Chapter 6 5.The head of the state does not donate to the eunuch

Unexpectedly, the next day, except for Wei Zaode who took out one hundred taels of silver, there was no movement from anyone else.He asked the inner supervisor to go to each house to ask questions, and the inner supervisor reported that the assistant ministers were raising money, and several families posted an advertisement on the door of their house: "This house is for sale urgently."When Chongzhen heard it, he realized that this was what Chen Yan's old miscellaneous man said, "destroy the family and relieve the difficulties".Zai has spent so many years, even if he donates 350,000 yuan, he will not sell the house?It seems that the assistant minister was playing tricks, and his bow was in vain.

The more the emperor thought about it, the more angry he became, and he hated the ministers so much that he really wanted to kill them again, but after thinking about it, he must be famous, and besides, he couldn't kill all the ministers! Wang Chengen stayed by his side the entire time, the change in the emperor's face was all in his eyes, he had already expected this result, seeing the emperor sighing, so he coughed lightly by the side.When the emperor looked back at him, he sighed and said: "Unexpectedly, this group of assistant ministers are all treacherous and cunning. The country has reached this point, and they still have to play tricks. It really chills me."

Wang Chengen knelt down, and said with a sigh of relief: "The servant thinks that the emperor will never take this move unless it is a last resort, but this group of people don't know the general situation, and there are very few people who are eager for public justice. When money is mentioned, they are like It is extremely unpleasant to cut flesh with a blunt knife. Therefore, if you want to make things happen quickly, it is better to find someone else to take the lead." When Chongzhen heard this, he couldn't help nodding, and said, "Wei Zaode took the lead and took out a hundred taels of silver. He is a newcomer, and he has only been a small Beijing official for three years. He is very poor. He has only been in the cabinet for a few months. It is hard for him to be able to give out one hundred and eighty thousand taels at once, but after all, there are too few to set an example. If someone can give out one hundred and eighty thousand taels at once, I am not afraid that others will not follow. When the time comes, I will be It is also famous for copying his home."

Wang Chengen hesitated for a long time, and said: "According to my servant, there is still such a leader, but it depends on whether the emperor can make up his mind?" Chongzhen said: "The matter has come to this point, what else can I not make up my mind to, just tell me, who is this person?" Wang Chengen said: "This, this person should be a relative of the honored minister and the emperor's closest relative. As long as this person is willing to pay, he is not afraid of other people's excuses." Chongzhen thought that the closest person was, except for the state patriarch Zhou Kui, no one else could match him.Zhou Kui used Suzhou commoner clothes, not only to be granted a mansion, a farm, and an earl, but even his son also inherited the post of Jinyi Wei Qianhu. How did he get this?Isn't it because he is the queen's father? If he is willing to take the lead, what else can others say?

Thinking of this, he immediately delivered an edict to promote Zhou Kui's Jiadingbo to the title of Marquis of Jiading, and asked the eunuch Xu Gao to go to the Zhou Mansion to announce the edict and relay the emperor's request for help. Xu Gao is the eunuch in charge of Kunning Palace, a person close to the queen, who often comes and goes in Zhou Kui's mansion, and knows the way.As soon as he arrived at the Zhou Mansion, he congratulated Zhou Kui when he entered the door. Zhou Kui didn't know what he meant, so Xu Gao took out Zhu Yu from his arms and said: "There is a purpose".

The daughter is seated in the East Palace and is the current mother of the country. For more than ten years, the Zhou Mansion has been cooking with fire, with flowers and brocades, and the emperor's favor and rewards often come one after another.Today, when I heard "there is a decree", I thought it was a good thing again, so I immediately set down the incense table, spread the big red 氍毹, and knelt down to listen to the imperial decree. The decree was very concise and to the point, with only a few words, Jiadingbo became Jiadinghou.Although this is a good thing, it is so good that it is a bit unexpected-it is neither the longevity of the emperor nor the state-owned Daqing, and the title of Marquis is a bit abrupt.It seems that there must be a reason for leather trousers and cotton trousers.

"Old emperor, great joy!" Xu Gao sat down and congratulated Zhou Kui again.Zhou Kui had something on his mind. After thanking him, he said: "Yulu's great kindness, I really can't repay it, but I don't know how to reward the other relatives?" Xu Gao wanted to make a statement, so he said vaguely: "The old emperor's relative is the current head of state, how can other relatives compare with the old emperor's relative." In other words, this award was unique to him, Zhou Kui couldn't help being suspicious.Not wanting to follow up, Xu Gao tactfully said the emperor's request for help.And said:

