Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Too Unconfident
Upon hearing this, Yonglian looked up at Khan Ama and said, "My son is still here, why did you say that?"
Qianlong raised his hand and pressed it on the top of his head. "There's nothing wrong with letting you know this. He's just a prince."
I was directly named Prince Bao by Khan Ama. I didn't have any merits at that time, but I participated in several sacrifices on behalf of Khan Ama.
Although Yonglian was young, he had done a lot, so it was not an exaggeration to confer him the title of prince. However, he still had a long way to go in the future, and it would not be good to achieve everything in one go. Therefore, Qianlong left some room for him to rise.
After Yonglian becomes an official in the court, he will be promoted.
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng's spirit couldn't help but laugh, "A prince is good, then make him a prince."
Yonglian frowned and said, "I am embarrassed to tell my grandson what you said."
"What do you want to say?" Qianlong asked.
"The Emperor has said that he should be granted the title of Prince." Yonglian's voice became lower.
"Why do you look unhappy when I give you the title of Prince? Do you want to be a prince?" Qianlong asked when he saw his son's wrinkled face.
Yonglian said quickly, "I'm not unhappy, it's just a little sudden. Actually, the credit for the steam engine can't be attributed to me."
"What about the newspapers? And the Huimin Canteen." Qianlong reminded his son because he was too unconfident.
Yonglian: "I'm not involved much with the newspaper. Uncle Hongxiao takes care of most things. The Huimin Canteen is a small matter, but it's getting on track now. I only check in on it two or three times a month."
Qianlong felt that the child was too modest and was even more satisfied.
Yonglian still had a worry that he didn't say out loud. Now that he was a prince, what would happen to his elder brother?
Soon, Yongzheng's spirit asked for him, "We can't forget Yonghuang either. His mother died young, so pitiful for him."
Yonglian hurriedly passed on the message, "Give my eldest brother the title of Prince as well!"
Qianlong: "Can the title of Prince be given just like that?"
Yonglian: "Big brother urged me to memorize the book, which is also a credit. Moreover, he is very filial to you and the Empress Dowager, and often takes care of other brothers and sisters."
He really wanted to say that the Emperor made you and your fifth uncle princes back then, but you two had no merits at all!
Qianlong said to Yongzheng's spirit, "Look at this child. He always wants to drag his elder brother into everything he does. If Yongzhang hadn't entered the Shangshufang yet, he would have wanted to take Yongzhang with him as well."
Yongzheng said, "I learned this from you. I always involve Hong Zhou in everything I do."
Yonglian smiled and immediately passed the message.
Qianlong: “…”
Qianlong had no choice but to agree. His original intention was to confer the title of Beizi on Yonghuang, but he thought that the child had good character and was hardworking enough. In a few years, when he would be old enough to serve in the court, he would be given the title of a Prince. He would have people under him and it would be easier for him to do things in the court.
On the third day of the second month, Hai Guiren gave birth to a son and named him Yongqi.
The child was born healthy and well-behaved, and Emperor Qianlong loved her very much. That same month, he decreed that Concubine Hai be given the title of Concubine Yu.
Yonglian only saw his younger brother when little Yongqi was one month old. Yongqi was a chubby white baby with a pair of black and bright eyes. He was not afraid of meeting people and babbled in baby talk.
Yonghuang and Yonglian couldn't help but hug the baby in his swaddling clothes, and the two brothers generously gave their younger brother many toys.
Yongsheng was a little unhappy when he saw his older brothers and sisters hugging his younger brother. He pouted and burst into tears.
The Queen hurried to hug Yongsheng, "What happened to the Fourth Prince?"
“My brothers and sisters don’t like me anymore and don’t hug me anymore, wuwu…” Little Yongcheng speaks quite fluently now.
The Queen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. When the Imperial Concubine and the others nearby heard this, they all quickly expressed that they liked little Yongsheng.
The Queen Mother also quickly reached out and asked the Queen to hand Yongsheng to her.
When little Yongcheng arrived in the Queen Mother's arms, she teased him, "It's not that your brothers and sisters don't like you, it's that you've grown up and become chubby, and they don't have enough strength to hold you."
Yonglian heard his fourth brother crying and came to comfort him, "That's right, why wouldn't we like you? Didn't we help you fold little frogs yesterday?"
Little Yongcheng was stunned for a moment, then remembered how his three older brothers had taught him how to fold paper yesterday and how much fun they had. He immediately stopped crying and said, "If only, if only I had never grown up."
"Why?" the Queen Mother asked with a smile.
"This way my brothers can hug me more often." Yongcheng said aggrievedly.
Everyone laughed, and Jiapin said that Yongsheng was a lazy child. He walked very steadily, but he just wanted to be held.
