Chapter 20 Section 20: Zeng Guofan Was Unjustly Imprisoned

As soon as he entered the gate of Luoyang, Zeng Guofan could smell the fragrance of flowers and felt refreshed.In a large field on the left side of the city gate, people crowded and planted bright peonies on the ground, which made half of the city wall red.When the bustling crowd came here, they couldn't help taking a few breaths of the fragrance, and then reluctantly walked away. Even though there was a severe drought and locusts were found here, it is a famous cultural city and the capital of several dynasties. Whether people walk or talk, they are more energetic than other places. Chang Shun said on the horse: "Master, we can rest for a few days this time! Luoyang's Peony Fair is famous all over the world!"

Zeng Guofan laughed and said, "Don't act like you're in Kaifeng, there's an accident!" The smiles of the two hadn't faded away when they saw a large eight-carrying green wool sedan chair with neat ceremonial guards rushing out from the gate of Erdao City, and it happened to stop in front of Zeng Guofan's sedan chair.The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, and the Henan Provincial Inspector General Ying Guiying stepped out of the sedan chair. Zeng Guofan was looking at the scenery and talking to Changshun with a smile on his face at this time, when he suddenly saw a big green wool sedan in front of him, he was taken aback, and subconsciously stepped on the sedan chair with his right foot.

Yinggui, a native of Zhenglan Banner in Manchuria, of the Hershey family, has the word Xiangyan.Born in the first place, he served successively as Zhangjing of the military aircraft, promoted by the National History Museum, and was sent to the prefect of Qingzhou and the inspector of Shanxi. He was appointed from Shanxi to Henan in less than half a year.Zeng Guofan knew Yinggui, and Yinggui also knew Zeng Guofan.But not many banner people take the Han people seriously, and Yinggui is no different.But he is most familiar with the long guard.Because Changshun is the person next to Sushun.So, as soon as Changshun passed through the second city gate, he hurriedly led people out.

Seeing Yinggui coming out of the sedan chair, Changshun was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to salute, the master ran ahead of him and shouted loudly: "The lecturer of the Imperial Academy, I ordered Zeng Guofan, the chief examiner of the Sichuan Provincial Examination, to accept the order!" Zeng Guofan didn't dare to think too much, stepped out of the sedan chair and knelt down on the ground, kowtowed and said: "The servant of the Imperial Academy told Zeng Guofan to accept the order." Changshun and Taizhuang also got off their horses and knelt beside Zeng Guofan.Yinggui first took a look at Zeng Guofan who was kneeling on the ground, then unhurriedly opened the brocade imperial decree, and recited loudly: "According to the Henan governor and Chunzuo report: Yinggui, the governor of Henan, and the general soldier of Kaifeng Qing Tong, Guerrilla Zhaoyan and others verified the fact that Zeng Guofan, the chief examiner of the Sichuan provincial examination, was ordered to make a show all the way, to do illegal things under the banner of the imperial envoy, to handle cases for the local yamen, and to ignore human lives. The committee broke Zhang Bao's left leg and disabled his right hand, and the people were very angry. The governor's office in Henan was the first to intercept him. No matter where and when, Zeng Guofan would be taken down immediately, and he would be taken care of by the governor's office temporarily; The guard Changshun and the third-class guard Taizhuang will go back to the capital and return to their orders, and they will be interrogated after they are verified. This is my honor."

Zeng Guofan passed out before he finished listening to the imperial decree, and vaguely heard Yinggui say something: "Throw the criminal into the sedan chair and send him to the governor's yamen prison! Make Ying feel uncomfortable, and no one can think about it!" In a daze, Zeng Guofan felt that he was being erected and stuffed into the sedan chair, and he didn't know what would happen in the future. When Zeng Guofan woke up, he was already in the prison of the governor's yamen.There were no other prisoners in the cell, only he was lying on the wet grass alone.Zeng Guofan looked around and saw that the room was narrow, so he knew that this was not a big prison but a small cell; all signs indicated that the emperor had not yet convicted him.Zeng Guofan sat up, his eyes filled with tears of grievance.He knew that he was sued by Yinggui, to be precise, he was falsely accused by Yinggui!

