Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Changing Track
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the rain near the capital finally stopped, and there were several days of sunny days. The people took the time to plant wheat.
When the common people learned that the Emperor had postponed even the third anniversary of the late Emperor's death so as not to interfere with their agricultural work, they expressed immense gratitude. They all praised the current Emperor as a truly benevolent ruler.
At the beginning of September, when the emperor set out for Tai Mausoleum, the people along the way once again knelt down to welcome him.
When Emperor Qianlong learned about this, he ordered his guards to reward the people nearby with some silver.
Then the common people were brought before the emperor to kowtow and express their gratitude. Qianlong specially called Yonghuang and Yonglian to watch from the side.
Yonglian: “…”
Yonglian could only comfort himself that at least this family of commoners received an extra ounce of silver, which was better than those who did not receive any money and were still grateful.
The people who were brought to thank God for his grace were a couple, about forty or fifty years old. Although they were wearing coarse clothes, they were very clean.
Qianlong asked about their harvests over the past two years. The two only said that the harvest was average last year due to the drought, but fortunately they received relief grain from the court, so the harvest this year was very good and the wheat had already been planted.
Qianlong was very happy to hear this, and ordered people to give them some steamed buns as rewards.
When Yonghuang and Yonglian returned to their carriages, Yonghuang couldn't help but sigh to his brother, "It seems the people in the suburbs of Beijing are doing well."
Yonglian thought about it and decided not to let his elder brother get deceived, so he said, "That old couple are not ordinary people."
"What? Who are they?" Yonghuang looked at his brother in confusion.
"I don't know the details, but I guess they're from a wealthy family and their wives," Yonglian said. "Ordinary people work in the fields every day, so their skin can't be that white. And there's not even a speck of dirt on their shoes. How can they look like they work in the fields regularly?"
Yonghuang recalled it and it was exactly as Yonglian said.
"Could it be that the officials specifically asked them to change their clothes and shoes?"
Yonglian: "But these clothes and shoes fit very well, and they are not brand new. Can the officials find clothes and shoes that are just right for this couple in a short time?" The most important thing is that the couple does not look like they live in poverty.
Yonghuang frowned, "Why did the officials let them pretend to be ordinary people?"
"Maybe they are afraid that the people will say the wrong thing and cause trouble." Yonglian said.
"Isn't this a crime of deceiving the emperor?" Yonghuang couldn't understand.
"Khan Ama is so wise that he must have seen it." Yonglian smiled. However, Khan Ama had done this just to create a prosperous scene, which was recorded by historians. Many years later, it became one of the evidences of his benevolent rule.
Even Khan Ama himself has some acting elements, so it is understandable that officials find a few actors who can cooperate better.
When Yonghuang heard that Khan Ama knew about it, he felt a little better.
But then a question arose in his mind: how are the real people living?
At first, Qianlong didn't see anything wrong with the couple. When the imperial carriage set off again, he wanted to write a poem to record the scene, but when he thought about it, he felt something was wrong.
He did not hold the officials accountable. If this matter were to be exposed, not only would the officials be embarrassed, but wouldn't he also become a laughing stock?
Qianlong suddenly lost interest in writing poetry. He put down his pen, looked out the window, and sighed softly.
The imperial carriage stayed at Tai Mausoleum for five days. After all the ceremonies were completed, Qianlong finally felt relieved.
He then told Yunlu, Hongzhou and others who were accompanying him that he wanted to take the empress dowager to Nanyuan for a visit.
There was another reason why Qianlong was anxious to go to Tai Mausoleum. That was that after the third anniversary ceremony was over, he could go hunting with a clear conscience.
Having not hunted for three years, Qianlong was already itching to go hunting, and he also urgently needed to show off his riding and archery skills in front of the kings and ministers.
Yunlu and Hongzhou both love to play, there is no objection to that.
Qianlong then asked the ministers who were accompanying him to go back first, and he took his family to Nanyuan for hunting.
The Empress Dowager was also delighted. She had long known that her son was an expert archer and horseman, but she had never witnessed it in person. This time, Qianlong specially arranged for her to watch the hunt at Santai, fulfilling one of her long-cherished wishes.
Concubine Yu was also able to take advantage of the opportunity to watch the hunt together, but unfortunately her own fifth son's archery and horse riding skills were really average.