"We share honor and disgrace, we share weal and woe, and we have no faults like relatives of the emperor. Therefore, the old relatives of the emperor should take the lead. Thirty-five thousand is not too little, and eighty thousand is not too much. Temporarily borrow the emperor to meet the military needs in the front." When Zhou Kui heard this, he couldn't help being stunned.He had already heard about the fact that the ministers were selling the house, but he didn't think about the relationship between this matter and himself. Unexpectedly, the emperor would take the knife on himself, just using some tricks.Before this, as the head of the country, he had benefited so much from the royal family that he couldn't tell, but he had only entered, but never had bleeding.Today, however, the Marquis wanted to buy it with silver, and he asked for fifty thousand and one hundred thousand.He thought, as long as the emperor is still in power and his daughter is still favored, the marquis will be named sooner or later. In the future, the crown prince will take the throne, even the Duke of the country can hope, why rush it for a while, you must know that fifty thousand taels of silver is not A few miles, coded up, can form a hill.Thinking of this, he repeatedly rubbed his hands and said:

"This, this, Mr. Xu, the old minister is very tight recently, and the daily expenses are also difficult to sustain. Where did such a huge sum of money come from?" As he spoke, he complained about the difficulty—the year was famine and the year was apologetic, and even the rent in the suburbs of Beijing could not be collected; the current situation was not stable, the business of the shops in the capital was sluggish, and the old capital was also lost... The implication is that it would be better if the emperor subsidizes some. When Xu Gao came to the Zhou mansion under the decree, he thought about what he was going to say on the way, and now seeing Zhou Kui crying poor, he said:

"It's not that the emperor is ignorant of the difficulties of the old emperor's relatives. It's just that the treasury is running low at the moment, so the emperor has no choice but to do so. Several elders are selling houses to pawn their properties. I hope that the old emperor's relatives will be anxious for the public good and justice, and devote all their efforts to the national crisis. As long as the rogues are eliminated, are you afraid that the emperor will not repay you double? You must know that sharing the emperor's worries is also sharing the queen's worries."