Zeng Guofan stood up and rushed to the prison door, yelling repeatedly: "Come here! Let me out! I want to talk to Lord Ying!" Kong shouted for a long time, but seeing no one answered, Zeng Guofan was so angry that he had to shake the wooden gate with his hands.He didn't believe that such a large cell would be left unattended. Finally, a vicious jailer came out from the lit room next to him.The jailer was tall and burly, with a bald forehead and a pair of big eyes full of fierce light, he was definitely not a kind person.This person has a very hot temper, and before he even got to the prison door, he yelled: "Why are you yelling, you are going to die! Do you want to talk to Mr. Ying? Will Mr. Ying tell you? You fake imperial envoy, if you keep yelling, look at me!" I won’t reward you with a big stick!”

Zeng Guofan knew that this man was a master who could do what he said, so he let out a long sigh and had no choice but to sit still.From the looks of it, he could only resign himself to fate if he ran into this vicious hand. Seeing that Zeng Guofan sat down obediently, the man muttered: "When we get to the lobby, let's see how much strength you have left to shout? If I don't scratch your skin, I'm not saying anything!" Turning his head, he went back into the room up. Zeng Guofan gradually calmed down.In court tomorrow, how will Yinggui deal with herself? A fat mouse, as if nothing happened, swaggered past the gap in the guardrail, as if demonstrating to the newcomers.Zeng Guofan didn't dare to sit down anymore. He stood up and tried to kick the messy grass with his feet, and sure enough, three more mice were kicked out.The three mice lazily came out of the chaotic grass, as if they were very unwilling, looked around for a while, and then reluctantly walked away.Zeng Guofan stared at the three mice, and it took him a long time to come to his senses.

The imperial decree in Zeng Guofan's arms and the accompanying items were taken away, and Yinggui didn't even leave him a tael of silver.The Chang and Tai Er guards were nowhere to be seen either, probably drinking and having fun in the governor's yamen, or returning to Beijing to return to their orders.Zeng Guofan, as a Hanlin, a student of the Son of Heaven, from the point of view of the fifth-rank attendant, especially when he was the official examiner appointed by the Sichuan Provincial Examination that year, no matter what kind of law he committed, he should be punished by the Ministry of Punishment.Zeng Guofan vaguely remembered that the imperial decree seemed to say "temporarily under the care of the governor's office", and there were no words such as "imprisonment".How did Yinggui throw him into prison?Could it be that the emperor has another will?If the chief examiner of the provincial examination ordered by the imperial court did something illegal on the way and was censored by the local government, there are some cases where the local government will take care of it first; it is the first time since the founding of the Qing Dynasty that the minister will be directly handed over to the local governor for detention.Either the emperor really wanted to punish the examiner, or the local case officials were taking personal revenge.Apart from these two points, Zeng Guofan couldn't think of any other reason.

Zeng Guofan thought hard and stayed up all night, but he still couldn't figure it out.Is it because the emperor really wants to punish him in a daze, or is Yinggui taking revenge for himself because he is a son of a Manchu aristocrat?What puzzled Zeng Guofan the most was Hechun, the governor of Henan Province. How could he only listen to Yinggui's words, and refused to even check the facts, so he went up and participated in the performance?Are the maesters also confused?Didn't Mu Zhang'a recommend himself?He won't fall ill at this time, will he? I don't know how many hours later, a fat jailer came to deliver food with a basket.

This was Zeng Guofan's first prison meal in his life, and he felt curious and fresh.Hastily received it, but it was a black steamed bun and a bowl of muddy water.Zeng Guofan knew that Wotou was for eating, but he was not sure whether the bowl of water was for rinsing his mouth or for drinking.After the jailer withdrew, Zeng Guofan took a sip of water first, feeling the saltiness, and then realized that it was soup. He picked up the black corn bun and took a bite, but his teeth were disgusting.Where is this made of flour, it is clearly made of soil. Although he was already hungry, Zeng Guofan still pushed the "rice" aside and silently recited the chapters and chapters in his heart to resist hunger.Reciting poems and reciting books can indeed pass the time, he has tried it before, and it works just fine.After a while, Zeng Guofan fell into a deep sleep.