The Empress had to serve the Empress Dowager, so she could go. She was a little worried about Yonglian's performance. She had heard that Yonglian's riding and archery skills were always average.
Qianlong had thought of this a long time ago and could not let his son embarrass himself in front of the kings and ministers.
On the day of the hunt, Qianlong led the way. He drew a carved-feather arrow from his quiver. The bowstring vibrated, and the arrow, like a meteor, struck the neck of a nearby stag, sending it stumbling to the ground.
"Your Majesty, your archery is amazing!" Hong Zhou praised from the side.
Qianlong laughed and said, "It's just the beginning." Then he urged his horse forward and chased after the other deer that were fleeing in panic. He shot several arrows in succession, and the deer fell down one after another.
There was a burst of cheers all around. The Queen Mother on the hunting platform couldn't see clearly, but when she heard everyone cheering, she smiled and nodded.
My son is really in his prime and full of energy!
Qianlong shot three deer and a fox, and the guards ran to the hunting platform to report to the empress dowager.
Qianlong also rode back to the hunting platform and said, "Empress Dowager, I'll make you a cloak with the fox fur later."
The Queen Mother smiled and nodded, "Okay, okay." Then she said to the Queen beside her, "I'll make you boots out of deerskin."
The queen hurriedly expressed her gratitude.
Qianlong then looked at Yonghuang and Yonglian and said, "You have been learning horseback archery for almost two years. Now is the time to show your achievements."
Yonghuang and Yonglian responded obediently.
Qianlong then ordered the guards to follow.
Fu Wen followed Yonglian and said, "Don't be nervous, Second Prince. Just draw the bow like you normally do when you learn archery and horse riding. If you want to shoot something, just draw the bow."
Yonglian thought it was not that easy.
Nanyuan is not a very big place, and the prey are driven into a relatively concentrated area.
But Yonglian still felt that he could not hit any target, because he had rarely hit moving targets in his horse archery lessons.
He secretly glanced at his elder brother who was not far away, but still got nothing.
Yonglian thought that since he was already here, he might as well treat it as a real combat exercise. The result was unimportant. As long as Khan Ama always hit the target, that was all that mattered.
He then calmed down, pulled the bow hard, aimed at a few rabbits not far away, and the arrow flew out and landed in the grass, and the rabbits scattered and tried to escape.
Yonglian sighed and was about to look for his next target when an arrow flew past his side and hit a rabbit that had no time to escape.
Yonglian turned around and was about to praise his fourth uncle for his skill when he saw his fourth uncle's face full of surprise. He shouted, "Second Prince shot a rabbit!"
Yonglian: ???
Someone immediately came forward and brought the dead rabbit to Yonglian to see, and Yonglian laughed dryly.
"Present it to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor quickly." Fu Wen said happily.
The guards responded and went happily to the hunting platform.
Yonglian looked at his fourth uncle with a complicated expression, "I want to hit the target every time today, right?"
Fu Wen laughed: "Of course the Second Prince can hit the target every time."
Yonglian: “…”
At this moment, the guards cheered not far away, "Big Brother shot a deer!"
Yonglian looked over and saw that someone had brought a fawn to Yonghuang.
Yonglian hurried over curiously, "Brother, is this real?"
Yonghuang was puzzled, "What's true?"
"This is the deer. Did you shoot it?" Yonglian leaned over and whispered in Yonghuang's ear.
Yonghuang was even more confused. "Of course, is there anyone else who can help me?"
Yonglian: “…”
"Just now I heard from the guards that you shot a rabbit. That's impressive! Rabbits run really fast here!" Yonghuang laughed and said, "I didn't shoot any."
Yonglian: “…”
He asked this, didn’t Big Brother suspect that something was wrong?
Forget it, I’ll go back and talk to my brother.
Yonglian continued to cooperate with his fourth uncle in hunting, and eventually shot two deer and two rabbits. One of the rabbits was shot by Yonglian himself, and the rest were shot with the help of Fu Wen.
Yonghuang shot two deer and three rabbits.
Yunlu, Yunlu and Hongzhou all praised the brothers for their good riding and archery skills, saying that they would be able to hit the target as well as the emperor in the future.
Qianlong laughed heartily, "I don't ask them to be like me, as long as they don't hold us Manchus back."
