Chapter 26 Section 26 Difficult cases must be handled skillfully

Huang Zhong also came from two lists. He worked as an editor at the Imperial Academy for ten years before being sent to Sichuan to serve as a magistrate twice. He is now sixty years old and has only reached the position of feudal lord.But Huang Zhong's vassal was considered to be in name only, except for stamping and signing official documents every day, there were not many things he could do.No matter what matters in Sichuan, Baoxing is in charge of it alone, including the release of a county magistrate. Without Baoxing's nod, Huang Zhong cannot be released. Although the power in other provinces was also in the hands of the Manchus at that time, they were still able to go through the motions and show considerable respect to the Han people.Baoxing was quite naked.He often said a sentence: "In the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus had the final say, and the Han people were nothing!" His respect for Zeng Guofan came entirely from Mu Zhang'a, who held great power.Without the face of Mu Zhang'a, let alone Zeng Guofan is just a middle-level official from the fifth rank, even if a Han Chinese university scholar who is the first rank came to Sichuan to preside over the provincial examination, he would not give such a big scene to the Baozhi Army. It is enough to press the second division to come out and deal with it.

Zeng Guofan felt both injustice and sympathy for Huang Zhong.Looking at the big gray beard floating on Huang Zhong's chest, he suddenly thought of his situation in Beijing, how could he be better than the one in front of him?Although he is an upright official of the fifth rank, in the capital, his status is not even comparable to that of a servant in the palace!Thinking of this, Zeng Guofan's heart ached, and he almost shed tears. After drinking for three rounds, Huang Zhong suddenly put down his wine glass and said, "Zeng Hanlin, do you know? Something happened to Jian Yang! I'm afraid I won't be able to wear this second-grade top for long!"

Zeng Guofan hastily put down the spoon and asked, "Lord Fang Bo, I'm passing by Jianyang. It's peaceful and peaceful there. Didn't you find anything?" Huang Zhongdao: "It was just yesterday that Yehu Dede, the agent of the English General Commercial Bank, said that three English tea merchants had disappeared in Jianyang, and claimed that these three merchants were likely to be robbed and killed by the mob. After arresting and returning the corpse, Yehu Dede will go to Beijing to sue the imperial court and sue the Lord Long Live, how can this happen!" As he said, beads of sweat appeared on Huang Zhong's forehead.

Seeing that there was no one around, Zeng Guofan whispered, "Why don't your lord submit this matter to the governor's yamen?" "Cough!" Huang Zhong let out a long sigh, "The Baozhi Army has always ignored matters involving the barbarians. On the same day, our department sent someone to transfer the documents of Yingji Yehu Dede to the governor's yamen. Who dares to take over the case easily! Unexpectedly, in less than an hour, Bao Zhijun sent it back and let this department handle it with full authority." After speaking, Huang Zhong suddenly lowered his voice and said: "Zeng Hanlin, you and I As a Han, to be honest, the second-rank top wearer on the head of the headquarters will be ruined in the hands of Baoxing sooner or later. The barbarian case is the most difficult to handle, and it was done well. It is I who is to blame! Lin Zexu's future is not because of the barbarian case, and it will be ruined with one sentence!" Although Huang Zhong said something drunk, it is true.

Zeng Guofan said: "My lord, why didn't you instruct Jian Yang to handle this case? The Yi people disappeared in Jianyang, and the Jianyang government has an unshirkable responsibility. Is the officer right?" Huang Zhong shook his head and smiled wryly: "I just received the reply from Jianyang Mansion. The Yiren have not filed a record in the Jianyang Mansion Yamen, and Jianyang Mansion has not found the body of the Yiren. Tell me, Mr. Hanlin, what should we do with such a case? You can't just blame Jianyang's mansion like this, can you?" Zeng Guofan smiled: "Lord Fang Bo, this case is very strange. Since the Yi people have not registered in Jianyang Mansion, Jianyang Mansion naturally has no way to find them, and the Yi people insist that these three people disappeared in Jianyang. Their one-sided words? You have to find evidence, right?" Huang Zhongdao: "I heard from the Yi people that the three of them delivered goods to the Hu family, and they never came back after going there, so they insisted that they disappeared in Jianyang. Which one is true? Can you tell the difference?"

"From this point of view," Zeng Guofan hesitated, "We can only find a breakthrough from the Hu family in Jianyang. Taking away the Hu family can not only block the mouths of the barbarians, but also cut off the barbarians' wealth in Jianyang. Come to think of it, it should be a great thing to accomplish multiple goals!" Huang Zhong's eyes widened all of a sudden: "This drink was not in vain! Lord Hanlin, I have been bothering you for most of the night, so don't scold me for being stupid! Let me go." After finishing speaking, he staggered He rushed out of the door, and the soldiers held him up, and then he staggered away.Looking at Huang Zhong's receding back, Zeng Guofan let out a long sigh: "Sooner or later, the barbarians will bring disaster to the Qing Dynasty!"

