Chapter 72 The unbearable heat
By the twelfth month, Yunli was able to get out of bed and walk around, and occasionally looked at the drawings sent by the Firearms Battalion.
Qianlong sent someone to the palace to pick up Hongzhou. Although it was already decided that he would inherit the title of Prince Guo, he still had to study in the Shangshufang! He couldn't just move to Prince Guo's palace.
Hongzhou then returned to the palace. Before leaving, the young boy said to Yunli, "I'm going back to pay my respects to my brother and mother, see my nephews and nieces, pack some things, and be back tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
Over the past month, a lot of his belongings have been brought in one after another, and Lady Seventeen has specially prepared a courtyard for him. It's as if she has already taken care of him as a member of the family.
Yun Li patted his head and said, "Don't worry. If you're used to living in the palace, then continue to stay. I'll go talk to the Emperor."
Hongzhou pursed his lips and said after a while, "I want to live here. I also need to make sure you take your medicine on time."
When Yunli heard this, his eyes felt a little sore for a moment. God had mercy on him, and he actually had such a filial and well-behaved son.
When Hongzhou returned to the palace, he first went to see Qianlong, and then went to Shoukang Palace to pay his respects to the empress dowager and the concubines.
He had come back once before to accept the enthronement ceremony of Prince Guo.
When he met Concubine Qian at that time, Concubine Qian did not dare to show her unhappiness, but only told him to be filial to Prince Guo and Prince Guo's wife.
But Concubine Qian was still saddened by the thought of her own child calling someone else "Father and Mother." She was also worried that Hongzhou wouldn't adapt to life in the palace. After all, the young prince had been pampered by the Empress Dowager and the concubines since childhood. While not spoiled, he was far from sensible either. He had always been waited on by servants, so how could he show respect to others?
Unexpectedly, when Hongzhou came back, he said that he was living very well there, and that Yunli was knowledgeable and the Seventeenth Lady was kind.
He has now changed his address to "Father" and "Mother".
The Empress Dowager and the concubines felt complicated upon seeing this. They were happy for Yunli and his wife and Hongzhou, but also felt a little disappointed. After all, these were the children they had watched grow up!
Hongzhou paid his respects to his elders and returned to the courtyard of the prince's residence to pack the things he was going to take to the palace.
After a while, Yonglian and his friends came home from school and heard that their sixth uncle had returned, so they all came to his yard to see him.
Yongbi also came. Hongzhou took a month's leave, and he was the only one teaching classes during this time.
When Yongbi heard Hongluo say that he would return to Prince Guo's Mansion the next day, he advised: "It is more convenient to live in the palace. Living in the prince's mansion requires getting up early, which is too troublesome." Prince Guo's Mansion was not far from Prince He's Mansion. He and Yongluo had to get up before dawn every day, and the little princes living in the palace could get up two quarters of an hour later than them.
Hong Zhou was nonchalant. "If you can get up early, then get up early. Why can't I get up?"
"Could it be that Seventeenth Uncle wants you to go back and live there?" Yonghuang asked.
Hong Zhou shook his head. "My father also said that I could live in the palace. It was me who wanted to live in the palace."
The young boys all showed expressions of confusion.
Hongzhou scratched his head, not knowing how to explain.
Khan's Ama died too early, and his memory of him was very vague, and he didn't know what it felt like to have an Ama.
When he was a little more sensible, he would occasionally feel a little envious when he saw his brother and his nephews getting along. He couldn't help but wonder if Khan Ama was still alive, would he do the same thing to Yonglian as his brother did to him, often patting his head, asking about his homework every day, and saying that his son shouldn't be raised too delicately, but in fact he would ask about his food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Although the emperor's brother was very good to her, she never dared to hold his arm and act coquettishly like Yonglian, nor did she dare to stick to him and ask him questions.
It was not until he went to Prince Guo's mansion that Uncle Seventeen's health improved a little. He began to care about his food and clothing, asked him what books he had read, and looked at him with eyes like an imperial brother looking at his little nephews.
The feeling of being cared for by Uncle Seventeen was both strange and familiar. He had never experienced it before, but he had longed for it for a long time.
Hongzhou was thinking that he would rather be the crown prince for decades than wait for his seventeenth uncle to die and inherit the title himself.
The young boy thought for a long time and only explained, "I am very happy living with my father."
Yongbi and Yongzhang still didn't understand, but the older two, Yonghuang and Yonglian, had already figured it out. Yonglian felt a pang of sadness, as his sixth uncle finally realized his father's love.
He smiled and said, "It's good to live in the palace. I can also learn about firearms from Seventeenth Uncle."
Hongzhou nodded and said, "Father is not only good at improving firearms, but also proficient in Buddhism..." Speaking of Yunli's erudition, the young boy's eyes were full of admiration.
Hongzhou stayed in the palace for a day, and went straight back to Prince Guo's mansion after school the next day.
