Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Caught and Worked
"I heard that Uncle Hongtao is sick?" When Yonglian learned that Hongtao was going back to Beijing, he immediately went to the editorial team of "Guochao News" to find Hongxiao to inquire.
Hong Xiao said, "He wrote that he's fine, just exhausted from being on the ship for so long. The Emperor told him to recuperate in Taiwan for a while, and there's no need to rush to the capital."
"Uncle Hongtao has worked so hard," Yonglian said. "But the Khan said he'll be rewarded handsomely when he returns."
Hongtao was to recuperate in Taiwan, while several officials accompanying him went to Beijing first. Several large ships also sailed north, claiming to be carrying grain and foreign goods.
But Qianlong revealed to Yonglian that half of the ship was filled with gold, silver and precious stones.
Qianlong was so happy that he said that the gold and silver were enough to build three or five railways.
For the imperial court, this was a windfall; who wouldn't be happy? Qianlong had already planned to confer the title of prince on Hongtao.
Hong Xiao said, "It's Fourth Brother's responsibility to complete the mission assigned by the Emperor." He offered a few polite words before adding, "For our family, his safe return is more important than anything else. When my mother heard the news, she was so overjoyed she couldn't sleep all night and donated a thousand taels to the temple the next day. She's been so worried about Fourth Brother for years that she's prayed to the gods and Buddhas everywhere, asking them to bless him with safety. I don't know how much money she's spent on this."
One of the reasons why Prince Yi's Mansion could not afford 100,000 taels to buy a car was that the Thirteenth Concubine donated money to temples and Taoist temples everywhere.
Hongxiao did not dissuade his mother from praying to the gods or Buddhas. The old lady would be left without any hope and would only become more worried.
Yonglian smiled and said, "When Uncle Hongtao comes back, the old lady will be busy again as she goes around fulfilling her vows."
Hong Xiao said, "That's right. It's good this way. It helps the old man to have something to do so he can be more energetic."
He even joked with Yonglian, "When your uncle Hongtao returns, he'll be able to attend your wedding."
Yonglian pursed his lips and smiled, "Yes, yes."
"How are the wedding preparations going?" Hong Xiao asked with a smile.
The Queen is pregnant. I heard that the affairs of the harem are now being handled by Concubine Xian and Concubine Chun, who were promoted last year. I wonder who is taking care of Yonglian's wedding.
Yonglian said, "Khan Ama personally took care of it, so I didn't worry too much. I was just asked to try on clothes a few times."
Hongxiao couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the emperor really cared about Yonglian's affairs.
It would have been better if Qianlong did not ask about Yonglian’s wedding. The more he asked, the more he felt that he was wronging his son.
Qianlong couldn't help but say to the empress, "Yonglian can only hold his wedding according to the regulations of a prince. It's really pitiful."
The Queen looked at Qianlong with a strange look, "When we got married, it was only according to the regulations for the prince's wedding."
When Qianlong married Fucha, he was not yet Prince Bao, and their wedding ceremony was held according to the etiquette of a prince's wedding.
After hearing this, Qianlong was speechless for a long time.
Yes, my wedding wasn't particularly grand, but I didn't feel wronged. Why did I feel that the prince's rules were shabby when it came to Yonglian?
"That...that's different. Back then, I was a prince and couldn't make the decision. Now that I'm the emperor, I want my son's wedding to be a grand occasion." Qianlong said, "It would be best if envoys from all over the world came to celebrate. That's how a prince's wedding should be."
The Empress was touched, but if she really went beyond the rules, it would be bad for Yonglian. She advised Qianlong, "You personally organizing Yonglian's wedding is already the highest honor. Nothing else matters. When Yonglian came to pay his respects today, he even said that the porcelain you had made was beautiful."
Qianlong raised an eyebrow. "Did he really say that? Why does he look at those porcelains with a bit of disdain?"
Qianlong ordered the manufacturing bureau to produce a batch of porcelain for the wedding ceremony, all in the style of "blooming prosperity" that Qianlong favored. Yesterday, Yonglian went to see it, and his smile was very forced. But Qianlong had the final say. He thought it looked beautiful, and these pieces would be used at the wedding, and some would even be displayed in the bridal chamber.
