Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Second Brother, Save Me
Yonghuang and Yonglian ate breakfast while listening to Fu Wen's report.
"Some money was spent on relief, but not for the victims. I heard that during the hottest days, cartloads of ice were sent to the government office and the county school, and that they even distributed heat-relief medicine to the teachers and students there. So, when I asked around among the scholars, everyone said this county magistrate was a good official."
Yonghuang had heard what Yonglian had said last night and couldn't help but frown, "This is too unfair."
Yonglian thought that providing relief to disaster victims was inherently unfair, and the poorer the people were, the harder it was for them to get help.
"When the investigation comes, he'll have something to say. He did spend money, and he'll have the scholars to testify for him." Yonglian said, "As for the common people, he can also say that disaster relief can't save everyone, so the government naturally prioritizes those who are useful to the court."
Fu Wen and Fu Qian both nodded.
"Send a letter to the Zhili Governor's Office and ask them to send someone to check the accounts." Yonglian said.
He and Yonghuang had no authority to check the county government's accounts, so they could only ask the governor's office to come.
"But don't come too fast, or it will affect our fishing." Yonglian smiled.
If someone came to investigate the county magistrate right after they left, the local officials who passed by would definitely try to cover up the news.
By then it won’t be so easy to check.
In Zhili alone, Yonglian and his men encountered similar situations four or five times. Some came to Yonglian to plead their case for financial losses, hoping to help him if trouble arose. Some came to showcase their achievements and impress the designated crown prince. Some simply came to pay tribute, hoping to establish a good relationship with him first.
Because Yonghuang and Yonglian were almost inseparable, it was difficult to talk to Yonglian alone. Fu Wen and Fu Qian, who were accompanying him, happened to be Yonglian's uncles, so many people brought gifts to them.
Fu Wen and Fu Qian were not tempted by such things. Li Rongbao's children knew very well that the wealth of the Fucha family depended entirely on the Empress and her sons, especially the Second Prince. If the Second Prince lost the Emperor's favor or was feared by the Emperor, their brothers' future would be over.
On the contrary, as long as the name on the will behind the plaque of "Zhengda Guangming" is not changed, the Fucha family's future of wealth and prosperity will remain.
Therefore, as long as the Second Prince was involved, they would be extremely cautious. Even if an official threatened to use the evidence against the Fucha family to help them make connections, the brothers would not do it.
But sometimes, if he wanted to know the other party's purpose, he would pretend to accept the gift first, and then immediately report it to Emperor Qianlong in secret.
Along the way, you can occasionally see government officials resettling refugees, young men working to lay railways, and women working in textile workshops.
The Mongolians south of the Gobi Desert were also affected by the high temperatures. They were not good at farming, so many Mongolians wanted to sell their land to Han people.
Qianlong was reluctant to see this happen, but now the Mongols have found a more suitable job for them, that is, raising sheep. Giving these arable lands to the Han people will not affect their livelihoods, so he turned a blind eye to this matter.
Zhili would also arrange for some Han people to go to Mongolia and Shanxi to farm.
The drought outside the Great Wall was relatively less severe. When officials came to receive the two young princes, they no longer talked about providing relief to local victims, but about how to help Zhili, Shanxi and Shandong.
The imperial court did not allow people from the mainland to go out to farm at will, but during years of disaster, some people still took the risk.
Yonglian said, "There are thousands of miles of fertile land outside the Great Wall. Wouldn't it be a shame not to let the people cultivate it?"
"Most of the farms outside the Great Wall are imperial farms, and there are also some farms owned by Manchu nobles. The harvests on these farms are very good." The officials from Shengjing explained to Yonghuang and Yonglian.
But in the end all the money ended up in the hands of the royal family.
Yonglian didn't say much to the officials, he just said that he was curious and wanted to visit the imperial farm.
This is equivalent to their own farm, so Yonghuang and Yonglian are certainly qualified to see it.
Although it was no longer on the itinerary, the officials discussed it and agreed to it.
