Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Simple Mind
With two more classes added to the Shangshufang, the place suddenly became lively.
Chen Dehua was arranged by Emperor Qianlong to teach Chinese to Hongzhou and Yongbi, while Fang Bao was the Chinese teacher of Yonghuang and Yonglian.
As for the Mongolian children, Yunmi is the head teacher, but the one who teaches the three Chinese on weekdays is another Hanlin.
In the afternoon, the Mongolian children took the horseback archery class with Yonghuang, Yonglian and others. Everyone could shoot at moving targets, and now they were practicing arm strength and accuracy.
Hongzhou and Yongbi were taught how to draw a bow by another An Da.
After only two days of classes, Dadu and Alawangbu no longer felt much of a sense of crisis, because Balzhuer was the worst among the three of them.
He was not as good as Alawangbu in academic subjects, and not as good as Dadu in archery and horse riding. More importantly, the Second Prince did not like Balzhuer. Sometimes he said his Chinese characters were ugly, and sometimes he said his archery was not accurate. He showed his disdain without any concealment.
The last time the Second Prince went to the Yangxin Palace, they all saw it. The Emperor loved the Second Prince very much, and the Second Prince was the Third Lady's biological brother from the same mother, so he still had a certain say in this matter.
If they add fuel to the fire and make Balzhuer completely offend the Second Prince, the Emperor and the Empress will definitely protect the Second Prince, and even the Third Princess will hate Balzhuer because of this. He will definitely have no chance.
It would be useless if the Queen Mother was the only one who liked Balzhuer.
Yonglian disliked Balzhuer, not because he disliked him, but because he wanted to train and polish his future brother-in-law.
In history, when the Dzungar Khanate was pacified, Emperor Qianlong asked Balzhuer to monitor Amursana. This guy treated Amursana as his brother, but Amursana rebelled and caused very serious consequences. Emperor Qianlong was slapped in the face.
Of course, Baljur cannot be blamed entirely for this, but he also has to bear part of the responsibility.
Even though he later made great achievements to avenge his shame, Yonglian still hoped that there would not be such twists and turns again. Not to mention the long-term consequences, Niu Lun must be very sad that Balzhuer made such a big mistake!
Yonglian wanted to let this kid know that being a prince consort was not easy.
Balzhuer also gradually realized that the second prince disliked him a little. The second prince himself also pulled a four-force bow, but he felt that Balzhuer's arm strength was not enough and asked him to practice more.
Why?
But he only dared to complain in his heart. When the Second Prince asked him to practice more, he obediently shot twenty more arrows every day.
The second prince said that his handwriting was not good, so he practiced two more pages of large characters every day.
He wanted to see what the Second Prince had to say!
After the fifteenth day, Qianlong moved to the Old Summer Palace with his family, and Balzhuer and others followed.
On the carriage to the Old Summer Palace, Balzhuer was still reading, and Dadu said beside him: "Second prince said that he would teach me to ride a two-wheeled cart when we get to the Old Summer Palace." "Second prince also said that he would teach me. I heard that this two-wheeled cart was designed by Second Prince based on the idea of the late emperor." Alawang preached.
Balzhuer's hand stopped turning the pages of the book. Why didn't the Second Prince say he wanted to teach him?
"Brother Dadu, can you teach me now that you have learned it?" He looked up at Dadu, because Dadu was the oldest of the three and had a steady personality. Balzhuer subconsciously relied on him.
Dadu smiled upon hearing this and said, "Of course I'm willing to teach you."
Alawangbu also nodded and said, "We promise you will learn it."
The two young men exchanged a tacit glance. Balzhuer was still thanking him, thinking that if the Second Prince wouldn't teach him, he'd just follow his two friends. It's just a two-wheeled cart, right? How could it be harder to control than a horse?
"How did I offend the Second Prince? He was so polite to you all, why was he so picky with me?" Balzhuer couldn't help but complain to his two friends.
"Maybe it's just that they don't like each other." Dadu said, "The Second Prince was raised in the care of the Emperor and the Empress, so he doesn't need to hide his dislike for anyone."
"Why can't you like me? Why am I so unlucky?" Balzhuer snorted. Who isn't spoiled at home?
Dadu advised him not to bother with the Second Prince, "What the Second Prince said should go in one ear and out the other. Don't take it too seriously."
Balzhuer nodded when he heard this, and recalled the words that the Second Prince had said to him. It seemed that they were all urging him to make progress, and there were no unreasonable demands. These words would not harm him.
If the Second Prince makes any excessive demands in the future, I will definitely not listen.
After arriving at the Old Summer Palace, everyone rested for half a day and went to the depths of the cave to study as usual the next day.
The study area deep in the cave is close to the courtyard where they live, so everyone can go back to their own courtyard for a nap after dinner.
Mingrui and Erden'e, the two reading companions, could only lie on the table to rest for a while, but the two children were not sleepy either. One was reading a book, and the other went outside to appreciate the surrounding lake and mountain scenery.
