Chapter 4 Ambitious

As soon as Gong Dingzi walked out of the living room, he saw A Cheng, a boy who answered the door, a fifteen-year-old short and fat boy, holding a greeting card in both hands, and stumbling in. This A Cheng, like the maid Xiaofeng, is also a child of Gong Dingzi's family. He is honest and reliable, and serving the master can be regarded as loyal and dedicated, except for one thing: he is a bit rash in his actions.Gong Dingzi had also admonished him many times, but there was no major change.Now seeing him like this again, Gong Dingzi couldn't help but frowned, and scolded: "Huh! Why are you running? Can't you just walk around!"

"Hey, master, it's Mr. Chen!" Shocked, Ah Cheng immediately stopped and stammered his answer. "What 'Old Master'! Even the 'Old Master' doesn't need such frightening things—those with no progress!" Gong Dingzi continued to reprimand with a straight face, and glanced at the greeting card he took over, suddenly, in his heart With a move, he raised the post to his eyes again. "Why is he here?" He thought unexpectedly, and couldn't help but stop scolding, "Oh, what a coincidence! I was planning to visit him! Now it's just—aha!" Surprised in his heart, he became excited, Hastily ordered: "Please!" Seeing that Ah Cheng was still standing in a daze, he stomped his feet vigorously and shouted: "Hurry up!"

After finishing speaking, he turned around and went back to the room. While instructing Gu Mei to take off his Manchu clothes quickly, so as not to be seen inadvertently and attract gossip; at the same time, he changed into a guest dress, and then made two steps in three steps at a time. , Excitedly welcome out the door. Indeed, it was no wonder that Gong Dingzi was so busy, because this Chen Mingxia was not an ordinary guest, but a close friend of his.The two were both members of the Fushe in the early years, and they were both officials in Beijing during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, and both were in the military department; Take refuge in the Qing Dynasty.With this kind of experience of sympathy with the "sickness" and the close contact between the two on weekdays, the relationship is indeed different.However, Chen Mingxia was admitted as a Jinshi with a high ranking of No. 1 and No. 3 in the palace examination, and his official position has always been higher than that of Gong Dingzi. Now he has been an official in the Qing Dynasty.And Chen Mingxia himself is indeed shrewd and capable, and has the courage to do things.Therefore, Gong Dingzi has always respected this old friend, and always consulted with him and listened to his opinions when encountering difficulties...

Now, Gong Dingzi has already walked out of the gate, and Chen Mingxia's pointed long face with raised eyebrows, two stubborn grooves on both sides of the nose, and three mustaches fluttering on his chest also came into view. "Aha, what a coincidence! I was going to visit my brother, but my brother went to see Gu first!" Gong Dingzi raised his hands and greeted him loudly, and walked forward excitedly. Chen Mingxia didn't show any expression, although he also saluted as usual, he waved his hand immediately and said: "I have other things to do right now, I don't have time to sit and talk, let me borrow a step, say a few words and leave!"

"Brother, you mean—don't sit and talk?" Gong Dingzi asked in surprise when he saw that the guests had already walked in. "I'm going to meet Tan Tai right now—well, let's talk about it here!" Since the two had already entered the second gate and came to the front yard, Chen Mingxia stopped immediately. Tan Tai is from Manchuria Zhenghuang Banner.As early as the Tiancong period of the Qing Dynasty, he followed Huang Taiji to conquer the east and west. Due to his outstanding military exploits, he was repeatedly promoted to become the capital in charge of the banner with full power, and later he was named a first-class public.At present, this person, together with Tulai and Qixinlang Sony, the commanders of the guards, are the confidantes of the Regent Dorgon.So when Gong Dingzi heard it, he didn't bother to let the guest in the room, so he quickly stopped, looked at the other party closely, and asked in a low voice:

"Tan Tai? Why do you want to visit him, brother?" At this moment, Chen Mingxia probably felt that it was really inappropriate to talk standing up.He came and went frequently, and was very familiar with Gong Dingzi's house.He looked towards the reverse seat and found that there was no one inside, so he made a gesture, and then the two walked into the room again, and the host and guest sat down separately.Chen Mingxia just snorted and said: "My brother went to see him because he wanted to find an errand to do!" Although he confessed so much, Gong Dingzi still couldn't understand.But he didn't want to look like a fool in front of this arrogant friend, so he kept silent and didn't ask questions.

Sure enough, after a while, Chen Mingxia, who couldn't wait for a response, finally continued by himself: "At present, the southern capital has returned to its fate, and all the prefectures and counties have surrendered. It seems that the Jiangnan area can be pacified without further heavy troops. According to the news I have received recently , there will be a major change in the imperial court's measures - it is planned to replace the strategy of "suppressing" with 'help'. At that time, King Yu will be called back to Beijing, and another person will be sent to take over..."

The so-called "suppression" means to rely on military means to win, and it is natural to rely on military commanders to preside over it; as for the "fu" that focuses on persuading surrender, civilian officials must be employed.However, the Qing Dynasty has always advocated force, and this large-scale change from "suppressing" to "appeasing" is unprecedented.Therefore, Gong Dingzi was confused for a while before he turned his head, and asked tentatively: "Oh, brother, do you intend to take Duoduo and replace him?" "how?" "This-recalling Duoduo, and replacing it with Fu, is the news true?"

