Chapter 48 Section 48: Determined to bring down local bullies

It's almost the end of the year. If it wasn't for the disaster, it should be the season when the countryside is selling new year's goods.Walking on the road, Zeng Guofan saw depression everywhere, people were standing in twos and threes leaning on tree trunks, some were squatting under the eaves of their homes, smoking cigarettes, looking bored.Seeing Zeng Guofan, Luo Zenan, Liu Rong and others approaching, everyone turned around respectfully to say hello, with sorrow and helplessness in their eyes. Luo Zenan whispered: "The dog officer Zhang Ye doesn't know how to organize self-help at all, the people are either crazy from idleness or crazy from hunger!"

Several people walked all the way and talked about entering Nanzhuang. Zeng Guofan pointed to the first row of houses and said: "If I remember correctly, this should be the Xu family's big house." Liu Rong said: "Disheng remembers it well. A year ago, this was indeed the mansion of a high official Xu. But now, the owner has changed." Zeng Guofan was stunned, and couldn't help asking: "Why is this? The Xu family has been a gentry for five generations in Xiangxiang, and the number one scholar in our county came from the Xu family! Because of the homestead, my Zeng family even fought with the Xu family. There's a lawsuit!"

Luo Zenan said with a smile: "The Xu family will never go to court with the Zeng family again. Ever since the first tobacco den was established in Chengguan, Xiangxiang, the old man of the Xu family took it, and then the whole family went to battle, and within a few years they would eat it." Go into a large piece of land. When the land is sold out, the daughter is sold. After the daughter is sold, the wife is sold. The wife is also sold out, so I have to sell the house. Smoking opium all day long, I see that I am waiting to die." Zeng Guofan asked: "Are there any smokehouses in Xiangxiang? Who opened them?"

Liu Rong replied angrily: "Except for Zhang Ye, who has such a lot of money! It has been open for three years, and I heard that there are millions of dollars in income a year!" Zeng Guofan fixed his eyes on the Xu family compound, and remained silent for a long time, but his heart had already flown to Guangdong, Guangxi and Sichuan. On the way back, Zeng Guofan resolutely said to Luo Zenan and Liu Rong: "I will return to Beijing in a few days. After I leave, you two will go to the magistrate's yamen to find Liu Xiangdong, and find out all the misconducts of Zhang Ye. He reported to the Fuyuan. You have to explain the success or failure of the same year as me, and tell him clearly that if he doesn’t report to the Fuyuan, you will contact the squires and go to Beijing to file an imperial lawsuit. If you want to bring Zhang down, only the magistrate’s yamen will report Shen Cai’s name is justified. If Zhang Ye is not overthrown, the people of Xiangxiang will never be able to get out of trouble! If Ji Gao comes back, you go with him. Ji Gao is familiar with him, and he can speak more directly.”

When he got home that day, Zeng Guofan asked Zhou Sheng to pack up his luggage with his errands, and then looked at the homework of his younger brothers, encouraging those who should be encouraged, and correcting what should be corrected; Zeng Guohuang greeted him humbly with a few words of compliment.On the second day, I went to Badouchong with my family to pay homage, and then set off to return to Beijing. On the day of leaving, relatives and friends from all over the world rushed to the lotus leaf pond, and the road was full of people. Zeng Guofan first went to the old man's room and kowtowed three times, then knelt down and kowtowed to his mother and uncle.Out of the gate, Yuying held Ji Ze in her arms and hugged Mannu, and embraced the eldest daughter, the second daughter and the third daughter in front and back, and told Zeng Guofan tearfully, as if her husband would never come back after getting into the sedan chair.This situation is really——

Mother Jiang Taigong was afraid that the eldest son would be sad, so she hardened her heart and did not come out to see him off, but hid in the bedroom alone and cried until she fainted. Zeng Linshu, Zeng Guohuang, Luo Zenan, Liu Rong and other four people sent Zeng Guofan to Changsha before returning.Zeng Guofan returned to Beijing without letting the people in the Yamen know. When Zhang Ye got the news and rushed to Heyetang, Zeng Guofan had already left for a long time. After Zeng Guofan sent his father and four people away, he stayed in Changsha for two days to visit a few Tongnian candidates who were waiting in Hunan.

When we arrived at Hanbaozhai, everything changed.The guy at the cabinet learned that Master Qi had sold out his shop for three years and had stopped dealing in antiques for a long time. It is said that he was engaged in tea business in Hong Kong Bay (also said in Nanyang).Zeng Guofan sighed once. After entering the capital, Zeng Guofan hurried to the Imperial Academy to sell his leave.From Wen Qing's mouth, I learned that Emperor Daoguang had been sick for several days because of a cold, and several scholars took turns to be on duty in the palace. Zeng Guofan hurried into the palace, but Emperor Daoguang didn't summon a single minister that day, only summoned a few princes and dukes.

