Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Let Go
Qianlong quickly took a fancy to a young man named Deleke, who came from the Balin tribe. His great-grandfather had served the imperial family loyally and had made military achievements. His grandfather had been stationed in Uliastai, and his father, Linqin, had also served as an official in Beijing.
Although Delek is not as handsome as Balzhuer, he is still quite decent. He is proficient in Manchu, Chinese and Mongolian and has a good cultural background.
Qianlong asked Yonglian and others to interact more with Deleker to see his character.
Yonglian knew that this was to choose a prince consort for his cousin Fei Ya, so he took it very seriously.
Several young boys agreed to go horse racing, and Balzhuer, Alawangbu and others also participated.
In the end, Dadu came in first, Yonghuang came in second, and Deleke came in last.
Yonglian asked him, "I see that you are a very good rider, why don't you try your best?"
Deleke said, "The Third Prince's horse is too high. I'm afraid he'll fall, so I want to follow behind him. If he gets into danger, I can protect him in time."
Upon hearing this, Yong Zhang thanked Deleker repeatedly and said to Yong Lian, "When I first chose the horse, I only thought that tall horses would run fast, but I forgot that they are difficult to control."
Yonghuang hurriedly said that he wanted to exchange horses with his third brother.
Everyone had barbecue together in the evening, and Deleker was always taking care of the young boys around him, sometimes busy spreading seasonings and sometimes helping to cut meat.
Compared with him, Balzhuer seemed less tactful.
Yonglian then asked around with Deleke's brothers, and they all spoke highly of him. He was the eldest brother, and he was very caring towards his younger siblings.
Yonglian went to report to Qianlong.
Qianlong laughed and said, "I said, my vision must be correct."
The next day he discussed with Linqin about bringing Deleke back to the capital.
Lin Qin was overwhelmed with joy and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude. He had previously expressed his wish for his son to come to Beijing. However, he had never imagined that he would be sent to Beijing to become a son-in-law.
Linqin thought it was a shame for his son, who was so well-educated, to stay in the Balin tribe. He should go to Beijing and find a job.
Now the opportunity has finally come. As long as his son can show up in front of the emperor, he will have the opportunity to succeed sooner or later.
When he returned to Beijing, Emperor Qianlong took Deleke with him and asked him to follow Yongbi.
Yongbi couldn't stand his future brother-in-law and kept finding fault with him.
Deleke was depressed, but he had to please his future brother-in-law, so he went around asking Hongluo about Yongbi's preferences.
Hongzhou and Yongbi studied together since childhood and were the same age, so they had the best relationship.
The young boy did not reveal Yongbi's preferences immediately, but waited for Deleker to get the benefits.
Deleke was very considerate and gave Hongzhou a Mongolian knife inlaid with gems.
Only then was Hongzhou satisfied, and he said that his little nephews all liked foreign knowledge. Yonghuang learned foreign languages, Yonglian liked various machines, and Yongbi liked foreign music and painting.
Drake understood and quickly found the Western painters who were accompanying him, wanting to learn Western music from them.
Of course, Deleker's efforts to please Yongbi did not escape Qianlong's attention.
He said to Yonglian, "This kid Deleke is even more lively than Balzhuer."
Yonglian asked, "You won't regret wanting Niulun to marry Deleke, will you?"
Qianlong snorted, "That's not the case. Deleke is not as good-looking as Balzhuer."
Yonglian: “…”
"Appearance is very important. I am still waiting for Niu Lun to give me a handsome grandson in the future." Qianlong said.
Yonglian: “…”
Yonglian heaved a sigh of relief, as it was too late to change his son-in-law. This was mainly because during this hunting trip, Niu Lun saw Balzhuer on the hunting platform and was very satisfied with his future son-in-law.
I guess Balzhuer has also noticed Niu Lun, and he has been full of pink bubbles recently.
Speaking of grandchildren, Qianlong thought of his eldest son, who was already married. "Your eldest brother has been married for more than a year, why is there no news at all?"
Yonglian hurriedly said, "It's only been a year, why are you so anxious? You're still so young, why are you so anxious to have a grandson?"
"Look at what you said, who doesn't want to be a Mafa?" Qianlong said and looked at Yonglian again, "Don't worry, giving birth to the eldest grandson is not that important for anyone."
Yonglian was stunned for a moment before he understood what Khan Ama meant. Khan Ama thought that he didn't want his eldest brother to give birth to the eldest grandson.
