Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Wanting a Daughter
Agui and Fuheng were going to the southwest and would not be able to attend Yonglian's wedding.
Before leaving, Agui came to say goodbye to Yonglian, feeling a little regretful.
Yonglian smiled and said, "Even though Master is not here, it still makes the same sense as long as the gift is delivered."
He was not as respectful to Agui as he was to Shuhede, and the master and disciple often joked with each other.
Ah Gui also laughed. "Don't worry, Master. There will definitely be gifts. I hope that when I return, I can drink in the full moon celebration for the young master's son."
Yonglian: “…”
Yonglian blushed a little, but still said, "Of course he can catch up. The reform of the land system will be over in about a year. Maybe he can come back and report on his work in the meantime."
The two of them talked about the difficulty of this reform of the chieftain system. If they wanted to make those chieftains hand over their power, they would use threats and inducements.
Chieftains also need to trade with the surrounding areas. Yonglian meant that they could be held hostage in terms of trade.
Ah Gui nodded and asked, "I heard that Master Brother asked the Manufacturing Bureau to make some road paving materials. Has there been any progress?"
Yonglian shook his head. "It hasn't achieved the effect I want yet. I'm adjusting the ratio."
"If we have this thing, it will be easier to control Tusi." Agui said.
Yonglian said, "If it is fired, I will send people directly to Sichuan to set up a factory. I will build roads in Sichuan first."
Agui and his men set off in early May. This time, the caravan not only had horses, but also several steam carriages. Sichuan was originally short of good horses, and the war had just ended, so steam carriages were desperately needed to replace horses.
With Fuheng away from the capital, the affairs of the Grand Council fell to Zhang Tingyu and Li Wei. Qianlong was now impatient to play Tai Chi with these two old men and often asked Yonglian to handle them.
Zhang Tingyu, who was timid and afraid to speak in front of Emperor Qianlong, was very kind to Yonglian, and Li Wei also felt more relaxed.
Although the three of them sometimes had disagreements, Yonglian was not subjective but objective, and was still very respectful when meeting the two old ministers.
Qianlong handed the miscellaneous matters to Yonglian, as he had more important things to do. Hongtao's reply arrived, saying that he had bought a piece of land in Libya, which was about the size of two capital cities. It was not suitable for growing crops, but there were gold mines. The gold on the ship was dug by him and the locals.
The Qing Dynasty was based on silver, but Qianlong knew that the West valued gold more.
Gold was also very useful. He was curious about who Hongtao had purchased the land from and how much it had cost. Just then, several large ships arrived in Tianjin, and officials were coming to Beijing to meet the emperor. Qianlong quickly summoned them.
It turned out that Hongtao and his crew had first landed in a French colony, sold the goods on board, and then headed west with their cargo of gold and silver, where they encountered the Portuguese and Spanish fighting over a piece of land.
In the past two years, Spain's combat effectiveness was insufficient and it could not defeat the Portuguese, so it joined forces with the Qing Dynasty.
After driving out the Portuguese, the Spanish wanted to sell the local indigenous people to South America as slaves.
The indigenous tribal leaders asked the Qing Dynasty for help again, and Hongtao secretly gave them some firearms to help them resist the Spaniards.
When the Spanish army was exhausted, Hongtao came forward and expressed his desire to buy this place.
Because this area is not near the sea, the climate is dry and hot, and the indigenous people are very wild and difficult to tame, the Spanish weighed the pros and cons and agreed.
The local indigenous people were very willing to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Although the Qing people would let them work locally, they would not sell them to other places.
Therefore, this area is now either a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty or its territory. The indigenous people there are also subjects of the Qing Dynasty.
How to govern this area became a problem that Qianlong and his officials had to discuss.
The distance is so far that it takes a year or two for an imperial edict to be received from the court. It is impossible to govern it like an ordinary province.
Many officials suggested that Hongtao be sent here to be a vassal king, paying taxes and tributes to the court every year, and that some garrison troops be stationed there, with replacements every three to five years, to prevent the local indigenous people from rebelling.
Qianlong thought about it and decided that this was the only option.
At the end of June, Hongtao returned to the capital.
He was so thin and emaciated, his skin tanned, that upon seeing Emperor Qianlong, he knelt on the ground and burst into tears. "I have survived many dangers along the way, and I never thought I would be able to return to the Qing Dynasty, to the capital, and see my master."
Qianlong did not expect Hongtao to be in such a miserable state. He felt sad and couldn't help crying.
When he entered the city, Hongchang and Hongxiao went to pick him up. They had already cried, and now they couldn't help but have tears in their eyes.
