Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Impotent Rage
Qianlong stared at the secret report in his hand with a frighteningly cold expression.
He couldn't help but mutter, "I said, we shouldn't publish newspapers."
After he said this, he had an idea and turned to the first page again, read the entire secret report again, and then called the Nine Gates Admiral E Shan.
"Arrest those who discussed the imperial poem and interrogate them personally. Primarily, ask them where they heard such outrageous remarks and investigate their recent interactions with others."
E Shan agreed, then said with some embarrassment, "But more and more people have been discussing this matter these days. I'm afraid..."
I'm afraid I can't catch it.
Qianlong took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and said, "It's impossible for a scholar to be so inconsiderate. There must be something fishy going on. Go and investigate. Those who initiated the conversation must be suspicious."
E Shan accepted the order and said, "There are still newsboys selling newspapers in bookshops. Should we ban them first?"
"Why ban it? They say my poems are not good, so I hide them and don't let them read them? Doesn't that make me look guilty?" Qianlong said, "I know the quality of my poems, and I won't let a few scholars without even a degree criticize me."
Qianlong felt from the bottom of his heart that his poems could not be just a foil, and that no one discussed or circulated them because the scholars did not dare to and did not understand.
The allusions he used could not be understood by anyone other than a well-educated person, unlike the poems of Yunxi and Hongxiao, which were just descriptions of scenery and expressions of emotions without much connotation. Even illiterate people could understand them, so they were naturally spread quickly.
In short, it is definitely not his own poems that have problems, nor is it the newspaper's problem. It is the scholars who are eager for quick success and instant benefits and only care about taking the imperial examinations. The businessmen are also vulgar and pay attention to the advertisements of other shops. As for Yonglian's comic strips, even illiterate children and women can understand them, so they are naturally a hot topic.
This is what is called "highbrow and unpopular".
Therefore, Qianlong immediately thought that someone was deliberately fanning the flames.
E Shan did not expect the emperor to be so broad-minded, and immediately said, "Your Majesty is wise and enlightened."
Qianlong snorted complacently and tore up the secret report.
Hongxiao had also heard the rumors on the street and thought to himself that this newspaper would not be able to continue publishing.
He hurried to find his sixteenth uncle and said, "It doesn't matter if the newspaper can't be published. I'm afraid the emperor will blame me for this, especially Yonglian, because it was his idea."
"The Emperor loves Yonglian so much, it shouldn't be that serious." Yunlu said: "Besides, Yonglian could never have imagined that the people would react like this."
"Even if Yonglian didn't mean it, the emperor would still think he was stupid and embarrassed himself." Hong Xiao lowered his voice, "You know how much the emperor cares about his reputation."
"Hiss..." After hearing what Hongxiao said, Yunlu also felt that his nephew Yonglian was in danger. He thought for a moment, "But we can't plead for Yonglian at this time. Pleading for him at this time will only harm him."
Hong Xiao nodded, "I understand this."
"You should be careful too. After all, your poems are in the second issue. Compared to yours, the emperor's poems are a bit..." Yunlu sighed. "Actually, the emperor's poems are sometimes quite good, but the poems published in the newspaper are used to educate the people and show off their political achievements, so their literary talent is naturally inferior."
"Well, if the emperor gets angry at that time, we can persuade him like this." Hong Xiao said. The emperor wrote poems not to become a poet, but to use poetry to educate the people.
Yunlu smiled and said, "Even if the emperor is angry, he won't show it to us." But he would secretly make a note of it to Hongxiao, "Do you think someone is deliberately spreading rumors?"
"Why? You can't be targeting me, right?" Hong Xiao frowned.
It is true that Prince Yi’s Mansion has a high status, but it does not have much power now. Apart from the emperor, who else would have the time to cause trouble for his family?
"Perhaps it's just to annoy the Emperor," Yunlu said, "and to step on you as well."
He didn't think about the struggle for the throne. Yonglian's other brothers were too uncompetitive. The eldest prince's mother died young, the third prince's mother was of poor birth, and the fourth prince was still a baby, barely a month old. His mother's status was better than that of Concubine Chun, but not much better. It wasn't the other three princes' turn to sow discord between the second prince and the emperor.
Yunlu felt that this person must be targeting the emperor and just didn't want to see the royal family live in peace.
When he said this, a guess immediately flashed through Hong Xiao's mind, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. He only said, "And Uncle Twenty-one, he's also in trouble."