Last year, because Jiapin's father was somewhat negligent in handling the salt business, Qianlong ordered him to return to Beijing, and his favor for Jiapin also faded a little. As a result, his attention to Yongsheng also decreased.
When he heard that the child was lazy, he ordered Jiapin to teach him well and to reason with him instead of indulging him.
Jiapin was very depressed. She felt that her and her son's status in the emperor's heart had declined, which was somewhat due to her father's involvement.
Just look at Concubine Gao, who remained in favor despite having no children. Besides her ability to please the Emperor and Empress, the more important reason was her father, Gao Bin, a man of exceptional ability and high regard. Her cousin, Gao Jin, now oversees interviews for the National Dynasty News, interacting with prominent scholars and high-ranking officials, and his future is limitless.
Although both of them were bondservants of the Imperial Household Department, the gap between his family and the Gao family became increasingly larger.
She asked someone to tell her brothers at home to be more restrained, especially the one who was in charge of Xinji's Jinding, not to ruin the family's future for a few pieces of silver.
Xinji's business is getting bigger and bigger, and Jinding doesn't need to be greedy to make a lot of money.
Especially last year, Prince's glasses shop could customize glasses according to the goggles, and more and more people went there to get glasses.
Although custom-made glasses are expensive, they are very useful. At the end of the year, when local officials came to Beijing to report on their work, many of them went to Xinji specifically to get their glasses fitted.
This year, the glass factory has also produced some colored glassware. During the Chinese New Year, glass products will be on the gift list for each family.
There are also pressure cookers, which are now used by all the noble families in Beijing, and restaurants also buy pressure cookers instead of casseroles.
The only drawback is that the pressure cooker is a little dangerous to use. Occasionally, people get scalded due to improper operation, and Lai Xin Ji has to pay compensation.
Jinding was inevitably overwhelmed in dealing with this dispute, so he blamed the responsibility on the craftsman who made the pressure cooker.
When Yonglian went to see the progress of the steam locomotive, he heard the craftsman talk about this and laughed, "This is a simple matter. When you sell pressure cookers in the future, include an instruction manual. If there are any problems due to improper operation again, it will not be Xinji's responsibility."
The craftsmen all thought this method was good, and in the future, every steam engine sold must be accompanied by instructions for use.
The Imperial Household Department had already built the locomotive, which was the most difficult part. The next step was to lay a track for a trial run.
There was obviously not enough space in the palace, so Yonglian discussed with Qianlong to lay railway tracks in Nanyuan.
Nanyuan is very suitable because it is large and there are not many houses around, making it suitable for construction.
Qianlong agreed, and the Imperial Household Department allocated a sum of money for this purpose.
Yunlu grumbled to Qianlong that the steam engine was good, but too expensive. They hadn't seen much profit yet, and the investment had already cost several thousand taels.
Qianlong was also distressed. This was just the beginning. If the steam locomotive trial run was successful, they would later lay a railway between the two cities. That would be a major project. Where would the money come from? Normally, the money should come from the Ministry of Revenue, after all, it was for the people.
But the silver in the Ministry of Revenue is the life-saving money of the people, and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue will not take it out easily.
Qianlong became worried when he thought about the myriad ways the court would spend money in the future.
The most important thing at the moment is to promote the steam engine. In mid-March, Emperor Qianlong performed the ploughing ceremony in person at the Old Summer Palace.
Yonghuang, Yonglian, Hongzhou, Yongbi and three Mongolian children all came to participate.
Qianlong paid attention to agricultural work, but he himself had no interest in farming. Sowing seeds was just a performance for his ministers.
The children worked very hard, and Yonglian even demonstrated to the officials how to use the water pump.
This was the first time for many officials to see steam engine irrigation and they were amazed.
Several princes and military ministers walked around the water pump, looked at it, and asked about its principle.
Qianlong asked Yonghuang and Yonglian to speak.
The two children spoke very clearly, and occasionally Yunlu and Haiwang added a few words.
Li Wei said, "This pump is very useful during droughts. It is truly a good thing that benefits people now and for generations to come."
Zhang Tingyu nodded. "Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia are often hit by droughts, and they need this kind of machine."
Sun Jiagan, the governor of Zhili, petitioned Emperor Qianlong to provide a few steam pumps to the Zhili region this year.
"There are still six or seven water pumps in the Imperial Household Department, which are used for spring plowing this year. But the cost of these machines is not low..." said Qianlong.
We can't give so many steam engines away for free. If we only send them to the Zhili government office, other places will see the benefits and come to the Imperial Household Department to ask for them. Will the Imperial Household Department give them to them?
There are more than a dozen units in each province, which adds up to more than a hundred units. The cost is not a small amount.
