Chapter 81 Times Have Changed
Ever since the train service opened in Zhangjiakou, the local officials have been so busy that they haven't even noticed the small advertisements inserted into the newspapers.
When Qianlong put the advertisement in front of him, the official cursed his bad luck in his heart. How could he be caught by several princes?
This matter can be considered a big deal or a small one. If a businessman wants to save money and copies a few advertisements himself, it's not a big deal.
But if they can copy advertisements, can they also copy other things? Put them in newspapers and spread them to the people without anyone noticing.
This is why Qianlong was furious. He ordered officials to investigate who organized the copying of these advertisements. From the organizers to the newspaper boys, everyone must be severely punished.
The official retreated in disgrace.
Yonghuang hesitated and said, "Those newspaper boys probably can't read. They just want to make a few more cents. Why punish them so severely?"
Qianlong snorted and glanced at Yonglian, meaning that he wanted Yonglian to explain.
Yonglian said, "This is so that newsboys can report such incidents promptly in the future. We'll also publish the results of the incident in the Guochao News, so that newsboys and citizens in other places will be on the lookout for this. If anyone sees advertisements inserted into newspapers, they can report it to the government office and receive a reward."
Yong Zhang understood, "Yes, yes, perhaps something similar has happened elsewhere."
Qianlong thought for a moment and said to Yonglian, "Can the price of advertising in the newspaper be lower?"
Yonglian nodded. "I'm thinking of adding two pages to the National News. That way, we'll have more space for advertising, but the price of the newspaper will be a couple of cents more."
Everyone was curious about what content would be added.
"The first one is an interview with a craftsman and a wealthy businessman, and the second one..."
Qianlong raised his hand to interrupt him, "Wait, why are you interviewing them?"
"Scholars have their own experiences, and craftsmen and merchants naturally have their own success stories." Yonglian said, "Manufacturing new machines requires craftsmen, but many people are reluctant to become craftsmen or work as laborers. One reason is that craftsmen have always had a low status. We need to let the people know that craftsmen can also gain recognition from the court, achieve promotions, and make fortunes. The same is true for merchants. This era cannot do without merchants, so it is necessary to provide them with some professional role models."
If there were officials in the court who were diligent and honest, the emperor would praise them in his imperial edicts and ask officials from all over the country to emulate them. This was to set a benchmark.
Qianlong was very familiar with this method. It could be used in official circles, and of course it could also be used on merchants and craftsmen.
But Qianlong was a little worried, "If the people all go out to trade and work, who will farm the land?"
Yonglian laughed upon hearing this. "Khan Ama, the population has grown rapidly in the past two years, so there's no shortage of people working the land. Besides, working and farming don't completely conflict. In some areas of the north, they only have one harvest a year, so they don't have to farm in the winter, so they can work to supplement their income. Isn't that what they're doing in Shaanxi and Gansu right now?"
Two years ago, the Ningxia earthquake destroyed many houses and severely damaged city walls, government offices, and bridges. The government organized the people to farm in spring and summer and work in autumn and winter, providing relief. They also built workshops to accommodate those without land.
The same is true in Shaanxi and Gansu, especially in some areas with barren land. The harvest cost is not high, and they have to pay grain to the government. Their own income is not enough, so they need to find ways to supplement their family income. In the past, most people chose to work as long-term laborers for landlords or go into the mountains to hunt. Now there are more ways to make money, and the people are naturally happy.
Qianlong nodded and couldn't help but sigh, "Just now on the train, Gao Bin was saying that changes have been so rapid across the country in the past two years that the old governance methods are no longer sufficient. Many problems have emerged, and officials are overwhelmed."
Yonglian wanted to say that this was a gradual move towards industrialization, and the traditional methods of governing an agricultural country were certainly no longer applicable.
But he just smiled and said, "The world is developing. There are new changes and new contradictions every day."
Qianlong nodded and brought the topic back to the topic, "Besides adding more interviews to the newspaper, what else should we add?"
Yonglian smiled and said, "I also want to add some short stories to popularize the law."
Everyone nodded when they heard this, indicating that this was very necessary. The eldest concubine's father Lai Bao worked in the Ministry of Justice. The eldest concubine had told Yonghuang about some cases in the Ministry of Justice. Many times, the prisoners did not know that they had violated the law.
Qianlong said, "When you go back, discuss this with the officials of the Ministry of Justice. Not all laws need to be universalized."
It is best not to emphasize the fact that the bannermen and civilians have different crimes.
The emperor rested for one night in Zhangjiakou and set off the next day, traveling north by carriage.
