Chapter 71 Father, Son, and Brothers
Yonghuang initially complained of a headache and insomnia, but later began to suffer from insomnia all night long. After a few days, he could no longer bear it and felt anxious and palpitating. This is when he called in the imperial physician.
The imperial physician simply said that the eldest prince was too worried and had a deficiency of heart blood, and prescribed some decoctions to regulate his qi and blood.
Because Yonghuang couldn't sleep at night and was very tired during the day, he couldn't concentrate on reading even when sitting in the Shangshu room. The teachers suggested that he rest, and Yonglian also advised his elder brother to take a leave.
Yonghuang agreed, but after ten days, the condition did not improve. He could only sleep for two hours at most and often had nightmares.
Qianlong knew that Yonghuang had this problem since childhood, but he had taken conditioning medicine before and it had improved a lot. He did not expect that this attack would be so serious.
Qianlong and the empress were extremely worried. They called the eunuchs around Yonghuang to their side every day and asked them about his condition in detail.
After asking several times, Qianlong finally realized that Yonghuang had a heart disease.
Some people gossiped to him, saying that the reason Yonghuang was conferred the title of Prince and he posthumously conferred the title on his mother was because he wanted him to be a whetstone for Yonglian.
Qianlong really wanted to scold you and torture you...
He had thought about finding a whetstone for Yonglian before, but Yonghuang was definitely not an option. The two brothers had a very good relationship. He couldn't bear to let them turn against each other, and the empress would be even more sad.
So I gave up the idea for the time being.
And who says that a crown prince needs to use his brothers as a whetstone to train his skills? I didn't have any, but I'm still the emperor now, right?
In his opinion, instead of using his brothers as a whetstone, it would be better to look at the civil and military officials in the court. Dealing with these old foxes is much more interesting than fighting with his brothers.
Yonglian was somewhat gifted in this area, so he wasn't too worried. Once he grew up, he could be sent to the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Revenue, two of the most troublesome places, to gain some experience. That would be enough.
Qianlong couldn't understand who had so much free time to say such things in front of Yonghuang.
After checking around, I found out that they were the people in charge of internal affairs, and some of them were relatives of the Fucha family.
These people had heard rumors in the palace before and were worried that the eldest prince would be instigated to start fighting with the second prince, so they said this, meaning to make the eldest prince wake up and not be used.
In fact, this reminder is not unreasonable, but Qianlong happened to know it.
Qianlong was furious. In the eyes of the Fucha family, was he so cruel to Yonghuang?
And the child Yonghuang really believed it.
How do I treat him? Doesn't he know?
But verbal explanations for such things are useless. Qianlong couldn't say, "I don't treat you as a whetstone. I treat you well simply because I'm good to you."
This statement is not convincing at all.
Qianlong discussed this matter with the empress, "I can't deal with those people in the Fucha family either. It's really frustrating."
The Queen smiled and said, "You should be happy. It's a good thing that the Fucha family is so clear and understanding! If they become arrogant and domineering just because you are good to the eldest prince, and encourage the eldest prince to fight with Yonglian, then we should be worried."
Qianlong nodded and said, "That's the truth." This is why he did not deal with the people of the Fucha family. Although these people could not help Yonghuang, it seemed that they would not hinder him at the moment.
"But Yonghuang this child..."
The Queen sighed, "In the final analysis, it was my negligence that caused the child to overthink things. But as the elders, we can't go and persuade him. Yonglian has to go."
Qianlong thought for a moment and said, "This is the only way."
He couldn't tell Yonglian directly about this matter. He just revealed to Yonglian that someone was making alarmist remarks to scare Yonghuang and asked him to go and comfort him.
Yonglian went to see his elder brother, and after a few words, Yonghuang spoke up himself.
"...I didn't believe everything they said. I just felt that things were starting to get complicated. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept thinking about it, and the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't sleep."
Yonglian: "..." With my elder brother's ability to bear things, he is really not suitable to be the emperor. I will have to rely on Xiaowu or Xiaoshiwu to take over from me in the future.
