novelonline Chapter 2095: Zhenglan
Chapter 2095: Zhenglan
Chapter 2095: Zhenglan
When they came out from the inner workshop, the twelfth prince said, "If the ninth brother needs a coppersmith, there is also the old man who used to work in the clock making department..."
"what?"
The Ninth Prince was a little surprised. He thought about the eunuch apprentices he had just met and realized that they were all young and strong, with no old ones.
However, the clock factory of the Neizhuang Office was established in the eighth year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign.
The earliest apprentice is now at least fifty years old.
"Even if it was Mr. Zhong Zuoyou, why did they let him go?"
Brother Jiu asked.
The 12th Prince said, "They were released at the end of the year before last. It seems that it was because of their age. Those who were over 35 were released."
The Ninth Prince understood the reason as soon as he thought about it.
The time when he was released was about the same as the time when Master Yang entered the palace.
Making a watch requires precision work, which relies on both the hands and the eyes.
As we get older, our hands become unsteady and our eyesight becomes worse.
The Ninth Prince was too lazy to check the list another day, so he went straight back to the Imperial Household Department with the Twelfth Prince and asked the doctor for the list.
Among the old people who have retired from the bell work, there are now those who are over 60 years old and have left the palace to retire, and there are also a few who are under 60 years old and are working as masters in the bronze work.
The Ninth Prince pointed to the two on duty and gave them the clockwork toys he brought with him. He said, "Take them apart and try to make them yourself..."
The two masters didn't know how difficult the task was, but everyone in the Internal Workshop knew the reputation of the Ninth Prince and knew that he was not the kind of person who would make things difficult for others.
The older master took it and felt relieved when he saw signs of disassembly.
Since the Ninth Prince had dismantled it before, he knew the difficulty of the mechanism, which meant he had some idea of what was going on.
I should be able to learn the craftsmanship from the Neizokuban.
After the Ninth Prince had given his instructions, he left the Internal Workshop with the Twelfth Prince.
You have to learn how to make the inner spring first. As for whether the outer shell is a Buddha statue or a god statue, there is no need to rush.
Let’s talk about it later.
At this time, Ding Zaobao also got the news. He was hesitating whether to go to the Neizhuang Office to pay his respects to the Ninth Prince, when he heard the news that the Ninth Prince and the Twelfth Prince had come out of the Neizhuang Office.
As a result, the two brothers did not wait for their return to the government office because they went directly out of the palace through Xihua Gate.
The two brothers went directly to the clan residence to pick up the tenth prince.
The Tenth Prince did not plan to return to Haidian, and said to the Ninth Prince: "Ninth Brother, take the Twelfth Prince back first. I plan to follow Sunu Beizi to Baiyun Temple to keep an eye on it..."
The Ninth Prince asked, "Why are you going to Baiyun Temple? Is it some kind of sacrificial day today?"
The Tenth Prince smiled and said, "Today is the second round of the imperial clan examination!"
The examination and conferment of titles began in the 27th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign. When the royal family members reached the age of 20, they had to take three examinations in Chinese, archery on horseback, and archery on foot. The winners would be conferred the title they deserved, while the losers would be demoted one level, and the losers would be demoted two levels or not be conferred any title at all.
The second round of examination is horse riding and archery.
Next to Baiyun Temple, there is a royal racecourse where the royal family members race horses.
The Ninth Prince looked at the Tenth Prince and said, "Will you help me deal with those people from Prince Xin's Mansion?"
Over there in the mansion, there are a bunch of princes and grandsons waiting to be examined and conferred titles.
The Tenth Prince said, "We can't let Ninth Brother appear to have such a good temper."
The Ninth Prince pondered and said, "They want to do something small?"
The Tenth Prince said, "My younger brother will be in charge today, so those who want to fill in the gaps should forget about their chances of success."
The Ninth Prince is not afraid of offending people, but he doesn't want the Tenth Prince to offend people.
He said, "Let's go together!"