"He's fine. He has a good relationship with the emperor. The emperor won't bother with him." Yunlu said.
Yunxi was very happy when he learned that many people in the capital were reciting his poems, but when he was told that his poems were better than those written by the emperor, he immediately panicked.
The word "Shen" in Prince Shen's name did not come out of thin air. Yunxi was really cautious. He did not dare to overstep his authority in normal times and would stay away from anything related to power.
Who would have thought that despite being so cautious he would still get into trouble.
Yunxi was so worried that he didn't even dare to discuss the matter with his brothers. What if the emperor had already set his sights on him?
At Zhengjiazhuang, Hongxi listened to the reports from his subordinates and couldn't help laughing. "Let Yunxi and Hongxiao pretend to be so noble. I invited them to drink, but they didn't even give me face. They really think they are so important. Forget Yunxi, he is my uncle after all, and I don't talk about elders. But why is Hongxiao so arrogant? Uncle Thirteen used to be respectful to my father."
"Father, this will not do us any good." Hongxi's eldest son Yongchen did not quite agree with his father's behavior.
"Benefits? No benefits, just happiness." Hongxi said, "Your Mafa and your Ukumafa's relationship was so badly soured that they turned against each other. How can the current emperor and his son be considered a loving father and a filial son?"
Yongchen: "...But the emperor wasn't involved in what happened to Mafa back then, and the late emperor didn't add fuel to the fire. Didn't he even speak up for Mafa?"
"So when the late emperor was here, I lived a quiet life." Hong Xi said, "But the current one..." He snorted, "He rose to power by stepping on your father. If your father hadn't been imprisoned, how could the emperor have fallen in love with him?"
Although his misfortune had nothing to do with the current emperor, he was the beneficiary. From his background to his talent and fame, in what way was he inferior to him?
But he was lucky. He had a good father who worked hard to build up such a huge fortune for him and made him the crown prince at an early age. He had no brothers to compete with him, and his uncles were more honest than each other. They were capable of getting things done without taking power for themselves.
If I had encountered this even a little bit, I wouldn't be trapped in Zhengjiazhuang outside the capital today.
Yongchen often felt that his father was a little crazy, very similar to Mafa back then.
"But the second prince is innocent." When the late emperor was buried, Yongchen met his little cousin Yonglian. He was crying very sadly and looked like a filial and sensible child.
"Innocent? Aren't you innocent?" Hong Xi stroked his silly son's bald forehead. "You are so kind. If your father ever ascends to power, he will definitely make you the crown prince."
"Father, be careful with your words." Yongchen was startled. How could he say such a thing? He had never thought of becoming the crown prince. The late emperor had made him a second-class guard, and he was already satisfied.
"Don't worry, it's just the two of us, what are you afraid of?" Hong Xi said with a smile, "Someone recommended a shaman named An Tai to me. I have asked someone to invite him. I will ask him to do a divination for us two."
Yong Chen frowned and advised, "Father, don't believe these wizards and sorcerers. Have you forgotten that Mafa was haunted by these people back then, and that's why she became like that?"
"This just proves that this matter is something we must believe." Hong Xi said as he stood up and said, "Take me for a walk on your bike."
Prince Li's Mansion finally bought a two-wheeled vehicle and a three-wheeled vehicle, and bought five more in succession.
Hongxi liked to let his sons take him for a ride on their tricycle. Several times, they even went from Zhengjiazhuang to the city, which almost exhausted Yongchen, Yonglin and others.
But Hongxi's children are very filial. They know that their father has had a miserable life, and even if his demands are a bit excessive, they have no complaints.
Yongchen was trudging along on the tricycle in front, while Hongxi sat in the back. He had someone make an umbrella to block out the sun. "I heard these tricycles are quite popular in Jiangnan?"
"Yes, many textile workshops use tricycles to transport raw silk and tea. Some gentry also ride tricycles when they go out." Yongchen said, "Although it's not as comfortable as a sedan chair, it saves manpower. Many families use it to show their kindness."
"Only scholars care about this. Those businessmen would like others to know that they can ride in a sedan chair." Hong Xi said.
Yongchen was too tired to talk and could only respond perfunctorily.
"Both two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles require iron, and the new loom is also made of iron." Hong Xi said thoughtfully, "Iron smelting requires coal. Send someone to Shanxi to contact the coal miners there and tell them that Prince Li's Palace is willing to protect them."