Zeng Guofan returned to the mansion in dismay.Huang Zishou, Chen Gongyuan, Chen Yuangun and Liu Chuanying had been waiting for a long time, and Li Hongzhang, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, also happened to come to visit his teacher.Zeng Guofan asked the cook to prepare some vegetarian dishes for his colleagues and students to eat. During the banquet, Zeng Guofan naturally asked about Emperor Daoguang's illness.Huang Zishou said: "It's not to make them popular!" Zeng Guofan asked: "How do you say this? Why didn't Mr. Wen mention it?" Liu Chuanying sneered: "Do you think Wen Qing is something good? Do you think he is so clean? It's just not as greedy as other people!"

Zeng Guofan said: "Everyone has been talking for a long time, but still can't solve the problem. How can the emperor just say that he is sick?" Li Hongzhang said: "Returning to my teacher, the students heard that the emperor's poor health this time has something to do with the party and boxing bandits in Shandong. I don't know whether it is true or not." Zeng Guofan said: "In the year when I was taking the exam, I heard that there was a party in Shandong in the name of practicing boxing. It seems that these years have not been quiet. Dare to make a big fuss again?"

Huang Zishou said: "It's more than just a big disturbance. I heard that the governor's yamen sent three times to appease the bidders, and they couldn't finish it after several times. The urgent documents flew to Beijing like snowflakes in those few days. The emperor had to send Admiral Xu transferred the Green Battalions of the two neighboring provinces, and single-appointed Admiral Xu as the imperial envoy to lead the soldiers from the three provinces. It is said that this was the way to defeat the gangsters who gathered together and behead more than a thousand people. Strange. What's more, not long after the good news came, the emperor became ill with anger. After winning the battle, the emperor fell ill, do you think it's strange?"

Zeng Guofan said: "It's really strange. What makes me even more surprised is that when I tried Sichuan, I went to Shandong. If there are a large group of gangsters, why are they so quiet? Why didn't I meet one? Listen to what you say The situation of the guild, the guild seems to have grown overnight. Strange! Sure enough!" After talking for a while, because Liu Chuanying was not feeling well in the past few days, they sat down for a while after dinner, and then went back to their homes.After walking a long distance, Zeng Guofan could faintly hear Liu Chuanying's heavy cough. After dinner, Zeng Guofan was called into the palace by Emperor Daoguang. Zeng Guofan knelt and climbed up to Emperor Daoguang, and saw Emperor Daoguang half lying on the dragon couch, with sunken eyes and coughing intermittently.The eunuchs brought tea and water to and fro, and Eunuch Cao was gently beating his shoulders for Daoguang.Seeing the sickness on the emperor's face, Zeng Guofan held back his tears and said hello in a trembling voice. "Zeng Guofan, get up and talk to me." When he spoke, Emperor Daoguang's face was pale and he looked weak. Zeng Guofan still knelt and replied: "I'm guilty! Your Majesty's dragon body is not safe, and I should have been around..." Emperor Daoguang waved his hand lightly, gasped for a while, and then said slowly: "O Zeng Guofan, you Is there anything unusual about this trip to Hunan?" Zeng Guofan bowed his head and replied: "Returning to the emperor, it is very peaceful for me to go out of Beijing and return to Beijing this time." Daoguang interjected: "Taiping? There is almost a big disturbance in Shandong! I transferred the banner camps in the three provinces to suppress it. The pacification has subsided, and the Wanmin Zhezi also flew over to accuse Xu Jiao of killing innocent people in the name of conscripting and suppressing. I have already I ordered Xu Jiao to be escorted to Beijing." Emperor Daoguang sighed and gasped for a long time before saying: "O Zeng Guofan, I became a ruler at the age of thirty-nine, and I have been sixty-five years old. I have always restrained myself with the eight words of respect, sincerity, diligence and reform I tried my best to break down the hierarchy differences between the Manchu and Han ministers. I can press and approve the papers of the Manchu ministers in one day, and I try my best to wholesale the papers of the Han ministers on the same day. Zeng Guofan, you are a Han minister, I hope you can understand my painstaking efforts." Daoguang stopped to take a sip of hot tea, calmed down for a while, and then said: "Being an official is based on not having money. I have pondered your words for a long time, and it is probably the merit of honesty that you told me about, that is, not being greedy." But this is not enough, you have to dare to do things, look at the big picture in everything, and think for the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty is the Qing Dynasty of the Manchus, and it is also the Qing Dynasty of the Han people. I am not as frugal and serious as you. Many ministers You are not as good as you, and this is also the root cause of your envy. Well, you have just returned to Beijing, and you have to take a good rest, I am also tired. I am more energetic, and I still want to talk to you. Kneel down."