This was Yonglian's first time participating in the Mulan hunting trip. On the first day, he did not ask his fourth uncle for "help" and shot two deer and several rabbits by himself. His harvest was similar to that of Hongzhou.
Yonghuang made a splash this year by shooting a bear.
The Mongolian princes and nobles praised Prince Ding for his bravery. Emperor Qianlong looked very happy, but he was grumbling in his heart that Yonghuang was a tactless boy who had stolen the limelight from Yonglian.
Yonglian noticed that Khan's attitude towards his eldest brother was a little cold, so he guessed what was going on.
He didn't want Khan Ama to be angry with his elder brother because of this, but his riding and archery skills were really not good.
Fortunately, he was quite accurate with the flintlock rifle, so the next day he switched to a hunting rifle and shot a bear.
Qianlong also took the opportunity to show off the new firearms that had been improved in the past two years in front of the Mongolian princes.
The deterrent power of firearms is unmatched by cavalry. Many Mongolian princes and nobles know that the reason why Junggar was so powerful was because of the firearms sold to them by Russia.
But now the Qing Dynasty's firearms were also improving. The flintlock rifle had a fast loading speed and a longer range than before.
I heard that gunpowder has been improved and can be used at sea.
The Mongol princes wanted to buy some firearms from the imperial court. They didn't need the latest ones; older ones would do. Having them was better than having none.
Qianlong didn't mind selling them some outdated matchlock rifles, as the garrisoned cavalry in various places had to be replaced with new ones in the next two years anyway.
Yunli happened to be there. He was very familiar with the firearms available in the Ministry of War and was able to quickly give a suitable price.
The imperial court made a small profit, which was directly used to improve new firearms.
Yonglian was exhausted after several days of hunting. When he returned to his tent, he lay down on the bed, not wanting to move at all.
Yong Zhang's physical strength was even worse, and he could not mount his horse on the third day of the hunt.
Qianlong did not force him and let him follow the empress and Niu Lun.
Only Qianlong was energetic from beginning to end. He hunted during the day, feasted at night, and continued hunting in high spirits the next morning.
He looked at his listless sons and felt very disappointed with them.
However, Balzhuer has always been very active. Although he is not as good as Dadu in archery and horse riding, Qianlong likes to bring him along.
"Judging from the emperor's attitude, he has chosen Balzhuer as his consort." Dadu sighed as he looked at Balzhuer riding a horse behind the emperor in the distance.
In the past two years, Alawangbu has come to realize the reality that selecting a prince consort is not an imperial examination, and being good at studying is useless.
Similarly, it is useless even if Dadu is good at riding and shooting.
"That's good. It's a blessing for us to be able to receive education in the Shangshufang." Alawang said, "I plan to take the imperial examination next year."
Dadu looked at him and asked, "Aren't you going back to the grassland?"
Alawangbu smiled and said, "If you don't pass the exam, come back." He returned to the grassland in disgrace, unwilling to accept his fate, feeling like he'd been eliminated. But if he had proven himself through another path, no one would have said that.
Dadu also didn't want to return to the Tumed tribe. A large part of the Tumed people lived in Shanxi, where the pastureland was limited. Many herders had recently begun cultivating the land. However, cultivating the land did not improve their lives, and they often needed aid from the court.
Having lived a life of luxury in the palace and witnessed the prosperity of the capital, Dadu felt uncomfortable at the thought of returning to the poor and backward Tumed tribe.
He thought about it and realized that he was not good at studying, so if he wanted to stay in the capital, he could only start as a guard.
When the time comes, he will beg the emperor for help, and the emperor will probably not refuse him.
Unexpectedly, the Tumed people were eager for Dadu to return. "This year, the new governor submitted a memorial to the emperor, adjusting our tax payment schedule. We won't have to live so frugally anymore. He also organized us to raise sheep and open wool combing workshops, so those of us who aren't good at farming now have a way out. You studied in the capital for so many years, you must know how to manage these workshops."
Dadu was very disdainful of this, "What I learned in the Shangshufang was the knowledge of governing the country and benefiting the people."
"The workshop is a great thing for the people, Lord Beile. You may not know that the blankets and felts we produce are better than those Western goods. They are very popular in Korea and Dongying."
Dadu did not take it seriously at first, but in the next few days, he met several nobles of the Tumed tribe. These people were all in high spirits and no longer felt ashamed in front of other Mongolian princes.
Many taijis from other tribes envied them. With the help of Shanxi merchants, the Tumed tribe had no trouble selling their wool. Unlike the tribes on the grasslands, the workshops were reluctant to buy their wool because of the high transportation costs.