When the jailer came to pick up the basket, Zeng Guofan vaguely heard the jailer muttering: "No one will eat the first time, and no one will be left the second time." After speaking, he seemed to sneer twice. Sure enough, after bringing in the rice basket for the second time, Zeng Guofan not only ate everything, but also poured all the muddy soup into his stomach.The third time Zeng Guofan ate it was very sweet. Not only did he not feel greasy at all, the soup was also delicious, and his stomach seemed to be a little less full. Zeng Guofan came to a truth in prison: "Most people have no hardships that they can't bear, and they don't enjoy enough blessings. Whether suffering or blessings, compared with survival, they are all secondary." But he finally began to feel a little uneasy Yes, even though he didn't know how many days and nights he spent in prison, but...why did Yinggui delay mentioning his interrogation?However, how can criminals sign and pledge?But Tang, how can he make the case clear?The case is muddled, and the culprit did not sign and draw a deposit, how could the case be finalized!But why didn't Yinggui mention her interrogation?Could it be that he forgot himself?As the procurator, he is the chief judge of a province, and he has the right to arraign.Why is there no movement in the governor's yamen?Are they all waiting for the emperor's imperial decree? Zeng Guofan was tormenting in this dark cell.In addition to looking forward to the three meals of Wowotou delivered on time, I just read the "Four Books and Five Classics" silently, as well as Tang poetry and Song Ci.Even though he was already very familiar with silent reciting, especially Tang poetry and Song Ci, his mouth was numb from reciting because of the eloquence. He misses his relatives in his hometown and the plants and trees in the lotus leaf pond.He recalled the scene when his grandfather took him to Badouchong to hunt birds when he was a child. At the age of four, he was able to recite more than 30 Tang poems.Zeng Xinggang was delighted to hear that, so he made an exception and took him to hunt birds.He remembered very clearly that the tool his grandfather used to catch birds was a large net with very fine mesh. When he arrived in Badouchong, his grandfather used four wooden sticks to prop up the large net. He hides.He was so excited and nervous at that time, his eyes were as wide as copper bells.He didn't believe that a bird full of aura could be caught with a big net. He thought that grandpa must have miscalculated this time, but soon, he was shocked. He found that the birds were not only rushing up and down, but also a Can't run away.What puzzled him the most was that when he and his grandfather went down to pick these birds, there were still very spirited birds falling down, completely unaware that this was a trap!That day, my grandfather caught a whole cage of birds, and Zeng Guofan was so happy that he jumped up and down. Although he also knew that these birds were not for food and would be released by his grandmother and mother in the yard after they were brought home, he was still extremely happy.Zeng Xinggang catches birds because they eat crops, and it is a sin for a farmer not to catch them; his grandmother and mother let them fly because birds are living beings, and both grandmother and mother are extremely devout Buddhist lay disciples.This matter still makes him wonder until now, can a few ears of rice save the bird's life?Or did they already know that the person who caught it would definitely not kill them? The damp prison made his ringworm break out to the extreme, and one of the mud walls in the prison was stained with blood by him.His whole body was also covered with straw and dirt, making him no different from a beggar outside the prison. The most unbearable thing is the toilet in the south corner of the wall, which looks like it has taken root and has never been washed by anyone.The prison cooks pinched their noses tightly when delivering meals, only exhaled but not inhaled, as if they were facing the enemy.In the past, Zeng Guofan would definitely have appealed: "Isn't a prisoner a human being?" But now he understands thoroughly: a prisoner is indeed no longer a human being!Farm pig owners need to clean the pen regularly, but in this prison, has the pen been cleared and the grass changed?No! Zeng Guofan himself thought that he had spent several years or even ten years in Yinggui's prison, but in fact, it was only ten days. One day after dinner, when the door of the cell was opened with great fanfare and several government officials came to bring Zeng Guofan to court, he was stunned.With his hair disheveled, he said in a low voice: "The emperor asked him to take care of him first, but you threw him into prison for a few years and left him alone. Yinggui, Yinggui, how can you treat the laws of the Qing Dynasty like a joke?" Zeng Guofan said this sentence as he walked all the way, and repeated it all the way to the lobby.The servants all agreed: Zeng Guofan is crazy!