"This matter is indeed complicated. We've all heard about the events of the Kangxi reign," Yonglian said. "But it's not a big deal. These days, members of the imperial clan can't hold high positions or work in important departments. Sixteenth and Seventeenth Uncles only do things like editing books, performing sacrifices, and supervising construction projects. This means we don't have that many resources. We can't compete even if we want to!"
During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the princes fought fiercely, their followers and officials trying to divide up the resources. By the time of Emperor Qianlong, the princes had few resources to divide up. Even when Yongxuan became the president of the Siku Quanshu in the late Qianlong period, that was not much power.
He sat beside the bed and analyzed the situation carefully for Yonghuang, his face rarely showing a serious look.
"Even if the prince wanted to argue, he wouldn't be able to make any waves. He can still compete with others in terms of reading, riding, and archery. What else can he compete for after leaving the Shangshufang?" "Comparing Khan Ama's favor is even more unnecessary. You don't know Khan Ama well enough. Even if he's biased, he won't show it on his face. Let's not talk about us. Look at my third, fourth, and fifth brothers. Khan Ama treats them all very well. Besides, Khan Ama is still young. We will have many younger brothers in the future. People always prefer the youngest son. If we really talk about favor, we can't compare with our younger brothers."
When Yonghuang heard this, he hurriedly said, "Khan Ama treats you differently."
Yonglian smiled and said, "You are different too. Everyone's place in Khan Ama's heart is irreplaceable, so this point cannot be compared."
Yonghuang nodded.
"So those worries are unnecessary," Yonglian said. "We brothers can't fight each other. And Khan Ama won't let what happened during the reign of Emperor Kangxi happen again."
"I see," Yong Huang sighed, "I'm just too obsessed with trivial matters."
Yonglian patted his eldest brother's arm. It wasn't that his eldest brother was too fussy, but rather that he had too little, which made him easily anxious. "Relax a little. The more tense you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. As long as you have strong abilities and contribute to the court, Khan Ama is quite tolerant."
Qianlong was very tolerant of his sons, and could even be said to be indulgent. Compared with the princes of Kangxi, the living environment of the princes of Qianlong was much more relaxed.
At the same time, during the Qianlong Emperor's reign, the princes had very few opportunities to participate in government affairs. Therefore, Yongqi, Yongrong, and Yongyan focused their energy on pursuing their personal hobbies. Unfortunately, my eldest brother doesn't have any hobbies yet.
Yonghuang seemed to be lost in thought. He actually found it quite difficult to relax.
"Perhaps it would be better if you had a wife and children." Yonglian smiled and said, "Once you have your own little family, you can just focus on living your life and won't have time to think about so many things."
Yonghuang's cheeks immediately flushed when he heard this. "You little kid, how can you not be ashamed to say this?"
"Children are not ashamed! I won't dare to say it in two years." Yonglian chuckled.
Yonghuang: “…”
In order to distract Yonghuang's attention, Yonglian asked Yongcheng and Yongqi to come and play with Yonghuang every day.
Yongqi was not even two years old, but he could already walk steadily. Every time he came to Yonghuang's yard, he would run around and was never idle for a moment.
Yongsheng was even more of a mischievous boy. If he wasn't watched closely, he would use Yonghuang's brush to draw dolls on his homework.
Yonghuang played with the two little guys during the day, which was more tiring than studying in the Shangshufang. One day, Yongcheng and the others left, and Yonghuang fell on the bed. He was so tired that he didn't want to move at all, and fell asleep in less than a quarter of an hour.
The next day, Yonghuang felt refreshed and thought he could go to the Shangshufang to study. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Yongcheng and Yongqi's milky voices, "Brother, we're here!"
When Qianlong learned about Yonglian's method, he initially thought it was unreliable. Yonghuang was already having trouble getting a good rest, and now Yongcheng and Yongqi were disturbing him. Wouldn't this give Yonghuang even more headaches?
Unexpectedly, within two days, when he went to visit Yonghuang, Yonghuang said that his insomnia had improved a lot.
Because I run around with my two younger brothers during the day, I consume too much physical energy and have no time to think about anything else, so I fall asleep as soon as I lie down at night.
His most terrifying nightmare was that he got married and had ten sons, and those little brats ran around in the yard like a group of little ducks.
