Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Self-recommendation
In less than half a month, the Imperial Household Department made a pressure cooker according to Yonglian's description.
But the people from the Imperial Household Department repeatedly emphasized that this pot was very dangerous and that someone had to watch it while stewing meat. During their experiments, three or five of them had exploded.
A craftsman also had his hands burned by steam due to improper deflation operation.
When Yonglian found out, he sent five taels of silver and some medicinal herbs for treating burns.
Inventions and creations are bound to suffer losses, and we cannot ignore them. Otherwise, people will not take risks.
After many attempts at improvement by the Imperial Household Department, today's pressure cookers are much safer. They are similar to the pressure cookers that Emperor Yonglian saw later, but with slightly different materials.
Yonglian simply borrowed a stove from the imperial kitchen and asked the craftsmen from the Imperial Household Department to demonstrate how to use a pressure cooker.
The royal chefs also came to join in the fun.
Everyone didn't come to see the pressure cooker, they wanted to see the Second Prince.
Yonglian chatted with them with a smile and even tried the pickles they made.
Just as we were having fun, Li Yu came in hurriedly.
"My dear little ancestor, why are you here? The Emperor is very angry. Let you pass."
Yonglian: "...I'm here to inspect the pressure cooker." He told Ma Rui to keep an eye on it for him, and went to coax Khan Ama with Li Yu first.
"Do I need to tell you that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen?"
As soon as Qianlong saw Yonglian, he pulled his ear and asked.
Yonglian: "I didn't cook. I just wanted to see the effect of the pressure cooker."
"No matter what the reason is, you can't go there!" Qianlong said.
Yonglian obediently agreed and hurriedly diverted Khan Ama's attention. "I can smell the delicious aroma of the pork elbow that the Imperial Household Department just stewed. We can send some to Shoukang Palace and Ningshou Palace when it's done. The Imperial Madam said last time that Concubine Wenhui has bad teeth but loves meat, so she's best suited to a tender stewed pork elbow."
Concubine Wenhui was Kangxi's Concubine He. When Emperor Qianlong was brought into the palace, it was Concubine He and Concubine Tong who took care of him. Therefore, Emperor Qianlong was particularly caring towards these two concubines.
But Yonglian had little contact with these two elderly people, and Qianlong did not expect that he still knew how to respect them.
Qianlong's anger subsided a little, "You can't eat too much stewed pork elbow."
Yonglian nodded, "Of course, everyone can have a share and have a taste."
After a while, the stewed pork elbow was delivered, along with craftsmen from the Imperial Household Department and an imperial chef.
The stewed pork elbow cut into cubes in the small bowl had long been soaked in the soup, and the surface was amber-colored. Qianlong picked up the chopsticks and poked it lightly, and it sank into the soup, as if it had been stewed for two hours.
He picked it up and took a sip. The soup had been completely absorbed by him. The fat melted with just a sip, and the lean meat was not dry at all.
"That's right." Qianlong nodded and asked the staff at the Imperial Household Department, "How long has this pork elbow been stewed?"
"Your Majesty, less than an hour."
Qianlong looked at the imperial chef next to him and asked, "How long will it take for an ordinary pot?"
"Your Majesty, it will take at least two hours to stew such a tender pork elbow." The imperial chef said, "This pot is really useful." He looked at Yonglian beside him and said, "Second Prince is really smart."
Yonglian waved his hands quickly, "This was not invented by me, it was invented by foreigners."
"But foreigners have never presented such good things to our master!" said the royal chef.
Upon hearing this, Qianlong paused with his chopsticks that were about to pick up the second piece. From this, we can see that the foreigners did not send all the good things to the Qing Dynasty, and they might have hidden many new things.
Qianlong rewarded the Imperial Household Department and asked them to make three or five pressure cookers based on this model and distribute them to small kitchens.
Yonglian quickly added, "Be sure to remind the people in the small kitchens to be careful of burns when using them."
The people in the Imperial Household Department were busy responding.
Qianlong then ordered the kitchen to send the remaining pork elbows to Shoukang Palace, Ningshou Palace and Changchun Palace.
It was not until the two of them left that Yonglian remembered, "My son hasn't tasted it yet."
Qianlong: "Look at what you have achieved." Then he stuffed a piece of shaqima into his hand.
