Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Grand Scene
If Yonglian wanted to go to the Taimiao, he would of course need Qianlong's consent.
Qianlong agreed without hesitation and said, "I'll take you there during the winter solstice."
Yonglian did not expect to be able to speak to the Emperor alone, as Khan Ama would not agree.
Qianlong couldn't help but be curious, "What do you want to say to your Majesty?"
"My son heard from a missionary that someone in the West invented a pot that can cook meat until tender in a shorter time."
Qianlong: "Pot?"
Yonglian nodded and explained the principle of the pressure cooker to Khan Ama on the spot.
He had long ago asked Western painters about the steam engine indirectly, but these people didn't know much. Only one of them mentioned the Papin jar, which was the prototype of the pressure cooker.
Yonglian planned to first have a pressure cooker made to let everyone know about steam power. Then he would tell Huang Mafa about it and lie that it was Huang Mafa who invented the steam engine based on the principle of the pressure cooker.
"Then you just draw the blueprints and let the Imperial Household Department design them. Why are you asking your Majesty for help?" His father and son loved to tinker with these little things, and Qianlong inexplicably felt tired as if he was the only one doing the real work.
Yonglian said, "My son can't draw the blueprint yet. I need to discuss it with Huang Mafa." Because those missionaries had never seen a pan, how to make a sealed jar and how to make a pressure-limiting valve were all problems. It would seem realistic only if they discussed the answers with Huang Mafa.
Qianlong: "...Why bother your Majesty with such a small matter? It would be the same if I discussed it with the Imperial Household Department." He thought for a moment and said, "Your sixteenth uncle is free now, you can talk to him."
Yonglian was delighted to have more helpers. "Then I'll go find Sixteenth Uncle first. Once we've discussed it, I'll go find the Empress Dowager and announce the good news."
Qianlong said, "In two days I will go to Nanyuan to review the troops. You brothers should come with me. Then you will be able to see your sixteenth uncle."
"Military parade! Are there any new flintlock rifles?" Yonglian was curious.
"Currently, only the Firearms Battalion has been equipped with new flintlock rifles," Qianlong said. "The elite Eight Banner troops should still rely primarily on horseback archery." He patted Yonglian on the head and said, "Practice hard these days. You can't always rely on your fourth uncle."
Yonglian: "...Yes, so just admit in front of the princes and ministers that your son's riding and shooting skills are average. Everyone will know about it sooner or later."
Qianlong hit his son on the head in frustration and said, "Aren't you afraid that people will laugh at you?" Khan Ama was not good at riding or shooting, and was often laughed at by the Manchu and Mongolian nobles.
Yonglian: "You said it all before, everyone has their own strengths. I know what others don't know."
"Wait until your brothers are older." With more people, someone could help Yonglian get a better score. It wouldn't seem so embarrassing. Now, only Yonghuang and Yonglian were being compared. Yonglian's original score of six was reduced to three.
Yonglian was stunned for a moment before he understood Khan Ama's train of thought. He was speechless for a long while, "How can you be sure that your brother's riding and archery skills are not as good as mine? What if he is also very good?"
Qianlong was annoyed: "Yongzhang is five years younger than you, Yongcheng is nine years younger than you. You can't compare to Yonghuang, who is older than you, so how can you compare to these children?"
Yonglian: “…”
Yonglian was shocked by Khan Ama's tolerance towards him. Since that was the case, he just lay down with peace of mind!
Before going to Nanyuan, Qianlong first brought the empress dowager back to the palace.
Next month will be the winter solstice and the Empress Dowager’s birthday, and officials and ladies will have to go to the palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
After settling his mother down, Qianlong took his two sons to Nanyuan, and the three Mongolian children also followed.
Dadu was eager to try. He was now proficient in using the musket, and he was even better at archery and horse riding.
Alawangbu was a little nervous, which was his weakness.
Balzhuer remained calm, even more eager for the grand spectacle of the military parade. He'd heard from his elders how, during the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the elite troops of the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia would arrive at the Mulan Hunt each year, their armor gleaming, each chasing the other. The prey would be brought back in cartloads, and the banner with the most prey would be the proud winner for the entire year.
It is a pity that the late emperor did not participate in the Mulan Hunt. When Prince Yi was alive, he would occasionally go to the grassland to meet with Mongolian princes. But without the emperor, everyone's fighting spirit is not as strong as before.
Although this time it was just a hunt in Nanyuan, all the elite troops of the Eight Banners were present, and many Mongolian princes and nobles also came when they rushed to Beijing to pay their New Year's greetings.
Balzhuer was happy just thinking about the fact that he could see his father and brothers again.
There were not many rooms in the Nanyuan Palace. On the first day, Yonghuang, Yonglian and Hongzhou slept together. The next day, when Yonglian woke up, he found out that Yonghuang and Hongzhou had both suffered from insomnia.
