Chapter 118 Section 118

When he arrived at the palace gate, Zeng Guofan said to the eunuch guarding the gate: "Please inform me, please, Zeng Guofan, Minister of Rites, please see me." The eunuch turned around and went in, and came out after a while and said, "Master Zeng, please keep asking." Zeng Guofan entered the main hall and saw that Prince Gong Yixin, Prince Zheng Duanhua, Seng Gelinqin, king of Horqin County, and the scholars of all palaces, co-organizers, six ministers, and Lifan Academy ministers were all there. Zeng Guofan knelt down to pay his respects, and handed over Wang Zhengfu's indictment and Ma Jiu's confession.

Emperor Xianfeng looked at it, thought for a while, and said, "Zeng Guofan, you go down first." Zeng Guofan had no choice but to resign. The decree was issued to all ministries and courts. The decree said: The case of Wang Zhengfu's embezzlement of treasury bank and rape of a dumb girl belonging to an official in Daxing County was re-examined by the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and it was the result of a frame-up; firstly, Qi Zhuanyan, a judge of Shuntianfu, was dismissed from his post and put in prison, and the dumb girl was allowed to lead the original family. Back; to excuse all the punishments of Wang Zhengfu, to reward the fourth-rank top wear, and to be promoted to the Chancellor of Shuntian Mansion.Qi Zhuanyan and others involved in the case of framing the imperial court ordered an official have already been tried by the members of the clan's office.Zeng Guofan's work was added a level, and the Ministry of Officials gave it a priority.This is it.

Zeng Guofan returned to the mansion with ease. Not long after the meal, Liu Heng also rushed back from Wanping County, but he didn't visit other matters except that the dumb girl was a false lady of Qi Mansion.Zeng Guofan still praised Liu Heng a few words. Sitting in the study, Zeng Guofan took up a pen and wrote the "Request for Grace to Return to Hometown to Concern His Relatives", which he handed over when he was about to go to court in the morning.That night, he leisurely returned to the Heye Pond in Xiangxiang. As soon as his sedan chair entered the village entrance, he saw his mother looking towards the official road with the support of two women.The breeze swayed the mother's white hair, and it touched Zeng Guofan's heart.

He got off the sedan chair in a hurry, couldn't bear to look any longer, and crawled all the way to his mother's feet, bloodstained all the way.He hugged his mother's legs and shouted: "The unfilial son is back!" Mother stroked the top of his head with her hot hand and said, "My son, you are an official. It is not important to be filial by your mother's side, but it is important to be loyal to the emperor. Kuanyi, can you think of your mother in your heart?" , is filial piety!" Zeng Guofan couldn't restrain his feelings any longer, and burst into tears.

It has been many years since he couldn't cry like this. He can only think about his mother in his heart. Sometimes he thinks about his mother and wants to cry a lot, but he doesn't dare. He can't ignore his official dignity just because he misses his mother .He cried like this until dawn, struggling to sit up, and saw that the pillow was wet with tears. He wiped his swollen and sore eyes, sighed, and said to himself, "Cough! It's been six years, how fast it has passed!" In the early court, Emperor Xianfeng first talked about this year's Mulan Qiuxi and the accompanying officials, and then the eunuch on duty read out the list of Mulan Qiuxi's accompanying escorts.

Zeng Guofan listened attentively, but he didn't hear his own name, so he couldn't help but feel overjoyed, and secretly said: "The matter of visiting relatives will definitely be done!" After the eunuch on duty finished reading the list, Zeng Guofan was about to leave the shift to present the probate papers when he suddenly heard the eunuch on duty preach: "Minister of Rites, Zeng Guofan listened to the decree..." Zeng Guofan was stunned, and hurriedly got out of work and knelt down, listening to the eunuch preaching: "According to the request of the governor of Jiangxi, Jiangxi is due to the banditry. The chief examiner and other words, Zeng Guofan, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, will be the chief examiner of the Jiangxi Code Examination this year. This person will be able to handle affairs fairly and live up to Jiangxi's expectations. I respect this."

After retiring from the court, Zeng Guofan returned to the mansion in dismay. He only ate two mouthfuls of dinner, and then went back to the study, staring at the jar of pickles that his mother had pickled, just staring blankly. He suddenly took out the notebook he wrote last night from his sleeve, and burst into tears after reading just one sentence. Finally, he kneaded the fold into a ball. Suddenly, Zhou Sheng came in to report that Wo Ren was visiting. Zeng Guofan woke up suddenly, wiped his tears and said, "I invite Mr. Wa." Woren walked in with a smile, and when he saw the tears on Zeng Guofan's face, he couldn't help being taken aback, before he could sit down, he asked, "Disheng, why are you sitting alone in the study crying? It's really rare!"

