Chapter 42 Chapter 42 First-class acting skills
By August, it was still rainy in Zhili, and several dams had broken. The river management office was working hard to repair them.
Qianlong still insisted on going to Tai Mausoleum as originally planned, and he had to set off on August 20th at the latest, otherwise it would be bad if he missed the anniversary of the previous emperor's death.
Qianlong had made up his mind. If any officials objected, he would say that it was the Empress Dowager who was eager to go.
As long as the Empress Dowager is mentioned, the people below will have nothing to say.
The Queen Mother, unaware that she would once again be blamed for her son's actions, looked at the gloomy weather and felt no desire to go out. She simply wanted to play cards with her old friends in Changchun Garden. However, she couldn't tell anyone about this; she could only hope for the weather to clear up soon.
The weather was bad, so the journey took longer than usual, and Yonghuang and Yonglian had to get up half a quarter of an hour earlier than usual.
Yonglian certainly couldn't get up by himself, so usually a eunuch had to come in and call him.
That day, when Ma Rui came in to wake up his young master, he saw the young master sitting on the bed with the quilt in his arms, dazed, and did not respond when he heard his footsteps.
"My Lord, it's time to get up." Ma Rui walked in and noticed that the Second Prince's forehead was damp with sweat. The weather had been cold and damp recently, so sleeping shouldn't be this hot.
"My dear prince, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Ma Rui suddenly became worried and took a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off the Second Prince's face.
"I'm fine."
The Second Prince's eyelashes trembled, as if he had just come to his senses. He let Ma Rui wipe the sweat off his face, then silently put on his shoes and stood up.
Normally, the Second Prince didn't need help dressing, but today he failed to button his clothes properly several times and was obviously absent-minded.
Ma Rui went to tell Nanny Fang about the Second Prince's abnormality. Nanny Fang, who was preparing water for the Second Prince to wash his face, hurried over to observe his condition.
The Second Prince goes to bed early and usually wakes up in high spirits, but today he looks listless and moves slowly.
"My dear brother, did you not sleep well last night? Or did you have a nightmare?" Nanny Fang hurried forward and asked with concern.
After she finished speaking, the Second Prince raised his little face, called out "Mammy" in a somewhat aggrieved tone, then quickly adjusted his expression and lowered his head again, "No, it's just that it rains every day and I don't have the energy... Oh, I'm going to be late for school."
The little guy said this and ran to wash up.
…
"The Second Prince seemed to have had a nightmare last night and is not in a good mood today."
After Yonglian went to school, Nanny Fang thought about it and decided to report the matter to the Empress, "When I was making the bed, I found that there were still tear marks on the pillow."
When the queen heard that her son had a nightmare, she was just a little distressed, but when she heard that he even wet his pillow with tears, she immediately became worried.
"What kind of dream did this child have that scared him so much?" the queen murmured.
She secretly wanted her child to take a day off, go back to the room to catch up on some sleep, or come to Changchun Palace to play with her sister for a while to divert her attention.
But the emperor was strict with his children. If Yonglian rested because of a nightmare, the emperor would inevitably think he was being too pampered.
The queen thought about it and finally hardened her heart and did not ask Yonglian to rest.
Yonghuang had trouble sleeping and often drank sour jujube seed tea for calming the nerves. The Queen ordered the tea waiter to serve sour jujube seed tea to the Second Prince today as well.
Not only did the servants in Yonglian's courtyard realize that their prince had a nightmare, but the masters and friends in the Shangshufang also discovered it.
The Second Prince rarely lost his focus in class, but today he was often absent-minded. For the first time, Ah Gui did not directly criticize the Second Prince, but instead called on Mingrui, his study partner.
The Second Prince naturally understood.
But the Second Prince only came back to his senses briefly and soon became distracted again.
"Second Prince, did you understand what I just said?" Agui walked to Yonglian's desk helplessly and asked in a gentle voice.
"I understand... I understand." Yonglian said.
"Then Second Prince, can you tell me what you meant by those words just now?" Agui asked.
Yonglian hesitated and looked embarrassed.
Seeing that the Second Prince was about to cry, Ah Gui said in a good-tempered manner, "It's okay, it's okay. I'll tell you again."
After the Manchu language class ended, the other three children came to care for Yonglian.
"Brother, are you feeling unwell? Why don't you take half a day off and go back to rest?" Yonghuang said.
Yonglian hugged his little head, lay down on the table, and said sullenly: "I'm fine, I'll be fine after lying down for a while."
Something was very wrong with his younger brother. Yonghuang was extremely worried. After thinking for a while, he went outside and told Ma Rui, the young eunuch beside Yonglian, "My younger brother is listless today. Go ask Khan Ama if he can let him rest for a day."
