Chapter 14 Chapter 14 First Day of School
After being trained by the previous emperor, the officials and craftsmen of the Imperial Household Department thought that their mentality and abilities were already very strong and nothing could stump them.
After hearing from the emperor that the thing they were asked to make this time was based on the drawings of the Second Prince, everyone felt more relaxed.
It is likely to be about the same difficulty as the last math teaching aids.
Until they saw the drawings of the two-wheeled vehicle.
Is this something a six-year-old could come up with?
The emperor explained that the two-wheeled vehicle was designed by the previous emperor and was improved by the second prince.
Everyone: “…”
As expected, only the late emperor could design such a tricky thing!
After the death of the previous emperor, everyone in the Imperial Household Department felt much more relaxed.
Unexpectedly, the nightmare was not over!
Qianlong knew nothing about these things and thought that since the two-wheeled cart did not require any carving or engraving, it would not take more than a few days.
Ten days passed and there was no news from the Imperial Household Department.
Qianlong became anxious.
Today is the first day that Yonghuang and Yonglian officially enter the Shangshufang to study. Emperor Qianlong is concerned about the situation of his two sons, so he asks them to have dinner in the Yangxin Palace.
Apart from being a little sleepy when getting up early, the two children adapted well in other aspects. Yonglian also praised his two masters, Agui and Chen Dehua.
Only then did Qianlong feel relieved and complained to his two sons about the low efficiency of the Imperial Household Department.
"...Even if there is no finished product, at least we can make a model." Qianlong said.
He also wanted to ride his two-wheeled bicycle to the Lama Temple to show it to Khan Ama. If it was any later, he would have to take the bicycle to the Tai Mausoleum, and riding to the Tai Mausoleum was obviously impossible...
Yonglian smiled and said, "Khan Ama, making a two-wheeled vehicle is not that easy. It would be great if we can make it within a year."
"What? One year?" Qianlong frowned. Several furnaces of porcelain could be fired in half a year.
"The connection between the wheels and the pedals requires a mortise and tenon structure, and the size and weight of each component need to be tested..." Yonglian said, "Also, this two-wheeled vehicle isn't just for show. The most important thing is that it can be ridden. Just thinking about it makes it complicated..."
Qianlong: "...Really? Stop making excuses for those people."
Yonglian: "I'm not making excuses for them. I understand them very well. Just thinking about perfecting the design of the Huang Mafa and drawing that blueprint has given me a headache." The little guy wrinkled his nose and took the opportunity to act coquettishly.
Yonghuang was listening and couldn't help but sigh at his second brother's filial piety towards Khan Ama.
Qianlong couldn't help laughing. It happened that there was a celery and peach kernel dish for dinner today. Qianlong scooped a spoonful of walnut kernels into Yonglian's bowl and said, "Eat walnut kernels to nourish your brain."
Yonglian: “…”
Yonglian suggested to Khan Ama, "You can talk to the Imperial Household Department and tell them whoever makes it first will get a reward."
"Of course the reward will not be small. Am I a stingy person?" Qianlong snorted.
"A generous reward is required. If this two-wheeled cart can be built, it will not only help the Khan-Ama walk less, but it will also be useful in places where horses are scarce." Yonglian said, "And the eunuchs who deliver imperial decrees in the Old Summer Palace are most in need."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianlong couldn't help but raise his hand to interrupt his son, "Wait... Are you saying that the eunuch and I ride the same kind of vehicle?"
Yonglian: “…Yes!”
I worked so hard to draw the bicycle blueprint, but it wasn’t just for Emperor Qianlong to ride it!
Qianlong; “…”
Qianlong's brows were so furrowed that they could pinch a fly to death.
Yonghuang couldn't help but say, "But this car was designed by Huang Mafa and you for Khan Ama."
Yonglian said: "If Khan Ama can promote this two-wheeled vehicle and benefit more people, it will also show Khan Ama's kindness. In the future, everyone who rides a two-wheeled vehicle will thank Khan Ama for his kindness."
Qianlong glared at Yonglian but did not continue the topic. "Eat, eat. We still have to go to the parade ground soon."
Yonglian was not in a hurry to convince Khan Ama. The car had not been built yet, and it was not worth arguing about it.
