Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Conferred the Title of Prince
Yonghuang was at a loss for words and pulled away Yonglian's arms. "I'm doing this for your own good. I'm not harming you by asking you to endorse the book."
Yonglian hummed: "Khan Ama is not so strict with me." Although Khan Ama still often disliked him, he would only nag him a few times and would not force him to recite the same thing over and over again.
Yonghuang sighed with a stern air, "You're not studying for Khan Ama."
"I know you want to say that I'm studying for my own sake, but I'm not taking the imperial examination, and I probably won't be working in the Imperial Calligraphy Office of the Hanlin Academy in the future. There's no need to be so serious about it." Yonglian said with a bitter face.
Yonghuang thought for a moment and said, "You're not reading for yourself, you're reading for the people of the world."
Yonglian: "??? Why are there matters concerning the common people in this?"
Yonghuang saw that his brother looked confused and had a complicated expression.
Yonglian finally realized what was going on and lowered his voice to ask, "Brother, did anyone tell you something?"
Yonghuang nodded. "I heard it was decided a few years ago. Did you know that?" Without waiting for Yonglian's reply, he continued, "Indeed, at the time, Khan-Ama only had three sons. Yongzhang was too young, so it was just you and me..."
"Brother, um... we are now implementing the secret succession policy, if you want..." Although Yonglian felt that his elder brother was too honest and would be easily fooled as the emperor, if he himself did not become the crown prince, and other brothers competed for the position, his elder brother would still have an advantage as the eldest brother, so it was not impossible for him to compete.
"What do you mean?" Yonghuang opened his eyes wide.
"What I mean is that as long as Khan Ama is not satisfied with me, he can still secretly change the will." Yonglian said in a low voice.
Yonghuang: "Then why do you want to make Khan Ama unhappy?"
Yonglian: “…”
Yonghuang couldn't help but comfort his brother again, "You've done very well. Khan Ama is very satisfied with you most of the time. It's just that you should work harder on your studies and horse riding and archery."
Yonglian moved his lips. Some things were difficult to explain to his elder brother. He couldn't say that he had no confidence in living longer than Khan Ama.
"But human energy is limited, and it is really difficult for me to take care of everything." Yonglian showed an aggrieved expression.
Upon hearing this, Yonghuang immediately softened his heart. His younger brother had to worry about the newspaper and the Huimin Canteen, and he also had to communicate frequently with the craftsmen of the Imperial Household Department to improve the steam engine.
He thought about Yonglian's daily life and said, "But you have the energy to play with your third and fourth brothers."
Little Yongzhang officially entered the Shangshufang this year. He was in the same class as Hongzhou's son Yongshu, and with a few study companions, he was not lonely.
It became easier for Yonglian to play with his younger brother. He would go to Xiao Yongzhang's classroom as soon as the get out of class was over.
Yonglian rolled his eyes and said, "As the elder brother and the designated crown prince, it is my responsibility to take care of my brothers." For some reason, he felt a little ashamed to say that he was the designated crown prince.
Yonghuang thought about it and thought so. He patted Yonglian on the shoulder and said, "I was wronged just now. Khan Ama, you are the most suitable to be the crown prince."
Yonglian: "...That's not what I meant, I..."
Yonghuang said, "Alright, alright, I'm going back."
"Brother..." Yonglian called out to him, "We grew up together, so please don't let this become a rift. Our father-in-law is still in his prime, and we still have decades to be princes."
Yonghuang laughed. "How could they be estranged? Look at Khan Ama and Fifth Uncle. Even after Khan Ama became emperor, their brotherly relationship has always been good, hasn't it?"
Yonglian thought about it and agreed. Apart from anything else, Khan Ama and his fifth uncle were positive examples of brotherly love.
Ever since the two brothers talked it out, Yonglian found that his elder brother became more dependent on him and even discussed matters such as looking through the study with him.