Yunli rested at home for two months and was able to attend the ancestor worship activities normally on New Year's Eve.
When everyone saw that he looked in good spirits, they all thought to themselves that it was different when someone was continuing the family line. His mood improved, and his health also improved.
When offering sacrifices to the Taimiao, Yongzheng's soul knew about this, but he was not unhappy. He even asked Yonglian to convey a message and praised Qianlong a few words.
The amount of silver in the national treasury also increased this year. Firstly, there were good harvests in various regions, which led to high taxes. Secondly, there were commercial taxes from the Jiangnan Arsenal and the glass factory. Finally, there was the tax from the Guangdong Customs. Because Pan Zhencheng brought merchant ships back to China, the Thirteen Hongs in Guangzhou made a fortune, and the tax paid by the Guangdong Customs was double that of last year.
If the railway had not been built, there would be more silver in the treasury.
Yongzheng was very happy to hear this and asked how long it would take to build the railway.
Yonglian said: "According to the plan of the Ministry of Industry, it will take another year. We will try to open the road to traffic during the Chinese New Year next year."
Yongzheng said: "It's a pity that I can't see it."
Yonglian thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible. If you really want to experience the feeling of riding a train, you can take your ancestral tablet with you and take a ride on the train."
Qianlong: "..." This kid is really bold!
Yongzheng's spirit heard this and said, "Just do it. Don't let anyone else know. Just put the Huang Mafa's ancestral tablet in your bag."
Yonglian passed the message to Khan Ama, and Qianlong curled his lips and said, "You have all discussed it, what else do I have to say?"
Yonglian quickly coaxed Khan Ama, "The steam engine was invented by the Emperor, so it's only right for him to experience the feeling of a steam locomotive."
Qianlong had adjusted his expression and said to Yongzheng's tablet, "Of course it's my duty. However, the ancestral tablet cannot be easily taken out of the Taimiao. My son is worried..."
"It's okay, it's okay. I don't care, and you don't need to care about these empty formalities." Yongzheng said.
Qianlong thought that Khan Ama sometimes really didn't care much about etiquette and laws, which was what Khan Ama said was a convenient method.
He had no choice but to agree.
Because this was the first railway in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong paid great attention to it. The Minister of Works, Hadaha, was in charge of the overall project and often sent imperial envoys to supervise the progress.
He usually sent his trusted guards, who all had some connections with Hadaha and would not dare to speak out if they found any problems. It happened that in the eighth year of the Qianlong reign, Nianqin returned to Beijing to report on his work. The policy of officials and gentry working together and paying taxes had been almost implemented. The next step was to see how it would work in various places.
Qianlong therefore asked Nianqin to supervise the construction of railways by the Ministry of Works from time to time.
Neqin was a man of high social status, and was arrogant because of his talent. He did not give face to anyone. When he went to the railway, he found many problems.
The imperial court allocated hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, firstly to use good materials, and secondly to pay the hired laborers and provide them with enough food.
As a result, when Nianqin arrived at the railway, he saw that many laborers could only get half a steamed bun, and if they wanted to eat some vegetables, they had to pay for them.
It has been more than half a year since the construction started, but not even a quarter of the road has been completed. The answer is that it is difficult to repair in winter. If that is the case, why did the Ministry of Industry make such a boast that the road will be open to traffic next year?
Nianqin then impeached all the officials responsible for the matter from top to bottom.
Qianlong was furious and ordered the Ministry of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation. Hadaha was also scolded by Qianlong in front of all the civil and military officials in the court for his poor performance.
Hadaha is not greedy, he is just too lazy and doesn't care about this matter.
Qianlong wanted to send a diligent and responsible person to take charge of railway affairs, but Nianqin was not suitable because he could only do supervisory work and could not take charge of the affairs.
Fu Qing and others all had important tasks, so Qianlong thought about the people he had recently promoted and came up with a very suitable candidate - Fu Heng.
In the fifth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Fuheng served as a blue-feather guard together with his two brothers. Last year, he was promoted to imperial guard, Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and in charge of the affairs of the Old Summer Palace.
Qianlong was very satisfied with his brother-in-law. He was worthy of being trained by him and the queen. He was diligent and conscientious in his work, and was careful and thoughtful. He was not like Nianqin who relied on his family background and ability to be arrogant. The people below him also respected him very much.
Qianlong summoned Fuheng and asked him about his views on railway affairs. Since little Mingrui often talked about railways and steam engines at home, Fuheng was more concerned about the matter and answered questions fluently. He even knew the cost of materials needed to lay the railway.
Qianlong then appointed Fuheng as the Minister of Works, in charge of the affairs of the Railway Department.
Yonglian remembered that in history, Fuheng was promoted from the Minister of the Imperial Household to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Why is he going to the Ministry of Works now?
This is good. Now that the Ministry of Industry is becoming more and more important, it is time to reorganize it.