"Why would my son be bothered by this?" Yonglian said unhappily, "My future wife and I just didn't give you a grandson. Do you still despise us?"
Qianlong: "That's still a bit disgusting."
Yonglian: “…”
Qianlong patted his son's bald forehead and said, "It's okay for other families, but your issue of offspring is particularly important." The father and son talked for a while, and Qianlong was about to start reviewing the memorials. He asked Yonglian to help him pick out the memorials of respect.
On the way back, Yonglian was summoned to work by Qianlong's side every day. Sometimes, when Qianlong discussed government affairs with officials, he would also ask Yonglian to sit in.
This year's grain harvest was poor, and the top priority was to stabilize grain prices. Meanwhile, Emperor Qianlong arranged for merchants from ports like Xiamen to go to Southeast Asia to buy grain.
Fortunately, the national treasury has been full in the past two years, otherwise if this kind of thing happened for several years in a row, the people would really have no food to eat.
They did not take the train on the return trip because Qianlong wanted to take the empress dowager to Tangquan for a short stay.
The accompanying guard Ding He returned to Beijing to take up his post first.
Yongzheng never visited Tangquan Palace during his reign, and the buildings there looked a bit run-down, so Qianlong wanted to renovate them.
After a few days of hesitation, he dismissed the idea. Yonglian would be getting married next year, and two years later, Niu Lun and Fei Ya would be getting married. Yonglian could temporarily stay in the palace and set up his own residence, but the princess's residence had to be prepared. All of this required money.
As for Tangquan Palace, since it’s not comfortable to stay here, I’d better come less often in the future.
Yunlu had been in charge of the Imperial Household Department for many years and had long since mastered Qianlong's habits. Unlike the previous emperor, he was not frugal and could make do anywhere.
The current emperor had never suffered hardship since childhood and knew how to be frugal, but he learned that from books. He had no regrets when it came to extravagance.
He thought that the Emperor would definitely propose to repair the palace when he saw the poor condition of the Tangquan Palace. Yunlu even thought of the reason for this, saying that the Tangquan Palace was where the Emperor had lived, and he could not bear to see it fall into disrepair.
However, until the emperor returned to the capital, he did not mention the renovation of the palace.
Yunlu couldn't help but murmur to Yunli, "The emperor has changed in the past two years. When he first ascended the throne, he wasn't such a stingy person. Chonghua Palace, Jianfu Palace, Shoukang Palace... were all built after he ascended the throne. Not to mention the Old Summer Palace, whooping a fortune."
Yun Li said, "One doesn't know how expensive firewood and rice are until he runs a household. Furthermore, with the constant natural disasters of the past two years, the railway and the manufacturing bureau have all needed money, so naturally he'll learn to save money."
"It's not easy, not easy." Yunlu said, "I think Yonglian is a kid who knows how to live. I guess the court won't have to worry about money in the future." Both of them had experienced the deficit in the national treasury in the later years of Emperor Kangxi. At that time, everyone in the court was uneasy, fearing that natural disasters would occur and the court would not be able to provide money.
However, at that time, the court had already formed a culture of extravagance, and everyone spent money while feeling uneasy. It was not until the late emperor ascended the throne and faced the problem of deficit that everyone began to save money.
After Qianlong ascended the throne, he never worried about money, so he was very generous, not only to himself, but also to others. For example, when he went on tour this year, he gave banquets every few days, and the imperial guards and accompanying soldiers also received a lot of rewards.
Everyone was naturally grateful and said that the emperor was wise.
When Qianlong heard this, he was even happier and decided to do the same thing again next time.
Yunlu was not easy to persuade before, thinking that the queen advocated frugality, why didn’t the emperor learn from the queen?
Fortunately, the emperor has changed himself now. Yunlu breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Yonglian. This kid will not face the same problems that the previous emperor faced when he ascends the throne one day.
After Qianlong returned to Beijing, he was busy for several days before he remembered Fei Ya's matter.
Since she is going to be made a princess, she should at least be brought into the palace to live for a few days as a pretense.
It just so happened that the Empress Dowager's birthday was approaching, so Qianlong allowed Fei Ya to enter the palace and live in Shoukang Palace on the occasion of the Empress Dowager's birthday.
Hong Zhou also looked at the prince consort arranged by his brother for his daughter and was quite satisfied.
The key is that they are willing to stay in the capital, which is better than anything else.