This year, the court discussed and decided to allow the Han army flag to leave the banner and make a living on its own. When Yonglian and Khan Ama talked about this matter, they mentioned looking through the study.
Only Han bannermen were allowed to leave the banner. Firstly, the Manchus were the court's own people, so the court would naturally support the Manchus first. Secondly, many Manchus were used to a life of luxury and were not good at either civil or military affairs. If they were allowed to leave the banner, they would not be able to support themselves.
Yonglian told Khan Ama that if this continued, the Manchus would become even more useless. There were so many books translated by the library, but how many Manchus had read them? Instead, it was the Han officials in the Hanlin Academy who were studying.
"The court has set up banner schools, but not all people are good at studying." Qianlong said, "The Manchus should still focus on archery, horseback riding and shooting." He looked at the Manchus as if they were his own family and couldn't help but protect them.
"But the world has been at peace for a long time. What will they do when there is no war?" Yonglian said.
Qianlong raised his eyebrows and signaled Yonglian to speak.
"It's because the imperial court provides too much to the Manchus. Many people go to the banner schools just to collect the allowances and live a leisurely life, not to study. In my opinion, there should be a strict reward and punishment system, so that those who perform poorly in the examinations can give money and food to those who perform well."
Banner schools did have some sort of reward and punishment system, but it was easy to exploit. Many Bannermen still took advantage of the situation. After all, even if they didn't study, they could still get a job. If they couldn't get a job, they could still get a subsidy from the imperial court. The worst-case scenario was that they could just pawn their houses and land.
"It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Too much preferential treatment will make them lose the ability to make a living and harm them." Yonglian said as he picked up the kitten that was lying on the ground with its belly spread out for him to touch. "Just like Qingning, you fed it so carefully that it has lost the ability to hunt."
"Why are you talking about it?" Hearing Yonglian talking about his beloved cat, Qianlong immediately became unhappy. He snatched Qingning away and stroked her gently, "This is because we, Qingning, are lucky. Other kittens can't even envy us."
Yonglian curled his lips and said, "...It's a good thing you're rich. If you were poor and couldn't afford to keep it, wouldn't it be bullied by other kittens when it went out to look for food?"
Qianlong knew he had something to say and snorted. However, this was indeed a very thorny problem. The court could not assign jobs to all the Manchus, and they could not engage in business, at least not on the surface. Feeding them was a problem. As the population of the Manchu military banners grew, it would place a greater burden on the court when Yonglian ascended the throne.
Using the reward and punishment system of the Banner School to encourage Manchus to study was a gradual approach, so Qianlong agreed.
"There are too many things to do this year, so we'll make arrangements next year." Qianlong said, "By the way, we can add some courses to the Banner School. I've asked your sixteenth uncle to lead the compilation of new textbooks."
Yonglian's eyes widened in surprise when he heard this. "Really? It's a math textbook?"
Qianlong nodded. "The previous math textbooks are outdated. Your sixteenth uncle said we should add some geometry content."
Yonglian remembered that in history, his sixteenth great-uncle later focused on music, but his current work focus is still on mathematical geometry.
In Yonglian's view, this is a good thing.
"You also have to study Qianlong Xinyao," Yonglian said. "It's a basic textbook."
Qianlong nodded and said, "I'm afraid few people would dare to look down on this book now."
This year, Emperor Qianlong summoned the newly-appointed Jinshi scholars and casually asked them a question related to the heliocentric theory. One-third of them were dumbfounded.
Qianlong was furious again and scolded the provincial education officials of these Jinshi provinces in his edict and deducted their salaries for half a year.
This punishment was not light, and official schools in various places began to re-study the "Qianlong New Essentials". Although the court did not explicitly stipulate it, many official schools would add the "Qianlong New Essentials" test before the county examination.
Qianlong did not think that the heliocentric theory had much significance, but the title of this book contained the word "Qianlong" and it should not be underestimated.
Although the content of Qianlong Xinyao is very simple, the more popularization it can get, the better. Once this is started, people will start to think about this matter.
