Chapter 12 Section 12 Emperor Daoguang sent Zeng Guofan to preside over the Sichuan provincial examination

Looking at the white two thousand taels of Cheng Yi, Zeng Guofan murmured to himself: "The grace of dripping water will be reported by the spring, the report by the spring!" He spread out the paper and decided to write a letter to his family. At noon, Daoguang sent someone to send him to the back study of the Imperial Garden. After meeting, Emperor Daoguang said: "Zeng Guofan, the Sichuan Provincial Examination is scheduled for mid-September. When are you going to leave for Sichuan? The Sichuan road is rough, you have to go A few days. Taibai's poem Yunshu road is more difficult than going to the blue sky."

"Returning to the emperor," Zeng Guofan replied with his hands down, "I would like to ask for an order to enter Shu in a few days. Go to Shandong and Henan, and then turn to the Hubei waterway to enter Sichuan. You can always reach Chengdu in 100 days. I plan to go to the Ministry of Rites with Mr. Zhao tomorrow to ask for a rural examination." The title, please the emperor decides." "Well," Emperor Daoguang nodded, "You have thought very carefully. But since I took the throne, I haven't left the capital for half a step. The Mulan Autumn Festival, which was once a year, disturbed the people along the way because of excessive money. Uneasy, I canceled them all. I can only imagine the officials and people in each province. Compared with the ancestors and ancestors, I am ashamed! Sichuan is a remote province, but it is also a large province. The imperial court only knows the situation there. I don’t know what’s inside, and I can only learn about the people’s sentiments and government from the records of the governor’s office and the governor’s office. Zeng Guofan, is what I’m saying right?”

Zeng Guofan showed a happy face and said: "The emperor is wise! If the emperor can think of this, he must have already taken corresponding governance measures. I thank the emperor on behalf of the people in Sichuan!" Then he knelt and kowtowed, saying: "The emperor is so wise, it is true The blessing of the Qing Dynasty!" Emperor Daoguang judged that the Han man in front of him was not flattering him, but speaking from the bottom of his heart, and a kind of pride inevitably appeared on his face.He pondered for a moment, and then said: "Zeng Guofan, get up and talk." Seeing Zeng Guofan get up, he said, "Where do you think we should start to manage Sichuan well?"

Zeng Guofan thought for a while, and said: "Returning to the emperor's words, I don't know much about the subordinates, so I dare not speak falsely in front of the emperor. But I think that in the past dynasties, governing the people is not as good as governing the officials, and governing the officials is the most important thing. In the prosperous days of Kangxi and Qianlong, I worked hard on the administration of officials, and the results were notable." Hearing Zeng Guofan's words, Emperor Daoguang was very happy, and nodded approvingly: "Zeng Guofan, I see that you have improved a lot recently. I want you to leave tomorrow. As for the questions of the Sichuan provincial examination, I will let Zhao Ji take care of it alone. Alright, I will send you two guards to enter Sichuan first, how about it?"

Zeng Guofan hurriedly knelt down: "I obey the order! I don't know why the emperor let me enter Sichuan first?" Emperor Daoguang laughed and said: "You are now a fifth-rank official, and the official position is not small. I let you go to Sichuan first, because I want you to investigate the situation of officials and people along the way for me. Since I ascended the throne, I have been Bo Weiping has another wave, and I have long wanted to investigate it myself. Now it seems that my idea is too naive. This is also the reason why I let you enter the Shudian test." Zeng Guofan was stunned for a while when he heard this, and suddenly knelt down on the ground, saying: "I dare not accept the order!"

Emperor Daoguang was stunned for a moment: "Why didn't you accept the order? Are you going to resist the order and not obey it?" Zeng Guofan said: "I dare not. I dare to ask the emperor, what identity do you let me go to Sichuan with?" Emperor Daoguang smiled: "You don't need to ask, the chief examiner of the Sichuan Provincial Examination. You are confused!" Zeng Guofan replied unhurriedly: "Returning to the emperor, how can the chief examiner of the Sichuan provincial examination inspect the officials and people's sentiments along the way? The minister is no more than a servant of the fifth-rank Imperial Academy in the capital, and leaving Beijing is also a temporary chief examiner of the rural examination. , Your Majesty, please observe clearly."

Emperor Daoguang asked: "That depends on what you mean..." Zeng Guofan replied: "Responding to the emperor's words, I think that investigating the people's conditions and officials in several provinces is something that a small fifth-rank Beijing official can do! According to Yichen , to do such a thing, you have to be a high-ranking official above the third rank! Please be aware of it, Your Majesty." Emperor Daoguang suddenly laughed: "There is some truth in what you said. However, you are only secretly investigating the local affairs for me, and you are not going to arrest people, but go back to Beijing to tell me about the situation. This is considered a job." .”

Zeng Guofan let out a long breath, and said: "The emperor means to let the minister just walk around and take a look, and don't care about anything. If this is the case, the minister will dare to accept the order." Emperor Daoguang left the Longshu case, heaved a long sigh and said, "Cough! It seems so. If this is the case, I can just ask Sushun to send someone from the palace. Zeng Guofan, I have placed great hopes on you. Go down and wait for the order." "Thank you, Your Majesty." Zeng Guofan stood up and slowly exited the imperial study. Not long after Zeng Guofan returned to the mansion, Eunuch Cao walked in with an eunuch.