Wu Zaku and Fei Ya, mother and daughter, were also very happy when they learned about the emperor's arrangements. Wu Zaku went to the palace to express her gratitude to the empress dowager and the queen.
The Queen laughed and said, "We are all family, why be so polite? Besides, I have no say in this matter, and it is only because the Emperor is kindhearted that he cannot bear to see his niece marry far away."
Wu Zaku was so grateful to the emperor that she felt her own father was useless and could not repay the emperor properly.
Now that the glass factory is on track, Hong Zhou has less things to worry about and starts to dine and drink with Yunlu, Yunlu and others again.
When he got home, his wife scolded him for not doing his job.
Hong Zhou: “…”
Hong Zhou looked his wife up and down. "Are you my wife? Are you possessed by some evil spirit?" Wu Zhaku was very similar to him in character, not very ambitious, and just liked to eat, drink and enjoy life at home. This was the first time in all their years of marriage that she had urged him to do the right thing.
Wu Zaku's: "..."
Wu Zaku had someone bring an ice handkerchief and threw it directly at Hong Zhou's face to sober him up. Only then did he begin to speak his mind.
Hong Zhou wiped his face with an ice handkerchief and shivered with cold. "...I think it's you who should wake up. If I were actively doing the right things, my brother wouldn't be so kind to me. The right things need to be done. It's just right to finish one thing in a year or two."
Wu Zaku's: "..."
"Besides, there are benefits to dining and drinking. My royal brother is too lazy to spend time socializing with the royal family, so he let me go." Hong Zhou burped. "The other day, the emperor heard that Fourteenth Uncle often visited Seventeenth Uncle's house, so he asked me to find out what these two old brothers do together."
When Wu Zhaku heard about the Fourteenth Master, her heart skipped a beat. After being released, he had been living in seclusion and rarely interacted with his brothers. How could he be associated with Prince Guo?
She was a little curious, "Did you find out?"
Hong Zhou nodded and sighed, "Fourteenth Uncle wanted to find something to do. He heard that Seventeenth Uncle was helping to improve firearms, so he wanted to help Seventeenth Uncle."
The Fourteenth Master had commanded troops before, and was no stranger to firearms. He was certainly an expert in this area. But the Emperor might be worried. Wu Zaku said, "The Fourteenth Master is already over fifty. It would be much better for him to enjoy his retirement at home. Why would he get involved in these matters?"
"It's also for the sake of my children and grandchildren." Hong Zhou said, "Although Hongming is a prince, he is not given important positions. Fourteenth Uncle feels that his son has been implicated by him, so he wants to go out and do something, make some contributions, and build up a family fortune."
"How pitiful are the parents in the world." Wu Zaku sighed.
"Yes, although Uncle Seventeen can't take him with him, he also wants to help him." Hong Zhou said: "I do want to let Uncle Fourteen work in the glass factory, but there are too many royal family members here."
He was thinking about whether there was any unimportant job that he could assign his Fourteenth Uncle to.
As the end of the year approaches, all government schools are holding examinations. This year, a new reward and punishment system is in place: the ten students at the bottom of the exam will not receive any allowances for the next year. If they still rank at the bottom, they will be expelled and sent home. The allowances of these students will be given to the top ten as scholarships.
With this new regulation, the learning atmosphere in official schools is much better than before.
Qianlong wanted to extend this new rule to other official schools, clan schools, and Juelu schools.
Since it was a clan school, the person in charge should preferably be a member of the royal family. Hong Zhou then suggested that Yunli should go. He had the seniority and age to control the people below him.
Qianlong thought it was feasible, so he summoned Yunli to the palace to ask his opinion.
Yunli was already grateful to have something to do now, so he didn't dare to be picky and immediately took on the task of reorganizing the Jueluo School.
However, after learning about the situation of Jueluo School, Yunli felt a little regretful. The atmosphere here was really too bad.
It’s not that the students of the clan school have poor academic performance. There are many children from wealthy families here, and they have hired teachers at home. They have been exposed to music, chess, calligraphy and painting since childhood, and have a good literary cultivation.
However, the clan school does not pride itself on cultural accomplishment or good riding and archery skills, but on family background.
Those who have good family backgrounds and are respected by the emperor are praised in the clan school.
There were also some people with bad intentions who instigated these people to gamble, drink, go to operas, visit brothels, keep male prostitutes, and bully those Jueluo red belts with poor family backgrounds.
