Chapter 50 The fiftieth round of demotion

Nian Gengyao bowed his head and obeyed orders, and Yue Zhongqi personally sent him to Tongguan, and rushed to report to Beijing, Zhang Tingyu was relieved.The Qinghai fire between Nianbu and Yuebu that he was most worried about did not happen in the end.Because of taking this 800-mile speed-up report, he rushed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see Yongzheng. "He is willing to obey, and I don't care about it." Yongzheng was playing chess with Fang Bao, and after hearing Zhang Tingyu's replay, he smiled and turned to Yunxiang who was sitting and watching the battle: "I lost this game of chess with Mr. Fang. I can afford to lose. I have won the game of chess with Nian Gengyao, and I will win." After finishing speaking, he smiled happily again.Yunxiang seemed to be in good spirits, but he was pitifully thin. Hearing Yongzheng's words, a smile appeared on his pale face, and he said: "Hengchen is careful. It is indeed appropriate for the inner court to go to the study to handle this matter." Yongzheng Standing up with a smile, he took a stack of memorials from the case in Huinuan Pavilion, handed it to Yun Xiang and said, "This is the original copy of Zhu Zhu's batch last night, and the text has already been distributed. You all have a look."

Yunxiang's long and slender fingers were so white that they didn't even have a trace of blood. When he took it over and looked at it, it was a letter of gratitude and apology sent by Nian Gengyao before his departure from Xining. On it was written: After reading this performance, I am a little happy. If I can change it after passing it, there is nothing wrong with it.I'm afraid I can't be convinced.Encourage it. Another copy was exchanged, which was awarded to Gao Qizhuo, but it was: I cherish Nian Gengyao's talent and sympathize with his achievements, and still use his strength to preserve him.Recently, he also deeply felt guilty and remorseful.

Look at another copy, it's for Tian Wenjing: A certain year is naughty and evil.Er Zhizhe Mingfa, his position has been downgraded, a gentleman does not think too much of himself, since then he has no power to govern, and he can do what he wants. There were a few others, all with vague words to excuse Nian Gengyao's serious crimes.Yun Xiang looked at it and forwarded it to Fang Bao.Fang Bao was speechless after reading it, and handed it to Zhang Tingyu.Zhang Tingyu, on the other hand, gave Yongzheng a thick stack of chapters from the Ming Dynasty, and then read Zhu's comments and edicts.Yongzheng took it and browsed through it. There were more than a million excerpts in total, all accusing Nian Gengyao of rampant lawlessness, meddling in government affairs, arranging private affairs, extorting bribes and accepting bribes.He couldn't help laughing and said: "The wall is falling and everyone pushes it. Human relations in the world are as thin as paper. There is only icing on the cake. Who is willing to give charcoal in the snow? Just stay in it!"

Zhang Tingyu bowed and smiled in response: "Yes." Then he frowned and said, "This is the ammunition of more than a hundred officials. It seems too much to win the hearts of the people. Nian Gengyao is too bold to bring 1,200 soldiers. Going to Hangzhou, there are 270 post sedan chairs, 2,000 post packs, and more than 400 carts. It was already a lot of money, but he also sent a letter to Hangzhou, asking the chief minister to build another 100 for him. Settling people in twenty houses—how can this not cause public outrage?" He reported so many numbers in one breath, and Yun Xiang just shook his head when he heard it.But Fang Bao knew that Nian Gengyao wanted to avoid the crime of "violating the rules" and was willing to pretend to be a miser begging for the land to let Yongzheng know that he had no ambitions, but this time Zhang Tingyu offended Nian Gengyao to death. If Nian Gengyao is not put to death, Zhang Tingyu will never end well if he is overthrown.Fang Bao opened his mouth, then sighed without words.

"It's going to rain, mother wants to get married." Yongzheng's face was green and pale, "He will not be a general, but a corrupt official! I removed him to clean up the government. He would like to violate this national code, but I can't." Save him." Saying so, Yongzheng stood up, took out a piece from the case, and when he saw it was Yang Mingshi's, he brushed away the chess piece, picked up the ink pen and wrote: My heart is very comforted that the king ruled Yunnan to transform people with virtue.Da Fande can be relied on but talents cannot be relied on. Nian Gengyao is a role model, and he was killed in the end.

