afraid of the dark night."

Thinking of the scholar on last winter night, the prince's expression was slightly moved, and even the eldest prince couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Qi You observed the expressions of the two and continued slowly, "In addition to the imperial examinations, we will also teach them skills. They will learn all kinds of skills, such as practicing medicine, weaving and embroidery, and farming and breeding. When the time comes, this place will be bustling."

The prince thought of that scene and was fascinated. The eldest prince laughed and said, "Once the school is built, small merchants and peddlers will come to do business. It will be very lively."

Qi You smiled and said, "That's right. The school here might be able to cultivate all kinds of talents for the Qing Dynasty. Alas, it's a pity that we don't have the money!"

The prince looked at Qi You and asked, "How much silver do you need?"

The eldest prince glanced at the prince, then looked at Qi You eagerly.

Qi You sighed again and said, "We need a constant supply of money. Not only to hire teachers and build a house, but mainly to pay them to study and think, like how to make better fertilizers and better seeds. So, the amount of money is impossible to estimate. I'm still thinking about what to call this school."

He paused, causing the Crown Prince and the eldest prince to look at him expectantly.

The eldest prince was anxious and urged, "Seventh brother, please tell me quickly. Why are you being so secretive? It's really true!"

Qi You glanced at the two of them, but didn't give a direct answer. Instead, he said, "As for the money, I'm planning to ask the local sages to contribute. Whoever contributes the most will be given a name. For example, Zhao Family School, Shen Family School. Or we can engrave their names on a monument of merit for all students and future generations to remember."

The eldest prince was stunned for a moment, his face changed. Just as he was about to speak, Qi You said quietly, "Later, I thought about us brothers. Prince brother, eldest brother, and Khan Ama and others. How could this school leave us brothers behind? Prince brother, eldest brother, don't you think this is the truth?"

The eldest prince nodded without hesitation. The prince thought about it and realized that for such a big matter, they should take the lead. Then he said, "Seventh brother, you have to think it over carefully."

Qi You smiled and said, "During the Song Dynasty, there was the Yimen Chen family, and Shunyi can also have the Jueluo family. I plan to name this school the Jueluo Brothers School."

The Crown Prince and the eldest prince exchanged a quick glance, each seeing joy and excitement in the other's eyes. They were stunned for a moment, each looking rather uncomfortable, and turned their heads away awkwardly.

The eldest prince coughed, took a step forward, put his arm around Qi You's neck, and laughed heartily: "Jueluo Brothers Academy, what a good name, it's really a good name!"

The prince was also very excited. The Gioro family originated from outside the Great Wall and had always been secretly despised by the Han people for being uneducated and a group of barbarians.

If there is a Jueluo Brothers School in the future, and the talents it cultivates are spread all over the world, let’s see what those scholars will say.

Neither of them doubted Qi You's ability to run the school. After all, they had seen the changes in Shunyi County, and the bustling night schools, which impressed everyone.

Qi You didn't care what the school was called, he only cared about the money. First of all, he had to run the school, put up more shields to block the obstacles, and get the school on the right track.

Qi You had taken them to night school, not to show them how exceptional the bondservants were. Slave reform now only required stability, allowing for smooth progress.

What Qi You wanted them to see was hope in the darkness.

No one does not yearn for light.

Qi You also wanted to let them know that little girls can also read and write, just like boys.

This also prepares the school for accepting female students in the future. If someone gets involved in a beating, even if they don't step forward to stop it, they won't add fuel to the fire.

Qi You pulled away the eldest prince's iron arm, glanced at the two of them, and said with a smile: "Brother Crown Prince, eldest brother, why don't you pay the first installment of silver?"

The prince's smile froze, and he asked tentatively, "How much silver do you want?"

The smile on the eldest prince's face was not as cheerful anymore. He glanced at Qi You and wisely shut his mouth.

Qi You smiled brightly, waved his hand, and said calmly: "Not much, not much, it's up to you. Ten or a hundred taels is not a small amount, and a thousand or ten thousand taels is not a large amount either."

Ten or a hundred taels were nothing to the two of them. As for a thousand or ten thousand taels, they ignored it altogether.

Qi You said slowly, "In this school, except for Khan Ama, everyone else is welcome regardless of status. In a place where education and education are important, knowledge should be the most important. Whoever contributes the most money will be named first, on the first line. It doesn't have to be paid all at once. The school requires long-term investment. You can contribute a certain amount first, and then gradually add to it every year."

Even if they could come up with a large sum of money at once, they would definitely not do it because Kangxi was watching.

Qi You had already thought it out for them. He would first offer a certain amount of money, take the first name in the first row, and then pay in installments later.

As for collecting the outstanding silver in the future, Qi You is not afraid that they will default on the payment.

With Kangxi around, Qi You naturally assigned the task of debt collection to Kangxi. As the honorary president, he must do some practical work.

When the Crown Prince and the eldest prince heard that they didn't have to pay a large sum of money right away, they immediately felt relieved and started to think about how much money they would have to pay.

You can't be a sucker, but you can't be outdone by the other party either.

Qi You saw that he had basically dealt with the two people, and the annoyance that they had caused trouble suddenly disappeared. He smiled with satisfaction and greeted them warmly, "Brother Crown Prince, Brother, have you ever had pig soup?"

Both shook their heads. Qi You said with a grin, "Then you can each pay a little bit of silver and buy a pig. I'll make you pig soup. I'll also make blood sausage and pickled cabbage and pork. I guarantee you'll never forget it once you've tasted it!"

The eldest prince cried out in surprise, "Seventh Brother, why are we paying for the pigs? You stingy fellow!"

Qi You said with a matter-of-fact smile, "You are my brothers! Of course it's my brothers who pay."

The eldest prince said, "Alright, I won't argue with you for now. But if it doesn't taste good or is not fun, I'll punish you."

The three brothers returned to the farm laughing and joking. The prince and the eldest prince each took out some silver and bought two fat pigs to slaughter.

Qi You was right. They had a delicious pig-killing soup that they would never forget in their lifetime.

In the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City, Kangxi sneezed several times in succession. He picked up the almanac and his face suddenly turned dark.

These little bastards stay in Shunyi and refuse to return to the palace. It seems like they are never home all day long!

At this time, Liang Jiugong walked into the room with a complicated expression. He bowed and reported: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince, the eldest prince, and the seventh prince have returned to the palace."

Kangxi's anger subsided a little, and he said, "They know how to come back. Let them in!"

Liang Jiugong didn't move. He forced a smile and said, "The Crown Prince, the eldest prince, and the seventh prince have brought half a pig and are waiting outside the door. Do you want me to call them in?"

Kangxi's eyes widened instantly, and he asked in a lost voice, "What? They're carrying half a pig?!"

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-10-11 20:01:09 and 2022-10-12 19:21:25~

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: Wenwen, 5 bottles;

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