Ma Rui was stunned. The young master hadn't recovered yet? What kind of nightmare was so powerful?
Ma Rui and Chen Fu discussed it and immediately went to the Yangxin Palace to report to Emperor Qianlong.
Qianlong was still summoning ministers at this moment, so Ma Rui had no choice but to whisper to Li Yu: "Second Prince had a nightmare last night, and he doesn't seem to be well today."
Li Yu frowned when he heard this. Although having a nightmare was a small matter, the Second Prince was not a small matter. He hesitated for a moment, but still pushed the door open and quietly told Qianlong about this.
"This kid is such a coward," Qianlong frowned. Didn't Yonghuang often have nightmares before? He could still do what he had to do the next day. Yonglian couldn't be treated specially. Besides, Yonglian was the crown prince. If he was so frightened by a nightmare that his mind wandered, how could he endure the bloody storms of the court in the future? He then said, "Tell Ma Rui and the others not to make a fuss. Everything will be fine this afternoon."
Li Yu conveyed the emperor's intention to Ma Rui and whispered, "Don't take it lightly. If the Second Prince feels unwell, tell the Empress."
Ma Rui agreed.
Yonghuang felt sorry for his brother when he learned that Khan Ama did not agree to give him leave.
He just asked his younger brother, and his younger brother said he had a bad dream.
Yonghuang was very familiar with this symptom. Just then, the waiter brought some sour jujube kernel tea, and Yonghuang coaxed his brother to drink it. "This works really well. It nourishes the heart and calms the mind. I haven't had nightmares much since I drank it."
"But my dream..." Yonglian hesitated, sighed, and then drank the jujube kernel tea obediently.
Seeing that his brother was both well-behaved and aggrieved, Yonghuang patted his head and thought to himself, Khan Ama usually cared so much about his brother, why was he so hard-hearted at the critical moment?
When it was time for dinner, Yonglian didn't eat much.
But the little guy was not hungry. Although he seemed to have eaten little, he actually ate a lot of vegetables.
But Yonghuang and Mingrui thought it was normal for him to have a poor appetite today, and they only paid attention to the remaining half bowl of rice.
Yonghuang was extremely anxious, so after dinner he asked Yonglian to go to the next room to take a nap while he went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Yonglian lay on the small bed, his nose feeling a little sore. His elder brother was too nice.
Unlike his stinky father, he didn't even care about him.
But this is normal. The later Ama comes, the better.
The little guy waited for a while with his eyelids open. Maybe it was because of the weather or the effect of the sour jujube kernel tea, but he was so sleepy that he fell asleep quickly.
Qianlong said he disliked Yonglian's timidity, but in his heart he was unconsciously thinking about him. He wanted to go to see his son after dinner under the pretext of checking his homework, but just as he was about to leave, Yonghuang arrived.
"Why did you come here alone? Where is Yonglian?" Qianlong asked.
"Khan Ama, Yonglian is taking a nap." Yonghuang said, "My brother is not in good condition today. He is uneasy. It's okay to be distracted in academic subjects, but it's easy to get injured if he is distracted during the riding and archery training in the afternoon. I beg Khan Ama to let my brother rest for half a day."
Qianlong was stunned. Yonghuang was usually very shy and often agreed with Yonglian. Today was the first time he had taken the initiative to make a request. And it was for Yonglian, and the reason was very convincing.
Qianlong was both moved and relieved. Look, how good the relationship between his two sons is!
"I heard it was just a nightmare." Qianlong said, "Wait until he takes a nap, maybe he'll forget it."
"But...but..." Yonghuang frowned. He was not very good at speaking and could not find a reason to refute Khan Ama. He was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands.
"Let my brother rest for half a day. Once he's in better shape, I'll help him catch up on the horseback archery lessons he missed." Yonghuang looked at Han Ama eagerly. "My brother looks so listless today. I've never seen him like that before."
Hearing this, Qianlong felt somewhat helpless. "Okay, okay, I'll go with you to see him. This kid is really...having such a nightmare to make such a big fuss."
Yonghuang felt that Khan Ama would be heartbroken when he saw his younger brother, and he felt relieved.
The father and son went to the Shangshufang. Although there was a room for children to take a nap, only Yonglian was taking a nap now. Erden'e and Mingrui were doing homework in the classroom.
Qianlong first looked at the homework of the two, and then went to the next room to see Yonglian without any hurry. He thought that since the boy could sleep well, there must be nothing serious.
The brat was indeed sleeping soundly in the quilt, but his brows were slightly furrowed.