After writing, he sneered and said, "It's up to you to decide whether it's a rabbit or a dog. Nian Gengyao pretended to be a miser and wanted to escape the name of 'benevolent and unfaithful'. In fact, I'm not afraid of his rebellion. The repression is over. I won’t punish him as a corrupt official, and all the officials in the world will follow suit, how can this official rule be done?” The three of them blushed and bowed their heads in silence. Fang Bao pondered for a while, then smiled and said: "My lord's cruel words, even I am ashamed to hear them. But the people who lead the soldiers are rich, and everyone in the world knows it. Using this name to get rid of Nian Gengyao is not to cook dogs, but also Talking about cooking dogs. Nian is so arrogant and domineering, it is better to follow this line of thinking."

"What you said is true. You all hide your words. How can I not know the reason? But this is the law of nature and human nature, and I can understand it." Yongzheng said casually, then turned to the desk again, and found out that Nian Gengyao delivered a gift in Tongguan. Those who came, please An Zhezi, and wrote on it: I have heard rumors early on: "The emperor came out of Sanjiangkou, and the Jiahu battlefield" was said.Guan Qing's actions seem to want to compete with me!I think, if you claim the title of emperor, it is a fate, and I will not be able to stop you.If you are not willing to act on your own, with you commanding thousands of soldiers, you will never allow Sanjiangkou to be called emperor!

After writing, he threw his pen and said to Zhang Tingyu, "publish all these chapters in Di Baoming, and write Nian Gengyao to play them one by one according to the facts. There are plays in the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Households. All of Nian Gengyao's excerpts are in original transcripts!" Then on the fifth day of this conversation, Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict: Nian Gengyao, the general of Hangzhou, was demoted to 18th rank to listen. Nian Gengyao finally walked into a desperate situation.There is no distinction between the top and the bottom of the capital. There is a crusade inside and outside the capital, and the snow-like memorials are sent directly to the study through the provincial governors, supervisory censors, and six departments.Anyone who had an acquaintance with Nian Gengyao or had a relationship with him, all of them turned against each other and made trouble. They added fuel and vinegar to write out the scriptures and sent them directly to the capital, and they were compiled into abbreviations and sent to the upper study in an instant.

The decree of "downgrading to eighteen levels" arrived in Zhejiang, and it was difficult to destroy the governor Zhe Erke.According to the Qing system, there are nine grades and eighteen grades for officials. Hangzhou generals are "from the first grade", and if they are lowered by another eighteen grades, they are "not in the stream".Zheerke could neither obey the order nor dare to disobey it, so he had to ask Li Wei, governor of Liangjiang, for instructions.Li Wei replied very quickly, and sent a note in a rolling order, which said: "You are an idiot! The emperor's intention is to remove him from his post! Find a broken city gate for him to see! Tell him, pass I’ll go see him in a few days.” Zhe Erke thought about it, Hangzhou did not have a “broken city gate”, only a small town called “Liu” 30 miles away from Hangzhou, and the north gate of the town was in disrepair for a long time, so he ordered people to He "invited" Nian Gengyao, who had already been under guardianship, to go.

The supreme minister with power over the government and the public, who was famous at home and abroad, suddenly realized the preciousness of life the moment he put on the "Bing" gown with the size of a sesame seed cake again.He joined the army at the age of eighteen, and became an official of the fourth-rank guerrilla at the age of twenty-two. In the Battle of Buton and the Battle of Khobdo, with a silver gun, he ran rampant among the thousands of horses, swords and swords, as if entering the land of no one. At the end of the day, he captured Ge Li, the governor of Gansu, ensured the supply of food and fodder for the North Road Army, and was favored by Kangxi. Playing the tide, suddenly fell down from the top! ——Nian Gengyao suddenly felt unwilling to be reconciled to this slump, to end his life like this.

