Section 1                                                              

It was just passed the fifteenth day of August, and the autumn was high and the clouds were light. The season was the most pleasant. Outside Beijing, a fast horse rushed over. When he arrived in front of Dongzhi Gate, he saw that there were crowds of people. He had to slow down his feet and walk with his bridle. He was immediately a very young man with a strong figure and his eyebrows were not very handsome, but he had a unique sense of boldness.

He walked all the way into the city, walked through the city, dismounted to the Old Summer Palace outside the northern city, checked the waist sign, entered the garden, handed over the sign to invite Sheng'an. The young man looked around and saw a few merchandise walking in a row not far away, he hurriedly greeted him, "Please greet the sixth uncle and the adults."

"Is it Big Baylor?" Yi didn't expect him to come back so soon. He smiled and ordered him to get up, "Here you come back? Is it easy to travel from Shandong? Have you handed over the sign?"

"Yes, I just handed in. Are you still waiting for the Emperor Ama to summon him!" Zai Li is born in the 30th year of Daoguang, and he is 20 years old this year. "Sixth Uncle, is Emperor Ama's dragon body good recently?"

"Okay, the emperor is very good." The military department's military service department has come and go, not where the long talk is. Yi winked at Zai Li, and Guan Zi led his colleagues into the house.

Zai Li waited on Tianjie for a while again. There were many people around him waiting for the emperor to summon him. He knew his father's temper and it was his turn to summon him. He didn't know when he would wait, but he didn't dare to stay away and looked around with nothing.

Sure enough, it took a long time before the emperor ordered people to summon him. Zai Li did not dare to neglect him, so he sorted out his robe and quickly stepped into the Shende Hall. The emperor was in the warm pavilion, leaning against the pillow on the soft seat, lying comfortably, "I bowed to the emperor, and respectfully asked Emperor Ama to be blessed with Jin'an."

"Get up." In the 19th year of Xianfeng, the emperor was almost forty years old. Compared with that, his body was slightly fat, his shaved scalp and clean-shaved chin seemed to be a little younger than his actual age. "How many days have you been walking on the road?"

"Returning to Emperor Ama, my son set out from Weihai on the seventh day of the eighth month, and he walked on the road for nine days."

"Well, I have read the memorial written by Xu Shou. This time you go to the Western Kingdom to take over the inspection of the gunboats. You can set up the *** section and integrate with your fellow junior brothers. You are not a little demanding about being my descendants. I like it very much."

"Son dare not. The reason why my son has all this is the merit of the Emperor Ama's admonition before his son entered the Naval Academy. The son only takes the Emperor Ama's holy words as the standard of conduct. If he says that he has made contributions, he is just following the words of the saint and following the rules."

"Jingyu, pour him tea."

It was named tea, but it was actually ***. Jingyu agreed and poured out a cup of *** from the Kangxi Jun porcelain tea cup next to him, and held it over with both hands, "Thank you Aunt Yu." This is the special order of the emperor Yu Jingyu. Under the prince, everyone should call Jingyu "Aunt Yu" to show respect.

"You came back from the boat in person this time?" the emperor asked again, "How is the controllability? Are you still used to it? Compared with my own ship produced by the Celestial Empire, what are the advantages and disadvantages?"

"The art of boat driving depends entirely on the journey of my junior brothers, so that we can arrive in Weihai safely. Moreover, when we returned to China this time, in addition to my sons and many junior brothers, there were also British craftsmen who came along with us to guide the various obstacles and difficulties in actual operation on the spot. Therefore, although there are some unresolved points, they will not hinder the overall situation." Zai Li said, "No matter how fast or the power of artillery is, as seen by my sons, they are far beyond the cannons produced by the Celestial Empire. With the launch of giant cannons, it can reach more than ten miles away, and it sounds loud and is invincible."

After hearing Zai Li's introduction, the emperor smiled with satisfaction, "This time you went back from the ocean, and the road was very hard. Originally, you made more achievements than you did, and you would not be so indiscriminate. But your sixth uncle asked for me to give me a letter and refuted it. It was not that your contribution was small, and you should not be rewarded. I just thought that if you wait a few years, you will gain a foothold in the navy and even be able to establish a merit for the court. I will reward you together. Hum?"

Zai Li smiled bitterly in his heart. He knew that his father was very tight about the kindness and rewards of his brothers. In his opinion, he was over twenty years old and was still a bell, and this was the highest-ranking brothers. Zai Ying, Zai Yan and others were just beiges, Zai Shan, Zai Yan, and even white. Even if they were separated, they never had many rewards, which was considered the emperor's strange temperament. He agreed respectfully, and saw that the emperor had no more to say anything and kneeled out.

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After returning to his own Beile Mansion, he changed his clothes quickly, Zai Li ordered people to prepare a sedan chair and headed straight to Prince Gong's mansion at Sanzhuanqiao. Yi was waiting for him. After meeting his uncle and nephew, he stepped back from outsiders and held a discussion on Zhuang. The topic was what the king and his ministers said today in Shende Hall.