"Isn't this good? I said it was okay." Qianlong whispered to Yonghuang who was worried behind him.
Yonghuang wanted to ask Khan Ama to accompany his younger brother more. When he had a nightmare, he also hoped that Khan Ama would be by his side.
He didn't dare to speak directly, so he could only say: "Khan Ama, why don't you test your son's homework?"
Qianlong quickly understood the boy's intention, and the corners of his mouth could not help but rise. He nodded at his second son who was still sleeping like a pig, and said, "Look, your eldest brother loves you so much."
Yonglian was still thinking about the mission and was sleeping very lightly. When he heard the voice beside his ear, he immediately woke up and slowly opened his eyes.
"Khan Ama..."
Qianlong was about to scold Yonglian when his son suddenly sat up and threw himself into his arms, "Khan Ama, please don't leave."
Qianlong: ???
Qianlong subconsciously hugged his son and asked, "What happened? What kind of nightmare did you have that scared you so much?"
"It was a very, very bad dream, Khan Ama. Dreams are fake, right?" Yonglian buried his head in Khan Ama's arms, his voice still filled with tears.
"You knew it, yet you're still so scared." Qianlong patted his son's back, "Alright, alright, little man, you can't be so timid."
Yonglian agreed sullenly, then raised his little face again, "Khan Ama, can we not go to Tailing this month?"
Upon hearing this, Qianlong frowned, "Why do you say that suddenly?"
Yonghuang next to him was also stunned. His brother’s nightmare was related to this?
Yonglian didn't answer, just rubbed against him like a puppy, and didn't continue to ask the previous question, so as not to reveal his intentions. He just had a bad dream. "Khan Ama, tell me quickly, dreams are fake."
Oh my! He had to admire himself, his acting skills were first-rate! He was simply the best actor in the Qing Dynasty!
After hearing what he said, Qianlong also realized what was going on. He nudged his son and said, "What did you dream about? Tell Khan Ama." He glanced at Yonghuang and said, "Go do your homework and go to learn horse riding and archery on time. By the way, ask for leave for Yonglian."
Although Yonghuang was also curious about what his brother dreamed about, he had no choice but to leave.
He felt relieved knowing that Khan Ama was with his brother.
After Yonghuang left, Qianlong pushed Yonglian away and wiped his tears with a handkerchief.
Yonglian sobbed twice, "My son had a very bad dream. Khan Ama will be unhappy if I tell him."
"You are hesitating like this, which will only make Khan Ama even more unhappy." Qianlong asked, "Did you dream about this sacrifice to Tai Mausoleum?"
Yonglian nodded. "I dreamed that there was a flood on the road. Khan Ama's carriage was submerged. I searched for Khan Ama for a long time but couldn't find him." The little guy started crying again and hugged Khan Ama. "Khan Ama, I'm so scared... Woo... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have had such a dream..."
Qianlong had initially thought the dream was unlucky and that it was normal for the child to be frightened, but when he heard the child's incoherent apology, his heart melted. "What's wrong with dreaming? Do you think I'm going to blame you for this? It's not like you wanted to have this dream."
He said as he gently patted his son's back to comfort him.
Yonglian cried for a while, and when he saw that the effect was almost achieved, he stopped crying.
But he still looked at Qianlong with eager eyes, and his little hands kept holding Qianlong's clothes.
"Weren't you very brave when you talked to the soul of your emperor Mafa?" Qianlong said helplessly.
Yonglian puffed up his cheeks and said, "I'm a very courageous person, but but..." He looked up at Khan Ama and said, "On the way to Tailing and back, Khan Ama and I will ride in a carriage."
"What?"
"What if... I don't want to be separated from Khan Ama." Yonglian said.
After Qianlong understood what Yonglian meant, he felt sad and soft in his heart, but his face was stern, "Nonsense, this is just a dream, it's fake."
"Come on, follow me back to the Yangxin Palace." Qianlong pulled him up. "With Khan Ama accompanying you, you won't be afraid anymore."
After returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Qianlong let Yonglian sleep on the Luohan bed in the inner room, while he questioned all the eunuchs and nannies around Yonglian.
Nanny Fang said that the young master had even wet his pillow with tears. Qianlong sighed in his heart, it was no wonder that the child was timid. What child wouldn't be scared after dreaming about losing his father?
What's more, their father-son relationship is so good, it's really not in vain that I love this child so much.
Qianlong felt a little guilty when he thought about how he had wrongly accused his beloved son of being spoiled and timid that morning.
Yonglian was such a sensible child. If he wasn't really frightened, how could he show it and let everyone around him notice it?
After letting Nanny Fang and others leave, Qianlong began to think about Yonglian's dream.
