Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Helping a Little
Qianlong was waiting for his Sixteenth Uncle to say this, and he immediately nodded and took a piece of baked cake first.
In order to make the cake beautiful, the Imperial Kitchen specially asked the Imperial Household Department to make a mold. Each small cake was about the size of a small teacup, and was topped with raisins and red dates.
Qianlong took a bite and couldn't help but sigh, "This cake tastes really good, and it even has a milky aroma."
Qianlong liked to drink milk tea, so naturally he liked snacks with a milky flavor.
Yunlu and Yunli also took one each and praised it.
Qianlong explained the origin of the cake, "Yonglian was a child who cared deeply about his brothers and sisters. Seeing that the third child didn't like eggs, he came up with this."
"Children will surely love this snack," Yunlu said with a smile. "I'll ask the emperor for a recipe and have the chef at the palace make it for the little brats at home."
Yunli also wanted to know how to do it, but he had no children.
However, it is certainly impossible for Qianlong to give the recipe only to his sixteenth uncle and not to his seventeenth uncle.
The three of them talked about cake for a while, and then the topic returned to the new version of the flintlock rifle. Yunli suggested that each gun should be equipped with a certain amount of gunpowder. A little more or a little less gunpowder would affect the effectiveness of the flintlock rifle.
There is also a type that is a mixture of gunpowder and projectiles, which is more complicated to load.
Qianlong looked at the blueprint and asked, "Wouldn't it be more convenient if we could load the ammunition from the back?"
Yunlu and Yunli thought to themselves that of course that was the case, but how to ignite the gun after loading it from the back became another problem.
Yunli had no choice but to say, "I have also been thinking about how to change it to a rear-mounted one, but I have drawn several blueprints and still can't make it."
"Don't worry, let's make two according to this blueprint and try them out first." Qianlong looked at Yunlu. "I've been very busy lately, so I'll leave the test firing of the firearms to Uncle Sixteen."
Yunlu readily agreed, as he liked this job.
But recently there was something that gave Yunlu a headache. His twenty-second brother Yunhu accepted land donated by the people and was impeached by Sun Jiagan.
Qianlong directly ordered the Ministry of Clan Affairs to arrest Yunhu. Yunlu was the head of the clan, and he was the one who made the final decision on this matter.
If the punishment was too severe, he would not be able to bear it; if the punishment was too light, the emperor and the officials would be unhappy.
The late emperor didn’t like his younger brother Yunhu very much, otherwise he wouldn’t have been made a prince at the age of twenty-four, while he was only a beile.
"Old Twenty-Second is a soft-hearted man with no sense of purpose. This time he was deceived by his steward." Yunlu said, "I have interrogated him, and he has no idea about the origin of that land."
"How dare you accept him without knowing his origins?" Qianlong snorted, "It shows that Uncle Twenty-Second is used to acting recklessly. If Khan Ama were here, he would definitely have Uncle Twenty-Second imprisoned. I consider him an elder and has a large family to take care of, so I can't bear to do so. Let him stay in the clan residence until the end of the year and then go home."
Yunlu and Yunli hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is benevolent."
Qianlong said, "It is not easy for me, as his nephew, to teach him. He used to work for his uncle, Sixteenth Uncle. I hope he will teach me more. When he understands the law and knows the importance of things, I will assign him a job."
Yunlu quickly accepted the order, groaning in his heart. He would rather teach the princes various skills than teach Yunhu how to do things. Yunhu was already his father, and if he spoke too harshly, it would easily hurt their feelings, and it would not be good to send someone to keep an eye on him all the time.
But this is better than being imprisoned and stripped of one's title.
Yonglian ate the cake after school. The taste was beyond his imagination. It was soft and not too sweet, just like the bulk egg cake he ate when he was a child.
"Has it been delivered to Zhongcui Palace?" Yonglian asked, still more concerned about little Yongzhang's reaction. Yongzhang wouldn't eat steamed or boiled eggs, but he could eat shaqi ma (shaqi ma) with eggs, so he should be able to tolerate the taste of cake.
"My Lord, the Emperor has sent two plates over."
Yonglian wanted to go see Yongzhang, but Yonghuang was in a hurry to go back and do his English homework because he had a lot of English homework.