I didn't want Zhou Kui to be a crystal monkey this time, and he wouldn't pluck out a hair. He just refused to nod after Xu Gao tried his best.Xu Gao couldn't help being angry, and when he was leaving, he looked up to the sky with a long sigh and said: "Oh, yesterday's Tang newspaper said that the vanguard of the rogues has already drunk the Yellow River, but the court wants food and no food, no salary, and even the old emperor is so stingy, this country is over. When the rogues come, the old emperor thinks I'm afraid it will be difficult to live a peaceful life." Zhou Kui couldn't help being startled, thinking: the queen takes care of her mother's family, every reward is sent by Xu Gao, no matter how poor she is, she can't hide it from him.So, he put on a smiling face, kept Xu Gaowan, bargained, and agreed to pay 10,000 taels.Although Xu Gao still thought it was too little, but after thinking about it, he finally had an explanation when he went back. The emperor knew that Zhou Kui's family was rich.Right now, only 10,000 yuan was paid out, and after spending a lot of time talking, his face suddenly changed, and he said fiercely: "Is he sending a beggar? He thinks his foundation, I don't understand?" As he spoke, he waved his hand to make Xu Gao retreat, while he sat on the throne and sulked. When he returned to Kunning Palace, Xu Gao knew that he couldn't hide it, so he knew it bit by bit.When Queen Zhou heard this, she knew why the emperor had sent Xu Gao.I thought, my father is too stingy, if the emperor is not forced to this point by the bandits, would he make such a bad move?Besides, only the state owns can the family own. The big river has water and the small river is full, and the big river has no water and the small river is dry. This saying can't be more apt to apply to the Zhou family. After thinking about it, he called Xu Gao aside and told him to go to the Zhou Mansion again to pass on the Queen's decree, saying that the Queen would like to help five thousand taels, and asked the abbot to make up for twenty thousand no matter what. number. It turns out that the empress also has her own money, which is stored in her natal family, and the head of the state puts it out for her to earn interest. Now that the empress has spoken, it is only deducted in her name. Zhou Kui got the decree and knew that he could no longer shirk, but he turned his anger on Xu Gao, so he put on a seal, saying that he was sympathetic to the difficult times, and would like to repay 13,000 taels at a time——Kai first said The 10,000 is to buy the Marquis, and here the queen secretly helped 5,000, but he was not reconciled to the 2,000, and added another tail after the memorial, saying that outsiders borrowed money and said that they should contribute to the country. Responsible ministers and relatives, the implication is that even the inner prison should bleed. Looking at this chapter on the old man, Chongzhen really couldn't laugh or cry, but for the queen's sake, he couldn't blame him.But the last sentence of the old father-in-law reminded him: You can't just blame the ministers and relatives.Yes, the eunuchs in the inner court are all very rich, how can we let them spend nothing and watch the fun from the sidelines? The inner court is divided into twenty-four yamen, which has already begun to take shape in the hands of Chengzu Zhu Di.These include the twelve supervisors, the fourth division, and the eighth bureau, all of which are filled by eunuchs.In fact, eunuch is only the title of eunuch at the highest level, and the rest are called Shaojian, Jiancheng, down to the lowest level of ebony cards, handkerchiefs, and little firemen.Among the twelve prisons, each prison has one handprint eunuch, who is the fourth rank, the rest of the department is the fifth rank, and the bureau is the sixth rank. There are special divisions, just like the outer court.Don't look at this group of people who are physically disabled and have incomplete personnel, but once they reach the position of eunuch, they should not be underestimated, especially the eunuch who is in charge of the official seal, who approves and answers documents on behalf of the emperor, and has Tianxian in his mouth. It is said that all the yamen inside and outside have to pay tribute to him. After a year, there will be at least seven to eight hundred thousand taels of income. Although Chongzhen killed Wei Zhongxian, he had to use eunuchs.Right now he is raising funds, his assistant ministers are unreliable, his relatives are unreliable, and the father-in-law doesn't say anything, he also thinks of eunuchs. "I heard that among the fifteen jewelry stores in Qianmen, three are opened by Wang Zhixin?" the emperor asked suddenly. When Wang Chengen heard it, he immediately understood the emperor's intention. Wang Zhixin is the handprint eunuch of Dongchang. Dongchang is a living hell that everyone fears, and anyone is willing to use money to fill the hole.After the emperor killed Wei Zhongxian, he first ordered Cao Huachun and then Ren Wangzhixin to supervise Dongchang.Over the past ten years, Wang Zhixin has never been soft-hearted than Wei Zhongxian, arresting him today and manipulating you tomorrow, thus saving a lot of furniture, not only buying a lot of land in the suburbs of Beijing, but also opening several shops in Qianmen, all of this can't be hidden emperor.Now that the emperor suddenly asked about Wang Zhixin, Wang Chengen understood what the emperor was thinking, and he didn't want to hide it for Wang Zhixin, so he knelt down and said: "Wang Zhixin has supervised the East Factory for many years, so he should have some savings." "Then, what about Wang Dehua?" the emperor asked again. Wang Dehua is the eunuch in charge of the chief inspector of ceremonies and Wang Chengen's immediate superior.Therefore, when it comes to him, Wang Chengen, one has to be careful, but the emperor's tone is aggressive, and he can't allow him to hesitate a little, so he can only say vaguely: "Compared to King's Heart, I'm afraid it's worse." The words were finished, but the emperor sneered and said, "Hmph, I think it's similar." Speaking of this, Wang Chengen, one of the eunuchs in charge of ceremonies and Bingbi, could not stay out of the matter.So he knelt down and said: "Do your best for the country, and you are duty-bound. After the slave returns home, he will actively raise funds, and he must do everything he can." Chongzhen couldn't help but nodded approvingly. In the evening, Wang Cheng'en specially asked for leave in front of the emperor, and returned to his home near the Temple of Earth. He didn't want to step into the house, so Wang Zhixin followed him in. "Brother, it's a good idea in front of the emperor." When Wang Zhixin met, it was in a teasing tone.He and Wang Cheng'en came from the sect of Cao Huachun, the great eunuch, and they can be regarded as brothers from Jingmen. They often come and go, very casually. Wang Chengen was stunned, knowing that Wang Zhixin had the most ears to repay the gods, from the