Sun Jiagan thought about it and said, "Well, I will first use the money from the Zhili government to buy Wutai and have people take it to various places in Zhili to help the people irrigate the land."
Qianlong was very satisfied with this method, but Yonglian asked: "Will you collect money from the people?"
Sun Jiagan thought about it and realized that the Zhili government couldn't possibly do charity every year. After all, the runners had to be paid. "Collect them, but don't charge too much. Make sure the people can afford it."
Yonglian finally nodded and said, "You can charge according to the area of the land. But the people below may not be so honest. If you say you charge ten cents, they may ask for twenty cents. How can we solve this problem?"
Nearby, a group of old men from the Grand Council nodded frequently as they listened. Li Wei said, "Second Prince's concerns are not without reason."
Sun Jiagan thought about it and realized that it was nothing more than letting the village heads supervise each other.
Yonglian asked again, "What if the village head and the police are colluding?"
Sun Jiagan: “…”
Qianlong then coughed lightly and said, "Yonglian, my sons and grandsons will have their own way to deal with this matter. You don't need to worry about it."
Yonglian smiled, "My son actually wants to help Lord Sun. He can advertise this irrigation project in the newspaper and clearly mark the price. If the officials raise the price without authorization, the people will immediately find out and have the right to report it to the authorities. Although this cannot completely prevent it, it can be avoided as soon as possible."
Everyone agreed that Yonglian's idea was a good one, and Qianlong nodded. He found Hongxiao in the crowd and said, "You and Sun Jiagan should discuss how to write the advertisement. When this is implemented in other provinces in the future, it should be handled in the same way."
Hongxiao agreed.
Qianlong plowed the land twice as a token of his gratitude, and then went to the shade of a tree with several elderly officials to write poems to encourage farming.
Yonghuang and others experienced farming for the first time. Although it was very tiring, they were full of energy and said they would plant all the remaining land in the mountains and rivers.
Qianlong was sitting not far away, writing poems and observing the children. His lazy son was also working very hard at this moment. His chubby face was flushed with heat, and his sleeves and trouser legs were rolled up, looking like he was working.
Yonghuang was also working diligently, stopping from time to time to wipe the sweat off his face.
Hongzhou and Yongbi were just playing around, and the two of them combined couldn't work as fast as Yonghuang alone.
The three Mongolian children, Balzhuer and Dadu, who were both in good health, were busy farming, while Alawangbu was trying to fish in troubled waters and ran off to talk to Hongluo and Yongbi after a while.
After the ploughing ceremony was over, Qianlong asked the children how they felt today. Alawangbu wrote a long poem to encourage farming, but the children who worked honestly could not say anything.
Yonglian held the cup of water and slurped it, too tired to talk.
Qianlong couldn't help but think that if he hadn't observed how the children worked and only listened to their reports, he would have thought that Alawangbu did the best job.
Although Qianlong himself often spoke nicely, he also knew that people who talked less and did more were worthy of being reused.
He asked the children to go back and rest. Yonglian walked into the depths of the cave and remembered something, so he decided to go to the Imperial Household Department.
Because the masters spent more than half of the year in the Old Summer Palace, the Imperial Household Department also set up a courtyard here.
Moreover, the place here is bigger and there are more people.
When Yonglian went there, he wanted to discuss with them the steam plow, which was a simplified version of a tractor.
But when they arrived at the Imperial Household Department, they saw Haiwang, Yunlu and several uncles with the surname Hong all there, discussing how to use steam power to replace oxen.
Yonglian happily joined the discussion.
In the evening, Qianlong learned that Yonglian, Haiwang and others were discussing things in the Imperial Household Department, and he was a little unhappy.
Yonglian performed well at the plowing ceremony today. Are these people trying to curry favor with him? Haiwang and Yunlu are not to be mentioned; they're both very familiar with Yonglian. So what are Hongchang and Hongming doing here?
Chen Fu didn't understand what everyone was discussing, so he just repeated the original words he remembered to the Emperor. He mainly reported what the Second Prince said, but what the Second Prince said was particularly difficult to remember.
Qianlong got a headache whenever he heard words like pressure and leverage. It was like listening to a foreign language.
Qianlong couldn't help but think back to when he was a prince. If he had the opportunity to come into contact with royal princes, the first thing he would do would be to find out more news from the court and guess the Khan's attitude.
Those people also took the opportunity to curry favor, revealing some information they wanted to know, or assigning people they trusted to important tasks.
When it was Yonglian's turn, they gathered together and chatted for a long time, but didn't say a word about the court.
Qianlong couldn't help but worry about his silly son. This kid seemed to have no interest in power at all.
Anyone who wants to be an emperor in the future may not be interested in other things, but he must be interested in power!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