Yonglian asked his brother to go back to do his homework and went to Zhongcui Palace himself.
As soon as Yong Zhang saw his second brother, he came up and hugged his arm, "Thank you, second brother, the cake is delicious!"
"The Third Prince ate a piece of roasted food and a piece of steamed food, and he still wants to eat more. I'm afraid he'll get indigestion if he eats too much." Concubine Chun said with a smile.
Yonglian said, "Yeah, even if you like it, you can't eat too much." He squatted down and looked at his brother level, "How many do you plan to eat every day, Yongzhang?"
"Two pieces!" Xiao Yongzhang ate two today and still felt it was not enough, he couldn't have any less.
"If you eat two cakes, you can't have other snacks." Yonglian said, "You can also choose to exchange one cake for shaqi ma."
Yong Zhang frowned and hesitated for a moment, "I want to eat two cakes!"
The nanny next to him couldn't help but laugh and said, "The third prince really likes cakes." Even though the third prince's appetite has improved a little recently, he only eats one piece of shaqima and doesn't like to drink milk tea. It is particularly difficult to feed the child some milk.
Yonglian smiled and said, "Then let's make a pinky promise!"
Yonglian played in Zhongcui Palace for a long time. If he didn't go back, he would not be able to finish his homework, so he returned to the prince's residence.
When passing by Yonghuang's courtyard, a short and fat nanny walked out.
The two brothers' courtyards were adjacent to each other, and they often visited each other and were very familiar with each other's subordinates. The nanny looked unfamiliar to them.
Yonglian thought it was just a message from Changchun Palace or Shoukang Palace, so he didn't take it seriously and went back to his own yard to finish his homework.
Yonghuang hadn't finished his homework yet, but he was distracted. He was copying words with his hands, but thinking about what the nanny had just said to him.
The nanny who had just come to see him claimed to be his aunt, and said that she had held him in her arms when his mother was still alive. Yonghuang didn't quite remember.
But since she could tell the situation of the Guo Luoma family, her identity should be true.
Guo Luomafa was merely an internal supervisor. Her uncle was seriously ill and unable to take up any official duties, and her cousin had only recently been promoted to a clerk. This aunt had previously studied etiquette at Zhaoxiang's residence. Recently, with Concubine Jia about to give birth, the palace began selecting a wet nurse and nanny for her child, and this aunt wanted to secure a position. However, she had no connections, so she came to Yonghuang for help.
Yonghuang knew that his uncle's family was living in extreme poverty. He felt very bad and wanted to help them.
But he didn't dare to mention it to the Empress Dowager. After all, it was not the prince's turn to intervene in this matter.
The young boy was prone to insomnia, and it was even more difficult for him to sleep because he had something on his mind. Lying in bed, he thought of his mother who passed away early, and felt guilty. He felt that he was useless, and his mother's family was having such a hard time, but he couldn't help.
His aunt had just come over, and he should have given her some money. But his aunt said she'd be back in two days, so he could give her some then. Yonghuang had saved quite a bit of money from his monthly allowance, so giving her twenty or thirty taels wouldn't be a problem.
Yonghuang prepared himself mentally for the whole night and returned to Changchun Palace to pay his respects the next day, but he still could not speak in front of the queen.
The Queen could tell at a glance that the child had something to say, but she did not ask directly in front of Yonglian and Niu Lun. The child did not dare to speak, and he must have had some concerns.
The Queen then gave Yonglian instructions alone, asking him to go and ask privately.
Yonglian went to his eldest brother's yard that night. He didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Brother, what seems to be bothering you these past two days? You have dark circles under your eyes, so you must not have slept well. I'm such a smart brother, I can help you find a solution!"
Yonghuang couldn't help but laugh when he heard him boast about his own intelligence, and he told Yonglian the whole story. "...My uncle is in poor health, has no work, and needs medical help. My aunt is so worried that she came to me. But...the nanny selection is very strict, so there's no guarantee that my aunt will be chosen."
Yonglian couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, "Big brother didn't agree to this, did he?"
"I just said I would think of a solution, but I didn't dare to say anything final." Yonghuang said.
"It's good that she didn't agree. It's definitely not right to let your aunt serve your little brothers and sisters." Yonglian said, "Even if you begged mother, she wouldn't agree."
