Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Don't take it seriously
"Khan Ama, why can't palace maids ride bicycles?"
Qianlong had never thought about this question before, so when Yonglian asked him, he was stunned for a moment. "Did I say no?"
Yonglian shook his head. "But there's no maid to borrow a carriage?"
Qianlong thought for a moment and said, "Women are clumsy and probably afraid of falling off the bike."
The Queen heard this and said, "I was afraid they would fall."
"Yes, yes, the maids and palace servants are all bondservants. If anything happens to them, their families will be heartbroken." The bondservants of the Imperial Household Department are close to the royal family. Some palace maids are raised like ladies at home with nothing to offer them. In Qianlong's eyes, these people are nobler than eunuchs.
Yonglian was even more confused, "But even Khan Ama is riding a bicycle!"
Today, Emperor Qianlong rode his two-wheeled cart from the Qinzheng Qinxian Hall to the Changchun Xianguan. To distinguish it from other two-wheeled carts, Qianlong's cart also had a bright yellow canopy.
Both Emperor Qianlong and the Empress were stumped by the question. Identity was not a problem, and gender was not a problem either. Niu Lun had his own two-wheeled carriage.
Even eunuchs could ride bicycles, so there was no reason for palace maids to be restricted. "Then let them ride. It's not a big deal," Qianlong said.
He glanced at the maids beside the Queen and said, "If you need a carriage in the future, please borrow one. Be careful. I won't be responsible if it falls or gets bumped."
The palace maids and nannies standing by quickly responded.
Bumps and bruises are inevitable when learning to ride a bike. Medicine for injuries costs more than before, but within a month, most of those who wanted to learn how to ride had already mastered the technique. The rest, timid, would rather walk than learn to ride.
In the past few months, every time Xinji sold cars, they were sold out, and other products also sold well. All the profits were given to the Imperial Household Department, which not only allowed them to produce more cars but also provided subsidies to the craftsmen who made the shuttle.
In April, the capital finally had a few rains, and everyone in the court breathed a sigh of relief.
The weaving workshops in Zhili were the first to replace the old flying shuttle with the new one. However, they encountered a problem at this time. The specifications of the looms were not uniform, some were large and some were small, and the flying shuttles also needed to be customized individually, which made the efficiency a bit low.
Some workshop owners were wealthy enough to replace their looms directly. They heard that the palace had made iron looms that were sturdy and durable, and easy to replace parts when they broke, so they also replaced the looms in their own workshops with iron ones.
The obsolete looms could not be thrown away and were sold to the people at low prices.
The people felt they had gotten a bargain, and only after buying the looms did they hear that the new looms had new shuttles, which could increase the weaving speed several times.
Someone saw that the new type of shuttle was not difficult to make.
Gradually, not only the craftsmen in the Imperial Household Department and government offices knew how to make shuttles, but many private blacksmith shops also knew how to make them.
The flying shuttle became popular faster than Qianlong had imagined.
However, most people in Zhili still mainly engaged in farming, and weaving was just one of the ways to supplement their family income. Even though the demand for cotton and cotton yarn was a little higher than in previous years, it had not affected the price of cotton.
The shrewd merchants in neighboring Shanxi Province have already smelled a new business opportunity. Once the shuttle is promoted nationwide, the price of cotton will inevitably rise.
Shanxi merchants have started hoarding cotton yarn and cotton thread. At this rate, they will be able to make back their money next year.
Qianlong did not know that the Shanxi merchants had already taken action. Recently, something happened in the court that made him very unhappy. It was rumored in the court that the Minister of Personnel Sun Jiagan had secretly reported Zhang Tingyu and Ortai.
Sun Jiagan had been criticized by Emperor Qianlong for frequently impeaching other officials. He was accused of seeking fame and was transferred to the Ministry of Justice. He was transferred back to the Ministry of Personnel this year, and the rumors began to emerge.
But this time the rumor was just a rumor, and Emperor Qianlong never saw the so-called memorial. It was obvious that someone was trying to frame Sun Jiagan.