"...I have seen the memorial sent by Shen Baozhen from Shandong. The four ironclad ships built by the British arrived at Weihai Port on August 12. They were very good. After waiting for four or five years, they finally got their job done." He said, "Shen Baozhen did a good job. Of course, Xu Shou, Hua Hengfang and others who came to the UK to pick up the ship were also made contributions to the country. When they came back to Beijing, I would like to summon him in person."

"This is all the emperor's wise and wise, and his kindness spreads all over the world. Not only did my ministers in the heavenly dynasty use their lives, but the Western country was also inspired by the emperor's grace, and he also fought bravely. Only after several years did the gunboat come from thousands of miles away."

"Speaking of this, ships are important, but I think that the naval schools in Beijing and Shandong provinces are the real joy. This time, the crew members who went to the UK with Xu Shou, Hua Hengfang and others, such as Mu Tushan, Yang Changrui, Qin Zhongjian, Ye Tingchun and others, were all talents who learned from the naval school and served the country. Such people will be promoted more in the future to facilitate the use of such a person."

"Yes." Yi agreed and said with a smile, "Actually, if you say that you have made meritorious people, I think that if you go to a foreign country to accept the ship and handle the ship, you should be the eldest prince as the first meritorious. As the prince, Zai Li suffered from storms with his classmates and junior brothers along the way, but he never had any honor to his status and had some demands. Everyone who traveled with him said that if he hadn't known in advance, he would never have thought that the Tian family Xue Yin would actually go on the same boat, which was more than ordinary soldiers..."

The emperor yawned and stopped his younger brother's words, "After all he knows the general idea. Moreover, if he can have such a future, you are the uncle, and you will also have the merits and urges you from the side." He said, "I know that the eldest prince caused a lot of trouble in the Naval Academy back then, so he will only have to pay off his merits and demerits."

"I think it's inappropriate. Although the eldest prince did a naughty move back then, he was always a young man's character. After the emperor's teachings, he became serious and responsible. During the training, he was also very hardworking. I think that the flaws do not cover up the merits. The eldest prince's actions for several years have been seen by me. The emperor should reward one or two."

The emperor did not make many statements and deliberately threw the problem to everyone, "Zeng Guofan, Xu Naizhao, do you think Lao Liu's words make sense?"

Zeng Guofan was recruited by the emperor in the 14th year of Xianfeng and entered the military office. With his emperor's relatives, he became the chief assistant! Moreover, after several years, the emperor relied heavily on his own. The words he made by the people around him were obviously liked by the emperor, but he still had to ask for his opinions again before he could make up. This shows the emperor's trust, but in fact, it is easy to be jealous of Zeng Guofan!

Zeng Guofan was well versed in the way of being an official, so he naturally knew very well about this point. Moreover, what he talked about this time was extraordinary. In the 14th year of Xianfeng, the eldest prince Zaili didn't know who was on demand and took the initiative to ask for an order to study at the newly established Naval Academy. He only said that he had not achieved success in his studies. Instead, it would be better to learn a skill to stay with him. In the future, as a prince, he should be the first in the world, lead a fleet, across the sea, and defend the border of the emperor Ama.

The emperor liked his son's ambition, and he was very impressed and took the lead for several years. It turned out to be very effective. In the 18th year of Xianfeng, Zaili, Mutushan, Yang Changrui and others went to England together to take over the last two iron-clad ships built by Britain, and returned to China by boat, and returned to the country by Weihai Military Port. He was ordered to return to Beijing in the future. Zaili's popularity was unparalleled and became the most holy heart among all brothers who had gradually grown up. But what came with it was the battle for the throne that had gradually come from the temple!

In the 19th year of Xianfeng, the fifth prince of the empress's legitimate son, Zai Tong, Zai Li, Zai Ying, Zai Feng, Zai Feng, Zai Feng, Zai Feng, Zai Feng, Zai Feng, all of them had grown up. The emperor was in full swing. Although there was no need to consider the issue of successors for the time being, for the seat in the center of the Qianqing Palace, the brothers were secretly motivated and thought about how to increase the favor of the emperor and plan for the future. Yi's struggle for Zai Li today is also considered to be the emperor's army. For many years, although Yi was in charge of the naval affairs, the affairs of the Navy Academy have always been Yi's cooking. From this perspective, Zai Li can also be regarded as Yi's disciple!

When the emperor asked him, Zeng Guofan hesitated for a moment, "I think that the eldest prince should be praised, but I remember that the eldest prince was born in the thirty years of Daoguang. He is only twenty years old now, and the future is still long. If you are now commending merits, what should you do in the future? It is better to delay the matter. It is not too late to give me a gift after the next day. Please let the emperor take a closer look at this little knowledge."