"The servant of the Hanlin Academy said that Mr. Zeng Guofan received the order..." Eunuch Cao's voice came before he entered the door. Zeng Guofan and Zhou Sheng hurriedly knelt down to accept the order. Eunuch Cao opened the imperial decree and read it word by word: "The cabinet has issued an edict: I have ordered Zeng Guofan, the chief examiner of the Sichuan Provincial Examination, to inspect the local officials and people's conditions on the way to Sichuan, and act cheaply. I have the right to ask for decree to remove it. This is it." Zeng Guofan knelt down and took the imperial decree in his hand, feeling as if it was a thousand weights.Cao Jinxi helped Zeng Guofan up, and said with a smile: "Master Zeng, the emperor asked the servants to tell your lord that you should be careful all the way. Master Zeng, don't let the Holy One down!"

Zeng Guofan understood that Emperor Daoguang was worried that he would do illegal things along the way by relying on the imperial decree, so he hurriedly said: "Please tell the emperor, my father-in-law, I will remember the emperor's teachings and never dare to do illegal things." At this time, Cao Jinxi said to the eunuch behind him: "San'er, give it to your lord." Then he said to Zeng Guofan: "The emperor specially allocated another two thousand taels of silver to your lord from the House of Internal Affairs. Please accept it so that this slave can go back and report to you." My lord, for the extra two thousand taels of silver, the slave also said a lot of good things to my lord!"

Zeng Guofan hurriedly said to Zhou Sheng: "Zhou Sheng, quickly take it and send it to the inner room, and take another twenty taels for the two father-in-laws to go back and have a cup of tea." Zhou Sheng put the silver into the inner room, and when he came out again, he already had twenty taels of silver in his hand.Cao Jinxi pretended to give way for a while, then put the twenty taels of silver in his arms with a smile, and said, "Master Zeng, take care all the way." He opened the door and went out with the eunuch on duty. Cao Jinxi knew that Zeng Guofan was a poor official in the capital, and he was no match for princes and ministers. It was reasonable not to reward him, so he didn't care if he rewarded more or less.This is also what distinguishes Cao Jinxi from other eunuchs.Zeng Guofan and Zhou Sheng escorted the two father-in-laws to the sedan chair. In the evening, Zeng Guofan drew up a candle to express his will to the emperor on the "Appeal for Compensation for Missing Attendance".After the letter of gratitude was sealed, Zeng Guofan asked Zhou Sheng to arrange the silver taels, and asked him to sew a cloth pocket inside his underwear, which was specially for carrying the imperial decree.Zhou Shengle frantically dug out his sewing kit, and frantically cut a piece of floral cloth. He didn't know if it was left unused. He held the needle in his hand, as if he was holding a mallet, and gnashed his teeth for half an hour to sew. Finally, there was a pocket. .Zeng Guofan was watching and laughing.The master and servant were busy until very late before resting. In the early morning of the next day, the entire capital city was still in a dream, and the alley in front of the Zeng Mansion was still a little dark. An imperial eunuch led two people of different heights to the Zeng Mansion. . Zeng Guofan had already had his breakfast, and Zhou Sheng was opening the door to sweep the leaves outside.No matter how late you go to bed, you must get up early. This is the rule Zeng Xinggang set for the Zeng family, which has remained unchanged for generations. "My servant greets Mr. Zeng," said the eunuch on duty, who met Zeng Guofan with two people. "These two were sent by the emperor to protect Mr. Su. I wish you all the best. If you have no other orders, this slave will be fine." Back on business." After the eunuch finished speaking, he turned around and walked out without waiting for Zeng Guofan to greet him.Zhou Sheng didn't even see the eunuch's face clearly, let alone send it off.Zeng Guofan's heart became hot: the emperor is too thoughtful! Zeng Guofan asked Zhou Sheng to put a stool in the study, and greeted the two people who came from the palace again, and asked for his surname and surname. The taller one saluted and said: "Enshang fourth grade top Dai Yuqian second-class bodyguard Chang Shun, who was ordered by Sanzhi Minister Feng Chenyuan Qingsu to accompany you to Shu." When he was about to speak, Chang Shun stepped forward and said: "Taizhuang, he serves in front of the imperial court with the humble staff, he is a fifth-rank top-ranking third-class bodyguard." Zeng Guofan was taken aback for a moment, and remained silent for a long time.The Lord Su that Changshun spoke of was Sushun, the younger brother of Prince Zheng Duanhua.Sushun is the clan, named Yuting.In the previous year, he was awarded the title of third-class general of the auxiliary country, minister of Sanzhi and Fengchen Yuanqing, and managed the guards inside the Forbidden City and the guards outside the Forbidden City.Taizhuang is not an ordinary guard either. His ancestors not only won the title of "Mighty Batulu", but also wore yellow jackets.Not only Zeng Guofan knew about the above, but also the people in the capital. In fact, from the moment these two people came in, Zeng Guofan realized that they were not two ordinary people.Let's look at Changshun's attire: Changshun originally had a long face and big eyes, and because of his young age, he looked like he was in his twenties, but he was wearing a hat with a big brim. A priceless jade pendant.Just this piece of jade pendant can be recognized as belonging to the palace at a glance!The jade wrench in his hand is also ingenious, the texture is not only fine, but the picture is also very clear and dazzling, it is by no means a commodity in the market.Tsing-clothed soap trousers with white lining exposed inside, if there were few people serving him, it would be difficult to be so clean and tidy. Taizhuang's age was about the same as Changshun's. Although he was dressed in green clothes and soapy trousers, but looking at the shiny braid on the back of his head, it would be difficult to grow it without eating big fish and meat.Especially the way the two of them looked at people, half-seeing, completely disregarding the reaction of the person in front of them. To put it bluntly, they were defiant.The more Zeng Guofan thought about it, the more strange it became. This is not the protection of the escort, but the accompanying supervision! Zeng Guofan's heart began to hang little by little.At the same time, he warned himself that in this trip, you must hide your vigor in your chest and float in your face, so that you can show your vigor in things and show your loyalty to others.