According to the court's plan, Hongtao would stay in the capital for at most six months, and would return to Libya to serve as a vassal king next year. This time, he would bring his family with him.
It is better to be an ordinary royal family member in the capital than to go to such a faraway place to be a vassal king.
But Hongtao already had a certain influence in the local area and was relatively familiar with local affairs. He was the one who bought the land, so it would not be appropriate for anyone else to go there.
On the day Hongtao returned to Beijing, he accepted the summons from the Lifanyuan and was named Prince Li.
Hongtao was not happy at all. Although there was gold and silver in that shabby place, he really didn't want to go there again!
On the first day he became a vassal king, he hoped that the court would reduce the power of the vassal states, and even bargained with Emperor Qianlong, saying that he would serve for a maximum of twenty years, and after twenty years, he would ask the emperor to replace him with someone else.
Qianlong had no choice but to agree.
Twenty years later, he would be old and might even be gone. It would be Yonglian's responsibility to decide who would succeed Hongtao.
Along the way, Hongtao's fleet fought against the Portuguese, Spanish, and French, and even brought back some of their weapons.
The French fleet often uses a type of gun with a bayonet, and the court can also imitate a batch for use in naval battles.
There were also various types of artillery suitable for water combat, all of which were sent to the Firearms Battalion and the Armament Academy for research.
Of the 1,000 people who went out to sea with Hongtao, only 300 returned. Another 200 stayed in the area to maintain the rule, and another 200 went to other parts of Libya to do business. The rest died on the way.
Most of them were bannermen, and the court provided their families with pensions and some were even given the title of Qingche Duwei.
The imperial court also informed the soldiers and officers who remained in Libya door to door and asked them if they were willing to go there to reunite with their families.
Most people are unwilling to go, but some families will send their teenage children to Libya to help their fathers, which is considered filial piety.
When Qianlong discussed this matter with Yonglian, he couldn't help but say, "When these people's wives and concubines heard that life over there was hard, they didn't want to go. They would rather stay at home and serve their parents-in-law. They are really heartless..."
Yonglian: "...If they say they are willing to go, you will say they are selfish for abandoning their entire family just to be reunited with their spouse."
Qianlong: "...Are you looking for a beating?" He said as he casually took out a ruler.
Yonglian was shocked: "How did you get this thing?"
Qianlong: "Of course it's prepared for you."
Yonglian didn't believe it. He had been studying so hard before, but his father Khan never hit him. At most, he just patted his head. His eldest brother and third brother had never been beaten either. Why would he prepare a ruler at this time?
Yonglian hugged Qianlong's arm and asked, "Who is this ruler prepared for?"
Qianlong: "...your fourth brother doesn't study hard, so I use this to scare him."
Yonglian: “…”
Little Yongcheng was even lazier than Yonglian had been, and his studies were not very impressive. Every time Emperor Qianlong looked at his son's homework, his head would buzz with rage.
Yonglian also knew that his younger brother was not ambitious and was often nagged by Khan Ama, but he did not expect that Khan Ama actually prepared a ruler for him.
"My fourth brother is still young and it is the time for him to play. He will be fine in two years." Yonglian advised Khan Ama.
Qianlong snorted, "Among you brothers, including your fifth uncle's children, he is the only one who is so stupid."
"Fourth brother is not stupid, he just hasn't found what he is good at. Let me go back and observe." Yonglian said.
Qianlong, with only seven sons, was already impatient with educating them. Fortunately, Yonglian was there. "Pay more attention. It doesn't matter if you are not good at literature or martial arts. What matters is that you have good character."
Concubine Jia doted on her children and didn't care that Yongsheng didn't like studying. Now Concubine Jia was pregnant again and was due to give birth in a few days. Qianlong began to hope that it would be a girl.
When Qianlong went to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, he couldn't help but murmur to the Empress Dowager, "I like daughters, but so far there are only two princesses who have been established, while little princes are born one after another. Now I get annoyed when I see those little brats."
The Queen Mother: “…”
The concubines in the palace prayed to the gods and Buddhas one by one, hoping to have a son. The Empress and Concubine Chun had two sons, and everyone else was envious. If they knew that the Emperor wanted a little princess, I wonder how they would feel.
She said, "Both the little prince and the little princess are fine. I think Yongcong is very well behaved, doesn't make trouble, and is in good health. When the children grow up, they will give birth to more children for the royal family, and the royal family will prosper. How wonderful it will be!"
Qianlong smiled and said, "That's right. If I don't have a daughter, it would be nice to have a few granddaughters."