So he picked up his chopsticks and continued eating.
Yonghuang was convinced after hearing what his brother said.
My brother has a long-term vision.
After dinner, Yonglian felt a little sleepy and started yawning while drinking tea.
Qianlong didn't want to let him sleep at first, but considering that the little guy had to get up so early to go to school the first day, it was understandable that he was sleepy, so he let him lie on the Luohan bed for a while.
Yonglian was taking a nap, and it was inappropriate for Yonghuang to just sit there and wait.
He simply let the two brothers squeeze together.
Yonghuang was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep while lying on the Arhat bed. He actually got to take a nap in the western warm room of the Yangxin Palace in his life!
He wanted to share his excitement with his younger brother, but his younger brother was already snoring heartlessly.
Yonghuang: “…”
Yonglian turned over in his sleep, hugged his brother's arm, and continued to snore.
Qianlong tiptoed into the inner room to check on his two sons. He saw his second son sleeping soundly with his brother's arm around him, and his eldest son was looking at the ceiling with his eyes wide open, looking very energetic.
When Yonghuang saw Khan Ama coming in, he felt a little helpless because he couldn't get out of bed to greet him.
Qianlong walked to the bedside, patted him twice on the forehead, and whispered, "Close your eyes and rest."
Yonghuang closed his eyes obediently, but the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.
Yonglian only slept for a quarter of an hour before he was woken up by Qianlong.
The little guy was drowsy and dozed off while sitting on the couch.
Ma Rui took a wet towel to wipe his face, and Qianlong kept muttering beside him: "When I was a child, I was never as sleepy as you."
"So Khan Ama is the true dragon emperor, and his energy is extraordinary." Yonglian came to his senses a little and quickly flattered him.
Although Qianlong felt comfortable being photographed, he changed his mind and realized that this kid was going to be an emperor in the future, so he was not an ordinary person.
Thinking of this, his face turned stern again, "This is the last time. From tomorrow on, you are not allowed to take a nap here anymore."
Yonglian wiped his face, put on his shoes, ran to Khan Ama, and said obediently: "Of course, Khan Ama asked us to have dinner today, so my brother and I are lucky enough to rest here."
Qianlong thought so too. In the past, they studied in the Shangshufang and rested for a while after dinner. There were many people in the Shangshufang, so it was inevitable that some people would talk to each other. No matter how sleepy they were, they could not fall asleep. At most, they would chat for a few minutes and then go to the training ground to practice riding and archery.
Yonghuang and Yonglian packed up, drank half a cup of tea, and went to the training ground.
Qianlong was also instructing the eunuchs around the two of them to remind the young master to drink water in time.
Yonghuang and Yonglian were summoned to the Yangxin Palace, and their study companions rested in the Shangshufang.
Erdeng'e is four years older than Mingrui, and he unconsciously takes care of Mingrui like an older brother.
Because Mingrui is young and has only used a slingshot before, I was a little worried that he would not perform well in the horse riding and archery class in the afternoon.
Erdeng'e taught him some bow-drawing techniques and said he would give Mingrui the bow he had used when he first learned to draw the bow.
Mingrui said thank you happily and gave a book as a return gift.
Seeing that it was almost time, the two of them went to the training ground.
Celeng had already arrived. He was of similar age to Yongchang and worked together, so they had a close relationship and were also very familiar with Erdeng'e.
As soon as he saw him, he said, "You have learned everything I taught you today, but you must not be proud."
Erdeng'e smiled and agreed, "My father said that even if I know everything, I can still learn new things from my uncle."
Celeng smiled and patted his head, "Call him An Da."
Erdeng'e quickly changed his words: "An Da."
Celeng looked at little Mingrui again and thought that the child of the Fucha family looked too weak. He would probably be a civil servant in the future, first as a clerk and then join the Six Ministries. In that case, it would be enough if he was good at archery, horse riding and shooting.
Before they had time to wait, Yonghuang and Yonglian arrived.
The two of them first paid their respects to Master Celeng.
Yonglian looked at his tall and muscular Master Celeng with mixed feelings. Of the Niuhulu brothers, Celeng lied about his battle record, was convicted, and was killed by Dzungar soldiers on his way back to Beijing. Aibida, while serving as Governor-General of Huguang, protected a subordinate and was exiled to Ili. Neqin, having risen the fastest, suffered the most tragic fate, being beheaded for delaying a battle.