Many people brought tributes, which were all various wool materials they had newly produced this year.
Among them was a cashmere quilt, which was warm and soft. Qianlong liked it very much and said that such a good thing should be sold to the south.
The emperor's words were true, and it wouldn't be long before merchants from the south would come to the Tumed tribe to buy goods. The Tumed taijis were all very happy.
Dadu was a little hesitant and thought that maybe it would be a good idea to return to the Tumed tribe.
After staying in Mulan Paddock for a few days, the emperor continued his journey north and arrived at Duolun Nor.
Emperor Kangxi held a meeting of the emperor here, and Emperor Qianlong now summoned Mongolian nobles from the south and north of the desert, as well as some princesses who married into Mongolia.
The princesses of the Emperor Shengzu's reign have all passed away, but their children are still alive, as are some princesses from the princes' families.
These people came to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was not familiar with these Mongolian women. In the past, when the late emperor was alive, she was not qualified to attend these people's visits to the palace. She was a little nervous on the way and kept talking to Qianlong.
Qianlong said, "You are the Empress Dowager. Even if you say something wrong, no one dares to criticize you. If you like it, talk to them for a while. If you don't like it, ignore them and let the Empress deal with it."
The Queen Mother hesitated, "What if they look down on you for this?"
Qianlong sneered, "Mongolia today is no longer the Mongolia of the Kangxi Emperor's time. These people depend on the imperial court for their livelihood. If they look down on me, I can turn around and make them starve."
In the past two years, the Mongolian tribes have made a lot of money by raising sheep. Once the imperial court stops buying wool from them, it will be like a pipe dream for them to sell the wool overseas on their own.
After seeing the profits from raising sheep, asking them to return to their previous grazing life would not only be unpleasant for the nobles, but even ordinary herdsmen would not agree.
When Emperor Kangxi toured the frontier, he wanted to use the elite Eight Banners to intimidate the Mongols. Now the purpose is the same, but the purpose of intimidating the Mongols has become firearms and interests.
Some Mongol nobles even began to worry that with the advent of steam locomotives, the imperial court would need fewer cavalry for future battles, reducing the demand for horses. It would be almost impossible for the Mongols to exchange benefits with the imperial court by providing war horses.
The mutual checks and balances of power in the past have now turned into Mongolia's unilateral dependence on the imperial court.
Not to mention the emperor's skillful riding and archery, even if he couldn't draw the bow, they wouldn't dare to look down on him at all.
Mongolian women are also very respectful to the Queen Mother and the Empress, but unfortunately the Emperor currently has only one princess, and it seems that she already has a prince consort.
When these people heard that the Prince had a daughter who was also of marriageable age, they asked the Queen Mother and the Empress about it.
Although the imperial court has become more powerful now, this is the ancestral rule. Marriages must still be made.
The Empress Dowager and the Queen then remembered that Emperor Qianlong had wanted to adopt Hongzhou's daughter and have her marry a Mongolian.
As a result, because Hong Zhou's family had only this one daughter, the prince's wife came to the empress dowager and cried, wanting their daughter to spend more time with them. The empress dowager never mentioned the matter of bringing the child into the palace to Qianlong, and the matter was shelved.
Since they were going to marry into Mongolia, Concubine Yu also wanted to obtain the status of a princess for her granddaughter.
She mentioned it to the Empress Dowager cautiously, fearing she would be angry and think she was greedy. Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager agreed readily. "This has been agreed upon long ago. I'll tell the Emperor about it later. Also, follow Niu Lun's marriage arrangements and raise the future prince consort in the inner court. Later, we'll build a princess's mansion in the capital. This way, Fei Ya can come to the palace often to pay her respects to you, and she can also go back to her parents' home."
Concubine Yu thanked her repeatedly, and the Queen Mother quickly pulled her back, "We are old sisters, what's there to say about thanking or not."
That night, the Empress Dowager told Emperor Qianlong, "...You know Fei Ya is in poor health. I'm worried about her going to the grasslands. It would be better for her to stay in the capital."
One of the reasons why Qianlong did not mention adopting Fei Ya in the past two years was that the girl was in poor health and Qianlong could not bear to see her marrying to the grassland.
Besides, my own daughter is healthy and stays in the capital. Letting my brother's daughter marry off to the grasslands for a marriage alliance is not a good idea to say out loud.
Now that the Mongolian tribes were happy to send their sons to the capital, things became much simpler. He immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll pay close attention these days and choose a good husband for my niece and bring her directly back to the capital."
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