Yongchen stopped getting on the carriage and looked back at his father. "If the emperor knew about this, I'm afraid..."
"You know it if you know it. No one has stipulated that royal family members are not allowed to mine coal." Hong Xi said. The emperor would definitely be furious at that time, but with so many places needing coal, the court could only buy coal from him.
Yonglian was not as well-informed as people outside the palace, and he learned about the scholars' feedback on the second issue of the newspaper from Mingrui and Erden'e.
"These people are so weird. Why do they have to compare things when reading a newspaper?" Mingrui felt something was wrong.
Yonglian frowned and thought for a moment, then asked Mingrui, "Who are these people talking about?"
"At first it was just scholars, but now even the common people are talking about it." Mingrui said, "Why would the common people join in the fun when they don't understand poetry?"
"I'm just following the crowd. I'm afraid the emperor will get angry if he finds out." Erden'e said.
Yonghuang looked at his brother and asked, "Khan Ama probably doesn't know about this yet, right?"
Yonglian also felt the same way. The literary inquisition during the Qianlong reign was extremely terrible, and freedom of speech was extremely restricted. If Khan Ama knew about this, he would not have allowed the people to continue discussing it.
"Once the emperor knows about this, will the newspaper still be able to operate?" Mingrui was even more worried that the newspaper would not be able to continue operating.
"Could it be that someone is behind this and wants to shut down this newspaper?" Erden'e was older after all, so he thought a lot.
Yonglian was also thinking about whose interests the newspaper might threaten. He thought about it for a while.
Merchants who cannot afford to advertise do not want this new form of publicity to exist, but do those merchants have the courage to spread rumors and discuss the imperial poems?
Or maybe they were foreigners who wanted to stop him from promoting anti-drug measures, but this was not the first day that the imperial court had banned smoking. Last year, Emperor Qianlong issued an imperial edict, ordering all places to publicize this matter.
The foreigners didn't react at all at that time.
Moreover, the foreigners in Zhili were mainly missionaries, not foreign merchants, and these missionaries knew very little about opium.
Apart from these two types of people, Yonglian could not think of any other possibilities.
But no matter what, Yonglian did not want the newspaper to be discontinued.
The next day, he met Hongxiao at the book editing office under the pretext of discussing the third interview manuscript.
"Don't worry, your Khan Ama has already sent someone to investigate this matter." Seeing that Yonglian was worried, Hongxiao comforted him.
Yonglian was shocked: "Khan Ama already knows?"
Hong Xiao laughed and said, "The Infantry Commander's Office will definitely report such remarks to your Khan."
Yonglian was puzzled: "That Khan Ama didn't lose his temper."
Hong Xiao smiled and said, "Your Khan father is very broad-minded and won't get angry over a few rumors like this." Even if he is angry, he won't let you see it.
"What does Khan Ama want to investigate? Is it true that someone spread it on purpose?" Yonglian asked.
"It's hard to say," Hong Xiao said, "As long as your Khan Ama hasn't contacted us, we'll pretend we don't know and continue to prepare as usual."
Yonglian thought about it and agreed. If Khan Ama was really affected by such rumors, he would have asked them to stop preparing the third issue of "Guochao News" long ago.
But Yonglian was still very curious about how Khan Ama felt after hearing these rumors, so he went straight to Jiuzhou Qingyan after leaving the book editing office.
"My dear prince, Lord Eshan is inside. Please wait in the side hall." Li Yu saw Yonglian coming and immediately stepped forward with a smile.
It was almost dark, and Yonglian wondered why Khan Ama summoned officials at this time.
But he didn't ask any more questions. Just as he was about to go to the side hall, he heard the sound of porcelain falling to the ground.
Li Yu was frightened. Yonglian looked at his expression and knew that Khan Ama was in a bad mood today. The porcelain was probably smashed by Khan Ama.
Yonglian was not sure what the reason was. In his impression, Eshan was the first high-ranking official to be executed by Khan Ama, but he could not remember the year.
Could it be that Eshan’s corruption was discovered by Khan Ama?
Yonglian thought for a moment and then said, "Eunuch Li, please pass the message on for me."
Li Yu: “…”
There was silence inside for a moment, and then Qianlong's voice was heard, "Tell someone to sweep the floor clean, and then Yonglian can come in."
Both of them responded, and Li Yu immediately asked someone to get a broom.