Yonghuang was stunned. He didn't expect his brother to reject the idea outright. "Why? But my uncle's family is really poor..."
"Generally, a nanny is chosen from a woman who has no family ties. Your uncle is sick and needs someone to take care of him, so your aunt is naturally not suitable to be a nanny." Yonglian said.
Upon hearing this, Yonghuang slapped his forehead and said, "You have a point, but..."
"I'll talk to my mother about this matter and find a relatively leisurely job for your aunt." Yonglian said with a smile.
"Really?" Yonghuang's heart, which had just sunk, now became happy again. "Brother, are you really willing to help me?"
"It's just a small favor, nothing serious." Yonglian patted his eldest brother's shoulder, "But don't tell your aunt yet, and don't give them any money."
"Why?" Yonghuang frowned again in confusion after hearing this.
"Khan Ama will be furious if he finds out." Yonglian whispered, "Besides, you'll have plenty of other places to spend money in the future. Your uncle doesn't need your help."
Yonghuang was silent for a while, then he sighed, "I'm really useless. I can't help them."
Yonglian said: "You study hard, show your face in front of Khan Ama, and do your job well in the future. Your mother's family will have no worries about having a job."
Even if the emperor doesn't remember them, the people in the Imperial Household Department will rush to curry his favor.
Yonghuang thought about it and realized that this was indeed the truth.
"I should have discussed this with you earlier." Yong Huang smiled and said, "With you here, I can finally sleep tonight."
Yonglian: "...It's not a big deal, is it really that serious that you can't sleep?"
"Do you think everyone is like you, falling asleep as soon as they say they will?" Yong Huang snorted. He didn't envy his brother's sleeping speed at all! Not at all!
The next day, Yonglian went to see the queen and told her about the incident. "My eldest brother realized that something was wrong and kept hesitating."
"What does he think is wrong?" The Queen raised her eyebrows slightly.
"First, there is a patient at home, and his aunt is not suitable to be a nanny to take care of the young master for a long time. Second,..." Yonglian felt that the second reason was difficult to explain, so he wanted to gloss over it.
Seeing him like this, the Queen glared at him and said, "What's the second thing? You're still hesitant with Mother."
"Secondly, if anything happens to Jia'er Niang's child, we don't want to implicate Big Brother." Yonglian added quickly, "That's not Big Brother's suggestion. I came up with it myself. Just in case, don't you agree?"
The queen stared at her son in silence for a moment, then raised her hand and tapped him on the head. "What is this? You are so cunning, boy. No wonder you can't grow tall."
Yonglian: “…”
When his height was mentioned, the young boy immediately puffed up his face and said, "My mother, you are so cruel!"
"It's all my father's fault that my son doesn't grow tall!" My father's genes are too strong. Every time someone praises him for looking like my father, he feels a pang in his heart. Life span and other things are fine, but height is not important. At least he should be over 1.7 meters.
But the situation wasn't looking good. He was still a head shorter than Mingrui, who was the same age as him. Drinking tons of milk was no use.
The queen poked her son's cheek and said, "Nonsense again! Boys grow up late, and you are not old enough to grow up yet." This was the only way she could comfort her son and herself.
The Queen quickly arranged things for Yonghuang's aunt and asked her to help with needlework. Some of the needlework could be taken home to do so as not to delay her taking care of the patient.
However, the salary for this job was limited and still could not solve the livelihood problem of the Fucha family.
At the end of the year, Yonglian needed someone to check the accounts of Huimin Canteen. It happened that Yonghuang's cousin had just graduated from the official school and filled the vacancy of a clerk, so Yonglian asked him to help him reconcile the accounts.
When Qianlong learned that his son had asked a clerk named Fucha for help, his first reaction was that this kid was asking the Queen's family for help, which was too ridiculous. Huimin Canteen was the palace's business. It was okay to let the Fucha family intervene in asking prices, but the account books could not be allowed to be seen by the Fucha family!
After asking carefully, I found out that this clerk named Fu Cha had no relationship with the queen's family and was the cousin of the eldest prince.
"Didn't you always look at the account books yourself before? Why do you suddenly want someone to help you?" Qianlong called Yonglian to the Yangxin Palace and asked seriously.