Only Aligun did not make any major mistakes, but he eventually fell ill and died during the Fourth Qing-Myanmar War.
Thinking of Aligun, Yonglian couldn't help but glance at Erdeng'e.
It's all his fault! Otherwise, how could there have been a fourth invasion of Burma?
Erden'e discovered this morning that the second prince was a little cold towards him.
But he didn't take it too seriously. After all, he was not the Second Prince's study partner, so it was understandable that the Second Prince ignored him completely.
But the second prince was very enthusiastic towards the eldest prince and his own study partner Mingrui, and would come over to talk to them during breaks.
Erden'e felt a little embarrassed.
He could only lower his presence so as not to offend the Second Prince.
But why did the Second Prince suddenly glare at him?
The young boy felt a little aggrieved. Thinking back on his performance today, nothing went wrong!
It's impossible that the Second Prince hates me for no reason.
Well, I’ll go home and tell my dad tonight, and let him help me analyze it.
Today I learned how to hold a bow, which doesn’t require much effort.
The four young boys learned it quickly.
Celeng asked the four of them to maintain this posture for a while, and Mingrui's little arms soon began to tremble.
Celeng asked him to put down his bow and rest.
Mingrui rested for a moment and picked up the bow again.
Celeng thought to himself that this child was quite able to endure hardships.
When the horse riding and archery class was almost over, Qianlong came over for a stroll.
Then he showed off his shooting skills in front of the four children.
The four little kids all looked adoring.
Celeng beside him laughed and said, "Your Majesty's archery has always been like this, he never misses a shot."
Qianlong: "Yes, I wasn't feeling well today. I just kept looking down at the memorials and didn't move my arms."
Yonglian: ...
Khan Ama is indeed an old Versailles person.
Qianlong was very satisfied when he saw that the four children held the bow in a standard way. He strolled back and continued reading the memorials.
After the horse riding and archery class, Erden'e and Mingrui bowed to the two young masters and said goodbye. Mingrui took one more step and bowed to his aunt, the Queen.
Yonghuang and Yonglian went with him.
Erdeng'e left the palace alone first.
The Queen couldn't help but worry about the children's first day of school.
During dinner, someone was sent to the Shangshufang to check on the situation and heard that the two young princes had been called to the Yangxin Palace.
She felt a little relieved. The emperor cared about the children as much as she did. If the two children had any problems, the emperor would definitely find a way to solve it.
If it were an ordinary family, if the male owner was as attentive as Hongli, the mistress would definitely have less worries.
But in the royal family, the emperor's meticulousness would put too much pressure on the people around him, and any small mistake might cause the emperor's dissatisfaction.
The Queen was not worried about her two sons, but she was a little worried about their teachers and two study companions, fearing that the Emperor would find fault with them.
When the three children came back skipping and jumping to pay their respects to her, and little Mingrui looked very happy, the queen breathed a sigh of relief and asked how Mingrui and Erdeng'e were getting along.
The close relationship between the study partners also contributed to the brotherly relationship between Yonghuang and Yonglian.
Mingrui smiled and said, "Brother Dong E is a very nice person. He taught me a lot of useful truths." Yonglian was in a complicated mood. He wanted to say that you are too easy to bribe, but he couldn't say it. Erdeng'e was indeed very decent in his words and deeds. He was respectful without being fawning. He had the grace and elegance of a young man from an aristocratic family.
If he didn't know what happened later, he would definitely like Erden'e.
The Queen noticed that her son was hesitant to speak. After Mingrui left, she called him into the back room under the pretext of measuring Yonglian's clothes. She asked him softly, "What's wrong? Did Mingrui hide anything just now?"
Yonglian: "I'm not sure about this son. Erdeng'e should have been talking to Mingrui during dinner. My elder brother and I went to the Yangxin Palace at that time."
The Queen nodded, "So what do you think of him? Is he respectful to your elder brother?"
Yonglian nodded and said, "He is very good to my elder brother." Now is not the time to say bad things about Erdeng'e. It would be easily exposed and it would affect his relationship with his elder brother.