Zeng Guofan forced a smile and said, "Master Wo, stop joking. How can Lord Wo have time?" Wo Ren said: "The lower official has been depressed for the past few days, so I have to come to you to talk." At this time Li Bao came in with two cups of tea, Zeng Guofan said please, and asked: "Master Wo's grace is just right, why should I be angry?" Wo Ren said: "Xuanzong is in Japan, and the days can still be spent. If autumn is bad, he can go. But Xuanzong focused on thrift, but he didn't make it once. Now it's good, the treasury is dry, the bandits are troublesome, and the salary It's just barely paid, how can I have spare money to do this business! The clan's mansion summoned the officials to discuss the matter of autumn, and the officials only tried to dissuade them a few words, but Wen Qing and Su Shunhao reprimanded them, saying that the officials Disregarding the dignity of the royal family! Huashana and others also showed the face of the officials. You said, the Qing Dynasty is not my Qing Dynasty alone, and I am full of food!"

Zeng Guofan said: "No wonder I didn't hear your name this morning." Woren said: "Let the lower officials be on duty in the capital, but they went to Chengde with the emperor to play! Your brother dared not go to become angry alone?" Zeng Guofan said: "I don't dare to be angry. My old mother is very sick. When I was planning to go to court in Japan today, I gave the emperor a booklet to ask for leave to visit my relatives. I didn't know that she was sent to Jiangxi to preside over the rural examination. I am sad. When I came back from Jiangxi, I'm afraid I won't be able to see my mother!" Pointing to the jar of pickles on the desk, he said, "This is the pickles made by my mother!"

Wo Ren said: "So what if you resign from the Jiangxi mission to the emperor tomorrow? The Ministry of Rites is not empty, and the emperor has to agree!" Zeng Guofan said: "I thought about it too. But when I think about Jiangxi Luyao, there are serious bandits, and it has always been regarded as a dangerous way by all officials. Especially this year, when Mulan is coming again, and many ministers are accompanying Chengde, I think I will I can't even say goodbye!" Woren lowered his head and took a sip of tea, then suddenly said: "Yes! Why don't you follow the example of Lu Xianji and He Tongfang, isn't it true that both officials and relatives can do it?"

After hearing this, Zeng Guofan's eyes lit up. Lu Xianji is the left servant of the Ministry of Industry and the chief examiner of the Jiangsu Code Examination last year. Lu Xianji was born in Anhui, he was Li Hongzhang's fellow townsman, and he was also a person with two backgrounds.Lu Xianji considered that this trip to Jiangsu must pass through Anhui, so he gave the emperor a discount, and asked to return home to visit his relatives after the test, and the emperor allowed him to give him a two-month leave.Accomplished running a business and visiting relatives without any mistakes. After Woren left, Zeng Guofan thought for a long time, first wrote "Thanks to Fang Jiangxi Examiner's Grace", and then wrote a family letter for asking for leave and returning home.There is no need to elaborate on Xie Enzhe, it is written according to the usual practice; the film of returning home to visit relatives is written like this: "Furthermore, I have come to Beijing to work in Beijing since the 19th year of Daoguang. The emperor rewarded him with leave, and went back to his hometown to visit his relatives once. He never asked for leave to visit his relatives, and failed to welcome them. Because the Cantonese bandits rushed into Hunan, the minister's family was close to Hengyang, and he was conducting group training. The towns were terrified. , Hanging day and night. I am honored to pay homage to the grace of heaven, and I am envoy to Jiangxi. The journey from Yuanzhou, Jiangxi to the minister's house is only eight days. I would like to support the example of Lu Xianji and He Tongyun last year. On the 20th, after the announcement of the list in September, Bichen returned home to visit his relatives, and his family enjoyed the grace of the emperor. There is no end to it. Like Meng Yuyun, the minister returned to Beijing from Changsha via Hubei. It is very frightening to wait for orders, and I attach a picture to request .” In the early morning of the next day, he handed over the Xie Enfold and the family card.Emperor Xianfeng was approved by the court, and Xu Jiangxi was transferred to Hunan province after the examination, and he was rewarded with a two-month leave. When he came down to court, Zeng Guofan first went to the Ministry of Households to get Cheng Yi, then rushed to the Ministry of Rites, handed over the work he was doing, and received the official documents by the way, and then sat down to drink tea, but suddenly remembered that he hadn't done it yet. Write a letter to Xiangxiang to inform. Thinking of this, Zeng Guofan hurriedly put down the tea bowl, spread eight lines of paper on the koan, and began to write little by little. In the letter, he happily told his parents and family members that he had been blessed with the grace of heaven in Jiangxi, and that after the test was over, he could go back to his hometown to visit his relatives! After the letter was written, immediately asked Li Bao to hand it over to the courier to send it away on the same day.