The fact that this child can communicate with Khan Ama's soul shows that he has some supernatural qualities.
A minister had previously petitioned him to postpone the sacrifice at Tai Mausoleum, and the weather had not been clearing up. In addition, Yonglian had this dream. What if his dream was a warning from God?
Qianlong didn't believe it most of the time, but when it came to matters of life and death, he would rather believe it than not.
Furthermore, if he insisted on going to Tailing, Yonglian would surely be worried and stick to him all the way.
The little guy was so scared just by dreaming.
If something really happens to me, how can the child withstand it?
Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne at the age of eight, but his own son was still a child who could not live without his father. It was obvious that he did not have the ability to do so.
Anyway, old man Khan Ama doesn't care about these empty formalities, so it shouldn't be a big problem if it's a few days late.
Yonglian slept soundly in the Yangxin Palace for the whole afternoon, and when he woke up, it was already dark.
He put on his shoes and ran to the outer room. Qianlong was reviewing memorials when he heard the noise and turned around to look at him. "Finally you woke up. I could hear your snoring through the door."
Yonglian: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Qianlong asked him to wash his face to clear his mind, and ordered someone to serve some snacks.
Seeing that she was still listless while eating snacks, Qianlong said, "Forget about that dream quickly."
Yonglian: "Can I ride in the same carriage with Khan Ama on the way there and back?"
"I'll just tie you up with my belt." Qianlong said angrily.
Yonglian: "Okay! Anyway, I can't be separated from Khan Ama!"
Qianlong: “…”
Qianlong said, "No, no, I won't go. I'll go in September after the rain stops. This is the busy farming season, and it would be bad if I delay the people's farming work."
Yonglian thought to himself that you finally remembered it now. So many people had tried to persuade you before, but you just wouldn't give in.
He was overjoyed, but he still pretended to be conflicted, "But...is this okay?"
"It's nothing. Didn't you say before that your Majesty doesn't care?" Qianlong said.
Yonglian tilted his head and thought for a moment, "Then let's go talk to the Emperor again and show him the shuttle and the glass." He then looked at Qianlong, "Then why don't you go anywhere else during this time?"
"I know, I know. Where can I go?" Qianlong said.
Yonglian then smiled.
Seeing the child, who had been listless all day, finally smile again, Qianlong couldn't help but frown, "Your books and writing brushes are all there. Go and do your homework now that you feel at ease."
"I'll go back to my own yard and write." Yonglian said.
"Write here. You'll stay in the Yangxin Palace tonight." Qianlong said, "There's plenty of dragon energy here, so it's less likely you'll have nightmares."
Yonglian: “…”
The result of being watched by Khan Ama while doing homework was that the homework that could be finished in half an hour took me more than an hour, and Khan Ama always had to force me to explain it.
Yonglian became depressed again as he listened. Could he please stop taking over the work from his master in the Shangshufang?
After finally finishing his homework, Yonglian could go to bed, but Qianlong discovered that there were still a few memorials that he had not read.
It's all this kid's fault. He delayed him from handling government affairs.
Fortunately, Yonglian didn’t know what Khan Ama was thinking, otherwise he would definitely cry out for injustice!
After reviewing the memorial, Qianlong went to see his son who was already asleep.
This kid can really sleep. He sleeps for a long time in the afternoon, wakes up, does his homework, and then goes back to sleep.
But when I thought about the fact that my child didn’t sleep well last night, I felt soft-hearted again.
At this time, in Changchun Palace, the queen was also worried about her son.
The emperor sent someone to tell her not to worry in the afternoon, as he had taken Yonglian to the Yangxin Palace to be taken care of.
No details were given as to what happened to Yonglian.
The queen always felt that it was not as simple as a nightmare.
But if I get sick, how can I be taken to the Yangxin Palace for care?
In the evening, the queen sent someone to ask again whether she should go to take care of it.
The emperor said no, everything is fine.
If everything is fine, why let the child rest in the Yangxin Palace?
The Empress hadn't slept well that night, so she sent someone to the Yangxin Palace to inquire about the situation the next morning. She happened to run into Yonglian who was attending a class in the Shangshufang.
"I see that the Second Prince has a rosy complexion and looks energetic, so he must be fine." The nanny came back to report to the Queen.
The queen finally breathed a sigh of relief, and soon after, she received an imperial edict to postpone her trip to Tai Mausoleum.
At this time, the concubines from various palaces came to pay their respects. Everyone was a little surprised when they heard the imperial edict.
Concubine Xian was puzzled, "If we are any later, we will miss the late emperor's memorial ceremony?"