"Liu" town is a small town in the south of the Yangtze River with beautiful scenery; it is adjacent to Fuchun River in the north, Longmen Mountain in the south, and numerous rivers, lakes, ports and branches are everywhere along the city.Nian Gengyao, an "old soldier", lived in the mossy gatehouse under the luxuriant grass at the north gate of the city.No one in the city knew where he came from or who he was. They only saw him sweeping the floor silently every day, opening and closing doors, occasionally practicing Tai Chi, pulling grass on the city wall when he had nothing to do, and slowly using a broken shovel. Shoveling the moss on the wall... Nian Gengyao never talked to anyone. Every night, there was a mansion newspaper from the provincial capital, with his heinous crime written on it, and he used a bald pen to write it in the mansion. Write your own defense and confession on the reverse side, and hand it over to the person who delivered the residence newspaper to take it back.He was waiting for the court's final decision on his fate, and for Li Wei to come to see him.In the twilight, he looked at the dark city, listened to the gurgling sound of the Fuchun River outside the city, and hoped that he could "stay" and be a fisherman on the Fuchun River (he no longer dared to be like Yan Ziling. Yixing). But what was waiting was more and more severe news. On May 22, it was issued: Nian Gengyao recruited power and accepted bribes, was good at being powerful, dared to bully others, endured the burden, and almost fell into my ignorance.Thinking painfully! Enactment on July 12: Since Nian Gengyao became the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, he has been arbitrarily doing good fortune and seeking personal gain, distorting right and wrong, citing bandits, rejecting those who dissent, recommending those who are going to go, and using the name of soldiers to fake military merits and support the evil party. In the name of the imperial court, follow one's own personal feelings. On September 17th, what came was not the Dibao, but Zhu Zhu's comment on the plea after the Dibao: Er Shang wants to live?I have ordered Tu Lichen to go to Guangzhou to get your brother, and I will come to get you right away! Along with Zhu Pi, there are also excerpts from the memorial to the impeachment of Nian Gengyao collected by hundreds of officials in the study room. It is 18 articles and 15 paragraphs...a total of 92 major crimes, which were jointly discussed by Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment, "Please make Nian Gengyao an official punishment." Yongzheng hoped that Nian Gengyao would commit suicide, but Nian Gengyao's desire to survive became stronger and stronger.On the night of September 17th, facing the broken window and the bright moon, and the desk lamp torn paper, he wrote "Death Pleading": Today, the minister is 10,000 aware of his sin.If the master is gracious, I pity the minister and repent, and ask the master to forgive the minister.The minister is not old, so he is left as a dog and horse to serve himself, and slowly serves the master.Nian Gengyao wept with blood in his heart. After finishing writing, Nian Gengyao broke the unusable pen with a "click", and fell down on the bunk resignedly. Zhang Tingyu received Nian Gengyao's begging for his life from Li Wei, and rushed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation without stopping.As soon as he entered the Hanging Flower Gate, Gao Wuyong greeted him with a smile and said, "The emperor just wanted me to call you, so here you are." Zhang Tingyu nodded slightly and entered the hall, but saw Yongzheng talking to Ma Qi, seeing him coming in, Yongzheng said He waved his hands and said with a smile: "Good time, this old horse is going to let go of the pick, so you can persuade me." Zhang Tingyu handed the folder to Yongzheng with both hands, and said with a smile: "Old Minister Ma talked to me, and the servant also persuaded me Don't move him. Since the emperor forbids him to rest, he will naturally not be able to rest." "I can't make others difficult." Yongzheng got off the kang with a sigh, paced slowly, and said, "People say that I am mean, but I don't want to bear this reputation. Ma Qi, you know best, you have saved Yunyu The crown prince was originally an out-and-out "Baye Party". For this reason, the first emperor put you in the sky prison, but I released you, entrusted you with great power, and bestowed you with a noble title. Why? Why? You have no selfish intentions to do what you want, because you have a ruler in your heart, and you are an honest