Ever since Fuheng went to the Ministry of Works, the officials who were just idling around have been complaining bitterly. Although this young uncle of the emperor is young and amiable, he has very high demands on his work.
With such a competitive leader, it is difficult for subordinates to give in.
Both the speed of laying railways and constructing river projects have increased.
However, in the summer of the eighth year of Qianlong's reign, the Zhili area suffered from high temperatures and drought, and many projects were forced to stop.
At first, Fuheng didn't want to stop the work, but when he inspected the construction site, he saw many laborers falling to the ground due to heatstroke. He immediately ordered the work to be stopped and distributed ice water and cooling tea to these laborers.
When Yonglian heard that many people on the streets had suffered from heatstroke, he discussed with the empress and asked the palace to spend some money to provide the people with ice water and heat-relieving medicine.
The queen paid for the preparation of ice water and Huoxiang Zhengqi pills from the Ministry of Internal Affairs out of her own pocket, and placed them in the Huimin Canteen for the people to receive for free.
After the Imperial Concubine and the Concubine Xian learned of this, they also contributed money. The Empress Dowager definitely couldn't be left out of this matter. Instead of using this money to offer to the gods and Buddhas, it would be better to donate it directly to the people.
From the Dragon Boat Festival to the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Huimin Canteen has always provided free ice water, herbal tea and Huoxiang Zhengqi pills.
"Guochao News" also published some tips on heat prevention.
Saltpeter, originally sent to the capital to make firearms and gunpowder, was now also used to make ice for the various government offices. Any remaining ice was sold to the people.
This is just the urban area; the impact in rural areas is even greater. Without rain, the harvest is threatened, rivers have dried up, and steam pumps are of limited use.
At this time, several yamen runners in charge of the steam engine at the Zhili Yamen removed the boiler from the steam pump and modified it into a well drilling machine.
After testing, they modified the remaining pumps and went to help the people dig wells.
When Zhili Governor Gao Bin learned about this, he immediately reported it to Emperor Qianlong. Emperor Qianlong was overjoyed and notified Shandong, Henan and other provinces through the imperial report, asking those who could dig wells to do so as soon as possible to avoid the situation where water became more expensive than grain.
A few days later, the governor of Henan reported that a well drilling machine had been scrapped, and some craftsmen repaired it and converted it into a truck.
According to the Henan governor, this freight car was faster than a horse-drawn carriage, but the weather was too hot and it was easy to catch fire, and the driver was too close to the boiler and was also prone to heatstroke.
At present, goods can only be transported at night, and the main transportation now is ice and grain.
Ever since the Imperial Household Department had developed the train, Yonglian had tasked them with researching a steam locomotive that could run on land. However, the Imperial Household Department was short-staffed, and progress was somewhat slow.
Who would have thought that the first steam car would appear among the people first?
Qianlong immediately asked the person who improved the steam car to come to Beijing. He wanted to summon him personally and communicate and learn from the people in the Imperial Household Department.
Qianlong planned to tour the east in July, and Yonghuang and Yonglian would also go with him.
The late emperor had not made any eastern tours, and all the palaces along the way needed to be renovated. Furthermore, it was a scorching hot day, and the people complained bitterly.
When Li Wei learned that civilians in many places in Zhili had died of heatstroke while repairing roads, he immediately submitted a memorial requesting Emperor Qianlong to postpone his tour.
Some people had opposed it before, but Qianlong did not agree and kept asking the Ministry of Rites to revise the sacrificial rituals.
But Li Wei's words were very serious this time. How could the ancestors feel at ease when so many people died from exhaustion in order to offer sacrifices to the ancestral tombs and so much burden was added to the various places?
Qianlong was furious and in an instant he regretted promoting Li Wei to the Grand Council.
Wasn't he offering sacrifices to the ancestral tombs to ask his ancestors to bless the Qing Dynasty with good weather, peace and prosperity? He wasn't taking the empress dowager there for fun.
When the young princes from the Shangshufang came to pay their respects to Emperor Qianlong, they heard him arguing with Li Wei in the room.
Li Yu signaled several young princes to go to the side hall and wait for some ice cream.
Yonglian signaled his brothers to go first, and he asked Li Yu to pass the message on for him.
When Qianlong heard that Yonglian wanted to see him alone, he thought he had something important to tell him, so he asked him in.
After Yonglian entered the house and paid his respects to Khan Ama, he said, "Khan Ama, let your son go to the ancestral tomb to pay homage to you." Although the prince also needed to be entertained by officials along the way when he traveled, there was no need for such a grand ceremony.
Li Wei:!!!
Li Wei opened his eyes wide in shock. Performing sacrifices on behalf of others had special significance. When the late emperor asked the emperor to offer sacrifices to Jingling Mausoleum, many people speculated that the emperor was the designated crown prince.
How can one recommend oneself for such a thing?
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