Yonghuang was used to his own bed, while Hongzhou complained that his nephew always squeezed him.
When Qianlong learned about this, he decided to let Yonglian stay with him. There was an empty bed in his room, so he gave it to Yonglian to sleep in. After all, this kid could fall asleep anywhere.
On the first day of November, Emperor Qianlong took his clan members and several children on a hunt.
With the help of his fourth uncle, Yonglian shot a deer and two rabbits.
At night, while eating barbecue, Yonglian went to his sixteenth uncle and told him about his design. He explained the terms boiling point and air pressure to Yunlu in more understandable terms.
With a basic knowledge of mathematics and physics, it was easy for Yunlu to understand the pressure cooker.
"This thing isn't that difficult to make. It just requires a sealed jar and a degassing device."
Yonglian nodded. "It's very important to release the air, otherwise this pot might explode."
Yunlu expressed his doubt, "Can water vapor have such great power?"
Yonglian didn't dare to say it too confidently, "We'll know when the Imperial Household Department makes this pot."
Yunlu nodded. "Since the boiling temperature of water is related to the surrounding pressure, this ratio can perhaps be expressed numerically. I heard from missionaries that foreigners use numbers to represent temperature, like Fahrenheit. I'll go back and ask them. In my opinion, there's no need to rush to have the Imperial Household Department make one. Just have the merchant ships going to Europe bring one back. It's just a pot, not some precious national treasure that can't be shown to others."
Yonglian shook his head. "No, I want to try whether the meat cooked in the Pa Ping pot is really as tender as the missionaries said. If it is, wouldn't the imperial kitchen save a lot of charcoal?"
Yunlu thought, how could the imperial kitchen possibly be short of this little bit of charcoal? "You're just greedy!"
The next day, early in the morning, the elite troops of the Eight Banners of Manchu, Mongolian and Han in the capital gathered in Nanyuan.
Emperor Qianlong also put on armor, carried a sword and a bow, and personally mounted a horse to test the bow. He hit all five targets, drawing cheers from the soldiers.
Afterwards, he, under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of War, rode on horseback to review the Eight Banners Army formation. From the Left Wing Cavalry Battalion, the Guard Battalion, the Vanguard Battalion, to the Firearms Battalion, each elite unit was in full formation, their military appearance in perfect order.
The drill officially began! Mongolian horns blew first, followed by the echoing of conch shells from the audience, echoing throughout the army. Three cannon shots followed, and war drums beat, signaling the army's advance. The soldiers, holding their antlers, paused every ten feet to change formation. A wave of the red flag led to a deafening volley of musket and artillery fire. Finally, accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums, the entire army stood in silence.
This was repeated nine times. On the tenth time, the firearms battalion fired in succession. The sound of gunfire was continuous and the scene was shocking.
It was the first time for the young princes and ministers to see such a scene. The children such as Yonghuang, Yonglian, Hongzhou were even more shocked and overwhelmed by the spectacular sight.
Even though Yonglian knew that this might just be a show and did not represent the general level of the Eight Banners elite, and that many garrison soldiers were not even good at archery, he could not suppress his excitement at this moment.
The drill ended, the band played majestic military music, and the soldiers took off their armor and returned to camp.
In the evening, Emperor Qianlong gave a banquet with fifty tables for each flag, and the scene was very lively.
Yonglian thought that Khan Ama was a professional when it came to making grand scenes.
He had to keep reminding himself so as not to be fooled by such a grand occasion.
Yonghuang, Hongzhou, Balzhuer and others were also very excited and were discussing today's firearms at the banquet.
Yonglian couldn't help but remind him, "Today, the Firearms Battalion only has a few hundred flintlock rifles, and many garrison soldiers haven't even used matchlock rifles yet."
Everyone: “…”
"Sooner or later, the garrison soldiers in various places will be equipped with the latest flintlock rifles." Yonghuang said.
Yonglian sighed, "Making a flintlock requires iron and flint, and the cost is much higher than a matchlock."
Hong Zhou asked, "Nephew, are you saying that the court is short of money?"
"It's not that we are short of money. The national treasury is full now. But the money in the national treasury is the life-saving money of the people. If we invest all of it in firearms and equipment, the people will suffer." Yonglian said.
After he said this, several young boys started thinking.
Hong Zhou held his chin and sighed, "When will I be able to go to the West to sell shaqima?"
The others couldn't help but laugh when they heard it.
"Sixth Uncle is really obsessed with Shaqima."
It was the middle of winter, so the banquet did not last long.
Yonglian followed Qianlong back to the imperial tent. After washing up, Qianlong wanted to talk to his son about today's military parade, but the little boy fell on the bed without taking off his clothes and was about to fall asleep.