Of course, Qianlong already knew that only one of his second son's prey was shot by him, so he had already started to lay the groundwork in advance. If his son could only pull a bow of 4.5 force like Khan Ama in the future, it would not be too embarrassing.
Everyone said that the emperor was being modest.
Next came the royal family members. Yunlu was an expert in riding and shooting, and he shot two foxes.
There are no prey like tigers in Nanyuan, so it is already very good to be able to shoot a fox.
Hong Zhou's level was about the same as his two nephews, but he didn't think it was a big deal. Everyone present except his two nephews knew that he was not good at riding or shooting.
At night, everyone roasted a rabbit and ate it. Qianlong and others also drank deer blood wine.
Yonglian finally had the chance to whisper to his eldest brother, "It was only with the help of my fourth uncle that I was able to shoot so many prey."
"Help?" Yonghuang couldn't think of how else he could help.
Yonglian: "It was my fourth uncle who helped me ejaculate."
Yonghuang: “…”
Although Yonghuang was slow, he was no fool and quickly understood. "It's okay. The main reason is that you are too young. When you grow up, you won't need adults' help anymore."
Yonglian: “…”
Yonghuang saw his brother's indescribable expression and thought he was a little frustrated, so he touched his head and said, "Because the Queen Mother is here today, Khan Ama wants to make her happy, so he found someone to help you."
Yonglian wanted to say something but didn't know where to start. Who could blame him for his poor riding and shooting skills?
He then praised Yonghuang, "Brother, you're amazing! You actually shot two deer! All your hard work paid off!"
Yonghuang was very satisfied with his performance today. He chuckled and said, "There are more prey here. If we really go to Mulan Paddock, it will be difficult."
"No, wait for Mulan's hunting trip in two years. Big brother will definitely be able to shoot a tiger himself and show off his skills like Sixteenth Uncle!" Yonglian said.
Yonghuang now admired his sixteenth uncle very much. He handed the roasted rabbit leg to his brother and said, "Eat more meat. Eating more meat will give you strength."
Seeing his brother's mood return to normal and chewing the rabbit leg with great relish, he couldn't help but say, "Let's go back and practice more. Shoot ten more arrows a day. It won't take long. I'll accompany you."
Yonglian: “…”
His heart warmed, and he nodded heavily, "Okay!"
For the sake of his elder brother's words, he must practice hard too!
On the way back to Beijing, Qianlong wanted to call Yonglian over and give him a good scolding. His uncle had been able to shoot a deer at the age of five, yet he, the crown prince, needed help. Why didn't he practice harder when he got home?
But then I thought, what's the point of my second uncle being able to shoot deer at the age of five? In the end, he didn't become emperor. My own Khan's father was the worst among his brothers in riding and shooting, but in the end he became the eldest son.
Archery, horse riding and shooting are indeed important, but they are also not important either.
Besides, times have changed. Now foreigners fight with muskets and cannons. Why not let Yonglian learn how to use muskets?
Even if you can't pull the bow, you should have enough strength to pull the fuse, right?
When the Empress Dowager took me into the palace for education, she asked my sixteenth uncle to teach me how to use a musket and my twenty-first uncle to teach me how to ride and shoot.
Sixteenth Uncle is indeed proficient in using various types of muskets, and he has to teach Yonglian before he can feel at ease.
Qianlong then assigned Yunlu another task, teaching the two princes how to use firearms, especially the second prince.
Yunlu liked this kind of job, which was much easier than the chores in the court. He happily agreed.
After returning to the palace, Yonglian rested for a few days and was preparing to practice riding and archery with his elder brother, but Qianlong adjusted their course schedule. He first learned how to use a musket from Yunlu, and then continued to learn riding and archery after he had mastered it.
Yonglian: “…”
Yes! He is really stubborn. Since horseback archery is not good, he can try another track!
The royal family learned riding and archery in order to set an example for the Eight Banners soldiers and to intimidate the Mongols.
Changing to a fire gun would have the same effect! This also shows that the elite Eight Banners in the future will no longer rely solely on bows and arrows, and proficiency in the use of firearms is the general trend.
Firearms are much simpler than horse archery. Yonglian had another reason to lie down and even tried to take his elder brother with him.
"Bows and arrows are outdated. We'll use hunting rifles for hunting from now on!"
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