Once the three exams were passed, Zeng Guofan immediately entered the stage of marking papers. Township examination paper marking is the most tiring project.For the sake of fairness, local officials, large and small, are not allowed to participate.Marking of papers is done by the chief examiner, assistant chief examiner and examiner.The place where the examination papers are read is even more heavily fortified, and three additional guards are sent to guard it.The three meals a day for the reading adults were brought in from outside, received by the guards at the gate, and passed in one by one, so sealed that not even a bird could fly in.During the reviewing period, the reviewing officials are not allowed to go out on business, nor are they allowed to meet guests. Otherwise, only the minister in charge of the examination will ask questions.

Opening a course to obtain a scholar is a major event related to the rise and fall of a country, and the imperial court attaches great importance to it. The seven people including Zeng Guofan lived and ate together during the examination period. Each of them had to read nearly 500 examination papers in ten days. Only when the number of people on the sub-ranking list is released, one item of examination paper is considered as the end. When it comes time to write the list, local officials can participate, and the writer must be a person who is born in the two lists and has a high reputation, to show grandeur.

The candidates for the Sichuan Provincial Examination, everyone publicly recommended Zhang Yepin and Zhang Xuetai, who was born in the two rankings and served as Sichuan Xuezheng at the time, as the writer. Seeing that neither the governor nor the vassal were present, Zhang Xuetai readily agreed. At that time, there were already huge crowds of people outside listening to the list.Some scholars who took the exam came here to wait in person, and some hired a special person to wait here and listened to the news in the guild hall.Zhao Ji rolls the name, Zhang Yepin fills in the list, and Zeng Guofan supervises the list.

In this exam, a total of 62 candidates were selected, and 12 were placed in the sub-list.When I was filling out the top five, there was a sudden shout from outside: "Master Zhijun is here! Master Zhijun is here!" Zhang Yepin was writing smoothly, and when he heard this, he had no choice but to put down his pen. Baoxing strode in.Everyone hastily greeted each other one by one.Baoxing asked with a smile, "Is it almost complete?" Zhang Yepin said, "There are only five chiefs left." Baoxing sat and said, "Then fill it in quickly, the sky is almost dawn. The main hall is still there." Waiting for the celebration wine!"