The mother and daughter talked for a while, and then Qianlong went to Wu Gege's room to see his daughter.
Because Fei Ya was adopted as a daughter and ranked fourth, the child born to Concubine Chun was called the Fifth Princess. Qianlong also named the child "Erhe", which means "peace" in Manchu.
Erhe's facial features are like her mother's: delicate and beautiful, with distinct black and white eyes and very long eyelashes. She is sure to be a great beauty when she grows up.
Aside from the fingers being joined together, the rest of the body is normal. The Queen Mother has taken great care of the child, and now he has plump cheeks.
Because Qianlong came to pay his respects to the empress dowager every day, he could see his little daughter every day.
Everyone said that this child was a blessing in disguise. Although he was a disabled child, he was loved more than others.
Qianlong had been hoping for a daughter, but he was disappointed again. On July 15th, Concubine Jia gave birth to a son, the eighth in age.
Qianlong was in a complicated mood, and the child was born on the Ghost Festival, so he disliked the child a little.
Qianlong went to see his son and then returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Yonghuang and Yonglian came to pay their respects. Yonglian saw that he had a gloomy face and asked hurriedly, "Is your eighth brother not feeling well?"
In his impression, the eighth prince Yongxuan had a disability in his legs and feet, and he wondered if it was congenital.
Qianlong said: "I am in good health. It's just this day..."
Yonglian said, "When my seventh brother was born, you said that Buddha's birthday was a coincidence. Then my eighth brother's birth is also a coincidence. There is no such thing as auspicious or unlucky."
Qianlong sighed, "This is the only way to comfort myself. This child really doesn't know how to choose the right time."
Yonghuang and Yonglian both felt sympathy for their newborn brother. Yonghuang quickly changed the subject and took out the imperial edict to several envoys from Levia.
The local people only had language but no written language, so the edict was written in both Manchu and Chinese. Hongtao and others translated it for the local indigenous people and taught them Manchu at the same time.
After reading it, Qianlong revised a few parts and asked Yonghuang, "Have you decided on the annual tribute from Li Sheng?"
Yonghuang shook his head and said, "My Lord, I don't know."
Qianlong: "...So apart from these documents, you don't care about anything else?"
Yonghuang thought to himself that he was not an official of the Lifanyuan, so why should he care about this? He lowered his head and said nothing.
Qianlong: "Forget it, forget it. I will be satisfied if I can handle the matter of your searching the study." He waved his hand and sent Yonghuang away.
Seeing that Khan Ama was in a bad mood, Yonghuang quickly left. Before leaving, he looked at Yonglian beside him with some worry.
Qianlong was very annoyed at the moment, and Yonglian was naturally not immune. He was criticized by him again. First, he said that his manufacturing bureau was a money-eating beast, and then he said that the popular legal articles in "Guochao News" were poorly written.
Anyway, he kept finding fault with everything, so Yonglian had no choice but to admit his mistakes, and then he smiled and coaxed his father, talking to him about happy things.
The car for the Imperial Guard has been built, and in two days, Emperor Qianlong will be able to take the car to the Old Summer Palace to visit the Empress Dowager.
Qianlong was indeed happy to hear this, and even said that he would send two guards to ride in the same car with him.
Yonghuang and Yonglian's friends Erden'e and Mingrui are now serving as guards in the Qianqing Gate. Emperor Qianlong likes these two children very much. They are young, strong and quick-witted.
Qianlong thought about it and asked them to ride in the same car with him to protect him.
Since he needs close protection, he naturally needs to be a royal guard.
Qianlong sent someone to convey his imperial edict, and Erden'e and Mingrui immediately came to the Yangxin Palace to express their gratitude.
Erden'e got married this spring, and I heard that his wife is pregnant now.
Mingrui's wedding is next spring, and the Fucha family is also preparing for the wedding. When Emperor Qianlong was preparing for Yonglian's wedding, he would occasionally gift Mingrui with gifts. This, in a rounded manner, means the emperor helped organize the wedding.
Who in the capital city doesn’t express envy?
But in fact, the Queen knew very well that if the Emperor did not give some rewards from time to time, it would not be easy for the Fourth Brother's family to hold a beautiful wedding for Mingrui.
Although Fu Wen had a title, he had to support many people in his family and lived in poverty.
When Fu Heng first got married, he lived with Fu Wen. Fu Wen paid for Fu Heng's marriage and the birth of his children. He also paid for the Queen's sister's wedding two years ago.