and honest official. You are not the one to control the affairs of Changchun Garden. Who will decide what will happen later? Therefore, you are a virtuous minister. The country has many things to do Now, I can't bear to ask you to go, so how can you bear to leave me?" Ma Qilong stood up on heels, bowed and said: "Since the emperor has said this, I really feel sorry for you, but I am already over seventy years old. I can't hold this position in this position." It’s a matter, isn’t it also a failure of the emperor? It’s time to withdraw and make room for younger ones, like Altai and Li Wei, who are young and strong, and stay by the master’s side, which is beneficial to the emperor and the world.” "Going to the study room is for literature and ink, Li Wei and Altai are not suitable." Yongzheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Renewing the administration of officials depends on the governors of the provinces, people like Tian Wenjing, Li Fu, Li Wei, and Altai, I want to set them as models. Because of the old rules and bad rules of the ancestors, Chen Xi is deeply ingrained, and the entanglement is not a sharp weapon..." Zhang Tingyu hurriedly said: "What the Lord said is very true. Even so, the servant thought that he could let Ma Qi live in the suburbs of Beijing, and he didn't have to go back to his hometown. It is also a way to consult at any time." Yongzheng nodded, and said: "Then follow Hengchen's opinion." After finishing speaking, he looked at Nian Gengyao's brochure, but only glanced at it and threw it on the table, just pondering . Ma Qi looked at Yongzheng and said, "It's Nian Gengyao's book again? Now, why is there any hesitation?" Yongzheng sighed and said, "He won't commit suicide. He is different from you, he has a personal relationship with me, besides, his sister Nianfei is ill... When I went to see her this morning, she was already skinny and had only one breath left, and she didn't even have the strength to kowtow on the pillow. Looking at me, I can't speak... I have nothing to comfort me, but I am human after all, she has been with me for decades... I can't live without pity..." Yongzheng said, his eyes filled with tears .Seeing that he was so sad, Zhang Tingyu was also heartbroken, so she just bowed her head and said nothing. "Long Live Lord." Ma Qi's face was wrinkled like a walnut skin and remained motionless: "Concubine Nian is Concubine Nian, and Concubine Nian Gengyao is Concubine Nian. Unparalleled and generous kindness. If the state and public objects are combined with personal friendship, nothing can be done." Yongzheng raised his head, looked at the algae well on the top of the hall in thought, after a long time, took a heavy breath, said nothing more, walked quickly to the front of the case, pulled a piece of paper and wrote: Begging for life.Since you are unwilling to commit suicide and apologize, I have no choice but to give you suicide.You are also a person who reads books. According to history books, has there ever been someone as rebellious and lawless as you?There have been lawless ministers since ancient times, but before they are exposed, they are all pretending to be reluctant and pretending to be courtiers.If you act illegally and without any scruples, has there ever been someone like him in ancient times?My kindness to you is as high as the sky and the earth is thick, and the kindness to your father and brother, your son, and your family is as high as the sky and the earth.I regard you as a country with sincerity, and I will never bully you, so I will do my best to dispel suspicion and appoint you wholeheartedly. I am a powerful blessing, planting a party for personal gain.After you committed suicide, if you had a slight sense of resentment, then the Buddhist scriptures say that you will fall into hell forever, and ten thousand kalpas will not be able to erase your sins. It was December 11th in the third year of Yongzheng. After Yongzheng finished writing, he handed the manuscript to Zhang Tingyu, and stared at Dongnuan Pavilion with slow eyes.Zhang Tingyu knew that the emperor was already thinking about how to deal with his younger brother Yunhu who lived in the east of the city.As soon as Nian Gengyao left, Yunyu had become a fish. Although chopping the fish was effortless, it was stained with blood and brought the notoriety of Brother Tu.But if this tumor is not removed, Yongzheng's ambition to turn the tide and revive politics will still be in vain. None of them spoke, only the chiming bell on the hall chimed without hesitation. The Night of Fireworks, February 6, 1992 Yu Wan