Qianlong grabbed the man and kicked him on the butt. "How can you be so rude? Go wash your face and feet!"
Yonglian: “…”
After washing up, Yonglian came back and watched Khan Ama write a poem before he was allowed to go to bed.
After staying in Nanyuan for three days, everyone returned to the palace.
Qianlong, Hongzhou, and Hongluo brought Yonghuang and Yonglian to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, and Qianlong read his own poems to her.
Yonglian found it funny watching from the side. Khan Ama was like a little kid asking for praise in front of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager actually didn't quite understand, but she just gave a few words of encouragement and Qianlong was very happy.
The Queen Mother then asked about the harvest of the three Mongolian children.
Someone had reported this to Emperor Qianlong, who said, "Dadu has the most prey, followed by Balzhuer."
The Queen Mother quickly spoke up for Balzhuer, "Dadu is a few years older than the remaining two children, so he's naturally better at riding and shooting."
Everyone could see the Queen Mother's preference for Balzhuer, so Hong Zhou laughed and said, "What the Queen Mother said is true, and choosing a prince consort is not choosing the top martial arts scholar."
Before he finished speaking, Hongzhou asked in surprise: "Prince-in-law? Who do you want to choose as Prince-in-law?"
Everyone then realized that Hongzhou still didn't know why Balzhuer and the others were kept in the inner court.
Hong Zhou hurriedly said: "It's none of your business, kids don't need to know."
Hongzhou already had the answer in his little head. "So it's about choosing a husband for Niu Lun! I think Alawangbu is good. He likes reading poetry and is a good match for Niu Lun."
The Queen Mother couldn't help but knock on his head, "You are so young, how can you know what a good match is?"
Yonghuang and Yonglian also embarrassed themselves in front of their sixth uncle.
After a while of chatting and laughing with the Empress Dowager, Hongzhou returned to the palace, while Qianlong took Yonghuang and Yonglian to Changchun Palace to meet the Empress.
When he didn't see his daughter during the greetings, Qianlong asked, "Where is Niu Lun?"
The empress leaned close to Qianlong's ear and whispered, "Someone just came from the Imperial Household Department and said that Dadu had sent two fox skins he had hunted to be made into a fox cloak for Niu Lun. The little girl heard this and hid away in shame."
Qianlong: "Who allowed this brat to act on his own initiative and show his courtesy so recklessly?"
Yonghuang and Yonglian hurriedly asked what was going on. Qianlong was afraid that the two boys would tease Niu Lun about this, so he didn't tell them. He just said, "Go to the back and play with your sister. See what poems she has recited recently."
The two thought that their father and mother were going to tell them an important secret, so they agreed and went to the back.
The Queen advised Qianlong, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. This at least shows that Mingdadu values the princess."
Qianlong knew this, but he was very conflicted. On the one hand, he hoped that his son-in-law would value and be considerate to Niu Lun, but on the other hand, he didn't want them to be too proactive. What if they deceived his precious daughter's heart without his knowledge?
"This kid Dadu is too opinionated and too eager. I don't like it." He looked at the queen, "You should have ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to return the prey to Dadu."
The Queen smiled and said, "That's what I ordered. Even if the Imperial Household Department really made the cloak, Niu Lun wouldn't wear it. Why waste it?"
Qianlong couldn't help but pat the queen on the arm. This is called telepathy.
"What else did Niu Lun say besides being shy?" Qianlong was curious about his daughter's attitude.
"She just blushed and said she didn't want it, then ran away," said the queen.
Qianlong couldn't help laughing, "Our daughter is still sensible." He also instructed the queen not to let Niu Lun come into contact with the three Mongolian children, and especially to be on guard against Dadu.
At this time, Balzhuer was also hesitating about what to do with the skins he had hunted.
His first thought was to send him back to Mongolia to honor his parents, but his father and brothers had gone on the hunting trip this time and had a good harvest, so he shouldn't need this little bit of stuff.
Let him make his own clothes, he won’t be able to use them all.
Balzhuer was pacing around the room when he saw the dagger that the queen mother had given him.
The Queen Mother treated them very well, just like her own grandmother, and occasionally had snacks sent to them.
Otherwise, you can give these skins as a gift to the Queen Mother.
It was not too late at this time, so Balzhuer took the processed leather to Shoukang Palace himself.
When he was leaving, he wanted to ask his two friends if they wanted to go, but Dadu and Alawangbu said they had already been sent out. Balzhuer assumed they had sent their families off and went to see the Queen Mother alone.
The next day, when Emperor Qianlong was paying his respects to the Empress Dowager, he learned of this and laughed heartily with satisfaction, "He is indeed a child that both mother and son love."
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