The next day, the officials took the two young princes and two uncles to visit the largest imperial estate in the area.
The main crops here are wheat and upland rice.
Yonglian met with the head of the village and asked about the harvest.
In the afternoon, he said he wanted to go horse racing with his brother.
Qianlong's original schedule included hunting trips every few days, but later the hunting trips were cancelled to accommodate the emperor's sacrifices.
The two princes did not need such a big show for their hunting trip, and only had some soldiers from the local banner camp and the accompanying guards to accompany them.
Yonglian worked hard for the whole afternoon and shot two rabbits and a silly roe deer. He also chatted a lot with the local garrison soldiers.
Because the area outside the Great Wall was vast and sparsely populated, businesspeople in the city couldn't make much money. The rich outside the Great Wall had money but nowhere to spend it, while the poor had no way to make money, so everyone lived in poverty.
Two-wheeled carts, which were no longer a rarity in the capital, were rarely seen in Shengjing. Occasionally, there were two or three, and upon inquiry, they were found to be second-hand vehicles purchased in the capital. However, the price was several times higher than in the capital.
Pressure cookers were also rare outside the Great Wall. I heard that only a few officials in Shengjing used them, and they were all bought and shipped over by their families in the capital.
New looms, steam plows and steam pumps were even rarer. In any case, these new machines had not yet been used in the military fields of the garrisoned bannermen.
During his few days of stay in Shengjing, Yonglian began to think about writing a memorial on the issues outside the Great Wall and submitting it to Khan Ama.
He did not hide it from Yonghuang, and the two brothers had discussed it.
Yonghuang didn't think as much as his brother, but he knew that the land outside the Great Wall didn't look prosperous. Both the bannermen and the common people were not living well.
Sometimes when Yonglian was pondering over a memorial, Yonghuang would read in his room or write a reply letter to the palace.
Although he had been away for more than half a month, he did not miss her much because a letter was sent from the capital almost every other day.
Most of them were written by Khan Ama, and sometimes by Niu Lun. The situation of everyone in the palace, from the Empress Dowager to the little Yongqi, was mentioned.
Even if there was nothing important, Khan Ama would write to ask what they had eaten and where they were.
The accompanying officials would report these questions to Qianlong, but Qianlong still wanted to hear the answers from his sons.
When Yonglian wrote his memorial, Yonghuang would write a reply to Khan Ama. Usually, Yonglian would add a few words when he had finished writing.
The two brothers had different handwritings, and Qianlong could tell at a glance that he was a little unhappy and complained to the queen, "The second brother only writes a few words each time. It seems that he doesn't miss me at all."
The Queen said hurriedly: "How could Yonglian not miss you? He must have been too tired on the journey. Plus, Yonghuang's handwriting is good, so I let Yonghuang write it."
Qianlong snorted, "I'll settle the score with him when I get back!"
The Queen was a little worried. What if the Emperor felt that Yonglian was indifferent to her?
But soon, Qianlong was coaxed into submission.
After paying homage to the three tombs, Yonghuang, Yonglian and others went to visit the Shengjing Palace. Yonglian drew a picture for Khan Ama, which showed him and his elder brother in front of the Shengjing Palace.
Yonglian used Western painting techniques to make the two brothers look very similar. He also wrote an inscription next to the painting: he knew that Khan Ama missed them, so he painted this painting specifically to reassure Khan Ama.
After receiving his sons' paintings, Emperor Qianlong felt a little better. He immediately wrote a reply in the two men's letters of greeting, asking them not to play too much and to come back early according to their schedule.
The two brothers stayed in Shengjing for five days and then set out on their return journey.
At this time, Zhili had already begun investigating officials who attempted to bribe Yonglian.
Many people secretly cursed the Second Prince for being so dishonest. He took the things but didn't do anything, and then turned around and sold the people.
The officials who failed to meet the second prince when they came now breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but turn their thoughts to the eldest prince.
The Second Prince is the designated Crown Prince, so he doesn't need to recruit anyone, and the people from the Fucha family alone are enough for him to use.