Balzhuer wanted to practice calligraphy and did not go back. When he was tired, he wanted to go outside to stretch his muscles, and he saw Mingrui squatting on the stone steps admiring the beautiful scenery.
Mingrui heard footsteps and turned around to see it was him. He smiled and asked him to sit down and enjoy the scenery with him. "The ducks know first when the river water warms in spring. Look, there are a few ducks over there."
Balzhuer sat down next to him and couldn't help but sigh, "This place is like a fairyland. I often hear people say that the scenery of Jiangnan is beautiful, but after seeing the Old Summer Palace, I don't yearn for Jiangnan so much anymore."
Mingrui laughed, and the two chatted casually. Mingrui knew that his prince was particularly attentive to Balzhuer, so he also showed some concern.
Balzhuer answered all the questions one by one, thinking that the Second Prince was not easy to get along with, but his study companion was a good person.
"You and the Second Prince are cousins, and you are also his study companions. You must know his likes and dislikes very well. I am new here, and I am really afraid of offending him." Balzhuer looked at Mingrui, meaning to ask him for some guidance.
Mingrui quickly realized what was happening and couldn't help but smile, "You are doing very well now, otherwise the Second Prince wouldn't be paying so much attention to you."
"But..." Balzhuer thought that he couldn't bear this kind of attention!
"Second Prince has high expectations for you, so he's pushing you to study and practice calligraphy." Ming Rui said, "The Emperor particularly values your poetry, writing, and archery. If you lose to Dadu and the others in these two areas, then even Second Prince won't be able to speak up for you."
Balzhuer was stunned for a moment before he understood what "that time" meant.
"But I didn't really think I could stay. I just wanted to see the world in the palace." Balzhuer said, "My two brothers are already prince consorts."
Seeing that he had directly pointed out the problem, Mingrui said frankly: "But if you are good enough, this will become an advantage, not a disadvantage."
Balzhuer seemed to understand, "But the Second Prince promised to teach Dadu and the others how to ride a two-wheeled cart, but he didn't say he would teach me." Since the Second Prince liked him, why didn't he take him to play with him?
Mingrui frowned slightly when he heard this, "Did Dadu tell you this?"
"Alawangbu said the same thing," said Balzhuer.
"I was standing next to the Second Prince when he said this to Dadu. He meant that he would teach you how to ride a two-wheeled vehicle later. This must include the three of you!" Mingrui said.
"What?" Balzhuer opened his eyes wide when he heard this, "Then why are they..." They didn't seem to say that the second prince didn't teach them.
He rubbed his face and said, "As long as Second Prince is willing to teach me, that's enough."
Mingrui noticed something was wrong and asked curiously, "What did they tell you?"
Balzhuer told Mingrui what happened in the carriage, "I misunderstood."
Ming Rui thought to himself that this was not Balzhuer's problem, and that the two men were obviously deliberately leading him to misunderstand.
Mingrui didn't care how the three of them made a scene, as long as Balzhuer didn't misunderstand his Second Prince, "Don't say that Second Prince has no opinion on you. Even if he really despises you, he wouldn't do it so obviously."
Baljur thought about it and agreed.
"Just be on time when you're learning to drive," Mingrui said. "Tell me if you have any concerns in the future."
He also talked about how when he first entered the Shangshufang, the Second Prince was a little serious towards Erdeng'e, but when Erdeng'e's sister was sick, he showed concern for her in many ways and spoke for Erdeng'e.
Balzhuer couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. "I know the Second Prince is a very good person and is very kind to you all. Before the Lunar New Year, my brother took me to visit the outer city and I saw the palace distributing leftovers to beggars. I heard that it was the Second Prince's idea."
"Yes, even the people outside the palace know that the Second Prince is a kind-hearted young master."
"I thought the Second Prince didn't like my appearance." Balzhuer laughed.
Mingrui patted his shoulder and said, "Don't underestimate yourselves. We were discussing last time that you two brothers are good-looking. This is a natural advantage."
"Did the Second Prince say so too?" Balzhuer was curious.
"The two princes didn't say anything, but they didn't object either." Ming Rui said, "But the Second Prince probably hopes that your ability can match your appearance, so he is urging you to make progress."
"I'm done talking now. I'm going back to practice calligraphy!" Balzhuer said as he stood up, took two steps, and turned back to Mingrui, saying, "You're pretty, too. Let's be imperial guards together!"
Ming Rui: "I don't want to be a royal guard. I want to be a general and lead troops into battle!"
Balzhuer laughed heartily, "Then I am willing to be a soldier under your command!"
In the afternoon, Mingrui secretly told Yonglian about what happened to Balzhuer and the others.
Yonglian: "..." Are they starting to scheme now? But these tactics are really at the level of an elementary school student.