Qianlong immediately issued an edict to refute the rumors for Sun Jiagan, and said that Zhang Tingyu and Ortai were also loyal ministers left by the late emperor, and he trusted them very much.
Moreover, since it was a secret report, how could it be made known to everyone?
He also cited two examples: when he ordered an inventory of the properties of the Eight Banner soldiers, some people said it was Yin Jishan's idea; when he ordered the payment of salaries to the families of soldiers killed in battle, some people also said it was the idea of the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue.
The latter, in particular, was a source of resentment for the Emperor. He sympathized with the fallen soldiers and ordered their families to be comforted. In the end, everyone went to thank the Ministry of Revenue doctor. Did the fight for reputation reach the emperor's head?
How does the Grand Council work? Do you think that the emperor is easy to fool?
Although Sun Jiagan's impeachment of Zhang Tingyu and Ortai was false, Zhang Tingyu and Ortai were criticized by Emperor Qianlong for failing to manage the Grand Council properly and causing the contents of the secret memorial to be leaked.
Qianlong also took the opportunity to warn these two. Although they were not powerful, as the previous emperor's ministers, there must be people who spontaneously attached themselves to them. The trend of forming factions must be nipped in the bud.
Ortai and Zhang Tingyu were busy reorganizing the Grand Council, and several young Grand Council members were reprimanded and punished. The Grand Council was in a state of gloom and misery, with only Haiwang standing out from the crowd and looking cheerful.
Everyone thought there was some happy event in the Wuya family, but they couldn't find out anything after asking around for a long time.
In June, everyone finally understood why Hai Wang was so happy.
The craftsmen of the Imperial Household Department successfully produced transparent glass.
The guys from Guangzhou had the right idea, but they were not professional craftsmen after all, and they always made mistakes when operating, so there had been no progress before.
It was not until craftsmen skilled in firing porcelain from the Imperial Household Department joined them and adjusted the firing time that they finally began to see some results.
At the end of June, the Imperial Household Department produced the first batch of transparent glass, but as soon as it was taken out of the furnace, the temperature suddenly dropped and the glass shattered.
At that time, the craftsmen subconsciously felt that they had failed and threw away the broken glass.
After Hai Wang learned about this, he quickly reminded these stubborn people that as long as they could produce clear glass, it proved that the formula and kiln temperature were correct, and they could also melt it and adjust it into the desired shape! Why throw it away?
The people at the Imperial Household Department then fired it again according to the original recipe, and this time they finally produced two complete pieces of transparent glass that could be used to make windows.
After inspecting the finished product, Hai Wang was overjoyed and immediately reported the good news to Emperor Qianlong.
In Qianlong's eyes, the two pieces of glass were not just two pieces of transparent glass, but pure silver.
Some of the windows of Jiuzhou Qingyan had been replaced with glass windows during the Yongzheng period. Qianlong originally wanted to replace two glass windows in the Empress Dowager's palace first.
But the Queen Mother said she didn't need it.
"I don't read or write, nor do needlework, so why should I have such a bright room?"
Qianlong laughed and said, "Now our Imperial Household Department can also produce transparent glass. In the future, glass windows will no longer be expensive items."
"Then I'm even less anxious. Let's change the emperor's study first. Oh, and the studies of Yonghuang and Yonglian as well. The light in those rooms is better, so the children won't strain their eyes when they study."
Qianlong had no choice but to thank the mother on behalf of his two sons, and then replaced the two pieces of transparent glass on the windows deep in the cave.
On the day when the transparent glass was replaced, the four children were watching from a distance.
These two pieces of transparent glass are of extraordinary significance, as this is the first time that craftsmen in the Qing Dynasty have produced transparent glass.
Yonglian explained to his friends that the raw materials for transparent glass are actually very common, and as long as the correct proportions and suitable kilns are found, it can be mass-produced.
"So one of the raw materials of glass is sand." Mingrui said, "Sand is really a good thing. It contains not only gold but also glass."