Yonglian: “…”
During the winter solstice sacrifice ceremony at the Taimiao, Yonglian told the Emperor Mafa's spirit about the pressure cooker being used in the palace.
When Qianlong saw his son swallowing his saliva while describing the stewed pork elbow, he couldn't help laughing.
After Yongzheng understood the principle of the pot, he began to ponder, "Since steam is so powerful, can it be made into a steam cannon?"
It’s no wonder that after Papin invented the pressure cooker, he tried various steam-powered devices, including the steam cannon.
Yonglian said, "We can let the people from the Imperial Household Department try it, but my grandson thinks that the advantage of steam power over other power sources is that it lasts a long time. As long as there is charcoal burning underneath, it will work."
Qianlong was listening nearby. He was never very interested in such topics.
Yongzheng began to use his imagination, "So? It can replace the waterwheel?"
Yonglian couldn't wait to applaud Huang Mafa, saying happily, "This is a great idea! I'll tell the craftsmen at the Imperial Household Department when I get back!" He also offered Huang Mafa some ideas, "Maybe it can even replace horses."
Qianlong, who was standing beside him, couldn't stand it any longer. "You are just daydreaming. You are just dreaming."
Yonglian puffed out his cheeks, "No way."
Yongzheng laughed. "Replacing horses is indeed a bit difficult, but it's not impossible. Go back and discuss this steam power with your Sixteenth Uncle and Hai Wang. They'll be able to come up with a solution."
Yonglian agreed, "Your Majesty, please help us think about it!"
Qianlong: "Hmm? Trouble you again, Your Majesty!"
Yongzheng readily agreed, "I have nothing to do here, so I can think about these things. However, I don't have paper or pen, so I can only imagine."
"It would be great if my grandson could come more often so I can help you draw," Yonglian said.
"That won't do. You have to study hard." Yongzheng said.
Yongzheng also asked about the recent situation of Hongxiao, Hongzhou and others.
Yonglian praised Hongluo to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Sixth uncle is very smart and has a talent for languages. He has learned a lot of Mongolian after playing with Balzhuer and the others for a few days."
Yongzheng was very happy to hear this. "Since he has talent in this area, we should focus on training him. There is a translation department in the palace, and there are many tasks in the Lifanyuan that require people like him."
Yonglian relayed this to Emperor Qianlong, who smiled and said, "I've taken note of this, my son. I'll arrange a Mongolian language teacher for Hongzhou later." He glanced at Yonglian and said, "It's time for you to learn Mongolian, too."
Yonglian said, "Let Balzhuer teach us directly, so we don't have to hire a master."
Qianlong: "He can teach you to speak, but may not be able to teach you to write." Learning Mongolian is not just about learning a language, but also about learning Mongolian history and culture, so that you can deal with Manchu-Mongolian issues more easily in the future.
Within two days, a Mongolian language teacher was arranged for Yonglian and his colleagues. The teacher was Shuhede, who was the Deputy Chief Censor at the time.
Shuhede was born in the Zhengbai Banner. His grandfather Xu Yuanmeng taught the princes of the Yin generation. After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he was given the title of Shangshu, but he was over 80 years old and only attended court as a mascot during festivals.
Shuhede had been in charge of clerical work during the reign of the previous emperor. He was fluent in Manchu, Chinese, and Mongolian, and was a strict and conscientious person. He was the kind of loyal minister that the previous emperor would have liked.
Qianlong had high regard for him, but he was not very close to him. However, he was very confident in having him teach Mongolian to the princes.
Yonglian's eyes lit up when he saw Shuhede; he was a powerful figure! During the suppression of the Hezhuo brothers, it was Shuhede who orchestrated the rescue of Zhaohui, who was trapped in the Black Water River. He was also involved in the suppression of the Zunghar Rebellion and the Burmese Expedition. Although he was twice punished for his self-willed actions, he eventually became a member of the Grand Council and a prominent Manchu official.
Every time Shu Hede met the Second Prince's admiring gaze, he suspected he had misjudged him. After all, he hadn't made any significant progress yet. Even in the classes of great scholars like Fang Bao, the Second Prince's performance was quite average.