The queen knew that her son didn't like this style. If she lied with her eyes open and the emperor misunderstood her, it would be troublesome if he often gave Yonglian this kind of fancy porcelain.
She said, "Yonglian said that it's fine for ordinary times, but using these porcelains at weddings makes it festive and lively."
Qianlong snorted: "At least this kid has some taste."
Queen: “…”
The empress was due to give birth this month. Emperor Qianlong came to talk to her every day and sometimes helped her walk in the courtyard.
"I hope your baby will also be a little princess."
Last December, Concubine Chun gave birth to a little princess. The little princess was very cute, but her fingers were connected together like duck breast.
The midwife was almost frightened to tears at the time. When Concubine Chun learned that she had given birth to a disabled daughter, she was also worried. She was afraid that Emperor Qianlong would dislike the child and even implicate Yongzhang and Yongrong.
However, Qianlong said that the child's hands were like Buddha's hands and that she was the reincarnation of Bodhisattva. In order to prevent people in the palace from looking down on his daughter, he took the little princess directly to the Empress Dowager's palace to raise her.
But Qianlong knew very well that this was a disability. He brought the child to the Empress Dowager in the hope that the poor child would be blessed by his ancestors and grow up healthy.
The Queen knew that he really liked daughters, but she hoped to give birth to a little prince to assist Yonglian in the future.
As the Empress neared her due date, the Grand Consort Xitala and Niu Lun carefully attended to her. Yonghuang and Yonglian also came every day.
On the seventh day of April, the queen was about to give birth.
Qianlong was anxious to see the empress, so he called Yonglian to the Yangxin Palace and asked him to help read the memorials.
He directly handed Yonglian a red brush and said, "Try to imitate my handwriting as much as possible."
Yonglian: "...This...This is not good."
"What's wrong? Hurry up." Qianlong said, "It's okay, just write it down. I understand. Please review the memorial. I feel very comfortable. If you don't know how to write it, please write it to me."
Yonglian: “…”
Yonglian was also worried about his mother and his unborn brother, so he had to hurry up and work.
The father and son quickly reviewed today's memorials and hurried to Changchun Palace.
Qianlong looked at the time. It took the two of them more than an hour to review the memorials together. Their efficiency was indeed very high.
Yonglian is more concise and clear-minded than I am. I can use him to do work more often in the future.
When they arrived at Changchun Palace, there was no movement in the delivery room. Concubine Xian, Concubine Chun, Concubine Jia, Niu Lun, the first wife and others were all outside. When the women in the room saw Yonglian, they had no time to avoid him.
Qianlong sent them back and told them not to stay here.
Everyone bowed and left, leaving only Qianlong, Yonglian, Niu Lun and several imperial physicians in the room.
When Qianlong heard that the Empress was doing well inside, he felt relieved. He then asked Niu Lun in a gentle voice, "Are you afraid? If you are, go back and rest."
Niu Lun said: "There is nothing to be afraid of. I just feel sorry for you, mother."
Qianlong thought to himself that you will have to go through this in the future.
Qianlong was happy when his concubines gave birth, but he felt bad that his daughter, who had been pampered, had to suffer this hardship.
A terrible thought suddenly popped up in his mind: it would be great if Balzhuer could give birth to a child.
Qianlong was amused by his own outrageous idea. Niu Lun, who was sitting opposite him, saw this and laughed, "My brother hasn't even been born yet, and Khan Ama is already so happy."
In those days, men were valued more than women, so when a woman was pregnant, everyone would tacitly say it was a boy. Servants would also say their master was pregnant with a "little prince."
At this time, Qianlong couldn't say that he liked the soft little princess.
He acted very relaxed. The queen was in good health and had taken good care of the baby. The midwife and the imperial physician had been selected long ago, and everything was safe and there wouldn't be any problems.
He would be happy whether the child was a boy or a girl, because he and the queen already had a son and a daughter, and this child would be the icing on the cake.
Yonglian said, "Of course I'm happy." He glanced at the time. "It's almost midnight. It's the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, Buddha's birthday. My brother is a very lucky child!"