"Naturally true. The Prince Regent has ordered a meeting of the inner court a few days ago, please see if you can see if it is more detailed." "...So, brother, how much do you think this matter will be settled?" "It's up to people to plan, but it's up to God to make things happen. If you can plan but don't plan, how can you talk about success?" "so--" "So I'm going to see Tan Tai now!" Gong Dingzi blinked and stopped talking.Knowing that the ambitious old friend was originally coveting Yu Wang Duoduo's position, he somehow felt that the other party's appetite seemed to be a little bigger.Because Jiangnan is different from other places, it is the most important area in the whole country except Beijing.For hundreds of years, it has been the largest source of taxation for the imperial court, the main pillar of the country's finances, and it is also a treasure land that the new dynasty is determined to acquire.Regardless of whether it is to appease or suppress, if you want to serve as a feudal official in the Jiangnan area, ability and talent are of course very important, but what is more important is to gain the absolute trust of the Manchu court.With Chen Mingxia's identity and qualifications, can he do it?If you obviously can't do it, but rashly engage in activities, and if you make trouble, you will arouse resentment and suspicion from all parties in power. Isn't it self-defeating?Thinking about it this way, Gong Dingzi felt a little inappropriate.He was about to express his opinion, but Chen Mingxia had already stood up.

"Okay, it's getting late, Tan Tai lives in the inner city now, so I'm late, I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of the city. I'm leaving now!" "Then, it's better to go and find out first!" Gong Dingzi had no choice but to say this while seeing off the other party because he couldn't stop the other party.After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly asked: "I don't know if you know, but I heard that Sun Zhixie's whole family took the lead in shaving their hair and changing their clothes to show off in order to flatter the Manchu people. This matter can't be done..."