At that time, Prince Xin would understand that it was he who blocked the way and prevented the princes of Prince Xin's mansion from fooling around with riding and shooting.
Even if there is a grudge to be held, it should be on him.
The Tenth Prince hurriedly said, "This is the work of the clan house. It would be inappropriate for you to go there, Ninth Brother."
The Ninth Prince looked at the Tenth Prince and said, "Then don't go over there, I'll slap them in the face later."
The Tenth Prince had an unhappy look on his face. He looked at the Ninth Prince and said, "Why is it that Ninth Brother and his younger brothers are so clearly separated? If someone bullies me, will Ninth Brother just stand by and watch?"
The Ninth Prince knew the Tenth Prince's temper. He thought for a moment, looked at the Tenth Prince and said, "Then don't just focus on the Zhenglan Banner, focus on them all the same."
The exam was fair and no one could find fault with it.
The key is to use this opportunity to expand the scope of the Tenth Prince's bad reputation.
Sometimes, bad relationships are also a good thing.
By then, others who want to attack and implicate the Tenth Prince will not be able to do so, and whether it is in the Imperial Court or in the Yuqing Palace, they will be less wary of the Tenth Prince.
"Uh-huh……"
The Tenth Prince smiled again and said, "I think so too..."
There is no good person in the Zhenglan Banner, so they took advantage of this incident to sever the relationship between the Ninth Brother and the Zhenglan Banner royal family.
The imperial court today is no longer the same as when the country was founded, and royal families have begun to live in a noble and honorable manner.
If members of the royal family stick together, it will lead to their own death.
An old man like Prince Xin, who doesn't know how to adapt to the times, won't be able to hold the position of leader of the banner for long.
It is said that old people become more intelligent, but there are also some who become foolish when they are old.
It is clear that he had been keeping a low profile after being stripped of his title, and had worked diligently for more than ten or twenty years as the governor-general. But as soon as he got the iron hat, he became a completely different person, extremely stupid.
Now, there are fewer people in the Five Banners who have been stripped of their titles or transferred to other branches?
Although the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince have a good relationship as brothers, they have not interfered with each other's work during the years they have been serving.
The Ninth Prince didn't say anything more and left the city with the Twelfth Prince.
He was very unhappy.
There were more than ten vacancies in the Zhenglan Banner, and he only recommended one person, but was rejected.
As a result, not only did he keep his anger to himself, he also involved the Tenth Prince.
He looked at the twelfth prince and said, "Is it because I have a very good temper? Anyone dares to come up and slap me in the face..."
After all, the twelfth prince is a prince in the palace and is not well-informed about news outside the palace.
He thought for a moment and said, "Is it the prince of the Zhenglan Banner who bullied my ninth brother?"
If they were noble ministers, they would never dare to offend the prince due to the differences in status.
The only ones left are the royal family.
The Ninth Prince sneered, "That's right, our great-uncle really thinks he is the ancestor. He is so shameless. I will never let him go again in the future!"
He decided that if there was another vacancy in the Zhenglan Banner, he would get involved.
Even if there are no suitable candidates among his own bannermen, he still has to choose from the public population.
The twelfth prince was also unhappy when he heard this, and said, "You are getting old and confused. You have been stripped of your title once, and you still dare to act so arrogantly!"
The Ninth Prince also felt so.
"He is also taking advantage of his age. It's because most of the old members of the royal family have died in recent years..."
Brother Ninth said.
There are not many people of the same generation as Khan Ama, let alone those who are older than him.
The twelfth prince said, "Don't be upset, ninth brother. Although Khan Ama is nostalgic, he can't stand others taking advantage of their age."
Besides, the ninth brother is not an ordinary member of the Zhenglan Banner royal family, but a prince. If Prince Xin treats the prince with disrespect, it would be disrespectful to the royal family.
The Ninth Prince gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not angry, I just hold a grudge..."
However, the position of lieutenant of the Zhenglan Banner was not given to someone from the Eighth Prince's Mansion, but to Erdun.