In history, Yongcong was born on Buddha's birthday, and Emperor Qianlong even wrote a poem specifically for it.
Unexpectedly, when Qianlong heard this, he frowned slightly and said, "It's just a coincidence. There's no need to emphasize this matter."
Yonglian: ???
Seeing his son's confused look, Qianlong couldn't help but glare at him.
If it was a little princess, it would be fine, but if it was a little prince, it would be bad for Yonglian if he made a fuss about it.
Niu Lun thought for a moment and said, "That's right. There's already a Buddha's Hand Princess in the palace. Adding a prince born on the Buddha's birthday would have too much religious connotation."
The imperial court wanted to make use of Buddhism, but it could not use it too much to avoid backlash.
Qianlong nodded with satisfaction, "That's exactly the truth."
Yonglian also hurriedly said: "Son, I understand."
When the queen's cries of pain were heard in the delivery room, Qianlong said he would take Yonglian and Niu Lun to the small Buddhist temple to burn incense.
As the three of them emerged from the small Buddhist hall, they heard the resounding cry of a baby in the delivery room. Soon, the midwife came out with the good news, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Your Majesty has given birth to a little prince."
The three people outside were all overjoyed. Yonglian quickly asked, "How is Mother?"
"My Lord, the Queen is just a little tired, there's nothing serious." said the midwife.
Yonglian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Qianlong ordered Li Yu that all the servants on duty in the palace tonight would be rewarded.
Li Yu went out to pass on the message, and soon the voices of servants expressing their gratitude were heard outside.
The midwife cleaned the little prince, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and brought him out.
Qianlong, Yonglian and Niu Lun immediately came over to look at the baby. The baby had red skin and a chubby face. It was said that the baby weighed more than eight kilograms and was a fat baby.
"It looks very much like you when you were a child." Qianlong said to Yonglian.
Yonglian smiled and said, "My brother is really good-looking."
Qianlong snorted: "Don't think I can't hear you, you are bragging." As he spoke, he took the swaddling clothes and shook them. Yonglian and Niu Lun beside him stretched out their hands to hug their younger brother.
Qianlong handed it to Yonglian first. Yonglian looked at his brother's facial features carefully, and couldn't help praising him from nose to mouth, before handing the swaddling clothes to Niu Lun.
That night, Qianlong couldn't help but write a poem and showed it to Yonglian the next day.
For such a happy occasion, Khan Ama would surely write a poem. Yonglian was not surprised. If he hadn't been incompetent, he would have certainly written one. He said, "Let's publish this poem in the Guochao News."
Qianlong shook his head. "No, we should just take care of our own affairs and enjoy ourselves." He then said to Yonglian, "Let Haiwang take care of the Manufacturing Bureau for the next two days. I'm going to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices and pray for rain. Starting tomorrow, I'll go to the Southern Suburbs Zhai Palace to fast for three days. You should worry about the affairs of the court and the palace."
Yonglian agreed, "Don't worry, Khan."
He didn't have to review memorials just because he was fasting. His sister-in-law and other concubines took care of the palace affairs, so he didn't think it would be too hard.
Unexpectedly, some of the proposals were delivered directly to Yonglian the next day.
"The Emperor sent this to me. He said it was a minor matter and that it was up to the prince to make the decision. If there was anything unclear, he should consult with Master Fuheng."
Yonglian: “…”
He reasonably suspected that Khan Ama was just being lazy, and he had evidence!
Yonglian could no longer run to the southern suburbs to bargain with Khan Ama, so he could only work honestly.
At noon, Hongzhou, Yongbi, Yongzhang and Yongcheng came to find Yonglian.
"My brother the Emperor said that he wants you to test our homework for the next three days," Hongzhou said with a smile as he sat next to Yonglian. "My nephew, I'm sure you don't feel comfortable testing your uncle, do you?"
Yonglian: "This..."
Before he could react, he heard Yong Zhang say seriously, "What's wrong with a nephew testing his uncle? I heard that Khan Ama often tested the grades of his twenty-fourth uncle."
Hongrong: "..."
Everyone laughed, and Yongbi said, "Sixth Uncle is the most senior, so you, nephew, should test him first."
