Chapter 51 Section 51 Disciplinary officials found in Baoguo Temple

Gan Xi, a doctor from the Ministry of Industry, was responsible for the survey and design of the new imperial mausoleum, and Zeng Guofan was responsible for the construction.Although Zeng Guofan tried his best to save money, he still spent two million taels of silver to build the new imperial mausoleum. Emperor Daoguang didn't believe that Zeng Guofan could use two million taels to build the imperial mausoleum, so he chose a good day, accompanied by Mu Zhang'a, to inspect the new imperial mausoleum while sick.After returning to the palace from the imperial mausoleum, Emperor Daoguang's condition worsened.He never expected that Yinghe and Qi Yuzao, who he thought of as seasoned seekers of the country, turned out to be two senior figures who were greedy for the country and misleading the country.

Emperor Daoguang murmured to himself in his bedroom: "The British and the country are wronged, and Qi Yuzao is mediocre! They all blame me!" After all, Emperor Daoguang did not do anything to the two of them.Because both of them are on sick leave, and they are veterans, it is not easy to order punishment when they are ill. But Qi Yuzao hated Zeng Guofan so much that he urged the censor to impeach Zeng Guofan several times, but because there was no evidence, and with Mu Zhang'a in front of him, Zeng Guofan was holy and righteous, so he could only wait and see. At this time, Chen Yuangun sent someone to Beijing to pick up the young master.Zeng Guofan asked his bodyguards to escort them out of the city.

Emperor Daoguang summoned Zeng Guofan in his bedroom; to Zeng Guofan's surprise, Emperor Daoguang, who was ill, spent seven days writing several banners for Zeng Guofan himself. Zeng Guofan knelt and took these banners from Eunuch Cao's hand, and was so moved that tears streamed down his face for a moment, but he couldn't say a word more.But Daoguang didn't say a word, he just waved his hand and let Zeng Guofan back down. According to the old practice of the Qing Dynasty, only when there is a big happy event in the palace, or when the minister has made great achievements, the emperor will reward the minister with a few words, and most of them are written by eunuchs, which is nothing more than stamping the imperial seal.A sick emperor once wrote four banners for a fourth-rank official in seven days, which was rare in the Qing Dynasty, and it was even more unique during the Daoguang period, only this time.It is not an exaggeration to say that this kind of divine grace is once in a hundred years.

Zeng Guofan returned to the mansion and sat quietly in the study for a long time before he gradually regained consciousness.Zeng Guofan was an official known for his prudence, dignity, and frugality in the capital. He was almost out of order when he encountered this kind of favor. You can roughly imagine what other officials are like. He went to the Rongbaozhai Calligraphy and Painting Shop near Liulichang, and invited Zhang Dianjia, a master painting master who "made it with one hand", into the mansion, and carefully mounted the four banners with yellow silk; moved over.Zhang Dianjia had been busy in the Zeng Mansion for seven days before the four banners were hung on the main wall that had been cleaned.

Zeng Guofan lit the incense himself, knelt down and kowtowed three times respectfully, and then looked carefully. On the top of the first banner are two big characters "Lord Respect", and the small characters below are: On the top of the second banner are two big characters "Cuncheng", and the small characters below are: On the top of the third banner are the two big characters "Diligence", and the small characters below are: On the top of the fourth banner are two big characters "reform", and the small characters below are: Seeing the end, Zeng Guofan's eyes were once again blurred by tears.These are not just four banners, they are clearly four high hanging whips, four extremely sharp steel knives, and four shining bronze mirrors!

Zeng Guofan was grateful for the grace at first, and then trembled all over, and his shoulders became heavy. This is not grace, it is obviously pressure, and it is an added responsibility!He seemed to hear the weak voice of Emperor Daoguang, which seemed to come from the four banners on the wall: "O Zeng Guofan! The Qing Dynasty is not only my Manchu Qing, but also your Han people's Qing. Well, in this country, I am responsible, and you Han people are also responsible!" He didn't dare to look any further, and hurriedly withdrew. That night, he had an attack of ringworm, and he tossed and tossed all night.He had no choice but to take sick leave and went to Baoguo Temple with his bodyguard.

Mengqiu's Baoguo Temple is a piece of verdant green, and it is the season when the red leaves are coloring. It seems to be surrounded by dots of firelight. The green is surrounded by red, and it is surrounded by layers, which is really beautiful. When Zeng Guofan's sedan chair entered the mountain gate, he was sending an old Taoist out to meet the elder Yizhen. Zeng Guofan hurriedly got off the sedan chair to salute, and greeted him first.When he saw that it was Zeng Guofan, he was pleasantly surprised, and hurriedly stopped to return the gift, and said to the old Taoist: "The distinguished guest is coming, please forgive me for not sending you off, please go all the way! Amitabha."

Zeng Guofan looked at the priest, dark-skinned, wearing a tattered Taoist robe, and he was over seventy years old. He was a wandering and rather sloppy Taoist priest. The Taoist ignored Yizhen, but looked at Zeng Guofan repeatedly with his eyes, and said, "It's a pity, it's a pity! If you enjoy a great position, you won't live a long life." As soon as he said this, he didn't care if he was in the upper hand, but Zeng Guofan heard it clearly when he was in the downwind.Zeng Guofan saw that the Taoist priest had some background, so he hurriedly bowed deeply and said, "I have met the Taoist priest in late life."