Four children were sitting on the porch chatting when a kitten lightly jumped down from the eaves.
The four children already knew the cat, so Yonglian squatted down and touched it twice, and asked Ma Rui to bring some prepared cat food.
Both Emperor Qianlong and the Empress loved cats, and several of them were found deep in the cave and around the Changchun Fairy Pavilion.
But there are not many cats in Jiuzhou Qingyan. It is said that it is because the late emperor did not like cats and preferred dogs. Before, there were Zaohua and Baifu there, and the kittens did not dare to go there.
Now that Jiuzhou Qingyan has a new owner, Qianlong really wants to keep two cats, so he asks someone to lure the cat from the deep cave over there, but before he knows it, the cat runs away again.
Qianlong had no choice but to take a kitten from the cat and dog room and named it Qingning, raising it from a young age.
The cats in the depths of the cave had been fed by Qianlong and Hongzhou before. They couldn't tell the difference between the humans who fed them, they only knew that the food here was much better.
Sometimes, when Qianlong thought of the kitten he had fed in the depths of the cave, he would stroll over here to take a look and see if the little boy was studying seriously.
Replacing the glass windows makes surprise inspections much easier.
The other three children were shocked when they turned around and saw Qianlong standing outside, but Yonglian had an expression as if he had expected it.
He knew this day would come, and he waved to Khan Ama with a smile through the window.
Qianlong: “…”
Qianlong walked into the room to check the homework. The four children had already started learning "Mencius". It was no longer as simple as memorizing it, but they also needed to understand the meaning. Occasionally, the teacher would ask the four children to write a short essay similar to a policy paper.
When Emperor Qianlong examined them, he also focused on examining their understanding of the content.
Yonglian had an average memory and had stumbled through his recitation just now, but his comprehension was still better than that of a real child. Some of his views were more profound than those of Mingrui and others.
Qianlong comforted himself in his heart that it didn't matter if he didn't memorize it well, as long as he understood it. Anyway, no one expected him to pass the imperial examination.
Qianlong also instructed Yonghuang and Yonglian to go to Changchun Garden after school to thank the empress dowager, "With the transparent glass, your imperial mother is thinking of you first. You must respect her well in the future."
Yonghuang and Yonglian responded obediently.
I ran to Changchun Garden after school.
The Empress Dowager and the concubines lived here, in a spacious place with fewer rules. When Yonghuang and Yonglian arrived, the Empress Dowager, Concubine Yu, Concubine Qian, and the Sixteenth Concubine were playing cards, while the Seventeenth Concubine sat nearby and watched.
The two brothers went forward and called for help. When Yonglian saw the Seventeenth Lady, he vaguely felt that he had forgotten something.
But he didn't hesitate for a moment. After paying his respects, he asked, "Where's Sixth Uncle?"
"He probably went to the back to learn how to ride a two-wheeled bicycle. Your seventeenth uncle gave him the two-wheeled bicycle." The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Your sixth uncle was very happy."
Yonglian was stunned, finally realizing what he had forgotten. His seventeenth uncle died in the third year of Qianlong's reign, and his title was inherited by his sixth uncle. Now, half of the third year of Qianlong's reign had passed, and his seventeenth uncle seemed to be still alive and well, and his seventeenth wife was still here playing cards with the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager thought the two children would immediately run out to find Hongzhou upon hearing this, but Yonglian frowned and asked, "Is Seventeenth Uncle in good health?"
Upon hearing this, everyone praised Yonglian for his understanding. Seventeenth Lady smiled and said, "Thank you, Second Prince, for your concern. The prince is in good health. The emperor has arranged for him to prepare firearms for the merchant ships. He dare not neglect it."
Huh? He can actually still do errands? This errand didn't exist in the original history. Yonglian was happy for his Seventeenth Uncle, but at the same time, he was worried that he was tired, so he said, "Seventeenth Uncle is weak, he should rest more and not overwork himself."
The Seventeenth Lady agreed with a smile.
Yonghuang and Yonglian then went out to play with Hongzhou.