"That's it." The emperor nodded and said, "And my son should not receive more credit than many people. On the contrary, letting them suffer a little grievance is the way for a gentleman to love his family with virtue. After the Military Affairs Office went down, he drafted an order to order Shen Baozhen to bring Xu Shou, Hua Hengfang, Mu Tushan, Yang Changrui, Qin Zhongjian, Ye Tingchun and others to the capital north - Xu Shou, Hua Hengfang and below, to be promoted to the third level. After seeing him, he still returned to Weihai, Lushun, Yingkou and other places, and was actually lacking the general rank."

"yes."

"As for Zai Li, let's talk about it again and again." The emperor smiled profoundly, "Let's just come here today. When they come back in the future, I will meet one by one."

After hearing Yi finish the discussions in front of the imperial court today, Zai Li glared at him, "Uncle Six, do you think, why did your nephew offend Zeng Guofan? He was so secretly doing evil? Or did he... which big tree did he lean on? He deliberately stepped on his nephew?"

"If you talk about a big tree, Zeng Guofan did lean against a big tree, but this tree is not comparable to others - it is your father!"

Zai Li's expression changed, "Uncle Six, why don't you joke with your nephew?"

Yi smiled, "If you say it's a joke, it's a joke. If you say it's not, you can't say it's a joke."

"My nephew doesn't understand what Uncle Six said."

"Uncle Six said that Zeng Guofan was relying on your big tree, the emperor, is not joking with you. After a few years, the emperor obeyed his words and let it go. Hey! Let the world look at him." Yi said, "And if you talk about the emperor's thoughts, Zeng Guofan was the most thorough in his thinking. This relationship between the king and the minister is enviable!"

Zai Li also knew about these boycotts between military aircraft and temples, but the gains were unknown. The emperor hated his ministers for making some persuasive comments, and once they discovered them, they would deal with them immediately. Especially after several princes gradually grew up, they even formed gangs with court officials as bans. Therefore, he did not dare to inquire more, "Did the sixth uncle say? This time my nephew did not receive a reward, which is the emperor's intention?"

Yi Xiaoxiao, without saying anything, and that way, it was clearly a default.

Zai Li felt aggrieved and said, "Uncle Six, it's not that my nephew is unfilial. I dare to suspect that Ama has a demand for harsh criticism, but you also think about it for your nephew. Going to the Western Country just to accept the ship. I didn't mention the credit and hard work all the way back and forth, but just talked about the evil of the storm... Which of the third brothers and the fourth brothers have tried it?"

"You, you just thought that you made meritorious service for the country, so you asked Ama to reward you, but you didn't think about it. You are only twenty years old now. If you are rewarded completely according to your meritorious service, where will you place your brothers in the future? Where will you place your emperor Ama?"

"My nephew doesn't understand what Uncle Six said."

"Your Ama has many descendants, and since the history of the Qing Dynasty, only Emperor Shengzu Ren can match it back then; and what do you think you should do if you talk about the friendship between brothers?"

Zai Li didn't understand, "Uncle Liu, what are you talking about? My nephew can't understand a word!"

Yi secretly complained about his grievances! Zai Li was not good at studying since he was a child, and he did not learn the curved hearts of so many scholars. Not only was he not as good as Zai Ying, who was the best among his brothers, but he was far from comparable to Zai Feng, the queen's legitimate son. But because of this, Zai Li was open-minded and had a kind of straightforward and generous spirit. He was the most popular among the royal family, and he was comparable to his fifth uncle back then.

Yi didn't like this nephew back then, but later, Zai Cheng, the prince of Prince Gong's mansion, grew up gradually and had a similar stinky taste to Zai Li. The two became good friends. Because of this relationship, Zai Li was also very filial to his sixth uncle, and the two uncles and nephews gradually became warm.

Listening to the words of my nephew's extremely childish words, Yi hated him and said, "You, you just don't study!"

"The lesson of the sixth uncle is that my nephew is born to be able to read. As long as he smells the fragrant ink fragrance in the book, he will feel sad from his heart..."

Yi felt soft, Zai Li's nature was like this. Even if he did the urge, he would not have any achievements. Instead, it would be better to develop his personality or make progress? "Brother, from what you see in your heart, you sent you to the UK to pick up the boat and learn this time, but what is the deep meaning?"

"This is... my nephew thinks, this is the result of my nephew's request for decree to the emperor many times? As for what the emperor has, how dare I guess?"

"It's okay, today there are only you, my uncle and nephew. It doesn't matter if you say something wrong. Just say whatever you think."

"Then, my nephew thinks that the emperor knew that his nephew was not going to be a good match, so he sent his nephew to go abroad for some experience, so that he could have a skill in the future and contribute to the country...is that right?"

"You can't be wrong, but have you ever thought about the journey westward and the hardship of a boat trip, even if your body is strong, it's hard to adapt. I heard that your mother came to your Mama several times to ask for an order to avoid your uncharacteristic job, but she refused it to the emperor." Yi said in a teaching tone, "It can be seen that you are so concerned about you. Otherwise, if so many people are not easy to send, you will just send you?"

"What did Uncle Six see?"

"It is certainly the meaning of training you, but according to Uncle Six, there is a deeper meaning in this!"
Chapter completed!