The eldest prince was different. He was about to start a family, but he had to establish a career. If he wanted to gain a firm foothold in the court, he would definitely need help.
These officials felt that they had been confused before and should have tried to please the eldest prince.
The weather had started to get cold on the way back. Yonglian was afraid of the cold, so he stayed in the house when he arrived at the base.
Yonghuang didn't want to give up riding and shooting, so he would occasionally shoot a few arrows in the yard.
One day, he was shooting arrows with his bow when the eunuch who was helping him sort out his arrows went to the toilet. Yonghuang didn't pay any attention.
A few arrows missed their target and fell to the ground. Yonghuang was about to pick them up himself when a pretty little maid came out from the side and picked up the arrows.
Although Yonghuang and Yonglian did not have palace maids to serve them personally, there were some palace maids in their entourage who were responsible for washing clothes, sewing and embroidering.
Yonghuang thought it was a palace maid, so he said to her, "Just put it on the platform over there."
The maidservant lowered her head and responded, then placed the feather arrow on the table beside her.
Yonghuang was about to continue shooting arrows when he heard the maid scream. He subconsciously asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just cut my finger due to my clumsiness."
Yonghuang walked closer and saw a few drops of blood on the maid's white fingers. Seeing that the maid was stunned, he reminded her, "Why don't you put a handkerchief on the wound?"
"I took my handkerchief to wash, it's not on me."
Yonghuang didn't think much about it and took out his handkerchief and handed it over.
The maid blushed and thanked him immediately. When he met her shy eyes, Yonghuang felt that something was wrong. At this time, Yonglian came to call Yonghuang to have dinner, so he ignored the maid and went to Yonglian.
In the evening, Yonghuang was sitting under the lamp reading a book. He felt a little thirsty, so he asked someone to bring him tea.
The person who brought in the tea was not the eunuch beside him, but the maid he met in the afternoon.
"I'm here to bring you tea. I soiled the prince's handkerchief, so I'll give you a new one."
Yonghuang waved his hand, "No need, it's just a handkerchief."
Before he finished speaking, the maid had already placed the tray on the table and quietly retreated. A light pink handkerchief embroidered with peach blossoms lay beside the teacup, still carrying a faint fragrance.
Yonghuang was fifteen years old and not a stupid child. There was nothing he didn't understand when he saw the handkerchief.
He immediately stood up and ran across to find Yonglian.
Yonglian had already finished washing up and was lying down. Seeing his elder brother rushing in, he quickly sat up and asked, "What happened?"
Yonghuang sat down on the edge of the bed, "Second brother, save me! Someone is trying to use a honey trap!"
Yonglian: “???”
Yonglian was amused by his elder brother's expression of facing a great enemy and asked while laughing, "Did you succeed?"
Yonghuang shook his head.
He didn't dare to say it, but when he smelled the fragrance on the handkerchief, his heart was a little shaken.
But reason quickly prevailed. Even if the maid was part of the entourage, he couldn't touch her. He had come out on an errand, and now he had a maid by his side. What would the Khan and the Empress think if they knew? Furthermore, the wife the Empress had chosen for him was of good family background. He wanted to give her some respect and didn't want to have concubines before marriage.
"Yonglian, stop laughing." Yonghuang held down his brother who was rolling around on the bed laughing. "Think of a solution quickly."
Yonglian stopped laughing and asked what had happened. He heard that someone had just given him a handkerchief, but it had frightened his elder brother so much. He couldn't help laughing again.
Yonghuang was furious. "Forget it, forget it. I don't count on you anymore. I'll check it myself!"
As he said this, he stood up and went out.
Yonglian heard him talking to the guards outside.
Yonglian slowly got up and wrapped himself up tightly before going out to eat the melon.
After a while, the maid was brought to Yonghuang's yard.
This girl was indeed part of the accompanying team and was responsible for needlework.
She cried pitifully, saying that she wanted to get close to the eldest prince because she was greedy for wealth and was bewitched by evil spirits.