Hongzhou was indeed "taming" his new toy. Yonghuang and Yonglian came over and taught their sixth uncle how to ride a bike.
Yonglian stood in front and Yonghuang stood behind, with young eunuchs guarding them on both sides. Only then did Hongzhou dare to kick slowly twice.
"Nephew, get out of the way. I'm going to speed up!"
Yonglian: "...wait a minute, wait a minute, didn't you call me nephew before? How come it became second nephew?"
"Because Yongzhang is younger than you, he is your nephew. Moreover, the Empress Dowager said that it won't be long before I will have an even younger nephew." Hongzhou said.
The eunuch next to him explained, "A few days ago, Concubine Chun often brought the Third Prince to play, and our young master remembered it."
As for the upcoming birth of a new little prince, the eunuch couldn't say for sure, but Yonglian knew that Concubine Jia was pregnant.
Yonglian said, "Why don't you just call them by their names from now on, so that your uncle won't make mistakes when there are too many people around." The second nephew felt strange about this.
"Alright, alright, my second nephew Yonglian, please get out of the way! I'm going to speed up!"
Yonglian did not listen to him and moved away, but stepped back little by little so that little Hongluo would not dare to kick too fast.
With everyone's help, Hongzhou quickly learned to ride a bike, but he still couldn't master turning the handlebars.
"It's okay, I'll let Niu Lun teach me tomorrow."
In the evening, when the Seventeenth Lady returned to the palace, she saw Yunli still in the study looking at the blueprints of firearms, so she said, "Your Highness, please go to bed early. Today, the Second Prince went to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager and was concerned about your health."
Upon hearing this, Yunli put down the blueprint and said with a smile, "Yonglian is such a sensible kid. No wonder Sixteenth Brother always praises him."
Helping merchant ships prepare firearms was not an easy task, as the Ministry of Revenue was unwilling to pay and the funds were very limited.
Yunli was thinking about how to equip the most suitable weapons for naval warfare with limited funds.
He didn't want Hongtao to be bullied by foreigners because of insufficient firearms.
Moreover, the emperor obviously has plans to trade with overseas in the long term, so a set of firearms suitable for naval warfare is very necessary. The navy will also need to be trained in the future, and this matter cannot be taken lightly.
However, he knew his own body and did not force himself to stay awake. When his wife asked him to rest, he stood up and went back to the main courtyard with his wife.
Compared with Yunli, Yunlu's job is much easier, or it can be said that this person is generous and no matter how important the task is assigned to him, he will not be in a hurry and will just handle it one by one.
The booklet to be distributed to schools in various prefectures had already been compiled, and Yunlu added some personal content into it - geometric knowledge.
This booklet is divided into three chapters. The first chapter talks about the "heliocentric theory" and the "spherical earth theory", the second chapter is Yunlu's article, and the third chapter talks about some methods of calculating the area of fields and the flow rate of rivers.
Yonglian thought he would see an introduction to overseas affairs, but there was none in the book.
Yonglian asked his sixteenth uncle, "Why don't you talk about the continents and the vassal states of the Qing Dynasty?"
Yunlu said, "They will naturally understand these things when they become officials."
The people cannot be allowed to know too much about overseas. What if someone becomes dissatisfied with the court and flees overseas or colludes with foreigners?
But it’s too early to say this to Yonglian now.
Each of Yonglian and his companions received a copy of this booklet. Qianlong named the book "Qianlong Xinyao" and wrote his poem at the beginning.
Yonglian sighed in his heart. Khan Ama really never missed any opportunity to write poetry.
"Qianlong Xinyao" was distributed to various provinces, and then printed and distributed to official schools by each province.
This book was also studied in the Imperial College, Jingshan Official School and other places in the capital.
The students of the Imperial College had more or less heard about the debates in the court the previous year, so they were mentally prepared to study the contents of this book.
For most students, it doesn’t matter whether the earth is round or square; as long as it does not conflict with Confucian classics, they can accept it.
As for the method of calculating the acreage of land, it is not tested in the imperial examination anyway, so it is the same to learn it after the exam.
