Chapter 89 Chapter Eighty-nine

After the ministers left, Emperor Xianfeng called Sanzhi Minister, Fengchenyuan Qing Sushun into the study.Sushun is now a third-rank official, a subordinate of Wen Qing, the co-organizer of the university, and Minister of Internal Affairs. Sushun walked into the study, took the first step to kowtow to Emperor Xianfeng, and then stood by with his hands down, waiting for Emperor Xianfeng to ask questions.Emperor Xianfeng and Sushun were closer to Du Shoutian, one was about the same age, and the other Sushun had been the foreman of the inner court guards for the past few years.From an emotional point of view, Emperor Xianfeng was more willing to get close to Sushun, and he had less scruples when talking to Sushun.

Emperor Xianfeng handed Sushun the papers that had been undecided for a long time, and said, "Sushun, here are some questions. I will test you today. If you can't hand in the answer sheet, I'm afraid I will punish you. , you have to answer with your heart." Sushun read through several papers at once, and said: "This is all about the emperor's business, and the servant dare not speak nonsense. Please ask the emperor to test others, but the servant dare not answer." Then, he handed the papers to Emperor Xianfeng with both hands . Emperor Xianfeng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: "Well, you are a bold and cunning slave, you are not stupid, but you dare not answer what you say! Today I will let you answer. You say, Pan Shi'en, a scholar of the Hall of Martial Arts, kindly asks you to resign. What should I do?"

Su Shun rolled his eyes and said: "Returning to the emperor, the slaves thought that Pan Shien had gone through four dynasties, and there was no one in the dynasties comparable to him. He was already eighty years old, and he could become an official. The emperor should give him permission. It's just..." Emperor Xianfeng said anxiously: "What are you talking about?" Sushun replied: "It's just that the treatment should not follow the usual practice, it should be more generous, so as not to chill the hearts of those veterans." Emperor Xianfeng squinted his eyes and said to himself: "According to my system of upright officials, when an official becomes an official or Ding You, he no longer receives a full salary, but only a certain amount of salary at a time. This Pan Shien has gone through four dynasties, and his family wealth is naturally rich. Some, just..." He opened his eyes suddenly: "Sushun, you dog slave, you are not allowed to make detours with me! Tell me more specifically, what should you do to be considered generous?"

Sushun replied: "Responding to the emperor's words, the slaves thought that it is possible to break the rules and reward Pan Shi'en with full salary!" Emperor Xianfeng was stunned, then sat back to sit beside the case, and said, "Is Chen Fuen considered a minister who is good at interrogating?" Sushun bowed his head and replied: "Your servant said something bold, please don't be angry, Your Majesty. Since Mu Zhang'a came to power, he has formed cliques for personal gain, is domineering, and has deep grievances in the court. Chen Fu'en, as his pawn, is single-handedly drawn out. Whether he is considered a good judge or not, All military planes should be eliminated and ordered to return to their hometowns to recuperate in order to eliminate public grievances."

Emperor Xianfeng smiled and said, "What's wrong with Chen Fuen, who is tall and big?" Sushun replied: "According to normal calculations, Chen Fu'en's mother is already ninety years old. The emperor can allow him to return to his hometown to fulfill his filial piety. The Qing Dynasty ruled the country with filial piety!" Emperor Xianfeng slapped the table and said: "You dog slave! How do you know so much when you are in Da Nei all day long? I'll ask you again, what should Zheng Zuchen do? I've been mobilizing troops and paying wages over and over again, why is the chaos in Guangxi getting bigger and bigger? ?”

Su Shun said: "Returning to the emperor, Chang Shun has been with Zeng Guofan on business, and he knows how he is. The slave listened to Chang Shun, Zeng Guofan is indeed outstanding. His honesty and self-discipline, self-denial and loyalty The kung fu of seeking the country is known all over the world, and he is sincerely doing things for the country, without any sloppy." Emperor Xianfeng said urgently: "You are deaf, you dog slave? I am asking Zheng Zuchen, what are you talking about about Changshun and Zeng Guofan? You forgot, Zeng Guofan is someone Mu Zhang'a favors!"

Su Shun said: "The slave will say something presumptuously again, Zeng Guofan is obviously a person who was highly valued by the late emperor, so how could he be someone Mu Zhang'a favored? Your Majesty, don't get it wrong!" "Bold!" Emperor Xianfeng slapped his face and said, "If you dare to talk back, I will have someone slap your big ears!" Sushun fell to his knees, pretending to be sincere and fearful, and said: "The emperor calms down, this servant deserves to die, and this servant slaps his own ears!" !” As he spoke, he raised his right hand and began to strike, and said as he struck, “I will make the Emperor angry with your nonsense!”

Emperor Xianfeng waved his hand and said, "Okay, okay, go ahead and talk about what Zheng Zuchen should do." Sushun knelt down and said: "The servant dare not speak back to the emperor. Besides, the tongue should fall off." Emperor Xianfeng said: "I told you to say it, just say it, don't be silly." Sushun said: "Returning to the emperor's words, the slaves thought that Zeng Guofan should be released and let him go to Guangxi governor's office to investigate Zheng Zuchen's suppression of bandits on the spot. Zheng Zuchen's ineffectiveness in suppressing bandits may have caused a civil uprising because of illegal activities. Zeng Guofan I will definitely report the truth to the emperor. Please look into it clearly."