He beat his son with a feather duster, and the concubine, whose face could not be seen, beat him with a feather duster.
Yonghuang: “…”
Yonghuang seemed to understand what Yonglian said, and after getting married he had no energy to think about anything else.
During Yonghuang's leave, there were only Yonglian and Mingrui in the classroom, so Shuhede and Agui gave Yonglian a crazy difficult time.
But these two have plenty of ways to coax Yonglian to study.
Yonglian did a lot of homework without knowing what was going on.
Qianlong looked at the extra homework Yonglian had written with mixed feelings. Agui and Shuhede were indeed quite capable, but Yonglian was too easily fooled.
But his son's writing was indeed good, and his handwriting was also beautiful. Yunlu and Hongzhou happened to be there, so he handed Yonglian's homework to them.
Yunlu knew Yonglian. Compared with the Four Books and Five Classics, this little nephew liked mathematics and science more. It was really difficult for Shuhede and Agui to get him to write good articles.
Hong Zhou silently commented in his heart that his second nephew's handwriting was better than that of his fourth brother when he was a child.
After showing off his son, Qianlong talked about the main business of the day. He planned to go to Shengjing to worship the ancestral tomb on behalf of the empress dowager next year.
He had wanted to go two years ago, but was stopped by court officials on the grounds that the people along the way had poor harvests and that traveling would increase the burden on the people. In the past two years, with the help of steam plows, the harvests in Zhili and the areas outside the Great Wall were good, so Qianlong wanted to put the matter on the agenda again.
However, the people he sent to survey the route said that there were floods in several places outside the pass and it was still not advisable to go there.
Since Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he had never made an eastern tour, and he was always uneasy. Firstly, he attached great importance to etiquette, and secondly, the area outside the Great Wall was the birthplace of the emperor, and an eastern tour had extraordinary significance.
It’s not a big deal because it’s been postponed again and again due to floods and droughts in Shengjing.
It happened that General Ertu of Shengjing came to Beijing to report on his work, and Qianlong asked him about the situation outside the Great Wall. Ertu said that although there were several places around Shengjing that suffered from floods, it would not affect his travel next year.
Qianlong was a little unhappy, feeling that the people who had surveyed the route were fooling him. They didn't want him to pay, so why did he repeatedly stop them?
Qianlong has already decided to go next autumn and asked Shengjing to prepare early.
The purpose of calling Yunlu and Hongzhou here was, firstly, to inform them that they would stay in the capital to look after the family in the autumn of next year, and secondly, to let Yunlu lead the Ministry of Rites to revise the rituals and music and dance for worshiping the ancestral tombs.
In fact, Yunlu and Hongzhou did not want the emperor to go out. They did not realize it before, but after experiencing the previous emperor's reign, Yunlu realized the difference between the emperor going on tour and not going out.
Kangxi traveled extensively every year, and while these trips were significant, they also cost a considerable amount of money along the way. Officials along the way exploited the people, often leaving deficits of tens or even hundreds of millions. However, during the reign of the previous emperor, the farthest he ever traveled was to Jingling, saving him considerable money.
But Yunlu couldn't say anything to dissuade him, so he could only agree.
The three were discussing when Li Yu hurried in, "Your Majesty, someone from Prince Guo's mansion said that the Seventeenth Master is not feeling well."
"What? What do you mean by not very good?" Yunlu stood up immediately after hearing that.
Two days ago, Yunli took the people from the Firearms Battalion to Nanyuan to test the new firearms. After returning home, he caught a cold and summoned the imperial physician.
Because he had been ill for the past two years, no one took it seriously.
After hearing what Li Yu said, Qianlong became anxious and asked the people from Prince Guo's mansion to come in and answer.
The visitor said that their prince had just a common cold at first, but he had a fever yesterday afternoon and then lost consciousness.
Qianlong immediately said, "Let's go and see him together with my sixteenth uncle and fifth brother." He was about to go to the back to change his clothes, but halfway there he instructed Li Yu, "Go to the Shangshufang and call Hongzhou."
Li Yu agreed.
Hong Zhou was still confused and asked Yun Lu quietly, "Why are you calling Sixth Brother?"