Hongzhou: "..." Hongzhou was embarrassed to argue with his frail third nephew, but he had no pressure in dealing with Yongbi, with whom he had grown up. The young boy immediately pounced on him and the two of them started a fight.
"Alright, alright, stop making trouble." Yonglian tried to pull them apart, but the two refused to listen. Yongcheng was also stirring up trouble nearby.
At this time, Yonghuang's voice was heard outside, "What's going on? Why is it so noisy in my second brother's room?"
Yonglian waved to his eldest brother, "Brother, you've come just in time. Please help me take care of them."
Yonglian asked Yonghuang to examine Yongsheng's homework, while he himself checked the essays of several others.
The two brothers divided the work and worked together, and finally got rid of these troublemakers.
Yonglian lazily slumped in his chair, "I never thought that there would be a day when I would have to test other people's homework."
Yonghuang smiled at him and said, "Look at what you said. We will only be tested on our academic performance for a dozen years at most. After that, when we have children and grandchildren, won't we also test their academic performance? Of course, you are just practicing first."
Yonglian gave his elder brother a wicked smile and said, "It's different after getting married. All you talk about is children and grandchildren." He couldn't remember clearly when Yonghuang had children in history, but now both Khan Ama and his mother were a little anxious.
"Stop teasing me. It will be the same after you get married." Yonghuang had already seen the pile of memorials on the table, and he didn't find it strange.
Khan Ama has been busy these days, so it is Yonglian's responsibility to help with government affairs.
"Brother, aren't you going to the study today?" Yonglian asked curiously. Yonghuang was in charge of the study and translation department. With more exchanges with overseas countries in the past two years, there were more texts to translate. Yonghuang's job wasn't an easy one.
"Let's go this afternoon," Yonghuang said. "I heard that some Levians returned with Uncle Hongtao, and the Lifanyuan is currently discussing how to entertain them. Should they be treated like missionaries or like Korean envoys? Their documents haven't been finalized, and it's difficult for us to translate them..."
Yonglian said, "Then let's write another letter to ask Uncle Hongtao." As he spoke, he sat up and immediately wrote a letter to Hongtao, asking all the necessary questions to facilitate the preparations of the Lifanyuan.
Yonglian wrote the letter and had it sent to the southern suburbs for Qianlong to read. Only after Qianlong agreed could it be sent to Taiwan. After all, the letter was written in Qianlong's own voice.
Yonghuang sat with Yonglian for a while and then went about his own business, while Yonglian continued to review memorials.
Last year, the Sichuan Zhandui had robbed merchants and travelers, and this was not the first time. Local officials suggested sending troops to completely subdue these people.
Qianlong had initially been reluctant to fight. Although the chieftains in Sichuan were few in number, they were quite powerful due to their familiarity with the local terrain. Furthermore, their words carried weight with the local people. Even though the people were often oppressed by them, they would still listen to them when it mattered most.
Qianlong was afraid of mobilizing a large army, so he only managed to suppress the rebellion temporarily. After a few days, these people would start making trouble again. It would be better to adopt a conciliatory policy and try to persuade them to surrender first.
However, the officials in Sichuan and Shaanxi were unanimous in favor of war, so Qianlong reluctantly agreed.
In the first month of this year, Emperor Qianlong transferred Qingfu, the former Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, to the position of Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, in charge of the offensive against Zhandui. Qingfu was a descendant of the Tonggiya clan, a family of imperial relatives of two dynasties. His father was Tong Guowei, and his brother was Longkodo. With Longkodo imprisoned by Emperor Yongzheng, the family's title passed to Qingfu.
Qianlong trusted Qingfu very much because he was very familiar with the chieftain issues, so he appointed him as the chief commander and appointed him as the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace. Many people speculated that if Qingfu won this battle, he would also have a chance to enter the Grand Council.
Yonglian couldn't help but sigh inwardly when he saw the report sent from the southwest. The Battle of Zhandui was the prelude to the Dajinchuan Rebellion.
In May, Qianlong received the news.
Qingfu led his army to attack Xuerulang Village, the nest of the Zhandui chieftain, and won a great victory. In his report, he said that all the people in the village were burned to death, without exception.