inner garden of the imperial palace to the common people, all under his surveillance, so he said with a sudden heart: "The matter has come to this, and no one can stand still. It's better for the East Master to be more sensible." "East Master" is the honorific title for the eunuch of the East Factory. Wang Zhixin sneered and said: "Hmph, the emperor is also Lei Gong who beats tofu, and only picks soft bullies." Wang Chengen said: "No, this time even Emperor Zhou will bleed." Wang Zhixin snorted again and said, "Brother, stop laughing, will people believe me too? Zhou Kuina's old bastard bought a marquis for 10,000 taels, and then blackmailed the queen by 3,000 taels under the guise of donating money." Two." Wang Chengen said: "He is the head of the state, but unfortunately you are not." Wang Zhixin said with a sneer, "It's all like this, and it's almost over for a Ming Dynasty." Wang Cheng'en said: "Others have something to say after watching it. The master said this, it seems that there is a better place to go than now?" Wang Zhixin said with a dark face: "Hmph, don't stop talking. There is no place to stay here, but there is still a place to stay." Wang Chengen was taken aback, and said: "Master Dong, this is only for me." Wang Zhixin himself realized something, quickly put on a smiling face, and said with a smile: "Stop talking, big brother, I'm here to discuss with you. I plan to pay 30,000 yuan, will it work?" Wang Chengen doubted his ears a little. Wang Zhixin was an iron rooster, and he was also penniless. He didn't believe that he was willing to come up with such a number. I don't want Wang Zhixin to say again: "Hmph, the emperor ordered the rebellion case, and deliberately alienated our ministers, but now the country is in trouble, and the group of sour dings who talk about words are all acting like cowards. We want the emperor to see, what is it? Who can relieve the country, so I plan to give 30,000 yuan, your suzerain will also give 30,000 yuan, and your master Cao will give 20,000 yuan. Is this going to happen? It's just that you uttered big words in front of the emperor. What kind of silver to pay the bill, the crime of deceiving the king is not a child's play." "Sovereign master" is the respectful title for the eunuch who is in charge of the official seal. When Wang Chengen heard that even Wang Dehua and Cao Huachun paid 30,000 or 20,000 yuan, he couldn't help but say, "I can't compare with them. I plan to sell the house and raise three to two thousand yuan." Wang Zhixin was taken aback, and said, "Then where do you put your father's hall?" Wang Chengen said: "They are not used to the hustle and bustle of the capital, and they have long been arguing to go back to their hometown." Wang Zhixin snorted again, and said, "Brother, when you get to the point where you already get rich, you don't even want to spend it, so it's not like you. In my opinion, the poor thing in your crotch is worth a knife." This is what Wang Chengen taboos the most.They are both eunuchs, and I don't have you, we chat together and don't avoid this matter, but Wang Chengen doesn't want others to mention it.When he was six years old, the old grandmother fell ill, and the family could not open the pot. His father pressed him on the kang, and with a knife, the capital of being a man was lost. People surrounded him, their eyes full of pleading and hope. He hated them and wished he could kill them all with a knife. After that, he entered the palace and became a eunuch holding a pen in front of the emperor step by step. This is a position that the world envies, but he regards it as floating clouds. However, he is a passer-by among the rich and powerful, with bad habits in the palace, eunuchs and maids form fake couples, so-called "counter food", or "vegetable household", like Wei Zhongxian and Hakka, who even perfunctorily deal with the scandal of jealousy People say that the blind don't forget to see, and the lame don't forget to walk, but his heart is like an ancient well, with no waves. Today, those who have been sentenced to death are not surprised by favor or humiliation, so can they have no shame?The shameless Wang Zhixin actually used this as an excuse, he couldn't help but get angry, and roared angrily: "My lord, what else do you have to say?" Wang Zhixin couldn't help being surprised.Since Admiral Dongchang, he has been full of power and prestige, from prime ministers and ministers to ordinary people, he can't tell how many people died in his hands, but when he saw Wang Chengen like that, he was not without fear—— —Wang Chengen is the most trusted eunuch among the eight eunuchs who hold pens. "Brother Tai, why are you yelling? I know you don't have a lot of money, so I'm here to help you. Officials don't give gifts, do they?" As he spoke, he took out three silver bills of one thousand taels each from the boot heels, and slapped them on the case, saying: "Let's keep the house. When you get old in the future, you can't afford it. You can't afford it." Go to sleep on the steps?" Wang Chengen couldn't help being confused.The eunuch has become the admiral of Dongchang, the official fourth-rank official, so he doesn't need to turn around and curry favor with him, a fifth-rank subordinate. He couldn't help but raise his head, unable to hide the confusion on his face: "What's the meaning?" "I'll curry favor with you." "I don't have that much face." "Don't want your face, just your mouth, don't worry about us in the future, okay?" Wang Chengen was even more puzzled, what could he do for them?And which "we"? Wang Zhixin saw his confusion, and said: "This is the meaning of the suzerain and master Cao. I know you don't know how to make money, so everyone will help you a little bit. You can't dismiss the face of the two of them, right?" Is this what Wang Dehua and Cao Huachun mean?Wang Chengen was even more puzzled.Although Wang Cheng'en believed in the palace, he first worshiped under Cao Huachun's sect. Wang Dehua and Wang Zhixin were his senior brothers. Now that he has activated these two, he really does not dare to offend them, and he can't afford to offend them, so he can only say: "I won't do anything for nothing, don't worry, I won't bother you." Wang Zhixin stuffed the banknote into Wang Chengen's pocket, and said with a smile: "Brother, you are a smart person, why should I tell you something?" After Wang Zhixin finished speaking, he didn't wait for Wang Chengen to ask any more questions, so he started talking nonsense about the City God of Nanjing and the land of Beijing, without saying a single serious word, but threw the boring gourd to Wang Chengen. Although Wang Chengen couldn't reject Wang Zhixin's three thousand taels of silver bill, he was unwilling to take the blame for it. In the end, he sold the house, added Wang Zhixin's three thousand taels, made up a total of six thousand taels, and donated it. Seeing this situation, Chongzhen couldn't help sighing and said: "Officials in the outer court are not as good as middle officials in the inner court."