Even with this level of skill, Balzhuer didn't even notice it, and Mingrui had to remind him.
"Since you two seem to be getting along well, you should spend more time with him in the future," Yonglian said. "But don't give him all the answers. Let him figure it out on his own."
Mingrui responded and sighed, "I used to like Alawangbu and Dadu, especially Dadu. He never misses a shot, and his riding and archery skills are no worse than my uncle's."
Yonglian said, "They really want to stay. Especially Dadu. Although he has a title, it was given by the Emperor Mafa out of respect for his father. His uncles and brothers are also very mediocre. If he doesn't fight for it, the Tumed tribe will have a hard time getting ahead."
"But this shouldn't be the case." Mingrui frowned: "Balezhuer almost misunderstood you because of this."
"But wouldn't this little trick be easily exposed?" Yonglian said, "It's just that I was too impatient."
During this time, Emperor Qianlong occasionally inquired about Balzhuer and his friends' studies. Balzhuer's Chinese and Manchu writing skills were slightly better, but he couldn't match them in riding and archery. He was slightly better than Alawangbu in riding and archery, but he wasn't as good as them in reading. His performance in the Shangshufang was only mediocre, but he worked very hard. In just two weeks, his handwriting showed significant improvement.
Qianlong praised Balzhuer in front of the three of them, and Balzhuer was so happy that he smiled and said, "Thanks to the Second Prince's encouragement and teaching, and Mingrui's loan of calligraphy to me for copying, I have made such rapid progress."
Dadu and Alawangbu couldn't help but frown when they heard this. This kid is quite good at talking.
Qianlong raised his eyebrows when he heard this. Could it be that Yonglian, like him, also had his eyes on Balzhuer?
I heard that the Queen Mother also likes this child. We are indeed family and have the same perspective on people.
However, the Empress Dowager and Yonglian were too obvious about this. Qianlong was afraid that Balzhuer would become proud, so he said, "Although your Chinese has improved greatly, your Manchu writing is not good. You need to practice more when you go back."
Qianlong also tested several people's understanding of the meaning of the sentences in "The Analects of Confucius" and criticized Balzhuer for his superficial answers.
Balzhuer was so depressed that he felt dizzy. Compared with the emperor, the second prince's request to him was nothing.
In order to avoid being criticized by the emperor next time, Balzhuer studied harder and often asked Mingrui for advice. He did not dare to ask the second prince.
But the Second Prince was right next to him and did not stop Mingrui from explaining to him. It can be seen that the Second Prince really wanted Mingrui to make progress as Mingrui said.
Thinking of this, Balzhuer also became lively in front of the second prince.
"I heard that the first issue of 'National News' has been printed. Second Prince, could you please give me a copy so I can have a look?" Balzhuer approached Yonglian and said with a smile. He was really curious about what the newspaper looked like.
"Okay, but you have to wait two days." Yonglian said, "Uncle Yi has made some adjustments and asked the Nanzhipu to reprint it."
In order to save paper and printing costs, Yonglian designed the newspaper into the double-page four-page format commonly seen in later generations. It was also the first time that Nanzhipu printed such a format. Some space was wasted the first time, but Hongxiao thought it could be utilized and added an advertisement.
On the 25th day of the first lunar month, Nanzhipu finally printed the "Guochao News" that both Hongxiao and Yonglian were satisfied with. The first copy was naturally presented to Qianlong. Qianlong was very satisfied to see that his poems were printed in the most conspicuous position. Below were the poems of Yunxi, Zhang Tingyu and Ortai, which were also selected by him.
The second version is a small cartoon drawn by Yonglian, which tells the story of a strong man who became weak and unconscious due to smoking opium, and finally begged on the street.
Although the painting style lacks artistic conception, it is simple and clear, and the matter is made clear with just a few strokes.
But what puzzled Qianlong was that the painting was not signed.
"If you don't sign your name, how will others know that it was you who painted it?" Qianlong asked Yonglian.
"There's no need to know. Just focus on the content." Yonglian said. He didn't want to sign his real name. He felt inexplicably ashamed, but he didn't have a pen name or a pseudonym, so he simply didn't sign his name. It would be more convenient to include other personal items in the future.
Qianlong, who loved to show off, could not understand his son's psychology at all. He wanted to print his own name on other people's works, so he didn't need to hide his own works.
He was just about to ask the Nanzhipu to add Yonglian's name to the list when he looked up and saw his son's hesitant expression, and suddenly he understood.
Yonglian was afraid that officials and scholars would guess his personality and likes and dislikes through his paintings, and use this as an excuse to exploit loopholes.
This is the same reason why he didn't want to publish his emotionally charged poems in newspapers. The royal family still needs to maintain a certain sense of mystery.
Qianlong couldn't help but laugh and patted his son's head. "Okay, then don't sign your name. Delete the list of editors as well, to prevent anyone from trying to get in touch with you and Hongxiao."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