Yunlu was furious when he learned of several disputes. During the Lunar New Year, when Yunlu and his friends came to visit him, the old man complained to them about the difficult situation he had inherited. This matter was really difficult to handle.
Hong Zhou already knew what the clan school was like, so he smiled and advised his fourteenth uncle, "It's precisely because they're difficult to manage that we'd have a headache if we went there, so we sent you. No one else can handle those brats except you."
Yunxi, who had been in charge of the Imperial Clan for many years, also said, "Only Fourteenth Brother should take charge of this matter. He should act like you did when you reorganized the army. If the Imperial Clan's studies continue like this, the Imperial Clan will have no status at all in the court."
The emperor doesn't need to worry about the royal family now, because there are too few talented people in the royal family. Depei is one, and then there is Pingjun Wang Fupeng, but he is in poor health, so it is impossible to rely on him to lead the troops in the future.
Not to mention the red belts in the distant past. Many of them had some shops and land at home, but they never thought about making a name for themselves.
It's okay not to make a name for yourself, but you can't fall into depravity! If you continue like this, won't you be repeating the mistakes of the Ming Dynasty?
Yunzhi thought that his brothers and nephews were cunning and had snatched away all the good jobs, leaving him, an old man, to do work that offended others.
But if I don't make a name for myself, I won't be able to ask for anything for my children and grandchildren. Since I've accepted this job, I have to do it well.
He was a man who dared to challenge the late emperor back then, so why is he afraid of offending a few yellow belts and red belts now?
After the Lunar New Year, Yunli submitted a memorial to Emperor Qianlong proposing new regulations for the ancestral school. These regulations focused on the school's atmosphere. Gambling, fighting, and other such offenses would be punished. If the offense occurred three times, the student would be expelled from his or her home. Any further serious behavior would be punished with the involvement of the student's entire family.
Yonglian had just come to give Qianlong a list of candidates for the Jingshan School, who were to be employed at the Manufacturing Bureau. Yonglian personally interviewed them to assess their proficiency in operating the machines. He also adjusted the school's teaching methods.
Qianlong told him about the clan school, "Your fourteenth uncle still has the same temper. If you really do this, the clan members will say that I am mean and ungrateful."
Yonglian: "...If we don't rectify this, the entire Aisin-Gioro family will be ruined. If the entire imperial family has a bad reputation, what's the point of having a good reputation for yourself?"
Qianlong: “…”
Qianlong couldn't help but glare at his son. This kid's words were becoming more and more unpleasant.
But it is true that compared to one's reputation in the hearts of people all over the world, what the royal family says about oneself is not that important.
"And since Fourteenth Uncle has such courage, you should fully support him. When he is gone, the uncles and uncles below will not be willing to do this offensive work." Yonglian advised Khan Ama that it was urgent to rectify the clan school.
Qianlong thought about it, picked up his pen and approved it, letting his fourteenth uncle go ahead and do it.
After Qianlong finished reviewing the memorial, he looked at the list presented by Yonglian.
Each person's expertise and suitable positions are listed, and a master is assigned to guide them.
Qianlong asked, "Are there enough people?"
Yonglian shook his head. "We have enough workers and apprentices, but not enough people who can understand the entire manufacturing process and solve technical problems. But don't worry, we'll have them in a year or two."
Qianlong didn't know much about the manufacturing bureau, but his son was well aware of it. He seemed to have a very grand goal in his mind and was moving towards this goal step by step.
He took out several memorials about workshops and steam engines and discussed them with Yonglian. Without the advice of people like Yonglian and Haiwang, Qianlong did not dare to approve them easily.
He also thought about learning some arithmetic and mechanics-related knowledge, like Emperor Kangxi did, so that he would not be able to distinguish right from wrong when officials argued over technical issues.
But Qianlong really had no talent or patience for this kind of thing. He still couldn't understand the principles of the steam engine.
Qianlong was very afraid that he, an outsider, would be fooled, but fortunately he had Yonglian.
But we cannot rely on only a few people. When the court debated this new issue, many old ministers were confused and unable to get a word in.
Qianlong himself had the idea of reforming the imperial examination system without Yonglian's suggestion. But the thought of facing criticism from scholars gave him a headache.
But if he doesn't change, Yonglian will change sooner or later when he ascends the throne. Then those people will scold Yonglian.
Thinking of his son being called a tyrant and a fool by those scholars, and even being slandered by rumors, Qianlong felt even more uncomfortable. He believed that the reform of the imperial examination system could not be delayed and had to be done during his reign.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