Later, after talking with Agui and Aligun, he realized that the Second Prince also looked at them in the same way. Agui also said that although the Second Prince was not very good at memorizing, he often asked some very insightful questions.
"In the past, even if the prince didn't ask these questions, the master would still have to answer them. But now only the second prince can ask them on his own initiative," said Shuhede.
Agui likes both princes very much. "This just shows that the second prince is not simple and can take the initiative to discover these problems."
Aligun said, "Second Prince also asked me some questions about firearms and marching formations before, some of which I really couldn't answer."
Everyone knew the Second Prince's identity. Therefore, he couldn't be raised as just another prince. He couldn't just be taught by rote memorization; he needed to be taught in detail, including the imperial edicts of past dynasties and the Zizhi Tongjian. However, these were supposed to be part of the Chinese language curriculum, and it was Prince Zhen who taught the eldest and second princes. Agui and Shuhede were well aware of this man's abilities. While Aligun himself wasn't well-versed in literature, he knew that the Emperor's youngest son was a man who could profit from trouble.
Ah Gui looked at Shu Hede and said, "Brother Shu, you are well versed in classics and history. Why don't you offer to teach the two princes Chinese?"
Shu Hede smiled. "I'm a clerk by birth, unlike you who passed the imperial examination. When it comes to Chinese classics and history, you're more proficient. Why don't you recommend yourself?"
Aligun: "I won't join in the fun. I can recommend you two."
Shuhede and Agui said in unison: "Don't!" The prince's teachers cannot form a group, and the teachers of the prince in the inner court cannot form a group even more.
In the end, it was the older Shuhede who went to see Qianlong and expressed his willingness to teach the eldest and second princes Chinese classics and history.
Shuhede was a man who was always outspoken and was known as a "tough guy" in the court. When Qianlong heard him bluntly say that Yunmi was not good at studying, he felt a little unhappy, but he didn't say anything.
Yunmi was originally a temporary master. Qianlong was looking for a new candidate. There were many knowledgeable Han officials in the court, but Qianlong had limited trust in them, and those he trusted held important positions.
He didn't expect Shuhede to come and recommend himself.
Qianlong, who always valued the Manchus over the Han, was very happy and agreed immediately.
Yonghuang and Yonglian were also very happy when they learned about it. But their happiness soon faded. The homework assigned by Master Shuhede was much more difficult than that assigned by the twenty-fourth uncle, and he was very strict about handwriting. If the handwriting was not neat, he would severely criticize them.
The four young boys were very well behaved, and when criticized, they would go back and rewrite their work. Yonglian was a sweet talker, and when he saw his master's beard sticking up in anger, he would smile and say a few nice things.
When Shuhede went to visit her grandfather, Xu Yuanmeng asked her if it was hard to be a teacher to the princes. Shuhede said it was not hard at all and she even enjoyed it.
"The two princes and their study companions are more sensible than the young masters of ordinary wealthy families, and they don't have the slightest bit of arrogance."
Xu Yuanmeng thought of the Crown Prince Yinreng who had dared to hit him, and patted his grandson on the shoulder, "Okay, okay, you are very lucky to have met a good master. You must teach him wholeheartedly."
By the end of the year, every small kitchen in the palace had a pressure cooker, and Qianlong began to reward the princes and nobles of the royal family. Still following the old routine, he only rewarded those close to him. If the rest of the people wanted one, they could go to Xinji to buy it, and the quantity was limited.
In order to encourage everyone to brainstorm and utilize steam power, Yonglian introduced the pressure cooker in the "Guochao News" and drew a comic strip to show the power of steam.
At the same time, people in the Imperial Household Department were also thinking about how to use steam power in other places.
During the Chinese New Year, Yonglian once again accompanied Qianlong to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao. After reporting the success of the pressure cooker to Yongzheng, Yonglian began to direct and act in the show himself.
"Huh? Huang Mafa, wait a minute, I'll go get some paper and pen."
Qianlong: "What does your Majesty want you to paint?"
"The Emperor said he designed a steam engine," Yonglian said, "let me draw it based on his description."
Qianlong immediately sent for paper and pen, while Yongzheng couldn't help but be curious, "Yonglian, where did you go in your previous life? How come you have so many good things?"
Yonglian:!!!
"No need to answer, no need to answer, the Royal Mafa is just an exclamation."
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