Unexpectedly, although there was no imperial examination, the Imperial College held an examination in advance, and the test was on the content of this book.
The test results were terrible, and Qianlong only then learned that many people had not even read the third chapter.
Qianlong originally just wanted to see the students' attitude towards the new world view, but these people didn't take it seriously.
When Yonghuang and Yonglian went to Jiuzhou Qingyan, they heard Khan Ama complaining to his fifth uncle.
"Look, what kind of answers are these? How come some people still write that the earth is a disk instead of a sphere?"
The Imperial College sent over several examination papers, which made Emperor Qianlong furious.
Hong Zhou was also very angry. He and his uncle Sixteenth had worked so hard to compile the book, but these students did not study it seriously at all.
"What's wrong with letting them learn how to calculate the area of farmland? Won't it be useful in the future when they govern the local area? And how to calculate the speed of a river? They must know how to do it when they go to the river administration office." Hong Zhou felt that the little extra stuff his sixteenth uncle added was very practical.
Seeing Yonghuang and Yonglian come in, Qianlong said, "Even these two brothers can learn it. How long will it take to learn such a thin book?"
Yonglian quickly echoed Khan Ama, "That's right, they probably think this book has nothing to do with the imperial examination. When the next imperial examination comes, add a few practical questions and they will be dumbfounded."
Qianlong and Hongzhou were both stunned when they heard this. It was not so easy to change the content of the imperial examination!
However, the students probably thought so, and only studied the content related to the imperial examination. Nothing outside of the eight-legged essay was important.
"They haven't even entered the government yet, and they're already disobeying the court's orders. The court won't dare to employ these people in the future." Yonglian deliberately made the matter sound serious. "Khan Ama told us to study, so we have to finish this book even if we have to sleep a few hours less at night."
Yonglian leaned closer to Khan Ama and said, "My son read this book last night and went to bed at midnight. I have already learned how to calculate the speed of the river."
Seeing the little guy looking up at his face and asking for praise, Emperor Qianlong patted his head and said, "That's incredible! There are still books in this world that can make our Second Prince stay up late to study hard."
He said, looking at Hong Zhou, "Look, how much face do you and Uncle Sixteen have?"
Hong Zhou was delighted that his nephew enjoyed reading the book he had written. He said to Yong Huang and Yong Lian, "You two are really smart. You learned it so quickly. Don't mention it, the last chapter was quite difficult. When Uncle Sixteen wrote it, I couldn't understand it even after spending ages reading it."
Qianlong: "How dare you say that."
Hong Zhou: "It's really difficult. Brother, have you learned it?"
"I don't need to learn, I already know it." Qianlong quickly changed the subject. "This matter is not only the fault of the students, the teachers are also responsible. They failed to play the role of guidance and supervision."
Hong Zhou nodded, "That's right, it must be that the teachers at the Imperial College didn't convey the imperial decree properly, so the students didn't take it seriously."
Qianlong said that he would hold the teachers of the Imperial College accountable.
Yonglian asked again, "What about the official schools in various places? Does the Khan still check their learning results?"
"I'll think about it again." Qianlong didn't want to easily change the imperial examination. The fact that officials and gentry served as officials and paid taxes together had already caused dissatisfaction among many scholars. If the imperial examination was changed again, there might be another boycott.
Regarding the reform of the imperial examination system, it should be done gradually. Yonglian said nothing more.
Although the imperial examination system could not be changed, the official schools for bannermen in the capital did not have to consider so much. The next day, Emperor Qianlong issued an edict that the official schools for bannermen in the capital and those outside the Great Wall would hold an examination at the end of the year to test the contents of "Qianlong Xinyao".
Qianlong also said in the edict that the two princes who were less than ten years old could finish learning the book in a few days, and as long as the students in the official school were serious, it would be impossible for them to fail to learn it.