Yunlu had already guessed something in his mind. The emperor wanted Hongzhou to continue the family line for the seventeenth prince.
He just picked up the title of prince for free, so naturally he doesn't mind this kind of thing.
Although my seventeenth brother's family is not a hereditary prince, their family business is very rich. He only has two wives to support, which is easier than his own life.
Hongzhou is a very lucky boy.
It's a pity for my Seventeenth Brother, who has spent the past two years focusing on improving firearms but hasn't seen much success. With his passing, Hongzhou may inherit his family business, but not his skills.
On the way to Prince Guo's mansion, Qianlong asked Hongzhou to ride in the same car with him and told him his decision.
Qianlong was very good at coaxing children, and he only talked to Hongzhou about the benefits of being adopted by Prince Guo.
This matter indeed brought more benefits than disadvantages to Hongzhou.
After all, it is rare to become a prince before the age of ten. He doesn't have to work hard to get a prince's salary and become a rich prince.
Hongzhou was attracted by the prince's salary and agreed without thinking too much. He was very happy.
But when he arrived at Prince Guo's mansion and saw his seventeenth uncle lying pale and unconscious on the hospital bed, Hongzhou couldn't help but shed tears.
He had not met his Seventeenth Uncle many times. In his impression, his Seventeenth Uncle was a very good person and had even given him a two-wheeled cart. When he lived in Shoukang Palace, his Seventeenth Lady would often talk to him when she came to pay her respects.
Hong Zhou rubbed his eyes, "Wow... I don't want to inherit the title of Prince Guo anymore."
Qianlong: “…”
Didn’t we agree on this on the way? What’s wrong with this brat?
The Seventeenth Concubine also looked over. She had guessed something when the Emperor brought Hongzhou with him. She couldn't refuse this matter, and it wouldn't hurt her to let the late Emperor's son inherit the title of Prince Guo.
But she didn't expect that the Sixth Prince himself would refuse.
"I hope Uncle Seventeen wakes up and doesn't die." Hongzhou cried more and more sadly.
Yunli slowly opened his eyes to the sound of the child crying, and was slightly stunned when he saw that it was Hongzhou lying on the side of his bed crying.
"Hongzhou, why are you here?"
When Qianlong and the others saw Yunli wake up, they all came over. Qianlong immediately told his uncle Seventeen about his arrangements to reassure him.
No one to offer sacrifices was indeed Yunli's biggest worry. After hearing Qianlong's arrangements, he breathed a sigh of relief and supported himself to express his gratitude. Everyone hurriedly supported him.
Qianlong comforted him with a few more words, told him to take good care of his health, and then prepared to leave.
Hongzhou looked at his Seventeenth Uncle and said to Qianlong, "Brother, I want to stay and take care of my Seventeenth Uncle."
When Qianlong heard this, he felt a little complicated for a moment. He felt that his younger brother was sensible, but he also felt that this kid had changed too quickly. So he went to pay his respects to his "new father".
But he was also worried about Uncle Seventeen, so he agreed.
Uncle Seventeen had no filial children in his life. Letting him enjoy the feeling of having a son serving him medicine before he died would make up for his regret.
So Hongzhou stayed in Prince Guo's mansion.
At the same time, Qianlong notified the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Clan Affairs to arrange for Hongzhou's adoption.
When Yonglian and others learned that Yunli was seriously ill, they also went to Prince Guo's mansion to visit their seventeenth uncle.
One third of the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau have arrived, and they are all trying to find a solution.
Hongzhou was running around, and he seemed to be acting like the young master of Prince Guo's mansion.
Yunli felt a sense of relief when he saw him entertaining Yonghuang, Yonglian and several officials who came to visit him.
Qianlong had already begun to make arrangements for Yunli's future, but Yunli's illness gradually improved.
A few days later, Yunlu went to visit his brother and found Yunli leaning on the pillow listening to Hongzhou reading to him.
Yunli occasionally explained the meaning of the book to Hongzhou, and Hongzhou listened attentively. It was a picture of a loving father and a filial son.
Yunlu: "..."
I wonder what Fourth Brother would feel when he sees this scene.
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