But Ban Gun's body was not found, and Qianlong was a little worried. What if Ban Gun escaped?
Faced with such major military and political affairs, Qianlong would now ask Yonglian about his attitude.
The father and son usually discussed matters in private to avoid disagreements that would cause officials to mistakenly believe they were at odds.
Yonglian knew that Ban Gun was not dead. He was very tenacious and later returned to Zhandui. It was not until the end of the Jinchuan Campaign and the surrender of Sha Luoben that he was frightened by the power of the Qing court and finally surrendered.
Because the imperial court never truly conquered Zhandui, the surrounding chieftains despised the imperial court, which led to the Jinchuan Rebellion.
Yonglian advised Khan Ama, "Your concern is very necessary. We must see the person alive or the body dead. Bangun has always had a close relationship with the Living Buddha in Tibet. What if he escapes to Tibet and colludes with people there to fight against the court?" He wanted to make the matter sound more serious.
We can't withdraw our troops so easily!
Not to mention the impact of the Battle of Bangun on the subsequent Jinchuan Campaign, let's just talk about the situation within the court. Because Qingfu was eager to withdraw his troops, he falsely claimed that Bangun was burned to death. In the end, Bangun returned to Zhandui, and Qingfu was also sentenced to death for lying about military intelligence.
Later, there were several cases of false reporting of military intelligence by the Jinchuan and Pingzheng factions. Yonglian's former martial arts master Celeng and Erdeng'e's father Yongchang had both done such foolish things. Not only did the court lose several generals, but Qianlong also lost several close ministers.
Ultimately, these people are eager to achieve merit.
Yonglian wanted to use Zhan Dui's incident to remind future generals not to rush to report good news. Once the court discovered that you had lied about military intelligence, you would lose your head.
Qianlong was most afraid of collusion between the chieftains and the Tibetans. Previously, the Tibetan Living Buddha had expressed his willingness to write a letter to help the Qing court persuade Ban Gun to surrender, but Qianlong refused. Ban Gun listened to the Tibetan Living Buddha instead of the imperial court. Doesn't this prove that the imperial court was incompetent?
"We really can't withdraw our troops hastily."
"We might as well take this opportunity to thoroughly implement the policy of converting the natives into commoners," Yonglian said, "to prevent future troubles."
Qingfu meant to let the chieftains assist the imperial court in management, and simply divide Zhandui into several small villages to disintegrate their power.
This is far from enough. The chieftains come together because they have common interests. Physical separation cannot solve the problem.
Yonglian's idea was to solve this problem in one go. If Zhan Dui could be controlled by the court, the surrounding chieftains such as Sha Luoben would not be so rampant.
While Qianlong's Ten Complete Military Achievements sound impressive and produced many famous generals, they cost countless soldiers and officers, and the military pay was considerable. Millions of ordinary people suffered.
If war can be avoided, it is certainly worth it.
Qianlong did not expect that his usually calm son would be so tough on this matter. "War requires money."
"Didn't Uncle Hongtao bring back money?" Yonglian laughed. "Perhaps this money was sent by Heaven to the court to support the reform of the aboriginal system."
Qianlong: “…”
Qianlong thought so too, and decided to solve the problem of Zhan Dui while the court was rich, so as to avoid these chieftains causing trouble again when the court did business with Nanzhang, Annan and other countries in the future.
Qianlong then told Qingfu not to withdraw his troops in a hurry and to search for Ban Gun's whereabouts in the local area.
It happened that Fuheng was in Shaanxi Province surveying the railway route, so Qianlong directly issued an order that the railway construction could be handed over to other officials of the Railway Department. However, a major event like the reform of the native system required the dispatch of a trusted minister like Fuheng.
When necessary, the court does not mind using force.
To support Fuheng and intimidate the chieftains of Zhandui and the surrounding areas, Emperor Qianlong ordered a shipment of newly manufactured firearms from the imperial court. Agui, who had served in the Ministry of War for many years, was assigned by Emperor Qianlong to escort the firearms to the southwest and assist Fuheng.
When Yonglian saw this configuration, he felt relieved and thought that this thing could be done!
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