The imperial concubine glanced at her and thought to herself, how could the emperor not know this? Why does she need to point it out to him?
The Queen said, "The Emperor cares for the people and is afraid that his imperial visit will interfere with farming."
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine, Concubine Chun and a few other clever ones quickly praised the Emperor for loving his people like his own children.
This has little impact on most concubines, as they are not qualified to accompany the emperor anyway.
Qianlong's external edicts were written in a more high-sounding tone, saying that agriculture and sericulture were of great national importance, and that he could not bear to let river officials work day and night to repair roads because of the royal sacrifice. He believed that if the late emperor were in heaven, he would surely understand him.
The military ministers breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the decree; the emperor had finally figured it out. By delaying the process by a few days, not only would the people not have to pay compensation, but they could also focus on their farm work, and the river administration would be much more relaxed. Furthermore, the pioneers and imperial guards wouldn't have to worry.
After all, with the current road conditions, it would take a lot of effort just to clean the road when the emperor travels.
Zhang Tingyu and others quickly submitted a memorial praising the emperor's love for the people.
Qianlong: ...
I have no guilty conscience. This is one of the reasons for postponing it.
Yonghuang was relieved to see his brother back to full energy, but he was even more worried than Qianlong and insisted that Yonglian drink jujube kernel tea for another day.
In order to reassure his elder brother, Yonglian obediently drank another cup of the sour stuff.
Yonglian was worried that his elder brother would be upset if he knew he was living in the Yangxin Palace. However, when his elder brother learned about this, he actually nodded and said, "Khan Ama only lets you stay for one night? What if you have nightmares in the future?"
Yonglian: "Can't Khan Ama let me move to the Yangxin Palace just because of this?"
Yonghuang: "...Then you should stay for two more days."
Yonglian: "...No, next time I have a nightmare I will go find big brother, you protect me."
"But I'm also very timid!" Yonghuang was embarrassed.
Yonglian: "...Then, let me protect big brother. I'm quite brave. That day was an accident!"
Yonghuang nodded, "I know." His brother must have had a terrible dream that day.
He didn't dare to ask, for fear that his brother would remember it and get scared again.
No one in the palace had any doubt that the postponement of the sacrifice to Tai Mausoleum was related to Yonglian, and even the queen did not dare to think that way.
Qianlong did not tell anyone about Yonglian's unlucky dream, but he was very cautious when going out recently. Except for going to Shoukang Palace and Changchun Palace, he basically spent the rest of his time in the Yangxin Palace.
August 13th is the Emperor's birthday, so there will be no ceremonial banquets.
The children could not forget Khan Ama's birthday and prepared gifts.
Yonghuang carved a seal for Khan Ama, and Qianlong liked it very much.
Yonglian painted a side profile of Qianlong. Historically, there have been many portraits of Khan Ama from the front. So he painted a side profile. Khan Ama's profile is also very handsome.
He specifically consulted Lang Shining, who was proficient in the fusion of Chinese and Western paintings, to avoid shadows in the portraits while maintaining their realism and three-dimensionality.
Qianlong was very satisfied with his sons' painting skills, and immediately stamped his second son's painting with the seal engraved by his eldest son.
Yonglian: “…”
Forget it, what I drew is not a famous painting. Just cover it up casually. No one in the future will say that Khan Ama destroyed cultural relics.
After receiving the gifts, Qianlong went to offer sacrifices at the Taimiao. This time he brought Yonghuang, Yonglian, Hongzhou and others with him to perform a ceremony of apology for missing the anniversary of the previous emperor's death.
When Yonglian knelt down and kowtowed, he heard Yongzheng smilingly praising him: "My precious grandson is so smart. It's a pity that no one knows that this is all thanks to you."
Yonglian thought it was unimportant. Unfortunately, he couldn't answer the emperor in front of everyone, so he just curled his eyes in the direction of the ancestral tablet.
Such a good child must survive this year and grow up healthy. Yongzheng couldn't help but remind his good grandson: "Yonglian, the weather is cold, please keep warm. Ask the servants to heat up the ground cage. If you have too much homework, tell your father-in-law not to tire yourself out. Eat well, don't be picky, but don't eat too much..."
When Qianlong saw his son kneeling there for a long time without getting up, he knew that Khan Ama had something to tell him.
After coming out of the Taimiao, he called Yonglian to his side and asked, "What can the emperor say to you?"
"The Queen Mother told me to keep warm and eat more. Also, I told you that I have too much homework and I must not overwork myself." Yonglian did not think much about it, thinking that the Queen Mother just cared about him, so he told Khan Ama everything, especially the last sentence, which was super important.
Qianlong: "...Your Majesty is really worrying too much."
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