The queen nodded and said, "That's good." She was not worried about anything else, but she was worried that Erden'e would treat Yonghuang differently based on his personality and not be loyal to him.
Yonghuang and Yonglian had some snacks in Changchun Palace and played with Niu Lun for a while before returning to the prince's residence.
The master didn't assign much homework. All I had to do was memorize the two sentences I learned today and then write five pages of large characters.
Of course Yonglian could recite the first few sentences of "Xue Er Pian" that we learned today, and he only needed to review the Manchu version.
The big characters were also very simple. Although he had never learned calligraphy in his previous life, he was still able to write a few simple characters with a brush very quickly.
After finishing his homework, Yonglian washed up and went to bed early. Who wouldn't be sleepy after getting up at four in the morning?
However, at this time, in the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion, Mingrui could not sleep yet.
After he returned home, his mother first asked him about the situation in the palace, and then his uncle came again.
After finally reassuring his uncle, he finished his homework. Then his father came back and called him to the study, asking him to recount the whole process from entering the palace to leaving it.
Mingrui started by saying, "When I fell, the eldest and second princes had already arrived..."
Fu Wen frowned at the first sentence he heard. "Didn't you leave home early this morning? How come you're even later than the two princes?"
Mingrui: "It's still a long way to go from the palace gate to the Shangshufang."
"You are walking too slowly. My father will be on duty tomorrow and he will take you away." Fu Wen said.
Mingrui felt a little aggrieved. He had short legs and was trying to walk faster, but he couldn't run in the palace.
What Fu Wen is most concerned about is the Second Prince's attitude towards Mingrui.
Speaking of the Second Prince, Xiao Mingrui became happy. "The Second Prince is so good to me and takes good care of me. He knows I like to eat donkey rolls, so he gave me his share as well."
Fu Wen couldn't help but knock his son on the head, "It's not for you, it's a reward for you."
"The second prince said it was not a reward but an exchange because he ate my walnut cakes." Mingrui said.
Fu Wen: “…”
Other people's tutors are there to serve the young masters, so why does Mingrui seem to be entering the palace to make friends?
He couldn't help but think of what Fu Heng said last time, that the second prince wanted to be friends with Mingrui as soon as he saw him...
Are we really friends? Can Mingrui be so lucky?
Thinking that the second prince was most likely the crown prince, he quickly suppressed his joy and sternly warned his son to be careful in his service. "Have some sense. That Erdeng'e is a few years older than you, so he must know the rules better. You should learn from him."
Mingrui nodded and praised Erdeng'e again. The little guy felt like he had two older brothers.
At the same time, at Dong E's house, Yongchang was also helping his son review today's study life.
When he heard his son say that the second prince didn't seem to like his son very much, he didn't find it strange.
There are only four people in the Shangshufang now. The second prince and the eldest prince are brothers. They have grown up together and have a close relationship.
Mingrui is his younger cousin, and they probably played together before. Moreover, the Second Prince must have more trust in the people of the Fucha family. Not only the Second Prince, but also the Emperor is the same.
Only his own son was someone the Second Prince had never come into contact with. Furthermore, his own son was a few years older, so it was inevitable that he would be more respectful in his words and actions. It would certainly be difficult for the Second Prince to get close to him.
But there is still a long time to go before they get to spend time together, and his son must find a way to integrate into the group of three.
"You have to learn how to speak and show your loyalty to the two young masters." Yong Chang said.
Erdeng'e: "It's normal for my son to show his loyalty to the eldest prince, but to the second prince..."
Yong Chang tapped his son on the head. "You certainly can't tell the Second Prince directly, but you can tell Mingrui. Didn't you say Mingrui is very close to you? Find an opportunity to tell him about your admiration for the Second Prince. In the future, you and Mingrui will work for the Second Prince together."
Erdeng'e: "What about the eldest prince?"
"The eldest prince also has to serve the second prince!" Yong Chang coughed lightly, "The second prince is the daughter of the Empress, and his status is unmatched by other princes."
He couldn't bring up the matter of appointing a crown prince directly, so he could only remind his son in this way.
Erdeng'e vaguely understood that the second prince might be the crown prince.
If the prince doesn't like me, it means that the future emperor doesn't like me.
The young boy is under even greater pressure.
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