Fu Wen was just a guard, honest and cautious, with no real way to make money. With the annual social obligations and the need to avoid losing out on appearances, his family had never had much savings.
No one believed this, but the emperor saw the difficulties of Fourth Brother's family and was willing to help.
The Empress and the Fucha family were deeply moved and were willing to go through fire and water for Emperor Qianlong.
Qianlong was a man who was very generous to those he trusted, so he taught Yonglian, "But not everyone is as clear-headed as your mother's family. If Shumulu's relatives abuse their power to bully others in the future, you must not be soft-hearted."
Yonglian agreed, "Don't worry."
"If their family is all useless, there's no need to deliberately promote them." Qianlong said, "If you have a good relationship with your first wife and don't want to embarrass her, just assign them a few unimportant tasks."
Yonglian: "I can't make the decision on this matter. I have to listen to my father."
Qianlong: “…”
Qianlong wanted to beat his son again. He said that after he was gone, the Shumulu family became official relatives. Did this kid really not understand or was he pretending to be stupid?
He poked Yonglian on the head twice and said, "You're about to get married, but you only know how to rely on your parents. You don't even ask how the Shumul family is preparing their dowry."
Yonglian really didn't ask. He no longer went to the Shangshufang and didn't see Shuhede often.
Qianlong told Yonglian that the prince's wife's dowry was very large, and Xu Yuanmeng and Shu Hede were both honest officials. The family might not be able to afford enough money to buy the dowry, so they would have to borrow some from relatives.
Yonglian then realized how much money it would cost to marry off his daughter. He went back and wrote a letter and asked someone to send it to Shuhede's house. If the money was not enough, he could add some, since they would be a family anyway.
After reading the letter, Shu Hede smiled and said to Shu Nan, "Prince Hui is worried that our family can't afford the dowry, so he sent a letter saying he wants to help."
Shu Nan laughed and said, "If it weren't for my royalties over the years, it would be really difficult to buy these dowries." Although they didn't have to borrow money, the family would inevitably be a little tight on finances in the next few years.
But she had earned a considerable amount of money from publishing books in the past two years, and had previously bought some shops and farms, all of which were included in her dowry. She had hardly touched any of the public funds.
Shuhede still felt that he owed his daughter something, but it was not easy to add more to the family as he could not surpass the first wife.
Although Shu Nan had never met her fiancé, she knew a lot about him. First, she heard it from her father and some uncles, and second, she guessed it through the style of "Guochao News".
The Second Prince seems to be a very easygoing person with a lot of fresh ideas. He doesn't care about formalities and prefers to be practical.
The only point of contact is what Amma said, that sometimes you lack ambition and need others to push you forward.
But Shuhede did not allow Shu Nan to persuade the second prince to make progress. The emperor, the empress, and the master could do so, but she, as the wife, could not.
If the persuasion fails and the emperor becomes dissatisfied, he will blame the prince's wife.
An example is the Eighth Lady, who wholeheartedly supported the Eighth Prince in his fight for the position of Crown Prince.
Later, she became a woman hated by both Kangxi and Yongzheng, and ended up in a miserable state.
Shu Nan naturally understood this principle. If the Second Prince had any bad habits, she would give him a word or two of advice. She would not say anything else.
It is August now, and this month we have the Longevity Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This year, Emperor Qianlong accepted congratulatory messages from officials from all over the country, and many officials also took the opportunity to congratulate Yonglian on his wedding.
Qianlong thought that these people were at least a little sensible.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the palace held three days of opera performances, and Emperor Qianlong accompanied the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager to watch them. The performances were from several episodes of the "Journey to the West" series.
Two years ago, on Yonglian’s birthday, a play from “Journey to the West” was performed at the Grand Theater in Yuanmingyuan. Not only Yonglian liked it, but the Empress Dowager and other children in the palace also liked it.
But at that time, Yonglian didn't know that Nanxing would be his future wife. He just thought that Khan Ama was thoughtful and knew that he liked this novel, so he specially put the plot of the novel on the stage.
But now when watching this play, Yonglian's mind is full of this play was written by the future legitimate wife. My future daughter-in-law is really amazing!
While watching the fight between Sun Wukong and the goblins on the stage, I was thinking that when my wife would write a book in the future, I could spread out paper and grind ink beside her, and be there for her... no, for her.
"Second brother, why are you grinning like an idiot? What's so funny about this play?" Yong Zhang turned his head and glanced at Yong Lian's expression, and asked curiously.
Yonghuang, who was sitting on the other side of Yonglian, also looked over. "Huh? Why are you blushing?"
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