The door opened and E Shan came out. Yonglian saw that although his expression was a little solemn, he was still able to greet him, so he guessed that this matter had nothing to do with him.
Yonglian became even more curious, and waited until the floor in the house was clean before going in.
Qianlong stood by the window with his hands behind his back and glanced at Yonglian. "What are you doing here?"
"Master Fang Bao asked me to write an article, but I have no idea how to do it, so I wanted to ask you for advice," Yonglian said.
Given his understanding of Khan Ama, although he might despise him for being stupid, he was also happy to explain things to him. By diverting his attention, Khan Ama was no longer so angry.
"You depend on me for everything." Qianlong said angrily.
Yonglian gave a flattering smile and pulled Khan Ama's sleeve. "Although Master Fang Bao is well-educated, his explanations are not as clear as Khan Ama's."
Qianlong walked back to the imperial desk and sat down, asking Yonglian to write down the title of the article.
The topic given by Master Fang Bao was "On the Four Beginnings".
This involves Confucian theory of human nature, and it is indeed difficult to write with depth for a child of Yonglian's age.
Qianlong picked up a pen and wrote an outline for his son, then took a book from the bookshelf and told him the ancient people's annotations on this passage.
After talking about the article for a while, Qianlong calmed down a lot and asked Yonglian: "Which of my poems should be published in the third issue of "Guochao News"?"
Yonglian hurriedly said, "You decide."
"Please choose my 'Poem of Reflection on the Imperial Grandfather's Grace'," Qianlong said. "The pavilion overlooks the fragrant lotus and water chestnuts, and my grandchildren are honored to serve the sage. My heart is already filled with the grace of his presence, and his writings have graced the pages of his writings. I have received many gifts from you, and your grace has been stored in jade boxes and golden chests. Now I face your beautiful edict in vain, and my heart is filled with sorrow."
He knew that the Emperor had given Hongxi countless rewards, but so what? Could Hongxi show off his grandfather-grandson relationship to the whole world today?
Even if Hongxi really showed off, no one would believe it. Your emperor doesn’t love you so much, why didn’t he let you be the emperor?
But Hongli could do it. He wanted to let all the scholars in the world know that he was the emperor's most beloved grandson.
Even if there is some water in this, it is still a good story in the eyes of others. Hongxi's story is true, but in the eyes of others it is just a joke.
After Yonglian heard Khan Ama recite the entire poem, he couldn't help but say, "Wow! Ukumafa must really like you!"
Qianlong smiled, which was the effect he wanted. "Don't be envious, your Royal Mafa is also good to you."
Yonglian snorted, "But the Emperor never gave me a brush."
Qianlong patted his son Xiaopang's hand and said, "When your Madam was still alive, you hadn't even learned to write formally. What kind of pen do you need?"
Yonglian chuckled and said, "It's good that Khan Ama is willing to publish his poems in the newspaper."
This is when the benefits of self-confidence come into play.
However, Yonglian still tried his best to avoid comparing the poems of royal family members such as Hongxiao and Yunxi with those of Khan Ama. If Khan Ama wanted to cause trouble for these people one day, this would become one of the handles.
He thought for a moment and said, "Since the third issue publishes your poem commemorating Ukumafa, why not choose the other two poems by Ukumafa and Huangmafa? It would be so meaningful to put the poems of three generations of grandfather and grandson together."
Qianlong smiled and said, "Your idea is good and indeed meaningful." This is the tacit understanding between father and son.
They are three generations of a family, not just a grandparent and grandchildren, but also three generations of emperors. Who wouldn’t envy them?
That kid Hongxi was so pissed off, oh no, it was that old man!
Confucius said that at fifty, one knows the will of Heaven. Hongxi is almost at the age of knowing the will of Heaven, but why doesn’t he understand that the will of Heaven does not lie with their lineage of Prince Li!
Although Yonglian’s suggestion is meaningful, they should choose poems of similar level among the three generations of the family, otherwise they will be compared with each other.
Especially Khan Ama's poems, which have a unique Zen state, are better than his own realistic style in the eyes of those literati.
Qianlong thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll choose it and send it to the book repair office when I'm done."
Qianlong chose Kangxi's "Spring Scene" and Yongzheng's "Occassional Poems Under Flowers".
The officials thought that no imperial poems would be published in the newspapers in the future, but unexpectedly, three poems were published in the third issue.