Hongzhou, Yongzhang and others in the Shangshufang also had to study "Qianlong Xinyao". At Yonglian's suggestion, a simple version of the globe was placed in every classroom in the Shangshufang.
Yong Zhang, Yong Shu, and even Balzhuer all knew about Asia and Libya. Yong Zhang also knew that a cousin had taken a caravan to Libya. No one knew when he would return.
In such an environment, the Guangdong Customs brought back a book called "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy". Yunlu could speak foreign languages and was proficient in arithmetic, so he volunteered to lead people to translate the book.
This kind of thing is within his hobby, so he must do it even if he has to postpone all the banquets.
Because Yonghuang learned foreign languages, Yonglian suggested that he go and help his sixteenth uncle.
Yonghuang was nervous when he first approached Khan Ama to recommend himself, but Qianlong agreed without hesitation and even made Yonghuang the nominal general manager.
When Yunlu heard that Yonghuang's name was to be listed before his, he was not angry. He was already so old, and it was useless for him to ask for credit. It was his duty to help the younger generation.
In less than three months, "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" was translated. Qianlong didn't understand much of it, but he heard Yunlu and Yonglian say that the book was very meaningful.
It just so happened that the autumn harvest was over this year. Although some places suffered from drought, the harvest was not greatly affected because of the steam pumps.
Qianlong took the opportunity to reward his two sons. The eldest son, Yonghuang, was awarded the title of Prince Ding for his contribution to translation, and Yonglian was awarded the title of Prince Hui for his contribution to inventing the steam engine and founding the "Guochao News".
Both princes held very formal and grand enthronement ceremonies.
When Yonglian wore the auspicious attire of a prince for the first time, Qianlong realized that his chubby son had lost a lot of weight and grown taller. He had lost some of his childishness and had the upright and handsome appearance of a young man.
Qianlong also posthumously promoted Yonghuang's biological mother, Concubine Zhe, to the title of Imperial Noble Concubine Zhemin.
When Yonghuang heard about this, he was so happy that he cried. He went to the place where the body of Imperial Noble Consort Zhemin was laid to rest to pay his respects.
On the way, distant relatives of the Fucha family came to pay their respects. Yonghuang met many of them for the first time, so he was concerned about their family situations. He learned that although the Fucha family was not as prominent as the Gao and Jin families, they had all got jobs in the past two years.
Yonghuang also said that he was doing well in the palace. His father Khan and the Empress Dowager always cared about him, and his younger brothers also respected him very much.
Yonghuang said this to reassure his maternal relatives. However, soon a voice emerged in the palace, claiming that the eldest prince was extremely favored, even surpassing the second prince. The evidence was that the eldest prince's translation contribution was not significant, yet he was also granted the title of Prince of a County, and his mother was even promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. This showed that the emperor valued the eldest prince very much.
In addition, the queen has been childless for many years, which also proves that the relationship between the emperor and the queen is not as good as it seems.
Even more frightening was that the news was circulating among the imperial guards, and soon even Emperor Qianlong and the Empress knew about it.
Qianlong was so angry that he immediately called Yonghuang to question him.
Just then, Yonglian came over to show him a newly painted oil painting. Seeing Qianlong's gloomy face, he smiled and asked, "What's wrong, Khan Ama? Which adult made you angry?"
Qianlong did not answer, but asked Yonglian, "Where is your elder brother?"
"Let's do our homework inside," Yonglian said, puffing out his cheeks. "The essays that Master Shu assigns are getting harder and harder."
When the infantry commander E Shan was sentenced to death for corruption, Shu Hede took over. He also served as the head of the Ministry of War, keeping him very busy.
Yonglian thought that Master Shu would relax his requirements for them a little, but he didn't. He would check and review every homework assignment carefully.
"You are no longer at the age to worry about schoolwork." Qianlong patted his son on the head.
Yonglian was confused, "Then why should I worry?"