The old Taoist closed his eyes, didn't say anything, and didn't return the salute, he just turned around and cupped his fists at Yizhen, then strode down the stone steps and walked away quickly.Zeng Guofan was dumbfounded. Zeng Guofan asked Yizhen as he walked into the temple: "I don't know who is the master, he walks so fast! He looks like a scud, really amazing. Dare he be an old friend of the master?" Yizhen smiled and said: "Where is that an old friend! I met him ten years ago at the Guanyin Temple in Yangzhou. He is a Taoist priest of Biyun Temple in Huashan. Everyone calls him Taoist Qiu, but his surname is not Qiu, but Qiu Chuji. I really don’t know what his surname is from that faction. He came here to find me on purpose, and asked me to go to Mongolia with him to practice some golden elixir, and he also said that the Central Plains will be in chaos. I just think of him as a lunatic.”

Zeng Guofan said: "Looking at his walk, he really looks like a martial arts master. Maybe he is Qiu Chuji's disciple or something. Just now, I heard him say that enjoying a high position does not allow a long life. I don't know what he said?" Yizhen smiled and said: "Your Excellency, you don't know. Ten years ago, this lunatic Qiu was like this, always saying something inexplicable. This time it was even more outrageous, and he even said something about chaos in the world. It can be seen that he is getting more and more crazy! Your Excellency! This time is a long vacation?"

"This is a short vacation, that is, three to five days." Zeng Guofan replied. Yizhen said: "It's a pity! If your lord is on a long vacation, I will take you to Wutai Mountain to open your eyes, and you can always come back in a month. This time it is a short vacation!" Zeng Guofan asked: "Is there any grand event on Mount Wutai?" Yizhen said: "Speaking of it, it is really a once-in-a-century event! The eminent monks in Tianzhu Kingdom donated relics to Mount Wutai, and the Wenshu Monastery in Mount Wutai sent messages to monasteries around the world. Isn't this a grand event?" After entering the temple, once the young monk had cleaned the room for Zeng Guofan, he said goodbye to Zeng Guofan, went out to pack his own luggage, and left Baoguo Temple that day to attend the grand meeting at Wenshu Monastery in Mount Wutai. When Zeng Guofan went up the mountain this time, he wanted to play Go with Yizhen for a few days, but he didn't know that he came at the wrong time.In response to an old saying, come in high spirits and return in disappointment. In the afternoon, more people came to Baoguo Temple to offer incense.Zeng Guofan and the guards walked around the hall for a while, feeling bored, and went back to their rooms. The guard brewed a cup of Junshan Maojian tea for Zeng Guofan, and Zeng Guofan opened the book "Shuowen Jiezi" that he carried with him, and looked at it sentence by sentence, and his mood began to feel better little by little. After dark, the young monk brought Zeng Guofan four plates of exquisite vegetarian dishes and a plate of steamed buns, which were neatly placed on the table, and invited Zeng Guofan to eat, saying that the elder Yizhen had ordered before leaving that he would not be charged for this meal. Zeng Guofan put down his book and was about to eat, when suddenly bursts of male and female laughter came from his ears.Zeng Guofan couldn't help being amazed, and asked the little monk who served the meal: "Just ask the little master, are there any pilgrims offering incense at this time?" The little monk curled his lips and said, "The mountain gate has been closed long ago." Zeng Guofan became more and more strange, and asked, "This voice..." The little monk put a finger to his lips, and hissed: "My lord, don't raise your voice, this is a master who can't be offended! My lord, let's eat quickly." Zeng Guofan said sternly: "Little master, Buddhism is a pure place, and it is not allowed to keep female guests overnight. The state owns the state law, and the temple has temple rules! Elder Yizhen just came down the mountain, why are you breaking the rules? I have to take care of it." The last tube!" The little monk smiled and said: "My lord, don't get angry. The master who violated my Buddhist rules is not an ordinary person. Even if the elder Yizhen is in the temple, he will greet him with a smile, and he will never dare to say no." .The grown-ups should eat, and the little ones have to eat too." Saying that, he walked out. Zeng Guofan knew that the young monk had something to hide, so he didn't say anything, and let him go. After the meal, Zeng Guofan followed the sound of laughter and walked over step by step, but saw a room behind the main hall was brightly lit. Zeng Guofan walked over without thinking.When I looked a dozen steps away from the glorious place, I suddenly saw two Goshhas walking up and down at the door, clearly guarding. Zeng Guofan was taken aback, and hurriedly hid himself behind a thick old locust tree, squinted his eyes and looked in, but couldn't see anything.Zeng Guofan knew that the one who could take two guards with him when going out was at least a member of rank three or above!But who is this senior official?Why do you want to take a woman to spend the night in the temple?Is there such a bold and reckless official in the DPRK? Zeng Guofan turned around in dismay, and the doubts became bigger and bigger. After the meal, he asked the guard to call the little monk who set the meal to clean up the tableware, in fact, he wanted to ask clearly, otherwise, he would definitely not be able to sleep tonight. After the little monk came, he was still secretive and refused to talk about it at first, saying that the elder Yizhen had ordered before he left, not to say what should not be said casually, for fear of causing trouble to the temple. Zeng Guofan calmly talked to the little monk about the rules of Buddhism, the rules of the temple, and the rules of being an official.