But Qianlong overlooked one point: before reading Qianlong Xinyao, Yonghuang and Yonglian had already learned the heliocentric theory and the spherical earth theory, and had some basic knowledge of geometry, so reading this book was certainly easy for them. However, the students in the official school had never been exposed to these things before.
Many people start to go bald when they learn about the problem that the earth rotates and revolves around the sun. However, the two princes learned such a difficult book in just two days. They are truly geniuses!
Yonglian didn't know that Khan Ama was bragging about his son outside again. At the end of July, they returned to the palace from the Old Summer Palace.
The third anniversary of the late emperor's death is approaching, and Qianlong is preparing to take the empress dowager to Tai Mausoleum to offer sacrifices.
Although we know that the soul of the late emperor is in the Taimiao, we still have to go through the necessary procedures.
Because it was harvest time, the imperial carriage would inevitably trample on the fields wherever it passed, so Qianlong even issued an imperial decree to reimburse the affected people.
However, all the rituals had been set, but it rained for several days in Zhili and the ground was muddy.
An official petitioned, asking if the journey could be postponed until after the Frost Descent, but Emperor Qianlong rejected the proposal.
Another official said that this journey would affect the people's autumn harvest and wheat planting, so instead of paying the additional money and grain, it would be better to postpone it for 20 days.
Qianlong was a man who attached great importance to etiquette and was reluctant at first, but when he thought about it, the soul of Khan Ama was not in Tai Mausoleum, so he thought that postponing it for twenty days should not be a big problem.
He agreed to wait until late August, then fast for three days and go to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao first.
Only after the formal ceremony was completed did he order Yonglian to come to the Taimiao.
Qianlong first explained to Khan Ama's spirit the reason for postponing the sacrificial ceremony this year, and asked Yonglian to listen to what Yongzheng had to say.
Yongzheng certainly didn't care. "According to me, you don't have to go, or you can send the fifth brother. I don't care about these things."
Yonglian said to Khan Ama, "It's okay if the Queen Mother says she doesn't want to go. She doesn't care, but..." He looked towards the ancestral tablet and said, "Even if you say so, we have to go. The Queen Mother and the others don't know that your spirit is here."
Qianlong nodded, his son was really good at talking.
This is not a question of whether Khan Ama cares or not. To put it bluntly, Khan Ama's opinion is not important, what is important is the opinions of civil and military officials. If he really doesn't go, he will be branded as unfilial.
How could Yongzheng's soul not know his son's concerns? Hongli had always cared about what others thought of him, and he had to be impeccable in all manners. But this would only bring a lot of trouble, which was completely different from his efficiency-oriented style.
Yongzheng said to Yonglian, "Yonglian, according to the Imperial Majesty, there has been a lot of rain this year, and the people are already short on time to harvest rice and plant wheat. If the imperial carriage passes by, it will delay their work, which will have a significant impact. If it continues to rain in early August, you should persuade your Khan Ama, or..."
Yongzheng wanted to let the child pretend to be sick, but he was worried that his grandson would be exposed and scolded by Hongli. Moreover, Hongli might not cancel the three-year sacrificial ceremony just because Yonglian was sick, so he hesitated for a moment.
Yonglian understood what the emperor meant, so he smiled and said, "Don't worry, emperor, I understand."
Qianlong hurriedly asked, "What did your Majesty say?"
"The Emperor told me to show the shuttle to him next time." Yonglian lied without blinking.
Qianlong slapped his forehead and said to the ancestral tablet, "I am sorry for my neglect. I only told you about the benefits of the flying shuttle, but I haven't brought it to you to see. Also, the Imperial Household Department has produced transparent glass this summer. I will come with you next time to show it to you."
Yongzheng's spirit was silent for a long moment. Yonglian was such a clever and sensible child that he felt a little distressed. "Good boy, be careful. Don't take risks. And don't really hurt yourself."
If he was right, his precious grandson died young in the third year of Qianlong's reign in his previous life. He was really afraid that this child would deliberately make himself sick in order to prevent Hongli from going to Tai Mausoleum.
Yonglian: "Yonglian remembers it." He would never joke about his small body.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