Zhang Yepin said: "These five chiefs are waiting for the lord of the military to fill in. By chance, the lord has come. If the lord doesn't come, the subordinate officials are going to invite someone!" Baoxing laughed loudly: "Hurry up Promote this department hall. This department hall is still a warrior, so it cannot fill the top five, if it is spread, it will be strange if people don't laugh it off!" Zeng Guofan bowed respectfully and respectfully: "Masters in the army have learned from ancient and modern times, and there are few in the current dynasty who can match them. These five chiefs cannot be completed without adults! The next official represents the five chiefs of the new department, thank you sir!" Xing still had to be humble, Zhang Yepin quickly handed over the pen, and said: "Master Zhijun, please take the pen, and don't let the fifth leader of the new department wait anxiously." Only then did Baoxing raise his sleeves and fill in the list with a pen. Many years later, whenever the Sichuan provincial examination presided over by Zeng Guofan was mentioned, scholars in Sichuan were still full of praise, saying that it was the fairest, most gracious, and the most recruited rural examination held in Sichuan since the founding of the Qing Dynasty. .An old scholar even wrote a limerick to praise the event: This person who has been left out of the list for forty years because he has no money and two managements is this time Xie Yuan Song Wenguan, a seventy-year-old scholar who is rigorous in his studies and upright.If Zeng Guofan's ice water hadn't been delivered in time for the old man to participate in the township examination, let alone the fact that he didn't understand Yuan, he might have lost his life.The son later served as a county magistrate, and died of exhaustion the next year, but he had no complaints or regrets.Song Wenguan not only had a good official reputation, but his stories were also sung by folk artists as Tanci, and his reputation spread far and wide. After a few more days of delay in Chengdu, Zeng Guofan set off for Beijing with Zhao Ji, Chang Shun and others. The governor of Sichuan, Baoxing, deliberately distributed the Cheng Yi collected by Juzi in Central Sichuan to the deputy chief examiner Zhao Ji and the examiners the day before. Zeng Guofan didn't know about this.Baoxing dispatched another thirty-six soldiers, specially appointed a general to be in charge, and escorted ten carts of goods, of course a wheelbarrow, full of Sichuan souvenirs, and went to Beijing with Zeng Guofan.These things were distributed to the royal family, the nobles, the scholars, and the scholars.Baoxing also revised several books and handed them over to the general manager to seal them up.The gifts given to Zeng Guofan and Mu Zhang'a were different: they were stored in two three-foot-square wooden boxes and pressed at the bottom of the car. Only the commander-in-chief knew about them. in the dark.Baoxing did this out of helplessness. In Mu Zhang'a's letter to Baoxing, he especially emphasized that "although Zeng Guofan was born in a peasant family, he is the most moral person in ancient and modern times." Baoxing didn't want to be made a fool of by Zeng Guofan in public, and to put it bluntly, he didn't want to create estrangement with Zeng Guofan.He, Baoxing, belonged to Mu Dang, and Zeng Guofan, as Mu Zhongtang's disciple, was naturally also Mu Dang.Baoxing thought so. On the day of Zeng Guofan's departure, Baoxing's blooming coral crown was particularly dazzling, but old Huang Zhong's energy was lacking.Because Jian Yangyi's case was not settled, the Yi people chased him closely, and Huang Zhong was so emotionally exhausted after chasing him. Arriving in Jianyang within a few days after leaving Chengdu, Zhang Dianyuan, the magistrate of Jianyang, and the main halls of the counties had already knelt down at the gate of the city to meet him.Zeng Guofan and others stayed in Jianyang that night.Zhang Dianyuan invited Zeng Guofan and Changshun to his private residence that night, saying that there was a fighting party from the Yuan Dynasty who asked Zeng Hanlin to see if they were top grade.Zeng Guofan and Changshun looked at each other, and the three walked out of the station together. Entering Zhang's mansion, a table of reasonable banquets has been set up.Zhang Dianyuan put Zeng Guofan on the top, Chang Shun on the second, and himself on the bottom.Zhang Dianyuan first asked the cook to serve Zeng Guofan a bowl of clear bamboo shoot and lotus seed soup, but it was filled with spicy peppers, while he and Changshun poured a large bowl of wine in front of each other. Zeng Guofan looked at the bowl of lotus seed soup with hot peppers floating in it, pushed the bowl out helplessly, and said, "Tell the cook to make a pot of tea for the servant." Zhang Dianyuan thought that Zeng Guofan was thirsty, so he hurriedly ordered it down. After the tea was served, Zhang Dianyuan first poured a cup for Zeng Guofan, then raised the glass and said, "I wish you two adults a smooth return to Beijing." Zeng Guofan raised the teacup and touched his lips politely. Chang Shun happily raised his wine glass and said: "Master Futai is so proud of himself, I'll do it here as a respect!" He raised his neck and poured a bowl of wine into his stomach.Zhang Dianyuan was dumbfounded. He poured wine for Changshun and said, "The chief guard drank so much, it really opened our eyes! Looking at the large number of chief guards, one can know that the future of the chief guard is immeasurable." Zhang Dianyuan's flattering words made Chang Shun laugh out loud.Zeng Guofan said: "Looking at Mr. Zhang's expression, it seems that the Yi case has been handled smoothly?" Zhang Dianyuan's expression immediately became serious, he put down his wine glass, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty invited you here to ask for advice. The Hu family’s tobacco shop in Jianyang and the Yinzhuang mansion have been sealed off, but the Hu family insists that they have not seen any English people in the past two months. The case is stuck here, which makes the mansion hard to get rid of. To ask for the result, the Hu family's family members come to the yamen every day to ask for someone. Yingjili's message, according to the procurator's yamen, has transferred a few copies, and the tone is really frightening, and the time is set by the procuratorate's yamen, and they cannot be found beyond the time People, they not only want to go to Beijing to sue the imperial court, but also send artillery teams to Sichuan, saying that they are protecting the interests of English businessmen. The government thought, if they really can’t make it through, they will expose the corpse... There must be an end, right?" Zeng Guofan pondered for a while, weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and said decisively: "The body of the English businessman must not be revealed! Not only must it not be revealed, but it must be buried deep and kept secret." Chang Shun also said: "Master Zeng's words are reasonable. I often listen to Master Su's words in humble positions. In recent years, the barbarians have dealt with us in the Qing Dynasty, and they used nothing more than four words: false, intimidate, deceive, and deceive. First, blackmail people, blackmail people I can't scare you with big words anymore, and once I can't stop scaring you, I will start to deceive you with some things you don't understand, and then lie to you. Mr. Zeng, but this?" Zeng Guofan looked at Chang Shun in admiration and said, "The chief guard sums it up well, and he has a better understanding of the barbarians. Whether it's the English or Japanese pirates, they are all uncivilized barbarians. The trick is what the long guard said. As long as he doesn't let him seize the evidence, he can drag it on forever. Although the Hu family can't stop there. The lower officials have thought about it for a long time, and this smoke is too harmful to our Qing Dynasty. If things go on like this, it will inevitably lead to disaster. Although Lin Gongzexu was convicted of smoking ban, the smoking ban has not yet been lifted, and opium smuggling is still illegal and must be banned. If you let the Hu family go, there is still a market for English opium in Jianyang. As long as opium is in Jianyang, Jianyang Do you still want peace?" Zhang Dianyuan picked up his wine glass and took a big sip: "Just do as the two adults said, procrastinate, keep procrastinating, Jian Yang has neither seen the barbarian nor found the barbarian corpse! The money confiscated by the Hu family will never be returned!" Zeng Guofan firmly believed that as long as Zhang Zhifu did what he said, the barbarians would be dragged down, and Jian Yang would be safe from now on.Sometimes, procrastination is also a way of doing things. At that time, when dealing with barbarian cases, most of the yamen in various places used this kind of procrastination method to deal with foreigners, because they really couldn't find a better way.This method was more effective during Kang, Yong, and Qian, but with the entry of barbarian armed forces, this method was no longer effective.