Qianlong looked at him and thought to himself that there was really nothing to worry about. Yonglian's position as crown prince was as secure as his own.
He immediately thought of how Khan Ama had taken Consort Dunshu's son Fuhui to his side to raise him and loved him very much.
An envoy from Korea went back and spread rumors that Fuhui might be the crown prince.
He didn't take it seriously after hearing it, but instead thought that someone disliked Fuhui and wanted to harm this kid.
Thinking of this, Qianlong suddenly realized that this matter might have nothing to do with Yonghuang, but some people were a little anxious because they saw that he was being nice to Yonghuang.
"Yes, you really have nothing to worry about. There are few people in this palace who are more pleasant than you." Qianlong said.
Yonglian: "There are also my third, fourth, and fifth brothers."
Qianlong: “…”
Qianlong said, "Some people say that your elder brother's contribution to the translation of books is not enough, and it is a bit excessive to make him a prince. What do you think?"
"They're talking nonsense!" Yonglian said angrily upon hearing this: "Conferring a title on a prince isn't a reward based on merit. Those who say this are just trying to make things difficult for my brother."
Qianlong snorted. Even Yonglian could see the truth, so how could he be fooled? Did these people think he, the emperor, was a fool?
Qianlong asked people in the palace to find out where the rumor came from, and soon got the result.
It turned out that several bondservants were jealous of the Xitala family because they were promoted to the Zhengbai Banner and became the prince's in-laws, and they did not take them, who had served their master together in the past, seriously.
The eldest prince's mother's family has been very proud recently. Those people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs who are used to flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak are now arranging the best jobs for the relatives of the Fucha family.
These people were so angry that they came up with this bad idea.
No matter how virtuous the queen was, she would definitely feel uncomfortable after hearing this. She couldn't settle the score with the deceased Imperial Noble Consort Zhemin, so she could only vent her dissatisfaction on the eldest prince.
Similarly, the second prince, as the son of the Empress, has made so many contributions, but he is only a prince. He must be somewhat afraid of the eldest prince.
In order to protect the second prince, the emperor will definitely suppress the eldest prince. In this way, the Xitala family and the Fucha family will no longer be so arrogant.
Qianlong understood the motives of these people and was speechless for a long time. He could only say that Yonghuang's mother's family was still too weak.
Why is no one jealous of the Jin and Gao families?
These two families have people in the former court and the Imperial Household Department. The servants of the Imperial Household Department are too busy trying to curry favor with them. They will not do anything bad behind their backs.
The Fucha family had no one in the previous dynasty and was still in the stage of competing with these servants for resources. People must have disliked them.
As for the Xitala family, it is because they have only sent out one person to protect them at the moment. Once their children all have jobs, there will naturally be less gossip.
Qianlong was not in a hurry to promote the people of Consort Zhemin's family. He planned to wait until Yonghuang was conferred the title of prince before promoting the Fucha family.
As for the Empress, she didn't take these words seriously. The relationship between the Emperor and Empress wasn't measured by whether or not they had children. After so many years as husband and wife, the Empress knew that Qianlong was a fickle man. She had long since given up on expecting any favors.
She was also the most aware of the emperor's feelings for Yonglian and Niu Lun. She struggled to choose a title for Yonglian, spending sleepless nights and consulting with officials from the Ministry of Rites several times. They settled on "Jia," but Yonglian didn't like it. The emperor, scolding his son for being too nosy, reconsidered the selection and finally settled on "Hui."
The couple tacitly agreed not to spread this kind of thing around, so as to avoid making people jealous.
Unexpectedly, their low profile made it seem like the emperor valued Yonghuang. The empress not only did not blame Yonghuang, but she felt sorry for the child. Without his mother, he would be easily bullied if he stood out a little.
The rumors in the palace were suppressed within a few days, and Qianlong thought the matter was over. But a few days later, the imperial physician came to report that the eldest prince was ill.
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