Chen Mingxia said "hmm", "I knew about this a long time ago!" "So?" "If he wants to shave, let him shave it off! Forgive him for not being able to make big waves!" "But, what if the court..." Chen Mingxia waved his hands and said with confidence: "At this level, there is no need to worry! Hmph, it's not easy to shave your hair and change your clothes! If you are in a hurry, there will be big trouble! How could the court not know!" Gong Dingzi was stunned, and asked with concern: "Brother, are you saying that something——is there a big mess?" Chen Mingxia didn't answer, as if he wanted to let his friend figure it out for himself.However, after walking a few steps, Gong Dingzi still didn't show any signs of awakening, so he "hummed" and said a lesson: "When I entered China in this way, I naturally followed the heavens and people, so when the front of the army arrived, it was like a broken bamboo. However, the three hundred years of enjoying the country in the previous Ming Dynasty, his foundation among the gentry and common people should not be underestimated. Although he is out of the current situation, he will surrender to me for the time being, but he may not be obedient in his heart. Therefore, those who have kept secrets and have not revealed them are not unwilling to reveal them. It’s just not convenient! If I take advantage of the power of thunder and use both kindness and power to deter them and treat them softly, I may gradually eliminate the hostility of the other party; if I act too hastily, there will be great changes! Passed down from the ancestors, it is like a person's head, face, body and skin, if you suddenly take it away, if you want it to be neither angry nor rebellious, how can you get it?" "This—what my brother said is very true, but I don't know if the imperial court also understands this reason?" "The Regent, Yingrui, is sensitive, so he should reflect on himself. Even if he doesn't think of it for a while, Fan Xiandou and Hong Hengjiu will remind him!" With that said, the two of them had come outside the gate.Although Gong Dingzi still had a lot to say, he had no choice but to cup his hands, stopped, and watched as his old friend was served by a group of errands, rode the jujube horse outside the mouth, and headed towards the inner city... In Gong Dingzi's view, Chen Mingxia's visit this time was too short and hasty; however, for Chen Mingxia who was riding a horse and eager to go to the inner city at the moment, he thought it was enough.In fact, things like seeking to serve as a concierge in the south of the Yangtze River should be kept as little as possible before they are settled, so as not to attract unexpected resistance.If it weren't for the extraordinary friendship between them, he wouldn't even go to Gong Dingzi's house on purpose.Just now, although Gong Dingzi didn't say anything more, Chen Mingxia could tell that the old friend had doubts about this matter.Because of this, he stopped talking with the other party, saving wasted words and time.To tell the truth, Chen Mingxia has seized on this opportunity and will never let it go!Moreover, he has repeatedly figured out the success or failure of the matter.Undoubtedly, it is really not easy to accomplish this task, but if it is accomplished, his status and reputation in the ruling and opposition parties will rise unprecedentedly.As a person who is quite conceited about his own talents and therefore has great ambitions, Chen Mingxia has been secretly observing the general situation of the world these years.He had long concluded that the fall of the Ming Dynasty was inevitable, so when the peasant army invaded Beijing, he quickly surrendered to Li Zicheng, hoping to create some achievements.Unexpectedly, Li Zicheng was too pusty, and he collapsed in a blink of an eye.After he fled back to the south in chaos, after a year of observation and consideration, he finally went north again and resolutely turned to the Qing Dynasty.He estimated in this way: With the collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the Peasant Army one after another, and the obvious lack of power to recover, the former "Eastern Captives" - the Qing Dynasty's entry into China is inevitable.In the face of this "general trend" of "destiny cannot be violated", it is futile to try to resist by force, and it is too negative to die and hide in the mountains; the way to be called wise and brave should be to try to participate in the new regime Go, by gaining power and status, to influence and even influence the future affairs of the country, so as to achieve the goal of displaying ambitions and saving the common people in the world.Undoubtedly, this is an uncomfortable and difficult choice; but he is sure that the Qing Dynasty brought in a limited number of troops from outside the pass, and there was a serious shortage of officials among them. Officials, especially talented and experienced Han officials.And this is the basis for him to believe that he is sure of success, and it is also the reason why he dares to seek to replace Duduo at the moment—"Hmph, if you want to suppress, you naturally don't need me; but Xing Fu, someone who is familiar with Jiangnan like me, Chen Situation, where are you going to find the second-rank official who has a relationship with Guang over there!" When he approached the Tan Tai mansion on the east side of Qipan Street, Chen Mingxia's heart became even more domineering and confident... Now, Chen Mingxia had dismounted in front of Tan Tai's mansion. Seeing that Chengcha, who was ahead of him, had handed in the greeting card, but the owner hadn't shown up yet, he turned around and looked around.Located between Zhengyangmen and Daqingmen (called Damingmen in the past), this chessboard street is the hub of the East-West city. On the north side of the street and on both sides of Daqingmen, there are six government offices.In the pre-Ming Dynasty, this area belonged to the famous "Qianchao City", where merchants gathered and department stores gathered on weekdays, making it extremely lively.However, with the arrival of the Eight Banners army and the relocation of the residents, that situation has completely disappeared to this day.Undoubtedly, the streets are not deserted at the moment, all kinds of horses, camels, and of course there are many men and women dressed in Manchu costumes coming and going there.Since the imperial court has been encouraging the banner people outside the pass to move to the pass, more and more families have moved here recently.It was too late to settle down for a while, so many large and small tents popped up on both sides of the street, some with cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs.Between the tents, the adults are busy, the children are making troubles, and the temporary stove is filled with fireworks, adding a dash of "beyond the Great Wall" to this majestic emperor's capital... In this area, although Chen Mingxia It can be considered that he came and went frequently, but whenever he faced this kind of situation, he still couldn't help feeling awkward, disgusted, and even ashamed. "I am a dignified China, a country of civility and etiquette. Could it be that I will regard such a person as my master from now on?" He thought with a wry smile more than once while feeling lost. But this time he couldn't think about it for long, because the gatekeeper of Tan's mansion had come out again and was talking to Chengcha, so he instinctively straightened his clothes and waited to enter. Chengcha was still talking with the doorman there.This made Chen Mingxia quite impatient, and felt that this slave was talking too much!So, when Chengcha finally turned around and walked back, he grimaced as usual. "Reporting to my lord, Lord Tan Tai said, I can't see..." Chengcha knelt down and typed "Qian", stammering, his round face also showing panic. Chen Mingxia couldn't help but startled: "I don't see you? Could it be that the master isn't here?" "Return to Master: He is here." "So--" "I heard from the old man," Chengchai said with his head down, "his family heard that the old man was visiting, and he was happy to see him at first, but he asked the old man later: Did the old man shave his hair? The old man replied." If he said no, he changed his words and said he was gone!" After a pause, probably because Chen Mingxia didn't make a sound, he glanced at the master cautiously, and added: "I heard from the master that his master invited a lot of guests this morning. , I was eating wine in the flower hall, and I was drunk, so..." Chen Mingxia still didn't speak.Speaking of Tan Tai, Chen Mingxia didn't have any deep friendship with him at first, it was nothing more than seeing that this man, who is the governor of the Zhenghuang Banner, also has something rare, he is very friendly, loyal, and very popular. The regent favored him, so he tried to make friends.Tan Tai, for some reason, has always looked at Chen Mingxia differently, and intends to get close to him.After such a back and forth, the relationship between each other warmed up.But today, the other party used this kind of unreasonable "reason" to shut himself up against him. Although it might be because he was dizzy from drinking, Chen Mingxia felt as if he had been slapped in the face. Shame unbearable. "I heard from the doorman that Mr. Sun, the servant of the right hall of the Ministry of Rites, has shaved and refitted his family, so..." Chengcha's voice rang in his ears again. Chen Mingxia was gloomyly imagining the arrogance of Tan Tai and his companions, who were the masters of Manchuria, after drinking. When he heard this, he felt like being stabbed by a needle, and couldn't help being furious.He widened his eyes and snapped, "You bastard! Don't mention Sun Zhixie to me!" After finishing speaking, he threw off his sleeves and walked towards Zaoliuma angrily.

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