Does this mean that if we want to discuss it, the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren should discuss it together?
There is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. It is really difficult to tell the winner when the three imperial poems are put together.
Hongxi was so angry when he saw the third issue of the newspaper that his hands were shaking. What was a reward of an imperial pen? The emperor had given him so many other things!
"He did it on purpose, just to show me!" Hongxi roared and smashed things in the house, and the porcelain ornaments were shattered all over the floor.
That night, Qianlong received the secret letter sent from Zhengjiazhuang.
After reading it, he curled the corners of his lips and looked at Hongxiao and Yunxi who were sitting below, "You two should take a look too."
Yunxi and Hongxiao were summoned to the palace at this hour, and they were both very nervous.
Hongxiao took the letter first. Although he was a generation younger than Yunxi, he was a prince and sat closer to the emperor.
He scanned the contents of the letter at a glance and thought to himself that it was indeed him.
"Your Majesty, this man harbors evil intentions and must not be forgiven easily!" Hong Xiao immediately said indignantly.
He handed the letter to Yunxi as he spoke: "Uncle Twenty-first, you are in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Clan Court. You must convict Hongxi as soon as possible!"
Yunxi took the letter and read it quickly. He felt relieved at first, because it turned out that the discussions in the capital were instigated by someone.
That's good. As long as the culprit is found, the emperor will not vent his anger on him and Hongxiao.
"Your Majesty, I will take people to Zhengjiazhuang to capture Hongxi!" After reading the letter, Yunxi stood up immediately.
Qianlong, however, was unhurried and raised his hand to signal him to sit down. "No hurry, no hurry. This charge is not good."
Arresting Hongxi for this matter made it seem like he cared a lot about those messages.
Moreover, even if Hongxi was imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, at most he would be charged with slandering the court and spreading rumors, which had nothing to do with treason. If the punishment was too severe, the imperial clan would say he was angry and petty.
Qianlong wanted to find a crime that could directly imprison Hongxi to death.
Considering how crazy this guy is, we can't wait much longer.
Qianlong had a smile on his lips, but Yunxi shrank his neck in fear.
How terrible! Yunxi was extremely grateful at this time. Khan Ama arranged for him to play with Hongli. He knew his temper very early.
Hongxi dared to provoke him because he didn't understand him. He thought he was a soft persimmon, but he didn't know that this soft persimmon was poisonous and touching it would be death.
Hongxiao was glad that his two brothers did not get involved with Hongxi. His sixteenth and seventeenth uncles helped him a lot, and he would definitely visit them to thank them later.
"You can see it too. I'm not looking for trouble with him. He's against me. I understand he hates me, but Yonglian is innocent! Why would he want to harm Yonglian? If I were a little narrow-minded, even if I didn't put all the blame on Yonglian, I would definitely vent my anger on him. Others would also think that Yonglian is a child who is more likely to cause trouble than help. This is disturbing the foundation of the country!"
Qianlong always felt a little scared when he thought of this. Hongxi's method seemed stupid, but it was actually extremely vicious.
"This person is so crazy that no normal person can understand him!" Hong Xiao said.
"And you and Hongxiao were also calculated by him." Qianlong said, looking at Hongxiao, "If Thirteenth Uncle hadn't pleaded for them, would they have been ignored by the Emperor for so many years? After Khan Ama ascended the throne, he treated him so well. Firstly, it was because of the Emperor's instructions, and secondly, it was because of Thirteenth Uncle's face. But what about him? How did he repay Thirteenth Uncle? I feel sorry for Thirteenth Uncle!"
When Hongxiao heard this, his eyes turned red. His father had indeed taken good care of Hongxi's family, which was why Hongchang and Hongtao were close to him, but now he was using this method to harm himself.
"Uncle Twenty-First is even more innocent," Qianlong said. "I think he is unhappy with his own life and wants the entire Aisin-Gioro family to be in chaos!"
"Hongxi has evil intentions and is guilty of heinous crimes!" Yunxi said sternly, "I will obey the emperor's orders and will punish this traitor on his behalf!"
Hong Xiao was not from the clan affairs office, so he did not need to show his loyalty. He just wiped his tears and said, "If this man is not severely punished, even my father will not be at peace in heaven."
Qianlong was very satisfied with the two men's behavior.
Dealing with Hongxi is much easier than how Khan Ama dealt with his eighth uncle back then.
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