The guards heard that it was just a handkerchief and didn't think it was a big deal. They wanted to take the maid into custody and send her to the Ministry of Punishment after returning to the palace.
Yonglian, who had come to watch the show, said, "Wait a minute, how can this be so simple? How could a maid who only sews be doing the work of serving tea and water? And the eunuchs around my brother and the guards in the courtyard didn't notice it?"
The eunuchs and several guards around Yonghuang turned pale when they heard this, and they all knelt down to apologize.
Yonglian ordered people to call Fu Wen, Fu Qian and the local county magistrate.
It was almost the second watch, and the guards hadn't intended to make a big deal out of it. But since the Second Prince had given the order, they had no choice but to go and get help.
Fu Wen and Fu Qian arrived quickly. On the way, they had heard from the guards about what happened tonight.
Fu Qian looked at his fourth brother, "Second brother, do you suspect someone is behind this?"
Fu Wen nodded. "How could a palace maid who sews without anyone's instructions have the guts to bribe the guards and eunuchs around the eldest prince?"
Both of them felt that the matter was a bit serious, and as soon as they entered the house, they expressed their intention to investigate thoroughly.
Soon, the county magistrate arrived. He had clearly instructed the palace maid to take her time, but she was still discovered.
Fortunately, this matter has nothing to do with him. The palace maids, eunuchs and guards are all part of the accompanying team. As long as the palace maid doesn't say too much, he won't be the one to be investigated.
"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," Yonglian said amiably when he met the county magistrate. "There's someone with ill intentions among our entourage. We'll have to interrogate him severely, and we might need to stay here for another day."
The county magistrate quickly agreed and advised the two young princes, "People who covet wealth and status like this are not uncommon, so the two princes don't need to be angry. As for the eunuchs and guards... the eunuchs and guards were easily bribed, which is indeed a serious matter."
What he meant was to focus the interrogation on the eunuchs and guards. Compared with the palace maids who wanted to get promoted, the eunuchs and guards who could be easily bribed were more important.
The more he said this, the more suspicious Yonglian became.
After the county magistrate left, Yonglian still ordered Fu Wen and others to re-examine the palace maid.
The next morning, the results came out. The palace maid was indeed bribed by the county magistrate, who gave her a large sum of money to bribe the guards and eunuchs.
When Emperor Qianlong received the report from Fu Wen and Fu Qian, he was furious. If it weren't for the eldest son's vigilance and the second son's cleverness, they would have fallen into the trap by now.
When the two princes went out, the officials along the way did not gain any benefits, but several of them were dismissed and investigated.
The officials in Zhili were all discussing that they must stop these two young masters from leaving the capital to do business next time. They were even harder to fool than the emperor.
But this was just the beginning. When Yonglian returned to Beijing, he presented Qianlong with a thick memorial listing various problems outside the Great Wall.
Since the area outside the Great Wall is the birthplace of the Chinese nation, it should be governed with greater care. However, now it has become a neglected place, which is the greatest disrespect to our ancestors.
After submitting the memorial, Yonglian stopped caring about the matter. If he interfered too much, Khan Ama would be unhappy.
Qianlong thought that his son would change his ways after discovering so many problems during his trip, and would actively participate in supervising the reforms, or take advantage of the major changes in Zhili and the areas outside the Great Wall to send a few of his own people in.
As a result, when this kid came back, he returned to his previous state and no longer asked about the affairs of the previous dynasty.
However, Qianlong could not turn a blind eye to the problems discovered by Yonglian, which simply added a lot of workload.
While complaining about this kid who was really looking for trouble for him, he summoned officials. Qianlong was busy all winter, and when he put down his pen at the end of the year, he couldn't help but think that if he had gone on an eastern tour, there would definitely not be so much trouble. It was all Yonglian's fault.
It’s too late to regret now. Next year, people will be allowed to go outside the Great Wall to open up land and cultivate crops. Various problems will definitely arise at that time. It’s a headache just thinking about it.
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