Emperor Xianfeng bowed his head and pondered for a long time, then waved his hands and said: "Go down. I really didn't fail you in the exam, so let's count you as a pass." Su Shun knelt down and exited. The Forbidden City is already brightly lit, and the streets outside the city are becoming less and less pedestrian. It is time for dinner.Zeng Guofan was beaten for no reason by Chen Fuen, and was dragged back to the prison in a daze, and soon fell asleep.He didn't even eat the food brought by the jailer. Seeing that Zeng Guofan's legs were bleeding from the beating, Old Wazi Zhang took off his ragged jacket and covered Zeng Guofan, while he shrank in the corner, trembling; at midnight, when Zeng Guofan opened his eyes, he saw Old Wazi Zhang surrounding him. Watching myself run around and around, my bare back has been frozen into a copper color.

Zeng Guofan tried to move, but his legs hurt like needle pricks, and his underwear and flesh were already connected. "Old man," Zeng Guofan called out, "put on your jacket quickly, this is a big prison, it can't be compared to home! Getting sick from the cold is no joke!" "My lord," Zhang Laowazi ran more happily, "as long as the little old man keeps running, he will never get sick from the cold. You can't help beating when you are old. If it hurts, you can scream. The louder, the louder you are." It doesn't hurt. The little old man has tried it, and it works quite well."

Zeng Guofan gave a wry smile, pulled off the gown that was covering his body, and said, "It's up to you to wear it or not, I won't cover it." Old Zhang was stunned for a long time, then put on his gown again, and said, "My lord, does anyone dare to beat an official like you?" Zeng Guofan moved his arms and said with a bitter face: "There is more than one official who dared to beat me. Do you know He Shenhe in Qianlong's reign? Officials ranging from university scholars to admirals of the Nine Gates were hanged. !" Old Wazi Zhang sat beside Zeng Guofan and said, "We know that Mr. Nahe is the number one corrupt official. If he doesn't die, the country will still think about it? But you are always an upright official. If an upright official is beaten, this country is also in trouble!" Zeng Guofan hastily poked Old Zhang with his hands, and said in a low voice, "Old man, don't talk nonsense! Let us gossip about something else. How did you get in here?" Old Wazi Zhang stared sharply and said, "You keep asking me, who should I ask! I was having a good meal at Mr. Qu's house, when suddenly a dozen men with knives and guns came and arrested me. Let’s go, why don’t you just come in! It’s been locked up until now, and there’s only one hall, what’s the matter? By the way, my lord, you must be hungry, right? I’ve left a nest for you!” As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the wooden wall opposite the door, and took down a yellow cornmeal nest on the platform; Zeng Guofan was amazed at Zhang Laowazi's meticulousness, and was even more moved by his good intentions.Zeng Guofan's eyes were red. Zeng Guofan took the nest in his hand, and asked first: "Old man, are you full?" Zhang Laowazi replied: "The little old man is used to being hungry. As long as he stutters, he can survive for two days. How can an adult compare with him!" Zeng Guofan sighed in his heart: "The people of the Qing Dynasty are suffering!" He ate it bite by bite, and at the same time comforted himself: "Get rid of teeth and swallow blood, this is the end of the matter, I can only endure." Feeling down and gaining strength, Zeng Guofan suddenly became a little strange: before he was imprisoned, he had already suffered from ringworm. Why did his whole body not only not itch after a beating, but also much more relaxed than usual?Do you dare to say that you are born to be beaten? He rolled up his sleeve, and saw thick scabs formed on his arm, which was a sign that the ringworm was about to heal after it had matured.He became more and more puzzled.In the past, whenever ringworm broke out, he never dared to lie down on the ground. Like now, he would itch so much that he couldn't sleep all night, and itched so much that he wished he could strangle himself to death with a rope.On the way to the Sichuan test, he went to a prison once, and the ringworm attack almost tickled him to death!That is really a kind of itch that is hard to find in the world. It can itch from the skin to the flesh, from the flesh to the bone, and from the bone to the marrow! Seeing Zeng Guofan lying on his stomach in a daze, Zhang Laowazi asked in a low voice: "My lord, the emperor will not hang you old, will he?" Zeng Guofan woke up suddenly, and then sighed: "The king let the minister die, and the minister dare not die, but it is best not to implicate the clan! The younger generation's ancestors have been farming for several generations. Although the ancestors are not only proud of the ancestors, they are also safe and sound. It is considered that they have not humiliated the sub-sage. Xianming! Now, several younger brothers have also entered the county school and become scholars, and the top sons of the younger generations have also become red. In the family, there is no need for parents, but parents are indispensable; But talent is absolutely indispensable! Talent is the fire of hope, talent is the torch of understanding, and talent is the foundation of scholarly fragrance." Zhang Laowazi opened his mouth in a semicircle, and after a long time said: "My lord said these words, the little old man can't understand. The little old man only knows that officers and soldiers who don't spoil the people are good officers and soldiers, and they can feed the people well." Your Majesty is a good Majesty! What kind of scholar did you mention just now? What kind of family can produce a scholar? How many Bodhisattvas will bless you? Take our village as an example. In the past sixty years, only one scholar came out last year. The village sang a big play for three days! The ancestors are all followed! My lord, the little old man will never forget that face until he dies! Tsk tsk." Zhang Laowazi shut up and immersed himself in his good memories. Looking at the old boy, Zeng Guofan was sad: the people's wisdom is not enlightened, and the saint is helpless!Alas! In the early dynasty, Man Langzhong of the Ministry of Punishments and a lower-level official came to the prison, took Zeng Guofan out of the prison, and escorted him to the Palace of Qinzheng.Zeng Guofan followed silently, speculating wildly in his heart.