They are people from Yuqing Palace, and Prince Xin and Prince An are not on the same page.
What does Prince Xin mean?
Is this a gesture of goodwill to Yuqing Palace?
The Ninth Prince felt that this was a little abnormal.
I have never heard of any relationship between Prince Xin and the Crown Prince.
He Yuzhu returned to Haidian first.
At the Fifth House, Shushu knew that there would be guests at noon, so he asked the kitchen to add a few dishes.
By the time the Ninth Prince and the Twelfth Prince arrived, everything was almost ready.
The banquet was set up in the front yard.
Shushu changed his clothes, met his brother-in-law in the front yard, and then let the brothers do what they wanted.
As for the way she treated the guest, it was not because she treated the Twelfth Prince as an outsider, but because that was the rule.
The prince is of noble status.
The position without title is higher than that of Heshuo Prince.
Even in terms of family etiquette, the prince's status is higher than that of the other wives.
Emperor Taizong's first wife was deposed for being "disrespectful" and was forced to ride on an ice cart directly into the Khan's palace and her brother-in-law's house.
There were several wives of founding royal families who were deposed from their positions or ordered to divorce because of "disrespect".
The petty-mindedness of the emperors of the Aisin-Gioro family has existed since Emperor Taizu.
With these previous experiences in mind, Shushu paid more attention to this matter.
Not only should he be respectful in front of his uncle and sister-in-law, but he should also treat his younger sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law with courtesy.
After the Twelfth Prince finished his meal, the Ninth Prince asked Gui Dan to take him to Baiwang Mountain Villa.
The Ninth Prince returned to the main courtyard.
He was a man who could not hide his thoughts, so after drinking a few sips of tea, he sent someone out and told Shushu about the second round of the imperial clan examination today.
After hearing this, Shu Shu was surprised and asked, "This... can it be cheating?"
If there was no foul play, the Tenth Prince wouldn't have to go there in person.
The Ninth Prince nodded and said, "Of course there are, but both horseback archery and foot archery are in public view, so there is limited room for manipulation. At most, we can make slight changes when counting targets. It's not like Mandarin, which should be easier to cheat."
The first part of the exam is said to be Mandarin, but in fact it can also be said to be translation, that is, translating Chinese into Chinese, and vice versa.
Then there is a possibility of missing questions.
When it comes to archery on horseback or on foot, the chances of cheating are smaller.
At least hit the target.
Shu Shu said, "Are you so bold? The imperial family has set up an examination to limit the number of titles. Didn't the emperor send someone to monitor it?"
The Ninth Prince said, "If you are below the middle level of the royal family, you should still follow the rules. For the princes of the Prince's Palace and the Prince's Palace, it's okay if they are born out of wedlock, but the legitimate princes should always seek a good title. If they are two ranks lower, it will be a big difference."
Therefore, it is not too noticeable to just raise your hand appropriately and record the results of horseback archery and foot archery as better.
Shushu felt that it was okay to confront Prince Xin's Mansion, but she felt that the timing was not right.
"This is a bargain for Prince An's Mansion..."
Shu Shu said.
Because the first two generations of Prince Xin were young princes, the power of the banner fell into the hands of others.
In the Zhenglan Banner, the actual person in charge became the Prince An's Mansion.
Now that an old prince has come up, there will definitely be a conflict between him and the An prince brothers.
As a result, the two royal palaces did not confront each other, but the Prince Xin's Palace confronted the Ninth Prince's Palace.
The Ninth Prince realized this later and also thought of this, saying: "Prince An must have done it on purpose? I already knew that they are not good people..."
Shushu also felt it was inexplicable that Prince Xin's Mansion was against her.
The Ninth Prince's bad temper has been evident for a long time, and all members of the royal family know it.
There is really no need for Prince Xin to lower his status and confront the Ninth Prince.
As for the people who got involved.
Who else could it be?
The two families kept going back and forth like this, and the hatred grew deeper and deeper, which benefited the Prince An's Mansion and the Eighth Prince's Mansion...