"My son wants to save the time he spends on checking accounts to study." Yonglian said, "My son can now understand the "Records of the Grand Historian." He said this with an expression that looked like he was asking for praise.
Qianlong pinched his son's fat chin. "Is this something to be proud of? Your elder brother is too embarrassed to talk about it." He turned serious again. "Your elder brother knew that you were short of manpower, so he recommended his cousin to you?"
Yonglian shook his head. "Big brother didn't even recognize his cousin. He ran into him at the prince's residence that day, and I was the one who introduced him to him."
"Then why do you want to use him?" Qianlong was curious.
"Because my mother said that my eldest brother's uncle's family was having a hard time and my son was short of people, and when she saw his name on the list handed over by Luang Pu, she chose him." Yonglian said.
Upon hearing this, Qianlong's slightly frown relaxed. The empress was kind and considerate. She not only treated Yonghuang as her own son, but also helped take care of his mother's family.
With the queen around, I really have less worries.
Now there is another equally kind-hearted Yonglian. Fortunately, Yonghuang is an honest child, otherwise Qianlong would never let his mother's relatives work for Yonglian.
November 25th was the Empress Dowager's birthday. Two days before, Emperor Qianlong could not wait to hold a banquet in Chonghua Palace, formerly Ganxi Sisuo, and invited the Empress Dowager to join in the fun.
Only the Queen, the Imperial Concubine, and the Concubine Xian were serving by her side.
When Emperor Qianlong was still Prince Bao, he also invited his mother to dine at Ganxi Sisuo, but only once, when Yonglian was one month old.
Khan Ama agreed only because he was happy to have a legitimate grandson. He did not agree when his other children were born.
Now that he finally doesn't have to worry about so many things, Qianlong really wants to experience the feeling of inviting his mother to his home for dinner again.
After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, the four Ganxi residences were renovated. The Empress Dowager was accompanied by others on a tour. When she came to Yonglian's house, she couldn't help but smile and said, "It would be great if Yonghuang and Yonglian could come too. I wonder if they still remember living here before?"
"The eldest prince must remember it. The second prince lived in the Old Summer Palace for a long time, so he probably doesn't have a deep impression of it." The imperial concubine said with a smile.
"Yonglian must remember that when he was a child, he was playing on the swing in the yard and fell down." Qianlong laughed. After he finished speaking, he ordered someone to go to the Shangshufang to call his two sons to come and accompany the empress dowager to the banquet.
Yonghuang and Yonglian were extremely happy to have an extra half-day holiday.
The two brothers talked about the interesting things that happened in the Shangshufang, making the empress dowager laugh non-stop.
The two children also ran to take a look at the house where they used to live.
Yonghuang stood in his room and couldn't help but think of his mother.
When I was a child, my mother would sit under the window, quietly doing needlework. When she heard me calling her, she looked up at me with a gentle expression.
Yonglian walked into the room and saw his elder brother lost in thought. He came over and patted his shoulder, "If Fucha's mother were still alive, she would be very happy to know that you are studying hard, are proficient in archery and horsemanship, and can even use a musket."
Yonghuang nodded, blinking away the tears. "Go check on your house."
The two brothers went to see Yonglian's house again. Yonglian's room was small, but the decoration was very warm, exactly the same as in the original body's memory.
Yonglian sat on his old bed and felt a sense of familiarity in his heart. The scenes of playing here were vivid in his mind, and he could even remember the smell of the room at that time.
He couldn't help but sigh that the original body's memory was too powerful, even more real than his memories of his previous life in the modern world.
On the day of the emperor's birthday, the empress dowager accepted congratulations from all officials, and the ladies of state entered the Shoukang Palace one by one to pay their respects. After the ladies of state left, the emperor, empress, and concubines stayed to talk with the empress dowager, and the three children, Niu Lun, Yong Zhang, and Hong Zhou, were also there to join in the fun.
The family was harmonious, but it would not be good to be without the two boys from the Shangshufang, so Qianlong ordered someone to call Yonghuang and Yonglian.
Qianlong simply decided that from now on, the princes in the Shangshufang could also have a day off on the emperor's birthday.
Of course, he did this to make the Empress Dowager happy, not because he felt sorry for his son.
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